Apricot Blossom Valley enjoys a spring - like climate all year round and boasts picturesque scenery. It is truly a wonderland on earth.
More importantly, it is rarely visited by people and is isolated from the rest of the world, making it an ideal place for seclusion.
However, Yang Xue couldn't help but feel as if she were in a dream when she saw the Avalokitesvara in front of her.
"Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, why are you here?" Yang Xue took a step back belatedly and warily kept her distance from him. She felt more at ease when the Bodhisattva held the willow branch and the precious vase.
The Avalokitesvara frowned slightly, seemingly displeased with her distant address.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not here to take you back to see the Tathagata this time." He spoke in a gentle voice. Then he turned to look at the competing flowers in the distance. His voice was deep and solemn, like a heart - purifying mantra that could calm people's hearts.
"I see." Yang Xue let out a slight sigh of relief, but she was still nervous about his arrival. She couldn't help but test him, "So, you're here to find the Patriarch Puti? Then I won't disturb you. Farewell!"
Saying that, she pretended to leave.
"Wait," he said anxiously, raising his hand. When he saw her turn around, revealing her smooth and beautiful forehead, he couldn't help but avert his gaze. "Where are you going?"
"Ah... I'm just too tired from meditation. I want to take a stroll nearby and find a comfortable place to practice." She couldn't very well say that she was going to look for corpses nearby. After all, even if there were corpses here, they were probably those of animals and plants.
If there were the corpses of mortals, it probably wasn't a good sign.
"Perhaps I could accompany you," he suggested calmly. "The scenery around here is nice. We can take a look together."
"..." How could she refuse this?
She couldn't help but steal two glances at the Avalokitesvara. Not finding anything abnormal, she thought maybe she had been overthinking.
"Sure, let's go." For some reason, she always felt that the Avalokitesvara in front of her seemed to have more of a mortal touch than before.
However, he still had nothing to do with the worldly life and remained spotless.
In her mind, the purest and most lotus - like figure was the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
Riding on the clouds and flying with the wind, Yang Xue found a good place.
In a low - lying area shrouded in mist, there was actually a hot spring. Surrounded by mountains on all sides and filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, it was an excellent place for cultivation.
There were several smooth boulders beside the hot spring. One could sit on them for meditation, or use them as beds or stone tables.
"Why did you leave Sun Wukong without saying goodbye? Don't you love him enough?" Just as she happily ran onto the boulder and sat down to breathe in the fresh air, the Avalokitesvara suddenly asked.
Yang Xue turned to look at his serious expression and couldn't even get angry.
After all, he was a bodhisattva. How could he understand such emotions? Maybe in the eyes of many, her actions were somewhat puzzling.
Yang Xue smiled faintly, meeting his earnest and listening eyes, and seriously explained, "No. It's precisely because I love him and want him to become better that I left him at this time. Isn't this a good thing in your eyes?"
"That's true," he nodded slightly, but this answer clearly didn't satisfy him. His gaze still remained on Yang Xue.
"Great Sage continues to escort Tang Sanzang on the journey to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. Isn't the Tathagata satisfied?" Yang Xue spread out her hands. "Didn't the Heavenly Court also breathe a sigh of relief?"
"However, you don't seem sad about the separation," he said seriously. "When you saw me, you didn't even ask about his current situation."
"..." Yang Xue was stunned. For the first time, she felt a deep sense of guilt, which made her suddenly ask herself what had made the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva stand up for the Great Sage.
Moreover, she really didn't seem that sad. Instead, she was in this dream - like place, enjoying the scenery leisurely.
Was she really not in love with the Great Sage enough?
"I'm sorry for my rudeness. I hope Miss Yang won't mind," the Avalokitesvara said quickly, seemingly realizing that Yang Xue looked a bit annoyed and showed dissatisfaction when looking at him. Then he quickly walked away.
"Bodhisattva, you observe the people's conditions and listen to so many mortal prayers every day. Don't you know why I'm like this?" Yang Xue said somewhat unbelievingly. "I just don't want to be so vulnerable. A short separation is for a better reunion!"
She was a bit angry. How could the bodhisattva blame her for not loving the Great Sage enough? Wasn't he being a bit naive?
Was this still the bodhisattva she had once known?
"Sorry. You don't know. Everyone thinks that a person like you wouldn't be whole - heartedly in love with a man like Sun Wukong," the bodhisattva tried to explain but found that the more he explained, the more confused it became.
"Do you think I'm promiscuous?" Yang Xue widened her eyes and pointed at herself aggrievedly. "How could you... What's wrong with you, Bodhisattva? You're a bodhisattva! Your lofty image in my mind has just completely collapsed!"
"..." The Avalokitesvara's tall figure froze slightly. Then he turned to look at Yang Xue, hesitating to speak.
Yang Xue waved her hand. "Forget it. Everyone is like a child, and everyone has multiple sides. Moreover, you're not a mortal. It's understandable that you don't know how to think from others' perspectives. You have a macro - view of all the people and are compassionate, but it doesn't mean you're reasonable..."
"Sorry. You're different from mortals. It's hard to see through you," the Avalokitesvara's expression was a bit stiff. His beautiful big eyes dodged. "I was rude. Please forgive me, miss."
Indeed, she was now a person that even the Tathagata couldn't figure out. Maybe the Avalokitesvara really couldn't treat her like an ordinary person.
A plan suddenly came to Yang Xue's mind. She raised an ambiguous smile and slowly walked towards the Avalokitesvara. "May I ask, does the Avalokitesvara have any purpose for showing up in a male form recently?"
"None," he said calmly. Meeting Yang Xue's inquiring look, he remained calm. "Buddhas have no gender. Appearances are created by the mind."
"If appearances are created by the mind, it means that you're in a male incarnation at this moment," Yang Xue circled around him and sized him up carefully. "So, is the task given to you by the Tathagata...?"
"Miss Yang, there's someone over there!" Suddenly, he frowned and pointed at the forest in front, then quickly walked over.
"..." Yang Xue's smile froze. She felt as if she were talking to a brick wall!
Well, in her heart, she was just an ordinary mortal. If it weren't for the great opportunity she got after being reborn, she would just be an ordinary person who couldn't be distinguished in a crowd.
Following closely behind, Yang Xue saw an old man and a child lying in the forest. Apparently, they had eaten poisonous fruits.
"Let me do it!" Seeing him raise his hand to save them, Yang Xue quickly stepped in. How could she miss such an opportunity to accumulate merits?
"The old man's leg is broken. It seems he was seriously injured," Yang Xue put her hand on the old man's wrist. Looking at his blue - faced and unconscious state, she said, "He's on the verge of death. His leg needs to be set quickly."
"Then I'll check on the child," the Avalokitesvara stood up and walked towards the child lying on the ground. "It's not very serious. Just a mild case of poisoning."
Yang Xue was quick - witted. In the blink of an eye, she had set the old man's broken bone. Then she closed her eyes and used her spiritual consciousness to open the Heavenly Book to find the fastest way to save them.
The Avalokitesvara watched her skillful movements and finally understood why she was so calm.