I Collect Skill Fragments in the Demon World-Chapter 721 - 374: Five Villages Temple

Zhang Chen looked at the little fatty dangling on the branch, swaying with the mountain wind, seemingly about to fall at any moment, his mind whirling with thoughts.

Xu Erniu, who had been with Zhang Chen for several months, naturally understood him. Seeing Zhang Chen's expression, she knew his compassion was stirred, so she said:

"Zhang Chen, it's impossible to save him! The cliff is steep, and a slight mistake could lead to a fatal fall. How can the two of us save him? Let's wait until we climb the mountain and ask the Daoist in the temple to help."

The little fatty wailed dryly upon hearing this: "There's at least half a day's journey to the top from here, how can I possibly wait that long? By then, I might be a pulp already. Dear brother and sister, if you can save my life, I will repay you later. Please give me a hand..."

The little fatty was crying his eyes out, snot and tears running down his face, covering it completely.

Zhang Chen glanced at Xu Erniu, then measured the ten-meter high cliff in his mind, thinking about the test of the Immortals' apprentices. Whether this situation was true or not, he couldn't let the chance slip. What if it was really a test?

But this ten-meter distance, he couldn't use any Divine Techniques to rescue. What should he do?

With a moment of contemplation, Zhang Chen already had a plan. He took off his belt, then took Xu Erniu's belt as well. After measuring, it was slightly short, so he also took off his trousers, twisted them into a rope, then stretched it out. The little fatty weighed no more than fifty pounds. Both Zhang Chen's and Xu Erniu's belts were made of high-quality silk, so they weren't afraid of snapping.

So Zhang Chen lowered the rope and shouted to the little fatty: "Kid, you hold on. If you fall, we won't be responsible."

Upon hearing this, the little fatty quickly grabbed the rope, cleverly tying it to his belt and clutching it tightly with both hands.

Zhang Chen couldn't pull him up alone, as he was just a child himself. He tied the belt to a rock, wedged it into a crack on the mountainside, and called Xu Erniu to press down together. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Little fatty, we dare not pull you, in case the mountain wind blows, we could be dragged down as well. You hold on to the rope and climb up yourself." Zhang Chen shouted down the cliff.

The little fatty was clearly not an ordinary person, seemingly having some Martial Dao skills. Within a few climbs, like a nimble monkey, he ascended the rope and said to Zhang Chen: "Brother, thank you for saving my life. I will repay your kindness in the future."

Zhang Chen looked at the boy, taller than himself, but was speechless: calling him big brother at the cliff, and little brother once up the cliff, truly epitomizing opportunism.

"I am Zou Wenlong. May I know little brother's name?" Zou Wenlong asked while observing Zhang Chen and Xu Erniu's attire.

"My name is Zhang Chen, and this is my little sister, Xu Fu." Zhang Chen replied.

"So, it's brother Zhang and little sister Xu Fu. Since you saved me, why don't you follow me? I'll protect you in the Daoist temple." Zou Wenlong promised confidently.

Zhang Chen looked at Zou Wenlong's tattered clothes and bruised hands and feet, ignored him, then led Xu Erniu to continue climbing the mountain.

Zou Wenlong followed them, his feet bloody, but remained unfazed, chattering on: "It's still half a day's journey to the Five Villages Temple. Do you have any provisions left?"

Xu Erniu glared at him, having grown up outside, she was sensitive to how people changed. His attitude down the cliff and up here were poles apart, making her dislike him, just about to retort when Zhang Chen stopped her: "Here's some jerky, eat it quickly and climb the mountain."

After saying this, Zhang Chen led Xu Erniu onward, while Zou Wenlong trailed behind, gnawing on the jerky, and trying to pry into their background, hoping to enlist them, but neither Zhang Chen nor Xu Erniu paid him any attention, focusing solely on the climb.

Zhang Chen, unsure of the little fatty's origin, secretly put away the Wind Stabilizing Pill, climbing the steps in the mountain wind.

Half a day later, the three finally climbed to the mountain peak, catching sight of the Five Villages Temple's main gate from afar.

The temple's doors were tightly closed. Its exterior was somewhat similar to the Five Villages Temple shown in Journey to the West, with a couplet on either side:

Upper: "The abode of the Immortal, everlasting life."

Lower: "Living as long as heaven itself, the Daoist family."

Zhang Chen stared at the couplets in disbelief, his heart shocked: "How could it be?"

These couplets looked exactly like the ones in his memory: "Does this Five Villages Temple have any connection with the one in Journey to the West? This Spiritual World's second layer is truly unbelievable with such strange occurrences!"

Just as they reached the door, Zou Wenlong bypassed them, pounded the door hard, "Bang bang," shouting: "Open the door! Open the door!"

Zhang Chen watched the doors rattling with each knock, feeling his eyelids twitch. He hurriedly pulled Xu Erniu away, lest Zou Wenlong angered the Daoists inside and dragged them into trouble.

At this moment, the temple doors opened to reveal an angry child's voice: "Which damned fool dares disrupt the peace..."

While saying this, the doors opened further, upon seeing Zou Wenlong and his disheveled state, the child's face turned incredulous, exclaiming: "Little Brother? Why are you in such a sorry state?"