Chapter 129: The Monkey King Offers the Ginseng Fruit

Ji Fa’s expression flickered for a moment before he immediately asked, "Elder Jiang, before I answer your question, can you tell me truthfully whether your appearance here today was intentional or accidental? That is my first question."

"The second question will only take effect after you answer the first. Why did you choose me? Why not my father, or my eldest brother, Bo Yikao, who is so learned and refined?"

"Ha ha... Second Young Master, you have posed these two questions very well; they are linked and complementary. Truly brilliant."

Jiang Ziya stroked his long beard, took a deep breath, and began to speak in a leisurely manner: "Second Young Master, if I were to tell you that what is intentional is actually unintentional, and what is unintentional is actually intentional, you would see that nothing in this world is absolute."

"Jiang Taigong fishes; those who are willing take the bait."

"Second Young Master, there is no need for you to rush to answer my question. Let us do this: I will give you three days. Three days from now, at high noon, we shall meet again at our old spot."

Having said this, Jiang Ziya transformed into a gust of wind.

As the wind dissipated, he vanished along with it.

Ji Fa stared at the trail of the departing gale, his thoughts sinking into deep contemplation.

***

At the farm.

Sun Wukong let out a sudden shout, "Immortal Venerable, great news!"

Sun Wukong hurried over, reached into his Qiankun bag, and pulled out a fruit that looked like a doll.

He respectfully presented it to Chu Xiaoyu: "Immortal Venerable, this is a Ginseng Fruit. I begged it from that old bull-nosed Taoist, Zhenyuanzi. I offer it to you, Master; please accept it with a smile."

More than a month had passed since the monkey last presented a flat peach, and now he had brought a Ginseng Fruit.

The monkey knew how to conduct himself, was tactful, and understood the bigger picture—his hard work in teaching the monkey had not been in vain.

Chu Xiaoyu picked up the Ginseng Fruit, examined it closely, and remarked, "Hm... so this is Zhenyuanzi’s Ginseng Fruit? It looks about the same as the ones sold outside."

Uh... about the same? That was a massive understatement.

Sun Wukong had no idea what the Ginseng Fruits in outside supermarkets looked like, or what would happen if one ate them.

But this fruit was no ordinary item; for a common person, eating it would prolong their life, and if they were lucky enough to achieve enlightenment, cultivating immortality would be no problem at all.

"Immortal Venerable, this fruit is not ordinary. You should eat it; perhaps it will even improve your cultivation," Sun Wukong said, looking at Chu Xiaoyu with eyes full of anticipation.

Chu Xiaoyu chuckled, "Alright, alright, I appreciate your filial piety, Monkey. Oh, by the way, there is something I want to ask you."

"Hehe, please speak, Immortal Venerable."

Sun Wukong stood up, went to the refrigerator in the main hall, opened a soda, and downed it in a few gulps.

Then, he opened a second bottle.

Hey!

Looking at this monkey’s brazen behavior, he really treated this farm like his own home. Whenever the monkey came to "forage," he was never polite.

Chu Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes slightly: "I want to ask you, are A-Shan and Fatty Niu doing well? Did something happen to them? How is it that they have both lost contact this time?"

What surprised Chu Xiaoyu most was that even after activating his "Divine Eye," which had scoured every inch of the Journey to the West world, he could not track the traces of A-Shan and Fatty Niu.

Chu Xiaoyu was extremely puzzled.

To be able to hide from his "Divine Eye," there could only be one conclusion: they were using some powerful magical artifact to evade his search.

"Immortal Venerable, I haven’t seen A-Shan or Fatty Niu for a long time either. I’ve been so busy with tasks... Tell you what, when I head back this time, I’ll make some time to check on them and see what’s happened."

"Fine, that will have to do."

Damn it!

Could that Fatty Niu have secretly abducted A-Shan to be his wife?

That absolutely could not happen!

A-Shan, that little loli, was so cute and lovable—how could she be snatched away to be someone else's wife?

The thought made Chu Xiaoyu’s heart ache.

Taking advantage of Chu Xiaoyu’s distraction, the monkey slipped away, seemingly to restock his Qiankun bag.

Chu Xiaoyu was pondering how to deal with the Ginseng Fruit.

He had eaten the Queen Mother’s 9,000-year flat peach last time, but his body hadn't changed much, which left him feeling a bit discouraged.

That was a peach that took 9,000 years to ripen! Surely an ordinary person would ascend to become a Buddha after eating one?

But after he ate it?

Uh... he seemed to have had diarrhea a few times. Such a treasure, truly wasted on him.

"Sigh, maybe I should just auction it off?"

Looking at the Ginseng Fruit in his hand, Chu Xiaoyu made a decision and dialed the Gu family...

***

Gu Ruyan rushed over in her car.

Because the Gu family had the care of Chu Xiaoyu, the "Master," they were now only a step away from being on equal footing with the top-tier Su family.

After the last two auctions, the Gu family was no longer what it used to be.

Anything produced by the Gu family was guaranteed to be extraordinary.

The Luminous Pearl auction that had rocked the entire Divine Continent had featured a treasure from the Gu family.

The family had risen to fame precisely because of that auction.

Rare treasures were things everyone longed to possess.

And so, upon receiving Chu Xiaoyu’s call, Gu Ruyan dared not be the slightest bit negligent and hurried over.

Upon arriving at the farm, Gu Ruyan noticed the man opening the door looked familiar. When she walked closer, she couldn't help but gasp.

She stood stunned, stuttering, "Are you... Mr. Yan Beigui, the number one swordsman who is famous throughout Yanjing?"

But how could the number one swordsman of Yanjing appear in this small farm, doing menial labor like a waiter?

"I am... Yan Beigui, but I am no longer a swordsman."

After opening the door, Yan Beigui closed it behind her.

Gu Ruyan, who had stepped out of the car, stared at Yan Beigui with a blank, incredulous expression: "Mr. Yan... it really is you? But how could you..."

"The past is like smoke; it’s not worth mentioning. You are here to see the Master, aren't you? He is in the Elegant Hall. Go on."

As Yan Beigui spoke, he picked up two water buckets and went back to watering the flowers and plants in the backyard.

The number one swordsman of Yanjing had become a farmhand?

Well, her mind was struggling to keep up.

Shaking off her shock, Gu Ruyan hurried toward the Elegant Hall.

She could not afford to keep the Master waiting; even sacrificing her entire Gu family wouldn't be enough to appease him.