Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 171 A Perilous Crossing of the Tongtian River (Part 11)
Meanwhile, the family that set the fire was hurriedly packing their valuables, preparing to flee.

The current situation has completely exceeded their expectations.

The family originally thought that as long as they set fire to lure the monster, the hairy-faced monk would surely kill it upon seeing it, and they wouldn't need to expose themselves.

After all, during the day, that hairy-faced monk had asked half of Chenjia Village how to lure the monster ashore. They had lured the monster ashore on their own initiative, so how could the monster not take action?

However, to their surprise, the other party did not actually make a move.

In her haste, the woman accidentally let something slip.

They should have been exposed by now.

Murder and arson are capital offenses, and once caught, it's very difficult to survive.

Therefore, while the monster and Wukong were fighting, the woman and the man took the opportunity to escape, go home to pack their belongings, and prepare to flee Chenjiazhuang overnight.

The woman wrapped up the silver and cloth, and the man brought his son. The two were from different families and had moved here. There were no elderly people in the family, so it was much more convenient for them.

The two fled under cover of night. The child, only five or six years old, could not walk fast, so the man carried him on his back.

The child had no idea why his parents were taking him on a walk through the night.

Fearing discovery, the two dared not carry torches or take the main road. Leaving the village was relatively easy at first, but once they entered the wilderness and onto a narrow path, their speed slowed down due to poor visibility.

Meanwhile, Chen Qing led his men to the two men's house, only to find it empty.

Although Chen Qing didn't know which direction they had fled in, he was certain that as long as he sent people to chase them in all directions, they would eventually catch up with them.

Chen Qingling ordered the villagers to chase after him in the three directions of southeast, north, and south.

Because the ancestral hall was burned down, the villagers were all filled with righteous indignation. None of them were sleepy. They carried torches and were determined to capture the two men.

The family consisted of a man and a woman with a child. They walked slowly, and given enough time, they were quickly overtaken.

Several strong-looking villagers were the first to catch up with the two.

The woman tried to argue, but the villagers ignored all evidence and beat the two of them severely before taking them away.

They encountered other villagers on the road, and were beaten several more times.

When the two were finally brought before Chen Qing, they were covered in injuries.

Chen Qing's face was cold and ruthless; he showed no sympathy whatsoever for the two men's miserable state.

The villagers of Chenjiazhuang held torches and gathered together, the firelight illuminating everyone's faces.

Chen Qing said, "A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. This family set fire to our Chen Family Village ancestral hall. According to the clan rules, we should burn them all to death!"

The villagers applauded upon hearing this.

The man and woman begged for mercy, but no one showed them any sympathy. The villagers tied the two, along with their child, to a wooden stake, piled dry firewood on top, and prepared to burn them alive.

The woman said, "Master, the fire was set by my husband and me. It has nothing to do with my son. He is still young and doesn't know any better. Please forgive him!"

The men also joined in pleading for leniency.

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing glanced at the child and asked, "Child, which of them is your father and which is your mother?"

Upon hearing this, the child said, "This is my father, and this is my mother."

Chen Qing said, "This bastard is already aware of things, burn him alive too!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers were about to throw out their torches.

The man was in despair.

Seeing that she was about to be burned to death, the woman disregarded everything else and cried out, "Wait! We set the fire, not because we wanted to, but because someone ordered us to!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing immediately told the villagers to stop and asked, "Who instructed you?" The woman replied, "It was a Tang Dynasty monk!"

Chen Qing said, "That's utter nonsense. The Tang Dynasty monk has been living in my house the whole time and has never left. How could he have instructed you?"

The woman said, "It was the disciple of a Tang Dynasty monk, that hairy-faced monk surnamed Sun who instigated it."

Chen Qing said, "Tell me the truth about how he instructed you!"

The woman said, "During the day today, that hairy-faced monk found my husband and me and asked how to lure the monster ashore. He then told us to set fire to the place to lure the monster out so that he could subdue it."

Upon hearing this, the villagers were all furious.

Chen Qing asked, "Are you telling the truth?"

The woman replied, "Yes."

The villagers were filled with excitement and said:

"Master, let's go settle accounts with those monks!"

"Seize those monks!"

"We can't let them escape!"

Chen Qing said, “Fellow villagers, please calm down. We cannot believe everything this wicked woman says. That Tang Dynasty monk is currently staying in the guest room in my courtyard. If it really was the Tang Dynasty monk who instigated this, he would have already fled in a guilty conscience.”

"Fellow villagers, come with me to investigate. If the Tang Dynasty monk has already escaped, it's because he's guilty, so send men to chase after him immediately. If he hasn't escaped, it's likely that this wicked woman made a false accusation to save her own life. Lock her up first, and tomorrow morning, explain the situation to the Tang Dynasty monk, adding another charge of falsely accusing a monk to her list, and punish her severely!"

The villagers agreed with Chen Qing's reasoning and thus agreed.

The group then followed Chen Qing to his residence for inspection.

Chen Qing led a few villagers to the guest room, where they heard loud snoring and knew that Tang Sanzang and the others were still there.

Several other villagers went to check the stable and found that the white horse was also there.

Chen Qing said, "It seems that the poisonous woman is desperate and stubbornly clinging to her lies. The Tang Dynasty monk is a guest from afar, and it is impolite to disturb him so late at night. Let's lock the poisonous woman up and keep her under control. We can confront the Tang Dynasty monk face to face tomorrow and jointly determine her guilt."

The villagers nodded in agreement and tied the couple and their child up together, locking them in the stable.

In the stable, the man scolded the woman, saying, "You tell such lies. When we confront that Tang Dynasty monk tomorrow, your lies will fall apart on their own. Who knows what kind of punishment we will suffer? It would be better to burn us to death."

The woman said, "What's the use of saying all this? We're already dead, what punishment are we afraid of? That Tang Dynasty monk is a good man. When we see him tomorrow, we'll kneel down together and beg him to save the child."

The man said, "Sigh, that's all we can do."

The couple wept, and the child started crying too.

The night passed.

The next morning, Chen Qing ordered someone to prepare breakfast for Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

After Tang Sanzang finished eating, Chen Qing asked him:

"Holy Monk, I wonder how you are staying at my humble abode? Have I been impolite in my hospitality?"

Tang Sanzang said, "I am deeply grateful for your hospitality, sir. How could I have been impolite?"

Chen Qing said, "If that's the case, why does the Holy Monk repay kindness with enmity?"

Tang Sanzang exclaimed in surprise, "Old benefactor, what makes you say such a thing? When did this humble monk ever repay kindness with enmity?"

Chen Qing said, “Since the Holy Monk came to my Chen Family Village, I have done my best to entertain him, inviting him to stay in the best room of my house, providing him with tea and meals without fail; when the Holy Monk wanted to cross the river, I personally spent money to contact merchant ships; when the Holy Monk wanted to exorcise the demon, although I was unwilling, I did not stop him. I believe I have never neglected the Holy Monk. Why then did the Holy Monk secretly instruct people to burn down my Chen Family Village ancestral hall and cut off my ancestral worship? Isn't this repaying kindness with enmity?”

[PS: Some readers asked about the extra chapter process in the comments section, specifically about needing to vote with monthly tickets. Regarding this, I owed 17 chapters last month, and I haven't finished paying them off. I owe another 17 chapters this month. Please vote with fewer monthly tickets; the more I try to pay back, the more I owe, and I can't keep up. Also, I'll be adding an extra chapter tonight as a way of settling the debt.]

(End of this chapter)