Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Xiao Chenxiang's words instantly stunned Cui Heming in place as he muttered to himself, "Has he been here all along?"

When Xiao Chenxiang spoke, it wasn't merely a guess; his body, now different from ordinary people's, had greatly enhanced senses. Thus, he could smell the faint scent of decay on the Taoist and noticed that the smell was still in the mountain, undissipated. This indicated that the Taoist was merely bluffing and hadn't left at all but was hiding somewhere in the mountain.

"What should we do then, are we really trapped?" At this moment, Cui Heming felt desperate as he realized that no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't escape his fate of death.

"Of course we can't just sit and wait for death. If this person needs to deceive us like this, it means his strength isn't as formidable as we imagined. Otherwise, why would he resort to such trickery? We are not entirely without a chance," Xiao Chenxiang analyzed the strengths of both sides with an unexpectedly calm demeanor at this time.

Feeling that his current strength might suffice to battle the demon, Xiao Chenxiang's confidence possibly influenced Cui Heming, who regained his courage, having survived many tough years.

"Junior Brother Liu, do you have any good plans?"

"The best approach right now is to quickly understand the demon's tactics and find a way to counter them, then wait for the right moment to strike," Xiao Chenxiang said calmly, harboring another thought deep inside—to directly confront and battle. However, as a novice, since he wasn't well-versed with the enemy's techniques, he chose to be cautious.

"I've had a photographic memory since I was a child. Although I read that book hurriedly, just give me some time, and I can write out everything in it. Then we will know his tactics."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chenxiang couldn't help but express his delight, "Then I'll trouble you, Senior Brother Cui. I'll head back to gauge the timing. Be careful and keep hidden during this period; do not be careless."

Having established their strategy, Cui Heming found a cave in the mountain for temporary shelter, while Xiao Chenxiang pretended he couldn't find the pig and anxiously made his way back to the Taoist Temple.

Meanwhile, in the Taoist Temple, a man and a woman were fiercely intertwined, their bodies emitting embarrassing noises, perhaps due to the immense pressure they felt from the Taoist. Cheng Chuming displayed exceptional vigor, as sweat continuously flowed down his naked body.

However, during their unguarded moment, a shadow quietly stood behind them, watching their actions— it was the Taoist who had supposedly left on a journey. Unknown to them, he had returned and was now coldly staring at the two on the bed.

Realizing something was wrong, Cheng Chuming turned his head and saw his Honored Master's livid face, his body instantly going limp, well aware of his master's methods.

He hurriedly fell to his knees, weeping and begging, "Master, please spare my life! It was a momentary lapse of judgment; please forgive me this time, considering my years of devotion!"

The woman, however, calmly dressed herself, completely unaffected by the situation as if it wasn't a big deal, even taking the time to fix her hair before coldly saying to the Taoist, "Deal with your excellent disciple yourself. I'm tired and will rest now."

This scene stunned Cheng Chuming. Was this the same woman who had just been in his arms? He felt a crushing sense of disillusionment.

The Taoist, with a steely face, said nothing but stepped closer to Cheng Chuming. The awe-inspiring presence he cultivated over the years did not allow Cheng Chuming to harbor any thoughts of resistance, only continuous pleading for mercy.

However, the Taoist slowly walked over to his side, lightly sniffed, and said, "Not bad, it's ripe now, time for a feast."

Senior Brother Cheng's face instantly filled with despair as he clung onto his Honored Master's legs, desperately pleading, yet he was still transformed into a fat pig, beginning to run frantically around the room.

The Taoist struck with his horsetail whisk, and under the pain, the fat pig began to follow the Taoist's direction back into the pigsty. Only then did he reveal a satisfied smile and return to the room, where a woman was waiting for him.

Walking into the room, the woman was reclining on the bed, nonchalantly eating fruit. Seeing the Taoist enter, she merely asked in a soft voice, "Did you take care of it?"

The Taoist gave her a cold glance and said, "Of course I took care of it. Why, do you miss your lover?"

The woman snorted lightly and said, "Him? A spear shiny but useless, it's just that there were no other options. If that new disciple of yours wasn't so elusive, I would have kicked him to the curb long ago."

The Taoist walked up to the bed, fascinatedly lifted the woman's delicate feet, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that the once-famed Lady Hu would also face setbacks."

"Don't be too smug. Your disciple has eaten more than anyone else, yet now not even a hint of medicine's scent lingers on him. You haven't bothered to investigate at all." The woman kicked the Taoist lightly with her foot and frowned.

"That's something you don't know. It's actually a good thing. It indicates this medicine has great potential. When it matures, eating it will also be an extraordinary delicacy. If Cheng Chuming could keep himself chaste and not be harvested by you, he might achieve it. Such a pity for a fine delicacy."

The woman sneered, "Blame me then. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be where you are today, remember not to be ungrateful."

"How could I? I'm too fond of you to think otherwise," the Taoist said with an infatuated look on his face as he gazed at the woman and murmured.

The woman, however, responded disdainfully, "Fond of me? You're fond of yourself. Everyone in the rivers and lakes knows what kind of person the Poison Taoist is."

Both exchanged a knowing sneer, and when Xiao Chenxiang returned to the Taoist Temple, everything was calm, as if nothing had happened.

The woman leaned against the door as she watched Xiao Chenxiang approach, a seductive smile appearing on her face as she said, "Xiao Chenxiang, why have you only just arrived?"

"Honored Mother, I was looking for the pig and didn't dare to come back since I couldn't find it." Xiao Chenxiang pretended to be distressed as he said.

All of a sudden, the woman let out a string of silvery laughter, her slender finger pointing toward the pigsty, "Look over there, isn't there a fat pig?"

Xiao Chenxiang followed the woman's finger and saw the fat pig constantly howling in the pigsty, sensing Senior Brother Cheng's aura. He vaguely guessed what might have happened, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he said in surprise, "That pig came back by itself? All my efforts were in vain."

As Xiao Chenxiang spoke, he glanced inside the door and asked with confusion, "Strange, where did Senior Brother Cheng go? Why haven't I seen him around for so long, Honored Mother, do you know?"

"Look at what you're saying. He's a full-grown man; how would I, a mere woman, know?" the woman said, feigning frailty.