Chapter 14014 Great! It's Crane. We're saved! ...
White Tiger Ridge? White Bone Demon?
Mentioning Baihu Ridge naturally brings to mind the White Bone Demon. When I type "Baihu Ridge" into the Nine-Character Input Method, the same three keys appear for both. Every holiday, we always watch "Journey to the West." And there's even a story in high school textbooks titled "Sun Wukong's Three Struggles with the White Bone Demon." Um...it's in the high school textbooks, right?
I can't quite remember when it happened, but the text left a deep impression on me. After all, stories included in the textbooks are always more well-known than other stories.
In short, pushing from Baihu Ridge to Baigujing is almost an instinctive behavior.
The book describes Baihu Ridge, a mountain of overlapping peaks and cliffs, with winding ravines and gullies. Tigers and wolves roam in formations, deer and stags roam in herds. Countless deer roe scurry in clusters, and foxes and rabbits gather in thickets all over the mountain. Pythons a thousand feet tall, snakes ten thousand feet long. (Note) After entering, not even a bone might be left. This demonstrates the sheer danger of the mountain. Therefore, the people of Chengyun County avoid Baihu Ridge. Fortunately, the Yunshui River separates Chengyun County from Baihu Ridge, preventing the dangers of Baihu Ridge from reaching Chengyun County—after all, the Yunshui River itself is fraught with danger. Of course, while it brings danger, it also protects Chengyun County.
It's really the two sides of the coin.
However, while there is a White Tiger Ridge, the demon isn't necessarily the White Bone Demon. The connection between White Tiger Ridge and the White Bone Demon stems from Journey to the West. In fact, the poem "The Great Tang Tripitaka's Journey to the West" mentions "seeing a withered skeleton on the valley floor, over forty miles long," which bears some resemblance to the bones of the White Bone Demon in Journey to the West. However, the poem details that the bones were said to be the place where the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty had his bones replaced. Later, Tripitaka and his companions passed by White Tiger Ridge again and encountered the White Tiger Demon, who transformed into a woman in white. The demon wreaked havoc, even cannibalism. Sun Wukong cast a spell, conjuring a macaque monkey inside the White Tiger Demon's stomach, forcing the demon to vomit the bones. This repeated three times before the demon was finally eliminated.
Of course, Wu Cheng'en may have drawn on more than just "The Story of the Tang Tripitaka's Journey to the West in Poetry." Records like "Taiping Guangji" and "Longxi County Chronicles" also contain similar legends, such as "white bones turning into a demon" and "white tiger turning into a demon." It's easy to see that he did incorporate these stories.
However, as far as I know, the only clear mention of White Tiger Ridge and the tiger demon is in "The Story of Tang Sanzang's Journey to the West". So the demon king of White Tiger Ridge could also be a white tiger spirit - if this is not "Journey to the West".
I guess it's unlikely that I'll end up in a book?
But... well, time travel is unscientific, maybe... maybe "Journey to the West" is a documentary.
I'm having a bad feeling. It's hard to say whether White Bone Demon or White Tiger Demon is better. Even though the nine-key input method uses the same three keys, well... well, it doesn't really make a difference. They're both incredibly annoying. I don't want to encounter either one anyway.
Oh... I remember so many things? I suddenly realized my memory has improved. Could it be because I can transform?
My thoughts wandered off to other places for a moment, but a word from the old Taoist brought me back.
"...The crane demon came from nowhere, and upon arrival, it took over the mountain and became its king. Tiger demons are rampant in the mountains, and there are also monsters transformed from bones, who specialize in luring lost people..."
The old Taoist said this heavily and helplessly.
I:……
That's right. I should have cheered—oh great! It's a crane! We're saved!
After all, no matter which version of the story or legend, the crane never appears among the white tiger and the white bones, so I was certain that the crane the Taoist mentioned was the unlucky creature that had been dragged along with me into the whirlpool of the Ninth Grade Lotus Pond. But it was precisely after hearing the Taoist's words that my sense of foreboding grew even stronger.
Occupy the mountain and become king? A tiger demon is rampant in the mountains? A white-bone demon eats people?
Haha, it turns out it's not just the White Bone Demon or the White Tiger Demon, there's also a crane. It's really lively next door.
And this doesn't seem like something that the crane, one of Taiyi Zhenren's mounts, can do... It's too possible for him to do that!
If it's Journey to the West, many of the "difficulties" there are caused by the immortals' mounts and pets. It's not surprising that Taiyi Zhenren's crane is one of the "difficulties". But does Taiyi Zhenren know?
I feel a little complicated.
Are He and I being set up by capital?
Yes, yes, it must be so!
In an instant, I suddenly had thoughts like "So that's how it is" and "No wonder".
"Why is your Majesty so depressed?"
The old Taoist priest had sharp eyes and he noticed even when I had some negative emotions.
I don't know what to say. Could it be that the crane demon next door and I are now playing a game of Buddhist-Taoist rivalry? I'm afraid the moment I say that, I'll be instantly reduced to nothing but dregs. Although Zhanshuiweiniang has become the Goddess of Clouds and Waters, I know my own limitations. I might not even be able to defeat the White Bone Demon and the White Fox Demon next door... Sigh, I'll just have to hide for now.
It’s just Crane... Even though we have a backer, it can’t go too far, right? We have to find an opportunity to remind it.
After figuring it out, I asked the old Taoist, "When did the crane monster you mentioned come to White Tiger Ridge?"
I need to confirm whether He and I came here at the same time.
The old Taoist thought for a while and said, "About last year?" He looked unsure.
"To be honest, I didn't dare approach White Tiger Ridge. I just remember hearing the cry of a crane from the mountain. The sound was gentle and ethereal at first, but then it suddenly rose to a high pitch, turning into a clear whistle like tearing silk... I had never heard it before. There are no cranes in our area."
Last year, it wasn't the same time. But why? We were clearly brought here by the vortex at the same time, so why is there a time difference between us?
As someone who's read a lot of genre fiction, I can only think of two explanations. One is that Crane and I arrived at the same time, but I've lost my memory, and my current memories begin when I woke up. Wait, that explanation is too old-fashioned. Authors don't use that kind of setup anymore. If they did, they'd definitely be ridiculed! Okay, maybe good writing doesn't count.
Secondly, the only thing I can think of is that this isn't the world I was originally reincarnated into. The scientific explanation is that although Crane and I were taken away by the vortex at the same time, we may have experienced a time tunnel and arrived here at different times...
I:……
Haha, forget it, it's too weird to explain scientifically. I kept a blank face, but it seemed even more subtle.
Forget it, I give up. It turns out that my brain is not suitable for thinking about these things.
I said to the Taoist priest, "Although it's quite possible, the crane monster next door might be my friend. Do you think the water from the Yunshui River can flood Baihu Ridge?"
Taoist priest: ...
"Your Majesty! Absolutely not!"
"Oh, we can't flood it, right? What about burning it?"
Taoist priest: ...
"Empress! Even if your friend is now the king of the mountain, committing all kinds of evil, there are still people living in the mountains, all the plants and trees have spirits, and some birds and beasts are simple. If you rashly flood or burn White Tiger Ridge, it will also damage your merits!"
The old Taoist is like a minister who died for his advice, and I am like a tyrant.
Oh, it turns out that I also have the potential to be a tyrant.
I waved my hands, "It's just a joke, don't take it so seriously."
The Taoist's eyes were filled with disbelief. Seeing the Taoist's agitation, Jinniang, standing nearby, returned the baby to Wuniang. At my request, Wuniang finally cut the umbilical cord between her and the baby. There was no other way. It was too creepy... too creepy.
"What's wrong, Taoist priest?" Jinniang asked me.
I said, "Maybe it's because I'm old, my emotions are a little unstable."
The old Taoist looked at me with an increasingly complicated expression, and I felt that his previous image had been completely overturned.
Of course, this kind of thing doesn't matter.
I don't have any image at all.
——
Ever since I learned that my friend, who is also a friend of the mountain king, lives next door, I have been extremely eager to see him.
It's like meeting fellow countrymen in a foreign country.
Of course, meeting a fellow countryman abroad doesn't necessarily mean tears well up in my eyes; they might even shoot me in the back. Similarly, a crane and I might not embrace each other tearfully; it might even swallow me whole. But now that I'm half human, swallowing me might be a bit difficult.
But no matter what, I still want to see it. After all, we are both from Qianyuan Mountain.
But how to meet him has become a difficult problem.
While I was thinking about this problem, the number of visitors to Yunshui River suddenly increased, and it was as bustling as a vegetable market every day.
Hexian Temple is located on a gentle slope about a hundred meters from the Yunshui River. In ancient times, temples were built on a yearly basis, but Hexian Temple is small, consisting of only one hall. The Taoist priest said that to avoid jealousy, a simpler temple would suffice, and annual repairs would suffice. So, while 9981 days is a stretch, it's not impossible.
Moreover, this is a fantasy world, so don't use common sense to calculate time. Besides, the time is tight to urge the Zhou family.
A few days ago, it was raining and windy, and someone took shelter in the still-under-construction Ha Tien Temple. While the roof wasn't finished yet, it was more than adequate for shelter. According to the man, he escaped death by spending the night in the temple. Many trees had fallen on his way home, and if he had insisted on returning, he would have been hit by them. So, he credits the goddess Yunshui with appearing and saving his life.
So on the third day, he brought his family to the Yunshui River, clasped his hands together, chanted something, and then threw a copper coin into the river. Before leaving, he did not forget to say: "Thank you, Goddess, for your blessing!"
I:……
Looking at the copper coins in my palm, I felt very complicated.
It's hard to say what the answer to this mysterious truth is, after all, there are no ifs and ifs. If it were me, I would probably choose metaphysics as well.
Because of his precedent, other people in the county followed suit. Those who had money threw copper coins, and those who had no money threw wreaths made of wild flowers picked from the roadside.
The wreath is quite beautiful.
Actually, at this point, I think someone is fanning the flames.
It is very likely an old Taoist priest.
…
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