Chapter 397: Chapter 397

"You fool, do you think you can hide from it?"

Upon hearing the fool’s words, Sun Wukong shook his head with a smile and said, "Do you mean to say if we ignore it, the monster won’t trouble us?"

Zhu Bajie couldn’t help but smile bitterly, knowing full well that Sun Wukong was right.

"If the demon didn’t come knocking, we could indeed ignore her, but now she has come to our doorstep, and she deliberately targeted those monks to show us she has arrived!"

With a look of surprise, Zhu Bajie glanced at Sun Wukong and asked, "Brother Monkey, it seems like you already have a plan?"

Sun Wukong was just about to disclose his plan but then fell silent again.

He then stretched out his finger and pointed to the ground.

Zhu Bajie was curious, but he quickly caught on and nodded with a smile, "Tonight, we’ll count on Brother Monkey’s prowess!"

Sun Wukong turned and glanced at Xuanzang, who was lying in bed.

It was clear to Zhu Bajie that Sun Wukong wanted him to protect Xuanzang.

After all, the demon was stirring up such trouble specifically to target Xuanzang, and now Sun Wukong was going to confront her.

Since Xuanzang might be in danger, Zhu Bajie nodded and said, "Brother Monkey, rest assured, I will guard him all night long without fail."

"Since you put it that way, Old Sun can relax."

Sun Wukong then nodded in satisfaction.

At that moment, Sand Monk, seeing the two whispering to each other, came over curiously and asked, "Big Brother, Second Senior Brother, what are you two secretly discussing here? Can you tell me, too?"

"You don’t need to know, just take good care of Master. That’s all."

Wukong said with a smile, "Junior Brother Sand, Master is seriously ill, he needs care. You are not allowed to go anywhere tonight, just stay by Master’s side. Take good care of him. If there is even a slight mistake, you will have to face Old Sun’s staff."

"You can count on me, Big Brother,"

said Sand Monk with a smile.

Wukong naturally trusted Sand Monk; although he and Zhu Bajie also cared for Xuanzang, they probably didn’t care as much as Sand Monk did.

"That’s right, we trust you!"

By then, Xuanzang had drunk some water, and suddenly feeling invigorated, he smiled and said, "This cool water is like a wonderful elixir. Having drunk water, half of my illness has gone. Is there any vegetarian food, disciples? Your master is hungry."

Sun Wukong, overjoyed to hear that Xuanzang wanted to eat, quickly jumped over and indeed, saw Xuanzang looking much more spirited than before.

Wukong couldn’t help but say with a laugh, "Our master is better; what is the fool still standing around for? Master is hungry, hurry up and prepare the vegetarian meal."

"Yes!" Zhu Bajie was exceptionally happy, he hastened outside, all excited. Why was the fool so eager this time?

Simply because he was eagerly hoping for Xuanzang to recover quickly, so they could set off on their journey again.

Sand Monk also smiled and said, "Master hasn’t eaten in three days since he fell ill. Now that he is able to eat, it seems his illness is about to improve."

Zhu Bajie ran to the kitchen and instructed the monks to prepare a vegetarian meal for Xuanzang.

Knowing these newcomers had some abilities, the monks dared not offend them and hurriedly got to work, boiling rice, baking pancakes, steaming buns, making rice soup, and frying dishes, eventually bringing over enough for four or five tables of food.

Xuanzang ate just a bowl of rice porridge and couldn’t eat any more, while Sun Wukong, Sand Monk, and Zhu Bajie only finished off one table; the rest was devoured by Zhu Bajie alone.

After a full meal, Zhu Bajie slumped in his chair, stroking his belly and burping contentedly, "I’m full! It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten my fill, and it feels great."

"Now that you’ve eaten your fill, you must guard our master well tonight and ensure nothing goes wrong," Sun Wukong said seriously.

"Understood, Brother!"

Zhu Bajie said with a bitter smile.

He had hoped to slack off, now that his master had recovered, but it turned out he still had to stay vigilant.

Wukong said impatiently, "Just stay here and watch properly, you fool. You’ve eaten so much; it’s good to digest a little."

Zhu Bajie had no choice but to agree.

After all, Xuanzang hadn’t fully recuperated yet. After eating, he went to bed early.

After nightfall, Wukong put out the lights in the room. Zhu Bajie and Sand Monk hid in the dark, guarding Xuanzang for fear of any accidents.

And Sun Wukong left on his own early on.

He sneaked into the main hall where the sky was dotted with stars and the moon had yet to rise. The hall was dark, and Sun Wukong first lit the lanterns, then went hopping about, drumming on the east side and striking the bell on the west.

Then, transforming himself into a young monk of about twelve or thirteen years old, he sat in front of the Buddha, rhythmically striking a wooden fish and beginning to chant scriptures.

Wukong waited until the first watch of the night, with no disturbances, and had to patiently continue chanting, though this Monkey King was hardly reciting any real scriptures; he was probably just moving his lips without any clear understanding of what he was saying.

By the second watch of the night, as the crescent moon rose, suddenly a cold wind started outside, howling loudly.

Wukong figured the demon must have arrived, and excitement welled up inside him as he thought to himself, "Here she comes."