Chapter 174: with translation of chapter title

"Elder Brother Zhou, those two monsters just said that a Tang Monk banquet will be held here." Feiyan Nü looked at the distant city with demonic aura soaring into the sky, and couldn't help but turn pale; Tang Monk is one of the fated pilgrims, and moreover an extremely important figure—if he gets eaten here, what are we to do?

"It's not like we've come just for nothing—we'll go in, join the fun, offer our congratulations, then ruin his banquet and give him some blessings—that's all we need to do." Zhou Shuo readily gave this solution.

"But… wouldn't that be…? The demonic aura in that city is truly terrifying." The heroine looked at the distant city with aura soaring into the sky, feeling somewhat worried.

"What's there to fear? Tang Monk is a person personally appointed by the Buddha; he won't die easily, and besides, we didn't come unprepared." Zhou Shuo looked at the worried heroine, smiling as he replied, the old lair of the Bull Demon King is indeed frightening, but it's really no big deal.

"Then what do you want to do?" The heroine glanced sideways at the fellow who appeared completely self-assured.

"First we enter the city, then we'll see how things go—that Bull Demon King is lecherous to the extreme, but he already has a wife; hehe, Sun Wukong is even going to marry the Bull Demon King's sister, so today really is a great day." Zhou Shuo wore a sinister smile, making the originally tense Feiyan Nü and the heroine exchange a glance; they felt amused and yet relieved.

"Never mind that for now—let's go first; I'll take the Purple Azure Treasure Sword, and you, Swallow, take the Purple Azure Jade Cup." Zhou Shuo raised the long sword in his hand.

"By the way, why did you just have me pretend to be the Qingxia Immortal?" The heroine looked at Zhou Shuo raising his treasure sword, and her eyes twitched slightly.

"Speaking of which, there's another matter: those two monsters—why do they seem to be afraid of the Qingxia Immortal and the Zixia Immortal?" Feiyan Nü widened her lovely eyes, indicating she was somewhat puzzled.

"That's simple enough—intimidation. Those monsters aren't bright; the fame of the Zixia and Qingxia Immortals has spread far and wide, so they've likely punished many who came sniffing around; that Himalayan toad and peacock we just saw are definitely among them." Zhou Shuo's face showed a hint of a strange smile.

"If that's the case, then it makes sense." The heroine felt somewhat dazed; although bearing someone else's title was a bit unpleasant, if it could really intimidate those monsters, perhaps we could actually give it a try.

"Don't slip up later—come on, let's go." Zhou Shuo gave a couple of reminders, then pulled the two girls along the road to the outside of the great city.

The towering demonic-aura city was built on the wasteland; outside its seldom-used gate, bovine demons kept guard, their clothes tattered and as disheveled as the Bull Demon King's, wielding black weapons; as Zhou Shuo and the two girls entered the city, they swung their weapons sideways to block them.

"Who are you?" The two black-faced bovine demons sized up Zhou Shuo and his companions with their eyes.

"You don't know who we are?" Zhou Shuo looked at the two bovine demons and clasped his long sword in front of him.

"Nonsense, how would we know who you are? What are you doing coming to our demon king's lair? Speak!" The young bovine demon glared with his black eyes; as soon as he finished speaking, he got a slap across the face that spun him around twice on the spot.

"Blind your bull eyes—when speaking to the bull, I must be addressed politely; he said today he's marrying off his sister and invited me for a drink, yet you claim you don't know us." Zhou Shuo assumed an overbearing mien, glaring at the other bovine demon, which instantly frightened it into retreating two steps.

"Elder Brother Zhou, they really don't seem to know us." Feiyan Nü looked at the bovine demon that had been glared at and retreated, and whispered to Zhou Shuo.

"We only just met the Bull Demon King today." The heroine looked at the bovine demon that had been slapped unconscious, and couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly.

"Yeah! We really don't know you." The bovine demon still standing shrank back a little; they were merely minor demons ordered to guard the gate, and had only just seen strangers walking up from the ground, so they wanted to question them, perhaps even bully them a bit to gain some advantage—but instead they had provoked someone they couldn't afford to offend.

"So now you know us?" Zhou Shuo looked at the two timid bovine demons and asked, his face set sideways.

"Please, please, please." The bovine demon didn't dare speak, pulled up his companion who was barely standing nearby, and made way for Zhou Shuo; today is the day the Bull Demon King marries off his sister, and the city is full of people—these minor demons are the sort they dare not provoke.

"Hmph!" Zhou Shuo gave a light snort, leading the heroine and Feiyan Nü into the city; everywhere inside were earthen houses, now decked out in red banners, the streets thronged with monsters bearing human faces and beast bodies, and from afar came the sound of musical instruments.

"Those monsters really do bully the weak and fear the strong!" Feiyan Nü clung to the jade cup, looking at the various monsters in the city, and cautiously edged closer to Zhou Shuo as she spoke.

"Otherwise, how could they be called monsters?" The heroine looked at the surrounding monsters and unconsciously moved a bit closer to Zhou Shuo.

"Actually, we can't say that either; the monsters' environment differs from ours—they are born into a world of the strong eating the weak, like the Peacock King we just encountered, who even eats his own kind; in their world there is no human ethics like ours, and their utmost cognition is simply strength versus weakness." Zhou Shuo shook his head.

"So do you think that's right?" The heroine looked at Zhou Shuo shaking his head and asked.

"Can't say it's right, but can't say it's wrong either—every species has its own environment, and others have no right to judge." Zhou Shuo continued shaking his head; all things are the Dao, under the heavenly way all things are straw dogs; sages, commoners, gods, demons, and monsters alike each have their own way of navigating the world.

"Then is it right for monsters to eat people?" The heroine pressed her lips together; she did not agree with this view.

"As I said, there's no absolute right or wrong; in our view, monsters eating people is wrong, but humans also eat animals—subduing demons and wanton slaughter of the innocent, when boiled down, are all just killing; follow your own convictions and morality, don't overthink right and wrong, because obsessing over it is exhausting." Zhou Shuo earnestly instructed.

"Elder Brother Zhou makes sense." Feiyan Nü listened to Zhou Shuo's words and couldn't help but lift her eyes and say.

"How is it that you find everything he says reasonable?" The heroine gave a white-eyed glance to her lovely sister.

"Because it's inherently reasonable, Elder Sister Ying, think about it—we can't label all monsters as wrong; we must judge by their actions: if subduing demons is called for, we subdue them; if making friends is appropriate, we make friends; many things in this world aren't clearly right or wrong, and everyone's inner understanding differs!" Feiyan Nü answered without hesitation.

"Swallow is truly sharp as ice and snow." Zhou Shuo looked at the clever, quick-witted girl and gave her unreserved praise.

"Hmph!" Feiyan Nü raised her little chin, showing pride.

"You ought to learn well from Swallow." Zhou Shuo looked at the haughty Feiyan Nü, gave another appreciative glance, and earnestly told the heroine.

"Get lost." The heroine rolled her eyes.

"Come on, we're up ahead—let's go take a look." Zhou Shuo looked at the eye-rolling girl, laughed heartily, and pointed to the large manor already in view ahead.

Inside the red-bannered manor, countless monsters were pouring in; Zhou Shuo and the two girls followed up close and discovered that at the manor's gate, some monsters were collecting gifts—indeed, they were collecting gifts.

"We haven't—" Feiyan Nü looked at the gift-collecting monsters and couldn't help but narrow her lovely eyes slightly.

"What's there to fear? We didn't knock up anything earlier; just wait a bit." Zhou Shuo looked at the girl with her lovely eyes widened, showed no worry, and pulled from his person a bundle of blue feathers—indeed, the very thing he had obtained from the Peacock King earlier.

Holding the peacock feathers, Zhou Shuo didn't rush forward but let his gaze sweep over the gifts the Bull Demon King's monsters had received; he saw thousand-year elixirs, ten-thousand-year divine iron, pearls, gems, and rare treasures scattered everywhere—these days monsters also learn to accept gifts from humans, and they've certainly learned it well.

"Here, a handful of thousand-year peacock feathers—a gift from Zhou Shuo." Zhou Shuo made a mental note of the gift money collected at the demon king's stronghold, then walked to the gift table and slapped the feathers down onto it.

"All right, honored guests, please come in, please come in." The bovine demon collecting the gifts laughed heartily as he took them, then bowed and scraped to make way.

"Come on." Zhou Shuo gestured to the two girls to move forward, but just as they were about to enter, a black hand shot out and blocked them.

"This—gift is just one share, you three……" The gift-collecting bovine demon looked at Zhou Shuo and his companions and made a gesture.

"We were invited together by the bull—what's wrong with that, complaining the gift's too small?" Zhou Shuo glared with both eyes.

"No, nothing'swrong—please, please, please come in." The gift-collecting bovine demon looked at the overbearing Zhou Shuo, felt a twinge of apprehension, dared not obstruct them, and bowed and scraped to let the three enter.

"These monsters certainly lack any semblance of simplicity; they've learned to be snobbish all too quickly—if we were to fight, we'd roast them all into beef stew." Zhou Shuo looked at the bowing and scraping bovine demon, then entered the inner courtyard with the heroine and Feiyan Nü, grinding his teeth as he spoke.

"Indeed, quite unpleasant." The heroine looked around with distaste; everywhere she saw were human-headed beast-bodied, beast-headed human-bodied, scaled, clawed, winged—strange and bizarre—and every single one radiated soaring demonic aura.

"I, on the other hand, feel it's quite lively—I wonder where the bride is? And Sun Wukong too!" Feiyan Nü turned her lovely head this way and that, looking around.

"I don't know, but he'll surely show up—what do you think the appearing Sun Wukong will be?" Zhou Shuo grinned and asked.

"The Supreme Treasure." Feiyan Nü and the heroine answered in unison.

"That clever?" Zhou Shuo gave a sideways glance, wondering how it could be so easy to guess right.

"It's not anything else—it's the route you pointed out for the Bull Demon King." The heroine rolled her eyes; in the desert, Zhou Shuo had given the Bull Demon King directions, which were exactly the way the Supreme Treasure was headed.

"Hehe." Zhou Shuo gave a dark chuckle; accompanying his laughter came a crackling popping sound—it was the monsters setting off firecrackers; amid the firecracker noise, the crowd of monsters clustered together and let out a great shout.

"The bridegroom and bride have come out." Amid the monsters' shouts, Zhou Shuo shielded Feiyan Nü and the heroine as they pushed to the front; looking at the newlyweds emerging from the front hall of the courtyard, he couldn't help but his face, as expected.