Frostmoon Village hadn't been this lively in a long time!
Since Xia Yu, the traveler, arrived, in just a few minutes, the young children of Frostmoon Village, hearing the news, came to surround him. Xia Yu, invited by a hospitable villager to his house, was now surrounded by them!
Half an hour later, Xia Yu was already mingling with the villagers, laughter and joy echoing in the air.
"Mr. Xia Yu, Mr. Xia Yu, as a traveler, you must have been to many, many places, and experienced many, many interesting things, right?"
"Mr. Xia Yu, please tell us about your travel experiences!"
"I want to know what the world outside Frostmoon Village is like!"
"Mr. Xia Yu..."
The majority of those surrounding Xia Yu were the young children of Frostmoon Village.
After hearing that Xia Yu was a traveler who had been to many places, these children and teenagers let loose, eagerly vying for his attention.
One child, wanting to hear Xia Yu tell him about his travels, actually ran home and brought out the fine wine his father had secretly hidden away!
This child's action was a spark, and the others followed suit, returning home with their own treasures: some with fruits, others with cigarettes, and even some with their father's private stash of money! The adults watching from the sidelines burst into laughter.
Surprisingly, none of the parents tried to stop their children's enthusiasm. Clearly, they too were eagerly awaiting the travel stories of this traveler named Xia Yu.
When it came to (making up) travel stories, Xia Yu was quite skilled.
Casually taking a cigarette offered by one of the children and tucking it behind his ear, Xia Yu cleared his throat and said decisively, "Since you all want to hear my travel experiences, then I'll tell you a few!"
"Where should I start?" Xia Yu pondered for a moment, then continued, "Aha, I've got it. I'll tell you about my travels in the South Sea!"
"The South Sea is known as the Sea of Craftsmen, because many craftsmen who love tinkering with robots have appeared there! Of course, this has nothing to do with the story I'm about to tell you!"
"What I want to tell you about is a very interesting combination I encountered while traveling in the South Sea!"
"An interesting combination?" One child, carrying matches, approached Xia Yu. Without waiting for Xia Yu's permission, he immediately struck a match to light Xia Yu's cigarette.
Seeing this, Xia Yu could not refuse the little boy's good intentions and took the cigarette from behind his ear to light it.
"Right, a very interesting combination!" Xia Yu took a puff of the cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke, saying, "The leader was called Tang Xuanzang. Because he had lived in the South Sea for so long, he felt incredibly bored and gradually began to think about leaving the South Sea to go to the Grand Line and search for the wealth left behind by the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
"So, he found three companions to set sail!"
As soon as Xia Yu finished speaking, a little girl in the crowd immediately asked curiously, "What were his three companions called?"
"Good question!" Xia Yu turned to the little girl and gave her a warm smile, "His three companions were amazing, especially the first one who joined him. His name was Sun Wukong, and he was a monkey!"
"Ah?" Hearing that Tang Xuanzang's first companion was actually a monkey, the children surrounding Xia Yu all gasped in surprise.
"Why did he bring a monkey to sea? I heard from the adults in the village that the Grand Line is very dangerous, with many, many ruthless pirates!"
"You don't know anything. This monkey is definitely stronger than those pirates!"
"Right!" Xia Yu gave the little boy who spoke a thumbs-up, "This monkey is really very powerful. No one on the Grand Line can defeat him!"
"Wow, what about his second companion?"
"His second companion was called Zhu Bajie. You should know what Zhu Bajie is from his name, right? Yes, this guy was a black wild boar!"
"Why did Tang Xuanzang choose a black wild boar as a companion? Isn't he afraid of being knocked over by the black wild boar?"
"You idiot, doesn't Tang Xuanzang have a very powerful monkey with him?"
"You're right. Then... Mr. Xia Yu, what about his third companion?"
"His third companion was called Sha Wujing. He wasn't a monkey or a black wild boar, but a palace guard named 'Roller Blind General'..."
Xia Yu's story was captivating, and soon the children, teenagers, and villagers surrounding him were drawn into the story he had created. Everyone listened so intently, they wished they could magically stretch their necks to hear better.
Because Xia Yu told the story so vividly, and because of the strange combination that Tang Xuanzang led, more and more villagers started to gather there.
Soon, a young boy with a mop of green hair squeezed into the crowd.
"Zoro, why did you come so late!"
The green-haired boy had just squeezed into the crowd when a boy about the same age as him pulled him over and said excitedly, "You wanted to go to sea and search for the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, right? Maybe Mr. Xia Yu has met him!"
Hearing this, the green-haired boy's eyes instantly became filled with fervor.
Just then, two children who had approached Xia Yu suddenly sighed in disappointment.
"Mr. Xia Yu, didn't Tang Xuanzang and his companions enter the New World? If they tried harder, they could have reached Laugh Tale! Why did they suddenly decide not to continue and return to the South Sea?"
"Because, Tang Xuanzang's first companion, Wukong, was tired of fighting and killing, and didn't want to continue!"
Xia Yu reached out and patted the little boy's head, saying softly, "Kid, the world isn't just about fighting and killing, it's also about human relationships!"
"Oh!"
The little boy blinked and asked curiously, "So, did Wukong return to the South Sea?"
"They all went back!" Xia Yu nodded. "After they returned to the South Sea, Sha Wujing went back to the palace to continue being the Roller Blind General. Zhu Bajie went to a place called Gao Laozhuang and spent his days indulging in pleasure and luxury, which made Wukong very envious!"
"So, Wukong used a trick to switch places with someone, changed his name to Jia Baoyu, and became the second young master of the Rongguo Mansion, and the wheels of fate began to turn!"
Hearing that Sun Wukong actually changed his name to Jia Baoyu and became some second young master, a group of children widened their eyes in disbelief.
"What happened next, what happened next?"
"Why did he become Jia Baoyu!?"
"That's a different story for another day," Xia Yu smiled slightly. "It's getting late. You children should go home to your mothers!"
=
The rented house doesn't have air conditioning, and I'm writing with the temperature at 39 degrees Celsius. I accidentally got heatstroke.
I'm feeling better now. Here's the first chapter. More to come!
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