Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 319 - 313: The Eldest Brother Finally Gets It [Seeking Monthly Tickets]_1
The seven spider demon sisters joyfully started eating the noodles they held. Sha Chen also thoughtfully added a fried egg for each of them, sprinkled some green onions, and added three stalks of green vegetables. He also cut a few slices of ham that had been air-dried for years for them. Each bowl of noodles could well be described as exceedingly rich.
After eating, they still weren’t satisfied. So, Sha Chen went to prepare a lavish feast. It had been many years since their last meeting, and he truly missed them. Even if they couldn’t sit and talk at length, they would at least enjoy food and drink merrily together.
The banquet was quickly prepared. The seven sisters gathered around Sha Chen, and he served each of them food and poured them wine. When it was his turn to eat, he wanted to serve himself, but they wouldn’t allow it. The seven sisters would eagerly offer to serve him food, and if Sha Chen tried to decline, they would become upset.
Sha Chen said, "You’ve all had a hard journey back. Eat well. Let your Big Brother serve you. There’s no need for you to wait on me, really."
Seventh Mother said, "Big Brother, you must have missed us terribly over these years. Without us by your side, your days must have been very boring."
"We’ve been drifting out in the world for so long, unable to attend to your every need—serving tea, pouring water, making your bed, folding your quilts—failing to pamper you properly. We truly owe you an apology. How could we possibly let Big Brother pour wine and serve food for us?"
After giving it some thought, Sha Chen realized he had been getting along just fine without the spider demons. But he definitely couldn’t say that, so he replied, "You have a point. It was indeed boring without you. I could only rely on cultivation to pass the time."
"Now that you’re back, I can’t bear to see you tire yourselves. After all, you’ve been out earning money to support the family, and now you return only to have to take care of me, this ’child’ of several hundred pounds. I feel truly undeserving."
San Niang said, "Big Brother, there’s no need to be polite. We are more than happy to serve you."
Using his Six Ears of All Heavens, Sha Chen listened and could tell that the spider demons truly, earnestly wanted to serve him! It wasn’t for any other reason; they simply felt that without them by his side, Sha Chen lacked someone to show him tender care and concern. Being kind-hearted, they genuinely felt uneasy about it. Moreover, they felt that having been away from Sha Chen for so long, if he were to take the initiative to do things for them, it would make them feel as if they had grown distant from him. They worked so hard precisely to spend more time with Sha Chen and win his affection. And the thought of Sha Chen becoming distant from them was more unbearable than death itself. Naturally, they wanted to take the initiative to serve Sha Chen.
Once Sha Chen understood this, he gave up resisting and allowed himself to enjoy their service. Seventh Mother fed him wine, San Niang fed him food, the Fourth Sister massaged his shoulders, and the Eldest Sister fed him grapes. Others massaged his legs, and some his arms. For the first time, Sha Chen experienced the treatment of a lord, almost sinking into this haven of gentleness, unable to pull himself free. Several times he wanted to push them all away. It was too comfortable, and he worried he would become addicted to such pleasures and neglect his cultivation. But every time he tried to push them away, the spider demons would look so pitiful, as if Sha Chen were about to abandon them. Sha Chen, finding it unbearable to see them like that, would relent and let them continue.
After enjoying an emperor’s treatment for a while, Sha Chen told them to also look after themselves and not focus all their attention on him. The spider demons also seemed to sense that Sha Chen didn’t particularly need such excessive pampering, so they began to eat and drink themselves. After all, they had been wandering outside for a long time and hadn’t tasted Sha Chen’s cooking. Now that they were back, tasting Sha Chen’s delicious dishes once again gave them a surreal feeling, as if a lifetime had passed.
Seventh Mother said, "Big Brother, your cooking has gotten even more delicious!"
Sha Chen replied, "It’s alright. I haven’t cooked in a long time. You’re all in for a treat; I’ve accumulated quite a few ingredients over the years."
The seven sisters were immediately overjoyed, each one excited and cheerful. Then, they clinked glasses with Sha Chen, intending to get him drunk and then have their way with him. Sha Chen, however, engaged in a battle of wits with them. It was impossible for him to get drunk; even if he didn’t actively expel the alcohol from his system, they couldn’t hope to outdrink him.
In less than two hours, the table was a mess of empty cups and plates. They had drunk more than a dozen jars of wine. The spider demons finally succumbed, sprawling about, red-faced and drunk. Looking at the empty wine jars on the ground, Sha Chen’s heart ached. Those were fine wines he had treasured for a long time, and they had vanished on the very first day of the sisters’ return. Judging by their appearance, they clearly weren’t planning on leaving anytime soon. And since they had just delivered resources, Sha Chen didn’t have the heart to drive them out after only three or five days. After all, even Zhou Bapi wouldn’t be that ruthless.
One by one, Sha Chen carried them to a bed and tucked them in. He was about to leave when Seventh Mother suddenly grabbed his hand, her eyes hazy with drunkenness. "Big Brother," she slurred, "we encountered so many dangers outside. Many bad people wanted to bully us. If we sleep alone, we’ll be scared."
Sha Chen’s cheek twitched. He replied in a low voice, "But aren’t all seven of you sleeping together? That doesn’t count as being alone. Don’t be scared."
But Seventh Mother whined, "But... I’m still scared."
Indeed, they must have had a very hard time out there all these years, Sha Chen thought. They probably encountered many bad people and developed some psychological trauma. As their big brother, he should fulfill some responsibility.
Taking a deep breath, Sha Chen decided to stay with them for a while. After all, one couldn’t bite the hand that fed them; he had accepted their resources. He had used them as laborers, so making a small sacrifice himself was acceptable. After a moment’s hesitation, Sha Chen sat down.
The spider demons instantly became extremely excited and hot and bothered, even starting to kick off their blankets and attempting to loosen their clothes.
Sha Chen said, "My cave residence is ten thousand zhang deep beneath the Flowing Sand River, where the temperature is incredibly low. Even in here, it’s quite chilly, so don’t kick off your blankets."
San Niang said, "But Big Brother, we’re hot!" Then she kicked the blanket off again. Sha Chen resisted the urge to go over and break her leg.
He covered them with the blankets again and then emphasized, "If you keep kicking the blankets off, I’ll ignore you."
The sisters finally stopped kicking the blankets, but then they started rustling under the covers.
Sha Chen frowned deeply. "What are you all doing? Can you please not throw your clothes around? You’re all old enough—over a hundred thousand years old—and still so immature!"
"Let go! Let go of me! It’s bad enough you’re throwing your own clothes around, but why are you trying to strip mine off too?"
"Let go of my saber! Don’t touch it, or I won’t be polite anymore! We’re practically siblings; don’t force me to turn hostile."
Seventh Mother cooed, "Big Brother, since we’re practically siblings, there’s no need to turn hostile. You can just turn over." Then she opened her arms wide, waiting for Sha Chen to roll over to her.
Sha Chen’s cheek twitched again. What kind of den had he stumbled into?!
Hmph. Women would only slow down the speed at which he drew his saber.
Sha Chen made to get up, but the spider demons quickly pushed him back down, covered him with the blanket, and wouldn’t let him leave.
Seventh Mother said, "Big Brother, let’s stop fooling around. Let’s just lie here quietly, look at the ceiling, enjoy the fragrant air, and pour out our hearts to each other!"
Sha Chen said, "I have no heartfelt feelings to pour out. However, you’ve all endured hardships out there these past years. At the table earlier, we were too busy eating, and I didn’t get to hear you speak of them. Tell me, what happened?"
He had to change the subject; otherwise, who knew what unimaginable things they might do to him.
Indeed, the spider demons were rather simple-minded in their desire to please Sha Chen. Since he wanted to hear about their past, they were more than willing to share. Taking turns, one speaking after the other, they recounted all the major and minor events that had occurred over the years. Some stories brought them to tears, some were deeply moving, some were incredibly perilous, and others were quite mundane. But Sha Chen responded to each one. He asked for details and made a mental note of some of the individuals mentioned—those the spider demons had been unable to defeat. These were individuals who had also targeted the spider demons.
Therefore, Sha Chen planned to find an opportunity to have his other followers eliminate all of them. How dare they cause the sisters to return so late, delaying his cultivation time by so much! He had to teach them a lesson.
However, the spider demons misunderstood. They thought that by asking about those they couldn’t defeat and muttering their names, Sha Chen was planning to stand up for them. Consequently, they were all moved to tears, sobbing profusely.
Seventh Mother cried even harder, saying, "Big Brother, you’re too good to us! To think you’d harbor resentment against others for our sake."
San Niang also said, "Big Brother, I’m so touched. I have no way to repay you. Could I... offer myself to you?"
Sha Chen said, "It’s fine to be touched, but can you please not get handsy? Whose hand is that wandering around?" Sha Chen swatted away several hands, protecting his vital areas.
Being squeezed in the middle wasn’t very comfortable, so he asked to sleep on one side. The spider demons all disagreed, but due to Sha Chen’s insistent demand, they had no choice but to comply, taking turns to lie closest to him. No longer sandwiched from both sides, Sha Chen felt a bit more relaxed.
Then he listened to them chatter on for most of the night about events in the outside world—tales that were grand, dramatic, and full of twists and turns. In any case, they spoke with great excitement, while Sha Chen grew increasingly drowsy. After all, many of their experiences involved straightforward fighting and killing; situations requiring battles of wits were rare.
Sha Chen said, "Alright, that’s enough. We can talk about the rest later. Let’s sleep now."
The spider demons were also tired. Outside, they were formidable—the rumored Seven Immortal Maidens of Pansi—but here in the Flowing Sand River, they were just like any other women. When Sha Chen told them to sleep, they too couldn’t resist the wave of drowsiness that washed over them.
「In the middle of the night.」
Sha Chen rolled over and hugged Seventh Mother.
Seventh Mother’s body instantly stiffened. Then, tears involuntarily streamed down her face; she was crying.
It had been over a hundred years! Had Big Brother finally come to his senses? Was he finally going to make a move on me, his little sister?
The other spider demons were also very excited. If there was a first, there would be a second! When the time came, they could all approach him together and ensure Sha Chen bestowed his ’favors’ equally.
Sha Chen patted Seventh Mother and said softly, "Seventh Mother, I want to tell you something... this lifetime is too short..."
Seventh Mother’s tears immediately welled up again. Yes, she was crying once more.
So touching! Big Brother was finally saying sweet things to me!
Then she said, "Mm, yes, this lifetime is too short, Big Brother! We must cherish each other!"
Sha Chen nudged her further in, then pulled the blanket over, covering himself up snugly.
Then he said, "What are you talking about? This blanket is too short! You’ve all hogged it. Am I supposed to freeze to death?"
