Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Chapter 206 I Won't Leave!

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Master Zhenyuan sat quietly in his Quiet Room, meditating. Soon, his mind entered a state of meditation, yet his thoughts were plentiful and varied.

With a pretext, all the Scripture Seekers had stayed at Wuzhuang Temple. Although Xuanzang had appeared quite happy, which was baffling, Master Zhenyuan gave it some thought and realized that Xuanzang had no reason to be happy at all, right?

Considering this, could it be that his happy demeanor was deliberately displayed to gain an advantage through retreat, to make me change the method of punishment?

"Humph, his reaction is quite swift. However, the more a thief's conscience is guilty, the louder he speaks. Similarly, since he made a special effort to appear so happy, he must be all the more anxious inside," Master Zhenyuan mused.

"Just watch; he won't last a few more days and will inevitably beg me to release him. He might even plead for the soul of that Monkey to leave his body and ask for Tathagata or Guanyin to come to his aid..."

Thinking of Tathagata or Guanyin coming to Wuzhuang Temple with a request for him filled Master Zhenyuan with eager anticipation.

At that time, he could properly propose some conditions.

Well, wait and see; it shouldn't take more than a few days.

After more than half a month...

Tip: Experience Points +6.

Tip: Level up 1, current level 32.

More than half a month had passed, and though there had been no battles with monsters during these days, the cultivation technique Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound alone was garnering roughly over 20,000 Experience Points daily.

In just over half a month, Jiang Liu's Experience Points had successfully reached level 32.

After silently summoning his character panel, he saw from the interface before him that advancing from level 32 to 33 now required 900,000 Experience Points.

This made Jiang Liu feel somewhat helpless; indeed, he needed even more Experience Points now.

"Xuanzang, you've been staying at Wuzhuang Temple for over half a month now, how do you feel?"

One day, Jiang Liu happened to meet Master Zhenyuan at Wuzhuang Temple. After casually chatting with Xuanzang for a bit, Master Zhenyuan asked nonchalantly.

"Quite good. Master Zhenyuan, your Wuzhuang Temple truly deserves to be a Cave Heaven and Blessed Land. I have been very comfortable here!" Jiang Liu replied with a smile upon hearing this.

This answer caused the corners of Master Zhenyuan's mouth to twitch slightly.

Could it be that he had miscalculated? Did Xuanzang genuinely enjoy staying at Wuzhuang Temple?

No, he must be feigning this attitude on purpose. His own heart was indeed a bit anxious, but he couldn't fall for this youngster's schemes, could he?

If he liked staying, then let him continue staying.

Another month or so passed.

Tip: Gain Experience Points +6.

Tip: Level up 1, current level 33.

Another month or so passed, and Jiang Liu successfully acquired the 900,000 Experience Points, raising his level once again to 33.

Two months at Wuzhuang Temple, gaining two levels, was a decent rate of growth for Jiang Liu.

"Hmm, I'll need 1.15 million Experience Points for the next level up? Based on this pace, it should take about one and a half months, right?" He pulled up his character panel again and nodded to himself.

...

Not to mention what Jiang Liu thought of lingering in Wuzhuang Temple to cultivate and level up, one day, Master Zhenyuan left his Quiet Room, holding a horsetail whisk in hand.

He pondered that Xuanzang and his companions had been staying at Wuzhuang Temple for roughly two months now. During that time, he had dropped hints a few times, but they showed no urgency to resume their journey.

Initially, Master Zhenyuan thought that Xuanzang was deliberately acting this way, but now, he began to waver.

It seems necessary to come up with a plan to probe more effectively.

With a thought, Master Zhenyuan ventured out and soon found the two Taoist Boys, Qingfeng and Mingyue.

However, when he located the two boys, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

Around a small round table, Qingfeng, Mingyue, and Zhu Bajie sat three, each holding cards decorated with images.

Sun Wukong and several others gathered behind them, watching with interest; the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

"Call the landlord!"

"Bid for the landlord!"

"I bid!"

"Heh heh heh, Old Pig is playing open cards!"

...

Yes, Fight the Landlord. Having spent two months at Wuzhuang Temple, Jiang Liu was cultivating in meditation, watching his Experience Points continuously rise, feeling blissful. But Sun Wukong and the others were getting a bit too bored at Wuzhuang Temple, so during these two months, not only did they play Mahjong, but Jiang Liu also taught them Fight the Landlord.

This card game, suitable for all ages, was immediately popular with everyone.

Seeing three people playing cards at the table, with a crowd watching behind them, the scene was as lively as a gambling den in the Mortal World, causing Master Zhenyuan's mouth to twitch slightly once more.

He felt that his Wuzhuang Temple seemed to have changed somewhat.

Although his Wuzhuang Temple couldn't compare to the status of Yuxu Palace, it was also a holy site of Taoism, wasn't it?

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But now it has become like a gambling den of the Mortal World; if this scene were to spread, where would I put my face?

"Ahem..." With a somewhat darkened face, Master Zhenyuan coughed dryly a few times.

"Master!" Seeing Master Zhenyuan coming over, the two Taoist boys, Qingfeng and Mingyue, quickly dropped the slips of paper in their hands and, with an air of having done something wrong, bowed their heads and said.

"Qingfeng, Mingyue, you are both men of the Dao, true and pure. On normal days you do not strive to advance but idle away your days in play, losing your purpose. What would people think?" Master Zhenyuan reprimanded in a low voice.

The two boys naturally did not dare to retort and hurriedly admitted their wrongs, "Master, we realize our mistake and will never dare to do it again!"

"Alright, see to it that it does not happen again. Today, I have some matters to entrust to you!"

The reprimand turned out to be rather toothless, amounting to nothing more than a verbal scolding, before Master Zhenyuan quickly changed the subject.

"Master, if there are any matters, please command us!" The two boys said in unison.

"Recently, I've had a premonition, so I should meet with an old friend. I will need to leave home for about half a month. You must watch over the home well in my absence!" Master Zhenyuan spoke, announcing to Sun Wukong and the others that he was going to leave for half a month.

On the surface, he spoke casually, but Master Zhenyuan was secretly paying attention to the expressions of Sun Wukong and the others.

If they really planned to run away, this announcement of his would be tantamount to deliberately giving them the opportunity, wouldn't it? They must be quite thrilled in their hearts, right?

"Understood, disciples have noted!" Hearing this, Qingfeng and Mingyue showed happy expressions.

Their looks resembled that of two children who had been scolded by their parents not to secretly play on the computer at home, only to be told moments later that their parents were stepping out for a while.

Instead of seeing the expected joyful expressions on Sun Wukong and the others, it was his own two boys who looked pleasantly surprised, which made Master Zhenyuan feel a stab of heartache.

The reputation of Wanshou Mountain was not for nothing; a single Ginseng Fruit could grant life for forty-seven thousand years, yet it only took nine thousand years to mature, so one could only guess how many years Master Zhenyuan, who had lived well beyond that, had maintained a tranquil state of mind like an ancient well undisturbed by the wind.

But in recent days, Master Zhenyuan found that maintaining his usual calm demeanor had become difficult, often feeling a sense of suffocation.

"Terrible, truly terrible..." When he felt a pang of heartache, Master Zhenyuan immediately realized the frequent tightness in his chest of late and his heart grew cold.

Could it really be a great catastrophe of heaven and earth? All these beings of fate were now within Wuzhuang Temple, even affecting himself?

Terrible, it might be better to send these people away soon. After all, I'm no Saint, immune to the wear and tear of endless calamities.

How many near Sainthood beings have fallen in the great calamities from ancient times until now?

Having entrusted them with tasks, Master Zhenyuan flew away in front of Sun Wukong and the others.

With his departure, everyone's spirits naturally lifted quite a bit.

Qingfeng and Mingyue completely reverted to their mischievous child-like nature, forgetting the words they had just uttered, sitting back at the table and picking up the cards again.

"You pigheaded fool, are you cheating? Why are your cards always so good!?"

"Yeah, you must be cheating. We brothers have been the peasants and lost nine rounds in a row!"

"Heh heh heh, my title of God of Gamblers isn't just empty talk, you two can't be sore losers, can you?"

"Damn it! Come on, let's battle it out for another three hundred rounds!"

While Qingfeng and Mingyue have lived for over a thousand years, the life within Wuzhuang Temple has always been rather monotonous, immersed in the cultivation of Taoism and adhering to the Taoist ethos of serenity and inaction.

Although they were accustomed to it, ever since Jiang Liu and his companions took up residence these past two months, Qingfeng and Mingyue found life to be much more interesting, full of color and variety.

Firstly, their food was extraordinarily delicious.

Secondly, playing Mahjong and Fight the Landlord were entertaining for them, far more enjoyable and less mentally taxing than Go.

Lastly, the interesting phrases that occasionally came out of Master Xuanzang's mouth also piqued their curiosity.

For example, the word "Damn it!" seemed to capture many of their thoughts precisely.

Surprised? Use "Damn it!"

Angry? Use "Damn it!"

Cursing someone? Use "Damn it!"

Admiring someone's skill? Still "Damn it!"

This word seemed universal, yet it fit perfectly every time they wanted to express their emotions; no other word could replace it.

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Soon, the night grew deep.

Jiang Liu sat cross-legged, continuing his cultivation of the Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound technique, when at that moment, Sun Wukong and his disciples approached.

"Disciples, what is it?"

Seeing them appear before him together, Jiang Liu asked in surprise. It seemed they had something they wanted to discuss with him.

"Master, Master Zhenyuan has left Wuzhuang Temple! This is the best chance for us to slip away!" Before Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie could speak, Sha Wujing, unable to contain his excitement, said to Jiang Liu.

"Moreover, Qingfeng and Mingyue seem to have the intention of letting us go. They purposely drank a lot tonight and got themselves completely drunk!"

"No! I am not leaving!"

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