Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Thud, thud, thud!

In the quiet night, the sound of gongs and drums was very clear.

In Esquire Zhang's household, the servant watched as the residence burst into raging flames and shouted loudly, "Water's gone, the water's gone!"

The villagers of Jinshan Village, woken up by the commotion, watched the fire engulf Esquire Zhang's residence. Though many dressed and got out of bed, the number of people genuinely willing to help was, after all, small.

Even in the eyes of many, there was a sense of relief.

Villagers, with their simple and frank nature, followed a simple principle: if you are good to me, I will be good to you; if you treat me poorly, do not expect me to be kind to you.

Although Esquire Zhang was wealthy, his reputation in Jinshan Village was not very good. If it hadn't been for his wife managing some of the neighborhood relations over the years, perhaps even the few who came to help wouldn't have.

"What's the situation? Are the people inside safe?" Some villagers who ran faster approached the servant beating the gongs and drums and asked.

"The lady and the second lady have been rescued, but the master, he is missing. What can we do…"

The head of the family, Esquire Zhang's absence was like missing the backbone.

...

Atop a hillside, Jiang Liu and Gaoyang reached halfway up the mountainside and looked back; in the pitch-black night, the fire at Esquire Zhang's house was clearly visible.

Watching the fire at Esquire Zhang's house, Jiang Liu pressed his lips together, saying nothing, yet he felt profound emotions.

In the mere half a month since he had time-traveled to this era, there had been murder and arson, which would be unthinkable in modern society with its rule of law.

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Had he changed, or was the era to blame?

"Jiang Liu, is it really okay to let that monk named Daoji go?" Gaoyang glanced at the fire at Esquire Zhang's place and thought about the unconscious Daoji they hadn't killed, asking somewhat uneasily.

Murder and arson were not light matters, and the monk called Daoji was the only witness. Logically, they should have eliminated the witness by killing him.

"Those who deserve death should be killed, like Esquire Zhang, but Daoji bears me no ill will. His previous actions were merely because he had received some favors from Esquire Zhang. If I kill someone just to silence them, how am I different from Esquire Zhang who succumbs to greed and contemplates taking lives?"

Shaking his head, Jiang Liu seriously responded, reaffirming that there must be a bottom line in being human.

"But aren't you afraid that after Monk Daoji wakes up, he'll go to the government office to accuse you? By then, the trouble for us, and even Jinshan Temple, will be no small matter."

"As I understand it, the so-called principle of evildoers is to kill rather than to let go, whereas the principle of upstanding people is to let go rather than to kill by mistake," Jiang Liu answered earnestly without explaining too much, stating his bottom line.

Without the intention of becoming a great benefactor or a paragon of virtue, Jiang Liu did not wish to be a villain who takes lives without regard.

Pause for a moment, Jiang Liu continued, "Besides, I believe Daoji is not a fool. He should know what to do."

When he was beaten severely, he promptly admitted defeat, which showed that Daoji was someone who understood the situation well.

Since he understood the situation, without reason, he would not likely want to invite unnecessary trouble.

"Alright, what you say makes sense. I, as a heroine, have no desire to become an evildoer!"

Jiang Liu spoke of the upstanding people's principle "to let go rather than to kill by mistake," and Gaoyang nodded in agreement.

As the two talked, they turned around and continued walking up the mountain.

However, it was now the latter half of the night, and the mountain path was pitch black. Suddenly, Gaoyang slipped, and with a startled cry, she fell to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Seeing Gaoyang with a twisted foot, Jiang Liu quickly crouched down, asking with concern.

"I can't go on, my foot hurts. You, you'll have to carry me," In the dark, Gaoyang's expression was invisible, only her faint voice could be heard.

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"Okay," without giving it much thought, Jiang Liu nodded and turned around, letting Gaoyang lie on his back.

Jiang Liu's character level had already reached level 6, and whether in terms of strength or stamina, he had surpassed ordinary people by a great deal, so carrying Gaoyang didn't feel heavy. The mountain path was rugged, yet Jiang Liu's steps were steady.

As Gaoyang lay on Jiang Liu's back, her hands wrapped around his neck and her cheeks lightly resting on his back, she felt very secure.

However, feeling Jiang Liu's somewhat stiff movements, Gaoyang curled her lips slightly in the darkness, "Hey, have you never carried another girl before?"

"That, that's not true, I used to hug and cuddle with other girls quite often..."

Leaning on Jiang Liu's back, Gaoyang only felt that his words were bluster.

"What about you? Have you often been carried by other men?" After a moment of silence, Jiang Liu, intent on turning defense into offense, asked quietly.

"No, other than my father, who carried me when I was little, you're the first..." Clasping Jiang Liu's neck a little tighter, Gaoyang's voice was as faint as a mosquito's.

Neither the young man nor woman spoke again; in the silent night, only the sound of Jiang Liu's footsteps grinding against the pebbles on the mountain path could be heard, making the atmosphere in the darkness charming.

Leaning on Jiang Liu's back, the young girl felt her own heartbeat seemingly growing louder.

"By the way, the Incense Offering Ceremony is in a few days. Even if you're initiated then, you won't let the monks know, will you? Otherwise, this heroine will tear down your temple," Gaoyang said.

"Don't worry, I never planned on becoming a monk. I still want to marry you and have lots of little babies. Yeah, let's have enough to make a soccer team. Let's happily decide on that," replied Jiang Liu.

"Soccer team? What's that?" Gaoyang asked.

...

In the pitch-dark night, shoulder-borne by Jiang Liu, as they walked and talked, their feelings for each other warmed rapidly.

However, as Jiang Liu arrived at the entrance to Jinshan Temple, a scream rang out, causing his heart to tighten.

The familiar voice belonged to Senior Brother Xuankong.

"Something's wrong!" With a scream in the middle of the night coming from the temple, Gaoyang also understood that something had occurred. Without a second thought, she leaped from Jiang Liu's back, quietly approaching what lay ahead.

Watching Gaoyang's agile movements, the corners of Jiang Liu's mouth twitched slightly.

Had her foot injury already healed? Or was she deceiving him from the beginning?

But now was not the time to ponder such things. Jiang Liu too crouched down and walked forward cautiously.

A few torches lit up the small square outside the main hall of Jinshan Temple. Senior Abbot Faming lay on the ground, his life hanging by a thread.

Xuanming and Xuanwu, two fellow monks, had both been severely beaten, their faces swollen and bruised.

Senior Brother Xuankong was in the most dire state, clutching his shoulder, lying on the ground with a right arm in a pool of blood, clearly having been severed.

In the square, seven or eight men wielding steel knives looked fierce and malevolent; it was plain to see they were no good men.

Among these men, several bore various injuries, clearly sustained while fighting with Senior Brother Xuankong.

The leader, a man holding a feather fan and dressed like a scholar, sat on a chair. Evidently, this seemingly weakest man was the leader of these villains.

"No one can kill our Black Bear Stronghold's people and live freely," said the scholar sitting in the chair, shaking his feather fan with a pretense of refinement.

As his words fell, the scholar made a horizontal cutting gesture with his fan and said, "Since that Novice Monk Jiang Liu was lucky enough to escape down the mountain early, then consider these bald donkeys as interest—kill them all."

"Stop!" Without caring whether he could defeat these men, Jiang Liu shouted as he saw the people of Jinshan Temple about to be slaughtered and leapt out, wielding an ebony stick.

Seeing the situation and listening to the scholar-dressed fellow, Jiang Liu could guess: these men must be the bandits previously hired by Esquire Zhang, now seeking revenge.

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