Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 58, Encountering Demons in the Black Pine Forest (Part Two)
Meanwhile, Ao Tu led Tang Sanzang to evade capture.

Seeing they couldn't capture Ao Tu and his companion, the lesser demons surrounded them, sending one to report to the king. (Report:)
"Your Majesty, those two men are very good at walking; they run around the woods, and our brothers can't catch them!"

The old demon roared, "A bunch of useless trash! You can't even hold two people! I'll go take a look!"

Outside, Ao Tu saw a little demon go in and said to Tang Sanzang:
“That little demon must have gone to find the old demon. I’ll hold them off here. You run back first.”

Tang Sanzang asked, "Your Highness, what will you do then?"

Ao Tu said, "I walk fast, so you can leave first and I can get away."

Tang Sanzang said, "But these monsters have formed a circle. How can I escape?"

Ao Tu said, "I'm strong, I'll throw you out. You silently recite the six-syllable mantra, don't worry about anything, don't look back, just run away!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Alright!"

Ao Tu grabbed Tang Sanzang's clothes and threw him away with force.

Tang Sanzang fell to the ground, feeling dizzy and disoriented. Ignoring the pain, he quickly got up, recited the six-syllable mantra, and felt a surge of power within him. His legs moved like lightning, and he fled straight away.

When the old demon came out, he saw that the lesser demons were surrounding only one person, and asked:
Why is there only one?

The little demons said, "Your Majesty, that monk was thrown away by him and ran very fast. We were afraid that if we split up to chase after him, he would also get away, so we waited for Your Majesty to come and deal with him."

Upon hearing this, the old demon looked at Ao Tu and asked:

"Where do you come from, and how did you get to my place?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "If you want to know my name, first introduce yourself!"

Upon hearing this, the old demon roared, "How dare you! Take my blade first!"

He raised his sword and charged.

Ao Tu raised his hand and conjured an ordinary wooden staff to block the old demon's precious sword.

The old demon said, "Such great strength! You must be no nobody!"

Ao Tu said, "I was born with divine strength!"

The old demon swept his blade horizontally, the blade flashing and gleaming like silver, the sky filled with the light of his blade.

Ao Tu transformed the wooden staff into three thousand, which he held horizontally in the air, blocking all the sword light.

The old demon said, "Well, you do have some skills, but this weapon is rather inferior. I wonder which old man you stole it from."

Ao Tu said, "My wooden staff doesn't show any special light, but it has supernatural powers. It's many times better than your lousy knife!"

The old demon said, "How do you know about my treasured sword? This sword is forged from Nine Heavens Star Silver and tempered by divine fire. With a swing, it can draw upon the power of the stars; with a single cut, it will grind your divine body into dust!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "I know, I know. This knife is something you brought down from the sky, Kui Mulang."

Kui Mulang was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and said:

"How do you know my identity?"

Ao Tu said, "What in heaven and on earth do I not know?"

With a wave of his hand, the Dragon-Binding Rope was unleashed.

Seeing this, Kui Mulang hurriedly tried to escape, but he couldn't get away at all. He was bound in a short while and fell to the ground.

Kui Mulang hurriedly begged for mercy, "Senior, senior! This humble god was ignorant and did not know of your presence. I have offended you, senior. Please spare my life!"

Ao Tu said, "I can spare you, but you have to do something for me."

Kui Mulang said, "Senior, please give your orders, and I will certainly do as you say!"

Ao Tu said, "I am not some senior, but a demon, known as the Great King of Ling Mountain. I intend to seize the throne of Baoxiang Kingdom. In a few days, two people will come to demand the princess. You capture the one surnamed Sha and release the one surnamed Zhu, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Kui Mulang said, "Which one is surnamed Pig and which one is surnamed Sand? Do you have the Shadow God Diagram? I can use it to distinguish them and avoid making a mistake."

Ao Tu said, "We don't need the Shadow God Diagram; you'll understand when the time comes."

Kui Mulang hurriedly replied, "Yes, I understand, I understand!"

Ao Tu then withdrew the Dragon-Binding Rope and released Kui Mulang. Let's leave aside Ao Tu's plan for now.

Meanwhile, Sha Wujing went out of the forest to search for Zhu Bajie, but after traveling for dozens of miles, he did not see a single village or town.

He stood on the high mound and looked around. He heard voices coming from the grass. He parted the thick grass and saw that it was Pigsy talking in his sleep.

Pigsy had turned that thick patch of grass into a pigsty, and he was sleeping soundly until Sandy grabbed his ear and woke him up.

Sha Wujing said, "Second Brother! Master told you to beg for alms, why are you sleeping here?"

Pigsy woke up abruptly and asked, "Brother, what time is it?"

Sha Wujing said, "Get up quickly! It's getting dark. Master said it's important to find a place to stay first."

Bajie, bewildered, carried his alms bowl and dragged his rake, and returned directly with Sha Wujing.

When they went into the woods, they could not find their master.

Sha Wujing hurriedly asked Tiger Vanguard, "Where are my master and your prince?"

Tiger Vanguard said, "They went south, leaving me here to guard the luggage."

Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie hurriedly went to search for them.

They had only taken two steps when they bumped into Tang Sanzang running towards them in a disheveled state.

The two hurriedly went to greet him, saying, "Master, where have you been?"

Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang felt as if he had returned from the brink of death, and his whole body went limp.

He fled all the way, his life hanging by a thread, not daring to look back or stop for a moment. He was exhausted, and half his life was lost on the road.

Pigsy and Sandy hurriedly carried Tang Sanzang back, and Tiger Vanguard, seeing this, gave Tang Sanzang water to drink.

Tang Sanzang, still in shock and breathless, stammered, "South, there's a monster in the south, making steamed buns!"

Sha Wujing asked, "Master, what kind of monster is it?"

Pigsy asked, "Master, what kind of steamed buns are these?"

Sha Wujing couldn't help but look at Zhu Bajie and say, "Second Brother, you're still thinking about food. Didn't you hear Master say there's a monster?"

Pigsy said, "What monster! Master must be mistaken. There must be some kind of family in the south who are giving alms and steaming buns for us to eat!"

Sha Wujing said, "All you care about are steamed buns. Can't you see how exhausted your master is?"

Bajie said, "Master has eaten too much. You can help him move around a bit and he'll feel better!"

Tang Sanzang finally caught his breath and spoke:

"Wuneng, Wujing, there's a group of monsters to the south. They've surrounded me and His Highness, intending to turn us into human flesh buns. It was His Highness who held them back, allowing me to escape. You must hurry and rescue them!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy and Sandy hurried south to rescue the people.

On their way, the two encountered Ao Tu, who was returning.

Sha Wujing said, "Your Highness, Master sent us to rescue you. Why are you back? Where is the demon?"

Ao Tu said, "When those monsters saw that your master had run away, they sent people to capture him. When I saw that there were fewer people surrounding me, I took the opportunity to escape."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy laughed and said, "These monsters really don't care about their own heads!"

Ao Tu said, "Don't talk about me, where is your vegetarian meal?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Wujing said, "You should ask my second brother about that!"

Bajie stammered, "Why are you asking me?"

Sha Wujing said, "I sent you to beg for alms, but you were lazy and sleeping. Who else should I ask if not you?"

Pigsy said, "There isn't a single house for miles around. I'm tired from walking too."

Ao Tu said, "Let's go back first and talk about it tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)