Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Since the end of the Sui Dynasty, China has been in turmoil, wars have been continuous, natural disasters have occurred frequently, and people have been living in misery. Since the Holy Emperor Li Shimin ascended the throne, he defeated the Turks and captured the Turkic Khan Jie Li alive to perform a dance in front of the emperor; internally, he reorganized production, appointed wise officials, and opened up channels for people to express their opinions. At that time, there were many famous generals and officials, and people did not pick up things on the road or lock their doors at night. This was known in history as the Zhenguan Reign.

It was an ordinary day in the 13th year of Zhenguan. It rained a little yesterday, but the sun was warm this morning, shining on the green grass by the roadside, and the newly sprouted willow branches were particularly moist and fresh. The wind was cool and slightly moist, and it didn't feel dry when it hit my face. It was the weather that travelers loved the most.

Under the long pavilion, early travelers would sometimes stop in to rest, and when they had recovered their energy, they would get up in a hurry and continue on their way. However, there was a master and servant who had been staying deep inside. The master was wearing a purple robe, and the servant had a beautiful face, looking very impressive. Their eyes wandered over the pedestrians on the road, as if they were waiting for someone.

Suddenly, their eyes moved.

Two women riding white donkeys flashed into their sight. The tall woman in red had a dark complexion, deep eyebrows and eyes, and a heroic and beautiful appearance. The shorter one wore a green skirt and a willow hat on her head. The lush green leaves covered her face, but the fingers holding the reins were as white as jade and her skin was very clean.

The purple-robed man sat up straight unconsciously. His servant had already dodged in front of the white donkeys and grabbed the bridles of the two white donkeys with both hands. He said, "Lady Guichuan is going back to Chang'an. She came back quietly without telling me. Let my master have a good talk with her."

The woman in green raised her bamboo hat a little higher, revealing a pair of eyes as graceful as willows covered in smoke. She smiled softly and said, "Master Fengji, I haven't seen you for twelve years, and you are still as charming as ever."

Feng Ji turned his face to Wen Jiao and glanced at Huo Ling'er who was carefree at the side: "My master has prepared wine and food in the pavilion to welcome you."

Wen Jiao looked at the purple figure sitting upright in the pavilion and said, "It's hard for him to still remember what he said twelve years ago."

"For those of us who are experienced, twelve years is just a blink of an eye. Of course I remember clearly what we said and did. Unless you don't take it to heart at all." Feng Ji said, glaring at Huo Linger.

Huo Ling'er was stared at in bewilderment. After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized something and took out a black jade box out of thin air: "Feng Ji, this is a gift for you. It is Shangyong Longfeng tea. Wen Jiao and I picked and roasted it ourselves."

You're not that stupid at all.

Feng Ji snorted and said, "Since you insist on giving it to me, this Fox King will accept it with reluctance because of your kindness." He said it arrogantly, but in fact, his hands had already been stretched out, and he couldn't wait to take it.

Huo Ling'er didn't understand why a mere box of tea could cause him to act so fussy, but seeing that he was no longer being sarcastic, she said happily, "It didn't take much effort. I made it because Wen Jiao loves to drink that tea. If you like it after tasting it, just ask me for it later. I'll give you as much as you want. The two of us made more than a thousand kilograms in total, which is more than we can finish even if we eat it as a dish."

Wen Jiao was trying not to laugh. Seeing Feng Ji's face turning purple, she hurriedly said, "Stop arguing. There are people waiting inside."

Fengji snorted again and walked into the pavilion, slamming his sleeves. Yuan Tiangang had already taken out the dishes from the food boxes one by one and placed them on the rosewood table he brought. Wen Jiao smelled the familiar aroma from afar and couldn't help but say, "The pheasant wontons and jade dew balls from Zhou's restaurant, the soft beef intestines from Wei's restaurant, the Xiaoyao roasted meat from Chen's restaurant..."

She walked to the small table, looked at the dishes, and smiled. If she remembered correctly, every dish here was brought to Yuan Tiangang by her when she first went to Xuanji Pavilion: "Why don't you buy a table of tofu from Hua'e Zhenghui Pavilion?"

That was the dish they had when they first met.

Yuan Tiangang said in a muffled voice: "The place is too small to accommodate everything. But we have some newly brewed green plum wine." As he spoke, he held up a small crystal wine pot, as if he was offering a treasure, afraid that it would be seen. The transparent white crystal was filled with green plum wine that was as green as lake water, which was very beautiful.

He paused, stole a glance at Wen Jiao's dark eyebrows, and as if afraid that she would notice, he lowered his eyes again before she looked back, and added in a way that made it even more obvious: "Feng Ji bought it."

Wen Jiao sat down opposite him and said, "Of course Fengji bought it. It's just a pity that your taste hasn't changed after so many years." If it were someone else, they would have eaten the same dishes for twelve years in a row, and would have been tired of them no matter how delicious the delicacies were.

Yuan Tiangang said: "No. Since you left Chang'an, Fengji has been working hard to study the art of cooking."

"How is his training going?" Wen Jiao asked curiously. If I remember correctly, when Feng Ji wanted to cook for himself, Yuan Tiangang was so scared that his face turned green.

"It's barely enough to make a living." Yuan Tiangang glanced at the angry Feng Ji, "He caught another flower demon and sent him to various restaurants in Chang'an to learn skills. After he finished his training, he worked in the kitchen of Xuanji Pavilion. I haven't eaten out for ten years."

After going around in circles, he finally made it clear that today's menu was not his usual taste, but was specially prepared based on the dishes that Wen Jiao brought twelve years ago.

Even though such a precious thought was expressed in such a roundabout way, Yuan Tiangang was still very nervous. He spun the tortoise shell nervously and added: "When Fengji came back, he said that after twelve years of hard work, everyone has aged a lot."

"What do you mean?" Wen Jiao asked curiously.

"The old shopkeeper of the Zhou family handed the store over to his grandson and went to take care of his great-grandson. The wife of the shopkeeper of the Chen family passed away, and his second wife gave birth to three sons and one daughter. The youngest shopkeeper, Xiao Wei, also became the old Wei, and he has both a son and a daughter." Yuan Tiangang told the story.

Wen Jiao smiled after hearing this and said, "Yuan Banxian looks just as he did when I first met him."

Yuan Tiangang looked at her, his eyes as deep as the undercurrent of the quiet sea, and said: "You are much younger."

He was not exaggerating to please her. If Wen Jiao looked like a beautiful young woman in her prime twelve years ago, then now she looked like a young lady in her twenties with a fresh and tender face, bright eyes, and red lips. Even the mature and dignified temperament that once lingered between her eyebrows was replaced by a wisp of pure and innocent air.

If she was a beautiful jade among a pile of brocades twelve years ago, then she is now the most round and transparent drop of dew on the tip of the coolest and most verdant bamboo leaf in the morning glow. She is difficult to describe and paint, and makes people forget the world when they see her.

"You think so too? I thought I was too proud and had a good self-image." Wen Jiao stroked her fluffy black hair and smiled sweetly, "Maybe it's because the mountain life is quiet and peaceful, without the dust of the world, so I can be free from desires and worries?"

"Have you been practicing in the mountains all these years? Life in the mountains is hard, luckily you can endure it." Yuan Tiangang finally asked the question that he was concerned about.

Wen Jiao glanced at Huo Ling'er and said, "Yes, it's hard and lonely. Fortunately, I have Sister Huo to keep me company, otherwise I would be bored to death."