Journey to the West: The gods and Buddhas panicked when the monkey was trapped inside him.

......

Li Chen's voice came again.

"Refining those few treasures that nourish the soul took some time; I apologize for keeping you waiting."

"Ginseng fruit, a creation of innate spiritual roots, takes ten thousand years to yield thirty ripe fruits. How could I miss such a wonderful thing?"

"How has things been going over the past year?"

Sun Wukong's hands moved swiftly as he put the wild fruit he had picked into his clothes and responded quickly.

"Brother, you don't know, those bald monks have been thoroughly tormented by me, Old Sun."

"At Yellow Wind Ridge, before Lingji even arrived, I, Old Sun, found an opportunity and killed the Yellow Wind Monster with a single blow!"

"Buddhism wants to claim the merit from that ordeal? Dream on!"

Sun Wukong continued.

"A few days ago, Guanyin, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and the Old Mother of Lishan, the four quasi-saints, put on a show of testing the mind of Zen."

"They hid a tight band inside the monk's hat, intending to put it on my head."

"But I, Old Sun, saw through their plan and put the headband on Tang Sanzang's head. They were so frightened that they didn't even dare to show their true forms and slunk away, taking off the headband."

Li Chen listened calmly.

"The Buddhist sect has an extremely strong desire for control. Now that the Yellow Wind Monster is dead, they are eager to suppress you, and it's only a matter of time before they use the golden headband."

"You didn't expose their identities on the spot, nor did you make a scene in front of Tang Sanzang. This was the right move you made."

"However, after suffering this sneak attack, you didn't cause trouble for the Buddhist sect. What exactly are you planning?"

Sun Wukong chuckled, a cunning glint in his eyes.

"Big Brother really understands me, Old Sun!"

"They plotted against me, Old Sun, and this debt must not be left unpaid."

"Brother, what do you think the Buddhist sect's reaction would be if I, Old Sun, took advantage of passing by Wuzhuang Temple and picked all the ginseng fruits from Zhenyuan Immortal Tree?"

"If Zhenyuan Daxian discovers that his wealth has been completely drained, how will he settle accounts with the Buddhist community?"

Upon hearing Sun Wukong's crazy idea, Li Chen pondered for a moment.

"Zhen Yuanzi is the ancestor of all earth immortals, and that ginseng fruit tree is his treasure."

"If you really let them wipe out your entire operation, Zhen Yuanzi will be absolutely furious."

"When he goes berserk and takes action, the Buddhist community will be in a terrible mess, but you won't be able to escape responsibility either, and you'll definitely suffer a lot."

Sun Wukong grinned nonchalantly.

"What's there to be afraid of, suffering?"

"I, Old Sun, am now a key pawn in the Journey to the West: Great Calamity. Would the Buddhist sect really allow Zhen Yuanzi to kill me?"

"Although I, Old Sun, caused this great disaster, I am on the journey to obtain the scriptures at the behest of the Buddhist sect."

"If Zhen Yuanzi wants to settle accounts, the main blame will definitely fall on Buddhism. To protect the Journey to the West, even if it means selling everything he owns, Buddha will have to help me apologize and settle this matter."

Sun Wukong's eyes gleamed.

"At most, I, Old Sun, will suffer some physical pain, but in return, I'll get a whole tree full of ginseng fruits. This deal is incredibly profitable!"

Listening to Sun Wukong's twisted logic, Li Chen couldn't help but chuckle and mutter a curse under his breath.

"You little monkey, you're quite the shrewd operator."

"But you're oversimplifying things."

"Guanyin and Pilanpo are watching you from heaven. You are usually vindictive, but this time you were ambushed and you didn't say a word."

"The Buddhists are not fools; they will definitely guard against you causing trouble at Wuzhuang Temple."

"According to the original plan, you can only pick a maximum of three."

"If you make the slightest move, they will definitely step in to stop you. You won't be able to pick all the fruit."

Sun Wukong lowered his voice and chuckled.

"That's why I, Old Sun, am eagerly awaiting my elder brother's return from seclusion!"

"When we arrived at Wuzhuang Temple, I, Old Sun, made a scene in the open, trying every means to draw Guanyin and Pilanpo's attention to myself."

"Brother, you are skilled at concealing your presence; even Bodhisattvas cannot see through your transformation techniques."

"You took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the back garden and secretly took all the fruit from the tree."

"If we work together from the inside and outside, we'll make sure neither the Buddhist sect nor Zhen Yuanzi can find out the truth."

After pondering the fruit for a moment, Li Chen realized that it was indeed the only way to break the deadlock, and immediately agreed.

"Okay, we'll do it your way."

"Since the Buddhist sect is so determined to scheme against you, let them bleed out of you this time."

"However, we must act quickly. There is a formation left by Zhen Yuanzi inside Wuzhuang Temple, so we must proceed with caution."

Sun Wukong nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, brother. Once we reach Wuzhuang Temple, I, Old Sun, will find the right opportunity to leave you on the ginseng fruit tree. You can then act accordingly!"

After discussing and agreeing on the plan, Sun Wukong picked a bunch of wild fruits, put them in his clothes, and leaped down from the tree.

The wild fruit that Li Chen transformed into silently melted into a grayish-white stream of air, which, under the cover of the mountain wind, burrowed into the back of Sun Wukong's neck.

The airflow twisted slightly, transforming into an inconspicuous golden monkey hair that lay flat on the back of Sun Wukong's head, his aura completely concealed.

Sun Wukong hummed an unknown tune, stepped through the weeds, and quickly walked out of the ravine.

Back in the open space where they were camping, the white dragon horse was grazing on wild grass.

Sha Wujing gathered the dry firewood together and started a bonfire.

Tang Sanzang sat on a rock beside the fire, chanting scriptures with his eyes closed.

Pigsy's stomach was rumbling with hunger, and he was craning his neck to look around when he saw Monkey King returning with a bag of fruit. His eyes lit up immediately.

"Hey Monkey King! You're finally back!"

"Old Pig is starving! Hurry up and bring out some fruit so I can fill my stomach!"

Sun Wukong strode forward and dumped all the wild fruits in his arms onto the clean stone slab.

"Eat, eat, all you ever do is eat. You'll get your share."

Sun Wukong picked out the two largest fruits and handed them to Tang Sanzang.

"Master, I washed these fruits in the mountain spring. They are sweet and thirst-quenching. Please have some to tide you over."

Tang Sanzang opened his eyes, accepted the wild fruit, and showed a gentle expression.

"Amitabha Buddha, Wukong, you've worked hard."

Pigsy couldn't contain himself any longer. He reached out and grabbed two wild pears, swallowing them whole without even spitting out the cores.

"Sweet! So sweet! Monkey King's skill in finding fruit is unparalleled in the Three Realms!"

Sha Wujing also took a mountain peach, ate it in small bites, and smiled憨厚ly.

As night fell completely, a thin mist gradually rose into the mountains and forests.

After the four of them finished eating the wild fruit, they rested against the rock wall or tree roots.

Tang Sanzang sat cross-legged in meditation, his breathing becoming long and even.

Pigsy lay down in the haystack and soon began to snore, making the leaves tremble slightly.

Sha Wujing stood guard by the fire, his eyes half-closed and half-open, faithfully watching over the surroundings.

Sun Wukong leaned against a thick old locust tree, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes slightly closed.

The monkey fur on the back of its neck emitted a slightly warm scent.

Sun Wukong's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sly smile that was barely perceptible.

High above the clouds, Guanyin and Pilanpo Bodhisattva were hidden in the shadows, their two pairs of divine eyes constantly watching every move below.

The night wind rustled through the treetops.

......