Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

"Ugh."

When Wen Jiao rushed into the bamboo pavilion and caught Yuan Tiangang's body lying on the ground, she heard Yuan Tiangang sigh.

"The further I pushed forward, the greater the backlash I suffered. In the end... I couldn't bear it." He explained in a broken voice.

"Don't talk, save your energy!" Wen Jiao said anxiously, sending out a ball of immortal energy to replenish his essence. She also took out many elixirs and poured them into his mouth one handful at a time without even looking at the number.

It's useless. It's as if there's a black hole hidden inside Yuan Tiangang's body. It swallows up whatever is poured in. Not a single drop of it can remain in this weakened body.

"Don't cry." He clumsily tried to reach out and wipe the tears from her eyelashes, but in the end he only caught one tear that fell from her eyes. Wen Jiao then realized that she had burst into tears without knowing when.

She grabbed the withered hand, which was so cold that her heart was twitching: "It's all my fault... It must be because I brought Vishnu's curse. I shouldn't have provoked him. It's me who hurt you!"

The fingertips held in his palm moved, and Yuan Tiangang smiled bitterly, his eyes as calm as a windless lake: "I say... I don't blame you... This is my fate."

He was too weak to say more, so he could only struggle to stand up, put his foreheads together, and sent a divine thought to Wen Jiao.

It was on Mount Qingcheng, among the vast expanse of greenery. The young Taoist chose and chose for a long time before he found a quiet place that satisfied him. He put the cushion on it and sat down. "They say that fortune tellers cannot tell their own fortunes, but I don't believe it. My master said that I have mastered the art of fortune telling and can leave the school. So the first thing I want to tell is my own life."

After a moment, he looked at the results on the paper, his eyes fixed for a long time.

A fox with red fur kept acting coquettishly beside him. He couldn't get rid of it, so he just casually sealed its mouth, but his eyes never left the deduction results in his hand.

At that time, he knew that he would not live beyond the 27th year of Zhenguan in this life. Yuan Tiangang may have many shortcomings in his life, but he was proud of this hexagram and never made a mistake.

Fate is like the river flowing eastward, no matter how many twists and turns it goes through, it will eventually rush to the predetermined ocean. Yuan Tiangang was destined to die in the 27th year of Zhenguan. Whether he knew Wen Jiao, whether they loved each other, how many elixirs he took, whether he was cursed by Vishnu or not, his life was destined to be only this length, one more or one less, nothing could change it.

Because he knew the end, he lived happily.

He wanted to accomplish as much as possible in his limited life, so he was willing to spend his life to do what he wanted. He went north to Chang'an, decided on the tomb for the emperor, advised the kings and officials, and decided on the mountains and rivers for the snowy land. He was committed to leaving countless legends.

He wanted to live as he pleased, so he spent thousands of gold coins, his clothes and food were all clean and spotless, his home was elegant and magnificent, and he had fox fairies and flower fairies to serve him wherever he went. He would never allow himself to be wronged.

Since this life is destined to be limited, what does it matter if I hear the truth in the morning and die in the evening? For the physiognomist, shouldn't such a good ending be made clear?

Because he never wronged his heart, when he met the only woman in his life who moved him, he chose to follow her without hesitation. But he never thought that she would actually respond to him. After more than ten years of hand in hand, as their love deepened, the end of their lives was gradually approaching. Seeing her looking for elixirs to prolong his life without knowing it, and her master giving him the black tortoise armor to help him survive the three disasters, he regretted it more and more.

How could he not regret it? She was destined to live forever, but he was destined to not live past the 27th year of Zhenguan. If he had known this, he should not have pursued her unilaterally. When she really responded to his love, he hesitated again, and every time the words came to his lips, he did not dare to tell the truth.

Now that the matter has been decided, it is better to enjoy every day to the fullest and not waste this limited time, rather than worrying about an unchangeable outcome and finally finding that you still cannot defeat fate.

When she went to meet Vishnu, she didn't dare to tell him the truth because she was afraid that he would be sad. And wasn't he also afraid that she would be sad?

"Do you still remember what you said when you expressed your true feelings to me on the snowy peak?" He said with difficulty, and with every extra word he spoke, more blood foam appeared at the corners of his mouth, but his expression was smiling, full of infinite tenderness.

Tears blurred her vision. Wen Jiao naturally remembered. She said, she said at that time...

"But this white ice mountain can hardly recall the cry of the yellow crane that flew past the mountain ten thousand years ago."

Yuan Tiangang smiled softly, his voice only weak and faint, like a gossamer, if you don't listen carefully, you won't be able to hear it: "Huang He... crossed thousands of mountains and snowy evening snow to come here, just to see Bingshan... her beauty. As for other things, I have no extravagant desires. I don't want Bingshan to love me and we can be together... Twelve years is enough for me..."

His pupils lost their brightness, and his held hand slowly slid down due to loss of strength: "Forget, me."

For a long time, or perhaps just for a moment, Wen Jiao's mind was blank. She couldn't understand what was happening, nor did she know when and where she was, who was sleeping not far away, and what the cold body in her arms meant. She sat there in a daze until her ears echoed with intermittent curses that sounded far and near.

"As... the price, you will never be able to have a perfect life, and the man you love... will never be able to stay with you forever."

Wen Jiao was startled, and subconsciously lowered her head to see Yuan Tiangang's face sleeping in her arms. The power of the Dust-Repelling Pearl had cleared away the blood, ink and dust on his face and clothes. His facial features, hair, clothes and skin were all spotless. Such cleanliness was what he, a person who loved cleanliness, loved.

When they first met, he was also very clean, and he shouted to Li Chunfeng beside her from a distance: "There is a bald donkey inside."

He is so clumsy that he can't even speak human language. You can tell at a glance that he is a tech geek who is always lazy and easy to bully.

Wen Jiao burst out laughing, then frowned in pain.

"He will eventually leave you." Vishnu's curse echoed like the wind. And behind the curse was the sound of cold chains colliding.

The sound became clearer and closer, until two figures walked out of the void. The man in white had a pale face, a long red tongue, and on his tall white hat was written "First sight brings wealth". The man in black had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, with ferocious and hideous features, and on his black hat was written "Peace in the World".

They bowed to Wen Jiao twice, and the chain was thrown and tied around Yuan Tiangang's neck. The next moment, a shadow was drawn out, and Yuan Tiangang's soul figure was hazy, with his back to Wen Jiao, staggering, and followed them to sink down.

Wen Jiao's fingertips moved. Black and White Impermanence, the most famous ghost messengers in the underworld, were only ghost messengers, and their power was not even as strong as one of her fingernails. With just a thought, she could take back Yuan Tiangang's soul.

Two shaking hands pressed down on her shoulders. Xuanzang, who had come to the pavilion at some point, said with pity, "Mother, you made a vow."

Vow? What did she vow?

Yes, she once vowed to seek justice in front of Manjusri and Samantabhadra. She said, "If I hurt others, I should abandon my emotions and desires and seek to see the difference between the pure and the turbid."

The cycle of life and death is the order of heaven and earth, and it cannot be tolerated because of her own love.

She swore an oath.

During this moment of distraction, the Black and White Impermanence had already dragged Yuan Tiangang into the underworld.

The former people have already taken the Yellow Crane, and the Yellow Crane Tower is empty here.

The yellow crane is gone and never returns, while the iceberg remains empty for thousands of years.