novelaction Chapter 409 A Mysterious Gem Leads to a New Journey, A Joyful Adventure Sets Off Again
Chapter 409 A Mysterious Gem Leads to a New Journey, A Joyful Adventure Sets Off Again
A mysterious gemstone heralds a new journey, and a joyful adventure begins anew.
Clutching the gems that exuded a mysterious aura, the group bid farewell to the enigmatic cave and returned to the bustling town. The townspeople, hearing of their successful cave exploration, greeted them like triumphant heroes, crowding around them with eyes full of admiration and wonder. The waves of praise rose and fell, making the group feel slightly embarrassed.
During his stay in the town, Pigsy was in his element, spending his days wandering between various food stalls until his belly was round and full, like a big ball. While letting out a loud burp, he exclaimed with great satisfaction, "The food in this town is simply heavenly, unparalleled on earth! I, Old Pig, wish I could stay here forever."
Xiaoqing couldn't help but laugh and tease, "With all your potential, all you know is eating. If you keep eating like this, you probably won't be able to walk anymore. We won't have the strength to carry you, you big fatso."
Pigsy grunted indignantly, put his hands on his hips, and said, "I call this being prepared for a rainy day, replenishing my strength to cope with the upcoming adventures. Who knows, if we encounter danger one day, the strength I gained from eating will come in very handy, like a divine intervention."
Looking at the two lively characters, Liu Yu shook his head with a smile and said, "Alright, alright, stop bickering. We've rested enough, it's time to set off again and see what other wonders this mysterious world has in store for us."
Everyone nodded, packed their bags, and embarked on another journey full of unknowns and surprises amidst the warm farewells of the town's residents.
They strolled along a crystal-clear stream, its babbling water making a clear, melodious sound, like a lively, cheerful tune. The banks were covered in lush green grass, like a giant green carpet, with wildflowers of every color blooming in vibrant competition, as if nature itself had casually splashed paint across them. Butterflies danced among the flowers, sometimes chasing each other, sometimes alighting on petals, creating a picturesque and vibrant scene.
As we walked, a uniquely shaped wooden bridge suddenly appeared ahead. Spanning the stream, the bridge swayed precariously, appearing quite old. Its sides were carved with various strange patterns: ferocious dragons, agile leaping mythical beasts, and mysterious runes, seemingly silently telling ancient and distant stories.
Pigsy stared at the wooden bridge, his brows furrowed, and muttered hesitantly, "This bridge doesn't look very reliable. I'm such a heavy pig, what if it collapses with a 'crack' when I walk on it?"
Xiaoqing rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Stop scaring yourself. So many of us are traveling together. If it collapses, we'll all fall down together. At least we'll have company on the road to the underworld. What's there to be afraid of?"
Fahai clasped his hands together and said calmly, "It's alright. This humble monk will go first to test the waters for you all." With that, Fahai walked steadily onto the wooden bridge. Although the wooden bridge swayed constantly, it remained relatively stable under Fahai's feet.
Seeing this, everyone followed suit. But just as they reached the middle of the bridge, a sudden change occurred. The wooden bridge began to shake violently, creaking and groaning as if it were about to break under the weight.
"Oh no!" Liu Yu's expression changed, and she shouted, "Everyone, stay calm! Don't panic!"
Pigsy was so frightened that his face turned ashen. He gripped the railing tightly and kept muttering, "I knew this bridge was unreliable. Now we're doomed."
While trying to maintain her balance, Xiaoqing shouted, "Bajie, stop yelling! The more you yell, the more flustered I get."
Just then, Xiao Tian suddenly barked wildly at the water below the bridge. Everyone quickly looked down and saw a group of strange-looking creatures emerging from the stream. They were fish-like in shape, but had four short, thick legs, and bulging eyes like two small light bulbs. They were spraying powerful jets of water at the wooden bridge, frantically impacting its structure.
"So it was you guys causing trouble!" Pigsy was furious, brandishing his nine-toothed rake at the creatures in the stream. "Watch how I, Old Pig, beat you all to a pulp!"
However, the wooden bridge was swaying so badly that Pigsy couldn't exert any force. Liu Yu quickly scanned the surroundings and found a thick tree branch at one end of the bridge. If the branch could be secured, it might stabilize the bridge.
"Bajie, don't be impulsive!" Liu Yu shouted. "You and Master Fahai try to stabilize the bridge. Xiaoqing, use the bell to emit sound waves to interfere with these creatures spraying water. Ergou, you and I bring that branch over to secure the bridge."
Everyone immediately did as instructed. Pigsy and Fahai used all their strength to grip the bridge and try to reduce the swaying. Little Green shook her bell, and the clear, melodious sound waves rippled through the air. The strange creatures seemed to be affected, and the rhythm of their water spraying became disordered.
Liu Yu and Er Gou cautiously approached the branch. Just as they were about to reach it, a large creature suddenly leaped out of the water like an arrow, its mouth wide open, and pounced on Liu Yu. Liu Yu reacted quickly, dodging to the side. The creature missed its target and fell into the water with a "plop," splashing a huge spray that soaked everyone.
"Brother Liu, be careful!" Er Gou's voice trembled with nervousness.
"It's alright, let's hurry." Liu Yu said, and together with Er Gou, they used all their strength to finally pull the branch over. They quickly secured the branch to key positions on the bridge, and the wooden bridge gradually stabilized.
"Alright, that's settled now." Pigsy breathed a sigh of relief. "Watch how I teach these reckless fools a lesson."
Pigsy raised his nine-toothed rake and smashed it down on the creatures in the stream. The creatures were dazed and confused, and scattered in all directions, disappearing without a trace in no time.
"Haha, let's see if you dare to cause trouble again." Pigsy laughed triumphantly.
The group continued on and successfully crossed the wooden bridge. After this minor, albeit thrilling, incident, everyone felt even more relaxed and cheerful, with laughter and chatter filling the air, as if the earlier adventure had been nothing more than a fun game.
After walking for a while, they arrived at a peaceful and tranquil little village. The village was gently embraced by green mountains and shaded by lush trees, like a paradise on earth. Under an old locust tree at the village entrance, a group of children were playing and laughing, their silvery laughter echoing in the air. Seeing the group arrive, the children curiously gathered around.
A little girl with a ponytail, her big, watery eyes wide open, asked curiously, "Big brother and big sister, where did you come from? Where are you going?"
Liu Yu smiled and replied, "We come from a very, very far place, to explore a wider and more magical world. Children, are there any fun things to do here?"
A little boy eagerly chimed in, "I know! There's a magical orchard in the valley behind the village. The fruit trees there can talk, and the fruit they bear is sweeter than honey. But the adults say that there's a grumpy elf guarding the orchard in the valley, and he doesn't let outsiders in."
Upon hearing this, Pigsy immediately became interested, his eyes lighting up: "A talking fruit tree? And especially sweet fruit? Then I, Old Pig, must try it. Maybe eating it will make me smarter."
Xiaoqing gently tapped Zhu Bajie's head and said, "All you know is eating. Haven't you heard that there are spirits protecting you? There might be danger. You might get beaten up by the spirits and cry for your parents."
Liu Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Since we're here, let's go take a look. Maybe if we communicate with the elf properly, it will let us taste some fruit. Perhaps this elf is a hospitable creature, just annoyed by the people before."
Guided by the children, the group arrived at the valley behind the village. A fresh, enticing aroma of fruit permeated the valley, as if an invisible hand were drawing them in. Following the winding path, they indeed came upon a vibrant orchard. The fruit trees in the orchard were of various shapes; some resembled graceful maidens, others majestic giants. Each tree was laden with tempting fruit, some as red as fire, others as yellow as gold. And every now and then, the trees would rustle softly, as if conversing quietly about these unexpected guests.
Just as everyone was marveling at the sight, a small figure emerged from behind the tree. This figure had wings as transparent as gauze, shimmering with iridescent light in the sunlight, and its pointed ears perked up playfully. It was the elf the little boy had mentioned. The elf stood with its hands on its hips, puffing out its cheeks, and said angrily, "Who are you? Why have you trespassed into my orchard? Don't you know this is my territory?"
Liu Yu quickly stepped forward, his face beaming with smiles, and said politely, "Respected elf, we are adventurers passing through this place. We've heard that the fruits here are incredibly delicious, and we just want to try them. We really have no ill intentions. We've endured countless hardships on our journey, and we just want to taste all the wonderful delicacies in the world."
The elf frowned, looking everyone up and down with suspicion in her eyes: "Hmph, all you say is nice. Quite a few people have tried to steal my fruit under the guise of tasting it before. I won't easily trust outsiders like you."
Pigsy couldn't help but say, "We really just want to try it. I, Pigsy, swear to heaven that we'll eat the fruit and leave, and we won't steal a single one. If I, Pigsy, break my oath, may I gain a hundred pounds."
The elf glanced at Pigsy, then surveyed the crowd, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. After a while, the elf said, "Alright, seeing as your attitude is rather sincere, I can let you taste the fruit. However, you have to do me a favor. Recently, some annoying pests have come to the orchard, always stealing the fruit and leaving the trees scarred. If you help me drive the pests away, I'll treat you to the fruit."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. So, the elf led them deep into the orchard, where they saw countless tiny black insects swarming and gnawing at the leaves and fruit of the trees, which seemed to be groaning in pain.
"These are the guys! You guys need to think of something quickly!" the elf said anxiously, stamping his feet.
Pigsy scratched his head, looking helpless: "These little bugs look insignificant, but there are quite a few of them. What should we do? If we use our nine-toothed rake to rake them down, the fruit will probably suffer too."
Xiaoqing thought for a moment and said, "I'll try using the sound waves of the bell to drive them away. Maybe these little bugs will be so scared when they hear my sound waves that they'll run away in terror."
Xiaoqing rang the bell, producing a strong and clear sound wave. The sound wave spread throughout the orchard like an invisible tide. The little insects seemed to be startled, falling from the fruit trees and crawling frantically on the ground. However, these little insects were very tenacious, and soon they climbed back up the tree trunks to continue feasting.
"It seems this method won't work," Xiaoqing said somewhat dejectedly. "These little bugs are simply stubborn."
Fahai clasped his hands together and said, "This humble monk will try to purify these pests with Buddha's light. I hope that Buddha's light can influence these pests and make them stop doing evil."
Fahai unleashed his Buddha-light, and golden rays enveloped the orchard like a tide. Under the illumination of the Buddha-light, some pests began to dissipate, turning into wisps of smoke. However, some pests stubbornly resisted, seemingly possessing some kind of special immunity to the Buddha-light.
Looking at the stubborn pests, Liu Yu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of the mysterious gem. He took out the gem, and as if sensing Liu Yu's intention, it emitted a soft yet powerful light. The light was like warm sunlight, and wherever it touched, the pests fell to the ground and vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
"Wow, we did it!" The elf clapped his hands excitedly and danced in mid-air. "You guys are amazing. Alright, now you can enjoy the fruit to your heart's content."