Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

Putting aside the fact that Lu Ze has gone bankrupt, their pilgrimage team has finally been assembled.

Lu Ze put on the brocade cassock, the same one that Tang Sanzang had been reluctant to wear all the way, only taking it out to make a show of himself on important occasions.

Now he wears it as everyday clothes.

The gold thread patterns shimmered and gleamed in the sunlight. With his hair covered by a monk's hat, he did indeed have the air of a highly virtuous monk, provided one ignored the sneakers on his feet.

The white dragon horse was obedient. This horse was originally the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King. After Lu Ze led it out of Eagle Sorrow Gorge, it was quite well-behaved and carried Lu Ze steadily along the mountain road.

Sun Wukong rode on his somersault cloud, leading the way. Xing rode an electric scooter, carrying Spark.

Okay, this electric car is a great tool for getting around that Spark came up with. It's supposedly the latest model from a certain interstellar travel brand, combining quietness, environmental friendliness, off-road capability, and ultra-long range.

The only downside is that it's only available in pink.

"Why is it pink?" That touch of pink reminded Xing of a certain old friend.

"Because I like pink," Spark said matter-of-factly.

Lu Ze didn't even bother to complain; his group's setup didn't seem like they were on a pilgrimage, but rather like they were searching for the Dragon Balls.

The group traveled through mountains and valleys for about two days before finally arriving at their first destination – Longevity Hill and Wuzhuang Temple.

"The abode of immortals who live forever, the home of Taoists who live as long as the heavens."

Lu Ze reined in the reins, looked up at the couplet, and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"What a grand vision! I ask you, within the Three Realms, besides the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals, who dares to write such a couplet?"

Sun Wukong glanced at the couplet and curled his lip in disdain.

"They've got quite the talk, but I wonder if they have the real skills."

"When you wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace back then, didn't you also use the banner of 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven'? In terms of tone, you're just as good."

"Hey—I, Old Sun, truly live up to my name!"

"Alright, alright, you truly deserve it, while others are just all talk and no action," Lu Ze said dismissively.

If you argue with this monkey, he can argue with you all day long; he's a complete stubborn fool.

Xing, who was standing to the side, did not participate in the bickering between the human and the monkey. Ever since Pinocchio, she had developed a monkey allergy.

She pulled a small booklet from her bosom; the cover read "Journey to the West Quick Guide," and flipped through a few pages.

"According to the script, we should steal a few ginseng fruits here, then knock down the fruit tree and wait for Guanyin Bodhisattva to come to the rescue..."

"That's pretty much the gist of it," Spark nodded in agreement.

But Sun Wukong was clearly not a patient man.

Ignoring the nonsense the others were spouting, he leaped to the gate of Wuzhuang Temple and knocked three times on the door knocker.

"Open the door! Open the door! We have guests!"

A moment later, footsteps could be heard coming from inside the door.

The door creaked open a crack, and two heads peeked out.

They were two young Taoist boys, about twelve or thirteen years old, one dressed in blue and the other in gray, both with their hair in Taoist buns and delicate features.

The one in blue spoke first, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

"You must be the pilgrims from the Great Tang Dynasty of the East, right? Master has been waiting inside the temple for quite some time. Please come in."

Lu Ze was about to step inside when he heard this and stopped abruptly.

He turned to look at Spark, who was also looking at him, and a huge question mark appeared in both of their eyes at the same time.

and many more.

According to the original plot, shouldn't Zhen Yuanzi be in heaven at this time listening to Yuanshi Tianzun preach?

Only two young servants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, were left to watch the house, and they were instructed to bring two ginseng fruits to entertain Tang Sanzang.

But now Qingfeng says, "Master has been waiting inside the temple for a long time."

Is Zhen Yuanzi at home?

Lu Ze and Huo Hua exchanged a glance for a second, simultaneously reading the same meaning from each other's eyes: the script had gone wrong.

Sun Wukong didn't think that much about it. He swaggered over the threshold and went inside, not forgetting to turn back and wave at them.

"What are you standing there for? Come in! The master is waiting, don't keep him waiting!"

Lu Ze took a deep breath, leaned close to Spark's ear, and whispered, "Didn't you say you studied every detail of the original work?"

"I've studied it!" Spark felt a tickle in her ear and turned her head to the side.

"In the original story, Shinobu was definitely not home! Who knows why he doesn't follow the script!"

"Is it possible that he knew we were coming?"

Spark was silent for a moment, then her expression became excited: "...That's even more interesting."

Lu Ze sighed helplessly.

It feels like talking to this person about these things is completely pointless; she'd love for more surprises.