Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Facts have proved that Yin Yuan's persistent and kind teaching over the past twelve years has been very effective. At least the martial arts displayed by Xuanzang at present are quite pleasing.

Under the dim sky, Wen Jiao and Huo Ling'er could see clearly. He wielded a Zen staff so hard that water could not enter. He first protected the servants behind him, and when the two of them touched the swords that fell on the ground, the three of them leaned against the wall of the trap to face the enemy. Even though the goblins were savage, they could not catch the three of them for a while. The clever ones threw stones and soil into the trap, blinding the three of them so that they could not open their eyes. Then they tripped over the ropes and tied them up like dumplings.

"A big monk and two fat monks, everyone is in for a treat this time!" The goblins happily escorted the people back.

In mid-air, Huo Linger said anxiously: "Go and save them! It will be too late if you are late!"

Wen Jiao thought about what the little demon had said, and knew that the tiger, bear, and ox demons in Shuangcha Ridge were all bloodthirsty demons. Although the former had not yet eaten people after becoming a spirit, it was not easy to deal with it, but if left alone, it would inevitably become a disaster in the future. She immediately came up with a plan and whispered in his ear: "Sister Huo, we will do this and that, and sneak into the demon cave."

Huo Linger heard this and said happily, "This method is fun!" Then she hesitated and said, "It's just that it's too difficult to act so pretentiously. I can't do it. Why don't you do it, Wen Jiao?"

Wen Jiao said helplessly: "Sister Huo, you know my limited transformation skills. You can make me bigger or smaller, but you can't transform me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have practiced the art of disguise so hard."

Huo Linger covered her face: "But it's really difficult..."

Wen Jiao suddenly had an idea: "Why don't you just imitate my sister-in-law?"

In the past few days, Huo Ling'er often followed Wen Jiao to Madam Yin's place to eat and drink. Madam Chen, the wife of Yin Yuan, knew that she was Wen Jiao's protector, and treated her very attentively. Therefore, Huo Ling'er got familiar with the family and witnessed Madam Chen's training of her husband. Every time she saw her using her delicate voice, coquettish tone, and fierce momentum to make the straightforward Yin Yuanzhi run around, Huo Ling'er paid twelve points of respect to this petite but volcanic human woman.

After hearing what Wen Jiao said, Huo Ling'er suddenly understood and was more active than her: "Yes, let's go!"

Xuanzang and his two companions were carried into the monster cave by the goblins. They saw a man with a tiger head sitting on a chair in the middle. Xuanzang had grown much braver after being teased by Xie Xie, so he was only slightly surprised. The two servants were so frightened that if they had not been tied up, they would have collapsed to the ground. "My Lord, if a tiger eats us, it's fine. But if we are eaten by a monster that is neither human nor tiger, it will be disgraceful on our way to the underworld."

Xuanzang hurriedly reminded them: "Keep your voice down, if someone hears you, what will you do if you take it away to eat with wine?"

The three were just mumbling when they heard the little demons announce, "Mr. Xiong Shan and Mr. Te are here!"

Before he finished speaking, two burly men came in, one with a bear head and the other with a bull head. Before the three of them could take a closer look, they were dragged away. The two demons were chatting and laughing with the tiger-headed demon. Less than a cup of tea later, the little demons shouted again, "The lion lady wants to see you!"

"Madam Lion, where does this monster come from? Have you two brothers heard of it?" General Yin, the tiger-headed monster, asked curiously.

The second demon shook his head like a fan: "I have never heard of it."

At this moment, the cave door opened and a tall woman walked in. She was wearing a flaming red silk dress and a necklace of turquoise and dust-repelling beads. The beads were round and as big as the tip of a finger, and they still shone brightly in the dim light of the monster cave... but she had a lion's head with red mane.

The three big monsters were all local monsters from the wild mountains. They had occasionally seen a few merchants coming and going, but they were all covered in dust after a long journey. They went to nearby towns to steal some cloth to make clothes. The border was poor, and the cloth they got was only gray and shabby, and even colorful clothes were rare. When had they ever seen such a noble and gorgeous style? In an instant, the three monsters seemed to see a peerless beauty with a charming smile, and their eyes were fixed on her.

It was not until Huo Ling'er came up to her and bowed, that General Yin finally realized and stood up, and hurriedly came to help her: "I am sorry, my lady, please stand up, please stand up."

Huo Linger took the opportunity to stand up, pinched her throat, and said in a coquettish voice: "I am your servant, Lady Lion. I heard that there is a General Yin in Shuangcha Ridge who is extremely brave. I came here to join him and serve him."

"Who would dare to let a delicate beauty like you serve me like a slave?" General Yin's bones were softened. "I am General Yin. What are you all standing there for? Have some sense and take a seat with this lady!"

The little monsters were also fascinated by what they saw, and they woke up as if from a dream. They hurriedly moved the wolfskin chair up and dusted the leather on it. Huo Linger sat down reluctantly. Although General Yin, Xiong Shanjun and Te Chushi were sitting in their own seats, their eyes seemed to be hooked by an invisible hook, and they couldn't help but sneak towards Huo Linger.

Xiong Shanjun coughed and cleared his throat: "Where have you been practicing, my lady?"

Huo Ling'er said in a coquettish voice: "I used to practice in Chang'an."

The three demons stood in awe: "So you are from Shangdu, no wonder you are so elegant and graceful, unlike the demons in our area, who are all covered in dirt." As they spoke, they all sat up straighter and more solemnly, fearing that if they showed any vulgarity, this beautiful female demon from the imperial capital would look down on them. General Yin even secretly reached out and straightened the unruly folds on his tiger skin skirt.

Huo Linger imitated the coquettish and domineering appearance of Mrs. Chen, Yin Yuan's wife. She raised her chin and said proudly, "Although Chang'an is nice, it's a pity that there are only a bunch of cowardly fairies there. I despise all of them. It's nothing like the atmosphere here, where everyone is a heroic man like General Yin."

Being praised by such a proud and beautiful witch, General Yin was so delighted that all the pores on his body relaxed. He kept saying, "Hurry up and serve the wine! Cook the meat! Treat the Lion Lady!" But he was so excited that he forgot to mention Xiong Shanjun and Te Chushi who were also guests.

The goblins hurriedly prepared the food, brought out the roasted knives stolen from the nearby town, and cooked the game meat in stock without oil or salt. General Yin knew that he didn't have any good food here, and was afraid of neglecting Huo Ling'er, so he ordered: "Chop up the three people we caught in the morning and entertain the guests. The rest can be shared among everyone!"

The little monsters had never eaten human flesh before, but now they had a chance to taste it. They cheered and were ready to rush down to kill people. Huo Linger frowned and made a disgusted expression: "Human flesh is very dry, what's so delicious about it?"

General Yin smiled and said, "One of the monks is very skinny and indeed very tough. But the meat of the two monks is fat and greasy. I will ask them to cook them for me. They will definitely suit your taste."