44: Chapter 45: Slice the melon with damaging slices, create distance, and pull back again...

He thought to himself, "If I follow the minor demons directly into the cave, I risk revealing my identity. It would be better to deal with these two first and then make further plans."

Immediately, the Monkey King silently flew away from the minor demons and found a secluded corner to resume his true form. Standing quietly by the roadside, he waited for Bashan Hu and Yihai Long to approach. As they drew near, the Monkey King suddenly sprang out, lightly swinging his Golden Cudgel. In an instant, the two minor demons were smashed into a pulp—clean, efficient, and without making a sound.

He casually dragged the corpses of the minor demons into the tall grass by the roadside, hiding them thoroughly. Then, he plucked two hairs, blew a puff of Immortal Qi onto them, and shouted, "Change!" One hair transformed into the minor demon Bashan Hu, and he himself shifted into the likeness of the minor demon Yihai Long.

With a fox-skin hat on his head and dressed in the attire of a minor demon, his movements and demeanor were indistinguishable from the real Yihai Long. Even the aura around him was mimicked so perfectly that there was not a single flaw. The Monkey King adjusted his clothes and swaggered toward Yalong Cave, heading straight for the entrance.

The minor demons guarding the cave saw that they were from Lotus Cave and hurried forward to inquire. The Monkey King, mimicking the tone of Yihai Long, said in a deep voice, "The two of us were sent by the Second Great King of Lotus Cave. We have urgent business to discuss with the Old Grandmother; please, little brother, go and report this immediately!"

The guards did not dare to stop them and hurried inside to report. Before long, an aged voice drifted from within the cave, granting the two permission to enter.

The Monkey King and the hair-transformed Bashan Hu walked into Yalong Cave together. Inside, sitting upon a stone chair, was an elderly nine-tailed fox—the mother of the Great Kings Golden Horn and Silver Horn, or as they called her, the Old Grandmother. This old demoness sat with an arrogant expression, her body exuding a faint Demonic Qi. Seeing them enter, she did not even lift her eyelids, but asked slowly, "You two, coming from Lotus Cave, what business do you have with me?"

The Monkey King stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Reporting to the Old Grandmother, our two Great Kings recently captured Tang Seng, who was traveling from the Eastern Land Great Tang to the Western Heaven to obtain the scriptures. We heard that eating the meat of this Tang Seng grants immortality and longevity. Our two Great Kings dared not enjoy it alone, so they specifically ordered us to come and invite you, Old Grandmother, to Lotus Cave to share in the feast of Tang Seng's meat and enjoy the riches and honor together!"

Upon hearing this, the old demoness's face beamed with joy, her eyes filled with greed. She stood up abruptly and nodded repeatedly. "Good, good, good! My two children are indeed filial to still remember this old woman! I shall accompany you to Lotus Cave at once to taste this immortal meat of Tang Seng!"

The Monkey King was secretly delighted and quickly struck while the iron was hot, adding, "Old Grandmother, our Great Kings specifically instructed that when you, Elder, head to Lotus Cave, you must bring the Golden Binding Rope. That Monkey King is cunning and possesses great Divine Ability; only by using the Golden Binding Rope can he be thoroughly captured to eliminate future trouble. We hope you will keep this in mind!"

"So it is to deal with that Monkey King? That is simple!" The old demoness agreed without a second thought. She turned and entered her inner chamber, retrieved the Golden Binding Rope, and tucked it firmly into her bosom.

This Golden Binding Rope appeared ordinary, but it was actually a supreme Magic Treasure of the immortals. Once bound, no matter how great your abilities, it was impossible to break free, leaving you at the mercy of others. The Monkey King noted this and kept it in mind, more determined than ever to seize this Magic Treasure.

Once prepared, the old demoness ordered the minor demons in the cave to bring over a fragrant vine sedan chair. She sat inside, keeping only two minor demons to carry her, dismissed the rest of the accompanying female demons, and gave the order to depart for Lotus Cave.

The Monkey King secretly rejoiced. Feigning a respectful demeanor, he and the hair-transformed Bashan Hu led the way in front of the sedan chair, openly escorting the old demoness out of Yalong Cave and heading toward Lotus Cave on Pingding Mountain.

After traveling five or six li, the Monkey King calculated in his mind: If I bring this old demoness back to Lotus Cave, she will eventually be a source of trouble. It is better to eliminate her early, seize the Golden Binding Rope, and then transform into her likeness to enter Lotus Cave, toy with those two demons, and seize the opportunity to recover all the Magic Treasures and rescue my Master and Junior Brother.

Immediately, he deliberately stopped his pace, rubbed his shoulders, and said to the minor demons carrying the sedan chair, "Two brothers, we have been traveling all this way and are truly exhausted. Let us rest here for a moment before continuing; it will be better to refresh ourselves so we can return to Lotus Cave sooner."

The sedan-carrying demons suspected nothing. They immediately stopped the chair, lowered the poles, and sat by the roadside to rest. The Monkey King took the opportunity to walk to the side of the chair. Catching everyone off guard, he suddenly drew his Golden Cudgel and struck with lightning speed, hitting the old demoness directly on the head. In an instant, the nine-tailed fox was killed, breathing her last on the spot.

Afterward, he acted quickly to eliminate the two sedan-carrying demons as well—clean, efficient, and leaving no survivors. The Monkey King searched the old demoness's bosom and found the Golden Binding Rope, gripping it tightly in his hand. He was overjoyed: Now that the purple-gold red gourd, the sheep-fat jade purifying bottle, and the Golden Binding Rope—all three Magic Treasures—were in his possession, those two demons were no longer anything to fear, no matter how capable they were!

He dared not delay, immediately plucking several hairs and blowing Immortal Qi onto them to transform them into the sedan-carrying demons, Bashan Hu, and Yihai Long. He then shifted his own form into that of the old demoness. With white hair and a tottering gait, his arrogant demeanor and every movement were exactly like the dead nine-tailed fox; even if the Great Kings Golden Horn and Silver Horn were present, they might not be able to spot any flaw.

The Monkey King sat in the sedan chair and ordered the hair-transformed minor demons to carry it, turning around to head straight for Lotus Cave. Before long, the chair arrived at the entrance of Lotus Cave. The minor demons stepped forward and shouted loudly to the guards, "Open the gate! The Old Grandmother has arrived!"

When the guards heard that the Old Grandmother had arrived, they quickly opened the cave gate and ran inside to report to the Great Kings Golden Horn and Silver Horn: "Great Kings, Great Kings, this is bad—no, the Old Grandmother has arrived outside the cave! Come out quickly to welcome her!"

Upon hearing of their mother's arrival, the two demons were overjoyed. They hurriedly put down their wine cups, adjusted their attire, and personally led the minor demons of the cave, walking out of the Immortal Cave to line up and welcome her, their attitude extremely respectful.

The Monkey King, sitting in the sedan chair, saw all of this and sneered inwardly: These two demons are certainly quite filial. Today, I shall toy with you properly and let you taste the feeling of being kept in the dark!

The sedan chair was carried slowly into the cave. The Monkey King pretended to be frail and aged, slowly stepping out of the chair. Hunched over, and with the support of the hair-transformed minor demons, he walked step by step to the main hall of the Immortal Cave. He sat directly facing south, his expression arrogant, saying nothing, and assuming the posture of a high-and-mighty elder.

When the Great Kings Golden Horn and Silver Horn saw their mother sitting in the hall, they hurriedly knelt on both knees, kowtowed respectfully, and said in unison, "Your children pay respects to Mother. Mother, your journey must have been tiring; we hope Mother will forgive us for our failure to welcome you from afar!"

The Monkey King suppressed his laughter, mimicked the old demoness's aged tone, and said slowly, "My children, there is no need for such formalities. Rise quickly."

As he spoke, his voice and demeanor were exactly like the old demoness. The two demons did not suspect a thing; they remained respectful, standing to the side with faces full of filial piety.

Tang Seng and Sand Monk, who were imprisoned to one side, were filled with confusion upon seeing this. They did not know how this suddenly arrived Old Grandmother would deal with them, and their hearts grew increasingly fearful.

Only Pigsy, who was hanging from the rafters, had sharp eyes and looked carefully. From his vantage point, he caught a glimpse of a piece of monkey tail that was unintentionally exposed behind the Monkey King when he bent down to speak. He immediately realized the truth and nearly laughed out loud.

Sand Monk, who was nearby, noticed Pigsy's strange behavior and hurriedly asked in a low voice, "Second Brother, what are you laughing at? We are currently in a desperate situation; how can you still have the mood to joke?"

Pigsy suppressed his laughter, leaned toward Sand Monk's ear, lowered his voice, and whispered, "Brother, rest assured, we are saved! This is no Old Grandmother; this is clearly our Senior Brother in disguise! Look behind him—he has a monkey tail hidden there; only I can see it clearly! Just wait, Senior Brother will surely rescue us and properly deal with these two demons!"

Upon hearing this, Sand Monk was overjoyed. His hanging heart instantly settled. He lowered his head without showing any reaction, quietly watching the movements in the hall, waiting for the Monkey King's next move.

Ao Lie had also long since perceived through his Shadow Power that the old demoness sitting in the hall was actually the Monkey King in disguise. Understanding the situation, he remained calm, keeping his head lowered and lying in wait, on guard in secret, ready at any moment to cooperate with the Monkey King to protect Tang Seng's safety, without showing the slightest abnormality throughout.

In the main hall of Lotus Cave, the fake old demoness sat on the dais, and the two demons served her respectfully. A carefully planned drama was officially underway, just waiting for the two demons to fall into the trap step by step.