[Fantasy] Sun Wukong's Seven-Day Holiday (Complete) - 16-18

Chapter 125 Peeping into the Heart

Pigsy chuckled憨厚ly and said, “Eldest Brother, you see the club as a hot potato, but I see it as a golden opportunity! Look at how popular the club is, making a fortune every day. I, Old Pig, can just open my pockets and stuff myself with money! You know I'm famously big-eater, so now I don't have to worry about meals anymore. I can eat and drink to my heart's content and try all the delicious things I've never tasted before! Eldest Brother, I'll share this wealth and glory with you.”

“Fool, wealth and glory are just fleeting clouds, like a mirage, merely a tempting illusion. From what I've seen today, this Century Club appears to be a fighting club, but in reality, it's primarily a gambling den, a veritable casino, a place where filth and corruption reside. Since you've taken over, I suggest you make some reforms,” said Monkey.

“How? Do you have any good ideas, Eldest Brother?” Pigsy asked.

“Of course,” Wukong

said confidently. “Close the casino, expand the fighting club, and establish a large martial arts training base. This will not only improve the health of the people, but you can also earn a considerable income. Why not?”

Bajie clapped his hands and laughed, saying, “Brother, you have such a keen eye! How come I didn’t think of that?”

Wei Xiang hurriedly objected, saying, “Boss Pig, absolutely not! The club’s main profits come from this hotel. If we close the casino, the club might not be able to continue!”

“I don’t think so. As long as we scale it up, there will definitely be many people coming to learn martial arts. You can recruit high-level coaches from all over the world, and we won’t have to worry about not having students,” Wukong said. “As for Liang Bin today, although he is still lying in the hospital, I still suggest that his IOU be leaked to the media, so as to expose his ugly face of rampant corruption and eradicate a big parasite from society.”

"No, no! Everyone knows Liang Bin borrowed ten million yuan from the club. If his scandal is exposed, his career will be over, and the ten million yuan loan will become a bad debt

. The club will face a loss of ten million yuan, which is not worth it," Wei Xiang strongly objected.

"Hehe, Bajie, your Vice President Wei is really thinking of you. She cares more about the club's money than her own. It's rare, truly rare! With such a capable assistant, you're like a tiger with wings. No, no, it's more like a pig with legs," Wukong praised.

Bajie laughed heartily.

Wei Xiang, however, understood the hidden meaning in Wukong's words. His face flushed slightly, and he said, "Mr. Sun

, you flatter me. I'm just doing my job. Since I'm now working for the Century Club, of course I hope the club makes money; as the club prospers, my income will also increase!" Wukong thought disdainfully to himself, "You woman, your words are all talk. How could your little schemes escape my sharp eyes? Looking at your flirtatious exchanges with that old fox Cai Pei, there's definitely something fishy going on. Maybe you think Pigsy is too stupid and easy to bully, and you want to take over the club!"

Wei Xiang, also harboring his own thoughts, thought, "Pigsy is indeed very dull, but this

Sun Wukong seems to have read my mind. Every word he says seems to have a hidden agenda. It seems I need to act quickly, otherwise, once power is lost, it won't be easy to make a move."

“Boss Pig, let’s talk business. From a business perspective, there’s no reason to cut down your cash cow, right? The casino business has always been good; it’s a real shame to close it so easily. Please reconsider, Boss Pig,” Wei Xiang advised.

Cai Pei nodded and said, “Yes, don’t give up so easily!”

Pigsy was at a loss. He patted his big head and said, “Brother Monkey is right, but what Little Wei and Old Cai said also seems correct. Who should I listen to?”

“Of course, listen to me. Consider it accumulating some good karma for yourself! Otherwise, Avici Hell will definitely reserve a good spot for you,” Wukong said with a grin.

“Brother Monkey, don’t try to scare me with those words. I’m a coward; I can’t take a scare. If you scare me silly, you’ll have to support me for life,” Pigsy said.

“That’s the truth. You’re already a bit dim-witted; you don’t need to be scared to be stupid enough,” Wukong laughed.

Cai Pei and Wei Xiang couldn’t help but chuckle to themselves.

"You're smirking. Haha, Miss Wei, you have absolutely no respect for the new boss!" Wukong said, looking into Wei Xiang's eyes.

"I'm not," Wei Xiang said, trying to keep a serious face.

"Not? Although your face is expressionless, your eyebrows betray you. Let me tell you honestly, I have a special ability; I can tell what someone is thinking just by looking at their eyebrows." Wukong said casually.

"Really? Is it that amazing?" Wei Xiang said, disbelieving.

"It is that amazing!" Wukong said, "Actually, a person's eyebrows best reflect their true thoughts. Facial expressions can be faked; some people who pretend to be profound can train their expressions to be like stone Buddhas, unmoved by praise or blame. But eyebrows cannot be trained; they often naturally reveal your feelings. When you're depressed, your brows furrow; when you're happy, your eyebrows dance; when you see money, your face lights up; after suppressing your feelings, you exhale triumphantly..." "

Mr. Sun seems to have really studied eyebrows," Wei Xiang said.

“It’s not research, it’s a special ability I’ve had since childhood, something I learned without learning. If you don’t believe me, I can

do an experiment for you right now, and I can tell you what you’re thinking right now,” Wukong said.

“Really? Tell me!” Wei Xiang thought Wukong was just joking. He wasn’t a mind reader, how could he know what he was thinking?

“Then I’ll tell you the truth!” Wukong chuckled and said, “Right now you’re thinking, ‘That guy surnamed Sun is really annoying, he’s always getting in my way, and he’s always bragging. I really hope a thunderbolt strikes him dead right now!’”

Wei Xiang’s face changed, he was shocked. He hadn’t expected that Wukong could guess his thoughts so accurately. It was really too strange. However, he denied it aloud, saying, "No, no, it's not related at all!"

Wukong pretended to stare at her eyebrows for a while, then said, "Wrong? Okay, let me take another look for Old Cai."

Cai Pei hurriedly furrowed his brows, pretending to be very calm, and said, "Tell me!"

"You're thinking to yourself, 'It can't be that magical, can it? Don't find out her and my secret, or it'll be terrible!'" Wukong said casually, then asked, "Old Cai, am I right? Who is that 'she'?

What secrets do you and 'her' have that you can't let others know?"

Cai Pei was so shocked he almost fell off his seat, thinking to himself, "Could he really read a person's mind from their eyebrows? It's unbelievable, unheard of!"

"Mr. Sun is really humorous, he really knows how to find fun at the dinner table. But I have to tell you, your guess is completely wrong!" Cai Pei said, feigning composure.

"Whether it's accurate or not, you know in your heart. If you're wrong, just consider it a joke. However, I also noticed that Old Cai and Miss Wei's relationship is quite special," Wukong said.

Wei Xiang was taken aback again, her face turning bright red, half from the embarrassment of her secret being exposed, and half from shyness. Had he really discovered some clues? So, with a cold and angry expression, she said, "Mr. Sun, you've gone too far! It's best not to make baseless accusations; I can sue you for defamation."

"Hehe, Miss Wei, what are you thinking? What I mean is, judging from your level of understanding, you two have been working together for quite some time," Wukong said calmly. Wei Xiang awkwardly fell silent. Cai Pei quickly came to the rescue, saying, "Hehe, Mr. Sun guessed correctly..."

"Wei Xiang and I have worked together for many years, about five years, I think? I clearly remember that she came here as my secretary."

"Haha, I guessed right, didn't I? Let me tell you, this is my unique skill, the Mind-Reading Technique! I don't perform it lightly." "Wukong laughed heartily.

Chapter 126 The Great Fire

After many hardships and dangers, Tang Sanzang and his disciples finally arrived at the foot of Mount Ling. With the help of the Golden Peak Immortal of the Jade True Temple at the foot of Mount Ling, they climbed the mountain. After traveling less than five or six miles, they saw a flowing river, its waves surging and rushing, about eight or nine miles wide, with no human trace. The four of them were then guided by the Buddha of the Namo Treasure Banner Light King and ferried across the Bottomless Ferry. They met the Buddha Tathagata, obtained the 5,048 volumes of true scriptures, and brought them back to the Tang Dynasty in the East. Tang Sanzang and his disciples all attained enlightenment. Wukong became the Victorious Fighting Buddha, and the tight headband on his head naturally disappeared, making him indescribably happy.

At this point, the movie Journey to the West had been filmed. After

filming the last scene, Wukong was greatly impressed. He thought to himself, "The story of my master Tang Sanzang, my fellow disciples Pigsy and Sandy and I going to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures took place during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. I never imagined that modern people would know so much about it, down to the last detail." Not bad. Initially, because no gifts were given to the two Venerables Ananda and Kasyapa, they received blank scriptures. Later, after presenting the purple-gold alms bowl gifted by the Tang Emperor, they received the written scriptures. This story must be quite secretive. The author of the book didn't personally come to the Leiyin Ancient Temple

, so how did they know it?

Despite the questions, the completion of filming was ultimately something to celebrate. Therefore, the entire crew, from actors to behind-the-scenes staff, cheered with joy. Filming in Aolai Kingdom, away from their hometown, had taken quite a while—over four months. The film's completion meant they could soon return to their homeland, China. How could they not be excited?

Situ Yu was just as excited as everyone else. Journey to the West was her first film as a producer, and she had poured endless enthusiasm and energy into it. Her hard work had finally paid off; filming went smoothly, and the results were ideal. She was overjoyed.

"Everyone has three days off! You can enjoy yourself in Aolai Kingdom for three days, and then return home!" Situ Yu announced happily at the celebration banquet that evening.

"That's great!" Everyone applauded enthusiastically to express their joy. To be honest, although they had been here for four months, they had been busy filming and hadn't had much time to properly appreciate the beauty of Aolai Kingdom, a tourist destination. A three-day vacation was the best thing ever.

"Wukong, what are your plans? Come back to China with me. I'm going to make you a world-famous movie star." After the celebration banquet, back at the Jinhua Hotel, Situ Yu said to Wukong.

"More movies? No way!" Wukong waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I filmed this Journey to the West purely out of interest; I never thought about becoming a movie star. Besides, I'm used to being free and enjoy an unrestrained life, so after this movie, I don't plan to make any more." Wukong thought to himself, "I finally managed to get seven days off from the Buddha; I absolutely can't waste this precious time on mundane things like filming. What world-famous movie star? Why would I, Old Sun, care?

" "Then, are you willing to stay in Aolai Kingdom alone?" "Situ Yu asked anxiously.

"Maybe I'd rather wander around," Wukong said with a grin. "There are so many wonderful places I haven't been to, I want to be a free traveler."

"Isn't there anything that could change your mind? Or for me?" Situ Yu grabbed Wukong's hand, her voice full of tenderness. "Wukong, I can't live without you."

"Silly girl, I'm just a passerby in your life

," Wukong said calmly.

"No, you won't just be a passerby, never." Tears streamed down Situ Yu's face as she said, "How can I make you understand?"

Wukong couldn't bear to see girls cry, and Situ Yu's tears completely softened his heart. He said, "Alright, alright, I promise you, I'll go to China. It's been a long time since I've been there, and revisiting it should be a special experience. But let's skip the movie, I really don't want to make any more."

Situ Yu then smiled through her tears and said, "I won't force you if you don't want to make any more. As long as I can see you, that's enough." "

What about Yueyue? What are you planning to do with her?" Wukong asked, concerned about Liu Yueyue.

"Don't worry, I treat her like a younger sister. When we return to China, I want her to attend university for a few years," Situ Yu said.

"Good! Yueyue has such a loving older sister like you; it's a blessing she earned in her past life. You two are truly compatible, always together. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were sisters! What is she doing now?" Wukong asked.

"She's reading in my room. This little girl is always engrossed

in books whenever she has time! I'll call her over to chat with you." Situ Yu jumped up and went back to her room. She knew Wukong doted on Liu Yueyue, and if Yueyue asked him to come to China with her, Wukong would have no reason to refuse.

Soon, Situ Yu came over, holding Yueyue's hand.

"Brother Sun, did you make Sister Yu cry?" Yueyue asked directly as soon as she entered.

"No." "Wukong said.

"No? Look, there are still tears in Sister Yu's eyes. Quickly tell me honestly, how did you make Sister Yu cry? If you don't tell me, I definitely won't let you off the hook." Yueyue grabbed Wukong's arm and wouldn't let go.

"Oh, I'd like to know, why won't little Yueyue let me off the hook? Did she eat me?" Wukong said with a smile.

"I would never eat you! You're not a demon, why would I eat your flesh? But, I'll take advantage of you while you're asleep and make you look like a big, ugly person, so that everyone will laugh at you when you go out tomorrow." Yueyue said while smearing Wukong's face with her little hands.

"Hehe, little Yu, you really shouldn't have let Yueyue learn makeup. Look at her, she's only learned half of it and she already wants to deal with

me, it's really too scary!" Wukong laughed.

"Serves you right! Who told you to talk to me like that?" Situ Yu said with a grin, "Let's see if you still dare to say you want to stay in Aolai Kingdom alone and not leave?" “

Oh, Brother Sun, do you want to stay here? No, Brother Sun, I won’t bear to part with you either!” Liu Yueyue shook Wukong’s arm vigorously and said, “Quickly tell Sister Yu that you were just joking, you weren’t serious.”

“Okay, okay, I’ve already told her, just pretend I was joking.” Wukong said helplessly.

“Great, Sister Yu, you don’t have to frown anymore!” Yueyue said excitedly.

“Hehe, so you still have Yueyue to tame you. Yueyue, from now on, Brother Sun is in your hands. If he doesn’t behave, you can use your special skill to turn him into a big, messy face, and use paint that’s hard to wash off.” Situ Yu laughed.

“Definitely. Yueyue will remember Sister Yu’s instructions!” Yueyue also agreed with a smile.

The three of them were chatting and laughing when Wukong’s phone rang. He pressed the answer button, and Bajie’s urgent voice came from the phone: “Eldest Brother, something terrible has happened!”

“Hehe, you idiot, what’s all

the fuss ?” "Did your Hanai Miri abandon you and run back to Japan?" Wukong asked.

"No, she's perfectly fine, nothing's wrong with her," Bajie said.

"Then are your parents dead?" Wukong asked again.

"I don't even know who my own parents are, how would I know if they're dead or not?" Bajie said.

"Then what could possibly make you so anxious? You can't even speak properly!" Wukong scolded.

"The Century Club is on fire! Everyone's gone to put it out, but the fire's only getting bigger! Come quick!" Pigsy cried on the phone. "This fire is weird! Not only did it start strangely, but when it first started, a woman's voice specifically asked Monkey King to come and see it. I followed the voice, but I couldn't even see a shadow of her. I don't know if it was a human or a demon."

"I'm coming right away," Monkey King said loudly, understanding the situation.

Chapter 127 Raging

Fire. Leaving the room, Monkey King rode his somersault cloud towards the Century Club. In mid-air, he saw multiple fires breaking out throughout the city. The streets were filled with panicked citizens, and red fire trucks roared past, their sirens blaring. Reaching the club, he saw flames shooting into the sky and thick smoke billowing.

Monkey King descended from his cloud, landing in front of the club's musical fountain. The once empty plaza in front of the club was now packed with people, all at a loss as the fire raged on. Several couples, perhaps in their haste to escape, hadn't even dressed properly, running out in just their underwear. Several women covered their breasts, fidgeting and acting coy, standing out conspicuously in the crowd.

A middle-aged man was shirtless, but had hastily put on a pair of black lace panties—women's, no less. Standing in the crowd, under everyone's watchful eyes, he was filled with shame and anger. He angrily said to the young man next to him, who was also only wearing underwear, "Xiao Zhang, I have to criticize you this time. In a critical moment, as the leader's driver, how could you only care about your own escape and ignore the leader? At least you should have helped me get my clothes and purse before coming out. There are hundreds of thousands of yuan in cash in there! As the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed. This small matter shows that all your talk of loyalty is fake. You are a coward!"

The young man lowered his head and nodded meekly, not daring to breathe loudly. He said, "Director Chang is right to criticize me. However, it's not that I'm afraid of death. The situation was chaotic at the time. I wanted to go to the cloakroom to get my clothes and purse back, but there wasn't a single clerk there. They probably saw that the situation was bad and ran away! So I ran out with the crowd. Please forgive me, Director Chang."

"No need for explanations. I'm officially informing you that after you return to China, you're on your own. I, Chang, don't need a cowardly driver," said the man called Director Chang.

"Please don't, Director Chang! I have elderly parents and young children to support. Without this job, my whole family will starve! Director Chang, please have mercy on me! I promise I'll protect you with my life and ensure you suffer no harm," Xiao Zhang pleaded.

Hearing their conversation, Wukong couldn't help but find it amusing. It seemed they'd gone to a hotel for pleasure

and hadn't even had time to put on their clothes, now they were blaming each other. Protect him with his life? Did he think he was a watchdog?

Director Chang remained unmoved, his face cold and silent.

Seeing that there was no way to salvage the situation, Xiao Zhang's smile vanished, and he said fiercely, "Chang, since you won't let me live, I won't let you live so easily. Others may not know your misdeeds, but I know them all. You not only embezzle and take bribes, but you also gamble and whore. You've done all sorts of bad things. I'm going to report you!"

Director Chang's expression returned, and he chuckled, "Xiao Zhang, I was just joking. Why take it so seriously? I've always considered you a confidant, so how could I bear to fire you? Look, every time I go to the bathhouse, we share the pleasure together!"

As the two were arguing, more than ten red fire trucks roared in, and fully equipped firefighters quickly began their work. Soon, more than ten huge water hoses sprayed towards the fire.

Wukong carefully searched the crowd and found Bajie. He saw that Bajie's eyes were vacant, and he looked sullen. Wukong walked over, patted

him on the shoulder and said, "Bajie, why are you looking so miserable? You should be happy to have escaped."

Bajie's face was lifeless as he said, "Luckily, I didn't fall asleep in the office today, otherwise I might have turned into a roasted pig. Who was so cruel as to set fire to my club? Senior Brother, you should know the answer. I heard a woman's voice laughing strangely as she mentioned your name."

"This fire was most likely set by the cunning rabbit demon," Wukong briefly explained to Bajie. "That cunning rabbit demon is truly despicable. Not only did she set fire to your club, but she's also setting fires everywhere. When I came over just now, I saw panicked crowds on the streets."

A firefighter picked up the phone and shouted, "Hello, hello, please speak louder, I can't hear you. Yes, I'm at the Century Club fire scene, and the fire is now under control. What? Flower Fruit Mountain is on fire? The fire here hasn't been extinguished yet, so I can't go there yet."

Wukong was shocked and said, "Flower Fruit Mountain is on fire? That cunning rabbit demon

is truly vicious!"

"How despicable! Eldest brother, I'll go with you to catch that cunning rabbit demon, skin her alive, and tear her apart to vent my anger!" Bajie said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

“The cunning rabbit spirit is very clever. I destroyed her Yellow Wind Cave, but she escaped. I haven't found her lair yet, and I don't know where she's hiding. However, I've ordered the local earth god to intensify the search, and we should have results soon. Now, putting out the fire is the priority. I'll go see where else is on fire.” After saying this, Wukong rode his somersault cloud back into the air.

Below, he saw several places engulfed in flames, the blazing fires illuminating the city's night sky. Fire trucks were struggling to cope, and panicked crowds were everywhere.

“Judging from the situation, fire trucks can't control the situation. I'll go to the Eastern Ocean to borrow some dragon soldiers and water to extinguish the demon fire.” Wukong rode away on his cloud, arriving at the Eastern Ocean in an instant. He used a water-forcing technique to part the waves and reach the Dragon Palace. As he was traveling, he saw a patrolling sea yaksha collide with him. Upon seeing that it was Sun Wukong, he hurriedly returned to the Crystal Palace to report to the old Dragon King.

The old Dragon King, along with his dragon sons, grandsons, shrimp soldiers, and crab generals, came out

to greet him , invited Wukong into the Crystal Palace, and ordered that fragrant tea be served. Wukong thanked the Dragon King for his hospitality, saying, "No need for tea. I've come to trouble you with something."

The Dragon King stroked his long beard and said, "Great Sage, what do you need my help with? Please speak freely."

"It's like this," Wukong explained, "a few days ago I encountered a cunning rabbit spirit and wiped out her entire Yellow Wind Cave. But this rabbit spirit is incredibly cunning, hiding in countless places. She doesn't show herself, and I, Old Sun, am at a loss as to what to do with her. Unexpectedly, not only does she not repent, but she's become even more ruthless, setting fires everywhere in Aolai Kingdom and wreaking havoc. Thinking that water can extinguish fire, I've come to ask you for some water to send a heavy rain to extinguish the demonic fire and save the people from their suffering."

The Dragon King said, "Although I control the rain, I cannot act recklessly. I must obtain the Jade Emperor's decree, specifying where, how many feet, how many inches, and when it will rain. I must strictly follow the Jade Emperor's orders."

"The matter is urgent; there's no time to waste words with the Jade Emperor! Rest assured, Dragon King, I will bear all the consequences. The Jade Emperor is not an unreasonable person

; I will explain to him later. If he makes things difficult for you, I will risk my old life to cause trouble in Heaven again. If he angers me, I will even beat him up!" Wukong said, his eyes wide.

The Dragon King was startled, knowing this monkey was capable of anything. He quickly said, "Since Great Sage says so, I have no reason to refuse. Here's what I'll do: I will immediately summon my three brothers to assist you."

"Then quickly send someone to invite them! Be quick!" Wukong urged.

"No need to invite them; I only need to strike the iron drum and golden bell here, and they will arrive in an instant," the Dragon King said.

"Really? Hehe, isn't that even more convenient than China Mobile and China Unicom?" Wukong exclaimed. "Old Dragon King, your high-tech stuff is really impressive, and it's completely free, without even a monthly fee. Go and ring the bell!"

The Old Dragon King was exasperated and muttered, "What China Mobile and China Unicom? This is all nonsense. Is the Great Sage running a fever, spouting nonsense here?" He then ordered the shrimp soldiers to ring the bell.

In a short while, the three Dragon Kings arrived. Wukong recognized them as Ao Qin, the Dragon King of the South Sea; Ao Run, the Dragon King of the North Sea; and Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the West Sea

. "Brother, what urgent matter has summoned us here?" the three Dragon Kings asked.

"Great Sage Sun is here to borrow rain to extinguish a fire, and needs your help," said Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea.

The three Dragon Kings met with Wukong, who briefly explained the reason for needing water. The three Dragon Kings readily agreed and immediately gathered their shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Led by Wukong and the Dragon King of the East Sea, they soon arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain. There, flames soared into the sky, and thick smoke filled the air. What was once a beautiful paradise had suddenly become a fiery inferno.

The four Dragon King brothers, leading their aquatic creatures, sprayed rain down on Flower Fruit Mountain. In an instant, it was as if the Milky Way had been overturned and was pouring down. The rain was torrential and dense. The rain poured down for a while, and the fire on Flower Fruit Mountain gradually died down. Only the billowing smoke, like a black dragon, still danced in the sky above Flower Fruit Mountain.

Chapter 128: A Joke.

Wukong exclaimed in admiration, saying to the Four Sea Dragon Kings, "The Four Sea Dragon Kings are indeed powerful! They extinguished the fire in the blink of an eye! However, there are still many fires in the city, so we will have to trouble you all to make the trip."

The East Sea Dragon King said, "Since we've come, of course we must completely extinguish the fire before returning. Great Sage, please rest assured, we are not afraid of hardship! If there are any other fires that need extinguishing, please lead the way, Great Sage."

Wukong was quite moved and said, "The Four Sea Dragon Kings have gone to great lengths for the common people; I admire them greatly. Without further ado, let's set off now!" With that, he led the Four Sea Dragon Kings and their shrimp soldiers and crab generals away on a cloud. Along the way, several places were ablaze, and the Four Sea Dragon Kings used all their skills to quickly extinguish the fires.

Upon reaching the skies above the Century Club, they saw the fire still raging. Although fire trucks were continuously spraying water, the fire had spread so widely that it couldn't be extinguished immediately. The luxuriously decorated Century Hotel was the most severely damaged, reduced to a mere skeleton.

"Oh dear, Pigsy is in big trouble now. His entire fortune is gone in the blink of an eye. He might not be able to eat for two days," said Wukong.

"

What ? This is Marshal Tianpeng's property? Great Sage, didn't Marshal Tianpeng go to the Western Paradise with you? How come he owns property on Earth?" asked the Dragon King of the East Sea curiously.

"Hehe, it's a long story. I'll explain in detail later. Putting out the fire is the priority now," Wukong laughed.

Soon, a torrential downpour began. The people on Earth, caught off guard, scrambled to find shelter. Running along, he exclaimed, "Wow, this rain came just in time!"

Pigsy also found shelter from the rain. Looking at the torrential downpour, he muttered to himself, "This rain, though timely, is still a bit too late! If it had come half an hour earlier, the inn would have been unscathed! Thank goodness, I was counting on it for my fortune, and now it's all ruined! That monkey, I don't know what happened, he just left and never looked back, leaving me, old Pig, all alone here, so lonely and miserable. That monkey is so disloyal! That damned monkey, that wretched monkey!"

Monkey, with his sharp ears, heard Pigsy's complaints clearly from mid-air. He chuckled inwardly, "That stupid pig! I went through all that trouble to get help from the East Sea, and instead of being grateful, he's just grumbling on and on.

As the saying goes , it's hard to be a good person.

" The rain intensified, and the fire was quickly extinguished. Wukong thanked the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas again for their great help. After some polite exchanges, the Dragon Kings took their leave and led their shrimp soldiers and crab generals back to their respective places.

Wukong descended from the clouds, transformed into a gaunt middle-aged man, and came to Bajie's side, saying miserably, "Boss, this fire has really ruined me! I had over twenty million chips in the VIP room, and I didn't have time to bring them out. Now it looks like they've been burned to ashes. Over twenty million! What am I going to do? You have to compensate me!"

Bajie, head bowed and lost in thought, heard someone speaking beside him. He looked up and saw a man as thin as a rake. He thought to himself, "With your appearance, you think you have over twenty million to gamble? Two hundred is more like it. I'm already in a bad mood, and you dare to come here and try to extort me?" So, his face darkened, and he said irritably, "Go away, stay away from me, I'm annoyed!"

Wukong, annoyed by Bajie's earlier nagging, wanted to play a trick on him, so he grabbed Bajie's arm and pleaded, "Boss, please have mercy and

pay me back my 20 million, or even a round number, 20 million will do."

"No, not even 2,000 yuan," Bajie hurriedly broke free.

Their struggle attracted a crowd.

Soon, several men approached, one saying, "Are you the casino owner? Perfect, I also have over a million in chips that I didn't have time to bring out, just pay me that too!"

Others offered 500,000, 800,000, all demanding Bajie pay.

Bajie panicked a little, trying to slip away, but Wukong grabbed his arm again. Frustrated, his fat face flushed red, and he wanted nothing more than to throw this skinny guy to the ground and stomp on him dozens of times. Although Hanai Miri, who was beside him, was also terrified, she still retained some composure. She nudged Bajie's waist with her elbow and whispered, "Hey, I feel something's not right. You've only been the owner of this club for a few days; no customers should recognize you. It's probably just a random accident."

Bajie thought about it and realized she was right. The skinny man was probably just guessing. He said, "Don't shout like that. I'm not the owner. I'm just a gambler." As he spoke, he tried to break free from the encirclement and escape

.

Wukong grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go, saying, "If you're not the owner, then who is? Look, what's written on his forehead?"

Everyone looked at Bajie's forehead and began to murmur amongst themselves.

"The evidence is conclusive, let's see how he denies it now!"

"So cunning, still trying to escape!"

"Don't let him get away, we must keep an eye on him!"

...

A young woman took a small mirror from her handbag and handed it to Bajie, saying, "Words are useless, look at yourself in the mirror!"

"No need, I'm handsome whether I look or not!" Bajie took the mirror from the young woman, looked at his face, and chuckled, saying, "Hehe, I didn't expect that becoming a boss would leave me with words etched on my forehead!"

Hanai Miri looked at Bajie's head and saw four words clearly written there: Century Boss. These four words were blue, standing out conspicuously on Bajie's oily, chubby face.

Wukong chuckled and said, "Now you have nothing to say, right? You can't even be a deadbeat anymore!"

Bajie blushed and argued, "I don't want to renege, but you have no proof, why should I compensate you for the loss? Besides, I don't have any money now, and your pestering won't do any good."

"Oh, so you're saying this because you've decided to renege on your debt. Go ahead and ask us if we'll comply," a man said.

"No! You must pay!" the crowd roared indignantly.

Bajie was at a loss, looking for help at Hanai Miri, only to find she was no longer beside him, probably having slipped away in the chaos.

"Idiot, stop looking around, your sweetheart has abandoned you!" Wukong whispered in his ear.

"How do you know she's my sweetheart? Who are you?" Bajie asked, his eyes wide.

"Isn't that the monkey you were just nagging about? You stupid pig, you don't know what's good for you! I went all the way to ask the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to help you put out the fire, and instead of saying 'thank you,' you kept nagging and complaining. Now you should know you were wrong, right?" Wukong whispered in his ear.

Only then did Bajie realize that the skinny man in front of him was none other than that mischievous monkey.

"Brother, you've really got me into trouble!" Pigsy said with a bitter face.

"If I don't play around like this, how will you know how your big pear treats you? As the saying goes,

a friend in need is a friend indeed. You'll see for yourself," Monkey said.

"How can I see? I'm having trouble getting away now!"

"Then let them take you away to be slaughtered and sold. Anyway, pork is twenty yuan a pound these days. With your physique, you can easily fetch several thousand yuan," Monkey laughed.

"You're still in the mood for jokes? Think of a way for me to get away," Pigsy pleaded.

"Stupid pig, getting away is easy. Just erase the words on your forehead," Monkey laughed at him.

Pigsy hurriedly wiped his forehead with his hand, and everyone saw that three words had appeared: "I am not," becoming: I am not the Century Boss. Wukong said to the crowd, "Sorry, I was just playing with him. He's Zhang the butcher who lives next door to me. We always joke around."

"Tch, how boring!"

"I've been suspicious for a while now. How could this guy be the owner of Century? He looks more like a butcher selling pork at the market!"

The crowd dispersed.

Chapter 129 The Strange Nose

After the crowd had dispersed, Bajie grabbed Wukong's arm and shouted, "Brother, you went too far with that joke! You almost killed me! We have no grudges from past lives or present lives, and we're even brothers. How could you be so malicious as to try to kill me?"

"Idiot, why do you speak without thinking? How could I want to kill you?" Wukong asked him with a smile.

"You knew perfectly well I'd suffered a huge loss, yet you still kicked me while I was down, inciting those gamblers to demand compensation. Isn't that more painful than taking my life? You have no brotherly affection whatsoever!" Pigsy said angrily.

"Heh, then when you were cursing that damned monkey so vehemently, did you have any brotherly affection?" Monkey asked him.

Pigsy lowered his head and stammered, "I was just muttering a couple of things quietly, and you happened to hear me. I didn't expect you

to be so petty, only thinking about revenge."

"Hahaha, do you think I, Old Sun, am such a petty person? I was just joking with you. Wasn't it me who suggested you get away later?"

Pigsy thought about it and realized he was right. If it weren't for the monkey's suggestion, he would still be harassed by a bunch of debt collectors. Thinking of this, his anger towards Monkey subsided considerably. However, looking at the Century Hotel, burned beyond recognition, he still felt very frustrated. He sighed deeply and said, "Alas, in the blink of an eye, a perfectly good hotel has become a ruin. My life is so miserable! Good days were just around the corner, but then trouble came along. It seems I, Old Pig, am truly born with a worthless fate."

"Hehe, perhaps it's fate. The Century Hotel has accumulated too much resentment. Many people have been torn apart by gambling, some even taking their own lives because they were too deeply addicted. Over time, the accumulated resentment erupted today, resulting in this situation. Look at the Fight Club next door. Although it's less than 300 meters away, the damage is minimal. You can see what that means, right?" Wukong said.

"That seems to make sense. How come the fire

didn't reach the club?" Bajie muttered.

"The club wasn't damaged too badly, you can still rebuild! Remember? I once suggested that you expand and grow the fighting club. Now is the perfect time. You can rebuild on the site of the burned-down hotel and use it as a martial arts training base, turning Century Club into a large-scale base that integrates martial arts training, competitions, and the exchange of various fighting techniques." Wukong described the blueprint for future development to him.

Bajie listened with great interest, nodding repeatedly, and said, "Your suggestion is very much to my liking. However, I'm severely weakened now, and I'm almost starving. How can I rebuild?"

Wukong smiled and said, "As long as your casino is completely closed, I can assist you. You can arrange for world-famous boxers to fight me. Just the ticket revenue alone will make you a fortune. Think about my fight with James. If Cai Pei hadn't been involved in gambling, he could have made a fortune from ticket sales. So, never get involved in gambling."

"Hehe, brother, you're really something. You've convinced me. In that case ,

shouldn't I thank that cunning rabbit demon?" Bajie's face lit up with a smile again.

"Thank you, you pighead! That cunning rabbit demon has gone berserk, setting fires everywhere. I feel that the great fire at Flower Fruit Mountain five hundred years ago was also her doing. I must put her out as soon as possible to prevent her from harming the world again!" Wukong said firmly.

Bajie remembered that the cunning rabbit spirit was Xiao Rong, who was by Liang Bin's side. Her beautiful figure was truly captivating. He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and said, "What a pity, what a pity!" "

What's a pity? Didn't you want to tell me that this cunning rabbit spirit also made your heart flutter?" Wukong glanced at him sideways.

"But, her figure is really hot!" Bajie looked greedy.

Wukong wished he could sew his mouth shut to stop his drooling. Seeing Bajie's lewd expression, Wukong had a sudden inspiration and said, "Haha, Bajie, this is your chance to prove yourself."

"Oh, I have a chance to prove myself?"

"Yes. You stupid pig don't have any other great skills, but you're quite something when it comes to women. You can smell a woman's scent from a long distance. You have a special ability in this area." Wukong laughed. "Brother,

are you praising me or belittling me?" Bajie asked.

"Hehe, of course I'm praising you!" Wukong said.

It was rare for Wukong to praise him, and Bajie's mouth practically stretched to his ears as he chuckled, "I'm not bragging, this skill is patented! Based on my numerous tests, I can distinguish a woman's scent within a range of 895 zhang." Bajie wasn't embarrassed at all.

"I know that. That's why I want you to use your sense of smell, a hundred times more sensitive than a dog's, to come with me right now and find that cunning rabbit demon," Wukong said.

"Now? No way, it's nighttime!" Bajie said hesitantly, "I've always been a little afraid of the dark."

Wukong grabbed his ear and laughed, "Afraid of the dark? That's a huge joke! A 300-pound fat pig like you afraid of the dark? People will laugh their heads off if they hear about it. You're not afraid of the dark, you're afraid of hard work, right? Come on, come with me, I'll treat you to a big meal once we catch the demon."

"Really? That's more like it!" At the mention of food, Bajie was full of energy again.

Wukong and Bajie rode on auspicious clouds towards Yellow Wind Ridge. In an instant, they

arrived at Yellow Wind Ridge.

Wukong wiped his face, transforming into the lively, monkey-faced Sun Wukong. Pointing at Bajie, he grinned

and said, "You blockhead, you usually work so hard to disguise yourself, why don't you show your true form here in this deserted place?" Bajie chuckled and said, "Since you've revealed your true form, there's no reason I should still look like this. Watch me, transform!" Bajie chanted the incantation, and in an instant, appearing before Wukong was none other than the fat, big-eared, long-snouted Pigsy from before!

"Hehe, I still think you look more handsome this way," Wukong praised.

"Of course. Actually, I'm quite handsome to begin with. If I wore earrings, I could even sing rock in America!" Bajie said, puffing out his chest proudly, feeling very self-satisfied.

Wukong laughed, saying, "That's not bad, our Bajie really has that potential."

The two chatted and laughed for a while longer. Wukong said, "Brother, there are countless caves around here. That cunning rabbit spirit should be hiding in the area of Huangfeng Ridge, within a few hundred feet. Stretch out your nose and sniff. Can you smell a woman's scent?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie really stretched out his nose and sniffed hard.

After a long while, his face lit up with joy, and he said to Wukong, "Brother, I think I smell a woman's fragrance."

Wukong was overjoyed and said, "Really? That's wonderful! I've really found the right person this time. Last time, even Erlang Shen's divine dog couldn't smell that female monster's scent, but you recognized it so easily. You're even better than a divine dog!"

Bajie was not happy to hear this and shouted, "Brother, don't compare me to any divine dog, okay? I'm the Clean Altar Messenger, how can you compare me to a dog?"

Wukong said seriously, "You've really made a mistake. Pigs and dogs are not the same kind, so you can't compare them. Alright, since you've smelled the female monster's scent, then you lead the way and lure her out so I can beat her into mincemeat in the Southern Kingdom!"

"But, are we really going like this? You have the Golden Cudgel, while I'm empty-handed. My Nine-Toothed Rake is still sleeping peacefully in the Thunderclap Temple," Bajie said.

Wukong pulled a sewing needle from his ear, waved it in the wind until it grew to the thickness of a bowl, and stood it upright on the ground, saying to Bajie, "That's easy, you can borrow my golden cudgel!"

Bajie went over to take it, but

even with all his might, he couldn't move it an inch.

"Brother, this iron cudgel of yours doesn't look very impressive, but it's extremely heavy. Did you use some kind of magic to make me unable to move it?" Bajie asked.

"No, I'm just holding it for you. Hold on tight, I'm letting go!" Wukong released his hands, and the iron cudgel crashed to the ground, creating a crater the size of a bowl.

"Ouch, thank goodness it didn't hit me, otherwise these three hundred-plus pounds would have been donated!" Bajie was terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Chapter 130 Temptation

Pigsy jumped aside, eyes wide, and shouted, "Brother, this iron rod of yours is so heavy! I, Old Pig, can't even lift it!"

Monkey picked up the golden cudgel, easily holding it in his hand, and chuckled, "It's not that heavy, only 13,500 jin. It has a little weight in your hand. Not heavy at all!"

Pigsy pouted and said, "Keep this broken iron rod for yourself. I don't have the strength to wield it. Brother, give me something lighter, a wooden stick or a longsword will do. Don't try to fool me with this again!"

"You think I'd fool you? You idiot! This golden cudgel is my precious treasure. I've lent you my most prized possession, and you don't appreciate it at all! You pig-headed fool, you really don't know what's good for you! Fine, I'll give you something light and easy to use. Wooden sticks and longswords aren't comfortable for you, so I'll give you a nine-toothed rake!" Wukong plucked a hair from his body, blew on his hand, and said, "Transform!" In his hand, he already held a gleaming nine-toothed rake, exactly the same size and length as

the rake used by Bajie.

"Here, take it and use it!" Wukong handed the rake to Bajie.

Bajie was overjoyed. He took it and weighed it in his hand; the weight was just right. He exclaimed happily, "This rake is really useful! It can be used to slay demons and monsters, and it can also be used as a gardener to build fields and plant vegetables. It's a truly multi-functional weapon, worthy of being called the best of weapons!" He brandished it a few times, then stopped and shouted, "Brother, you're not being fair!"

"How am I being unfair?" Wukong asked.

"So you stole my Nine-Toothed Rake in the Western Paradise and hid it on your person without anyone noticing. I thought you were a gentleman, but who knew you, the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, were also a highly skilled thief! I, Old Pig, really misjudged you!" Bajie said.

Wukong hated being called "弼马温" (Bima Wen, a lowly official in charge of horses), and hearing Bajie call him that made him so angry that he slapped Bajie on the head and said, "You're really stupid! Open your bewildered pig eyes and look carefully. Isn't this the same nine-toothed rake you used to have?"

Bajie held the rake in his hands, examining it from side to side, then pointed at it, muttering to himself, "At first glance, it looks exactly the same, but it seems a bit heavier. Hehe, this might be the twin brother of my nine-toothed rake."

"Speechless now? You idiot, wrongly accusing an innocent person! Quickly stretch out your foot so I can give you a good whack!" Wukong raised his golden cudgel, ready to strike.

"Oh, brother, spare me! My foot can't take a beating. Forget three, five, seven blows, even a light tap from you will turn me into Iron-Crutch Pig, and I'll have to become brothers with Iron-Crutch Li!" Bajie hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Alright, remember this strike! Hurry up and take me to find that cunning rabbit demon!" Wukong said.

"Right away, right away!" Bajie, carrying his nine-toothed rake, led the way.

"Brother, there are so many caves in Huangfeng Ridge," Bajie said to Wukong, pointing to several small caves.

"Can you smell which cave she's hiding in?" Wukong asked.

"She should be nearby." Bajie sniffed hard, and a faint fragrance of a woman wafted in the wind. He said happily, "The scent is getting clearer. There shouldn't be any women in this desolate wilderness. This scent is almost certainly that of the cunning rabbit demon. But there are

so many caves, probably no less than five hundred. It will be quite difficult to find her. How about this, we'll destroy all these caves one by one and let her run out on her own."

"No, that will only alert her! This cunning rabbit demon has set several big fires. Maybe she's fast asleep in her lair. Let's find a good spot, trap her in the cave, and catch her off guard," Wukong stopped Bajie's recklessness.

"No way? Brother, you claim to have abilities that can see through heaven and earth, and you still have to sneak around to deal with a cunning rabbit spirit?" Pigsy was greatly surprised.

"Hehe, you don't know, this cunning rabbit spirit has some strange abilities. Not only can she breathe fire from her eyes, but she can also spew out a strong yellow wind from her mouth, which made my eyes hurt. I wonder if it was passed down to her by the Yellow Wind Monster back then," Wukong said.

Pigsy stopped nagging and focused on searching with his nose. When he came to a slightly larger cave, Pigsy stopped and whispered to Wukong, "This is it."

"Are you sure?" Wukong asked him. He listened carefully and faintly heard a light, even, and long breathing sound coming from inside. That's right, the cunning rabbit spirit is probably inside, Wukong thought to himself.

"That's right!

My nose doesn't lie. I don't know what brand of perfume this demon is wearing, it smells so good!" Pigsy took a few deep breaths, then volunteered, "If I could get a taste of her beauty, my trip to the mortal realm wouldn't have been in vain! I'll go in and see if she's sleeping, and when she's off guard, I'll tie her up and bring her out to you."

"Stupid pig, getting horny again!" Monkey said. "Aren't you afraid she'll be hiding inside and secretly use that three-pronged steel fork to give your pig head a good whack?"

Pigsy had already stepped inside, but upon hearing Monkey's words, he hurriedly turned back, saying, "Yes, I really didn't think of that."

"You didn't think of that, you were just incredibly audacious, you didn't even care about your life!" Monkey teased. He added, "You don't need to go in. Just shout loudly at the entrance to lure her out, and I'll be there to meet you." With that, he leaped upwards, hovering half-cloud and half-mist above the cave entrance.

Bajie shouted loudly inside, "Hey, is anyone in there?"

There was no response.

"Hey, is anyone in there? If anyone is, answer me!" Bajie shouted again.

"Damn it, who's disturbing my peaceful sleep

in the middle of the night ?" a sweet female voice came from inside.

"It's me, it's me." Hearing that melodious voice, half of Bajie's body went limp.

"And who are you?" the woman asked again.

"I'm a passing monk. This is a desolate wilderness, and I don't see any inns. I'd like to ask if I can stay the night." Bajie made up an excuse.

"Is that so? Hehehe, it seems inconvenient for a lone woman like me!" Before he finished speaking, a beautiful figure emerged from the cave and stood in front of Bajie.

Bajie stared intently, almost getting a nosebleed. The woman's voluptuous and alluring body was covered only by a soft, white, and translucent veil, revealing her alluring figure. The woman's mature body was like a bright red peach, with a languid charm from just waking up, and her fragrance drifted into Bajie's nostrils. This is the cunning rabbit spirit? She's truly enchanting. Bajie's pulse pounded at 598 beats per minute.

The woman stared at Pigsy for a moment, then jumped in fright. "You're no passing monk! You're a pig! Get out of here! Though I may be

lonely in my secluded chambers, I'm not so low as to share a bed with a pig!"

Pigsy's fragile heart was deeply hurt. He stood at the cave entrance, stubbornly arguing, "Beautiful lady, you don't know this. Although I may be a little ugly, I'm very gentle! I'm not only a master farmer, but I also possess extraordinary abilities that will leave you with a lasting impression."

"Pah! Where did this stinking man come from, spouting nonsense at my doorstep and defaming my reputation? Get out of here!" the cunning rabbit spirit said impatiently, covering her nose with a look of disgust.

Bajie blushed crimson with shame. He couldn't believe that he, the dignified Clean Altar Messenger, would be humiliated by a demon. A mouthful of phlegm welled up in his throat, and he almost fainted. He composed himself and said angrily, "Demon, stop pretending! What do you mean by 'slandering your reputation'? You're clearly a promiscuous rabbit, so why pretend to be so noble? It's your good fortune that I, Old Pig, have taken a liking to you. Quickly stick your head out and let me give you a couple of whacks with my nine-toothed rake to appease my grievances!"

The rabbit demon, hearing that her identity had been exposed by Bajie, said, "Hmph, so you came prepared. Perfect! I'm

a little hungry after waking up. Let me catch you, you big fat pig, roast you, and eat you. That should last me three to five days!" With that, she tied a silk ribbon around her waist and returned to Bajie.

Bajie felt a fragrant breeze waft towards him, and the light, fluttering silk ribbon, accompanied by a whooshing sound, rushed towards his face. Startled, Bajie quickly raised his nine-toothed rake to parry. With a "crack," the ribbon and rake collided, sparks flying.

"Wow, she's quite skilled!" Bajie quickly rallied his spirits and engaged the cunning rabbit demon in battle.

Chapter 131: A Tale of Joy and Revenge

. The cunning rabbit demon's silk ribbon danced like a dragon or snake, nimbly swirling around Bajie. The thin veil fluttered over her graceful body, appearing mysterious and alluring under the hazy moonlight. As Pigsy brandished his nine-toothed rake to fight, his eyes kept lingering on her chest, and he kept praising her, "Good wife, not only are you beautiful, but you're also quite skilled. If you lose to me later, you can be my wife for a few days!"

"Haha, you big fat pig, how dare you talk such nonsense! How could I possibly be interested in your appearance? If you have any self-awareness, get lost and go get plastic surgery. Saw off your long snout, and cut off your big ears too. Replace them with a nicer pair, and maybe you'll have a chance!" the cunning rabbit spirit said rudely.

"Hehe, you woman are truly vicious, actually giving me such a bad idea. If you remove my mouth and ears, won't I become deaf? And what will I eat? You don't know, I'll starve to death if I don't eat for a meal," Pigsy said angrily.

As they talked and fought, Pigsy, his eyes glued to

the sight of the cunning rabbit spirit's chest, nearly fell victim to her ribbon attacks several times. He grew increasingly flustered, dragging his nine-toothed rake back a few steps, shouting, "Brother, why don't you show yourself?"

Monkey leaped down from the clouds, not answering, and wielded his golden cudgel, smashing it down on the rabbit spirit's head. The cunning rabbit spirit, caught off guard by the sudden attack, leaped back, narrowly avoiding Wukong's blow. Looking closely, she recognized him as Sun Wukong, with whom she had fought twice before. Enraged, she raised her eyebrows and exclaimed, "I wondered who it was! It's you again, you monkey! Last time you brought Erlang Shen to help, wiping out all my henchmen. Now you're relentlessly pursuing me. Fine, old grudges and new ones, let's settle them all tonight!"

With that, she widened her eyes, opened her mouth, and prepared to use her old tricks again—fire and a powerful yellow wind—again. Wukong,

having witnessed her attacks twice, was prepared. Before she could even unleash the yellow wind, his golden cudgel arrived like a shadow, whistling through the air, sweeping towards the rabbit spirit's waist.

The cunning rabbit spirit

was fully on unleashing her fire-breathing and wind-blowing skills when she saw Wukong's golden cudgel arrive like lightning. She screamed, her mouth gaping open in shock, forming an egg shape, before she could even exhale any wind. Her hands instinctively rose to raise her silk ribbons to block. However, Wukong's golden cudgel possessed immense power, far exceeding a thousand pounds. The ribbons merely made token contact with the cudgel before it, accompanied by a whooshing sound, struck the rabbit spirit heavily on her slender waist.

A shrill scream rang out as the rabbit spirit, struck by Wukong's cudgel in the waist, was sent flying high into the air like a kite with a broken string, landing gracefully dozens of feet away.

The rabbit spirit rolled a few times on the ground, revealing her true form: a snow-white rabbit with two red eyes gazing mournfully at the sky.

"Hehe, what an adorable rabbit! Let me add another stroke and finish her off. Tomorrow, I'll have braised rabbit!" Pigsy excitedly ran over, raised his nine-toothed rake, and swung it at the rabbit's head. The poor cunning rabbit spirit didn't even have the strength to dodge, watching helplessly as the rake struck, about to leave nine holes in it, and her soul would vanish.

"Clean Altar Messenger, have mercy!" A powerful voice came from mid-air.

Pigsy's rake was already halfway up when he heard the shout. He quickly stopped and looked up. It was the Bodhisattva Lingji from Little Sumeru Mountain. Bajie put down his rake and asked, "Old man Lingji, why did you rush here to rescue the cunning rabbit spirit? Could it be that you and she have something going on?"

Wukong grinned and said, "Something going on? I doubt it. Lingji is getting old; he's probably willing but unable. But judging from his anxious look, she might be his cousin."

"Don't joke with me, you two," said Lingji Bodhisattva, "this cunning rabbit spirit is neither my lover nor my cousin. Actually, I'm here on the orders of Buddha to arrest her."

"Oh, again on Buddha's orders?" Wukong asked.

“Yes, it was the Buddha’s decree. I was ordered by the Buddha to suppress the Yellow Wind Demon here. Later, the Yellow Wind Demon harmed the human world, and it was you, Great Sage, who helped me capture him and hand him over to the Buddha for punishment. Unexpectedly, this cunning rabbit spirit escaped the net and cultivated for over a thousand years, becoming a demon here

and causing trouble. She specifically seduces young men to have sex with her, absorbing their yang energy to replenish her yin, and has developed the ability to breathe fire and wind, harming the human world everywhere. Today, she set fires everywhere, causing the people to panic and flee. After the Buddha learned of this, he ordered me to come and arrest her. Unexpectedly, the Great Sage and the Clean Altar Messenger arrived first and captured this cunning rabbit spirit for me.” Lingji explained his purpose.

“Oh, I see. It seems that the Buddha already knows about this. Bajie, spare her life and hand her over to Bodhisattva Lingji to take to the Western Paradise so that the Buddha can punish her.” Wukong said.

“Okay, brother, I will listen to you.” Bajie said.

Lingji repeatedly expressed his gratitude, saying, "You two are truly understanding! Then I won't stand on ceremony; just hand her over to the Buddha!" Lingji descended from the clouds and bowed to Wukong and the other man in thanks.

"Wait! Before she leaves, there's something I need to ask her about," Wukong said.

"Oh, what is it?" Lingji asked.

"It's like this, five hundred years ago, a great fire broke out on Flower Fruit Mountain, burning my beautiful home to the ground. My monkey descendants were also displaced and disappeared without a trace! Thinking about this always makes me feel uneasy. I have a feeling that this fire was most likely started by this cunning rabbit spirit.

Back then, I captured her Yellow Wind Demon, and she must have held a grudge. Taking advantage of my sullen state at the Buddha's place in the Western Paradise, she carried out her revenge," Wukong analyzed.

"Is that so? That's utterly despicable. Great Sage, please ask her," said Lingji Bodhisattva.

Wukong leaped to the cunning rabbit spirit's side and asked, "Female demon, tell me, was the great fire on Flower Fruit Mountain five hundred years ago your doing?"

The rabbit spirit's eyes had been staring blankly at the night sky. Hearing Wukong's question, she slowly turned her gaze back, glanced at him, and said casually, "It was me, so what?"

"It really was you?" Wukong's face flushed purple with anger. He gritted his teeth and asked in a deep voice, "Why did you burn down my beautiful home?"

"Why? You surnamed Sun, you kidnapped my Yellow-haired Rat back then, did you ever ask yourself why? You destroyed my home, and I destroyed yours, so aren't we even now?" The cunning rabbit spirit rallied and said fiercely, "I took a blow from your staff, it seems I won't live much longer, and I don't want to go with this old man to see that self-righteous Buddha. If you have the guts, give me another blow and finish me off."

Wukong was furious and said, "You good demon! You've done so many evil deeds, then I'll send you on your way!" He raised his golden cudgel and smashed it down hard. In the blink of an eye, the golden cudgel smashed a large crater in the ground, and the cunning rabbit spirit's body was smashed into a thin pancake, buried deep in the ground.

"Great Sage!" Lingji Bodhisattva's voice of intervention came too late.

"Hehe, brother, your blow was brilliant! Not only did you end her life, but you also buried her in the process. You've done your duty!" Bajie praised.

"Great Sage, how am I supposed to explain this to Buddha?" Lingji complained.

"Don't worry, just say it was I, Sun Wukong, who killed her, and see what Buddha has to say! If it weren't for your advanced age and the fact that you helped capture the Yellow Wind Demon back then, I would have reported you. It was your negligence that allowed this despicable female demon to take advantage of the situation, not only harming the human world but also destroying my beautiful home! No, I want to dig her up, skin her alive, and dismember her!" Wukong said fiercely.

Lingji panicked a little and hurriedly said, "Great Sage, calm down, calm down! I'll go to the Western Paradise right now and tell Buddha that you eliminated the cunning rabbit demon, and Buddha will give

you credit!"

Wukong waved his hand and said, "No need for credit. When you see Buddha, please give him my regards and tell him that Wukong is having a great time in the mortal world and doesn't want to go back to see him for the time being."

Chapter 132

Showing Off Skills After seeing off Lingji Bodhisattva, Wukong and Bajie rode their clouds back to the Century Club. Upon arriving at the gate of Bajie's luxurious villa, he found it wide open. Bajie chuckled, "It's so late, and Big Pear is sleeping with the gate wide open. She must be anxiously waiting for me! Big Pear, I'm back!"

Bajie happily entered the house, but no one was waiting for him in the living room.

"Where is she? Perhaps she turned into a wisp of smoke and flew away?" Wukong laughed.

"No, maybe she's asleep in the bedroom." Bajie went upstairs to the bedroom, but there was no sign of Hanai Miri. The safe in the bedroom was open, and all the gold and silver jewelry inside had been taken. Bajie's heart sank. In such an awkward situation, had she left without a word? Or had she been taken advantage of by thugs and kidnapped along with them?

To confirm his guess, he searched all the rooms, but there was indeed no sign of Hanai Miri. "Brother, something terrible has happened! My Big Pear is gone, and the safe has been opened, and everything inside is gone!" Bajie ran down

from the second floor in a fit of rage . "Really? Bajie, your situation is truly pitiful. But then again, given your current predicament, if she didn't leave, she'd be the biggest fool in the world!" Wukong said. "Why? Am I that bad off?" Bajie retorted defiantly. "Tell me yourself, what do you have left?" "Nothing. The hotel is a complete mess, and I'm facing the risk of being sued by gamblers. I can say I have nothing now." Bajie hung his head in dejection. "What would you do if you were in her shoes?" Wukong asked. Bajie remained silent, deep in thought. After a long while, he said, "If it were me, I would make the same choice as her. However, I'm worried that someone might take advantage of the chaos and kidnap Dalizi. You know, Dalizi is beautiful, loved by everyone. If she falls into the hands of bad people and is sold to a brothel to return to her old ways, then she'll be in real trouble." "That possibility can't be completely ruled out. So what do you plan to do?" Wukong asked. “I want to call the police and let them investigate. They have plenty of manpower; it’s better than me fighting alone,” Bajie said. He then called the police. Soon after, the police arrived. Wukong was surprised to see the portly Chief Zheng among them. “Oh, Old Zheng, you’re here too? The chief himself is here?” Wukong asked. “I had no choice. Several arson cases tonight; I had to handle it myself. Look how exhausted I am! We’ve been on the go! We just left another fire site when we got the call and rushed over,” Chief Zheng said, slightly out of breath. “Hehe, no wonder you were so fast! I was wondering about that! You police are always so slow at handling cases; this sudden increase in efficiency is something we ordinary people aren’t used to,” Wukong said with a laugh. Director Zheng looked embarrassed, forcing a wry smile as he said, "Mr. Sun, you're making fun of me again. Yes, you reported someone taking advantage of your misfortune to rob you. What exactly happened?" Bajie led the police to the scene, focusing on the opened safe. "Didn't you say a woman lived here? Why are there only men's clothes in the wardrobe?" a policeman asked, opening Bajie's wardrobe. Bajie looked and indeed saw only his own clothes; not a single woman's garment was visible. "Strange, there really isn't a single piece of Hanai Miri's clothing. These robbers are really greedy, not even sparing women's clothes. Maybe they're taking them back for their women," Bajie said. "Sir, in my opinion, this doesn't seem like a robbery. It's more like someone you live with has left you—a simple case of running away from home. However, this is just my initial deduction. We'll need to examine the evidence and analyze it carefully before we can draw a conclusion," the policeman said. "Are you just making this up? Big Pear and I didn't argue, so why would she run away from home? Is it really necessary?" Bajie said, dissatisfied. "As for the reason she ran away from home, we don't know yet. You should know that better than we police officers. However, based on the scene we saw, there were no signs of struggle, and her spare clothes, which weren't valuable, were all taken. These characteristics don't fit the typical modus operandi of a robbery. Therefore, we have reason to believe that it's highly likely she ran away from home," the policeman analyzed. " That makes sense, that's exactly what I was thinking," Director Zheng nodded.

Bajie was devastated. He said weakly, "Heavens! I treated her so well, why did she have the heart to leave me?"

"Fool, is that even a question? The club is burned to the ground, and you're penniless now. Who would want to follow you?" Wukong said.

"Eh, Century Club is your property, sir? Isn't it Cai Pei's?" Director Zheng asked.

"Hehe, I just took it over from Cai Pei, not long ago," Bajie said.

"Oh, no wonder. I was wondering how I didn't know about such a big thing!" Director Zheng nodded. "Such bad luck right after taking over, that's truly tragic. Have you had any conflicts with anyone?"

"No. Look at me, always smiling, why would I have any conflicts with anyone?" Bajie said.

"Then who set the fire?" Director Zheng frowned, thinking.

"No need to investigate, the cunning rabbit spirit set the fire, and the culprit has already been killed by our eldest

brother ," Bajie blurted out, pointing at Wukong and telling everyone.

"A cunning rabbit spirit?" The police officers present were all greatly surprised.

"Yes, it's a cunning rabbit spirit," Bajie said with a grin.

"Is it a person's name?"

"No, it's a demon," Bajie answered honestly.

"Hahaha, hahaha," the police officers couldn't help but burst into laughter, saying, "You're really funny."

"It's true, I'd swear on this safe." Bajie said seriously.

"Haha, where's the demon?" the police asked again.

"My eldest brother buried it. You can ask my eldest brother." Bajie turned to Wukong and said.

"Is it true, Mr. Sun?" Director Zheng said to Wukong with a big smile.

Wukong shrugged and said, "Maybe it's true."

Bajie was overjoyed and said, "I'm not lying, am I? Even my eldest brother said so, you should believe me now, right?"

The police officers, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world, all gathered around. One policeman asked, "What does the demon look like?"

"She's gorgeous, I guarantee you

won't be able to resist getting a nosebleed when you see her," Bajie said enviously. He still vividly remembered the beautiful body of the cunning rabbit spirit, draped only in a thin veil.

"Really? Where is her body? Take us to see it, let us broaden our horizons. We've never seen what a demon looks like before!" everyone chimed in.

"Take you to see it? Yellow Wind Ridge is far from here, it would take days and nights to drive there," Pigsy said with a laugh.

"Haha, how did you get there, and how did you come back? Did you fly back?"

Everyone burst into laughter again.

"Yes, you're right, we flew back!" Pigsy said proudly, raising his head high.

The police looked at him like a patient who had escaped from a mental hospital, saying sympathetically, "Sir, we understand your pain at the Century Club being burned down, but try to take things easy and don't get hung up on it. If you drive yourself crazy, the losses will be even greater!"

"Heh, it seems you really think I'm insane. Let me tell you, I'm perfectly lucid. If you don't believe me, come with me outside and I'll fly over and

show ." Bajie led the crowd out the door, leaped into the air, and leisurely soared through the clouds.

"Wow, that's amazing!" The people on the ground were so astonished their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. ( Chapter 133,

April 25th) Bajie landed on the clouds, and amidst the admiring gazes of the police, he strode back, head held high and chest puffed out. His fat face gleamed with oil, and his expression was one of undisguised pride. The eager gazes of the police officers pleased him greatly, like taking a big bite of ice cream on a summer's day, filling him with delight. "Amazing! Truly incredible!" "If only I could learn this ability to fly, at least I'd be spared the traffic jams on my way to work." "Mr. Pig, could you take me as your apprentice? I sincerely want to learn from you, please accept me!" Everyone surrounded Pigsy, showering him with praise. Pigsy wished he had more ears to absorb all the compliments and digest them slowly. He chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Hehe, it's just a trivial skill, nothing to make a fuss about." The police officers were impressed by Pigsy's humility. Wow, this man is so modest! He possesses the extraordinary skill of flying, yet he doesn't boast at all, calling it a trivial skill. Does he have some other astonishing ability? Wukong laughed and said to Bajie, "Brother, you've really made a name for yourself this time. Feeling great, huh?" "Hehe, just one word: great! I haven't been respected like this in a long time. Brother, you're not jealous, are you? But even if you are, it's understandable. Who told you to like keeping your talents hidden! This world is all about showing off. Otherwise, even if you have extraordinary abilities, if no one sees them, you're still just a snow lotus growing on a high mountain," Bajie said. "Wow, I didn't expect our old pig to actually get it! Not bad, not bad. With this stunt, you'll definitely be a celebrity in Aolai Kingdom tomorrow, with lots of pig fans fawning over you," Wukong teased him. "If that day ever comes, it wouldn't be bad! Just thinking about it gets me excited. A bunch of beautiful young girls surrounding me, screaming and laughing, their eyes radiating adoration that makes my whole body tingle! Ah, that feeling would be amazing!" Bajie fantasized, his already small eyes squinting, his expression as smug as could be. Director Zheng also sidled up to Bajie, flatteringly saying, "Mr. Pig, you're truly unfathomable! My apologies! Your skills are incredibly useful. If we police could learn even one percent of them, that would be amazing. The crime rate in Aolai Kingdom could probably drop dramatically, maybe even achieving zero crime!" "Of course. If you police could learn even a fraction of my skills, who would dare to commit a crime? Are you tired of living?" Bajie said confidently. "Idiot, be careful you don't blow your own horn!" Wukong whispered in his ear. "What's there to be afraid of? You'll take the blame if I do," Bajie chuckled, replying to Wukong. Director Zheng said in a consultative tone, "You're absolutely right. Just by looking at Mr. Pig's physique, I can tell he's excellent material for martial arts. I believe all two thousand police officers in Aolai Kingdom would be happy to learn from you, wouldn't you agree?" Director Zheng's flattery was quite forceful. He completely ignored Pigsy's bulky physique. "Yes, we'd be happy," the police officers answered in unison. "Hehe, I understand your feelings. Actually, I've had the same idea—to pass on all my skills to the police, making you even more effective at catching thieves! But look at my club, it's burned down like this, there's nowhere to teach you!" Pigsy said with a bitter face. Hearing Pigsy say he was willing to teach, Director Zheng was very pleased and said, "Please rest assured, Mr. Pig. I'll apply to the government tomorrow for funding to rebuild the Century Club. Once completed, it will serve as a training base for the police, hoping to train the police force into a highly skilled and powerful army. That would greatly improve the security situation in Aolai Kingdom!"

Bajie hadn't expected his impulsive show-off to have such an exciting effect. He chuckled憨厚ly and said, "That's great! I was worried I wouldn't even be able to afford food tomorrow. Now that the government is funding the reconstruction, I can rest easy tonight! But I'm still worried about Big Pear. I wonder how she's doing?" "

Don't worry, I'll arrange for the police to investigate right

away usually go?" Director Zheng asked.

"Well, another place she frequents is the Shuchang Hotel. That's where I met her," Bajie said.

“Fool, I don’t think we need to investigate. The police analysis is correct. Your Big Pear wasn’t kidnapped; she left on her own. Her heart has already left you. What’s the point of bringing her back? Don’t waste police resources,” Wukong said to Bajie. “In your current situation, who would still be loyal to you? If you don’t believe me, you can call Cai Pei and Wei Xiang and see how they treat you.”

Bajie said, “Yes, I almost forgot about those two. I haven’t seen them since the fire started. Could they have burned to death in the hotel?” Saying this, he picked up the phone and called Wei Xiang. After a long while, Wei Xiang’s lazy voice came from the other end of the line.

“Miss Wei, are you and Cai Pei alright? I was worried about you.” Bajie said.

“We’re fine, we won’t die,” Wei Xiang replied.

“That’s good, that’s good. If you died, I would have lost a capable assistant! I’ll have to rely on you for

the club !” Bajie was relieved.

"The club is burned to the ground like this, what's the future? How much money can you come up with for reconstruction? As far as I know, the club doesn't have much money left in its accounts," Wei Xiang asked.

"The money is indeed gone, but..."

"What's the point of talking about reconstruction if there's no money? I'm sorry, I won't be working at the club starting tomorrow. You'd better find someone else." Wei Xiang impatiently interrupted Bajie and hung up the phone.

Listening to the "beep beep" sound on the phone, Bajie was stunned for a moment, then muttered to himself, "She hung up so quickly, I wasn't even finished speaking!" Little did he know, Wei Xiang was also feeling frustrated. To win over the accounting manager, she hadn't hesitated to offer her body, but unexpectedly, the club was burned to the ground in the blink of an eye. Her perfect plan had all gone down the drain. Man proposes, God disposes. How could she not be heartbroken? Actually, the fire that hit the club the hardest was Wei Xiang and Cai Pei. They had thought they could make a fortune, but now their hopes were dashed. She witnessed firsthand the scene

of gamblers pestering Bajie for

compensation Sensing trouble was brewing, she had already slipped away. There would be plenty of trouble to come; she wasn't foolish enough to walk right into a trap. The club's employees hadn't been paid for three months; let's see how he manages tomorrow.

"Old Cai is a loyal man; he certainly wouldn't treat me like this," Bajie thought stubbornly, calling Cai Pei again. The call went through, but no one answered. He tried again, but the phone was switched off. Bajie hung up dejectedly.

"See? I told you so! You're like a plague now; people are even more worried than you. Who has time to waste arguing with you?" Wukong laughed.

"That's right, it's like the monkeys scattering when the tree falls!" Bajie sighed.

"I'll hit you, you stupid pig-head! You actually cursed at me!" Wukong slapped Bajie on the head.

"When did I curse you?" Bajie asked, scratching his head, puzzled.

"You still say you didn't insult me? What did you just say?"

"I said, 'When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter,'" said Bajie.

"Then that settles it. You insulted monkeys, which is insulting your grandpa Sun, isn't it?" Wukong laughed and scolded.

"Hehe, sorry, I

almost forgot you're a monkey, brother. I was just talking about short people in front of Wu Dalang. I really deserve a beating, a beating!" Bajie couldn't help but laugh too.

Chapter 134 Solemn Expression

The next morning, the doorbell rang urgently in Wukong's room.

"Who is it so early? You're keeping me awake." Wukong reluctantly got up and opened the door. After opening the door, he saw Zhu Bajie standing there.

"Huh, so early?" Wukong was quite surprised and laughed, "As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm, but for you, it's like the early pig gets the food!"

"Sigh, I didn't want to get up so early either. It's so comfortable to be snuggled up in bed at this time!" Bajie said with a bitter face, "I was woken up early this morning, and when I went out, oh my god, there was a huge crowd at the door!"

"Really? Did they come to pay their respects or to see the Emperor?" Wukong asked.

"Neither to pay their respects nor to see the Emperor, they've all come to take my life." Bajie said with a sob in his voice.

"Really? In broad daylight, they're taking advantage of their numbers to commit violence?"

"They haven't committed violence, but they've all come to ask for money. Isn't that worse than taking my life? I'm truly penniless now! Besides these three hundred or so pounds, what else do I have to give away?" Bajie said.

Bajie followed Wukong into the room, plopped down on the sofa, and sighed, "Ugh, I've

really been screwed over by that old fox Cai Pei this time! I thought I'd found a golden opportunity, but it turns out to be a hot potato! It's a shame to throw it away, but holding onto it is uncomfortable."

"Heh, you've only been the boss for a few days and you've already borrowed money from so many people. You're not a very good boss," Wukong

said. "It's not that I borrowed money from others. Those people are all club employees who haven't received their wages for three months. Cai Pei has been dragging his feet on paying them. Now that the club is on fire, everyone's worried and coming to me for money. Brother, tell me, why should I wipe Cai Pei's butt?" Bajie said indignantly.

"Heh heh, you're the club's boss now. If you don't wipe his butt, who will?" Wukong said.

"Brother, you're amazing! How come you said exactly the same thing as them? Yes, that's what they said to me this morning too. They surrounded me, and it looked like they wanted to chop me into eight pieces and sell me at the market for everyone to split the money. When I saw things were going badly, I turned into the wind and ran away, leaving them there, frantically searching for me. Sigh, luckily I, Old Pig, have some tricks up my sleeve, otherwise I'd still be stuck here." Pigsy said with lingering

fear .

"I think you shouldn't call yourself Old Pig anymore, you should just change your name to Old Rascal! What do you take this place for? A refuge?" Wukong asked with a laugh.

"Hehe, more than a refuge! It's a free canteen! I don't care, from today onwards, you're in charge of my food, clothing, shelter, and transportation! After all, I'm your junior brother! I won't leave for now, I'll just stay with you. At most, you can sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the sofa!" Pigsy said with a simple and honest smile.

"The crew is heading back to China tomorrow, and I promised Situ Yu I'd go with everyone to see how it differs from the Tang Dynasty. So, I'll only be staying in this room until tomorrow; you can stay as long as you like," Wukong said.

"Back to China? I'm going too!" Bajie exclaimed excitedly. "Wherever you go, I'll follow."

"But—"

"What are you thinking about? Brother, are you looking down on me?" Bajie pouted.

"No, no, I'm just worried you won't want to leave Aolai Kingdom! Ah, having a junior brother like you, I, Sun Wukong, am truly blessed!" Wukong teased.

"That's the truth. Enough said, I'd better hurry up and take a nap

. I'm so sleepy!" Bajie collapsed onto the sofa, closed his eyes, and within a minute, thunderous snoring filled the air.

"He can really sleep!" Wukong chuckled to himself. He was used to Bajie's exaggerated snoring, so he didn't find it jarring and quickly fell asleep again.

He slept soundly, and when he opened his eyes again, the doorbell rang.

Wukong opened the door, and Situ Yu and Liu Yueyue stood there, smiling at him.

"Still not awake?" Situ Yu asked, looking at his sleepy face.

"Not enough sleep yet. If you hadn't rang the doorbell, I could have slept all day long." Wukong said with a laugh.

"Really? What's the difference between you and a pig?"

"Of course there's a difference! I wake up when I hear the doorbell, but a pig doesn't."

Liu Yueyue listened to the sounds inside the room, her face showing curiosity, and asked, "Brother Sun, when did you get a pet pig in your room? I think I heard it snoring."

"Yueyue has good hearing. Come in and take a look. This pet pig weighs about three hundred pounds." Wukong led the two girls into the room, and the sight before them made the two girls laugh heartily. Bajie was sleeping soundly on

the sofa, his head tilted to one side, his big nose opening and closing, emitting thunderous snores. His mouth was open, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth onto the floor.

"Hehe, this sleeping posture is so cute!" Situ Yu took out her phone and sent Bajie a picture of a "fat pig soundly asleep."

"Bajie, wake up and eat!" Wukong shouted loudly in his ear.

Bajie suddenly woke up, opened his eyes, looked around, and asked, "Eat? Where's the food?"

Liu Yueyue chuckled and said, "Where's the food? Brother Sun is just teasing you."

"Let me tell you, waking Bajie isn't easy, but it's not difficult either. Just say 'Eat' in his ear, and he'll wake up immediately," Wukong said with a chuckle.

"Brother, you woke me up at the worst possible time! I was dreaming about attending the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet, where there's so much delicious food! I picked up a peach to eat, and you woke me up of all times! What a spoilsport!" Pigsy said, annoyed.

"Alright, alright, don't blame me. I was worried you'd go hungry, so I woke you up to eat with us. I should have waited until we were out eating

before waking you up!" Monkey said, feigning anger.

"Hehe, no way! I know you love me, Big Brother. I know. I'll go wash my face and come with you." Hearing there was food, Pigsy jumped up from the sofa and scurried off to the bathroom to wash his face.

The four of them went downstairs to the restaurant, where a waiter led them to a private room. Pigsy, naturally, was the one who ate the most heartily. After eating for over an hour, he finally put down his chopsticks, patting his round belly with satisfaction, and said, "Hehe, finally I've filled my stomach. I'm easily satisfied; once my stomach is full, all my worries disappear!"

Situ Yu and Yueyue giggled.

Just then, Situ Yu's phone rang. She pressed the answer button, her expression gradually becoming serious.

Chapter 135 Disaster

Putting down the phone, Situ Yu wore an incredulous expression, muttering to herself, "Impossible? Is it that serious?"

"Xiao Yu, you seem distracted. What's wrong?" Wukong returned from the bathroom, noticing the strange expression on Situ Yu's face, and asked.

"A friend called me, saying there was an earthquake in my hometown, Lingwang City. She just saw the news online, and I'm calling back to verify." Situ Yu picked up the phone and dialed a number, but the call couldn't be connected.

"Strange, Dad's phone is on 24/7, why can't I get through now?" Situ Yu dialed several more times, but the result was always the same: no answer. Her face grew increasingly panicked. She tried dialing several more friends' numbers, but still couldn't get through.

"Why? Why is this happening?" Situ Yu's pale fingers flew across the phone's buttons, only to be met with repeated disappointment. Eventually, her hands trembled, as if she had no strength left to press the keys.

Finally, she got through and anxiously asked, "Is this Reporter Liang? This is Situ Yu

. I want to ask you something. Did an earthquake really happen in Lingwang City? How serious are the consequences?"

Reporter Liang on the other end of the line said, "An earthquake did indeed happen in Lingwang City. We in Honglian City, more than 400 kilometers away, also felt the tremors. I believe the consequences are quite serious. Communication in Lingwang City is completely paralyzed right now, and we can't contact anyone there. I will try my best to find out the situation. I'll call you immediately if I have any new information."

Situ Yu hung up the phone helplessly and said, "There really was an earthquake, and I can't get through on the phone. I'm so worried! What should I do? I don't know if my parents are alright!" As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

“Sister Yu, don’t cry. Maybe things aren’t as bad as you think!” Liu Yueyue handed her a tissue and comforted her.

Situ Yu closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and silently prayed.

Ten minutes later, Situ Yu’s phone rang again. It was reporter Liang calling, saying, “It’s been confirmed that a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Lingwang City, with the epicenter in Longqi County. Many houses have collapsed, and the government is currently organizing rescue efforts

. However, it’s said that the roads connecting to Lingwang City are severely damaged, making rescue work very difficult.”

“I understand. Thank you for providing me with this information,” Situ Yu said sincerely.

“Old Wang, contact them immediately and see if there are any tickets available for today. I need to return to China immediately.” Situ Yu wiped away her tears and called Old Wang, the logistics manager of the film crew.

“But, Miss Situ, the tickets for tomorrow have already been booked. Perhaps…” Old Wang reminded her.

“I can’t wait until tomorrow. If tickets are scarce, book as many as you can, even just one. I’m in a hurry to get back,” Situ Yu instructed.

"Miss Situ, is something urgent? Has something happened at home? Are Mr. and Mrs. Situ alright?" Old Wang asked with concern. Old Wang was the Situ family's old housekeeper, having watched Situ Yu grow up since childhood. He cared deeply for her, and this time, when Mr. Situ came to film a drama, he specifically arranged for him to accompany and take care of her.

"I don't know. There was a major earthquake at home, and I can't get in touch by phone. I'm so anxious, I just want to go home as soon as possible." Situ Yu couldn't help but sob. "

A major earthquake? Are you sure

? It's not a rumor, is it?" Old Wang was shocked. His wife and children were at home, and this news from Situ Yu was like a bombshell, stunning him.

"It's not a rumor. Reporter Liang from Honglian City TV station verified it." Situ Yu said.

"Then I'll contact the airport right away, I'll go right away!" Old Wang was also flustered, his voice distorted on the phone.

Situ Yu's phone kept ringing, some with information, some with inquiries. She kept talking, and between breaths, she said to everyone, "Old Wang went to the airport to arrange flights. I need to go back to my room and check the situation online."

Wukong reached out and firmly grasped Situ Yu's hand, saying, "Xiao Yu, be strong. Don't panic."

"Thank you, I'll hold on!" A resolute look appeared on Situ Yu's helpless face.

Leaving the restaurant, Situ Yu and Liu Yueyue returned to their room. Bajie said to Wukong, "Brother, Xiao Yu looked quite injured just now. What kind of monster is an earthquake? Is it very scary?"

"I've never seen one either, but it's probably very scary. Bajie, I'm going

to China to see what's going on. Do you want to come?" Wukong asked.

"I'll go, I'll go!" Pigsy hurriedly replied.

"Let's not delay, let's set off immediately." After saying that, Monkey King and Pigsy rode on auspicious clouds and headed towards the land of China.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived above the land of China. Below, they saw towering buildings, lush green trees, crisscrossing roads, a constant flow of vehicles, and bustling crowds and merchants on the streets—a truly prosperous scene.

"Ah, Pigsy, look! What a lively scene! It surpasses even the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty during the Zhenguan era!" Monkey King exclaimed.

"It is indeed quite prosperous. I often come down to the Pure Altar, so I am quite familiar with the land of China. What you see here is the Lingnan region, which used to be a wild and undeveloped land, but now it has become an extremely prosperous place. But look closely, compared to the Tang Dynasty you are familiar with in the East, is there any difference?" Pigsy chuckled and said.

Wukong observed carefully for a moment, then nodded and said, "The river water doesn't seem clear enough; I can't see the crystal-clear water of the past at all. The smell of exhaust fumes in the air is too strong; it burns my throat when I breathe in it.

Hmm, the air is quite murky."

"Hehe, you can feel it too, right? Every time I return to the Western Paradise from the Pure Altar of China, it takes me half an hour to wash my face. My face is covered in a layer of oil, and when I wipe my nostrils with a tissue, there's black grease. Those people live in such an environment every day, and it seems they're used to it. They truly inherit the virtue of hard work and perseverance that the Chinese nation has upheld for thousands of years!" Bajie praised. The

two rode on auspicious clouds in the air, as if strolling leisurely, talking as they walked. When they arrived at a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, Wukong was about to cheer for the clear river water he saw when the scene he saw next startled him, and he quickly stopped.

Below, the city's buildings lay in disarray, the streets teeming with people, their clothes disheveled, their faces contorted with panic, some bleeding from the head. Children cried in terror, adults looked around frantically, as if searching for something. Faced with this sudden disaster, everyone was stunned, unsure where safety lay, gazing helplessly and sorrowfully at the collapsed buildings.

In the distance, such scenes of devastation were everywhere: broken roads and collapsed houses, the sounds of terrified cries and desperate footsteps. At the foot of a mountain, a row of buildings had been buried by a mudslide; those who had escaped scattered, struggling to survive amidst boulders and treacherous paths.

"Brother, this is it," said Bajie.

"I know. Let's go down," Wukong said, descending from the clouds and landing on the ruins of the city.

Chapter 136: The power

reached the ground, and the scene was even more heartbreaking. Not a single building was intact. Besides the vast expanse of collapsed structures, the few remaining buildings were teetering on the brink of collapse, looking extremely fragile.

A woman in her thirties lay prone in front of a collapsed building, desperately trying to pry open the rubble and broken bricks. Her floral dress was covered in thick dust, her hair was disheveled, and her hands were cut by sharp stones, drops of blood staining the rubble and the broken bricks in front of her red. She sobbed, murmuring the names of two people. Just

as Wukong was about to rush over to help, Bajie grabbed him, saying, "Brother, you can't go."

"Why? Bajie, in this situation, you're not going to tell me you're abandoning her, are you?" Wukong said disdainfully.

"Brother, what kind of person do you take me for? Even if I'm lazy, I wouldn't back down now, would I? I'm worried that if we go over like this, we'll scare her half to death," Bajie said, aggrieved.

Looking at Bajie, with his long snout, large ears, and burly, dark-skinned appearance, Wukong

chuckled and said, "You're quite the observant fool. Let's change our appearances then."

Wukong and Bajie transformed; Wukong remained a handsome young man, while Bajie retained his nouveau riche look. They rushed over and asked, "Sister-in-law, what are you looking for?"

The woman, seeing the two men suddenly appear, was overjoyed. Hope flickered across her face, which had been filled with despair, and she sobbed, "My husband and my child are buried here. Poor thing, my child is only five years old. I was on my way home from work when the earthquake struck, and I escaped. But my husband and child are at home! They… Waaah, why wasn't it me buried here? My child is only five! Please help me, help me get them out!" As she spoke, her hands never stopped, desperately trying to move a huge concrete pillar.

However, the cement pillar was very heavy, about two meters long and weighing seven or eight hundred pounds. No matter how hard the woman tried, it wouldn't budge.

"Move aside, let me do it," Wukong said,

gently lifting the cement pillar and tossing it onto the nearby open ground.

"You—" The woman's eyes widened in astonishment as she looked at Wukong, tears of joy streaming down her face. "I never imagined you, little brother, possessed such superhuman strength! Now my husband and child are saved!"

Bajie, not to be outdone, used his large hands to clear away the broken bricks and cement blocks beneath the pillar, shouting, "Brother, if only we had a rake! We could clear this pile of stones in no time!"

"No, there are people down there. Your rake might accidentally injure them. But using your hands isn't a solution either. I'll go find two iron shovels." Wukong got up, walked to the side, plucked a few hairs from his body, chewed them, spat them out, and placed them in his hands. With a shout, several brand-new iron shovels appeared in his hands.

"Here, Bajie, take this." Wukong handed Bajie an iron shovel and also handed one to the woman.

"Oh, I found you several iron shovels so quickly?" the woman asked curiously as she took the shovels. The bloodstains on her hands immediately stained the wooden handle red.

"I carry them with me, for saving people,"

Wukong said.

"Big Brother carries so many things with him, he can have anything you need!" Bajie said, swinging the iron shovel and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"You should rest a bit, the two of us are enough here," Wukong advised, unable to bear seeing her blood-stained hands.

"I don't need to rest, the more people there are, the more strength we have," the woman said firmly.

Wukong pressed his ear to the rubble, listening carefully, and said, "Bajie, be careful, we can hear a child crying down there. We should be able to see the buried person soon!"

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank goodness, my husband and child are safe and sound!" The woman was overjoyed to hear Wukong's words and said, "As long as my husband and child are safe and sound, I will eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures to repay the Bodhisattva's blessing!"

A collapsed wall suddenly appeared before them. One side of this wall was supported by another wall, forming a triangle lying on the ground.

"Come on, Bajie, let's lift this wall together," Wukong said.

"Okay!" Bajie lifted the other side of the wall, and together with Wukong, they lifted the sloping wall.

"My child! My child!"

The woman's eyes lit up. After lifting the wall, she saw her husband crouching below, tightly holding their child in his arms, the little child whimpering in fear.

"Mommy!" The child, blinded by the sudden burst of sunlight, responded with delight at his mother's call.

"Child, Mommy's here!" The woman knelt down and helped her husband up. The man, perhaps having squatted for too long, had numb legs and nearly fell. The woman hugged him tightly, repeatedly saying, "It's alright, it's alright."

"It's alright, we're really alright!" the man choked back tears, saying, "I thought I'd never see you again!"

The child, his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, opened them and smiled happily, saying, "Mommy, I see you! I can finally see you!"

The woman hugged the child tightly, saying tenderly, "My sweet child, my darling, did I scare you?"

"Mommy, it was scary just now, the ground seemed to be spinning." The child pressed his little face against his mother's tear-streaked face.

"Luckily there was that wall, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable." Wukong looked at the place where the two had just hidden and said.

"Yes, you're really lucky." Bajie echoed.

"Thanks to these two benefactors, you were spared. Come, child, kowtow to these two uncles." The woman put the child down and said.

"Thank you, uncles!" The child didn't kowtow, but stood up straight, puffed out his chest, and saluted Wukong and Bajie.

"Hehe, this child is quite adorable." Bajie reached out and pinched his little cheek.

"My two benefactors, I can't thank you enough. I will remember your life-saving grace for the rest of my life," the rescued man said gratefully. The joy of survival replaced the fear brought by the earthquake. Looking at the ruins before him, his face showed no despair. He put his hand on his wife's shoulder and comforted her, "Don't cry, hold on! As long as we're alive, we can always rebuild."

The woman wiped away her tears and said, "Yes, I won't cry. Our family is reunited, why should I cry?"

Wukong and Bajie watched this touching scene of reunion after the disaster, their hearts warmed.

After a short pause, Wukong said to the couple, "Alright, we should go now. There are still

many families who need help."

"I'll go with you to rescue people," the man said firmly.

"You just escaped death; you need to recover your strength. You should rest," Wukong advised.

"No need to rest, I'm perfectly fine," the man clenched his fist, showing off his muscles, "Look, my hands still have strength!"

"Alright then, let's go together. Sister-in-law, please take good care of the children," Wukong said to the woman.

"No, my child and I will go! We'll move every tile we can," the woman said resolutely.

Chapter 137 Different Kinds of People

Arriving at an even larger ruin, a large crowd had already gathered, their cries rising and falling incessantly. Scattered haphazardly across the bricks and cement slabs were the remains of schoolbags, sneakers, and desks, with exercise books everywhere, fluttering in the wind.

"How pitiful, even the school has collapsed. This used to be a middle school, only built less than two years ago, and now it's destroyed. I wonder if the children inside escaped," the man rescued by Wukong said with emotion.

The lucky students who had escaped stood before the ruins, still shaken, waiting for their parents to come and claim them. Each successful reunion was a joyous occasion, with some parents shedding tears of happiness.

A man in his thirties was surrounded by several parents, who bombarded him with questions. A parent asked him, "Teacher Fan, my child, Wu Hong, is in your class. Did he escape? I can't find him."

The man, called Teacher Fan, said, "Wu Hong? I don't know. I felt the ground shaking, and my first

reaction was that it was an earthquake. I shouted 'Earthquake! Run!' and was the first to run downstairs. I didn't even notice if Wu Hong was following behind."

"You're a teacher! Don't you care whether your student escaped or not? What kind of teacher are you? That's so irresponsible!" Wu Hong's father said angrily. "What

a joke! Does being a teacher mean sacrificing yourself to save others? Who made that rule? Is it written in the law? No, right? Let me tell you, in that situation, even if my elderly mother were in front of me, I wouldn't have saved her. Escaping first was the right thing to do," Teacher Fan said righteously.

His words angered several parents. A middle-aged woman, tears streaming down her face, said angrily, "Teacher Fan, everyone used to think you were a good teacher. We never imagined you were such a selfish person. Entrusting our children to someone like you is a terrible misfortune!"

"Don't blame me," Teacher Fan replied nonchalantly. "In that emergency, you would have run just like me, maybe even faster! Losing your life is a small matter compared to losing your teaching job!"

"I wouldn't run! If I were a teacher, I would definitely be the last one!" the middle-aged woman shouted

.

"Anyone can make grand pronouncements. You're not me, so of course you can say whatever you want," Teacher Fan retorted dismissively.

A burly man jumped up in anger, pointing at Teacher Fan's nose and saying, "You, surnamed Fan, are worse than an animal! You're a disgrace to teachers, a scum of society! I despise you! God, why didn't the earthquake kill scum like him?!" The man grew increasingly furious, raising his fist to punch Teacher Fan in the face. Poor Mr. Fan, a frail scholar, though he ran fast during the earthquake, was utterly powerless. This punch landed on his face, blood streaming down his cheeks, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"You scoundrel! You thug!" Mr. Fan grumbled, clutching his face.

"That's nothing, there's more!" The middle-aged man kicked him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Mr. Fan lay there, slippers and sandals raining down on his body and face.

Bajie, who had witnessed and heard everything, clapped his hands and exclaimed, "That was satisfying! Such a coward is far inferior to me, Old Pig!"

"Don't boast," Wukong teased, "you're not much better than him either. It's

probably of the pot calling the kettle black."

"Hmph, I'm not afraid of death! Brother, you underestimate me!" Bajie pouted.

"Alright, alright, you're a great hero, aren't you? Stop watching the show and get to saving people!" Wukong said, walking to the rubble-strewn ruins. Many people were already searching diligently, but even with more than ten burly men shouting and pulling together, they couldn't move a single thick concrete beam.

"Sigh, it's too heavy! If only we had a crane!" one of the men said, his face red with frustration.

"A crane? Even if we had one, it wouldn't be able to get in. Look how badly the road is destroyed. Forget about a crane; even walking on it would be difficult," another burly man said helplessly, looking at the rubble.

Wukong walked over and said to them, "You all step aside, I'll move it."

"You? Just you alone?" Everyone looked at Wukong with questioning eyes.

"Yes, I can manage alone!" Wukong puffed out his chest and said boldly.

Everyone looked Wukong up and down and shook their heads. The man before them was tall and strong, but his fair complexion didn't suggest he was used to manual labor. Could he really handle it?

"Young man, this concrete beam weighs at least two thousand pounds. Do you think it's made of wood? I suggest you don't try, lest you strain your back!" a burly, dark-skinned man kindly advised.

His words elicited a burst of good-natured laughter from the crowd.

Wukong said nothing more, walked over, gently lifted the beam, tucked it under his arm, and stomped it down to the open ground beside him.

"Wow, superhuman strength!" everyone exclaimed in surprise.

"You really can't judge a book by its cover! Who would have thought such a frail scholar could be stronger than a dozen of us burly men? We're truly impressed!"

"Brother, you're amazing! I admire you!" The burly, dark-skinned man grabbed Wukong's hand and said excitedly, "With a strongman like you, there's hope for the students and teachers buried below!"

Wukong was praised, but inwardly he was a little skeptical. He thought to himself, "I can lift two mountains on my shoulders, and my golden cudgel weighs 15,000 jin. Moving this mere beam is a piece of cake! Is it worth all this praise

?" So he smiled modestly and said, "It was just a coincidence. I accidentally ate a power-boosting pill yesterday, and that's how I became like this. My brother here is the real strongman."

Wukong pointed to Bajie beside him. Everyone was even more surprised. Wow, there's someone stronger than him? Couldn't he move mountains and overturn seas?

Bajie, under everyone's eager gaze, was overjoyed. He came over and started working diligently, picking out the heaviest and thickest stones to move. Encouraged, everyone joined in, clearing the site together.

Soon, a tall, thin body emerged from below. He was pinned to the ground by the lintel. Moving the lintel freed him.

"Teacher He!" someone recognized the tall, thin man as Teacher He.

Teacher He was lucid. He raised his hand, his eyes wide with anxiety, and said, "Don't worry about me, there are still five children inside. Go save them!"

"What a good teacher! His heart is always with his students. How can there be such different teachers in the same school? We should call Teacher Fan over and see how he teaches," a middle-aged woman said emotionally. She searched around, but

couldn't even find Teacher Fan; he was probably gone.

Chapter 138: A Mixture of Joy and Sorrow.

From the mountain of rubble, Wukong and the others rescued the five students—four boys and one girl. They were covered in dust, their faces obscured by thick grime, but their eyes, peeking out from the gray, still betrayed their natural terror.

Fortunately, none were seriously injured. After dusting themselves off, they were still five vibrant lives. The parents, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed forward, embracing their children and letting tears of joy flow freely.

Other parents present wept along with them. What could be more joyful than surviving a near-death experience? Having weathered the storm of life and death, everyone cherished this hard-won life all the more.

"My child, I'm so happy you're safe and sound," a mother said, tightly hugging one of the boys, tears streaming down her face. "If anything had happened to you, your father and I wouldn't know how we would have managed." She stroked her child's hair with her dirty, blackened hands,

lingering on it for a long time.

A middle-aged man beside her rubbed his hands together, smiling憨厚ly; he appeared to be the boy's father. His hands had many cuts from the sharp edges of bricks and stones he had inflicted while rescuing people, but he seemed oblivious to them.

"Dad, your hands are hurt," the boy said, grasping his father's hand with concern.

"It's nothing, it's nothing! What's a little injury to a man like me? As long as you're alright, I wouldn't be afraid of being injured ten or a hundred times more!" The boy's father said, tears glistening in his eyes.

“Dad, I used to always talk back to you, and I never liked what you said. But after this, I’ll change. I want to be a good boy and mom.” The boy looked down at his father’s hand and said emotionally.

“Hehe, being a good boy is good, of course. But Dad isn’t always right, hehe, sometimes I’m too demanding of you.” The boy’s father said.

The rescued girl cried her eyes out in her mother’s arms. After a long time, she calmed down and asked, “Mom, where’s Teacher He? Is he alright?”

“Child, Teacher He was rescued too. He’s lying over there.” The girl’s mother pointed.

The girl grabbed her mother’s hand and ran over, kneeling down in front of Teacher He, asking anxiously, “Teacher He, how are you?”

“I’m fine, child. You got out too? Where are the other students?” Teacher He asked.

"They're all out! All the students in our class are out! Teacher He, it's all thanks to you! You could have run downstairs first, but you didn't run away. Instead, you stood at the classroom door directing the students to leave... You're so good to us!" the girl said, choking back tears.

"That's good, that's good! Silly child, don't cry, okay? Teacher is fine. I can get up and play basketball with you after a short rest." Teacher He's thin face was full of kindness. Teacher He struggled to stand up, but his back was injured, and he couldn't exert any strength. After several attempts, he had to give up.

"Teacher He, you should lie down properly. Your back is injured, so please don't move around." The girl's mother looked at the teacher's shirt, which was stained red with blood.

"I'm worried. I wonder if the students from the other classes have been rescued yet?" Teacher He asked anxiously.

"Don't worry. Look, they're all working hard to rescue people." The girl pointed to the people working energetically on the ruins and said to the teacher.

Wukong and the others stood on the mountain of ruins, continuing to clear the steel and concrete.

"Brother, if something this heavy falls down and someone doesn't have time to escape, they'll likely die," Pigsy said to Monkey beside him, straightening up.

"Fool, don't talk such discouraging things. Believe that miracles can happen," Monkey whispered. "Don't dampen our morale." As he spoke, his hands didn't stop, gently lifting a collapsed section of the wall as if it were a thin plank.

"There's someone down there!" a sharp-eyed man shouted. Pigsy looked closely and saw a foot wearing a sneaker emerging from the rubble and dust.

Everyone crouched down, carefully clearing away the debris, and pulled out a boy with a bluish-purple face.

"Child, it's my child!" a man said, brushing the dirt off the boy's face with delight. He hugged the boy tightly, excitedly saying, "Child, wake up! Open your eyes and look! Who's in front of you? I'm your father!"

The child kept his eyes closed and didn't answer.

“Child,

don’t scare me! You’re our only seed left! Don’t scare me! Open your eyes and look at me!” The man’s cries turned into howls, filled with panicked sobs.

Wukong crouched down, pressed his ear to the boy’s chest, and listened for a while. “Don’t be afraid, there’s still a heartbeat.” He dismissed the boy’s father, gently pried open his mouth, which was full of dirt. Wukong reached in and scooped the dirt out, turned the boy over, and gently patted his back a few times. The boy spat out another mouthful of dirt, then gagged with a “whoosh.”

“There’s a sound!” The crowd cheered.

Wukong turned the boy over again, and his bluish-purple face gradually regained color, and he slowly opened his eyes.

“Dad!” The boy called out to his father the first thing he heard as he opened his eyes.

“Child, you’ve finally woken up!” The man wept bitterly.

"I could hear you calling me, but I couldn't open my eyes. Where's Mom?" The boy sat up with his father's help, unable to see his mother, and asked anxiously.

"Your mother...she..." The man's face was filled with unconcealed sorrow.

"What happened to Mom

?" The boy noticed something was wrong with his father's expression and burst into tears.

"The house collapsed too. After I pulled your mother out, she...she was already dead." The man couldn't hold back his tears again.

"Mom!" The boy cried out in anguish

. "Son, from now on, it's just the two of us, father and son, relying on each other! You must be strong!" the man comforted him through his tears.

Everyone present shed tears, for them and for themselves.

"Brother, you are the child's second parent! Please accept our bow." The man, pulling the child, knelt down with a thud, about to kowtow to Wukong.

Wukong quickly helped them up, saying, "Please get up, no need for formalities! After we finish things here, I'll go with you to your home to see if your wife is still alive. Just like your child, her face had turned purplish-black, but she still had a heartbeat, so she survived."

"Really? Thank you so much!" The man was overjoyed. He had just witnessed Wukong skillfully revive his child, and couldn't help but feel a sense of mystery and admiration for this handsome man.

Chapter 139 Nine-Turn Golden Elixir

The boy's home was not far from the school. Wukong and Bajie walked quickly, following the hurried father and son. His home was a mud-brick house, the walls completely collapsed, tiles and mud bricks scattered everywhere. In front of the collapsed house, a woman's body lay quietly. The dust on her body and face had clearly been carefully wiped away, making her appear relatively clean.

"Mom!" The boy rushed over, embracing the woman's body and calling out. Tears streamed down his face, dripping onto his mother's cheeks, but her eyes remained closed, unresponsive to her son's calls.

"Mom, wake up, wake up!" The boy shook his mother's body, heartbroken.

"Child, your mother is dying. She's left us, father and son," the man said, pulling the child away while suppressing his own grief.

"Mom, don't leave me! No!" The boy pressed his face against his mother's, overwhelmed with sorrow.

"Brother, please save her! Look how pitiful that child is, so young and without a mother, so heartbreaking," Pigsy

said to Monkey. Monkey crouched down, placed his finger under the woman's nostrils, paused, and shook his head, saying, "She's not breathing. Even if Hua Tuo were alive, he couldn't save her." "Wah!" The boy cried out again, his sobs

filling the air .

His father's face grew even paler, his eyes vacant and lifeless.

"Brother, why are you shaking your head? Aren't you supposed to be so capable?" Pigsy asked.

"Fool, what can I possibly do? I'm neither Hua Tuo, who can bring the dead back to life, nor the judge of the underworld who holds the power of life and death over mortals," Monkey said.

"Hehe, Brother, although you're neither Hua Tuo nor the judge of the underworld, your abilities far surpass theirs. Nothing can stump you. Remember when the King of Wuji Kingdom was framed by a demon and lay at the bottom of a well for three years? Didn't you save him?" Pigsy said obsequiously.

"Right, that's a wake-up call! How could I forget about Laozi? I've stolen quite a few of his elixirs; I wonder if he'll give me any now? That old man is so stingy!" Monkey slapped his forehead, remembering Laozi.

"What does it matter if he doesn't give it to you? You have plenty of tricks up your sleeve

. Don't forget, you've stolen countless elixirs from Laozi and eaten quite a few peaches from the Queen Mother of the West. You're not just a thief, you're the ancestor of thieves!" Pigsy said with a grin.

"You wretched pig, always trying to expose your grandfather's shortcomings! Are you itching for a beating? Stretch out your stinky feet so I can give you a couple of whacks." Wukong reached to his ear as if to pull out his golden cudgel.

"No, no, I won't dare! If you give me

a couple of whacks, even Laozi's Nine-Turn Golden Elixir won't save me! I'll shut up, okay?" Pigsy hurriedly begged for mercy. "You're smart enough to know better. I'll remember these two whacks. Look, who's coming from behind?" Wukong turned and pointed behind him. Everyone looked behind them. Wukong leaped up and rode away on his somersault cloud.

"No one's coming from behind," Pigsy said doubtfully. Then he turned around, but Wukong was nowhere to be seen. He chuckled and said, "That monkey, he's really mischievous. He didn't even say goodbye, just left me, old pig, behind. That's really not kind of him. I haven't been to Heaven for a long time. Couldn't he have taken me with him?" He muttered under his breath.

The man, also puzzled by Wukong's disappearance, asked, "Hey, where's that brother? How come he vanished in the blink of an eye?"

"Hehe, everyone has to go to the toilet. He'll probably be back soon," Pigsy said with a simple smile.

Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud straight into the South Heavenly Gate. After greeting the gatekeepers, he didn't dare linger and went directly to the Tushita Palace in the Thirty-Three Heavens. Upon entering, he saw Laozi sitting in his alchemy room, fanning the fire with banana leaf fans, refining elixirs, accompanied by his celestial attendants.

Upon seeing Wukong enter, Laozi stopped fanning himself with his banana leaf fan and hurriedly instructed the celestial attendants guarding the elixirs, "Everyone be careful, the habitual elixir thief is back."

Wukong laughed and said, "Old man, do you have to be so wary of me? I haven't stolen anything in a long time!"

Laozi said sternly, "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. Everyone should be careful. Back then, you wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace and

stole countless of my elixirs. Such a memory is like a nightmare, still vivid in my mind, and I dare not forget it."

Wukong smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Laozi, more than two thousand years have passed, and you still

remember it so vividly. With such a good memory, do you also remember how much I suffered because of it? Just those forty-nine days I spent in your alchemy furnace were enough to make me suffer. Damn, just thinking about it now makes me feel hot all over!"

"That's your own fault! Don't mention those forty-nine days; they made me waste a lot of charcoal for nothing," Laozi said painfully.

"Laojun, you are truly the number one miser of Heaven! You can't see the suffering I've endured, you only remember how much charcoal you've wasted," Wukong said discontentedly.

"Didn't you go down to the mortal realm for a vacation? What are you doing here today?" Laojun asked him.

Wukong said, “I don’t come to the Three Treasures Hall without a reason. Today, a strange thing happened in China. A huge earthquake struck Lingwang City. I don’t know what kind of demon did it, and I haven’t found out yet. Lingwang City is now a living hell. Mountains are collapsing, houses are crumbling, and the people are suffering terribly. Many are on the verge of death, and many have already perished. I was thinking of coming here to borrow ten or twenty thousand Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pills to treat the innocent victims in the mortal world.”

Laozi was shocked when he heard this and said, “Is that so? That’s

terrible ! It’s rare for you, Wukong, to have such a kind heart. I, this old man, have no reason to refuse. However, to tell you the truth, I don’t have many Golden Pills to begin with. A few days ago, the Jade Emperor held a ‘Golden Pill Gathering,’ and I donated more than two thousand pills, which were all enjoyed by the gods. So now I only have less than a hundred left.”

“You’re lying to me again. Laozi, this is urgent. Be generous and give me ten thousand pills, okay?” Wukong pleaded.

"Really, there aren't any," Lao Jun said, spreading his hands.

"Then a thousand it is," Wukong said, "I can't refuse anymore."

Lao Jun took out a brocade box, poured out all the golden pills inside, counted them, and said, "Ninety-eight, that's all."

Wukong snatched it, saying, "Then how many are left in your alchemy furnace? I'll take them all."

"No, it's still early, the heat isn't right. Taking them won't do you any good, they'll have no effect whatsoever," Lao Jun said.

Wukong still didn't believe him and searched the entire room, but still found nothing. Seeing the room ransacked by Wukong, Lao Jun angrily said, "You mischievous monkey, you're really troublesome! I've given you my entire fortune, and you're still causing trouble here. Get out

! Get out! Get out!"

Wukong laughed, "Really, there aren't any. I'll try to find something elsewhere."

Lao Jun shouted, "Go! Go! Go!"

Wukong took a step forward. After a couple of steps, he turned back, took the brocade box that Laozi used to store the golden pills, and said, "This box looks nice; it's quite suitable for storing golden pills.

Why don't you just give it to me?" Laozi was furious but laughed, saying, "You impudent monkey, you really haven't changed your thieving nature. Fine, fine, hurry up and go. If you take another step slower, you might even steal my entire Tushita Palace."

Only then did Wukong thank Laozi and leave the Tushita Palace.

Chapter 140 Heavenly Soldiers

Descend Wukong descended from the South Heavenly Gate in the blink of an eye and returned to Lingwang City in China. Looking down from mid-air, he saw Bajie looking around as if searching for something, while the father and son squatted beside the woman, their eyes filled with tears. Wukong landed on a cloud not far from them, and the father and son were completely unaware.

Pigsy, however, had sharp eyes. Seeing Monkey return, he deliberately said loudly, "Brother, you took a really long piss! I thought you fell into the latrine! If you hadn't come back, I would have gone to the latrine to look for you!"

"I'm not a big, stupid fat pig, how could I have fallen into the latrine?" Monkey laughed. Then he walked over to the father and son and said, "I just happened to meet a traveling doctor on the road. I asked him for a pill, saying it could bring the dead back to life. I don't know if it works, but you can try it."

The man was overjoyed and took the red pill from Wukong, saying repeatedly, "Is it really that miraculous? Let's try it. But how can you swallow it without water?"

"I'll go find water." The boy jumped up and ran off like an arrow. He returned a moment later, holding a bottle of mineral water, panting, and said, "The water's here. It was given to me by Mr. Wu from the supermarket

."

"Mr. Wu from the supermarket? He's a notorious miser. Would he give you a bottle of mineral water?" The man took the water, looking at his son with disbelief.

"It's true. I just ran to his supermarket and saw that it was perfectly fine, no collapse at all. Mr. Wu was sitting inside selling things, and not only had the prices not increased, but he also didn't charge villagers who didn't have money. I told him I needed to borrow a bottle of mineral water for my mother's medicine, and Mr. Wu gave me a bottle without saying a word," the boy described to his father.

"Ah, what a good man!" the man exclaimed. Then he placed the pill near his wife's mouth, pried open her teeth with his hands, and used a mouthful of water to wash the bright red pill down her throat. After a while, all that could be heard was the rumbling in her stomach, but her eyes remained tightly closed, and her body remained motionless.

Bajie said, "Brother, your elixir seems to be a counterfeit. After swallowing it, all I heard was a rumbling stomach, but no movement. You must have been fooled by Laozi, right? It's probably because you weren't respectful enough to him; he just gave you some stomach-clearing pill."

Wukong scolded, "Fool, don't talk nonsense if you don't know anything. This woman has no breath; how could she swallow the pill? It'll just stay in her throat. Someone needs to give her artificial respiration, to transfer the elixir to her dantian for it to have any effect."

"My breath is strong and long; I'll give her the breath," Bajie volunteered, about to step forward. Wukong grabbed him, saying, "You can't go."

"Why can't I go? You're only allowed to do good deeds, but I can't get any credit?" Bajie said, dissatisfied.

"Fool, you've been harming and eating people since you were young; your breath is turbid. If you swallow this turbid breath, even the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill will be useless. Let her husband give her the breath," Wukong explained. Hearing Wukong's words, the man leaned down, pressed his lips to the woman's, and breathed into her throat.

A muffled "crack" sound came from the woman's throat, and her chest rose and fell slightly.

"Turn her over, face down," Wukong commanded. The man did as he was told, turning the woman's body over. A cough was heard, and a thick phlegm escaped her mouth; she let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Wife, you're awake?" The man turned her body back over. The woman opened

her eyes , looking at her husband and children before her, as if in a dream, and asked, "Am I in the underworld, or in the world of the living?"

"You're alive! We're all alive!" the man exclaimed excitedly. "Touch my face, isn't it real? It's not a dream!"

The woman placed her hands on the man's face, stroking it for a long time, and said, "It's real, I'm not dreaming."

The boy also offered his face, sobbing, "Mommy, I'm here too."

The woman hugged the child tightly, bursting into tears, and said, "My child, I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime."

The woman sat up, looked at her ruined home, and said, "It's just like a dream. I dreamt that I was being dragged to the underworld by the ghost messengers, and I was almost across the Bridge of Helplessness when I heard a voice say to the messengers, 'Release that woman. She has always done good deeds and her life is not meant to end. Let her return to the mortal world; she still has fifty years to live.' The ghost messengers heard this, pushed me, and I woke up. Thank goodness it was just a dream."

“It wasn’t a dream, it might be real. You really did have one foot in the underworld, and this benefactor pulled you back.”

The man recounted his experience, saying, “This benefactor also saved my child’s life.”

Bajie smiled憨厚ly and said, “I also worked very hard when saving him. ”

The man nodded and said, “Yes, you are also my son’s benefactor. We will never forget your life-saving grace.” The woman bowed her head and said,

“Thank you so much for saving my life, benefactor.”

Wukong quickly helped her up, saying, “Get up, get up. You just came back from the gates of hell, you are very weak, you mustn’t kneel.”

As they were talking, the roar of an engine came from the sky. Looking up, they saw a dark green helicopter flying low, circling above them.

“An airplane, ah, an airplane!” the boy shouted excitedly.

The helicopter circled for a while, flying lower and lower, and finally landed on an open space not far from them. One by one, soldiers in military uniforms disembarked from the helicopter.

"Twenty-five, a full twenty-five!" Bajie silently counted the number.

Twenty-five soldiers unloaded crates of food and bottled water from the plane, along with a large pile of shovels, then lined up in neat rows, awaiting orders. A

man who appeared to be a commander gave a few brief instructions at the front of the line, and the soldiers listened attentively, heads held high.

"The People's Liberation Army has arrived! We're all saved!" a woman who had just been revived said, wiping away tears.

Chapter 141 Hunger

After a busy night, by dawn the next day, Wukong and Bajie had rescued so many people from the ruins that they themselves couldn't remember how many. Wukong had used up every last of his Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills, but still couldn't snatch all the souls from the clutches of death.

Early morning, exhausted people slept everywhere on the streets. Suddenly, dark clouds filled the sky, lightning flashed and thunder roared, waking everyone from their sleep.

"It's raining! What are we going to do? There's not even a place to shelter from the wind and rain!" someone exclaimed. Everyone scrambled to find shelter from the rain, but apart from a few crumbling buildings, where could they find refuge?

"Brother, it's going to pour! Let's find somewhere to shelter quickly, or we'll be soaked to the bone!" Pigsy stretched and said. He hadn't slept all night, his eyes were panda-like, and he looked listless and exhausted.

"Where can we find shelter? There are collapsed buildings everywhere," Monkey said. "Besides, even if we find somewhere, what about them?" Monkey pointed to the panicked crowd.

"What can we do? We can't just watch them get soaked, can we? Besides, I'm exhausted after a long night, my eyelids are drooping

. I just want a place to sleep," Pigsy said lazily.

"I'll go up and take a look." Wukong leaped into the air, riding his somersault cloud, and shouted, "Where are the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess? Show yourself quickly, or you'll be beaten!"

Startled, Deng Tianjun led the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess to Wukong in a hurry, bowing respectfully.

"Thunder God and Lightning Goddess, things down below are already in complete chaos! Are you asking for trouble?" Wukong rebuked them loudly.

Deng Tianjun said, "Great Sage, please calm down. We are here on the Jade Emperor's orders."

Just then, the Four Dragon Kings of the Seas arrived together from mid-air. Wukong shouted at them, "Ao Guang, what are you doing here?"

The Four Dragon Kings, Ao Guang, Ao Shun, Ao Qin, and Ao Run, all stepped forward and bowed. Wukong asked, "Well, all four of you have come to join in the fun? Did you just finish playing mahjong all night?"

Ao Guang replied, "We four brothers have come to bring rain on the orders of the Jade Emperor."

Wukong shouted, "Open your eyes and look down there! What a sight it is! It's going to rain again? Are you trying to kill the people?"

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas and the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess looked down and their faces turned pale as they shook their heads sadly.

Wukong gritted his teeth in anger and said, "That old Jade Emperor is senile! He spends all his time indulging in pleasure in the Heavenly Palace, completely ignoring the suffering of the mortal realm. We're better off without him! Let me, Old Sun, storm the Heavenly Court and teach this muddle-headed old man a lesson!"

The Thunder God and Lightning Goddess, along with the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, frantically tried to dissuade him, saying in unison, "Great Sage, please calm your fury. We'll retreat. Go back and report the situation in the mortal realm to the Jade Emperor; I'm sure he'll rescind his decree."

"If he doesn't rescind his decree, I'll take this golden cudgel and storm the Heavenly Court! I'll make sure he can't live that peaceful life anymore! You all leave quickly and don't cause trouble here!" Wukong ordered. The

Dragon King of the East Sea said, "Great Sage, who dares disobey your orders! We'll retreat immediately and go to the Heavenly Court to report to the Jade Emperor!" The Dragon Kings

of the Four Seas and the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess all bid farewell to Wukong.

In an instant, the sky cleared, the clouds thinned, and the sun shone brightly.

"Strange, the weather changes so quickly! Just a moment ago it was full of dark clouds, how did it change so suddenly? Thank goodness, otherwise we wouldn't know where to find shelter from the rain!" a homeless man murmured.

The others quieted down, no longer searching for shelter.

Wukong descended from the clouds and came to Bajie's

side. Bajie was already lying on the roadside grass, fast asleep.

"That pighead, he sleeps so well! Only a short while and he's sleeping like a pig. Hehe, I misspoke, he really is a pig. But I feel sorry for him, I doubt he's ever stayed up all night in his life!" Wukong sat down beside him.

"Brother, don't argue with me, this big steamed bun is mine!" Bajie smacked his lips in his sleep, perhaps enjoying a delicious meal in his dreams, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Wukong's stomach also started to rumble.

He lay down, hands behind his head, eyes fixed on the sky. Yesterday's events flashed through his mind like a movie, a dream both terrifying and unreal. He remembered the purpose of his trip, and thought of Situ Yu. Was she on her way back home? Were her eyes filled with anxiety and unease?

But where was her home? Wukong had no idea.

He picked up the phone and tried dialing her number, but there was no signal. His

stomach rumbled even louder. He shook the snoring Pigsy awake, saying, "Idiot, wake up! The big steamed buns are here!"

Pigsy

jumped up, saying repeatedly, "Great! The big steamed buns are here! I, Old Pig, am going to eat my fill!" But when he opened his eyes, there was no sign of the steamed buns. Not even a crumb.

"Brother, you lied again! Where are the steamed buns? Did you eat them all?" Pigsy complained.

Wukong laughed and said, "No, that's not how I should wake you! But I am indeed hungry. Aren't you hungry too?"

"Hungry? Of course I'm hungry! If I go hungry for another two hours, I'll turn into a dead pig! Brother, go get something to eat, I'll sleep a little longer and wait for you to come back." Bajie lazily lay back down.

Wukong pulled him up and said, "No, I'm the eldest brother, you should be serving me. Get up, or you'll get a beating from my stick if you don't find anything to eat!"

Bajie grumbled, "Then hit me with your stick, I'm too lazy to get up."

Wukong stood up and said, "You don't have to get up, but I'll eat my fill and that's it. I won't come back for you. You can sleep as long as you want." Bajie panicked and hurriedly got up, saying, "Brother, please don't leave me behind. I'll go with you, I'll

go with you!"

"Who cares if you come along, you're just a big burden," Wukong said disdainfully.

"Hehe, a bundle it is, I, Old Pig, will stick with you!" Pigsy said with a simple, honest smile.

The two rode on auspicious clouds to mid-air and arrived at a small city. They saw that about a third of the buildings below had collapsed, but many others were still intact. It was still early, and many people were still sleeping in the open spaces.

"Brother, the shops aren't open yet, so we can't buy anything to fill our stomachs," Pigsy said.

Monkey opened his fiery eyes wide and looked around. He saw a supermarket that was already open, and a small truck was unloading goods.

"Got it, we have something to fill our stomachs!" Monkey said. Pigsy also saw it and excitedly said, "Brother, let's go down quickly."

They landed on the cloud and arrived at the scene. A man and a woman unloading goods were startled by the sudden appearance of Monkey and Pigsy.

"Good morning, boss!" Pigsy greeted them with a big grin.

The two silently glanced at them, their faces showing some panic.

"What do you want?" the man asked.

“We’d like to buy some food,” Bajie said.

“No

, no! You can go ahead and buy whatever you

want!” the woman said irritably. “No? Is this how you do business? Oh, I see, you’re thinking of giving it to us for free, aren’t you? Great, we’ve met some kind people this early in the morning.” Bajie recognized the words “Support for Disaster Relief” written on the boxes on the cart. So these were disaster relief supplies; no wonder they said they wouldn’t sell.

“How annoying, running into these two nagging fellows so early in the morning, what bad luck. I think we should just throw them a couple of packs of biscuits, consider it giving away to two beggars.” The woman whispered in the man’s ear.

The man reluctantly opened one of the boxes, took out two packs of biscuits, tossed them to Bajie, and said, “Here, take them.”

Bajie took them, saying happily, “No money?”

“No money, just take them and go.” the man said impatiently.

"But this little bit isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap for one person. How about this, since it's free, how about giving us two or three boxes, okay?" Bajie asked ingratiatingly.

(04-25
Chapter 142 Two Choices for Death)

Wukong carefully observed the man and woman unloading the goods. They were both around forty years old. The woman was fair-skinned and plump, adorned with gold and silver, exuding an air of wealth. The man's expression was serious, radiating authority without anger. Looking closer at the driver's side door of the small truck, the words "People's Armed Forces Department" were written, indicating it belonged to a government unit.

The supermarket doors were already open, and looking inside, boxes of goods were piled up like small mountains, each box bearing the words "Support for the People in the Disaster Area" in large characters. Wukong, being so clever, knew the two men and women intended to sell the relief supplies as commodities.

"Yes, how can two packs of biscuits be enough for the two of us? Look at my brother's belly, it could eat a whole cow! You two should go all the way and give him this whole cartload of stuff," Wukong said with a grin.

Bajie, sticking out his large belly even higher, said, "There are boxes full of water inside, I'm very thirsty, let me grab a few bottles to quench my thirst." As he spoke, he reached for a box of bottled water without further ado.

The plump woman became furious, her face flushed, and she yelled, "Hey, how can you be like this? Trying to rob us? Don't you know who we are?" "I'd like to know, who are you?" Wukong asked calmly.

"Hmph, you don't need to know! But I can tell you, if you dare to mess with me, you won't even walk a mile before you're dead," the man said with a grim face. "

Wow, that poisonous? Are you a cobra or a mountain wind?" Pigsy wasn't intimidated. Extreme thirst made him lose patience. He deftly opened the box, took out a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down.

"Brother, have one too. You've worked hard all night and sweated a lot, you should replenish your fluids!" Pigsy casually tossed a bottle of mineral water to Monkey, saying.

Wukong, wanting to provoke them, unceremoniously took the bottle, drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and said, "Mmm, not bad, brothers, eat and drink to your heart's content! There's plenty more waiting for us!"

Their performance indeed enraged the man. He walked over and snatched the second bottle of water from Bajie's hand, shouting, "Put it down! Don't push your luck! My patience has its limits! It's not too late to leave now, get out of here! Otherwise, you'll suffer a terrible death!"

"Death? We're not afraid. We'd rather be beaten to death than starve to death. Brother, we're all going to die anyway, so eat your fill!" Wukong said to Bajie. Bajie chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, after this meal, we brothers will go to the Yellow Springs together, dying a pair of well-fed ghosts."

The man was furious and leaped high to kick Wukong. Wukong neither dodged nor evaded, taking the kick head-on.

"Good, too good!" Seeing the man's successful attack, the plump woman cheered loudly.

But before the cheers could finish, a scream rang out, and the man collapsed to the ground, clutching his right shin and wailing in agony.

The woman was shocked; she couldn't believe it. She had clearly seen the kick succeed, so why was it her man who was falling?

"Honey, what happened?" she rushed over to help him up.

"Ouch, it hurts so much! My shin might be broken!" the man groaned in pain.

"How could this happen? I clearly saw you kick him, so why are you the one who's injured?" the woman asked, bewildered.

"I want to know what happened too! Ugh, this is awful! Call someone right now, I want this

wretched guy to die a horrible death!" the man said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I'll call right away!" The woman snapped out of her daze, took her phone from the hood of the car, quickly dialed a number, and shouted into the phone, "Hello, is this Xiao Wu? Your older brother is being bullied, right here in my supermarket. Bring a dozen brothers over immediately, and be quick! Remember to bring weapons, the other side is fierce!"

"Brother, they've called for backup, shouldn't we hurry up and leave?" Bajie said, feigning fear.

"Leave? Don't go if you've got the guts! Even if you leave now, we'll dig three feet into the ground and find you both!" The woman looked at her injured husband on the ground, her face contorted with rage.

"Then we won't leave. Brother, you heard me clearly, we're like grasshoppers with our legs tied, we can't leave. Let's hurry up and fill our stomachs first, then we can die peacefully." Wukong said to Bajie with a smile.

This was exactly what Bajie wanted to say. Without another word, he opened a box of cookies and stuffed handfuls into his mouth. He almost choked because he ate so fast.

"Take it easy, take it easy! Brother, it's better to maintain some decorum in front of ladies," Wukong advised. "

Hmph, decorum? Let's see if you still have any decorum when you're rolling on the ground being beaten up," the woman thought maliciously. Her eyes darted anxiously around, hoping for a savior.

"Coming!" Her eyes lit up when she saw a van speeding towards them.

The van screeched to a halt in front of Wukong and the others, the door opened, and a dozen burly men stepped out. All had buzz cuts, wore black trousers, short-sleeved shirts, and sunglasses, looking imposing and arrogant.

"Brother, we've run into the mafia! That's how gangsters in the movies dress!" Bajie said.

The dozen or so men surrounded Wukong and Bajie.

"Hmph, you two scoundrels, have you got some nerve? You actually injured our boss? Didn't you even bother to find out what kind of person our boss is?" said a man who looked like the leader.

"What kind of person is he? Surely not some gang leader like you?" Wukong asked disdainfully.

"Gang leader? You're so wrong! He's a government official. You assaulted a government official without cause; you're going to be in deep trouble now." The leader held his head high, speaking

dismissively .

"A government official? You're kidding, aren't you? How could a government official be involved with your gang? I swear, I didn't assault him! She kicked me, and I fell down clutching my foot," Wukong said. "If you don't believe me, you can ask that old lady; she saw it with her own eyes."

"I didn't see anything, I only saw you stealing my things," the woman said angrily.

"Really? This box clearly says it's disaster relief supplies. When did it become your personal property?" Wukong retorted.

The woman was speechless for a moment, then paused before reacting and saying, "That's an even bigger crime, looting public property, a double crime! Xiao Wu, beat them to death! Kill them and bury them in the rubble. Anyway, it's an earthquake, a couple more scoundrels dying is no big deal." "

Wow, your heart is more venomous than a snake. We only ate a little of your food, and you want to take our lives? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

A dozen or so men laughed strangely.

"Retribution? That's ridiculous! Who in this world still believes in retribution?"

"Yes, Big Sister is right, kill them, and no one will know

."

"We've always been very merciful. We'll give you two choices. a, you end your worthless lives yourselves. b, we'll help you pass on. But don't worry, we guarantee one fatal cut, no second cut, to minimize your pain and achieve 'euthanasia.' Isn't that humane?" the leader asked slowly.

"Hmm, suicide is too difficult, because I really can't think of any way to commit suicide successfully," Wukong said sincerely. "You guys can help us. I choose B."

"Hahaha, you're smart, you know how to choose. Okay, then let you taste my 'Wu Yidao's' deadly strike!" The leader laughed loudly, taking out a half-meter-long watermelon knife from the van, gleaming and gleaming coldly.

Wukong smiled and said, "A man should be honest. You said it would be a fatal blow, you must keep your promise. Come on, come on, aim carefully and strike." After saying that, he stretched out his head, looking like he was sitting and waiting to die.

"Haha, not bad, you're a man of honor," the guy who called himself Wu Yidao praised. Then he raised the watermelon knife high and chopped it down on Wukong's head.

Chapter 143 Riot (Part 1)

By this time, two or three passersby had already seen what was happening. Although they dared not approach, everyone has curiosity, so they stood at a distance and watched. When they saw the broadsword coming down on Wukong's head, and Wukong neither dodged nor evaded, they were so frightened that they closed their eyes and dared not look any longer, letting out a cry of surprise.

The gleaming watermelon knife struck Wukong's head, making a crisp metallic clang and sparks flying. The huge recoil made "Wu Yidao's" arm numb. He held the broadsword with both hands, and saw that the sharp blade had been chipped, while Wukong stood calmly and unharmed.

"You have Iron Head Kung Fu?" "Wu Yidao" stared intently at Wukong's head, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Iron Head Kung Fu? I haven't practiced it. You didn't use enough force, did you? Come on, I haven't washed for the past few days, and I'm a little itchy. You can be a good person and help me stop the itch!" Wukong stretched out his head and said with a grin.

"Hehe, your knife is really lousy! It can't even cut off a person's head. It's probably made of wood!" Pigsy laughed loudly from the side.

"Wu Yidao" was greatly provoked. He swung his broadsword wildly at Wukong's head.

After a series of clanging sounds, the blade of his broadsword was bent and severely deformed.

"Haha, that's not bad. Much stronger than the girls at the hair salon. Hmm, quite comfortable," Wukong praised. "

Wu Yidao's" eyes were filled with terror. His face was pale, and his hands trembled. With a crisp "clang," the broadsword fell to the ground. He stood there blankly, not even having the courage to bend down and pick it up.

"Hehe, from today onwards, your nickname 'Wu Yidao' (Wu the One-Cut) needs to be changed. I think it should be 'Wu the Paper Knife.' Is your knife made of paper? Tsk tsk, what a waste! Look, you don't know how to cherish it at all; even the edge is curled up!" Bajie picked up the badly deformed large knife and mocked it.

"Good! Great!" Several people in the distance couldn't help but clap. Seeing the glares from "Wu Yidao" and his gang, which could kill without a trace, they immediately fell silent.

"Hehe, dealing with ordinary people is quite impressive!" Bajie said with a smile.

"Hmph, you're being sarcastic here. Are you tired of living?" "Wu Yidao" recovered from his astonishment,

turned his gaze away from Wukong, and glared fiercely at Bajie.

"Hehe, tired of living? Not yet. Although I've lived for thousands of years, I still want to live for millions more." Bajie said with a chuckle.

"Where did this lunatic come from? Brothers, beat them up!" "Wu Yidao" waved his hand, giving the order.

A dozen men pulled out large knives from the open door of a van and surrounded Bajie and Wukong menacingly.

"Oh dear, brother, there are so many people! My legs are cramping from fear," Bajie feigned fright. Holding his deformed knife, he said with a distressed expression, "It's not fair! All your knives are good, but mine is broken. We're not even on the same starting line."

"Heh heh, if you want to live, kneel down and beg for mercy, apologize for your nonsense," a lean man said in a deep voice.

"However, I'm not good at apologizing! I'll just have to make do. Knives and guns have no eyes, please have mercy!" Bajie humbly clasped his hands in a salute.

His politeness elicited another burst of laughter.

"Haha, how ridiculous!"

"Does he think it's just kids playing in the mud?"

"Go to hell!" Wu Yidao, having just suffered a setback with Wukong, was now seething with anger and wanted to vent it on Bajie. So he snatched a large knife from one of his henchmen and swung it at Bajie's head. Bajie parried with his knife, knocking Wu Yidao's knife away. Taking advantage of Wu Yidao's momentary daze, Bajie raised his right foot and kicked him. Wu Yidao screamed, his body sliding forward for more than ten meters, unable to get up again.

The other men were stunned by Bajie's kick, frozen in place as if under a spell.

"Good! Good! Good brother! That kick was pretty accurate!" Wukong commented from the side.

The cheers woke up the people sleeping soundly by the roadside. Rubbing their sleepy eyes, they gathered around Wukong and his companions to watch the spectacle.

"Hey, look! The boxes on the truck say 'Support for Disaster Relief,' it's probably the government coming to provide relief. They're so fast! Perfect timing, I haven't eaten for a day and a night, I'm starving. A bag of biscuits would be great!" said a woman watching.

"Yeah, I'm starving too, will they be distributing food soon

?" an old man said shakily.

"You two wish! Open your eyes and look, there are many more boxes like this in the supermarket, but they have to pay for the goods." A sharp-eyed young man spotted the mountain of cardboard boxes in the supermarket.

"No way? These are clearly disaster relief supplies!"

"So what if they're disaster relief supplies? Can't we wear or eat them? Are we not allowed to sell them? In this world, the bold get rich, the timid starve. Making money is the only truth! I heard the supermarket owner works for the government; we'd better keep quiet to avoid trouble. Look closely at that man sitting on the ground; I often see him on TV. He seems to be some kind of official from the People's Armed Forces Department." A bespectacled, refined-looking man whispered.

"No, disaster relief supplies belong to the government. How can they be sold as commodities? It's clearly embezzlement!" The old man, too weak to speak from hunger, raised his voice.

"So what if they're embezzling? Do you think you can stop them? You'll just have to obediently pay for their stuff. I think you should save your breath to avoid getting into trouble. Open your eyes and look; they're all carrying knives." The "bespectacled" man advised

.

“I’m not afraid. I’m so old, what’s the point of starving to death! I think those knives are probably something the government requires us to bring, probably to prevent people from taking advantage of the situation. I’ll go ask.” The old man walked forward shakily, looked at the group of people who were eyeing him menacingly, and asked, “Excuse me, is this the government distributing disaster relief supplies? Do we have to line up? I’m first in line!” After saying that, he stood straight next to the small truck and waved to the crowd watching from afar: “Hey, come and line up!”

Hearing the shout, the crowd in the distance all gathered over and lined up with the old man. In no time, a spectacular long line formed.

“Hey, hey, what do you all want?” The plump woman walked over angrily and questioned the old man who was first in line.

“Line up for food! Aren’t you sent by the government to help us disaster victims?” the old man asked.

“Dream on! If you want to eat, you can pay to buy it. Biscuits are fifteen yuan a pack, and mineral water is ten yuan a bottle.” The woman held out her plump hand and said.

"Really? It says 'disaster relief supplies' on it! Don't think I'm illiterate just because I'm an old man. I went to a private school for a few years. Disaster relief supplies are for helping disaster victims; everyone understands that." The old man argued vehemently.

"You're wrong. These cardboard boxes were found. The things inside were bought with my own money from the wholesale market!" the woman said without batting an eye. "If you dare to do anything wrong, I'll call the police!"

"Found? Are all those mountain of goods in there found? They all have the same words written on them." The young man behind the old man said.

The woman, her face flushed, said, "You troublemakers! You're all troublemakers! What are you all standing there for? You're bullying me! Beat them up!"

A dozen or so burly men with knives pressed forward.

Chapter 144 Riot (Part Two)

The first to be attacked was an elderly man at the front of the line, kicked away by "Wu Yidao." He fell to the ground, clutching his chest and coughing violently. After a long while, he managed to say intermittently, "You...you're all so lawless! You won't even spare a seventy-year-old! You're worse than animals!"

"Wu Yidao," wielding a large knife, pointed menacingly at the line behind him and shouted, "You, you, and all of you, if you want to live, get out of here!"

The crowd erupted in anger, the line scattered, and a dark mass surrounded them, their angry voices bursting forth: "So heartless! Not only do they not distribute relief supplies, but they also beat people!"

"Lackeys! We're all fellow villagers, how can you be so cruel?"

"Beat that son of a bitch!"

The dark mass of people surrounded the dozen or so men in black like a tidal wave.

"So what if there are many of us? We're not afraid! Brothers, attack!" "Wu Yidao," emboldened by his weapon, remained bold. Upon hearing the command, the men in black charged forward, knives raised.

Wukong silently recited the incantation, shouting "Transform!" The steel knives in the men's hands transformed into paper knives, light and fluttering in the breeze

.

The men swung their knives wildly, but when they struck the civilians, the blades felt weightless and had no point of contact. Looking closely at their knives, they realized they had somehow become thin sheets of paper. The men in black were terrified. They turned to flee, but they couldn't escape the wall of people. Everyone punched and kicked them, beating them until they cried out in pain, kneeling and begging for mercy. Their former power was gone forever.

The lively scene attracted the gradually waking people, and the crowd grew larger and larger, filling the supermarket entrance. The line was impressive, with thousands gathered together.

Everyone saw the goods on the small truck and the mountains of cardboard boxes inside the supermarket, the words "Support the Disaster Relief People" prominently displayed. The crowd buzzed with discussion, their emotions running high.

"It's obvious someone is abusing their power for personal gain! Damn it, in the face of disaster, some people still dare to betray their conscience and embezzle public funds. Where is justice? Where is fairness?" someone shouted. " They're going to beat people up

! I know these thugs; they're the kind of bullies who usually bully others. How come they're acting as thugs here?" someone said, pointing at the black-clad men wailing on the ground

.

"Don't let them get away!"

"Overturn their car and see how they get out of there!" someone suggested.

"Okay, let's all pull together!" Everyone went to the van, counted one, two, three, and with a pull, the van was overturned like a sick ox. A sound of shattering glass

followed. Everyone cheered.

"And this small truck, we can't let it go either!" someone shouted.

"This small truck is a government vehicle; isn't it a bad idea to overturn it?" someone expressed concern.

Soon, three police cars with sirens blaring arrived. As soon as they stopped, thirty or forty fully armed police officers jumped out, pushed through the crowd, and went to the small truck.

"What's going on? Who's causing this trouble?" a tall policeman asked.

Someone recognized him as Chief Ling of the police station and said, "Chief Ling, you've come at the right time. Someone is stealing relief supplies and even assaulting people."

The plump woman also saw Chief Ling, as if she had seen a savior. She rushed over and grabbed Chief Ling's hand, saying, "Chief Ling, we've been waiting for you! These people are so fierce! They tried to rob us and even injured my husband, Mr. Zhang. Look, he's sitting on

the ground and can't even stand up!"

Chief Ling looked at Mr. Zhang sitting on the ground, then at the goods in the small truck, and understood what was going on. He pulled his hand away from the woman and said, "And what about these dozen or so guys lying on the ground? I recognize them; they're all regulars at the police station."

"Oh, they couldn't stand seeing me being robbed, so they volunteered to help maintain order. I didn't expect them to get injured too," the woman said, sounding aggrieved.

"What about the things in this truck?" Chief Ling looked at the woman with an inquiring gaze.

“Yes, these are goods I brought back from the wholesale market,” the woman stammered.

“Why are there writings on the cardboard boxes? Could they be disaster relief supplies?” Chief Ling whispered in her ear.

The woman was speechless for a moment. Chief Ling, already confident, turned to the surging crowd and said, “Please don’t do anything rash; it won’t help. I understand your suspicions about the origin of the goods in the supermarket and this truck; we will investigate thoroughly. I will now take the individuals involved back to the police station for investigation and evidence collection. Please make way and don’t obstruct the police.”

The

crowd parted to make way for the police, who took the man in black and Mr. and Mrs. Zhang into the police car. Several citizens volunteered to also get into the police car to assist with the investigation at the police station. Wukong pulled Bajie along, wanting to go too, but Bajie waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “Brother, I don’t want to go! I’m naturally timid and afraid of dealing with government officials.”

“What are you afraid of? I’m here!” Wukong said with a smile. Then he took Bajie into the police car. The crowd showed no sign of leaving, so Chief Ling left thirty officers to maintain order and persuade them to disperse.

A police car led the way, and an officer climbed into the driver's seat of the small truck, started the engine, and drove off.

"This truck can't leave! The contents are evidence; we can only leave after reporters come to take photos!" someone blocked the truck's path.

The officer jumped out and said, "Precisely because it's evidence, we need to take it to the police station for temporary impoundment, including the items from the supermarket. Please trust us, we will handle this matter properly and give everyone a reasonable explanation."

"What explanation can we give? It's obvious someone is abusing their power for personal gain! If the evidence can't be taken, let it stand there as a public spectacle!" More and more people blocked the truck. The officer reluctantly gave up trying to persuade them.

The police car in front, seeing the small truck hadn't followed, drove a few steps and then stopped.

Chief Ling jumped out, walked back to the small truck, and asked, "What's going on? Why aren't you following?"

"They're blocking the way," the driver said helplessly.

Chief Ling patiently tried to persuade everyone, but they didn't budge and still wouldn't let the truck leave the scene. Looking at the noisy crowd, he took out his phone and made a few calls, then told the remaining police officers, "You must stay at your posts and notify me immediately if anything happens. I've already reported the situation to the county leaders, and reinforcements will arrive soon."

The remaining police officers breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's great! We were really afraid of losing control in this situation!"

Chapter 145 Thinking of a Solution

Wukong and Bajie had been waiting in the police station lobby for over half an hour. Apart from Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, the police hadn't summoned anyone in for questioning. The group just waited idly in the lobby.

Bajie grew impatient and said, "Waiting like this, when will we ever get here! Brother, it's all your fault for meddling. Why did you come along for no reason? If you have the patience, you can wait. I, Old Pig, am leaving first!" With that, he got up to leave.

Wukong grabbed him, saying, "What's the rush? Since we're here, let's make the best of it. There's going to be a show! You sit still and don't talk to me. I'll be right back." With that, Wukong silently chanted an incantation, and his spirit transformed into a little bee, buzzing away to the interrogation room. Hearing there was going to be a show, Bajie had no choice but to patiently sit down, muttering under his breath.

Only Old Zhang and his wife, and Director Ling were in the interrogation room. Director Ling, his face grim, silently smoked. After finishing his cigarette, he finally spoke, "Old Zhang, this has blown up. It'll be hard to handle!"

The plump woman said anxiously, "Is there any way to make this a small matter? It's all my fault, I was too greedy. I encouraged Old Zhang

to smuggle some disaster relief supplies out of the unit, hoping to make a quick buck. I ended up getting myself into trouble instead. Old Ling, please help me this time, for the sake of our distant cousin relationship. Old Zhang didn't get this position easily; you have to find a way to protect his job!"

"What can I do? Thousands of people saw it. I can't possibly blindfold everyone and shut them up, can I?" Director Ling said, frowning.

The fat woman sighed and said, "What can we do? We can't just stand by and watch Old Zhang get into trouble, can we? Embezzling disaster relief supplies is a serious crime, isn't it?"

Director Ling nodded and said, "Of course it's serious! And the public is extremely upset. If we don't handle it well, not only will we lose our jobs, but we might also have to spend ten or eight years in jail."

Old Zhang's face turned pale. He complained, "It's all your fault! You're blinded by greed, you won't let even the smallest thing go! We're not short of money, why did you have to be so greedy for such a small gain?"

The fat woman got anxious when she heard this and said, "Hey, you're putting all the blame on me! Didn't you agree to it last night? Besides, who would have thought someone would see it so early in the morning?

It's all those two guys' fault. We gave them two packs of biscuits and they weren't satisfied, they wanted more and more, they're really despicable!"

When Wukong heard this, he thought, "Goodness, she's cursing me and Bajie." He couldn't help but want to show up and give her a good whack, but he also wanted to see what clever tricks they would use to cover their tracks, so he kept his composure and waited to see what would happen.

Seeing the two arguing, Chief Ling advised, "Hey, hey, you can't panic at this crucial moment. Calm down and think of a solution."

Old Zhang said, "Old Ling is so thoughtful. In this situation, we shouldn't dwell on who's right and who's wrong. The best course of action is to devise a foolproof plan. Old Ling, you're truly loyal."

Chief Ling laughed and said, "We're family, no need for formalities! Besides, without your help, my cousin-in-law Old Zhang, I wouldn't be in this position as chief! I've always remembered that kindness. Now that you're in trouble, it's my duty to help you. Otherwise, why would I have brought you both back to the police station so quickly? I was worried you'd suffer! Unfortunately, the goods haven't been transported out yet, which is a bit of a problem."

"Do they really have to be transported?" the fat woman asked guiltily.

“What do you think? Those

are all evidence. But there are too many onlookers now, and it won’t be easy to move them. It’s a real headache. I’ve left thirty policemen to maintain order, and the county’s armed police will be arriving soon to reinforce us. Moving the goods won’t be a problem then. But we need to come up with a reason to cover this up. We need to explain to the public why we moved the relief supplies to the supermarket. We can’t just say that your supermarket is a temporary warehouse requisitioned by the government, can we?” Director Ling said worriedly.

Old Zhang slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's a good idea! Old Ling, you're really something!"

Director Ling replied, "I was just saying it casually, why did you take it so seriously? There are so many people in the unit, everyone knows it's a lie. If anyone leaks it, things will get even worse. No, it won't work."

The plump woman nodded, saying, "I also think this method won't work! Now that you've taken public property while others haven't, they're already resentful, and they might expose the lie. We need to think of a safer way." She looked up and saw several large characters written on the south wall: "Confess from..." "I've got a plan!" the fat woman exclaimed

excitedly

The two men were overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "What plan? Tell us quickly!"

The fat woman said mysteriously, "Isn't it said that confession leads to leniency? Why not just turn yourself in and return the goods intact? At most, you'll only get an administrative penalty!"

Old Zhang was so angry he wanted to slap the fat woman's face. He said, half-laughing and half-crying, "You're all talk and no action, only coming up with stupid ideas! Isn't that just admitting to embezzlement? Digging your own grave?"

Director Ling also shook his head, saying, "No, no! If it's not handled well, you'll go to jail."

"How can you go to jail? Isn't it said that confession leads to leniency?" the fat woman asked doubtfully.

Director Ling chuckled.

"This won't work, that won't work! What other plan can be made?" the fat woman said anxiously.

"There is a plan, but whether it will work depends on your connections, Old Zhang," Director Ling said in a low voice after a moment's thought.

"Oh, what's the best idea?" Mr. and Mrs. Zhang asked.

"A substitution!" Director Ling said unhurriedly.

"A substitution? How?" the plump woman asked.

"It's simple. Find someone insignificant in the unit to take the blame. Say there are too many relief supplies, and the unit can't store them all, so we need to find a place to store them. He received orders to transport the supplies, but he got drunk and made a mistake, taking the supplies to the wrong place, ending up in the supermarket," Director Ling said.

"That method works. And the situation is true. There were too many relief supplies last night, and the unit was overflowing with them, so we need to move some to the unit's warehouse for temporary storage," Mr. Zhang said.

"Great, that's a good idea," the plump woman exclaimed excitedly. "But where can we find this person? He'll be a scapegoat!"

"Yes, the key is for someone to step forward and admit to the mistake. This person should be able to keep the secret and be reliable. Do you have a suitable candidate?" Director Ling analyzed.

Old Zhang frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "Although I hold a high position in the unit, I don't get along with anyone, let alone expect anyone to be a scapegoat!"

"Sigh, you have such poor interpersonal relationships? Well, you'll have to spend some money. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. If you're willing to spend a little money, I think someone will be willing

to do it. Does your unit have any temporary workers?" Director Ling asked.

"Yes, driver Xiao Chen is a temporary worker, he's been working there for less than half a year," Old Zhang replied after thinking for a moment.

"That's him! Old Zhang, contact Xiao Chen right away. Since he's a temporary worker, his position isn't very important, and even if he gets fired for a mistake, he can find a car to drive anywhere. Give him some money, and he'll definitely do it!" Director Ling said in a low voice.

"But it won't cost a lot of money, will it?" the fat woman said with concern.

"How much money do you need? Lao Zhang, you talk to him quickly. We can't wait any longer. The longer this drags on, the more serious the consequences will be! Money is just an external thing. As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback. Keeping our jobs

is the most important thing," Chief Ling advised. "Yes, yes, Lao Ling is absolutely right! The best thing to do now is to keep this a secret. I'll make a call right away." Lao Zhang took out his phone and quickly dialed a number.

"Hello, Xiao Chen? This is Lao Zhang. Are you home? What, you were just about to go to work? No rush, no rush. Come to the police station first. I have something urgent to discuss with you. What is it? It's hard to explain over the phone. We can talk in detail when you get here." Lao Zhang hung up the phone,

breathed a sigh of relief , and said to Chief Ling, "Xiao Chen will be here right away."

Chapter 146 Deceiving the Heavens

Xiao Chen, the driver, was a young man in his early twenties, tall and thin, with a humble smile on his face. He arrived quickly. As soon as he entered, he saw Mr. and Mrs. Zhang and Director Ling were already there.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he hurriedly asked, "Sir, why did you summon me so urgently? Is there something wrong?" Mr. Zhang put his hand on his shoulder and said warmly, "Xiao Chen, you're covered in sweat. You must have been in a rush. Sit down and rest for a bit, have some water." He then personally poured a cup of tea, handed it to Xiao Chen, and said with concern, "Xiao Chen, here, have some water!"

Xiao Chen was flattered and accepted the gift with both hands, repeatedly saying, "Thank you for your concern, leader. I didn't dare delay your orders, so I took a taxi here."

"I like young people like you, obedient and straightforward. I can completely trust you with tasks," Old Zhang praised. Xiao Chen was a little puzzled. "You summoned me in such a hurry, could it just be to praise me to my face? This Zhang has never praised me before. What's he up to?" Although he was puzzled, he didn't dare to ask and kept his questions to himself.

"Xiao Chen, although you haven't been with our unit for very long, only about half a year

, right? But you've performed very well, and many people praise you behind your back. However, some people say that you're not good in this way or that way. A while ago, the unit implemented staff reductions, and I laid off staff member Xiao Li, but I managed to keep you. It was under a lot of pressure! The driver's position is important. Without a driver, wouldn't the unit be in chaos? What would the leaders do when they go on business trips? We can't expect the leaders to drive themselves, can we?" Old Zhang said.

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I understand and am very grateful!" Xiao Chen said gratefully.

"However, I've run into a real problem, and it's giving me a real headache," Lao Zhang said, his brow furrowed. "I called you here so urgently because I need your help."

"Really? I'll definitely help you if it's within my power, sir!" Xiao Chen said, patting his chest.

"Good, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!" Lao Zhang said happily. "If you help me with this, I guarantee you'll have a bright future."

"Please give your instructions, sir," Xiao Chen said, straightening his back.

"It's like this, this morning, my wife secretly moved several truckloads of disaster relief supplies from the company to the supermarket without my knowledge. Unfortunately, someone noticed, and

now thousands of people are gathered at the supermarket entrance," Lao Zhang said with a bitter face.

"Oh, no wonder I saw such a huge crowd when I passed by the supermarket earlier. I wondered what was going on. It turns out it's about this. The crowd is spectacular, probably ten or twenty thousand people!" Xiao Chen said.

"So many? When we left, there were only three or four thousand people. How come there are so many more now? It seems things are getting more and more complicated! Sigh, Xiao Chen, you'll have to help me a lot now!" Old Zhang grabbed Xiao Chen's hand and said emotionally.

"What can I, a nobody, do to help?" Xiao Chen asked.

"You can! You're the only one who can help! Xiao Chen, you know that a lot of relief supplies arrived last night, and the office was piled up so high there wasn't even room to turn around. Some of the supplies were moved to a temporary warehouse overnight."

"I know, I worked overtime last night to move them all." Xiao Chen nodded.

"I want you to take responsibility. Just say you drank too much last night and moved the relief supplies to the wrong place, into the supermarket. As long as you publicly admit your mistake, the matter can be resolved quickly." Old Zhang looked at Xiao Chen expectantly.

Xiao Chen was shocked and took a few steps back, repeatedly saying, "No! No! I can't take this responsibility!"

"Why?" Old Zhang asked.

“As you know, I just got married last month and spent a lot of money. I still owe money to others! If I take on this responsibility, I'll lose this job. How will I support my family? Let alone pay off my debts? Absolutely not!” Xiao Chen shook his head vigorously, indicating that he could not accept it.

“We understand your difficulties. Xiao Chen, if you agree, we will give you some money as compensation,” the plump woman said, suppressing her heartache.

“But I'm afraid I'll go to jail!” Xiao Chen looked at Director Ling and said. Director Ling looked into the distance, remaining noncommittal.

“Don't worry, Director Ling is one of us, otherwise he wouldn't have called you here to discuss this,” Old Zhang said to him.

“In my experience, this is just a work mistake. At most, you'll be dismissed to quell the situation, but you won't go to jail,” Director Ling said unhurriedly.

“Sir, it wasn't easy for me to get into this unit. I really don't want to lose my job because of this. I can't take this responsibility. You should

find someone else!” Xiao Chen said with his head down, looking troubled.

Old Zhang's expression changed, and he said with a forced smile, "Heh heh, Xiao Chen, you're a smart guy. Whether you stay or leave isn't up to me, is it? Even if you stay out of it, I can find an excuse to fire you. But as long as you nod, this matter will be over. Do you think I'd treat you unfairly?"

Xiao Chen remained silent. He deeply agreed with Old Zhang's words and weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

"How about this, to compensate for any losses you might have suffered, I'll give you some money," Old Zhang said, holding up one index finger.

"One thousand?" Xiao Chen asked.

"Ten thousand!" Old Zhang said generously.

"But I have ten thousand in five months' salary," Xiao Chen said softly.

"Then fifteen thousand it is, no more than that!" Old Zhang said through gritted teeth. The fat woman beside him anxiously nudged Old Zhang's waist with her elbow and kept winking at him.

"What are you doing?" Old Zhang mouthed to her.

The fat woman whispered in his ear, "Are you crazy! How could you promise him so much money all at once?"

Old Zhang sighed inwardly, thinking, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

My job in jeopardy; I have to bleed a little."

But Xiao Chen remained silent. Old Zhang's anger flared. "Damn it," he thought, "even a lowly driver is so hesitant. What kind of world is this?" So she said irritably, "Xiao Chen, what are you thinking? Tell me!"

Xiao Chen lowered his head and said weakly, "Fifty thousand. I'd rather not do this job."

Although his voice was soft, the fat woman heard him clearly and jumped up immediately, saying angrily, "Xiao Chen, your appetite is too big! The several truckloads of relief supplies I transported aren't even worth fifty thousand! I didn't realize you were so young, yet you're so good at extortion."

Xiao Chen had set a price and was going all out, boldly raising his head and saying, "I'm not extorting. To be honest, if it were anyone else, even if they offered me fifty thousand, I wouldn't want to do it. I'm only taking on this responsibility out of loyalty to the leaders who have been so kind to me."

"But fifty thousand is too much, how about thirty thousand?" The fat woman's heart was bleeding.

"Yes, let's compromise, thirty thousand it is, okay? Time waits for no one, hurry up and agree!" Director Ling also advised from the side.

"One price, fifty thousand. If not, forget it!" Xiao Chen said.

After pondering for a long time, Old Zhang said angrily, "Fine, fine, I'll do as you say, fifty thousand it is! We can't drag this out any longer, consider it my loss to avert disaster!"

Wukong, who had heard everything clearly, buzzed out the door and arrived beside Bajie, revealing his true form. Bajie was still grumbling when Wukong shouted in his ear, "You idiot, are you chanting scriptures?"

Bajie was startled and said, "I'm cursing you!"

"Why are you cursing me? Are you looking for a beating? Come here, stick out your pig head, let me give you a whack!" Wukong said.

"Don't you think you deserve to be cursed? You followed me here for no reason, making me wait here, it's a complete waste of my youth!" Bajie said angrily.

"Hehe, what youth do you have left, you stupid pig? Don't pout, there'll be a show soon, I'll show you how officials distort the truth and deceive the heavens." Wukong laughed.

Chapter 147 Conflict (Part 1)

Wukong and Bajie quietly rode their clouds back to the crowded supermarket entrance. Although the crowd was so dense that even turning around was difficult, many more people continued to arrive. It took a great deal of effort for the two to finally squeeze inside. Next to the overturned van, a red police tape cordon had been erected, with a group of armed police officers holding shields standing guard, watching intently as if facing a formidable enemy. Of course, the small truck and the supermarket were also under police control.

"Brother, this is really lively! Even more lively than when the princess threw her embroidered ball to choose her son-in-law!" Bajie exclaimed.

The onlookers, kept outside the police tape by armed police, discussed amongst themselves. However, the crowd remained relatively calm, and no one forced their way in. Everyone quietly watched the situation unfold.

"Please make way! Please make way! Don't block the police from conducting their investigation!" With these shouts, a commotion arose in the crowd. Wukong looked closely and saw Chief Ling, escorted by several police officers, squeezing through the dense crowd. Behind him followed a flustered driver, Xiao Chen. The Zhang couple were nowhere to be seen.

Chief Ling approached a policeman, shook

his hand, and said, "Captain Liang, thank you for your hard work! You arrived just in time. With your help, I can finally relax!"

The policeman, called Captain Liang, smiled and said, "We received orders from the county and set off immediately, but the road was difficult. A section was blocked by large rocks that rolled down from the mountain, delaying our journey. Otherwise, we would have arrived long ago. We are duty-bound to help those in need. Yes, why did it turn out like this? It seems there are quite a few people involved. If not handled properly, it could easily cause chaos."

"Oh, here's what happened. The town's armed forces department received a lot of relief supplies last night, and since they couldn't be stored all at once, they moved them to another location overnight. Unexpectedly, a driver, drunk, delivered them to the wrong place—a supermarket—causing public dissatisfaction and misunderstanding. Here, the driver is. Xiao Chen, come and see Captain Liang." Chief Ling pulled Xiao Chen to Captain Liang.

"Captain Liang, hello!" Xiao Chen greeted respectfully.

"Hmph, Xiao Chen, how could you be so careless? Why were you drinking during your shift? Look what you've done, messed things up! How are you going to handle this situation?" Captain Liang scolded him angrily.

Xiao Chen had no way to express his bitterness. "Alas, I'm more wronged than Dou E," he thought, "but what can I do? I'm just a nobody. I have to bow my head under your roof." For the sake of the 50,000 yuan compensation, he had to endure it. So he smiled and said, "Captain Liang is right to reprimand me. It's all my fault. Drinking caused this mess. I regret it so much!"

"This is just a work mistake. An explanation should solve the problem. Old Ling, go find a megaphone. Let Xiao Chen explain to everyone through the megaphone, clarify the facts as soon as possible, and give the citizens the truth," Captain Liang said.

"Okay, okay, I'll arrange it right away," Chief Ling said, instructing the police officer beside him to fetch a portable megaphone from the police car.

"Comrades, quiet down! Quiet down! Captain Liang from the county armed police brigade has something to say," the policeman announced loudly, holding a megaphone.

The bustling crowd gradually quieted down, waiting for Captain Liang to speak.

Captain Liang took the megaphone from the policeman, cleared his throat, and said loudly, "Comrades, I understand your feelings, but I have to tell you, you've misunderstood!"

"Misunderstanding? How is it a misunderstanding?" murmurs

arose again .

"Everyone, please calm down and listen to me. This is purely a misunderstanding. It's not an embezzlement incident as you all think; it's just a work error. The town received a lot of disaster relief supplies last night, filling up the People's Armed Forces Department's office space, so we had to find a place to move them overnight. However, during the move, because our driver, Xiao Chen, had been drinking a little, he went to the wrong place and delivered the goods to the supermarket, causing everyone's suspicion. This is an unforgivable mistake, and I believe his unit will punish him appropriately after this is over! Here, this is the driver, Xiao Chen. Let him explain to everyone himself." Captain Liang's voice was loud and carried far.

Xiao Chen nervously took the megaphone and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been drinking during work hours. I sincerely apologize to everyone."

Although Xiao Chen's voice wasn't loud, everyone understood. As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted.

"It's not him! This isn't the person who delivered the goods this morning! I swear!" someone shouted.

"Yes, I know that person! I know that official surnamed Zhang!"

"How can you just find

a scapegoat to fool everyone? What do you take us for? Three-year-olds?"

"How can it be a misunderstanding? That fat woman clearly said bottled water was eight yuan a bottle and biscuits were fifteen yuan a pack, and now she says they were delivered to the wrong place, what a bastard!"

...

Two bottled water bottles flew over, landing squarely on Xiao Chen.

"Shut up, you poor scapegoat!" a voice said. Xiao Chen had no choice but to shut up.

Captain Liang also heard the discussion. He turned to Chief Ling and asked, "Which fat woman? Did she say that bottled water and biscuits could be sold? And at such high prices?"

Chief Ling cursed the fat woman's ancestors for eighteen generations in his mind, and awkwardly forced a smile, saying, "Oh, that fat woman is the owner of this supermarket, surnamed Xu. When she was being questioned at the police station, she didn't say that these disaster relief supplies could be sold."

"Where is she now?" Captain Liang asked.

"She's gone. She went home after being questioned," said Chief Ling.

"That's ridiculous! In a situation like this, how can the person involved not be present! Old Ling, quickly send someone to find her and bring her back to be a witness."

Captain Liang's face was gloomy and he was very unhappy.

Chief Ling whispered a few words to the policeman next to him, and the policeman turned and walked out.

Curses and discussions rose and fell from the crowd. Chief Ling took the megaphone from Xiao Chen, jumped onto the small truck, and shouted, "Everyone calm down and remain restrained! Don't listen to the malicious instigation of a small group of people. Some people just want to stir up trouble! We, the police, will severely punish those who deliberately provoke trouble!"

"Pah, who are you trying to scare! We're not afraid. We won't rest until we bring the corrupt officials to justice!"

"Yes, we can't compromise!"

"Down with corruption! Bring out the corrupt officials!"

The crowd rang out in unison. A hail of dirt, pebbles, mineral water bottles, and other debris rained down on Chief Ling, leaving him covered in bruises on his head and face. He scrambled off the small truck in a disheveled state.

"Comrades, get ready! Prepare for a possible attack by these thugs!" Chief Ling ordered angrily.

"Old Ling, suppression isn't the solution. In my experience, the most important thing is to find the supermarket owner and have her clarify the truth to everyone. Only then can we truly quell the unrest,"

suggested Captain Liang

, who was experienced in handling such disturbances. Chief Ling thought to himself, "If the owner comes, the situation will be even harder to control. That greedy, unscrupulous woman must have said in front of everyone that she was selling relief supplies at inflated prices. If she arrives, everyone will be berating her." "Ah, having a relative like that is truly a curse from my past life!

" "Don't worry, she'll be here soon. I've already sent someone to find her," Chief Ling replied.

"Yes, that's the right way. As the saying goes, it's hard to defy the wrath of the masses. We can't resort to force to suppress them unless absolutely necessary," Captain Liang said.

"However, in this situation, we probably can't do without a hardline approach! Arrest a few ringleaders to make an example of them, and the others will naturally behave themselves," Director Ling said fiercely, rubbing the spot on his face where a stone had hit him.

"I don't think this is appropriate. Let's wait for the supermarket owner to arrive. We police have shields; we can hold off the crowd," Captain Liang said.

The crowd behind began to stir, surging forward in waves. Bajie, his massive body being jostled around, was very uncomfortable and grumbled, "Brother, let's go. This

jostling my fat!"

Wukong chuckled and said, "No rush, no rush! Don't you feel a bit like being in the sea, being pushed and shoved in the crowd? I think it's exhilarating."

"Exhilarating, but a little dizzy," Bajie said with a pained expression.

Chapter 148 Conflict (Part Two)

The crowd was in turmoil. Captain Liang waited anxiously, his eyes frequently glancing out of the crowd, hoping for a miracle and praying that the supermarket owner would arrive soon to clarify the facts and calm the situation that was on the verge of collapse. Clearly, everyone's attention was now focused on the relief supplies, and the question of why they were delivered to the supermarket was everyone's biggest concern. However, despite their eager anticipation, no one showed up.

"Old Ling, why hasn't anyone come yet?" Captain Liang asked impatiently.

"Well, maybe there's traffic on the road?" Chief Ling offered an excuse. In his heart, he didn't want the fat woman to come, because many people had witnessed her actions that morning. If she appeared now, it wouldn't help but only add fuel to the fire.

Just then, the policeman who had been sent to search for her returned, anxiously saying, "Chief Ling, we've tried everything, but we can't find that woman surnamed Xu. We haven't been able to contact her since she left the police station, and all communication devices in the county are down."

Chief Ling asked, "Have you looked at her house?"

"Yes, but the door was locked, and

no one was home."

Chief Ling felt a sense of relief; thank goodness, he hoped she would disappear forever. He turned to Captain Liang and said, "Captain Liang, we can't contact the woman surnamed Xu. No one's home, her phone has no signal, we don't know where she went."

"What? Did she flee to avoid punishment? Old Ling, you've been too careless. You let her go before even understanding the situation. What are we going to do now?" Captain Liang said irritably.

"What's there to be afraid of? Our police force is strong and well-equipped. Do you think we're afraid of a few troublemakers?" Chief Ling said confidently. "The best course of action now is to quickly move the relief supplies from the truck and the supermarket. Once they can't see the supplies, their anger will subside."

"Move them? You think it's as easy as talking? There are at least ten or twenty thousand people watching. If they insist on not letting us leave, we can't use force!" Captain Liang said.

"Don't worry, I know the people in this town well. They're all cowards. If we arrest a few ringleaders, I guarantee the rest will scatter immediately," Chief Ling said. In his mind,

the townspeople were all weak. If he happened to cough twice because of a sore throat, they would surely flee. Therefore, he believed he still held considerable authority, and that the police could completely control the situation today.

"You guarantee it? With what?" Captain Liang asked him.

"I can guarantee it with my head," Chief Ling solemnly assured him.

Captain Liang chuckled, saying humorously, "A head guarantee, indeed! I think you've been corrupted by Zhou Zhenglong, always using your head as a guarantee. While that shows manly spirit, I wonder if your oath can be kept. Honestly, I still have reservations about using force." "

Hehe, Captain Liang, you're overthinking it. How can you do big things if you're so afraid of everything? Trust me, it'll be fine. If there are any who aren't afraid to die, don't we still have tear gas?" Chief Ling said.

Captain Liang pondered for a moment, then said, "It seems we have no other choice. Let's move the relief supplies out of sight, out of mind. Without anything to arouse suspicion here, the onlookers will gradually disperse."

"Haha, Captain Liang is indeed experienced! I admire you greatly

!" Chief Ling praised. He raised the microphone and said loudly, "Comrades, impulsiveness is not a good way to solve problems. Anything can be resolved through the police. Please trust me, I will give you a satisfactory answer as soon as possible."

"Enough nonsense! Let's find the supermarket owner first. This morning she clearly said that she bought these relief supplies from the wholesale market, but they were just packaged incorrectly. Anyone who heard her say that, please shout it out!" someone interrupted Chief Ling loudly.

"I heard it with my own ears!" one voice said.

"Me too!" many voices echoed.

"This is absolutely not as simple as the police claim—it's a mistake! Absolutely not!"

Chief Ling habitually pressed his hand down, raising his voice, "Okay, okay, if you have any questions, let the police investigate. We can't contact the supermarket owner right now; we'll find her as soon as possible. However, we also need to transport these relief supplies back to the police station for investigation. Please cooperate and make way for the truck."

"No, we can't!

We can't just take away the evidence so easily. Chief Ling, I've seen too many cases where you make grand promises beforehand but then nothing comes of it. We strongly demand that media reporters be involved to monitor the progress of this incident," a bespectacled, refined-looking man said slowly.

Chief Ling was furious, wanting nothing more than to smash the man's glasses to pieces, but he maintained a calm demeanor, saying, "There are no reporters here. Let's talk about it back at the police station."

"Who said there are no reporters? I'm a reporter from the provincial newspaper!" a voice shouted from outside the human wall. All eyes were on him. The reporter had a camera slung over his shoulder, and a burly policeman stood beside him.

"You're a reporter? Go in and take pictures!" someone said.

"I want to go in too! But I'm under special protection now," the reporter said, trying to push his way forward. But the policeman stood sideways in front of him, like a mountain, blocking his path.

"No blocking news interviews! We strongly object!" the bespectacled man protested loudly. Others echoed his sentiments.

"We welcome reporters, but not here, reporter

. I'll wait for you at the police station!" Chief Ling said loudly through the microphone, then ordered the police, "Start the van and drive it back to the police station! The rest of the police, be on guard. Anyone who dares to resist the police will be taken back to the police station!"

"Bullshit! We absolutely will not let you through! You need to explain why reporters aren't allowed to interview and take pictures. Is there some shady business going on?" The bespectacled man stood in front of the van, his thin body blocking the hood, his face righteous and fearless.

"Damn it, he's like a rock in a latrine, stinking and stubborn! Take him down first, handcuff him, and put him in the car!" Chief Ling said angrily. Hearing the chief's order, the policeman beside him immediately stepped forward to the bespectacled youth, executed a swift takedown, and pinned the youth's hands behind his back with a snap, handcuffing him cleanly and efficiently.

"What are you doing? What do you want?" the bespectacled youth shouted.

"Kid, you talk too much. Thirsty? We'll invite you back to the police station for a cup of hot tea!" the policeman said with a smile. He was very proud of his performance, having subdued this troublemaker in no time. He secretly glanced at Chief Ling's face and saw a hint of approval. He was overjoyed, thinking to himself, "Back at the police station, Chief Ling will definitely reward me!"

The bespectacled youth was no pushover either. He raised his head, spat fiercely in the policeman's face, and said, "Pah! You cowards, you only deserve to swagger around in front of ordinary people!"

Caught off guard, the policeman was enraged by the spit and kicked the bespectacled youth to the ground. Still not satisfied, he followed up with another kick.

"The police are beating people! The police are beating people!" The surging crowd roared in fury, rushing forward like a tidal wave. Large and small stones rained down on the policeman like locusts.

"Everyone, get ready! Raise your shields, form a human wall, we must hold them off!" Captain Liang shouted urgently, seeing the situation spiraling out of control. His team was highly trained; upon hearing the order, they immediately formed a solid human wall, raising their shields to block the surging crowd.

However, there were simply too many people, and the tide continued to surge forward like waves. Each time it moved forward, the policeman moved back a little. Gradually

, they moved back more than ten meters.

The angry crowd overturned the small truck, scattering relief supplies everywhere. A significant amount of gasoline from the tank also spilled onto the ground, filling the air with a pungent smell.

"Burn it down! Burn that shabby supermarket down with it!" someone shouted.

"Yes, burn it down!" A young man pulled out a lighter, lit it, and tried to throw it at the truck.

"No!" Wukong, seeing clearly from the crowd, quickly shouted to stop him. He knew the consequences of throwing the lighter. However, because they were far enough apart, it was too late to grab it.

Chapter 149 Conflict (Part Three)

The young man's lighter was already lit. If he threw it to the ground, igniting the spilled gasoline, the consequences would be unimaginable. Besides the fully armed police, there were tens of thousands of onlookers. A crisis was imminent. Pigsy, seeing this clearly, quickly grabbed Monkey's arm and pulled him away, saying, "Brother, let's go! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late! If that lighter falls, I'll be in big trouble! I'll be roasted alive, and it'll cause a commotion!"

Monkey said, "I'll just roast you and eat you. What commotion could there be?" Pigsy, panicked, said, "Think about it, with so many people here, there won't be enough to go around. Those who don't get any will be unhappy, and they'll easily fight over a few bites of fragrant roast pork!"

"That makes sense, Pigsy, watch this." Monkey didn't have time to think. He blew a breath, and a gust of wind blew, extinguishing the lighter in the young man's hand.

"Hehe, it's out! It's out! Brother, that gust of wind came just in time!"

Pigsy exclaimed happily.

Just then, someone in the retreating police column fired a shot into the air above the crowd. A "bang" was heard, and the air was filled with a pungent smell.

"Who's frying chili peppers? Wow, looks like they're frying bird's eye chilies! My eyes and nose are watering!" Pigsy, choked by the pungent smell, quickly covered his nose.

Monkey King also held his breath, lifted Pigsy up, and steadied himself in mid-air. Looking at Pigsy's tear-streaked face, he laughed and said, "Idiot, why are you crying like a little girl? A real man sheds blood, not tears!"

"You're the little girl! Try taking a breath! Damn it, it's so uncomfortable!" Pigsy wiped his tears and snot with his sleeve, saying irritably, "I clearly heard a 'pop' in the air, I thought someone was setting off fireworks, but it seems it wasn't fireworks, it was probably a giant chili pepper!"

Monkey King looked down at the bustling crowd below and saw panicked people covering their noses and running in all directions. The police, wearing masks, rallied their remaining strength and apprehended the most disruptive individuals. Seeing the disorganized crowd, the police didn't

chase after them , but simply stood guard over the overturned trucks.

Soon, several more trucks arrived, unloading the goods from the overturned trucks and loading them onto the trucks. They then opened the supermarket doors and unloaded boxes of relief supplies, loading them onto the trucks. Before long, several trucks were full.

The dispersed crowd gradually gathered again, watching the police load the trucks from a distance.

"It's all relief supplies, moving them around like this is such a hassle. Why not just distribute them to the people?" Bajie muttered.

While Bajie grumbled in mid-air, the police below had already climbed into their patrol cars, leading several trucks away in a grand procession. Occasionally, someone from the distant crowd would throw a stone or two, which would hit the trucks with a dull, weak thud. The police ignored it, and the trucks continued driving.

"Sigh, it ended like this, without any climax at all. I didn't expect a single chili pepper to scare everyone like that. These people are too weak," Bajie sighed.

"Haha, you're standing in mid-air making sarcastic remarks now, but weren't you crying your eyes out just now? As the saying goes, the people can't fight with

the officials. Fools, that's usually how it ends. But this time seems a bit different. After this earthquake disaster, everyone's mentality seems to have changed. Look, there's a long line following the convoy. It seems things aren't over yet!" Wukong said.

Bajie looked and saw that it was true. Behind the billowing dust raised by the convoy, countless people followed, walking hurriedly, some even jogging.

The convoy traveled for more than a mile and stopped in front of the police station. The police jumped out of the vehicles and unloaded the relief supplies, piling them on the open ground inside the police station. As soon as they finished unloading, the people who had followed closely behind arrived one after another, completely surrounding the police station.

“Let’s go down and take a look,” Wukong said, and he and Bajie landed on the clouds, silently appearing at the entrance of the police station.

“Wow, there seem to be even more people!” Bajie exclaimed inwardly. Looking at the crowd, some people were holding banners, while others were carrying wooden sticks and iron shovels.

A large number of police officers were on guard at the entrance, armed to the teeth.

Chief Ling and Captain Liang stood at the entrance, watching the dense crowd outside. Back at the police station, Chief Ling’s expression became much more solemn. He looked around at the crowd and said loudly, “The disaster relief supplies have been transported back to the police station, awaiting police investigation and evidence collection. Everyone has come along; is there anything else?”

“We request media involvement in the investigation!” someone said.

“Don’t you all trust our police in handling cases? However, I understand your feelings, so we have actively contacted the media and welcome media oversight to increase the transparency of the investigation!” Chief Ling said loudly.

Chief Ling’s statement caught everyone off guard. Hadn’t he just refused to be interviewed and photographed by reporters at the supermarket entrance? Why the sudden 180-degree change in attitude?

"We don't really believe it, Chief, are you trying to fool us again?" one of the bolder people shouted.

"No, I, Ling, keep my word. Everyone, please wait and see!" Chief Ling smiled and said, "Driver Chen is still at the police station. He will be questioned by the police in a moment. Media personnel will be present throughout the entire process. It can be said that the investigation will be absolutely transparent, with no underhanded dealings."

The noisy crowd quieted down. Everyone searched expectantly for the provincial newspaper

reporter , but they searched and searched without success.

"Where is he? Where did that reporter go?" someone asked疑惑地.

Chief Ling knew that the reporter had been quietly apprehended by his men during the earlier chaos and was probably somewhere drinking coffee; of course, he wouldn't be here.

Just as everyone was eagerly waiting, a middle-aged man of about forty years old pushed his way through the crowd, with two burly policemen clearing a path for him.

"Excuse me, a reporter is here!" a policeman shouted, pushing aside the crowd. People looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a heavy camera slung around his neck, sweat dripping from his face from rushing. He smiled and nodded to those watching him.

"Oh, I thought it was some big-name reporter, but it's just Old Li from the town's cultural station!" someone recognized the "reporter"—it was Li Bing from the town's cultural station.

Taking the rare opportunity to be the center of attention, Old Li proudly nodded and smiled at everyone.

"Tch, so the big-name reporter Chief Ling was looking for is Li Bing!" someone scoffed. Many people

knew Li Bing. He hadn't finished junior high school, spent several years working in the countryside, and then his father retired from the town's cultural station, allowing him to take a temporary job. He'd worked there for ten years, finally earning a permanent position. He occasionally published articles in the county newspaper, but they were always short news items of about a hundred words, reportedly repeatedly revised by the editor-in-chief.

"We've been waiting anxiously for you! Now that the media is involved, everyone can rest assured, right?" Chief Ling grabbed Old Li's hand and said to everyone, "Everyone knows Old Li, right? I don't need to introduce him. He's a real talent in town! He's not only a special correspondent for the county newspaper, but his news is frequently published!" "

I'm just showing off my work, these are all immature pieces! Hehe, I've published a few dozen articles over the past ten years, nothing worth mentioning!" Old Li said modestly, grinning to reveal two rows of teeth stained black and yellow from smoking and drinking. "Old Li,

there's no need to be so modest. Some people say that excessive modesty is arrogance, and we must never be arrogant. We've invited you to supervise the police investigation this time, so your responsibility is heavy.

You must ensure fairness, impartiality, and transparency. Only with these 'three principles' can we dispel the public's doubts," Chief Ling said, patting Old Li on the shoulder.

"Of course, of course! As a journalist, it is our duty to report the facts, and I will certainly not let everyone down!" Old Li said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

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