Chapter 130: King Zhou Arrives Bearing Good News-At This Moment, All of Humanity Believes I Am an Immortal Cultivator(The river of sorrow flows endlessly westward.)

Ginseng fruit?

When she first laid eyes on it, Gu Ruyan thought she was dreaming. The ginseng fruit before her was not some artificial product sold in a supermarket fruit aisle, but the real, authentic article. Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it, even if her life depended on it.

"Master, what is your assessment of the value of this ginseng fruit?" Gu Ruyan asked cautiously.

It was an object not of this mortal world—a rare treasure indeed. Recalling how the auction of the previous night-luminescent pearl had caused a sensation throughout the entire city, this ginseng fruit seemed to far exceed even that in value. The Master truly had a magnificent hand! She wondered where he had obtained such a supreme treasure of the world. After asking the question, her heart surged with intense emotion.

Chu Xiaoyu took a sip of tea before replying in a calm, indifferent tone, "How should I put it? This ginseng fruit doesn’t have much practical use for me, but for an ordinary person—even someone old and on the verge of death—if they were to eat this, it would surely extend their life by three to five years without any problem."

*Gasp!*

It was truly an extraordinary item of this world. To extend the life of a dying person by three to five years just by eating it? The thought made Gu Ruyan shiver. "M-Master, if that is the case, then surely the starting bid for this ginseng fruit will be no less than one hundred million?"

A starting bid of at least one hundred million—it would be absolutely unparalleled globally.

Chu Xiaoyu nodded. "You could say that."

"Understood, Master. Ruyan knows what to do."

Such a precious treasure could not be found a second time anywhere in the world. Gu Ruyan carefully put the ginseng fruit away and took her leave.

After Sun Wukong had finished scavenging, the various foods stuffed into his universe bag were enough to last them a month or two without any issue. It had to be said that Sun Wukong, as a disciple, was never polite when it came to scavenging from Chu Xiaoyu, the Immortal Venerable.

***

In the backyard, Sun Wukong was chatting with Su Daji.

"Little Sister Daji, let me ask you, how has the Immortal Venerable been feeling lately?" Sun Wukong asked casually while gnawing on a fruit.

Su Daji’s face showed a hint of confusion. "Er... I don't know why you ask, Senior Brother?"

Sun Wukong waved his hand. "It’s nothing really, just... sigh, how should I put it? I presented the ginseng fruit gifted by Zhenyuanzi to the Immortal Venerable, but his reaction... he wasn't surprised at all. It was all very lukewarm."

"A ginseng fruit? That’s like a celestial fruit, isn't it? If we demon beasts ate it, we would surely be able to transform into human form," Su Daji said, looking envious.

Sun Wukong nodded, excited. "Exactly! This ginseng fruit does indeed have that effect. Not to mention demon beasts being able to transform, even immortals who eat it can increase their cultivation."

So why did the Immortal Venerable act so indifferent when he offered it? That was the source of the Monkey King's confusion. He did not realize that Chu Xiaoyu’s current state of mind was no longer that of a "salted fish." As his state of mind improved, so did his vision. It was merely a single ginseng fruit; Chu Xiaoyu was not about to act like a madman over it.

"The Master’s mood lately... I think it’s fine, though he seems to have something on his mind." Su Daji tried hard to recall. "He seems a bit down recently."

"Sigh, perhaps the Immortal Venerable is worried about Ashan and Fatty Niu. Never mind, when I have some free time, I will go check on them." Ever since they parted ways last time, it seemed they had completely lost all contact with Ashan and Fatty Niu.

As the purple mist rose more intensely, the gate to the Immortal World of the Journey to the West, belonging to Sun Wukong, was opened...

Just as Sun Wukong stepped into that gate, another gate to the Immortal World was opened as well...

King Zhou, Su Hu, Bi Gan, and others appeared in the manor one by one.

"Master, great news..."

King Zhou and the others walked into the main hall as if they were very familiar with the place. People are always in high spirits when they hear good news.

"You’re all here? Seeing how radiant you all look, I assume something happy has happened?" Chu Xiaoyu asked casually.

***

These ancients were truly sincere; whenever something happy or unhappy happened, their emotions were written all over their faces.

"Master, you don't know yet? Haha... this is wonderful news. The Kingdom of Wusang invaded our Great Shang with an army of 100,000, coming in with great momentum..."

"Master, why don't you guess what happened?"

Chu Xiaoyu smiled slightly. "Looking at how excited you all are, I don't think there's any need to guess. I assume you won a very impressive victory?"

Su Hu couldn't help but nod. "The Master is absolutely right. Master, if it weren't for your suggestion regarding gunpowder and the formula list you gave us, then this 100,000-strong army from Wusang... Master, do you know? We defeated their 100,000 soldiers with only 3,000 of our own..."

"All 100,000 enemy soldiers were wiped out, not a single one left."

"3,000 soldiers slaughtered 100,000 enemies? Er... it seems your grenade development was quite successful."

Gunpowder as an assist? For their ancient cold-weapon warfare, it was undoubtedly a supreme weapon of war. Just imagine, how could mere human flesh resist those powerful gunpowder bombs? A single loud blast would blow them to pieces, leaving nothing behind.

Su Hu continued, "At first, we never imagined the destructive power of those grenades would be so terrifying. After this battle, we all understand the horror of this gunpowder."

"Master, thank you so much!"

At the height of their excitement, King Zhou, Su Hu, Bi Gan, and the others all stood up and bowed to Chu Xiaoyu.

Chu Xiaoyu smiled calmly and waved his hand at them. "That's enough, everyone sit down."

After they were all seated, Chu Xiaoyu continued, "This is only the beginning. However, after such a battle, it should be enough to shock the surrounding nations. But based on your current research and technology, it’s still a bit weak."

Hearing this, Su Hu immediately asked in confusion, "Master, according to what you say, could it be that you have further improvements for the grenades?"

Chu Xiaoyu nodded. "Well, you could say that. Have you thought about the drawbacks of the grenades? To say nothing of the long-range issue, just consider how they get damp on rainy days. Most importantly, they can only be used in close-quarters combat. If you need distance... even if you try your hardest, the range is probably only a few hundred yards, right? And that’s being very conservative."

The eyes of King Zhou and the others lit up. The Master clearly had more to say.