Journey to the West: Starting by becoming an apprentice of Emperor Donghua

The black bear monster, with its dark face showing no sign of blushing, chuckled:

"Lord Ji, you are mistaken. I was cultivating diligently. When I reclaim Black Wind Mountain, I will naturally offer you a generous reward."

Ji Sheng smiled and said:

"Since you have this intention, that's great. So, tell me, what exactly do you want?"

The black bear monster then said:

"Although my magical power has recovered somewhat, I have lost all my previous magical treasures and weapons. I humbly request that Lord Ji provide me with some magical artifacts. Once I reclaim Black Wind Mountain, I will repay you tenfold!"

Ji Sheng found it amusing; this black bear monster was actually making empty promises.

Who knows if your claim of reclaiming Black Wind Mountain is true or false? What if it's false, and you've taken the loot and run away? Where am I supposed to find you?

Seeing Ji Sheng smile without saying a word, the Black Bear Monster guessed Ji Sheng's thoughts and assured him:

"Rest assured, Lord Ji, I guarantee with my integrity that I would never do something like running away with the treasure. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to come with me to Black Wind Mountain!"

Ji Sheng wasn't interested in his character. But he did have some ideas about going to Black Wind Mountain together.

The Black Bear Monster wasn't much stronger than the Little Demon before, but Ji Sheng later learned that it was because of an injury that its strength was greatly reduced.

He had been reciting the Heart Sutra for days, and it actually helped him regain his strength.

Having nothing better to do, he went with the other party to Black Wind Mountain, which wasn't a big deal.

Let's see what this monster, which can greatly weaken the Black Bear Monster, actually looks like.

Ji Sheng asked:

What kind of treasure do you want?

The black bear monster was overjoyed and quickly said:

"All I need is a spear, a protective magic item, a flying magic item, and pills to replenish mana and heal injuries. If you have any array flags, that would be best too, and also..."

Ji Sheng quickly interrupted the other party:

"I only have this one spear. I'll give it to you if you want it. I don't have any others. If you want more, you'd better look for them elsewhere."

As he spoke, Ji Sheng took out a black-tasseled spear from the purple bamboo tube and tossed it to the other party:

"Take it, consider it a gift from me!"

After receiving the gun, the black bear monster wasn't as happy as Ji Sheng had imagined. He looked at the gun, touched it, and then said:

"Lord Ji, isn't this my black-tasseled spear? You didn't steal it, did you? I've been searching everywhere for it!"

Ji Sheng was taken aback. This gun was found in the treasure pouch that Ji Sheng had taken after killing the Black Serpent King.

The gun wasn't of high quality; it was just blue. Ji Sheng originally planned to use it, like other magical artifacts, as nourishment to refine it into his flying sword.

I only gave it to the Black Bear Monster today because I saw him borrowing treasure.

Who would have thought this thing belonged to the Black Bear Monster?

Of course, it's also possible that the black bear monster is just talking nonsense, trying to get more treasures from Ji Sheng.

Ji Sheng didn't intend to argue with him about this, so he simply said:

"How did your things end up in my hands? If you call it, will it even respond?"

The black bear monster gently stroked its spear and said softly:

"Black-tasseled spear, my little darling."

A faint glow emanated from the gun, as if in response.

The black bear monster looked at Ji Sheng with suspicion in its eyes.

Ji Sheng was speechless:

"Believe it or not, if you don't want it, give the gun back!"

As he spoke, Ji Sheng made a move to snatch the gun, but the black bear monster quickly dodged it.

"Okay, okay, I believe you. Give me one more, just one more..."

The black bear monster was like a persistent leech, pestering Ji Sheng for quite some time. Ji Sheng had no choice but to give him some more pills in the end.

The black bear monster was finally satisfied and thanked Ji Sheng with a happy smile.

The next day, as agreed, the two headed towards Black Wind Mountain together.

After flying for about an hour, we finally arrived at Black Wind Mountain.

This is indeed a beautiful mountain, covered with lush green trees, where a gentle breeze rustles through the pines. Wild grasses grow abundantly on the hillside, and wildflowers bloom in profusion.

The black bear monster had no interest in the beautiful scenery. Suddenly, it transformed into a gust of wind, bypassing the sharp peaks and steep ridges, and arrived at a steep cliff.

A cave dwelling rises from the steep cliff, its two stone doors tightly shut.

A stone slab hangs across the door, with six large characters clearly written on it: Black Wind Mountain, Black Wind Cave.

The black bear monster roared:

"Your grandpa's back! Open the door!"

After shouting several times, a fairy guarding the door opened it and came out. Seeing the black bear monster, she asked in confusion:

"Your Majesty, weren't you in the cave? When did you come out?"

The black bear roared angrily:

"That's a fake king inside the cave! Quickly bring that scoundrel out so I can kill him at the entrance, lest he defile my cave!"

The monster was startled and quickly ran into the cave. A moment later, the stone door slammed shut.

The black bear monster was furious and shouted and cursed outside, but no matter what it did, the door would not open again.

Frustrated, he had no choice but to fly back to Ji Sheng's side in mid-air.

Ji Sheng, who was watching clearly from the sky, laughed when he saw that he had returned empty-handed:

"Black Bear Monster, if he won't open the door, just smash it open with a few shots and break in. Why are you dawdling like that?"

The black bear monster said:

"This is all my own family property. If it gets damaged, I'll have to repair it myself. No way!"

Ji Sheng found it amusing. This black bear monster was quite economical.

"Lord Ji, I have a favor to ask. The demon in the cave is afraid to see me when I return. I would like to ask Lord Ji to go down and lure him out so that I can deal with him."

Ji Sheng knew the Black Bear Monster was worried that a fight inside the cave would damage the furniture, so he nodded and said:

"What kind of monster is he?"

Black Bear said strangely:

"Like me, he's also a black bear spirit."

"Alright, then I'll go down there."

Ji Sheng arrived at the entrance of the cave on a cloud, but then wiped his face and transformed into an old black bear.

After calling out a few times, the little demon guarding the door opened the stone door again. Upon seeing Ji Sheng, it hurriedly tried to close the door.

Ji Sheng pushed against the stone door with one hand, but said:

"You damned brat! Didn't you see your master was here?!"

The monster replied:

"What 'Grandpa'? I only have a King, not a Grandpa!"

Ji Sheng cursed:

"The great-grandfather is your king's father. Go and announce his arrival!"

Upon hearing this, the little demon hurriedly went inside to report. A moment later, a gust of demonic wind rushed straight towards Ji Sheng.

Ji Sheng took a few steps back and floated into the air.

The demonic wind instantly transformed into a black bear monster identical to the original, and upon seeing Ji Sheng, it cursed:

"What kind of monster is this, daring to impersonate my father! I think you're courting death, take this!"

As he spoke, the monster thrust his spear at Ji Sheng.

Ji Sheng instantly transformed into a red cloud and vanished, only to reappear in the distance in the blink of an eye.

"You bastard, take this!"

The black bear monster had been lying in ambush nearby. Upon seeing this, it rushed out from the side and thrust its spear at the opponent.

The monster opposite dodged the shot, but shouted:

"Who do we have here? It's you, you bastard! You lost to me back then, so you should have just stayed out here and fend for yourself."

Now he even brought people to impersonate his father and knock on the door! What an unfilial son, deserving of a divine retribution!

The black bear monster was so angry that its nose twisted crooked. Without saying a word, it roared and thrust its black-tasseled spear at its opponent once more.

The two black bear monsters were locked in combat in the blink of an eye, locked in a fierce battle.

At first, Ji Sheng could distinguish between the two demons, but after a while, his eyes became blurry and he could no longer tell which was which.

"Lord Ji, why aren't you making a move? Quickly kill this demon who dared to seize my cave!"