Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Chapter 136 Wuji Kingdom - Divine Calculation Without End 2

It is said that Sun Wukong rescued his master and fellow disciples and rested for one night.

The next morning, a vegetarian meal was arranged, and after eating, we headed straight for the main road.

Just as they were about to eat, they suddenly heard the sound of wind. They went outside to see what was happening and found a group of demon soldiers coming from the southwest.

It turns out that this group was the younger brother of the old fox of Yalong Cave, a demon soldier from the cave called King Fox Aqi, numbering over two hundred, who came specifically to avenge the old fox.

The strange-looking man had a jade-like face, a long beard, steel-like eyebrows, and sharp ears. He wore a golden helmet and chainmail, and held a halberd. He shouted, "You audacious monkey! How dare you bully us like this! You'd better all come and die to avenge my sister's family!"

The pilgrim cursed, "You bunch of damned fools, you don't know your grandpa Sun's methods! Don't run! Take a blow from my staff!"

The monster dodged to the side, its halberd striking the monster squarely in the face.

The two fought back and forth on the hilltop for three or four rounds, but the monster, weakened by its own strength, was defeated and retreated.

The traveler arrived, and the monster hurriedly called out to the little monsters, and all the demon soldiers rushed forward.

The Great Sage hurriedly called to Pigsy, who, upon hearing this, quickly drew his nine-toothed rake to meet the enemy.

Unfortunately, there were too many small monsters, and Fox Ah Qi could not be found for a while.

Sanzang, sitting in the Lotus Cave, heard the earth-shaking shouts and called out, "Sha Wujing, go out and see how your senior brother fared."

Sha Wujing raised his demon-subduing staff, shouted, and charged out, driving away the demons.

When Ah Qi saw another one coming, he knew something was wrong and turned to leave, but Bajie caught up with him and smacked him on the back with his rake, leaving nine bright red marks. Poor soul, his true spirit was gone forever.

They quickly dragged her over, stripped her clothes off, and saw that she was also a fox spirit.

Upon seeing this, the pilgrim tossed the golden cudgel into the air and exclaimed, "Great!"

The iron rod was as thick as a mountain, and it fell down, crushing all the monsters to death.

Pigsy and Sandy each displayed their divine power, sweeping away all evil spirits. They returned to the cave and reported the good news to Tripitaka: "The mountain is clean, the demons are gone, please mount your horse and go."

Tripitaka was overjoyed. After breakfast, the master and his disciples packed their belongings and horses and set off westward to find their way.

The hardships they endured, sleeping by the water and braving the wind and dew, continued for a long time until another mountain blocked their path. Sanzang, on horseback, cried out, "Disciple, look at that towering mountain! We must be careful, lest another demonic obstacle befall us!"

The pilgrim said, "Master, don't let your mind wander. Just stay calm and focused, and nothing will happen."

Sanzang said, "Disciple, why is the journey to the Western Paradise so difficult? I remember that after leaving Chang'an, it has been four or five years on the road, from spring to summer, from autumn to winter, and we still haven't arrived."

Upon hearing this, the traveler chuckled and said, "Good morning! Good morning! You haven't even left the gate yet!"

Pigsy said, "Brother, don't lie. Is there really such a gate in the human world?"

The traveler said, "Brother, we're still wandering around in the main room!"

Sha Wujing laughed and said, "Brother, don't try to scare me with your big talk. Where would you find such a large hall? And where would you buy such a large beam?"

The pilgrim said, "Brother, in my opinion, if we take the blue sky as the roof tiles, the sun and moon as the windows, and the four mountains and five peaks as the beams and pillars, then heaven and earth would be like an open hall!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy said, "That's enough! That's enough! Let's just turn around and go back in a while."

The pilgrim said, "No need for idle talk, just follow me."

The master and his disciples continued on their journey, and in the distance they saw an old Taoist priest sitting cross-legged on a rock, eyes closed and in deep concentration. They saw him:

He wore a purple turban, a black robe, straw sandals, and carried a whisk. His face was like a full moon, and his beard was like silver threads.

Behind him was a long banner inscribed with the words "Knowing the past and future, and understanding the emotions of the three realms and six paths," and in the middle were four large characters "Unparalleled Divine Calculation."

Pigsy, with his sharp eyes, spotted it first and tugged at Monkey, saying, "Brother, look at that Taoist priest! What a boastful tone! He claims to know the past and future, and to be able to know the Three Realms and Six Paths. Even Buddha wouldn't dare to boast like that, would he?"

Sha Wujing also said, "Second Brother is right, Senior Brother, could this Taoist priest be a monster?"

Upon hearing this, the pilgrim shaded his eyes with his hand and looked around with his fiery eyes, but he only saw a human body and no demon. He then said, "It's not a demon, it's not a demon. It must be a Quanzhen."

Hearing Wukong's words, Tang Sanzang dismounted and said, "Wukong, since this Taoist priest is not a demon and has made such a statement, why don't we go up and let him calculate when we will reach the Western Paradise? What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, the traveler said, "Master, it's better to avoid trouble. Let's just keep going; we'll eventually reach the Western Paradise."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy chuckled and said, "Master, if this monkey won't let you do the calculations, I'll do it for you! Let him calculate for me when we'll reach the Western Paradise and when I'll become a Buddha!"

The pilgrim grabbed him and scolded, "You fool, what kind of Buddha are you? I'm afraid someone will do a fortune telling and find out that you were Marshal Tianpeng in your past life, and in this life you're a pig-headed man, and in your next life you'll still be a pig!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy said, "Brother, don't be in such a hurry. Look at his confident tone; he must have some explanation. I just want to test his abilities first. If what he says is accurate, what harm is there in letting him calculate it?"

The traveler thought it made sense and decided to send the simpleton to scout ahead.

He nodded in agreement. What a fool! He has thirty-six transformations too. He hid in the woods, and in a flash, he transformed into a scholar, wearing a square scarf, a blue robe, and waving a gold-flecked folding fan, looking quite refined.

He puffed out his chest, strode confidently toward the old Taoist priest.

The traveler, watching from behind, saw it all clearly and couldn't help but chuckle to himself: "This fool, he's quite the actor, but the way he waves that fan is like someone fanning a fire."

Pigsy walked closer, coughed, and, mimicking a scholar's tone, cupped his hands and said, "Reverend Daoist, I pay my respects."

The old Taoist priest slowly opened his eyes, looked him up and down, and without getting up, smiled slightly and said, "Sir, do you want your fortune told?"

Bajie said, "Indeed, indeed. I have long admired your unparalleled divine calculations, and have come to seek your guidance. May I ask you, Master, if you could tell me my name, where I am from, and what kind of person I was in my past and present lives?"

He chuckled to himself: Now that I've transformed into this form, even if you have the greatest abilities, you still won't recognize me!

The Taoist priest didn't answer, but instead stretched out one hand, did some calculations with his fingers, and suddenly burst out laughing.

Bajie asked curiously, "What are you laughing at, Taoist priest?"

The Taoist priest pointed at him and laughed, "I'm laughing at you because you clearly have a pig's head! How come you've transformed into a human form?"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy was greatly alarmed, thinking that he had revealed his true form. He quickly touched his ears, only to find that he had not given anything away.

So he forced himself to remain calm and said, "What joke are you telling me, Daoist Master? I am a human being, not some pig's head!"

The Taoist priest shook his head and said, "You don't need to pretend anymore. You were originally Marshal Tianpeng, who descended to the mortal realm. However, because you got drunk at the Peach Banquet and teased Chang'e, the Jade Emperor punished you with two thousand blows, banishing you to the mortal world. You were mistakenly reborn as a pig and named Zhu Bajie. Now you're protecting Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy trembled so badly that he dropped the folding fan to the ground.

He stammered, "You...you...who are you? How do you know so much?"

The Taoist priest laughed and said, "Of course I figured it out. Didn't you just want your fortune told?"

Upon hearing this, the fool was indeed struck dumb, and immediately knelt down, exclaiming, "Old Immortal! Old Immortal! You are truly a divine strategist!"

With that, he picked her up and, tumbling and crawling, headed towards Tang Sanzang.