However, Lin Fang thought about it and realized that it was true. With Great Immortal Zhen Yuan's mana, he indeed wouldn't care about these things.
The jade pendant in his hand transformed into a thin blade, which Lin Fang inserted through the crack of the door and slowly slid the bolt open, then gently pushed, and the door opened.
The success of the operation made Lin Fang somewhat incredulous. No wonder the Monkey was able to knock down the fruit tree and escape multiple times; the guard really was somewhat lax.
Lin Fang figured he might very well be the first monster to sneak into Wuzhuang Temple in hundreds of years, and at that thought, he felt a small surge of pride.
But he quickly suppressed these emotions, knowing all too well that the only reason he managed this was by taking advantage of "Journey to the West."
If not for Great Immortal Zhen Yuan deliberately sending his disciples away, Lin Fang would not have been able to infiltrate so easily with his own strength.
Containing his excitement, Lin Fang gently closed the door and began to search for traces of the Ginseng Spirit.
Wuzhuang Temple was neither too big nor too small, but to Lin Fang, its layout was already committed to memory, so he quickly searched the side halls,
The main hall was where Zhen Yuanzi practiced cultivation, enshrining the words Heaven and Earth; naturally, it couldn't be the place where monsters were detained. Only these side halls, which were where Zhen Yuanzi's disciples usually spent their time, could possibly be where monsters were held.
However, Lin Fang searched the palace to no avail; the entire side hall was empty, as if licked clean by a dog.
Nevertheless, Lin Fang keenly sensed something—that a faint trace of Demon Qi lingered in this side hall.
In an Immortal's Cave Abode that harbored Demon Qi, the truth of it would hardly be believed if told.
But this remnant Demon Qi was so faint, it would have gone unnoticed if one did not pay close attention. Lin Fang followed the trace of Demon Qi, and before long, he arrived in the backyard, where the trail ended.
Looking up, he saw a small, square courtyard, with its doors tightly shut, and inside grew a towering tree with lush foliage, its branches reaching over the wall, full of life—a rare Heaven and Earth Spirit Root.
Lin Fang knew that this must be the location of the Ginseng Fruit Tree. Now that he couldn't find any trace of the small Ginseng Spirit, he might as well take a look at this rare treasure of Heaven and Earth, making his perilous infiltration into Wuzhuang Temple worth the effort.
Only, the door was secured with an iron lock with a bright light swirling around it, clearly a Magic Artifact. If he tried to force it open, it would inevitably alert Qingfeng and Mingyue, making escape difficult.
Furrowing his brow, Lin Fang thought long and hard before coming up with a cunning plan.
He took out a paper cat and lightly blew on it. The paper cat rolled on the ground twice, then transformed into a white-haired, old cat. Lin Fang gently stroked its head and said, "Whether we can behold this rare treasure of Heaven and Earth now depends on you."
After speaking, he gave a light push, and the cat, as if granted life, darted into the yard and quickly located where the key was hidden.
It turned out that the two Daoist boys, fearing negligence, had one of them guarding near the key, and beside it hung a golden object, two feet in length and as thick as a finger, which must be the legendary Golden Hammer.
Lin Fang exhaled softly, and the white cat let out a soft meow in the courtyard, startling the sleeping Qingfeng awake. He quickly checked both the key and the Golden Hammer, and only when he saw that both were still there did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Where did that cat's cry come from? Never heard of a cat in Wanshou Mountain," Qingfeng muttered to himself.
Still a child at heart, his curiosity was piqued by the cry of the cat, and he wanted to investigate.
"Just going out for a quick look shouldn't cause any problems," Qingfeng reassured himself.
After opening the door, he indeed saw a white cat flashing by. He quickly tried to catch it, but the cat was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, it had vanished.
Returning to his room and finding both the key and the Golden Hammer in place, his mind was put at ease, and he went back to sleep, his thoughts occupied with the idea of searching the mountain the next day to possibly capture the white cat.
Unbeknownst to others, within a short span of time, Lin Fang had sneakily entered the room and quietly taken the keys. He did not dare to touch the Golden Hammer, for the Ginseng Fruit was incredibly precious. Zhen Yuanzi treated it as his darling; if even one were missing, he would inevitably become suspicious. All these immortals were adept in divination and might calculate it back to him, so it was better to endure it.
Thus he quietly took the keys, then transformed his Jade Pendant to resemble the keys' shape and hung it on the wall before he left the room.
When Qingfeng returned to his slumber, Lin Fang came before the backyard gate again and slowly opened it, and a vibrant fruit tree came into view.
The tree was lushly grown, with leaves shaped like plantain, shielding the sky and covering the sun. Its branches were adorned with Ginseng Fruits that indeed looked like three-year-old infants, complete with facial features and arms seemingly embracing, the fabled Heaven and Earth Spirit Root, the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
Lin Fang was startled at first sight, no wonder the Tang Monk dared not eat it; it looked too much like a child.
Approaching and inhaling, a fragrance assailed his nostrils, the unique scent of the fruit. Only then did Lin Fang set aside the dread in his heart, indeed, it was a fruit and not a child.
And with just one slight inhalation, he felt a surge of pure mana coursing through his body, even making him feel more vibrant.
Feeling the change in his body, Lin Fang looked longingly at the Ginseng Fruit Tree before him, a rare treasure of Heaven and Earth. Merely smelling it had such an effect; if he were to consume it, his mana would probably increase significantly.
Unfortunately, the owner of these fruits was not someone he could afford to provoke; otherwise, he would have surely enjoyed a good taste today.
Having observed the fruit tree, Lin Fang remembered the purpose of his visit and began to look around the backyard, to see if he could find any clues.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed a streak of bright red underneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree, like a lantern in the darkness.
Upon approaching and picking it up gently, Lin Fang detected a whiff of blood.
Surveying around the tree, he found several patches of soil stained with blood. Lin Fang suddenly felt a surge of fear and looked up, only to see Ginseng Fruits swaying in the wind on the branches, but at this moment, his heart was full of terror.
The fruits, resembling infants, seemed to open their eyes, greedily gazing upon Lin Fang's body, sending a shiver down one's spine.
Lin Fang rubbed his eyes, finding everything was normal, as if all he had experienced was merely an illusion.
With a restless heart, Lin Fang continued to search at the base of the Ginseng Fruit Tree and saw a small wooden carving where the roots entwined with the soil. It depicted a cute child and was surrounded by a very refreshing aura. Lin Fang found the aura familiar; it was that of the Old Demon.
It was then that Lin Fang seemed to understand something. He hastily pocketed the wooden carving and left the backyard posthaste, viewing the lush and treasured tree as if it were a ferocious beast, fleeing from it as fast as he could.
Having swiftly closed the backyard door, Lin Fang took one last look at the Ginseng Fruit Tree, which now appeared to him as a devil with a gaping maw ready to devour someone.
Returning to the room where the Daoist boy was resting, the night watch had been shifted to Mingyue. Following the same method, Lin Fang successfully returned the keys.
Afterward, he hurriedly left Wuzhuang Temple and only when he reached the foot of Wanshou Mountain did he finally take a deep breath of relief and looked up at Wuzhuang Temple.
Under the cover of darkness, the Immortal's Cave Abode seemed like a giant beast lying in wait among the mountains, absolutely terrifying.
Lin Fang understood now. Gently caressing the small figurine, his eyes seemed to flash with dreadful images of innocent monsters being captured and brought into Wuzhuang Temple, their lives and blood becoming the nourishment for the Ginseng Fruit Tree, sustaining this so-called Heaven and Earth rare treasure.
This was why, every once in a while, the Taoists from Wuzhuang Temple went out to slay monsters and exorcise demons; it turned out all of it was just using the lives of these monsters.
"Such a Ginseng Fruit Tree, such a Great Immortal Zhen Yuan," Lin Fang said through clenched teeth as he gazed at Wuzhuang Temple.
He didn't want to stay in this place for another moment.