Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 670 - 669 Tian Peng Panicked

Actually, Tian Peng wasn’t that involved in the affair, but as fate would have it, when the Monk set off on his journey to wander the Four Seas, the first place he walked toward was the northwest.

In that frigid land of the northwest, the Monk wasn’t afraid of freezing himself, but the Emperor was afraid.

The Emperor feared an accident might befall his sworn brother, who was also burdened with the Emperor’s nightmares. If anything happened to him, the Emperor feared he might be plagued by nightmares for a lifetime, so he wrote a letter, requesting hospitality be shown to the Monk.

Naturally, Tian Peng had no objections, but he always felt that the dim-witted Monk mentioned in the letter seemed familiar, as if they had crossed paths on the road and held a connection by fate, resembling Tang Xuanzang, the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi.

Furthermore, it was such a coincidence that when he came from Chang’an to the northwest, the Monk was also in Chang’an. It was quite possible, given the years, that he could have achieved such status.

If it were any ordinary Monk, he could have indeed taken care of him, but if the opposite party was Jin Chanzi, he couldn’t fulfill the duty of a host.

And it wasn’t just about not fulfilling his host duties, he also had to inform Chen Nuo about this matter.

He really didn’t know how to resolve this, torn between meeting or not meeting the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, and whether those from Buddhism monitoring him could recognize his identity.

The more Tian Peng thought about it, the more he felt it was difficult to handle. He couldn’t stay put in his tent for a moment longer, got up, pretended to pack some things, and then looked for Deputy General Chen, who was now General Chen Gong.

"I need to return to Chang’an for some urgent business," he said. "The Emperor took a Monk as his sworn brother back when he was in Chang’an and now the Monk wishes to wander the Four Seas to spread Buddhism. I must go and ensure his safe passage. I’ll be back in about a month or so. In the meantime, please take over my duties at the border."

General Chen slapped his chest confidently, "Great General, rest assured, since this task has been entrusted to me, I will certainly handle it. Especially now that the Turkic tribe has been thoroughly subdued by your efforts, even if you had to leave for a year, I dare say they wouldn’t dare make a move." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Tian Peng gave him a sharp look with a smile, "Alright, I’m just seeing off the Emperor’s sworn brother. It shouldn’t take that long just to get from Chang’an to our border."

General Chen scratched his head, "Heh heh, I was just exaggerating. I didn’t expect you to take me seriously, General."

"I knew you were joking," Tian Peng retorted with a white glance at General Chen. "Remember to feed the pigeon, and if anything happens, release it. Once I see it, I’ll immediately rush back."

The pigeon was actually a creation of Tian Peng’s spiritual power, so that regardless of where he was, he could receive messages from the camp. Once released, he would sense it immediately.

General Chen nodded, "It will be well taken care of, Great General. You have nothing to worry about."

"Good, then I’m leaving now." Tian Peng said, leading his horse away from the camp.

The task of escorting the Imperial Disciple was, of course, a lie, concocted by Tian Peng to buy himself time.

Upon leaving, Tian Peng immediately found a safe and hidden spot to secure his horse and then flew up to Chaos Residence.

Unbeknownst to Tian Peng, the situation above was a Battlefield, but since they were all in the main hall, even if Tian Peng came now, as long as he didn’t leave, he wouldn’t run into them.

At Chaos Residence, Tian Peng rushed straight to the kitchen where, coincidentally, Sun Wukong was cooking and Chen Nuo was drinking tea.

As soon as he saw Chen Nuo, Tian Peng immediately called out, "Shopkeeper, I’m back."

"Oh, Tian Peng." Chen Nuo glanced at him, then set down his teacup on the table, "What’s the matter? Did you encounter something in the mortal world?"

"Some time ago, the mortal emperor kept having nightmares, and despite trying everything, nothing worked. Just then, there happened to be a monk in Chang’an who came to study." Tian Peng said.

Anyway, he always talked about everything except the main point, as if he wanted to start from Pangu creating the world, but Chen Nuo was already used to it. However, the moment he started speaking this time, Chen Nuo already grasped what he meant.

"You mean to say that this monk wants you to escort him?"

"Not exactly," Tian Peng replied, "After all, my name in the mortal world is different now, and I’ve been staying in the military camp, so it’s unlikely that anyone would know my true identity. Moreover, this letter was sent by the emperor, so it could just be a coincidence."

"So why are you here now?" Chen Nuo asked.

"I came to ask you what I should do about that monk, and I haven’t even decided whether to refuse the emperor or not."

Chen Nuo suddenly laughed, then retorted, "Refuse? On what grounds would you refuse the emperor? The incarnation of Jin Chanzi has a good relationship with the emperor now and there are many things he can’t do; let alone now that it’s just a minor position."

"Shopkeeper, I just want to ask how I should interact with him," Tian Peng said, "He must have many followers of Buddhism listening in. What if I get exposed?"

Tian Peng’s worries weren’t unfounded; the situation was indeed tricky. The monk hadn’t arrived yet, and once the monk came from Chang’an, there would be a lot to worry about.

He had not only to worry about whether he took good care of Jin Chanzi’s incarnation but also to be concerned that his own duties might be compromised.

"How much time is there before Jin Chanzi’s incarnation reaches the border?" Chen Nuo asked, thinking that if there was enough time, they could hide Tian Peng for a while.

Tian Peng shook his head, unsure of these details. His own journey had taken three months, so he assumed Tang Monk would take even longer.

"In that case, let me use my mana to detect when Jin Chanzi’s incarnation will arrive and the distance, and then we’ll close the door and discuss a strategy. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, we can surely find a solution," Chen Nuo suggested.

With important matters at hand, Chen Nuo put down the tea he couldn’t drink any longer, gestured for Sun Wukong to come over, and discussed strategies together.

"Based on what you’ve said, would it be better to hide for a while, or to confront the situation now? After all, it’s not certain that Buddhists could truly recognize Tian Peng, as long as your face isn’t seen, there won’t be a problem," Sun Wukong said, scratching his ear.

But how could they possibly not see his face? Such a strategy had no use whatsoever and would only raise suspicions for no reason.

Feeling helpless, Tian Peng said, "Mr. Monkey, can you give me a more reliable idea?"

"How is that not reliable?" Sun Wukong felt his suggestion was quite sensible. He spread his hands, "Tell me, you are in the mortal world, and the Emperor of Tang asks you to do something for him, to escort his Imperial Disciple. Aren’t you obliged to help?"

Tian Peng nodded; indeed, he wanted to resolve this issue, which is why he came.

"So, if you have to escort his Imperial Disciple, and as a Great General, you received a letter from above, can you ignore it?"

"Yes, I’m not saying to ignore it. That’s why I came to you for a solution," Tian Peng replied.

"But, Mr. Monkey, what kind of idea are you giving me? If I have to escort someone, it has to be done in person. I can’t just find a guard to escort them to the border and consider it done, can I?"