Journey to the West: Man in heaven, working nine to five

Clearly, Tang Sanzang's vigilance was completely unwarranted, a pure knee-jerk reaction.

After all, this place did seem a bit eerie, and Tang Sanzang, who hadn't taken action in a long time, couldn't suppress his inner thoughts.

Faced with his disciples' distrust, Tang Sanzang directly pointed to the Black Pine Forest in front of him and said, "Don't you all think this Black Pine Forest is strange?"

In everyone's eyes, this Black Pine Forest was densely arranged from east to west and formed rows from north to south, making it look very peculiar.

Generally, such a scene often has unique characteristics.

Moreover, upon closer inspection, countless vines covered the trees, as if they were binding them in place.

The abundance of vines made the path forward considerably difficult. Ordinary people would likely expend a great deal of effort to pass through, and even wild beasts would be hesitant to venture in easily.

The trees blocked out the sky and sun, and once one stepped inside, they would likely lose track of day and night, unaware of the passage of time, and unable to see the outside world.

Tang Sanzang had traveled far and wide, seeing so many places, but he had never encountered a scene like this before, making it seem extremely peculiar.

Hearing this, Sun Wukong also looked towards the Black Pine Forest.

His Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze swept across the jungle, unable to see everything completely, but he could see countless scenes: cold pines, peach trees, wild peonies, hibiscus, and so on, so many things appearing.

Not only that, but various birds also lived within it.

The faint chirping of birds could be heard, parrots squawking, cuckoos calling, and one could even vaguely see magpies soaring through the jungle, creating such harmony.

This Black Pine Forest seemed to be a celestial land for these wild beasts, attracting so many animals to reside within it.

Now, Sun Wukong also noticed some clues. He frowned, but he didn't sense any demonic energy.

Could it be that this place shielded his senses?

Thinking of this, he walked towards Chu Hao and asked, "Brother Chu Hao, what do you think?"

Chu Hao smiled faintly and said, "This place is indeed peculiar, with such beautiful scenery. It seems that Heaven knows everyone is tired from their journey and has specially allowed us to relax."

These words seemed to imply that there was no danger here.

But Sun Wukong keenly sensed something was amiss.

Because Chu Hao said Heaven knew, didn't that mean this place was deliberately set up by someone?

Thinking of this, Sun Wukong naturally thought of the Western Paradise.

Therefore, he held his Golden Cudgel and said, "Master, regardless of whether there are demons or not, Old Sun will go first, you all follow behind."

With that, he took the lead in stepping into the Black Pine Forest, clearing the way for everyone.

The others followed closely behind, walking into it.

They walked for a long time, but they still hadn't left the forest.

"Wukong, have we gotten lost?" Tang Sanzang asked, riding on his white horse.

Sun Wukong shook his head, "Master, it may just be that this forest is too big."

Hearing this, Tang Sanzang dismounted, looked around at the elegant scenery, and said, "Since that's the case, everyone is tired, let's rest for a while."

He was also hungry, so he simply stopped to admire the scenery and rest for a while.

Sun Wukong nodded, guessing that this place might have been deliberately arranged by the Western Paradise, so he said, "Master, you all rest for a while, Old Sun will look around to see if I can find something to eat."

"Very well," Tang Sanzang nodded, found a stone, and sat down.

Zhu Bajie tied the white horse to a tree. He was also unbearably hungry, so he said, "Brother Monkey, hurry back, Old Pig is starving to death."

Sun Wukong glared at him.

Sha Seng placed the luggage aside, took out a begging bowl for alms, and handed it to Sun Wukong, "Eldest Brother, be careful."

On the other side, after Sun Wukong left, he stood on his somersault cloud, planning to go far away to beg for alms.

Otherwise, simply eating the fruits of the mountain forest wouldn't be enough to satisfy his hunger.

In mid-air, he suddenly noticed that there were auspicious clouds floating above Master and the others, with streams of auspicious energy rippling out.

After all, Tang Sanzang was once the Golden Cicada Elder and a good person who had cultivated for ten lifetimes, so auspicious energy appeared.

Seeing this scene, Sun Wukong, as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, couldn't help but sigh, those with great fortune were indeed different.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of Chu Hao.

"Why doesn't Brother Chu Hao have such an unusual phenomenon?" Sun Wukong wondered.

Despite his doubts, he continued to fly into the distance.

At the same time, in the Black Pine Forest, Tang Sanzang was sitting and chanting scriptures, clarifying his mind and seeing his true nature.

Just then, he suddenly heard a faint sobbing sound in his ear, as if someone was calling for help.

He suddenly opened his eyes and saw that Chu Hao was still closing his eyes and resting under the tree over there. He immediately got up and walked in front of him, asking, "Immortal, did you hear someone calling for help?"

Chu Hao didn't open his eyes, but said indifferently, "You're hallucinating."

But Tang Sanzang frowned tightly, "It's definitely not a hallucination. There must be a demon. This monk will go take a look."

With that, he left.

After he left, Chu Hao opened his eyes.

He first looked at the sky, then got up and followed.

At the same time, Zhu Bajie, who was looking for wild fruit, naturally heard the sound as well.

The moment he heard the sound, he stopped in his tracks.

"Could it be that a female benefactor has strayed into this forest? Old Pig will go take a look," Zhu Bajie said, and then quickly followed the sound.

After a while, he passed through a row of cypress trees and saw a woman tied to a huge pine tree.

The woman's upper body was bound by vines, and her lower body seemed to be buried in the soil.

Zhu Bajie approached, saw this scene, and asked, "Female benefactor, what's wrong?"

The female benefactor was none other than the Earth Surge Madam that Guanyin had been searching for.

Seeing Zhu Bajie appear, Earth Surge Madam immediately burst into tears, her pearly tears and rosy cheeks possessing a beauty that could sink ships and bring down geese, her fair skin and still face possessing a beauty that could eclipse the moon and shame the flowers.

Hearing Zhu Bajie's words, Earth Surge Madam suddenly showed a look of horror, "Did you, this monster, capture me?"

Seeing this, Zhu Bajie scratched his head and said, "You, female benefactor, don't wrong me. I only came to see because I heard you calling for help."

Originally, Zhu Bajie thought that it was impossible for anyone to appear in the deep mountains and old forests, so he wanted to see if it was a demon's trick.

Now, hearing Earth Surge Madam's words and seeing her beautiful face, he couldn't help but guess if she had been abducted here by a demon.

"I don't believe you. I originally lived in the Poor Woman's Kingdom, more than two hundred miles away. I was traveling with my parents in the wilderness when suddenly a gust of wind blew me away and I ended up here. It must be the work of you, this monster," Earth Surge Madam said feignedly.