A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1367 - 922: Wang Yuwai Posts a Notice to Drive Away Evil Spirits, Duanmu Huai Beats the Fox Spirit with a Stick

Chapter 1367: Chapter 922: Wang Yuwai Posts a Notice to Drive Away Evil Spirits, Duanmu Huai Beats the Fox Spirit with a Stick

Duanmu Huai’s journey thus far had been filled with exorcising demons and devils abound. However, contrary to the tales, aside from himself, he had yet to encounter any Immortals intervening. The Black Bear Spirit was supposed to be apprehended by Guanyin to act as a security guard, while the Yellow-haired Mink Mouse should have been taken by Lingji Bodhisattva to see Buddha. Yet, both creatures have now entered Duanmu Huai’s belly, without sight of those divine beings intervening.

Hmm? Could it be that they intended for Duanmu Huai to escort them to meet Buddha?

Well then... he’ll have to eat a bit more.

Although living in the wild mountains was comfortable, prolonged isolation could become monotonous. So, one day, Duanmu Huai decided to come down the mountain and enter the city with Sun Wukong. As per their usual disguise, Sun Wukong transformed into a flabby, incompetent-looking Monk while Duanmu Huai, wearing a conical bamboo hat and leading a horse, stood by his side, presenting no issue.

Once they smoothly entered the city, they saw a notice posted not far from the wall with onlookers gathered around. Being naturally impatient and curious, Wukong hurried over to the wall alongside Duanmu Huai to inspect the notice.

The content of the notice was simple: it read that the son of Wang Yuwai had been enticed by a demon and had been bedridden with illness for a long time. Hence, the notice was posted to seek help. A generous reward was promised...

"Hey, Master, isn’t this about capturing a demon?"

Seeing this, Wukong became excited and whispered to Duanmu Huai.

"Aren’t you the most adept at capturing demons and performing exorcisms? And they’re offering a hefty amount of Silver Taels. Why don’t we take up this quest, reap the fairy, have a big feast afterward, and then seize the silver money? Wouldn’t that be delightful?"

"This does sound a bit interesting."

Given the content of the posted mission, Duanmu Huai nodded in agreement. While he had encountered plenty of demons while wandering through the wild and desolate mountains, those were mostly man-eating brutes akin to mountain bandits and thieves, lacking any sense of intrigue. However, the demons within this city appeared to be a tougher challenge and were likely to be more interesting.

"Let’s inquire about it."

"Alright, Master."

Upon receiving Duanmu Huai’s consent, Wukong grinned, jumped off the horse, approached the notice, and was about to accept the mission when he saw that the people around were dissuading him.

"Oh dear, little benefactor, you must reconsider this. This demon is not so easily subdued."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing an old man speak, Wukong’s eyes widened.

"What difficulty could there be with just a demon that deludes people?"

"Little benefactor, you are not aware of the full story. The child of the Wang Yuwai family has been unconscious for more than half a year. In that time, they haven’t stopped inviting Taoist priests, Monks, and wandering monks famed for their abilities, but without exception, all have met untimely deaths. The money is hot, but beware, it might burn your hands."

"Oh? So you’re saying, all who attempted to subdue the demon have died?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong’s curiosity was piqued. After all, he was none other than the Heavenly Great Sage who had made a scene in the Celestial Palace five centuries ago; he had seen all manner of Demons and ghosts. In Wukong’s view, the kind of demons that beguile people often lacked genuine power.

After all, look at those with real abilities – they mostly go off to reign as kings of their territory. Who with actual power would stay in this kind of place?

It’s like how rich people would definitely buy detached villas; who would be idle and bored enough to live in an apartment block?

"Heh, it’s most likely that those folks didn’t have the skills. This poor Monk... I am not afraid of this at all."

Seeing the old man’s incessant discouragement, the irate Monkey was provoked. What evil demons or ghosts dared to act up in front of the Heavenly Great Sage? With a swift reach, he took the quest notice and then set off on horseback with Duanmu Huai towards Wang Yuwai’s Residence.

After knocking on the door, an elderly man stepped out. Seeing Sun Wukong and Duanmu Huai, he paused in shock, then upon noticing the notice in their hands, his surprise intensified.

"You two are...?"

"I... This poor Monk hails from the Eastern Tang Dynasty, on a pilgrimage to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. Passing by here, I learned that your residence is troubled by demonic disturbances, so I specifically came to slay the demon and perform a meritorious deed."

"Oh my..."

Upon hearing Wukong straightforwardly claiming to be a High Monk from the Eastern Tang Dynasty, the old man was greatly astonished and quickly invited them inside, also calling for the master of the house. In a short while, as Duanmu Huai and Sun Wukong entered the hall, they saw a man clad in luxurious clothing with an aura of nobility, yet wearing a worried expression. Upon their arrival, he stood up hastily to greet them with a courteous bow.

"My name is Wang Ju; I greet the two High Monks."

"Yuwai, please, no need for formalities."

Duanmu Huai, standing behind Wukong, observed the well-fed appearance of Yuwai, clearly someone who lived a life of plenty. The interesting part was his warm welcome, albeit a bit by-the-book. His furrowed brows betrayed his suffering.

After the initial greetings, everyone took their seats, and Wang Yuwai served some fine tea before turning to look at them both.

"Since the two High Monks have accepted the quest, you must be somewhat informed about the situation here?"

"We’ve heard a bit."

Wukong took a sip of tea, glanced at the silent Duanmu Huai, and spoke.

"I heard that Yuwai has invited many to exorcise the demon but all have failed, is that so?"

"Yes..."

Upon hearing Wukong’s words, Wang Yuwai sighed deeply.

"This matter is a long story..."

As he spoke, Wang Yuwai began to recount the full story for the two guests.

It turned out that Wang Yuwai had a son named Ke Song. The boy was extremely talented, having passed the civil examinations twice at a young age and was widely renowned in the surrounding areas as a Scholar. Besides his intellectual gifts, he was also elegantly handsome, with matchmaking offers coming early in life. However, the boy claimed that a true man should aspire to accomplish great deeds and stand tall in this world, and therefore he put off thoughts of romance to focus on his studies and prepare for the imperial examinations.