In the end, the Great Sage broke the rules.

Pigsy huffed and puffed as he climbed the mountain and crossed one mountain ridge after another. It was a really long journey!

He felt like he had been walking for a very long time, but all he saw was a desolate landscape, with no villages in sight and no shops behind him.

At this moment, his mouth was extremely dry, and his throat felt like it was on fire.

Pigsy raised his hand and vigorously wiped the sweat pouring down his forehead like rain. He looked up at the scorching sun high in the sky and couldn't help but mutter curses at the awful weather.

After he finished cursing, he spotted a shady spot nearby and, as if it were a lifeline, he took off running towards it.

Once in the shade, Pigsy let out a long sigh of relief, then opened his mouth wide and yawned, before sprawling out on the ground, sprawled out on his back.

Before long, snoring started, and the guy actually fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Chen Yi and Sha Wujing waited and waited, but Zhu Bajie never returned.

Sha Wujing frowned and said to Chen Yi with a worried look, "Master, Second Senior Brother has been gone for too long. He hasn't returned yet. I'm a little worried. Should I go and check on him?"

At this moment, Chen Yi was feeling dizzy and didn't hear what Sha Wujing said at all. He only vaguely heard that Sha Wujing seemed to be talking to him, so he nodded in response in a daze.

Upon seeing this, Sha Wujing, having received his master's permission, immediately stood up and, as if on the wind, hurried after Zhu Bajie in the direction he had gone.

……

Chen Yi yawned, stretched, and slowly woke up from his sleep, his eyes still a little blurry and his mind not yet fully awake.

However, when he looked around, he was so shocked that he almost jumped up, because there was no one around, and he was all alone there.

Chen Yi's eyes widened, his face filled with shock: "What...what's going on?! Where is Sha Wujing?!"

He called out anxiously, "Wujing, where are you?"

Chen Yi composed himself and began to carefully observe his surroundings.

As far as the eye could see, there were stones of all sizes and shapes, seemingly without end.

Looking at this desolate and unfamiliar scene, Chen Yi couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and then, like a deflated balloon, he plopped down on the ground.

I recall that in the story, Tang Sanzang would wander around aimlessly, only to fall into a trap and unfortunately be captured by a demon.

Chen thought that as long as he stayed put, he might be able to avoid repeating the same mistake.

So he simply lay down on the ground, closed his eyes, and silently prayed that nothing unexpected would happen.

Sun Wukong, who had been secretly following behind the three masters and disciples, saw all of this.

Seeing the little monk's adorable and innocent appearance, Sun Wukong couldn't help but smile slightly, revealing a helpless expression.

He held the bright red apple in his hand and gently tossed it towards Chen Yi's head.

With a muffled thud, Chen, who was resting with his eyes closed, felt a sharp pain in his head, instantly losing all sleepiness and sitting up abruptly.

He looked around warily and shouted, "Who is it? Who attacked me?!"

But after waiting for a long time, no one showed up.

Chen Yi was stunned, secretly puzzled.

Just as he was wondering what was going on, he suddenly felt as if something had been added to his arms.

Looking down, he saw a large, tempting apple lying quietly in his arms.

Chen Yi involuntarily swallowed, his eyes fixed on the apple. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly stood up and looked around again, but still couldn't find anyone.

"Whatever, if it's poisonous, it's poisonous!"

I'd rather die a starving ghost!

Chen Yi, undeterred by death, took a bite of the apple!

"It's fucking delicious!" Chen Yi couldn't help but exclaim loudly.

He wolfed down the apples, thoroughly enjoying this rare culinary feast.

He quickly ate the entire apple, leaving only the core in his palm.

After finishing his meal, Chen Yi wiped his mouth with his sleeve with satisfaction, then looked up at the azure sky.

Filled with gratitude, he clasped his hands together, bowed deeply to the sky with solemnity, and said piously, "Thank you for your kindness, Great Immortal. This humble monk pays his respects."

Despite the silence all around and the lack of any response, Chen Yi was still in an exceptionally cheerful mood.

The unexpected apple relieved his rumbling stomach.

Just then, a shout suddenly came from afar: "Master—Master—"

The voice came from afar, and sounded somewhat weary.

Upon hearing the shouts, Chen Yi instinctively turned his head and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

Pigsy and Sandy were seen hurrying towards them with long strides.

As Pigsy ran, he was panting heavily, and his once loud voice had become weak and feeble: "Master, we're back. Luckily, you didn't encounter any monsters."

Sha Wujing, who was following closely behind, also looked helpless and shook his head, saying to Chen Yi, "Master, we've searched the whole area, but we still haven't been able to get any alms."

After listening to their words, Chen Yi did not show any dissatisfaction or blame on his face. Instead, he smiled slightly and comforted them, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. This is a desolate wilderness, and it is indeed not easy to beg for alms. I know what I'm doing."

However, at that moment, Pigsy suddenly brought his nose close to Chen Yi's side, sniffed hard, and then frowned and said, "Oh dear, Master, why do you smell so sweet? It even smells a bit like apples."

After he finished speaking, his small eyes darted around and stared straight at Chen Yi.

"Master, did you secretly eat an apple behind our backs?"

Chen Yi paused slightly when asked the question, but quickly regained his composure.

He opened his eyes wide with a straight face and began to lie: "No way, I just put on some rouge, and it's apple-scented rouge at that."

After hearing Chen Yi's words, Sha Wujing was speechless.

Pigsy: ...Master's ability to lie through his teeth is truly terrifying!