Chapter 759
3 Hidden Man Clings to Leg and Shouts "Daddy!", Brother Zhu Kicks Him Away: I&
This treatment is outrageous.
Just as Lin Zhu was feeling this way, the system's voice sounded in his mind again, this time with a more meaningful tone.
"Ding—Congratulations, host, for discovering a blind spot. Sun Wukong's heart is with his master, but he is loyal to his master."
"Main mission activated - True corporate espionage often employs the simplest methods."
Lin Zhu was stunned for a moment, then listened to the system continue.
"Phase One Main Mission: Please be a good employee and have a good habit of self-managing your tasks. Clock in and out of the opponent's key project team every day to disrupt their mission plans, maximize our interests, and be a good physical business spy."
Side Quest 1: Sun Wukong Returns to His Heart. Status: Completed. Rewards have been issued.
Side Quest Two: Arrange for the White Dragon. Status: Coming Soon. Reward: 100,000 Merit Points.
"Note: After completing the first stage of the mission, depending on the completion rate, you may randomly obtain Chaos Bell Fragment 3, Chaos Bell Fragment 4, or the qualification for painless advancement to Quasi-Saint."
Lin Zhu raised her eyebrows.
Fragments of the Chaos Bell.
These four words stirred up quite a ripple in his heart. What was the Chaos Bell? It was the treasure of the ancient Heavenly Court, a supreme innate treasure, on par with the Pangu Banner and the Taiji Diagram.
The Chaos Bell shattered into several pieces during the ancient war countless years ago, and the fragments were scattered throughout the Three Realms. Countless powerful figures have searched for it for countless years without finding a trace.
Now the system is directly giving Chaos Bell fragments as rewards, and giving two at a time—Fragment Three and Fragment Four, which means there were Fragment One and Fragment Two before that.
Adding to that the qualification for painless advancement to Quasi-Saint, Lin Zhu had to admit that the rewards for this main quest were substantial and generous.
But the details of this task—
Lin Zhu clicked his tongue inwardly, feeling that this mission was rather undesirable. Physical corporate espionage? Clocking in and out of the rival project team every day? Disrupting the rival's mission plans? This system must have learned this from whoever it was, coming up with such inhumane missions.
This isn't just corporate espionage; it's clearly an upgraded version of an undercover agent stirring up trouble, and in a perfectly legitimate and righteous way.
However, as an exemplary young man, Lin Zhu found it difficult to refuse the system's request.
He was, in a sense, a temporary, surrealist worker whose job was a bit absurd, but he still softened. After all, the allure of the Chaos Bell fragments was too great, and the qualification for a painless advancement to Quasi-Saint was something that could only be encountered by chance.
Although Lin Zhu didn't care about the level of cultivation, it was always easier to advance one level by simply burying himself in hard work than to advance by himself.
Of course, Lin Zhu felt that he was able to get this mission primarily thanks to his helpful nature. If it weren't for his willingness to help others and his initiative to disrupt the Western Paradise project team, he wouldn't have been able to start this main quest.
They really do create jobs when there are none, and create opportunities when there are none.
Lin Zhu, now a proud corporate spy, is not particularly proud at all.
He suddenly got excited.
Tang Sanzang had just stood up from the ground, moving slowly and still in a dazed, half-asleep state. He rubbed his eyes, muttering something under his breath, showing no intention of setting off.
Seeing Tang Sanzang's dawdling manner, Lin Zhu felt a surge of energy, ignited by the mission, with nowhere to vent it. So she raised her foot and kicked Tang Sanzang in the butt.
"Wake up and get up for work!"
Tang Sanzang staggered forward several steps from the kick, almost falling to the ground. He turned around, clutching his backside, his eyes glazed over, looking at Lin Zhu with a pitiful expression.
But after Lin Zhu finished kicking, he suddenly realized that his words were a bit out of line—Tang Sanzang was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, and in terms of his previous life, he lived longer than Buddha, and in terms of seniority, he was on the same level as Guanyin.
The way he spoke just now made it sound like he was ordering his disciples around.
However, Lin Zhu didn't mind. So what if they were from different generations? Tang Sanzang himself couldn't figure it out anyway.
Tang Sanzang stood up groggily, his face full of confusion. His mind was a complete blank; he had no idea who he was, where he was, or what he was supposed to do.
When Lin Zhu knocked him unconscious, his last memory was of Guanyin Bodhisattva knocking him out; he knew nothing after that.
His vision was somewhat blurry as his gaze swept around before finally settling on the figure in white.
Lin Zhu stood before him, dressed in pristine white, tall and elegant, his languid and composed demeanor seemingly bathed in sunlight. The moment Tang Sanzang saw him, he became instantly smug, his spirit ignited.
He recognized him; this was the Immortal Lord, the one who had protected him on Shuangcha Ridge and saved his life at the foot of Wuxing Mountain.
He believed that it must have been the immortal lord who saved him.
He subconsciously felt the faint pain in his groin—the spot where Guanyin Bodhisattva had whipped him with a willow branch was still throbbing—and became even more convinced that it was the Immortal Lord.
Because every time the immortal lord appears, he causes the immortal to suffer a little, but it's all for the immortal's own good.
Tang Sanzang knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times, his voice loud and sincere: "This humble monk was just tricked into fainting by the unruly Bodhisattva. Thank you for saving me, Immortal Lord! If it weren't for you, Immortal Lord, this humble monk's body would probably be buried in the wilderness!"
The three heads kowtowed so hard that the pebbles on the ground embedded themselves in his forehead, but he was completely unaware. Instead, he raised his head and looked at Lin Zhu with a devout expression.
In the sky, behind a cloud, the figure of Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared and disappeared. Upon hearing Tang Sanzang's words, her already dark face instantly turned ashen. She clenched her teeth tightly, her fingers cracking, a thousand curses stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered—"It was clearly this humble monk who saved you! It was this humble monk! What does it have to do with Lin Zhu? That guy was clearly eating chicken wings right next to you, not even glancing at you! You're kowtowing to thank him? What are you thanking him for? For kicking you in the butt and getting you up?"
Guanyin Bodhisattva took several deep breaths to suppress the urge to pin Tang Sanzang back to the ground and beat him up again. She closed her eyes and silently recited the Heart Sutra, trying to calm herself down. On the ground, Lin Zhu looked at Tang Sanzang kneeling and kowtowing to her, her face expressionless. She simply waved her hand casually: "Alright, alright, get up, it's time to get going."
Tang Sanzang stood up in response and stood respectfully beside Lin Zhu, his eyes filled with reverence.
After getting up from the ground, Tang Sanzang dusted off his monk's robe and straightened his Vairocana hat, finally regaining some of the dignity of a holy monk.
He looked around and, not seeing Guanyin Bodhisattva, felt relieved. As he followed Lin Zhu and Sun Wukong forward, his lips began to move incessantly.
"Immortal Lord, you have no idea."
Tang Sanzang walked beside Lin Zhu, bowing slightly, his tone full of grievance and accusation, "That Guanyin Bodhisattva is very wicked."
She had previously knocked this humble monk unconscious, and I thought she had come to rescue me. But what happened? The first thing she did after waking up was to lie to this humble monk, saying that the headband was some kind of treasure that could ensure safety, ward off evil spirits, and increase wisdom after wearing it.
"My mind was still foggy at the time, and I almost believed her nonsense."
Lin Zhu walked slowly with his hands in his sleeves. Hearing this, he merely raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.
Seeing that the immortal lord did not interrupt him, Tang Sanzang became bolder and raised his voice a few decibels: "She said such nice things, such as 'This hoop is a Buddhist treasure, and wearing it can ward off all evil,' and 'The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi should be protected by this thing.'"
This humble monk sensed something was amiss immediately. What kind of world offers treasures for free? Sure enough, the deception was exposed later.
As he said this, he reached up and touched his bald head, swallowing hard with lingering fear: "Immortal Lord, do you think she's poisonous? She tricked this humble monk into wearing this headband, clearly intending to control this humble monk's vitals."
Although this humble monk doesn't know the secrets behind this golden headband, he's not stupid. A pie falling from the sky is often a trap. Who is Guanyin Bodhisattva? She's a Bodhisattva from the Western Paradise, a confidante of the Buddha. What good intention could she possibly have for this humble monk?
In the sky, Guanyin Bodhisattva stood on a cloud, her face as black as a miner who had just emerged from a coal mine. She lowered her head, staring intently through the gaps in the clouds at the incessantly chattering bald man below, her fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She heard every word Tang Sanzang said clearly, and the more she listened, the more her chest tightened.
What does "very wicked-hearted" mean? What does "Buddha's confidant" mean? What does "what good intentions could he possibly have" mean? These words make it sound as if Guanyin is here specifically to swindle and deceive. It's clearly you, Tang Sanzang, who are so useless, bowing down to a white-robed person as if they were your own father. The protective magic treasure that I kindly gave you has become a deceptive trick in your mouth?
Guanyin Bodhisattva bit her lower lip, the fire burning fiercely in her heart, yet she couldn't let it out. She now understood that Tang Sanzang's journey to the West hadn't even officially begun, yet his heart had already strayed to Lin Zhu's side.
For the next 108,000 miles, if this kid encounters any trouble, the first thing he'll think of won't be reciting the Tightening-Headband Mantra, but rather calling for the Immortal Lord to save him.
This realization caused Guanyin Bodhisattva's blood pressure to spike, but she had no choice but to take a deep breath and tell herself that this was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, and that she would just have to endure it.
Tang Sanzang below was completely unaware that he was being watched by the Bodhisattva, and continued to make accusations.
He got more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice grew louder and louder, as if he wanted to pour out all the grievances he had suffered on the way: "Since leaving Chang'an, this poor monk has not encountered a single good thing."
"Those monsters on Twin Fork Ridge wanted to eat this poor monk, and then I encountered all this mess at the foot of Five Elements Mountain. This poor monk has now seen through everything; there isn't a single good person in this Western Paradise, from top to bottom. Of course, you, Immortal Lord, are an exception."
He bowed respectfully to Lin Zhu, his face full of a fawning smile.
Lin Zhu glanced at him, her lips twitching slightly. She thought to herself that this monk was quite good at flattery, but unfortunately, he wasn't very clear-headed and still didn't understand who had tricked her.
Lin Zhu was too lazy to explain. Let Tang Sanzang think what he wants; it's none of his business. He was currently preoccupied with the main quest—the system wanted him to be a skilled corporate spy, clocking in and out of the rival project team every day.
The system didn't explain exactly how the "clocking in and out" system worked, but he could roughly guess. The so-called rival project team referred to the Journey to the West project.
He only needs to show up on the journey to the West from time to time, stir things up, kick someone when he needs to, set a fire when he needs to, and disrupt the progress of the journey to the West, and he will have completed his mission.
He was extremely familiar with this job.
As Lin Zhu was thinking, he suddenly stopped. He felt a heaviness in his ankle, as if something was hooking it.
He looked down and saw that Tang Sanzang had knelt on the ground at some point, his hands tightly wrapped around his legs, his bald head pressed against his trouser leg, and he was crying his eyes out.
"Immortal Lord, please wait! Immortal Lord, please wait!"
Tang Sanzang, tears streaming down his face, his voice filled with the anguish of a mourner, pleaded, "Please, I beg you, escort me on my way! It's just a few steps! When I first set out, my followers were murdered by the Buddha and Arhats—it was a terrible tragedy! The journey has been fraught with hardship and danger, and I've been all alone, without a single person to talk to. I strongly suspect that Guanyin Bodhisattva has been watching me from somewhere, and she's definitely plotting to harm me, waiting for me to be alone to strike! Immortal Lord, please consider it an act of kindness and escort me on my way—just a few steps, really just a few steps!"
He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, tears and snot smearing all over Lin Zhuxue's white trousers. His voice was so loud that even Guanyin Bodhisattva in the heavens could hear him clearly. Guanyin Bodhisattva, on her cloud, nearly tumbled off. What do you mean by "being tricked and killed by Buddhas and Arhats"? It was clearly your own attendant who ran away when the monster appeared! What do you mean by "wanting to harm this humble monk"? If this humble monk truly wanted to harm you, would you still be alive today?
Guanyin Bodhisattva felt her temples throbbing and her lips trembling.
She had never been slandered like this before in all her life, and the person who did it was the one she had chosen to embark on the pilgrimage. She couldn't hit him or scold him; she could only swallow her anger.
She closed her eyes and silently recited the Heart Sutra twice more, telling herself that it was normal for Jin Chanzi to be mentally impaired after his reincarnation, and that she shouldn't take it personally.
Tang Sanzang, completely unaware that the Bodhisattva was so angry he was about to ascend to heaven, was still clinging to Lin Zhu's leg, sobbing and pleading, "Immortal Lord, Father, please don't go, I beg you, just see this humble monk off for a few more steps..."
Lin Zhu looked down at the bald man with snot and tears smeared on his trouser leg, his expression a mix of disgust and helplessness. He was silent for a moment, then raised his right foot and kicked Tang Sanzang in the face.
The kick was clean and swift, sending Tang Sanzang flying backward. He rolled three or four times on the ground before coming to a stop, with half a shoe print on his face. He lay on the ground, stunned for several seconds before regaining his senses.
"climb."
Lin Zhu withdrew her foot and said coldly, "I'm just a passing-by corporate spy; I'm not going to work for you for free." (End of Chapter)