10: Chapter 11 Ao Ruyu, Ao Niangzi, come quickly into your brother's arms.

Ao Lie and the Furry Monkey devised a plan and said,

"Senior Brother, why don't I transform into a woman, more beautiful than Cuilan, and then I will feign to trick that spirit into taking me back to his Immortal Cave. You can transform into my hairpin and follow me into the cave; when the time comes, we will make sure he never returns!"

The Furry Monkey nodded, and he and Ao Lie shared an insidious laugh.

After settling Tang Seng, the two went to the backyard. Ao Lie drew his cold-glinting iron sword and slashed down with force. The heavy lock, sealed with molten copper, fell with a clang.

Thud! The sound of the heavy chain hitting the ground echoed. Inside the room, Cuilan immediately hugged her knees, her tearful appearance truly pitiful to behold.

"Who are you?"

Cuilan let go of her knees, wiped away her tears, and asked Ao Lie, who was the most handsome of the two who had kicked down the door.

Seeing this, Ao Lie picked up Cuilan and called for the Monkey King to return to the manor's main building to see Old Master Gao.

On the way, Ao Lie explained where he and his Senior Brother had come from and relayed her father's instructions.

Cuilan looked at the man before her, blushing deeply. The scene was like a knight with a princess, which made the Furry Monkey behind them feel uncomfortable.

Back in the main hall, watching the scene of fatherly love and filial piety, Ao Lie bid farewell to his master once more and headed to the back hall with his Senior Brother, the Pilgrim, to eliminate the spirit.

It was dusk, and as night was about to fall, the two Senior Brothers arrived in the back hall.

Ao Lie urged the Monkey King, "Senior Brother, transform quickly! Into a hairpin!"

The Pilgrim nodded and muttered a spell. A cloud of smoke rose, and the Pilgrim transformed into a bright green, gold-rimmed jade hairpin, which landed in Ao Lie's hand.

Ao Lie did not hesitate; he recited a spell and spun around. Instantly, he transformed into a breathtaking beauty, though a hint of Ao Lie's masculine heroic spirit remained in his brows and eyes.

If one were to describe the feminized Ao Lie with a poem, it would go like this: "Twin horns and Dragon form become a jade-like face, like a lotus blooming, tender and rich. Brows like distant mountains veiled in light mist, a single smile enough to topple cities and intoxicate the evening breeze."

Ao Lie hopped onto the tea table facing the porch, folded his legs like willow branches, rested his right hand weakly on the table, and lightly caressed his delicate lips with his left. His amorous eyes were as inviting as spring, teasing the heart, and his clothes were slightly disheveled, like a spring bamboo shoot in the rain, tender and dripping with charm... In short, he was a sight to behold.

The Pilgrim watched and couldn't help but exclaim, "I, the Monkey King, caused Havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago; what kind of fairies or beauties have I not seen? Yet, I have never seen such seductiveness as yours."

Hearing this, Ao Lie's expression stiffened, but he couldn't find any words to refute it.

Suddenly, sand and stones flew outside, and a cloud of dust fiercely approached the back hall. "The spirit is here! Senior Brother, don't say another word!"

Ao Lie hurriedly sent a telepathic message while adopting an even bolder posture, though he felt like retching inside.

The spirit had a fat head and big ears, with black hair and a protruding snout; he was truly terrifying, and Ao Lie immediately felt a sense of foreboding. "He isn't going to try to kiss Pigsy, is he! Oh no... what should I do!"

Ao Lie had intended to follow the original plot and not reveal Tang Seng's identity to Pigsy, so as not to draw the attention or vigilance of the West. But now, thinking about the possibility of kissing, he couldn't keep it up. He began to rack his brain, his willow-leaf brows furrowed as if responding to his thoughts.

This scene was firmly seen and etched into Pigsy's heart... Unable to think of a solution, Ao Lie simply hardened his resolve. "Do it! I'll just find a way to avoid the kiss!"

Pigsy walked into the hall and, upon seeing the beauty on the tea table, was instantly both puzzled and smitten. "Young lady, who are you? Why are you crying? And have you seen my wife... oh no, no, no, Miss Lan?"

Pigsy was one to forget righteousness when seeing beauty; he had long since cast Gao Cuilan to the back of his mind. Wife? Bullshit, just a passing stranger. How could she compare to the delicate beauty before him...

"Young Master, I was bought by Old Master Gao of Gao Family Village. He told me to replace his daughter and become your wife..."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy's heart blossomed with joy, and it began to pound. "Hey!" "That old bastard is really something!" "Wife, what is your name? I'll go teach that old man a lesson and let him know what a real man is!"

Ao Lie rolled his eyes inwardly. This Pigsy was calling him "wife" without even knowing his name, and he didn't mention helping him get home at all. To put it bluntly, Pigsy was too shrewd; one should remove the "spirit" from the term "spirit," otherwise it wouldn't reflect his cunning.

Although speechless, Ao Lie acted even more convincingly. He bit his lower lip lightly, wiped away his tears, and said, "Young Master, my surname is Ao, and my given name is Ruyu. I am from the Great Tang."

"Also, I would advise you, Young Master, not to seek out that Old Master. It is said that he has hired two powerful Immortals to come and capture you."

Pigsy chuckled, "Lady Ao, do not be afraid! My surname is Zhu, given name Ganglie. You can just call me Husband. Your husband has great magical powers and is not afraid of any such mages. Even if he invited the most powerful demon-slaying Ancestral Master of the Nine Heavens to descend to the Mortal realm, I would not fear him, because I am acquainted with him!"

Ao Ruyu's eyelids twitched wildly, and his lips trembled uncontrollably. But after calming his mind, he continued in a soft voice, "Husband... you... you are perhaps too arrogant. It seems the Old Master has hired the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, Sun Wukong, who caused Havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy panicked. He pulled up his pants and hurried outside.

Ao Ruyu's lips curled upward, his eyes revealing a hint of gloom. He whispered softly, "Husband, where are you going? Ruyu doesn't know what to do! Please, Husband, do not abandon this little woman; Ruyu is so afraid!"

Pigsy, his heart racing, turned back into the room, picked up Ao Ruyu, and flew toward his Immortal Cave.

At first, Ao Ruyu didn't notice anything unusual, just disliking Pigsy's lecherous touch. But when he realized that after flying for so long, they had only barely made it a few miles out of Gao Family Village, he realized what was happening.

He furrowed his brows, though his voice remained alluring. "Husband, stop touching me, it tickles! May I ask you some questions?"

Pigsy wasn't embarrassed and said with a lecherous smile, "Ask away, my wife, this old pig will answer truthfully!"

Feeling that the lecherous intent had not faded but rather increased, Ao Ruyu said, his heart feeling dead, "How did you know about the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven? Did you experience it yourself?"

At this, Pigsy's expression dimmed. "Yes! I did indeed experience it."

"I remember I was once a Mortal in the human realm, terribly lazy. Later, I happened to meet an Immortal who bestowed upon me the Nine-Turn Great Restoration Pill, and thus I gained the Opportunity. Afterward, I Cultivated diligently day and night, seizing the fortune of heaven and earth, until I finally reached the state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, attained the Dao of Daluo, and then Ascended to the Heavenly Court!"

"The Jade Emperor then appointed me Marshal Tianpeng, in charge of ten thousand heavenly troops. However, at the Flat Peach Banquet, I harassed the Fairy Chang'e and was cast down to the Mortal realm, becoming this pig-headed creature."

Pigsy shook his head and sighed, "Back then, I was a hero ranked high on the Heavenly Court's good-looks leaderboard! It's a pity; I don't compare to my former self now..."

Ao Ruyu was speechless and simply stopped talking.

Pigsy, however, was high-spirited. "Wife, we haven't bowed to heaven and earth, kissed, or consummated the marriage, so we aren't a true couple yet."

Ao Ruyu's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he said in disbelief, "Are you going to do all of that after we get back?"

Pigsy lowered his head, looking at Ao Ruyu with a puzzled expression.

Ao Ruyu immediately realized his mistake. "Husband, wouldn't that be a bit too rushed? We haven't cultivated any feelings yet; it's too early to get married now!"

Watching Ao Ruyu's shy, blushing appearance, Pigsy's desire to continue his wandering hands vanished, and he laughed as he accelerated toward his Immortal Cave.

Ao Ruyu looked up, his face ashen, and two streams of tears fell through the wind to the earth. "Alas! Everything is determined by fate; none of it is under one's own control..."

Upon returning to the Cloud-Stacking Cave on Mount Fuling, Ao Ruyu was thrown onto the stone bed without resistance, the pain waking him up.

Rubbing his rear, he looked up at Pigsy, who was about to undress, and whispered in a panic, "Husband, what are you doing?"

Pigsy could wait no longer and stopped answering. He simply said with lecherous, evil words, "Lady Ao, come into Brother's arms; tonight I will cherish you well."

Seeing the urgency of the situation, Ao Ruyu had originally planned to use the method he used against the Black Bear Spirit to deal with Pigsy. But now, he couldn't care whether Pigsy would escape; his chastity was the most important thing.

"Senior Brother, appear quickly and take down this fat pig!"

Ao Lie spun around, reverted to his male form, drew his seven-foot iron sword, and confronted Pigsy.

But after waiting for a moment, Pigsy had already pulled out his nine-foot rake and was prepared for battle. Yet, Sun Wukong was nowhere to be seen. Ao Lie touched the top of his head; it was cool and empty, with only unadorned black hair.

Ao Lie looked back at Pigsy in a daze, his expression changing from indifference to flattery. "Um... Brother Pig, shall we continue?"

Pigsy roared. Although he had been very attracted to Ao Ruyu, even more than to Chang'e, the thought that it was the man before him who had transformed into her caused his anger to flare up. "Damn it, pay with your life!"