Practicing Medicine in the Zhu Zi Kingdom (Thirty-Two)

Meanwhile, Ao Tu and his wife paid their respects to his father.

In that Land of the Nine Netherworlds, Yin Wind howled.

The sky was dark and gloomy, and the cries of ghosts and spirits filled the air, sending chills down one's spine.

Ao Tu, hand in hand with his wife, searched carefully. Suddenly, they heard music. Following the sound, they saw a familiar face playing the huqin (a type of flute) in front of the Jing River Dragon King. It was none other than Yellow Brows!

Yellow Brows played for a while, then asked, "Father, how did I play?"

The Jing River Dragon King said, "Well played! It's truly remarkable that you could produce such a melodious and far-reaching sound in this Yin Wind wind, without disturbing the ears or hurting the heart!"

Yellow Brows smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Father. My throat is a little dry. Let's play chess, you and I!"

The Jing River Dragon King said, "Alright! Go get the chessboard! And some wine to moisten your throat."

Yellow Brows readily agreed, and as soon as he turned around, he ran into Ao Tu. He was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed with delight, "Senior Brother!"

Ao Tu ignored him, looked at the Jing River Dragon King, and smiled, "Father, I've come to see you."

The Jing River Dragon King was overjoyed and stood up, saying, "It's the fifth prince! And who's beside you?"

Ao Tu said, "This is my daughter-in-law, named Lianlian. She is related to the Western Sagara Dragon King, and we met through the matchmaking of the Old Mother Lishan."

Lianlian bowed and said, "Greetings, Father!"

The Jing River Dragon King was overjoyed and said, "Excellent! Excellent! It's truly a perfect match! The Old Mother Lishan is a good matchmaker! It's just a pity that I'm stuck in this Nine Hells and have no gifts to give you. I'm truly ashamed!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Father, there's no need for that. We brought you a gift." With that, Ao Tu took out two peaches and said, "These are Peach of Immortality from the Yaochi, offered to Father to wish you a long and healthy life."

Lianlian took out two Precious Lotus and said with a smile, "These are Lotus Flower planted in my Precious Lotus Pool. I offer them to you to wish you continued good fortune."

The Jing River Dragon King was overjoyed. He accepted the gifts and exclaimed "Good!" ten times. "The peaches from Yaochi are wonderful! Look at these peaches, they're bigger and more beautiful than any other! Truly wonderful! I've never seen anything like them in all these years, both before and after my death! And these Lotus Flower are even better! Look how well they're planted! The lotus leaves are beautiful! The lotus seeds are beautiful! The petals are beautiful! How could they be cultivated if not by someone of exceptional talent and virtue? And my daughter-in-law is even better! Beautiful in character and appearance! Beautiful in talent! It is truly a blessing from countless generations that such a virtuous daughter-in-law has come into our family."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Alright, Father, please sit down and rest. We came to see you today. Didn't we just say we wanted to play chess? I'll play a couple of games with you."

Upon hearing this, the Jing River Dragon King shook his head and said, "Fifth brother, you have been meticulous and calm since childhood, while I am impatient. I can't beat you at chess, so let's just forget about it."

Upon hearing this, Yellow Brows quickly came over, placed the chessboard on the table, and said, "Don't bother calculating, Grandpa. If we team up, the two of us against him, we can definitely beat him."

The Jing River Dragon King glanced at Yellow Brows and said, "When you play chess with me, you lose eight out of ten times, only managing to win one or two by chance. What use would it be if we played together?"

Yellow Brows whispered, "That was me letting you win. Just you wait and see! I'm the best chess player."

The Jing River Dragon King was skeptical, but agreed.

Let's set up a game now.

Ao Tu was only playing casually, not seeking victory, and placed his pieces as he pleased.

The more this happened, the more anxious Yellow Brows became, sweating profusely, unable to discern Ao Tu's methods no matter what.

The Jing River Dragon King couldn't think of a way to break the deadlock, so he could only urge Yellow Brows to hurry up.

Yellow Brows couldn't figure it out either.

As a result, the two lost a game.

Neither of them knew how they lost, thinking it was a coincidence. So they refused to admit defeat and played two more games with Ao Tu, losing both of them.

The Jing River Dragon King stood up and said, "I'm not playing anymore! I'm not playing anymore! I told you long ago I wouldn't play with him."

Seeing this, Lianlian couldn't help but laugh. She put her hand on Ao Tu's shoulder, pinched him lightly, and scolded, "Look at you, you don't know any filial piety at all. How did you win three games in a row against your father? Let me play!"

Seeing this, the Jing River Dragon King sat back down.

Let's start another game.

Lianlian nestled on Ao Tu's shoulder, took his hand in Ao Tu, and held the Ao Tu in his place.

Moments later, they routed Yellow Brows and the Jing River Dragon King.

The Jing River Dragon King refused to admit defeat and played five more games, losing all of them.

"Father, I must take my leave now. I will come to visit you with my wife next time!"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

The two exchanged a smile, then rode the clouds together, following the path through the Land of the Nine Netherworlds, out of the Netherworld Realm and into the outside world, where they once again saw the bright sun and the magnificent beauty of the earth and all things.

The two parted hands, said goodbye, and went their separate ways.

At that time, the Patriarch Styx was still sitting cross-legged at the entrance to the Netherworld Realm, waiting.

Ao Tu came to the Zhu Zi Kingdom.

At this point, half a year had passed.

Wukong had promised to return in half a day, but he ended up going for half a year. This time, Bajie was happy, but Tang Sanzang suffered.

Fortunately, they returned safely without any serious injury.

After resting for a day, the four travelers prepared to continue their journey Journey to the West.

Sha Wujing was outside the Huitong Guesthouse early in the morning, tending to the horses and cleaning their saddles.

Wukong came out and asked, "Junior Brother Sha, what are you doing?"

Sha Wujing said, "It's my Elder Brother! This saddle has been unused for too long; it's covered in dust and looks old. I'll clean it so it'll be easier for Master to ride."

Wukong nodded and looked at the pedestrians outside the pavilion, only to see many people with worried faces, shaking their heads and sighing.

Wukong found a man and asked, "Shopkeeper, aren't you the one who sells concoctions?"

The shopkeeper looked at Wukong and asked, "Who are you?"

Wukong said, "I bought some condiments from your shop! How could you forget?"

The shopkeeper said, "I remember some of it! I remember some of it!"

Wukong asked, "When I last came here, I saw that this place was prosperous and thriving. Why do so many people look worried today?"

The shopkeeper sighed, "The elder must be sitting in the temple chanting scriptures, oblivious to the outside world."

Wukong asked, "What do you mean?"

The shopkeeper said, "This is all because of the King's recent policies! Since his recovery and return to good health, the King has claimed to emulate the King Tang and display both civil and military prowess. First, he promised civil administration, issuing policies to benefit the people and stabilize prices, causing a great uproar throughout the city. Many merchants dared not come here, and prices rose instead of falling. That would have been fine, but after three months, he abolished the new policies and focused on military affairs, sending people to recruit soldiers and levying more taxes, which caused another wave of complaints. After another three months, seeing the public discontent boiling over, he thought the old policies were better and reverted to the old ones. It's a pity that I just bought a batch of seasonings at a high price, and now I'm losing money on them all."

Upon hearing this, Wukong recalled the three things Ao Tu had asked him to do. He had already done the last two, leaving only the first one unfinished. So he asked, "Does the innkeeper know where the king is now?"

The shopkeeper replied, "I am but a humble merchant; how would I know the whereabouts of the king? I only heard that he went hunting outside the city yesterday and hasn't returned yet. I have no idea where he went."

Wukong thanked him, returned to the Huitong Guesthouse, found Bajie, and said, "Brother, don't rush off yet. Older Brother 'll help you with a good deal!"

Bajie asked, "What kind of business is it?"

Wukong laughed and said, "It was your master who ordered this, come on!" Without saying another word, he pulled Bajie out.

Bajie asked in confusion, "Master, what did you instruct me to do?"

(And there's more!)