I am a boss in the world of nine uncles

"In any case, this matter must be resolved."

Qin Yao secretly exhaled a breath of turbid air and stared at Sun Wukong: "Wukong, among all the disciples, you are the fastest. Hurry up and go to the Great Roc Demon's cave to ask what exactly is going on, or rather, who borrowed his magic weapon."

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "Yes, Master."

Having said that, he immediately transformed into a golden light and vanished from the Linggan Temple in an instant.

"Master, do you have any related guesses?"

After watching Monkey King disappear into the distance, Pigsy asked softly.

Qin Yao said, "Yes. If nothing unexpected happens, it must be that Yellow-Eyebrowed Ancestor."

The reason is simple: the Roc spirit lost Huangmei's human seed bag, and Huangmei has a reason to demand compensation from him.

Furthermore, given my grudge against the Buddha of the East, even without his authorization, as his disciple, Huang Mei has every reason to continue targeting me!

Pigsy nodded, but made no comment.

In fact, he understood better than anyone the principle that words can cause trouble, so he only dared to think many things to himself...

Not long after.

Sun Wukong somersaulted back and stormed into the temple:

“Master, I’ve found out. It was that beast Huang Mei who impersonated Xiao Peng Nu and tricked Da Peng Jing out of the Phoenix Feather Robe. Afterwards, he sent a message via paper crane, saying that he wanted to borrow it for a while and hoped that Da Peng Jing wouldn’t mind.”

He further emphasized that if the Roc spirit insisted on caring, then it should come to the Western Paradise to find him.

The Great Roc spirit truly didn't want to get involved in this mess any further, so he tacitly agreed to this so-called 'borrowing of treasure'.

"It really was him!" Pigsy said quietly.

"As expected?" Sun Wukong looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Zhu Bajie pointed at Qin Yao and said, "My master deduced this result after you left."

Sun Wukong suddenly realized and asked, "Since you knew it was him all along, Master, you must have come up with a way to retaliate, right?"

Qin Yao nodded and said, "The most powerful and fierce counterattack would be for us to arrive at the Great Thunder Temple in the Western Paradise smoothly, so that the future Buddha will always be the future Buddha."

His future will never come, so let's completely extinguish all hope for their entire group! And then, when that time comes, we can properly settle the karma accumulated on their journey to the West.

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "I understand what you mean, but is there a faster and more direct way? From the Roc Demon to the Goldfish Demon, whoever opposes us, the Yellow-Eyebrowed Ancestor will help them. This situation is really disgusting."

"Also."

Qin Yao laughed and said, "When we repeatedly defeated the puppet demon kings that Huang Mei Patriarch was preparing to support, proving to him that if he didn't personally intervene, it would be useless to support any demon king from behind the scenes, he would have no choice but to consider taking action."

"But once he's involved, becoming a calamity on the journey to the West, the situation becomes much easier. We can hunt him down without any scruples, unlike when facing the King of Inspiration."

Sun Wukong pondered these words carefully, seemingly lost in thought and gaining some insight...

at the same time.

Inside the River Palace, in the Water Palace.

King Linggan, accompanied by the Spotted Mandarin Duck Woman, personally escorted the Yellow-Eyebrowed Ancestor out of the Water Palace gate, saying with a sincere expression, "My benefactor, please stay a few more days. I would like to discuss Buddhism with you further."

Huangmei Patriarch waved his hand and said, "Sun Wukong and the others will definitely come to the Water Palace to find you again, and it's not advisable for me to reveal my identity for the time being, lest I be targeted. After all, if they find out in the Water Palace that we've made peace, things will be very troublesome for me..."

He also knew that the most important thing about behind-the-scenes manipulation was to stay behind the scenes.

Once they step out from behind the scenes and into the limelight, becoming part of the calamity, they will become the target of the pilgrims and bear the brunt of the attack!
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he will not step out from behind the scenes, lest he lose his "invincible" advantage...

“Since my benefactor is determined to leave, I will not stop him.” At this moment, King Linggan clasped his hands and said, “I’ll say it again, my benefactor, from now on, Linggan is at your disposal.”

Huangmei Patriarch's heart stirred slightly, and he said softly, "Inspiration, I really do have something I need your help with."

The King of Inspiration silently lowered his arms and said with a smile, "Please speak, my benefactor. As long as it is within the power of my inspiration, I will certainly do my best!"

The Yellow-Eyebrowed Ancestor smiled and instructed, "I want you to spread rumors in the guise of the goldfish spirit of the lotus pond in the Purple Bamboo Grove, saying that eating a piece of Tang Sanzang's flesh is like eating a ginseng fruit, which is of great benefit to cultivation."

There are rumors in the world that eating a piece of Tang Sanzang's flesh can grant immortality, but such rumors can only attract some minor demon kings. After all, those powerful demon kings can live forever, so there is no need for them to offend the Buddhist lineage for what they already possess.

However, if we link Tang Sanzang's flesh with ginseng fruit, and this rumor originates from the current Buddhist lineage, then Tang Sanzang's future tribulations will certainly be even more varied and colorful...

Beside her, the spotted mandarin duck's expression changed slightly, but looking at the majestic and extraordinary Yellow-Eyebrowed Ancestor, she ultimately hesitated to speak.

"Will eating Tang Sanzang's flesh really be of great benefit to cultivation?" Linggan Dawang asked curiously, staring into Huangmei Laozu's eyes.

Huangmei Patriarch responded, "There will definitely be some, but it certainly won't reach the level of ginseng fruit, otherwise it wouldn't be a rumor... Brother Linggan, let me make this clear to you, this matter requires some responsibility, you don't have to agree."

King Inspiration waved his hand and said, "What are you saying, my benefactor? If it weren't for your timely rescue, I would be dead, and I wouldn't have the chance to speak with you at this moment."
"Don't worry, I'll spread this news among the aquatic beings soon. I believe it won't be long before it reaches all the realms!"

A look of gratitude appeared on Huangmei Patriarch's face. He reached out and patted the other's shoulder: "You're a true friend. Alright, I really should go now. Brother Linggan, until we meet again..."

"My benefactor, until we meet again."

King Inspiration nodded heavily, then watched as the other party transformed into a streak of yellow light and vanished into the water in an instant.

Just then, the spotted-robed mandarin duck whispered, "Your Majesty, shouldn't you reconsider? Given your status, spreading rumors detrimental to Tang Sanzang might just lead to your own demise in the Purple Bamboo Grove!"

The Great King of Inspiration snorted coldly: "Self-destruction in the Purple Bamboo Forest? At that time, when my life was hanging by a thread, I almost cried out to Guanyin for help, but Guanyin did not appear. It was as if she abandoned me, this insignificant goldfish, for the sake of Tang Sanzang."

If that's the case, why should I care about her?

On the contrary, spreading this rumor is my pledge of allegiance to the future Buddha's lineage. By submitting this pledge, I can naturally obtain the future Buddha's protection.

The spotted mandarin duck was speechless.

From the perspective of the King of Inspiration, such a choice is understandable.

The problem is that Guanyin is currently more powerful than the future Buddha. Jumping from the powerful camp to the less powerful camp seems somewhat unwise...

"Alright, let's get down to business." In the midst of the silence, the Great King of Inspiration suddenly said seriously, "I don't want to be enemies with Sun Wukong and the others again, lest I face the same calamity as last time; Gui Po, can you help me think of a way to get through this tribulation?"

Upon hearing this, the spotted mandarin duck could only quickly compose herself and ponder, "There are two ways to avoid disaster. One is for Your Majesty to leave the Tongtian River and return after Tang Sanzang and the others have left."

Secondly, find a way to reassure Tang Sanzang and his companions so they can continue their journey without looking back. Therefore, once they leave, you will be safe.

After much deliberation, King Linggan solemnly said, "Moving the whole family is too troublesome, and each one has its own place. Once I leave the Tongtian River, a new demon king will inevitably occupy this Water Turtle Mansion."

If this demon king is that old tortoise, that's fine. We can just drive it away again. But if it's an even more powerful and strong demon king, then we might not be able to come back.
Therefore, please help me refine my second plan, so that Tang Sanzang and his companions can get lost and stop causing me trouble here.

After much deliberation, the spotted mandarin duck slowly said, "Your Majesty can send a little demon to inform the villagers on both sides of the riverbank that from now on, there will be no need to hold the annual river sacrifice."

In this way, in the eyes of the pilgrims, it would appear that we were afraid of them and dared not commit cannibalism again, allowing them to continue their journey in peace.

The King of Inspiration's eyes brightened slightly, and he ordered, "This plan is excellent; you shall carry it out..."

The next day.

When countless little demons spread the news to the villages on both sides of the river, the villages on both banks were immediately filled with joyous cheers.

Meanwhile, the news spread among the people and reached the Guanyin Temple, causing the Chen family patriarch, who was hiding in the temple, to burst into tears of joy. Without waiting to send someone to consult Qin Yao, he hurriedly rushed back to Chen Family Village.

Inside the Chen Family Village, in the courtyard.

Qin Yao was dealing with two children who were clamoring to see their biological father when he suddenly sensed the presence of Master Chen. He said helplessly, "Your biological father is back. Turn around..."

The two chubby children immediately turned around and, upon seeing Master Chen, rushed towards him.

"Good boy, good boy."

Master Chen held his two precious children in his arms, one in each hand, and couldn't get enough of looking at them, cherishing them dearly.

After the two children stopped making noise, the three demons, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, who had been hiding, all returned to Qin Yao's side. After being glared at by him, they all showed embarrassed smiles.

“Holy Monk, have you heard? King Linggan has announced that the river sacrifice will no longer be held. He must have been defeated by you all, or rather, he is afraid of you.”

After a short while, once he had calmed the two children down, Master Chen greeted Qin Yao with a broad smile.

Qin Yao shook his head and said seriously, "A man-eating monster has no credibility. He might just be trying to get us to leave as soon as possible. After all, once we leave, no one will be able to fight him anymore."

Master Chen's smile froze, and his mind, which had been clouded by boundless joy, gradually regained its composure: "You're right, he can change his mind at will, because there will be no consequences for him!"

"What should we do? Should we leave or stay?" Sha Wujing murmured.

"Idiot, of course we can't leave! If we just pack up and leave, won't children still die here every year?" Pigsy replied.

Sun Wukong racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good solution, so he subconsciously looked at Qin Yao: "Master, do you have any good ideas?"

Qin Yao glanced at him and Zhu Bajie, and said in a deep voice, "You two have one more chance. It depends on whether you can seize it."

Sun Wukong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said firmly, "Master, please speak. Bajie and I will definitely do our best!"

Qin Yao said, "It's simple. We'll use me as bait to lure them out of the river."

Sun Wukong blinked and pressed, "How do we lure them?"

Qin Yao turned to look at Master Chen and asked with a smile, "I heard there's a wooden bridge nearby that can cross the river?"

Master Chen nodded slightly: "Yes, there is, but the problem is that the wooden bridge has been battered by wind and rain and has fallen into disrepair over the years, making it impossible for anyone to cross..."

Qin Yao then asked Zhu Bajie, "You are Marshal Tianpeng in charge of the naval forces in the Heavenly Realm, so you must be proficient in water-based magic, right?"

Pigsy nodded: "Yes, but what does this have to do with the bridge?"

"Of course it's related. Once you reach the broken bridge, you can use your magic to summon ice and snow, and fill the broken part of the wooden bridge with ice and snow as its framework. In this way, you can easily cross the river."

"As for the Inspiration King, the time when we're on the bridge is when he's most likely to succeed. It all depends on whether he can resist his momentary greed," Qin Yao said.

Pigsy said, "What if he holds back? After all, judging from the fact that he didn't need to perform the river sacrifice after spreading the word, he can't wait for us to leave."

“If he can hold back, we’ll pretend to leave and wait for him for ten or fifteen days on the other side of the bridge. He can’t possibly refrain from eating people for too long,” Qin Yao said calmly.

Pigsy nodded: "I understand, it's a plan to turn the tables on you."

"Let's get started then. I'll go get the horse," Sun Wukong said eagerly.

Not long.

Just as the master and his disciples were heading towards the Broken Bridge under the guidance of Master Chen, a plume of white smoke suddenly shot up from the ground, blocking their path, and then manifested as the Earth God...

"Earth God, why are you blocking the way?" Sun Wukong, who was leading the horse, shouted softly.

"Greetings to all the venerable immortals, greetings to the holy monks."

The Earth God, dressed in a long robe with white beard and hair, bowed and said, "Reporting to the Great Sage, I have come to deliver a message."

"Tip me off?" Pigsy's eyes lit up slightly, and he quickly asked, "You received the strange movements of the Great King Linggan? That can't be right, you're the Earth God, you shouldn't be going into the water."

The Earth God shook his head and said, "I haven't received any news of any unusual activity. I just heard a rumor, so I came to ask if you all have heard of it."

"What rumors?" Qin Yao asked.

The Earth God looked at his face and said, "It is said that the Great King Linggan once told his subordinates that eating a piece of the Holy Monk's flesh would not only grant immortality, but also have the same effect as swallowing a ginseng fruit. Unfortunately, he was no match for the Great Sage, so it could only benefit others."

Sun Wukong's pupils contracted slightly, and he said, "This fellow has such a vicious heart. He's letting us leave, but he's making our journey uneasy and even trying to cause us endless trouble!"

Pigsy was also genuinely angry and shouted, "If we don't kill him now, we'll regret it every time we think about this in the future!"

He has always been the type to stay out of things that don't concern him, but the actions of the Inspiration King have already threatened his life.

After all, the Journey to the West team was a unified whole until the end of the pilgrimage; they shared both glory and loss.

Therefore, at this moment, apart from Qin Yao, all the guardians of the westward journey were filled with anger, their eyes flashing with ferocity, including even the little white dragon who had transformed into a white horse... (End of this chapter)