Princess Chang Le

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

A loud noise echoed from below. Great White Golden Star saw that Tang Monk had rolled up his sleeves and was delivering finishing blows.

With each muffled sound, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the tiger.

Tang Monk continued muttering to himself, "This monk has worked hard for a year, and I can't even kill you with half of my strength. It seems my cultivation is still insufficient, disgracing the Master! I'll beat you to death, you evil creature!"

"Weightlifting is the true path! Weightlifting is the true path!"

The white horse and attendants, already trembling with fear at the sight of the tiger spirit, were now even more shaken by Tang Monk's wild actions. It was too brutal!

In the clouds above, Great White Golden Star didn't know what to do for a moment. Every difficulty on the way to the West would yield a lot of heavenly merits, so as a trusted aide of Jade Emperor, he was sent to collect the merits generated by Tang Monk's first challenge after leaving the city. However, he couldn't intervene at all now.

Tang Monk's bald head was already sweating, but his movements didn't stop. The tiger spirit, on the other hand, seemed to be running out of breath.

Fortunately, there was a backup plan...

On the ground, the tiger spirit had already been smashed into helplessness by Tang Monk. Its head was buzzing, or rather, its head was no longer distinguishable...

At this moment, a group of monsters ran from a distance.

There were dozens of them, including buffaloes, bears, and others.

Tang Monk, seeing the approaching monster group, was not surprised but delighted.

His eyes sparkled, unable to contain his eagerness. Before meeting Li You, he didn't know what it meant to be passionate, but under the governance of Li Shimin in Chang'an, he never had a chance to exert his martial ability.

He was now eagerly craving it!

Now, he wanted to vent the evil fire that had been suppressed for over twenty years!

Seeing Tang Monk like this, Great White Golden Star was suddenly shocked. He quickly brought down the auspicious cloud, preparing to use celestial magic to get rid of these monsters. If he was late, he might miss out!

Tang Monk, however, with an urgent expression, said, "Immortal, please wait, do not take lives. Let me convert them!"

He hurriedly rushed towards the group of monsters, afraid that these poor creatures would suffer deadly blows.

Rolling up his sleeves, holding a blood-stained tin staff (which seemed to be a dignified ceremonial one...), he ran wildly towards them.

However, being just a mortal with a physical body, Tang Monk couldn't match the celestial power of Great White Golden Star, who had been an immortal for many years.

As soon as Tang Monk made a move, he was stopped.

"Sage Monk, don't worry too much. I, Great White Golden Star from the Heaven, am here specially to help you overcome this calamity. I will send you away from this dangerous place!"

Saying this, without caring about Tang Monk's resentful expression, he threw out a burst of celestial light, sending Tang Monk away, as wll as his horse.

After completing all this, Great White Golden Star coldly glanced at the two attendants.

"You two should lose your lives here; it's fate."

He was high above, looking down on the mortal world.

Then he returned to the Heaven on his own, leaving the two attendants to fall into the hands of the monsters and meet a tragic end.

...

Heaven, Cloud Palace.

"Did Tang Monk really do that?"

Jade Emperor asked with keen interest.

"Your Majesty, Tang Monk is quite peculiar!"

Now recalling it, Great White Golden Star still felt a bit chilly. That scene would probably linger in his mind for a long time.

Aesthetic of violence? Seemed a bit over the top...

It seemed that there had been a change in the mission to the West. The unusual acts of Tang Monk might just be the beginning, Jade Emperor pondered silently. This was completely different from the Tang Monk who both the Heaven and the Buddhist sect paid attention to before.

It wasn’t clear that which powerful deity intervened, but perhaps this was also an opportunity for the Heaven!

The Heaven's members stroked their beards, their faces filled with smiles.

Cooperating with the Buddhist sect was because the Buddhist sect was powerful, and according to destiny, to repay the karma owed by both the Heaven and Daoist sect, the Heaven had to collaborate with the Buddhist sect. Otherwise, no one wanted to see their archenemy grow stronger.

The change in Tang Monk signified an outsider interfering. This opened up a lot of room for manipulation!

...

Spirit Mountain.

Buddha opened his eyes, radiating brilliance.

Regarding the changes in Tang Monk, even he, who had profound knowledge of the past and present and could calculate the changes in heaven and earth, had no clue.

For the changes that occurred on Tang Monk, he carefully deduced them.

Unlike Jade Emperor, Buddha was a true heavyweight, and Jade Emperor was just appointed by Hong Jun to take over.

But even with his vast supernatural powers, he couldn't figure out where the changes were coming from.

He shot out a golden light from his hand, flying out of the Mahavira Hall.

Sun Wukong must stick to the plan!

Behind-the-scenes figures would be settled sooner or later!

...

Li You sat with closed eyes on a stone stool inside the Secular Residence. The rich spiritual energy in the courtyard even turned into mist, drifting in the air. Against the backdrop of lush bamboo groves, it seemed like a fairyland. In front of him, a clear pond emitted an inexplicable mystery. Faintly, it felt like one could see everything from ancient times to the present. Two koi, one black and one white, freely swam in the water, creating ripples.

Suddenly, there came a knocking at the door.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The sound and force were as if the person wanted to break the door! Li You opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing.

"Little Li, let me in! If not I'll bring you into the palace to serve as a eunuch!"

Li You's expression darkened instantly.

Ungraciously, he opened the tightly sealed door, and a little girl bounced in from outside. She was dressed in loose palace maid attire, with big watery eyes full of cleverness and liveliness. Elegant and extraordinary, with a light and agile temperament, her skin was as delicate as a porcelain doll.

Upon seeing Li You, her eyes lit up with obvious joy and dependence. She hurried over and sat on the other side.

"Little Lizhi, what did you say outside the door just now?"

Yes, this was none other than Princess Chang Le of the Tang Empire, Li Lizhi!

This year was the third year of the Zhen Guan era. Last year, Li Lizhi, the beloved eldest daughter of the royal family, was conferred the title of Chang Le County Princess by Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty when she turned eight.

Chang Le, Chang Le, the meaning was quite obvious, hoping that she could have a safe and happy life. (Notes: in Chinese, the two characters in her name “长乐(Chang Le)” means longevity and happiness respectively.)

Life in the palace was boring. Even as the most favored royal child with lots of privileges, she couldn't escape the daily routines of learning etiquette, knowledge, and so on. She didn't have much time of her own.

After being conferred as a princess, being the focus of all eyes, the jewel of the country, she needed to continuously improve her comprehensive literacy, striving to be a knowledgeable, elegant, and versatile beauty.

So, she would often dress as a palace maid and, sneak out of the palace, roaming the bustling world beyond the high walls to find some fun and play.

A girl under ten, lacking physical strength to the point that even a gust of wind might blow her away, how could she sneak out of the heavily guarded palace?

This was just something intentionally arranged by Li Shimin. After she left the palace, there were hidden experts secretly protecting her.

The intelligent Li Lizhi was well aware of this.