The Monkey held his iron rod, stunned in mid-air, the elderly man before him was inscrutable, yet he possessed such strange and mysterious strength, dealing a blow to the proud and haughty Monkey. When had such a character ever appeared in the Three Realms? He had never heard of him before.
"Big brother, where did Master go?" Sand Monk asked anxiously, his master had mysteriously disappeared following a gust of cold wind, leaving him quite at a loss.
"Did you notice anything odd, Fool?" the Monkey asked while looking at a somewhat dazed Bajie.
"I just smelled a scent of water on this fellow just now."
"A scent of water, could it be some demon transformed from something in the water? But, there are no big rivers or lakes for miles around, where would such a water demon come from?" At this moment, the Monkey was even more baffled.
But Bajie said, "That person claimed to be the Earth God. Why don’t we summon the real Earth God of Thorn Ridge and ask about any demons living around here?"
Upon hearing this, the Monkey immediately used the Spirit Capturing Technique, and a small elderly man appeared before the three of them.
The old man was dressed in a long robe, his white beard and hair extraordinarily conspicuous. He was holding a stick resembling a thorn and shakily said to the Monkey, "I do not know what the Great Saint has summoned this humble god for."
His words were filled with fear; he had heard that this master had a not-so-good temper and his iron rod was truly formidable, hence he spoke very cautiously.
"I’m asking you, a demon came here earlier claiming to be the Earth God of Thorn Ridge, and he kidnapped my master. Do you know of this?" the Monkey asked, staring intensely at the Earth God.
The gaze of the Monkey put enormous pressure on the Earth God, who wiped the cold sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and said softly, "Replying to the Great Saint, this humble god has not felt the presence of any demon coming to Thorn Ridge."
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Bajie interjected from the side, "Since it’s not an external demon, it must surely be a native demon of this place. Earth God, are there any demons here?"
The Earth God cautiously glanced at the Monkey and seeing that he was not as terrifying as the rumors suggested, he felt slightly relieved and slowly said, "There indeed are a few demons in Thorn Ridge, they have also harmed many travelers in the past, but they are numerous and strong, I did not dare to provoke them."
"How powerful are their divine skills?"
"Compared to the Great Saint, naturally they are far inferior. As far as I know, none of them have fully transformed yet. They can only cause trouble by soul traveling and shape-shifting."
Upon hearing this, the Monkey immediately frowned; he felt that the few demons the Earth God spoke of didn’t match the previous one, their methods didn’t seem like those of some untransformed demons.
"There are no other demons nearby then?"
The Earth God shook his head repeatedly: "No more, no more, these few demons are enough to give me a headache, let alone others."
"Brother Monkey, why don’t we go and have a look? Perhaps these demons might know the origins of the one who kidnapped Master!" Bajie suggested from the side.
Having no better idea, the Monkey followed Bajie’s suggestion and proceeded towards Wood Immortal Hermitage under the guidance of the Earth God.
Meanwhile, Tang Monk was looking around the Wood Immortal Hermitage Cave Heaven with a face full of surprise; pavilions, bridges over flowing water, the scenery was extremely elegant.
"Holy Monk, do not be alarmed. I am Elder Eighteen, a monk of this place. I have long heard the grand name of the great nation of Great Tang and have always wanted to see the elegance of such a great country. That is why I invited the Holy Monk here, to hear about the beautiful landscapes and cultural elegance of Great Tang," Elder Eighteen said with a smiling face.
Tang Monk looked at the old man before him and felt an air of charm about him; hearing his elegant speech, he seemed nothing like a wicked evildoer, so he let down his guard and began to converse with him.
Under Elder Eighteen’s leadership, they crossed a bridge over a stream, passed through a rockery corridor, and arrived at a pavilion where the elders usually debated. Master Skyward, Ling Kongzi, and Gu Zhigong were already waiting there.
Upon seeing Tang Monk, they all stood up and greeted him with respect, "We have long heard of the Holy Monk’s great reputation, and seeing you today, you truly possess an extraordinary demeanor, truly a man from a great nation, we admire you."
Tang Monk quickly waved his hands and said, "Elders, you flatter me. I am but a simple monk; I have no such demeanor."
Eventually, the men grew more familiar with each other, talking about everything under the sky and composing poems. Tang Monk saw that these elders showed no sign of aggression, so he gradually let down his guard and joined in. Although he was a monk, this environment made composing poems easy for him, immediately arousing bursts of applause.
Just then, a female voice suddenly rang out, crisp like that of a warbler, "A distinguished guest visits and you didn’t inform me, Elder Eighteen, you’re being somewhat unfair."
A woman in a pink dress entered, and upon seeing Tang Monk, she said with a coy laugh, "Isn’t this the legendary Holy Monk? Indeed, his elegance is extraordinary." Her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Tang Monk.
Tang Monk felt somewhat embarrassed under her gaze, quickly closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and said in a solemn tone, "Amitabha, Monk Tang Xuanzang greets the lady donor."
Elder Eighteen and the others then stood up and said, "You’ve got quite the nose!"
The woman took her seat but her eyes stayed locked on Tang Monk, causing him to frown slightly, sensing something odd about this situation. Stay tuned with Freewebnovel
The poetry continued, and the woman also refused to be outdone, composing poems that hinted at joy.
"Look at you, Xing Xian, seeing the Holy Monk in such a state, could it be that you’ve developed mortal feelings?"
Xing Xian laughed coyly and said, "With a monk like him, which woman wouldn’t be moved?"
"If that is so, why not have us as witnesses today, and you two marry and live freely and happily, better than striving for Mount Ling," Ling Kongzi said.
"Indeed, indeed, as the saying goes: Life is short, one should enjoy it while one can!" Master Skyward also chimed in.
Elder Eighteen stood smiling at them but didn’t join the conversation. By now, how could Tang Monk not realize that this was a trap? He glared at them and said, "I originally thought you were men of virtue, but now I see that you are all deceivers, splendid on the outside but rotten inside, never think of corrupting my path."
Xing Xian then said, "Tang Xuanzang, dare you say you have never been moved by worldly desires?"
Xing Xian’s soft words echoed in Tang Monk’s heart, momentarily stupefying him. He instinctively wanted to deny it, but realized an enchanting figure had appeared in his mind.
It was the Queen of the Kingdom of Women. For some reason, he found himself thinking of her face from time to time.
At that moment, he was completely distraught and could only press his palms together, close his eyes tightly, and say, "Amitabha, it is a sin, a sin."
"Seems like this monk has indeed been moved by worldly desires!" Ling Kongzi teased from the side, causing Tang Monk’s face to turn red, but he did not argue back, as he felt guilty and could not assert himself with confidence.