Transmigrating to win the heart of a beautiful snake

Chapter 405 The New Turbulence Caused by the Gem

Transmigration: Embracing a Beautiful Snake

Chapter 405: The New Turbulence Caused by the Gemstone

With their abundant harvest, the group continued their new journey. The gem, now freed from its curse, shimmered softly in the sunlight, as if recounting their heroic deeds. Its light sometimes shone as brilliantly as stars, and at other times as warm and gentle as moonlight, drawing their gazes from time to time.

"Hey, what do you think this gem is worth now that the curse is gone?" Pigsy stared at the gem, his eyes darting around, looking like a money-grubber, his mouth practically watering.

Xiaoqing chuckled and said, "I knew you were thinking about how many treasures you could exchange it for. This gemstone might have other magical uses. You shouldn't always be thinking about gold and silver."

Liu Yu smiled and shook his head: "Let's not worry about how much it's worth. We should focus on getting on our way. Who knows what new things we might encounter along the way? Maybe the adventures ahead will be much more interesting than the money we get from this gem."

They walked along a winding path, surrounded by breathtaking scenery: lush green trees and fragrant flowers. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a melodious symphony. Wildflowers of every color vied for attention—red like fire, pink like the sunset, and white like snow—attracting butterflies and bees to dance among them. Little Tian ran happily ahead, stopping now and then to sniff the roadside flowers, and playfully catching butterflies with his paws, his tail wagging like a rattle, and occasionally letting out cheerful "woof woof" sounds.

Suddenly, a small village appeared ahead. The villagers looked joyful, as if they were celebrating something. From afar, the village was decorated with lanterns and colorful flags, and the people's faces were filled with happy smiles.

"Let's go join the fun!" Pigsy excitedly quickened his pace, his belly fat jiggling with each step.

Upon entering the village, they saw the villagers gathered in a square, with a person dressed in strange clothes standing in the center. This person held something resembling a crystal ball and was talking incessantly. The person wore a brightly colored robe, a hat adorned with several jingling bells, and exaggerated makeup, making them look quite comical.

"Fellow villagers, my crystal ball is amazing! It can predict the future and answer your questions. For just one gold coin, you can ask a question! And if it doesn't work, you don't have to pay!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy became interested: "Is it really that magical? I, Old Pig, want to know when I'll be able to make a fortune." As he spoke, he unhesitatingly took out a gold coin and handed it over, his eyes fixed on the crystal ball, full of anticipation.

The man took the gold coin, pretended to look at the crystal ball, muttered something under his breath, and then deliberately dragged out his words: "Hmm... Fatty, you've got a windfall coming your way. And it's a wide-ranging source of wealth; it might just make you rolling in money!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy was overjoyed: "Haha, I'm so lucky! It looks like this gem will definitely fetch a good price. Maybe I'll become the richest person in the world soon!" He put his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly.

Liu Yu, standing to the side, thought this was unreliable and was about to pull Zhu Bajie away when suddenly someone in the crowd shouted, "Oh no! My purse has been stolen!" The shrill voice instantly shattered the originally joyful atmosphere.

A commotion broke out among the crowd, and Liu Yu and the others immediately became alert. The villagers began to look at each other and discuss amongst themselves, and the scene became quite chaotic for a time.

"Don't panic, everyone, we'll help you search," Liu Yu said loudly, his voice steady and powerful, as if injecting a calming agent into the panicked crowd.

They began searching the crowd for any trace of the thief. Just then, Xiao Tian suddenly barked, sniffing the ground, and chased after it in one direction, its tail held high, looking very excited.

"Hurry up and follow! Xiao Tian must have spotted the thief!" Xiao Qing shouted, her eyes revealing a hint of excitement and nervousness.

The group followed Xiao Tian to a grove of trees behind the village. There, they saw a short man hiding furtively behind a tree, holding the money bag from the man they had just met, about to open it and check its contents.

"Well, you thief, how dare you steal in broad daylight!" Pigsy roared and charged forward like an angry bull, his nine-toothed rake whistling as he swung it around.

Seeing the situation was bad, the short man turned and ran. He was agile, weaving through the woods, but he was no match for the group, especially Pigsy, who, despite his size, was quite fast. Soon, the short man was caught.

"Hmph, let's see where you can run now!" Pigsy smugly grabbed the thief by the collar and lifted him up like a chick. The thief flailed his legs in the air, his face full of terror.

The thief trembled with fear: "Please, heroes, spare my life! I'm desperate, I have no money left for food. My sick mother is waiting for me to bring her money to buy medicine. I'm really at my wit's end." As he spoke, the thief squeezed out a few tears.

Liu Yu frowned: "You can't steal just because you don't have money for food. That's wrong of you. But if what you're saying is true, we can help you think of a solution."

At this moment, the village chief arrived and said, "Heroes, thank you for catching the thief. This thief frequently commits crimes in the area, and we've always been unable to catch him. Every time we catch him, he has all sorts of excuses." The village chief shook his head helplessly as he spoke.

Pigsy patted his chest and said, "Village chief, leave it to us. We'll make sure he never dares to do it again."

Liu Yu thought for a moment and said to the thief, "How about this, you come with us for a while and do some chores for us, as a way of making amends for your sins, okay? We'll also give you some reward so you can buy medicine for your mother."

The thief nodded hurriedly, "Alright, alright, as long as you don't hand me over to the authorities, I'll do anything you ask. Thank you so much, heroes! Thank you so much, heroes!" The thief was moved to tears and kept bowing.

So the thief set off with them. Along the way, the thief was very diligent, helping to carry luggage, fetch water, and cook. He was quick and efficient, and soon everything was arranged in an orderly manner.

"Hey thief, what's your name?" Pigsy asked curiously, with a piece of meat the thief had just grilled stuffed in his mouth.

"Replying to Fatty, my name is Er Gou." The thief smiled ingratiatingly, revealing a few broken teeth.

"Er Gou? That's a really corny name. Why did your parents give you such a name?" Pigsy couldn't help but laugh, spitting out bits of meat from his mouth.

The group continued their journey and arrived at the foot of a great mountain. This mountain soared into the clouds, shrouded in mist, and looked incredibly mysterious. Its peaks appeared and disappeared in the clouds, like a giant hidden among the clouds, inspiring awe and awe.

"This mountain doesn't look simple. We need to be careful," Liu Yu said, a hint of vigilance in his eyes, his hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of his sword.

They climbed up the mountain path, which was rugged and difficult to traverse, and every now and then they encountered some tumbling rocks. The rocks rolled down the mountain with a whooshing sound, and splashed up a cloud of dust when they hit the ground.

"Ugh, this awful road is killing me!" Pigsy complained as he climbed, his face covered in sweat, his clothes soaked through and clinging tightly to his body.

Suddenly, a cave appeared ahead, from which strange sounds could be faintly heard. The sounds were like a person's murmur, or a wild beast's roar, sending chills down one's spine.

"What's in this cave?" Er Gou asked curiously, his voice trembling slightly, clearly a little scared.

"We'll find out once we go in," Pigsy said, and started to walk into the cave, looking fearless.

Liu Yu quickly stopped him: "Bajie, don't be impulsive, observe first. This sound doesn't sound right, there might be danger."

Just then, a little fox ran out of the cave. It seemed to be injured, limping. The little fox's fur was fiery red, with only a patch of blood on its hind leg, making it look particularly pitiful.

"Oh dear, this little fox is so pitiful, let's help it." Xiaoqing said with heartache, her eyes full of pity, and quickly ran over to pick up the little fox.

The group stepped forward to examine the little fox's injuries. Just then, a furious roar suddenly echoed from inside the cave: "You bastards, how dare you hurt my child!" The sound reverberated throughout the cave.

A huge fox burst out of the cave, its eyes gleaming red, glaring menacingly at the crowd. The fox was enormous, almost blocking the entire cave entrance, its fur standing on end, as if ready to attack at any moment.

"It's a misunderstanding, we just wanted to help it," Liu Yu quickly explained, spreading her hands to show that she meant no harm.

The big fox looked at the injured little fox, then at the crowd, and seemed to sense their kindness; its gaze gradually softened. It lowered its head and gently nuzzled the little fox with its nose, and the little fox whimpered a few times.

"You really want to help it?" the big fox asked, his voice still low, but the anger from before was gone.

“Of course, how could we hurt such a cute little fox?” Xiaoqing said gently, stroking the little fox’s head.

The big fox looked at everyone gratefully: "Thank you all. I have some herbs here that can heal its wounds." With that, it turned and went into the cave, returning shortly with some herbs and handing them to Xiao Qing. The herbs emitted a peculiar fragrance that invigorated everyone who smelled them.

Xiaoqing took the herbs and carefully applied them to the little fox. Under everyone's care, the little fox's injuries gradually improved. Its eyes became brighter, its previously listless spirit recovered considerably, and it would occasionally lick Xiaoqing's hand with its tongue to show affection.

To thank everyone, the big fox told them about a mysterious treasure on the mountain, which was said to grant one wish to whoever found it. The fox spoke vividly, as if the treasure were right before their eyes.

"Is there really treasure? Let's go find it right away!" Pigsy's eyes lit up again when he heard about treasure, and he jumped up excitedly, almost bumping into the rocks next to him.

Guided by the great fox, the group began their search for treasure on the mountain. After a long search, they finally discovered an ancient stone gate in a secluded valley. The gate was covered with strange runes, which shimmered faintly, as if telling an ancient story.

"How do I open these runes?" Pigsy scratched his head, looking confused. He approached the stone door and carefully examined the runes, but the more he looked, the more dizzy he felt.

At this moment, Fahai stepped forward, carefully examined the runes, and then said, "These runes seem to be related to Buddhism. Let me try." Fahai put his hands together, closed his eyes, and chanted scriptures, emanating a peaceful aura.

As he chanted, the stone gate slowly opened. Inside, light shone brightly, and mountains of gold and silver jewels were piled high. The light illuminated the entire valley, making everything around it vibrant with color.

"Wow, I'm rich!" Pigsy excitedly rushed in, rolling around in the pile of jewels, muttering, "These are all mine!"

Just then, a voice rang out: "To obtain the treasure, you must pass my test." The voice was clear and melodious, as if it came from the air.

A little elf appeared before the group, smiling at them. The elf was small in size, with a pair of transparent wings on its back that shimmered with multicolored light, and it held a sparkling magic wand in its hand.

"Tell me what the test is," Liu Yu said, her eyes firm and fearless.

The little elf waved his magic wand: "It's simple. I'll give you a riddle, and if you can answer it correctly, the treasure is yours. If you answer it wrong, you'll be punished." The little elf winked mischievously.