After recuperating for a while, Yang Xue spent her days either bickering or playing chess with the Patriarch Bodhi, and she always managed to outwit him skillfully.
Every time she saw the Patriarch Bodhi looking confused, reluctant to admit defeat but having to, she felt a sense of relief.
Oh, she thought, it would be great if Sun Wukong could see this.
What could she do? It had been less than half a month since they separated, and she missed Sun Wukong so much that she couldn't sleep at night.
She had never been in love before. Now that she was separated from the Great Sage, she was experiencing the bittersweetness of love for the first time.
Originally, she thought that once she found out the whereabouts of the Six - Eared Macaque here, she would use the Heavenly Book to leave.
Who would have thought that the Patriarch Bodhi had no intention of telling her.
"Patriarch, are you really not going to tell me where the Six - Eared Macaque is?" She had been here for another seven or eight days because she couldn't find any trace of him in the Heavenly Book.
But these days, every night, she was extremely anxious. Staying here for another moment was pure torture.
She was eager to return to Sun Wukong's side.
"I can give you a little hint, but I advise you to stay here," he said while sitting by the water fishing. The young immortal servant now dared not approach Yang Xue, fearing that if she got angry, she would use him as a threat again.
"Why?"
"The Heavenly Court knows that you and Sun Wukong are separated. They're trying to find you. It might be dangerous for you if you go out."
"It was the same before, and I was still fine."
"That's because they didn't know how to deal with you. Your strength is not bad, but if you encounter a real master, even if you and Sun Wukong join hands, you might end up as fugitives. Finding the Six - Eared Macaque is not the top priority. I think you'd better practice hard and improve your cultivation."
Yang Xue didn't express her opinion. He was indeed right.
Relying on luck alone would surely lead to trouble sooner or later.
"But..."
"Actually, I'm glad for Sun Wukong. He has found a partner who truly cares about him," the calm Patriarch Bodhi sitting on the stone bench said faintly. "He originally wouldn't have had such an opportunity, but seeing you now, I believe that the various changes in this world still favor the kind - hearted."
"I'm quite relieved then. You, his master, haven't really abandoned Sun Wukong. Although I don't know why, during this period of getting along, I've found that you care about him a lot," Yang Xue bowed with her hands clasped. "Grandmaster, on his behalf, I thank you for your great kindness."
Seeing her kneeling on the ground, the Patriarch looked up at the sky and sighed slightly. "Even if you're a major variable in this world, it's extremely difficult to change your fate. If you want to survive, you'd better stay in this cave."
"No, I must save him!" Yang Xue stood up, clenched her fists, and said firmly, "He didn't really do anything wrong. Why can't he be spared?"
"You can't fight against them. How can you fight against authority? Even I have to hide in this peaceful place, turning a blind eye to their unfair and immoral means. You should do the same. Don't make futile struggles. It's better to cherish your life."
At this moment, the Patriarch Bodhi seemed like an old man who had seen through the world, decadent, sad, and full of helplessness. "You've changed his fate, but I can still tell that he can't escape Buddha Tathagata's palm. You're not strong enough. As long as you leave Wukong, with your talent and the help of the noble person in your life, you may eventually become a sage with a higher status than mine."
"What does it matter if I'm a sage or a demon? If I give up struggling and fighting against fate, what's the difference between me and a useless person!" Since the old man had said so much, Yang Xue no longer held any hope. She turned around and left. "What's the point of you hiding here for so long?"
"Of course, there's a point." A glint of light flashed in his eyes, strong and bright.
"Then you can continue hiding. I have to go. Please open the stone gate so that we don't have to fight and make you unhappy."
"Ten days. Stay for another ten days, and I'll let you go."
Yang Xue stopped. "Really?"
"Really." He smiled slightly and stroked his beard leisurely. "After ten days, the opportunity will be just right."
"Okay. In that case, I'll trust you this time." She then returned to her room to practice hard.
The spiritual energy here was abundant, making it a good place for cultivation.
Now there were no vengeful spirits or corpses here, so she had to practice steadily.
Thanks to the help of the Heavenly Book, she had made some breakthroughs in the past few days and improved her pure martial arts skills.
When traveling in the world, relying solely on magic wasn't enough. If she met a powerful opponent, she could only rely on herself. So, to be on the safe side, she had been focusing on hard - style martial arts recently.
Yang Xue locked herself in the room, practicing cultivation for half a day and martial arts for the other half.
At nightfall, before she lit the lamp, countless fireflies drifted into her room, like stars.
She had never seen fireflies before in her life. She rushed out of the room excitedly, wanting to see where these fireflies came from.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she went out, she ran into a familiar figure.
"God of Wealth?" Although she was happy to see an acquaintance again.
But her first thought was that if the Great Sage knew about this, he would surely be angry.
"I still prefer it when you call me Lord God of Wealth," Zhao Gongming was dressed in pure white clothes, looking like an immortal descending to the mortal world.
Wasn't he an immortal descending to the mortal world?
"The title of God of Wealth is just a minor position, like a servant for you. I only found out later that you're the chief of all the gods of wealth in the world. Calling you God of Wealth is too demeaning to your status." Yang Xue felt a bit awkward seeing him again.
"Don't be so polite to me. I'm here today to bring you some news. You don't have to worry about me betraying your whereabouts. To be honest, I was ordered by the Jade Emperor to come down to find you. He also sent people to follow me, but I got rid of them." He took out a handkerchief very casually and directly wiped the fine sweat on her forehead.
"I... I'll do it myself," she leaned back and took the handkerchief from him. "What news did you bring?"
The Lord God of Wealth looked happy, still the same as when she first saw him.
He didn't mention the letter anymore and replied officially, "Xuan You has unified the demon world, but he didn't claim the throne. Instead, he took all the capable demons to Huaguo Mountain."
"Huaguo Mountain?" Yang Xue raised her eyebrows. "Has the Great Sage become the king of all demons?"
"No. He disappeared after he went to the Country of Women." He looked around. "The Patriarch Bodhi told me the whole story. You have to stay here for ten days before you can go out?"
"Yes. The old man insists that I stay for ten days."
"Then I'll stay here with you for ten days too. Anyway, there will surely be great changes after we go out. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of situation it will be."
"Huh?" Yang Xue laughed. "You're really free. Staying here will be so boring."
"Do you really want to leave?" He clenched his fingers tightly, smiled slightly, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, making his facial features more delicate and gentle.
"Not really." She turned around and entered the room. "Come in and sit down for some tea."
"Okay." He readily agreed, gently lifted his robe and sat down gracefully. Every gesture showed his celestial charm.
Yang Xue couldn't help but take a few more glances, thinking that he was really a good - looking man.
"What, don't you recognize me after not seeing me for so long?"
"Well... I'm just curious why you changed your red clothes that you've worn for thousands of years. I remember that when I was still a mortal, the portraits and statues of the God of Wealth all wore red festive clothes, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity!" Her gaze was calm, without any extra emotions.
"Because I want to try this style," he smiled slightly, his eyes clear and cold. "The unchanging habit is a bit boring."