Behind the Great Green Mountain lies an unnamed hill. With steep terrain and lush trees, few small demons in the vicinity are willing to go there.
When the Black Panther King was still a cub, he discovered this blessed place while recuperating here and never revealed it to anyone.
The semi - open cave was fully furnished, showing signs of previous habitation. The bed was covered in dust, indicating it had been unoccupied for a long time.
Yang Xue was eager to soak in the hot spring, but unfortunately, the Black Panther King had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
"You might as well tell me the origin of this Heavenly Book. The old man who gave it to me was very mysterious. He only said that the book was fated to be with me." The old man must have been no ordinary figure. Perhaps he was even more powerful than the Tathagata. If she could join his sect, she might be able to avoid the pursuit from the Western Heaven.
"The old man you mentioned is not my grand - master. Even my grand - master doesn't know his true identity. All he knows is that in the Three Realms, the old man doesn't belong to any faction. Since the creation of the world, there has been little information about him, and he rarely shows up." When the Black Panther King spoke of this person, his admiration was hard to hide.
Yang Xue nodded. "So you're over a thousand years old?"
The Black Panther King was a bit stunned by her sudden question.
Especially the look of "you're a bit old" in her eyes made him feel quite uncomfortable.
"Yes." In fact, he was almost two thousand years old, but he couldn't admit it.
After all, he knew that the White Bone Demon was only a few hundred years old. She must think he was too old.
"How can I find the old man you mentioned?"
"It depends on fate. If he wants to see you, he will naturally appear in front of you. Just like when he gave you the Heavenly Book before. He must have done it to protect you. I guess you met him when you wanted to escape without eating Tang Seng's flesh, right?"
"I see." It made sense. If it were that easy to meet him, he wouldn't be called a master.
"Tell me something about Sun Wukong." When she mentioned him, Yang Xue's eyes sparkled.
The Black Panther King felt a lump of frustration in his throat!
This little girl, relying on her youth, was really good at bullying people!
Was she really so smart that she couldn't see that he hated talking about that monkey?
"Hmm? Don't you know him well?" Yang Xue looked disappointed. "I thought you two were very familiar with each other from the way you bickered before. I guess I was wrong."
"No, I do know him quite well." The Black Panther King gritted his back teeth and forced a smile.
---
The God of Wealth was worried about the female protagonist leaving alone. After settling down Xiaorou and Maomao, he left the inn and headed west in search of Sun Wukong.
Seeing their close relationship, maybe Sun Wukong would know how to handle this and protect Miss Bai.
---
After Sun Wukong returned with some vegetarian dishes, Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng were very happy to eat them. They even saved some for dinner.
At night, they rested in a kind - hearted family's house. Sun Wukong and Tang Seng went to bed late and sat in meditation under the oil lamp.
Tang Seng slowly opened his eyes. Seeing Sun Wukong, who never accompanied him in meditation, sitting with his eyes closed and concentrating on cultivation, he couldn't help but frown.
"Wukong." Tang Seng called out softly.
"Master." Sun Wukong opened his eyes in response. "What's the matter, Master?"
"The vegetarian meal you brought wasn't obtained from a kind - hearted family, was it?"
"Yeah." Sun Wukong didn't deny it. He got it from Miss Bai, and it was actually she who paid for it.
Now, even the Great Sage Equaling Heaven didn't have a single copper coin on him.
He'd have to go back to the Flower - Fruit Mountain to get some silver next time. He couldn't always let a young lady pay for him.
As the king of the Flower - Fruit Mountain, it was so embarrassing to spend a girl's money.
Moreover, there was a God of Wealth around her, so rich. It really bothered him.
"You went to see Miss Bai, didn't you?" Tang Seng said with certainty. "Although the vegetarian dishes weren't made by Miss Bai herself, the taste and texture were quite special. Only someone as picky about food as Miss Bai would choose such dishes. You, a rough guy, never used to be so particular before."
"What if the person I met was very particular?" Although he'd been seen through, Sun Wukong wasn't going to admit it so soon.
"The places we've passed by recently are very different from the interior of the Tang Dynasty in terms of customs and eating habits. But the food you brought today was clearly the kind Miss Bai made those days, with a style similar to that of the interior of the Tang Dynasty."
"..." Sun Wukong opened his mouth but had nothing to say.
"Wait," Sun Wukong's eyes lit up slightly. "Are you saying that Miss Bai's cooking has the style of the interior of the Tang Dynasty?"
"Yes."
"She isn't..." Thinking of the many doubts about the White Bone Demon, this discovery didn't seem so sudden anymore.
Tang Seng didn't reply for a long time. He also had many questions in his mind.
Since they started their journey to the Western Heaven, they rarely encountered demons that could alarm the Tathagata and the Avalokitesvara. The White Bone Demon was clearly a newly - transformed demon.
Moreover, thinking carefully now, everything in the White Bone Demon's cave that day seemed very suspicious.
"Wukong, even if you have feelings for each other, now that we're going to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and obtain scriptures, such a difference will surely cause big trouble." After a long while, Tang Seng calmly advised him. "Although I don't force you to be completely free from worldly desires, in the mortal world, for a person who has left the secular life, love is the most difficult thing. I advise you..."
"Master!" Sun Wukong interrupted him. "I don't have any feelings for her. I just went to ask for a bowl of vegetarian meal. You're being too wordy, Master. I've never said that I'm going to make any vows with her. How can it be related to 'love'!"
His face was flushed. He paced uneasily around the room. "Master, you're overthinking."
"Wukong, the onlooker sees most clearly while the person involved is often muddled. Although I've never been involved in worldly affairs, I've seen many lovesick men and women come to the temple to pray for good marriage. You never used to take time off to idle around or pay attention to your dressing before. But last time you..."
"Okay, Master!" Sun Wukong got angry. "I'll go check if the horse has been fed."
Tang Seng watched Sun Wukong's back and shook his head silently.
As soon as Sun Wukong stepped out of the door and before he reached the White Dragon Horse, under the bright moon and sparse stars, a red figure landed lightly in the silver moonlight.
When he saw who it was, he couldn't help but smile. "God of Wealth?"
"Great Sage, long time no see." Zhao Gongming saluted him and then got straight to the point. "Miss Bai is in danger. This afternoon, the Manjusri Bodhisattva and several of his disciples went straight for her."
"What?" He immediately jumped onto the cloud. "It's already night. Why did you come so late!"
"Don't be in a hurry, Great Sage," Zhao Gongming said helplessly, looking at Sun Wukong standing on the cloud. He couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. "She's relatively safe for the moment, but the Manjusri Bodhisattva doesn't seem to be willing to give up. That's why I came to find the Great Sage to discuss how to save her life."
"Err... cough... cough..." The Great Sage on the cloud gave an embarrassed smile. "Since the God of Wealth has come, I can't let you stay here. How about we find a suitable place and talk in detail?"