It was seen that near the Quick Sand River, which should have been guarded by Zhou Wuxian, not only was there no sign of him, but there were also traces of blood.
It was exactly like the tragic scene of Zhou Wuxian being injured!
"According to Big Brother Sun's account, among our group, only Jade Dragon the Third Prince has not yet been captured by Yang Jian, and the rest are fine."
"How could it be possible for Third Brother to suddenly be injured?"
Wu Zhiqi sensed something was amiss.
He immediately unleashed his innate divine ability, the Yin-Yang Comprehension Technique, and within a few breaths, located his Third Brother, Zhou Wuxian.
It was fortunate that he, the Crimson-Haired Monkey, possessed the ability to understand yin and yang, know human affairs, move freely, and avoid death and prolong life.
This prevented him from having to search for Zhou Wuxian for years or months in the vast sandy sea.
Sensing Zhou Wuxian's faint breathing.
Wu Zhiqi didn't hesitate.
He plunged in headfirst.
As fate would have it, he ran right into Zhou Wuxian, who was hiding there. The brothers, not having seen each other for five hundred years, wept with joy and shed tears of reunion!
"Third Brother, I finally found you. Are you alright? How have these five hundred years been? Tell Second Brother about it."
"Don't feel lonely either. Now that our Big Brother has prematurely initiated the Tribulation of the Journey to the West, I am responsible for the second trial. I will gradually lead Jin Chanzi to find you, and we will journey to the west together."
Upon meeting, Wu Zhiqi was filled with excitement. He looked here and there. Although the four mixed-world monkeys had previously kept to themselves, it was because of Sun Kong that the three of them had become brothers.
They were not related by blood.
But they were closer than blood relatives!
"Second Brother, you're finally here. I've missed you terribly. Alas, don't mention it, I don't know what Big Brother was thinking, sending me here."
"I didn't get any good results. Instead, I was ambushed and attacked. It's simply humiliating."
Zhou Wuxian, who had always been brimming with confidence, possessed the ability of a Tongbi Ape Monkey, capable of manipulating the sun and moon, shrinking mountains, discerning omens, and controlling the universe.
He should have been living a life of ease.
Yet, not only did he complain of hardship upon meeting, but he also personally admitted to being injured, which forced him to hide deeper in the Quick Sand River.
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhiqi immediately became restless and was about to take Zhou Wuxian to seek revenge.
However, Zhou Wuxian quickly held him back.
"Second Brother, don't go. That person comes and goes like the wind, incredibly fast. Let alone you, even I didn't see even a shadow of him."
"This time, let me take the loss. If you need any help, just ask, and I will not refuse."
Wu Zhiqi heard from Zhou Wuxian's words that he was not boasting but was genuinely outmatched in speed. He was surprised and thought, besides the Sages, even their Big Brother Sun Kong was the fastest.
How could there be anyone faster?
"Since you've said so, then Second Brother will not waste words. Big Brother has instructed me to be responsible for the second trial. Pay no mind to anyone else, but be wary of the Rose Dragon King and Liu Hong."
"I will go to the Great Tang Empire to see. If necessary, I will come back for you. Take this half pot of holy water soup to heal your injuries."
As he said this, Wu Zhiqi unhesitatingly produced half a pot of holy water soup and gave it to Zhou Wuxian, as a token of reunion after five hundred years.
Seeing this, Zhou Wuxian thanked him profusely and immediately went into seclusion to heal, aiming to assist in the most perfect state.
Meanwhile, Wu Zhiqi set off again.
Although his speed was far inferior to Sun Kong's with his Chaos Somersault Cloud, he had also made significant progress due to five hundred years of cultivation and being influenced by Sun Kong.
Three days later.
Wu Zhiqi arrived in Chang'an, the capital of the Great Tang Empire, located south of the center of Southern Jambudvipa Continent.
As soon as he descended his cloud, he transformed into the appearance of an ordinary Taoist priest.
Suddenly, he heard the surrounding neighbors praising Chen Guangrui, saying that his triple yuan examination success was surely due to the Emperor's grace.
"It's all thanks to the Chen family's ancestral grave being chosen well. Look, Chen Guangrui has washed away the disgrace of his ancestors and indeed became the top scholar. I heard that a few days ago, he was also struck by the embroidered ball from the Prime Minister's daughter."
"This good fortune, we can only envy."
"Indeed. And that's not all. I also heard that Yin Wenjiao had already fallen for Chen Guangrui. Not only did they secretly pledge their love, but they also had a child."
"Is that true? That's too exciting! Having a child before marriage isn't a good thing, is it?"
"You don't know anything. The rules of our Immortal Realm are not comparable to those mortals in the mortal world. There are no such vulgar regulations. Chen Guangrui passing the examination and marrying into the Prime Minister's mansion, and gaining a son, this is truly three joys arriving at once."
"You guys stop talking nonsense if you don't understand. If he truly is the reincarnation of the Wen Qu Star, you'll all face consequences."
"Brother, you're right. Even we commoners can enjoy the spiritual energy of the Immortal Realm and cultivate to the acquired realm. How much more so for these high-ranking officials? Let's all look forward to the Emperor's rewards and see if the Chen family can give us some wedding candies."
Hearing their words, Wu Zhiqi was not overly surprised. It was merely having a son in advance, not something else, so it wasn't too shocking.
On the contrary.
The most important thing at this moment was not to be surprised by this or that, but to quickly confirm if the future Tang Monk, Jin Chanzi, was alright.
He hoped it wasn't the case that he would be ambushed by a mysterious person like his Third Brother Zhou Wuxian, that would be bad!
"Big Brother Sun said that he used a unique technique to protect Jin Chanzi's consciousness through ten reincarnations without losing his original awareness. I suppose Jin Chanzi should be fine."
"However, to be safe, I should still go to Luoyang to check. It's best if he's fine, and if something is wrong, I'll resolve it immediately."
"As long as Jin Chanzi can be stimulated to recover his past memories, the subsequent matters will be much easier!"
With this thought, Wu Zhiqi immediately turned and headed to Luoyang.
Here, Chen Guangrui had left a household attendant, who had booked a room in an ordinary inn to take care of his and Yin Wenjiao's son, Jin Chanzi.
The people here knew less than those in Chang'an City.
Not long after Wu Zhiqi landed.
He merely looked up, and using his magic power to condense his eyes, he penetrated the layers of houses and saw in one room that the attendant was taking care of Jin Chanzi, who was only a few days old.
Indeed.
Jin Chanzi truly lived up to being the second disciple of Tathagata. Even after ten reincarnations, his Buddha root was still deeply planted, and his Buddha nature was rich.
Ordinary people couldn't see it.
But Wu Zhiqi could see that this infant Jin Chanzi was not crying or fussing, but had a smiling face and an expression of compassion.
Clearly, he showed signs of being half a Buddha from birth!
No one around disturbed him.
Wu Zhiqi smiled faintly, then transformed into an ethereal shadow, entered the room, took a drop of holy water soup, and flicked it into the back of Jin Chanzi's head while the attendant was out!
...
At the same time.
On the New Flower Fruit Mountain.
Sun Kong, having just dispatched his Second Brother Wu Zhiqi to be responsible for the second trial, intended to find an opportunity to have Tathagata conjure the Five Elements Mountain and pretend to be trapped within it.
Unexpectedly.
Just then, he frowned, feeling that something was not quite right!