Chapter 336: Chapter 336

The King began to recount his tale: "Three years ago, during the Dragon Boat Festival, the concubines and I were at the Pomegranate Pavilion in the Imperial Flower Garden, unwrapping rice dumplings, inserting mugwort, and drinking iris and realgar wine while watching the dragon boat races."

"Suddenly, a gust of wind arose, and a demon appeared in the sky, claiming to be Sai Taisui. He said he lived in the Xiezhi Cave at Qilin Mountain and was in need of a wife. He had heard that a lady from our Golden Holy Palace was exquisitely beautiful and desired to take her as his cave’s mistress, demanding that I send her out promptly."

"If I failed to present the lady from the Golden Holy Palace after his third call, he threatened to first devour me, then my ministers, and ultimately exterminate every citizen within the city."

"At that time, concerned for my country and my people, I had no choice but to push the lady from the Golden Holy Palace out of the Pomegranate Pavilion, whereupon the demon snatched her away instantly."

"This incident has afflicted me with constant anxiety, and I’ve been mired in worry night and day, resulting in this chronic ailment for the past three years."

"After taking the Divine Monk’s medicine, my health has been restored, and for that, my heart is filled with endless gratitude."

Zhu Bajie, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but cover his mouth and laugh: "Look at this King, shamelessly trying to save his own skin by sacrificing his wife, yet pretentiously claiming it was all for the sake of his people."

Sun Wukong merely offered a faint smile in response and turned to shoot Zhu Bajie a stern glance, signaling him to hold his tongue, even though he quite agreed with Bajie’s statement.

He thought this King was indeed somewhat hypocritical, but from his observations, this King of the Zhu Zi Country didn’t seem to be a complete foolish ruler.

With a smile, Sun Wukong inquired, "So, Your Majesty wishes to have the Golden Holy Lady returned to the palace?"

"Indeed!" The King, although he had heard Zhu Bajie’s comments, chose not to respond to them and hurriedly said, "Ever since the Monster took the Golden Holy Lady away, I have been consumed with thoughts of her return, night and day."

"Yet, that Monster possesses vast Divine Skills. No one within this country possesses the mana to subdue him, and instead, we have been repeatedly harassed by him."

Surprised, Sun Wukong then asked, "Harassed, you say? Has the Monster harassed the Royal Palace more than once? What could possibly bring him here so often? Surely, having snatched the Golden Holy Lady wasn’t enough for him?"

The King hastily explained: "Ever since that Dragon Boat Festival when he took the Golden Holy Lady away, and then again in October, the Monster came back, demanding palace maids, claiming they were to serve the Golden Holy Lady."

"Left with no choice, I complied, only for the Monster to return after a few months, demanding more palace maids. So, every few months, he would come to demand palace maids, and I fear the Monster will return again soon."

"If you gentlemen could help me subdue this Monster and bring back the Golden Holy Lady, I would be willing to lead the Three Palaces and Nine Concubines out of the city in service to the citizens, and bestow the entire realm of this country to you Holy Monks."

With a chuckle, Zhu Bajie said: "This Emperor has lost all dignity, willing to give up his kingdom just for the sake of his wife."

"Silence! You fool, watch your tongue," scolded Sun Wukong, before turning to look at Xuanzang, asking, "Master, how would you like us to handle this?"

Xuanzang frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then addressed the King: "Your Majesty, does this repeated harassment by the Monster frighten you?"

The King replied anxiously, "How could I not be afraid? But his persistent harassment has left the city’s citizens in constant terror. If the Monster isn’t eliminated, my Zhu Zi Country will never see peace."

With furrowed brows, Sun Wukong questioned the King, "May I ask Your Majesty, where precisely does this Monster reside?"

The King answered, "That Sai Taisui claims to make his home at Qilin Mountain, which lies directly south of here. I have sent people to investigate, and it would take them fifty days to make the round trip, riding day and night. It is about three thousand miles away from here."

"Upon hearing this, we shall return to Huitong Inn to rest tonight, and tomorrow we will head to Qilin Mountain to subdue the monster," Sun Wukong promptly promised.

The King, hearing this, breathed a sigh of relief.

With Sun Wukong’s promise, there was at least a chance for his Golden Holy Lady to return.

Suddenly, a gust of wind could be heard outside, and amidst the clamor of gongs, someone was shouting loudly in the streets: "The Monster has come! The Monster has come!"

"Oh no, quickly, take cover in the Demon-avoiding Tower!"

"What’s the rush? Old Pig wants to see what sort of Monster this is!" exclaimed Zhu Bajie.

Sun Wukong and Sand Monk too hastened outside.

Meanwhile, Xuanzang calmly made his way out.

In a short while, a dark cloud drifted in from the south, revealing a fiendish-looking Monster in the sky. Zhu Bajie laughed and said, "What creature has emerged from that dark cloud, uglier even than Old Pig here?"

Sun Wukong asked, "Do any of you recognize this demon?"

Shaking his head, Sand Monk replied, "I’ve never met him, so how could I recognize him?"

Zhu Bajie also said, "Old Pig hasn’t shared tea or wine with him either, so no, I don’t recognize him."

Smiling, Sun Wukong remarked, "To Old Sun, he looks a bit like the Red-faced, Golden-eyed Ghost who guards the gates for Eastern Peak Celestial Emperor."

Zhu Bajie shook his head and added, "That’s not him, this fellow is definitely not some malevolent spirit."

Furrowing his brows, Zhu Bajie said, "The way he’s whipped up such a gale, he must be Sai Taisui from Qilin Mountain!"

Smiling, Sun Wukong replied: "Even if he isn’t, he’s certainly of the same group. Let Old Sun go and inquire; we’ll soon know all the particulars."

With that said, he soared into the clouds to confront the Monster.

Sun Wukong braced himself with divine might, wielding his iron staff, and flying amidst the auspicious light in the sky, he yelled out, "What evil demon are you, daring to run wild here?"

The monster hastily stopped, sized up Sun Wukong from head to toe, and shouted fiercely, "I am the vanguard of the Great King Sai Taisui from Xiezhi Cave on Qilin Mountain, delegated by the Great King’s orders to fetch two palace maids to serve the Golden Holy Lady. Who are you to question me?"

"So it’s just a vanguard," muttered Sun Wukong, then replied loudly, "Steady yourself, demon, for when I announce my name, I fear I might scare you to death! I am Sun Wukong, who wreaked havoc in the Celestial Palace five hundred years ago. Charged with escorting the Tang Monk from the Eastern Land to worship in the Western Heaven, we passed through this country and learned that you band of demons oppressed your ruler, and I, showcasing my heroic skills, am here to govern the country and eradicate evil. I have been looking for you nowhere, and yet here you come, delivering your own death!"

"You’re the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong?" The demon widened his eyes and asked.

Indeed, I am Old Sun. What about it? Scared out of your wits, are you?" Sun Wukong said with a smile on his face.

"Pah!" The demon retorted contemptuously, "I, the vanguard, was merely confirming your name. I under my command do not slay nameless soldiers. You, who know not where you came from, sham of a wild monkey, I advise you to not meddle in others’ affairs and lose your life in vain, lest you regret it too late!"

"Pfft!" Zhu Bajie couldn’t help but laugh and said, "This monkey is still bragging, yet the demon doesn’t buy it at all. The monkey is going to be mad enough to vomit blood."

Sand Monk shook his head and said, "I dare say this demon will die a miserable death! He will pay the most severe price for his ignorance and stupidity."

Although Sun Wukong had always been low-key, he had hoped to intimidate others with his reputation; yet, facing such disregard, he bared his teeth, scowled fiercely, and cursed, "Ignorant demon, seeking death! Take this blow from Old Sun."

With that, he swung the Jingu Bang and smashed it toward the demon.

The demon, having never heard of Sun Wukong’s name nor aware of his prowess, was fearless in its ignorance.

The demon recklessly faced the attack, waving a steel spear to engage Sun Wukong in battle.

This demon indeed had some skills, but was utterly no match for Sun Wukong. After just a couple of exchanges, without admitting defeat, the demon realized Sun Wukong’s formidable strength. Knowing he was not a match, he dodged Sun Wukong’s Jingu Bang and suddenly turned into a gust of black wind, fleeing westward.

However, the demon had just fled a few hundred meters when, suddenly, a ripple formed in space-time, and Sun Wukong reappeared, swinging his Jingu Bang directly at the fleeing figure.

The demon, shocked and horrified, found it was too late to dodge. In desperation, he placed his steel spear across his chest, trying to block the fatal strike.

"Boom!" The Jingu Bang smashed directly into the demon’s spear shaft, then pressed it firmly against the demon’s chest.

"Ah!" the demon screamed in pain, emitting a wail like a slaughtered pig.

At that moment, Sun Wukong swung down the Jingu Bang once more.

With a "Boom!" the demon’s head burst open like a rotten watermelon, its body visibly shortened and grotesquely deformed as it fell from the sky, plunging into a mound of flesh.

Blood spurted in the air, and a blood rain began to flutter down gently.

"Amitabha Buddha, Wukong, you acted too quickly!"

Just then, Xuanzang shook his head and spoke out.

"Master, you feel pity for such a minor demon?"

Sun Wukong landed and asked, somewhat surprised.

He had wanted to intimidate others with his name, yet the demon had shown such disdain. How could Sun Wukong give up?

Xuanzang looked at the demon’s body, shaking his head once more.

"What a pity!" Xuanzang said, shaking his head again.

"This demon, who courted death knowingly, is not worthy of pity. What’s there to regret?" Sun Wukong asked, puzzled.

Xuanzang sighed and said, "Originally, if you hadn’t killed him, I could have directly brought about his universal salvation. Then, we might have also gathered some information!"

"I didn’t expect you, Wukong, to act so swiftly and kill him in an instant."

"Heh heh!" Sun Wukong chuckled and said, "It’s just a demon. Dead is dead."

"After all, we know where this demon’s cave dwelling is, don’t we?"

Xuanzang, still feeling it was a shame, could only sigh.

Sun Wukong furrowed his brow in thought, then eventually asked, "This demon just mentioned he was acting on Sai Taisui’s command to take palace maids for the Golden Holy Palace."

"The demon did say so," Zhu Bajie also nodded and added.

At that moment, Zhu Bajie picked up a tablet from the ground and said with a grin, "And look, there’s a token here."

Sun Wukong walked over, took the token from Zhu Bajie’s hand—a gold-inlaid ivory tablet with a line of characters on it.

One vanguard general, precedence must be given, nine feet tall, with rings around his eyes and golden pupils, always suspended, no token then