Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Wen Jiao sat up suddenly. Under her was a cotton quilt. In front of her was a green bed curtain embroidered with lively and bright azaleas. She was sleeping in it wearing only underwear. She looked like she had just woken up in the morning. For a moment, she thought she was just recovering from a cold and had just been cured by Huo Ling'er's sweating experience.

The Dragon King and the Dragon Lady coming to her house, the black and white Taoists playing chess, Zhu Fangsi bringing her husband to apologize, and Taibai Jinxing the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Master were all just illusions she had when she was sick and mentally fragile.

I touched my forehead and it was icy cool, with no signs of burns or confusion.

Oh, it was because she was too heartbroken after losing the Ruyi Pearl that she thought about it day and night.

Wen Jiao sighed, dreams are always beautiful, but the reality you have to face the moment you wake up is always empty, she really can't stand this gap.

Pushing aside the quilt, she sat on the edge of the bed and reached for her shoes with her toes. The light spiritual energy of the Ruyi Pearl flowed through her body like warm water, dispelling her lingering sleepiness. This treasure has such an advantage. Even if the spiritual energy it provides will sooner or later not meet Wen Jiao's needs, it can still be used to clean the body. With it, Wen Jiao didn't even have to wash.

Wait, wasn’t the Ruyi Pearl given to the Dragon King of Han River in exchange for him to bring rain?

Wen Jiao was startled, raised her hand hesitantly, and sure enough, she found her Lotus Ruyi Flower Hairpin in a familiar place.

The hairpin was obtained, so the Dragon King and his wife returning the hairpin was not a dream. Then the rest...

Wen Jiao frantically searched for it and successfully found a black jade bottle in her arms. When she opened it, golden light mixed with the fragrance of the elixir burst out, dazzling her eyes. After Wen Jiao got used to it, she could see clearly that there was a crystal clear golden elixir lying inside.

I have the golden elixir, but where is the magic sword?

The sword was not found, but a pair of armlets were found on both arms. The material was like gold but not gold, like jade but not jade, and it fit tightly on the arms. It didn't feel heavy, but rather it felt like an extra layer of skin, soft and comfortable. The left armlet was in the shape of a snake, emerald green except for the eyes; the right one was in the shape of a dragon, golden except for the eyes. Both were in the shape of a mouth and tail connected, bright and luxurious with a solemn and wild beauty.

Wen Jiao stroked the bracelet and could faintly hear the hissing of snakes and the roar of dragons accompanied by the sharp sword energy coming from it, which made her heart tremble. She was a little confused. Could this be the magic sword? Where is the book?

As soon as I thought of this, countless words suddenly emerged from my mind.

"The moon is born, the essence of water. The sky is in the sky, and the tortoise and the snake are combined. It travels around the world, intimidating all spirits!" She chanted involuntarily. Then she stunned herself.

It seems that she succeeded in seeking the immortal. Not only that, but she was also lucky enough to have a very famous one among them as her master?

Wen Jiao was overwhelmed with emotions. Just as she was stunned, Huo Ling'er suddenly came in. Seeing her sitting on the bed in a daze, she shouted, "You're finally awake. Jia Quan and the others were almost worried to death. If you didn't wake up, they would have carried you back to Chang'an."

Wen Jiao raised her eyes: "Have I slept for a long time?"

Huo Ling'er said, "What do you mean by sleeping for a long time? You slept for a full half month. You sneaked out that day and disappeared. We looked for you everywhere and finally found you under an ancient plum tree outside the city. You slept the whole time and refused to wake up. We asked a doctor to check you, but he couldn't find anything wrong with you."

She looked around Wen Jiao curiously for a few times. "The most amazing thing is that I gave you water and food, but you neither ate nor drank. Yet you didn't die of thirst or hunger. Your face was always rosy and your complexion couldn't be better. It's really amazing. Jia Quan was so anxious that he almost sued the owner of the teahouse that sold you tea. It was only after the doctor diagnosed that you were in great health that he gave up."

Wen Jiao felt quite sorry: "I almost got the shopkeeper into trouble. I have to apologize to him."

As they were talking, they suddenly heard the sound of gongs and drums outside, coming from far away. Wen Jiao got out of bed, put on her clothes, and opened the window. She saw people wearing red and green, playing music, and carrying a statue of a goddess. There were crowds of people on both sides, and the atmosphere was extremely festive.

"Half a month later, the local county magistrate received a dream message from a spiritual official, saying that the Dragon King, who was in charge of the wind and rain in this area, had been transferred and the new one was a goddess. The county magistrate then asked the craftsmen to make a new statue and replace the original Dragon King." Huo Linger lay on the window frame beside her to watch the fun.

Wen Jiao stared at the goddess statue and saw that it had a round face and a square forehead. Her features were plump and her eyes made of colored glass beads were quite lively. It was a very blessed appearance. She couldn't help but shook her head and smiled, "Not like that."

"What's not similar?" Huo Linger asked.

Wen Jiao saw that she did not connect this matter with the Dragon King and his wife she saw that day. Since she did not guess that it was related to the Dragon King and his wife's family affairs, she did not say more and said, "Nothing."

As the crowd passed by the window, Wen Jiao saw Zhu Fangsi and his wife following in the procession. Lao Long saw that she was looking at him, so he took Zhu Fangsi's arm and pointed upstairs. Zhu Fangsi also looked over and nodded slightly at her. A jade hairpin was inserted horizontally in her silver hair. The hairpin head was carved into a fish shape, and the jade was translucent and smooth, like a pool of autumn water soaked by the moonlight.

Wen Jiao was stunned. Watching the two people walking further and further away with the crowd, she felt that all the gongs and drums and the noise were surrounding the statue and going away, taking away all the worldly feelings in her heart.

She looked at the direction where the statue was going away, and suddenly she understood: "Sister Huo, I want to ask you for a favor."

"Don't call me Sister Huo. You are my boss. How can I call you that?" Huo Linger said with a smile, "What do you want me to do?"

Wen Jiao lowered her eyes and said, "I want to go to Wudang Mountain to practice, and I will leave tonight. I will leave two letters, one for Jia Quan, explaining the whole story. The other is for my parents and my brother, explaining my aspirations to seek the truth, asking them not to blame Jia Quan and his people, and asking them to reserve a position for you in the mansion. Let Jia Quan take this letter back to Chang'an. You have to forward both letters."

She tucked the messy hair behind her ears and said, "You see, I will no longer be your boss soon."

Huo Linger panicked: "Why do you suddenly want to go into the mountains alone? Can't we go together? There will be people to look after us and cook for us."

"That's traveling, not cultivation." Wen Jiao thought it over carefully, "This road can only be climbed by me alone, no one can help me. If anyone helps me, it won't be my cultivation."

Huo Ling'er seemed to understand, but she knew she had made up her mind and it was hard to persuade her, so she could only say, "Okay, I'll pass it on for you. Where's the letter?"

Wen Jiao pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "I haven't written it yet."

The pen, ink, paper and inkstone were already in her luggage. Wen Jiao laid out the paper, ground the ink, and quickly wrote two letters. The handwriting on the letters was beautiful and elegant, which was Yin Wenjiao's character, and the elegance and wildness inside was Wen Jiao's own charm.

Huo Linger took the letter and said sadly, "I really don't understand you. You have food, drink, leisure and wealth. Why are you not satisfied? Why do you have to give it all up? Oh, you still have the Ruyi Pearl." She pressed her chest, "Although turquoise is also good, I still like the Ruyi Pearl more. I will be reluctant to let you go."

"I almost forgot." Wen Jiao took out the Ruyi Pearl Hairpin without hesitation and inserted it into Huo Ling'er's hair. "This is your favorite thing. I should give it to you."

Huo Ling'er was so dumbfounded that she didn't even dare to touch it: "You, you, you, are you serious?"

"I promised you that you can be with the Ruyi Pearl every night." Wen Jiao said with a smile.