Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 23, The Wind Rises at Dusk (Part 10)
Meanwhile, Ao Tu used the Five Fire Fan to kill Ananda; he knew that if anyone from the Buddhist sect came after him, he would not be able to deal with them, so he told the Yellow Wind Monster to flee for their lives.

After hearing this, the Great Sage Huang Feng said:

“Brother, since that’s the case, why don’t you come with me to seek refuge with my sworn sister?”

Ao Tu asked, "Who are my virtuous brother and sworn sister?"

The Great Sage Huangfeng said:
“She is an old acquaintance I met when I was cultivating in Lingshan. She now lives in the Bottomless Cave of Xiankong Mountain in Xiniuhe Prefecture. She is known as Half-Bodied Guanyin and also called Lady Earth-Emerging. She has a beauty that can make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and a face that can shame the moon and flowers. I see that my brother is also unmarried. They are a perfect match, a match made in heaven. Why don’t I act as matchmaker and make this a happy occasion?”

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu realized that the Yellow Wind Great Sage's sworn sister was the Golden-Nosed White-Haired Rat Demon.

Ao Tu shook his head and said, "I still have personal matters to attend to. My brother, you should go and seek refuge first. If we meet again in the future, we can discuss this matter then!"

Upon hearing this, the Great Sage Yellow Wind cupped his hands in greeting, dismissed the demons in the cave, and then left through the back door of Yellow Wind Cave.

Only Tiger Vanguard remained in the cave.

Ao Tu asked, "Why aren't you leaving?"

Tiger Vanguard said, "The little demons have all left. If I leave too, the Second King will have no one to command him. Wouldn't he have to do everything himself? Therefore, I am willing to stay and serve the Second King."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "You are indeed a capable person. Since that's the case, you will stay by my side and call me King from now on."

Tiger Vanguard was overjoyed and knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Ao Tu helped him up and asked, "Do you have any family members? Have they been settled?"

Tiger Vanguard said, "We have two young children, and we plan to hide them in the South Mountain."

Ao Tu said, "No need. Bring them here and I will arrange a place for them."

Tiger Vanguard said happily, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Before long, Tiger Vanguard brought over two tiger cubs.

Ao Tu transformed back into his dragon form, used a spell to change his size, and trapped Tiger Vanguard and two cubs inside his scales. Then he used a teleportation technique to leave Yellow Wind Cave.

On the other side, after Ananda's death, Sun Wukong somersaulted back to Mount Ling, met with the Buddha, and said:
“Buddha, your disciple and Venerable Ananda went to Yellow Wind Ridge to subdue the demon. Your disciple went down first to challenge the demon and lure it out. Venerable Ananda then attacked to subdue the demon, but his magic power was insufficient. He was slapped a few times by the demon and turned into red ashes. I humbly beg the Buddha to have mercy and send a highly capable person to save my master.”

The Buddha sat serenely on the nine-tiered lotus platform, his expression neither joyful nor sorrowful, and said:

“Ananda, the Dharma is flawed, and you have fallen into the cycle of rebirth, hence this hardship. Kasyapa, go to the South Sea and summon the Venerable Avalokiteshvara to see you.”

Kasyapa went as ordered, and soon after, he brought Avalokiteshvara to see him.

The Buddha said, “Venerable Guanyin, that demonic dragon is fierce and Ananda cannot subdue it; go and subdue it to rescue the pilgrims.”

Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva accepted the decree, bowed, and withdrew.

Wukong and the Bodhisattva rode together on auspicious clouds to Huangfeng Ridge.

When they reached Huangfeng Ridge and broke down the cave entrance, not a single demon could be found.
When asked, the local deity replied, "The demons in this cave had already dispersed long before the Great Sage arrived. The two leading demons fled and their whereabouts are unknown."

Helpless, Wukong went to the back garden to rescue his master, junior brother, Lingji Bodhisattva, and Water Deity, and then set fire to the demon cave.

Of the four rescued, only Pigsy was unharmed. The Bodhisattva Lingji and the Water Deity were seriously injured, and Tang Sanzang, who had been trapped for more than a month, was extremely haggard and could barely walk.

With a wave of her willow branch, Guanyin Bodhisattva swept away the injuries and fatigue from the four people.

The four men bowed in gratitude, but that's another story.

Li Tianwang, Nezha, and Shui Dexingjun returned to the Heavenly Court to deliver their decrees, while the Dragon King of the East Sea returned to his Dragon Palace.

Before leaving, Guanyin Bodhisattva called Wukong and Bajie and instructed them: "That demon dragon is a cunning thief. I received the Buddha's decree to subdue him, but he left ahead of time. If you encounter him again in the future, please come to Nanhai to report to me immediately."

Wukong and Bajie agreed.

Meanwhile, after leaving Huangfeng Ridge, Ao Tu went straight into the West Sea. The West Sea Dragon King, Ao Run, was unaware of the terrible trouble Ao Tu had caused.

Upon meeting, Ao Run exclaimed in surprise, "My dear nephew, you've changed so much in the past few years, I almost didn't recognize you!"

Ao Tu said, "I have recently had some good fortune, hence this change."

Ao Run asked, "Could it be that Buddha has bestowed this opportunity upon us?"

Ao Tu said, "It has some connection with Buddha."

Ao Run was overjoyed and ordered a banquet to be prepared.

Ao Tu said, "No need for hospitality. I have come to your house today to ask you for a favor."

Ao Run said, "My dear nephew, please speak freely if you have any requests."

Ao Tu said, "Go to the treasury and get a few weapons."

Ao Run said, "Weapons are nothing, but what would my nephew need weapons for, as he is the bell-ringer under the Buddha?"

Ao Tu released Tiger Vanguard and the two cubs from the scales, saying:
"It's not for me to use, it's for them to use."

Ao Run asked, "Who...who is this person?"

Ao Tu said, "Uncle, don't worry, they are not bad people. Someone wanted to kill them, and I took pity on them and saved them."

Ao Run was relieved and said, "Congratulations! My nephew has not only greatly improved his cultivation since entering Mount Ling, but has also gained the Buddha's heart!"

Ao Tu shook his head and said, "I didn't gain any Buddha's heart, I only gained the heart of a Venerable One."

Ao Run felt he hadn't heard clearly and asked, "What did you take?"

Ao Tu said, “A heart of a venerable one. Uncle, you may not know this, but I have recently caused some trouble and accidentally killed Ananda, a disciple of the Buddha. Therefore, when I go to the treasury this time, I ask you to announce to the public that I have robbed it, so that you will not be implicated!”

Ao Run was shocked: "Nephew, what did you say? Who did you kill?"

Ao Tu said, "No need for further words, nephew is off."

He turned around and went to the treasure vault, knocked out the guards, and smashed down the gate to enter.

Inside the treasure vault, divine light shone brightly, and treasures filled the eyes.

Most of them are coral, agate, pearl, amber, giant clam shell, shell, jade, celestial gold, divine weapons, armor, magic treasures, ritual implements, elixirs, and so on.

For Ao Tu, these were just ordinary things; the true treasures of the dragon clan would naturally not be placed here. However, for Tiger Vanguard, a mountain demon who had never seen the world, what he saw before him were all rare treasures he had never seen in his entire life.

Ao Tu said, "Choose one set of armor and one weapon; do not touch anything else."

Tiger Vanguard immediately kowtowed and said, "Thank you for the treasure, Your Majesty!"

Tiger Vanguard then selected a black gold armor and a tiger-headed longsword forged from Kun steel and refined gold from among the many divine weapons and armors.

Ao Tu casually took a few bottles of pills, intending to reward his subordinates later. He also gave the two tiger cubs two suitable weapons. Then, he blew a gust of wind, causing chaos in the treasure vault, and led the tiger vanguard away.

"Nephew, wait!" Ao Run caught up with him.

Ao Tu said, "Uncle, please don't bother me anymore, lest it cause trouble."

Ao Run looked around, took out a small seal from his pocket, and said:
"My dear nephew, your journey is fraught with peril. Your uncle has nothing of value to give you. This is a post-natal spiritual treasure, the Water-Covering Seal. Its quality is average, and it only possesses some power when submerged in water. I urge you to be careful in all things."

Ao Tu sighed, accepted the small seal, and said:
"Just pretend I stole it! This departure will surely bring about a terrible disaster, Uncle, remember not to contact me again. Farewell."

Ao Run wept, wanting to say something more, but Ao Tu had already left.

(End of this chapter)