Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen

  Ba Fu accompanied by several lower-ranking demons mixed in the Tang Dynasty for nearly forty years. Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, lived to be eighty and reigned for fifty-three years. During these fifty-three years, the Tang Dynasty was extremely prosperous and launched large-scale expansions northward, southward, and westward.

  Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, was 51 years old when he ascended to the throne. During his reign, he thoroughly defeated and annexed Tubo, and the Tang army's military power extended southwest, directly approaching Tianzhu. In fact, the Tang Dynasty was only separated from Tianzhu by several thousand miles of Tubo, so why did the Tang monk have to travel 108,000 miles to reach the Spirit Vulture Mountain and the Great Thunder Sound Temple in Tianzhu?

  It's very simple - he took a detour, going straight to Tianzhu won't allow him to see the Lingjiu Mountain. He has to head north first, then take a circuitous route along various strange paths, walking a total of 108,000 miles before he can see the Lingjiu Mountain. As for Tianzhu - it's just the lower realm of the Lingjiu Mountain, where ordinary people live, but also where the foundation of the Western Heaven Buddha Kingdom lies.

  Now there is no longer a road of 180,000 miles. If someone wants to go and get the scriptures again, they only need to walk 170,000 miles - the middle 1,000 miles were deleted by Baifu's move. With the emergence of "Nether Sea", time and space are completely annihilated, and this shrouded space is naturally directly erased, while the spaces on both sides are seamlessly connected. This 1,000-mile space covered by Baifu's big move naturally "does not exist".

  The Great Tang army's blade has reached Tianzhu, meaning that the Taoist sect of Central Plains has inserted one hand into the land of Western Heaven. However, Ba Fu is currently in Yangzhou, east of the Great Tang, indulging in a life of luxury and pleasure, leaving behind only three small demons to serve him closely. Jin Wofu and the five great leaders have all defected to the Great Tang army according to Ba Fu's orders.

  The Tang Dynasty was politically clear and militarily powerful at this time. Many monsters in the Tang territory had joined the Tang army to serve - at first, it caused people's hearts to be disturbed, but not long after, they saw that the monster soldiers in the army did not eat humans, and they were also brave and good at fighting. After making great contributions in resisting the non-human forces outside the Tang Dynasty, they became accustomed to it. The Tang court even established a special military unit called "Zhenling Army", which was mainly composed of monster generals, with only the commander-in-chief being human. This army was stationed in Chang'an to guard the emperor. Behind the Tang emperor's horse, there were many tiger-headed and lion-faced, bear-backed and leopard-striped soldiers as his personal guards. This army often had troops stationed on the border, and some monsters who led human soldiers also received noble titles due to their merits - it is said that among the concubines and eunuchs in the Tang palace, there were those from monster tribes, and the frog monster tribe considered serving as a eunuch in the Tang palace as the most prestigious position in their tribe.

  Na Jin Wofu and the five major heads have been in the army for more than 20 years, and their merits have long been promoted to the rank of "Marquis". Especially Na Jin Wofu was conferred as the Left Golden Armor General, already a senior general of the Tang Army, but still often came to pay respects to this King Ba Fu.

  For decades, monsters have gradually coexisted with humans in the Tang Dynasty. The people of the Tang Dynasty are no longer surprised by this phenomenon. The Tang Emperor is not only a "Tian Kehan" but also the emperor of all monsters within the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

  Bo Fu was carefree and leisurely, on this day he came to Yangzhou's famous brothel, coincidentally it was the day of Qing Nu Chu Niang's debut. The old procuress enthusiastically invited the gentlemen to attend tonight's Chu Niang's performance, whoever bid the highest price would be able to take this little girl home.

  This kind of thing is something that Ba Fu would never participate in. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, even those who sold carts and bought milk could compose a few lines of poetry. Ba Fu was an uncouth fellow and couldn't even come up with one line of poetry. Therefore, this gathering where people show off their wealth and literary talent, he would never attend. Moreover, he didn't like to sing songs with the famous courtesans either - it's just that his pockets were empty, and normally, those who only sang the eighteen touches wouldn't go to visit the elegant and refined famous courtesans.

  This time he was sitting in the main hall listening to the old madam boasting about how beautiful her daughter, Chuma, was. He snorted inwardly at this. Just then, Chuma came out to greet guests. Bo Fu took one look and his eyes widened, a hundred flavors surging up in his heart - that Chuma looked exactly like the girl he had first loved and unrequitedly loved back in his original world when he was young...

  Bo Yu sat there in a daze, reminiscing about the trivialities of his hometown world. "How many years and months has it been since I last recalled these memories? Countless years have passed...". He sighed silently, and the once majestic bird king who dominated the skies was nowhere to be found. The person sitting in the chair was just a lonely middle-aged man. The beautiful fairy didn't catch his attention, but only this woman who resembled his hometown world stirred up his youthful memories and emotions.

  This Chu Niang was not plump, although beautiful but not quite in line with the aesthetic of the Tang people. After Bo Fu threw out a hundred taels of silver, he could have a romantic encounter with her. Bo Fu entered the room with that Chu Niang, he didn't make any moves on her, just looked at her and softly asked the girl: "One day when you gain your freedom, what do you want to do?"

  The little girl didn't say what she wanted to do, but smiled coquettishly and played a tune with Ba Fu, "You go to sleep first, I'll sit for a while." Ba Fu put the little girl to bed, knowing that she was probably laughing at him for spending money without visiting prostitutes. "Although they look alike, they are ultimately two different people..." Ba Fu cast a sleeping spell on the girl, letting her fall into a deep sleep, and sat quietly at the table, watching the woman. Not long after, he walked to the window and looked out at the buildings outside, lost in thought. The woman had stirred up his homesickness, and he hadn't visited his family in Seaside City for a long time, always thinking "I'll go tomorrow, I'll go tomorrow..."

  "When did going home become a habit? What should I do?" Bo Fu fell into a state of mind where he didn't want to think about anything.

  At the fourth watch, Ba Fu seemed to wake up from a dreamless sleep, his eyes regained their firm luster, he looked at the girl sleeping on the bed, smiled slightly, and silently disappeared from the window like a gentle breeze.

  The sky was about to brighten, and Chu Niang slowly woke up. She saw the man who had bought her yesterday smiling at her as he sat at the table. "I've already spent a thousand taels to redeem you, and here's another thousand taels and the deed to a house in Yangzhou. You're free now."

  "I know what you're thinking in your heart, that you want to take control of your own life from now on. Here's a copy of the 'Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman Technique', go practice it. Once you've mastered this martial art and opened up the heavenly mysterious gate, you can then practice the 'Golden Water Key' to seek the way of longevity. Hehe, I'm not very good at naming things, you can name it yourself in the future. Alright, I'll take my leave now. I also want to thank the young lady for enlightening me, this is a token of gratitude." After saying that, Bo Fu didn't wait for Chu Niang to respond and unilaterally arranged her life's journey before disappearing into thin air. That night, from the fourth watch till dawn, Bo Fu traveled thousands of miles, raided dozens of bandit dens, and robbed several thousand taels of silver to ransom the girl back. Now that his mind was clear, Bo Fu knew that the day of his departure was near.