19: Chapter 20 The First Appearance of the Ginseng Fruit!

After the incident where the four sages tested their Heart-Nature, Pigsy had completely restrained his worldly desires and dared not harbor any crooked thoughts of coveting wealth and status.

The Master and his three disciples composed themselves and continued their journey westward, burying their heads and pressing forward.

It was midsummer; the scorching sun hung high in the sky, heat waves surged, and the trees and grass in the mountains were wilted from the sun.

Tang Seng rode his horse, his forehead beaded with sweat. He raised his hand to wipe it away and couldn't help but call out to his disciples ahead.

"Monkey King, Pigsy, Ao Lie, stop for a moment. The weather is truly sweltering, and Master is parched. My legs are tired as well. Let us find a place to rest for a while before continuing our journey."

Monkey King heard this, stopped, scratched his cheek, and looked ahead with his Fiery Eyes.

He saw clouds and mist swirling in the distance, lush green mountains, and a faint rosy glow enveloping the area—it was clearly no ordinary place.

He grinned and turned back to say to Tang Seng, "Master, rest assured. There is an Immortal mountain not far ahead, and it looks like there is a Daoist temple there. We can go to that temple to ask for some tea, rest our feet, and perhaps stay for the night."

Upon hearing there was a place to rest, Pigsy immediately perked up, shouldering his Nine-toothed Rake. His chubby face was full of joy as he hastily chimed in, "Good, good, good! Brother Monkey is right. Let's hurry to the temple to rest and catch some cool breeze. We can also ask for some vegetarian food. This hot weather is really roasting this old pig!"

Ao Lie walked at the very back, his white clothes spotless, even under the scorching sun. A trace of coolness emanated from his body. He looked up at the Immortal mountain, a flash of understanding passing through his eyes.

This mountain was rich in Spiritual Qi and protected by a rosy glow; it was definitely no ordinary temple and likely had an Immortal presiding over it. However, he didn't say much, simply speaking calmly, "Master, Senior Brother is right. The temple ahead is surrounded by Immortal Qi and must be an Immortal's residence. It would be safest to go there to seek lodging."

Tang Seng was overjoyed upon hearing this and pressed his palms together, "Amitabha, since it is an Immortal's residence, that is even better. Let us make haste and be careful not to disturb the Immortal."

The four of them immediately quickened their pace, following the mountain path. After less than an hour, they arrived at the mountain gate, where the three large characters "Wuzhuang Temple" were prominently displayed.

The calligraphy was bold and flowing, exuding an Immortal air. On both sides of the gate, a couplet was inscribed. The first line read, "Immortal residence of eternal youth," and the second line read, "Daoist family with a lifespan equal to Heaven," possessing an extraordinary Aura.

Monkey King looked at the couplet, curled his lip, and muttered in a low voice, "What grand claims. The Daoists in this temple certainly dare to brag. Even when I, Old Sun, caused Havoc in Heaven, I never saw anyone dare to write a couplet like this."

Just as he finished speaking, he was gently pulled by Ao Lie. Ao Lie shook his head slightly at him, signaling him not to say anything more. Monkey King then shut his mouth, though his face still carried a trace of disdain.

Tang Seng quickly scolded, "Monkey King, stop your nonsense! Since this is an Immortal's residence, there must be a Master presiding over it. Do not act recklessly. Everyone, restrain your Heart-Nature and follow me in to pay our respects."

As he spoke, Tang Seng straightened his kasaya and stepped forward to knock on the door knocker himself.

Before long, the gate opened, and two Daoist acolytes walked out. They looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in green Daoist robes, with delicate features. However, their expressions were somewhat arrogant. Upon seeing the four of them, their eyes showed a hint of contempt, and they asked, "Where did you monks come from, daring to make a racket in front of our Wuzhuang Temple?"

Tang Seng saw this and quickly bowed, his tone respectful, "Greetings, young Masters. This poor monk is Tang Sanzang, coming from the Eastern Land Great Tang, traveling to the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. Passing through here, the hour is late, and it is sweltering, so I have come to your temple to request lodging for the night. I hope you young Masters can accommodate us."

The two acolytes exchanged glances. One of them, slightly taller, named Qingfeng, frowned and said, "Our Zhen Yuanzi has gone out to visit friends and is not in the temple. It is inconvenient to host guests, so you had better go elsewhere to find lodging."

The other acolyte, Mingyue, also nodded, "That's right. Our Master is the Ancestor of the Earth Immortals. Ordinary people cannot enter our Wuzhuang Temple, so be off with you."

Pigsy was unhappy when he heard they were being turned away. He stepped forward and said in a muffled voice, "Hey, you two little Daoists, why are you so impolite? Our Master is an imperial envoy from the Great Tang, kindly coming to ask for lodging for just one night. How can you just drive people away?"

Qingfeng and Mingyue were even more disdainful upon seeing this, eyeing Pigsy askance, "Fat monk, stop flapping your tongue here. Whatever imperial envoy you are, it means nothing before our Wuzhuang Temple. Get going, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

Monkey King was inherently proud and arrogant. Seeing the two little acolytes act so arrogantly, he immediately got angry. He gripped his Golden Cudgel tightly and was about to step forward to argue, "Fine, you two rash little Daoists, how dare you be so arrogant! Do you really think I, Old Sun, am easy to bully?"

"Monkey King! Stop!" Tang Seng quickly shouted to stop Monkey King, then turned to Qingfeng and Mingyue with a fawning smile. "Young Masters, please do not take offense. My disciples are rash and do not understand etiquette. This poor monk apologizes. We only seek one night's rest and will definitely not disturb the peace of the temple. I hope you young Masters can be accommodating."

Qingfeng and Mingyue originally did not want to agree, but they remembered that before Zhen Yuanzi left, he had specifically instructed them. He said that Tang Sanzang from the Eastern Land Great Tang was the Reincarnation of Golden Cicada and an old acquaintance of his. If he passed by Wuzhuang Temple, they must treat him well and even serve him Ginseng Fruit.

The two exchanged glances, and Qingfeng then spoke reluctantly, "Fine, since you are an old acquaintance our Master instructed us about, then come in. But I must warn you: the temple is a sacred place for Immortals, so do not wander around at will. If you barge in and cause trouble, don't blame us for being impolite!"

"Thank you, young Masters! Thank you, young Masters!" Tang Seng thanked them repeatedly and quickly led his disciples to follow Qingfeng and Mingyue into Wuzhuang Temple.

Entering the temple, they saw a spacious courtyard with pavilions and towers arranged in an orderly fashion. There were rare flowers and exotic herbs everywhere, and the scent of Spiritual Qi filled the air. Everything exuded the air of an Immortal's residence. Tang Seng marveled all the way, constantly reminding his disciples to be careful with their words and actions.

Ao Lie followed in the group, observing his surroundings calmly, already clear in his heart. Zhen Yuanzi of this Wuzhuang Temple was the Ancestor of the Earth Immortals, with unfathomable cultivation, far beyond that of ordinary Immortals. In the temple, there was even the supreme treasure, the Ginseng Fruit Tree, which ripened every nine thousand years; eating its fruit could grant eternal life.

However, he didn't pay too much attention to it. Now that he had reached the Peak of the Mystic Immortal Realm and had countless Shadow Servants under his command, as long as he didn't actively expose the secret of the Shadow Monarch, there would naturally be no trouble. His previous caution was to hide his true abilities, but now he only needed to act normally and didn't need to be constantly worried.

Qingfeng and Mingyue brought the Master and his three disciples to the west wing room and said indifferently, "You will rest here. I will go get you some vegetarian food and tea. As for the treasure my Master instructed us to give you, I will bring it to you later."

After speaking, the two acolytes turned and left. Before leaving, they didn't forget to close the door, their expressions still arrogant.

Pigsy sat down on a stone bench with a thud and drained the cup of cold tea on the table in one gulp. He muttered, "These two little Daoists are truly arrogant. If Master hadn't stopped me, this old pig would have taught them a good lesson!"

Monkey King also sat to the side, curling his lip and saying, "The Daoists in this Wuzhuang Temple are all so arrogant. That couplet was written with such grandiosity; I'd like to see what kind of ability this temple Master really has."

Tang Seng shook his head helplessly and scolded, "You two, stop complaining. When traveling abroad, one should be low-key and humble. This is an Immortal's residence, and we are borrowing their territory. You must not stir up trouble, lest it delay our journey to seek scriptures."

Ao Lie spoke up at this moment, his tone peaceful, "Master is right. We just need to rest here in peace. We will set off early tomorrow morning, so there is no need to bicker with the little acolytes."

As soon as he finished speaking, they heard footsteps outside the door, and Qingfeng and Mingyue walked in carrying vegetarian food. After setting down the food, Mingyue held a jade plate in his hands, on which lay three fruits that emitted a fresh fragrance and resembled children. The fruits were iridescent, and one could smell a refreshing aroma from far away.

"Hey, monk from the Eastern Land Great Tang, this is the supreme treasure of our Wuzhuang Temple, the Ginseng Fruit. My Master specifically instructed us to give you three to eat. Eat them quickly, and don't ask any questions!"

Qingfeng said in a blunt tone, handing the jade plate to Tang Seng. When Tang Seng looked at the Ginseng Fruit, it looked just like a newborn baby, with clear facial features and all limbs complete. He was immediately frightened, his face turning pale. He quickly pressed his palms together, closed his eyes, and shook his head repeatedly, "Amitabha! Sin, sin! These are clearly children less than three days old. This poor monk is a man of the cloth and would never dare to eat them. Young Masters, please take them away quickly!"

Seeing this, Qingfeng and Mingyue were amused and covered their mouths, snickering, "This monk is truly dull. This is the Ginseng Fruit; eating it grants eternal life. What children? He really doesn't know a good thing when he sees it!"

Mingyue also chimed in with mockery, "Exactly. We're giving you an Immortal fruit for free, and you don't want it. What a waste. Since you won't eat it, we two will just split it and eat it ourselves!"

As the two spoke, they ignored Tang Seng further, took the Ginseng Fruit, and turned to walk out of the room. They closed the door and, outside, shared the fruits, one for each, eating while whispering mockery about how foolish Tang Seng was.

Inside the room, Pigsy, who had a sensitive nose, had long since smelled the fragrance of the Ginseng Fruit and heard the commotion outside. He was immediately so greedy that drool flowed from his mouth. He grabbed Monkey King's arm and said eagerly, "Brother Monkey, Brother Monkey! Did you hear that? That's the Ginseng Fruit! Eating it grants eternal life. Those two little Daoists ate them themselves; let's go pick some to taste as well!"

Monkey King was already curious, and coupled with the mockery from the acolytes, he was holding back a surge of anger. His eyes lit up immediately, "Oh? There's such a treasure? I, Old Sun, would like to go see what is so special about this Ginseng Fruit!"

"No! Monkey King, absolutely not!" Tang Seng quickly tried to stop him. "That is an Immortal treasure; how can we pick it without permission? If we are discovered by the Immortal, wouldn't that be a grave mistake?"

"Master, rest assured, I, Old Sun, will be back in a flash. I'll pick a few quietly, and no one will notice!"

As Monkey King spoke, his figure flickered, and he turned into a streak of golden light, slipping out through the window. Seeing this, Pigsy also quickly followed.

Ao Lie sat to the side, not stopping them, simply eating his vegetarian food in silence. He knew that the incident with the Ginseng Fruit was destined, and conflict would inevitably ensue. It would be a perfect opportunity to clear out the acolytes and servants in the temple, gather a batch of Shadow Servants, and expand his own forces. Now, he didn't need to be deliberately cautious; he just needed to go with the flow.