Journey to the West 08

Fang Zhiyi grinned crookedly and said, "Great Sage, can we discuss this?"

"You cannot protect her." Sun Wukong merely stated flatly. The next moment, his figure appeared beside the fleeing A Cui.

"Great Sage!" Fang Zhiyi tried to intervene, but Zhu Bajie appeared before him once more.

"Blind bear, how about a few rounds with your Grandpa Pig?"

Zhu Bajie had initially thought this bear demon was just a minor fiend, but when they actually started fighting, he was taken aback.

"What formidable demonic power!"

After a few exchanges, Zhu Bajie also grew serious: "You're no ordinary monster."

Fang Zhiyi's gaze, however, was fixed on the distance. A Cui had already reverted to her original appearance. She wept tears of blood, denouncing the injustice of the world, the wickedness of the bandits, and the cold, selfish indifference of the villagers.

Tang Seng remained with his palms pressed together.

"Amitabha."

Fang Zhiyi's heart turned utterly cold, completely failing to notice Zhu Bajie's sweeping rake attack.

"Little Hei, I..."

"Save your breath. I understand."

Zhu Bajie's finishing blow was about to kill the black bear demon before him, but it was intercepted by his senior brother's golden-hooped staff.

"Senior brother?" Zhu Bajie was confused.

Sun Wukong looked at the bewildered black bear demon, his eyes profound. "Let it go. It hasn't done anything evil."

"But it's a demon. Aren't you afraid the Master will scold you?"

"Aren't you a pig demon?"

"I'm a celestial!"

"Which celestial is a pig demon?"

While they were bickering, Little Hei grabbed Fang Zhiyi again.

Fang Zhiyi, however, suddenly looked up. "Great Sage, how about this move of mine?"

As the dust settled, Zhu Bajie scratched his head, looking at the dead black bear with a meaningful expression. "What was the point of all that?"

Sun Wukong shook his slightly numbed hand. "Idiot, dig a hole and bury it."

"Why me? Old Sha!"

Enduring another wave of soul-rending agony, Fang Zhiyi gasped for breath. Looking at the wolf demon who had come to report a grievance, he spoke word by word: "Find out for me how many bandits and highwaymen are nearby."

The wolf demon was baffled. Were they talking about the same thing?

But the Great King had given an order, and it would certainly carry it out.

Fang Zhiyi had experience suppressing bandits. As a demon, suppressing bandits was even easier.

Because there were no other demons within a hundred-mile radius, and the demons of their Sunward Cave didn't stir up trouble, the bandits' audacity had actually grown.

This time, however, these mountain bandits encountered a dimensional-level assault from Fang Zhiyi.

An enraged black bear demon led a host of monsters, cleansing every mountain stronghold of bandits, one after another.

But an accident still occurred. Right in Chen Village, a fleeing evil spirit took up residence. It was exceptionally well-disguised; even the demons on watch duty couldn't detect anything amiss.

By the time Fang Zhiyi received the news, everyone in Chen Village had perished, reduced to skeletons. Even the few subordinates he had sent there had not escaped the disaster.

"Great King, all hundred-odd residents of Chen Village have been turned into white bones! That place is now the evil spirit's territory!" The reporting wolf demon was very tense.

"Evil spirit..." Fang Zhiyi felt an inexplicable weariness in his heart.

The wolf demon nodded. "Yes, an evil spirit. I hear its title is Lady White Bone. Chen Village is now strewn with bones, haunted by howling sinister winds."

This time, Fang Zhiyi walked out unhurriedly.

Outside the cave dwelling, a hunched figure slowly spoke: "This humble one's religious name is Yalong Taoist..."

A massive palm suddenly swatted at it, not letting it finish its sentence. A tremendous force sent the old fox flying sideways.

After the dust settled, it coughed and climbed to its feet. "You fiend, how unreasonable! Take this!"

It couldn't understand. This bear demon clearly only had about three hundred years of cultivation, so why had it failed to block a single blow?

As the old fox exerted its full power, Fang Zhiyi also began to fight seriously.

After a few exchanges, Fang Zhiyi shouted that phrase once more.

"Crow Takes Flight!"

"Again?" Yalong Taoist instinctively cursed, then suddenly froze. "Why did I say 'again'?"

But this time, Fang Zhiyi didn't flee. The move was a genuine descent from the heavens, and his body instantly grew several times larger. A thoroughly confused Yalong Taoist was smacked into the ground.

The wolf demon who had just arrived felt a sense of pride. "Haha, picking a fight with our Sunward Cave? Didn't you inquire about our Great King?"

Yalong Taoist's several weasel disciples stared dumbfounded as the black bear demon climbed up from the ground, brushing the dust off his body.

"Is he a great turtle? Doesn't look like it!"

"You weasels dare insult our Great King! Brothers! Beat them up!"

"You're the ones who said it! Ouch! Spare us, good sirs!"

Fang Zhiyi paid no heed to the squabbling demons and walked towards Chen Village on his own.

He had formed a conjecture.

A method that might allow A Cui to escape the eighty-one tribulations.

Fang Zhiyi's feet trod upon a vast expanse of dry bones, the sound of snapping brittle underfoot. But nothing suddenly appeared to attack him.

There was only the sound of fighting not far away.

Fang Zhiyi walked over slowly and saw a monkey wielding a staff chasing a creature clad entirely in white.

Seeing another demon arrive, Zhu Bajie immediately raised his rake and came forward.

Unexpectedly, this demon simply sat down cross-legged on the spot, watching the two combatants, which left Zhu Bajie scratching his head.

"Hey, blind bear, state your business or begone."

Fang Zhiyi smiled at him. "I have business, and I don't. But I can wait."

"Wait for who?"

Fang Zhiyi looked at the monkey.

"Wait for my senior brother?" Zhu Bajie understood. "You're a strange one. Other demons run for their lives at the sight of that monkey, yet you rush here seeking death. Are you out of your mind?"

As Lady White Bone let out a miserable shriek, a plume of black smoke rose. Sun Wukong pursued and struck the smoke with his staff, dispersing it. Then, Fang Zhiyi saw the face of Chen A Cui, which he had seen many times before. The girl's face was pale as she once again turned to dust and ashes.

Sun Wukong landed lightly, then turned his head to glance at the black bear demon. His eyes held a flicker of surprise and suspicion, followed by an expression of sudden understanding.

"Senior brother, this demon said he wanted to see you." Seeing Sun Wukong approach, Zhu Bajie immediately got up, ready to leave. He didn't want to get splattered with blood.

"I think you'd better run now," Zhu Bajie thought for a moment and whispered to Fang Zhiyi. He found this black bear demon rather simple-minded.

Fang Zhiyi smiled and shook his head.

Sun Wukong once again stood before him.

"Once, twice, and now the third time... no, the fourth time, right?" Sun Wukong's eyes held a trace of admiration. "Why are you so persistent?"

"The Great Sage truly has fiery eyes and golden pupils." Fang Zhiyi laughed. This wasn't flattery; the monkey before him possessed such capability.

"Enough chatter. What do you want?" Sun Wukong glanced over, seeing that Tang Seng and his two junior brothers had moved further away, then asked with keen interest.

Fang Zhiyi was silent for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, even if I come ten more times, a hundred more times, she will still die, correct?"

Sun Wukong nodded. "This is her tribulation. It is also my master's tribulation."

"On what grounds?" Fang Zhiyi suddenly asked. "For the sake of your master's true scriptures, must such minor characters exist?"