Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

The string of turquoise given by Zhu Fangsi was as blue as the sky, and so bright that it could reflect a person's shadow. It was the best turquoise. One as big as a grain of rice was extremely rare, let alone a whole string as big as a fingertip? Huo Linger was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling all day. It was not enough to hang it around her neck, she also had to wear it close to her skin and cover it with her clothes. She was so happy that she was confused like a lion and felt dizzy when she walked.

Wen Jiao was also very happy. The Ruyi Pearl was recovered, and the tea she drank became much sweeter. She couldn't help but drink a few more bowls. Sweat poured down her cheeks, and the remaining illness was instantly swept away.

"Good tea, good water!" she couldn't help but praise.

The tea doctor had noticed her just now. Such a beautiful lady with a radiant appearance, strangely, only wanted to drink tea leaves and didn't allow any seasoning to be added to it. The contrast between her beautiful and refined appearance and her poor taste was so great that it was hard not to notice her.

Hearing her praise the good tea in his teahouse, Dr. Tea immediately said, "Hey, girl, you have good taste. The tea in our teahouse is picked at Longwang Pass before the rain. The water just drawn from Longwang Pass in the morning tastes authentic!"

"Longwangya?" Wen Jiao was puzzled. She was used to figuring out the situation of a place before coming to it. Didn't she remember there was a place called Longwangya in Shangyong County?

The tea doctor said proudly, "Girl, you don't know this, right? Longwangya is a new name. The other day our county lord went to this mountain to pray for rain. His sincerity moved the heavens, and he actually prayed for the real body of the Dragon King to make it rain. I was right next to it at the time. That dragon was so majestic! Everyone couldn't help but kneel down when they saw it. After they came back, word spread, and the place was renamed Longwangya."

How could I not know? I know it very well. I also know that your Dragon King was grabbed by the beard by his wife and was about to go to some emperor to receive punishment.

Wen Jiao's mouth twitched slightly, and she took out the silver flat pot filled with water: "Fill me another pot and take it away."

She ran away secretly.

She had just recovered from a cold, and Jia Quan was worried about her health, so he decided to let everyone stay in the inn to rest for two days, and to watch her drink the medicine during that time. Wen Jiao was wary of the smell of Chinese medicine from the Tang Dynasty. Seeing Jia Quan "watching" her like a covetous man, wishing he could watch her drink the bitter medicine three times a day, Wen Jiao felt overwhelmed.

Seeing Huo Linger in a daze holding the new pearl necklace, he had no time to pay attention to her. She slipped out when Jia Quan and the others were not paying attention. Thinking that the tea in the teahouse the day before was good, she came here to have another cup.

Thinking that she had finally gotten out, she might as well walk around for a while longer and enjoy this hard-earned freedom. Wen Jiao asked again, "Do you have any more rice dumplings? Wrap three for me."

"Okay." Dr. Tea responded, "There are also freshly-made rice cakes, piping hot, would you like some, girl?"

"Two pieces." Wen Jiao said.

After settling the bill, she leisurely walked out with her food and drinks, feeling like an old Beijing man carrying a bird cage. So when she saw people playing chess under the shade of a tree from a distance, she also moved closer to take a look like an old man.

The two Taoists playing chess were plain-looking, both wearing ordinary cloth clothes and cloth shoes. One wore a white robe and a boxwood Taoist hat on his head, while the other wore black clothes and a black Taoist hat. The two sat on the ground with a chessboard drawn in the middle. The chess pieces were randomly picked stones, with the whiter ones used as white pieces and the darker ones used as black pieces.

Wen Jiao's father in modern times is a Go enthusiast, but he married a woman who knows nothing about Go. Feeling lonely, he is committed to training his daughter to be his soulmate. But Wen Jiao inherited all her mother's talents in this field, that is, she has no talent.

Wen's father tried his best but failed to teach her a skill. He could only sigh to the sky: "My daughter is not like me. What can I do?" and gave up with regret.

Although Wen Jiao didn't know how to play chess, her father had nurtured a habit of watching chess. She would often watch for a long time, without pointing or talking, but simply being fascinated. When others saw her, they thought she was a true gentleman who watched chess without saying anything. In fact, she simply didn't understand and just thought it was fun and interesting.

When she saw the two Taoists playing chess, she stood beside them and watched with great interest.

The two Taoists played chess very quickly, placing their pieces without thinking, and in a short time they finished a game and started a new one. Then, one move after another was faster than the last, and in a short time they finished another game. Wen Jiao had never seen such a scene before, and she was dazzled and delighted.

The Taoist priest in white obviously did not have the same pleasant experience as her. He would win every game, and when he won, he would pick up the teapot beside him and pour out a third of a cup to moisten his throat, then look expectantly at the Taoist priest in black opposite him, as if hoping that the other party would say something on his own initiative.

The Taoist priest in black poured out one-third of the cup without exception, pursed his lips, then picked up a stone with great interest and motioned for him to continue.

The Taoist priest in white looked speechless and in tears, but then he reluctantly killed the Taoist priest in black who was full of fighting spirit one after another. The Taoist priest in black also lost one after another, but he kept fighting despite his defeats, and his momentum was as high as a rainbow. If you only look at his face, you would think that the Taoist priest in black was the victorious general and the Taoist priest in white was the loser.

I don't know how many times this one-sided massacre was repeated. The Taoist priest in white, who won another game, reached out to pour tea, but felt his hand lighten.

Before they knew it, the two of them had finished the whole pot of tea.

The Taoist priest in white raised his eyebrows in embarrassment and looked across. Just as he was about to say something, Wen Jiao, who was watching happily, considerately opened the lid of the large green-glazed teapot, pulled out the stopper of her own flat pot, and poured all the still warm tea into it. After the lid was closed, she personally poured tea for each of them, no more, no less, one-third of a cup each.

The Taoist in white remained silent, and looked at the Taoist in black, only to see him leisurely finish his tea, then pick up the stone chess piece, staring at him with a sharp gaze. The Taoist in white couldn't help but smile, shook his head, and also picked up the white stone.

It was still a one-sided slaughter, with the winner still feeling extremely tormented, as if sitting on pins and needles, while the loser looked around with joy. However, Wen Jiao had unknowingly changed from simply watching the chess to watching the chess and playing the pot at the same time. The two Taoists did not care about this change, and their hearts were only on the chessboard.

After finishing another pot of tea, the Taoist in white finally straightened his sleeves, stood up and said, "No more, no more. I have something important to attend to."

"What important business could you, old man, have? Instead of running errands everywhere, you might as well play chess with me." The Taoist priest in black said mercilessly.

The Taoist priest in white was originally laughing humorously, but his face suddenly turned bitter when he heard this: "One plate after another, when will you stop?"

The Taoist priest in black was very open-minded and said, "Play until I beat you in one round."

The Taoist priest in white shouted "It's so hard!" and said, "Please don't make it difficult for me. I have tried my best to give you a handicap. If you still can't win a game, it's not that I don't want to do it, but I just can't do it!"