Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

In a somewhat remote area of the capital city, Jiang Liu displayed the Exquisite Immortal Mansion, watching Sun Wukong and the others put up spring couplets.

Nearby, a few children from the area came over, full of joyous laughter, playing together for a while.

Jiang Liu had a smile on his face, showing no signs of annoyance. Instead, he pulled out some snacks and treats, sharing them with the kids.

The children, after receiving some food, sweetened their words, happily said a few blessings, and then turned around and ran off.

Watching these carefree children, Jiang Liu had a smile on his face, feeling somewhat envious.

The life of ordinary people is also plainly simple, and in his view, there's nothing wrong with it.

If given a choice, Jiang Liu felt he would still want to live a simple life of seclusion with Gaoyang.

But unfortunately, this world would not allow it, nor would the myriad of immortals and buddhas.

Though now I possess immense power, which makes all the immortals and buddhas wary of provoking me, I also understand that their true fear is not my strength, but the fear of the Immeasurable Kalpa.

Moreover, the day I arrive at the Great Thunder Monastery of the Western Heaven is also the day I officially rip off the pretense with all the immortals and buddhas.

Not to mention what the outcome of that battle will be, even if I win, unless I can wipe out all the immortals and buddhas, my life afterward will not be peaceful.

After all, once a battle is fought at the Western Spirit Mountain, the great calamity of the Journey to the West for Scriptures will be considered over.

By then, without the protection of the Immeasurable Kalpa, those immortals and buddhas need no longer fear the great calamity.

"What am I thinking? The road ahead is long and life and death are uncertain, and here I am considering how to live an ordinary person's life? All of this, I'll think about once I have enough power to confront the forces of the immortals and buddhas!"

Shaking his head, Jiang Liu came back to his senses, inwardly mocking himself.

Beep beep beep...

At this moment, suddenly, the sound of a message coming in was heard.

Jiang Liu said something about the couplet being a bit crooked and needing to be moved to the upper left corner while opening his friend list.

Gaoyang's avatar was bouncing.

"I heard you recently took in a maiden, and rumors say that eating a piece of her flesh can increase lifespan by sixty years? Quite a match for you!"

Seeing the message Gaoyang sent him, Jiang Liu's lips curved slightly, and he smiled, then responded with a message back: "What? Are you jealous?"

"No, just heard the news and thought I'd chat with you about it!" Gaoyang replied with another message, stating she wasn't jealous.

Seeing this, Jiang Liu's lips curled up again.

Whether she's jealous or not is one thing, but since Gaoyang wants to know, Jiang Liu naturally wouldn't hide it from her.

Thinking it over, Jiang Liu directly initiated a video call.

"What? Can't explain through messages? You had to start a video call?" After the video connected, Gaoyang appeared in front of Jiang Liu, speaking.

"For some things, it's clearer to talk face to face!" Jiang Liu replied.

"Is that so?" Gaoyang's face showed a hint of skepticism, she smiled slightly and asked, "Are you sure it's just to talk about this and not that you wanted to see me?"

"Of course, it's been some days since I saw you, and I have missed seeing you!" Gaoyang's words weren't something Jiang Liu was going to argue against, so he nodded along.

"It's been some days since seeing you, and you've become more glib, huh? Have you been flirting with that maiden a lot lately?"

Gaoyang was teasing Jiang Liu with her words, but her face couldn't help but show a smile.

Clearly, Jiang Liu's response made her quite happy inside.

"By heaven and earth, aside from saying this to you, I have never said such words to anyone else!" Jiang Liu's face turned earnest, almost as if he was ready to swear an oath.

"Hmph, you say you haven't told anyone else, then who taught you these words?" Gaoyang pursed her lips, clearly not believing Jiang Liu.

"This is innate! All along the journey, Bajie is learning from me how to woo women! Unfortunately, he's destined not to learn my exceptional talents! There's nothing I can do, being naturally this outstanding!"

Jiang Liu sighed as he finished speaking, but his expression was unmistakably self-admiring.

"You're really getting more shameless with your words!" Seeing Jiang Liu's demeanor, Gaoyang couldn't help but laugh aloud.

"Who says so? Don't you think I'm excellent? If I weren't, wouldn't that make your taste questionable?" Jiang Liu replied, passing the ball back to Gaoyang, forcing her to admit he's quite excellent.

Being excellent themselves proves the other's good taste, doesn't it? If I'm not excellent, wouldn't that imply her taste is poor?

"This..."

When Jiang Liu kicked the ball over, a hint of hesitation appeared on Gaoyang's face, and then he sighed softly and said, "I can't help it, who made me blind back then?"

"Is this saying you'd rather admit you have poor judgment than acknowledge I'm not good enough? Is there a need to hurt each other like this?" Gaoyang's response made the corner of Jiang Liu's mouth twitch slightly, and he mentally critiqued it.

Of course, described by Gaoyang like this, hurting each other? Jiang Liu was naturally unwilling.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu, displaying the demeanor of someone caring for a child with a disability, looked at Gaoyang and said, "Now, you should know how good I am to you, right? Even when you're blind, I've stayed by your side without abandoning you!"

Gaoyang: "..."

Seeing Gaoyang at a loss for words, Jiang Liu couldn't help but laugh out loud. Trying to argue with me? Gaoyang has a ghost of a chance of winning against me.

Over the years, Gaoyang has either been under Guanyin's watch or stayed alone in the Green Tour Palace, having no opportunity to spar with words.

In contrast, I've often had verbal sparring matches with Sun Wukong. Even when I don't argue, I can watch Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie go at it. This skill of verbal sparring has been practiced to perfection.

"Okay, okay, let's not joke around, let's talk business..."

Women, especially in front of their beloved, tend to be a bit petty. Seeing Gaoyang speechless, Jiang Liu knew very well that continuing to argue would do him no good. He straightened his face and shifted the topic back to serious matters.

Without waiting for Gaoyang to ask, Jiang Liu proactively said, "Actually, the rumor that eating a piece of the White Mouse Demon's flesh can extend one's life by sixty years is completely false. It's simply not true!"

"A rumor? Then, who spread this news?" Hearing Jiang Liu bring up the main topic, Gaoyang's expression turned solemn as he asked.

At these words, he paused slightly and then asked, "Moreover, since the White Mouse Demon isn't anything special, why do you keep her by your side as a maiden?"

"Why? Isn't it because over the years, our Journey to the West team has greatly increased in cultivation level?" Hearing Gaoyang's question, Jiang Liu sighed helplessly.

Then, he recounted how even the countless Immortals and Buddhas were hesitant to trouble him anymore.

Even the Tathagata and Maitreya Buddha discussed using remote strategies and clever traps to increase the challenges on the Journey to the West.

And I, in turn, thought of eliminating some Immortals and Buddhas earlier. That's why I kept the White Mouse Demon by my side, as bait for law enforcement...

"So that's the situation!" Hearing Jiang Liu's explanation, Gaoyang nodded, understanding now.

It turned out that Jiang Liu kept the White Mouse Demon by his side for such a profound reason.

"Sigh, in the beginning, we all strove to become stronger. But now, your power has reached the level of a Daluo Golden Immortal, and you are indeed very powerful. Yet, while it brings benefits, it also brings trouble. This journey has truly been hard for you..."

Understanding the truth of the matter, Gaoyang sighed deeply and said to Jiang Liu.

"There's no hardship; it's all for living, to live well in the future!"

"Though I'm not fond of the Buddhist Sect, some of their words do make sense, such as 'all beings suffer'..."

Jiang Liu and Gaoyang had a good chat, joking and discussing the White Mouse Demon and some recent amusing incidents, ranging from various topics.

Finally, they each exchanged New Year blessings, and Jiang Liu ended the video call.

"Master, why hasn't Junior Sister White Mouse Demon returned yet after being gone for quite a while?" After Jiang Liu ended the call, Zhu Bajie suddenly spoke up to Jiang Liu.

"Hmm, she accidentally broke some cups and bowls earlier and said she was going to get replacements, so she should still be shopping!" Jiang Liu replied to Zhu Bajie's question.

Women, when they start shopping, completely forget about the passage of time. Regardless of past or present lifetimes, Jiang Liu believes it should be the same.

"But it's almost time for dinner. Even if we're not eating, she should come back earlier to prepare for you, Master?" Zhu Bajie shook his head, sensing something was amiss.

"Huh?" Hearing Zhu Bajie's words, Jiang Liu's heart skipped a beat—indeed.

These days, the White Mouse Demon meticulously handled my meals, clothing, and other needs, never making any mistake, letting me enjoy a supreme VIP experience on the Journey to the West.

However, looking at the sky, it's almost dinnertime.

Did the White Mouse Demon forget to come back to prepare dinner because she was shopping? That seems unlikely!

"Wukong, see where the White Mouse Demon is!" Feeling that something was off, Jiang Liu promptly asked Sun Wukong nearby.

"Got it, Master!" Sun Wukong nodded in agreement.

Then, using his golden gaze, Sun Wukong's vision swept across the entire city, searching for the whereabouts of the White Mouse Demon.

But after a while, Sun Wukong retracted the golden light from his eyes. With a perplexed expression, he shook his head and said, "Master, something's not right! I, Old Sun, couldn't find the White Mouse Demon! She seems not to be in the city!"