30: Chapter 31 Turning to the Mountains and Forests

Along the way, Pigsy was listless, his footsteps dragging.

The Nine-toothed Rake in his hand dragged along the ground, making a harsh scraping sound, and his face was full of reluctance.

Ao Lie walked in front, and seeing him in this state, asked coldly.

"Pigsy, you have been dejected the whole way; could it be that you are afraid of that Yellow Robe Monster?"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy stopped, scratched his head, and decided to speak his mind.

"Brother Ao Lie, it is not that Old Pig is cowardly, but that demon is truly too powerful! In our fight yesterday, I could not even last three rounds against him. Although your skills are better than mine, you might not be his match either. If we go back like this, it is simply like a lamb entering a tiger's den, throwing our lives away for nothing!"

"Even so, we cannot just watch helplessly as Master is harmed by the demon."

Ao Lie stopped and turned to look at him. "Since we have joined Master's sect and received his grace, we must keep our promise and protect him. How can we shrink back from the battle just because the demon is powerful?"

"That may be true, but we simply cannot beat him!" Pigsy stamped his feet in frustration. "When the Monkey King was here, what kind of demon couldn't we defeat? Even if we couldn't win, he could go to the Heavenly Court to call for reinforcements... But now that he has been driven away by Master, how can just the two of us save him? In my opinion, this journey to fetch the scriptures was always meant to be a trial, and now that Master has been captured, we might as well just disband!"

Ao Lie's eyes turned cold, and his tone grew increasingly stern.

"Pigsy, stop talking about disbanding! Master has treated us well. Back in the Great Tang, he received the favor of the Tang Emperor and insisted on embarking on the journey to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures and save all living beings. If we give up halfway and betray Master, would we not be ungrateful? If word got out, would we not be the laughingstock of the world?"

"What ungrateful, what laughingstock of the world—I, Old Pig, do not care!"

Pigsy decided to throw caution to the wind, plopped down on the ground, and tossed his Nine-toothed Rake to the side.

"I was originally Marshal Tianpeng, and only because I made a mistake and was banished to the mortal realm did I follow Tang Seng to fetch the scriptures. I had hoped to achieve enlightenment and return to the Heavenly Court, but now it seems I simply do not have that fate! Instead of dying here, I might as well return to Gao Family Village, continue being a son-in-law, marry, have children, and live a peaceful life. Wouldn't that be better than living in fear every day?"

It turned out that yesterday in the Baoxiang Kingdom, Pigsy had heard the King speak of the Yellow Robe Monster's great magical power, and recalling his crushing defeat in their fight, he had lost the courage to subdue the demon and was full of thoughts of retreat.

He wanted only to return to Gao Family Village to live a carefree life and no longer wanted to set foot on the perilous path of fetching the scriptures.

Seeing his timid and retreating appearance, Ao Lie felt both angry and anxious; he stepped forward and reprimanded him sternly.

"Pigsy! How can you have so little backbone! You were once Marshal Tianpeng, a great general of the Heavenly Court, yet now, because of one demon, you want to betray your Master and abandon the great cause of fetching the scriptures. How can you face Master, and how can you face the guidance of Guanyin Bodhisattva?"

"What guidance from Guanyin, what loyalty to the sect—none of it is worth mentioning in the face of survival!"

Pigsy stiffened his neck and retorted loudly.

"Brother Ao Lie, if you are not afraid of death, go save Master yourself; I, Old Pig, will not accompany you! I am going back to Gao Family Village, and I will not suffer with you anymore!"

Ao Lie looked at his stubborn expression and knew that reprimanding him blindly was useless, so he had to soften his tone and said in a deep voice.

"Pigsy, I know you are afraid, but have you thought about this: Master is currently in danger, his life hanging in the balance. If we leave, he will surely die. If that Yellow Robe Monster eats the flesh of Tang Seng, he will achieve immortality, and he will certainly continue to plague the world. When that happens, the people of the Baoxiang Kingdom, and even all the living beings along the way, will fall victim to his cruelty. Can you bear to see that happen?"

Pigsy lowered his head, scratching the ground with his fingers, silent and hesitant, his heart wavering somewhat.

But the fear of the Yellow Robe Monster ultimately outweighed the sense of morality in his heart.

"I do not care about the common people or living beings; I, Old Pig, only want to survive!"

Pigsy suddenly raised his head, his eyes firm.

"Brother Ao Lie, my mind is made up; I will not walk this path of fetching the scriptures anymore! Let us part ways here today; I am heading to Gao Family Village. From now on, you walk your broad path, and I will cross my single-plank bridge!"

Having said that, Pigsy stood up, picked up the Nine-toothed Rake from the ground, and turned to walk back.

He was truly going to abandon Tang Seng, give up on fetching the scriptures, and turn back to the mountain forests and his old home, returning to Gao Family Village.

Seeing this, Ao Lie hurriedly stepped forward to block his path, his tone grave.

"Pigsy, if you are determined to leave, I will not stop you. But think clearly: if you leave, there will be no one to rescue Master, and he will surely die. And you will live the rest of your life in guilt. Moreover, there is not no way out right now; we do not necessarily have to fight him head-on."

Pigsy stopped and looked back at Ao Lie, his face full of confusion.

"What other way is there? We simply cannot beat that demon!"

Ao Lie looked around, confirmed that no one was there, and then lowered his voice and leaned in to say.

"There is only one person who can deal with the Yellow Robe Monster and save Master right now."

"Who?" Pigsy asked hurriedly.

"It is the Monkey King, whom Master drove away!"

Ao Lie said each word clearly. "The Monkey King has great Divine Ability, possesses 72 Transformations, and the Somersault Cloud. Back then, during his Havoc in Heaven, no one could defeat him. A mere Yellow Robe Monster is simply no match for him. As long as you are willing to swallow your pride, go to Flower-Fruit Mountain, admit your mistake to the Monkey King, and implore him to return, Master will definitely be saved!"

At the mention of the Monkey King, Pigsy immediately wilted and shook his head repeatedly.

"No, no! Absolutely not! That monkey was driven away by Master entirely because I was inciting things on the side; he hates me to death. If I go to Flower-Fruit Mountain to find him, it would be lucky if he doesn't skin me alive, so how could he possibly come back with me to save Master? I am not going; you can beat me to death, and I still won't go!"

"Besides the Monkey King, there is no one else who can save Master."

Ao Lie said in a deep voice. "Although the Monkey King has a quick temper, he values relationships and righteousness, and he is always concerned about Master's safety. If you go this time, sincerely admit your mistake, and explain the reason, he will certainly not sit idly by. If you do not even dare to take this step, that is truly abandoning Master, and you are unworthy of being his disciple!"

Pigsy stood there, struggling internally.

On one side was the fear of the Monkey King, and on the other was the guilt toward Tang Seng.

On one side was the comfortable life of Gao Family Village, and on the other was the unfinished great cause of fetching the scriptures; his heart was in chaos, and he could not make up his mind.

Ao Lie looked at his conflicted appearance and said no more, just standing quietly on the side, waiting for him to make a decision.

He knew in his heart that although Pigsy was cowardly and craved comfort, there was still a trace of morality in his heart, and he might not really have the heart to leave.

After a long time, Pigsy finally let out a long sigh, put down the Nine-toothed Rake in his hand, squatted on the ground, held his head with both hands, his face full of pain.

"Fine, fine! Consider it that I, Old Pig, owe you! If I really ignore Master, I will never have peace of mind in this lifetime. But that monkey has a fiery temper; if I go, I am afraid I will really be taught a lesson..."

Seeing that Pigsy finally relented, Ao Lie felt slightly relieved and spoke.

"You can rest assured and go; if you ask sincerely, the Monkey King will definitely not make things difficult for you. Saving Master is urgent; you should set off immediately for Flower-Fruit Mountain. I will stay here to keep watch, secretly investigate the movements of the Boyue Cave, and protect Master's safety, waiting for you to bring the Monkey King back."

Pigsy stood up, his face full of reluctance, but there was no other way.

He had no choice but to shoulder his Nine-toothed Rake, looking back every few steps at the direction of the Black Pine Forest, muttering continuously.

"Master, oh Master, please do not blame me, Old Pig; if you hadn't driven the Monkey King away, we wouldn't have ended up in this situation... I, Old Pig, am going to beg the Monkey King now, you must hold on!"

After finishing his muttering, Pigsy gritted his teeth and hesitated no longer.

He turned around and changed direction, no longer heading in the opposite direction of the journey, but instead traveling toward Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Ao Lie watched Pigsy's retreating figure, slowly withdrew his gaze, and his eyes became cold and firm.

He turned and looked toward the Boyue Cave deep in the Black Pine Forest, secretly mobilized his Shadow Power, and a faint aura of shadow emerged around him, thinking to himself.

"With Pigsy going, he will surely be able to bring the Monkey King back. Before that, I will secretly guard outside the Boyue Cave to protect Master's safety. I will never let the Yellow Robe Monster harm him in the slightest; when the Monkey King returns, it will be the time to subdue this demon."

Outside the Black Pine Forest where the gloomy winds blew, Ao Lie stood alone, with shadows dormant around him, waiting patiently.