Li Miaoci hesitantly approached Gao Cuilan. Dressed in grayish-white cotton silk garments with her dark hair tied up, she clearly appeared as a delicate and charming young woman.
Gao Cuilan harbored no wariness toward her.
“Little Master,” she said.
“Does Miss Gao truly look down on my second brother?”
Li Miaoci asked in disbelief.
The God Erlang before her was truly a Divine Lord who seemed to have stepped out of the pages of a book—elegant and handsome, lofty and noble, dignified and untouchable.
That someone of such appearance could be rejected to this extent was astonishing.
“I know he is a demon, and I am terrified to the core. If not for my parents being alive, I would rather die than dare to think of becoming his wife.” As Gao Cuilan spoke with emotion, tears fell once more.
Ever since being imprisoned by the demon, she had lived in constant fear, weeping day after day.
Ahem.
Li Miaoci looked eagerly at Yang Jian.
By now, Yang Jian had already taken his vows as a disciple and casually formed a hand seal to change into a plain black robe.
His previous beauty seemed elevated to an even higher plane.
“Second Broth…” She walked up to Yang Jian, about to address him, when a knife-like glare shot her way.
She immediately changed her form of address. “Divine Lord Erlang?”
“Hmm.”
“Do you wish to embark on the Journey to the Western Heaven?”
she asked.
Yang Jian seemed both amused and irritated by her question. As a mighty celestial being, why would he need to retrieve scriptures to Achieve Enlightenment?
“No!”
As he turned his head, Li Miaoci felt the sky darken. Then he grunted softly, his footing wavering slightly.
Of course, she knew Yang Jian had already Achieved Enlightenment without needing to retrieve scriptures.
“Actually, I don’t want to go on the Journey to the Western Heaven either,” she shrugged.
“There’s another secret I haven’t told you.”
“Hmm?” Yang Jian glanced at her.
“I am also surnamed Gao, called Gao Lanlan. I am the second daughter of Squire Gao. If you only wish to marry a daughter of the Gao family and remain in Yunzhan Cave from now on, choose me, choose me.”
Hearing her blunt words, the Monk lightly tapped her head with his staff.
“Quiet! Let’s move!”
“Eldest Brother.”
She cast a resentful look at Sun Wukong.
Squire Gao provided some dry rations and gave each of the master and disciples a set of clothing.
The master and disciples continued westward once more.
Along the way, the forests were lush, and the path rugged.
Li Miaoci trailed behind the others, either picking flowers or plucking grass, utterly bored.
“I truly cannot understand. Second Brother is so handsome, why does Miss Gao not fancy him?”
Yang Jian walked calmly, holding a folding fan. “I cannot understand it either.”
The Monk gave Li Miaoci a disdainful look and scratched his cheek. “Suppose you were imprisoned by a demon who forced you to become his wife. Would you agree?”
“Well…” Li Miaoci’s gaze fell on Yang Jian. If the demon looked like him, perhaps it wouldn’t be entirely unacceptable.
The Monk saw right through her thoughts. “That demon had a fat head and big ears, a green face with fangs, and a mouth like a blood-filled basin that could swallow hundreds of living people.”
“I refuse! I would rather die than yield.”
Hah. The Monk scoffed.
“How is Miss Gao’s imprisonment by Yang Jian any different from that?”
How could one overlook a crime simply because of appearance?
Li Miaoci silently shuffled a few steps toward the front of the white horse. “Sorry, Eldest Brother. I’ve read too many forced-love tragic novels.”
The Monk didn’t understand and instead continued walking ahead to scout the path.
On the mountain forest trail, the rustling of leaves and the clip-clop of horse hooves echoed.
Looking ahead, the road stretched endlessly into the distance.
Unbroken mountain ranges, dense forests, veiled in clouds and mist.
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
On the third day at noon, Li Miaoci’s excitement had worn off, and she collapsed onto the grass, utterly exhausted.
“I can’t walk anymore.”
“If you can’t walk, stay here. With your cultivation base, you’ll be eaten by some antelope or roe deer demon before nightfall,” Sun Wukong teased her.
“Wukong, what place have we reached?” Tang Sanzang asked, rambling on.
The Monk replied, “The boundary stone we passed earlier said Yellow Wind Ridge.”
Wow, Yellow Wind Ridge.
Li Miaoci jolted upright. It turned out there really were demons here.
The Yellow Wind Monster, a yellow-furred sable, knew something called the Threefold Divine Wind.
In any case, Sun Wukong’s eyes were blinded by its wind, and it took great effort to find the Wind-Fixing Pearl before the demon could be captured.
“This mountain looks unusual,” Li Miaoci remarked.
“High mountains naturally have…”
“Sky-Pouncing Eagle,” Yang Jian said. “Go scout ahead and see what spirits, monsters, or beasts are in the mountain. Don’t delay our journey to the west.”
A majestic hawk soared into the sky, its wings beating powerfully.
“Xiaotian Quan, you go too.”
Out of thin air, a slender Chinese hound suddenly appeared, sprinting toward the mountain.
After giving his orders, Yang Jian turned to Tang Sanzang. “And… Master, there’s a farmhouse ahead. Let’s seek lodging there tonight and continue our journey tomorrow.”
Tang Sanzang glanced at the towering mountains and, thinking of his empty stomach, agreed.
The farmhouse at the foot of the mountain had only a few thatched huts. Aside from the family’s own living quarters, only one room could be spared.
However, aside from Tang Sanzang, no one else was willing to stay in a mortal’s home.
Late at night, the surroundings were utterly silent.
The moon was bright, the stars sparse, and the night breeze cool.
The Monk found a sturdy tree branch, lay down on it, and closed his eyes to rest.
He seemed to be carrying a burden in his heart, his mind constantly flashing with elusive yet persistent memories.
Yang Jian, holding a folding fan, sat on the eaves with feigned elegance, admiring the moon.
His refined silhouette against the lonely moonlight.
Li Miaoci sat on a wooden stool in the courtyard, watching him.
Suddenly, a clear, unfamiliar voice sounded in her ear. “Enchanted by Second Brother?”
“No, I was just thinking of telling him that the eaves are made of thatch. He shouldn’t sit there and risk collapsing them.”
Li Miaoci answered without a second thought.
Before the words had fully left her mouth, she belatedly realized someone was nearby. She whipped her head around. “Who are you?”