Chapter 92

That evening, a grand banquet was held at the research institute, of course, funded by Wang Shizi, the general manager of Tang Dynasty Prince Technology Co., Ltd. All the researchers, teachers, and students gathered to celebrate the resolution of the "monster" in the Flowing Sand River.

Wang Shizi, holding a glass of wine, spoke with great enthusiasm to everyone: "Starting from tomorrow, the research institute can resume full-scale research on the Weak Water, contributing to the technological advancement of our Tang Dynasty. I would like to specially thank Tang Sen, who stepped forward to solve the problem and contributed to the progress of our country..."

Applause erupted, all from the researchers and teachers. The students, however, were not interested in such empty slogans. Several girls shouted, "Hey, what good is just thanking him? Give Tang Sen something substantial!"

"Exactly!"

The students were indignant, especially the girls: "Our handsome hero subdued the monster, what a great deed! You're up there blabbering, but the real thing is to give him money. If you really can't give him money, please step down and let Tang Sen take the stage. At least we can see his handsome face more often."

Wang Shizi was thoroughly criticized and retreated from the stage in a fluster. Tang Sen took the microphone and walked up to the podium. Before he could speak, the girls in the audience cheered.

Tang Sen cleared his throat and said, "Dear fellow students, I am very happy to see you all here and to have shared the experience of the Flowing Sand River incident. It will be a precious memory for all of us. However... starting from tomorrow, I will set off on my journey again. My bicycle trip around the world is not over yet. I need to travel to more places to broaden my horizons and become a capable man, not just someone who relies on his looks to get by..."

"You don't need to be mature and capable, just having a good face is enough!"

"I will earn money to support you!"

"You can rely on your looks to make a living, why do you insist on relying on your abilities?"

The girls in the audience shouted.

Tang Sen covered his face, damn, can't we have a serious conversation? He patted the microphone, using the loud noise to drown out the girls' nonsense, and said seriously, "Through the Flowing Sand River incident, we can see how tragic it is to be someone with no presence. I hope everyone can take this as a lesson and work hard to improve their abilities. We don't want to live a life of obscurity; we want to live a life of brilliance..."

"Applause" this time was genuine.

Tang Sen said with utmost seriousness, "Each one of us is the author of our own life story. Do you want to write a 'Pride of the Sky' or a 'Les Misérables'? I believe that although most people criticize 'Pride of the Sky' as a trashy novel and praise 'Les Misérables' as a world classic, when it comes to our own lives, we would rather be Long Aotian! So... my journey will not stop here! I will continue to move forward. Fellow students, let's not set limits for our lives. We don't want a 'Les Misérables'; let's all strive to become Long Aotian."

"Applause" this time was long-lasting...

Zhang Muxue looked at Tang Sen on the stage with a dreamy gaze and whispered to herself, "I really like your confident and cheerful demeanor..."

At this moment, a girl who weighed at least 200 pounds suddenly jumped up: "Tang Sen, Long Aotian is known for seducing countless girls. If you want to become him, don't just talk; start with me."

"This..." Tang Sen was sweating profusely: "I meant his powerful and invincible side, not the seducing part."

"Seduction is also a strong point, it's said he can handle a hundred women in one night..." Many girls called out.

The conversation was getting more and more nonsensical. Tang Sen threw the microphone and ran away.

---

As night fell, the sound of the Flowing Sand River roared outside the window, and the river breeze whistled through the cracks in the window... Sun Wukong did not come inside; she sat on the roof, gazing at the starry sky, lost in thought.

Tang Sen could roughly guess what she was thinking about: that man named Jin Chanzi, right? Over 500 years, even the Buddha and the Jade Emperor have been reincarnated six times. Jin Chanzi must have been reincarnated several times as well. Through life and death, through countless cycles of reincarnation, in a sea of humanity with billions of people, where could she find him?

No wonder her eyes were so sad.

But Zhu Baie never knew what sorrow was; she was reading 'Pride of the Sky'...

Tang Sen held a teddy bear in his left arm and held the 'Heart Sutra' in his right hand, slowly savoring each word: "Far from inverted dreams, ultimately reaching Nirvana, all the Buddhas of the three worlds, through the perfection of wisdom, have attained the highest perfect enlightenment..." What does this sentence really mean? It seems one interpretation can be right, and another can also be right. Could it be that monks who fail to achieve enlightenment misunderstand it, while those who understand it correctly become high monks?

No... according to the concept of "form is emptiness, emptiness is form," understanding it correctly or incorrectly is actually emptiness. Since everything is nothing, what is the point of right or wrong... Could it be that I don't need to understand it at all?

At this moment, a light knock on the door sounded, very light, almost inaudible if not listened to carefully. Tang Sen, who was in a state of emptiness, barely heard it. He opened the door, but there was no one outside. Tang Sen was puzzled, but then he realized what was happening. He took out his phone and shone it, and sure enough, Sha Wujing stood quietly at the door.

"I knocked for an hour, and you finally heard it?" Sha Wujing smiled bitterly.

Tang Sen: "..."

"I want to go to the West with you," Sha Wujing said seriously.

"Why?"

"Um, no reason, I just want to do more things, to carve my name in the world, to find my sense of existence." Sha Wujing's eyes flickered, seemingly avoiding Tang Sen's gaze.

"I see, then let's go together." Tang Sen agreed easily.

Sha Wujing had prepared countless arguments, even planning to beg and sacrifice her dignity to complete the task given by Zhang Muxue, but she never expected Tang Sen to agree so readily. Her prepared arguments were all rendered useless, and she felt very uncomfortable, her face turning red.

"You... you agreed so easily?" Sha Wujing couldn't help but ask.

"Would you rather stay here and continue causing trouble?" Tang Sen smiled: "Leaving a formless monster like you in any human city is not appropriate. It's better for you to come with me. At least I know you exist, and you won't be alone and uncared for... that would be too sad."

Sha Wujing's heart skipped a beat, thinking: He's worried about me! This man is a good man. But... no matter how good you are, I will not hesitate to follow the emperor's orders. Sorry, I will definitely be a burden to you and prevent you from reaching the West.

---

The next morning, Tang Sen packed his backpack and was ready to continue his journey to the West. The researchers, teachers, and students all came to see him off, standing by the Flowing Sand River.

Sun Wukong seemed to still be lost in her memories, floating in the air and refusing to come down. Tang Sen called her several times, but she didn't want to join the group, insisting on standing on the cloud and enjoying the wind. Fine, she wasn't riding a cloud, she was riding loneliness.

Tang Sen turned around and saw Zhu Baie crying to the girls: "I'm so reluctant to leave you... I might as well stay and be with you."

The girls were sweating: "No, no, General Tian, you should leave quickly and focus on your important tasks." As they said this, they protectively covered their chests. The sharp-eyed girls had long noticed that this seemingly heroic female general always looked at their chests with ill intent... this couldn't be ignored.

Sha Wujing stood quietly in front of Zhang Muxue, lowering her head, waiting to hear the emperor's final instructions. But she heard Zhang Muxue mutter angrily, "Where the hell is Sha Wujing? I told her to follow Tang Sen, but now she's nowhere to be found, where did she go to fool around?"

Sha Wujing: "..."

---

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