He really wanted to ask Mu Zha whether the other person was male or female...

    But asking that directly would have been too obvious, and surprisingly, he felt a bit sheepish.

    After some thought, he tentatively asked, "Heh heh... So... what''s her last and first name?"

    He figured that knowing the name would reveal the gender; you might call it a roundabout rescue.

    Mu Zha, clearly not seeing through the fact that this bald thief was a real smooth operator, naively answered, "His Buddhist name is Wujing! Wujing as in ''comprehending'' and ''pure.''

    Tang Sanzang''s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he muttered to himself, "Pure... hehe... hahaha... hehe, pure is good, pure is good! No more talking, let''s go!"

    With that, Tang Sanzang grabbed Mu Zha by the shoulders and dragged him away!

    Seeing this, Mu Zha seemed to understand something, but while he wanted to explain, he feared that a poor explanation might land him squished under the other''s armpit.

    However, he was well aware that if they were to actually meet the real Wujing, he was probably still going to be squashed, so he had to think of a way to escape.

    His eyes darted around as he plotted in his head, his finger pointing towards the road ahead.

    Luckily, the journey was not a short one, and since they were all walking slowly on foot, there was plenty of time to think.

    Meanwhile, at Mount Meru.

    The Buddha furrowed his brow slightly and said, "That fake Tang Sanzang has such mana and divine skills?"

    "Buddha, everything I''ve said is true. That monk... that baldy... that fake Tang Sanzang is terrifyingly powerful. With a single slap, he created a wind that could destroy heaven and earth. Even the Samadhi Divine Wind of the Yellow Wind Demon, amplified by the formation, was no match and was obliterated with just one slap. I managed to escape quickly, otherwise, it would''ve been hard to return in one piece," Lingji Bodhisattva said.

    Lingji Bodhisattva nodded.

    Hearing this, all the Buddhas began to discuss animatedly.

    "There''s actually such a... baldy... master impersonating Tang Sanzang in the world? What should we do about this?"

    "At this point, it seems only the Great Bodhisattvas have any chance of winning."

    "If the Buddha himself takes action, success is certain."

    "The Buddha guards Mount Meru; how can he leave on a whim?"

    ...

    Manjusri Bodhisattva stopped speaking there.

    Samantabhadra Bodhisattva also laughed: "Those guys were never the settling down type. Now, it''s hard to say who''s whose 81 tribulations..."

    Meanwhile, at the Gao Family Village,

    Tang Sanzang had just entered the Gao Family Village, and before he could say anything, someone inside shouted, "The Monk is back!"

    Tang Sanzang was taken aback. Then, the ground shook violently, and with a thunderous noise, the gates of the Gao Family Village flew open, and an incredibly wild woman charged out. Upon seeing Tang Sanzang, she burst into laughter and exclaimed, "I knew you couldn''t bear to leave me! Come here!"

    Gao Cuilan flung herself at him, while servants quickly surrounded and intercepted.

    Tang Sanzang hadn''t even realized what was happening before he was hoisted up by a group of servants and carried into the Gao residence.

    Outside, the eighteen arhats were flabbergasted, exchanging looks and saying, "This isn''t how the original script went..."

    Soon after, they heard Tang Sanzang''s cries from inside: "Bodhisattva lady, no, no, don''t do that, don''t take off my clothes! Help!"

    The eighteen arhats hurriedly rushed in to rescue him...

    It was only later when they asked for details that they understood what had happened. Still, some were confused.

    "Are you saying that the Tang Sanzang who came before and this Tang Sanzang are exactly alike?"

    Gao Cuilan and the members of the Gao Family all nodded in unison: "The same, exactly the same!

    The only difference is that the previous Tang Sanzang seemed clueless and foolish, while this Tang Sanzang appears more like a venerable monk who has attained the Way."

    The crowd fell into deep thought.

    Someone whispered with a cold sneer, "It seems that fellow really came prepared and deliberately impersonated him."

    "So much time has passed; why haven''t Mu Zha and the others returned? Surely nothing untoward has happened?"

    "It shouldn''t be... King Yellow Wind is very powerful, and Lingji Bodhisattva is secretly safeguarding behind the scenes. Together with Huian Xingzhe, Wufang Jie Di, and Liu Ding Liu Jia, they are stable as Mount Tai."

    Easy to say, but the problem was right in front of them.

    If they were as stable as Mount Tai, then where were they?

    Months had passed, yet there was no news!

    Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang, looking utterly distraught, said, "No monkey, no horse, now the pig is gone too... And they''ve set me up with a so-called wife; this is just too much to bear..."