All Heavens: Sharing Talents with Countless Mes

"Awesome! This is the life of a god!" Sun Wukong even chewed up and swallowed the fish bones, muttering as he ate, "Back in Flower Fruit Mountain, I, Old Sun, only knew how to eat peaches. I never knew there was such a delicacy in the world."

"We've eaten and drunk our fill, let's do something more refined tonight." Chu Yang took out a few exquisite small wooden cups from his pocket, and then took out a pot of "Pear Blossom White" wine that he had picked up from the best winery in Tianfeng City.

“Master, I understand that monks cannot drink alcohol. So this pot of wine is a ‘pear juice fruit wine’ that I specially asked the winery master to add honey and pear juice to, and then simmered over a low flame. It can both dispel cold and not make you drunk.”

Chu Yang poured a cup for Tang Sanzang, then poured a cup for Sun Wukong, and finally filled his own cup.

The moon rises above the willow branches.

The three sat on the ground, leaning against the cliff, listening to the stream, drinking warm fruit wine, and chatting about trivial matters.

"Benefactor Chu, you once said you came from a 'very far away' place. Do the people there also sleep outdoors like us?" Tang Sanzang asked, slightly tipsy, his eyes gazing dreamily at the night sky.

Chu Yang raised his wooden cup and looked at the bright moon through the clear wine.

“There…” Chu Yang was silent for a while, then said softly, “The people there don’t sleep outdoors much. They live in towering steel boxes that can travel a thousand miles a day. If they want to eat something, they just need to tap on another small, lit box, and someone will bring a steaming meal to their door.”

"Wouldn't that be even more carefree than being a god?" Sun Wukong asked in surprise.

"Are you happy?" Chu Yang chuckled self-deprecatingly. "There aren't many people there who can look at the stars peacefully all night like we can now. They're busy making money, busy competing with each other, busy watching other people's lives from that little box with its light. There are no monsters there, but everyone there has a monster called 'anxiety' living inside their hearts."

Tang Sanzang murmured, “There are no monsters, but there is anxiety… It seems that all living beings suffer, whether in the Tang Dynasty or in that faraway place of Benefactor Chu.”

“So, Master,” Chu Yang stood up and stretched, “our journey here isn’t about retrieving those few scrolls of rotten paper from the Western Paradise; it’s about taking a break. Buddha wants to see us go through eighty-one tribulations, but we’re not going to follow his plan. If he sets obstacles for us, we’ll treat it like sightseeing; if he arranges demons for us, we’ll treat it like an extra meal.”

"Hehe, I like what you said, brother." Sun Wukong burped. "When we get to Mount Ling, I'll have to ask Buddha if he has any red chili bean paste. If he doesn't, I won't agree to stay there as some kind of Victorious Fighting Buddha."

Night was falling.

The campfire gradually died down, leaving only a pile of glowing embers flickering in the darkness.

The white horse had already fallen asleep on the grass, and the stubborn donkey had finally quieted down, its head resting on the willow trunk.

Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong had already fallen asleep on the thick straw mats that had been laid out, their breathing even.

Chu Yang did not sleep.

He leaped onto a boulder at the highest point of the cliff and sat cross-legged.

The cool moonlight shone on his black outfit, and the Sword of Slaying Karma lay horizontally on his lap.

He closed his eyes, sensing the sword soul within his body that had solidified to its extreme. After absorbing the life force of the ginseng fruit and the immense yin energy of the Soul Devouring Ancestor (although purified by karmic fire, it still retained pure fragments of law), the red and blue energy swirling around the sword soul faintly revealed extremely fine, golden-like patterns.

That was the aura of a deeper layer of laws in this world.

"Buddha, you've been divination for so long, you must be tired."

Chu Yang smiled contemptuously at the void.

at the same time.

On a hilltop dozens of miles away from the riverbank, a figure shrouded in black mist was staring intently at them.

In the figure's hand, there was an exquisite white jade porcelain bottle. Inside the bottle, an extremely faint remnant soul belonging to the Soul Devouring Ancestor was twisting wildly.

"Red Lotus Karmic Fire... Severing Karmic Ignorance... So Bai Ling died at your hands."

A chilling murmur emanated from the black mist.

"Chu Yang, a variable... truly an interesting variable. You think you saved those children? You think there is still righteousness in this world? You are wrong. The 'compassionate light' of Tianfeng City will eventually become an abyss that devours everything."

The black mist suddenly contracted, and the figure vanished instantly.

On the riverbank, Chu Yang, who was resting with his eyes closed, twitched his brow slightly.

He didn't open his eyes; his right hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword.

"fly."

Chu Yang uttered two words in a low voice, then a cruel smile appeared on his lips as he continued to immerse himself in cultivation.

The next morning.

"Roar—! Roar—!"

The stubborn donkey's incredibly penetrating voice rang out precisely on the riverbank, like a natural alarm clock.

"That damn donkey, I'll stew it and make it into a pancake sooner or later!" Sun Wukong cursed as he sprang up from his straw mat, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Tang Sanzang, on the other hand, looked energetic. He had already washed up and was practicing a set of extremely clumsy, simplified "radio gymnastics" taught to him by Chu Yang in front of the rising sun.

"Section 1, Stretching Exercises, one, two, three, four..."

Watching a high-ranking Tang Dynasty monk clumsily expanding his chest and swinging his arms, Chu Yang couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead: "Master, if Guanyin saw your movements, she would shed tears, and Buddha would be speechless."

"Benefactor Chu, I must say, after practicing these few moves, this humble monk feels that my back doesn't ache anymore, my legs don't hurt anymore, and I even have more energy to walk." Tang Sanzang chuckled as he wiped away his sweat.

Everyone packed their bags and extinguished the last sparks.

"set off!"

Chu Yang mounted his donkey and waved his hand.

"How far is the Western Paradise?" Tang Sanzang asked casually.

"The path is right beneath your feet." Sun Wukong waved his golden cudgel. "But Master, what are we having for lunch? Do we still have the sweet potatoes from last night?"

"You good-for-nothing monkey," Chu Yang said with a laugh.

The three men, one horse, and one donkey, bathed in the rising sun, disappeared once again into the rolling mountains. ...

At this time, in Tianfeng City.

Zhao Guangcai was leading several hundred craftsmen, working up a sweat on the ruins of Shanxintang.

"Hurry up! All of you, get this done! The foundation has to be made of the best bluestone!" Zhao Guangcai roared at the top of his lungs. "That 'Charity and Benevolence' plaque, chop it up and burn it for firewood! That golden Buddha statue, melt it down and use the proceeds to buy grain!"

At the city gate, the little boy Stone was carrying his younger sister, Little Grass, whose complexion had improved considerably, on his back, staring blankly westward.

"Brother, will that big brother come back?" Little Grass asked, tugging at Stone's clothes in a childish voice.

Shi Tou tightened the cloth strap carrying his younger sister and nodded heavily: "Yes. Big brother said that as long as there are evil spirits in this world, he will definitely come back with his sword. We must live well, and when he comes back, we must let him see that we have all grown up."

After a while.

On the bustling construction site, two small, thin figures stood out. Shi Tou had changed into a well-fitting, clean set of coarse cloth shorts. Although his face was still somewhat sunken, his spirit was like that of a newly sprouted bamboo shoot. He carried a bundle of bamboo taller than himself in his arms, weaving in and out from under the heels of the burly men. Wherever a wedge was missing or a rope end was lacking, he was always the first to spot it and hand it over.

"Stone, slow down! Don't bump into anything!" Old Zhang, the foreman, wiped his sweat with a kind smile and took the plane from Stone. "You kid, you're more nimble than my apprentices. Once this orphanage is built, I'll have to teach you a few carpentry skills to support your family."

Shi Tou smiled憨厚ly and wiped the dust off his nose: "Uncle Zhang, my older brother said that this is our home, and we can't not work hard when repairing our own house!"

The grass not far away wasn't idle either. She had just recovered from a serious illness, and her face finally had a bit of rosy color. Carrying a small bamboo basket, she moved like a diligent little bee among the strong laborers, handing each of them a bowl of warm water with cool grass added.

"Uncle, have some water. Auntie, you've worked hard." Xiaocao's voice was sweet and clear, like a lark in the forest.

The laborers, who had been forced to work by Zhao Guangcai and were filled with resentment, found their anger inexplicably dissipating by half when they saw the little girl's bright, grateful eyes. A burly stonemason took the water, wiping his hands on his clothes several times before daring to accept it, chuckling, "This child is so sensible, it breaks my heart. Alright, for this bowl of water, I'll move two more large stones this afternoon!"

At noon, the makeshift canteen at the orphanage opened for business. Shi Tou not only ate heartily himself, but also helped the busy cooks by preparing vegetables and washing dishes. When the people of the city heard that a real "Ci Guang Orphanage" had been built here, many aunties and grandmas brought eggs they had saved up and old clothes from their own time to deliver them.

"Look at these two children, they're truly blessed by the heavens." An older woman held Xiaocao's hand, stuffed a freshly steamed white bun into her arms, and said with tears in her eyes, "That damned Lin Wanguan, what terrible things he's done! From now on, things will be better. With the city lord's mansion watching over you and that sword-wielding immortal protecting you, you can stay here in peace."

Stone, holding his younger sister's hand, bowed deeply to the neighbors who brought him the gifts.

"Auntie, these eggs are too precious. Please keep them to nourish your children." Shi Tou held the basket of eggs, unsure of what to do with his hands, his ears burning red.

"Take it! I told you to take it, so take it!" The middle-aged woman with her hair in a bun slapped him on the back of the head. The slap wasn't hard, but it was full of warm affection. "Your sister has just recovered. Her face is still smaller than the palm of your hand. How will she gain weight if she doesn't eat more? Besides, this is for the orphanage, not just for your family. When there are more people later, you kids will take turns eating it."

Little Grass held the steaming white bun in both hands, taking small bites, her mouth smeared with flour, and looked up at me with a slurred voice: "Auntie, when is the big brother with the big sword coming back?"

The woman was taken aback, then wiped her mouth with her sleeve, her voice softening: "How would I know? The gods have their own ways of doing things. Maybe he'll be back in a few days, maybe it'll be a long time. Just eat well, and when you grow taller, he won't recognize you."

“He recognizes it!” Little Grass shook her head seriously. “Big brother has such sharp eyes, he can recognize it at a glance.”

Old Zhang, who was helping to build the beams, heard this and laughed heartily: "That's right. Your older brother doesn't look like an ordinary person. He saw right through me with just a glance, even the half-eaten pancake I was hiding in my sleeve."

"Uncle Zhang, you still have sesame seed cakes hidden?" Shi Tou asked, turning his head.

"If I'm not hiding sesame cakes, what am I hiding?" Old Zhang stroked his beard, deliberately putting on a stern face. "Gold bars, perhaps?"

Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere on the construction site became lively and cheerful.

Zhao Guangcai, dressed in a brand-new official robe, walked over from the edge of the ruins, surrounded by a group of constables. His feet trod on the broken tiles and bricks, careful not to get dusty, yet he dared not walk too slowly. A smile graced his face, but his back was bent low as he nodded to Stone and Grass from afar: "Oh, Stone, Grass, how are you eating? Are you settling in? If that temporary courtyard is drafty, I… I, I'll have it repaired immediately!"

Upon seeing that it was the city lord, Shi Tou quickly pulled his sister behind him, looking a little nervous: "Reporting to the city lord, everything is fine."

Zhao Guangcai hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no, no, don't call me 'sir,' it sounds too formal. Your young hero Chu instructed that there's no need for such airs in the orphanage from now on, everyone should be treated the same. You can call me Uncle Zhao... no, no, just call me Lord Zhao, it's more friendly."

Old Zhang rolled his eyes while standing on the shelf and muttered under his breath, "He was all high and mighty yesterday, but today he's putting on a kind and gentle act."

A bricklayer next to him nudged him with his elbow: "Say less, or he'll start trembling if he hears you."

Zhao Guangcai seemed not to hear him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and shouted to those behind him, "Why haven't those cartloads of timber been delivered yet? And the mugwort sachets from the pharmacy in the east of the city, move them all to the warehouse first! The weather's been damp these past few days, don't let them get moldy!"

The little grass peeked out and whispered to the stone, "Brother, has he become better?"

Shi Tou stared at Zhao Guangcai for a long time, then scratched his head: "I don't know. Anyway, my older brother said that anyone who dares to steal rice from the yard will be in big trouble. He probably wouldn't dare."

"Then... will big brother really come back?"

"meeting."

Stone spoke with absolute certainty.

Meanwhile, on the mountain path heading west, the morning breeze was scattering the dewdrops on the tips of the grass.

Chu Yang rode on the white donkey, holding a thin willow twig he'd broken off from somewhere, idly flicking at the roadside weeds. The white donkey had quite a temper; it would shake its head every three steps and occasionally kick up its heels, as if extremely dissatisfied with its new master.

"Try kicking it again?" Chu Yang lowered his head and tapped the donkey's ear with a willow branch.

"hold head high--!"

The white donkey, neck stiff, brayed with a sense of self-righteousness.

"Hey, you've got quite a temper." Chu Yang chuckled. "I'll really cook it for you someday."

Sun Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, walked ahead, then turned back with a wide grin: "Brother, what's the difference between reasoning with this beast and playing music to a cow?"

"It's not a cow, it's a donkey."

That's like playing the lute to a donkey.

"Brother Monkey, you've really improved your cultural knowledge lately."

"That's right. I heard you talking to Master for a long time last night. I've been influenced by what you've heard."

Tang Sanzang led the white dragon horse through the middle, his steps much lighter than in the previous days. As he walked, he looked at the mountain scenery along the way, and suddenly asked, "Benefactor Chu, where are we going next?" (End of Chapter)