45: Chapter 46 The Brothers of Gold and Silver

The Monkey King transformed into an old demoness, sitting upright in the hall. Looking at the respectful King Gold Horn and King Silver Horn before him, he secretly rejoiced in his heart, yet maintained an arrogant and aged demeanor on his face. He asked slowly, "My children, you invited me here specially today; besides enjoying the Tang Seng meat, is there anything else you need my help with? Speak freely."

King Silver Horn hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Mother has such Wisdom Eye. To tell you the truth, that Monkey King has vast Divine Ability and is full of cunning tricks. He tricked us out of two Magic Treasures and is still lurking outside the cave, waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble and rescue Tang Seng and his disciples. We invited Mother here for two reasons: first, to let you enjoy the Tang Seng meat and prolong your life; second, to borrow the Golden Binding Rope in your hands to capture that Monkey King and eliminate this threat once and for all!"

"That is simple, leave it to me." The Monkey King pretended to agree readily, but in his heart, he was calculating how to further toy with the demons and seize the opportunity to snatch the remaining Seven-Star Sword and Palm Leaf Fan from them, completely cutting off their reliance.

He deliberately coughed twice, put on the airs of an elder, and continued, "That Monkey King is the Reincarnation of a mischievous monkey; he is naturally stubborn and very difficult to deal with, so you must not let your guard down. If he attacks later, I will naturally use the Golden Binding Rope to capture him and leave him for you to deal with. However, regarding how to cook the Tang Seng meat to maximize its longevity-bestowing effects, do you have any plans?"

King Gold Horn and King Silver Horn, with their minds set on capturing the Monkey King, had not the slightest suspicion of the "Mother" before them. They hurriedly replied, "We will follow Mother's arrangements in everything. As long as we can capture the Monkey King, we can eat the Tang Seng meat however we like!"

Seeing this, the Monkey King became increasingly smug. As he spoke, he unconsciously took on a few monkey-like mannerisms, and his movements became slightly impatient. He had intended to continue fabricating stories to extract more information, but due to a moment of negligence, while he raised his hand to smooth his white hair, his monkey tail inadvertently revealed itself from behind and swayed gently.

This scene was caught by King Silver Horn.

King Silver Horn immediately grew suspicious, his brows knitting tightly. He pondered to himself, "My mother is a nine-tailed fox who has attained the Dao; her form and appearance have long been fixed. She has never had such mannerisms or movements, and it is impossible for her to have a tail. What is going on?"

With suspicion rising in his heart, his gaze sharpened. He stared fixedly at the "Mother" in the hall, examining her carefully, and the more he looked, the more wrong it felt. Although the person before him looked and sounded exactly like his mother, her mannerisms and behavior were permeated with a monkey-like air, completely lacking his mother's aged and languid nature.

King Gold Horn, seeing his brother's strange expression, hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Brother, what is wrong with you? Why are you looking at Mother like that?"

King Silver Horn did not respond, keeping his eyes fixed on the Monkey King. Suddenly, he shouted sharply, "Who exactly are you? How dare you impersonate my mother, sneak into my Lotus Cave, and deceive us!"

This shout instantly shattered the calm inside the cave. King Gold Horn trembled all over, his face full of astonishment. He turned to look at the "Mother" in the hall, then back at his furious brother, at a loss for what to do.

The Monkey King was startled, thinking to himself that it was bad; he must have revealed a flaw and been identified by these demons. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm, pretending to be angry. He slapped the table and scolded sharply, "Unfilial son! I am your own mother; how dare you speak to me like this? This is simply rebellious!"

"Even now, you dare to quibble!" King Silver Horn's eyes were cold, and his Demonic Qi surged instantly. Pointing at the Monkey King, he shouted, "My mother has practiced for a thousand years and has long since shed her beast form; there is absolutely no tail behind her. You just revealed a tail, and your mannerisms are exactly like that Monkey King's. You are simply the Monkey King in disguise, daring to impersonate my mother and toy with us!"

With the truth completely exposed, the Monkey King knew he could no longer hide it. He immediately stopped pretending, his figure flickered, and he returned to his true form. Holding the Golden Cudgel, he pointed at the two demons and laughed aloud, "You two demons actually have some discernment! I am indeed the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, Monkey King! Today, I infiltrated your Lotus Cave specifically to seize your Magic Treasures, rescue my Master and Junior Brother, and deal with you two vile demons who are causing harm to the region!"

"What a vile monkey! How dare you humiliate us like this!" King Silver Horn was furious, stomping with rage. He immediately drew the Seven-Star Sword from his side and charged at the Monkey King, swinging it. "Vile monkey, I want you to pay with your life! Today, I will surely hack you into ten thousand pieces!"

King Gold Horn also reacted, realizing he had been toyed with by the Monkey King, and his rage burned even hotter. He immediately picked up the Palm Leaf Fan and joined forces with King Silver Horn to besiege the Monkey King.

The Monkey King showed no fear. Holding the Golden Cudgel, he responded calmly, fighting both of them without falling behind in the slightest. The Golden Cudgel danced with the force of a tiger, clashing fiercely with the demons' Seven-Star Sword, emitting waves of metallic clanging sounds. Inside the cave, Demonic Qi and Immortal Qi intertwined, creating a great gale. Tables, chairs, and ornaments were all shattered, causing the small demons to scatter in fear, creating chaos.

During the fight, the Monkey King deliberately exposed a flaw to lure King Silver Horn into attacking. King Silver Horn, eager for victory, fell for the trap and thrust his sword directly at the Monkey King's vital points. The Monkey King dodged sideways, and at the same time, seized the opportunity to pull out the Golden Binding Rope from his bosom and threw it fiercely at King Silver Horn, intending to use the Golden Binding Rope to bind him.

However, King Silver Horn, as the owner of the Golden Binding Rope, knew well how to counter this Magic Treasure. Seeing the Golden Binding Rope flying towards him, he immediately recited the incantation and gave a light tug. The Golden Binding Rope not only failed to bind him but instantly reversed direction and coiled around the Monkey King instead.

Caught off guard, the Monkey King was firmly bound by the Golden Binding Rope. The rope dug deep into his muscles and bones. No matter how he circulated his Immortal Qi or struggled with all his might, he could not break free in the slightest. Instead, he was bound tighter and tighter, unable to exert his strength, and the Golden Cudgel in his hand fell to the ground.

Seeing this, King Silver Horn was overjoyed. He hurriedly retracted the Golden Binding Rope, bound the Monkey King tightly, and shouted sharply, "Vile monkey, I didn't expect you to have such a day! No matter how vast your Divine Ability or how cunning your tricks, you have finally been captured by me!"

King Gold Horn walked up and looked at the bound Monkey King, his face full of triumph as he laughed, "Brother, well done! This vile monkey has repeatedly ruined our plans. Now that he is captured, he can no longer cause trouble. Quick, put him into the purple-gold red gourd, let him turn into pus and blood, and eliminate the threat once and for all!"

King Silver Horn nodded in agreement and immediately took out the fake gourd that the Monkey King had previously transformed into, intending to put the Monkey King inside it. The Monkey King was secretly anxious, but bound all over and unable to move, he could only seek another strategy.

Just then, King Silver Horn suddenly sensed something was wrong with the gourd in his hand. Looking carefully, he discovered that the gourd was fake. He was both angry and anxious, shouting, "Brother, this gourd is a fake Magic Treasure transformed by that vile monkey; the real gourd is still on him!"

After saying this, King Silver Horn stepped forward and searched the Monkey King, indeed finding the real purple-gold red gourd and sheep-fat jade purifying bottle, reclaiming both Magic Treasures.

The Monkey King watched as his Magic Treasures were snatched away, feeling annoyed but helpless. King Silver Horn held the real purple-gold red gourd, opened the lid, aimed it at the bound Monkey King, and shouted loudly, "Monkey King!"

The Monkey King, caught off guard for a moment, instinctively answered.

Only a flash of golden light was heard, and a powerful suction came from the gourd. The Monkey King could not resist at all and was instantly sucked into the purple-gold red gourd. King Silver Horn immediately closed the gourd lid and firmly applied the Talismanic Incantation. No matter how the Monkey King struggled inside the gourd, he could not escape.

Tang Seng, who was imprisoned on the side, saw the Monkey King captured into the gourd. His heart turned to ash, and tears streamed down his face. He sighed to the heavens, "Wukong, oh Wukong! Now that even you have been captured by the demons, I fear there is no path of survival left for the four of us, Master and disciples!"

Pigsy and Sand Monk were also full of despair, filled with grief and indignation, but were unable to turn the situation around.

Only Ao Lie remained as calm as ever. Secretly, he circulated his Shadow Power to probe the movements of the Monkey King inside the gourd. Detecting that the Monkey King had not died and was still waiting for an opportunity inside the gourd, he felt assured in his heart: "Senior Brother has vast Divine Ability and surely will not be defeated easily. He must have a way to escape. I only need to wait quietly and protect Master; I must not lose my composure."

Inside the gourd, the Monkey King was firmly trapped. He only felt the heat all around him, and the magic power inside the gourd constantly eroded his body. Yet, he did not panic. He calmed down, carefully thinking of a plan to escape and searching for the gourd's flaws.

Inside the Lotus Cave, the two demons, having captured the Monkey King, thought they had achieved complete success and once again set up a banquet to celebrate, acting extremely arrogantly, unaware that the Monkey King was already planning a counterattack inside the gourd.