Simon Sun glared, eyes wide with fury. "This is even worse than poisoning!"
The Daoist disciples, prostrated on the floor, slowly raised their heads and gazed silently at Zhenyuan, who sat unmoving in his seat.
After a long pause, one asked softly, "Master, what should we do next? That demon monkey is likely to make trouble. Should we... should we ask the Three Pure Ones for help?"
At these words, Zhenyuan slowly shook his head, stroking his long beard as he replied, "What use is it to seek help from the Three Pure Ones? The moment we met, I already gauged that monkey's strength. Though his Heavenly Dao cultivation is gone, compared to the battle we fought in the Netherworld years ago, his power has only increased. Even if the Three Pure Ones came, they would be helpless. Besides, if they truly intended to intervene, they would have done so already—why wait for Five-Fruits Temple to call for aid?"
"Then what should we do now?"
"Gather all the disciples." Supporting himself on his knees, Zhenyuan rose slowly, facing the wind that drifted in from outside the hall, his expression calm.
...
With a thunderous crash, the two door panels were kicked flying, slamming into the opposite wall and shattering much of the room’s furniture.
Monkey, Marshal Silver, and Prince Adrian burst into Tripitaka’s room.
At that moment, Tripitaka was seated on his couch, studying scripture by candlelight, half a Ginseng Fruit still in his other hand.
Taking a deep breath, Zhenyuan continued, "That demon Simon Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, will soon come looking for me. To avoid dragging you into this, I order you to leave the mountain immediately. No matter what happens to Five-Fruits Temple, you are forbidden to return."
Before he could speak, Monkey darted forward, slapped the Ginseng Fruit from Tripitaka’s hand, and gripped his left wrist, eyes shut as he carefully examined Tripitaka’s pulse. At the same moment, Marshal Silver stepped up and seized Tripitaka’s right wrist.
The two of them held Tripitaka fast, one on each side.
Tripitaka was completely stunned.
"What... what’s happening?"
"Spit out the Ginseng Fruit."
"Huh?"
"Spit it all out!"
After a long while, one quietly murmured, "How is this possible? Master is the Ancestor of the Earth-Immortals—even the Three Pure Ones would show him respect. How could anyone force Master into such a predicament?"
Marshal Silver quickly restrained him, saying, "Spitting it out won’t help. The Ginseng Fruit dissolves instantly—the spiritual energy is already in his body. We need to find another solution."
"Another solution..." Monkey turned and fixed his gaze on Prince Adrian, demanding sharply, "How did you know you had to circulate spiritual power while eating a Ginseng Fruit? Was it just from how you felt afterward?"
Simon Sun, King of Ten Thousand Demons...
"Third Sister?" Monkey's eyes narrowed. "Princess Coral Drake of the Western Sea?"
Prince Adrian nodded nervously. "Years ago, Brother-in-law Erik Yang got a Ginseng Fruit from Zhenyuan for Sister Anna Yang, and he asked for the instructions too. Third Sister heard about it from Anna... I only remembered to ask her via Jade Tablet when I started feeling unwell after eating mine."
Monkey's eye twitched violently. He spat through clenched teeth, "Damn it, Zhenyuan did this on purpose! He gave Erik Yang the instructions, but with us, he just played dumb!"
As he spoke, he slammed his palm down on the nearby round table.
With a deafening crash, the solid wood table exploded into a cloud of splinters, filling the room. Prince Adrian staggered back in fright, and even Barry Bear, who had rushed over at the noise, was left dumbstruck.
Forcing a smile, Prince Adrian tried to reassure him, "Great Sage, you don’t need to be so angry… It’s not a big deal, really. Just move around a bit and it’ll resolve. It’s not like he actually poisoned us."
"That's just how he is. Back in the day, he burned the Moon Tree and countless palaces in Heaven, didn't he? He even killed the Sun Crow once—a legendary solar bird in Chinese mythology. There's nothing he wouldn't dare do."
Tripitaka, meanwhile, still had no idea what was going on.
Monkey glared, eyes wide with fury. "This is even worse than poisoning!"
...
By now, sixty or seventy Daoist disciples from Five-Fruits Temple had gathered in the great hall.
Two disciples worked together to carry a bamboo basket through the crowd, distributing small blue bundles to everyone.
He pressed his lips together and, raising his voice, declared harshly, "That demon Simon Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is not someone you can handle. Even if you stay, it will only lead to needless deaths."
Standing at the head of the hall, Zhenyuan stroked his long beard and sighed lightly. "The elixirs, magical artifacts, and Ginseng Fruits in these bundles are my parting gifts to you. From now on, cultivate diligently and do not disappoint my hopes."
"What’s happened?"
"No idea. Senior Brother just called me over."
"Is Master sending us down the mountain?"
"Great Sage Equal to Heaven, it's really not that serious," Prince Adrian said cautiously from the loft. "It's just a bit of meridian disorder. I managed to fix mine in less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense."
Taking a deep breath, Zhenyuan continued, "That demon monkey will soon come looking for me. To avoid dragging you into this, I order you to leave the mountain immediately. No matter what happens to Five-Fruits Temple, you are forbidden to return."
At these words, even the most clueless disciple realized something serious had happened.
The great hall fell utterly silent.
After a long pause, a voice as thin as a mosquito whispered from the crowd, "If Master sends us away... what will happen to Five-Fruits Temple?"
No one answered.
The only sound left in the hall was the wind whistling through the windows.
The two disciples with the bamboo basket tried to hand out more bundles, but found no one reaching out to take them.
Every disciple stared blankly at Zhenyuan, shock written on their faces.
After a long while, one quietly murmured, "How is this possible? Master is the Ancestor of Earth Immortals—even the Three Pure Ones would show him respect. How could anyone force Master into such a predicament?"
"It was that demon monkey today."
"Who is he, really?"
"Sun Wukong, King of Ten Thousand Demons..."
A deeply pessimistic mood spread rapidly through the hall.
Not everyone present had witnessed the earth-shaking battle six centuries ago, but all had heard tales of it. More importantly, none believed Zhenyuan would ever joke about something so grave.
Gradually, the disciples began to whisper among themselves.
"If we all leave, what will happen to the temple?"
"Maybe it’ll be burned down—along with the Ginseng Fruit tree."
"That’s impossible... The Ginseng Fruit tree is a treasure from Heaven. That demon monkey—"
"That’s just how he is. Back in the day, he burned the Moon Tree and countless palaces in Heaven, didn’t he? He even killed the Sun Crow once. There’s nothing he wouldn’t dare do."
Amid the commotion, one disciple suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud and kowtowed, "A teacher for a day is a father for life. I wish to live and die with the temple! Please, Master, let me stay!"
Before the words had even faded, the surrounding disciples dropped their bundles and knelt, shouting, "We wish to live and die with the temple!"
In moments, the hall was filled with kneeling disciples, all crying and begging Zhenyuan to let them stay.
"Quiet—!"
At his shout, the hall fell silent; everyone stared at Zhenyuan in stunned silence.
He pressed his lips together and, raising his voice, declared harshly, "That demon monkey is not someone you can handle. Even if you stay, it will only lead to needless deaths."
Pointing toward the main doors, Zhenyuan shouted, "Take your bundles and leave the mountain at once! This is my command, and it must be obeyed! If you cannot grasp such a simple truth, then all my years of teaching have been wasted! From now on, do not claim to be disciples of Five-Fruits Temple!"
With that, Zhenyuan swept his sleeve and turned away.
The disciples in the hall were left dumbfounded.
...
"Great Sage, it's really not that serious," Prince Adrian said cautiously from the loft. "It's just a bit of meridian disorder. I managed to fix mine in less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense."