txolops Chapter 172 Blackwater River
Chapter 172 Blackwater River
Leaving aside how Zhu and Sha rescued Li Fa, let's talk about the monster who captured Li Fa and took him back to the Water Palace.
The monster asked, "Are you Tang Sanzang?"
Li Fa said, "I'll make sure you're blind, you monstrous creature. Tang Sanzang is a Buddhist monk, and I'm a Taoist priest. How could you possibly recognize me as him?"
The monster, upon hearing this, refused to believe it.
He sneered, "You scoundrel, trying to fool me with your sweet talk? If you weren't Tang Sanzang, how come you're riding that white horse? I can tell you're clearly Tang Sanzang, afraid I'll eat you, so you pretend to be a Taoist priest to deceive me!"
Li Fa said, "Since you've said that, I have no choice but to accept it. However, I'm not like Tang Sanzang, who has a mortal body. My flesh isn't so palatable. If you don't believe me, just bring your knife and axe to chop me. If you can harm even a hair on my head, I'll give you my life as a snack with your wine, without batting an eye!"
Upon hearing this, the monster flew into a rage and roared, "You ignorant fool! How dare you look down on me! Minions, bring me my steel whip!"
The little demon hurriedly presented a bamboo-jointed steel whip, which was about three feet long, gleaming with a cold light, and extremely heavy.
The monster, whip in hand, pointed at Li Fa and cursed, "You think I can't hurt you? One lash of my whip, and even a head of bronze and iron will be cleaved in two! Perfect for chopping up and having with my wine, take this!"
While making a gesture as if to strike, he sang, "I'll beat you with a steel whip, beat you to death, you living turtle!"
After singing, he swung his steel whip and struck Li Fa on the head.
With a loud "bang," sparks flew everywhere, and the water palace shook three times.
The little demons covered their ears and gasped in alarm, thinking that Li Fa's brains must have been splattered out.
To everyone's surprise, Li Fa sat still, his expression unchanged. When the whip struck his head, it was as if it had struck a diamond, leaving no mark whatsoever.
The monster was startled and struck several more times, the clanging sounds echoing incessantly.
His arm was sore and numb from hitting him, but Li Fa was still unharmed. Instead, he grinned and said, "How about that? I told you you couldn't hurt me, but you wouldn't believe me. Are you convinced now?"
The monster was both shocked and furious, and cursed, "You sly Tang Sanzang, you truly are a strange being, worthy of being the original body of ten lifetimes of cultivation! Don't be so smug, I have my own ways to deal with you!"
Just as they were about to change to another form of punishment, a little demon rushed in, panicking, and reported: "Your Majesty! Disaster has struck! Two monks have come to the cave, one with a long snout and big ears, the other with a gloomy face. They claim to be Tang Sanzang's disciples, and they're shouting and cursing outside, trying to break into the water palace to rescue people!"
Upon hearing this, the monster threw the steel whip to the ground, pointed at Li Fa, and sneered, "You wicked Taoist! Your disciple has come to your door to save you, and you still dare to say you're not Tang Sanzang? Wait until I go out and capture those two bald monks, then I'll settle accounts with you!"
Having said that, he picked up his steel whip, led the demons, opened the cave door, and charged out with great momentum.
Li Fa called out from behind, "I told you it wasn't Tang Sanzang, but you wouldn't believe me. Don't blame me for not warning you when you suffer the consequences!"
The monster wouldn't listen. It strode out of its cave.
Outside the cave entrance, Pigsy brandished his rake, and Sandy swung his staff, engaged in a heated argument. The monster roared, "Where did this wild monk come from, daring to cause trouble before my Blackwater River God's abode!"
Pigsy cursed, "You blind, wicked monster! You've captured innocent people, and you dare to come out? Return them now, and all will be well; if you utter a single word of objection, I'll beat this cave to a pulp with my rake!"
The monster flew into a rage and swung its whip. Pigsy dodged, raising his rake to meet the attack. Sandy also rushed forward, and the three engaged in a fierce battle underwater.
One nine-toothed rake could cause mountains to crumble; another demon-subduing staff could shatter rocks. The monster's bamboo whip was like a poisonous dragon emerging from the sea. The three weapons clashed and clanged, causing the Blackwater River to churn and churn with mud and sand.
They fought for over forty or fifty rounds, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
The monster thought to itself, "These two monks are indeed quite skilled. If I fight them one-on-one, it will be difficult to determine a winner in a short time. It would be much easier to have my minions attack together and hack them to pieces."
After thinking for a moment, he feigned an attack, jumped out of the circle, and shouted, "Men, follow me and capture these two bald monks!"
Upon receiving the order, the lesser demons swarmed forward, brandishing their swords, spears, and halberds at Pigsy and Sandy.
When Pigsy sensed that things were not going well, he panicked.
He was a coward by nature, and seeing so many lesser demons and the ferocity of the monster, he dared not linger in battle.
He brandished his rake, made a feint, then turned and left, calling out, "Brother Sha, the wind's getting strong! Let's get out of here!"
No sooner said than done, Pigsy parted the waterways and vanished without a trace.
Sha Wujing was unable to hold out alone and was surrounded by the monster and his demon horde. He tried to break free but could not escape.
After fighting for several more rounds, he was ultimately outnumbered and overwhelmed by the demons. They swarmed him, pinned him to the ground, bound him with ropes, and dragged him into their cave.
The monster, victorious, laughed heartily and ordered his minions to tie up Sha Wujing as well, hanging him alongside Li Fa—a story for another time.
Pigsy escaped with his life and jumped out of the water angrily. He saw his master and Monkey and said, "Master, brother, this monster is so rude."
Old Sha and I went down and fought him for forty or fifty rounds. Seeing that he couldn't win, the monster summoned his shrimp soldiers and crab generals to swarm us. Junior Brother Sha couldn't dodge in time and was captured. Fortunately, Old Pig had some skill in parting water and managed to escape.
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang sighed, "This time, going into the water not only failed to rescue the Taoist priest, but also resulted in the loss of Wujing and Wukong. What should we do?"
The traveler said, "Master, please don't worry."
Then he asked Pigsy, "Where does this monster live?"
Bajie said, "Inside there is a pavilion, and outside the gate are eight large characters that read 'Hengyang Valley Blackwater River Divine Palace.' Sha Wujing and I were listening to him talk, and he really mistook the plasma for our master and wanted to chop the old Taoist priest up to eat with his wine."
The traveler asked, "What kind of demon is it?"
Bajie said, "It looks like a giant turtle; or perhaps a crocodile dragon."
The traveler asked, "What is the origin of this alligator dragon?"
Just then, an old man emerged from the lower bend, knelt down, and called out, "Holy Monk, Great Sage, the River God of the Blackwater River kowtows."
The traveler said, "Are you perhaps that wicked demon who stirs up trouble, trying to deceive us again?"
The old man kowtowed and wept, saying, "Great Sage, I am not a demon, but the true god of this river region. Last year in May, that demon came from the Western Ocean with the high tide and fought with me."
Unfortunately, I am old and frail, and no match for him. He seized the place where I sat, the Blackwater River God's Palace in Hengyang Valley, and also harmed many of my aquatic creatures.
I had no choice but to go to the sea to complain to him. It turned out that the Dragon King of the West Sea was his maternal uncle, and he refused to accept my complaint, telling me to let him live there. I wanted to appeal to Heaven, but my divine power was too lowly, and I could not see the Jade Emperor.
Having heard of the Great Sage's arrival, I have come to pay my respects and seek rebirth here, earnestly hoping that the Great Sage will help me avenge this grievance!
Upon hearing this, the pilgrim said, "If that's the case, then all the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas should be guilty. I'll go to the Western Sea and ask the Dragon King of the Western Sea to send his troops to capture him."
The river god then said, "I'm afraid there might be favoritism between them, uncle and nephew."