Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 412 - 397 I, Old Sun, Present You with This Staff_2

Chapter 412: Chapter 397 I, Old Sun, Present You with This Staff_2

With a swoosh, they sprang up and yelled loudly, "We are, we are!"

Seeing Zhu Bajie’s face, the official immediately got scared out of his wits and fell onto the ground with a thud, shouting, "It’s a pig demon, a pig demon!"

Sun Wukong quickly grabbed Zhu Bajie and scolded him with a laugh, "Brother, be a bit more civilized. No wonder our master uncle despises you for being disgraceful."

The official didn’t pay attention before, but now noticing Sun Wukong, he immediately screamed, "It’s a monkey spirit, a monkey spirit!"

Sand Monk took a step forward, clasped his hands together, and said, "Gentlemen, there’s no need to panic. We three are disciples of Xuanzang, not demons."

"Kitchen God! It’s the Kitchen God!" the official pointed at Sand Monk and yelled.

Zhu Bajie laughed and scolded, "We come from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, we’re disciples of Xuanzang. Didn’t you just say the prince invited us to a banquet? And now you call us demons?"

If this official had known they were demons before, he probably would never have come.

However, now that he was sure that these three were Xuanzang’s disciples, and considering they were guests the king wanted to invite, even if they really were all demons, they wouldn’t dare to treat them lightly, so they hurriedly led everyone to the royal palace.

Zhu Bajie, eager to eat, was the first to barge into the hall.

At that moment, King Yuhua was talking with Xuanzang when suddenly a fat-headed, big-eared dunce barged in, immediately scaring the king out of his wits. He collapsed onto his chair, trembling all over, sweating like rain, and shouting, "Demon! Demon!"

Xuanzang saw what had happened and quickly got up to explain, "Thousand Years Old, have no fear. Although the fool is ugly in appearance, he is good-hearted."

Zhu Bajie, having scared King Yuhua half to death, remained oblivious and stepped forward to bow and said, "This poor monk pays his respects."

Zhu Bajie’s booming voice terrified King Yuhua even more. Thankfully, others comforted him, and he managed to suppress the terror in his heart, quickly saying, "Please invite the high monks to dine."

The officials in the hall were also frightened, but as the king’s orders were not to be disobeyed, they promptly led Xuanzang and the others out of the great hall, with Xuanzang continuously apologizing to King Yuhua.

After leaving the great hall, Xuanzang couldn’t help but complain, "You dunce, you have no manners at all. It would have been better to keep your mouth shut. One word from you and you nearly startled the prince."

Sun Wukong said with a smile, "It seems Old Sun had the foresight to keep his mouth shut and save some energy."

Zhu Bajie said with a dissatisfied face, "Master, isn’t it you who always taught me to greet others when I see them? That’s being polite. Why are you suddenly blaming Old Pig today?"

When Xuanzang heard Zhu Bajie’s words, he felt depressed but couldn’t bother to pay attention to the fool anymore.

As they talked, they were led by several officials to a side hall to dine.

After Zhu Bajie and the others left, King Yuhua finally breathed a sigh of relief. Initially, he thought of accompanying Xuanzang and his disciples personally, but after the fright he got from Zhu Bajie, he immediately put that thought out of his mind.

Later, King Yuhua left the main hall, planning to go back to rest. On the way, he happened to meet his three sons returning from their leisure time. Seeing their father, the princes quickly came forward to bow.

King Yuhua waved his hand and casually said, "My sons, no need for formalities."

Second Prince lifted his head and, frowning, asked, "I see an unusual expression on father’s face. What has happened? Could it be that father is unwell?"

King Yuhua sighed and said, "Just now, a monk from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land came. He claims to be on his way to the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and seek scriptures, asking for a transfer of military documents."

"I found him to have an extraordinary demeanor, and he is a high monk as well, so I asked him to stay and dine in our residence. He said he had three disciples at the guesthouse, so I sent someone to invite them."

"But upon meeting them, his three disciples were each uglier than the last, no different from demons, and completely lacking in manners. I couldn’t help but feel shocked in my heart," said the king.

King Yuhua seemed reluctant to speak further, after all, it was not something to be proud of. He merely said a few words and then turned to leave.

After King Yuhua left, the three princes gathered together to discuss the matter, saying, "Could it be that a monster from that mountain has taken human form and come here to swindle food and drinks?"

The more they thought about it, the more they felt something was amiss. After discussing together, they prepared to grab their weapons and investigate; if they indeed were monsters, they would seize the opportunity to capture them.

These three princes had also practiced martial arts from a young age and were confident in their own abilities, which was why they dared to be so bold. Moreover, being young, they were like fearless young calves unaware of the tigers’ dangers.

The three princes each took up their weapons; the Eldest Prince wielded an Eyebrow Short Rod, the Second Prince a Nine-toothed Rake, and the Third Prince a Black Oiled Stick.

Armed with their weapons, the three princes found the royal palace’s steward and inquired about the guests from the Tang Dynasty currently dining at Bao Sha Pavilion, then they strode over with much bluster and bravado.

Peeking through the door, they indeed saw five people dining around a table. Two of them appeared to be quite handsome, while the other three bore not the slightest resemblance to humans, looking no different from monsters. The three princes instantly became furiously angry and charged in with their weapons at the ready.

Filled with righteous energy, the three princes burst in and shouted loudly, "Reveal yourselves—are you human or demon? Speak now, and you may keep your lives."

Xuanzang frowned slightly and quickly stood up, saying, "We are monks from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, humans, not monsters."

The three princes retorted, "You do look the part of a human, but these three unsightly ones here must certainly be monsters."

Sun Wukong, upon hearing himself mentioned, merely glanced at the three princes before continuing to eat without saying a word. Zhu Bajie was even less interested, his mind wholly fixated on the delicacies before him, continuing to relish his meal with an unseemly voracity.

The Sand Monk also hastily rose to explain, "Although we three may be unpleasant to look at, our hearts are kind. We’re monks from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, headed to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures, not some demons."

Sun Wukong, with a smile, asked, "Who are you three, and why do you bring weapons to cause trouble here?"

The Officer of the Imperial Kitchen hastened to answer, "These three are the sons of our king, Your Highnesses."

Seeing Zhu Bajie ignoring them and just eating, the Second Prince became instantly enraged and pointed at Zhu Bajie, scolding, "That creature with the long snout and big ears must definitely be a Pig Demon, showing such insolence! You see us and not only fail to greet us but continue to eat."

Zhu Bajie, who was disturbed during his meal, was somewhat displeased. He put down his bowl and chopsticks on the table, sneered, and said, "You Highnesses have come here with weapons in hand—could it be you wish to pick a fight with us?"

The Second Prince, inflamed by these words, brandished his Nine-toothed Rake, assuming a combative stance, ready to strike at Zhu Bajie. Zhu Bajie, seeing him with the rake, jeered with disdain, "Your rake could only be the grandchild to mine! Let me show you the prowess of Old Pig."

Zhu Bajie then took the Nine-toothed Rake strapped to his waist, and with a flick of his hand, it instantly stretched to over a zhang in length, emitting blinding golden light and auspicious aura, dazzling with a radiant glow.

The sight left the Second Prince weak in the knees, frozen in place, no longer daring to show off.

Sun Wukong saw the Eldest Prince holding an Eyebrow Staff, looking eager to have a go, and couldn’t help but smile. He then pulled out his Jingu Bang from his ear, planted it on the ground with a shout.

The Jingu Bang immediately grew to over a zhang in length and as thick as a bowl, striking the ground and leaving a deep pit over three feet deep.

Sun Wukong chuckled and said, "Your staff is of little use; I give you this staff of Old Sun."

Seeing the lustrous and extraordinary Golden Hoop, the Eldest Prince rejoiced, believing it was a priceless treasure. He quickly dropped his own staff and rushed forward, attempting to pick up the Jingu Bang which weighed over ten thousand catties.

Despite some martial prowess, the Little Prince was but a mortal and could not budge it an inch. No matter how hard he tried, he could not shift the Jingu Bang in the slightest.

Without hesitation, the Third Prince swung his Black Oiled Staff at them, but the Sand Monk easily snatched it away and then took out his own Demon-Subduing Staff, which burst with brilliant aura and resplendent shine.

The officers and attendants inside the pavilion, seeing the display of each person’s skills, stood petrified and dumbfounded.

But the three princes were sensible enough to realize the extraordinary abilities of the three and no longer accused them of being demons, instead falling to their knees one after another.