Chapter 93

After tearfully bidding farewell to his classmates, Tang Sen glanced at the river and said to Prince Wang, "General Manager Wang, where’s the boat you arranged?"

Prince Wang smiled and said, "The boat was arranged last night, with an agreement to come this morning. It should be here soon. It’s a special ferry for weak water, made from ultra-light aerospace aluminum, providing excellent buoyancy. Even in the ‘goose feather can’t float, reed flower must sink’ Flowing Sand River, it can travel freely. Hahaha, this is our Tang Dynasty’s technology, impressive, right?"

"The technology of the Tang Dynasty is so impressive?" The students all felt a surge of national pride, and Tang Sen felt a glow of pride as well.

Everyone was eagerly looking forward to seeing the latest technology of the Tang Dynasty, the "weak water special ferry." However, what they saw was a small boat cutting through the vast 800-mile Flowing Sand River. It was really a small boat, with the same old-fashioned design as the most primitive fishing boats. Calling it a fishing boat would even be an exaggeration. It had no engine or propeller, and a woman wearing a bamboo hat was rowing hard, bringing the boat closer from afar.

"This... this is the latest technology of the Tang Dynasty?" Everyone broke out in a cold sweat.

Prince Wang said awkwardly, "There’s no choice. The special aluminum alloy that can float in weak water is very rare. We managed to get only a little bit with the nation’s efforts, enough to build only a small boat..."

"Damn, at least put an engine on it, electric or fuel, anything would be better than human power, right?" The students complained.

Prince Wang smiled bitterly, "An engine is very heavy. Installing one would significantly reduce the boat’s carrying capacity, making it lose one passenger... So we didn’t dare to install an engine. We also didn’t dare to use a strong man as the boatman, only a light and agile woman... Even the oars are made of the lightest material."

The students and teachers all covered their faces and lay on the ground, shivering... The technology of the Tang Dynasty was really impressive, leaving them speechless.

The small boat took a long time to reach the shore. Tang Sen stepped onto the boat and suddenly saw the face under the boatman’s bamboo hat, gasping, "Eh? Guanyin Sister?"

The boatman was indeed Guanyin Sister, who smiled awkwardly, "Oh, I took a boat rowing job, the pay is quite good. I didn’t expect it to be you... cough, cough..."

Tang Sen: "..."

Forget it, he didn’t even have the energy to complain. Tang Sen placed his bicycle and the teddy bear on the boat. Sister Zhu Baie also said a reluctant goodbye to her female classmates and climbed aboard. Sun Wukong still floated in the clouds, so it didn’t matter whether she was on the boat or not...

Tang Sen turned around and looked around, "I feel like someone is missing."

"No one is missing, everyone is here," Sister Zhu Baie said.

The teddy bear suddenly clapped, "Oh, right, where’s Sha Wuji?"

Everyone looked left and right but couldn’t see Sha Wuji. Tang Sen shrugged, "I think she must already be on the boat. She’s just so unnoticeable that we can’t see her. No problem, let’s set sail."

Guanyin Sister rowed the boat, and it left the shore, heading for the opposite side of the river. The 800-mile-wide river, with such a small boat, would take a long time to cross.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Sha Wuji was shouting by the river, "Hey, I haven’t gotten on the boat yet..."

No one heard her voice, which was so unnoticeable. Sha Wuji glanced back at Zhang Muxue, smiled bitterly, and "plop" jumped into the river, swimming with a pair of white arms, desperately chasing the boat.

The small boat slowly sailed on the Flowing Sand River. Sha Wuji finally climbed aboard, but apart from Guanyin Sister giving her a faint glance, no one else even noticed her presence.

Tang Sen had many questions to ask Guanyin Sister, but after learning about the events 500 years ago, those questions no longer mattered. As the first bodhisattva to respond to Jin Chanzi’s ideals, leave the Great Thunderclap Temple, and earn a living by working, Guanyin Sister deserved his admiration and respect. Her love for pranks and her sly personality were not issues; everyone has some flaws. As long as the big picture was right, she was a good person.

Sunrise, sunset, clouds rising, clouds dissipating...

No one knew how many days had passed, but the 800-mile Flowing Sand River was finally crossed. Guanyin Sister led Tang Sen and his group to the shore and smiled, "I’ve finally completed my job and can collect a large reward."

Tang Sen smiled faintly, "Forget about the 10 billion yuan we talked about last time."

Guanyin Sister giggled, "I never intended to give it anyway."

The two shook hands and waved goodbye. Tang Sen got on his bicycle and pedaled away on the ancient road, while Guanyin Sister waved and smiled from a distance, gradually disappearing.

---

In the Western Ox-Heaven Continent, on the Ten Thousand Longevity Mountain, at the Five Acre Temple!

A clear-faced nun stood before a giant tree in the back garden. The tree was about 300 to 400 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 20 to 30 meters, requiring at least a dozen people holding hands to encircle it.

The tree was lush with green branches and leaves, and many fruit shaped like children grew on it, totaling thirty. This fruit was called the Ginseng Fruit, a very spiritual fruit. It bloomed every three thousand years, bore fruit every three thousand years, and matured every three thousand years...

And the fruit on this tree was just about to mature.

The nun looked at the fruit with a loving gaze and called out gently, "How are you all today?"

"Good!"

"Very good!"

"Mom, good!"

The fruit on the tree answered one after another, creating a lively scene.

Seeing the fruit all in good spirits, the nun was delighted and smiled kindly. Her features were not exceptionally beautiful, but she had a refined and elegant demeanor that made people want to be close to her. "Today, Mom will teach you a poem. Follow along and recite it."

"Okay!" the Ginseng Fruits answered in unison.

The nun spoke slowly, "In the sky, there is the White Jade Capital, with twelve towers and five cities. The Immortal pats my head, and I receive eternal life..."

The Ginseng Fruits also recited in unison, "In the sky, there is the White Jade Capital, with twelve towers and five cities. The Immortal pats my head, and I receive eternal life..."

"You all did a great job," the nun smiled happily. "Today, you should practice this poem until you can recite it fluently. Tomorrow, Mom will test you. If anyone makes a mistake, they will get five slaps on the hand."

"Wow!" The Ginseng Fruits were startled. A few smaller ones cried, "No, I don’t want to get slapped on the hand."

"Then you should practice well," the nun said.

"But I’m not smart..."

"Then practice more times."

The nun patiently communicated with the Ginseng Fruits, like a loving and strict mother teaching her children.

At this moment, two little female disciples ran in from the front courtyard and called out, "Master, are you talking to the fruit again?"

The nun smiled, "Yes, they are growing up, and I need to teach them some knowledge so they don’t become illiterate."

The two little female disciples giggled, "They won’t, they are very smart and learn quickly. In a few years, they will be more sensible than us. By then, don’t call us illiterate."

The nun laughed, "You’re just being cheeky. What brings you here?"

One of the little female disciples took out a letter from behind her back, "Master, just now, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable sent a letter, inviting you to meet and discuss scriptures tomorrow."

The nun smiled, "That’s right, I have that appointment. I’ll go then... You stay here and guard the Ginseng Fruit tree. Don’t let anyone steal these children. I treat them like my own."

"Please rest assured, Master, we will guard them well."

The nun was still a bit worried and calculated a divination, suddenly her face changed, "Not good, I just divined that the demon king Sun Wukong, who caused chaos in Heaven, will pass by our temple tomorrow. She is accompanied by the lustful Marshal Tianpeng, the Heavenly Curtain General, the White Dragon, and a teddy bear... All of them are troublemakers... Strange! There’s another person I can’t calculate... This person is clearly a mortal, but the divination shows nothing."

She frowned and said to the two little female disciples, "This is really troublesome. After I leave, you must keep the tree’s existence a secret and don’t let them sneak in to see it..." She then looked up at the fruit on the tree, "Children, you must hide in the leaves and not let anyone see you. The ones coming tomorrow are all troublemakers. Mom is very worried about your safety."

The Ginseng Fruits giggled, "Mom, don’t worry, we will hide well." They then pulled the leaves around them, wrapping themselves up like dumplings.