Journey to the West: The gods and Buddhas panicked when the monkey was trapped inside him.

"You only locked your daughter up after you discovered his true identity?"

Grandpa Gao nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, apart from being ugly, that monster didn't do anything particularly heinous."

"Even the monks and Taoist priests who came to exorcise the demons, he only drove them away and did not harm their lives."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang formed a plan in his mind.

He looked at Grandfather Gao with a calm expression.

"Grandpa, it seems that both you and that monster are right and wrong in this matter."

Grandpa Gao was taken aback.

"What do you mean by that, Holy Monk? What wrong have I done?"

"That monster worked hard for your family, earning a fortune; this is a great achievement."

"You are wrong to want to kill him just because he is ugly, and even to hire someone to subdue him."

Tang Sanzang paused for a moment, then continued.

"And that monster forcibly imprisoned your daughter in the backyard, forbidding your family from visiting her. This was also very inappropriate, and that was his fault."

"Since both sides are at fault, this matter should not be decided by simply calling for war and killing."

Old Master Gao was somewhat bewildered. He hadn't expected that the monk wouldn't comfort him but would instead start by criticizing him.

Tang Sanzang turned around and looked at Sun Wukong, who was sitting to the side drinking tea.

"Wukong, how confident are you in this task of subduing the demon?"

Sun Wukong put down his teacup and chuckled.

"Don't worry, Master, it'll be a piece of cake."

Tang Sanzang nodded and gave him some more detailed instructions.

"Wukong, go and subdue that monster."

"But remember, you must not take his life."

"According to what you said, old benefactor, although this monster forcibly married his daughter, he did not do anything heinous."

"He didn't even harm the sorcerers who came to exorcise the demons before."

"It is clear that this demon is not an irredeemable villain."

Sun Wukong nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Master, please rest assured, I, Old Sun, know my limits and will never use excessive force."

Sun Wukong couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

That's Brother Tianpeng, an old acquaintance of mine.

Even if I, Old Sun, were to beat you to death with a single blow, I would never harm a single hair on Brother Tianpeng's head.

When Tang Sanzang saw that Sun Wukong had agreed, he turned to look at Gao Taigong.

"Grandpa, once my apprentice has captured that monster, we can sit down and discuss a solution to this matter."

Grandpa Gao nodded repeatedly.

"As long as you can drive that monster away, I'm willing to pay more money as compensation."

"I just hope he won't bother Cuilan anymore."

"Even if I have to go bankrupt, I can't marry my daughter off to a monster."

Sun Wukong chuckled and glanced sideways at the old man.

"Wasn't all that money you have earned for you by others working day and night?"

"Using someone's own money to get rid of them, old man, you've got a really clever plan."

Old Master Gao looked embarrassed and lowered his head, not daring to reply.

Tang Sanzang raised his hand to stop Sun Wukong.

"Wukong, say no more."

"We'll decide on the specifics once we capture the monster and discuss it with him face-to-face."

Grandpa Gao felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly went down the steps.

"The holy monk is right, let's wait until we capture him before we talk about it."

"We'll decide on the specifics of how to handle this once the person is brought back."

"That monster comes looking for my daughter at night."

"When he appears after nightfall, we'll have to trouble Elder Sun to take action."

"It's still early, Elder Sun, why don't you rest here for a while and wait for the monster to appear at night before you make your move?"

Sun Wukong waved his hand dismissively.

"Why wait until tonight? No need for that."

"I, Old Sun, will go and drag him over right now."

Grandpa Gao looked troubled.

"But nobody in the village knows where that monster's lair is!"

Sun Wukong patted his chest, completely unconcerned.

"Just because others don't know doesn't mean I, Old Sun, can't find it."

"You all wait in the main room, I, Old Sun, will be right back."

After saying that, Sun Wukong turned around and was about to step out the door.

Grandpa Gao quickly got up to try and persuade him to stay.

"Elder Sun, please don't be in such a hurry to leave. I've had someone prepare a vegetarian meal for you."

"It's not too late for you to subdue the demon after you've eaten the vegetarian meal."

Sun Wukong waved his hand with his back to Gao Taigong.

"Don't worry about me, Old Sun."

"Just go and prepare some good vegetarian food for my master."

Sun Wukong stepped out of the gate without looking back, and his figure disappeared outside the courtyard.

Looking at Sun Wukong's retreating figure, Gao Taigong said to Tang Sanzang with some concern.

"Holy Monk, Elder Sun doesn't even eat a single meal; how can he have the strength to subdue demons?"

"That monster has an enormous appetite and boundless strength. Going on an empty stomach would be disastrous."

Tang Sanzang sat upright in the chair, his expression calm.

"Grandpa, you don't need to worry about it."

"My disciple possesses great supernatural powers and profound cultivation; he has already practiced abstinence from grains for many years."

"Whether he eats the grains and cereals of this mortal world or not makes no difference."

"You don't need to worry. Just sit here and wait for his good news."

Upon hearing this, Gao Taigong felt even greater awe.

Abstaining from grains is a practice already considered the work of immortals.

As expected of a high-ranking monk from the Tang Dynasty in the East, even his disciples are so extraordinary.

He felt reassured and immediately ordered his servants to prepare the finest vegetarian dishes to properly entertain Tang Sanzang.

......

Sun Wukong walked out of the gate, leaped into the air, and soared straight into the clouds.

He closed his eyes, and his consciousness spread out in all directions from Gao Laozhuang as the center.

The mountains rise and fall, and the ravines crisscross the landscape.

A moment later, a steep mountain range in the southeast triggered his senses.

The mountain peaks were rugged and jagged, with black mist swirling around them, and a cave was conspicuously hidden halfway up the mountain.

Fuling Mountain, Yunzhan Cave.

"Found it."

Sun Wukong opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Once he identified the direction, he mounted his somersault cloud, transformed into a golden light, and hurtled towards Fuling Mountain.

Sun Wukong withdrew his divine sense, rode his somersault cloud and flew away, landing in front of the Cloud Stack Cave in a moment.

The cave entrance was tightly closed, and weeds grew all around.

He stood at the cave entrance, cleared his throat, and shouted loudly.

"Brother Tianpeng! It's me, Old Sun, here to see you! Come out and greet me quickly!"

The sound, like rolling thunder, pierced through the restrictions and echoed endlessly throughout the Cloud Stack Cave.

……

Deep within the Cloud Stack Cave, inside a stone chamber.

A burly man with a pig-like face was lying on a stone bed, sighing and staring blankly at the cave ceiling.

It was none other than Marshal Tianpeng, who had been banished to the mortal realm.

His initial listless expression was quickly replaced by ecstatic joy.

"Is...is that Brother Sun's voice?"

"Great! After waiting for over six hundred years, this monkey has finally come knocking!"

The stone gate burst open with a loud bang.

A burly man with black hair, a long snout, and large, fan-like ears stumbled out of the cave.

Upon seeing the golden-haired figure standing in front of the cave, Tianpeng's eyes lit up, and he pounced on it with his two thick arms outstretched.

"Brother Sun! I've missed you so much!"