Chapter 135: then title translation, then ===GLOSSARY=== then list

135. Chapter 133 Wuzhuang Temple, Great Increase in Strength

When Dapeng returned to the Flowing Sand River, the deputy of Marshal Tianpeng had just left, and the weak water in the Flowing Sand River had already been separated off by the deputy, leaving only the river water.

Ao Mang was also not in the party; hearing Xuanzang say he was preparing to go into rivers and lakes to catch some fish and shrimp and release them into this Flowing Sand River, it wouldn't be long before the people living around the Flowing Sand River could rely on it to live a good life.

The reason Ao Mang and the others were so enthusiastic in helping the nearby villagers was actually also to gain merit, but their doing so was not detestable.

After passing through the Flowing Sand River, the group could be considered to have formally entered the territory of the Western Ox-Heaven Continent.

Wuzhuang Temple.

"Daoist friend, Xuanzang will probably be here before long," Panhuang said with a smile to Zhenyuanzi.

"Panhuang Daoist, you really know how to mooch!" Zhenyuanzi also said with a smile.

"It's just perfect—they're passing by your place; you give them some help and can also gain some merit—why not?" Panhuang said with a smile.

"And what about you, Daoist friend?" Zhenyuanzi asked.

"Since we've met, let's give them a lecture on the Dao to boost their strength." Panhuang said.

"Then this poor Daoist is fortunate." Zhenyuanzi's eyes lit up.

Panhuang is now the only sage in the wilderness; the other sages have been trapped by the Heavenly Dao Hongjun in Chaos, so hoping to hear a sage lecture is basically hopeless.

But Panhuang's words here are still worth looking forward to; he treats his own people well, and if you tell him, he generally won't refuse.

Qingfeng and Mingyue, who were attending Panhuang beside him, also showed excited expressions upon hearing his words; they had once listened to his lecture when he first became a sage, benefiting greatly, and if they heard it again now, their strength would surely improve considerably.

"I don't know if you have fortune, but these two boys of yours certainly do," Panhuang said, looking at Qingfeng and Mingyue with a smile.

"Why don't you kowtow and thank Master Panhuang?" Zhenyuanzi said, hearing Panhuang's words, a smile appearing on his face, then he said to Qingfeng and Mingyue.

"Thank you, Master Panhuang!" Qingfeng and Mingyue hastily made a bow to Panhuang.

"Go scout and see where the pilgrims have gotten to," Zhenyuanzi then said.

"Yes, Master!" Qingfeng and Mingyue nodded, then withdrew from the reception hall.

"Panhuang Daoist, this western journey—are you..."

"Mm!" Panhuang knew what Zhenyuanzi wanted to say and nodded.

"What about Zhunti and Jieyin over there?"

"I'm not even afraid of the Heavenly Dao Hongjun, so what do I have to fear from them?" Panhuang snorted coldly, his words full of contempt for Zhunti and Jieyin.

Hearing Panhuang say that, Zhenyuanzi then realized that the person before him was none other than Panhuang, nicknamed the Little Pangu, who could summon Pangu's true form and could even stand firm against the Heavenly Dao without losing ground; in his eyes, Jieyin and Zhunti were truly not worth much.

Just as they were chatting idly, Qingfeng and Mingyue returned.

"Master, the pilgrims have taken up residence in the town at the foot of Ten Longevity Mountain," Qingfeng said.

Because Panhuang once saved Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun, there is now also a town at the foot of Ten Longevity Mountain, and they are under Zhenyuanzi's protection.

"In that case, they should be able to arrive at Wuzhuang Temple tomorrow," Zhenyuanzi said with a smile.

After the initial witch-demon battle, Zhenyuanzi had moved Ten Longevity Mountain away, but he never expected that after the wilderness was shattered, Ten Longevity Mountain would actually appear on the westward journey's road; this could only be said to be fate.

At the foot of Ten Longevity Mountain, Dapeng was also giving Xuanzang and his party instructions at this moment.

"The place we're going tomorrow is called Wuzhuang Temple; its master is Zhenyuanzi, who was a guest at the Purple Cloud Palace back then and also a close friend of my grandmaster; there is a ginseng fruit tree in his Wuzhuang Temple, and if our attitude improves a bit, we might even get to share a ginseng fruit." Dapeng said this, unconsciously licking his lips.

"Ginseng fruit? What is that?" Sun Wukong asked.

Xuanzang and the Black Bear Spirit also looked curious; although Ao Mang had heard of the ginseng fruit, he had only heard rumors, and as a person of his level, he could neither see nor eat one.

The ginseng fruit is one of the ten great innate spiritual roots; this fruit is also called the Grass-Returning Elixir. It blooms every three thousand years, bears fruit every three thousand years, and takes another three thousand years to ripen. Only after a hundred thousand years can it be eaten; in such a ten-thousand-year span, it yields only thirty fruits. The fruit resembles a child under three years old, with all limbs and facial features complete. If one is fortunate enough to smell that fruit, they will live three hundred sixty years; eating one grants a lifespan of forty-seven thousand years. When I first became a disciple, I was fortunate enough to eat one, and its taste remains unforgettable to this day.

"Will we be able to eat some this time?" the Black Bear Spirit licked his lips.

"Hard to say! Master Zhenyuanzi is still fairly kind, but I can't guarantee whether we'll get to eat the ginseng fruit." Dapeng shook his head.

"If we could eat a single ginseng fruit, this lifetime would be worth it." the Black Bear Spirit said with a smile.

"When we pass by Wuzhuang Temple tomorrow, remember: you must not breach etiquette, or else no one will be able to save you." Seeing the Black Bear Spirit like that, Dapeng hurriedly added, afraid that the foolish one might do something outrageous.

"Don't worry, we know our limits." Xuanzang nodded.

The next day!

The group then set out on the road to Wuzhuang Temple.

Upon entering Ten Longevity Mountain, a surge of spiritual energy rushed forth, astonishing everyone.

"What rich spiritual energy there is in this mountain!" Sun Wukong exclaimed.

The spiritual energy in Ten Longevity Mountain is almost catching up to that of Mount Shouyang.

"Let's go!" Dapeng said to everyone.

Soon they arrived at the mountainside; halfway up, they could faintly see the summit, where a hazy daoist temple stood— that must be Wuzhuang Temple.

"I'll say it again: you must not lose etiquette; even if the Tathagata came here, he would have to be respectful." Dapeng gave everyone another reminder.

Seeing Dapeng remind them again, everyone's esteem for Zhenyuanzi rose another notch.

Dapeng is a disciple of the Ren Sect, and he keeps emphasizing this, which shows that Zhenyuanzi truly is a person who places great importance on etiquette; if etiquette is lacking, something might really go wrong.

After walking a while longer, the group finally arrived at the gate of Wuzhuang Temple.

"The couplet reads: 'Abode of the immortals, eternal life; household of the Dao, longevity equal to heaven.' Sun Wukong, seeing the couplet at the gate of Wuzhuang Temple, couldn't help but recite it."

Upon seeing the couplet, everyone simultaneously sucked in a breath of cold air—this is too grand, isn't it?

But when they thought that Zhenyuanzi was among the first gods after the creation of heaven and also a friend of the sages, they felt that this couplet being placed here was quite fitting.

"You lot must be the pilgrims, right?" Just as Xuanzang and the others were sighing over the couplet at the gate of Wuzhuang Temple, Qingfeng and Mingyue walked out.

"Greetings, two immortal youths." Dapeng smiled and clasped his hands toward them.

"Senior Brother Dapeng, you really are too kind to us; the master is already waiting for you inside." Seeing Dapeng salute them, Qingfeng and Mingyue hastily stepped aside.

Dapeng's salute to them was out of respect for their master Zhenyuanzi's face; if they accepted his salute, they would surely invite disaster later.

"Does Master Zhenyuanzi know we're coming?" Dapeng said, somewhat surprised.

"Please, come in!" Mingyue smiled, nodded, and then gestured for everyone to enter.

Xuanzang and the others bowed and greeted Qingfeng and Mingyue, then walked into the Five Manors Temple.

Upon arriving at the reception hall, the gazes of Sun Wukong, Dapeng, and Yang Jian were instantly drawn to one of the figures.

"Disciple Sun Wukong greets his master!" Sun Wukong went straight to that person and knelt down respectfully.

"Disciple Dapeng greets his grandmaster!"

"Disciple Yang Jian greets his grandmaster!"

Dapeng and Yang Jian also went up to that person and knelt down.

Seeing this, Xuanzang and the others immediately understood; the person before them was none other than the leader of the Ren Sect, the only saint in the Primordial Era, Panhuang.

"Xuanzang greets the saint!" Xuanzang hurriedly bowed to Panhuang, at the same time releasing some of his Buddha power and suppressing his demonic qi to the weakest.

"West Sea Ao Moang greets the saint!" Ao Moang also hurriedly bowed.

Such an existence that even the ancestral forefather of the dragon clan, the Candle Dragon, would have to pay respects; if the old ancestor found out he hadn't paid respects to Panhuang, he'd probably be tossed into the dragon tomb to fend for himself.

"Xiong Pi greets the saint!" Xiong Pi stammered to Panhuang.

Mainly, he had never encountered someone like this before, so his nervousness was inevitable.

"Hahaha, I just said that, they'll ignore this humble daoist after seeing you." At that moment, Zhenyuanzi laughed from the side.

"Oh no! We were only attending to our master and forgot to pay respects to Master Zhenyuanzi the Great Immortal; I don't know if the master will blame us." Upon hearing Zhenyuanzi's laughter, Sun Wukong's heart jolted.

"Come on, come on, pay respects to Master Zhenyuanzi the Great Immortal!" After hearing Zhenyuanzi's laughter, Panhuang gave him a sideways glance, then smiled and said to everyone.

"Pay respects to Master Zhenyuanzi the Great Immortal!" Seeing Panhuang do so, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the saint (master, grandmaster) is not angry; afterward they hurriedly paid respects to Zhenyuanzi.

"Alright, everyone get up!" Zhenyuanzi said with a laugh.

"Sir, the ginseng fruits have been brought back." Just then, Qingfeng and Mingyue walked in.

"Let's go, let's head to the rear hall; today you're fortunate to bask in Panhuang's glory as fellow daoists, otherwise you wouldn't have a chance to eat these ginseng fruits." Zhenyuanzi said with a laugh.

"Ginseng fruit!" Upon hearing those three words, everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

Earlier, when Dapeng was at the foot of Mount Longevity, he had already popularized knowledge about ginseng fruits for them; they had been sighing then, never expecting they could actually eat ginseng fruits now.

Upon arriving at the rear hall, Xuanzang and the others immediately saw the two trays placed on the table—one tray held only four ginseng fruits, the other held six.

Upon seeing the ginseng fruits, they all unconsciously pursed their lips, for a strange fragrance had already reached their noses.

"Qingfeng!" Zhenyuanzi shouted.

Qingfeng immediately lifted the tray holding the six ginseng fruits and came to Xuanzang and the others' side.

"Eat up!" Panhuang said.

"Thank you, Master Zhenyuanzi the Great Immortal, for the fruit!" Dapeng bowed, then took a fruit.

The others followed Dapeng's example, bowed to Zhenyuanzi, and each took a fruit.

After eating the fruit, everyone's faces flushed red, even Dapeng's face showed a slight redness.

"Let's digest first!" Zhenyuanzi said upon seeing them like that.

Everyone clasped their hands, then sat on the futons in the rear hall and began cultivating; the spiritual qi in the ginseng fruit was so pure and abundant that they felt they would burst if they didn't cultivate.

While Xuanzang and the others were cultivating, Panhuang also picked up a life fruit and took a bite.

"It's not as tasty as before; the spiritual qi is somewhat lacking." Panhuang said.

After hearing the grandmaster's words, Dapeng wanted to roll his eyes skyward—"Is the spiritual qi still insufficient? Xuanzang and the others were just about to burst from it, and yet it's still insufficient?" But thinking that the grandmaster is a saint, the spiritual qi might indeed be not enough.

"There's nothing to be done! Previously it was innate spiritual qi, now it's acquired spiritual qi, so I hardly eat these days; in the end, I let the ginseng fruit tree absorb everything on its own." Zhenyuanzi sighed. (End of chapter)