Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Meanwhile, Li Fa gave Gao Hua a ticket and they sped all the way to the Gao family mansion.

Gao Hua turned to Li Fa and said, "Master, please sit here for a while while I go in and inform the master."

Li Fa nodded, and Gao Hua then went straight through the gate and headed towards the main hall, where he bumped into the old man.

The old man said, "Why didn't you go to other places to seek out a Dharma master? Why did you come back early? Could it be that you're being lazy and shirking your duties?"

Gao Hua put down his umbrella and said, "I have learned from the protagonist that as soon as I stepped out of the street, Qu San'er pulled me into a teahouse. There was a Taoist priest in the teahouse, with an otherworldly air about him, carrying a banner that read 'The Celestial Master Descends the Mountain'."

Grandpa cursed, "What kind of bullshit Celestial Master is this! The guy we asked to invite from the East last time also called himself a Celestial Master, and he made quite a show of himself, but what happened? He got beaten black and blue by that monster!"

These days, most of those who claim to be Taoist masters are just charlatans. You lazy bum, you're asking for a beating!

Gao Hua quickly waved his hand and explained, "My lord, please calm down! This time, the Celestial Master is different! I didn't believe him at first, so I deliberately made things difficult for him and asked him to calculate my family's affairs. Who knew that he could calculate the exact details?"

He not only knew that Miss had been possessed by a demon for three years, but he also knew that Gao Cai and I had split up to hire a sorcerer, and he even figured out Miss's given name, "Cuilan"!

Upon hearing this, Old Man Gao's expression changed, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. He said, "Oh? He actually has such an ability? Can he really calculate so accurately? Don't be fooled by him. Those swindlers before could also deceive people by saying some seemingly plausible things based on rumors in town."

"How dare I deceive the master!" Gao Hua quickly kowtowed. "Those secrets were known only to my grandfather, myself, and Gao Cai, yet that sorcerer was able to see through them in a single sentence. He was not lying!"

Upon hearing this, the old man said, "If that's the case, he must have some skill. Where is he now?"

Gao Hua said, "Wait outside now."

Taigong quickly changed his clothes and came out with Gao Hua to greet him, calling out, "Celestial Master."

Upon hearing this, Li Fa quickly straightened his clothes and stroked his beard. At this moment, the old man had already arrived.

He came out wearing a black silk turban, a pale white Shu brocade robe, and a pair of coarse leather boots, tied with a black and green sash. He greeted us with a smile and said, "Celestial Master, you have come from afar. This old man bows in greeting."

Li returned the courtesy, and only then did Old Master Gao invite him in.

After arranging the seating, the old man asked, "Just now, Xiao Jia told me that you, Daoist, are skilled in divination and can foresee my family's secrets. However, I still have some doubts. I wonder if you could demonstrate this for me?"

Li Fa asked, "What would you like me to demonstrate, Grandfather?"

The old man said, "I just heard that the Taoist priest calculated my daughter's name, but she has two older sisters. I wonder if the priest could calculate those as well?"

Li Fa laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that?"

He then pretended to do some calculations with his fingers and said, "If my prediction is correct, your family has never had any sons, only three daughters. The eldest is named Xianglan, the second is named Yulan, both of whom were married off to families in this village when they were young. The third is Cuilan, who was taken by a demon."

Upon hearing this, the old man abruptly stood up, both surprised and delighted: "A true Celestial Master! Daoist Master, your skills are truly divine! Please, take a seat and have some tea!"

He hurriedly poured tea for himself, and the worry on his face immediately dissipated.

Li Fa took the teacup, slowly blew away the foam, and asked, "Now that I have shown some of my meager skills, do you still trust me, sir?"

"I believe you! I believe you!" Old Master Gao bowed repeatedly. "But you may not know, Daoist, that monster is truly powerful, he..."

Li Fa said, "No rush, no rush, please tell me in detail, Grandfather."

Grandpa Gao sighed and said, "The Celestial Master is right. My two eldest daughters were betrothed to families in this village when they were young."

Only the youngest son is left in the family. Since I have no son, I need to find a son-in-law to live with me, to support the family in its old age, and to do chores.

Unexpectedly, three years ago, a man with a rather handsome appearance appeared. He said he was from a family in Fuling Mountain, surnamed Zhu, and had no parents or brothers. He was willing to become their son-in-law.

Seeing that he was such a rootless and unattached person, I took him in. When he first came in, he was quite diligent: plowing and harrowing the fields without oxen; harvesting the crops without knives or sticks. His work from dusk till dawn was actually quite good; however, there was one thing—some of him would change his tune.

Li Fa chuckled inwardly upon hearing this, but remained outwardly composed, asking, "How has it changed?"

Gao Taigong said, "When he first came, he was a fat, dark-skinned man. Later, he turned into a fool with a long snout and big ears. He also had a mane of hair on the back of his head. His body was rough and frightening. His head and face looked like a pig."

His appetite was enormous: he could eat three to five bushels of rice in one meal; and for breakfast, he needed a hundred or so sesame seed cakes. Thankfully, he was a vegetarian; if he were to eat meat and drink alcohol, even my family's property and fields would be completely consumed in less than six months!

Li Fa thought to himself, "Pigsy isn't working for you for nothing. This old man is the kind of guy who won't get up early for nothing."

So he said, "He's done so much work for you, he deserves some food."

Grandpa Gao said, "Eating is a small matter. Now he can also make the wind come and go, the clouds come and the fog goes, and the stones and sand fly, scaring my family and the neighbors so much that we can't live in peace."

They then locked the young girl, Cuilan, in the back courtyard, and didn't see her for half a year, nor did they know if she was alive or dead. Therefore, they knew she was a demon and needed to hire a sorcerer to exorcise her.

Li Fa said, "Of course, of course. Since I dared to come, I dare to accept the task. Just hand it over to me!"

Old Master Gao was extremely grateful and immediately got up to go out and arrange for someone to prepare a vegetarian meal.

Just as he reached the main hall, a servant boy came towards him and started to huddle together.

The old man exclaimed "Ouch!" and, recognizing the person, cursed, "You unruly beast! Why didn't you go looking for someone? What are you doing back here?"

It turned out that this young servant was none other than Gao Cai.

Gao Cai said, "I had just stepped out of the street when I suddenly bumped into two monks: one on horseback and the other carrying a load. They grabbed me and wouldn't let go, asking me where I was going."

I repeatedly refused to tell him, but he persisted relentlessly until I could no longer let go. So I told him everything about the protagonist. He was overjoyed and wanted to help us catch the monster.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Gao said, "What monk? I have the Celestial Master here, why would I need a monk? Quickly give him some money and send him away."

Gao Cai said, "He said he came from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, and was the holy monk, the imperial brother of the Tang Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes lit up and he immediately changed his mind. Usually, people would come in groups to catch demons, but today there were two groups. He decided to let them come together, since there was strength in numbers!

So he said, "Since he's a monk from afar, he must have some real skills. Where is he now?"

Gao Cai said, "Wait outside the door now."