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

But then they saw the old man and Gao Cai rush out to greet them, calling out "Elder".

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang turned around quickly, only to find that the old man was already standing in front of him.

He called out, "Elders, I bow to you."

Tang Sanzang returned the greeting, while Sun Wukong stood still.

Although Gao Taigong saw that he had a fierce and ugly appearance, he did not dare to bow to him.

Sun Wukong asked, "Why aren't you singing 'Old Sun,'?"

Upon hearing this, Old Master Gao was somewhat frightened and said to Gao Cai, "You little rascal, aren't you going to kill me? I already have an ugly and eccentric son-in-law that I can't get rid of, why are you bringing this thunder god here to harm me?"

Sun Wukong said, "Old Gao, you've grown so old, yet you're still so clueless! Judging people solely by their appearance is a huge mistake."

I, Old Sun, may be ugly, but I do possess some skills. Capturing demons and ghosts for your family, rescuing your son-in-law, and returning your daughter to you—that's a good deed in itself. Why insist on judging me by my appearance!

Upon hearing this, the old man trembled with fear, but he had no choice but to force himself to come in.

When Wukong saw the invitation, he led the white horse and had Gao Cai carry the luggage, and went inside with Tang Sanzang.

Without regard for right or wrong, he tied the horse to a pillar in the open hall, pulled over a faded lacquered chair, and told Tang Sanzang to sit down.

He pulled over another chair and sat down next to him.

Old Master Gao said, "This young elder is quite shrewd."

Wukong said, "If you are willing to let me stay for half a year, I will go back home."

He was joking around with Grandpa Gao when Tang Seng glanced around the hall and his gaze suddenly stopped.

On the wooden chair at the head of the table sat a Taoist priest.

Noticing Tang Sanzang's gaze, Gao Taigong introduced, "Elders, this is Master Jihuazi. Isn't it a coincidence that he also just arrived at the manor today, also here to subdue demons..."

Before Gao Taigong could finish speaking, Sun Wukong suddenly leaped over, circled around Li Fa, and scanned him up and down with his fiery eyes, asking, "Where did you come from, old man?"

"Why are you using the title of Celestial Master? I'm familiar with the four Celestial Masters Zhang, Ge, Xu, and Sa, how come I've never seen you before?"

Li Fa remained calm and composed, rising to bow respectfully: "This humble Taoist is Ji Huazi, a monk at Wuji Temple on Wuji Mountain in the Eastern Land. I have been traveling here and have heard that there are demons causing trouble in this place, so I have come specifically to establish a good karmic connection."

Sun Wukong scratched his ear: "The Eastern Land? What a coincidence! My master is also from the Eastern Land. How come I've never heard of a Wuji Temple in the Tang Dynasty?"

Jihuazi stroked his beard and said slowly, "I am a man from the Jin Dynasty, born in the year Sima Yan usurped the Wei throne. It has been more than three hundred years since I last returned to my homeland. Time passes slowly in the mountains, while dynasties rise and fall in the human world. Perhaps the temple has long since fallen into ruin."

"More than three hundred years?" Sun Wukong's eyes lit up, then he clapped his hands and laughed, "Then according to my age, you are much younger than me!"

Li Fa smiled slightly and followed up, "It was indeed a senior who came first; my apologies. May I ask where the elder's immortal mountain is located, and how he has cultivated such youthful appearance?"

These words struck a nerve with Sun Wukong.

He straightened his back, but pretended to wave his hand dismissively: "No problem, no problem! I, Old Sun, am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago, and now I'm here to protect my master on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures..."

"Wukong!" Tang Sanzang quickly interrupted Sun Wukong, stood up, came to Li Fa, put his palms together and said, "This humble monk is Tang Sanzang. I am on my way to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I am passing through Gao Village and wanted to ask for lodging for the night. I did not expect to meet you, Taoist priest, who is helping Master Gao catch a demon. I am so sorry to have disturbed you."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Gao said, "Since you've come to ask for lodging, why did you say you'd capture a monster?"

Sun Wukong said, "I'm just asking for lodging and will also play around with some monsters. I see you've even hired a Taoist priest; how many monsters do you have in your household?"

Grandpa Gao exclaimed, "Heavens! How much more can they eat! This strange son-in-law alone has driven him crazy!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong laughed and said, "Well, you're looking for both monks and Taoists. How about this, you tell that old Taoist to give me this monster. I'm itching to get my hands on it!"

The old man originally intended for both families to join forces, but unexpectedly Sun Wukong suddenly said this, and with his fierce appearance, the old man didn't know what to say for a moment, and could only look at Li Fa.

Li Fa laughed and said, "Monks and Taoists, Taoists and monks, all are in a single thought; if we talk about their original nature, they are all nothingness."

The pilgrim said, "You old Taoist priest, you certainly know how to talk a good game. Fine then! I won't make things difficult for you, I won't trouble you. Let's have a contest right here in the courtyard, and whoever wins gets to catch the demon, how about that?"

Li Fa asked, "I wonder what the elders intend to compete in?"

"Come, come, come," Sun Wukong said, grabbing Li Fa and leading him directly to the center of the courtyard.

Wukong took a needle from his ear, shook it in his palm, and it grew to be twelve feet long and as thick as a bowl.

The monkey shoved his stick into the ground and said, "If you want to test your martial arts skills, to be honest, I, Old Sun, have practiced martial arts since I was a child and my skills are superb. If I were to defeat you directly, I'm afraid you wouldn't look good."

Secondly, this is someone else's property, and it wouldn't be good if we fought here and damaged their belongings.

"But I have an idea. This stick of mine, Old Sun, weighs 13,500 jin (approximately 6,750 kg) under normal conditions. I'll stick it in the ground. If you can pull it out, you win. What do you say?"

Li Fa nodded and said, "Good."

So he strode forward with great strides and arrived in front of the golden cudgel.

First, circulate your magical power, then activate your supernatural abilities.

With immense strength instantly amplified, he gripped the stick and lifted it upwards with all his might.

Sure enough, he lifted the golden cudgel three inches.

When Sun Wukong saw the golden cudgel three inches off the ground, he couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!" which made his fiery eyes widen in surprise.

He scratched his ears and cheeks, laughing heartily, "Old Taoist priest, what strength! What strength! But—"

Before he finished speaking, Sun Wukong raised his hand and pointed, chanting, "Grow!"

But then he saw that the golden cudgel had grown another ten feet, and Li Fa suddenly felt that the cudgel in his hand was much heavier, but he was not flustered at all, as he had only used five-tenths of his strength just now.

"A little trick." Li Fa smiled slightly, but then raised his other hand as well, gripping the stick with both hands, and shouted in a low voice, "Rise!"

Sure enough, the golden cudgel slowly rose half a foot off the ground again.

"Good! Good! Good!" Sun Wukong's eyes gleamed brightly. He leaped up and circled Li Fa several times. "Old Taoist, you really do have some supernatural powers? Could it be that you can move mountains and seas?"

Li Fa said, "I am simply blessed with superhuman strength."

Wukong said, "Impressive skills! Impressive skills! I, Old Sun, keep my word. You win this round."

The monkey, also feeling competitive, said, "But catching monsters isn't just about strength. What if the monster gets away? I, Old Sun, have the Somersault Cloud; one somersault covers 108,000 li. How about it, old Taoist, do you want to have a speed contest with me?"

Li Fa knew he was no match for him, so he shook his head and said, "I only know a little about riding the clouds and controlling the wind, which is enough for traveling, but it is no match for the elder's supernatural powers. I concede defeat in this round."