Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Sun Wukong and Fairy Zixia had already left, so naturally, Jiang Liu cast out the Exquisite Immortal Mansion, preparing to wait there for Sun Wukong's return.

With the Map of Mountains and Rivers in Sun Wukong's possession, upon his departure, Jiang Liu realized he had no chance to enter a dungeon, and suddenly felt rather bored.

Although the cultivation speed from the Green Lotus Taoist Scripture wasn't slow, after all, it was only over 30,000 experience points per hour, how could it compare with entering a dungeon?

The next dungeon run would be worth almost 200,000 experience points, not to mention the possible drops of equipment and items.

However, with Sun Wukong gone and no dungeon to enter, what could he do?

Pulling up the Gang's Treasury, Jiang Liu looked inside and noted, huh, many of his crafted items as well as the equipment and items looted from fallen enemies still lay within, although, of course, some were gone.

Presumably, Red Boy had granted them to some of the Ming Sect's followers.

Anyway, since the materials necessary for crafting equipment and potions were all there, Jiang Liu took them out, opened his Life Profession panel, crafted several perfect level pieces of equipment and some potions, and feeling slightly tired, he stopped.

Leaving aside what Jiang Liu was busy with on the side, not far from the Exquisite Immortal Mansion in the depths of a large mountain, there was a cave dwelling with the words "Golden Helmet Cave" inscribed above its entrance.

"Great King, Great King, that monk you told me to keep an eye on, I've found him..."

Inside the Golden Helmet Cave, a unicorner demon creature sat quietly in front of a bronze pill furnace, seemingly practicing alchemy. Soon, a bull-headed demon marshal hurried over and spoke.

"Wait, don't talk..." Seeing the unicorner deeply focused on the bronze pill furnace, he waved at the little demon beside him to silence it.

Carefully controlling the heat, after a while, the fire died down. The unicorner opened the bronze pill furnace and looked inside, only to find two charred pills.

Seeing this, the unicorner let out a long sigh, "Sigh, another failure. This art of alchemy is indeed very difficult. Out of ten furnaces for the Peiyuan Pills, I'm successful with only one or two..."

"Right, what were you saying just now?" After a sigh of resignation, the unicorner called over another little demon to properly clean the bronze pill furnace, and then he finally asked.

"Great King, didn't you say to pay attention to any passerby, especially monks, during patrol? Today, while on patrol, I spotted a monk, and he was riding on a white horse," the bull-headed demon marshal replied upon being questioned.

"Oh? Is that so!?" Hearing this, the unicorner's eyes lit up with joy as he rose to his feet and said, "Children, grab your weapons and join me..."

This unicorner demon was originally planning to call his little demons to act together, but he stopped mid-sentence.

Squinting his eyes, he then said, "Wait, don't alert them. It's better for His Majesty to meet them in person!"

...

As dusk fell, Zhu Bajie clamored for skewered meat and hot pot.

However, without Zixia and Sun Wukong around, the dining atmosphere wasn't as great, so Jiang Liu did not cater to Zhu Bajie's requests and simply prepared a large pot of Mao Xue Wang and a pot of rice, just one dish.

"Hmm, delicious, delicious..." Zhu Bajie held a basin-sized bowl of food, and though he was somewhat disappointed by the "meager" meal that evening, once he began eating, he still devoured it voraciously, finding it extremely tasty.

Knock knock knock.

Just as everyone was eating dinner, suddenly, a knocking sound arose.

"Master, I'll go open the door!" Sha Wujing volunteered, standing up.

After receiving Jiang Liu's nod of approval, Sha Wujing went and opened the door, then led a robust middle-aged man, roughly in his forties or fifties, inside.

This middle-aged man had an odd appearance, dressed in a green Taoist robe that made him seem like a member of the Mysterious Sect. However, he carried a large bronze pill furnace on his back and walked with a steady gait.

After entering, the middle-aged Taoist placed the bronze pill furnace on his back down, producing a muffled thud that seemed to make the ground tremble.

Immediately, the middle-aged Taoist said, "Infinite blessings, I have met you all!"

"Amitabha, I greet you with respect," Jiang Liu glanced at the bronze pill furnace set down before shifting his gaze to the middle-aged man and greeted him in return.

During the exchange, Jiang Liu thought for a moment and then asked, "By the way, have you had dinner, Taoist priest? We are just about to finish our meal. Why not join us?"

"As one who cultivates Taoism, how can I consume ordinary grains? I must feed on mists and drink dew to maintain my purity," the middle-aged Taoist, however, shook his head seriously and rejected the invitation to eat.

"You don't eat meals?" Jiang Liu was taken aback by the Taoist's response and asked with surprise.

"I haven't had a meal in many years. Occasionally, just a bite of spirit fruit or elixir suffices," the middle-aged Taoist replied.

"Really not eating? My disciples claim that my cooking is the best in all three realms!" Jiang Liu, finding it somewhat amusing, asked one last time.

"I will not eat!" the middle-aged Taoist answered with a firm expression and a serious demeanor.

Half an hour later...

"Hey, you snooty Taoist, stop competing with that old pig!" Zhu Bajie couldn't help shouting loudly as he watched the middle-aged Taoist holding a basin and gobbling up the food like a typhoon.

"Mmm, delicious, truly delicious. It truly lives up to its reputation as the best in the Three Realms, so good!" With his head buried, the middle-aged Taoist's mouth was stuffed full. He ignored Zhu Bajie's words and kept muttering praise.

There wasn't much food prepared to begin with, and suddenly, an unexpected guest who seemed to be starving appeared. Naturally, Zhu Bajie only got to eat half his fill, and he watched the middle-aged Taoist with a resentful look.

"By the way, Taoist, what should I call you?" After the food was all eaten and Sha Wujing quietly cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, Jiang Liu finally spoke up and asked.

While speaking, he glanced at the bronze pill furnace nearby and continued, "Also, are you proficient in the art of alchemy?"

"This humble Taoist is called Master Qingsi. I was gathering herbs in the mountains, and as dusk fell, I happened to see this household and came to ask for lodging. As for the art of alchemy? I can only claim a superficial understanding," replied the middle-aged Taoist after hearing Jiang Liu's question.

At this point, he paused slightly and then turned to ask Jiang Liu, "And you, little Monk, what should I call you? Additionally, could it be that you also understand the art of alchemy?"

"Amitabha, this monk's dharma name is Xuanzang. As for the art of alchemy? I've only just begun to explore this field..." answered Jiang Liu.

Indeed, he had been continuously practicing life professions and had dabbled in being a Pharmacist, so it wasn't wrong to say that he had just begun to learn.

While he was talking, the fact that someone had knocked on the door and entered in the middle of the wilderness at night made Jiang Liu instinctively cautious. He focused his gaze on the middle-aged Taoist and mentally invoked the character panel.

Suddenly, a semi-transparent character panel appeared in front of Jiang Liu.

ID: Master Qingsi (Blue).

Gender: Male.

Profession: Taoist.

Level: 75.

Equipment: Vajra Bracelet (Divine Level):...

"It's him!" Upon seeing the character panel, realization dawned on Jiang Liu.

So-called Master Qingsi, it was just a pseudonym to fool him. Level 75 indicated that the other's cultivation had reached the realm of a Taiyi True Immortal, and the blue panel suggested a decent aptitude.

More importantly, the Vajra Bracelet, a Dharma Treasure of divine quality and with such a distinctive identity, naturally led Jiang Liu to guess the Taoist's identity.

He must be the Green Ox Demon from the original story, the one who could make all weapons fly away with the Vajra Bracelet - the mount of the Supreme Elder Lord?

However, why did the Green Ox Demon come after him without showing any intent to attack, instead choosing to disguise as a Taoist to mooch a meal?

And to bring along a bronze pill furnace too?

"The Mysterious Sect and the Buddhist Sect, although they share the same origin, there are differences after all. Since both you and I have some understanding of alchemy, why not discuss and exchange what we know?" Regardless of what Jiang Liu was thinking, the Green Ox Demon suddenly spoke up, inviting Jiang Liu to discuss their knowledge in alchemy.

"Oh, that's a good idea…" Hearing Green Ox Demon's invitation, Jiang Liu thought it over and then nodded in agreement.

Being the mount of the Supreme Elder Lord, the Green Ox Demon must have gained some insights into alchemy through observation, and discussing with him would probably benefit Jiang Liu, who felt there was no need to refuse.

As they discussed, Jiang Liu found that the Green Ox Demon indeed knew a lot about alchemy, and their exchange was quite fruitful for him.

Likewise, although Jiang Liu's proficiency in the Pharmacist life profession wasn't high, his knowledge was different from that of the Green Ox Demon.

Through their mutual discussion and complementary learning, even the Green Ox Demon felt he gained much.

The two of them talked back and forth, enjoying the conversation immensely.

After the discussion, Jiang Liu realized that the Green Ox Demon's knowledge of alchemy really was just superficial, which was fine because it meant he could understand; otherwise, too profound knowledge would be beyond his grasp.

Although the Green Ox Demon's understanding was superficial, his knowledge came from systematic study, laying a deep foundation.

As for Jiang Liu? He hadn't systematically studied the knowledge of elixirs; all his understanding had come bit by bit through practice as a Pharmacist.

Furthermore, because of his experience from two lifetimes, he knew more revolutionary information. Combining these, he had many novel ideas, which the Green Ox Demon found enlightening.

"By the way, little master, do you understand potions for healing wounds? Do you have any insights?"

While they were deeply engrossed in their conversation, suddenly, Green Ox Demon casually asked.

(PS: It's been a while since I've done a burst release, do you guys miss it? In a couple of days, I'll find some time to burst out a dozen chapters or so, how about that?)