Inside the front hall.
At these words, Chen Qing hurriedly wiped his tears and stumbled inside.
Before long, he came out carrying a little boy.
The child knew nothing of life and death. He had several pieces of fruit tucked into his sleeves and was still chewing half a piece of candied fruit.
But perhaps frightened by Wukong, Bajie, and the others, he began bawling.
A jujube rolled out of his sleeve and tumbled to Wukong's feet.
Wukong bent down, picked it up, and handed it back.
"Here."
The little boy looked timidly at him, then at Chen Qing.
Chen Qing nodded with reddened eyes, managed a smile, and said softly, "Guan Bao'er, thank the Elder."
Guan Bao'er nodded through his sobs and said quietly:
"Thank you, Elder."
Only then did he reach out and take it.
Wukong studied the child for a moment. A fine glimmer of golden light flashed in his eyes, and he silently recited a spell.
Everyone in the hall felt their vision blur.
When they looked again, Wukong had vanished.
Two Guan Bao'ers stood before the lamp.
They had identical features and clothes, their sleeves bulged in exactly the same way, and even the sugary smear of candied fruit at the corners of their mouths matched perfectly.
The real Guan Bao'er forgot to cry and stood dumbstruck.
The false Guan Bao'er mimicked him, keeping both hands tucked in his sleeves as he hopped to the left.
The real Guan Bao'er hopped after him.
The two children hopped back and forth before the lamp.
Chen Qing, however, went deathly pale with fright and dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Th-this, th-that!"
He kowtowed over and over:
"Where is that Monkey Elder from just now? How did he turn into the very image of my son