From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

After saying that, he stepped aside to reveal Kui Lang, Bai Hua Ai and others, and said, "They are merchants traveling west to Baoxiang. We are going the same way, so we will protect them along the way and fulfill our good practice."

"I was passing through your village and wished to stay the night. Since my friend Mao Cai is away seeking Buddhist teachings, I decided to ask for lodging tonight and also to ease your worries."

[Since they are traveling west and have come this far, these three people who look like monsters must possess some skill.]

Old Master Mao had a sudden thought, and a smile appeared on his face. He bowed in return and said, "Please come in!"

After being admitted to the hospital, Grandpa Mao arranged accommodation and meals for Kui Lang, Bai Hua Ai, and the eight laborers. He also invited Jiang Liu, Lao Fu De, and Liang Lu Zhen to the classroom, where he served tea and held a banquet, showing great hospitality.

Nara Ryūjin experienced firsthand the vast difference between being a demon and being a cultivator, and straightened his back a bit, becoming more and more like a human.

The banquet ended.

Before Mao Tai could speak, Jiang Liu asked, "Thank you for your hospitality, sir. But to subdue a demon, one must know oneself and one's enemy. May I ask, sir, is that demon truly, as Mao Tai said, a wild boar that has become a spirit?"

"It was truly a wild boar, with protruding fangs, a mane all over its body, and a height of two zhang."

Grandpa Mao nodded repeatedly.

"What kind of magic does that monster know?"

Jiang Liu asked again.

"This... This old man doesn't know the magic of the monsters, but he knows that the pig demon can make the wind blow and fart. One fart can smell for nearly a hundred miles. Since it occupied the nearby Fuling Mountain, it farts once every ten years. It comes with the wind and the smell is so bad that it takes a year to dissipate."

Throughout this year, young children and the elderly must wear masks when going out; inhaling even a tiny amount will cause them to faint or die!

At this point, Old Man Mao complained incessantly, and said, "Counting the days, the ten-year period is almost up again... Master, if you have the means, capture that monster and cut off that root for us, so that we can have peace of mind."

"Don't worry, old man, we will definitely get rid of that monster for you and rid the people of this scourge!" Liang Luzhen shouted indignantly.

In his mind, it was nothing more than a pig demon who was bullying others with despicable means. As long as he could get close to the pig demon, he could bite its throat off.

Don't be reckless.

Jiang Liu pushed a bowl of wine towards him and then asked Old Man Mao, "I hope you can tell me where that monster came from, when it came, why it farts every ten years, and what grudge it has against your Mao Village?"

All things possess a spirit. Aside from demons that feed on human essence and spiritual energy for cultivation, the mountain spirits that absorb the essence of the sun and moon will not harm people without reason.

"Hey~"

Seeing that Jiang Liu was alert, Mao Taigong dared not hide anything and had to tell the truth: "We really don't know where that pig demon came from. My great-grandfather said that it appeared in Fuling Mountain 250 years ago and occupied Yunzhan Cave. Although it looked like a wild pig, it was shrouded in mist and we couldn't see it clearly."

At first, things were fine. He didn't hurt anyone and even helped us cultivate the land. We also offered him fruits, vegetables, rice, and noodles for him to enjoy.

Until one day, it saw the statue of Sister Mao Er enshrined in the ancestral hall of Mao Er Village and insisted on marrying her… Wouldn't that be a violation of family harmony? Besides, it's just a statue.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu chuckled and asked, "I am a descendant of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. This Mao Er Village was called Gao Lao Village five hundred years ago. How did it become Mao Er Village now?"

"I dare not hide it from you, Master, but the name of this estate was changed two hundred and fifty years ago."

Mao Taigong recounted a story reminiscent of Liaozhai.

Five hundred years ago, Gao Cai received a handful of silver from the two hundred taels of silver that Gao Taigong had given him as a thank-you gift. Instead of buying straw sandals or becoming Gao Taigong's servant, he started a business.

Now, Gao Cai did have some business acumen and was quite famous. He was also fond of the beautiful Gao Cuilan and did not mind that she had been possessed by a pig demon. He married her and they had many children, but none of them were good at business. After three generations, the family fell into decline.

By the fourth generation, which is 250 years after Tang Sanzang and his disciples left, their fortunes turned around. Gao Yun, the head of the Gao family, went hunting in the mountains and, while chasing a wild rabbit, accidentally stumbled into the Cloud Stack Cave.

Gao Yun had heard the legends of Gao Village, but he had never seen a monster in his life and did not believe it. He thought it was just a bandit's den and wanted to go in to investigate and see if he could get some leftover gold and silver to supplement his family's income.

Unexpectedly, they encountered a rabbit fairy.

The rabbit fairy, named Sister Mao Er, possesses magical powers and can bring wealth, but requires incense offerings.

then.

Gao Yun took Mao Erjie as his godmother, and changed his surname from "Gao" to "Mao". He invited Mao Erjie to town, built a family temple, offered incense every day, and received gold and silver every night.

Although not much, he accumulated a considerable fortune over time. During a famine, he bought land and built houses, becoming a landlord. He transformed his family temple into an ancestral hall, married three wives and six concubines, and had many children, living a very happy life.

But their good fortune didn't last long; the pig demon appeared...

Today it is today.

Grandpa Mao did not believe that Sister Mao in the ancestral hall was a rabbit fairy. He thought it was just a way for his ancestors to "play tricks" to make a fortune. He never expected that it would actually attract a real monster, which has caused trouble to this day, making his descendants suffer endlessly.

"Since you can't defeat that demon, and the sorcerers you've invited in the past haven't been of any use, why don't you leave?" Liang Luzhen felt a little fear towards the pig demon.

This old man, Mao Taigong, did not believe in the rabbit fairy, but Liang Luzhen thought it was a great demon who could cultivate with the help of incense and the power of vows. However, this great demon had actually been locked in a stalemate with the pig demon for more than two hundred years, which showed how powerful the demon was.

“Master, this land has been cultivated and managed by our ancestors for generations. How can we just give it up? If we go to other towns and villages, we will suffer their humiliation. If we go to find mountains and forests to cultivate fields, it will take at least three years to cultivate a piece of wasteland into a place where we can grow fine grains. Removing stones and wood ash is not something that can be done overnight.”

Old Master Mao smiled bitterly, thinking that this wolf-like monk had gone mad from cultivating on the mountain and didn't know how difficult it was to grow crops.

Liang Luzhen, however, kept quiet.

"Master, do you know if you can subdue that boar demon?"

Mao Taigong placed his hopes on Jiang Liu.

"A piece of cake."

Jiang Liu stood tall and proud.

Seeing that Old Man Mao was relaxing, he added, "But—"

In an instant.

Master Mao perked up and answered first: "Rest assured, Master, if you wish to subdue the demon, I am willing to offer a thousand taels of silver as a reward."

We, the people of Mao'er Village, are certainly not ungrateful people.

Jiang Liu: "..."

Chapter 1399 Subduing the Rabbit Fairy, Second Sister Mao

“We are neither monks nor Taoists, but we are still practitioners. What do we need gold and silver for?”

Jiang Liu spoke righteously, but then changed the subject, "That monster is a piece of cake for me, but as the saying goes, 'a hero needs three helpers.' Although there are three of us, that monster is not necessarily a pushover."

Therefore, we need manpower to help.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Mao breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "I wonder how many people the Master needs? The people of Mao Village have suffered from that monster for a long time. I am a man of some standing, and with a single command, all the men in the village will obey the Master's orders."

"That's not urgent."

Jiang Liu decided to first go to the ancestral hall of Zhu Bajie's first wife to confirm the situation.

Old Master Mao was also a man of action, and said, "Then I'll take you to see the outside of the ancestral hall tomorrow?"

"Why wait until tomorrow? Besides, how can such a thing be done in such a grand manner? Tonight is just right." Jiang Liu was unwilling to waste any more time.

Seeing this, Old Master Mao was also pleased. He ordered his servants to continue entertaining Old Fude and Liang Luzhen, and to give the Eight Clean Horses a portion of the best fodder. He then led Jiang Liu to the ancestral hall.

There was a lock on the main gate of the ancestral hall. Jiang Liu said, "Grandpa Mao, open it and I'll go in and take a look."

"Cannot be opened!"

But Old Man Mao was frightened. "This lock was put on by that pig demon."

"Hey, that pig demon really does have the style of 'keeping a beauty in a golden house' like Pigsy."

Jiang Liu chuckled and asked again, "I've examined this lock. It's just a lock filled with molten copper. No sorcery has been used. It can be opened with a stone. Why don't you open it?"

“Master, I have no magic and am no match for that demon. If he comes again and sees that we have broken down the door, he might attack us. How could I dare to pick the lock? Besides, this door was replaced by my ancestor Mao Yun himself. It is an antique. How could I destroy it?”

Old Man Mao wore a bitter expression.

Jiang Liu was full of questions—So you're just worried about this door?

[Gao Cai, your descendants have ultimately become just like your great-grandfather Gao!]

Perhaps realizing he had misspoke, Old Man Mao changed his words and lamented, "That monster comes when the moon is full. Today happens to be a full moon, which is why I was thinking of bringing you over tomorrow. Let's go back now."

"Grandpa Mao, you go back. Since that pig demon has returned today, I'll go and meet him and see what he's capable of."

Jiang Liu stood tall and proud, giving the old man a sense of confidence. "If I can defeat him, I will take him down tonight; if I cannot, I can still test his abilities and make further plans tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Old Master Mao to persuade him further, Jiang Liu rushed towards the door and walked straight through it.

"He is indeed a highly capable mage!"

Seeing this, Grandpa Mao was both surprised and delighted, and he went home with peace of mind.

Upon entering the ancestral hall, the river flows through the courtyard, along the corridor, and into the main hall, where a life-sized painted sculpture stands—truly magnificent.

Bright eyes and white teeth, long ears and sparse beard. Straight nose with drooping cheeks, as smooth as frost and powder; red eyes, more beautiful than rouge on snow. Straight back, a white robe; head held high, a silver tuft of hair.

Unlike human spirits or monsters, she is more like Chang'e descending to earth.

Jiang Liu could see clearly that the clay sculpture possessed a spirit, a sliver of its essence that had endured and was now reunited with the spirit through incense offerings.

Ordinary people cannot see through it, but any Qi cultivator can sense it to some extent.

"upbraid!"

Jiang Liu drew his Ruyi Jingu Bang, chanted the Thunder Sound, and shook the soul away without harming it in the slightest. He then shouted, "You petty god of a lewd shrine and wild worship, stealing the incense offerings of the mortal world, and you do not come out to greet me when you see me? Do you wish to have your soul scattered?"

The spirit's appearance was identical to that of the sculpture. It had already recognized the immense power of the chosen one and dared not flee, much less fight desperately. It hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy, saying, "Great Sage, spare my life! Great Sage, spare my life! I was forced into this situation!"

"I'll spare you for now. Get up and speak."

Jiang Liu asked, "What kind of evil spirit are you, daring to wreak havoc on the world and deceive the people?"

"I hope the Great Sage knows that I am not a demon, but a celestial fairy."

The weeping of the spirit also revealed a past event: "I was originally one of the rabbit fairies who served Chang'e. Because I ranked second among the rabbit fairies and because of my forthright nature, the other sisters in the Moon Palace all called me Second Sister Mao."

I was simply fulfilling my duty, but unfortunately, I witnessed my eldest sister, the Jade Rabbit, having a secret rendezvous with the Jade Emperor in the Moon Palace...

Heavenly rules are strict, forbidding any talk of love or romance, yet the Jade Emperor himself broke the law, truly a dark and treacherous ruler...

Marshal Tianpeng and I were both nearly destroyed by the attack. He protected my body with his own, and in order to survive, he had no choice but to possess a pig's womb...

Although my divine body was preserved, my meridians were severed, and my lifespan was reduced to just over five hundred years... Five hundred years later, Marshal Tianpeng cultivated a human body and, in order to protect me, willingly married into the family. However, I ultimately could not withstand it, and my divine body perished, leaving only a trace of my spirit.

That day, Marshal Peng thought I was dead, unaware that my spirit was sealed beneath the Cloud Stack Cave. But Fuling Mountain was a treasure trove, nurtured by the earth's veins, and I slowly condensed my soul. Then I encountered great fortune; he worshipped me as his mother and made offerings to me…

"Great Sage, I'm not deceiving them into donating incense; it's... a mutually agreeable business."

"What a perfect example of mutual consent."

Jiang Liu sneered, but did not raise his stick. "Where did you get all that gold and silver? How could a mere ghost immortal turn stones into gold? You must have stolen it from other wealthy families using the Five Ghosts Transporting Technique!"

"Great Sage, you are wise! I only take the gold and silver of the unrighteous and wicked, and I have never stolen the money of the poor!" Sister Mao explained earnestly.