"Uncle-Master, you truly have keen insight. You saw through my little scheme."
Xu Milu chuckled and held up two fingers:
"Actually, it's nothing major. It's just that I'm hosting a banquet, and this restaurant is a bit too cramped. I'm afraid the guests won't be able to enjoy themselves. I once heard my master mention that my uncle has a treasure called the 'Two Bean Lamp,' which has endless mysteries. When lit, it can conjure up pavilions, towers, and fairylands. Even a small wine cup can hold three thousand guests. I wonder... Hehehe, my uncle, please lend it to me for a moment. I promise to return it as soon as the banquet is over!"
The Cleansing Altar Messenger showed no surprise on his face, only patted his belly and laughed heartily:
"As expected of the little monkey spirit trained by the great monkey spirit! Your master used to have his eyes on your Laozi's magic weapons. Any new and interesting gadgets that got into his monkey paws were guaranteed to never be taken out again!"
As he spoke, he reached into the wide sleeve of his monk's robe and pulled out an oil lamp with an antique color.
The lamp didn't seem particularly special. On the slender handle was a recessed lamp plate containing a golden oil bath with a black wick inside—it looked no different from the lamps used in ordinary households. If there was anything special about it, it was that the lamp plate seemed to be made from the shell of some kind of animal.
"This is nothing special. It was given to me by the God of Fortune after I lost a bet with him. However, I have always found it a bit too feminine, so I have kept it at the bottom of my trunk and only used it a few times."
The Clean Altar Messenger handed the lamp to Xu Milu, laughing and scolding:
“You can take it and use it. If that monkey finds out that I, Old Pig, am not even willing to give my nephew a lamp to play with, he will probably grumble about it for years to come.”
"Really?! Thank you so much, Martial Uncle, for bestowing this treasure!"
Xu Milu was naturally overjoyed. This thing might not be of much use to others, who could only use illusion magic to conjure up some ethereal pavilions and towers, but to her, the two bean lamps were a very useful treasure.
"The monkey's new apprentice may have some legal troubles, but you don't need to worry. Even if the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up. Just do as your master says. Just one thing: you absolutely must not teach that kid any magic techniques."
The Cleansing Altar Messenger's expression turned serious for a moment, then he looked around and winked at Xu Milu:
"Don't say I didn't take care of you, Uncle. This is actually doing a good deed for Erlang Shen. Erlang Shen of the Yang family has lived in Guanjiangkou for a long time and is often at war. His private treasury has far more treasures than mine! Although I can't be sure about his character, I know he is a good man who values loyalty and gratitude. If he wants to thank you in the future, just ask. He can even find the Queen Mother of the West's peaches for you!"
He truly lives up to his reputation as a senior martial uncle!
He instigated her to extort money from Erlang Shen.
That big shot has the strength to go toe-to-toe with Sun Wukong. If she goes to extort money from him, she either doesn't want to live or she wants to die.
Xu Milu was somewhat amused and exasperated, but she still bowed and took the other person's words to heart:
"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle-Master. Master had already instructed me to take good care of my junior brother. Besides, I have spent many days with Chenxiang and have long regarded him as my own younger brother. Therefore, whether out of affection or reason, I should take good care of him."
—Leaving aside the Cleansing Altar Messenger's admonition, just considering Sun Wukong's delay in teaching Chenxiang magic, she had already guessed something:
Chenxiang was not a mortal. He had been drinking the milk of the Third Holy Mother since birth, and his body had a pure energy. In addition, he was born with divine abilities, possessing both human fortune and a fraction of immortal bones. If he were to start cultivating, his cultivation speed would surely be a thousand miles a day, much faster than that of ordinary people.
At that time, Chenxiang will face a tough choice: whether to join the Buddhist order like Sun Wukong or serve in the Heavenly Court like Yang Jian. In short, once he embarks on the path of cultivation, he will not be able to become a carefree immortal like Xu Milu.
It seems that Sun Wukong intended to wait until Chenxiang grew older and made his own choice, which is why he intentionally did not pass on his magic to Chenxiang.
Thinking of this, Xu Milu subtly changed the subject:
"Uncle-Master, please don't sleep. There are still several novel dishes waiting for you to try. They are all vegetarian dishes made to look like meat, and there are also some meat dishes that grow in the ground. I'm not sure whether to put them on the menu yet. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you for a few more days!"
"With wine to drink and food to eat, is there anyone in the world more carefree than me, Old Pig? Humph! Humph, let's drink, let's drink!"
The Clean Altar Messenger seemed to have absorbed little of what he was hearing. He simply waved his hand, then casually lay down on the table, still holding a jar of wine in his hand and chugging it down his throat. He looked remarkably at ease, as if the conversation had been nothing more than a casual remark.
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"laugh!"
Xu Milu snapped her fingers, and a tiny flame, the size of a soybean, flickered on the tip of her index finger. The two-bean lamp that had been left behind was now placed on the table.
Mo Xuan, Chen Xiang, and Dai Zi all lay down on one side, their eyes fixed on the same thing, their faces full of the same curiosity.
"Madam Xu, is this the Two-Bean Lamp? I read about it on a jade slip before. It said that the lamp was made from the shell left behind by a ten-thousand-year-old mirage demon, and the oil inside was the oil that the mirage demon had turned into, so it would never dry out no matter how long it burned—"
My father had one, though his was slightly larger. When it burned, it created a dense fog that could envelop Chang'an. Most remarkably, the two lamps moved according to their owner's will, and the beautiful scenery within the fog was also what the owner saw. My father even used the two lamps to create a Peach Banquet!
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