Me and countless me.

Chapter 578 Signs of a Breakup

Monkeys are often very magnanimous. They are naturally respectful of the elderly and kind to the young, especially to the weak. However, they are not easy to get along with, especially to their peers or deities.

When they say "no, no, no," they mean no politeness whatsoever. They also naturally doubt your abilities and are arrogant and conceited, while actively seeking to take control of their team.

In the original Journey to the West, he had this kind of temper. Although the Tang Monk in the original story was indeed a bit useless, sometimes Sun Wukong's misfortune was just because of his mouth.

The phrase "You're useless," which Sun Wukong just said to him, appeared more than once in the original text. Moreover, it often came down to Tang Sanzang, the leader, when he was trying to do something, and the monkey would immediately retort with this, followed by various manipulative tactics that greatly displeased Tang Sanzang. Whenever the monkey fell into his hands, he would definitely be subjected to the tight headband. Then, seeing how increasingly displeased Tang Sanzang became, the monkey would continue to criticize him and constantly question his determination to obtain the scriptures.

It can be said that Tang Sanzang was indeed at fault at times, but the monkey was not without his own problems either. The struggle between the two for command of the pilgrimage team only subsided after the story of the true and false Monkey Kings.

He never imagined that one day his determination to travel west would be questioned by a monkey!
So at this moment, Li Ke looked at the monkey in astonishment and couldn't help but speak.

"Wukong, do you know the relationship between your master and them?"

Sun Wukong scratched his head. He didn't know the relationship between Li Ke and these people, but judging from the fact that Li Ke didn't directly beat her to ashes, there must be a big connection.

So I couldn't help but make fun of them.

"Isn't this your lover from your past life, Master?"

His words made Yang Jian and Nezha behind Li Ke cover their foreheads, completely speechless at the monkey.

Li Ke sighed and looked at the black princess-like Zhe Li, but the other party gently shook her head.

“Someone helped me find you, on the condition that I restrict your movements and tempt you to stop your journey west. So go, Bhishma, don’t forget your vow… During this time, you must listen to me.”

As she spoke, Ban Zheli walked away into the distance. Li Ke looked at her, then at Sun Wukong, and helplessly spread his hands.

"I'm sorry, Wukong, I have a vow to keep here, so I have to leave for a while."

Li Ke was quite helpless about this, but there was nothing he could do. He was indeed bound by the oath he made with Ban Zhe Li and Shu Fa, which required him to obey all their demands for three days when they appeared before him, as long as they did not violate the righteous path or his original goal.

The reason was that when he was cultivating, he unintentionally defeated all of their suitors in order to achieve certain goals. Their fathers then demanded that he marry the two princesses, but he refused because of his cultivation and his own goals, and left the two princesses in their original country.

Generally speaking, this wouldn't be considered a big deal, but their fathers both had very bad tempers, which led to a series of tragedies.

Banchali and Shufa were driven out of the palace and left without any protection. They lived among the commoners and ascetics. Although no one dared to touch them because of the power of their oath, and because they were not children of ordinary people, they possessed a powerful strength that commoners did not have. As ascetics, they were able to live without being violated.

However, no one would help them live, and their fathers would take away all their wealth under the pretext that "you already have husbands," intending to humiliate Li Ke in this way.

This forced the two princesses to eat coconuts and wild vegetables in the wild, and even wear the clothes of the dead. The princess who had been given a haircut died of illness and starvation once, and only after being reincarnated did she meet the Black Princess. After exchanging experiences, the two became friends and together they accumulated the power for her ascetic practices in the jungle. It was during this time that she discovered what had happened.

He was stunned when he heard the news. After all, what father would treat his daughter like that? Yet these people did just that, and what made him feel guilty was that, according to the rules of the Indian world at that time, marrying these two princesses would not have affected his life, vows, or the things he was supposed to do. He simply didn't want to get married at the time.

In fact, the hot-tempered Shufa was reincarnated specifically to kill him, but under the influence of the Black Princess, who considered herself his wife, Shufa decided to consider herself his wife like the Black Princess and help his cause.

And these two really did help him a lot later, saving him three reincarnations and two hundred years of effort. In return, he gave them countless gold and silver treasures, but they refused all his supernatural powers and magic. So he could only give the two princesses a joint vow: that they could use him for three days and two nights every year whenever they needed him. But unfortunately, the two princesses have never used it even once...

Although this was partly due to his subsequent travels and various reincarnations, which made it possible for the two princesses to be completely unable to find him, Li Ke did not intend to deny it now that he had actually come knocking on his door.

Therefore, since Ban Zhe Li forbade him to speak to Sun Wukong, Yang Jian, and Nezha and tell them the truth, he remained silent. After all, Yang Jian and Nezha trusted him, so even if he were taken away, they wouldn't see anything wrong with it. But the monkey...

"Wait! Master! Are you really not going to retrieve the scriptures from the West?!"

Sun Wukong was utterly astonished, but Li Ke merely glanced at him, winked at him, and left. Sun Wukong didn't understand the meaning behind Li Ke's wink at all, assuming that Li Ke was truly determined to leave with that beautiful female benefactor!
He chased after him for a few steps, feeling somewhat bewildered. He knew that if Li Ke was determined to leave, there was nothing he could do even if he tried to stop her. So, in frustration, he slammed his golden cudgel on the ground and spoke angrily.

"What kind of nonsense is this?!"

Sun Wukong was confused; what did Li Ke mean by this?
Yang Jian, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer and immediately started to give the monkey some pointers.

“Great Sage, didn’t you hear that woman threatening us with a vow? Maybe Master can’t explain to us because of that vow? Besides, do you think he’s the kind of person who would neglect his duties because of a woman?”

Yang Jian had already given as much guidance as he could, but Sun Wukong was still irritable. Watching Li Ke and Ban Zheli's departing figures, he couldn't help but scratch his ears and cheeks.

"I know, but we can't just leave like this, can we? It's like we're about to split up our luggage and go home!"

He really didn't want to go home; he just wanted to peacefully become a Buddha. But whether it was Jin Chanzi's purpose or Guanyin's advice, it made him feel restless. In particular, Li Ke's words yesterday that his tribulation had arrived made it even harder for him to suppress his anger.

"Well, let's just wait for him for a while."

Nezha also stepped in to mediate, and Sun Wukong had no other choice, so he simply found an inn with the two of them to stay in and wait for Li Ke's return.

But as soon as they arrived at the inn, a beautiful young woman came out to welcome them.

"Three guests, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?" The moment the girl appeared, Sun Wukong felt Yang Jian's body stiffen. He turned to look at Erlang Shen and saw that his third eye was open, staring at the woman in disbelief!
Meanwhile, Nezha, standing to the side, also showed a look of astonishment, because this girl looked exactly like Yang Jian's younger sister, Yang Chan!
Although it's clear that it's not the same person, their temperament, demeanor, appearance, and voice are exactly the same as Yang Chan's!
"We... are staying at a hotel."

Yang Jian spoke in a hoarse voice, and Sun Wukong could feel that Erlang Shen's steps were somewhat unsteady, while the old man staying at the inn smiled and spoke.

"Oh, our oriole has charmed someone again today? Young man, what's wrong, are you seeing things? If you like her, then go and propose to her gambling father, so that the oriole can have money to treat her mother's illness and pay for her younger brother's tuition!"

The old man was clearly joking, but Nezha knew that Yang Jian wouldn't be able to leave for the next few days.

Based solely on the girl's face, Yang Jian could stay here for three days, searching everywhere to find out who was behind this, whether the girl's appearance here was part of a conspiracy, and then resolve all her worries. If she was interested in the path of immortality, he would even find someone to guide her into it; if she wasn't, he would help her find a loving and successful husband.

If there were still the mission to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures from the West, he wouldn't have abandoned his post; he could have simply sent a clone to handle it. But now that Tang Sanzang had already run away, why not take the opportunity to slack off and take the girl to see his younger sister, Yang Chan? Seeing his two sisters together, Nezha was willing to gamble with his father's life. If none of the above had happened, his father's life would still be in his own hands!
As he expected, after hearing about the girl's tragic past, Yang Jian immediately calmed down and looked at the bewildered Sun Wukong.

"Great Sage, I have some things to investigate."

After saying that, Yang Jian leaped into the air and disappeared from the girl's sight, clearly not intending for her to know that her subsequent changes in circumstances were related to him.

Yes, he cherishes his sister and everything about her, but he hasn't reached the point where he's interested in girls like his sister.

It's just a matter of liking something because of its association with the person who owns it.

"Yang Jian, what are you doing?!"

Sun Wukong reached out to pull Yang Jian, but Nezha knew that Yang Jian was too embarrassed to let Sun Wukong know about this, so he stopped Sun Wukong and made him sit on the table.

"He has his own things to do, don't worry. I, Nezha, would bet Li Jing's head that I would never run away! He will be back soon."

He swore it was from the bottom of his heart!
Sun Wukong looked at Nezha with suspicion, because he knew very well that Nezha's relationship with his father was not good. His unreliable master had recently given him a few evil weapons, such as the Signal Axe, Frostmourne, and Origin Bullet. Nezha dreamed of using Li Jing as a target, so Sun Wukong did not really believe the oath he made with his father's head.

"Are you serious?"

Nezha nodded.

"I have no weaknesses. Unless there are several death row inmates named Li Jing who need to be tortured, I will never be tempted."

He told his own joke and expressed disdain for the people who used underhanded tactics here.

Yang Jian is susceptible to this tactic, but just wait and see if he'll cause trouble after handling everything properly! He'll treat Huang Li'er very well, but the mastermind behind it all might be a different story.

As for him?
He has no weaknesses!
Just then, a woman, leading a child, carrying another child on her back, and holding an infant, followed behind a man who looked 99% like Li Jing.

The woman was dressed in rags and looked pale, while the man, who resembled Li Jing by a remarkable 99.9%, was dressed smartly, smelled of wine and meat, and even had a seductive fox spirit in his arms.

Nezha dropped his teacup instantly, and Sun Wukong stared blankly as he watched the couple walk away, overhearing the conversation of the diners next door.

"Oh dear, Li Jing is truly despicable. His wife supports him, and what does he do? Not only does he not feed his wife and children properly, but he also takes a concubine! And he even walks in front of his wife with his concubine in his arms! Sigh... He and Huang Li'er's father have completely ruined the morals of Jin Yin City!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately turned to look at Nezha, only to see Nezha expressionlessly pick up his cup, though his hand was trembling slightly, but it didn't matter.

There's been no water in there for a long time.

But just then, the shopkeeper came out.

"What would you two like to eat?"

Sun Wukong didn't want to speak, but Nezha stood up, holding his Fire-Tipped Spear.

"Li Jing's head!"

The innkeeper was startled, and Nezha jumped out of the inn. Sun Wukong looked at Nezha's back and knew that Nezha would not be back for a while!

He looked at the shopkeeper, who looked back at him. He then looked at his luggage and thought about the things he had seen in the illusion before, and sighed helplessly.

"Are we really going to break up?"

But what he didn't see was that when he showed a blank expression, both the smiling shopkeeper and the diner who had just spoken revealed a strange smile.

These two are none other than the Golden Horn King and the Yin Horn King! They pulled a lot of strings and offered a lot of benefits to finally assemble this pair here tonight, a team specifically targeting Tang Sanzang, Yang Jian, and Nezha!
Although the moves are old, and there will be lessons from two masters afterwards, it doesn't matter, as long as loyalty to Laozi is shown! Then these things are minor!

So their smiles grew even brighter, and the Golden Horn King, who had transformed into the shopkeeper, spoke up with a smile.

"Sir, in my opinion, your colleagues don't seem to be on your side very well?"

(End of this chapter)