A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1386 - 937: The Queen of Xiliang Country Loses Her Beloved, Duanmu Huai Charges into Xiezhi Hole

Chapter 1386: Chapter 937: The Queen of Xiliang Country Loses Her Beloved, Duanmu Huai Charges into Xiezhi Hole

Duanmu Huai led Sun Wukong forward and indeed saw that all around them, women were fast asleep, whether they were shopkeepers or merchants, or even guards and ministers; they currently lay sprawled on the ground, deep in slumber. Even the birds and beasts were silent and still, making the whole place resemble a realm of death.

Continuing their journey to the King’s Palace, they saw the Queen too was sleeping soundly, leaving Sun Wukong without a choice but to say,

"Master, what shall we do now? Why don’t we take the royal seal ourselves, stamp the document, and continue westward on our own? Since they’re so fond of sleeping, just let them sleep."

"Hehe, what nonsense. Let me try."

Duanmu Huai glanced at Sun Wukong and withdrew his gaze. This journey westward had greatly improved his Destruction Magic, making it more and more effortless for him to wield. After all, Duanmu Huai had been defeating demons and devils along the way, slaying fairies using Destruction Magic, destroying magical weapons, breaking arrays, demolishing lairs – he was practised in these arts. Currently, it’s unclear whether this was a curse or some kind of devilish magic, but for Duanmu Huai, destroying it would solve the problem.

With that thought, Duanmu Huai tightened his grip on the Zen Staff and slammed it onto the ground with force.

"Rise!"

As the Zen Staff struck down, a dim light burst forth, spreading out like ripples in all directions, and in an instant, passing over the entire Xi’Liang Woman Country. Then, they saw high officials and ministers, guards and attendants who had been lying on the ground waking up from their deep sleep, yawning and getting to their feet. Upon seeing Duanmu Huai and Sun Wukong standing atop the grand hall, they were all greatly shocked.

"Demons!"

"Hmph, what demons!"

Seeing the ministers and guards retreating, Sun Wukong snorted and angrily shouted,

"We are pilgrims from the Eastern Tang Dynasty on a western pilgrimage to acquire scriptures! Passing by this place, we found that your monarch, ministers, and commoners were all sleeping soundly, victims of some evil monster’s magic. Out of kindness, my master broke the spell for you all – aren’t you going to thank him?"

Upon hearing Sun Wukong’s words, everyone present was filled with confusion and uncertainty. Someone quickly went out to investigate, and after a while, came back to report that the city’s residents had awakened as if from a dream, not knowing why they had fallen into such deep sleep. Only then did the Queen and her ministers realize the truth of Sun Wukong’s words and hurriedly thanked Duanmu Huai.

"No need to thank me, it was just a small effort on my part."

Duanmu Huai waved his hand dismissively.

"As my disciple has said, we, master and apprentice, are on a pilgrimage to the Western Paradise from the Eastern Tang Dynasty. We request Your Majesty to stamp our passage permit, allowing us to proceed."

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai passed the travel documents over, instructing someone to deliver them to the Queen. She took them but did not immediately stamp them and instead seemed to fall into deep thought... Hmm? Why does this scene feel so familiar?

Seeing this, Duanmu Huai paused for a moment.

In the original story, it’s understandable that the Queen lost her composure over Monk Tang’s pretty-boy looks, but is she also going to put me through the test of beauty? Hmph, if this Queen dares, don’t blame me for unleashing the Forty-eight Hands of staff technique on her, leaving her weeping, wailing, and begging for mercy.

The Queen closed the documents and looked at the two, asking,

"It’s been said there’s a High Monk from the Eastern Tang Dynasty traveling to acquire scriptures in the Western Paradise, vanquishing demons and exorcising devils along the way; would that be you two?"

"Indeed, it is us."

"Very good."

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, the Queen was overjoyed.

"In fact, I am currently troubled by a demon’s torment. This demon’s sorcery is vast, and it likely had a hand in this affair. I hope the holy monk can help me eliminate the demon..."

"No problem, just be more specific."

"Yes."

The Queen nodded.

"I have a harem member named Golden Sacred Palace Empress. During the Duanwu Festival last year, while traditions were followed in the Imperial Garden, a sudden gust of wind arrived, and a fairy appeared from the sky, claiming the name Sai Taisui. He claimed to live in the Kirin Mountain Xiezhi Cave and was looking for a wife. Hearing that every woman in the Xi’Liang Woman Country, and especially the Golden Sacred Palace Empress, was beautiful, he demanded that I send her to him. Otherwise, his army would attack, and all of our country’s people would become captives to his demons. With no other choice, I had to comply and sent out the Golden Sacred Palace Empress, who was then taken by the demon."

"Oh... this... "

This really is turning out to be a melodramatic plot!

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai’s eyes twinkled, almost leading him down the path of Old Beast tales, yet that hadn’t come to pass.

"And then?"

"After that, there was no word from the Golden Sacred Palace Empress, but rather, that demon frequently sent people to demand palace maids, appearing every few months, for unknown reasons..."

"So, Your Majesty believes that this recent sleeping incident was also caused by that demon?"

"Exactly. I remember it well; it happened during a noontime audience. I suddenly felt very tired and then fell into a dream where evil spirits howled, and demons rampaged, scaring me senseless. At that moment, a gust of wind blew by, sweeping away all those demons and ghosts, allowing me to wake up and open my eyes. Seeing two holy monks appear in the hall is why I was so startled, and for any rudeness, I hope you both will understand. "

"No need to be formal, hmm..."

Duanmu Huai stroked his chin and began to think. This didn’t seem like the storyline for the Women’s Kingdom. But on second thought, it wasn’t surprising for such a thing to happen in the Women’s Kingdom, considering it was populated by women who became pregnant by drinking water from the Mother and Child River. And about the King having concubines, that wasn’t out of the ordinary either...

However, the mystery about the demon was something else. If you have the ability, why not go for the Monster Beast O? What’s the point of abandoning the whole forest for a single tree?

Could it be true love?

While they were speaking, a sudden gust of magical wind darkened the skies, blotting out the sun. Seeing this, the Queen was so frightened that she shivered uncontrollably, huddling together with her ministers and crying out.

"The demons are coming!"

"So what if they are? Stop all that screaming."

Duanmu Huai plugged her ears, annoyedly glancing at the group. The noise was getting on her nerves; if they kept squealing all day long, it wouldn’t just be the demons she couldn’t stand.

"Monkey, it’s up to you now, kill it."

"Understood, master!"

The monkey was already itching for a fight. Upon receiving Duanmu Huai’s approval, he leapt up, stepping on a lucky cloud and ascending into the sky. That’s when he saw a demon approaching atop a cloud and immediately shouted.

"Who are you, demon, and where do you think you’re rampaging to?"

The monster bellowed back fiercely: "I am not just anyone; I am the vanguard under the command of the Prince from the Kirin Mountain Xiezhi Cave, Sai Taisui. Our Prince heard that someone has lifted the magic of the Women’s Kingdom, so he sent me to investigate. And who might you be?"

"So it was you, brat!"

Upon hearing the demon’s words, Sun Wukong felt a weight lift from his heart.

"I am the Heavenly Great Sage, Sun Wukong, tasked with protecting Monk Tang from the Eastern Tang Dynasty on his journey to retrieve the scriptures from the Western Paradise. Passing through this country, I see you devils bullying its ruler, and I was just about to purge this nation of its evil. I didn’t expect you to come knocking on my door. Take this, my stick!"

In an instant, the two were embroiled in a battle, clashing loudly. The lesser demon stood no chance against Sun Wukong, who fought with vigor, ready to continue the brawl. However, he remembered his master’s frequent admonitions to cut the talk and not waste time if a single stick blow could end it. With a fierce attack, he broke the demon’s weapon and legs in one strike, hoisted him up, and then plunged back into the palace.

"Master, I’ve captured the demon!"

As Sun Wukong spoke, the crowd gathered around to marvel at the demon, while Duanmu Huai stepped forward to scrutinize him closely.

"Was it your master who kidnapped the Empress of the Golden Sacred Palace?"

"Yes, yes! The King wanted a wife for the cave. Hearing that the Women’s Kingdom was full of beauties, he planned to choose the fairest to take back..."

"After you took her away, why did you keep returning to demand more palace maids?"

"The Holy Monk does not know..."

The little demon’s face appeared mournful as he spoke.

"After the Empress was brought to the King, a god gifted the Golden Sacred Palace a set of Five-colored Fairy Clothes. Once worn, the King found himself unable to touch her—it was as if thorns grew upon her body, causing pain upon contact. Enraged, the King killed and devoured the palace maids that were initially taken to serve her, and ordered us to capture more. This went on repeatedly, so that’s why we continued coming here to collect maids."

"Oh? And why did the King put everyone in the Women’s Kingdom to sleep?"

"Since the Golden Sacred Palace Empress adamantly resisted the King, he became furious and cast a spell on everyone in the Women’s Kingdom, causing them to fall into a deep slumber. He hoped to wear down her will by making her watch as the people of the Women’s Kingdom grew increasingly gaunt and perished in their dreams. He expected her to eventually relent and remove the Fairy Clothes volitionally. Unexpectantly, the spell was broken, infuriating the King, who sent us to assess the situation and even penned a War Letter to declare."

While speaking, the demon produced the War Letter from his bosom and handed it over.

"The King declared if the Women’s Kingdom obediently complies and surrenders the one who broke the curse, all will be well. If they refuse, he will unleash storms and rockfalls, sparing none of the residents, from the King down to the commoners. He plans to conquer the city, proclaim himself emperor, and we shall serve as his ministers..."

"Just kill him."

Duanmu Huai took the War Letter, waved a hand, and following that, Sun Wukong swung his staff down, smashing the demon’s brains out. By this time, the Queen and her ministers had also gathered around, all of them stunned and terrified.

"Holy Monk, what should we do now?"

"If it’s a man-eating devil, then killing it settles the matter; there’s no harm done."

Duanmu Huai opened the War Letter to take a look, then casually tossed it aside.

"Monkey, come with me to that cave. We’ll take out that old devil and see what he turns into when he flies, runs, swims, and also see if he’s edible."

If it were the original Scorpion Essence, Duanmu Huai would have definitely passed, not being Bear Grylls who could stomach insects. This time it was different; she wanted to see if he was edible, tasted good, and then figure out how to eat him...

Thinking this, Duanmu Huai felt her mouth watering again and hastily grabbed a handful of spicy beef strips to gnaw on, suppressing her saliva.

Indeed, Taishang Laojun’s green ox meat was out of the ordinary, it’s just a shame there was only one... She hoped that next time, Taishang Laojun would raise a herd of thirty or fifty, so she could indulge to her heart’s content. Just a single bull for an immortal, isn’t that a bit stingy?

Both of them traveled rapidly without delay, racing along on the speedy Pegasus. It didn’t take long to arrive outside the Kirin Mountain Xiezhi Cave. It was manned by five hundred demons, arrayed in a daunting formation, and even Sun Wukong was taken aback by the sight.

"Master, with so many fairies, this might be troublesome. Why not let me challenge them and draw that demon out?"

"There’s no need to bother with that."

Duanmu Huai clenched her fist and raised her right arm, extending the "Amitabha Gatling Bodhisattva," and squeezed firmly.

"A mere few hundred lesser demons. I’ll take care of them. Meanwhile, sneak into the cave, find the Empress of the Golden Sacred Palace, and bring her out!"