Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 404 - 393: I, Old Pig, Am Indeed a Pig_2

Chapter 404: Chapter 393: I, Old Pig, Am Indeed a Pig_2

Xuanzang nodded slightly and said, "Although what you say is true, I feel there might be danger lurking in these mountains. It’s best to be cautious."

Sun Wukong, unconcerned, replied, "Master, you can proceed without worry. If any evil spirits are causing trouble, Old Sun will take care of them with a swing of my staff."

With those words, he continued to lead the horse and walked forward.

After some time, the group gradually arrived at the foot of the mountain. Suddenly, a gust of sinister wind swept through, whistling loudly.

Xuanzang, somewhat terrified, said, "Has the wind picked up?"

Sun Wukong chuckled and replied, "There’s the gentle spring breeze, the warm summer breeze, the golden autumn wind, and the cold winter gale—wind is common in every season. What’s so strange about it picking up now?"

Xuanzang frowned and said, "My disciple, what you don’t realize is that this wind has come on too suddenly; it must not be a natural breeze."

Sun Wukong, showing a hint of impatience, said, "Whether it’s a breeze from the heavens or the earth, we need to hurry along our way. If we cross this mountain before it gets dark and find a place to stay, we won’t have to spend another night in the wilderness."

So the group continued on their way, but before long, a thick fog suddenly enveloped them in the mountains. Xuanzang grew even more frightened and quickly said, "Wukong, the wind hasn’t stopped, and now there’s fog too. I’m afraid something strange is going on."

At this moment, Xuanzang was even more concerned about what might happen than Sun Wukong and the others.

Zhu Bajie also felt that something was amiss. He looked up into the distance and noticed that the rising fog didn’t seem like a normal mist. He couldn’t help but furrow his brow and turned to look at Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong, with his eyes slightly narrowed, said, "There is indeed something odd in these mountains, but it’s nothing serious. Old Sun will go ahead and scout around."

Then Sun Wukong said to Xuanzang, "Master, please dismount and rest here for a moment. Old Sun will go ahead and investigate."

Hearing Sun Wukong’s decision to check, Xuanzang breathed a sigh of relief.

With that, Xuanzang dismounted and found a clean spot to sit down.

Then, Sun Wukong soared into the sky and flew up into the clouds.

Shading his eyes, Sun Wukong looked into the distance and indeed saw at a flat area on the mountainside an old Demon leading a group of little demons in some kind of drill, and the wind and fog that had just arisen were all from these little demons practicing their Divine Skills.

Sun Wukong couldn’t help but laugh, "It seems that after being captured by Demons so often, Master has developed some foreboding. There really are Demons in the mountains, and he was right about there being something odd about the wind and fog."

Sun Wukong was initially ready to strike directly, but seeing that these Demons weren’t much of a threat, his eyes rolled with a cunning glint as if he had thought of a mischievous plan.

So, Sun Wukong hurriedly flew back.

Xuanzang and Zhu Bajie, along with the others, saw Sun Wukong returning and couldn’t help but turn to look at him.

Xuanzang got up and greeted Sun Wukong, asking anxiously, "Wukong, what is the fortune or misfortune with that wind and fog?"

Sun Wukong said with a smile, "The wind has stopped now, and the fog has dispersed."

Xuanzang looked up and saw that the fog had indeed dissipated and said in surprise, "The fog really has cleared."

Sun Wukong continued with a smile, "Old Sun usually has good judgment, but this time I really thought I saw something wrong. That fog looked sudden and odd, as if evil spirits were at work. However, upon getting closer, it wasn’t any kind of evil spirits."

"If it wasn’t Demons, what was it?" Xuanzang quickly asked.

Sun Wukong said with a grin, "This time Old Sun has seen clearly. Up ahead on the mountainside, there’s a village where the people are kind-hearted. They’ve steamed white rice and wheat buns, preparing a meal for monks. That fog was just steam rising from the steamer, not any kind of evil spirits at all."

Upon hearing there was food, Zhu Bajie immediately perked up and drew Sun Wukong aside, asking in a low voice, "Brother Monkey, did you eat their food before coming back?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and replied quietly, "Only a little, because the food they made was too salty for my liking, so I didn’t eat much."

Zhu Bajie said with utter nonchalance, "No matter how salty it is, I, old Pig, can gobble it all up."

Sun Wukong asked with a smile, "So you want to go for the meal offerings?"

Zhu Bajie touched his belly, looking a bit embarrassed, "Not to hide from you, Brother, I, old Pig, have been so hungry I can barely walk; eating my fill is the only way I’ll be able to travel!"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "Let’s drop the subject. Master is here, and he hasn’t eaten yet. Who dares go first?"

Zhu Bajie replied with a grin, "As long as Brother doesn’t tell Master, I, old Pig, have my ways to sneak in a meal."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong furrowed his brow, unable to suppress his curiosity about what sort of method this fool might have to snatch a meal first. Thus, he nodded and said, "If you’ve got the skill to go, then go! I, Old Sun, will definitely not tell Master."

Zhu Bajie was overjoyed. He quickly approached Xuanzang, bowed respectfully, and said, "Master, I heard from Brother Monkey that there is a village up ahead preparing a meal offering for monks! We need to partake in the meal offering, and this horse also needs to eat grass. If we take this horse along, we’ll inevitably trouble the villagers."

"How about I, old Pig, take advantage of the fine weather and go up the mountain to gather some tender grass? Let’s feed the horse first, and then head to the village together for the meal offering, shall we?"

Xuanzang replied eagerly, "Good! How come you’re so industrious today, Bajie? Go and come back quickly."

"Yes! Then your disciple will go gather grass first and will be right back." The fool agreed joyfully and left.

Sun Wukong, listening on the side, couldn’t help but widen his eyes and shook his head with a chuckle.

This fool never took anything seriously, but when it came to eating, he could come up with any method. Could this even work?

He was clearly sneaking off to eat, yet he found such a perfect excuse and made Xuanzang so happy; in this regard, Sun Wukong felt somewhat inferior.

However, Sun Wukong naturally wouldn’t expose Zhu Bajie, because Sun Wukong intentionally wanted Zhu Bajie to suffer a little and deal with those demons. Given how slippery this fool was, there’s no other way to trick him into going if not like this.

Sun Wukong stepped forward to block Zhu Bajie and said with a laugh, "You fool, with that face of yours, if you go, people will mistake you for a demon and refuse to offer you a meal."

Zhu Bajie’s eyes darted about, he nodded, and said, "That’s true. It looks like I’ll have to transform before I go. Thanks for the reminder, Brother."

Then, in a rush to leave, he crossed a patch of woods. Zhu Bajie looked back to ensure Xuanzang couldn’t see him, then he shook himself and transformed into a plump, passable-looking monk, holding a wooden fish and hurried towards the middle of the mountain.

Meanwhile, the group of demons had dispersed the mist and hid on both sides of the road, setting up an ambush, waiting for travelers to pass by so they could pounce on them and drag them back to their cave to feast on their flesh.

Full of eagerness for the meal offering, Zhu Bajie, that fool, walked right into the demons’ ambush without any precaution. A group of demons leapt out from the roadside and surrounded him. One grabbed his clothes, another seized his hand, and there were little demons with ropes, ready to tie Zhu Bajie up.

Zhu Bajie shouted loudly, "Stop tugging! Stop tugging! Shouldn’t I visit each home for a meal?"

The Demon King heard Zhu Bajie talking nonsense and asked loudly, "What does this monk intend to eat?"

Zhu Bajie replied promptly, "I heard there was a meal offering for monks here and have come especially for it."

The Demon King couldn’t help but laugh heartily, "What a foolish monk you are, as stupid as a pig, hoping to partake in a meal offering here without realizing that this place specializes in eating monks."

"To tell you the truth, we are demon immortals descended from these mountains, catching monks like you and cooking you in a steamer to eat! Minions, tie up this stupid pig of a monk for me."

"Hold on! How do you know I, old Pig, am a stupid pig? Indeed, I am a pig, watch me transform and I’ll show you all!" Zhu Bajie said with a sly grin.

"Hmm?" The Demon King couldn’t help but furrow his brow, puzzled, "Has this monk gone mad, or was he always a fool, to actually admit he is a pig?"

All the little demons also started jeering.

Just then, Zhu Bajie suddenly transformed back into his true form, shocking the nearby little demons who hurriedly scampered to the side.