Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

A woman next to her couldn't help but laugh,"Big sister is too anxious; our place is rarely visited by humans, and with no masters passing by, how could disaster be upon us?"

"Alas! Maybe it's because today Brother mentioned the name of the Tea Saint, the unease has lingered in my heart." The Spider Demon said so, but there was still an inescapable worry in her eyes, as if a dark cloud hung over her head.

What they didn't know was that the Journey to the West party was now almost upon them, and their fate was sealed at that very moment.

On this fine day, the Tang Monk and his disciples were making their way slowly. Unlike usual, the Tang Monk seated on the Bai Longba didn't have his usual rigid, solemn expression but instead bore a slight smile, carefully taking in the surrounding beauty.

"I'm saying our master must be bewitched; ever since we left Thorn Ridge, not only has his temper improved, but he's also been wearing a smile on the journey that gives me the creeps." Bajie said to Sand Monk who was beside him.

Sand Monk looked up at Tang Monk who was walking in front and frowned slightly. He too sensed something unusual; although Tang Monk didn't seem much different in daily life, intuition told him that the current Tang Monk was a bit extraordinary, resembling more the Buddhist Disciple who had fed his own flesh to demons back then.

"Second Brother, don't talk nonsense. Master is a Buddhist Disciple reincarnated. How could he be bewitched?" Nevertheless, Sand Monk still defended Tang Monk. After all, he was the one who saved him from a life of misery, and he had long decided to repay him. Thus, he willingly took up all the burdens and duties along the way, always staying by Tang Monk's side, though it was of little use.

Only Sun Wukong, leading the way with the Jingu Bang in hand, smiled when he overheard the discreet whispers of his two junior brothers. The chirping of cicadas was clear in his ears; Tang Monk might deceive others, but not him.

However, he admired the old monk behind him, conceding that he was an impressive character. Ever since awakening his predestined wisdom, the monk's realm had surged forward. In particular, the Mana that now blended with the Human Path's fortune and destiny exerted immense suppression on practitioners, so much so that Sun Wukong even doubted whether he could defeat Tang Monk if they fought now.

Yet, the current Tang Monk was terribly indolent, not exerting more effort than absolutely necessary, and along their travels, he still feigned harmlessness with an air of weakness, allowing those demons to capture him.

Sometimes Sun Wukong even wanted to tell these demons that the man they were capturing could easily smash their heads with ease.

"Sigh! I'm really born to toil," Sun Wukong couldn't help but sigh.

The party of four had Bajie, a lazybones looking to skate through life. Although he had become more active recently due to acquiring new skills, he still avoided trouble whenever possible. As for Tang Monk, he played the pig to eat the tiger, looking pitifully helpless and stubbornly refusing to lift a finger. As for Sand Monk, he was willing to help, but his limited strength meant he couldn't contribute much.

In the end, it was up to Sun Wukong to save the day, but who was to blame? He was the proud Great Sage Equalling Heaven, whose dictionary contained only the notion of facing challenges head-on.

Tang Monk, riding on Bai Longba, heard every word his disciples muttered, though they spoke softly, and a sly smile crossed his face. Expecting him to exert himself was like daydreaming; if he revealed his full strength, how could the grand play continue? It would be ruining the show, he thought smugly.

Just then, they arrived before the Coiling Silk Cave. Tang Monk noticed immediately that there was something unusual about the atmosphere, and the fortune and destiny of the Human Path within him stirred restlessly. Realizing that this was likely another ordeal, he sighed internally—what a nuisance.

The astute Monkey noticed something amiss with Tang Monk and would have offered his consolation and unraveled the monk's usual puzzles, but the Tang Monk nowadays hardly needed him to speak up. Eight or nine times out of ten, when the Tang Monk sighed, it was a harbinger of imminent calamity, and thus Monk also stopped in his tracks. He turned to his fellow disciples and said, "It's getting late. How about we rest for a while and scrounge up some vegetarian meals?"

Upon hearing this, Bajie's mouth immediately began to water, and he threw away the nine-toothed rake in his hand and sat down on the ground with a plop, calling out loudly, "Big brother is right, let's take a break, I, Old Pig, am truly tired."

Tang Monk glanced at Monkey and nodded, saying, "We have indeed traveled for quite a while. It's time for a rest."

Monkey was about to take out the Purple Gold Bowl from his luggage to prepare for begging meals when Tang Monk interjected, "Every day it's you who goes out to seek alms. Today, let your teacher go instead."

Eagerness spread across Tang Monk's face, having not experienced the act of almsgiving for a long time and now eagerly anticipating doing so once more, especially from demons, which he imagined would be particularly thrilling. So thought the Tang Monk.

But Monkey just laughed and said, "Master must be joking. There's a saying: 'Once a teacher, always a father.' How can I, the disciple, sit while you, my master, go out to beg? It's better that I, Old Sun, go."

"On ordinary days, the journey is long, and my fleshly body cannot compare with you soaring through the clouds. But now that the terrain is flat, I see not far ahead there is a manor. The memories of past almsgiving experiences come to mind, and I wish to relive them once again."

Monkey responded, "Master, that is where you are wrong. With us disciples here, if you, the master, went out to beg, it would be a disgrace to all of us brothers. Besides, the character of the people in that manor is unknown; if they are brigands who rob and plunder, it would be bad."

Yet it was only Monkey who guessed Tang Monk's thoughts and said, "Since Master insists on going, then go. Otherwise, even if we were to procure vegetarian meals, you probably wouldn't want to eat them, given your temperament."

Bajie, upon hearing this, agreed. When the old monk got into one of his moods, he indeed might do such a thing. But thinking it over, with Monkey around, should anything happen, he could arrive in an instant on his Somersault Cloud, so there wasn't much to worry about.

Thus, Tang Monk got his wish and set off toward his intended destination, shouting in his heart, "Demons, here I come."

Monkey, interested in seeing how Tang Monk would handle the encounter with the demon, deployed his Brass Eye to look in the direction where Tang Monk was headed.

His gaze settled on the nearby manor, but to his surprise, although the scenery was beautiful, the sight of those myriad wriggling poisonous insects on the ground made his scalp tingle.

Being a monkey, he feared these tiny creatures burrowing into his fur, feeling a sense of schadenfreude and curious about Tang Monk's reaction upon seeing this scene.

Meanwhile, several Spider Demons were just outside their dwelling, mending a Feathered Garment for the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes, which had been burnt with a big hole by Lu Yu's True Fire during a recent battle. Hence, the Demon Monarch had sought help from the sisters, hoping they could repair it.