"Hey, where are the fruits?"

The fool hurriedly approached, anxiously picked up the tray, and looked around.

The master still had his eyes closed,

sitting upright, constantly reciting scriptures.

Seeing this, the fool turned his head and looked at Sha Monk next to him.

"Brother Sha, did you eat the fruits?"

Eight Precepts asked with suspicion.

"Hey, Second Brother, I've been sitting here all the time. How could I have eaten any fruits?"

Sha Monk shook his head repeatedly, looking confused.

During the journey, Sha Monk was silent and dull, but always honest.

Seeing this, the fool didn't ask further, but gradually turned his gaze towards me.

"Monkey Brother, hehe, if you want to eat, just say it."

"No need to play tricks on me and our fellow disciples."

"There are two fruits in total, just give one to our fellow disciple, okay?"

The fool said with a flattering smile as he approached me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Go away, you simpleton."

"I, Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, how could I stoop so low as to covet two ginseng fruits?"

"I don't even know how many elixirs from the Grand Supreme Elder and peaches from the Queen Mother I have eaten."

Upon hearing this, the fool was momentarily stunned.

He took a few steps back, his eyes rolling around.

After a while, he approached again.

"Monkey Brother, Master definitely wouldn't eat them, and Sha Monk is honest, so he wouldn't either."

"Neither you nor I did it, so it must be those two disciples who stole them again."

"Originally, Zhenyuanzi asked them to serve Master, and they said they would leave some for Master to eat. Unexpectedly, they secretly kept them for themselves."

"Maybe we also had our share."

The fool pounded his chest and stomped his feet, clearly furious, and I felt uncomfortable as well.

A guest should be treated with hospitality. How could they behave like this?

If they said it was to serve the master, even if the master didn't eat them, the fruits should have rotted in the master's hands.

They shouldn't have stolen them and acted like villains.

Think about me, the great Monkey King, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!

The Heavenly Court immortals treated me with great respect, and the Four Sea Dragon Kings treated me with utmost reverence.

Have I ever endured such humiliation?

"Monkey Brother, since they were impolite first, we won't blame ourselves."

The fool suddenly spoke up, and I couldn't help but look at him curiously.

"Oh, you caused quite a commotion in the Heavenly Palace back then, stealing peaches and elixirs..."

As he spoke, the fool's face revealed a familiar expression.

I smiled and immediately understood.

"Alright, alright, I'll go there myself."

Outside the orchard, Qingfeng and Mingyue looked around.

After confirming that there was no one around, the two entered the garden.

Not far away, I gradually appeared.

These two children couldn't have anticipated that I, Sun Wukong, would be here.

Their behavior earlier was suspicious and guilty.

It is likely that they were the ones who stole the ginseng fruits.

After a while, once I entered the orchard, I would definitely pick a few ginseng fruits from them.

By then, let's see how they explain it to Zhenyuanzi.

With these thoughts in mind, I used my magical powers to pass through the wall.

As soon as I entered, a strange aura greeted me.

Demonic energy!

The aura was so intense that it was terrifying, with hints of celestial energy mixed within.

It didn't seem to be pure demonic energy, but a transformation of celestial energy.

That's why it appeared so extreme.

Crack! Crack!

Just as I was wondering, a crisp sound reached my ears.

Atthat moment, I saw Qingfeng and Mingyue standing in front of a tree, their hands holding a broken ginseng fruit.

The ginseng fruit had been split into two, and a thick, black smoke was emanating from the broken center.

I couldn't help but frown. This was no ordinary ginseng fruit.

Before I could react, the black smoke suddenly surged, forming a grotesque figure in front of Qingfeng and Mingyue.

The figure had a twisted face, sharp fangs, and a pair of bloodshot eyes.

It was a demon!

The demon let out a sinister laugh and lunged at Qingfeng and Mingyue.

Without hesitation, I leaped forward and intercepted the demon.

Using my staff, I struck the demon with a powerful blow, sending it flying through the air.

The demon crashed into a nearby tree, but quickly recovered and charged at me again.

I engaged in a fierce battle with the demon, exchanging blows and dodging its attacks.

Meanwhile, Qingfeng and Mingyue took the opportunity to retreat to a safe distance.

As the battle raged on, I realized that the demon was unusually strong.

Its strength seemed to be fueled by the corrupted energy of the ginseng fruit.

I needed to find a way to defeat it.

Recalling my past encounters with demons, I remembered that they were vulnerable to purification and holy artifacts.

I quickly reached into my magical pouch and retrieved a small vial containing sacred water.

With a swift motion, I splashed the sacred water onto the demon.

The demon let out a bloodcurdling scream as the sacred water burned its flesh.

Its form began to wither and dissolve, and within moments, the demon turned into a cloud of black smoke, dissipating into the air.

With the demon defeated, I turned my attention to Qingfeng and Mingyue.

They were shaken but unharmed.

I approached them with a concerned expression.

"Are you two alright?" I asked.

Qingfeng and Mingyue nodded, their faces pale but relieved.

"Thank you, Monkey Brother," Qingfeng said, his voice trembling slightly. "We didn't expect the ginseng fruit to be corrupted by a demon."

"It's fortunate that you arrived in time," Mingyue added, her voice filled with gratitude.

I smiled and patted them on the shoulders.

"You're both safe now. Let's go back and inform Master Zhenyuanzi about what happened. He will know how to deal with this situation."

Together, we walked back to the temple, leaving behind the shattered ginseng fruit and the remnants of the demon.

Little did we know that this encounter was just the beginning of a much larger challenge that awaited us.