All Heavens: Sharing Talents with Countless Mes

In the past, Tang Sanzang would have immediately frowned and muttered, "Monks should not indulge in pleasure." But now, he simply smiled, patted the white dragon horse's neck, and nodded, saying, "Since Benefactor Chu has such an interest, this humble monk will follow suit. However, Wukong, your appearance is too peculiar. Before entering the city, you should change your appearance slightly to avoid disturbing the people in the city."

"Don't worry, Master, this is easy to handle."

Sun Wukong chuckled, his figure blurred, and he transformed into a middle-aged martial artist with a sharp face and a small mustache. He shrunk his golden cudgel into an embroidery needle, and held an ordinary eyebrow-length staff in his hand, looking quite respectable.

"Let's go!"

Chu Yang waved his hand, and the three of them swaggered across the drawbridge over the moat, following the flow of people entering and leaving the city, and stepped into Tianfeng City.

As soon as you enter the city gate, an extremely noisy and vibrant heat wave hits you.

Shops lined both sides of the wide, bluestone-paved street. Vendors carrying loads on shoulder poles weaved through the crowds, calling out their wares: candied hawthorns, cosmetics, fabrics—their cries rising and falling. At street corners, street performers entertained the crowds with their acrobatic skills: fire-breathing, chest-breaking of large stones, all surrounded by cheering spectators, the clinking of coins on the ground a constant chorus.

This is the real human world!

Chu Yang took a deep breath and felt that the murky yet vibrant air was even more comfortable than the celestial aura on Longevity Mountain.

"Brother, where should we go first?" Sun Wukong, disguised as a middle-aged martial artist, leaned close to Chu Yang's ear and asked excitedly.

"Is that even a question? Of course, we should find the biggest and most luxurious restaurant in the city first!" Chu Yang waved his hand and took out a ten-tael silver ingot from his storage space, which he had obtained when he casually "exorcised" monsters on the road before. He tossed it in his hand.

They stopped a passerby to ask for directions and soon found the most famous restaurant in Tianfeng City, "Zui Xian Lou".

The Drunken Immortal Pavilion is three stories high, with carved beams and painted rafters, upturned eaves, and two extremely grand strings of large red lanterns hanging at the entrance. Even before you get close, an extremely rich aroma of roasted meat and mellow wine wafts over on the wind, making your mouth water.

"Please come in, sirs! Are you here for a meal or to stay the night?" The waiter, with a white towel draped over his shoulder, noticed that although Chu Yang was dressed in an ordinary blue robe, he had an extraordinary air about him. The martial arts master following behind him was also extremely strong, and the monk had a handsome face. He immediately greeted him with a big smile.

"I need the best room at the inn. Also, bring me one of each of your Zuixianlou's signature dishes: whole roasted lamb, roasted goose, and braised beef! And three jars of your oldest Daughter's Red wine!" Chu Yang slapped the ten-tael silver ingot into the waiter's hand with great magnanimity. "Money is no problem, just hurry up!"

The waiter's eyes widened at the sight of the gleaming silver ingot, and he bowed and scraped repeatedly, saying, "Alright! Sir, please have a private seat on the second floor! We'll arrange everything for you perfectly right away!"

The three went up to the second floor and chose a private seat by the window. From there, they could overlook the bustling street below.

Before long, the waiter and several waiters brought out one delicious and visually appealing main dish after another.

The whole roasted lamb, roasted to a golden brown and crispy perfection, was still sizzling with oil. The sliced ​​beef, thin as cicada wings, exuded a rich aroma of spices. And the several jars of freshly opened Shaoxing wine, sealed in mud, filled the entire private room with their mellow fragrance.

"Brother Monkey, Master, don't be shy, eat as much as you like!" Chu Yang picked up the wine jar, first poured a large bowl full for Sun Wukong, and then poured a bowl for Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang looked at the bowl of clear, strong liquor in front of him, then at the mouthwatering meat dishes on the table. He smiled slightly, and without the slightest hesitation, picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of marbled braised beef, and put it in his mouth.

After chewing carefully for a few moments, Tang Sanzang swallowed the beef, picked up the wine bowl, and took a large gulp with great gusto.

"Cough cough... This wine is strong." Although Tang Sanzang coughed twice and his face flushed slightly, his eyes were extremely bright. "Benefactor Chu, the aroma of human life is indeed much more intoxicating than the sandalwood fragrance of the Great Thunder Temple."

"Hahaha! Master, this is what it means to truly see through the illusions of the world!" Sun Wukong laughed loudly, grabbed a leg of lamb, tore off a large piece of meat, and chewed it greedily, saying indistinctly, "Those bodhisattvas eat vegetarian food and chant scriptures every day, how would they know the taste of this roasted lamb leg! Brother, come on, bottoms up!"

The three clinked their bowls together and drank it all in one gulp.

The atmosphere inside the private room was extremely lively. There were no constraints or rules, only three travelers who had experienced life and death and were now freely enjoying themselves in the world.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

As darkness fell outside, Tianfeng City ushered in its most bustling moment—the night market.

Rows of colorful lanterns lit up both sides of the street, illuminating the entire city as if it were daytime. The crowds were even more dense than during the day, and the sounds of laughter and chatter merged into an extremely noisy wave.

"Master, Monkey King, now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, how about we go downstairs to digest and stroll around the night market?" Chu Yang suggested, wiping the grease from his mouth.

"Let's go! I saw some monkey shows downstairs... I mean, acrobatics! I have to go see if they're as good as me!" Sun Wukong was the first to jump up, full of enthusiasm.

Tang Sanzang also stood up, straightened his clothes, and nodded with a smile: "That's exactly what I was thinking. Experiencing the myriad aspects of this mortal world is also a form of spiritual practice."

The three paid their bill, left Zuixianlou, and merged into the bustling crowd of the night market.

The night market was filled with a dazzling array of goods. Chu Yang bought Tang Seng a string of crystal-clear candied hawthorns. Watching the holy monk, who had cultivated for ten lifetimes, walk around and bite into the candied hawthorns, the scene was inexplicably incongruous, yet also incredibly heartwarming.

Sun Wukong lingered in front of a sugar figurine stall, insisting that the timid stall owner sculpt a likeness of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven for him. In the end, the stall owner sculpted a figurine that looked like a hairy potato, which made Sun Wukong extremely frustrated and stomp his feet.

They strolled leisurely through the streets, enjoying this rare moment of peace.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of a relatively quiet alley on the edge of Tianfeng City Night Market.

The lighting here was dim, and the bluestone slabs on the ground were uneven and pitted. The air was filled with an extremely pungent smell of swill and cheap cosmetics. Clearly, this was the slum of Tianfeng City, the dark side behind its prosperity.

Just as Chu Yang was about to call the two to turn and leave, a series of extremely rude shouts and curses came from the alley.

"You little bastard! You dare steal my steamed buns! I'll beat you to death today!"

Accompanying the shouts and curses was a series of extremely muffled sounds of punches and kicks, and an extremely faint, suppressed cry, like a kitten's whimper.

Chu Yang's smile vanished instantly, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound. By the dim light of a lantern at a steamed bun shop at the entrance of the alley, Chu Yang saw a burly steamed bun shop owner holding a thick rolling pin, frantically whipping a thin figure curled up on the ground.

The figure was so small, he looked no more than six or seven years old. He wore tattered clothes whose color was no longer recognizable, and his two little feet were bare, covered in mud and bloody cuts. He held his head tightly, letting the rolling pin rain down on his back and legs, making a series of chilling thuds.

In the little boy's arms, which he held tightly to his chest, was half a cold bun that was covered in mud and even trampled flat.

Despite being beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding, he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a single loud plea for mercy. He just held onto the half of the bun that could hardly be called food, as if it were something more important than his life.

"I'll beat you to death, you little beggar! You stole! You stole!" The shopkeeper seemed to be blinded by rage, raising a rolling pin and viciously smashing it down on the back of the little boy's head!
If that blow landed squarely, the little boy's brains would splatter and he would die on the spot!
"stop!"

A flash of red light appeared in Chu Yang's eyes.

Without even using his spiritual power, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, and his whole body shot out like an arrow.

When the rolling pin was less than an inch from the little boy's head, an extremely strong hand firmly grasped the other end of the rolling pin.

The steamed bun shop owner felt as if his wrist was being gripped tightly by an iron clamp, and no matter how hard he tried, the rolling pin could not be pressed down any further.

He angrily raised his head and met a pair of extremely cold eyes, as if looking at a dead man.

"You'd beat a child to death over half a tattered bun that fell on the ground? Have you lost your mind?" Chu Yang's voice was extremely low, suppressing a terrifying rage.

"You...who are you! Mind your own business! This little beast stole my things, he deserves to be beaten to death! Let go!" Although the shopkeeper was startled by Chu Yang's imposing manner, he was used to running rampant on this street and immediately roared back arrogantly.

Chu Yang's lips curled into an extremely cruel sneer.

He didn't let go, but instead twisted the rolling pin sharply.

"Crack!"

"what--!!!"

With a crisp cracking sound, the steamed bun shop owner let out a bloodcurdling scream. His right wrist had been snapped cleanly by Chu Yang, and the rolling pin fell to the ground with a thud.

The boss was writhing on the ground in pain, his clothes instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"Get out." Chu Yang pulled out a piece of silver from his pocket and casually threw it at the shopkeeper's face. "The money for half a bun is enough to buy your entire shop. If I see you bullying this child again, I won't just break your wrist, I'll twist your head off."

The shopkeeper looked at the silver on the ground, then at Chu Yang's terrifying gaze, and scrambled to grab the silver, abandoning his shop and running straight into the depths of the dark alley.

The few indifferent passersby who had been watching were terrified and scattered like birds when they saw how ruthless Chu Yang was.

The alleyway fell silent instantly.

Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang quickly walked over. Tang Sanzang looked at the little boy on the ground, covered in blood but still desperately protecting the dirty bun, his eyes filled with pity and compassion. He quickly stepped forward to help him up.

"Amitabha Buddha, child, how badly are you injured?" Tang Sanzang asked softly.

The little boy shuddered violently at the sound. Like a startled wild animal, he shrank back, pressing himself tightly against the cold wall. His eyes, peeking out from his disheveled hair, were filled with intense vigilance, fear, and a deep-seated hostility.

He still held onto the half-dirty bun in his arms tightly, as if anyone who came near him would take his life.

Chu Yang stopped Tang Seng, who wanted to go forward, and shook his head: "Master, he is frightened and is wary of everyone now. If you get too close, it will upset him."

Chu Yang turned his head and slowly squatted down, trying to make his gaze level with the little boy's. He suppressed all his murderous aura and revealed an extremely gentle smile.

"Little one, don't be afraid, the bad guy who hit you has already run away." Chu Yang's voice was very soft and gentle.

The little boy continued to stare intently at Chu Yang, his body trembling slightly, without saying a word. But he secretly tucked the half-eaten bun he was holding deeper into his clothes.

Chu Yang keenly noticed this extremely subtle movement. A slight pang of sadness welled up in his heart.

"Are you hungry?" Chu Yang didn't touch him, but slowly reached out and took out a meat bun from his storage space. It was still very hot and smelled incredibly tempting. He placed it on the ground in front of the little boy.

“That bun is dirty; you’ll get sick if you eat it. Eat this one instead; it’s meat-filled and very fragrant.” Chu Yang took two steps back and sat down on the stone steps next to him.

The little boy's gaze was immediately drawn to the steaming hot meat bun on the ground. His thin Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his eyes gleamed with an intense longing.

But he still didn't take it immediately. He looked at the steamed bun, then at Chu Yang, seemingly trying to determine whether it was a trap or genuine charity.

A full half-incense stick's time passed. Perhaps the aroma of the meat was too tempting, or perhaps Chu Yang's extremely gentle gaze made him lower his guard. The little boy very slowly stretched out his small, blood-stained hand and, like lightning, grabbed the meat bun from the ground.

But he didn't eat it. Instead, he carefully stuffed the hot bun into his arms, then took out the half of the dirty bun that he had been protecting. Ignoring the dirt on it, he wolfed it down into his mouth, eating with great force, even skipping chewing and swallowing it directly. As a result, he choked and his eyes rolled back.

Chu Yang quickly took out the water bottle and handed it over.

The little boy snatched the water bottle, gulped down several mouthfuls of water, and then swallowed the half-dirty bun.

After finishing his meal, he wiped his mouth with his extremely dirty sleeve, then clutched the hot meat bun tightly to his chest, and said to Chu Yang in an extremely hoarse and childish voice, "Thank you, big brother. I'm saving this delicious bun for my little sister. She has a fever and hasn't eaten for several days..." (End of Chapter)