The night spirit rushed through and parted the leaves, only to see a bald man squatting there, caught in the very moment of cracking open sunflower seeds…

Realizing he'd been discovered, Tang Sanzang grinned and said, "Uh… you all carry on, don't mind me."

"An impostor Tang Seng?" The night spirit, upon laying eyes on Tang Sanzang, was so frightened that it almost lost its soul, turned around, and leapt into the air, dissolving into the darkness and vanishing into the night.

The King of the Crow-cock Kingdom was also taken aback; he was merely a lingering spirit, and to him, the night spirit was already quite formidable.

Yet this bald man had just shown his face and scared the night spirit away, which showcased the bald man's terror.

However, the King of the Crow-cock Kingdom quickly regained his composure. He didn't leave, just looked hesitantly at Tang Sanzang.

Eventually, the King of the Crow-cock Kingdom approached, knelt down with a thud on the ground, and kowtowed, saying, "Honored monk, since you've heard everything, please help me."

Tang Sanzang scratched his bald head and said, "Me, help you? Aren't you waiting for Tang Seng? This has nothing to do with me, right?"

The King of the Crow-cock Kingdom wailed, "Honored monk, it's true I was waiting for Tang Seng, but since Tang Seng hasn't come as promised, they are the ones who broke the agreement first. I can only ask for your help now. I really can't take it anymore!"

Tang Sanzang asked curiously, "So tell me about it?"

The King of the Crow-cock Kingdom, seeing that the other party was willing to listen, quickly stopped crying and started to tell his story.

It turned out that forty li due west of here was the capital of the Crow-cock Kingdom.

Five years ago, the Crow-cock Kingdom suffered a great drought; crops failed and all plants withered and died.

Even though the Crow-cock Kingdom opened up its granaries and suspended salaries nationwide to cope with the disaster, it couldn't ward off this calamity, eventually leading to countless deaths from starvation.

Just as the Crow-cock Kingdom was on the brink of collapse, a Taoist from Zhongnan Mountain arrived.

This person could summon wind, summon rain, and turn stone into gold.

At that time, the Crow-cock Kingdom had no other choice but to ask for his services to perform rituals.

And indeed, he was truly formidable; at the ringing of his talismans, torrents of rain poured down in an instant. The King of the Crow-cock Kingdom wasn't greedy; he had only hoped for three feet of rain, but the Taoist said that a long drought would need more to be moistened, so he gave an additional two inches of rain.

The King of the Crow-cock Kingdom saw his generosity and became sworn brothers with him, taking the oath of eight bows.

Originally, this was a good thing, with such a capable man in the Crow-cock Kingdom, they would naturally enjoy good weather for crops and not worry about wealth.

The King of the Crow-cock Kingdom even shared his meals and power with him, making them true brothers.

Two years later, as winter passed and spring came with all flowers blooming, the Taoist invited the King of the Crow-cock Kingdom to enjoy the flowers in the Imperial Garden. When they reached the octagonal glazed well, the Taoist threw something into it, and instantly, a myriad of golden lights shot out, looking extremely mystical. He tricked the King of the Crow-cock Kingdom to look at the treasure by the well and then pushed him into it.

Afterward, the Taoist covered the well with a stone slab, sealed it with mud, and planted a banana tree on top of it, completely concealing the well.

By now, the King of the Crow-cock Kingdom had been dead for three years, his body still in the well, suffering from the chill of the water day and night…

The night spirit had once found him and said that three years later, which was this year, a high monk from the Great Tang in the east could help him resolve his disaster and even be reborn.

But three years had passed, and the other party had broken the promise…

Now seeing Tang Sanzang, he was trying his luck, hoping for a last-ditch effort.

Having heard this, Tang Sanzang had nearly finished his bag of sunflower seeds. He casually handed the shells to the King of the Crow-cock Kingdom and said, "Throw these away for me."

The face of the King of the Crow-cock Kingdom immediately darkened, but he obediently did as he was told and discarded the shell remnants.

Tang Sanzang stretched, stood up, and said, "You did me a favor, so I'll return one. It's just an evil Daoist, isn't it? I'll go back and beat him to death for you."

Having said that, Tang Sanzang turned around and walked away.

The King of the Crow-cock Kingdom was stunned, then promptly thrilled, bowing and saying, "Thank you, eminent monk."

Tang Sanzang waved his hand and said, "Don't thank me, a favor returned is a debt repaid, I'm not one to owe favors to others."

The King of the Crow-cock Kingdom called out, "Eminent monk, I have a keepsake here that can prove he's a demon in disguise!"

But Tang Sanzang, stifling a yawn and without looking back, said, "No need!"

When he returned to his residence, Tang Sanzang roused his sleeping disciples and told them about the affairs of the King of the Crow-cock Kingdom.

Sun Wukong said, somewhat troubled, "Master, we need to observe propriety in all matters. Even though that demon has done wrong, we still need a just cause to take action, right? If we just go and kill him, the officials and people of the Crow-cock Kingdom won't accept it. We need to prove that the demon is indeed a demon, that he killed the old king, then we can righteously hammer him to death. This is called a justified cause."

As he spoke, Sun Wukong noticed Tang Sanzang's eyelids were drooping, his gaze drifting, obviously on the verge of sleeping.

"Master? Master?!" Sun Wukong called out twice.

Tang Sanzang snapped back to attention, "Ah... oh, you were asking about a cause, easy, I'll give you one."

"What cause?" asked Sun Wukong.

Tang Sanzang said, "Annoyance at the sight of him!"

Sun Wukong: "@#$^..."

Zhu Ganglie tried to suppress a laugh and said, "Master, we're somewhat reputable figures, and having a justified cause is the least we can ask for. Wouldn't it seem a bit indefensible to just start hammering away immediately?"

Tang Sanzang glanced at him sideways and said with a cold laugh, "You're a lump of pork, what kind of reputable figure are you?"

Zhu Ganglie was rendered speechless and felt slightly uncomfortable at heart, feeling insulted.

Tang Sanzang continued, "What are you cultivating for?"

Sun Wukong said, "For immortality, to be invincible in the world, not to be bullied by anyone."

Zhu Ganglie said, "To be respected by others, to have food and drink." Upon finishing, Zhu Ganglie added, "Not to be eaten by anyone."

Bai Longma chimed in, "To burn whatever I want without anyone's interference."

Sha Wujing said, "Uh... to serve Master."

Sun Wukong, Zhu Ganglie, Bai Longma, and Sha Wujing all gave Sha Wujing a disdainful look as if to say, "Damn, what a suck-up!"

After hearing his disciples' responses, Tang Sanzang curled his lip and said, "I don't have that many concerns, I just want to do as I please, let heaven and earth fall, as long as I'm happy! What do I care about what others say? As long as I'm happy while beating him…

If someone babbles on and I get unhappy, then they'll get a hammering too. I believe that the one who hammers feels joy, and the one being hammered, no matter how stubborn, probably finds it rather painful.

Therefore, killing a demon doesn't need to be so troublesome.

Tomorrow, just go ahead and hammer away, and after he's dead, throw him out. If anyone objects, hammer them too!"

Sun Wukong, Zhu Ganglie, Bai Longma, Sha Wujing, and the others were momentarily at a loss for words. Such brash talk could probably only come from this baldy.

But upon further thought, which man doesn't want to live a life so free and unrestrained?

Sun Wukong muttered, "No wonder Master is so powerful, not only has he transcended the limits of the Three Realms in strength, but he has also long surpassed them in spirit. We're still binding ourselves with fame and gain, while he has long since stopped caring about these insignificant things. Master is right, as long as we know what we're doing is right, to hell with reputation!"

Zhu Ganglie and the others profoundly understood, and suddenly felt that this baldy in front of them was actually quite deep.