The God of Wealth didn't even lift his head. "I'm a deity. How could I secretly fall for a mortal? Stop having wild thoughts. This place isn't safe."
"But you clearly..." Qingqing's voice was on the verge of tears.
"Qingqing," he looked up and saw her tears. His heart skipped a beat. Putting himself in her shoes, he thought of himself and softened his tone. "You're a nice girl. You're beautiful, kind, and lovely. There's no shortage of people who'll like you. Moreover, there are many ways to repay kindness. Why does it have to be this one?"
"But what if I just like you?" She wiped away her tears. "Then how do you want me to repay you?"
"Practice hard. I don't need repayment for now." He originally wanted to send her away or ask her to protect Yang Xue, but that would be so cruel.
"Okay, I'll practice hard." Qingqing turned around, sulkily asking for two chickens. "I'm going to eat my fill and help my sister take care of that child."
"Child?" The God of Wealth was puzzled.
"Humph, I didn't come for you, and neither did my sister to see who I like." Qingqing tilted her head up. "My sister really likes a child saved by that girl and wants to adopt it. Once the girl agrees to let my sister take the child away, I'll leave and never pester you again."
The God of Wealth understood the ins and outs of the matter. He knew Yang Xue was never idle.
He couldn't stay here long. After drinking a cup of tea, he left to avoid arousing suspicion from those with ill intentions and exposing Yang Xue's whereabouts.
Thinking of what the Supreme Lord Laozi had said, he decided to find someone.
Stepping out of the door, he flew eastward.
When they met again, Sun Wukong didn't pretend to be magnanimous anymore. Shouldering his staff, he said indifferently, "What do you want from this Great Sage?"
"You..." Seeing that although Sun Wukong was still hostile towards him, he was no longer as vigilant as before, with his eyes no longer showing that he was ready to attack at any moment. The God of Wealth knew that something might have happened during his absence.
"Stop being so hesitant, like a woman. If you have something to say, just say it!" Sun Wukong was annoyed by his hesitant look.
"Have you... seen Miss Bai... Yang Xue again?" The God of Wealth asked tentatively, his chest feeling stuffy.
Sun Wukong looked around to make sure there was no one else, then sat on the ground and said proudly, "Sure."
"You..." His throat was extremely dry, and he finally didn't ask.
"What, is the God of Wealth here to play riddles with me?" Although he knew what the God of Wealth was up to, since Yang Xue had confessed her feelings to him, he didn't bother to care.
The God of Wealth smiled bitterly to himself. He had been a deity for so long, but now he seemed to be regressing. He was really acting like a silly mortal boy, being so hesitant.
"I've come here this time to clarify something with the Great Sage." He cleared his throat and regained his usual calm.
"Speak." Sun Wukong knew that the matter that could bring the God of Wealth to him must be related to Yang Xue.
"You should know that she's not the White Bone Demon."
"Of course. Even my Fiery Golden Eyes can't see her true form. She's definitely not comparable to the White Bone Demon that can be killed with one blow of my staff." Sun Wukong put his hands behind his head. His words were full of pride. The girl he was attracted to was a remarkable character.
"Do you know that her abilities are no less than ours?" The God of Wealth said loudly. "Sun Wukong, you may not be worthy of her."
"What did you say?" Hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately got angry. He flashed in front of the God of Wealth. "Say that to me one more time."
"From now on, when you meet her, you must be extremely cautious. To the Tathagata's side, Yang Xue is a considerable threat. The stele in the Ninth Heaven cracked because of her. There are few people who know about this, but the Jade Emperor is already suspicious that it's related to her. Her situation will be even more difficult in the future. I hope you don't go looking for her without good reason."
"Wait, you said she's related to that blank stele in the celestial realm?" Sun Wukong put away his golden cudgel. "What exactly is her identity?"
"Not sure yet," the God of Wealth said seriously. "Precisely because of this, the Tathagata sent the Manjusri Bodhisattva to secretly look for her. He never stops. Although the Moral Heavenly Venerable isn't sure about her identity either, if she successfully crosses the tribulation and becomes a deity, there will be a great upheaval in the Three Realms."
"Is it that serious?" Sun Wukong was a bit surprised, but he wasn't completely unprepared.
After all, a being that neither the Tathagata nor the Heavenly Court could control mustn't be an ordinary character. It was just that she showed such a girlish nature in front of him, so he had overlooked it.
Now that he thought about it carefully, many of Yang Xue's actions were extraordinary.
In the past few days, he had been like a possessed teenager and hadn't delved into her abnormalities at all. Suddenly, he felt a bit anxious.
"Zhao Gongming, how do you know all this? Can you guarantee that she's safe now?" Sun Wukong couldn't help but ask repeatedly. "Is she in the Land of Daughters now? Are you here to arrest her and present her to the Jade Emperor?"
"Great Sage, calm down." The God of Wealth smiled faintly. "I didn't expect you to lose your composure for a woman one day. It really doesn't match your identity and temperament as the Great Sage."
"Are you laughing at me?" Sun Wukong glanced at him disdainfully. "So what? Now I'm not the stupid monkey I was hundreds of years ago. It's only natural for my temperament to change."
"But Great Sage, you're not free to act as you like now. Not only can you not protect her safety, but you'll also bring her many troubles. Now she has no idea about this. She only knows that she's in danger, so she focuses on practicing and is ready to escape at any sign of trouble. While the Heavenly Court and the Western Paradise don't know about your relationship yet, stop this in time."
... Sun Wukong looked at the God of Wealth. His Fiery Golden Eyes scanned him back and forth. His clenched fist was ready to land on the God of Wealth's face at any moment.
"If you really care about her, keep your distance from her. Wait until she successfully crosses the tribulation and doesn't have to hide anymore. Then it won't be too late to talk about love with her!"
"You..." Sun Wukong glared at the God of Wealth but had to take his words seriously. He was right. Recently, he had also been afraid to go see her often. He didn't expect the situation to be much more complicated than he thought.
Seeing that Sun Wukong didn't refute what he said and looked so conflicted and anxious, the God of Wealth was even more certain that he had accepted Yang Xue's affection. He couldn't help but feel depressed.
Why, why was it Sun Wukong?
It wasn't that Sun Wukong was bad. It was just that everyone in the Three Realms knew that Sun Wukong was a spiritual monkey, stubborn. If he hadn't been suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, no one knew how lawless he would be by now.
Anyone could fall in love, but Sun Wukong was supposed to be free from desires and shouldn't be the type to fall for a mortal...
But now, he was his love rival.
"Sun Wukong, do you really have feelings for her?" The God of Wealth was unwilling and couldn't help but ask. "Do you understand a girl's heart? Do you understand that love is as heavy as a mountain? Her feelings for you..."
"What do you mean, God of Wealth?" Suddenly, the sky darkened, and the surrounding atmosphere became cold. It was like falling into an ice cave. "Are you questioning whether this Great Sage is as normal as other men?"