The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 147 1 Paying Respects to the Elders

Chapter 147 Bowing to the Elders

After walking into the mountains for a while, a Taoist temple appeared before them. Seeing the words "Wanshou Mountain Blessed Land, Wuzhuang Temple Grotto Heaven" on the stone tablet at the entrance, Jiang Feng felt as if he could already smell the ginseng fruit.

At this moment, the monkey looked at the couplet on the door and laughed, "The immortal's abode, a Taoist family that lives as long as heaven."

"This Taoist priest is spouting nonsense. When I, Old Sun, wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago, I never heard him say such a thing at the gate of Laozi."

Bajie said, "Never mind him for now, let's go in. Maybe this Taoist priest has some virtue, who knows?"

Seeing Sun Wukong's disdainful expression, Jiang Feng smiled and said, "Wukong, this couplet is not an exaggeration. Zhen Yuanzi is the ancestor of earth immortals and lives as long as heaven and earth."

The Three Pure Ones were his friends, the Four Emperors were his old friends, the Nine Luminaries were his juniors, and the Primordial Stars were his guests.

"Could such a person be considered to have some skill?"

Sun Wukong asked in surprise, "If that's true, then the couplet isn't an exaggeration. Master, what kind of immortal is this 'Earth Immortal'?"

Jiang Feng said, "There are five immortals within the universe: Heaven, Earth, Man, God, and Ghost."

Earthly Immortals are those who exist between heaven and earth, possessing the talents of immortals. They refine the great elixir, eternally reside in the lower realms, and cultivate their form to remain in the world, thus attaining longevity and immortality, becoming terrestrial immortals. Hence, they are called Earthly Immortals.

"Xiatian is also called Xiayuan, and the Taoist name Zhenyuanzi comes from this. Wukong, you cultivate the methods of celestial immortals, so a little understanding of this is enough."

Sun Wukong, looking enlightened, clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you for your explanation, Master."

As they spoke, two boys dressed in feathered robes came out to greet Jiang Feng and bowed to him.

"But the holy monk of the Great Sui Dynasty has arrived, and my master specifically instructed the two of us to welcome him here."

"It is indeed this humble monk."

Jiang Feng greeted them with a smile, and Qingfeng and Mingyue then introduced themselves before leading everyone to the main hall.

In the center of the main hall wall hung the two characters "Heaven and Earth" in colorful decorations. In front of it was a vermilion lacquered incense table with a golden incense burner on it and a convenient place to put incense next to it.

Jiang Feng stepped forward, lit three incense sticks, placed them in the incense burner, and bowed in reverence to the two characters "天地" (Heaven and Earth) in front of him.

He looked up and saw Zhao Ming'er standing beside him, having just finished her prayers and straightened up.

Jiang Feng was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Ming'er, what are you doing here?"

Zhao Ming'er giggled and said, "Let's do a wedding ceremony together!"

Jiang Feng was immediately stunned: "Huh??"

Before Jiang Feng could recover from his confusion, Zhao Ming'er vanished in a flash, leaving only a seven-colored rainbow hanging in the sky.

Sun Wukong looked in the direction she disappeared, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and joked, "All that's missing is the couple's bow to each other before we can go to the bridal chamber."

Sha Wujing was a little confused: "Brother, you're mistaken. Couples can only bow to each other after bowing to their parents."

Sun Kong chuckled to himself, "I can't explain it to you—"

He had already recognized Zhao Ming'er as the reincarnation of the Jade Emperor's seventh princess from the rainbow. When the two of them paid homage to Heaven, it was equivalent to paying homage to their parents.

Sun Wukong was so happy that he almost couldn't resist going to the Heavenly Court to congratulate the Jade Emperor!

Jiang Feng glanced at the two characters "天地" (Heaven and Earth) in front of him, and then realized what they meant. He shook his head, both amused and exasperated, "Why are you in such a hurry tomorrow? At least have a meal together before you leave."

"It's my turn."

At this moment, Bai Suzhen came to his side with incense, put the incense in the incense burner, and also bowed to "Heaven and Earth".

Sha Wujing wanted to go and offer incense, but Sun Wukong grabbed him and waved him away, saying, "Brother Sha, what are you doing here? Go borrow someone's kitchen to start a fire and cook."

Sha Wujing said "Oh," asked Qingfeng for directions to the kitchen, and then went inside.

He stared blankly at the large iron pot for a while, then suddenly remembered something: "I have absolutely no cooking skills!"

At the same time, Qingfeng and Mingyue invited Jiang Feng to a quiet room and presented him with two freshly picked ginseng fruits.

Qingfeng said, "Holy Monk, this fruit is called Grass Returning Elixir, also known as Ginseng Fruit. It blooms once every three thousand years, bears fruit once every three thousand years, and takes another three thousand years to ripen. In ten thousand years, it will only produce thirty fruits."

When the Taoist temple first opened, my master picked two and shared them with us, his fellow disciples.

Now that Master has learned that the Holy Monk is passing by Wuzhuang Temple, he has specially instructed us to use the golden cudgel to pluck two seeds to entertain the Holy Monk.

Jiang Feng stood up and thanked him, saying, "I thank Zhenyuan Daxian on my behalf. When I attain enlightenment in the future, I will definitely invite Zhenyuan Daxian to a vegetarian feast at Mount Ling."

As he spoke, he took out two small pills and gave them to Qingfeng and Mingyue to thank them for their hospitality.

Qingfeng and Mingyue happily went out the door. Since they had received a gift from Jiang Feng, they praised him highly.

"Truly a virtuous monk, so generous! This pill is almost as good as the ones my master refined!"

"No wonder he could become friends with his master; he must have been a good bodhisattva in his previous life."

Pigsy overheard everything outside the window and saw Jiang Feng put the ginseng fruit into his magic bag, seemingly intending to enjoy the immortal fruit all to himself. His cravings intensified, making him feel uneasy all over.

With a quick glance, he ran off and found Wukong.

Seeing Sun Wukong eating a pear that he had somehow gotten his hands on, he shook his head and sighed, "Alas, Brother Monkey, you're eating a pear here, while Master is eating a ginseng fruit that's even more delicious than the peaches of immortality. What a difference in treatment!"

However, you can't blame them for that. After all, their master was a holy monk from the Sui Dynasty, while Monkey King, you're just a servant guarding the peach orchard in Heaven. The difference in status is simply too great.

Although Sun Wukong saw through Bajie's deliberate provocation, he still felt slighted and snorted, "You fool, don't try to provoke me. What is this ginseng fruit you're talking about?"

Bajie chuckled and repeated everything he had overheard to Sun Wukong, drooling as he said, "Brother Monkey, this ginseng fruit is incredibly delicious. Even Master wants to enjoy it all by himself and doesn't want us to know!"

Why don't you go to the garden and steal a few, so we brothers can have a taste?

Sun Wukong, his appetite whetted by Bajie's words, said, "That's easy, I, Old Sun, can do it with ease."

As he stood up and started to walk forward, Pigsy grabbed him and said, "Brother Monkey, I heard them say that you have to use a golden mallet to hit the ginseng fruit. You have to be careful and don't let them find out."

"I know, I know."

After saying this, Wukong transformed into a fly and buzzed out the door.

As evening approached, Jiang Feng called Bai Suzhen over to help him serve the prepared food on the table. Then, he took out two ginseng fruits and divided them into six equal portions.

"This is a ginseng fruit given to me by Zhenyuan Daxian. You should all try it."

After saying that, he picked up a piece of ginseng fruit and put it in his mouth. Instantly, a sweet juice filled his taste buds. After enjoying it for a moment, he looked at the silent crowd and asked, "Eat! Why aren't you eating?"

The group exchanged glances and lowered their heads, instantly making Jiang Feng feel uneasy: "Wait, you didn't steal the ginseng fruit, did you?"

The heads of the group drooped even lower, and Bai Suzhen almost buried her face in her chest.

Jiang Feng glanced at Bai Suzhen, his eyes widening as he exclaimed, "Little Bai, you stole some too?"

Bai Suzhen raised her face with a wry smile: "Hmm!"

Jiang Feng:

'

Xin herself accepted the ginseng fruit, and Qingfeng and Mingyue didn't embezzle it either, so why did this group still steal the ginseng fruit?