36: Chapter 37 Patrol the Mountain

Tang Seng made up his mind to press forward, yet his heart remained filled with anxiety and unease.

He stood rooted to the spot, hesitant to take a step.

Seeing Master in such a state, Monkey King understood; he knew Master was frightened by the message delivered by the Heavenly God earlier, so he immediately smiled to reassure him.

"Master, set your heart at ease. I, Old Monkey, will arrange everything properly.

We shall first investigate the situation in the mountain, then proceed steadily. We will certainly not rush blindly into the demons' trap."

"Wukong, what plan do you have? Speak quickly so that I may be at ease."

Tang Seng asked hurriedly, his eyes full of anticipation.

Monkey King rolled his eyes, his gaze landing on Pigsy, who was shrinking his neck and looking terrified nearby. An idea instantly came to him.

He walked slowly up to Pigsy, looked him up and down, and said.

"Pigsy, come here. I have an important task for you to handle."

Pigsy's heart tightened; he subconsciously took a step back and shook his head repeatedly.

"Senior Brother, I... what could I possibly do? My abilities are not as good as yours. You should go instead; I will just stay here and protect Master."

He knew clearly that at such a perilous time, the task Monkey King was assigning could not be an easy one.

It was highly likely that he would have to investigate the demons in the mountain. He was already terrified of the demons in the Lotus Cave, so how could he dare to go?

"Protecting Master, me and Brother Ao Lie are enough. We don't need you."

Monkey King straightened his face, his tone serious.

"Just now, the Heavenly God sent word that demons are entrenched in the Lotus Cave in the mountain. We do not know the demons' background or the location of their Immortal Cave.

Rushing forward blindly will certainly lead to trouble."

"The most important thing right now is to send someone into the mountain to patrol and scout the path, and to figure out the movements of the demons.

Find out the specific location of the Lotus Cave. You are strong and nimble on your feet, so this task must be yours!"

"I won't go! I, Pigsy, absolutely will not go!"

Pigsy shook his head like a rattle-drum and waved his hands repeatedly to refuse.

"Senior Brother, those demons in the mountain are so powerful. If I go in and get discovered by the minor demons, and get dragged into the Lotus Cave, wouldn't I be throwing my life away for nothing?

You have the greatest abilities; you should go patrol the mountain yourself. I really cannot go!"

"You fool, you are always the one slacking off and being lazy, and you eat the most.

Now that we have encountered a real matter, you are shrinking back. What kind of behavior is that!"

Monkey King frowned and scolded him sternly.

"As Master's disciple, protecting Master on the journey to the Western Heaven is your duty.

Now is the time when effort is needed. How can you shrink back at the critical moment and disobey Master's order?"

Tang Seng also spoke up from the side to persuade him.

"Pigsy, Wukong is right. Patrolling the mountain to scout the path and investigate the demons' situation is crucial to us.

Just take the trouble to go into the mountain and scout around. Remember to be careful in everything. If you encounter danger, retreat immediately; do not try to be a hero."

"Master, it's not that I don't want to go, but those demons are too powerful. I am really no match for them!"

Pigsy wore a mournful face and begged Tang Seng bitterly.

"If I get captured by the demons, who will protect you? You should let Senior Brother go. Senior Brother has great Divine Ability, and the demons cannot hurt him at all."

"If I go to patrol the mountain, who will protect you all? Who will deal with the demons?"

Monkey King snorted coldly and pressed him step by step.

"You fool, you are just timid and afraid of trouble. It was fine when you slacked off during normal times.

Now that it concerns Master's safety, you dare to shirk responsibility. Do you believe that I will beat you up right now and punish you for disobeying Master's order!"

After saying this, Monkey King gripped his Golden Cudgel, pretending to be about to strike. Pigsy was so scared that he retreated repeatedly, covering his head with his hands and begging for mercy.

"Senior Brother, spare me! I'll go! I'll go, okay! Don't hit me, I'll go patrol the mountain right now!"

He was truly afraid of Monkey King's cudgel and knew that if he shirked any longer, he would definitely get a beating.

He had no choice but to agree reluctantly, his face full of unwillingness, yet he dared not disobey.

Seeing this, Monkey King finally lowered the Golden Cudgel, his expression softening slightly as he instructed.

"That's more like it. This time when you enter the mountain, you must be diligent. Carefully investigate the movements in the mountain, see clearly the demons' patrol routes, and find the specific location of the Lotus Cave.

Find out how many minor demons King Gold Horn and King Silver Horn have under them. Remember, do not be lazy, and do not act rashly.

If you encounter demons, hide if you can. Save your life and return quickly to report."

"I know, I know."

Pigsy hung his head and replied listlessly, shouldering his Nine-toothed Rake, looking back every few steps.

He looked at Tang Seng and Monkey King, his face full of grievance.

"Master, Senior Brother, Brother Ao Lie, I am going into the mountain to patrol now. You must wait for me to return; do not leave too quickly."

Ao Lie stood to the side, watching this scene the whole time without saying much, only secretly separating a wisp of Shadow Power to quietly follow behind Pigsy.

It was not to offer help, but to investigate the movements of the Demonic Qi in the mountain and to know about the dangers in advance.

It was also to be prepared in the rear to protect Tang Seng well, and at the same time to see if this fool would actually work diligently.

Monkey King watched Pigsy dawdle into the forest, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and turned to smile at Tang Seng.

"Master, rest assured. With Pigsy going this time, he will certainly be able to find out information.

We will rest and wait here. When he returns, we will make further plans."

Tang Seng nodded and sat on a blue stone by the roadside, closing his eyes to recite scriptures silently. However, his heart remained difficult to calm, and he looked toward the forest from time to time, full of worry.

Ao Lie walked to the side, appearing to sit quietly and regulate his breathing, but in reality, he was fully controlling the movements transmitted by the Shadow Power, clearly seeing every move Pigsy made.

He saw Pigsy dawdling into the depths of the forest. Seeing no one around and no traces of demons or minor demons, Pigsy immediately relaxed completely and threw Monkey King's instructions to the back of his mind.

He found a sheltered and soft patch of grass, lay directly on the ground, threw his Nine-toothed Rake aside, stretched, yawned a big yawn, and muttered.

"I'm exhausted. Patrolling the mountain, patrolling the mountain, what is there to patrol? Anyway, Senior Brother is not here. I'll take a nap first.

When I wake up, I'll just make up a few words to fool them. Why bother provoking those demons?"

After saying this, Pigsy closed his eyes, and before long, he began to snore and fell fast asleep.

He slept soundly, completely forgetting the heavy responsibility of patrolling the mountain and scouting the path.

Monkey King, hidden in the clouds, had long since transformed into a small flying insect and was quietly following behind Pigsy, seeing his lazy sleeping appearance clearly.

He was both angry and amused, cursing inwardly.

"This fool, his nature is indeed hard to change. I asked him to patrol the mountain, and he is actually slacking off and sleeping here. Let's see how I deal with him later!"

Monkey King did not reveal himself to expose him immediately, but quietly hid to the side, waiting for Pigsy to wake up to see what tricks he would play next.

In the forest, Pigsy slept soundly and would not wake up; at the foot of the mountain, Tang Seng was full of worry.