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Chapter 133 Stealing Fruit

The moment the Silver Furnace Boy uttered those words in the guest hall, the air froze instantly.

The humble smile on Ninth Senior Brother's face froze, like a face that had suddenly lost its elasticity.

The disciples standing behind him with their hands at their sides lowered their heads even further, their eyes darting away to the ground, as if life-saving spells could grow from the cracks in the blue brick floor. Anyway, since Ninth Senior Brother was in charge now, no one wanted to say another word.

For a moment, only the aroma of tea filled the large living room, but it couldn't mask the awkwardness and tension.

Everyone looked at Ninth Senior Brother. He was the pillar of strength at this moment.

Ninth Senior Brother unconsciously twisted the cuff of his Taoist robe with his fingers.

"It is truly my humble opinion that the celestial child has such an elegant interest."

Ninth Senior Brother's tone was extremely steady, "Esteemed guests, you come from the Tushita Palace, so you must be distinguished guests."

He paused, glanced around at everyone, and spoke with even greater sincerity, as if stating an indisputable fact.

"Since you are a distinguished guest from the Tushita Palace, it would be only right to offer you a few of the best fruits from the tree, let alone ask for some ginseng fruit to taste. Normally, when ordinary immortals come to ask for ginseng fruit, my master, being kind-hearted, will usually give them one. But for those with a relationship like the Tushita Palace, my master is never stingy. Every time the fruit ripens, he will prepare four to show his respect."

When Silver Furnace Boy heard "prepare four," his eyes immediately lit up, and a hint of smugness appeared on his little face.

The ninth senior brother abruptly changed the subject, revealing an extremely troubled expression.
"However, it is quite unfortunate that our distinguished guest has arrived at such an inopportune time. My master, the Great Immortal Zhenyuan, was invited by the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the South Sea to go to Mount Putuo for tea and discussions on Taoism a few days ago, and has not yet returned."

He helplessly spread his hands, his tone filled with sincere apology.
"In this Wuzhuang Temple, let alone picking that miraculous ginseng fruit, even in the orchard in the back garden, without Master's personal permission, no one can approach the ginseng fruit tree even half a step. We disciples really dare not, and absolutely cannot make such a decision."

Ninth Senior Brother looked at the Silver Furnace Boy, then at Chen Guangrui, his speech slowing down and appearing exceptionally sincere.

“Immortal Child, distinguished guests, what do you think of this arrangement? Since the Ancestor has sent you all down here, there is no rush. If you do not mind the simplicity of our humble abode, please stay here for a few days. My master will likely return in the next few days.”

"Once my master returns, I will immediately report the details, explaining the whole story. At that time, upon my master's command, I will immediately retrieve the immortal fruit, wash it clean, and respectfully present it to you all. What do you think, young immortal?"

These words were well-considered and comprehensive. They showed the utmost respect for the Tushita Palace and Laozi, pointed out that the difficulties and responsibilities did not lie with him, offered a seemingly reasonable solution, and subtly shifted the responsibility of refusal to Zhen Yuanzi, who had not yet returned.

Silver Furnace Boy opened his mouth, his mind only occupied with eating ginseng fruit, but his Ninth Senior Brother's words were too polite, praising Laozi to an extreme degree, and he couldn't find a reason to refute them for the time being. He subconsciously looked at Chen Guangrui.

Chen Guangrui held a teacup, his eyelids slightly lowered, seemingly sipping tea, or perhaps deep in thought, his face expressionless.

Yuan Shoucheng's eyes darted around, looking at his Ninth Senior Brother and then at Chen Guangrui.

"Alright then." Seeing that Chen Guangrui did not object, the Silver Furnace Boy pursed his lips and reluctantly agreed.

Ninth Senior Brother breathed a sigh of relief, his smile becoming even more genuine, and he quickly greeted them.
"Quickly, lead these distinguished guests to the quiet upper room in the west wing to rest, and serve them well!"

A young disciple quickly stepped forward to lead the way.

The Wuzhuang Temple features ancient and grand halls with tiered structures, smooth bluestone paths, and courtyards adorned with rare herbs and flowers, intertwined with pine and bamboo groves, exuding a refreshing atmosphere.

The temple was indeed empty now, with only one or two disciples occasionally passing by in a hurry.

The disciples settled Chen Guangrui, Yinlu Tongzi, Zhu Ganglie, and Yuan Shoucheng in several clean guest rooms.

After a short rest, the group strolled around the small courtyard under the eaves outside the guest rooms. Sunlight filtered through the sparse branches, casting dappled patterns, and all around was tranquil.

Just then, two familiar yet somewhat disheveled figures, supporting each other, staggered over from the other side of the corridor.

It is a gentle breeze and a bright moon.

The two changed out of their soaking wet and filthy clothes, but their faces remained pale. Qingfeng leaned against a pillar, coughing softly from time to time, as if he hadn't yet recovered from the cold water in the jade bottle.

Mingyue seemed somewhat dazed, her eyes darting around fearfully, and she walked with a slight limp, clearly indicating that the situation inside the gourd was even more unpleasant. They immediately spotted Chen Guangrui and the other three in the courtyard.

Qingfeng immediately stopped in his tracks. His face still showed signs of illness, but his eyes instantly shot out a venomous light, like two small knives, stabbing fiercely into Chen Guangrui and Yinlu Tongzi.

Mingyue was also pulled to a stop, shrinking back behind Qingfeng in fear. But when her gaze swept over the Silver Furnace Boy, it was filled with fear and hatred, only this hatred was mixed with more fear.

The two of them didn't say a word, but glared at them with eyes that could kill, then Qingfeng snorted heavily, pulled Mingyue around and tried to take a detour.

"Oh my, aren't these the two young Taoist priests, Qingfeng and Mingyue?" Yuan Shoucheng's smooth voice, tinged with deliberate enthusiasm, suddenly rang out.

He stepped out from under the eaves, a smile plastered on his face, and quickly walked towards the two, blocking their path slightly. "Where are you two headed? You don't look well yet, you must be suffering."

Qingfeng, blocked by him, frowned impatiently and rolled his eyes irritably. "Get out of my way! What's it to you, you old codger?"

Yuan Shoucheng seemed not to hear his harsh words. His skin was thick as he continued to smile, even taking another step closer, lowering his voice, and speaking with a tone of sympathy.

"Young Taoist priest, please calm down. I feel sorry for you two, so young yet forced to do such hard work. And your senior brother, after all that suffering, doesn't even let you rest properly. What kind of heavy work is he sending you two to do?"

Qingfeng didn't want to pay attention, but the sympathy in Yuan Shoucheng's tone and his mention of "being sent by his senior brother" seemed to have touched something.

Having just embarrassed himself in front of everyone, he was seething with resentment and wanted to vent his anger on someone. He curled his lip and gave a sarcastic snort.

"Hmph! Isn't it all because of you unruly guests who refuse to leave? My senior brothers are afraid you're still up to your old tricks and have your eyes on our precious ginseng fruit tree in the backyard. So, they've dumped this hard and tiring job of guarding the fruit tree on us two. They're doing fine, lounging around in the front, while we've barely caught our breath before we're starving!"

Mingyue, standing beside her, also hummed in dissatisfaction and rubbed her waist.

Yuan Shoucheng immediately feigned sudden realization, nodding repeatedly with exaggerated deep sympathy on his face.

"Oh, is that so? Tsk tsk tsk, it is indeed a tough job, you'll have to work hard. You two young Taoist priests should hurry up and do your job, lest your senior brother blames you again."

He stepped aside and made a "please" gesture.

Qingfeng flicked his sleeves and glared at Yuan Shoucheng as if to accuse him of being hypocritical. Then, he grabbed Mingyue and headed towards the backyard, cursing all the while.

As the two disappeared into the corner of the corridor, the sympathy on Yuan Shoucheng's face vanished instantly, replaced by a sly smile.

He rubbed his hands together, strolled back to Chen Guangrui's side, winked, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear,

"Scholar Chen, do you see this? They're treating us like thieves, even sending troops to the backyard."

Chen Guangrui's face remained calm as he said indifferently, "As expected. It's only natural they'd be wary of such precious fruit." The Silver Furnace Boy leaned closer and chimed in.
"That's right, that's right! The ginseng fruit is a treasure that only ripens once every ten thousand years. I only tasted it once in the Tushita Palace. It was truly an unparalleled delicacy!"

He smacked his lips, savoring the memory, a look of longing on his face.

Pigsy had been listening intently the whole time, and as soon as he heard the words "unparalleled delicacy," he involuntarily made a loud "gulp" sound.

He stood by the pillar, carrying a rake, staring intently at the Silver Furnace Boy, smacking his lips. His large ears twitched, and there was a hint of moisture at the corner of his mouth, as he was trying hard to hold back his drool.

Yuan Shoucheng glanced at Zhu Ganglie, chuckled, and deliberately raised his voice, launching into a long-winded speech to the crowd.
“Little Fairy Boy Silver Furnace is right. I have been walking in the mortal world for hundreds of years and have tasted all kinds of delicacies and rare fruits. But if I were to talk about the most delicious food in the world, it would have to be the ginseng fruit.”

"Just smelling it can make you live to be 360 ​​years old. If you could eat one... tsk tsk, I've heard that it tastes as sweet as honey and as crisp as jade. One bite and every one of your 30,000 pores feels wonderful. The aroma can waft from your mouth all the way to the soles of your feet. It'll make your soul fly away!"

As he spoke, he gestured in the air with his hands, as if the aroma were right in front of him.

Pigsy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his breathing became heavier, and his throat bobbed more frequently.

His palms were sweating as he gripped the rake handle. Several times he tried to ask something, his throat bobbing, but no sound came out. Finally, he just swallowed hard, turned his head sharply to look at a corner of the yard, and muttered something under his breath.

"It sounds good, but this kind of treasure isn't something we can just have whenever we want..." The tone was sarcastic.

Yuan Shoucheng knew that his appetite had been thoroughly whetted, but it wasn't quite ready yet. Seeing that Chen Guangrui didn't stop him, he continued to fan the flames, describing things with even more enthusiasm, using all sorts of hearsay and descriptions.

Zhu Ganglie stood there, listening to Yuan Shoucheng's flowery praise, feeling as if countless ants were crawling inside him.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the fruit must be incredibly delicious, and the more he felt that if he missed this opportunity, he might never have another chance.

He shifted his large, imposing body restlessly, the rake tapping lightly on the ground. Finally, as if using all his remaining strength to resist the temptation, he stomped his foot and said in a muffled voice,
"I, Old Pig, think the flowers in this yard are quite vibrant, I'll go take a look!"

After saying that, he shouldered his rake, walked quickly to the other side of the yard, far away from the crowd, turned his back to everyone, and pretended to be engrossed in studying a plant, leaving behind only a back view that looked both greedy and conflicted.

Yuan Shoucheng looked at him and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Later that evening, only Yuan Shoucheng and Zhu Ganglie, who was still "studying" the flowers and plants in the corner, remained in the courtyard. The lights in the west wing were already on, and the evening breeze brought a slight chill.

Yuan Shoucheng seized the opportunity, strolled slowly over to Zhu Ganglie's side, and gently nudged him with his elbow.

"Huh? Master Yuan?" Zhu Ganglie suddenly snapped back to reality, looking at Yuan Shoucheng with a slightly unfocused gaze, clearly still preoccupied with the fruit.

Yuan Shoucheng looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before leaning close to Zhu Ganglie's ear, his voice low and tinged with a troubled sigh.

"Alas, Marshal Tianpeng, let me tell you the truth from the bottom of my heart, this matter is probably not going to be easy to handle."

Zhu Bajie's heart skipped a beat. Forgetting about the formalities of address, he asked in a low voice, "Why is it so difficult to handle?"

Yuan Shoucheng counted on his fingers, "Think about it, their ninth senior brother said that there are only four fruits at most. One of them is definitely offered to the Patriarch of the Tushita Palace, that's a sure thing."

"As for the remaining three, the Golden Furnace Boy and the Silver Furnace Boy are direct descendants sent down by the Ancestor's decree. According to their status and merits, how could they not get a share? Although Scholar Chen's identity is unclear, he has been in charge of the arrangements all along, and even Ninth Senior Brother treats him with great respect. He is obviously also in charge. This fruit... he might also get a share, right?"

He paused, glanced at Zhu Ganglie's increasingly dejected face, and then shrugged.
"Look, if we divide it like this, then we won't get any of the fruit. We've been running around doing all this, worrying and taking care of everything, and in the end, we might be disappointed and only be able to smell the aroma."

He shook his head, looking helpless.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ganglie was completely dejected. He clutched the rake handle, his head drooping, and his shoulders slumped.

Yes, if it's divided like this, there's no room left for him.

That's something you can only eat once every ten thousand years! A huge sense of loss overwhelmed him instantly, leaving him without even the energy to pretend to admire the flowers. He lowered his head, unconsciously picking at the patterns on the rake handle with his short, stubby fingers, remaining silent.

Seeing that the time was right, Yuan Shoucheng suddenly changed the subject, speaking in a more mysterious and seductive voice, and leaned even closer.
"Well, by sheer coincidence, I just overheard a tiny bit of a whisper..."

Pigsy's ears immediately perked up.

Yuan Shoucheng's eyes glanced towards the direction leading to the backyard.
"Those two kids, Qingfeng and Mingyue, don't let their fierce insults fool you, they're just paper tigers, they don't have any real skills. Guarding the treasure tree? Heh, I doubt it. If only there were a way to get them both to sleep soundly... like, with a powerful sleeper, or..."

He deliberately stopped speaking there. Pigsy suddenly looked up, his small eyes flashing with a strange light.

He clung to the straw like a drowning man grasping at a straw, blurting out, "Sleepyhead? Do we really need that to deal with these little kids? When I was out in the Milky Way, I learned a much more reliable way to put them to sleep, guaranteed to keep them asleep until the thunder roars!"

Yuan Shoucheng's eyes lit up, as if he had just found out.
"Oh? The Marshal can do this too?" He clicked his tongue twice, not saying anything more, but his face was full of encouraging expressions that said, "You're really something."

After Zhu Ganglie finished speaking, he seemed to realize that he had let something slip. He glanced around nervously, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was around.

He immediately lowered his eyelids, pretending nothing had happened, and kept his mouth tightly shut. But Yuan Shoucheng clearly saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards quickly and then straighten out just as fast.

Yuan Shoucheng chuckled inwardly, pretending not to notice Zhu Ganglie's attempt to conceal his intentions. He moved closer to him, his voice almost a whisper, carrying an irresistible allure.

"Hey, what do you think? If those two boys are really fast asleep and easier to control... could we find a way to sneakily get one or two fruits? Without anyone noticing?"

"Hiss..." Zhu Ganglie gasped sharply, his body tensing. He glanced at Yuan Shoucheng, his eyes flashing intensely, greed, fear, and hesitation alternating on his fat face.

His throat bobbed violently, but in the end he simply turned his head sharply to the side and said in a gruff voice,

“Daoist Master, don’t talk nonsense! That tree has a spirit and is guarded very strictly, how could it…” He spoke firmly, but his voice clearly lacked confidence, and he unconsciously took a small step back.

Just as Zhu Bajie was struggling with an internal conflict, Yuan Shoucheng suddenly leaned close to him, his tone becoming more solemn and mysterious than ever before.

"I just took a moment to cast a divination. The divination clearly shows that Guanyin Bodhisattva will arrive in this Wanshou Mountain area within a month at the latest."

Yuan Shoucheng stared intently at Zhu Ganglie's face, which had changed slightly in shock. Clearly, Zhu Ganglie already knew the news, but was astonished that Yuan Shoucheng also knew it.

"Have you thought this through? If you miss this opportunity at Wuzhuang Temple, there will never be another tree that can bear this ginseng fruit for you. There is only one tree in heaven and earth. If the Bodhisattva arrives, Zhen Yuanzi will surely accompany him back. At that time, all the immortals of Longevity Mountain will be watching. If you, Pigsy, want to taste this fruit again, you will be in a real predicament. You will probably only be able to hear others talk about how delicious it is for the rest of your life."

These words were like an ice pick, instantly piercing through Zhu Ganglie's last bit of hesitation.

His eyes widened suddenly, filled with no trace of hesitation, only a resolute light ignited by immense temptation and urgency. He stared intently at the backyard, his breathing growing heavier, his large hands gripping the rake handle tightly, his knuckles turning white.

The night wind whistled through the corridor, as if foreshadowing something.

(End of this chapter)