Tang Seng shook his head slightly, holding his Buddhist beads. "Amitabha. Our Buddha is merciful. Wukong is experiencing one of the seven worldly sufferings. Don't disturb him."
"Ah?" Zhu Bajie was puzzled.
This didn't look like suffering at all. If it were said that he was overly happy, Zhu Bajie might believe it.
He grumbled discontentedly, "Recently, he hasn't been doing a good job of begging for alms. My stomach has hardly been filled. I told him to go pick some wild fruits outside, but when he came back, he only brought back a few jujubes. They weren't even enough to wet my lips."
Tang Seng just smiled and said nothing. "Bajie, if you're hungry, go pick some fruits. White Dragon Horse is very obedient. You don't need to lead it."
Looking up at the sky, it was time to stop and rest.
Zhu Bajie stopped and sat on a rock under a big tree, fanning himself. "After walking for so long, I don't even have the strength to fly on my cloud. Let senior brother go."
Tang Seng dismounted from the horse. Looking at Sun Wukong, who was lying with his arms behind his head, grinning stupidly at the sky, he softly called out, "Wukong, it's noon."
Sun Wukong didn't hear him.
"Master, you'd better recite the Tight - Headband Spell. This monkey fell directly into the water when he was washing his face this morning and didn't even want to come out." Zhu Bajie was annoyed when he saw him. "He's like a lovesick little sow. It's better to let him go back to Flower - Fruit Mountain and find a female monkey."
Tang Seng couldn't help widening his eyes. "Bajie, as a monk, don't talk nonsense!"
How could such vulgar words blurt out in front of him.
Zhu Bajie quickly covered his mouth. Knowing he had made a slip of the tongue, he quickly apologized. "Master, please don't blame me. Your disciple won't dare again."
"Hehe..." Sun Wukong's silly laughter came from above.
Tang Seng fingered his Buddhist beads and thought that Zhu Bajie was right. Sun Wukong was really obsessed, bewitched by the White - Bone Demon.
When he woke up yesterday morning, he found Wukong doing dozens of somersaults on the roof. He flew in the sky for half an hour before sitting down to have breakfast.
He had long guessed that when Wukong was absent at night, there seemed to be no other possibility except going to see the White - Bone Demon.
"Wukong!" Tang Seng raised his voice and shouted.
"Master!" Sun Wukong jumped down from the tree. "Is it time to beg for alms? I'll go right away."
"Wait!" He raised his hand to stop him. "I have something to say."
Zhu Bajie turned his head and snorted. "What's there to say to him? Just recite the Tight - Headband Spell."
Today, Sun Wukong didn't mind Zhu Bajie's dissatisfaction. "Master, let's talk after I come back from begging for alms."
Tang Seng thought to himself that every time Wukong went to beg for alms, it would take two hours. If he really waited for his alms, he would be starved to death.
Bajie stood up. "Master, let me go. Otherwise, this monkey might fall into some pit and not come back, and I'll starve to death. It won't be worth it if we can't reach the Western Heaven and instead become dried meat for the tigers on the mountain."
"Get out of here!" Sun Wukong didn't want to waste his breath on Zhu Bajie.
Sha Wujing was sitting on one side, fanning himself with a bamboo fan, smiling but saying nothing.
"Wukong, I see that you've been absent - minded these days. Why don't you go back and rest for a couple of days?" Tang Seng thought for a long time and said seriously. "It's not too late for you to come back when we encounter danger."
"No no no!" Sun Wukong waved his hands again and again. He didn't dare to go back now.
Thinking of Miss Bai... oh no, Miss Yang's amorous eyes, he didn't dare to go back.
Since the White - Bone Demon was not in a safe situation now, Tang Seng didn't dare to speak directly. "I'm not an unreasonable person. Now you're trapped by love..."
"Master, you're wrong!" Sun Wukong jumped up anxiously and quickly interrupted Tang Seng. "Who said this great sage is trapped by love? I just... just accidentally went astray in my cultivation recently and have been a bit abnormal these days!"
Sha Wujing nodded and said slowly, "Yes, senior brother went astray in his cultivation. Master, disciple also thinks senior brother is right. He needs to be corrected when he goes astray in his cultivation. It's better to find a master to give him some advice, otherwise..."
"No need no need!" Sun Wukong jumped onto the tree trunk. "This great sage doesn't need it!"
Tang Seng sighed. "Alright, I'll sit in meditation and rest."
Sha Seng looked at senior brother, who was fidgeting on the tree, and thought to himself: He used to think that senior brother was free from desires and obtaining the Buddhist scriptures like this wouldn't have much meaning. But now that he was experiencing the feeling of longing, suffering but also sweet, it was worth living this life.
It was good. Although this senior brother was a bit silly, he couldn't help but be happy for him.
Sun Wukong banged his head against the tree trunk. "I was careless! How could this great sage be trapped by love? They're all blind!"
---
Yang Xue had been in Flower - Fruit Mountain for three days. She never thought that in just a few days, she would be a bit reluctant to leave this earthly paradise.
She was really a person who loved excitement and couldn't be alone.
During the first half - day, she sat by the window of the stone cave looking at the scenery. In the afternoon, she was hungry. Thinking of cooking by herself, she went out to find some little monkeys to help her.
Who would have thought...
A family of golden monkeys came. They were smart, good - looking, well - behaved and sensible. Yang Xue instantly started a cozy little life of stroking monkeys.
"The great sage said that the young lady likes cooking, so we've prepared all kinds of meat, wild pheasants, wild boars and deer meat. We caught them all on the mountain." A little golden monkey held a fish and handed it to her. "This is the fish I caught. It's still alive."
Yang Xue was so charmed by this little golden monkey that she hugged both the monkey and the fish in her arms. "What a cute monkey. What's your name?"
"My name is Eighty - eight. I'm the youngest of the little monkeys. The great sage said you'd like me." Then the little monkey threw away the fish in his hand and reached out to touch Yang Xue's face. "The young lady is really beautiful. You and the great sage are a perfect match."
The monkey's mother smiled awkwardly. "Eighty - eight, don't talk nonsense. The great sage has ordered that she's the great sage's honored guest."
"It doesn't matter. I like to hear such words. The great sage Sun hasn't married yet, and I also admire him..." As she said this, even she couldn't believe it. She blushed in front of the little monkey.
"Really?" Eighty - eight's childish voice was sweet. He cheered in surprise. "The great sage is going to find a wife. We'll have someone to take care of us!"
Yang Xue was puzzled. Why would it mean they'd have someone to take care of them.
The little monkey's mother explained, "Although not many demons dare to provoke Flower - Fruit Mountain, there are demon kings on other mountain ranges. They often hold various activities. But only in our Flower - Fruit Mountain, there's no king sitting in charge. When the monkeys down there can't wait for the great sage to come back, they have no heart to celebrate festivals. It feels like children without a mother and no one to take care of them."
Yang Xue nodded and couldn't help feeling pity. "When the great sage obtains the Buddhist scriptures, there will be someone to take care of you."
"Doesn't sister want to take care of us?" The little monkey really liked Yang Xue. He hugged her neck and asked in a childish voice.
Yang Xue blushed. "It depends on whether the great sage agrees or not."
Moreover, she couldn't guarantee how long she could hide.
Such cute monkeys couldn't be implicated by her.
So, three days later, just when Yang Xue had just gotten familiar with a bunch of little monkeys, she left at night.
Standing opposite Flower - Fruit Mountain, Yang Xue looked at that earthly paradise and felt a sense of loss.
Xiao Rou and Mao Mao weren't by her side. She was back to the days of fighting alone.
Taking out a picture from her bosom, she decided to go straight to Lion - Camel Ridge.
But when she passed by the Kingdom of Daughters, she hesitated.