Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 61, Encountering a Demon in the Black Pine Forest (Part 5)
Meanwhile, Ao Tu used the dragon pearl to captivate the hearts of the ministers and seized the throne of the King of Baoxiang.

The civil and military officials in the court obeyed his every command, but the officials outside the court, as well as the imperial relatives and others, were not affected.

Ao Tu didn't care about any of that; he simply held banquets every day to entertain Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Pigsy feasted to his heart's content, eating for several days in a row.

Sha Wujing said, "Second Brother, didn't you say you were going to rescue the princess?"

Pigsy, holding a roasted fruit, said, “Your Majesty, don’t be in a hurry. Why are you so anxious? I, Old Pig, have been eating and sleeping in the open for days. I should eat more and recuperate.”

Ao Tu said, "Elder Pig is right. I will entertain them for a few more days, firstly to thank the elders for helping me restore the country, and secondly to allow Elder Pig to recuperate. I will also order the craftsmen to make two sets of fine armor to assist the two elders."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy was overjoyed and bowed to express his gratitude.

Tang Sanzang actually wanted to travel west as soon as possible, but he couldn't refuse the king's order, so he could only express his gratitude.

With his status as the King of Baoxiang Kingdom, Ao Tu could easily stall for time.

Every day, they would either host a banquet for Tang Sanzang and his disciples, invite them to visit the palace gardens, or preach Buddhist scriptures to Tang Sanzang.

In the blink of an eye, another half month has passed.

Tang Sanzang was getting anxious, so he went to find Ao Tu to ask when they would set off to rescue the princess. The sooner they rescued the princess, the sooner they and their disciples could set off.

Ao Tu said, "Don't worry, the armor has been made."

Tang Sanzang said happily, "That's good. I'll go and call my two disciples right away. Tell them to set off as soon as possible, get rid of that demon, and rescue the princess."

Just then, a soft chime was heard, and Tang Sanzang collapsed to the ground.

"Oh no, Master's headaches have flared up again!"

"Call the doctor quickly!"

Tang Sanzang lay weakly on the bed, holding his forehead.

For some reason, his headaches got worse.

Pigsy and Sandy were there to take care of him.

After another half month, Tang Sanzang recovered from his illness.

This time, Ao Tu did not delay any longer and said, "The armor has been made. I have prepared two cups of plain wine to help the two elders achieve a successful start!"

The guards presented two fine garments, and the palace maids brought out two cups of vegetarian wine.

Pigsy drank the vegetarian wine, changed into his armor, and rode away on a cloud.

Sha Wujing also followed Zhu Bajie, firstly to keep watch for Zhu Bajie, and secondly to be a helper if Zhu Bajie was no match for him.

The two of them rode on the clouds and soon arrived at the yellow-robed monster's pagoda.

The clouds descended and arrived at the door.

A white jade slab was placed horizontally above the door, on which were engraved six large characters:

"Wanzishan Boyue Cave".

Pigsy, holding his rake, stepped forward and shouted, "Open the door! Open the door!"

There was a little demon guarding the cave who opened the door. Upon seeing the two men, he exclaimed in surprise, "Where did you monsters come from, daring to storm our door!"

Because the two of them were dressed in robes and had changed out of their monk's robes, and their faces were fierce, they were no different from demon kings.

Pigsy roared, "I am Marshal Tianpeng descended to earth to protect the Tang Dynasty monk Sanzang on his journey to the West to retrieve the scriptures! You shameless little demon, how dare you mistake your grandpa Pig for a monster! Take this!"

Pigsy wielded his rake and struck the entrance to the Moonlit Cave with all his might, creating a large hole in the stone door.

The little demon was so frightened that it quickly retreated and ran inside to report:

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Two monsters have come in outside, one with a long snout and big ears, and the other with a gloomy face. They claim to be monks on a pilgrimage to the West, and they've broken down the gate!"

Upon hearing this, Kui Mulang recalled what Ao Tu had instructed him to do earlier, and thought to himself:

"Could it be those two people you mentioned, senior? They've arrived?"

He shouted, "Bring me your armor!"

The demons carried him in, and Kui Mulang, dressed in his armor and sword in hand, went straight out the door. Bajie and Sha Wujing were waiting at the door.

Kui Mulang stepped out the door and saw two demons, who looked menacing.

Do you know what he looks like?
One is:

The dirty lotus pod is rolled up and the mouth is hanging down, the ears are like palm-leaf fans and the eyes are golden.

Its fangs are sharp as steel files, and its long mouth opens like a brazier.

Golden helmet and armor hung around his body, a rake held in his hand, reaching out to explore the dragon's form.

The roar terrified the mountain god, and the imposing manner made even the evil spirits panic.

One is:

Its menacing aura is like that of a demon, and its round, malevolent eyes shine like lamps.

His face was neither black nor blue, but indigo; his voice was like thunder and drums, like an old dragon's.

With sinewy bones and iron skeletal structure, it stands tall and upright, its blood-stained mouth swallowing the wind and swirling waves.

Clad in black armor, his fierce expression was evident; holding a precious staff, he was quite imposing.

Kui Mulang emerged with a knife, possessing a somewhat fierce air, but not as imposing as the two men, thus his aura was three parts weaker. He asked:
"What kind of monsters are you, daring to harass my doorstep?"

Pigsy said, “You captured the Third Princess of Baoxiang Kingdom and forced her into your cave, where you have lived for thirteen years. I am here on the king’s orders to capture you. You’d better bind your hands and hand the princess over to me, so I don’t have to hurl my rake inside!”

Upon hearing this, Kui Mulang glanced at Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, thinking to himself: Needless to say, these must be the two people the senior mentioned.

These two are easy to recognize by their appearances. The one with the long nose and big ears looks like a pig spirit, so he must be the one with the surname Zhu. The one with the gloomy face behind him is the one with the surname Sha.

The senior had instructed that the one surnamed Zhu be released, and the one surnamed Sha be captured.

Kui Mulang raised his knife, his eyes wide open, and slashed at the head.

Bajie dodged to the side, only to have his rake come crashing down on him.

Kui Mulang held his knife to block.

One is a divine sword descended from the stars in the sky:

Its rise was like a falling star crushing the moon, cleaving away even the immortal's body and divine bones.

One is a rake forged in the Bagua Furnace:

Raise the blazing flames and dazzling light, the palladium's power dissipates and the soul vanishes!
The two collided, producing a dazzling display of light, and the sound of metal clashing reverberated for miles around.

Bajie was strong and his moves were wide and powerful, his rake swinging so fast it created a gust of wind.

Kui Mulang is a star spirit descended to earth, holding a divine position and possessing divine power, making him stronger than Zhu Bajie.

Upon exchanging blows, Kui Mulang knew that Bajie's martial arts were inferior to his. Although Bajie was strong, his moves were clumsy. However, his rake was quite powerful, so he needed to be careful.

After fighting for eight or nine rounds, Pigsy began to tire. Seeing this, Sandy raised his staff and rushed forward to join the attack.

The two attacked together, but Kui Mulang was not afraid at all. He had a delicate inner core that he had cultivated for many years. With the inner core in his body, he was full of energy and had no weaknesses.

In this fierce battle, back and forth, Sha Wujing threw away his magic staff, and Kui Mulang parried the divine weapon. Bajie launched a fierce attack, but Kui Mulang used his moves to deflect all his attacks. Kui Mulang then countered with his steel blade, becoming even more ferocious, and Bajie and Sha Wujing gradually found themselves unable to defend themselves.

After fifty rounds of fighting, Pigsy's strength waned, and seeing that he could no longer defeat Kui Mulang, and that if the fight continued, the two of them would surely be captured, he said:

"Sha Wujing, you go and fight him. I need to go relieve myself."

After saying this, Pigsy ignored Sandy and dashed into the thicket of weeds, vines, and brambles, disappearing in an instant.

Seeing that Pigsy had left, Kui Mulang remembered Ao Tu's instructions and did not chase after him, but went straight to attack Sandy.

Caught off guard, Sha Wujing was grabbed by Kui Mulang and dragged into the cave.

At that time, the progress in the Aotu system was 112 days.

Ao Tu made an extra 46 days of progress while at White Tiger Ridge. Then, he was delayed for more than a month on the way from Black Pine Forest to Baoxiang Kingdom, and for another month in the palace. All in all, it has been exactly 112 days today.

There are still two months and eight days left until the six-month progress bonus.

(End of this chapter)