Now it was said that Ao Tu had used the Dragon Pearl to capture the hearts and souls of the ministers, seizing the throne of the Baoxiang Kingdom.
The civil and military officials within the court obeyed his every command, but officials outside the court, imperial relatives, and others were not affected.
Ao Tu paid no heed to this, merely holding banquets every day to entertain Tang Seng and his disciples.
Bajie ate to his heart's content for several days on end.
Shaseng said, "Second Senior Brother, didn't you say we were going to rescue the princess?"
Bajie, holding a roasted fruit, said, "His Majesty isn't anxious—what are you anxious for? This old pig has been living on wind and sleeping on dew these past days; I ought to eat well for a few more days to build up my strength."
Ao Tu said, "Elder Pig speaks rightly. Allow this humble king to entertain you for a few more days. Firstly, to thank you elders for assisting this humble king in restoring the realm; secondly, to let Elder Pig conserve his energy. I shall also decree that craftsmen forge two sets of fine armor to aid the two elders."
Bajie was overjoyed to hear this and bowed in gratitude.
Tang Seng actually wished to head west sooner, but facing a royal command, he could not easily refuse and could only offer his thanks.
With the identity of the King of the Baoxiang Kingdom, Ao Tu found delaying time to be quite effortless.
Each day he either entertained Tang Seng and his disciples with banquets, or invited them to tour the imperial gardens, or discussed Buddhist scriptures with Tang Seng.
In the blink of an eye, another half month passed.
Tang Seng grew somewhat anxious and came to find Ao Tu, asking when they would set out to rescue the princess. The sooner they rescued her, the sooner their master and disciples could continue their journey.
Ao Tu said, "Do not be anxious. The armor has already been forged."
Tang Seng said happily, "That's good, then. I shall go call my two disciples and have them set out as soon as possible to eliminate that demon and rescue the princess."
Right at that moment, a light chime was heard, and Tang Seng collapsed to the ground.
"Oh no! Master's wind-head illness has flared up again!"
"Quick, summon the imperial physician!"
Tang Seng lay on the bed with a frail expression, cradling his forehead.
For some reason, his headaches were growing increasingly severe.
Bajie and Shaseng attended to him by his side.
Thus, another half month passed before Tang Seng recovered.
This time Ao Tu delayed no further and said, "The armor has been completed. This humble king has prepared two cups of vegetarian wine to aid the two elders in achieving victory!"
Guards presented the two sets of fine armor, and palace maids brought out two cups of vegetarian wine.
Bajie drank the vegetarian wine, changed into the armor, and departed on clouds.
Shaseng followed Bajie; firstly to support him in battle, and secondly, should Bajie prove no match, he could serve as reinforcement.
The two rode clouds and before long arrived at the pagoda of the Yellow-Robed Monster.
They descended before the gate.
They saw a white jade slab fixed horizontally above the gate, engraved with six large characters: "Bowl Mountain, Moonwave Cave."
Bajie raised his rake and shouted, "Open the door! Open the door!"
A minor demon guarding the cave opened the door. Seeing their appearances, he cried out in alarm, "What kind of monsters are you, daring to break down our door!"
Because they were wearing armor instead of monk's robes, and their faces were fierce and ugly, they truly looked no different from demon kings.
Bajie raged, "I am the Marshal Tian Peng descended to the mortal realm, a monk protecting the Tang Dynasty's Tripitaka Master on his journey west to retrieve scriptures! You blind little demon, daring to mistake your Pig Grandfather for a monster—take this rake!"
Bajie brandished his rake and struck the gate of the Moonwave Cave with all his might, punching a large hole in the stone door.
Terrified, the minor demon scurried inside to report, "Great King! Disaster! Two monsters have come from outside—one with a long snout and big ears, and one with an unlucky face—claiming to be scripture-seeking monks! They've smashed the main gate!"
Kui Mu Lang heard this and recalled what Ao Tu had previously instructed him, thinking, "Could it be those two people the senior mentioned?"
He shouted, "Bring my armor!" The minor demons brought it, and Kui Mu Lang donned his armor, grasped his blade, and went straight out.
Bajie and Shaseng waited before the gate.
Kui Mu Lang walked out and saw two demons with savage appearances.
You ask what they looked like?
The first:
A filthy, coiled lotus pod of a dangling snout, ears like palm-leaf fans revealing golden eyes.
Fangs sharp as steel files, a long mouth gaping like a fiery brazier.
A golden helm and cinched armor hung upon his frame, a nail rake in hand that probed like a dragon.
His roar made mountain gods tremble with fear; his bearing in motion panicked wicked ghosts.
The second:
Murderous qi soaring to the heavens like a demon's visage, vicious qi with round eyes bright as lamps.
A face neither black nor blue but the color of indigo, a voice like thunder and drums, like an old dragon's roar.
Sinewy body and iron bones standing tall enough to prop up the sky, a blood-drenched mouth that swallowed wind and churned waves of gore.
Clad in black armor revealing a fierce countenance, holding a precious staff with imposing majesty.
Kui Mu Lang came out holding his blade. Though he possessed some fierce bearing, it did not match these two, so his momentum was already thirty percent weaker. He asked, "What kind of monsters are you, and from where, daring to harass my gate?"
Bajie said, "You abducted the Third Princess of Baoxiang Kingdom into this cave and forcibly took her as wife by strength, dwelling thus for thirteen years. I come by royal decree specifically to capture you. Bind your hands quickly and send the princess out, saving me the trouble of raking my way in!"
Kui Mu Lang heard this and looked at Zhu Bajie and Shaseng, thinking: Needless to say, these must be the two people the senior spoke of.
These two's appearances were easy to recognize. This one with the long snout and big ears looked just like an old pig turned spirit—that must be the one surnamed Zhu; the one behind with the unlucky face was the one surnamed Sha.
The senior had instructed: let the one surnamed Zhu go, capture the one surnamed Sha.
Kui Mu Lang raised his blade, rounded his wide eyes, and hacked straight at the head.
Bajie dodged sideways and brought his rake to meet the blow head-on.
Kui Mu Lang blocked with his blade.
One was a divine blade from a celestial star deity descended to earth:
Where it rose, it was like falling stars grinding the moon, cleaving immortal bodies and divine bones to nothing.
One was a nail rake forged in the Eight Trigrams Furnace:
Raised with blazing flames and radiant light, where the rake arrived, souls vanished and divine qi leaked!
The two collided, divine light blazing brilliantly, the sound of clashing metal and iron shaking an area of a hundred li.
Bajie was full of strength, his moves broad and sweeping, his rake whirling up winds on flat ground.
Kui Mu Lang was a star deity descended to the mortal world, holding a divine office with divine power at his command—stronger than Bajie.
Once they crossed hands, Kui Mu Lang knew Bajie's martial arts were inferior to his; though his strength was great, his moves were clumsy. Only that rake possessed some power and needed to be handled carefully.
After eight or nine rounds, Bajie was already growing somewhat weak. Shaseng saw this and rushed forward with his monk's spade to join the fight.
The two attacked together, but Kui Mu Lang showed not the slightest fear. Within his body was a refined inner pill cultivated through many years of meditation. With the inner pill in his body, his divine qi was abundant without the slightest weak point.
In this bout of fighting, back and forth, Shaseng swung his staff freely while Kui Mu Lang parried the divine weapons. Bajie launched a fierce assault, but Kui Mu Lang deflected every move with technique, his steel blade counterattacking with increasing ferocity. Bajie and Shaseng gradually could not hold their ground.
After fifty rounds, Bajie's hands grew weak and his strength faltered. Seeing they could not defeat Kui Mu Lang, and if they continued, both would surely be captured, he said, "Shaseng, you step forward and fight him for a while. This old pig needs to relieve himself."
Having spoken, Bajie paid Shaseng no heed and darted like a wisp of smoke into the wormwood, fig vines, brambles, and kudzu, disappearing in an instant.
Seeing Bajie had fled, Kui Mu Lang recalled Ao Tu's instructions and did not pursue, instead attacking Shaseng directly.
Caught off guard, Shaseng was grabbed by Kui Mu Lang and dragged into the cave.
At that time, the progress in Ao Tu's system stood at one hundred and twelve days.
When Ao Tu was at White Tiger Ridge, he had gained forty-six days of progress. Afterward, he had delayed for over a month on the road from Black Pine Forest to the Baoxiang Kingdom, and delayed for another month or so within the palace. Added together, it came to exactly one hundred and twelve days today.
He was still two months and eight days short of the half-year progress reward.