“Let’s go in and have a look.”
Ming Yue urged the others.
Yuan Hou strode over and attempted to push the door open.
As he had been practicing the Ultimate Yin and Yang Cultivation Method, it could be said that his strength was as mighty as a deity’s. He could easily remove mountains. And his physical power was second only to Li Mu’s. However, even though Yuan Hou spared no effort and tried several ways to push the door, it still stood motionless.
“I can’t open it. This door has been sealed by magic.” Yuan Hou shook his head despondently after finding out that he could not force it open.
“Ah? Brother Monkey, what’s wrong with you?” Ming Yue teased with a grin. “Let me have a try then.”
She unceremoniously put her tender hand on the door.
Perhaps there was a moment of a daze. The other three thought they had seen a faint layer of bright ripples float across the place when Ming Yue’s fair and smooth hand touched the gate of Five Villages Temple.
Squeak!
The door swung open automatically.
“What?” Yuan Hou’s eyes nearly dropped out of the sockets.
Ming Yue rejoiced at that. She proudly turned back and gloated, “Brother Monkey, you are not strong enough. It only takes a gentle push to open the door opens.”
Qing Feng, however, sank into deep thinking.
The group of four then entered through the gate. The wings in the front yard of the manor were well-kempt, all of which were brick and tile buildings that appeared to be a few decades old. Down the path, they saw vegetable gardens, orchards, and farming plots, which were all very neat and tidy. Dozens of water wells were scattered in the fields. The place looked full of life.
“This is a Taoist temple. And it must have been popular for quite a period.”
Qing Feng looked around and made a judgment in his head.
The layout of the manor was in harmony with the rules of geomancy. Even a well or a tile-roofed house there carried extra meanings other than just being built on their spots. After surveying the whole yard, Qing Feng felt that he was immersed in some mysterious energy.
“Why do I think I’ve known this place?” Ming Yue observed the inside of the manor and asked in bewilderment, “Brother Qing Feng, don’t you feel the same way?”
Qing Feng nodded. “As if I’ve visited this place in my dreams.”
Ming Yue yelled in surprise, “Yeah, yeah, I also feel like I’ve dreamed of some sceneries here, which is really weird.”
Yuan Hou did not comment on that.
But deep down, he felt a hint of affection for this place, and the style and layout of the surrounding buildings made him quite at ease.
Yet, Wang Shiyu did not notice that much.
She had been searching in her mind for the description of the Five Villages Temple in the old version of the Journey to the West she had read, hoping to prove that the manor she was in was truly the one in that novel to locate the ginseng fruit tree.
Along their way into the manor, they saw silence rooms, elixir rooms, meditation rooms, and so on. The decoration of those rooms was quiet and beautiful. The rooms were very clean, free of dust or spider webs, as though someone cleaned them every day.
But by far, they did not encounter anyone.
The bookshelves in those elixir rooms and meditation rooms were all empty.
The entire Five Villages Temple was deserted. No traces of man or living creatures were found but empty houses.
There were row upon row of houses, which contained about several hundred rooms.
The Taoist Hall at the center was quite magnificent. It had seven floors. On the wall of the main hall engraved two large characters— “Heaven” and “Earth”. The writing had faded. It seemed that the hall was used for burning incense. Though there was an incense burner, it contained no burning incense but half burner of white ash, which was still emitting a slight fragrance.
Sitting in the wheelchair, Qing Feng examined the incense burner for a moment, and an idea struck him. He said to Ming Yue, “You take this incense burner, and don’t get rid of the incense ash in it. I reckon it might be useful one day.”
Ming Yue cantered forward, picked up the incense burner, and observed carefully.
It was a two-handled three-legged incense burner made of bronze. It had a long-lasting appearance. Its gold color bore no oxidized green rust. It was in a simple but beautiful shape. And there was an inscription on its body, though she did not know who left the inscription there. Ming Yue weighed the incense burner in her hand and reckoned that it must weigh several hundred pounds.
“Let’s go.” Qing Feng called. He had scrutinized the hall and found no other noteworthy object.
Wang Shiyu stood gazing at the word “Heaven” and “Earth” on the wall. She could not suppress her excitement because according to the novel of the Journey to the West, Zhen Yuanzi’s Five Villages Temple only worshipped two objects— “Heaven” and “Earth”. The attendant in that temple once mentioned that other than “Heaven” and “Earth”, no other thing could afford to be worshiped by his master.
By that time, Wang Shiyu had ascertained that the manor was definitely the Five Villages Temple of Immortal Zhenyuan.
“Then, where is the ginseng fruit tree?”
The four walked out of the hall and headed for the backyard.
A while later, they came to an orchard. Even though the orchard was encircled by walls, they still smelled the bursts of exotic fragrance. And waves of invisible vitality had penetrated the wall, dying the surroundings lavishly green.
They pushed the door open and went in.
A giant tree that was tens of meters high appeared in front of the four people.
The giant tree was extremely luxuriant. The thick twigs stretched far. The trunk would take about 10 people to get their arms around, which branched out extravagantly. The bark was in a rough, ancient-looking white. Moreover, rising seven or eight meters from the ground were only stark branches but no leaves. Eight meters upwards, sparse leaves could be seen.
Each leaf was the size of a palm. Like the finest jade product in the world, the leaves were exuding green brilliance and swaying slightly, which were exceedingly shining and splendid.
At the very top of the giant tree hang four pink fruits.
Ming Yue caught sight of the fruits and was flabbergast. She leaped backward and shrieked, “Holy cow! This is not good. Several babies are hanging on the tree. Is this tree a demon that feeds on babies?”
Yuan Hou was aghast, too. He hastily pulled back the wheelchair and withdrew a few steps.
Each of those pink babies was alive, like newborns. They all wore a smile on their faces. Glued to a branch on their backs, they hung precariously at the end of the branches, which looked as if the branches had pierced through their backs and lifted them in midair.
“No, that’s fruits, not babies.” Qing Feng was the only one who was best at remaining composed. He remarked, “The fruits grow on the tree. This is too odd. Why have the fruits of this tree assume the form of a human baby?”
At that point, Wang Shiyu began to step toward the giant tree.
With shock, excitement, and a dreamy smile on her face, she headed for the tree as if intoxicated.
“Sister, be careful! This demonic tree…” Ming Yue quickly warned her, trying to pull her back.
Wang Shiyu looked back and laughed. She corrected, “This is not a demonic tree. This is the ginseng fruit tree, a peerless treasure between heaven and earth… Turns out that everything in the legend is true, and everything in the Journey to the West is real.”
Her voice was a little trembling.
“Ginseng fruit tree? Sister, you know the origins of this tree?” Ming Yue asked in surprise.
Wang Shiyu nodded. “The ginseng fruit tree is the most precious divine tree on the earth, which is also called the spiritual root of heaven and earth. How could it be a demonic tree?”
“Ginseng fruit tree?” Qing Feng’s eyes lit up. He inquired, “Your Highness knows the story about this tree?” He was aware that if Wang Shiyu knew the name of the tree, she might also know how it came into being.
Wang Shiyu nodded with a smile, and then explained, “Yeah, I do. This Five Villages Temple once was the home to a powerful man who was known as Immortal Zhenyuan, the ancestor of the earth immortals. This tree is his treasure. It blooms once 3,000 years and bears fruits once 3,000 years, and it costs another 3,000 years for the fruits to ripe. So, in 10,000 years, it can only produce 36 fruits. Such precious fruits are only provided to the deities in heaven and the immortals on the earth. This kind of fruit has incredible powers. Even the mortal can live to 360 years old if he sniffs the fragrant fruit. He will live to 47,000 years old if he eats one. So, you tell me, how precious the fruits are?”
The other three went dumbfounded at her remark.
They had never heard of such a wonderful tree and miraculous fruit.
“There is really such a precious thing between heaven and earth?”
“Even an expert in the Void-breaking Realm can’t live for 47,000 years!”
The longer one lived, the more hope and chances he possessed. For that reason, immortality had been the dream of every martial art practitioner and devil since ancient times. If a man could live for 47,000 years, he would practically be immortal.
Ming Yue swallowed. Then, she said, “The fruits look quite delicious.”
“How does Your Highness know this secret?” Qing Feng inquired with curiosity.
As Wang Shiyu could not practice martial arts, nor had she studied any, she was supposed to be blind to the wonders of that tree. And the secret book collections of the Northern Song’s royal family were also unlikely to have records about that tree.
“If Brother Mu is here, he will recognize the tree as well.” Wang Shiyu did not go into detail but veered the conversation in another direction. “Look, there are four ginseng fruits on this tree! They are bright-colored and exude an exotic fragrance. That means the fruits are ripe. Today, the four of us happen to come here. It may imply that the opportunity for the four of us has arrived.”
The dream of immortality was just about to be realized.
“It’s a pity that Young Master is not here with us.” Ming Yue muttered.
Qing Feng smiled knowingly and said, “I’ll save my share for Young Master.”
Yuan Hou’s throat was trembling with yearning. He kept swallowing, but his mouth was still dry and scorched. Despite that, he declared, “Don’t be. I’ll leave mine to the owner.”
Ming Yue said, “You two already start to play the decline out of modesty before we even pick the fruits. Never mind, I’ll save mine for Young Master. My strength is already strong enough anyway, haha…”
Their attitude took Wang Shiyu by surprise.
Facing such a temptation, the two kids and a monkey were able to overcome the greed in their hearts, which really moved her.
Then, Yuan Hou cast his moving method, hopped onto the treetop, and raised a hand to pick the fruits.
Yet, something strange happened.
Yuan Hou’s palm clearly reached a ginseng fruit, but he could not catch it, as if the fruit was just a shadow, not a real thing. Yuan Hou tried it dozens of times in a row, but he failed to pick any of the fruits.
“What’s the matter? Is this an illusive tactical deployment?” Yuan Hou jumped out of the treetops, completely puzzled.
Ming Yue and Qing Feng were also perplexed.
“Ah, I know why! You wait here for me.” Wang Shiyu suddenly came around. She wheeled around and pelted out of the orchard. It seemed that she was out to look for something.
After a while, she sprinted back in excitement.
“With this, you can knock the fruits off,” she said, brandishing a small golden stick. It was about two and a half inches long, one end shaped as garlic, the other end bearing a small hole. A red string was tied to that hole. Then, she added, “A ginseng fruit withers in contact with wood, melts in contact with water, gets burnt in contact with fire, disappears in contact with the earth, and falls in contact with gold. You’ve got to use this Golden Striker to knock the fruits off from the tree.”
Golden Striker?
Qing Feng and the other two came to realize that Wang Shiyu just rushed out of the orchard to look for that Golden Striker.
“But, how come she knows so much about this tree?”
Yuan Hou took over the Golden Striker, jumped onto the tree, and tapped it against the fruits. Sure enough, the ginseng fruits began to fall as if they had fully ripened. Ming Yue, who was standing right under the tree, quickly held out a layer of her dress to catch them.
Soon, all four ginseng fruits fell into Ming Yue’s makeshift pocket.
“This kind of fruit cannot be preserved for a long time. It must be consumed as soon as possible, otherwise, it will dissolve. That would be a huge waste.” Wang Shiyu reminded them.
“Ah?” The other three were all a little stunned at that information.
“In this case, it would be impossible to save one for Li Mu, wouldn’t it?”
Wang Shiyu remarked again, “Once getting into the Tomb of the God of Sin, we each have our own opportunities. Maybe Brother Mu has other better opportunities awaits him. There is nothing we can change now.”
Ming Yue looked down at the four ginseng fruit to find that the fruits have turned a little crimson, as though they were ripe. Perhaps after a while, they would start rotting.
The four had a short discussion and still could not figure out a way to preserve those fruits. In the end, they each took one.
Ming Yue, Qing Feng, and Yuan Hou all looked exultant. Such magical fruits were the treasures of heaven and earth. Eating one of them would allow them to be immortal. What kind of golden opportunity it was! How could they not be excited?
Holding a ginseng fruit in both hands, Wang Shiyu was also enraptured. It felt like a dream. A legend had become reality. When she was a kid, she watched television drama of the Journey to the West almost every day. She saw the ginseng fruit dozens of times on the screen. But to her intense surprise, one day, she really had an opportunity to eat one ginseng fruit.
“Once eating this fruit, I’ll break through my natal tackles and start practicing martial arts, won’t I? I’ll be able to go side by side with Brother Mu and travel around the world together. Once eating this, I will no longer be his burden!”
Harboring her most beautiful and purest wish, she opened her mouth and bit at the ginseng fruit in her hand…
However, just then something absurd occurred.
The ginseng fruit in her hand suddenly sprang to life. It began struggling with its hands and feet, and abruptly placed a hard kick on Wang Shiyu’s wrist and broke free from her grip…
