Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

The following evening, Master Gao set up an even more lavish banquet in the main hall.

The atmosphere at today's banquet was much more relaxed than yesterday.

Zhu Ganglie's injuries have mostly healed. Although his face is still a little pale, he can already walk on his own.

He changed into a clean blue cloth robe and transformed the pig's head back into the appearance of an ordinary man.

Although you can still see some pig-like features if you look closely, at least it's not so scary anymore.

Gao Cuilan sat next to him, wearing a light purple dress, her hair neatly combed, a smile in her eyes, and she looked much more energetic than yesterday.

She would occasionally put food on Zhu Ganglie's plate, and Zhu Ganglie would eat without refusing, occasionally looking up at her with a silly smile.

Master Gao sat in the main seat, his face glowing, and frequently raised his cup to toast.

"Three immortal masters, I apologize for my neglect yesterday. I would like to offer you all a toast!"

Lu Ze raised his glass in return, saying politely, "You're too kind, sir."

"Oh, no need for all this 'master' title, just call me Old Man Gao!" Master Gao tossed back his head and downed the wine in his cup, wiped his mouth, and poured himself another cup.

"Three immortal masters, I'm not bragging, but although my son-in-law is a bit ugly, his character is impeccable! He's capable, loves his wife, doesn't drink or gamble, and is infinitely better than those ugly ducklings in the village!"

I always felt that this old man Gao was the kind of father-in-law who, once he accepted the character's backstory, couldn't wait to brag to everyone how good his son-in-law was.

Pigsy felt a little uncomfortable being praised, so he buried his head in his rice and pretended not to hear.

Xing, biting into a chicken leg, mumbled a vague agreement.

"Mmm, it's good, it's good."

Spark, holding a wine glass, watched this scene with a smile, occasionally nudging Lu Ze under the table with her toe and giving him a look that said, "Isn't that enough?"

Lu Ze nodded slightly to her, not in a hurry to do anything.

Xing watched the interaction between the two from the side, eating and drinking in silence.

The banquet lasted for another half hour, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely.

When the last sweet soup was removed from the table and the maids brought hot towels to wipe their hands, Lu Ze put down the towels, turned to Zhu Ganglie, and spoke casually.

"Brother Pig, may I have a word with you in private?"

Zhu Ganglie paused for a moment while wiping his hands.

Gao Cuilan immediately raised her head alertly, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Lu Ze and Zhu Ganglie twice, her hand instinctively gripping Zhu Ganglie's sleeve.

Zhu Ganglie patted the back of her hand, soothing her gently.

"It's alright, these people won't hurt me."

Gao Cuilan bit her lip, but finally let go of her hand and said softly, "Then come back soon."

Zhu Ganglie nodded, stood up, and gestured for Lu Ze to proceed.

"There's a small garden in the backyard; it's quiet there. Let's go talk there."

Lu Ze got up and followed, and Xing and Huohua naturally stood up as well, following behind him.

The four people passed through the moon gate, went around a corridor, and arrived at a small pavilion in the backyard.

Several banana trees were planted around the pavilion. The leaves rustled in the evening breeze, making it a perfect place to talk.

The group sat down on the stone benches in the pavilion. Zhu Ganglie didn't speak first, but silently watched Lu Ze, waiting for him to speak.

Lu Ze didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Did you receive a mission from Guanyin Bodhisattva to wait here for the pilgrim and escort him to the Western Paradise to retrieve the scriptures?"

Zhu Ganglie's expression froze for a moment.

He did not deny it, and after a moment of silence, he slowly nodded.

"...How did you know?"