Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

The reason why Wen Jiao didn't communicate with Huo Ling'er for a long time was because the other party's matter was indeed difficult to deal with. It was easy to raise her, just let her stay in the Yin Mansion, anyway, the Yin Mansion had no shortage of mouths to feed. But Huo Ling'er's original intention of staying in the Yin family was to be able to accompany the Ruyi Pearl every night. The Ruyi Pearl was very helpful to Wen Jiao, and she must take it away. Does that mean Huo Ling'er has to go with her? But Huo Ling'er has been wandering for half her life, and it's hard to have a few days of stable days in the Yin family. It's hard to say that she has to continue wandering around the world with her.

"I was thinking of telling you tonight, but since you're asking, I'll just tell you straight." Wen Jiao frowned and said in embarrassment, "I have made up my mind to leave Chang'an to seek immortality. This Ruyi Pearl will be of great help to me, and I can't leave it at home. Will you follow me or stay at home? If you follow me, you won't be able to enjoy the delicious food and silks like you did at home. If you stay at home, you won't be able to see the Ruyi Pearl. It's always difficult to have both, so think about it carefully and make your choice."

Huo Linger was stunned, with a conflicted look on her face. She suddenly took off the hairpin on her head and pulled off the petals one by one, muttering, "Stay in the Prime Minister's Mansion, Ruyi Pearl, stay in the Prime Minister's Mansion, Ruyi Pearl..."

The sound of the car sparkled, and when the wheels stopped, there was only one petal left on the flower in Huo Ling'er's hand. She pulled it off and said, "Leave it in the Prime Minister's Mansion... Eh? Stay in the Prime Minister's Mansion?"

She was stunned, unable to tell whether she was happy or reluctant.

Wen Jiao patted her shoulder and got out of the car.

In front of us is the Tianhu Temple. Even though the sun was very strong at noon in early summer, there were still four or five women coming to worship with fruit offerings, which showed that the incense was quite popular. The Tianhu statue was made by a famous craftsman, and the portrait was painted by Feng Ji himself. He always thought that the human figure he transformed into looked too feminine, so he changed his appearance to be more feminine. The statue he made had sword-like eyebrows, star-like eyes, jade-like face and red lips, which was very heroic and attractive. It was said that it attracted several young girls, who came to the temple from time to time to make offerings.

Wen Jiao stood in front of the statue, looking up at her unmade but still radiant face, holding incense, and deliberately prayed in a voice neither too loud nor too soft: "Thank you, fox fairy, for your protection. You have made me fifteen years younger and restored my appearance to that of a twenties. I have nothing to repay you with, so I can only express my gratitude with this hairpin." As she spoke, she placed the lotus and wishful thinking hairpin on her head on the altar.

The female pilgrims nearby all widened their eyes when they heard this: Wow, I look fifteen years younger! I've heard that this fox fairy can bless people with good looks, but I didn't expect it to be so effective? I'll have to come and worship more often in the future.

After Wen Jiao finished burning incense, she came out and saw Feng Ji standing on the street. He threw her precious flower hairpin at her and said, "Go ahead, keep the good reputation you spread for me!"

Wen Jiao took the hairpin back and said, "I am only responsible for making you famous. Whether I can keep you here depends on Master Fengji's ability, isn't it?"

"Fortunately, this Fox King is quite knowledgeable in medicine." Feng Ji said proudly.

"That's really great." Wen Jiao applauded him.

Fengji rubbed the ground with his toes and glanced into the car intentionally or unintentionally: "My master said that you are leaving, right?"

"Nothing can be hidden from Yuan Banxian." Wen Jiao sighed.

Fengji stammered, "Then, that stupid lion will go with you too?"

Wen Jiao seemed to have discovered a new world. She looked him up and down, and then back up and down. "You can't bear to let her go? I thought she was always trying to steal your fat chicken and you were fed up with her."

"With her small appetite, a handful of grass can be enough to feed her." Feng Ji sneered, then realized something and said, "Who is reluctant to part with that stupid lion with a stone head?"

Wen Jiao said in a good-tempered manner: "Oh, of course I can't bear to let her go. Don't worry, she will probably stay in Chang'an."

"Why should I be assured?" Feng Ji jumped up and down as if his tail had been stepped on. Under Wen Jiao's teasing gaze, he felt that he had no way to defend himself and could only slip away with his tail between his legs.

Wen Jiao watched him go away, and saw that he was returning to Xuanji Pavilion.

Do you want to go and say goodbye to Yuan Tiangang?

She hesitated for a while, then smiled and shook her head.

Forget it, it feels weird.

There was still some time before dinner, and Wen Jiao hesitated to go back to the Xiangfu. As the departure date approached, Yin Kaishan, Madam Yin, and her good brother Yin Yuan were becoming more and more depressed. Every time they saw her, they forced a smile, and sighed when they turned their backs on her, which made her feel reluctant to leave. She decided to linger for a while.

Huo Ling'er was still staring at the bare flower stems in a daze. Liu Cui saw Wen Jiao's hesitation and suggested, "Miss, why don't we go to Jingye Temple to see Young Master Sun?"

"No need. He has already been a monk. Disturbing him with everything will only distract him." Wen Jiao refused without hesitation.

She always had mixed feelings towards Xuanzang. After all, she was just an unmarried woman in modern times. After traveling through time, she had a big and lively son, who was bald and the future Tang Monk who made the monkeys miserable. She felt helpless. Even though the two of them had become quite close in these days, Wen Jiao knew that her love for Xuanzang was more like that of a sister to her brother, rather than the kind of love that a mother gives to her own flesh and blood, which was tender and regretless. Xuanzang was going to be a Buddhist monk to seek Buddhist scriptures, but she was determined to cultivate immortality, so why did she always have to jump around in front of him?

Since we each have our own paths to take, we should keep our distance from each other. If we are destined to be together, we will definitely meet again in the future. We will talk about it then.

"Let's go to Huaizhenfang. I should also say goodbye to Si Niang." Wen Jiao said.

"Didn't we go there yesterday?" Huo Linger was in a daze and asked when she heard this.

"Can't I go again?" Wen Jiao said unhappily.

Liu Cui said in embarrassment: "I didn't know I would have to go to Madam Ye when I came out today, so I didn't bring anything. Although the car is filled with gifts from the Princess and Princess Han, it's not appropriate to be too grand, after all, the proper farewell gift was given yesterday."

"Madam Ye is not fussy about trivial matters and only loves drinking. Let's buy her a jar of good wine and some delicious snacks later." Wen Jiao said.

Zhang's Tavern in Huaizhenfang sells the best mulberry wine. Wen Jiao ordered a jar and ordered a lot of delicious side dishes to take with her. When she came out, she heard a young woman on the opposite street shouting, "Silk for sale, the best silk, smooth and bright!"

Liu Cui felt that the voice sounded familiar, so she didn't think much about it and walked to the side of the car. She said, "Miss, I'll just follow the car. The wine and food have strong smells, and they can't be mixed with the smell in the car."

"Come up, it must be so tiring to carry such heavy food and wine." Wen Jiao lifted the curtain and looked outside, saying.

Across the street is a silk shop with a small storefront and colorful silk fabrics. Li Xiaoman waved a feather duster and skillfully brushed away the flying dust, looking relaxed and at ease.

Wen Jiao smiled slightly and lowered the car curtain.

"It will be a nice day when we set out tomorrow," she whispered.