txolops Chapter 1 Encountering a Demon in the Deep Mountains
Chapter 1 Encountering a Demon in the Deep Mountains
Shuangcha Ridge, Bopiting Pavilion.
This place was originally a hermit's cave, but a few years ago, a demon appeared out of nowhere, calling himself General Yin.
Born with lightning-like eyes and a thunderous voice, and saw-like teeth and chisel-like teeth, he used sorcery to harm the hermit, seized the cave for himself, and took pleasure in eating people.
Many of the people in the mountains were captured and killed by him. They were skinned, their hearts cut out, and their bones chopped off here before being served to General Yin. Therefore, this place is called the Skinning Pavilion.
It was late autumn, with frost covering the ground and a cool moon hanging high in the sky.
Outside, all was quiet, but inside the Skinning Pavilion, it was bustling with activity.
It turned out that General Yin had just led fifty or sixty monsters to abduct a group of travelers.
There were three people, the leader being a monk, handsome and imposing. His teeth were white as if carved from silver, and his lips were red and square. He had a flat head, a broad forehead, and clear, bright eyes and eyebrows.
This monk was none other than the holy monk who went to the Western Paradise to retrieve Buddhist scriptures before the emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty. His Dharma name was Master Xuanzang, also known as the Tang Monk Sanzang.
The other two were two strong men, one named Zhang Quan and the other named Li Fa, both of whom were Tang Sanzang's attendants.
At this moment, all three of them were bound in the pavilion by that group of demons, truly like fish on a chopping board, lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
General Yin summoned a little demon and said, "Wolf Xiao Er, here are three good ingredients. King Xiong Shan and King Te Chushi have been keeping their ways for a long time, and today they've stumbled upon our good fortune. I wish to entertain them. You may kill those two, take their hearts and livers, and serve them to me and the two kings with our wine. As for the monk, I'll keep him for myself tomorrow."
After saying this, General Yin left, presumably to entertain the two demons.
Inside the Skinning Pavilion, there was only Wolf Xiao Er himself and three other mortals who were tied up.
Li Fa opened his eyes at this moment. He had just transmigrated three days ago. The original owner of the body had fallen from a tree and died while picking fruit for Tang Sanzang, which is how he was able to possess the body.
Although he survived, he broke one of his hands and twisted his leg.
In fact, the original owner of this body was quite skilled in martial arts. He came from the Xuanjia Army and once followed Li Shimin to defeat Wang Shichong. Because of his honest and kind nature, he was chosen as Tang Sanzang's follower.
But the key point is that this is the world of Journey to the West!
There are monsters!
Without magical power, they are no match for monsters.
It's worth noting that in Journey to the West, combat strength is roughly divided into martial arts, magical power, supernatural abilities, and magical treasures.
Martial arts are basic attacks, mana is mana, supernatural powers are skills, and magic weapons are cheat codes.
If any one of these four elements is missing, the overall quality will be significantly reduced.
The monkey is highly skilled in martial arts, supernatural powers, and magic, but he lacks powerful magical weapons, which leads to repeated setbacks during his journey to the West.
Even monkeys behave this way, let alone Li Fa.
Of the four skills, he only possessed one: martial arts. This can be described as a very tragic start.
Just at four o'clock this morning, Li Fa asked Zhang Quan where they were.
Zhang Quan replied that he had arrived at Shuangcha Ridge.
Before Li Fa could react, a group of demons surrounded them and captured them.
Li Fa, who was well-versed in Journey to the West, then remembered that in the original story, when Tang Sanzang first arrived at Shuangcha Ridge, he was indeed kidnapped by a group of monsters. Apart from the old monk himself, his two attendants were eaten by the monsters.
Then Venus saved Tang Sanzang.
"Damn it, that son of a bitch Venus, why didn't he come sooner? Why did he have to wait until I was eaten before he came?" Li Fa was tied to a pillar, cursing Venus in his heart while thinking of a way to escape.
Just then, Wolf Xiao Er walked up to Zhang Quan.
The monster held a three-foot-long broadsword, grinning widely to reveal a mouthful of fangs. As he walked, he said, "Sorry, brother, you're destined to be eaten. Hope you'll be reborn into a better family next time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Fa heard a scream from the side.
It turned out that Wolf Xiao Er had already cut open Zhang Quan's chest, then took out his internal organs and placed them on a large plate.
Then they peeled off his skin, removed the tendons, took the meat off the bones, and chopped the bones into pieces.
It took less than half an incense stick's time.
Tang Sanzang, who witnessed the whole thing, was a monk who had never seen such a bloody scene before. He screamed and fainted.
Li Fa was slightly better than Tang Sanzang, perhaps due to the influence of his predecessor, having experienced war and killed enemies, but he was still not much better.
Upon hearing Tang Sanzang's shout, Li Fa turned his head and saw that Tang Sanzang had fainted and collapsed on the luggage.
Wolf Xiao Er had already moved over, and Li Fa's heart was almost jumping out of his chest. But when his gaze fell on Tang Seng's luggage, his eyes suddenly lit up, and in a flash, he suddenly had a plan.
Wolf Xiao Er stopped in front of Li Fa, still grinning, and said, "Brother, you're destined to be eaten too. Don't blame me when you go to the King of Hell."
Having said that, he raised his sword to strike.
"Your Majesty, please wait." Li Fa suddenly spoke, his voice trembling slightly. "I have something to say."
Wolf Xiao Er paused, retracting his sword, and asked, "What do you have to say?"
"Your Majesty, killing me is as easy as crushing an ant, but by doing so, you will miss out on a great benefit."
A hint of doubt flashed in Wolf Xiao Er's eyes as he said, "What benefits? Tell me."
Li Fa said, "That monk is a high-ranking monk from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East. He is a good person who has cultivated for ten lifetimes. Eating a piece of his flesh can grant you immortality. You might as well eat him instead of me."
Upon hearing this, Wolf Xiao Er grinned maliciously and said, "If that's all you have to say, then you might as well die. Do you think I'm stupid? That monk is someone the king specifically requested to eat tomorrow. Even if I eat a piece of his flesh and gain immortality, the king will still kill me tomorrow. So I advise you to save your breath. My knife is very fast, don't worry."
After saying this, Wolf Xiao Er raised his knife again.
Li Fa then said, "Your Majesty, please wait. Since Your Majesty has no ill intentions towards that monk, I still have something to gain."
Upon hearing this, Wolf Xiao Er cursed, "You're so long-winded! If you have something to say, just say it all at once, and I'll send you on your way. Otherwise, I'll keep asking you questions."
Li Fa hurriedly nodded, then lowered his voice and said, "Among the monk's belongings was a purple-gold alms bowl bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor of the Eastern Land, worth ten thousand gold pieces. There was also a kasaya bestowed by the Western Guanyin, a Buddhist treasure. If one wears the kasaya, one will not fall into the cycle of rebirth or hell. Wherever one sits, ten thousand gods will pay homage; wherever one moves, seven Buddhas will accompany one."
Upon hearing this, Wolf Xiao Er's heart trembled three times. He was just a little monster who killed and skinned people for General Yin. He had never even heard of such a treasure, let alone seen it.
Li Fa's words were quite tempting to him; after all, "Your Majesty, you can eat Tang Sanzang's flesh and live forever. I, your humble servant, should at least have some broth, and this treasure is quite good."
But he wasn't a complete novice, and he still kept some precautions in mind.
So he said, "How did you know he has treasure there?"
Li Fa hurriedly said, "I came from Chang'an with this monk and we've been traveling for several days. Not only do I know what treasures he has, but I also know exactly how many hairs are on his body."
Wolf Xiao Er then raised his head, glanced at Li Fa, and said rudely, "You know how to talk, much better than the one I killed. He was such a coward. I hadn't even picked up my knife before he got his pants wet."
Li Fa smiled obsequiously, "Isn't this all for Your Majesty's sake? We're just followers. If you take that treasure and then fly far away, find a mountain to rule as king, and live a life of luxury, wouldn't that be better than staying here licking the bottom of a pot?"
Wolf Xiao Er nodded upon hearing this and said, "What you said makes some sense. Here's the deal: if I really get the treasure, I'll let you go. From now on, I'll live a carefree life, and you can go wherever you want."