Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Compared to the group of gods in ancient Greek mythology who always harmed the people, the gods in Chinese culture are undoubtedly much more reliable. Even though the Jade Emperor in "Journey to the West" caused a three-year drought in Fengxian County, Fengxian County also belonged to Tianzhu Kingdom, and the disaster did not spread to the territory of the Tang Dynasty. So when Wen Jiao heard that the truth behind the lack of rain in Shangyong County in midsummer was that the Dragon King was slacking off because of family affairs, she was a little bit unbelievable.

In the spirit of gossiping, "I have nothing to do anyway, so why not continue the conversation?" Wen Jiao humbly asked, "Then the Dragon King is anxiously trying to coax his wife back home, so why is he still eyeing the treasure?"

The old man's long white eyebrows drooped down to his neck, moving with his voice: "Long Wang Po has no other hobbies in her life, except collecting treasures and displaying them in the house for her enjoyment. If the Dragon King wants Long Wang Po to change her mind, he must find a treasure to appease her."

"In such a huge Dragon Palace, can't you find a treasure?" Wen Jiao asked curiously. The four dragon kings in Journey to the West were famous for being wealthy, and Shangyong County was located in the Han River Basin, which was one of the largest rivers in China with a vast basin and rich resources. It would be unreasonable if the Han River Dragon King couldn't afford to give his wife a treasure.

The old man looked depressed: "There are treasures everywhere in the Dragon Palace, but there is not a single one that was not given to the Dragon Queen by the Dragon Lord. How can he steal the treasures that were given away and give them back to the owner? The Dragon Lord has been so worried these days that his eyebrows and beard are falling off in clumps."

Wen Jiao's eyes lingered on his long eyebrows and snow-white beard, and she smiled gently: "Then, is there no other way to make Lord Dragon King rain?"

The old man perked up and glanced at her hair. "The wish-fulfilling pearl on your hairpin is quite rare. My wife will definitely like it. Little girl, you are worried about whether it will rain or not. How about this, if you are willing to give me this hairpin, I will make the clouds and rain immediately. How about that?"

As expected, he claimed to be the local Dragon King. His tone was too frivolous, Wen Jiao could not take his words seriously, and laughed: "In broad daylight, how can I know that the old man is not attracted by my Ruyi Pearl and made up a lie to deceive me?"

The old man snorted, blowing half of his beard up, and suddenly raised his quinoa stick and pointed it into the air, shouting, "Clouds are coming!"

Suddenly, dark clouds came from all directions in the originally cloudless blue sky. In the blink of an eye, the whole day was covered with darkness, and purple electric snakes were swimming in it.

"The clouds are coming! The clouds are coming! The county magistrate's sincerity has moved the Dragon King!" Everyone cheered and looked up at the sky, eagerly watching the rain clouds that day.

"The wind is coming!" the old man shouted again.

A cool breeze filled with moisture immediately blew up, sweeping away the dry and hot summer air, brushing across everyone's cheeks and their eyes full of expectation. Huo Ling'er also followed them and looked up at the sky. If she was still showing her true form at this time, she would definitely look like a stupid sky-gazing hyena.

Wen Jiao's smile froze.

She turned around and looked at the people who were praying for rain with hope and the magistrate of Shangyong County, then turned back and looked at the old man with flowing hair and beard. The latter was looking at her mischievously like a naughty child, as if he was playing a harmless joke.

"Dragon King? Is my father-in-law really the local Dragon King?" Wen Jiao asked uncertainly.

"It's the Dragon King of Han River." The old man looked proud.

When Jia Quan and his men squeezed out, they heard the short old man talking nonsense to his young lady, pretending to be a god. He couldn't help but laugh at him, "You old man have a big beard now, but you're not at home taking care of your grandson. You come out here pretending to be a god and swindling people. Be careful not to fall and hurt your back. Old bones are not as resistant to falls as young people."

The old man didn't even look at them, with an arrogant look that didn't bother with ordinary people. He just looked at Wen Jiao and said, "Little girl, I want your wishful pearl hairpin. As long as I get it, I will make it rain. Will you give it to me or not?"

Wen Jiao raised her hand in a daze, and stroked the hairpin in her hair with great care. The unique clear and moist aura of the Ruyi Pearl gently washed her fingertips, and her heart was in a state of confusion.

The importance of the Wish-fulfilling Pearl to her is beyond words. It helped her to cleanse her meridians and marrow, regain her youthful appearance, and draw Qi into her body, helping her to cultivate. If she never met a true immortal, or if she met one but the immortal was unwilling to teach her the way, then this Wish-fulfilling Pearl would be her only hope to continue her cultivation.

If I lost it... Before this, Wen Jiao had never thought that this day would come.

If she lost it, her future would only depend on that ray of immortal fate that she didn't know whether it existed or not. But did she really have immortal fate? Even if she stepped forward on the path of seeking immortality, she still had moments of self-doubt.

Even a natural spirit stone like Sun Wukong took more than ten years to reach the door of Bodhi Patriarch. She was just a flesh and blood body, not a spirit stone like Sun Wukong, could she withstand this kind of torture?

But the people of Shangyong County will get some rain.

Wen Jiao pulled out the lotus wish-fulfilling hairpin.

Seeing this, Jia Quan said quickly, "Miss, this old man is just talking nonsense, don't believe him. I think he just wants to cheat you out of your hairpin. If you really give it to him, he will hide it, or even give it to his accomplice nearby - there must be his accomplice nearby, you two, go and find out the old man's accomplice."

The two servants took the order, their four eyes widened as big as copper bells, and they looked around vigilantly, trying to find anyone who was acting suspiciously and sneakily.

Wen Jiao was amused by the reactions of the three people, and the reluctance in her heart also faded a little. She fondly stroked the bright and brilliant Ruyi Pearl on the golden foil flower core and sighed, "If my father-in-law gets this pearl hairpin, will it bring rain to Shangyong County?"

"Of course." The old man smiled.

"This pearl hairpin is as precious as my life to me, but it is just a toy to me. If you just sprinkle a few drops of nectar on it after getting it, or if your wife is knowledgeable and doesn't think highly of this little thing, and I feel that this transaction has been a loss and I regret it, then I will suffer a great loss, right?" Wen Jiao tilted her head slightly and teased softly.

"Since you call yourself the Dragon King of Han River, I don't think you would cheat us, the insignificant mortals, on such trivial matters, would you?"

"You look gentle, little girl, but you're really powerful when you talk." The old man tapped the ground three times with his stick and stroked his beard. "Don't worry, I'm not greedy for rain. As long as you're willing to give me some, I'll give Shangyong County a heavy rain."

Jia Quan said contemptuously, "Miss, his lies are too absurd. Don't believe him."

Wen Jiao sighed. Unlike mortals like Jia Quan, when she first saw the old man, she saw the clear divine light between his brows. She knew that even if this old man was not the Dragon King of Han River as he claimed, he should be a master of Taoism. At least his Taoism was higher than all the practitioners she knew, including the fox fairy Feng Ji.

Trying hard to suppress the urge to regret, she picked up the pearl hairpin with both hands and presented it to the old man: "I believe that Lord Long must be a gentleman who honors his promises."

The old man stroked his beard and smiled, took the pearl hairpin, and tapped the ground with his walking stick in his other hand.

"Boom!" With a roar of thunder, heavy rain fell from the sky. The old man turned into a green dragon, rising from the ground, with scales and claws spread out, winding and flying straight into the clouds.