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Chapter 135 Pigsy Picks the Ginseng Fruit

The night wind whistled through the corridor.

Yuan Shoucheng lay prone in the shadow of the flowerbed beside the moon gate, his small eyes fixed on a carved wooden door not far away. But at this moment, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his fingers unconsciously twisted the copper coins in his sleeve pocket.

"I don't know if the calculation is accurate or not, but the divination indicates this."

Yuan Shoucheng muttered to himself, his voice filled with uncertainty that even he could hear, "If it's still not right, even I, the old Taoist priest, am helpless."

The silver furnace attendant lying next to him shifted impatiently and urged in a low voice,
"Are you even capable, Lao Yuan? You're dawdling like this. Mr. Chen is dragging his feet with that idiot, who knows how long he can keep going. We need to hurry."

"My little ancestor, this isn't about speed!" Yuan Shoucheng almost shouted out of anxiety, then quickly lowered his voice.

"Whether it's accurate or not, look at this place." He gestured with his chin towards the tightly closed door, his tone filled with deep worry.
"What if we miscalculate and find nothing inside? Wouldn't that be a huge risk for nothing? What if there are powerful restrictions inside, or..."

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze inadvertently swept over the faint light shining from inside the door and the blurry silhouette of a person on the window paper. He froze instantly, all color draining from his chubby face.
"Oh no!" Yuan Shoucheng was so frightened he almost jumped out of his hiding place, frantically reaching for the sleeve of the silver furnace boy.

"Oh no, we've made a huge mistake! This isn't a storeroom; this is the residence of Ninth Senior Brother of Wuzhuang Temple! He's still awake!"

"Ninth Senior Brother?" Silver Furnace Boy blinked, more confused than afraid.
"What's wrong with that ninth senior brother from Wuzhuang Temple? Is he very powerful?"

"Oh dear, young master, you don't understand," Yuan Shoucheng stamped his foot anxiously, his voice filled with both urgency and fear.
“Ninth Senior Brother is in charge when Zhenyuan Daxian is away. His abilities are not to be underestimated. If he finds out that we are sneaking around here with ulterior motives, not only will we lose the fruit, but all of us will be in deep trouble. Let’s go, let’s go, this is too risky, it’s all over.”

As he spoke, he pulled the silver furnace boy back.

"Tch!" The Silver Furnace Boy forcefully shook off his hand, his little face full of disdain.
"He's just a Taoist priest in charge, what kind of skills could he have? Don't try to scare me! Watch me."

He didn't give Yuan Shoucheng a chance to persuade him again. His round little body suddenly leaped out of the shadows and "whoosh"ed to the door of the alchemy room.

Yuan Shoucheng's heart leaped into his throat. He didn't dare to breathe and stared intently at the small figure.

The Silver Furnace Boy listened intently through the crack in the door, his little brows furrowing slightly as if he were confirming something.

Then, he carefully placed one hand on the edge of the door panel, without making a sound, and gently pushed it.

Yuan Shoucheng didn't even see how he made his move, yet the heavy, carved wooden door silently slid open a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through!
The Silver Furnace Boy slid inside like a nimble cat, leaving only a fleeting shadow. Yuan Shoucheng waited outside, sweating profusely, feeling as if a hundred years had passed.

Just as he was about to call out in a low voice, a dark shadow flashed through the crack in the door, and the Silver Furnace Boy slid out again, holding an object in his hand.

It is Zhenyuan Daxian's unique magical weapon, the Golden Cudgel!
The Silver Furnace Boy grinned, triumphantly brandishing his golden mallet at the dumbfounded Yuan Shoucheng, and lowered his voice: "Look, you've got it, haven't you? Hurry up and go!"

Before Yuan Shoucheng could react, he had already taken the lead and sneaked off in the direction agreed upon with Zhu Ganglie.

Yuan Shoucheng stood there stunned for a while before he suddenly came to his senses. Looking at the Silver Furnace Boy's light and quick departure, and recalling his ghostly skills just now, he couldn't help but gasp.

Even the boy who tends the fire in the Tushita Palace is so extraordinary.

He dared not delay any longer and quickly followed.

Meanwhile, deep in the backyard, where the night was still thick.

Pigsy, carrying his nine-toothed rake, had his massive body shrunk to the size of a frightened fat rat.

He cautiously moved forward, using the shadows of the artificial hill and the flowers and trees as cover, each step taken with utmost care, his two large ears alertly sensing any movement. After wandering around for a while, he became somewhat confused.
"Damn it, I saw those two brats coming this way during the day, so where is the entrance to the back garden?" he muttered irritably.

"Hey! You ugly thing, what are you doing sneaking around in our backyard in the middle of the night?"

A sharp shout rang out from behind without warning, startling Pigsy so much that he almost dropped his rake.

He turned around abruptly and saw Qingfeng and Mingyue appear on a path at some point, hands on their hips, glaring at him with disdain.

"Ouch!" Pigsy hurriedly forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, rubbing his hands together.

"I was looking for a toilet, hehe, but I took the wrong turn and ended up here. I'm leaving now, I'm leaving now."

"Wrong way?" Mingyue pouted, looking at her like she was looking at a pile of trash.
"You filthy, stinking pig, are you still eyeing our treasures in the backyard? The outhouse is just to the left up ahead, get out of here! Don't pollute our eyes!" He waved his sleeve in disgust.

Qingfeng pointed out the direction without any hesitation.

"Idiot! You can't even tell which way is which. Look, get over there! If we see you loitering around the backyard again, we'll skin you alive and make soup out of you!" He spat viciously.

Pigsy, his face flushed red from the scolding, bowed and scraped as he retreated repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, yes, please calm down, you two little immortals. I, Old Pig, will leave right away, I will leave right away."

Retreating into the shadows, Zhu Bajie patted his pounding chest and gasped for breath.

Having barely suppressed his anger at being insulted, the thought of Qingfeng Mingyue's arrogant face and the temptation of the ginseng fruit once again overwhelmed his fear with greed. "Pah! You two sharp-tongued brats, you'll see!"

A cunning glint flashed in his eyes as he stealthily slipped back in, found his way to the back garden entrance, and this time slipped in without making a mistake, avoiding the patrol route.

Sure enough, before long, Qingfeng and Mingyue, yawning, strolled leisurely to the pavilion near the ginseng fruit tree where they were on duty.

Just as he was complaining about the hardship of keeping watch, his eyelids began to droop. Pigsy, hiding in the nearby shadows, seized the opportunity, held his breath, made a hand seal, and gently blew towards the pavilion. An invisible surge of magical power quietly dissipated.

In the pavilion, the gentle breeze, which had been incessantly complaining, suddenly let out a big yawn and slumped to the side.

Mingyue immediately followed suit, yawning twice in quick succession. Her eyelids grew so heavy she could barely keep them open, and she mumbled a few indistinct words. Then, it was as if both of them had been instantly stripped of their bones.

With two "plop" sounds, he fell into a deep sleep on the stone table, and soon began to snore.

"Hey, with my old pig's sleeping technique, dealing with you two little brats is a piece of cake, isn't it?"

Zhu Ganglie smiled smugly, no longer bothering to hide, and swaggered out of his hiding place, heading straight for the ginseng fruit tree rooted in the center of the garden.

When he actually stood under the tree and looked up, even though he was prepared, he couldn't help but gasp.

The tree stood over a thousand feet tall, its roots deeply embedded in the earth, as if drawing upon the very essence of Longevity Hill. Its trunk was so thick that ten people could hardly encircle it, and its bark possessed a warm, jade-like bronze hue, shimmering with subtle, life-giving light.

The entire tree covered an area of ​​several acres, standing tall and majestic, its rich, refreshing air enveloping the surroundings and invigorating the spirit.

The most eye-catching feature is the thirty fruits hanging among the lush branches and leaves.

The fruits were not of ordinary shape, but rather resembled newborn children, complete with facial features, hands and feet, and skin as white as jade, radiating a faint golden light that flowed subtly under the moonlight. An indescribable fragrance permeated the air, as if it had gathered the purest spiritual essence of heaven and earth.

"Good heavens, this is Zhenyuan Daxian's treasure. Just smelling it will make you live to be 360 ​​years old, and eating it will make you live to be 47,000 years old."

Pigsy's saliva gushed out, his eyes widened, staring intently at the fruits that resembled infants.
"Ten thousand years, and only thirty have been produced. Such rare treasures! I, Old Pig, have truly broadened my horizons today."

Overwhelmed by the immense temptation, he could no longer restrain himself. He clumsily rubbed his greasy hands and huffed and puffed as he climbed up the tree.

His bulky body suddenly burst forth with astonishing strength and agility, and he quickly climbed to a branch laden with fruit.

He stretched out his large, fan-like hand, excitedly and greedily reaching for the nearest fruit.

Just as the pig-hoof-like hand was about to touch the smooth, jade-like figure, the fruit, as if possessing a spirit and sensing the danger, suddenly slid off the branch with a "whoosh." Pigsy let out a startled "Oink!" and reached out to grab it, but it was too late.

The incredibly precious ginseng fruit drew a pale golden arc in the air, and with a soft "plop," it landed straight on the soft brown soil beneath the tree.

What terrified Zhu Bajie even more was that the moment the fruit touched the ground, it sank into the scalding sand like a drop of water falling into the mud, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed, leaving only a faint fragrance that quickly dissipated into the air.

"Ah? My fruit!" Pigsy was so heartbroken that his liver trembled, and he almost fell off the tree.

He craned his neck and strained to look down, but there wasn't a trace of him.
"How could it just disappear? Did it turn to dust as soon as it hit the ground?"

A wave of immense loss and fear instantly gripped him. He remembered his ninth senior brother vaguely mentioning during the day that the ginseng fruit would fall when it encountered gold, wither when it encountered wood, dissolve when it encountered water, scorch when it encountered fire, and enter the earth when it encountered soil!

"Right! It seems we need some kind of treasure to take it down." Pigsy slapped his forehead, full of regret. He was so busy craving it that he forgot about the most crucial magical artifact.

"It's over, it's all over." A deep sense of powerlessness and frustration welled up inside me.

He not only failed to steal the fruit but also lost it all, not to mention the magical artifact, the Golden Cudgel, which he hadn't even seen. Given the place his Ninth Senior Brother was so heavily guarding, there was no way he could possibly get it again.

"Forget it, such a treasure is not something I, Old Pig, can covet. Let's go back."

Greed was largely shattered by this blow, and a huge sense of risk and fear of Zhen Yuanzi regained the upper hand.

Zhu Ganglie slid down from the tree in frustration, brushed off the bark scraps stuck to his body, picked up his rake, and prepared to slink away.

He turned around dejectedly and took a step.

suddenly,

A heavy metal object, whistling through the air, flew from the darkness not far behind him. With a sharp thud, it struck him squarely on the head of his large, hairy pig.

"Ouch!" Pigsy was hit so hard that he saw stars and cried out in pain, clutching his head.

He looked down, bewildered and annoyed, and saw the "murder weapon" that had just flown by lying on the ground. It was none other than the legendary golden cudgel, the divine object used to pick ginseng fruit.

(End of this chapter)