"Young friend, how far is Gao Lao Village from here? I need to prepare myself mentally. Over the years, I have waited day and night but have not seen the Scripture Seeker. I thought maybe it's because I ate nine Scripture Seekers that this time the Scripture Seeker dared not come." Monk Sha asked softly, deeply concerned about the whereabout of the Scripture Seeker, hoping to end these days of waiting soon.
"Gao Lao Village is not too far from here. If all goes well, it should take about a month to reach, but the road is fraught with dangers, which could cause delays," Lin Fang said truthfully.
"That's fine, that's fine. I have waited for so many years; I can still wait a bit longer." Monk Sha said with a smile on his face.
The atmosphere gradually softened with their conversation. Maybe having hope in his heart, Monk Sha became very talkative at that moment, grabbing hold of Lin Fang, eager to ask for more details.
Lin Fang patiently explained everything he knew, mentioning that he and Little Fox planned to continue their Journey to the West and asking Monk Sha how to cross the Liusha River.
Upon hearing this, Monk Sha laughed: "The Liusha River is a branch of the weak water, hence goose feathers cannot float and reeds surely sink. If you use ordinary Dharma Techniques, you naturally cannot cross, but I have eaten nine Scripture Seekers, and their skulls can float on the water. Since knowing I must accompany a Scripture Seeker to the West, I have been refining these nine skulls, which can now transform as I wish. I just never had the chance to test them. You can use this magic artifact to cross the river, and I can also be prepared in case there are any shortcomings that might harm my master."
Lin Fang quickly nodded. With Monk Sha there, what could go wrong with this magic artifact?
After discussing, Monk Sha threw the necklace of nine skulls he wore into the water, where the skulls gradually grew large enough to hold a person standing on them.
Monk Sha leapt up and stood on a skull, shouting with a laugh: "Why not come aboard? I'll ferry you across the river now!"
Little Fox looked at the rolling river water and felt a bit weak in the knees, but Lin Fang just smiled, grabbed Little Fox by the collar, and with a leap, landed steadily on the skull.
At that moment, Little Fox, terrified, covered his eyes, but Lin Fang's voice reached his ears: "It's okay. You are standing on it now. You can open your eyes."
Upon hearing this, Little Fox slowly opened his fingers, came face-to-face with the turbulent Liusha River, felt the deadly menace within, and quickly covered his eyes again.
Seeing this, Lin Fang couldn't help but laugh heartily, as teasing Little Fox was one of his few joys in this world.
Standing on the skull, Little Fox felt very unstable under his feet and was terrified he might accidentally fall into the perilous river. However, whenever he felt unsteady, Lin Fang always managed to stabilize him just right, gradually calming his fearful heart.
After an unknown period of time, Lin Fang's teasing voice reached Little Fox's ears: "Aren't you coming down? Or do you want to stay in the Liusha River permanently?"
Opening his eyes, Little Fox discovered that he had already reached the other side, with Lin Fang standing nearby, teasingly smiling.
"Ha-ha, such a cute Little Fox. Young friend, perhaps you should stop teasing him." Monk Sha laughed heartily, something he had not done for a very long time.
"Now that I have brought you here, I should return to the river, otherwise, if I stray too far from the river, swords from the heavens would again pierce my chest." Monk Sha said, looking up at the blue sky.
"If that's the case, let us part here, and perhaps we might meet again on the Journey to the West."
"Wait, I have some items that I no longer use. Since we are fated, I will give them to you!" Monk Sha suddenly said.
He then took out a somewhat battered cloth bag, patched all over, and solemnly handed it to Lin Fang.
"What's this?" Lin Fang asked, well aware that Monk Sha was a pauper with nothing valuable to give him.
"These are the fragments of the Colored Glaze Lamp I have salvaged over the years. I originally thought that if I could restore it, perhaps I could atone for my sins and eventually have a chance to return to the Heavenly Court. However, since I am preparing for the Journey to the West, this artifact is of no use to me anymore. It might as well be given to you; after all, it is from the heavens and can be used as material for artifact refining," Monk Sha said rather ruefully.
His feelings towards the Colored Glaze Lamp were quite complex. It was such a lamp that transformed him from the revered Curtain-Lifting General in heaven to the current Liusha River Water Monster. Without the mercy of the Bodhisattva, he feared he would have drifted through life in a dazed state.
By giving it to Lin Fang, he was in fact reconciling with his past self. From then on, he would only be Sha Wujing, and matters concerning the Curtain-Lifting General would vanish with the wind.
Lin Fang, understanding the full story, solemnly accepted the cloth bag and nodded, saying, "I will make good use of it."
Monk Sha responded with a carefree smile, "Now that I have given it to you, it is yours to do with as you please, even if you decide to throw it in the trash, I would have no objections."
With these words, Lin Fang realized that Monk Sha had indeed let go of his obsessions.
However, he would not throw the artifact into the garbage. As Monk Sha had mentioned before, it was ultimately an item from the heavens, certainly not ordinary. Even as fragments, it could be used as material for treasure refining.
Thus, Lin Fang and Little Fox watched Monk Sha's figure gradually disappear into the Liusha River.
"The Heavenly Court is so terrible, why does he still desperately want to return there?" Little Fox could not understand Monk Sha's choice, having learned about his origin during their earlier conversation.
Even though that place had abandoned him, and merely because of a momentary mistake, had imposed such a fearsome punishment, why did Monk Sha still long to return to the Heavenly Court, even plunging into a state of madness? Wasn't being a free monster desirable? Little Fox couldn't comprehend it.
Lin Fang gently rubbed his head and softly said, "There is a phenomenon in this world where, if you remain in a relatively closed environment for too long, you begin to reject new things from the outside world, fear the outside world, and despite living uncomfortably, you gradually grow accustomed to it and even become dependent on it. This is called institutionalization."
Little Fox did not understand what institutionalization meant, but felt that Lin Fang seemed very knowledgeable at that moment. Indeed, what he admired most were the scholars of the Human Clan, and many in the Fox Clan enjoyed dealings with educated scholars.
Seeing the puzzled look on Little Fox's face, Lin Fang could not help but laugh silently. He didn't know why he was explaining these things to Little Fox; perhaps the influences of his past life were still profound, occasionally reminding him of these concepts.
"Come on, let's continue heading west. There's still a long way to go," he said.
Lin Fang, with Little Fox in tow, continued along the road to the west. He took one last look at the turbulent Liusha River, sighing softly in his heart.
He was unsure how to judge the Monk Sha of this world. He seemed to possess his own persistence and kindness, yet also harbored cruelty and brutality that were hard for ordinary people to imagine, embodying contradictions in one.
At times, one felt an urge to kill him, yet at other times, he seemed merely pitiable.
Looking up at the clear blue sky, Lin Fang seemed to see the majestic Heavenly Court hidden above the Nine Heavens. He didn't know what kind of place could change a person so completely, but as someone from Earth, he felt a slight aversion to that lofty Heavenly Court.
Once past the Liusha River, the road became more even, and there were fewer monsters around. Little Fox's heart, previously clenched with fright, gradually relaxed.
He started chattering beside Lin Fang, sharing some rumors he had once heard. Much of it was false, but a few pieces caught Lin Fang's attention.
"I've heard that further west there's a place called Wuzhuang Temple. There's a Great Immortal Zhen Yuan there who is very powerful. Many monsters dare not come near. They say that if you accidentally enter, you might not be able to leave," Little Fox said softly.