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

Chapter 166 Fire Cloud Cave - The Whereabouts of Red Boy

Upon hearing this, Princess Iron Fan swayed and nearly fell over.

She leaned against the stone bed, her voice trembling, and said, "You...you're telling the truth?"

Li Fa said, "Every word is true. If you do not believe me, I have brought a witness with me."

Having said that, he called out loudly towards the outside of the cave, "Great Sage, please come in!"

Upon hearing this, the pilgrim indeed entered, standing casually in the hall, and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, I, Old Sun, greet you."

Upon hearing this, Princess Iron Fan exclaimed in surprise, "Sister-in-law? What relation do we have?"

The pilgrim said, "Sister-in-law, you may not know this, but your esteemed Bull Demon King was once sworn brothers with me. We were one of the seven brothers, with me being the seventh and him the eldest. Now that I hear the princess is the eldest brother Bull Demon King's confidante, how can I not address you as sister-in-law!"

Princess Iron Fan then realized that the Bull Demon King had mentioned to her that they had a group of sworn brothers, including the Monkey King Sun Wukong who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace. However, they had not been in contact for many years and had long forgotten about him.

But she had no time for reminiscing; she only asked urgently, "So it's Uncle Sun from the Heavenly Palace! My son... was he really used by that old Taoist priest Guangming?"

The pilgrim said, "Sister-in-law, I saw it with my own eyes. That old Taoist Guangming said that he forcibly transferred the innate fire essence into Red Boy's body, and that he wanted to use it to cultivate some kind of supernatural power."

Even with Old Sun and this Plasma Daoist joining forces, they couldn't stop him; his nephew escaped in the chaos. His whereabouts are now unknown, and Old Sun has come to help his sister-in-law find him.

Upon hearing this, Princess Iron Fan could no longer hold back her tears, crying out, "My poor child! It's all my fault!"

Li Fa stepped forward and said gently, "Madam, please do not grieve too much. The most urgent matter is to find your son and extract the essence of the Fire from his body so that he can break free from Guangming's control. I have come here precisely to ask for your help."

Princess Iron Fan cried for a while, then gradually stopped crying and said through gritted teeth, "Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore. That old Taoist priest Guangming's saving me and taking me as his disciple back then was no accident. From beginning to end, he was scheming against me and my child!"

Li Fa and the traveler exchanged a glance and listened attentively to what followed.

Princess Iron Fan wiped away her tears and slowly said, "I was originally a princess of the Rakshasa Kingdom. That fire spirit is the most precious treasure of my Rakshasa clan, and it is naturally compatible with our bloodline."

Presumably, it was precisely because Guangming saw this that he stepped in to save my country when it was on the verge of collapse and took me as his disciple.

Back then, he taught me breathing exercises and spiritual cultivation, imparted supernatural powers to me, and even gifted me the Banana Leaf Fan. On the surface, it seemed like a master doting on his disciple, but now I realize he was actually using me as a vessel to nurture the essence of the Fiery Blaze.

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Later, I met the Bull Demon King and married him. I thought Guangming would be furious, but to my surprise, he was not only not angry, but also tried his best to bring us together and even came to congratulate me in person."

At the time, I thought he was genuinely looking out for me, but now I realize he hoped I would have children with the Bull Demon King so he could pass on the fire essence to the next generation.

Upon hearing this, the traveler couldn't help but interject, "Sister-in-law, do you mean that the essence of the innate fire was originally within you? So it was you who transferred it to your nephew?"

Princess Iron Fan nodded and said, "That's right. After my self-cultivation was successful, the essence of the fire gradually took shape in my body."

Later, when I gave birth to Red Boy, it happened to be a year, month, day, and hour of fire. Guangming then told me that the fire essence was even more compatible with my child, and if it were transferred into his body, his future achievements would be limitless.

At that time, I only wanted what was best for my child, so I believed him and asked him to help transfer the fire essence to my son.

At this point, she was already sobbing uncontrollably: "Who knew...who knew that this would happen! Later, I also felt doubtful, so I went to ask Guangming, but he only said 'Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed' and told me not to meddle."

Li Fa sighed, "Madam was also kept in the dark. That Daoist Guangming has been painstakingly planning for so many years; his intentions are far from small. Now that Red Boy has escaped, he certainly won't let it go."

Princess Iron Fan suddenly looked up and said, "Taoist Master, Uncle, I have a favor to ask of you!"

Li Fa said, "Please speak, Madam."

Princess Iron Fan said, "Once you find my son, you must extract the essence of the Fiery Blaze from his body! Even if he loses his supernatural powers and becomes a mortal, it's better than him being controlled by that old Taoist and falling into the demonic path! I'm willing to give anything to save my son!"

Li Fa said solemnly, "Madam, please rest assured, this is precisely why I have come. However, the Samadhi True Fire is extremely powerful. Although we, the Great Sage and I, possess indestructible bodies, are still easily injured by its flames. I wonder if Madam has any method to counteract it?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Iron Fan spat out the banana leaf fan from her mouth again.

She said, "This is the Banana Leaf Fan, which you have seen before, Daoist. One fan extinguishes fire, two fans create wind, and three fans bring rain. Although the Samadhi True Fire is powerful, it is afraid of this fan. I will lend it to you to help you control my son's fire."

Li Fa took the banana leaf fan, put it away, and then bowed, saying, "Thank you, Madam. I will certainly return it after I have used it."

Princess Iron Fan waved her hand and said, "Taoist priest, there's no need to be so polite. As long as you can save my son, I'll give you this fan. However, after my son escapes, given his nature, he certainly won't return to Mount Hao, nor will he come looking for me, much less his father. He has a place he's gone to; you can go there to find him."

The traveler asked, "Where?"

Princess Iron Fan said, "The Broken Child Cave on Jieyang Mountain. His uncle, the True Immortal Ruyi, lives there. The True Immortal Ruyi and my son have always been close, and my son often went there to play when he was young. Now that he has nowhere else to go, he has most likely gone to seek refuge with him."

Li Fa nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Madam. This humble Taoist and the Great Sage will now make a trip to Jieyang Mountain."

Princess Iron Fan stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "Daoist Master, Uncle Sun, I entrust my son's life entirely to you two. If you can save him from this sea of ​​suffering, I am willing to pray for you both for all eternity."

Li Fa quickly helped her up, saying, "Madam, there's no need for that. I will do my best."

The traveler replied, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. Since I've taken on this meddlesome matter, I'll see it through to the end! If I see Guangming again, I'll beat him to a pulp!"

Princess Iron Fan added, "There is one more thing. The essence of the Li Fire has been connected to my son's bloodline for many years, and it has probably merged with his primordial spirit. If we forcibly separate it, it may damage his very foundation."

If you two could find a way to avoid damaging your primordial spirit, that would be even safer. But in such a hurry, where would we find such a method…”

Li Fa's heart stirred, and he suddenly thought of something, so he said, "Madam, there is no need to worry. I have my own way."

Upon hearing this, Princess Iron Fan's face lit up with hope, and she quickly asked, "Does the Taoist priest truly have a way? What way is it?"

Li Fa laughed and said, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. Madam, rest assured, when the crucial moment comes, I will take action myself and will never allow your son to suffer any harm."

Princess Iron Fan was slightly relieved to see that he was confident.

The two bid farewell to Princess Iron Fan, turned around and left the Banana Cave, rising into the air on clouds.