"Ugh... Where is this?"
I opened my eyes, finding myself surrounded by yaoguai, all staring at me with greedy eyes.
My body was tightly bound with ropes.
"Great, I knew I shouldn't have talked to that tiger."
Then I noticed a figure clad in full armor, not a single patch of skin visible, emanating a mysterious aura as he sat on his throne.
Tiger Vanguard approached. Despite her petite, loli-like figure, everyone cowered in fear, and the yaoguai kept their distance from her.
"Great King! I've captured a human of special status!"
"Oh? And who is he?" The Great King turned his gaze toward me.
"Great King, the one I captured... is Tang Seng!"
The entire crowd fell silent, everyone staring at me in shock.
Hey, I'm just named Tang Seng, I'm not that guy!
The Great King, who had been sitting on his throne, stood up and walked over to Tiger Vanguard.
"Tiger."
"Yes?"
"YOU IDIOT!!!" A punch landed squarely on her face, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"G-Great King?! Why did you hit me?!"
"Hitting you isn't enough—I want to carve you up and eat you! What were you thinking, capturing Tang Seng when we don't even have enough power yet?!" The Great King grabbed her by the collar, shaking her until she was dizzy.
"Uh... Are you Huang Feng?" I asked tentatively.
"Huh? Oh, right, I am Huang Feng. Are you really Tang Seng?"
"...No?"
At that, he let out a sigh of relief.
"If that's the case, no problem. Guards, let him out!"
"What?!" I stared at him.
"What are you looking at? I'm maybe hungry but human flesh not good, and this fucker! I said find me a animal, not human!"
Ohhhh... Well, at least I can go now, phew
"But Great King... he has three disciples following him: a pig, a monkey, and a snake. The pig is quite strong, but I don't know about the other two."
"Disciples? A pig, a monkey, and a snake?" At this, Huang Feng started sweating.
"You bastard! You dared to lie to me by denying your identity!" He stormed over and grabbed my collar.
"So, can you let me go now? I've got an old mother and young kids to take care of."
"No!"
"Eh, just straight-up refusing like that?"
He let go of my collar and looked me in the eyes.
"If you are Tang Seng, Then I can't let you go."
"Why??"
"Now, take him to my room! We dealing with those disciples first."
And so, his minions hoisted me up and carried me away. I could only watch as Huang Feng and his subordinates discussed their plans.
'I've got to do something!'
I thought to myself, desperately trying to figure out a way to escape.
***
The three disciples arrived in front of Huang Feng Cave. Two yaoguai were guarding the entrance, and above the door was written "Huang Feng Cave."
"Is that Huang Feng Cave?" Bajie asked, only to receive a smack on the head from Wukong.
"Are you blind or what? It's so obvious, and you're still asking if it's the right place?!"
Though annoyed, Bajie held her tongue. She looked at the two yaoguai and smirked, thinking they looked easy to deal with.
"Big Sister! Let those two be handled by... me?"
Bajie and Yu Long watched as Wukong marched forward, standing in front of the two yaoguai.
"Hey! Who's this bold fool daring to come to Huang Feng Cave?! Looking to die, huh?!" The two yaoguai stepped forward, putting on menacing faces.
Wukong glanced at the two yaoguai, then at their stronghold, before taking a deep breath.
"YOU LOT HAVE SOME GUTS!!!"
Her eyes, normally brown, suddenly turned red.
"YOU DARE TO CAPTURE MY MASTER?!"
The two yaoguai, who had been threatening her, covered their ears in panic, terrified by the monkey standing before them.
Her thunderous voice was loud enough for every yaoguai in the cave to hear.
"Hmph! Speak of them, and they show up right away," Huang Feng said, sitting on his throne and sipping a bowl of wine.
"Great King! Let your humble servant take them on and slaughter them!" Tiger Vanguard chugged her entire jug of wine and pointed at herself.
"Be careful, then. They're incredibly strong—especially that monkey."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty!"
With that, Tiger Vanguard and the other yaoguai headed outside.
"..."
Seeing everything go quiet, Huang Feng went to his room to rest for a bit.
After all, that monkey was strong—capable of killing Tiger Vanguard quite easily—but Huang Feng remained confident.
He wasn't your average yaoguai, after all.
Meanwhile, outside,
Wukong, Bajie, and Yu Long were waiting when Tiger Vanguard approached.
"Oh, so instead of handing over my master, you've chosen violence?" Wukong grinned, grinding her teeth.
"Hmph! Talking to you lot is just a waste of my time!"
"Oh! Big talk! Let's see if you're as strong as your mouth!"
Bajie and Yu Long noticed Wukong was more aggressive than usual and decided to step back.
"Heh! One-on-one! You and me—"
Suddenly, Tiger Vanguard felt a terrifying killing intent right above her head.
Clang!
Wukong's staff clashed with Tiger's blade.
"So it's you! You're the one who threw that blade at me while I was scouting!" Wukong recognized the blade as belonging to Tiger Vanguard.
"Y-You're the one who blocked my blade?!"
"Enough talk! Die!!"
The force of Jingu Bang intensified, forcing Tiger to stagger back.
"Ugh... DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!!!"
Tiger's muscles surged with power, catching Wukong by surprise.
She swung her blade against the staff, then threw it into the air.
With a powerful kick to the hilt, she sent the blade flying at high speed.
Wukong blocked it with her staff, but the blade stopped right in front of her face.
Then, Tiger charged forward, aiming a kick at Wukong's head.
"What?!"
Wukong was knocked back. Tiger grabbed her blade and prepared to slash again.
"I'll skin you alive!"
Wukong gritted her teeth, summoning flames around her body, preventing Tiger from getting close.
Her staff became engulfed in fire, and she charged forward, striking with a powerful blow.
Their weapons clashed, neither giving an inch.