Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Although he didn't know what braised pig ears tasted like, Sun Wukong had great trust in Jiang Liu's cooking skills.

From what he said, could it be that braised pig ears are even tastier than pork over rice?

This thought made Sun Wukong's eyes light up, and he unconsciously swallowed his saliva and nodded vigorously, "Master, I'll cut off his pair of pig ears right now."

"Hold on!"

When Sun Wukong said he would cut off the pig ears, he truly meant it. Zhu Bajie couldn't bear the thought and hurriedly spoke up while also turning to Jiang Liu, "Master, why do you say that I, Old Pig, intentionally concealed my identity?"

"Your sloth and gluttony indeed prove you're a pig, but has your brain also become like a pig's?"

Shaking his head at Zhu Bajie's words, Jiang Liu said, "The fact that Wukong once served as a Stable Attendant in the Heavenly Court might not be a big secret, but being able to recognize him at a glance is surely enough to prove identity, isn't it?"

At this point, Jiang Liu paused slightly and then with the air of a shrewd detective, he reasoned, "If my guess is correct, either you recognized Wukong a long time ago or you simply came from above, having met Wukong during your time in the Heavenly Court. Between these two possibilities, I am more inclined to believe the latter."

"Eh? Master's words make some sense."

Following Jiang Liu's line of analysis, Sun Wukong next to him pondered and nodded in agreement.

Even the White Dragon Horse beside them looked at Jiang Liu in astonishment.

Who would have thought the master had such meticulous thoughts? Such wisdom certainly does not seem to be within the grasp of ordinary people.

The admiring eyes of Sun Wukong and the White Dragon Horse next to him made Jiang Liu secretly pleased with himself.

Without any knowledge, how could he come up with such deductions? Jiang Liu did not possess such wisdom.

But having known the cause and effect long ago was like knowing the answers in advance, then finding excuses to reason towards those answers; it was not at all a difficult task.

Zhu Bajie's eyes widened as he stared at Jiang Liu, his expression one of seeing a ghost. Jiang Liu's inference sounded reasonable, but could Jiang Liu really deduce that he came from above based on the mere thread that he recognized the Stable Attendant?n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Was the wisdom of this Westward Pilgrim so terrifying?

"Master, since you've deduced that I came from above, then do you know why I descended from heaven?"

Partly astonished, partly wanting to deliberately test Jiang Liu's wit, to see if it truly reached such a terrifying extent, Zhu Bajie fell silent for a moment before speaking.

"Hey, you wild pig, realize the situation; right now you've got no right to question my master," Sun Wukong, overhearing this, showed some irritation as he grabbed Zhu Bajie's ear and twisted it unceremoniously.

"Hiss..."

Sun Wukong was not one to show mercy, and his fervor made Zhu Bajie inhale sharply from the pain, shouting out, "Ouch, ouch, ouch, Monkey, let go, let go, you're about to twist off my ears, Old Pig!"

"Heh heh, twisting them off would be just fine; it'll give my master some pig ears to make into a braised dish," Sun Wukong said as he heard Zhu Bajie cry out in pain, showing no intention of letting go.

"Alright, Wukong, let go," Jiang Liu waved his hand and said, seeing Zhu Bajie's pitiful state.

After signaling him to stop, Jiang Liu followed with a couple of coughs, assuming the posture of a Holmes-like figure, eyes twinkling with insightful brilliance, "I see you look like a Pig Demon, and if you descended from above, you wouldn't be permeated with such Demon Qi. Therefore, your descent must be due to reincarnation."

Upon saying this, Jiang Liu paused for a brief moment and then added, "As far as I know, only immortals from above who have erred are punished by being reincarnated to endure trials, isn't that so?"

"Ma-master, you truly do possess great wisdom. I—I, Old Pig, am impressed,"

Rubbing his ear, which had turned red from Sun Wukong's twisting, Zhu Bajie looked at Jiang Liu with a mixture of shock and admiration; this response was a clear acknowledgment of Jiang Liu's speculation.

"Master, when did you become so clever?" Sun Wukong's eyes were wide as he stared at Jiang Liu with disbelief.

"Monkey, don't be cheeky, speak properly. Was I really that dumb before?" Jiang Liu said, his face darkening in annoyance at Sun Wukong's words.

"No, Master, I, Old Sun, didn't mean that. It's just that you weren't dimwitted before, but you weren't as smart as now, right?" Sun Wukong shook his head and defended.

"Monkey, that's what you don't understand. Back in the day, I was known as the man called Holmes Xuanzang; this kind of feeling is something an impetuous and hot-headed monkey like you could never understand," Jiang Liu said as he patted Sun Wukong's head with a look of caring for someone intellectually challenged.

"Holmes what-si?"

Sun Wukong found the so-called title to be quite a tongue twister, and it made no sense to him.

What was this title? It wasn't nearly as clear and resonant as his own title, Great Sage Equalling Heaven.

"Holmes? Does that mean very intelligent?" the White Dragon Horse, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly chimed in, asking Jiang Liu with an air of flattery.

"Exactly, Xiaobai is indeed quite smart," Jiang Liu nodded and affectionately patted the White Dragon Horse on its head.

"Alright, Master, when exactly are you going to let me go?"

While Jiang Liu and his disciples were jesting and chatting, Zhu Bajie, who had been by their side, thought for a moment and turned to Jiang Liu to ask.

"Aren't we discussing the issue of your identity? The more you try to hide it, the more it seems like there's something problematic about your identity. What is it that you can't let us know?" As Zhu Bajie finished speaking, Jiang Liu started to say.

Zhu Bajie was his disciple and was supposed to accompany him to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures; this was something Jiang Liu certainly couldn't reveal directly. Otherwise, how would he explain knowing this detail?

Therefore, Jiang Liu had to guide him properly, preferably forcing Zhu Bajie to admit it himself.

"Master, aren't you very clever? Whatever Holmes... why don't you guess what his identity is?" Hearing Jiang Liu inquire about Zhu Bajie's specific identity, Sun Wukong interjected with a hint of provocation.

Usually, I can't out-talk him, but this time it seems I've caught an opportunity to tease him.

Hearing Sun Wukong's teasing, Jiang Liu sighed deeply and said, "Wukong, do you really think I can't deduce it? Then let your master demonstrate some reasoning, so you can learn the thinking process your master has mentioned so many times. The mind is a wonderful thing, I hope you have one."

This speech made both the White Dragon Horse and Zhu Bajie prick up their ears. Could he really deduce the identity that directly? Really?

"Think about it, I've already deduced that he's from heaven above and has committed a crime for which he was cast down to the mortal world to be reincarnated, right?"

Jiang Liu began to explain to Sun Wukong and the White Dragon Horse.

A monkey and a horse both nodded, looking like attentive students listening to a lecture.

"Just now, this Pig Demon and Wukong had a fight, and it's apparent that he's quite skilled, right? Do you think these skills are something he acquired after reincarnation or were they abilities he already possessed before he was cast down to the mortal plane? And his weapon, it seems of quite exceptional quality"

"Gaining such divine skills in a short period of time is impossible. Plus, he remembers his past life very clearly, so these abilities must certainly have been with him before his reincarnation," the White Dragon Horse responded, almost raising its hand, or rather its hoof, in eagerness to answer.

"Isn't that obvious then? At this point, is there a need to guess? If he had such skills in his past life, he certainly was a renowned figure in the Heavenly Court. Wukong, just take a trip to the Heavenly Court, inquire a little, see which significant figure has committed a crime and has been cast down to be reincarnated, and we'll know his identity, won't we?"

"Eh? Master, that does make sense,"

With Jiang Liu's analytical reasoning coming to an end, both Sun Wukong and the White Dragon Horse's eyes lit up, finding Jiang Liu's deductions to be coherent and logical.

As for Zhu Bajie on the side, his expression had already fallen, looking at Jiang Liu with a mixture of shock and fear.

Are you kidding me? Just because I recognized the Stable Attendant and had a fight, he could almost deduce my identity?

If I continue to follow him, will I have any secrets left? Continue your saga on empire

No way, even if I, Old Pig, am beaten to death, I absolutely cannot accompany him on the Journey to the West!

"Hey, are you going to tell us your identity yourself, or shall I, Old Sun, go up to heaven to check?" Seeing Zhu Bajie's dejected look, with his spirit seemingly crushed, Sun Wukong smiled and asked.

"I'd better say it myself." At this point, Zhu Bajie also realized that whether he spoke or not, it no longer made any difference, and with his head lowered, Zhu Bajie calmly revealed his own identity.

"In my previous life, I was the Great Marshal Tianpeng of the Heavenly Court, in charge of the eighty-thousand naval forces of the Heavenly River. I was disrespectful to Chang'e after drinking, so the Jade Emperor sent me into reincarnation and mistakenly born as a pig, thus resulting in my current plight,"

"The Great Marshal Tianpeng?!" Hearing the Pig Demon's original identity, the White Dragon Horse internally exclaimed in astonishment.

Being the Third Crown Prince of the Western Sea Dragon King himself, he clearly understood what that title entailed—a very important post in the Immortal Realm, controlling an army of eighty-thousand naval forces, one might even call him a great official of the Immortal Realm.

Who would have thought he would end up in such a state?

"Marshal Tianpeng, eh? I, Old Sun, seem to have seen you when I was herding the Heavenly Horses in the Immortal Realm... No wonder you recognized me..." Hearing Zhu Bajie's identity, Sun Wukong thought for a moment, then appeared to have an epiphany.

"That's right, you indeed saw me while leading the Heavenly Horses to graze by the Heavenly River when we briefly met," Zhu Bajie responded, nodding.

As his voice fell, Zhu Bajie's gaze returned to Jiang Liu, saying, "Great Scripture Seeker, I, Old Pig, have already fallen to such a state today, do you really intend to beat or kill me? Why don't you let me go instead?"

From the esteemed Marshal Tianpeng to a Pig Demon—undoubtedly a sad turn of fate. Not just the White Dragon Horse, even Sun Wukong felt a pang of empathy.

However, Jiang Liu inwardly smirked—Zhu Bajie was playing for sympathy, but ultimately, he just wanted to leave.

It looked like he was determined not to take part in the Journey to the West.

"Ahem, I have one last question. Why did you run when you saw us? What secret are you hiding from us? Of course, even if you don't honestly confess, I can still reasonably deduce it..."

(PS: Do you have any more monthly tickets?)