I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

After hearing this, Guanyin frowned, her heart filled with doubt and shock.

"Is this true? Someone set up a barrier, trapping you here for fourteen years? And even made Wukong disappear?"

She thought to herself, "To be able to set up such an exquisite restriction is definitely not something an ordinary powerful being could do. Could it be the work of a powerful human being? But why would they target the pilgrimage team?"

She slowly walked around, carefully examining the power of the restriction, and became more and more alarmed as she looked.

This restriction combines the laws of space and lightning, and its technique is exquisite, far exceeding her imagination.

Moreover, the power of this restriction is slowly weakening, which is clearly intentional on the part of the person who set it up, and not an accident.

"Bodhisattva, can you break this restriction?"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Tang Sanzang's eyes as he asked.

Guanyin shook her head and said, "This restriction is too ingenious. The person who set it up has unfathomable cultivation. Although I have some skills, I cannot easily break it."

However, as that benefactor Jiang said, the power of this restriction is weakening and will dissipate on its own in three years, at which time you will be able to leave this place.”

Hearing Guanyin say the same thing, Tang Sanzang was completely relieved.

Pigsy asked, "Bodhisattva, where is my eldest brother? Do you know where he is?"

Guanyin pondered and said, "Wukong has great supernatural powers and deep blessings, so he will not easily encounter misfortune."

He's been missing for so long, something must have happened that delayed him.

I will send people to search for his whereabouts, and I will inform you as soon as I have any news.”

She paused, then said, "I came here because I was worried that you might encounter danger in Zhu Zi Kingdom, but I didn't expect you to be trapped here."

"Since you are all safe for now, I will return to Zhu Zi Kingdom first. I will wait for you, inquire about Wukong's whereabouts, and also keep an eye on my mount, the Golden-Haired Roar, lest he cause any trouble."

"Thank you for your concern, Bodhisattva."

Tang Sanzang quickly expressed his gratitude.

Guanyin nodded and said, "You should wait here in peace and not take any risks."

This is a lotus-shaped jade talisman connected to my vase. If you encounter any insurmountable danger, crush the talisman, and I will sense it and come to your aid immediately.

She took out a white jade talisman from her bosom and handed it to Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang accepted the jade talisman, put his hands together and said, "Thank you for your generous gift, Bodhisattva."

Guanyin gave a few more instructions, then turned and left, reverting to her human woman attire, her figure gradually disappearing into the mountains and forests.

She did not return to Zhu Zi Kingdom immediately, but instead searched the surrounding area, hoping to find traces of Sun Wukong. However, after searching for a long time, she found nothing and had no choice but to turn around and head back to Zhu Zi Kingdom.

Back at the Wangxilou Inn, Guanyin sat by the window, her brows furrowed, pondering the day's events.

That man named Jiang Wang was too mysterious. Not only could he see the clues of the restriction, but he could also accurately judge when the restriction would dissipate. This was by no means a coincidence.

Moreover, his gift of a communication jade talisman to Tang Sanzang and his initiative to help find out Sun Wukong's whereabouts must have had some ulterior motive.

"Who exactly is this Jiang Wang? Is he connected to the person who set up the restrictions?"

Guanyin was filled with doubt.

She couldn't understand when such an unfathomable power had appeared on this vast and desolate land, and why he would interfere in the journey to the West.

Just then, a commotion arose downstairs at the inn, mixed with shouts and cries.

Guanyin frowned, got up and walked to the window, looking down.

On the street below, several soldiers in official uniforms were beating an old woman, whipping her repeatedly. The old woman was curled up on the ground, pleading desperately. A crowd of onlookers had gathered, but no one dared to intervene.

"You audacious shrew! How dare you defy the king's orders and refuse to hand over your family's grain! You're utterly courting death!"

The leading soldier shouted sternly and lashed out with his whip again.

The old woman cried out, "Sir, spare us! Sir, spare us! That's our only food. If we hand it over, my grandson and I will starve to death! Please, sir, have mercy and let us go!"

"Enough nonsense! The king has decreed that in order to prepare provisions and support the war effort at the front, every household must hand over half of its grain. Anyone who disobeys will be punished as a traitor!"

The soldiers remained unmoved and continued to whip the old woman.

A trace of compassion flashed in Guanyin's eyes as she thought to herself, "The King of Zhu Zi Kingdom has always been benevolent. Why would he suddenly issue such an order? And why would he need to support the frontline battle? Zhu Zi Kingdom is located on the edge of Xiniu Hezhou and has always been peaceful. What frontline battle is there to speak of?"

She moved swiftly and silently, landing among the onlookers.

She raised her hand and waved it, sending out a soft golden light that landed on the soldier's whip.

The soldier felt a sudden numbness in his wrist, and the whip slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

"Who? Who is behind this in the shadows?"

The leading soldier's expression changed, and he shouted sternly, his eyes scanning the surrounding civilians warily.

Guanyin slowly walked out of the crowd, came to the old woman's side, helped her up, and said gently, "Madam, are you alright?"

She raised her hand and waved it, and a golden light fell on the old woman, instantly healing her wounds and relieving her pain.

The old woman was moved to tears and repeatedly thanked her, saying, "Thank you so much for saving my life, young lady! Thank you so much!"

The leading soldier saw Guanyin, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes, before his fierce expression returned. He shouted, "Who are you? How dare you obstruct us from carrying out our duties? Do you also intend to defy the king's orders and rebel?"

Guanyin looked at the soldiers with a cold gaze and said, "The king is benevolent and loves his people like his own children. How could he issue such a harsh order, forcing the people to hand over their grain and causing them to be displaced? You must be falsely conveying the imperial edict and oppressing the people!"

"Nonsense!"

The soldier shouted angrily, "We are acting under the king's decree, how could we forge it? You woman, you are ignorant and arrogant, daring to spout nonsense here, seize her!"

As soon as she finished speaking, several soldiers, armed with weapons, rushed towards Guanyin.

Guanyin remained expressionless, and with a gentle wave of her hand, a soft golden light emanated, sending several soldiers flying and crashing to the ground, unable to move, but without injury.

The surrounding people were stunned by what they saw and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"This girl is incredibly skilled!"

"It seems these soldiers really were falsely claiming imperial orders and oppressing the people; they got a lesson from the girl!"

The leading soldier was both shocked and furious. He pointed at Guanyin and said, "You...you wait! I'll go report to the general right now and have him deal with you!"

He struggled to get up, but found himself too weak to stand.

Guanyin ignored the soldiers and turned to the old woman, saying, "Madam, take your grandson and leave here as soon as possible to avoid further trouble."

She took out some silver from her bosom and handed it to the old woman, saying, "Take this silver and buy some food to live a good life."

The old woman accepted the silver with tears of gratitude, thanked her again, and then quickly got up, squeezed through the crowd, and hurriedly left.

Guanyin watched the old woman's departing figure, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

She could sense that a strange aura was permeating the territory of the Kingdom of Zhu Zi, and the king's behavior had become extremely abnormal, unlike his usual benevolent ways.

Moreover, there was a faint trace of demonic energy in the air, which, though extremely well hidden, could not escape her perception.

"It seems that the Kingdom of Zhu Zi is not peaceful either."

Guanyin thought to herself. She had intended to wait quietly for Tang Sanzang and his party to arrive, but she hadn't expected to encounter such a thing.

Moreover, the anomalies in the Kingdom of Zhu Zi seem to be somehow related to her mount, the Golden-haired Roar.

She turned to the soldiers and said, "You say you are acting on the king's orders."

"Then I will go with you to see the king and ask him directly whether he truly issued such an order."

The leading soldier was startled. He was simply forging an imperial edict to oppress the people. How could he dare to take Guanyin to see the king? But he was powerless and unable to resist.

Just then, the sound of hooves approached, and a troop of cavalry galloped in. Leading them was a general in armor, with a fierce face and a powerful aura.

"What happened?"

The general reined in his horse, shouted sternly, and his gaze swept over the soldiers on the ground before landing on Guanyin, a hint of amazement and greed flashing in his eyes.

Upon seeing this, the leading soldier, as if seeing a savior, immediately shouted, "General! Help! This woman has disobeyed the king's orders, injured us, and obstructed us from carrying out our duties!"

He deliberately twisted the truth, trying to get the general to deal with Guanyin.

Upon hearing this, the general's gaze turned cold as he looked at Guanyin and said, "You woman, how dare you! You actually dare to run wild in the territory of Zhu Zi Kingdom and obstruct official business. You'd better surrender immediately, or don't blame this general for being impolite!"

Guanyin's expression was cold as she said, "General, you are mistaken."

I did not obstruct official business; these soldiers were simply impersonating the emperor and oppressing the people, and I merely intervened to stop them.

"If the general does not believe me, he may come with me to see the king and confront him face to face to see if the king truly issued such an order."

"Hmph, falsely claiming an imperial edict?"

The general sneered, "These soldiers are all my men, how could they falsely convey an imperial edict? You're clearly talking nonsense and trying to make excuses! I think you've come here on purpose to cause trouble in Zhu Zi Kingdom!"

His eyes burned with even greater greed. The woman before him was not only stunningly beautiful but also possessed extraordinary skills. If he could capture her and present her to the king, he would surely receive a great reward.

"Take it down!"

The general shouted sternly.

Upon hearing this, the cavalry behind her immediately drew their weapons and charged towards Guanyin.

These cavalrymen were all elites of the Zhu Zi Kingdom, with considerable cultivation, ruthless attacks, and deadly strikes.

Guanyin remained expressionless, and with a gentle flick of her willow branch, a few drops of nectar flew out of her vase, transforming into a soft golden light that enveloped the cavalrymen.

The cavalrymen felt their bodies go limp, their weapons fell from their hands, and their warhorses came to a stop obediently, unable to move any further.

The general was both shocked and furious upon seeing this, as he had never expected Guanyin to possess such formidable abilities.

He gritted his teeth, took up his long sword, and charged towards Guanyin.

The long sword was infused with powerful internal energy, and with a sharp gust of wind, it slashed towards Guanyin's head.

Guanyin gently turned aside, avoiding the general's attack.

At the same time, the willow branch snapped and landed on the general's wrist.

The general felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and the long sword instantly slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

He wanted to make another move, but found himself powerless, enveloped in golden light, unable to move.

The general was both surprised and frightened, and asked in a trembling voice.

He finally realized that the woman in front of him was no ordinary person, and was far beyond his ability to contend with.

Guanyin looked at him with a cold gaze and said, "Who I am is not important."

The important question is, why are you forging imperial edicts and oppressing the people? What is the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom doing now?

The general struggled for a moment, realizing that he was no match for Guanyin and that if he didn't tell the truth, he would only suffer.

He sighed and said, "Girl, spare us! We...we were forced into this situation."

It is not that we are falsely conveying the imperial edict; the king did indeed issue such an order.

"Oh? Did the king really issue such an order?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Guanyin's eyes. "The King of Zhu Zi Kingdom has always been benevolent. Why would he suddenly make such a decision? And why would he want to support the frontline war? What frontline war does Zhu Zi Kingdom have?"

The general said, "This matter is a long story."

Three months ago, the king suddenly changed his personality, no longer paying attention to state affairs, and indulging in beauty and elixirs all day long.

Later, this order was issued, forcibly confiscating grain from the people, supposedly to support the war effort at the front, but we had no idea where this so-called front was.

He paused, then continued, "Not only that, the king also ordered a nationwide search for young women to be sent to the palace, saying he wanted to select concubines."

Many people were forced to flee their homes and suffered greatly.

We subordinates can only follow orders and dare not disobey.

Guanyin was startled and said, "The king's temperament has changed drastically? Is he obsessed with beauty and elixirs? There must be something fishy about this."

Do you know when the king began to become like this? Has something unusual happened?

The general thought for a moment and said, "About three months ago, the king went hunting at Ziyang Mountain outside the city. After he returned, he became like this."

Moreover, since then, strange noises have frequently been heard from the palace, and many unfamiliar Taoist priests have appeared, claiming to be concocting elixirs of immortality for the king.

"Ziyang Mountain? Taoist priests?"

A knowing glint flashed in Guanyin's eyes. "It seems that the king has been cursed or bewitched by a demon."

Those Taoist priests are probably not good people either.

She thought to herself that the strangeness of the Zhu Zi Kingdom was probably related to her mount, the Golden-haired Roar.

Golden-haired lions are inherently unruly, and if left unsupervised, they are sure to cause trouble.

Perhaps the Golden-Haired Roar, in league with other demons, bewitched the King of Zhu Zi Kingdom and caused chaos within its borders.

"Take me to the palace to see the king."

Guanyin said to the general.

The general hesitated, saying, "Miss, the king's temperament has changed drastically; he is extremely irritable. If we go rashly, there may be danger."

Moreover, the Taoist priests in the palace are quite powerful; they probably won't let the young lady see the king easily.

"It's alright."

Guanyin said, "Take me there. If there is any danger, I will handle it myself."

The general dared not disobey and could only nod in agreement.

Guanyin raised her hand and waved it away, removing the golden light that had enveloped the soldiers and cavalry.

Having regained their strength, everyone stood up, looking at Guanyin with awe, no longer daring to show the slightest disrespect. (End of Chapter)