Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Princess Wencheng had just finished her vow and had not yet calmed down when she was stunned by the sight of the mountains rising and the rivers flowing backwards. Then she saw a divine monkey descending from the sky, crying with tears all over its face. Even though she was strong-willed and calm, she was still stunned by this series of magical developments.

The same was true for the King of Jiangxia, except that he had been through many battles and now had a duty, so he woke up faster. He boldly drew his sword and shouted, "Where did this demon monkey come from? How dare you disturb the princess?"

Under normal circumstances, if he encountered such an ignorant mortal, Wukong would have to say a few words to him, but at this moment, he didn't even have the mood to argue with a mortal. He turned his face to Wen Jiao and cried, "Master, my master kicked me out of the sect." He pulled out a piece of paper from his arms and presented it with both hands, "What a cruel heart, he even wrote a letter of demotion to me."

Wen Jiao's mind was in a knot because of this sudden change. She slapped her forehead hard and took the derogatory letter: "Great Sage, please speak slowly."

Wen Jiao finally understood what had happened as Wukong narrated the story while sniffing.

In fact, Wukong reviewed the situation afterwards and found that all the changes came from Zhu Bajie's joining this spring. If you say that this former Marshal Tianpeng is a useless person, it is absolutely a lie. If you say that he is extremely capable, it is absolutely unconscionable. But he has one ability that Wukong cannot match, and that is his desire for power and profit that is engraved in his bones and almost instinctive.

It's not that Wukong is so stupid that he can't sense Bajie's little tricks, it's just that he is extremely strong, so he can deal with any little tricks Bajie may have; secondly, he is arrogant by nature, and he really can't figure it out even after ten days and ten nights, what is there to fight for power and profit in a team of five people, including humans and horses?

But Bajie could do it. He made progress every day, he worked very hard, and he did his best to improve his favorability in front of Xuanzang.

He would hold a purple gold bowl filled with water, and bring it to me with both hands, shouting, "Master, please have some water. This is the cleanest spring water that I, Old Pig, found after running through three mountains. It's very sweet."

He would mutter: "Brother Monkey is really bad. If it weren't for him, I would have captured Junior Brother Sha long ago. He just bullies me because I'm an honest man and I won't argue with him."

He would boast: "When I was the Marshal of the Heavenly Troops in heaven, I was the best at water warfare and the Jade Emperor was very friendly to me. If I hadn't been drunk and done something stupid, I wouldn't have been demoted to heaven. Besides, I was drunk and had no idea what I had done. Why would I argue with a drunkard?"

He would also complain: "Master, you heard what that monkey said. He can travel 108,000 miles with his somersault cloud. How much effort does it take to beg for food? He must have eaten his fill somewhere and brought back a bowl of dry rice to send us away. Master, you have a small stomach, and I, Old Pig, have a big stomach. I haven't had a full meal in days. He would eat alone instead of taking me and Junior Brother Sha with him."

Wukong was too lazy to argue with him. What's more, Xuanzang still treated him with kindness and care. It was obvious that he didn't take Bajie's little tricks to heart. Naturally, Wukong would not argue with him.

"Sun Dasheng, you are too careless. This Bajie wants to step on you from the beginning. Can't you see it?" Wu Meiniang, as Wen Jiao's disciple, was also in the team accompanying the bride. Hearing this, she couldn't help but interrupt.

Wukong's complaint was suddenly stuck. He suddenly couldn't remember what he was going to say: "I don't remember making this enemy when I made trouble in Heaven. We have no grudges against each other, so why would he step on me?"

Wu Meiniang had heard Wen Jiao mention him more than once. She thought he was a great master who knew everything. She never expected him to be such a fool when it came to power relations. She could not help but look at him several times as if he were a treasure. "Last year, Guanyin Bodhisattva showed her true form at the water and land temple and left a note inviting the great Tang monk to go west to seek Buddhist scriptures. The common people in Chang'an all knew about it. I remember clearly that it promised that those who were willing to go could obtain the golden body. May I ask the Great Sage, is the golden body something that can be promised casually?"

Wukong paused.

"When the Great Sage became an immortal, he became the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, so he naturally didn't pay attention to it. When he went west to obtain the scriptures and arrived at Lingshan, he was naturally rewarded in the Great Hall. My senior brother, who I have never met, is the oldest and the initiator, so he naturally must have a golden body. What about the others?"

"In terms of rewards based on merit, the Great Sage will naturally be the first to receive the most merit. Then the biggest benefit will be taken by the Great Sage, and he can only eat the leftovers. How can he be willing to accept that? The Great Sage is too capable and his methods are too sophisticated. He dare not compete with you openly, so he has to work hard in secret." Wu Meiniang said.

The King of Jiangxia also said, "As the divine monkey said, the three of you brothers are all guilty. Bajie is the marshal of the navy, and Sha Seng is a general in front of the emperor. They have all been in the officialdom, and I'm afraid they have their own plans. The divine monkey is dedicated to the public and only wants to protect Master Xuanzang. He has never considered other things, so it is inevitable that people will spread rumors."

Wukong had never thought about this kind of petty schemes before, and was stunned. He muttered a few times and looked angry and sad: "It turned out that I was ambushed here!"

According to Wukong, when he went to beg for food for Xuanzang, he found the corpse demon transformed into a beautiful village woman when he came back, trying to deceive Xuanzang and his friends. Xuanzang was still hesitant, but Bajie was impatient and was fooled into eating her food. He was afraid that his junior fellow apprentice would suffer a loss, so he knocked the village woman down with a stick. The corpse demon managed to escape, but he was still determined to provoke the village woman by transforming into the village woman's mother and father. He recognized them one by one with his golden eyes, and only killed them completely on the third try.

Who would have thought that Bajie would hold a grudge against him for killing the beauty, and insisted that he was a ruthless person who killed a mortal by accident and then killed him to silence him. No matter how Wukong presented evidence, he always had the corresponding words to distort his intentions. Xuanzang was already afraid after seeing him kill three people in a row, and after hearing Bajie's words, his face turned pale and red, and he was hesitant.

Wukong was helpless, so he said, "Master told me that day that you don't understand the abilities of demons and monsters, and asked me to explain them to you in detail. Today is the same. Master, don't you believe in me?"

Bajie then interrupted, "Big Brother, you rely on the fact that you have seen the master's wife before you enter the sect, and you always mention her for everything, as if you have just obtained the imperial sword. You are famous, and the master's wife favors you. Everyone knows that in front of her, even the master has to take a step back. But Monkey, you should have some idea in your mind, who is our master?"

He shook his head, looking distressed: "Master, he is the younger brother of the Tang Emperor, a great and virtuous monk known all over the world. He is not blind, stupid, or a child. He is not incapable of making decisions on how to deal with your actions. Do you have to consult your mother first before doing anything?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xuanzang's expression changed.