Chapter 107: It's All in the Name
Just at that moment, a monkey sprang up and, with a slap of its hand, sent the great sword flying. It lifted its leg and kicked the Fish-headed Person to the ground before striking the ground beside it with its staff, frightening it so much that it didn't dare to move.
On the other side, another Fish-headed Person was also knocked to the ground by a monkey, its staff pointing at its head, not daring to move an inch.
"Master, both demons have been caught. Please decide what to do with them," Sun Wukong asked.
However, Tang Sanzang didn't pay them any attention but was lured by the scent of alcohol to the offering table.
Sun Wukong saw this and immediately tensed up.
Along the journey, Sun Wukong, Zhu Ganglie, and the others had chatted with the Six-eared Macaque about Tang Sanzang's prohibitions, with alcohol being number one!
Seeing Tang Sanzang heading for the wine jar, his fur stood on end. He quickly glanced at Sun Wukong, asking, "Big brother, what should we do?"
Sun Wukong also became anxious. Alas, if the baldy wants to drink, no one can stop him!
But if he really drinks, then I will be even less able to stop him.
Just as Sun Wukong was worrying, Tang Sanzang picked up the wine jar, turned it upside down, and muttered, "Not a single drop left..."
Then he glanced at the two wine cups licked by the big fish mouths, disdainfully saying, "These can't be drunk..."
However, there was a lot of wine spilled on the table, and as the aroma of alcohol wafted up, Tang Sanzang's bald head started to turn red, his steps slightly staggered, and his eyes a bit dull.
Seizing the moment, Sun Wukong quickly kicked the Fish-headed Person at his feet and demanded, "Little fishy, speak up! What demon are you, where do you come from, and did you steal the Shariputra in this tower?!"
Hearing these words, Tang Sanzang slightly came back to his senses, then the guy sat cross-legged on the offering table and gestured with his hands...
Sun Wukong and the Six-eared Macaque quickly dragged the two Fish-headed Persons over.
Tang Sanzang said, "Speak."
Hearing this, the two Fish-headed Persons started crying out of fear...
One of them quickly pleaded, "Oh venerable monk, spare me, spare me! It wasn't me who did it, someone else stole the treasure!"
Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "Don't talk about these unimportant matters. I'm asking you, what breed are you, wild or farm-raised? How do you taste when stewed?"
The two fish were completely dumbfounded, thinking they'd encountered a monk concerned with ordinary affairs, only to realize they were facing a bald man pondering their taste!
At that moment, the abbot's voice came from below the tower, "Elder Tang, how is it going?"
Tang Sanzang quickly replied, "Almost done, just a moment!"
Since they were being rushed from downstairs, Tang Sanzang felt it wasn't good to keep asking about how to eat them, so he pointed at one of the fish and asked, "You, what's your name? Where are you from? What breed?"
Hearing this, the Fish-headed Person wailed inside, still preoccupied with being eaten!
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Then he answered, sobbing, "Venerable monk, we are small demons from the Chaotic Stone Mountain, Greenwave Pond, sent by the Thousand Saints Dragon King to patrol the tower. My name is Benboerba, a black fish spirit."
Tang Sanzang rubbed his forehead, slightly tipsy, and asked, "Ben what?"
"Benboerba," Benboerba said.
Tang Sanzang, affected by the alcohol, with his gaze unsteady, shook his head and slurred, "What 'erba'?"
"Benboerba!" Benboerba was on the verge of collapsing, thinking, did this bald man really need to make him say it three times for just four words?
Tang Sanzang, looking utterly bewildered, said, "What 'Bo' what 'Ba'?"
With a sobbing tone, Benzboerba articulated slowly, "High monk, I'll speak slower, listen carefully, my name is Benz, Bo, Er, Ba!"
Having said that, Benzboerba looked at the bald monk, only to find him giving an unhappy look, his face contorting into a fierce expression as he said, "What do you mean, 'speak slower'? Are you saying this poor monk's brain doesn't work well, that I can't remember your name? It's clearly because your name is too long, and yet you dare to look down on me?! Wukong, beat him up!"
Benzboerba was dumbfounded. Wasn't it as he had presumed?
Sun Wukong also noticed that Tang Sanzang was a bit over the top. Although he wasn't completely drunk, he was somewhat out of control and didn't dare to disobey Tang Sanzang's wish, so he wound up his fists and started to pummel Benzboerba!
The Six-Eared Macaque, feeling Wukong's panic, quickly joined in the beating.
So Benzboerba, who had been a black fish demon just a moment ago, was beaten into a puffed fish the next moment, with a head as big as a washbasin.
Looking at Benzboerba in this state, Tang Sanzang asked again, "Tell me, what's your name?"
Benzboerba really wanted to repeat his name, but considering the intellectual prowess of the monk in front of him, he smartly decided to shorten his name and said, "High monk, my name is Boerba!"
Tang Sanzang was stunned, "Bo'erba?"
When Benzboerba heard Tang Sanzang remembering his name, he excitedly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes... my name is Boerba!"
But the next moment, Benzboerba felt something was off as the monk's expression became increasingly fierce.
Especially that gaze, focusing on his chest ever since hearing his name...
Benzboerba wondered if it was his own posture that was off.
So he puffed out his chest...
When he looked up again, he saw the monk had jumped down from the table and approached him, his face twisted in a fearsome grimace, rolling up his sleeves, he enunciated each word, "You dare to call yourself 'Bo Ba'? You're not just insulting this poor monk's intelligence, but you're disgusting me with your lack of respect..."
While talking, Tang Sanzang threw a punch!
The next moment, a fish's piercing scream and the thud, thud, thud of blows landing on flesh echoed through the thirteen floors of the pagoda, causing another Fish-headed Person on the side to tremble all over while he desperately pondered how to answer the bald monk's questions. His body wasn't as resilient as Benzboerba's, and he couldn't withstand such a beating!
After beating Benzboerba, Tang Sanzang turned toward the other Fish-headed Person, "You, what breed are you? What's your surname, your name?"
The Fish-headed Person hurriedly replied, "I'm but a catfish demon, my name is..."
Just as he was about to reveal his name, the Fish-headed Person hesitated for a moment, the tragic end of Benzboerba after saying his full name flashing through his mind. Considering that his own name was Bazboerben, which the other party probably wouldn't remember, it could well result in a beating that would leave him wishing for death.
So, Bazboerben had a stroke of inspiration and said, "I'm called Ba!"
Having said that, he felt smug internally. My name's just one character, no 'Bo', you can't possibly find that annoying, right? I'm so clever, how did my mother give birth to such a smart and ingenious son? Hahaha...
However, the smugness lasted less than three seconds before he noticed the monk's expression growing even more terrifying.
Tang Sanzang, with a sinister look, said to Bazboerben, "Dad?"
Bazboerben, reflexively nodding, went, "Yes!"
Boom!
Suddenly, an explosion erupted from the thirteenth floor of the pagoda, and a fearsome Fist Power sent a catfish soaring into the sky...
Bazboerben was baffled, whether his name was long or short, why did he still get beaten up?!