I'm Dreaming of a Journey to the West

Hearing the villagers' vivid descriptions, Li Chen wondered, "Could these be the Benboerba and Babolben from Journey to the West?" Li Chen was no stranger to these two monsters. They were the minions of the Nine-Headed Insect, and Babolben had been ordered by the Nine-Headed Insect to poison and kill Tang Sanzang and his three disciples.

This story is hilarious. If Babolben really had such ability, why would he be a small monster and suffer under the hands of the Nine-headed Insect? Thinking of this, Li Chen couldn't help but shake his head.

Then he asked the villagers, "Do you know where the caves of these two monsters are located?" After all, if they want to take the initiative to rescue the children abducted by monsters, they must first find the lair of these two monsters.

However, the villagers shook their heads, saying they had no idea. They only remembered that whenever the two monsters appeared, there would always be a strong wind, flying sand and rocks, and swirling clouds and mist, making it impossible to see their figures clearly. Faced with such a scene, how could the villagers dare to step out of their homes to investigate?

"Okay, I got it! Don't worry, I will definitely eliminate them!" Li Chen made a promise to the villagers, stating that he would definitely eliminate Benboerba and Babolben.

"But young man, exorcising demons is a supreme merit. How much do you want? Can you ask for less? We already..."

As he was speaking, an old man with white hair and beard and tattered clothes stood in front of Li Chen. He suddenly knelt down in front of Li Chen, almost in a pleading tone, wanting Li Chen to ask for less reward for exorcising demons and monsters, because they had been cheated of almost half of their life savings by that damn fake Taoist priest, and the money they had was almost not enough to buy food.

Upon hearing this, the villagers all lowered their heads. After all, the cost of hiring a wizard to exorcise demons was simply too high! It was even to the point of asking for an exorbitant price. They simply didn't have the money anymore!

Li Chen looked at the old man before him, a surge of pity welling up in his heart. These villagers were already living in poverty, having been defrauded of most of their property, and now their situation was even worse. He quickly helped the old man up and said gently, "Old man, please don't be like this. I don't want money. I'm here to help everyone and eliminate those two monsters."

Upon hearing this, the villagers all looked up, their eyes flashing with surprise and gratitude. They hadn't expected Li Chen to be so generous and willing to exorcise demons for them for free. For a moment, everyone was filled with respect and trust for Li Chen.

"Thank you so much, young man! You are really our benefactor!" The old man was so excited that tears filled his eyes and he held Li Chen's hand tightly.

Li Chen smiled and shook his head, signaling the old man to leave without saying anything. He knew that exorcising demons wasn't just for the villagers, but also for upholding justice and peace in the world. And for these simple, kindhearted people, his act of kindness undoubtedly brought them hope and warmth.

"If you're talking about a huge reward, then I, Li Chen, won't serve you. But if you're talking about saving the people, I, Li Chen, will do my best to help!" Li Chen answered firmly. The Hibiscus Fairy beside him also smiled and patted Li Chen's shoulder, indicating that she would do her best to help him.

"Good man! What a good man!"

"You are simply the reincarnation of the living Bodhisattva!"

The villagers were so moved that their eyes filled with tears. They knelt down and kowtowed to Li Chen and the Hibiscus Fairy to express their gratitude. They had originally thought that this disaster would put the entire village in dire straits, but they had never expected that such kind people would be willing to help them exorcise the demons for free.

"Everyone, get up quickly! This is what we should do." Li Chen quickly helped everyone up and comforted them, "As long as we work together, we will be able to overcome this difficulty."

"Thank you, benefactor! Thank you, benefactor!" The villagers were grateful and full of respect for Li Chen.

"Okay, everyone go back first, lock the door, and don't come out no matter what happens." Li Chen reminded the villagers. He was worried that those cunning demons would take the opportunity to take the villagers hostage, which made him cautious.

"Got it, benefactor!" The villagers nodded and turned to leave. They closed the doors and windows as Li Chen requested and waited quietly.

At night, Ping'an Village was completely serene. No one lit a light, and no one made a sound. Everyone stayed home, hoping that Li Chen and Fairy Hibiscus could capture those nasty demons.

At this moment, two children appeared at the entrance of the village, playing and frolicking. They seemed unaware of the danger approaching, and continued to chase and play innocently.

"Master, you have such powerful magic. Why don't you just wait for them to arrive and kill them directly? Why go to such lengths?" The little girl asked the little boy she was playing with in confusion. There was no doubt that she was the little girl transformed by the Hibiscus Fairy.

"Fairy Hibiscus, if we kill those two monsters directly, it will only be a momentary show of bravery and a momentary satisfaction. But we don't know whether those children they kidnapped are dead or alive. And we don't have any clues to find their cave, so how can we help the villagers find their children? We don't even know where their cave is. Now the only way is to lure the snake out of the cave! Let the two monsters take us into their cave, and then after we get to their cave, we will find a chance to kill them and rescue those children!" The little boy explained to the little girl that he was the child transformed by Li Chen using the power of Sun Wukong's seventy-two transformations.

"Oh~ So that's how it is. I understand, Master!" Fairy Hibiscus suddenly realized.

"Well, that's why I thought of this way to lure them in." The little boy frowned and thought about it. He knew that he had to plan every move carefully to ensure that he could successfully rescue the children and eliminate the two monsters.

After a while, the originally peaceful and tranquil Ping'an Village, which was brightly lit by the moon, suddenly became blasted by strong winds, with flying sand and rocks, and rolling dark clouds that obscured the bright moon, as if foreshadowing an impending disaster.

"Master, they are here." Fairy Hibiscus said excitedly.

"Fairy Hibiscus, don't be so excited. We must pretend to be more realistic and show fear and terror, otherwise they may become suspicious of us." Li Chen used magic to quietly tell Fairy Hibiscus in his heart, reminding her to stay vigilant.

Fairy Hibiscus immediately understood what Li Chen meant. She tried hard to control her inner joy, and turned into a little girl with a terrified expression on her face. She said in a trembling voice, "Brother Li, I... I'm so scared! What kind of monster is this?"

The little boy that Li Chen transformed into gently patted the Hibiscus Fairy's shoulder and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I, Brother Li, am here to protect you, nothing will happen." At the same time, he signaled to the Hibiscus Fairy with his eyes to continue cooperating with him in the performance.

Fairy Hibiscus nodded slightly, indicating that she understood. Then, she pretended to tremble, hugged Li Chen's back tightly, and hid behind him, her innocent eyes full of fear as she looked at the dark clouds in the sky.

At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker, like a huge black vortex, constantly spinning. From time to time, a creepy grin could be heard from within the dark clouds, as if it came from a demon from hell.