They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 151 My name is Tang Sheng
The majestic Huaguo Mountain has been revitalized against the backdrop of the azure sea and sky.

On the cliff face, vines sprout new green shoots, and in front of the dilapidated cave, a little monkey skillfully moves stones and repairs the broken stone steps.

On the hillsides once scorched by wildfire, tender grass has sprouted sporadically. Although the devastation remains, the air is no longer filled with despair and death, but with a lively and energetic atmosphere.

Every monkey's face beamed with hope, and their eyes sparkled, for their Monkey King had returned.

Chen Guangrui had just descended from the clouds and had not yet stepped into the Water Curtain Cave when he was spotted by a sharp-eyed little monkey.

"Your Majesty, someone is coming!"

The monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain had just clearly divided their tasks. When one monkey spotted someone, the others were on high alert.

The waterfall in front of the Water Curtain Cave still roared. As Chen Guangrui approached, he saw a golden light shoot out from the water curtain and land lightly on the rocks in front of him.

"Hehehe, it's you, you little official!"

It was none other than the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong. His yellow brocade robe was loose and his phoenix-winged purple-gold crown was worn crookedly, but the light in his fiery eyes was even brighter than when he was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain. His spirit and energy seemed to be overflowing.

Before Chen Guangrui could speak, Sun Wukong somersaulted in front of him, grabbed his arm, and looked him up and down, a broad, unrestrained smile on his face.
"Great, great! I, Old Sun, just got home and you've already come looking for me. Come on, let's go into the cave!"

Without a second thought, he grabbed Chen Guangrui and rushed towards the Water Curtain Cave, his strength nearly causing Chen Guangrui to trip. Sun Wukong, completely oblivious, continued laughing loudly.

"My children, bring tea, bring tea, set out fruit, my benefactor has arrived!"

The cave was still being cleaned up, but the stone seat in the center was gleaming. Several little monkeys that had been carrying stones immediately jumped aside, curiously watching the stranger, before being affectionately pulled inside by their king.

The two sat down at the freshly wiped stone table. Sun Wukong casually picked up a plump, juicy peach and stuffed it into Chen Guangrui's hand.
"Try it, it's fresh, even sweeter than the peaches from the foot of Five Elements Mountain!"

He picked one up himself, took a big bite with a "crunch," juice splashing everywhere, and mumbled as he chewed.
"Hehe, I'm here! I remember this favor. I hate owing things. Tell me quickly, what do you want? A mountain of gold? A mountain of silver? Or do you want to find a master immortal to learn skills? As long as I can do it, I'll go through fire and water without batting an eye."

Chen Guangrui held up the peaches and shook his head sincerely.
"Great Sage, you are too kind. Helping you was a matter of chance and also because I couldn't bear to see it happen. It was just a small favor, and I really don't deserve such kindness."

"Hey, clatter, clatter!" Sun Wukong threw down the peach pit, scratching his ears and cheeks in frustration.
"If I, Old Sun, say I'm entitled to it, then I'm entitled to it! Tell me quickly, or else..."

His monkey-like eyes darted around, and he leaned closer to Chen Guangrui, his golden gaze sweeping over him several times. "I think you're not a bad person at heart! It's just that..."

He pointed at Chen Guangrui with a look of disgust, "This little guy, this little guy, oh my, he's probably about the same size as the little kid who just learned to run on the hillside behind my house. If he runs into a demon or two, he'll snatch him away in one bite. What would that be like?"

Chen Guangrui smiled wryly, "The Great Sage is right. I am of mediocre talent and have only a shallow understanding of cultivation. I am ashamed."

"Weak foundation? No problem!" Sun Wukong slapped his thigh. "I'll teach you!"

His eyes widened, and his voice rose a little, "Back in my day, when I was..."

Suddenly, he abruptly stopped speaking, as if he had remembered something he couldn't say. He quickly glanced around, a rare hint of seriousness and apprehension flashing in his eyes, before quickly glossing over it.

"In short, I have a great method for strengthening my muscles and bones, I'll teach you!"

Before he finished speaking, Sun Wukong's fiery eyes suddenly shone brightly, like two small suns, instantly illuminating Chen Guangrui's soul, making his whole body translucent, and revealing every detail of his muscles, bones, and blood vessels.

"Hmph, freeze!" Sun Wukong shouted in a low voice, which was like thunder in his ears. It made Chen Guangrui's mind tremble, and all his distracting thoughts disappeared. He couldn't help but calm his mind and concentrate.

Sun Wukong extended his right hand, his five fingers slightly curled like an eagle's claw, and swiftly struck Chen Guangrui's crown chakra, dantian, and heart several times in mid-air.

As his fingers danced across the screen, Chen Guangrui felt several indescribable warm currents welling up from the points he touched, seeping into his body like warm water and merging with his bones and tendons. In an instant, he seemed to hear the roar of his blood flowing like a river, and a subtle yet clear crackling sound emanating from deep within his bones and muscles.

Even more mysteriously, obscure and profound incantations and methods of circulating qi, accompanied by the subtle movements of Sun Wukong's fingertips and the resonance of his own blood and qi, were naturally imprinted in his mind, as if they were meant to be. The core of those methods was to draw upon the vital energy of heaven and earth, refine the essence within the bones, and connect the pathways of the cosmic cycle.

Sun Wukong quickly withdrew his hand, as if he had done nothing, and just grinned smugly.
"Hehe, this is the method I used to lay the foundation when I first started out. You're lucky! Follow this method, operate according to the time of day, and practice with all your might for a hundred or two hundred years, and I guarantee your bones and muscles will be stronger than iron! I can't guarantee immortality, but it'll be more than enough to drive away a few minor demons. Make sure you remember the mental techniques and incantations well,"

"One hundred and eighty years?" Chen Guangrui frowned. "I wonder how long it took the Great Sage to learn back then."

Sun Wukong laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears welling in his eyes. He jumped onto the stone seat and pointed at Chen Guangrui.
"You little official, don't compare yourself to me, Old Sun. I was born of heaven and earth, sprang from a stone, my foundation was set from the womb! You, a mere mortal... hehe, you'll have to work your way up!" He suddenly lowered his voice, a playful mockery in his tone, and leaned even closer, half-covering his mouth with his hand.
"Want to hurry? It's not impossible. You know about Laozi's Nine-Turn Golden Elixir? It's a real treasure. One pill is incredibly potent, and the taste... back in my day..."

He smacked his lips, as if savoring the memory, then the mischievousness on his face turned into blatant mockery.
"However, don't even think about it. That thing is Laozi's lifeblood, a precious gem in the Eight Trigrams Furnace. I, Old Sun, only managed to get a few to try back then, so don't even think about it."

He tapped Chen Guangrui's chest with his finger.

"In the Tushita Palace, you're just a Taoist priest who carries water and tends fires. You've heard of the elixir, but you've never heard of the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir. So don't even think about that elixir."

After saying that, he imitated the manner of those old scholars, patting Chen Guangrui on the shoulder in a condescending manner, winking and making faces, full of sarcasm that said, "Your status is still too low."

Chen Guangrui remained calm in the face of ridicule and went along with it.

“The Great Sage is right. I was just a lowly kitchen servant in the Tushita Palace. After I finished my task and returned, Laozi was kind enough to give me a small promotion.”

"Oh? You got promoted?" Sun Wukong, munching on his second peach with bulging cheeks, didn't even look up, his face showing an expression that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, and pressed on with the question.
"What official position did they give you? An old man who watches over the peach trees in the Peach Garden, or a boatman who rows a raft on the Milky Way? Tell me! Let me, Old Sun, be happy!"

Meeting his expectant gaze, Chen Guangrui spoke calmly, enunciating each word clearly:
"弼马温 (Bima Wen)".

Suddenly, the lively atmosphere inside the Water Curtain Cave seemed to be doused with cold water, instantly freezing.

Sun Wukong's playful smile froze.

After a brief silence,

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"The Keeper of the Heavenly Horses? That old man Laozi made you the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses?"

The monkey was so angry that it spun around in circles, stomping its feet loudly on the ground, chattering incessantly, and spitting out peach juice all over the place.

"Pah, pah, pah! This old man is so stingy and disgusting! It's just that I, Old Sun, was a little greedy back then and ate a few gourds of his broken dumplings. It's been over five hundred years, and he still remembers it. Why does he have to use a lowly title like '弼马温' (Bima Wen, a lowly stable boy) to annoy people like this? It makes me so angry!"

He stopped abruptly, turned and glared at Chen Guangrui, furious, but quickly regained his composure.

It was as if he suddenly found a suitable reason, and suddenly he wasn't angry anymore. He even seemed to think that Lao Tzu's arrangement was reasonable.

“You little official, you’re not very capable, but you’re a good person. Well, this little position is just right for you! Perfect, just right to take care of those horses and livestock, so you won’t get into any other trouble.”

Sun Wukong cursed so fiercely that spittle flew everywhere, and the anger in his chest finally subsided a little before he let out a heavy breath.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he finally caught sight of the little boy standing next to Chen Guangrui—a bald boy with nine fresh ordination scars on his head, wearing a small monk's robe.

The little monk remained quietly hidden behind Chen Guangrui's robe, only peeking out half of his round head, his large, dark eyes filled with curiosity as he gazed at him. The commotion earlier had frightened him quite a bit, and his little mouth was slightly agape.

Sun Wukong's anger had not completely faded when he saw the child. It was as if he had discovered something extremely interesting. His anger was instantly diverted, and he grinned, revealing his sharp teeth, and regained some of his monkey-like demeanor as he watched the spectacle.

He pointed at Tang Sheng and gave Chen Guangrui a strange, smirking laugh.

"Huh? Wait a minute, I've misjudged you! You little official, your cultivation skills are so-so, but your ability to have children is amazing! I just came down the mountain for some fresh air, and you've not only been promoted, but your son is already so big? Look at this little monk, he's got a few gold holes burned into his head, tsk tsk tsk, you're really something!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangrui's face flushed crimson to his ears; he was so embarrassed he wished he could dig a hole and disappear right then and there. He hurriedly waved his hands, trying to explain.
"Great Sage, you mustn't say such things carelessly, this child..."

"Sigh!" Sun Wukong had no interest in listening to his explanation and simply waved his hand, interrupting him in a nonchalant manner. His interest was now entirely focused on this suddenly appearing little bald boy. He squatted down, trying to make his monkey face look as amiable as possible, blinked his golden eyes, and teased the little monk, asking...
"Hey, little monk, stop hiding! Come here, tell me, what's your name? Whose child are you?"

Although the little monk had been frightened by the earlier display, he regained some courage when he saw the talking golden-haired monkey asking him a question. He clung tightly to Chen Guangrui's robe, showing no fear, and raised his little face, his large, clear eyes looking at Sun Wukong. In his childish voice, he answered very earnestly, word by word:
"My name is Tang Sheng."

He paused, as if realizing he hadn't explained clearly, then held up his short finger and added earnestly,

"The sugar in candy beans, the raw in peanuts."

(End of this chapter)