"Huff huff"
A farmer was diligently plowing the field under the scorching heat.
He wiped his sweat and looked into the distance, smiling at his accomplishments.
"Hmm! Hard work will pay off one day, the ancestors were never wrong!"
After that, he prepared to continue plowing the field.
"Benefactor,"
A gentle voice rang out from behind the farmer, causing him to turn around.
"Huh? Who's that—WHOA?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!"
In front of him stood a group of four:
All of them was an incredibly muscular, with bulging muscles and standing over two meters tall.
Another wore a monk's robe, holding a staff, with a nearly shaved head.
Another had a monkey tail, wielding a red staff and wearing a golden headband.
Another was dressed somewhat revealingly, holding an enormous rake.
And the last one had a rather beautiful crystal horn.
All four of them had rugged, chiseled faces, as if they'd stepped straight out of Fist of the North Star.
And they stank!
"Benefactor, we sincerely apologize for startling you. For four or five months, we've been in the forest fighting yaoguai, scrapping for every morsel of food, so we haven't had time to tend to our hygiene," the man in front said, clasping his hands together.
"Uh… Uh, alright… May I ask why you're here?"
"We seek shelter for the night. It's been months since we've seen another soul. If you allow us to stay, this humble monk will repay your kindness in the future."
"I-Is that so? Where are you headed, then?" the farmer asked curiously.
"This humble monk is traveling west to retrieve the Scriptures."
Hearing this, the farmer's eyes widened.
"The West?! No way! That place is dangerous, full of terrifying yaoguai!"
Suddenly, the muscular woman with the monkey tail stepped closer to the farmer.
"You trying to scare us or what?"
"N-No, I'm not! I-I'm just warning you!"
"Then shut it. We're in a really bad mood, so if you know what's good for you, get some food ready. We're starving—Ouch! Master! Why'd you hit me?!"
Wukong rubbed her head as I shot her a warning glare.
"Watch your mouth! Talking like that when we're begging for food? People will look down on us like dogs! Think, Wukong, think!"
"Senior Sister, you've got no tact at all. Let me handle this!" Bajie stepped toward the farmer.
"Ahem… Hand over the food, or we'll eat you—Ouch! Master?!"
"Shut up, Bajie!"
Bajie clutched his head while Wukong cackled gleefully, watching the pig get bonked just like her.
"Apologies, benefactor. These two foolish disciples of mine, starved and unwashed, haven't had their intelligence nurtured. Perhaps it's because the author hasn't updated any chapters, leaving them like outdated Windows systems."
"Oh… It's fine. Please, come to my house for a meal."
"YAHOO!! FOOD!!!"
Hearing the cheerful voices of my disciples, I could only sigh.
Finally! Finally, a place to rest!
For months in that forest, I had to deal with those damn mosquitoes—they practically wanted to suck me dry.
Food was scarce since all the animals had been devoured by yaoguai, and yaoguai meat tasted like vomit!
Wukong was fine, being a monkey and all—she mostly ate fruits, so the lack of meat didn't bother her.
Yu Long never complained about the lack of food; maybe she's just good at handling hunger?
But Bajie—when she's hungry, that's when things get *terrifying*.
She was so desperate she started gnawing on anything in sight, even trying to eat Wukong!
For some reason, though, she didn't try to eat me, despite me clearly being weaker than Wukong and Yu Long.
It sounds touching, but seeing her drool buckets while staring at me, clenching her jaw to stop herself from chomping me… Poor thing.
All in all, that time was the worst. Wukong was constantly irritable and on guard around Bajie. Bajie was driven half-mad by hunger. Yu Long was the easiest to deal with—she could even eat grass, though I think she deserves better.
So… Ahhh, arriving at this little village felt like paradise!
"This is my home. I hope you don't mind," the farmer said.
"No, no, it's fine," I waved my hand to show I was okay with it.
"Kids! Hurry and prepare some food!" the farmer called out loudly. The children, who had been watching us, quickly obeyed.
Meanwhile, some young villagers carrying rice sacks and other items approached, then noticed the strangers.
"Huh? Guests?"
Then they spotted Wukong's monkey tail and ears as she picked her nose.
"Agh!! It's a yaoguai!!" they screamed, dropping their rice sacks and tools in a panic.
"Haha! Senior Sister scared them with her disgusting face!"
"Shut it, you pig fatter than a whale! I'll roast you right now!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! ONE SMACK FROM ME AND YOUR BRAINS WILL SPLATTER EVERYWHERE!"
"COME AT ME, YOU FILTHY YAOGUAI-WANNABE!"
BONK!!
Both of them crouched down, clutching the steaming lumps on their heads. I apologized to the villagers for their behavior.
"Wukong, Bajie, if you two fight here, you'll destroy this place!!"
"Sorry, Master… "
Sigh. It seems the time in the forest has made them even more hot-tempered than usual…
Sitting at the table, they placed the food down.
Bajie, Wukong, Yu Long, and I all lit up at the sight of the meal.
Wait a second—why's it all vegetarian? Oh, right, I'm Tang Sanzang now. A monk has to eat vegetables.
"Let's dig in!" We toasted each other, then picked up our chopsticks.
"Is it good?" the farmer asked.
"Delicious! This old Sun will repay you one day! What's your name?" Wukong said, shoving rice into her mouth and grabbing a piece of tofu.
"Hey! Senior Sister! That was my tofu!" Bajie pointed her chopsticks at Wukong.
Of course, Wukong ignored her, stuffing the tofu into her mouth and chewing noisily.
"You filthy monkey!!!" Bajie fumed, glaring at the plate of food before grabbing everything with her hands and shoving it into her mouth.
"What?! You PIG! You're not leaving any for Master or Yu Long??" Wukong glared back, furious.
"Relax, I'll get food just for them later. Of course, you're not getting any, Senior Sister!"
"You damn pig!!!"
"Come at me! This gal ain't scared of ten monkeys like you!"
And with that, they lunged at each other, trading punches to the face.
The farmer, his grandchildren, and the other kids watched the chaotic scene unfold in their home.
Meanwhile, Yu Long and I calmly poured soup over our rice, sipped it, and let out a satisfied sigh.
'Tastes great.'