txolops Chapter 155 Fire Cloud Cave - Paying Homage to the Iron Fan Immortal
Chapter 155 Fire Cloud Cave - Paying Homage to the Iron Fan Immortal
Meanwhile, the demons bound Li Fa and brought him into the Fire Cloud Cave.
Red Boy was sitting on the stone bed when he saw the little demon bringing in a woodcutter. He lazily asked, "Where is this from?"
The little demon said, "Your Majesty, this is a woodcutter from the foot of the mountain who ran into your territory. We brought it here for Your Majesty to have with your wine."
Red Boy waved his hand and said, "Never mind, never mind, he's skinny and doesn't have much meat. Take him to the kitchen and chop him up to make soup."
Upon hearing this, Li Fa struggled forcefully, snapping the rope in two. He wiped his face and cursed, "You damned wretch, committing evil deeds and harming living beings here, today I'll get rid of you!"
Red Boy was startled and jumped off the stone bed, shouting, "Who are you?"
Li Fa laughed and said, "I live on Mount Zez, and I am known as the Plasma King. I love to fight for justice."
Red Boy, thinking Li Fa was also a demon, flew into a rage upon hearing this. He brandished his fire-tipped spear and cursed, "You wicked monster! Don't you even know how powerful I am? How dare you provoke me! Take this!"
Having said that, he thrust his spear forward. Li Fa remained calm, drawing his Five Elements Spear to meet him.
The two were inside the cave when a fierce battle ensued:
One of these spears, its flames blazing like a dancing snake; the other, its five-element spear, gleaming with cold light like a soaring dragon.
Guns clashed and clanged, sparks flew as they met and clashed.
One is a demon prince who has cultivated the Samadhi Fire since childhood; the other is a primordial being, proficient in all kinds of supernatural powers.
After fighting for twenty rounds, Red Boy gradually became exhausted and secretly exclaimed in surprise, "This fellow is incredibly powerful!"
He feinted, jumped out of the circle, and sneered, "So, you're quite capable. But you don't know I have other tricks up my sleeve!"
Having said that, he opened his mouth and, with a whoosh, spat out a mouthful of Samadhi True Fire!
That fire was no small matter; it blazed fiercely, roaring and scorching. The flames filled the sky, and the ground turned a deep red. Like fiery wheels, it flew up and down; like charcoal dust, it danced east and west. It melted everything, whether metal or stone.
Li Fa knew he had this trick up his sleeve, but he didn't dodge. Instead, he activated his indestructible body and used the fire escape technique from the Five Elements Great Escape, merging his body into the Samadhi Fire.
Sure enough, the fire burned him but did not harm him in the slightest!
Red Boy was shocked and spat out several more breaths, making the fire even more intense.
But Li Fa stood in the fire as if he were in an empty place.
"This...how is this possible!" Red Boy panicked when he saw that the fire was ineffective.
Li Fa was overjoyed upon seeing this and thrust his spear forward.
But he didn't expect that although the fire couldn't burn his indestructible body, it burned his clothes completely.
The clothes were made of cotton and silk, which are inherently flammable, and would catch fire even more fiercely if exposed to fire.
Where there is fire, there is smoke. Li Fa's clothes were burned, and black smoke rose up, choking him and causing him to cough repeatedly.
Red Boy was overjoyed when he saw this, and quickly used his supernatural powers to blow a puff of smoke in her face.
Li Fa was unable to dodge in time, his eyes and nose were blinded and choked, so he had no choice but to ride on a cloud and retreat far away.
Seeing Li Fa retreat, Red Boy thought he had won, so he closed the cave door and held a banquet to celebrate.
Li Fa, covered in soot from the smoke and fire, rode a cloud away from Mount Hao and landed by a stream at the foot of the mountain. After washing away the soot from his face, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked down at himself; his clothes were almost completely burned.
"That Red Boy, I underestimated him." Li Fa smiled bitterly, took out another set of clothes from his bundle, changed into them, sat cross-legged by the stream, and began to make plans in his mind.
Facing the Samadhi True Fire head-on, he possessed an indestructible body and the art of fire escape, so he was not afraid.
But the smoke and fire were intertwined; the fire was harmless, but the smoke was dangerous.
To win, one must either have a magic weapon to ward off smoke, or prevent Red Boy from having the opportunity to spew smoke. But that fellow is very clever; once he sees that fire attacks are ineffective, he will definitely switch to smoke.
"A direct assault is not the best strategy; a clever approach is needed."
But how can we outsmart them?
Li Fa pondered deeply, and suddenly he had a good idea.
In the original story, Sun Wukong transformed into the Bull Demon King to rescue his master from the cave, and almost succeeded. However, the Red Boy was observant and asked the Monkey King a few questions, which the monkey couldn't answer, thus revealing his true identity.
Why don't I become one of Red Boy's family members and go and coax him?
He just needs to plan carefully, otherwise if Red Boy asks about the trivial matters at home and he knows nothing, wouldn't he still be exposed?
"If you want to become like them, you must first learn to be like them."
Li Fa pondered to himself, since it would take another half month for Tang Sanzang and his disciples to arrive here anyway, he might as well go and lie in wait with the Bull Demon King or Princess Iron Fan for a while and learn from them. By then, even if they didn't look exactly alike, they would at least look nine-tenths similar.
However, Li Fa hesitated again, wondering whether he should learn from the Bull Demon King or the Iron Fan Fairy.
He pondered for a moment, thinking to himself: The Bull Demon King is away from home all year round, and his whereabouts are unpredictable, so he is hard to find; Princess Iron Fan, on the other hand, lives in the Banana Cave on Mount Cuiyun, and rarely goes out, so she is easy to approach.
Why not learn from Princess Iron Fan!
Having finished his calculations, Li Fa mounted the Black Tiger and headed straight for Cuiyun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou.
In less than half a day, they arrived at the territory of Cuiyun Mountain.
The mountain truly lived up to its reputation: verdant pines and cypresses, lush and verdant; exotic flowers and rare herbs, fragrant and delicious.
Clouds and mist swirl around the mountainside, revealing a hidden cave, which is none other than the Banana Cave.
Li Fa descended from the clouds, captured the Xuanhu, and transformed into a seventeen or eighteen-year-old female demon.
She was dressed with her hair half-tied up, her face fair and rosy; she wore a green robe and a pale yellow silk sash; she held a round fan in her hand, her movements graceful and charming.
He straightened his clothes again before walking towards the Banana Cave.
Upon arriving at the cave entrance, they found the door tightly shut, with two young girls standing on either side. Seeing Li Fa approach, they shouted, "Where did you come from? How dare you trespass into my Banana Cave?"
Li Yingying bowed and said in a high-pitched voice, "Greetings, elder sisters. My name is Xiao Cui. I am a wandering demon who cultivates in the mountains. I have long admired Princess Iron Fan's reputation and have come to seek refuge with her. I beg you elder sisters to inform me that you will take me in. I am willing to serve you as your servant."
The two girls exchanged a glance, and one of them said, "You wait here, I'll go and inform the madam."
A short while later, the girl came out and said, "The lady wants you to come in."
Li Fa straightened his clothes, lowered his head, and took small steps into the cave.
The Banana Cave was quite spacious, with pearls embedded in the stone walls, illuminating the entire room.
In the center was a stone couch, covered with a brocade rug, and a woman sat there. She was:
Her hair was tied up in a simple bun, her makeup unkempt, and her rosy cheeks exuded a natural fragrance.
Her waist was supple as she casually gathered her silk sleeves, and her long steps were graceful as she slowly swayed her light skirt.
Her eyes, like autumn waters, held no anger; her brows, like spring mountains, furrowed, carried a faint sorrow.
Her silk robe was half-open, its buttons clasped in green; she languidly nestled on the stone couch, her posture dignified.
Her jade-like fingers gently brushed the hair at her temples, her delicate body turning slightly, her shadow swaying gracefully.
She doesn't rely on her sharpness to add a menacing aura; her natural charm surpasses all others.
It was Princess Iron Fan, Rakshasa.
Li Fa immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "This humble demon greets Madam. I have cultivated in the mountains for many years, and am all alone and helpless. I have long admired Madam's reputation and wish to serve under her. I earnestly hope that Madam will accept me."
The princess said, "Get up. Since you have come here sincerely, you can stay and be a cleaning maid. But there are many rules in my cave. If you break them, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Li Fa kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you, Princess! This humble demon will certainly behave himself and dare not disobey."
Princess Iron Fan nodded and instructed her maid, "Take her away, change her clothes, and teach her manners."
The maid obeyed and led Li Fa to the back cave, where she found him a set of blue clothes and a small hat to change into. She also explained his daily tasks, which Li Fa accepted one by one. From then on, he stayed in the Banana Cave.