Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

The north wind blew like a wolf howling and a ghost crying, making one's teeth ache.

Princess Wencheng, wearing a pomegranate-red cloak, stood on the top of the mountain, looking far to the east. The undulating mountains were like monotonous waves, surging into the distance until they were submerged by heavy cold clouds.

I can see the sun, but I can't see Chang'an.

Gyaltsag Sheka looked at the silhouette of the girl standing like a stone statue with concern, and said to the princess's maid, "Quickly persuade the princess. The north wind at dusk is more poisonous than the breath of the monster. If it blows too much, she will get sick."

The maid's eyes were red too. "Didn't the prince tell us at that time that after we passed this mountain, we would be out of the territory of the Tang Dynasty? Let the princess take a closer look. If we pass this mountain, we will never see it again in this lifetime."

Jia Cha was also saddened by the girl's melancholy. He sighed deeply and turned to find Wen Jiao: "Princess, it's easy for her to get sick if you are exposed to the cold wind. It's hard to recover if you get sick on the plateau. Can the Imperial Master persuade her?"

Moreover, Princess Wencheng looked so fragile, like the first newly opened flower branch on the grassland in spring. A little frost would wither and die.

Wen Jiao sat on the ground, stirring the bonfire with a branch she had picked up from somewhere, and said casually, "Prince Jiacha has a really good heart."

"It is the duty of every wedding envoy to bring the princess from a foreign country back to Ling Country safely." Jia Cha said.

Wen Jiao smiled without saying anything, looking at the people of Ling Country dancing happily around the bonfire like drunken elephants in the distance. Obviously, not every Ling Country's wedding envoy had such a delicate mind.

Jia Cha was a little embarrassed: "The princess is only two years older than my son Zara. Zara is still just a brat who drags a long sword around looking for people to fight, and the princess is leaving her hometown to marry far away..." He suddenly fell silent here, and after a while, he said, "My mother is also Han Chinese."

This was an unexpected discovery. Wen Jiao looked him up and down. Compared to other Ling people with dark skin and high nose bridges, Jia Cha's skin color was lighter, his nose bridge was slightly lower, and his face did have the shadow of the Han people's delicate appearance.

"Hasn't Ling Kingdom had any contact with the Tang Dynasty since ancient times?" Wen Jiao said.

Jia Cha said: "My grandfather was a businessman, and he took my mother and her sister to sell goods everywhere. When they passed by the foot of the mountain, a greedy monster killed him, and my aunt got separated while fleeing. The monster wanted to offer my mother and the goods at home to the devil, but my father met and saved them. My mother married my father."

"There is a magical leaf in grandpa's goods that can cure people's diseases. Two years ago, my mother drank all the leaves and became ill. Fortunately, after Gesar founded the country, Han merchants gradually entered the border of Ling State, and we learned that the magical leaf was called tea. They exchanged the leaves for an equal weight of gold. It was not until we came to the Tang Dynasty that we realized that this kind of leaves were everywhere."

At this point, Jia Cha was very melancholy. "On the land of Lingguo, there are few leaves except grass, let alone leaves that can be drunk. My mother always said that there is an old saying among the Han people that when a person dies, it is like a leaf falling from a branch, and it must fall into the soil where it is rooted."

"Fallen leaves return to their roots. Your mother is missing home." Wen Jiao said with emotion.

"Master, after the marriage between the two countries, there will be more caravans traveling back and forth, and we can build a flat road. Then, I should be able to send my mother home to see her, right?" Jiacha's face was flushed by the flickering bonfire.

"The princess is getting married for this day." Wen Jiao said, "Prince, don't worry about the princess. She is wearing fire-warming beads that can keep her body warm like a spring breeze. This little wind can't hurt her."

The Fire Warmth Bead was a magical heating device she made with magic. One bead could be used for ten days. Each member of the wedding procession had one. She would promptly replace the worn-out ones. In addition, she also made a lot of skin care creams made with Hundred Flowers Dew. Each person had a large bottle. As long as they were used, their skin would remain soft and moisturized even in a force 10 gale, and would never crack.

With such a weak wind, Princess Wencheng's face wouldn't even turn red.

"You can't just stand there like this." Jiacha felt reluctant.

"Prince Jiangxia is with her." Wen Jiao also sighed quietly.

Jia Cha was only paying attention to Princess Wencheng just now, but he didn't notice anyone else. After hearing Wen Jiao's words, he saw a middle-aged general in armor standing twenty steps below Princess Wencheng. It was Li Dao Zong, the Prince of Jiangxia, who was the envoy to escort the bride.

He looked at Wencheng's back, guarding with one hand on the sword, without saying a word, like a silent, cold rock.

"Why doesn't he go and talk to his daughter? The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty asked him to be the bride-escort envoy, wasn't it so that the father and daughter could spend more time together?" Jia Cha wondered.

"From the moment Wencheng was canonized as a princess, they were no longer father and daughter, but monarch and subject," Wen Jiao said coldly.

Jia Cha was a little surprised, and then he seemed to be thinking: "Ling Kingdom was just established not long ago. Everyone is confused about how a kingdom should be run and how to be a king and a minister. As the national teacher said, now Gesar and I are no longer brothers, but monarch and minister..."

After Gesar became the king, he and his brotherly relationship remained harmonious as before, but the chief minister, their great-uncle, gradually became wary of him and often criticized him for privately training troops and plotting for the throne, which made him feel very aggrieved. So he took the opportunity of seeking marriage and ran away with his people to appease his great-uncle.

He had never understood why they had changed after arriving at the Golden Throne when they were a friendly family. Now, after listening to Wen Jiao's words, he suddenly realized.

It wasn't that he had done anything wrong, but as the eldest brother, a great hero in the country, and holding military power, his existence had become a mistake for the monarch.

Although his younger brother Gesar certainly did not think so.

Involving Lingnan internal affairs, Wen Jiao pretended not to hear his mutterings. The Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Note in her sleeve burned a few times, knowing that it was Xuanzang who contacted her. She immediately found an excuse: "Xiao Quan has something to contact, so stay with me."

During the many days of traveling together, the people of Lingguo knew that this Tang Dynasty imperial teacher who looked like a young girl had a son, who would always talk on the phone with his mother at a fixed time every night. Jiacha was not surprised to hear this.

Wen Jiao walked to a secluded place and connected the Thousand Miles Sound Transmission, but she did not hear Xuanzang's voice as expected. He said nothing, as if something unspeakable was weighing heavily on his tongue, making him unable to utter a single word. Because Wen Jiao heard his rapid and heavy breathing.

Wen Jiao felt slightly uneasy and called out "Xuanzang" several times before the other party replied as if feeling sorry for her: "Mother..."

"I'm here." Wen Jiao immediately asked worriedly, "Xuanzang, did something happen to you?"

Xuanzang's breathing suddenly became heavier. He hurriedly said, "My child is fine," and cut off the connection in a hurry.