Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 174 A Perilous Crossing of the Tongtian River (Part Fourteen)
Meanwhile, Chen Qing's son, Chen Guanbao, was rescued.

The villagers were overjoyed to see this.

Those families who had previously offered sacrifices to their own children were especially excited at this moment.

If Chen Qing's child was rescued, doesn't that mean their child can also be rescued?

Chen Qing said, "Fellow villagers, come here. The king says he has something to say to you."

Upon hearing this, all the villagers rushed over, especially those who had previously offered sacrifices to their children, who crowded at the front. Some villagers even stepped into the water in the dead of winter.

However, when the villagers got closer, they discovered that "King Pingyou" was seriously injured.

The nine bloody holes on its legs continued to bleed, and the bright red blood was particularly conspicuous against the white shell on the white turtle's back.

Tiger Vanguard spoke weakly:

"Why did you use the pretext of a fire to lure me ashore and ask the monks to come and kill me?"

Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying:
"We're innocent! It wasn't us! We didn't invite those four monks; they came on their own! And we didn't set the fire either..."

Tiger Vanguard said, "No need to say anything more, you can take all these offerings back! I am now seriously injured and have lost all my magic power. I need to recuperate for five hundred years to recover. You will no longer need to make offerings to me."

The villagers were shocked, but before they could say anything, the white turtle had already carried Tiger Vanguard back into the water.

The villagers knelt and prayed on the shore for a long time, but to no avail.

Those families who had previously sacrificed their children to the Great King of Inspiration felt their hopes plummet, and despair appeared on their faces.

Seeing the expressions on these people's faces, even as the head of the manor, Chen Qing couldn't help but feel afraid. He quickly bowed to the river and then carried Xiao Guanbao back home.

When Tang Sanzang saw Chen Qing rushing back with a child in his arms, he asked in surprise, "Old benefactor, what's going on?"

Chen Qing said, "Thanks to the blessing of King Meng Pingyou, my young son Guan Bao'er has been rescued. My Chen family has an heir."

Tang Sanzang said, "Excellent! Excellent! Good deeds are rewarded, congratulations!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Cheng was also very happy and rushed over.

Although his daughter could not be saved, at least his nephew was saved, so as the eldest uncle, he would no longer be without an heir.

Soon, Wukong and Bajie flew back and landed in the courtyard.

When Tang Sanzang saw Wukong and Bajie return, he smiled and said:
"Wukong, look! The old benefactor's child has been rescued. His kindness was not in vain. This is truly a joyous occasion!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong pulled Tang Sanzang aside and whispered, "Master, this is a good thing for them, but a disaster for us!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, why do you say that? How did this good thing turn into a disaster?"

Bajie said, "Master, you don't know! King Pingyou only rescued his own children; there are still more than twenty families whose children are missing!"

Tang Sanzang exclaimed, "Ah! This!"

Wukong said, "That monster even blamed the villagers, asking why they asked the monks to get rid of him! Now that monster is seriously injured, he has gone back to recuperate, saying he needs to rest for five hundred years, so the villagers will no longer need to offer sacrifices to him."

Tang Sanzang said, "Oh dear! Doesn't this extinguish their hopes? What will happen to the families of those children who couldn't be saved?"

Bajie said, "Yes, Master! Think about it, it was us who injured that monster. We thought it was just a man-eating monster, but who would have thought that it actually had the magic power to bring people who had been dead for years back to life? What are we going to do now?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang frowned, unable to think of a solution. He could only instruct Wukong and the other two not to go out for the next few days to avoid attracting the attention of the villagers, and to head west directly once the merchant ships arrived.

After waiting for three days, the merchant ship arrived.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples left Chen Qing's house, preparing to board the ship. However, as soon as the four of them stepped out of Chen Qing's house, they were blocked by more than twenty villagers.

Among the villagers, those with a better attitude addressed Tang Sanzang as "Elder" and stared at him, asking, "Where are you going, Elder?" Some of the women with a worse attitude stepped forward, grabbed Tang Sanzang's robe, and cried, "Monk, give me back my child's life!"

Wukong and the others rushed forward to protect Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang said, "Benefactors, your children were not killed by this monk, so seeking my help will be of no use!"

The villagers said, "Monk, stop pretending! If you hadn't insisted on exorcising the demon, our children would have been saved by now! You have to compensate us for our children!"

Tang Sanzang said, “Benefactors, although that demon can save your children, he has to sacrifice other people’s children. Think about it, is this the right way?”

The villagers said, "Stop talking nonsense! We don't care about your righteous or unrighteous ways! We performed our sacrifices when it was our turn, and now it's their turn. What right do you, monk, have to meddle? Why didn't you come earlier? Now that you've interfered, our children can't be saved. You have to compensate us for our children! Otherwise, you won't be leaving!"

"Yes, we can't leave!"

"I only have one son. If he can't be saved, I won't live either!"

"A monk from the Tang Dynasty has committed murder!"

The villagers were filled with excitement.

Tang Sanzang tried his best to persuade him, but who would listen?
If it weren't for Wukong and the others protecting him, Tang Sanzang might have been in serious trouble.

The villagers and Tang Sanzang and his disciples were locked in a stalemate, with no one willing to back down.

Chen Qing saw this scene but pretended not to see it and ignored it.

He had neither the ability nor the desire to deal with this matter.

Tang Sanzang was surrounded by villagers from dawn till dusk. Some villagers even threatened to kill themselves, making it difficult for Wukong and the others to use their martial arts skills.

The merchant ship had already left.

In the end, Tang Sanzang had no choice but to agree to help them rescue the child, and only then was he allowed to return to Chen Qing's home.

"Wukong, what should we do?"

Wukong squatted on the chair, thinking.

Pigsy said, "Brother, if you ask me, why don't you go to the underworld? Even the demons there were able to save the child. With your abilities, there's no reason you can't save him!"

Sha Wujing said, "Eldest brother, second brother is right!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, could you possibly make the trip?"

Wukong said, "I, Old Sun, can leave, but this matter is strange! Those children have been dead for several years and should have been reincarnated long ago. How did that monster save them? I'm afraid there's a trap involved!"

Bajie said, "We'll find out when we get to the underworld and ask King Yama, won't we?"

Wukong said, "Alright. Bajie and Sha Wujing, you two stay here and protect Master. I'll be right back."

Pigsy and Sandy said, "Brother, go ahead, we will protect Master!"

Wukong nodded, leaped outside, first used magic to obtain the birth dates and times of the sacrificial children, then somersaulted to the underworld and crashed into the Yama Palace.

Upon seeing this, all ten Kings of Hell bowed and greeted him.

He asked, "What brings the Great Sage here?"

(End of this chapter)