txolops Chapter 7 Taibai Saves Tang Sanzang
Chapter 7 Taibai Saves Tang Sanzang
"These three old devils must be eliminated, but the probability is too low at the moment. I'm afraid we should proceed slowly, unless... there is an unexpected change." Li Fa pondered to himself.
Just then, the sky brightened and the red sun rose higher.
Suddenly, Li Fa seemed to sense something. He looked up and saw a shooting star streak across the sky and land directly in front of the Peeling Pavilion.
Thanks to his enhanced five senses, Li Fa was still able to see the situation clearly even after entering the mountains.
That wasn't a shooting star; it was clearly an old man.
Venus!
Li Fa was horrified; this was the first time he had ever seen a deity since he transmigrated.
Just as he looked at Venus, Venus seemed to sense something and turned his gaze toward him as well.
While the record of merits can obscure the secrets of heaven, it cannot obscure the five senses of immortals.
The eyes of a deity can see far beyond a thousand miles!
However, thanks to the Record of Merit, although Venus saw Li Fa, he did not see through his true form and regarded Li Fa as an ordinary little demon.
As for Venus, although he felt Li Fa's gaze, he didn't take him seriously.
His current task is to save Tang Sanzang.
As soon as Venus entered the cave, General Yin sensed it.
Venus had now transformed into an old man, leaning on a cane, showing no trace of the aura of an immortal.
General Yin was in a fit of rage when he saw an old man swaggering into his cave. His anger flared up, and he completely forgot his original caution.
The demon, brandishing his sword, blocked Taibai Jinxing's path and cursed, "Who are you, you old geezer, daring to trespass into your grandfather's cave?"
Venus, however, didn't even lift an eyelid, and slowly said, "I am but a traveler. These mountains are treacherous and difficult to traverse, so I came to ask for a bowl of water and a place to rest. This... Your Majesty, why are you angry?"
"Want some water? To rest?" General Yin laughed angrily. "Old man, look closely, this is the Skinning Pavilion! Is this a place for you? Now that you're here, don't leave. I'm in a bad mood today, and I need something to vent my anger on!"
Venus then slightly raised his eyes and sighed, "Alas, the world is going to the dogs, people's hearts... oh, demons' hearts are no longer what they used to be. I was just asking for a bowl of water, why has it come to this? Oh well, oh well..."
He made a move to turn and leave.
"Trying to leave?!" General Yin sneered, thinking the old man was scared. "Once you've entered my Skinning Pavilion, your life and death are no longer in your own hands! I'll personally skin you alive and see what kind of guts are inside!"
As soon as he finished speaking, General Yin drew his sword and slashed.
But who is Venus? He is a close minister of the Jade Emperor and a celestial official of the Heavenly Court. How could a demon like General Yin possibly shake him?
With a flick of his cane, the old man sent General Yin flying, crashing into a large stone pillar and losing consciousness.
The old man sighed, stepped into the cave, and came to stand before Tang Sanzang.
With a flick of his hand, all the ropes binding Tang Sanzang were severed.
Venus blew on Tang Sanzang again, and Tang Sanzang finally woke up. Upon seeing Venus, he immediately knelt down and said, "Thank you, venerable sir! You saved my life!"
Venus returned the greeting and said, "Rise. Have you forgotten anything?"
Tang Sanzang said, "My followers have probably been eaten by these monsters, but I wonder where my luggage and horses are?"
Venus pointed his staff into the distance and said, "Isn't that horse over there? And isn't the luggage right in front of us?"
Tang Sanzang then looked around and, sure enough, his luggage and horse were still there, which put his mind at ease.
So he asked Taibai, "Old man, what is this place? And why are you here?"
Venus said, "This place is Shuangcha Ridge, a den of tigers and wolves. How did you end up here?"
Tang Sanzang said, "At dawn, I left the territory of Hezhou. Eager to continue my journey, I rose too early and braved the frost and dew, only to lose my way and wander into this place. There I encountered a demon king, exceptionally fierce, who bound me and my two followers. Later, a dark-skinned man appeared, calling himself Lord Xiongshan; and a fat man, calling himself Special Gentleman. They called the demon king General Yin. I assumed the three of them would devour my two followers, and I thought I was doomed as well. But what great fortune has befallen me, that you, sir, have come to rescue me?"
Taibai said, "That hermit was a wild ox spirit, the mountain lord was a bear spirit, and General Yin was a tiger spirit. The demons and monsters around you are all mountain spirits, tree ghosts, and strange beasts and wolves. It is only because of your pure and bright nature that they cannot eat you. As for your two followers, they must have been killed by monsters, and their souls have probably entered the underworld."
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang's eyes filled with tears. He bowed to the heavens and said, "Zhang Quan and Li Fa, you two have followed me for so long, yet you have suffered this misfortune. It is all because of this humble monk. When this humble monk obtains the true scriptures and returns to the capital in triumph, I will surely set up an altar for you to be delivered from suffering and pray for blessings in your next life."
Venus comforted him, saying, "This is also their destiny. Master, there is no need to be too sad. You should focus on your future. Come with me, and I will guide you on your way."
Tang Sanzang nodded repeatedly, truly grateful.
So he put his luggage on the horse, took the reins, and followed Venus out of the mountain and onto the main road.
Upon reaching the main road, Tang Sanzang tied his horse to a patch of grass by the roadside, intending to turn around and thank Venus again. However, Venus transformed into a gentle breeze, mounted a white crane with a red crown, and soared into the sky.
A simple note drifted down on the wind, bearing four lines of verse:
I am Venus, the planet of the Western Heaven, and I have come to rescue your souls.
God will help you on your journey; do not complain about the difficulties.
Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang bowed to the heavens and said, "Many thanks to Venus for saving me from this calamity."
After paying his respects, he took his horse and went on alone.
Li Fa, who was far away in the mountains, witnessed the whole process, especially the scene of Venus striking General Yin, which terrified him.
What shocked him most was that after Venus left, the record of merits had been updated with another page:
[Targets for execution: ? ?]
[Karma Assessment: ? ?]
[Probability of successful hunt: ?]
Killing it will yield:
[Optional Reward 1: ? ?]
[Optional Reward Two: ? ?]
[Optional Reward Three: ? ?]
[Optional Reward Four: ? ?]
[Optional Reward Five: ? ?]
Below is a line of smaller print: "Weak strength, unable to be monitored."
Li Fa's pupils suddenly contracted.
"The strength is too weak to monitor..." he muttered to himself. "The catalog was not updated before Venus came, but it was updated after Venus left, and this time there are a total of five rewards to choose from!"
Could this question mark be Venus himself? But if it is Venus, then how can there be a karmic assessment?
According to Li Fa's understanding, immortals should be completely impartial and selfless, and would not do anything that violates heaven and reason, so how could they have karma?
He couldn't think about it, nor dared to think about it: if all the gods in this world had karmic judgments, what kind of world would it be?
There is absolutely something terrifying about this!
A sense of crisis, unlike anything he had ever felt before, suddenly arose in Li Fa's heart. The only way forward was to improve his strength as soon as possible.
The best solution he has now is to kill General Yin, Special Envoy, and Lord Xiongshan, these three monsters!
His mind started racing. Now was probably the best time to get rid of General Yin. The old demon had just been injured by Venus, so his strength must have decreased. But he didn't know what the chances of killing him were now.
So Li Fa opened the Merit Record again, turned to the page of General Yin, and sure enough, saw that the success rate of the hunt had increased from 25% to 55%.
Li Fa's heart suddenly raced.
Fifty-five! That's more than doubled!
This means that if they were to launch a surprise attack on the unconscious General Yin now, the chances of success would be more than 50%.
However, the probability of failure is still as high as 45%. If he fails, he will almost certainly die in the Skinning Pavilion, surrounded by demons.
"We can't act impulsively." Li Fa forced himself to calm down. "Although the success rate has increased, the risks are still enormous. Moreover, General Yin was only injured and unconscious, not dead. I'm afraid he might have some other tricks up his sleeve, but..."
Li Fa suddenly had a good idea; he planned to use his identity as Lu Kunkun to make a fuss.