Journey to the West: Armed with Ancient Books of Myriad Paths, I Upend the Fate of the Pilgrimage

After transmigrating as the eight-year-old Jiang Liuer, Chen Xuanzang woke up at Golden Mountain Temple covered in wounds. The original host had been beaten to death. He fought back with a woodcutter's hatchet, killed four bullies, severed their meridians so they would die three days later, and fled down the mountain without looking back.

His adoptive parents had just welcomed a new child. He hugged his gaunt little brother and his emaciated adoptive parents, then turned and walked into the wilderness. In the mountains, he ran into Li Shimin, who was being hunted by dozens of assassins. One move using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds took Li Shimin down, and Chen Xuanzang dragged him into a tree hollow and set up an illusion array. They hit it off immediately and kowtowed to become sworn brothers. Li Shimin thumped his chest and promised to protect him. Chen Xuanzang pointed at the sky. "I've offended the immortals up there."

That night, he roasted fish with lightning magic and taught Li Shimin breathing techniques and internal cultivation. Li Shimin's eyes lit up as he coaxed out the methods for refining pure salt and the Salt and Iron Discourses. "These can make the country rich!" Chen Xuanzang counted on his fingers: he'd taught Li Shimin methods for cultivating immortality, business secrets, and strategies for governing a country. Li Shimin clasped his hand. "Xuanzang, come back to Chang'an with me. I'll make you the imperial preceptor." He looked up at the star-filled sky, then at his sworn brother, who would one day launch the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and grinned. "Sure, but when it's time to fetch the scriptures, you'll have to let me go."

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.