Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Taibai Jinxing said that since Erlang Zhenjun was a famous dog lover in the nine heavens and ten earths, the gods usually tolerated Xiaotian Dog for his sake. Even if Erlang Zhenjun was bitten on the crutch or his trouser legs were scratched, they would not argue with it, for fear of offending the overly powerful god behind it. The most unlucky among them were the two Zhenjuns, Sun and Sun. Because of their dazzling movements, Xiaotian Dog was not happy about it, and it would chase and bite them every now and then, which was unbearable.

Wen Jiao is the first person in history who dares to report Howling Sky Dog's evil deeds in front of Erlang Zhenjun. Her courage is truly commendable.

After hearing what Taibai Jinxing said, Huo Ling'er was a little afraid and whispered, "Is Master Erlang angry?"

This guy is a big shot. Even the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord can't afford to offend him, so how could small shots like her and Wen Jiao afford to offend him?

Taibai Jinxing smiled and took another bite of the venison skewer. "True Lord Erlang has always trusted Roaring Sky Dog's behavior. This is the first time someone has reported it, so he feels it's new. He specially called Roaring Sky Dog to ask about it. Roaring Sky Dog barked all the time and said that the group of monsters ran away on their own when he was fighting with True Lord Taiyang, and he had no idea. The group of monsters made a wish to give it something, but at that time, True Lord Taiyang had burned its tail, and it jumped around in pain. It didn't hear what was promised at all, and there was no offering in its mouth. It was very wronged. True Lord Erlang then realized that the dog had bitten True Lord Taiyang again, so he tied it up and punished it by not allowing it to eat or drink for three years."

He smiled and took a sip of the fruit juice. "This is the first time someone dared to sue Erlang Zhenjun about his dog, and he succeeded. The whole heaven was shocked. Little girl, your reputation as 'Yin Wenjiao who is not afraid of powerful dogs' is well-known to all immortals."

Wen Jiao sighed secretly, raised her head slowly, and smiled faintly: "It is really an honor for the younger generation."

Although Xiaotian Dog was punished, it was not because of his indulgence in cannibalism. Instead, it was punished symbolically because it was found to have offended Erlang Shen's colleagues, so that Sun Zhenjun could save face. Wen Jiao was even too lazy to ask whether the three-year "year" was calculated according to the time in heaven or the time under the earth.

After all, there has been no actual reduction in the number of monks in Jingye Temple, so just bear with it.

Taibai Jinxing flew away on a cloud. Wen Jiao told two servants to stay at a nearby post station first, while she and Huo Ling'er escorted Xuanzang to continue walking westward. After walking for only half a day, they saw a tiger with a body of more than ten feet long walking over from the other side of the hillside.

Huo Ling'er murmured, "I just chased away three long snakes, four leopards, and two wolves, and now here comes a big tiger. There are too many wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards in this land!"

"As long as Xuan Zang is determined to obtain the true scriptures, he will encounter difficulties and disasters at every step. You should regard this as a test from Buddhism to Xuan Zang." Wen Jiao said, patting Xuan Zang's terrified shoulder, "Don't be afraid, courage is something you learn. It's just a mountain cat, isn't it? It's just a little bigger than the wolf you just beat away. Go ahead, and mother will help you!"

Xuanzang had a bitter face. He wanted to disobey her order, but he didn't dare to disobey. He took a deep breath, and the Qi sank into his Dantian. He raised the Nine-ring Tin Staff and shouted loudly, half to scare the beast and half to give himself courage: "You big beast, don't let me get out of the way, or don't blame me for being rude!"

Huo Ling'er gnawed on the venison jerky that Wen Jiao had prepared for her, nodding as she looked at it: "It looks quite impressive, it should be able to scare off any beast of similar size."

The tiger opened its mouth wide as if yawning, revealing its sharp teeth, and blew a mouthful of disdain at Xuanzang. It sniffed with its wet nose, its eyes suddenly lit up, and it pounced on Xuanzang.

"It seems that it is still difficult to scare a tiger." Huo Linger added.

Xuanzang stepped back hastily, accidentally stepped on a corner of the cassock, and nearly fell backwards, about to be slapped by the tiger's palms. Wen Jiao swung the shawl, wrapped it around Xuanzang's waist, and pulled him back. The tiger lost its target and aimed at them with murderous intent, roaring, shaking off a number of yellow leaves.

Huo Ling'er was happily eating meat jerky when a leaf fell on her head. She immediately became furious: "You're the only one with the loudest voice?" After saying that, she transformed into a lion head and roared back, shaking the mountains.

The tiger was stunned by the roar, and a confused look appeared on its huge head for a moment.

Wen Jiao and Xuan Zang concluded: "We must remember the lesson this time. When engaging in combat, it is always better to dress neatly. Whenever we engage in combat in the future, we must take off our robes first."

But I don’t want to fight with anyone. I am just a quiet monk… Xuanzang reluctantly took off his brocade robes, folded them and stuffed them into his luggage. He swung his nine-ring staff half a circle and hooked his finger at the tiger: “Come here!”

The tiger felt that it was provoked by a mysterious force. It roared and pounced again.

When the mountain guardian Liu Bochin came riding an eagle and humming a folk song, he saw from afar that Xuanzang was fighting a tiger. The tiger was strong and heavy, while Xuanzang was light and powerful. For a while, the fight was so fierce that sand and rocks flew everywhere, and it was difficult to tell who was the winner. Liu Bochin could not help but cheer, "What a heroic man, what a handsome monk!"

Liu Bochin's family had been hunters for generations, and he had been the overlord of the mountains for many years. All the beasts in the mountains knew his scent. As soon as he cheered, the tiger trembled, glanced at Xuanzang, who had been unable to catch him for a long time, and quickly judged the situation with his clever head, then tucked his tail and ran away in shame.

"This mountain cat runs really fast." Liu Bochin said, cupping his fist towards Xuanzang, "Where are you from, elder monk, and what are you doing here? You have really good skills!"

Xuanzang saw that the tiger had run far away, and he finally didn't have to fight it anymore. He breathed a sigh of relief, clasped his hands together and said, "I am a monk sent by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures. May I know your name, warrior?"

Liu Bochin said, "My surname is Liu and my given name is Bochin. My family has lived in this mountain for generations and makes a living by hunting. My nickname is Guardian of the Mountain." He added, "I have always been proud of my skills and thought that few people in the world could compete with me. Today, after seeing the skills of the elder, I realized that there are always people who are better than you."

Xuanzang modestly said: "I only learned a few moves from my uncle in Chang'an. They are very superficial and cannot compare with the real skills that Taibao has acquired through wind and rain."

Liu Boqin said, "Elder, why are you so modest? I would like to invite you to stay at my humble abode for one night and ask for some advice. I wonder if you would be willing to give me a favor?"

Xuanzang was worried that it was getting dark and he hadn't found a place to stay yet. He was delighted when he heard the words and looked at Wen Jiao, asking for her opinion. Liu Bochin then discovered that she and Huo Ling'er, who had changed her face back to a beautiful woman, were two overly outstanding beauties standing in the bleak autumn between the wild mountains, so incongruous that they looked like mountain spirits and ghosts.

"The two ladies... are they also traveling with the elder?" In an instant, Liu Bochin's eyes changed when he looked at Xuanzang.

You look gentle, clean and honest, but I never expected that you are such a playboy!

Xuanzang had no way to defend himself.