Chapter 2003: Master Chen's Sorrow

It must be said that this Master Chen was a rather decent person; the vegetarian meal he prepared was very delicious, and the basin of fire under the table was not only warming their feet but also their hearts.

The group had traveled west to this point, but most wealthy households had airs about them; generally, if they were not Buddhist believers, they would not take in monks.

Yet this Master Chen treated them with great hospitality.

Marshal Tianpeng held a steamed bun in his left hand and chopsticks in his right, grabbing a large mouthful of shredded pumpkin and stuffing it into his mouth; he ate until his mouth was oily, enjoying himself immensely.

Sun Wukong, however, had no appetite; he merely tore off a small piece of the bun, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

Sun Wukong discovered something extremely strange: although this household seemed to have everything one could want and the couple was harmonious and kind-hearted, whenever they sat to the side, they would unconsciously sigh softly, their brows and faces filled with sorrow.

Sun Wukong put down the bun in his hand, looked at Master Chen, and said, "Master Chen, have you encountered some difficulty? Feel free to speak."

"I, Old Sun, dare not claim much else, but I believe that whatever trouble you have, I can certainly help you solve it."

Master Chen was startled, looked at Sun Wukong, and then his expression returned to one of sorrow as he said, "This little master, my trouble is something you cannot solve."

When he said this, Sun Wukong became even more puzzled. Sun Wukong had never felt that there was any trouble in this world that he could not solve.

Just as Sun Wukong was about to ask, he saw two children run into the living room.

These two children looked extremely cute—one boy and one girl—who appeared to be twins, carved from pink jade, looking to be only seven or eight years old.

"Daddy, Mommy!"

The two children called out crisply and then threw themselves into the arms of Master Chen and Mistress Chen respectively.

The appearance of these two children also caught the attention of the travelers; firstly, the children were indeed too cute, and secondly, Master Chen and Mistress Chen were both over sixty, yet the children were so young.

Mistress Chen held the little girl, her eyes filled with boundless love, and said, "My darlings—"

Her eyes held endless affection, but soon, her nose soured, and two lines of tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

The little girl, with an innocent look, tilted her head to look at Mistress Chen and spoke.

This scene completely aroused Sun Wukong's suspicion. He said, "Master Chen, what kind of difficulty has your family encountered? Just say it out; I will definitely help you solve it."

Master Chen, holding the little boy in his arms, stared blankly at Sun Wukong, let out a long sigh, and said, "We call this place Chen Family Village because all the families are surnamed Chen, but it was not easy for our Chen clan to move here. There are frequent droughts and floods."

"Until three years ago, a King Linggan came to the Tongtian River. He helped us pray for rain and helped us manage the floods."

Upon hearing this, Fahai frowned slightly and continued to listen to Master Chen.

"This King Linggan has boundless magic power. The peace and prosperity of our water and soil here all depend on him to maintain."

"But King Linggan has a condition: our Chen Family Village must offer him a pair of young children every year. I, Chen, had children late in life, and I cherish these two little ones dearly."

"This year, King Linggan sent a priest to draw lots, and it happened to fall upon my family. So this year, my two children must be offered to him."

General Juan Lian heard this, his eyes filled with confusion, and he said, "Then do you know what this King Linggan wants with the young children offered to him?"

Master Chen pondered for a moment and said, "I do not know, but King Linggan said that these young children go down into the Tongtian River to become acolytes who invoke his spiritual power."

"Hmph! A pack of lies!" Sun Wukong interrupted him immediately, saying angrily, "This is just a demon, let alone a King Linggan, he even calls himself a River God. These children, after being offered, are all going to be eaten by him."

Hearing this, Master Chen was extremely shocked. He looked at Sun Wukong and said, "Is that really so?" ===== CHAPTER 2005 =====