Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Zhu Ganglie, with his fingers pinching his nose, spoke without a care, "Who I am is none of your concern. If it wasn't for the possibility that this Cave Heaven was left by an old friend, I, Old Zhu, would have been discourteous long ago."

"Old friend!" the middle-aged man exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes turning to Zhu Ganglie now filled with intense fear. He knew if the person before him was telling the truth, then without a doubt, this man was one of the legendary Immortals. Cold sweat instantly drenched his clothes as he realized he had just taken a stroll by the gates of hell.

"It seems the Marshal is acquainted with the owner of this Cave Heaven?" At that moment, a voice emerged from the crowd, and the women of Drunken Spring Tower were astonished to find that the young man they had welcomed earlier was the one speaking.

Zhu Ganglie also turned to the crowd in surprise and immediately saw the familiar figure of Lu Yu. A hint of embarrassment crossed his face; after all, he was no longer the commanding Marshal Canopy.

"It's you, Scholar," he said with a sigh. "I never expected to meet you here."

"Nor did I," Lu Yu said with a smile. "With the Marshal's temperament, I didn't think you'd be one to wade through these muddy waters." Lu Yu knew all too well that Zhu Ganglie wasn't the kind to travel such a long distance for an Immortal's Cave Heaven, as nothing here held any attraction for him.

"I'm not here for this Cave Heaven, but to chase down a few bastards who killed my wife," Zhu Ganglie said, his voice as cold as the biting wind.

"Wife?" Lu Yu was puzzled. Since when had his second senior brother acquired a wife?

"Her name is Luan Erjie, and she's a Snake Demon. But she was a demon who dedicated herself to cultivation. When I was banished to the mortal realm and mistakenly born into a pig, I escaped from the pigpen and hid away in Mount Fulung."

"Back then, having born into a pig, I was filled with sorrow and unwilling to meet anyone. I spent my days hidden in deep forests cultivating. One day, I saw a group of demons bullying a woman.

You know I've always been one to pity and cherish the fairer sex, so I intervened to help." Zhu Ganglie's expression softened as he spoke, remembering that during his most desperate moment, meeting her had been the light illuminating his life.

"That rescue made Luan Erjie fall for me. I was heartbroken and indifferent to romantic emotions, so I kindly rejected her proposition," Zhu Ganglie declared with a dignified and earnest face.

Yet Lu Yu asked in confusion, "Was this Luan Erjie not good-looking?" He knew his second senior brother wasn't one to turn down a beautiful woman.

Zhu Ganglie immediately said, somewhat embarrassed, "Well, Erjie is rather plain in appearance, but don't change the subject."

"Unexpectedly, Erjie didn't give up. After learning where I lived, she took it upon herself to clean my yard and occasionally brought me fruit, vegetables, and other food. She also sewed clothes for me. Although I continuously declined her offerings, she never tired of it. Even when I was cold and dismissive, she didn't care and merely smiled, carrying on as usual."

"Over time, I suddenly realized that I seemed unable to do without Erjie in my life. I had grown accustomed to her presence, and whenever she wasn't there, my heart felt like something was missing."

"One day, I thought that perhaps living life this way wasn't so bad, at least it was peaceful and joyful. Since my chances of returning to the Heavenly Court in this lifetime were slim, I thought it wouldn't be bad to continue living like this."

"So, I married her. Erjie was a demon native to Mount Fulung, where she had lived for many years and accumulated some wealth. Hence, I moved in with her. In the mortal world, this arrangement is known as 'marrying into the wife's family,' but since I had no family in this world anyway, it didn't really matter to me."

"I thought we could just live our lives like this, and it was quite pleasant. But then, one day, when I went out hunting and returned home, I found Erjie lying in a pool of blood, her inner core had been taken. Only after questioning did I learn that shortly after I left, a group of strong-men had come, injured Erjie, and stolen her inner core."

"Erjie expressed her love for me as she lay dying in my arms. My heart had never felt such pain before. I don't know why, but this ordinary-looking woman made me feel as if my heart was being pierced. Maybe, without realizing it, I had also fallen in love with her," Zhu Ganglie said, his face unable to hide his sadness.

"I had resigned myself to my fate, but why must destiny mock me like this? I was ready to live a quiet life with Erjie, but why did it have to end this way? I won't let these people get away with this. I swear to kill them, no matter where they are in the world."

At this moment, Erjie's senior brother was completely aflame with a strong murderous intent, like the cold winds of winter making everyone around him shiver involuntarily. The two thugs holding his shoulders were so terrified that they wet themselves.

"Why, when I have already ended up like this, must I still accept such a fate?" In this moment, Zhu Ganglie seemed unable to control his emotions, his mana violently fluctuating around him, even causing the sky outside to change.

"Wake up already!" Seeing Zhu Ganglie in this state and knowing that he was on the verge of losing himself to his own emotions, Lu Yu quickly pulled out a Fire Brick and smacked it hard on his senior brother's head.

The severe pain on his head finally snapped the senior brother out of his emotional state, and the anger and intent to kill in his eyes gradually subsided.

"I've embarrassed myself," said the senior brother with a wry smile.

Lu Yu had never expected that the legendary senior brother would have such a side to him. He had quite a bit of respect for the woman named Luan Erjie, who managed to make such a scoundrel—no, a despicable pig—actually prepare to settle down. It was indeed rare.

Meanwhile, at the highest point in Banished Immortal City, where the City Lord resided, grand wooden buildings stood imposingly.

On top of one of these tall buildings stood four people, namely, the group that Zhu Ganglie was hunting down.

The monk frowned and said, "Such a terrifying aura. Who on earth is this deity? Poison old monster, this time you've really killed us."

"What's the use of talking about it now? He clearly doesn't want to let any of us go. We have no choice but to fight," the poison old monster retorted irritably, already deeply regretting his actions, but the situation was irrevocable.

"Fight? With what? Didn't you see his strength? What can we do if we go up there, other than get ourselves killed?" The old crone said indignantly.

"Our only option now is to find the means left behind by the Immortal here, intended to protect this world, and see if we can use this method to deal with him. Otherwise, we stand no chance at all," the Taoist said, looking at the distant sky affected by Zhu Ganglie, speaking with a solemn tone.