Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

In the clear and airy autumn, a cold white rain fell, soaking the unwithered leaves of the autumn trees with rainwater, making them extra plump. A few gusts of wind blew by, and many unevaporated raindrops fell down like a crackling sound.

The hot steam from the steamer and the smoke from the cooking stove added a bit of warmth and vitality to the wet autumn scenery. The aroma of the food spread in the cool breeze of the autumn morning, attracting the attention of many passers-by.

The young shopkeeper Wei had long since become the old shopkeeper. He had grown a beard to cover his fat cheeks, and his waist and abdomen had become thicker. One could tell at a glance that the stove at home was well-oiled, which could be called the living sign of Wei's restaurant. He sat comfortably behind the counter, directing the newly recruited waiters to clean up the dishes and wipe the tables and chairs.

The waiter was ordered around by him, serving tea to the east table, snacks to the west table, and the bill to the south table. Soon he was sweating profusely. Suddenly, he smelled a faint fragrance, and two men and two women flashed in. They were all extraordinary in appearance and clothing, but their faces were very ordinary. At first glance, unless you look at them again, you can't remember their appearance.

As a celebrity in Chang'an whose portrait was circulated all over the world, Wen Jiao had specially changed her appearance before coming out. In order to avoid attracting attention, even Huo Ling'er changed her appearance. As soon as she strolled out of the Duke of Yun's mansion, she ran into Yuan Tiangang and his servant who happened to be strolling at the door, so they went to Wei's restaurant to have breakfast together. Naturally, in line with the principle of keeping a low profile, she also changed the appearance of Yuan Tiangang and Feng Ji.

After finding a table in the corner and sitting down, Wen Jiao waved to the other three to come over. Huo Ling'er immediately ran over and sat beside her. Feng Ji also immediately sat opposite Huo Ling'er. Yuan Tiangang looked at the table and chair with slightly peeling paint, and a knot formed between his eyebrows. He gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and sat down opposite Wen Jiao.

Wen Jiao laughed as she watched. Even if the world changed, Yuan Tiangang's cleanliness obsession would not change. Although he had stated that his overly artificial cleanliness obsession had long been cured, this obsession with cleanliness had long been embedded in his bones and could not be changed no matter what.

She clicked her thumb and middle finger, and a bead popped out like a marble. It rolled a few times and stopped right in front of Yuan Tiangang. Yuan Tiangang felt as if his whole body was filtered by warm nectar, even his hair was washed clean and refreshed. He looked at the bead with a burning look in his eyes.

"The Dust-Repelling Pearl was awarded by the Queen Mother last month. I'll give it to you." Wen Jiao said.

This is a tribute from Lingnan Dao. There are as many as one hu of the same beads. Each bead is shaped like nectar and feels cool and pleasant. It has no other effects, but it is very effective in cleaning the body and dispelling summer heat. Therefore, once it was presented to the palace, it became a favorite item for the concubines in the six palaces to wear in summer. Wen Jiao also received two strings as an apology for Xuantian Temple's failure to complete the cultivation for a long time.

It makes sense. The Buddhist water and land ceremony and the Taoist Luotian Grand Ceremony were held under the same order. The host of the water and land ceremony, Master Xuanzang, had been gone for two months, but the Taoist Luotian Grand Ceremony was still not there. It was only because Li Shimin, in order to show his importance, decided to hold the Luotian Grand Ceremony after the Xuantian Temple was repaired.

If it was just a small Taoist temple, a month would be enough, but if it was to be built grandly and magnificently, worthy of the status of the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable, it would have to be meticulous and meticulous. In this case, even if the Ministry of Works built it vigorously, it would take three to five years to complete. Wen Jiao was still stuck in the Duke of Yun's Mansion, and Taoist priests came to visit like a stream every day. The Duke of Yun's Mansion was almost becoming the permanent office of the Taoist Association.

It is no wonder that the empress dowager, who has always been kind, felt guilty for her son, apologized on his behalf, and rewarded her with many treasures.

This was the first time Wen Jiao gave him a gift. Yuan Tiangang was extremely embarrassed. He swung the turtle shell around for a few times before calming down and saying modestly, "Mingzhu, this should be given to someone who loves it."

Wen Jiao knew he was talking about Huo Ling'er, and chuckled, "Sister Huo already had it. I immediately gave her a string of these Dust-Repelling Beads after I received the reward." Huo Ling'er also tilted her neck in response, revealing the Dust-Repelling Beads that were stacked with the turquoise beads on her neck, and said proudly, "Wen Jiao's things are mine, so who cares about whom, sisters?"

Yuan Tiangang looked at the long pearl necklace on her neck, then looked at the small pearl in front of him, and fell silent. Fengji coughed twice: "We have been sitting here for a long time, why don't you order anything? You are just sitting there chatting and making fun of us, aren't you?"

Huo Ling'er was already hungry, and upon hearing this, she knocked on the table: "Hurry, hurry, hurry, what do you want to eat?"

"Tonghua soft beef intestine." Wen Jiao and Yuan Tiangang said in unison.

Finding that they ordered the same dish, Wen Jiao couldn't help but smile and glanced at Yuan Tiangang. The latter's eyes trembled, and he turned his head away, looking up at the non-existent sky, with a master's demeanor: "I just happened to want to eat it."

After ordering chicken wontons full of chicken for Fengji and duck flower soup pancakes that Huo Linger loved, Wen Jiao suddenly felt something and said, "Bring another serving of Hu pancakes, and use plenty of oil."

"When did you start liking Hu Bing?" Huo Ling'er asked curiously. Seeing her frowning eyebrows and sad eyes, she suddenly realized, "Are you missing your son again?"

Wen Jiao sighed and repeatedly stirred the duck soup in the bowl with a spoon: "Counting the days, he will soon be out of retreat. The journey to the West is long, and with his limited skills, he will be eaten alive by monsters once he leaves the territory of the Tang Dynasty."

He shook his head and smiled, "I was busy with the Luotian Grand Ceremony a while ago and couldn't be distracted, which was fine. But now I know that the Luotian Grand Ceremony is still a long way off. When people have free time, they can't help but think about all sorts of things."

"Xuanzang will encounter difficulties and disasters at every step of his journey," Yuan Tiangang said. He had already figured it out privately.

Wen Jiao had expected this, but Huo Ling'er was panicking: "Is it so dangerous? Even an iron man would be worn out. Besides, he only knows a little bit of martial arts!"

Fengji coughed twice, and Yuan Tiangang realized that his tone was a little harsh. He added hurriedly: "With the help of our great disciple, we can finally escape danger, but we will inevitably be frightened."

Huo Ling'er seemed to believe it, "Don't fool me. Although the two people sent by Emperor Tang have some skills, if I return to my original form, I can slap them away with just two claws. Do you think you have this ability?"

Yuan Tiangang couldn't go into details and just said to Wen Jiao: "Anyway, he will have his own adventures, just don't worry."

That is, although Tang Seng encountered a monster at Shuangcha Ridge and was frightened, fortunately the monster ate two of his followers first, and he escaped from the trap with the help of Taibai Jinxing, and was escorted by the hunter Liu Bochin, and soon met Sun Wukong. After the monkey took over, Xuanzang never really worried about his life again.

Wen Jiao was about to nod when she suddenly felt something was wrong.

How could I forget that someone was killed at Shuangchaling? Xuanzang escaped unharmed, but the two followers who were raised by his biological parents were eaten alive!

She stood up suddenly.