High above, clouds and mist swirled, layer upon layer of clouds and peaks, stars scattered everywhere, cranes flapped their wings, and two people sat facing each other on the clouds, with a chessboard in front of them.
With countless stars in the sky, the two used the stars as chess pieces, their expressions extremely relaxed, truly embodying a state of carefree bliss.
The delicious steamed buns, exquisite pastries, side dishes and fruits that Xu Milu had just offered were all floating neatly in the clouds, along with several jars of fine wine that looked somewhat familiar.
—It must be the vegetarian wine she brewed for Sun Wukong before. It has a low alcohol content, so even if the Tang Monk drank it, it wouldn't be a problem.
Opposite the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, now the Victorious Fighting Buddha, is a person with a body like a pine tree, black hair and beard, and a face like a beauty. He can be said to be the most "divine" immortal that Xu Milu has ever seen.
As for the other party's identity?
To be able to play chess with the Monkey King, one must be no ordinary person; a little thought is enough to guess what's going on.
"Master."
As soon as Xu Milu landed and the giant hands dissipated, she transformed into human form and obediently knelt on the ground to bow to the two of them:
"Junior Xu Milu pays respects to the Great Immortal."
"snort."
The Taoist priest, with a cold expression, placed a piece on the chessboard:
"That's clever of you."
—He clearly accepted the gift.
The Monkey King, dressed in a loose monk's robe, leaned casually against a cloud that seemed both real and ethereal. He smiled at Xu Milu, his hairy hands tucked into his chest as he scratched his face, displaying his characteristic monkey-like mannerisms.
"Hehe! Hehehe! Good disciple, good disciple, elder brother, you have lost two bets to me, old Sun. Quickly bring out your treasures and let your disciple see them!"
"Brother, what do you mean by that?"
Zhen Yuanzi stroked his beard, holding his long, dark blue whiskers, and said:
"Your disciple is indeed quite extraordinary, managing to kill that old phoenix with his own hands. In my humble opinion, you should be credited as the winner of our bet."
But what about this second bet...?
Xu Milu secretly looked up and winked at Sun Wukong:
So you actually used me to make a bet with someone?
"hey-hey!"
Caught off guard by his disciple, Sun Wukong scratched his face, but still shamelessly said to Zhen Yuanzi:
“My brother once made a bet with my master’s previous incarnation, Jin Chanzi, saying that the vicious sword you forged must be bloodthirsty. The loser had to serve tea to the winner.”
Now that my master has reincarnated nine times and attained Buddhahood, does this old bet still stand? They say 'master and disciple, father and son,' and 'the son pays for the father's debts.' If this bet stands, wouldn't it fall on my shoulders, old Sun Wukong?
After listening to Sun Wukong's words, Zhen Yuanzi turned and stared at Xu Milu for a moment, a knowing glint in his eyes, before laughing heartily:
"Enough, enough! You rascal... I suppose that little brat chose this knife in the Dragon Palace because of your guidance."
That day, I saw that your disciple had some connection with that old phoenix, and I deduced that the old phoenix must have died at her hands. I also saw that she was holding the knife that I had forged, so I agreed to lend her the forging furnace.
Unexpectedly, through twists and turns and by sheer coincidence, they had completely forgotten about this old bet.
Xu Milu suddenly realized.
This bet likely refers to the meeting at Mount Ling in the past, where Jin Chanzi and Zhen Yuanzi made a bet on whether the "Vermilion Bird Yin-Yang Blade" he forged would become an unparalleled weapon of destruction.
However, this sword later flowed into the Dragon Palace and was obtained by her. Unfortunately, this sword was of the fire element and contained the remnant soul of the Vermilion Bird. It was suppressed by Xu Milu's Phoenix True Fire. Even after the broken sword was reforged, it was completely unrecognizable.
Thinking of this, Xu Milu lightly turned her wrist, and a golden-red magic weapon floated in front of her. It was her newly refined natal magic weapon, the Sparrow Bone.
"I hope you know, senior, that I obtained this precious sword through my master's guidance. I have always cherished it carefully since I acquired it, but I never expected that the Two Elements Sword would shatter and become irreparable during my battle with that villain."
After much searching, I gathered the materials to reforge the broken sword. Considering that the Great Immortal and my master were sworn brothers, I traveled a great distance to ask the Great Immortal to lend me the temple's weapon-forging furnace for my master's sake.
"However, I am a junior with limited knowledge and skills, and I am not proficient in weapon crafting. In fact, I have wasted your hard work."
Xu Milu spoke frankly and openly, without hiding anything.
Waste?
You still dare to say it's a waste?
When Zhen Yuanzi saw the frying pan, his vision went black. If he hadn't been so well-mannered and the other party was a junior, he would have already stormed off.
The knife was originally something he obtained by chance while forging weapons. He had put a lot of effort into forging it and thought it would be an unparalleled divine weapon, but he never expected that it would become a murderous blade after being stained with too much human blood.
Now, seeing it again, apart from the remnant soul of the Vermilion Bird, how does it bear any resemblance to the black blade of the past?!
It looks more like a cooking utensil.
Sun Wukong grinned at Xu Milu, who immediately lowered her head, looking down at her nose and appearing innocent and harmless.
Hehe, I've already admitted my mistake, so you can't scold me anymore.
Zhen Yuanzi's expression initially darkened when he saw the frying pan, but upon hearing her honesty and the fact that she had even revealed her innermost thoughts, his expression softened slightly.
"Although he is clumsy and inept, he is honest and filial."
Before you killed that thieving phoenix, did you perform a soul search? I have a ginseng fruit in my Wuzhuang Temple that was created by chance and became a spirit, and it worshipped me as its father.
Unexpectedly, on that day, a thief broke into Wuzhuang Temple and kidnapped my son. That thief possessed some supernatural powers, even able to deceive the heavens. After my return, I performed many divinations, but I still could not find my son's whereabouts.
Xu Milu knew that Lavinia had stolen the ginseng fruit, but she didn't know that the ginseng fruit spirit had this connection with Zhen Yuanzi.
In anime or novels, the protagonist's father in the journey to find his father is either a mastermind or a hidden master.
Her two biological fathers are going around the world trying to find fault with her.
—That ginseng fruit spirit is probably still alive, otherwise Lavinia wouldn't be so weak as to run to the apocalyptic plane to absorb despair to heal her wounds.
"When that thief died, he was burned by the strange fire on my body and finally exploded to his death, without even a chance to be reborn."
Xu Milu shook her head, then added:
"But he left some records before he died. After he stole the ginseng fruit, he stayed in a certain small world for decades. Later, he returned to this place many times. It is likely that he was being hunted down and was unable to refine the ginseng fruit."
"I will be setting off soon, and will pass through that small world along the way. If you trust me, I can search for it for you."
As the saying goes, "One flower, one world; one leaf, one Bodhi," Xu Milu doesn't need to explain to Zhen Yuanzi what a dimensional world is.
It seems that in order to protect its children, the universe has created barriers between each plane, making it difficult for people in each small world to leave their original world.
Even the blow that Sun Wukong delivered was delivered with the help of Xu Milu; he himself could not do it.
Zhen Yuanzi stroked his beard, looking satisfied.
“Yes, if you find my son, you should be given a ginseng fruit.”
"Hehe! Brother is being so generous today."
Sun Wukong grabbed a large steamed bun, took a bite, and his face was full of joy. He then waved to Xu Milu, as if coaxing a child.
"My brother and I haven't finished our game of chess yet, so we're too busy to test you and Chenxiang's studies. You come here—"
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