Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything
Chapter 873 - 873: Strike First to Gain the Advantage

"Master, you were absolutely right. The State Preceptor and the King are indeed plotting to poison us!"

In the room of the palace, Jiang Liu and the others were quietly waiting. Soon, the fly that Sun Wukong had transformed into returned and turned back into his own form, and he began to speak.

He then recounted the entire conversation he had overheard between the King and the State Preceptor in the garden.

"Master really has divine foresight. Whatever the State Preceptor plans to do, it's all within the Master's control!" As Sun Wukong finished, Zhu Bajie immediately spoke up, praising Jiang Liu enthusiastically.

No matter what, as long as there was even a tiny bit of reason to praise the Master, Zhu Bajie would spare no effort in complimenting him. This was a lesson he had long understood.

Otherwise, how would the Master favor him the most? How else would the Master teach him the skills of wooing women?

"Poisoning, huh?" Jiang Liu had heard enough of Zhu Bajie's praise, and his heart was long unmoved. He simply murmured to himself quietly.

If they were resorting to poison, it was indeed quite dangerous. After all, he had no particular expertise in dealing with poison.

Of course, last time, he had almost emptied half of the Doushuai Palace, leaving behind quite a number of Detoxification Pills for himself.

However, being the mount of the South Pole Immortal and descending into the mortal world this time around, the South Pole Immortal must be supporting him from the shadows.

If the South Pole Immortal managed to come up with some particularly potent poisons, the consequences could be dire.

If they were really poisoned, it would be difficult to guard against. After all, in the palace, would they have to cook all three meals a day themselves?

Would they have to bring their own food and water?

So, if it was poisoning, it would be almost impossible to prevent!

Even though they knew how the State Preceptor would make his move, knowing in advance, what could they do about it?

Jiang Liu felt a bit troubled for the moment.

"Master, should we strike first?" Sun Wukong suggested to Jiang Liu.

"Yes, strike first to gain the upper hand, or suffer for being late," Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing nodded in agreement with Sun Wukong's suggestion.

Clearly, none of them were willing to risk being poisoned.

"Indeed, we should strike first!" Sun Wukong's suggestion made Jiang Liu's heart stir. He then nodded in agreement.

"In that case, shall I go take action now? Should I crush that State Preceptor first?" Hearing his Master agree with his viewpoint, Sun Wukong, in his eagerness, spoke out.

"No, Wukong, wait…"

Seeing Sun Wukong was a bundle of nerves, ready to act right away, Jiang Liu hurriedly stopped him and said, "When I said to strike first, I did not mean to kill anyone!"

"Then Master, what did you mean by striking first?" Sun Wukong looked at Jiang Liu in confusion and asked.

Yes, striking first but not to kill? Then how would they proceed?

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing were also bewildered, as if they couldn't keep up with the Master's train of thought.

"Wukong, it's still early. There are about two Chinese hours until the King's night banquet. How about we take another stroll around the Royal City?" Jiang Liu said to Sun Wukong and the others, without offering much of an explanation.

"Isn't the Royal City almost empty? What's the point of strolling around?" Hearing Jiang Liu's words, Sun Wukong and the others were even more puzzled.

They had already seen what the Royal City looked like when they arrived, hadn't they?

"Let's go. Your Master has a plan!" Jiang Liu said, as he walked out of the palace. Naturally, Sun Wukong and the others, full of questions, followed after him.

"Mage, where are you going?"

The servants outside the palace, seeing Jiang Liu and the others walking out with an intent to leave, asked.

"Amitabha, we wish to take a stroll outside the palace. We were in quite a hurry when we arrived and did not get a good look at the scenery in the Royal City…" Jiang Liu explained to the servants who inquired.

"This…" The servant showed a troubled expression upon hearing Jiang Liu's words.

"What's the issue? We are guests, not prisoners, right? We aren't allowed to go out?" Sun Wukong asked, glaring fiercely at the servant trying to stop them.

"Yes, indeed, are you treating us like prisoners?" Zhu Bajie echoed, his face showing displeasure.

While Sun Wukong was merely a short and thin monkey, Zhu Bajie's appearance was indeed intimidating.

The servant was terrified by Zhu Bajie's harsh words and immediately shook his head, stammering, "Mage, you have misunderstood. As guests of our Biqiu Nation, you naturally have the freedom to come and go as you please!"

With that, the servant paused briefly and continued, "Why don't I arrange a team of guards to accompany you? They can guide you around and ensure your safety as well?"

If Master Xuanzang and his companions were to go missing, the servant would be held responsible. Thus, he used a roundabout way to have a team of guards follow them.

"Is that so? Well, thank you then!" Jiang Liu wasn't planning on sneaking away, so he had no objections to the servant's proposal, as long as they could leave.

Upon reaching an agreement, Jiang Liu and his party, guarded by dozens of soldiers, left the Royal Palace.

Although the area outside the palace was rather desolate, people still lived there, so there were still some commoners walking on the streets.

However, it was not lively at all.

As Jiang Liu and his party, under the protection of dozens of guards, walked through the streets of the Royal City, they naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Many onlookers pointed at them and whispered amongst themselves, but their eyes were not friendly.

Evidently, the King's plan to collect the hearts and livers of 1,110 children for an elixir had stirred public anger, and the citizens held no goodwill toward the King.

Jiang Liu, followed by Sun Wukong and the others, strolled through the palace streets, flaunting their presence with dozens of guards in gleaming armor.

After making a round, they indeed attracted enough attention.

Although Sun Wukong and the others didn't understand their Master's intentions, they faithfully accompanied him in whatever he wanted to do.

So as they walked, Jiang Liu would occasionally strike up a conversation with them, and Sun Wukong and the others would eagerly respond.

In their idle chatter, Jiang Liu talked a lot about their Journey to the West.

For instance, he mentioned receiving the Emperor of Tang's decree to journey to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures, and how far they had traveled, and how Biqiu Nation seemed quite unique.

He pointed out how there was something here that looked very similar to an object they encountered on their journey.

He also mentioned how the King had treated them warmly and how they planned to leave once they received their travel permit plaque.

…

Jiang Liu's actions and words primarily revolved around their scripture-seeking journey. Moreover, their conspicuous presence naturally led more of Biqiu Nation's citizens to recognize Master Xuanzang and his companions.

People realized that they were Scripture Seekers who had come from the Great Tang in the Eastern Land, traveling a long distance.

After making several rounds and ensuring that most people knew about their presence and identity, Jiang Liu then stopped outside a shop.

The shop was an inn, with a large cage covered in black cloth hanging under the eaves, concealing its contents.

Due to the cold and desolate atmosphere, the inn's business was not doing well.

It was unclear whether it was due to the children in the cage or because of the poor business.

"Hello, shopkeeper!" Jiang Liu approached the inn and greeted the innkeeper politely.

"Hello, Master!" The innkeeper, seeing a large group, including many soldiers, streaming into the inn, immediately straightened up and responded.

"Shopkeeper, I have a question I'm puzzled about," Jiang Liu asked, maintaining his courteous demeanor.

"Please, Master, ask away!" The shopkeeper, a bit flustered by Jiang Liu's politeness, replied.

"Well, I've noticed that every household has a large goose cage hanging by the door. Could you tell me why?" Jiang Liu asked, feigning ignorance.

"This…" The shopkeeper glanced at the guards around Jiang Liu, looking troubled and unable to speak.

"Master, you'd better not ask about this!" One of the guards stepped forward, hearing Jiang Liu's question.

"What? Can a humble monk not ask?" Jiang Liu snapped at the guard, his expression turning hostile.

"Heh heh heh, if you won't tell me, I'll find out for myself. Now, spill it! If you don't, I'll just have to personally check what's inside!" Sha Wujing, following Jiang Liu's signal, put on a fierce expression and spoke menacingly.

Sha Wujing, standing over three meters tall and appearing extraordinarily ferocious as a Demon Clan member, was terrifying enough. But when he deliberately showed his menacing side, it was even scarier!

"Speak up!" After intimidating the guards, Sha Wujing turned to the shopkeeper and harshly demanded.

"I, well…"

Seeing Sha Wujing's fierce appearance, the shopkeeper was scared and replied, "The cages, well, they contain our children!"

"Your customs in Biqiu Nation are so strange, hanging your children in goose cages? Why is that?" Jiang Liu continued to ask with a puzzled expression.

"This…" In front of the guards, the shopkeeper didn't dare to speak.

"Speak!" Sha Wujing glared.

"The King wants to collect the hearts and livers of 1,110 children to make an Elixir of Longevity…"

(PS: Recently, I've been preparing for a new book, so the updates on this Journey to the West have been a bit lazy. No more slacking! Starting tomorrow, I'll strive to maintain three updates a day!)