Chapter 396: Chapter 396

"Fool, stop talking nonsense. Do you think Master is as hopeless as you?" Sun Wukong said irritably.

At this time, Xuanzang frowned and said, "I got up last night to relieve myself and didn’t wear a hat, so I must have caught a chill from the wind."

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "It must have been because of the wind. Can Master still walk now?"

Xuanzang shook his head and said, "I can’t even sit up right now, how can I get on a horse and travel? Isn’t this just delaying our journey?"

Sun Wukong quickly consoled, "Master, you are ill and still worried about delaying the trip? It’s just a minor ailment, and you’ll be better in a couple of days. Once Master is healed, there’s no harm in rushing then."

Xuanzang nodded helplessly.

Seeing their master was seriously ill and unable to travel, Sun Wukong and the others had no choice but to stay at Jinghai Temple for a while to recuperate.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed, but Xuanzang’s condition did not improve. One day, Xuanzang suddenly called out, "Wukong, quickly help me up."

Sun Wukong furrowed his brows and asked, "Master, you are not yet healed, you should rest properly. Why get up?"

Xuanzang said with a frown, "I don’t know what’s wrong with me. These days I still feel exhausted and utterly powerless to continue seeking the scriptures. I don’t know when I will get better, what should I do!"

Sun Wukong smiled and reassured, "Don’t worry, Master. There won’t be any problems. Moreover, with your cultivation level deepening steadily as we travel westward, how could you be done in by something !"

Xuanzang nodded and said, "I know, of course, I won’t encounter any serious problems, but I still feel a bit panicked not knowing precisely what’s wrong with me."

Sun Wukong said with a smile, "Master, there’s no need to panic!"

"It’s just a minor illness. Even if you really had a life-threatening illness, Old Sun would ensure your safety. I’d like to see which Yama dares to think about it, which Judge dares to issue a verdict, which ghost messenger dares to come and claim a soul? Not to mention our disagreement, even the celestial Immortals and Buddhas would not agree!"

Xuanzang waved his hand and said, "Disciple, although I think the same, for some reason, I still feel a sense of imminent danger."

Zhu Bajie chimed in at this point, "The illness is in Master’s body, and if Master says it’s not good, then it must be bad."

"I think we should discuss and sell off the horses and luggage. Buy a coffin for Master’s final send-off, split the rest, and call it quits."

"Second Senior Brother, why are you talking nonsense again? Be careful, or Big Senior Brother will hit you." Sand Monk chided, as they were almost at Mount Meru, Zhu Bajie was still saying such inauspicious words.

Zhu Bajie glanced at Sun Wukong and quickly shut his mouth, no longer daring to mention disbanding the group.

"Master, don’t mind this fool’s nonsense. Rest assured, according to Old Sun’s calculations, you should be getting well soon!"

After looking at Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong said with a smile.

When Xuanzang heard Sun Wukong’s words, he showed a look of surprise and said, "Wukong, are you serious about this?"

"Just rest well, Master!"

Sun Wukong turned and walked out.

Sand Monk and Zhu Bajie followed him out.

"Brother Monkey, were you serious about what you said in the room?"

Zhu Bajie looked at Sun Wukong, curious.

Sand Monk was also looking at Sun Wukong.

"Of course, it was just to deceive our master. If we let our master worry like that, even a small sickness wouldn’t get better fast!" Sun Wukong said irritably.

"I never thought Brother Monkey would lie!"

Zhu Bajie laughed upon hearing this.

"Big Senior Brother is right. I think for Master, it’s only a minor illness!"

Sand Monk also nodded in agreement.

"Disciples, disciples!"

Just at this moment, Xuanzang’s voice came from inside the room.

Sun Wukong and the others hurried into the room.

"Master, what’s the matter?"

Xuanzang replied, "My throat is unbearably dry, and I’m desperate for a drink. Would one of you go find some water to quench my thirst?"

Zhu Bajie, seeing that Xuanzang was asking for water, couldn’t help but say with a smile, "Master wants water to drink; it seems he must be getting better. Brother Monkey, quick, find some water for master!"

Sun Wukong glanced at Zhu Bajie and said, "You all stay here and protect the master well. I’ll go get the water."

With those words, he turned around and walked out in a hurry.

Sun Wukong rushed to the kitchen to get water and heard crying from a distance.

Moved by curiosity, Wukong followed the sound and saw a group of monks huddled together, secretly wiping away their tears and crying in distress.

Sun Wukong’s face turned stern as he jumped over and scolded, "You monks are being far too petty. We’ve merely stayed in your temple for a few extra days, eaten some of your food, and used a bit of your firewood. If it really comes down to it, we can settle the costs before we leave; is there any need for all this crying?"

The monks, seeing Sun Wukong, hurriedly said, "We wouldn’t dare! We wouldn’t dare ask for money from you gentlemen."

"Our temple has more than a hundred monks; even if we had to Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform. We wouldn’t care about the cost of food and firewood."

"Then why are you hiding here crying?" Sun Wukong asked, frowning.

The monks, unable to hide the truth any longer, admitted, "Gentlemen, we don’t know which mountain demon has infiltrated our temple, but every night we send two people to strike the bell and beat the drum. These past three nights, the sound of bells and drums could be heard, but the people never returned."

"When we searched during the day, we only found their clothes and hats discarded in the backyard, their skeletons still intact, but their flesh had been eaten clean by the monster."

"Since you gentlemen arrived three days ago, we have already lost six monks."

"We didn’t dare tell you for fear of troubling you, as your teacher has fallen seriously ill. So we could only cry secretly here, not intending to be overheard by you gentlemen."

"Is that so? This audacious demon has indeed followed us here." Sun Wukong frowned, his mind immediately went to the possibility of the White-Furred Mouse Spirit coming here to do harm.

This Mouse Spirit was clearly after Xuanzang, and those six monks could be considered victims because of them. Naturally, they couldn’t ignore this matter.

Sun Wukong’s eyes darted about, and then he said with a cold laugh, "Go inform Fang Zhang that there’s no need to send anyone on night patrol today. After dark, everyone should return to their rooms to rest, and no matter what happens, no one is allowed out. Old Sun has his own ingenious plan to subdue the demon."

The monks, upon hearing this, were endlessly grateful and hurried off to inform Fang Zhang.

These monks all knew that Xuanzang and the others had come from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, traversing mountains and ridges.

Without some means to subdue demons and eliminate evil, they would probably have been reduced to skeletons by now, so none of them doubted Sun Wukong’s words.

Sun Wukong returned with the water in a hurry and handed it to Xuanzang.

Afterward, he pulled Zhu Bajie aside and said in a low voice, "That demon has indeed caught up with us."

Zhu Bajie, surprised by this news, asked, "Brother Monkey, what do you plan to do?"

"I plan to join hands with you to wait for that demon, and maybe we can capture it again!" Sun Wukong said, his eyes gleaming.

"Brother Monkey, I’m just worried that the demon is too cunning. After all, its Earth Traveling Technique is so fast; it won’t be easy to easily capture it!"

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "This demon’s Earth Traveling Technique is indeed powerful!"

"Moreover, having killed so many people this time around might just be a way to get our attention!"

Zhu Bajie spoke slowly, "In my opinion, we should not interfere with this matter, lest the master be captured again!"

"You coward!" Sun Wukong shook his head as he looked at Zhu Bajie.

"Brother Monkey, I am also thinking of the master’s well-being. If the monk is taken away again, we won’t even know where to start looking!"