Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Putting aside what everyone was thinking after they rested, that night, everyone was able to rest quite well.

After all, staying in the Exquisite Immortal Mansion was much better than sleeping outside, right?

With no words exchanged during the night, everyone got up the next morning, washed up, and Jiang Liu slowly cooked some plain porridge with a few buns. Although it was simple fare, it tasted quite good.

After that, Jiang Liu packed up the Exquisite Immortal Mansion and continued on their way.

Walking through the mountain range, the mountain roads were rugged, but fortunately, Jiang Liu wasn't in a hurry to travel, so the group of them felt like they were just enjoying a scenic mountain outing.

After several days of travel like this, they happened to find a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain, where an old woman around sixty years old stood outside, looking out into the distance with her back toward them.

"Hello, Benefactor," Jiang Liu greeted the old woman as he approached the thatched hut and noticed her longing gaze.

"Oh, you, you all are demons!?" The old woman turned around and, seeing Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing's fierce and ugly appearances, took a great fright and stumbled backward.

Quick to react, Jiang Liu caught the old woman to prevent her from falling to the ground, "Benefactor, you misunderstand. My disciples may look unsightly, but they are indeed my followers. I am a monk on a pilgrimage to Western Heaven to seek scriptures from the Buddha!"

"Oh, I see now!"

Although still visibly shaken, the old woman seemed much reassured seeing Jiang Liu's clean and scholarly appearance.

It's like a mad dog without an owner can be scary, but if the mad dog has an owner who can control it, it tends to be somewhat more reassuring.

Naturally, seeing Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing were somewhat the same concept.

"What's going on, Master?" Sun Wukong, watching Jiang Liu strike up a conversation with the old woman, felt a bit surprised internally, not understanding why his master would do such a thing.

However, he didn't say anything, just quietly watched.

Having followed his master for nearly a year, Sun Wukong had come to understand the nature of Jiang Liu and knew that his actions always had a purpose.

"Benefactor, I see you standing at your door, looking into the distance. Is there something wrong at home? Perhaps I may be able to help," Jiang Liu offered warmly.

Yes, this was Jiang Liu's purpose.

Recently, Jiang Liu felt he hadn't received a mission for a long time. Seeing the old woman's situation, it seemed she might need help, so Jiang Liu took the initiative to inquire, hoping to trigger a mission.

After all, if he could receive a mission and help someone in the process, why not?

"Thank you for your kindness, Master. My husband went into the mountains yesterday to gather herbs and hasn't returned all night. I'm very worried. Early today, my granddaughter also went to look for him, but she hasn't returned yet either. Now, I am left alone at home, deeply concerned," the old woman expressed her worry.

"The mountains, you say? I happen to be heading there myself. Do you need help?" Jiang Liu asked, guiding the conversation.

"If so, thank you so much, Master!" Hearing Jiang Liu's offer to help voluntarily, the old woman thanked him.

Mission System, no response. This caused Jiang Liu to sigh inwardly, feeling that the system was a bit too inhuman.

Jiang Liu continued, "Benefactor, for me to help, you need to formally ask me to do so!"

"Formally ask?" His words made the old woman pause, then with a distressed expression, she said, "But I, an old lady, have nothing of value…"

"No, you misunderstand, I am not asking for any kind of compensation!" Jiang Liu shook his head, knowing his previous words could indeed be misleading.

But there was nothing he could do—if the other party didn't formally ask him to do something, the Mission System wouldn't respond at all. It wasn't humanized in the slightest.

"Oh, I, an old lady, request the help of the Master to find my husband and granddaughter in the mountains!"

Although she did not understand why Jiang Liu insisted on a formal request, the old woman nodded earnestly and made her request.

"Prompt: Mission 'Reunion' triggered. Mission requirements: successfully help the old woman find her husband and granddaughter. Success: Jiang Liu gains 100000 Experience Points and a Perfect Level Treasure Chest *1. Failure: lose 100000 Experience Points. Accept/Reject?"

As expected, as soon as the old woman formally requested his help, the system's prompt arrived on cue, triggering a passive mission.

"Indeed, this system doesn't have the slightest hint of Spiritual Wisdom; it's all pre-programmed without any humanization!" Hearing the system prompt, Jiang Liu shook his head inwardly.

I didn't even bother complaining anymore and just took on the mission.

Sure enough, successfully triggering the mission made Jiang Liu happy, even though it was just a mission for 100,000 Experience Points and a Perfect Level Treasure Chest. But to Jiang Liu, even a small mosquito is meat.

100,000 Experience Points was enough to make up for four or five days of cultivation.

After casually accepting the mission, Jiang Liu and his companions continued westward into the mountains, followed by the grateful cries of the old woman behind them.

"Master, moving deep into the mountains just to find two people is like looking for a needle in a haystack!" Zhu Bajie asked, walking beside Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu's actions seemed somewhat out of place, taking the initiative to help others, especially in such a difficult matter. Zhu Bajie never thought his master was such a warm-hearted person.

"Bajie, you're wrong there. No matter what, we are monks, don't you understand compassion? Every time someone asked for help along the way, have I ever refused?" Jiang Liu replied righteously upon hearing Zhu Bajie's words.

Being able to look for someone and complete a task was indeed like looking for a needle in a haystack as Zhu Bajie had said. If it could drag on for a few more days, that would be even better.

To Jiang Liu, this mission was still necessary.

"Hmm, that's true indeed. Master has always been kind-hearted!" Sun Wukong nodded in agreement as Jiang Liu finished speaking.

Thinking about it, it seemed that on the road, his master had really not turned down any requests and had agreed to everything.

"Is that so? Then why did you straight up refuse when I, Old Pig, asked you to teach me so I could be adored by all the girls!?" As soon as Jiang Liu mentioned it, Zhu Bajie felt even more heartbroken.

It seemed that his master agreed to others' requests, but refused his own?

Zhu Bajie's words were not only distressing for him, but Jiang Liu also felt quite stung.

Thinking back to when Zhu Bajie had asked him and triggered a passive mission with rewards of a billion Experience Points and a Divine Level Treasure Chest, it had taken a tremendous amount of willpower for Jiang Liu to refuse that mission. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire

After all, passive missions came with penalties. Jiang Liu didn't believe he had the ability to turn Zhu Bajie into a Casanova. If he had really accepted that mission, it was very likely that he'd have to suffer a penalty of a billion Experience Points.

Thinking about such consequences made Jiang Liu hesitant.

That appeared to be the only passive mission Jiang Liu had ever refused.

"About that, the task you asked of your teacher, if your teacher couldn't do it, how could I agree to it? When someone promises something, they must fulfill it, mustn't they? I am a man of my word!"

Though his mind was flooded with thoughts of the billion Experience Points' reward and penalty, Jiang Liu managed to answer with a calm demeanor.

"Um, Master is right for sure! He is indeed a man of his word!" Walking along the way, Sun Wukong appreciated this aspect of Jiang Liu the most. Unlike that Old Tathagata, Sun Wukong naturally couldn't help but speak up.

"Monkey Brother, are you perhaps the 'flunky' Master mentioned recently? Always the one shouting '666' by the side?" Hearing Sun Wukong consistently supporting Jiang Liu, Zhu Bajie said with a strange look.

It seemed that this role was usually his, right?

"Fool, what I, Old Sun, say comes from the heart!" Sun Wukong replied, giving Zhu Bajie an annoyed look.

"Second Brother, actually, Master is really right! As monks, we should embody compassion!" Not just Sun Wukong giving support, but at this moment, the usually marginalized and typically silent Sha Wujing, who rarely spoke up, suddenly did.

At this moment, Sha Wujing nearly felt like crying. If Master hadn't mentioned monkhood, he might have really forgotten his own status as a monk.

Gambling, drinking, eating meat...

Do these activities suit a monk?

Fortunately, having a compassionate heart still fits the identity of a monk, finally a saving grace.

All along, Sha Wujing had been a quiet, almost invisible person. Sun Wukong was naturally frank and would often bicker, even daring to talk back to Master. Zhu Bajie always thought he was Master's top flunky, always doing good talk and flattering Master.

But now, listening to both Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing support Master, it seemed like he was the one conflicting with Master?

With this thought, Zhu Bajie was suddenly alarmed.

"Master, you really have a heart of a Bodhisattva, warm and enthusiastic, compassionate and generous, and you care immensely for us disciples..."

A stream of praises flowed from Zhu Bajie's mouth, leaving Jiang Liu and others stunned.