In Wuzhuang Temple, Zhen Yuanzi stood there for a long time looking at the seventeen human-shaped seeds on the table.
Finally, he took a deep breath: "Are you going to let him go like this?"
Xue Tianqing nodded: "I don't have any deep grudge against him, so why do I have to take his life?"
"Then what are you going to do next?"
Xue Tianqing smiled: "I can't afford to pay for the ginseng fruit. If you think this is not enough, then you can do it yourself. The worst is that our master and disciple will leave our lives here and go to the West in the next life."
Zhen Yuanzi shook his head and said: "The fruit will grow again after some time, as long as it doesn't wander outside."
Hearing this, Xue Tianqing frowned.
He was about to ask, but he heard Zhen Yuanzi say: "Have a good rest today, and tomorrow Pindao will practice it for you personally."
After saying that, he bowed his hands to Xue Tianqing and strode away.
At noon the next day, Zhen Yuanzi led his disciples to hold a banquet in the hall and entertained Master Tripitaka and his disciples in person.
In addition to the vegetarian rice, he also ordered someone to take a ginseng fruit and give it to Sanzang's master and disciples to taste.
Seeing that the ginseng fruits on the plate were not much different from those on TV, Xue Tianqing looked at Zhen Yuanzi in confusion.
"This is the ginseng fruit. After the poor Taoist removed the spiritual power that the holy monk could not bear, it became what it is today."
Speaking of this, Zhen Yuanzi showed a slight apology on his face: "The ginseng fruit ripens once every ten thousand years, and only thirty are produced each time. In addition to the accident the day before yesterday, I can only give one to three people. Don't laugh at me." mean."
Then Zhen Yuanzi ordered Qingfeng to cut the ginseng fruit into three parts with a weird knife and bring it to the master and apprentice.
Last night Xue Tianqing had told Sanzang and Bajie about the benefits of eating ginseng fruit, so after seeing this thing today, Sanzang was not afraid, but rather excited.
Xue Tianqing was different. His eyes never left the knife in Qingfeng's hand from beginning to end, because the knife was actually made of plastic!
Seeing Qingfeng preparing to take the knife away, Xue Tianqing smiled: "Xian Chang, what is this knife made of? Why have I never seen it before?"
Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi said to Qingfeng: "Take a look at the immortal sword with the guests."
When Xue Tianqing took the knife, Zhen Yuanzi continued: "The ginseng fruit melts when exposed to water, withers when exposed to wood, falls when exposed to metal, infiltrates when exposed to soil, and burned when exposed to fire, so it is extremely troublesome to eat. Seven hundred years An old friend gave me this thing before, so Wuzhuangguan has a magic knife that can cut ginseng fruit."
Xue Tianqing looked at the plastic knife over and over for a long time, and finally returned it to Qingfeng.
Zhen Yuanzi noticed something strange about Xue Tianqing: "Elder Sun recognizes this thing?"
Xue Tianqing shook his head: "I have never seen it before, so it feels new. Forgive me, Meng Lang. Although the Immortal Chief calls it a fairy sword, I think it may not be as good as an ordinary weapon."
Zhen Yuanzi laughed when he heard this: "That's right. The so-called immortal sword is only for ginseng fruit. I also asked my old friend how to make this sword, but he said that it is an extremely common thing."
"Immortal, who is your old friend's name and where is he now?"
Zhen Yuanzi shook his head: "I have never seen him since we parted seven hundred years ago, and I don't know where he went."
After hearing this, Xue Tianqing felt disappointed, but her face did not change at all.
Then, he raised a glass of plain wine, tapped his lips, and thanked Zhen Yuanzi for his hospitality.
After the banquet, Master Sanzang and his disciples stood up to leave, while Zhen Yuanzi led his disciples to the foot of Wanshou Mountain.
It wasn't until Sanzang and others were no longer visible that Zhen Yuanzi sighed and led his disciples back to the mountain.
At the same time, Xue Tianqing on the way to the west was also looking back at Wanshou Mountain.
Sanzang saw this and asked, "Wukong, is there anything wrong with Wuzhuang Temple?"
Xue Tianqing shook his head and said: "I just feel that this matter is unsolved. Maybe Zhen Yuanzi knows it, but he is unwilling to speak easily."
Seeing Sanzang frowning, Xue Tianqing smiled again: "Zhen Yuanzi is the ancestor of the Earth Immortal. If even he can't solve the problem, what can you and I do. Instead of causing more troubles, it's better to hurry up and leave as soon as possible. "
Sanzang nodded in agreement, then opened his mind and urged his mount to go straight to Lingshan Mountain.
Xue Tianqing asked Bajie to follow him quickly, while he rode the clouds to lead the way.
In the next more than a month, the three masters and disciples traveled thousands of miles, day and night, under the stars and the moon.
While walking that day, I suddenly saw a large river blocking the road. I don't know how far up and down it was, and the other bank was far away in the horizon.
Sanzang reined in his mount and raised his eyes to look into the distance. He couldn't help but secretly admired: What a big river.
But I saw the vast and boundless smoke waves, the sound of water sounding like thunder, and the roaring waves crashing on the shore.
After watching for a long time, Sanzang asked: "Wukong, where is this?"
Unwilling to shout a few times but get no response, when he turned around, he found Xue Tianqing staring at the stone monument by the river in a daze.
At this moment, Bajie also caught up with his luggage: "Master, this river is so wide."
Xue Tianqing finally came to her senses: "Master, it's getting late today, so we'd better find a place to stay overnight."
Seeing Sanzang nodding, Xue Tianqing jumped into the air and saw a village more than ten miles away in the southeast.
So he lowered his head and told Bajie to take Sanzang to stay overnight, and he would come later.
After the two left, Xue Tianqing came to the stone tablet again and stared at the writing on it in a daze: Eight hundred quicksand world, three thousand weak water depth, goose feathers cannot float, and reed flowers sink to the bottom!
After a long time, Xue Tianqing couldn't help but touch his chin: Why is the Liusha River here? Wuzhuang Temple has been passed, so why is the Liusha River here?
General Shulian just returned to Heaven not long ago. Could it be that he was demoted here just a few months ago?
Just when Xue Tianqing was confused, Bajie's voice came from far away: "Senior brother, go back to the donor's house to rest first. I'm afraid it won't be possible to cross the Liusha River for a while."
"How to say?"
"Let's go back to the donor's house and talk about it."
The village that Xue Tianqing saw just now is called Zuojiazhuang, and 90% of the residents in the village have the surname Zuo.
Now Sanzang is staying at the owner's house. It is said that this person is the most charitable person within dozens of miles.
When Xue Tianqing arrived, the owner of the village was chatting with Sanzang. He was extremely fascinated by the anecdotes from the outside world.
The young and old of the Zuo family were preparing a vegetarian meal for the three of them. After seeing Xue Tianqing and Bajie, they all greeted them warmly.
Seeing Xue Tianqing entering the house, the owner of the village quickly stood up and saluted, saying that he had seen the elder.
Xue Tianqing touched her hair, and then showed a hint of helplessness: Do she look like a monk that much?
When everyone sat down again, Master Zuo still asked Sanzang to tell what he saw and heard along the way.
After hearing that the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty was difficult to describe in words, he even revealed a desire.
When I was young, my family came in to report that the food was ready and invited the guests to sit down.
The owner stood up and said "please", and then accompanied Master Sanzang and his disciples to the restaurant.
Looking at the table full of dishes, not to mention Sanzang and Bajie, even Xue Tianqing couldn't help but swallow.
Although the sumptuous meal was far beyond imagination, the owner still apologized profusely, saying that the preparation was too hasty and the hospitality was too casual.
The three of them all laughed bitterly when they heard this. If this is called casual, how can it be considered formal?
No wonder Bajie said that he is the most charitable person, and this is absolutely true.
Just now, the owner of the village had been chatting with Sanzang about the customs of the outside world, and Xue Tianqing had no chance to ask about Liusha River.
Now that Sanzang and Bajie started to eat, he expressed the questions in his mind.
The owner of the village sighed softly when he heard this, and then slowly told the origin of Liusha River.
According to the older generation, not only was Liusha River not as wide as it is now, but it was also rich in fish and shrimp.
At that time, the villagers had no one to farm, because as long as they sailed a small boat and cast a few nets, the whole family could eat and drink for a few days.
Even in winter, you can cut through the ice on the river and fish down the river without any worries about eating and drinking.
But no one thought that one night, rolling thunder suddenly sounded in the direction of Liusha River, followed by the earth shaking.
But because everyone was afraid of danger, no one dared to venture out to find out.
It wasn't until everything was normal the next day that someone went out to check, and found that Liusha River had become what it is today.
The Liusha River changed dramatically and the people suffered. No one knew how many people lost their lives overnight.
If Zuojiazhuang hadn't been far enough away from Liusha River, he would certainly not have been able to escape.
Just when everyone was rejoicing that they had escaped with their lives, they discovered that after the great change, not only were there no fish or shrimp in the Liusha River, but also nothing was floating.
Regardless of whether they are people or objects, as long as they enter it, they will fall into the water without leaving a trace.
Seeing that it was no longer possible to feed from the river, everyone could only turn their attention to the surrounding farmland.
Fortunately, the land where Zuojiazhuang is located is fertile and the output is good. Therefore, after overcoming the initial difficulties, the people's lives are better than before.
So I don’t know since when, a legend began to spread in Zuojiazhuang: It is said that the reason why Liusha River became like this is the will of Buddha, in order to allow the people to farm diligently and live a better life.
Because of this, every household in the village began to worship Buddha, and it became a village known far and wide for its charity.
However, after the dramatic changes in the Liusha River, crossing the river became the biggest problem. Except in winter when the water surface is frozen, you can travel freely. At other times, you can only look at the water and sigh.
After listening to the village owner's story, Xue Tianqing frowned: "When did the Liusha River change happen?"
The owner of the village pondered for a while: "Based on time, it should be more than seven hundred years ago."
Xue Tianqing was stunned when he heard this: Since coming down the mountain, this time has appeared too frequently for more than seven hundred years. What happened at that time?
Half an hour later, everyone had finished their fast meal. The owner of the village ordered people to remove the remaining seats and continued chatting with the three of them.
But at this time, his attention turned from Sanzang to Xue Tianqing.
Because from beginning to end, he never touched the dishes or chopsticks.
After hearing that Xue Tianqing could not live with the fireworks of the world, the owner of the village was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized: "Elder Sun turns out to be a god!"
Xue Tianqing waved her hands and said: "The owner of the village is flattering me. I just learned a few magic tricks from an outsider. I can't afford to be called a god."
A trace of disappointment flashed across the village owner's face when he heard this, but then he returned to his original state.
Although Xue Tianqing felt suspicious when she saw this, her appearance remained as usual.
After a while, the owner of the village personally took the three of them to the guest room, then turned and left.
Looking at the village owner's back, Xue Tianqing said without looking back: "Bajie, watch over Master tonight. I'll go outside for a walk."
