Chapter 22: Even the Baldies Have Their Timid Moments

"Whimpering… Why are you here again? I've told you, I'd rather die than submit!" Her voice was gentle yet helpless, her sobs intermingling with her words, truly a pitiable sight.

Tang Sanzang said, "I am not that pig, my disciple has already driven that pig away. My name is Tang Sanzang, and I am your new… well, perhaps your former, your once-husband… Ah, I can't explain it clearly. Look at me, look who I am!"

"Don't try to deceive me, do you think I don't know you're skilled in the art of transformation? No matter what form you take, I will not believe you," Gao Cuilan said.

Tang Sanzang scratched his bald head and said, "How about you light a lamp first and we verify before discussing further?"

Gao Cuilan huffed, "You didn't bring any candles and you've locked the doors and windows, where am I supposed to find a light?"

At this, Tang Sanzang slapped his forehead, remembering it was broad daylight—what use was there for candles!

Tang Sanzang turned around and threw a punch in one direction!

Boom!

The wall blew apart!

Bright sunlight flooded the room, and Tang Sanzang slowly turned back, smiling, "Now that you can see clearly, my dear, a single moment of springtime is worth a thousand pieces of gold, let us..."

Tang Sanzang hadn't finished speaking when his gaze landed on a piece of tiger's soul stone on the table beside him, emitting that familiar aura. That meant there wasn't the acquaintance he thought was there...

A feeling of disappointment rose in his heart...

Thud thud...

Footsteps sounded, and Tang Sanzang looked up, his expression suddenly twisting.

Behind him in the darkness, a burly figure approached, stomping heavily on the floor, making it creak and groan.

As the figure drew closer, the light fell upon her, and Tang Sanzang felt his heart sink halfway.

Standing before Tang Sanzang was an immensely burly woman with a round face and small eyes.

With a face full of surprise and delight, she bashfully raised her gigantic hands to cover her face, cooing, "Oh my… you… you're so handsome?"

Just then, old Master Gao, probably afraid his daughter would anger the fierce bald thief and bring disaster upon them, yelled out, "Cuilan, I've found you a new husband, from the Great Tang… you… you… oh…"

Old Master Gao really wanted to say, just submit if you have to.

After all, being with a person is better than living with a pig.

But, as a father, he couldn't bring himself to say such things to his own daughter...

However, that half-statement was enough, Gao Cuilan's eyes sparkled, and with a wide smile, she said, "You didn't lie to me, you really are a person! And a terribly handsome one at that!"

Tang Sanzang, seeing the woman's appearance, shook his head subconsciously, "Uh… actually, I... well, I'm not really a person."

"Actually, I'm not really a person either, we are a perfect match," Gao Cuilan said excitedly.

Tang Sanzang quickly shouted, "No, no, no… calm down, I'm a monk, we're not suitable."

"He has renounced monastic life!" Old Master Gao shouted from below.

Tang Sanzang wished he could go down there and strangle the old man, but Gao Cuilan was incredibly excited, exclaiming, "Renounced monastic life! That's great, my husband, a single moment of springtime is worth a thousand pieces of gold, come on!"

Gao Cuilan spread her arms to embrace him.

Scared, Tang Sanzang grabbed the ambergem stone from the table and jumped straight down from the second floor, running as fast as he could, shouting as he ran,

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, I've decided not to renounce monastic life!"

He only heard a loud boom behind him, as if a small mountain had descended from the sky, making the earth tremble.

There were footsteps rumbling as Gao Cuilan shouted, "Husband, stop running! I don't care if you are still a monk or not, today you are mine!"

Tang Sanzang cried out, "Don't rush, there are rules to everything, we haven't even had our wedding yet…"

Then they heard Old Master Gao shout, "When love is enough, ceremonies are needless! Since my daughter likes you, I have no objections! With the parents' consent, you two are already husband and wife!"

Tang Sanzang hastily pulled off a piece of white cloth, bit his fingertip, quickly wrote two big characters on it, and threw it over. Old Master Gao opened it to see two blood-red characters: "Divorce!"

The family of Old Master Gao was suddenly speechless…

Gao Cuilan burst into tears, "No, I refuse!"

No one could hold her back as she chased after him determinately.

Outside, the White Dragon Horse limped back to the entrance of the Gao residence.

Just then, Sun Wukong descended from the sky with Zhu Ganglie, and curiously asked, "Little White, where is Master?"

The White Dragon Horse looked at Zhu Ganglie and finally sighed, "Ah... it's a long story. What's with this pig?"

Sun Wukong briefly explained that this pig, Zhu Ganglie, was no ordinary person; he was a celestial general in charge of the naval forces. Due to having too much to drink, he harassed Chang'e and was demoted to the mortal world, where he mistakenly reincarnated into a pig's embryo and became a monster.

He too was enlightened by Guanyin and came to escort Tang Sanzang to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures.

Hearing that he was a fellow traveler, the White Dragon Horse nodded its head, "Welcome then…"

Zhu Ganglie bowed his hands, "Please take care of me in the future…"

"Where's Master?" Sun Wukong asked again.

The White Dragon Horse roughly explained the situation and finally sighed, "I really couldn't stop him, he insisted on getting married…"

Thinking about the timing, "If he still endures, he should be in the bridal chamber by now."

Hearing this, Sun Wukong didn't react, but Zhu Ganglie was furious:

"That's outrageous! One should not covet a friend's wife, yet he doesn't spare even his disciple's wife!

A man can be killed but not humiliated, especially over a grievance of wife snatching!

Today I will make this mortal monk understand what divine wrath means!"

As Zhu Ganglie picked up his rake and prepared to storm over, Sun Wukong quickly stopped him, "Fool, you better not go."

Zhu Ganglie roared, "Monkey, get out of the way! Don't interfere in this matter, no one's pleading will work today! I must make him understand a lesson that I escort him out of respect for Guanyin Bodhisattva, but if he goes too far like this, then don't blame me for being rude!"

Sun Wukong held Zhu Ganglie back, "I'm not pleading for him, I just don't want you to go and get yourself killed."

Just then, a bald man was seen running in the distance, shouting, "Tighten the sails!"

Enemies meeting each other is always intense, especially over a grievance of wife snatching?

Zhu Ganglie bellowed, "Thieving baldy, meet your death!"

After saying that, Zhu Ganglie soared into the sky, his rake drawing nine trails like silver galaxies across the sky, plummeting towards the bald man!

Tang Sanzang was running when he suddenly saw someone attacking him, and seeing it was this pig, he instantly got angry and threw a punch!