Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 122 Encountering the Blackwater River (Part 8)
Meanwhile, a group of laborers were cutting down trees.

The trees that Ao Tu conjured were extremely tall, each tree being six or seven zhang high and four or five people could hug them.

Even if several migrant workers work together to cut down a single tree, it still takes a lot of hard work to fall it.

After the tree was felled, Brother Tiger cut the trunk open with a knife in front of everyone.

Tiger Brother used his fire-controlling technique to dry the wood.

Tiger Brother then used his magic power to quickly create a wooden cart with a pinch and a press.

Upon seeing this, the migrant workers exclaimed in astonishment, "It's truly a miracle!"

As Tiger Brother built the cart, he had people deliver the wooden carts to the digging area to help them transport the soil.

Twenty thousand laborers were mobilized, chanting slogans in a grand manner, and truckloads of timber and soil were transported to the banks of the Blackwater River.

Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang asked, "How are we going to build a bridge with all this stuff?"

Pigsy said, "Master, if you ask me, this River God is an amateur."

Wukong said, "How come you're an amateur?"

Bajie said, “This river is so wide that if we dump this soil in, it will be washed away in no time. These logs are big, and they can be used to build a bridge for one or two miles, but they definitely cannot be used to build a bridge for more than sixty miles.”

Sha Wujing said, "Second Brother is right. Such a long bridge, let alone wood, even iron locks couldn't hold it up."

Wukong laughed and said, "In my opinion, there's no need for any wood or iron locks. Bajie, just put your nine-foot rake up there, make it bigger, and hold up both banks. Wouldn't that make a perfect bridge?"

Pigsy hurriedly said, "No! No! My rake is still useful!"

Wukong asked, "What's the use?"

Bajie said, "This rake is my possession, I can't give it up. I haven't been able to save any money in the years I've been following my master. If one day we end up in dire poverty, I can pawn the rake to get through the crisis."

Wukong laughed and said, "In that case, let Brother Sha leave the staff behind."

Sha Wujing said, "No, Elder Brother."

Wukong laughed and said, "What, are you going to keep your magic staff to pawn when you're in trouble in the future?"

Sha Wujing said, "I'm not pawning it. I still need this precious staff to protect my master!"

Wukong said, "Fool, listen to what Junior Brother Sha is saying! All you think about is yourself."

Pigsy said, "Brother, I think you should leave your golden cudgel behind. It's straight at both ends, so it's perfect for making a bridge."

Wukong said, "No, no, my golden cudgel is too slippery. If someone walks on it, they might fall into the river without realizing it."

Tang Sanzang said, "Disciples, stop arguing for now, look!"

Wukong and the others looked over and saw that Ao Tu was casting a spell.

Ao Tu pointed his hand, and the soil in the wooden cart turned into a huge rock.

Ao Tu said, "Push the stone into the river."

The migrant workers exclaimed in shock, "Pushed into the river? This...!"

Ao Tu said, "Say no more, push him into the river."

Upon hearing this, the laborers had no choice but to obey the order, pushing wooden carts and dumping the boulders into the river.

With a muffled thud, the boulder fell into the river and floated on the surface instead of sinking.

The migrant workers asked in bewilderment, "Why doesn't this stone sink?"

One of the migrant workers noticed something and exclaimed, "Look!"

A giant turtle emerged from the water, carrying a huge rock on its back.

Ao Tu said, "This is the Blackwater River Turtle God. He came to help you build the bridge after learning that it was not easy for you."

Upon seeing this, all the laborers bowed and said, "Thank you, Turtle God."

The old tortoise was the river god of the Blackwater River. Ao Tu asked him to carry a huge rock to build bridge piers.

The Blackwater River God was somewhat unwilling, believing that he was the true River God and should not merely be an old turtle carrying stones.

But under pressure from Ao Tu, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

With the piers providing support, a bridge was still needed. Ao Tu ordered the laborers to pile the felled timber on the riverbank.

After the wood was piled up, Ao Tu told everyone to stand back.

Ao Tu raised his hand and cast a spell, using the sorcery "All Things Grow".

The ground rumbled, and in front of everyone, the many logs transformed into an enormous tree that grew from the shore, a hundred feet wide and half a person tall.

The migrant workers were all amazed.

The giant tree took firm root in the ground, and then, under Ao Tu's control, its trunk grew towards the other side of the Blackwater River.

However, it only grew a little before stopping.

Ao Tu said, "You should quickly cut down more trees and bring them back. Only when there is enough wood can a bridge be built."

Upon hearing this, the laborers hurriedly pushed their wooden carts back to cut down trees.

Tang Sanzang exclaimed, "Truly, this is the power of the gods!"

Wukong laughed and said, "This guy does have a way."

It was afternoon, and the sun was setting.

Two tiger cubs and two wolf cubs each led the migrant workers back.

The migrant workers, puzzled, asked, "Why did you come back?"

Ao Tu said, "You've worked all day, so we should provide you with food."

The migrant workers were overjoyed and said, "Grandpa Dragon King is merciful; he not only paid us so much but also provided us with meals!"

Ao Tu clapped his hands, and Ming Niang flew out of the river.

Ao Tu said, "This is the goddess of the Blackwater River. She took pity on you common people and came to cook food for you."

All the migrant workers respectfully bowed and said, "Thank you, Goddess!"

Mingniang felt a little disgusted with these commoners, but she just nodded lightly, walked to an open space, and scattered seeds of grains and vegetables. The seeds took root and sprouted in no time, growing to maturity.

The migrant workers were even more shocked when they saw this, and immediately knelt down and kowtowed again.

The fact that she could make crops grow made the people extremely reverent towards Mingniang.

In reality, these techniques that made the crops grow were not performed by Mingniang, but were secretly initiated by Aotu.

Mingniang doesn't actually know this kind of magic; she's just putting on an act.

Ao Tu had previously promised to perform a meritorious deed for Ming Niang because of the Little Crocodile Dragon incident, which is why he is cooperating with her now.

After all the grains had grown, Mingniang used magic to harvest them and then used her powers to cook them to maturity.

Whether it tastes good or not is secondary; the main thing is that it can fill your stomach.

Moreover, these are all legitimate grains, which are already a rare treat for these migrant workers.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples each took a portion, and the taste was quite good.

Mingniang is indeed quite skilled at cooking.

After Mingniang finished preparing food for everyone, she then carefully prepared several dishes for Ao Tu to enjoy.

Pigsy twitched his nose and saw what Ao Tu was eating, and exclaimed:
"Look, the river god eats differently than us; he gets special treatment!"

Wukong put down his chopsticks and said, "Let's go ask him."

Tang Sanzang stopped him, saying, "Wukong, whether or not they give you special treatment is their business. We shouldn't provoke them because of this."

Wukong laughed and said, "Don't worry, Master, Bajie and I are just going to ask, we have no other intentions. Right, Bajie?"

Pigsy said, "Yes, Master. I, Old Pig, didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to see what he was eating."

Tang Sanzang shook his head helplessly.

Wukong and Bajie approached Ao Tu and immediately questioned him:
"You river god, what are you doing secretly having a special treat here?"

(End of this chapter)