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Du Cheng lay helplessly on the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief and terror as he stared up at the eccentric Taoist priest looming over him.
The priest, who introduced himself as Taoist Grape, was a peculiar sight. His robe was smeared with greasy stains, crumbs of pork knuckle littered his beard, and his cheerful face was obscured by an unsettling shine of oil. “Hungry, lad? Just say it!” Grape teased, waving the large pork knuckle in Du Cheng's face.
Du Cheng forced a miserable smile. "Reverend, forgive me, please! You speak just like that monk from Journey to the West. I swear I’ll never steal from you again!”
“Thieves caught by me usually end up meditating in the Western Paradise—permanently,” Grape chuckled ominously, leaning closer and gnawing vigorously on his food.
Desperation overtook Du Cheng as he unleashed his most practiced tears, sobbing, "Reverend, please spare me! I have a child waiting for me at home!”
Grape rolled his eyes dramatically. “A child? Nonsense! You're clearly still a virgin!"
Du Cheng’s jaw dropped. "How could you possibly know that?"
"Because I’m Taoist Grape!" The priest straightened up proudly, performing a theatrical gesture as though calculating an invisible formula. Suddenly his expression darkened, and he whispered gravely, "Extraordinary! You’ve been a villain for ninety-nine lifetimes! Theft, betrayal, murder—you've done it all! How are you still human?”
Stunned, Du Cheng whispered, “And the hundredth lifetime?”
"Even worse," the priest scowled dramatically. "You sabotaged the Great Wall and pinned the blame on poor Meng Jiangnu!"
Du Cheng sighed, resigning himself to fate, "Fine, just send me to Paradise then."
Grape's eyes lit up mischievously, “Actually, a villain like you is exactly who I've been looking for! You shall inherit my unique martial art. Congratulations! You're now my apprentice!"
"Absolutely not!" Du Cheng cried out, attempting to flee. But as he ran toward the temple gate, he collided violently with an invisible barrier, landing back at Grape’s feet, bound tightly by a mysterious cloth.
“You see, my disciples don’t exactly have a choice,” Grape said cheerfully. Moments later, intricate lotus patterns appeared magically on Du Cheng's backside.
“These lotus tattoos mark your progress in the Lotus Scripture," Grape explained with pride. "The more good deeds you perform, the faster they bloom. Once fully opened, you'll achieve immortality and join the ranks of gods and Buddhas!"
"It sounds too easy," Du Cheng muttered suspiciously.
Grape laughed heartily, "Oh, the first lotus will be easy enough. But the further you progress, the greater the deeds required—eventually, you’ll have to save the entire world!"
Du Cheng paled, panic rising, "How long could that possibly take?"
"Relax! You’ve got eternity. But there's just one catch," Grape said with a sinister grin. "This scripture demands celibacy until completion. Break this rule, and the scripture itself will handle your purification... permanently."
"Forget it! I quit!" Du Cheng shouted frantically.
“Too late!” Grape laughed, vanishing into thin air.
Left alone, Du Cheng slumped in despair, only to find a strange monk suddenly appearing beside him. “Which way did that lunatic priest go?”
Du Cheng eyed him warily, "Who are you?"
"Sun Wukong—your senior brother," the monk answered nonchalantly.
Du Cheng's eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground.
And thus, Du Cheng began his bizarre journey—living as a thief by night and a saint by day. The first chapter of his extraordinary adventure had just begun.
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