Chapter 94

Tang Sen and his companions had once again reached the end of the road, facing a vast wilderness with no path ahead.

"Ah, ever since we left the Great Tang Kingdom, we keep encountering this kind of situation. The bicycle is becoming less and less useful," Tang Sen said with a pained expression. "Xiaobailong, can you change into something else? Like a horse, for example?"

"A horse would be good," Zhu Baizhe immediately chimed in with a mischievous smile. "Long Aotian often talks about 'riding' and plays horse games with a big stick when he can't ride anymore..."

Upon hearing this, Xiaobailong refused to turn into a horse and stubbornly remained in the form of a bicycle.

Tang Sen, helpless, kicked Zhu Baizhe and then pushed the bicycle up the mountain path.

"Master, I think you're a bit biased and unfair," Zhu Baizhe said, rubbing her bottom. "I'm at least a woman with a full chest and a slender waist. Why don't you care at all? You always hit me, but how can a man just kick a woman like that?"

Tang Sen grunted, "I don't judge people by their appearance; I like to see through the surface to the essence. In my eyes, you're just a middle-aged pervert. Why shouldn't I kick you?"

"Master, you said it yourself. I'm going to take off my clothes," Zhu Baizhe said, and she really started to undress.

Tang Sen covered his eyes and quickly turned around.

Zhu Baizhe laughed, "You said you don't judge by appearance, only by essence. Master, your cultivation isn't enough."

Damn, give me back my pure heart, Tang Sen said irritably, "Where's Sun Wukong? Drag this woman into the forest and beat her up!"

Sun Wukong was looking ahead in the sky. Hearing this, he descended and started beating Zhu Baizhe.

Zhu Baizhe cried out, "Hey, Wukong, you always argue with Master, so why do you listen to him now?"

"On the matter of beating you, Sun Wukong and I always agree," Sun Wukong laughed. "But speaking of which, I didn't hit your face, so why do you have five finger marks on it?"

Zhu Baizhe was stunned and shouted, "Oh, Sha Wujing, you actually took the opportunity to hit me secretly. Where are you? Don't let me see you, or I'll beat you up."

Footprints appeared on the fallen leaves in the forest, extending far away, indicating that Sha Wujing had fled quickly.

"Stop fooling around," Tang Sen said, pushing the bicycle up the mountain with difficulty. "Look at this huge mountain ahead. There might be some kind of monster. If we encounter something like the Yellow Wind Ridge again, I can't take it."

Sun Wukong used his fiery eyes to look up the mountain and laughed, "This mountain is fine. There's no trace of demonic energy, and it's very clean. There's even a faint aura of immortality, indicating that it's a place where immortals live. There won't be any monsters."

Hearing this, Tang Sen felt relieved. Not having to fight monsters was good; he hated bosses that didn't drop equipment. But then again, if it's a place of immortals, do immortals drop equipment?

Everyone walked up the mountain, finding it truly a beautiful place. The mountains were steep and majestic, with sunlight filtering through the trees, creating a misty atmosphere. By a small lake, several white cranes stood, not afraid of people as Tang Sen approached. As they walked, an old monkey jumped down from a tree, holding a peach and offering it to Tang Sen, then bowed and jumped back up.

Tang Sen couldn't help but marvel, "This mountain is quite interesting."

Sun Wukong laughed, "What's so interesting? Any immortal with status likes to do this. This is called 'white cranes welcoming guests' and 'mystical apes offering fruit.' It's to show that their place is special. In modern terms, it's like... hmm? What's the term? I'm not familiar with modern terms, so I forgot."

Tang Sen interjected, "Showing off!"

"Right, showing off. Making their sacred mountain seem mysterious to boost their status."

Tang Sen had been looking forward to the mountain, but after Sun Wukong's explanation, his good mood vanished. What was supposed to be a place of immortals now seemed off, and the word "showing off" kept flashing in his mind, ruining his interest in the scenery. "You're a master at ruining the mood!"

The higher they went, the steeper the mountain became. Suddenly, a corner of a flying eave appeared among the trees, revealing a large mansion. The mansion was tastefully designed, with a cold slope of pines, a quiet bamboo path, a pond in front, and moss-covered stone steps.

Tang Sen walked to the front of the mansion and saw a sign that read: "Wanshou Mountain, Five-Avenue Temple."

"This mansion is quite large. It seems there's no one around, so there should be many empty rooms. It would be nice to borrow or rent a few rooms for the night," Tang Sen was about to knock on the door when it opened from the inside, and two little girls in Taoist robes came out, looking very obedient.

The little girl smiled, "Master said someone would come today, and indeed, they did."

Sun Wukong shrugged, "See, this is a common way for immortals to show off. They calculate that you're coming and then say, 'I knew you were coming,' to show their great powers and boost their status."

Tang Sen quickly whispered, "You can say that behind their backs, but it's impolite to say it to their face."

Sun Wukong, who never cared about manners, just laughed.

The two little Taoist girls looked embarrassed, clearly affected by Sun Wukong's words. But remembering their master's instructions, they didn't dare to lose their temper and muttered, "Sure enough, it's the demon king Sun Wukong, so arrogant..."

Tang Sen pushed Sun Wukong aside and smiled at the two little girls, "Hello, I'm Tang Sen. I'm a college student from the Great Tang Kingdom, traveling to the West to broaden my horizons. It's getting dark, and I was wondering if we could stay for the night?"

The two little girls didn't really want to receive Tang Sen and his companions, but their master had instructed them to be cautious and not let them cause trouble, so they said, "Sure, come in."

The little girls were supposed to help with the horses, but when they reached out, they found that Tang Sen wasn't riding a horse but pushing a white bicycle. They were amazed at how he managed to push a bicycle up such a steep mountain. They led Tang Sen and his companions inside and said, "We are Qingfeng and Mingyue. If you need anything, just call us. Please don't wander around the temple, especially the back courtyard."

Many tourist attractions have staff-only areas marked "No Entry for Visitors." Tang Sen was used to some places being off-limits, so he didn't mind. But when Sun Wukong and Zhu Baizhe heard "especially the back courtyard," they exchanged a meaningful glance.

When they reached the main hall, Tang Sen expected to see statues of the Three Pure Ones—Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Taishang Laojun. But to his surprise, there were no statues of the Three Pure Ones. Instead, there was a strange statue in the center, depicting a young man who looked handsome but not as much as Tang Sen. He wore a Taoist robe, held a duster in his left hand, and a string of prayer beads in his right. His head was bald and shiny.

Tang Sen couldn't help but ask, "Hmm? Your temple is quite strange. You don't have statues of the Three Pure Ones but have a statue of someone who isn't a monk or a Taoist..."

The little Taoist girl Qingfeng huffed, "Our master is on par with the Three Pure Ones. How could we worship the Three Pure Ones? This statue is of the person our master admires the most. Although he is of a lower rank, he has a profound understanding of Buddhist and Taoist scriptures. With his supreme wisdom and powers, he has seen through the illusions of the world, dispelled the clouds, and reversed the course of events, causing the earth to tremble... His name is..."

Sun Wukong suddenly said, "Xiao Jin!"

She fell to her knees before the statue, tears streaming down her face.