"Liusha River, huh!" Lin Fang murmured to himself.
He surveyed his surroundings carefully, not yet seeing any trace of the Liusha River. But since the Little Fox mentioned it, it seemed likely that they were not far from there. He felt a bit excited at the thought of meeting the last member of the Journey to the West group.
"I heard others say there's a magical river there, very vicious, and if you don't know the Art of Flying Crossing, you can't get across it." The Little Fox, recalling what he had heard, spoke worriedly, knowing he didn't have any such skills.
A warm hand placed atop his head rubbed his ears vigorously. Lin Fang, with a gentle smile on his face, said, "Don't be afraid, 'a car will find its way around the mountain, a river flows straight to the bridge.'"
The two continued forward and saw a group of rats carrying their households and bundles like humans running toward them from the west.
The leading rat, running too swiftly, crashed headlong into the Little Fox's leg, letting out a cry of pain.
Looking up at the Little Fox, he was scared to death, and fell to his knees pleading, "Spare my life, Great King! I was blind and crashed into you. Please have mercy."
Their begging posture was perfect, words earnest and sincere, clearly a veteran at surrendering.
Although it wasn't Lin Fang's first time witnessing such a scene, he still found it quite comical, this group of big rats mimicking human actions gave him a surreal feeling.
"Where are you guys taking all your family to? Aren't you afraid some beast will eat you along the way?" The Little Fox asked skeptically.
These Rat Demons clearly lacked the luck of the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind, hence were quite weak. Even moderately strong beasts in the mountains could kill them, which was why the Little Fox posed this question.
His words unexpectedly caused the Rat Demon to burst into tears, showing a face of despair.
"Who would choose to leave their home if they could live? The journey is fraught with dangers, but staying home would mean certain death. We're running for our lives."
Upon hearing the Rat Demon's words, both the Little Fox and Lin Fang furrowed their brows; it seemed the road ahead was fraught with peril.
"Explain carefully, we're intending to head west." The Little Fox quickly asked.
"Our family has been living by the Riverside of the Liusha River for countless generations, always without incident. But out of nowhere, a Water Monster appeared in the Liusha River. It crawls out occasionally to eat people and forces us Little Demons to work for it."
"This isn't unusual. If we Little Demons don't pledge allegiance to a powerful Demon King, how can we survive in this world? It doesn't warrant packing up your family and fleeing."
"Alas! You don't understand. If it was just commanding us to work, that would be one thing, but it's sending us to our deaths. The Liusha River is incredibly perilous, even floating feathers can't stay afloat. Yet this Water Monster forces us to search for Colored Glaze Fragments in the moving sand. How can anyone find fragments of some broken Glass Lamp in such a vast, deep river?"
"The Water Monster is relentless; whoever doesn't search diligently gets brutally killed. Within a few short years, all the surrounding monsters have been nearly wiped out by it. It's expanded its territory, and we had no choice but to flee east."
The Rat Demon recounted the events clearly, leaving the Little Fox trembling in fear, feeling as though they had escaped one peril only to fall into another, making their journey to find family extraordinarily challenging.
Glancing at Lin Fang, he saw him also in deep thought.
"If you head east for a few days, you'll find a place called Huangfeng Peak. There, a Great Sage of the Yellow Wind, also a Rat Demon, resides. You should be able to find refuge there. However, I'd advise you to find a place far from Huangfeng Cave to settle." Lin Fang suddenly spoke.
The Rat Demon was overjoyed upon hearing this and asked, "Is the legendary Great Sage of the Yellow Wind truly one of our kind? I never imagined our clan could have such a mighty presence."
Rats, being weaker animals, have a low rate of becoming monsters, and even fewer become Demon Kings. Hence, the delight upon hearing of such a figure was understandable.
Lin Fang nodded slightly but thought to himself that if the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind hadn't discreetly taken the Buddha's oil lamp, he might not have reached his current status. After all, most cultivation resources are controlled by the powerful in this world.
With Lin Fang's confirmation, the Rat Demon bid farewell happily and, with renewed confidence, headed toward Huangfeng Peak with his family.
"Brother Lin Fang, is the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind really a Rat Spirit, and how do you know this?" The Little Fox asked, puzzled.
After all, the Great Sage is known for his vast Divine Skills, yet his origins were never revealed. None of the local monsters knew his true form. Unexpectedly, Lin Fang knew, making the Little Fox feel the mist around Brother Lin Fang grew thicker, obscuring him further.
Lin Fang just chuckled lightly, saying, "It's a secret."
Seeing his teasing demeanor, the Little Fox snorted and turned his head, choosing to ignore this high-statured man whose image had crumbled; he only bullied Little Monsters like him.
"But what about the Liusha River? Such a ferocious Water Monster better not capture us for his hard labor." The Little Fox felt lost. They had already offended the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind, and now a terrifying Water Monster blocked their path ahead, making it difficult to retreat or proceed.
Turning his head, Lin Fang still wore a face of serenity, seemingly unconcerned by the situation. The Little Fox stomped his foot and said, "You're still laughing! I might manage to survive as hard labor, but you'll be a feast for such a monster as a Human Clan member."
Since Lin Fang never exuded any Demon Qi, the Little Fox still believed he was merely a kind Young Daoist priest.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty tough; that Water Monster probably won't be able to chew me up." Lin Fang seemed confident and untroubled.
Seeing his unreliable demeanor, the Little Fox sighed lightly, feeling his prospects were bleak. However, now he had no other path to choose.
Following Lin Fang, they continued forward, and within half a day, the sound of rushing water echoed in the mountains, and their hearts began to race, as the Liusha River should be near.
Continuing along the mountain path, a wide river soon appeared before them.
The murky river flowed endlessly, crashing waves against the cliffs on either side with a thunderous roar. A bird flying overhead suddenly plummeted from the skies and was swallowed by the river's torrent.
Neither Lin Fang nor the Little Fox had ever seen such a vicious river, stunned by the sight before them.
"Is this the Liusha River? So dangerous, how will we get across?" The Little Fox, at a loss, muttered to himself.
"Hey, there seems to be a stone tablet over there." Lin Fang, vigilant, noticed a stone tablet partially concealed by weeds not far away.
The two hurried over, cleared the grass to reveal an ancient-looking stone tablet, with three large characters: "Liusha River." Beneath, it had four lines of small text: "The Eight Hundred Liusha Domains, The Three Thousand Weak Water Depths. Goose feathers cannot float, Cattail flowers surely sink."
In a few short lines, the tablet spoke of the perilousness of the Liusha River, indeed a natural barrier, challenging throughout the ages.
The Little Fox gazed at the raging water, feeling hopeless.
Just then, there was movement in the water. A monster emerged from the river, big and fierce-looking, wielding a Treasure Staff, adorned with nine skulls around its neck: the ruthless Liusha River Water Monster, the demoted Curtain-Lifting General, Monk Sha.
Seeing Lin Fang and the Little Fox, Monk Sha's eyes shone with malice as he charged toward them, swinging his Treasure Staff at their heads, not bothering with questions.