Chapter 447: Why Split the Luggage Again

"Master! Look, look! There's another high mountain ahead! Dark and black, shrouded in mist, it looks downright sickening!"

Zhu Bajie stretched out his finger and shouted in a startled, trembling voice.

Before them stretched an extremely magnificent, endless massive mountain range, its terrain treacherous, with faint demonic clouds, far beyond any ordinary ridge.

"Bajie, the master is not blind; that mountain can be seen."

Xuan Zang said calmly, "There is an old man ahead; perhaps he knows the details of this place."

"Go and ask him what region this is, and whether the mountain road ahead is passable."

"Ah, Master, your eyesight is getting better…" Zhu Bajie muttered softly, somewhat unwilling, but he still lifted his rake and walked toward the old man.

The old man seemed to be gazing at the mountain in a daze, when suddenly he saw a "monster" with a pig's head, human body, long snout and big ears approaching him, and he was terrified, letting out an "Ah—" and began to scramble and roll backward.

"Demon! Where did you come from! Don't eat me! Don't kill me!"

Zhu Bajie quickly stopped, covered his truly terrifying face as seen by mortals, and explained in a hoarse, muffled voice:

"Hey! Old man, don't be afraid! Though I, the old pig, look rough, my heart is simple and honest! Look, do I seem like those man‑eating ferocious demons? We are proper pilgrims!"

After much pleading, the old man finally staggered to a stop, clutching his chest, still shaken, and examined Zhu Bajie; seeing he had no intention of lunging to bite, he slightly relaxed his breath.

Zhu Bajie, seeing this, seized the chance and asked, "Old man, I have a matter to inquire about."

"Have you heard of any monks passing through, coming from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, heading west to worship Buddha and seek scriptures?"

The old man, upon hearing, immediately nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes! Of course I've heard! That Tang Seng Dharma Master is an extraordinary Holy monk! However… you all…"

"Hehe!" Zhu Bajie proudly puffed out his belly, lowering his hand that covered his face:

"Old pig, I am the second disciple under that Tang Seng Holy monk, the Heavenly Palanquin Marshal descended to the mortal world! I have come this time to ask you, old man, about the road."

"What exactly is this terrifying mountain ahead? What is it called? Is the road easy to travel?"

The old man, upon hearing that they were disciples of the pilgrimage monks, grew a bit more guarded, but his worried expression deepened.

He pointed at the mountain ahead, his voice trembling: "Disciple of the Holy monk… there is something you don't know; this mountain is called the 'Eight Hundred Li Lion Camel Ridge'!"

"Lion Camel Ridge?" Zhu Bajie blinked; the name sounded somewhat ominous.

The old man lowered his voice, as if fearing something in the mountain might hear:

"That's not the most important part! The crucial part is that in the middle of this ridge lies the 'Lion Camel Cave'! Inside that cave… reside three mighty demon kings! They eat people without spitting out bones!"

Zhu Bajie, upon hearing, felt his heart race, but he wouldn't soften his words, and spat, saying:

"Pah! You old man are overly cautious! They're just three demons; can they really overturn the heavens? It's not worth such a fuss, as if the sky were about to collapse!"

The old man, seeing his disbelief, stamped his foot anxiously: "You monk, such big talk! Aren't you afraid?"

Zhu Bajie planted his rake on the ground, puffed out his chest and raised his head: "To be honest, I've seen all kinds of demons and monsters!"

"Just these three demons? My senior brother Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven! One staff strike can kill one! I, the old pig, Heavenly Palanquin Marshal descended, can kill one with a single rake! I also have a Sand Disciple, formerly a Curtain‑Pulling General, whose demon‑subduing staff can also kill one!"

"If all three are slain, our master will just pass through smoothly, no problem at all!"

He spat furiously, as if those three demon kings were already dead souls under his rake.

The old man, after listening, seemed to have heard some cosmic joke, and chuckled bitterly, shaking his head repeatedly:

"Ah—! You monk truly know nothing of the heavens, of the scorching fire and deep water! Those three demon heads are not comparable to ordinary mountain spirits! Each possesses vast divine powers, boundless magic! Their subordinate little demons… are so many they could frighten anyone!"

He counted on his fingers, enumerating for Zhu Bajie: "Listen carefully! Five thousand guard the southern ridge, another five thousand the northern ridge! Ten thousand guard the eastern pass, another ten thousand the western pass! Just the patrols and sentries number four to five thousand. Those guarding the cave gates add another ten thousand. And that doesn't even include the countless little demons who cook, fetch firewood, and haul water!"

He concluded, his voice trembling: "Roughly counting, on this Lion Camel Ridge alone, just the named, badge‑bearing demon troops that specialize in eating people total about forty‑seven to forty‑eight thousand! At this strength, you… you master and disciples…"

"Forty‑seven… forty‑eight thousand???"

Zhu Bajie's bravado froze instantly, his mouth opening wide enough to fit his own fist, his eyes bulging, as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.

The old man continued muttering something about "take a detour", "don't go to your death", but Zhu Bajie didn't catch a single word.

He could only replay that forty‑seven to forty‑eight thousand in his mind!

Once he finally recovered, he turned and fled without a word!

He rushed back to Xuan Zang and Sun Wukong like a gust of wind.

"Master! Master! It's bad! Something terrible is happening!"

Zhu Bajie's face turned ashen: "We… we should split the luggage, each go our own way, and run for our lives!"

"This place… we can't go there! Going would be a death sentence!"

Xuan Zang and Sun Wukong were both stunned by his thoughtless words.

Before Xuan Zang could ask, Sun Wukong raised his hand and, with a 'clap', lightly tapped Zhu Bajie's back of the head, scolding, "Dummy! Why are you trying to split the luggage again?"

"We just went out to ask for directions, and now you want to split up and run away?"

"Now explain clearly, what kind of dragon‑pool tiger‑den lies ahead that could scare a Heavenly Palanquin Marshal like you into this cowardly state?"

Zhu Bajie, after being struck, couldn't even complain of pain, his face mournful, he rapidly recounted the old man's words: "That old man said this mountain is called the 'Eight Hundred Li Lion Camel Ridge', with a 'Lion Camel Cave' in the middle, where three ancient demon kings reside, and they have forty‑eight thousand little demons under them! They specifically wait there to eat people!"

"If we dare approach the mountain's edge, we'd become meat in their mouths, and we couldn't run away! Brother Monkey, Master, Sand Disciple! We should hurry… hurry and escape!"

After speaking, he clutched his head, as if he already saw himself being overwhelmed and torn to pieces by countless little demons.

Sun Wukong, after listening, his golden eyes flashing, showed little fear on his face, only a cold sneer: "Forty‑eight thousand? Hmph, that sounds intimidating. But I, old Sun…"

"Back to the Lion Camel Ridge again…"

His words were cut off by Xuan Zang.

Xuan Zang, seated upright on his horse, gazed at the endless, demon‑filled mountain range ahead; his face showed no panic as Zhu Bajie expected, but rather a complex, seemingly pre‑foreseen expression, and he murmured softly:

"Hmm?" Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong, and even the Sand Monk all turned their heads, looking at Xuan Zang in confusion:

"Master, what did you say? 'Again'? What does 'again' mean? Have you been here before?"

Xuan Zang gave no explanation, merely withdrawing his gaze to look at the three disciples.

"Enough idle talk."

Xuan Zang gave a tug on the reins, urging the White Dragon Horse forward, heading first toward the Lion Camel Ridge, his voice reaching the three disciples' ears:

"Then follow the master… for a journey."

He charged straight toward the terrifying mountain ridge ahead, reputed to be eight hundred li long and garrisoned with forty‑eight thousand demons.

He did not hesitate a moment.