Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Chapter 76, Five Villages Temple: Obtaining Ginseng Fruit

Qingfeng and Mingyue listened with increasing awe, realizing that this Master Jihuazi was indeed a reclusive master whose sect was unfathomable, and they dared not show the slightest disrespect.

Seeing their expressions, Li Fa understood and said, "Now that the matter has been resolved, I will return to my secluded cultivation. Come find me again if you need anything."

The two children replied in unison, "Rest assured, Master, we understand!"

Having said that, he bowed and withdrew to prepare tea and refreshments.

Now, the two boys parted ways with Li Fa and went to the room together. Naturally, they remembered Zhen Yuanzi's instructions to fetch two ginseng fruits for Tang Sanzang to eat.

So one of them took a golden mallet and the other a cinnabar tray, and they put a silk handkerchief under the tray, and went straight to the ginseng garden.

The gentle breeze climbs the tree, using golden mallets to knock down the fruit; the bright moon shines beneath the tree, receiving the fruit with a crimson platter.

After a short while, he knocked down two fruits, placed them on a plate, and went straight to Tang Sanzang's room to offer them, saying, "Master Tang, my Wuzhuang Temple is a remote and desolate place, and we have nothing to offer. Here are two simple fruits as a token of our respect, to quench your thirst."

Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang trembled with fear and kept a distance of three feet, saying, "Excellent! Excellent! This year is also a year of plenty, so why is this temple resorting to cannibalism? This is a child who is not even three days old, how can he quench my thirst?"

Qingfeng thought to himself, "This monk is caught up in all the gossip and disputes, making me, a mere mortal, unable to recognize the extraordinary treasures of my immortals."

Mingyue stepped forward and said, "Teacher, this is called ginseng fruit. It's alright to eat one."

Tang Sanzang said, "Nonsense! Nonsense! His parents suffered countless hardships during his pregnancy, and he was only three days old when he was born. How could you use him as fruit?"

Qingfeng said, "They really grow on trees."

Tang Sanzang said, "Nonsense! Nonsense! Will people grow on this tree? Take it away, you're not fit to be human!"

Seeing that Tang Sanzang refused to eat despite all his efforts, the two boys had no choice but to take the plate and return to their room.

Back in the room, Qingfeng said, "Brother, Tang Sanzang is refusing to eat. What should we do?"

Mingyue said, "It's all because he's only human and can't recognize a rare treasure!"

Qingfeng said, "If he doesn't want to eat it, then he doesn't want to eat it. It's just that my fruit can't be kept for long. If it's left out for too long, it will become stiff and won't be edible."

Mingyue said, "Brother, why don't we eat it?"

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng's eyes lit up. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, "Brother, although Tang Sanzang doesn't eat, doesn't he have an old friend of our teacher in the temple?"

Mingyue asked, "Brother, are you referring to that Extreme Transformation Seed?"

Qingfeng said, "That's right. Since he said he only met Master five hundred years ago, he must not have eaten my fruit before. Why don't we give him the fruit? Firstly, it will do him a favor, and secondly, it will thank him for getting us out of this predicament."

"Either way, it's for Master's old friends to eat; even if Master finds out, he won't blame us. Now that we've entered Master's tutelage, why should we worry about not having fruit to eat in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Mingyue nodded repeatedly and said, "Brother is absolutely right! If Master knew, he would surely praise us for being so polite."

Having made their decision, the two carried the platter of fruit and went straight to the back room to find Li Fa.

At this moment, Li Fa was meditating and regulating his breathing, while Baili Bo stood by his side, dressed as a Taoist boy, with his hands hanging down.

Hearing footsteps outside the door, Li Fa slowly opened his eyes.

Qingfeng and Mingyue pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully and saying, "Please be seated, Master."

Li Fa smiled slightly: "Two celestial attendants, why are you here in my secluded place instead of attending to Tang Sanzang and his disciples in the front?"

Qingfeng stepped forward with the elixir tray, held it in his hands, and said, "Master, you may not know this, but this is the ginseng fruit, the most precious treasure of my Wuzhuang Temple."

It blooms once every three thousand years, bears fruit once every three thousand years, and takes another three thousand years to mature. In ten thousand years, only thirty fruits are produced. Just smelling one grants three hundred and sixty years of life; eating one grants forty-seven thousand years of life.

I just offered it to Elder Tang, but he was blinded by his mortal eyes and mistook it for a child who was not yet three days old. He refused to accept it no matter what.

We remember that you are an old friend of my master, and we were fortunate to have you rescued us from that predicament. Therefore, we offer these two fruits to you as a token of our respect.

Li Fa looked closely and saw that the two ginseng fruits on the plate were shaped like infants, with complete hands and feet, and distinct eyes, ears, mouth and nose. They were indeed the supreme spiritual roots of immortals.

He had long desired this taste, but feigned hesitation, waving his hand and saying, "Alas, no, no. This is a rare treasure from Fellow Daoist Zhenyuan. I am merely a temporary resident of your esteemed temple; how can I presume to consume such a precious gem?"

Mingyue hurriedly said, "Master, you are too modest! Since you are an old friend of my master, you are an honored guest of my Wuzhuang Temple."

These fruits were meant to be served to distinguished guests. If Elder Tang doesn't eat them and they go bad, it would be a waste of their precious resources.

"If you, sir, simply enjoy it, you'll be doing us a favor."

Baili Bo stared in disbelief. He had cultivated for thousands of years, and had never seen such a rare and precious object.

They drooled with desire, but dared not utter a sound.

Seeing their sincere sincerity and after repeated refusals, Li Fa finally pretended to be reluctant and said with a smile, "Since you two celestial children are so kind, it would seem pretentious of me to refuse again. Very well, I will accept it without hesitation and thank you both."

Qingfeng and Mingyue were overjoyed and hurriedly handed over the elixir tray.

Li Fa didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a ginseng fruit, and sure enough, it melted in his mouth, leaving him with a sweet and fragrant taste that was incredibly delightful.

He glanced at Baili Bo, who was drooling beside him, and deliberately said to Qingfeng and Mingyue, "Since there are two of these fruits, it would be a bit much for me to enjoy them all by myself. Why don't you two immortal boys take this one back and share it with yourselves?"

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng and Mingyue admired Li Fa even more. They hadn't expected that this Master Jihuazi was indeed a kind and virtuous person. Since that was the case, they couldn't take it back, otherwise they would appear too petty.

The two boys said, "What are you saying, Master? Since we have brought two of them, they are both for you. How can we take them back? Please accept them."

Upon hearing this, Li Fa smiled and said, "I am deeply grateful for the immortal boy's kindness. However, I cannot enjoy this fruit all by myself."

The two children asked, "What does the Master mean?"

Li Fa said, "This young servant of mine has served me for a long time and is extremely loyal. I wonder if I could give him this one, so that he can also benefit from it?"

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng and Mingyue immediately laughed and said, "What are you saying, Master? It's just a fruit. Eat it without worry!"

Baili Bo was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude. He took the other one and carefully ate it. He felt that his body was stronger and his magic power had improved a lot. He was even more grateful to Li Fa.

Seeing that Li Fa had enjoyed the fruit, the two boys felt a great weight lifted from their hearts. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they took their leave and returned to their front room, and that was not mentioned again.

After the two boys left, Li Fa smiled slightly and said to Baili Bo, "How was it? The treasures of Wuzhuang Temple weren't bad, were they?"

Baili Bo repeatedly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Master! I will never forget it!"

Li Fa waved his hand and said, "Get up. The real show is yet to come. Just remember to always follow my lead and don't step forward on your own."

Baili Bo bowed and said, "This humble servant will heed the Master's decree!"