Chapter 5: Clear Rhyme Residence (3)

  The story is strange and mysterious. The dazzling scene is full of wonders, the plot twists and turns. From the proud country of Shen Zhou to the Crystal Palace in the East Sea; from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits to the Ling Xiao Temple.

  Bodhi Patriarch, Taiyi True Man, Jade Emperor, Dragon King of the East Sea, Queen Mother... and that magnificent Monkey King who leaps and bounds with unparalleled magical powers.

  Two senior brothers have fallen!

  In this era of material scarcity and spiritual entertainment being almost zero, the appeal of a Journey to the West to people of this era is absolutely terrifying. For adults it's like that, for two children who are only in their teens, the result is unthinkable.

  The poison bait was effective, and the little junior brother was very pleased. However, in order to further entrap the two senior brothers, the despicable trick of revealing the plot ahead of time was naturally brought out.

  Thus, under someone's vicious intentions and bad taste, the Great Master had the alias "Wukong", and the Second Master had the beautiful name "Bajie". Although, Wukong and Bajie obviously didn't like...

  There is a famous song later, called "Perfume is poisonous". However, if Zhang Ren and Zhang Xiu two classmates are lucky enough to cross over, they will surely declare with a heavy heart: In fact, good stories can also be poisonous! There is no most poisonous, only more poisonous!

  "...or...or..." Zhang Xiang, who was naturally more flexible, hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice. Under the eaves, three small heads were crowded very close together...

  From that night on, there were two more figures in the bamboo forest behind the mountain. The sound of cutting bamboo became denser, but the occasional howling of wolves disappeared, which made many small animals in the mountain very happy.

  If... if the occasional lewd and crafty laughter that came from time to time also disappeared, life would be so wonderful! The little beasts looked up at the sky, silently yearning.

  June is wearing a rain-soaked cloak, trudging along with mud and water, the entire Taihang Mountains are shrouded in a damp mist.

  Liu Zhang stood with his hands clasped together in the gentle rain, gazing at the small bamboo hut before him, a smile spreading across his face.

  One more month, it's done.

  Under the reluctant help of Wukong and Bajie, who were both in pain and joy, Liu Zhang finally had his own little hut on Mount Wu Yun.

  "Ah, what a beautiful little house! Alas, I built it with my own hands, and its elegance is truly beyond compare...". Liu Zhang smacked his lips, lavishly praising himself.

  Behind them, Zhang Ren and Zhang Xiu were a head of black lines, staring blankly. Is this the good thing we two helped you build?

  "Hmm, gathering the elegance of all directions, and taking in the spiritual charm of mountains and rivers. Hmm, I'll call this little house 'Clear Rhythm Abode'." Liu Zhang was delighted with himself for having given his new home a name.

  "Is the house built well? Hmm, it's barely passable." A faint voice came from behind, instantly shattering Liu Zhang's pride.

  What? Barely? Can see? Damn it!

  Enraged! Liu Zhang suddenly turned around, his eyes following the sound to look over, Tong Yuan quietly stood in front of the house, looking at him with an expressionless face.

  "Hmm, I've seen Master." The three of them bowed together. Liu Zhang's face was calm and didn't show any sign of annoyance. It seemed as if the previous sleeve-rolling incident was not him, but like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

  "Master's orders, disciple has already completed, don't know what's next..." Ignoring Zhang Ren and Zhang Xiang's disdainful gazes, Liu Zhang dragged out his words, bowing to ask Tong Yuan.

  "Tomorrow, go and get a large bamboo stick again, whittle it into a bamboo spear. Two feet long or short, the tip must be sharp and the body of the spear must be round and smooth. If you want to make one spear with just one bamboo stick, then you need the thickest and oldest bamboo. Oh, use this kind of knife to whittle the bamboo spear."

  The hand behind his back suddenly shook, and with a thud, a thin-bladed small knife was already inserted into the bamboo wall. The strong impact made the small knife quiver on its own, buzzing loudly.

  Tong Yuan didn't even glance at him, turned around and entered the house. He walked to the door, suddenly turned his head and looked at him, snorted: "You are cunning and deceitful, inciting the two of them to help you, although this house was built, the labor and physical strength barely count as being nurtured. What a pity, that clever trick was not understood in the slightest. Humph! Did you think it would be so easy for you to cut bamboo and build a house?"

  "Ah!" Liu Zhang was stunned, not thinking that his cheating had been discovered by the old man. Zhang Ren and Zhang Huai turned pale, lowering their heads and dared not speak further.

  "Carve bamboo guns, you must complete them within ten days." Tong Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice to Liu Zhang.

  "Uh-huh." Liu Zhang weakly responded.

  Tong Yuan's gaze shifted, looking at Zhang Ren and Zhang Xiu. "This time, if you two dare to help him again, get out of my mountain. For the past grievances, wait until he completes his gun-making skills, and then deal with them together. You all take care of yourselves." After saying that, he ignored the three people and turned around to enter the house.

  Liu Zhang and the other two, looked at each other in silence for a moment. Zhang Ren and Zhang Yi let out a sigh together, shook their heads at each other, then hung their heads in shame and returned to their rooms separately.

  Standing there dazed for a while, Liu Zhang finally scratched his head and turned to pick up the small knife. After a lot of effort, he finally pulled it out. But when he weighed the few-inch-long knife in his hand, the sarcastic remarks in his stomach came rolling back again.

  Are you kidding me? This knife is so light and thin, yet it's supposed to cut through the oldest and hardest bamboo?! Not to mention that cutting a several-meter-long bamboo pole into a 2-meter piece would take an enormous amount of time. The blade is so thin, if I use too much force, it will break immediately; if I use too little force, it won't even budge...

  Damn it! I'm going crazy!

  Gritting his teeth and staring at the small knife in his hand, Liu Zhang had an urge to rush into the opposite house and throw it directly at the face of that stinky master.

  Unfortunately, the idea was just an idea, and Liu Zhang obviously didn't want to die young. So, after half a day, he finally let out a long sigh, hung his head in despair, and walked into his Qingyun residence.

  Across the house, Tong Yuan had been watching him from the window gap, his mouth slightly hooked up, and his eyes full of smiles.

  "With a clever plan, good at handling people, not discouraged by difficulties, and not constrained by tasks. Rarely found, with a heart that embraces the world and a broad ambition...... Well, well, well, it was worth my consideration." He muttered to himself, withdrew his gaze, and sat down leisurely behind his desk.

  Half a beat later...

  "...... That little scoundrel, he's been cheated badly. Even if you add up the daytime, it's not much to talk about. Is that beautiful Monkey King true or false? It's really urgent to death......"

  Inside the house, Tong Yuan's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, his face filled with a bitter expression. In an instant, he seemed to have aged several decades, his face full of worry and anxiety...