Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 245 - 24 Farewell

The wind ceased, and a patrolling guard couldn’t help but exclaim, "Where did that whirlwind come from? Such a rare sight. By the way, was there some noise coming from over there just now?" The guard pointed in the direction where Wu Meiniang had fallen and said with confusion.

"No, I didn’t hear anything. Maybe you heard wrong. With that wind howling, how could there be any other sounds?" Another colleague said with a smile.

"Exactly, maybe your sister-in-law is visiting, and it’s affecting your energy, giving you auditory hallucinations," one guard joked.

"Go on! I’m in perfect health, unlike you, who’s scared even at the sight of a girl."

The guards burst into hearty laughter, bringing a touch of liveliness to the solemn Imperial Palace. Li Shimin treated people with leniency and often walked among the troops. He took good care of his guards, and jokes like this one would have been dismissed with a laugh even if he heard them.

Besides, given the vastness of the Imperial Palace, the chances of encountering the Emperor were not that high.

In the far west lay a place called Black Wind Mountain, with its rugged peaks and layered forests.

There was a grotto known as Black Wind Cave, which housed Black Wind King, a renowned Greater Demon in the vicinity. Nobody knew where he came from, but ever since he took over Black Wind Mountain, he had been challenging demons from all quarters and gained a formidable reputation.

At this moment, Black Wind Cave was silent. All the Little Demons held their breath and did not dare inhale loudly. Even their footsteps were cautious, tiptoeing around. Anyone who accidentally touched anything would turn pale with fright.

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After all, their Great King had many fine qualities, but he had quite the temper when he awoke. If his rest was disturbed, a fiery outburst was inevitable. Unlike other Demon Kings, he didn’t want your life – he just wanted to spar for a bit.

However, the physical strength of the Demon King was incredibly resilient. You couldn’t hurt him in a fight; instead, you’d likely injure yourself, merely becoming a punching bag for him.

In the eyes of the Little Demons, the seemingly invincible King was deep asleep in his cozy corner of Black Wind Cave.

If someone saw Black Wind King at this moment, their dreams would probably be shattered. The powerful, mysterious, and awe-inspiring great man was actually an adorable Little Black Bear.

The Little Black Bear was sound asleep, with little snot bubbles enlarging and shrinking in time with his breath.

Suddenly, the snot bubble popped, waking the Little Black Bear from his slumber. He rubbed his little eyes and looked around in a daze. It took him a good while to come to his senses. He then took out his cherished clay pot filled with golden honey.

After pouring the honey into his mouth, Little Black Bear muttered, "This honey from Golden Pond Elder is getting worse in quality. What a crook. He shares the same surname ’Jin’ but falls far short compared to Golden Cicada."

Having finished the honey, Little Black Bear got up, glanced at two wooden puppets on the stone table, sighed, and walked out.

The wooden puppets were a man and a woman: one a bald Monk with a smiling face, the other a woman in red clothes who seemed to be speaking haughtily.

The wood carving was so vivid it seemed to recreate the scene from the past, capturing the likenesses of Bai Xiaoyao and Golden Cicada.

Little Black Bear stepped out of the room and slowly changed his shape, transforming from a cute little black bear into a dark-faced burly man, the only constant being his round little eyes.

Gazing at himself in the mirror, he nodded in satisfaction and said, "I still look so majestic and domineering like this!"

However, the voice that came out was still childishly tender. He quickly covered his mouth and coughed a few times before he finally managed to adjust his voice to a deeper tone.

"That was close, if anyone had heard that voice, I wouldn’t have been able to show my face."

By the time he reached the main hall of the cave, all the little demons were already waiting there. Little Black Bear took his seat at the highest place, surveyed his surroundings, and saw that all the little demons were bowing their heads—not one dared to meet his gaze. In that moment, he was the true king for a thousand miles around.

"Reporting to the Great King, the information you asked me to find out—I’ve got it," said a little demon kneeling on the ground, excitedly.

The Black Wind King’s eyes lit up and he asked eagerly, "Quick, tell me!"

"There is a scripture-seeking monk from the Eastern Land’s Great Tang. He’s currently staying at Guanyin Zen Temple, but his name is not Golden Cicada, it’s Tang Xuanzang."

"Tang Xuanzang?" muttered the Black Wind King to himself, then he curled his lip and said, "What a terrible name, it doesn’t sound as nice as Golden Cicada."

"Take good care of the house while I’m gone, I’ve got an errand to run," said the Black Wind King as his eyes rolled around in thought. He then addressed the gathered little demons below him.

Without waiting for the demons to reply, the Black Wind King turned into a swirl of black wind and flew towards the Guanyin Zen Temple; he wanted to see Golden Cicada for himself.

Meanwhile, Tang Monk strolled through Guanyin Zen Temple, which truly justified the efforts of the Golden Pond Elder, who had spent his lifetime building it—it was extraordinary.

There were many monk’s quarters within the temple, yet they were scattered in an orderly fashion, without feeling out of place. Evergreen pines and cypresses surrounded the area, complementing the monk’s quarters—a clear result of careful design.

At the back was a large yard, filled with various exotic flowers and rare herbs. It was beautiful indeed. However, as Tang Monk looked around, he frowned slightly. He couldn’t help feeling that despite the Golden Pond Elder’s appearance of dignity, compassion, and generosity, he was quite fond of luxury, displaying his wealth at every opportunity, far from the expected demeanor of a monk.

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Just then, a shadow appeared in front of Tang Monk, startling him greatly. But as he calmed down and looked closer, he found it was a little black bear, its glossy black fur shimmering in the sunlight, and its small round eyes seemed to hold a different kind of emotion.

For some reason, Tang Monk suddenly felt an urge to cry. He felt as if he had seen this little black bear before. Overcoming the fear in his heart, he slowly approached Little Black Bear and said, "Amitabha, where did you come from, little bear? You should hurry home to your mother. If you run into my fierce disciple, you might end up as part of his clothing by accident."

Clearly, Tang Monk remembered the ferocious tiger that had been killed by Monkey, whose fur had already been turned into a tiger-skin skirt and was now worn by him every day.

Little Black Bear gazed at Tang Monk deeply, an almost imperceptible hint of regret flashing in his eyes. Then he turned and slowly walked away. When he was about to disappear from Tang Monk’s sight, he turned back and looked deeply at Tang Monk again. For some reason, Tang Monk saw loneliness and sadness in Little Black Bear’s departing figure, feeling quite distressed and unable to pinpoint why.

He always felt as though he had forgotten something important.