Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

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The night was deep, and after having had dinner and a late-night feast, Jiang Liu and his companions were thoroughly satiated.

Especially Jiang Liu, who had not only enjoyed a delicious meal but more importantly, had relived the feeling of devouring skewers late at night in his previous life. As the night waned, everyone had eaten their fill to the point that no one even felt like cleaning up; they all turned in to rest.

As everyone went off to turn out the lights and rest, the house quieted down and was shrouded in darkness. It was then that the yellow-furred rat, hiding in the shadows, cautiously crept out.

Approaching the extinguished stove to sniff around, it found that the several hundred skewers that had been cooked were all devoured by the crowd. However, there was one skewer that Jiang Liu had accidentally dropped on the ground. The rat's eyes lit up as it approached.

With its nose twitching, the yellow-furred rat carefully took a bite.

The skewer, layered with alternating fat and lean meat and sprinkled with snow salt, sauces, and spices like cumin powder, burst with a blend of meaty fragrance and the richness of fat the moment it hit the palate.

At first, it tentatively took just a nibble, but that single taste was enough to make the rat abandon its characteristic caution, and it promptly wolfed down the skewer in two or three bites.

In the end, it even tenderly licked the remnants of cumin and other seasonings off the wooden stick.

It was just one skewer, which was torturous not to eat, yet, having eaten it only made the craving worse, causing the rat immense discomfort.

After a brief moment of silence, a vicious gleam flickered in the rat's eyes as it stealthily approached Jiang Liu's room.

The flavor of the skewer was simply too divine; it had to capture this monk and force him to make skewers for it every day in its lair.

The rat vowed to eat until it grew sick of them, until it could no longer hold back its vomit!

As the yellow-furred rat demon quietly neared, sounds could still be heard from the room, signaling that the people inside had yet to fall asleep.

The rat silently lay on the windowsill, waiting for everyone inside to drift off to sleep before acting to kidnap its target.

Jiang Liu sat on the bed, cross-legged, with a flush from drinking on his face. He burped and prepared to practice the Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound cultivation technique.

In the era of Journey to the West, it was truly regrettable not to have beer to accompany the skewers, but the farm-brewed rice wine had its own unique charm.

Moreover, the rice wine packed a punch. Jiang Liu was already feeling his head spinning with tipsiness, probably around seventy percent intoxicated.

"Master, I already thought your grilled meat was incredibly tasty, but these skewers are even more delicious. In the future, my favorite food will be these skewers. Can we eat them often!?" Sun Wukong lay on his side, patting his slightly swollen belly, also a bit drunk as he spoke.

"Right, right, right, Monkey Brother is right, Master. Old Pig likes them too!" Zhu Bajie chimed in, nodding along and surprisingly agreeing with Sun Wukong for once.

"These skewers are indeed delicious, but what a pity, they lack a sprinkle of chili powder. Otherwise, they would be an unrivaled culinary delight!"

Hearing his disciples Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie speak, Jiang Liu shook his head and spoke with a hint of regret.

"Chili powder? What is that, and where can it be found? Even if I have to traverse heaven and earth, I will find it for you, Master!" Hearing Jiang Liu's regret, Sun Wukong quickly sat up, impatient as if he couldn't wait to rush out and search for it.

"Such delicious skewers, already so yummy, and you say they are not yet perfect? When I was Marshal Tianpeng, I never had such food. I can't even imagine what the perfect taste would be!" Zhu Bajie licked his lips, his mouth watering at the thought.

"You blockhead, your words are not bad. Back when I caused havoc at the Peach Banquet, I had my fill of jadescent nectar, exotic delicacies, dragon liver, and phoenix marrow, but none of them were as appetizing as the skewers Master made today!" Sun Wukong nodded in agreement.

"Monkey Brother, with just a leap you can cover tens of thousands of miles. Master talked about chili powder—go find it quick!" Zhu Bajie urged, equally impatient, pushing Sun Wukong.

"Burp, you blockhead, shameless wretch!" After listening to Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong burped, his form swaying slightly before snapping back, retorting to Zhu Bajie, "You always squabble with me and call me a plague-stricken monkey, but now that you need my help, you switch to calling me 'Monkey Brother'?"

"Monkey Brother, don't bear a grudge, please. Just think, how much better will the skewers, flawless with the addition of chili powder, be compared to what we've already had? Don't you want to know?" Smoothing things over with flattery, Zhu Bajie addressed Sun Wukong.

"Wait a second, Bajie, you... don't you feel that... there seems to be some demon qi? Or is it just my imagination?"

...

Outside the window, the yellow-furred rat had been planning on waiting for everyone inside to fall asleep before kidnapping someone. However, after hearing the conversation inside, it was completely baffled.

What sort of immortal dialogue was this?

One spoke of how they had served as Marshal Tianpeng in the past, while another mentioned causing havoc at the Empress's Peach Banquet?

What kinds of heavyweights were hiding inside?

"Have I been discovered!?" Just as the rat was secretly terrified, it heard Sun Wukong mention a faint sense of demon qi, and its heart tightened.

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Daring not to make any sound, he quietly retreated, all the while feeling a surge of fear in his heart.

My goodness, it's a good thing that monkey was somewhat tipsy. If he had been sober, wouldn't he have discovered me in an instant?

After slipping away in silence, the Yellow-Furred Rat didn't dare to linger any longer in the town. His form flashing like lightning, he rapidly headed towards Yellow Wind Ridge in the southwest direction.

A mere fifty to sixty miles distance took but a moment to traverse.

Yellow Wind Hole—deep into the night, many types of demons had already settled into sleep, for not all creatures were nocturnal.

However, it was the middle of the night when suddenly many demon creatures received orders that the Great King was summoning them all.

None of the demon creatures dared to hesitate. Rubbing their sleepy eyes, they gathered in the Yellow Wind Hole.

The Yellow Wind Hole was quite spacious. The Yellow Wind Monster, transformed into human form, looked like a young man with a sharp chin and monkey-like cheeks. He scanned over those present: four Demon Kings transformed into human form, and twenty to thirty Demon Marshals with beastly heads and human bodies. These were the forces he had raised in the past decade or so.

"Greetings, Great King. May I ask what matter brings us here in the middle of the night?" A Tiger Demon that had transformed from a Fierce Tiger stepped forward two paces, looking at the Yellow Wind Monster seated on the throne with reverence and asked.

This inquiry reflected the puzzlement in the hearts of all the demons in the cave; it seemed to be the first time the Great King had summoned everyone at night.

Although the Yellow Wind Monster appeared sharp-chinned and monkey-cheeked, his long robes imparted a majestic air; however, the wooden stick dangling from his mouth somewhat marred his imposing attitude.

He had licked the stick so much that it had lost its taste, yet he was still not willing to throw it away.

"Actually, there's not much to it. The main reason I've gathered you today is to assign you a task!"

With the wooden stick in his mouth, the Yellow Wind Monster glanced at his subordinates and spoke.

"Please issue your command, Great King. Even if it means going through fire and water, we will ensure the successful completion of the task entrusted to us by the Great King!" With the Yellow Wind Monster's words, the demons in the cave eagerly shouted one after another, vying to showcase their loyalty.

"Good, there's no need for a scramble. This task is very simple..." Watching his subordinates compete to demonstrate their loyalty, the Yellow Wind Monster nodded approvingly, raised his hand, and pressed it gently downwards, quieting the eager crowd.

After surveying the group of demons present, the Yellow-Furred Rat spoke up: "There's no need to fight over it. The task I want you to perform is fairly simple—it involves helping me find something. If any of you can be the first to locate it, it will be considered a great achievement!"

"Great King, what is this thing you are looking for!? Please enlighten us!" The Tiger Demon to the side asked, speaking urgently.

Other demons perked up their ears. Just to find an item, without needing to fight? That meant anyone had a chance. What if it was their own luck that came out on top?

"This item is called chili powder," the Yellow Wind Monster said, revealing the name of what he was seeking.

"Chili powder!?"

Upon hearing this, the demons within the Yellow Wind Hole looked at each other in confusion and amazement, it was apparent that none of them had ever heard of this so-called chili powder.

"Excuse me, Great King, what is this so-called chili powder used for?" After a prolonged silence, another Demon King spoke up, questioning the Yellow Wind Monster.

"Chili powder is something to eat, probably a seasoning, similar in function to salt, I suppose!" the Yellow Wind Monster replied thoughtfully to his subordinate's inquiry.

"Just a seasoning!?" The words of the Yellow Wind Monster left all the demons present dumbfounded.

One could hardly believe that the urgent summoning of everyone in the middle of the night was simply to find a seasoning!

"Um, what does this chili powder look like?" Another long silence followed before a Demon King spoke up.

"I don't know!" The Yellow Wind Monster shook his head.

"Then, does this chili powder have any distinctive features?" another Demon King inquired immediately afterward.

"I don't know!" The Yellow Wind Monster continued shaking his head.

"Great King, do you have any idea where this chili powder might be?" Finally, another Demon King stepped forward to ask.
Experience tales with empire

"You useless thing! If I knew where it was, would I need you to go find it!?" snapped the Yellow Wind Monster, causing all the demons in the cave to shrink their heads back.

A large group of demons left the Yellow Wind Hole amidst the Yellow Wind Monster's angry curses, beginning their search for the so-called chili powder.

But how could they search for something when even the Great King didn't know what chili powder looked like...