Chapter 86: Nine-headed Insect
It was half a month later that Li Anran learned that Long Si had been attacked and disappeared.
He was drinking with Nezha in the Heavenly Prison Palace and talking about the monkey's rampage in the Heavenly Palace.
Nezha said, "I don't know what the Jade Emperor is thinking! He could just send troops to kill the Monkey King. Since he has already sent Taibai Jinxing to summon him to heaven to be an official, but he only appointed Bima Wen to look after horses, it would be strange if the Monkey King didn't rebel against heaven out of anger!"
Li Anran suddenly remembered the rumors of later generations and asked, "Brother Nezha, I heard that you released water when you went to Huaguo Mountain. Is that true?"
Yang Jian and the Meishan brothers were busy with official duties, leaving Li Anran and Nezha as the only two idle people. They drank and talked more often on weekdays, and their relationship was very different from before.
These questions that were difficult to ask before can now be gossiped about freely.
"Oh!"
Nezha waved his hands, looking ashamed to talk about this matter, and said: "At the beginning, I wanted to let him go, but I didn't expect that Monkey King was really capable. He got really angry during the fight. In the end, I was deceived by Monkey King's body-external-body technique and was hit by his stick."
"However, my injury was not that serious. I was just too lazy to fight any more, so I retreated and left the matter to Li Jing."
As he spoke, Nezha showed a gossipy expression on his face and said, "I'm fine! You don't know that my second brother was disgusted by that Monkey King!"
"Hmm? How do you mean?" Li Anran was very curious.
"You don't know, my second brother has always been a bit of a germaphobe, but that Monkey King..."
Nezha pointed at his ears, clapped his hands on the table and laughed, "He put the weapon in his ears! Just imagine how dirty that must be! After my second brother had a fight with him, he returned to Guanjiangkou and washed his three-pointed, two-edged sword for three days and three nights. Hahahaha, I am dying of laughter!"
Li Anran was stunned and also started laughing.
The scene of Yang Jian washing his weapons with a look of disgust on his face is so funny.
Just at this moment, the Third Holy Mother flew over in a hurry, looking anxious.
After asking, the two found out that Long Si had disappeared on his way back to the East Sea from the West Sea.
As the commander of the navy of the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea, Long Si often leads his shrimp soldiers and crab generals to patrol various waters. It is normal for him to disappear for a while.
It was precisely because of this that her disappearance was delayed for more than half a month before being discovered by the Dragon King of the East Sea.
The Dragon King of the East Sea had not seen his daughter come home for a long time, so he sent people to the Dragon Palace of the West Sea to inquire. Only then did he learn that Long Si had left half a month ago and had clearly stated that he was returning to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.
The Dragon King of the East China Sea realized that something was wrong and immediately sent a large number of shrimp soldiers and crab generals to search for it, but to no avail.
He also sent people to Huashan Villa, but there was still no sign of Long Si.
After the Third Holy Mother learned about this, she hurried to the Heavenly Palace to ask Yang Jian and Roaring Sky Dog for help.
However, Yang Jian and Roaring Sky Dog happened to be on earth and not in heaven, so she had no choice but to come to the Tianlao Palace to ask Li Anran for help.
Li Anran asked, "Have they gone to Bibotan to look for it?"
The Third Holy Mother said, "We looked for her, but we couldn't find her. The Wansheng Dragon King said that after they came out of the West Sea, they returned to the Bi Bo Lake and didn't see the Fourth Princess."
Before Long Si got into trouble, he had just ruined the good deeds of the Halloween Dragon King. These two father and daughter were the most suspicious.
The Dragon King of the East China Sea immediately led his troops to Bibotan, but he didn't get any results and didn't find any evidence.
The Third Holy Mother was a little embarrassed: "Brother Li, can I borrow your Heart-Searching Pearl again? I always feel that Princess Wansheng is not a good person!"
Li Anran: “…” Don’t you feel that there is something wrong with the Heart-Questioning Pearl?
Nezha, who was standing nearby, had not interrupted since he heard about the East China Sea. But when he heard about the Heart-Questioning Pearl, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is the Heart-Questioning Pearl? Why haven't I heard of it before?"
The Third Holy Mother explained in all seriousness: "The Questioning Bead is a magic weapon used by the Heavenly Prison to interrogate prisoners. It can determine whether the prisoner is telling the truth or a lie."
Li Anran thought to himself that something was wrong. It seemed that he was going to be exposed. He was just about to explain that this was just a white lie.
Nezha's eyes lit up with surprise and joy: "There is such a treasure?!" He looked at Li Anran impatiently: "Li Anran, you must lend it to me!"
Li Anran: “…”
Boss, you are the great god of the Three Altars and Sea Assembly!
You have been in Heaven for so long, don’t you know whether there is such a magic weapon in the Heavenly Prison?
The Third Holy Mother was immediately anxious: "Brother Nezha, you can borrow the Heart-Searching Pearl later. The most important thing now is to find the whereabouts of the Fourth Princess! Brother Li, you must help me!"
Nezha curled his lips. He didn’t care if all the dragon descendants of that old loach Ao Guang died!
"Li Anran, since you have something to do here, I will go back first. I will come to see you another day."
Nezha stood up and was about to leave when a general flew over hurriedly from a distance.
"Third Prince, there are monsters causing chaos in the lower world. The Jade Emperor ordered the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King to go down to the lower world to subdue the monsters. The Heavenly King ordered you to quickly go to Yunlou Palace to join him."
Nezha's face darkened and he said in a cold voice: "Tell him that I have something to do here and cannot leave. Let him go by himself."
The general advised: "Third Prince, there is no overnight hatred between father and son. Don't be angry with the king anymore, you should go back quickly..."
Before he could finish his words, Nezha's ferocious eyes had already glared at him fiercely, frightening the general so much that he swallowed back the rest of his words.
Nezha said, "Who said I was angry with him? The fourth princess of the East Sea Dragon is missing, and I am discussing with the Prison God and the Three Holy Mothers about going down to the mortal world to rescue her. Isn't that more important than catching a few little monsters? Right, Prison God?"
Li Anran: “…Yes.”
Compared to the East Sea Dragon King who forced him to death, Nezha's disgust and hatred for Li Jing is even greater!
"Okay, Li Anran, Third Holy Mother, this is urgent, let's talk while we walk."
Nezha took Li Anran and the Three Holy Mothers away, leaving the heavenly soldiers there.
The three of them walked through the West Heaven Gate and arrived at Xiniu Hezhou.
Nezha was not willing to meet the Dragon King of the East China Sea, so he summoned several local gods, asked about the location of the Bibotan in Luanshi Mountain, and flew over.
On the way, we saw a magnificent city with dozens of gates on all sides. It was over a hundred miles in circumference, with tall towers and majestic palaces, and was extremely bustling.
There is also a 13-story five-colored glazed tower in the city, which is shrouded in auspicious clouds and rising with auspicious mist, emitting brilliant rays of light that cover the sky and the sun.
The Third Holy Mother was surprised and said, "As we traveled along, we saw that the houses in Xiniuhezhou were low and the people were poor. We never thought that there was such a magnificent city! It is no worse than the Central Plains in the East!"
Nezha looked around and saw the words "Jisai Kingdom". He sneered and said, "Third Holy Mother, don't just look at the grandeur of this city, look outside the city!"
When the Third Holy Mother heard this, she looked over and was startled. She cried out, "What are they doing?"
On both sides of the road outside the city, there were countless dark-skinned and skinny people, with pious looks on their faces, bowing their heads three times with every step, walking towards the Jisai Kingdom.
Nezha said sarcastically, "Sacrifices are offerings to thank the gods. You think the Buddha's light relics are free, but they are obtained by these sacrifices. They are like firewood. When they are burned out one day, the wind will blow and the sky will be filled with black ashes."
The Third Holy Mother seemed a little confused, but Li Anran's heart moved.
Suddenly I remembered that when I was seeking Buddhist scriptures in the West, after a bloody night in the country of Jisai, the Buddhist treasures were stolen and the Buddha's light disappeared.
According to the book, two little demons Benbolba and Babolben under the command of the All Saints Dragon King said that the bloody storm was caused by the Nine-headed Insect in order to defile the pagoda and steal the relics.
But, listening to Nezha's tone, it seems that this is not the case.
At least not entirely.
It seems that there is something wrong with these two fish spirits!
Li Anran thought secretly in his heart.
In the original novel, these two monsters took the initiative to confess that Princess Wansheng had gone to the Lingxiao Palace and stole the Queen Mother's Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum when the monkey only knew that the Buddhist relics in the Jinguang Temple were stolen.
According to the two monsters, Princess Wansheng kept the nine-leaf ganoderma "under the pond, shining brightly day and night."
However, this is difficult to explain logically.
Princess Halloween must have been so confident that she dared to openly hide the stolen goods from the Queen Mother in Heaven at the bottom of the pond, making it known to everyone.
In comparison, when the monkey later tricked the nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum out of her hand, the Ganoderma lucidum was in a white jade box, which seems much more reasonable.
Li Anran thought again of the monkey in the Water Curtain Cave, the old monkey who had never practiced cultivation but knew that "Buddha, immortals and the sacred are immortal" and "the waterway under the iron bridge in the Water Curtain Cave leads to the Dragon Palace."
Their tool attributes can be said to be maximized!
It is hard not to suspect that they are pawns in the hands of others, used specifically to plot against the monkey!
Nezha didn't want to talk more about the Jisai Kingdom. He pointed to a mountain in the southeast and said, "That should be the Rocky Mountain. Let's go there quickly."
The Rocky Mountain is just as its name suggests, bare and full of rocks. Not to mention trees, even flowers and plants can hardly be seen.
Bibotan Lake is located at the foot of the Rocky Mountain. The water in the lake is dark green and deep, revealing a tinge of dull and dead air.
But it was because the spring in Bibotan had dried up and there was no fresh water.
This is also the reason why the old dragon Wansheng is so eager to marry into the West Sea Dragon Palace.
"I didn't know that the three great immortals were coming. I am sorry for not coming to greet you. Please forgive me."
When the Halloween Dragon King heard the report from the shrimp soldiers and crab generals, he hurriedly welcomed the three people into the Dragon Palace, bowing and nodding with great fear and trepidation.
The Third Holy Mother was worried about Long Si's safety, so she said straight to the point, "All Saints Dragon King, you have also seen the Questioning Pearl of the Prison God."
"If you tell the truth now, I can forgive you this time. If you still want to get away with it and we find out, don't blame me for reporting you to the Lingxiao Palace."
"When the time comes, you will have to go to the Dragon Slaying Platform."
The Wansheng Dragon King cried out in injustice: "My Lord, everything Xiaolong said is true! Xiaolong really doesn't know the whereabouts of the Fourth Princess of the East China Sea!"
The Third Holy Mother looked at Li Anran.
Li Anran nodded slightly, indicating that what the Halloween Dragon King said was true.
The Heart-Questioning Pearl is fake, but the Joy of He that he cultivated is real.
He could sense the panic and grievance in the Halloween Dragon King's emotions.
However, telling the truth does not mean that this matter has nothing to do with Bibotan!
The Halloween Dragon King is timid and cowardly. Previously in the West Sea Dragon Palace, he confessed everything just because he was tricked. It is not like he would do something meaningless and just to vent his anger, such as capturing Long Si.
But Princess Halloween and the nine-headed monster are different.
One of them stole the Buddhist relics from the Jinguang Temple, and the other stole the Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Lucidum from the Queen Mother. They have the courage and ability to capture Long Si.
Li Anran asked directly: "Where is Princess Wan Sheng? Why didn't she come out today?"
Wansheng Dragon King said with a bitter face, "Ever since the day when the Third Prince of the West Sea broke off the marriage, I have been ashamed and ashamed to face people. These days I have been crying in my room and I don't want to go out."
As he spoke, he suddenly came to his senses and asked, "Does the Immortal suspect that this matter has something to do with my daughter?"
Li Anran said bluntly: "It may also be related to your cheap son-in-law."
"This is impossible! The Immortal must have wronged me!"
The Halloween Dragon King denied it outright, and he looked obviously panicked.
No one knows a daughter better than her father. He knows his daughter's character best, and she is capable of doing such a thing.
"Whether it's unfair or not, you'll know if you call the person out!" Nezha urged impatiently.
He didn't care whether Long Si was dead or alive, but he was very curious about the Heart-Questioning Pearl and wanted to see it.
If this Heart-Questioning Pearl is really as magical as the Three Holy Mothers said, he would borrow it no matter what and expose the true face of that hypocritical person!
Nezha felt excited and impatient just thinking about it.
"That's... okay." The Wansheng Dragon King didn't dare to refuse Nezha, so he could only order his attendants: "Go and invite the princess."
Soon, Princess Halloween came out with the help of two clam girls.
Her face was pale, and her eyes were slightly swollen. It seemed that she had been crying in her boudoir for a long time. Her voice was soft and a little hoarse: "Greetings to the three immortals."
When the Third Holy Mother saw this, she felt very sorry for him.
Li Anran immediately determined that Long Si’s matter was related to the Halloween Princess in front of him.
Princess Halloween is far more cunning than the Dragon King Halloween, and Li Anran's Hehuan technique is unable to sense her inner emotional fluctuations.
However, Li Anran learned the skills of observing people's breath and soul from Yang Jian.
In his eyes, the Halloween Princess in front of him was full of coquettishness and artificiality from head to toe and from inside to outside!
Everything she showed was a fake !
What Li Anran did not expect was that after Princess Wansheng came out, she took the initiative to ask: "Please ask the prison god to take out the questioning bead and ask me to clear my name."
The Heart-Searching Pearl was something that Li Anran made up. Princess Halloween didn't know it was fake, and it was impossible for her to find a way to deal with it.
The reason why she is so tough now is because...
Li Anran's heart moved, and he turned over his right hand. A crystal clear bead appeared in his palm, and he said, "In that case..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, a black shadow suddenly jumped out and rushed towards Li Anran, or more precisely, towards the Heart-Searching Pearl in Li Anran's hand.
Li Anran seemed to be startled and stepped back in a hurry.
The Heart-Questioning Pearl also flew out of his hand.
Bang!
A ball of golden light suddenly lit up and hit the black shadow.
“Gah!”
The black shadow let out a shrill scream similar to that of a duck, and then shrank back in a flash.
The ball of golden light also flew back and landed in Nezha's hand. It was the Qiankun Circle.
Nezha said: "Fortunately, I reacted in time! Li Anran, quickly put the treasure away and don't let the thieves snatch it away!"
Li Anran: “…Yeah.”
Li Anran had to postpone his plan as his magic weapon was accidentally destroyed and put the beads away.
Nezha threw the Qiankun Ring towards the direction where the black shadow came from without saying a word.
boom!
The Circle of Heaven and Earth spun around and around, emitting dazzling golden light that directly smashed the coral mountain into pieces.
Before the mud and sand had dispersed, a gray figure rushed out, with a cold light flashing, and went straight for Nezha's head.
when!
Nezha was already prepared. He held the spear horizontally upwards to block the cold light, and then exerted force to push the figure away.
The man who came looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He wore a tattered silver helmet, a pair of helmet armor, a brocade battle robe, and held a crescent shovel in his hand, looking murderous.
It’s the nine-headed monster!
The Nine-headed Insect was not afraid at all after missing the target. Instead, he snorted coldly, "What great god of the Three Altars Sea Society? You are just like that! Take my shovel!"
