Interesting Journey to the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom (XV)

Meanwhile, Wukong turned around and demanded Silver Taels from the Thieves.

Upon hearing this, the thieves were all enraged.

Wukong transformed back to his Original Form, then put the ledger in his pocket as evidence of his crime.

The Ground-Digging Tiger" raised a Steel Saber and said fiercely, "So it's you again, you hairy-faced monk! We told you to escape before, and instead of looking for you, you've come to our doorstep!"

Having said that, he took out his knife and began to slash.

Wukong didn't dodge at all, letting the Ground-Digging Tiger chop his head with his knife without moving an inch, and instead made the Ground-Digging Tiger tumble over.

Wukong leaped onto the table, pulled his Golden Cudgel from his ear, and sneered, "How much wealth have you highway Bandits and how many evil deeds have you committed over the years? Today, Old Sun, will raze your den of thieves to the ground and wipe out you snakes and rats!"

Upon hearing this, the bandits were all somewhat frightened and dared not step forward. They gathered around the Patriarch Styx and said, "Your Great King, this monk says he will destroy our forest estate!"

The Patriarch Styx stepped forward and shouted:

"Monk, you dare to boast so arrogantly, relying on your superior weapon! Do you dare to fight me outside? Otherwise, fighting here will only damage my Belongings! I still need these tables and chairs to deceive passing merchants!"

Wukong laughed, "You wicked scoundrel! Even with impending doom, you're still thinking about this business! Come here, I'll take you away today!"

The Patriarch Styx said, "Monk, stop with the verbal sparring and let's see who has the better fighting style!"

The two then left the inn.

The Patriarch Styx stretched out his hand, and a thief handed him a Wolf-Tooth Club. The Patriarch Styx assumed a fighting stance, shouted, and smashed it towards Wukong.

Wukong met the Wolf-Tooth Club with his Golden Cudgel, and with a "bang," he smashed it to pieces.

The thieves exclaimed in surprise, "That monk's stick is incredibly hard!"

Wukong laughed and said, "Hua Yunlong, Old Sun, don't want to take advantage of you because you're unarmed. If you're willing to come back with me now and turn yourself in, I'll teach you a lesson you won't suffer so much!"

The Patriarch Styx said, "Monk, I didn't take your money. Whether I turn myself in or not is none of your business."

Wukong said, "None of my business? It was your Laozi who asked me Old Sun, to take you back!"

The Patriarch Styx replied, "Monk, today I'll teach you a lesson: don't meddle in other people's business!"

Having said that, the Patriarch Styx abandoned his stance and began to fight.

Wukong dared not be careless and used his Golden Cudgel to parry.

The two clashed head-on. The Patriarch Styx, having neither a weapon nor intentionally yielding, fought back and forth with Wukong for dozens of rounds.

The more Wukong fought, the more alarmed he became. This thief was incredibly powerful; he could withstand Wukong's Golden Cudgel even with his bare hands!

At this moment, the Patriarch Styx used his two long arms to parry Wukong's Golden Cudgel, Wukong Wukong on the shoulder with a palm strike.

Wukong stepped back, but Styx Patriarch Styx stepped forward again and punched Wukong in the face. Wukong cried out, covered his eyes, and fell down the mountain.

The Patriarch Styx couldn't help but burst into laughter.

If you can't defeat the Demon Dragon, can't you defeat the Demon Monkey?

The bandits cheered and bound Wukong, bringing him up.

The Patriarch Styx instructed his men to tie Wukong up in the hall, while he himself wielded Wukong's Golden Cudgel.

Wukong twitched his right eye; it was slightly bruised.

Just then, a thief came to report, "Your Great King, it's terrible! The treasure we just robbed has all turned to dust!"

Upon hearing this, the Patriarch Styx was furious and questioned Wukong:

"Monk, what kind of Illusion Spell have you created? How did you turn my treasure into dirt!"

Wukong said, "Those were just dirt; I, Sun Wukong, used magic to transform them into treasure! Hua Yunlong, with your abilities, where wouldn't you Creation? What good would it do to covet those gold and silver treasures?"

Upon hearing this, the Patriarch Styx thought to himself Dao Fruit, " Just as the Cult Leader predicted, this Monkey, seeing that he can't win, has started to reason with people."

The Patriarch Styx pondered the words of the sect Cult Leader and spoke:

"Monk, you do have some insight! I'm not after that wealth; it's just that I possess Superior Martial Arts but no one recognizes them. That's why I sought out heroes, joined the Greenwood, and committed major crimes to let the world know the fame of Hua Yunlong! As for robbing, it's because I lack nothing but a suitable weapon. Those swords, spears, and halberds are all unsuitable for me, so I borrowed some money from passersby to find a skilled craftsman to forge a weapon! I only take small amounts of money and will not harm anyone!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong thought to himself, "So that's how it is. Hua Yunlong's nature isn't too bad after all." He then asked, "..."

"Since that's the case, if you obtain the weapons, are you willing to repent and return the valuables?"

Patriarch Styx replied, "Of course!"

Upon hearing this, the bandits cried out anxiously, "Your Great King, you can't return it! If you do, what will we brothers eat and drink?"

The Patriarch Styx roared, "Insolence! I am the Great King, and my word is law!"

The bandits then dared not utter a word.

After saying these words, the Patriarch Styx felt inexplicably pleased, and a hint of joy appeared on his face. He picked up his Golden Cudgel and said:

"Monk, that's a nice staff. Where did you get it?"

Wukong said, "What kind of staff? This is the treasure that Yu the Great used to control the floods. It's called the Ruyi Golden Cudgel Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron. It weighs 13,500 catties and can change size and length at will. It was given to Old Sun, Old Sun, by the Old Dragon of the East Sea."

Upon hearing this, the Patriarch Styx exclaimed, "Such a background! I've long heard that the East Sea Dragon Palace is filled with treasures. Since the Dragon King gave you, monk, such a treasure, there's no reason he wouldn't give me one too. I'll go find him and ask him for one!"

Wukong felt a little guilty after hearing this.

Although the Golden Cudgel was given to him by the East Sea Dragon King, there were bound to be some words exchanged during the process. If Hua Yunlong were to ask to borrow it, he would probably not be able to, and instead, a dispute would ensue.

Thinking this through, Wukong decided to ask Hua Yunlong how he planned to borrow the money, lest his words cause trouble later. So he asked, "How do you plan to borrow it?"

The Patriarch Styx said, "I will go down into the sea, enter the Dragon Palace, and tell the Old Dragon: Since he borrowed the monk's treasure, he must lend me one as well."

Wukong said, "Old Sun was able to borrow this treasure because I'm a close neighbor of the Old Dragon of the East Sea. You're not related to him at all, so why would he lend it to you?"

The Patriarch Styx laughed, "We're related! My name contains the character for dragon, so aren't we related? If he dares not lend it, I'll give him a good beating and turn the Dragon Palace upside down. I'll make sure he doesn't dare refuse!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong thought to himself that the Old Dragon of Longhai was the Demon Dragon's maternal uncle. If this thief tried to steal the treasure, he would likely suffer greatly. Although the thief was arrogant, he wasn't entirely evil. So, he advised him:

"Hua Yunlong, if you try to steal the treasure, how can they possibly let you have it? A fight is inevitable. If you lose, you'll be punished; even if you win, you won't be clean, and they'll send troops to attack you in the future."

After listening, the Patriarch Styx considered the words of the sect Cult Leader and smiled:

"Monk, you have some skills, so why are you so timid? I met a master when I was young and was taught all sorts of skills. I have a way to ascend to heaven, a way to enter the earth, I can walk through water and fire, and I can hide and vanish. What do I have to fear from an army that comes to attack me? Have you not heard:

Throughout history, powerful figures have vied for supremacy, and victory has always depended on heroes.

"Never say that the future is uncertain; only the strong can reach the top."