Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 99 Battle Against Red Boy (Part 3)
Meanwhile, Ao Tu frightened the Red Boy, saying that he was only considered a low-ranking person in the Heavenly Court.

This is not entirely untrue. Take Sun Wukong, for example. He had the cultivation of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, but when he first entered the Heavenly Court, he was only a lowly stable boy named Bi Ma Wen.

Ao Tu's cultivation level is not as high as Sun Wukong's; he is only a Golden Immortal. If he were placed in the Heavenly Court, he would probably only be a strongman.

Red Boy was young and had never been to the Heavenly Court or seen the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals. Hearing Ao Tu say this, he felt a little frightened.

Red Boy thought to himself: If even the lowest-ranking officials in Heaven have such magical power, then wouldn't I really be just a Heavenly Soldier as the other party said?
Red Boy said somewhat fearfully:

"You're talking nonsense! My father, the Bull Demon King, once led a rebellion against the demons and was known as the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven. When I fought with my father, I was never easily defeated. My uncles and aunts all fear my Samadhi True Fire. How dare you say that I'm only slightly stronger than the heavenly soldiers?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "That's because they're all giving in to you because you're young!"

Upon hearing this, Red Boy recalled his father's frequent admonitions to be careful when out in public and not to cause trouble, and he began to believe him somewhat.

Ao Tu then asked, "Have you ever heard of my name before?"

Red Boy said, "I have never heard of it."

Ao Tu said, "I am just a nobody, without even a name, yet I was able to defeat you so easily, which shows how weak you are."

Tang Sanzang's three disciples were all celestial generals descended to earth, possessing great supernatural powers. Yet you want to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh? Aren't you courting death?

Upon hearing this, Red Boy became even more frightened and said, "Then what should we do? I won't eat Tang Sanzang's flesh anymore. How about letting them pass?"

Ao Tu said, "That won't work either."

Red Boy asked, "Why isn't it working yet?"

Ao Tu asked, "When I came here, I heard that you had committed all sorts of evil deeds and crimes in these mountains. Is that true?"

Red Boy said regretfully, "I was ignorant and arrogant before. Relying on my supernatural powers, I bullied the local mountain gods and earth gods, making them light fires and hold up doors for me, and extorting them to catch mountain deer and wild roe deer for me to eat."

Ao Tu gestured to Tiger Vanguard to put Red Boy down, and said:

"This is truly heinous. When Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrive and learn of your evil deeds, they will certainly not forgive you. Now you only have two paths to take."

Red Boy rubbed his bottom and asked, "Which two roads?"

Ao Tu said, "The first option is to bind your own hands, kowtow and beg for forgiveness, and voluntarily become a novice monk for Tang Sanzang in order to save your life."

Red Boy said, "What should we do? If I become a novice monk, won't my family line end? Is there any other way?"

Ao Tu said, "There is a second way."

Red Boy said, "Please enlighten me, senior."

Ao Tu said, "You should abandon the mountain and flee back home overnight; that way you can find temporary refuge."

Red Boy asked, "What do you mean by temporarily taking refuge?"

Ao Tu said, "The Tang Monk and his disciples are heading west, and they will pass by your house sooner or later. At that time, you will have nowhere to go."

After hearing this, Red Boy lowered his head and said, "My father ordered me to guard this 600-mile-long Drill Mountain and often told me not to cause trouble. Now I have brought disaster home. Isn't that a serious crime? Senior, please, is there any other way?"

Ao Tu pretended to hesitate: "This..."

Red Boy hurriedly moved closer to Ao Tu, putting on a pitiful look, and pleaded while holding Ao Tu's hand:

"Please, senior, have mercy on me because I am so young."

Ao Tu said, "I do have a perfect solution that can not only save you but also capture Tang Sanzang, killing three birds with one stone."

Red Boy was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Please enlighten me, senior."

Ao Tu stood with his hands behind his back, remaining silent.

Seeing this, Red Boy quickly said, "Senior, whatever your instructions are, I will do my best."

Ao Tu said, "It's not really an order. I see that although your skills are average, your fire manipulation is quite useful. Would you be willing to work as my subordinate?"

Red Boy naturally didn't want to be someone else's subordinate.

But given the current situation, he had no choice but to agree, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Get up."

Red Boy respectfully said, "Please enter the cave, Your Majesty."

Ao Tu entered the cave and sat at the head of the table.

Red Boy served by his side.

Ao Tu said, "Come closer."

Red Boy hurried over.

Ao Tu whispered to him, "Red Boy, you don't know this, but you are actually related to Tang Sanzang and his disciples!"

Red Boy exclaimed in surprise, "I'm related to them?"

Ao Tu said, “That’s right. Although they are a group of monks, Tang Sanzang’s eldest disciple, Sun Wukong, was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who made a great disturbance in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago. He and your father had sworn brotherhood and made eight oaths of brotherhood. You were not born at that time, so you were unaware of it.”

Red Boy said, "There's such a thing? How skilled is Sun Wukong?"

Ao Tu said, "His skills are extremely strong."

Red Boy said, "I suppose even if he's strong, he can't be stronger than my father." Ao Tu said, "Not so. When they became sworn brothers, Sun Wukong was the smallest and ranked last. But in terms of skill, he was stronger than your father."

Red Boy didn't believe it: "How do you know he's stronger than my father?"

Ao Tu said, "Sun Wukong has rebelled against Heaven several times. He is incredibly powerful and the Heavenly Court can hardly subdue him. The Jade Emperor personally bestowed upon him the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven and granted him pacification, making him the highest-ranking official. Your father calls himself the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven, yet he only enjoys a secluded corner of the world and has never received a formal title. Tell me, whose abilities are stronger?"

Upon hearing this, Red Boy lowered his head and began to think.

Ao Tu said, "After some time, when Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrive, you don't need to fight with them. Just take advantage of this relationship, acknowledge Sun Wukong as your uncle, prepare a vegetarian feast, and invite them to enjoy it. Then you can be safe and sound."

Red Boy said, "I have never seen my father have any contact with Sun Wukong in all these years. Would he acknowledge this relationship?"

Ao Tu said, "Don't worry, Sun Wukong values ​​loyalty the most, he will definitely recognize you. Try to get them to stay for a while, maybe a year or two, and be very attentive to them. Sun Wukong used to be a great demon, and he wasn't on the same side as Tang Sanzang. If you recognize him as your uncle, once the relationship is right, he might even eat Tang Sanzang's flesh with you."

Red Boy said, "But I grew up under the care of my parents and uncles. I am proud and arrogant, and I don't know how to fawn over others."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu glanced at Hong Hai'er, who was burying his head and bowing low beside him, and thought to himself: This little calf has really put on an act.

Ao Tu said, "Don't worry, I'll teach you. Tang Sanzang has three disciples, making a total of four, plus a horse. Tang Sanzang is a good person. Just keep him here as long as possible, tell him some sad stories, and I guarantee he'll like it."

Red Boy asked, "What kind of tragic stories should I tell?"

Ao Tu said, "You just said that your mother didn't love you when you were young, and your father didn't care for you. He sent you to this desolate mountain, where you were all alone and without any relatives. Tang Sanzang must have been moved by the scene and cared for you even more."

Red Boy exclaimed happily, "Good, good!"

Ao Tu then said, “Just flatter Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang’s eldest disciple, praise his great skills, and treat him sincerely. He will surely reciprocate with sincerity.”

Red Boy said, "I will treat you with sincerity!"

Ao Tu continued, "Just treat Tang Sanzang's second disciple, Zhu Wuneng, to good wine and food, and he will not leave your side."

Red Boy said, "That's easy."

Ao Tu said, "The remaining two are Sha Wujing and the White Dragon Horse."

Red Boy asked, "What about the two of them?"

Ao Tu said, "No need to worry about it."

Red Boy asked, "Is there anything else you would like to tell me, Senior?"

Ao Tu said, "That's all."

Upon hearing this, Red Boy lowered his head in thought, thinking to himself:
"That old demon tricked me. Sun Wukong and my father are sworn brothers. If I had revealed my family background, he certainly wouldn't have harmed me. This old demon deliberately frightened me, trying to make me work for him. If I ever get the chance, I will definitely avenge this!"

At this moment, Ao Tu said again:
"Oh, and there's one more crucial point. I've heard that Sun Wukong recently acquired an ancient martial arts technique with boundless power. You must extract the incantation from him. That technique is incredibly profound, and you must never practice it yourself, lest you suffer a qi deviation. Once you've obtained it, hand it over to me immediately."

Upon hearing this, Red Boy rolled his eyes and thought to himself:
"So that's why this old demon is so kind. If we're talking about closeness, aren't I closer to Uncle Sun, whom I've never met? I bet he's just a low-level one. I'll agree to his request on the surface first, and once Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrive, I'll learn the techniques first, and then I'll take revenge on this old demon."

Red Boy said, "Thank you for telling me, Your Majesty. I will certainly obey!"

Ao Tu patted Red Boy's head and laughed, "You little rascal, you're naturally clever. You'll definitely be able to get the martial arts techniques out of Sun Wukong."

Red Boy grinned.

Ao Tu said, "I am a little hungry, please prepare a feast quickly."

Red Boy immediately ordered his men to prepare a banquet.

Soon after, all sorts of wild delicacies were served.

There are roe deer, wild deer, colorful pheasants, forest rabbits, wood ear fungus, daylilies, shiitake mushrooms, mushrooms...

Ao Tu sat in the main seat and asked Hong Hai'er to serve him food, which Hong Hai'er did; he asked Hong Hai'er to pour him wine, which Hong Hai'er did.

It was truly like ordering around a son.

Even though Red Boy was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to endure it all because of the current situation.

After Ao Tu had eaten and drunk his fill, he lay down on Red Boy's bed and gave the following instructions:
“Red Boy, Tang Sanzang and his disciples will be arriving in a few months. It’s not convenient for me to stay in your cave for long. Go find a good mountain in the nearby mountains and build a cave for me.”

Red Boy replied, "Yes!"

He then ordered his lesser demons to find a good mountain.

Ao Tu lay on the couch and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing that Ao Tu was fast asleep and unsuspecting, Red Boy approached little by little.

Just as he was about to reach Ao Tu, Ao Tu suddenly opened his eyes and said, "What are you doing?"

Red Boy quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, summer is approaching, and I was afraid you would feel hot while sleeping, so I came to fan you."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "You do have a filial heart, then go ahead and fan me."

Red Boy stood by, fanning the boy, and thought to himself as he fanned:
"I, the Holy Infant King, have never treated my own parents like this before. Yet now I've been bullied by this old demon and am being fanned by him. It's an utter disgrace! One day, I will repay him a thousandfold!"

At this moment, Ao Tu said, "That was a good fan. Now give me a shoulder massage."

Upon hearing this, Red Boy sat down to the side and massaged Ao Tu's shoulders.

As he kneaded it, Red Boy asked, "Your Majesty, what kind of magic weapon is that black lotus? Why is it so powerful?"

(End of this chapter)