Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Jiang Liu's words made Sun Wukong's face darken, as they reminded him of the saying from Jiang Liu, "One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father."

Did he really just act like he was his own father?

"Master, stop kidding around, let's talk properly!" Sun Wukong's face was somewhat dark as he spoke.

"Oh? Wukong, not bad, you've actually learned to steal Master's words now!?" Sun Wukong's remark indeed made Jiang Liu feel rather odd.

Weren't these the usual words he himself said to him?

"Monkey Brother, heh heh heh, didn't you say you'd never get involved in romantic affairs this lifetime, finding them too troublesome? It's funny how your mouth says no, but your body is quite honest!"

Zhu Bajie, of course, had noticed the hands of Sun Wukong and Fairy Zixia tied together and couldn't help chuckling as he spoke with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

"Ah... No, it's not what you guys are thinking!"

Upon hearing Zhu Bajie's teasing comments amidst all the eyebrow wiggling, Fairy Zixia also realized that her hand was still entwined with Sun Wukong's. Her face immediately flushed red, she pulled away her hand, bowed her head, and felt too ashamed to look at Jiang Liu and the others.

"This is bad..." Although Jiang Liu and Zhu Bajie were making fun of Sun Wukong and Fairy Zixia, the Yellow Wind Monster, on the other hand, turned completely pale and his mouth twitched slightly upon seeing this scene.

Previously at the Glycyrrhiza Garden, he had forcibly taken Fairy Zixia away using physical force. Who would have thought that after her journey in the Demon Realm with the Great Saint, their feelings had warmed to such an extent?

If, in the future, Fairy Zixia held a grudge and whispered sweet nothings, it could spell trouble for him!

"Alright, alright, let's focus on the important matters. Wukong, did you find the chili peppers?" Seeing Fairy Zixia's shy demeanor, Jiang Liu spoke up to shut Zhu Bajie up and moved the conversation to the main topic.
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Zhu Bajie and the others, upon hearing about the chili peppers, also showed excitement on their faces, looking expectantly at Sun Wukong.

"Master, I'm not sure if these are really the chili peppers you were looking for!" Indeed, the chili peppers were now the focus of everyone's attention. Sun Wukong took out a small cloth bag from his bosom and reached in with his monkey paw to pull out a handful of small red chili peppers.

"They are indeed tiny, shaped like bull horns, and bright red!" Zhu Bajie and the others widened their eyes in surprise upon seeing the clutch of small red chili peppers in Sun Wukong's hand, thinking they looked exactly like the ones their master had described.

"How about it, Master? Are these the chili peppers you were looking for?" Everyone's gaze, including Zhu Bajie's, fell on the chili peppers in Sun Wukong's monkey paw. After looking at them, they all turned expectantly towards Jiang Liu.

Whether they were right or not, it was all up to Jiang Liu to decide.

"Master, let me, Old Pig, take a try and see if these chili peppers are as delicious as you said!"

Relative to others, Zhu Bajie though lazy, was more eager than Sun Wukong when it came to food. Without waiting for Jiang Liu to speak, he had already impatiently grabbed several small red chili peppers from Sun Wukong's hand and stuffed them into his mouth.

Watching Zhu Bajie's actions, Sun Wukong's mouth curled slightly in a smirk, and he deliberately kept quiet, waiting to see Zhu Bajie's reaction.

"Bajie, wait!" Seeing Zhu Bajie already moving to stuff the small red chili peppers into his mouth, Jiang Liu cried out in shock.

Although he had always emphasized how delicious these chili peppers were, after all, they were just a very important condiment, not meant to be eaten like this—who eats them directly like that?

However, Jiang Liu's cry, though quick, was not as fast as Zhu Bajie's actions. Along with the shout, Zhu Bajie had already popped the small red chili peppers into his mouth.

Then, Jiang Liu saw Zhu Bajie immediately spit out the small red chili peppers from his mouth, his long pig tongue sticking out as he cried out from the spiciness, saying, "Master, big brother got it wrong, this isn't the chili pepper you were looking for, this isn't the Deliciousness you spoke of!"

"Hahaha, Bajie, I told you to not be so hasty. I, Old Sun, also tried it earlier and reacted just like you, hahaha..." Seeing Zhu Bajie's reaction, Sun Wukong was overjoyed and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Obviously, he had previously experienced the spiciness himself, so he deliberately wanted to see what Zhu Bajie's reaction would be.

"You misfortunate monkey, had I known it was like this, why didn't you stop me, ah..."

Hearing Sun Wukong's words, Zhu Bajie muttered crossly, but the spiciness in his mouth made it hard for him to say much. After only half a sentence, he was still sticking out his tongue, crying out from the spiciness.

"Bajie, what Wukong brought back are indeed chili peppers, and they are the Superior Grade I mentioned!" Hearing Zhu Bajie's words, Jiang Liu spoke, taking a small red chili pepper from Sun Wukong's hand and holding it up.

"Ah! Master? Is this really the chili pepper you talked about? Didn't you say these chili peppers were very delicious? Could it be you deceived me just like this misfortunate monkey? I, Old Pig, am honest and straightforward, how could you deceive me like this!" Hearing Jiang Liu's words, Zhu Bajie looked utterly wronged as he spoke.

"You say we always need to add salt when cooking, but does anyone just stuff handfuls of salt directly into their mouth!?" Upon hearing Zhu Bajie's aggrieved tone, Jiang Liu couldn't help but speak irritably.

Honest and sincere? You've got to be joking, right? He can fool others, but can he really fool himself?

Wasn't it him who jumped out wanting to eat humans the very first time we met?

Not to mention, didn't he once kiss Guanyin Bodhisattva on the mouth?

With that being his past, does he really qualify to call himself sincere and honest?

"Ah? Master, that makes sense!" Ignoring what Jiang Liu was ranting about internally, upon hearing him use salt as an analogy, the two people who had eaten raw peppers both nodded in agreement.

Ignoring them, Jiang Liu just picked up a red chili pepper, gently bit off a chunk, and instantly felt an explosive spiciness appear in his mouth.

This actually pleased Jiang Liu rather than shocking him; the pepper was extremely spicy, ridiculously so, which explained why Zhu Bajie, who had never tasted something this spicy, reacted so strongly.

"Master? How is the taste!?" Seeing Jiang Liu calm down immediately without any sign of discomfort, Zhu Bajie secretly admired him and eagerly awaited Jiang Liu's response.

"Hmm, not bad, much better than I expected!" Jiang Liu nodded and replied.

"Then, what are we eating today? Last time, Master, you mentioned a lot of dishes!" Zhu Bajie's eyes lit up a whole lot, filled with anticipation, as soon as he heard Jiang Liu's approval.

It wasn't just Zhu Bajie; even Sha Wujing, Sun Wukong, White Dragon Horse, and even the Yellow Wind Monster were looking forward to what Jiang Liu would say.

"With so many people today, of course we're eating hotpot! It's only right for everyone to gather around and enjoy hotpot together!" Hearing Zhu Bajie's words and seeing everyone's eager faces, Jiang Liu replied with a smile.

"Monkey Brother, I've been away from Glycyrrhiza Garden for a while now, and it's about time for me to head back. I won't disturb you all!"

Fairy Zixia, upon hearing that Jiang Liu and the others were preparing to dine together, thought for a moment; with so many people here and knowing only Sun Wukong, plus having a bit of an issue with the Yellow Wind Monster, she felt it might be awkward to stay and thus bid Sun Wukong goodbye.

"Oh, you're leaving? Well, alright then!" Sun Wukong, ever so straightforward, heard that Zixia wanted to leave and didn't show any intent to ask her to stay, just nodded.

"Fairy Zixia, since you had a hand in finding these chilies, and we're just about to eat, why not stay and join us?"

Hearing Sun Wukong respond so straightforwardly, Jiang Liu's face darkened a bit, chiding Sun Wukong's cluelessly blunt nature, which would likely leave him single forever. Regrettably, as his master, Jiang Liu felt compelled to cover for him somewhat.

"No need, Grand Master, I..." Upon hearing Jiang Liu's invitation to dine together, Fairy Zixia felt undeserving.

Moreover, she had only shown the way for the little red peppers, it was really Monkey Brother who had, uh, gotten them; she certainly didn't dare take the credit.

Just as Fairy Zixia hadn't quite finished speaking, Jiang Liu interjected, adding, "After we're done eating, I'll have Wukong escort you back!"

"Well, then I would be remiss to decline..." Almost as if possessed, upon hearing Jiang Liu's words, Fairy Zixia initially intended to refuse but changed her mind, even surprising herself.

"Master, why should I be the one to take her back? Are you worried she'll lose her way?" Sun Wukong, puzzled by the arrangement, queried Jiang Liu.

"Don't talk, no one thinks you're mute!" Sun Wukong's remark resulted in Jiang Liu's face turning even darker as he responded irritably.

This really was like having a teammate who was a liability. With his straightforwardness bordering on idiocy, Jiang Liu truly wondered if Zixia could ever fall for him.

"Ah, Monkey Brother behaves like this and still such a beautiful fairy falls for him? Why does Old Pig only have Zhuzhu?" Even Zhu Bajie, watching from the side, couldn't help but feel imbalanced upon glancing at Sun Wukong.

"But, I, Old Sun, am puzzled—shouldn't you, Master, be the one to clarify this for me?" Seeing Jiang Liu looking somewhat displeased, Sun Wukong grew even more confused.

"Think about it. Zixia was brought here by the Yellow Wind Monster. Just sending her back like this might make others suspect she's been turned by the demon. They might trouble her, but if you escort her instead, given your reputation, who would dare bother her?" Sun Wukong sighed internally and explained.

"I see now. Master, you always think things through thoroughly!" Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong finally understood.

"This? You actually believe that?" Seeing Sun Wukong's epiphany, Jiang Liu's expression grew even darker.

This was more than just having an incompetent teammate—wasn't this more like trying to prop up a wall of mud?