The Goddess of Mercy put away her lotus throne and her iconic attire, transforming into a white - clothed woman in ordinary garb. However, her compassionate nature was still evident in her eyes and brows.
She was rarely silent because of Yang Xue's words. She lowered her head, deep in thought.
"Goddess, what about the Tathagata? Was he angry with me?" Yang Xue asked sincerely. She had thought that perhaps if she hadn't come, everything would have followed its original course.
She was a major variable, catching everyone off - guard.
Actually, she quite wanted to see Tang Seng. At present, he must be the most conflicted one.
"No, he remained calm." The Goddess of Mercy raised her head slightly. "Perhaps this is a warning."
"Great Sage, let's go and see your master. You must have been worried about him these days." In fact, Yang Xue had already guessed that the Great Sage must have secretly visited Jin Chanzi these days.
"Sure. Let's go see the old master. Now that we all have magical powers, why walk on foot? We should at least take the White Dragon Horse with us. Pig and Friar Sand are still in the Lion - Camel Ridge. They don't know where the master has gone. Let's go find the master together."
Yang Xue looked up at the Great Sage. He was still so considerate. No matter what happened, he always remembered Tang Seng and his junior brothers.
Since no one had any objections, they first headed to the Lion - Camel Ridge and then went to look for Tang Seng.
Tang Seng hadn't gone far. When they found him, he was sitting by the river, washing his feet.
Yes, washing his feet.
Yang Xue saw the man wearing a cassock, taking off his shoes and soaking his feet by the river. He wasn't meditating or chanting scriptures, nor was he fingering his Buddhist beads. He was just sitting there, in a daze. She couldn't help but be amazed.
"Don't peek." Noticing her infatuated look, Sun Wukong blocked in front of her, covering her eyes with his hand. He frowned and stared at her unhappily. "It's too late to regret now. You're my woman. Don't have any thoughts about other men."
Yang Xue slapped his hand away. "When did I have such thoughts?"
"Then why did you swallow your saliva?" Sun Wukong said crossly as he blocked her behind him. Only then did he notice the contemplative look on the Goddess of Mercy's face.
"..." His face flushed red instantly. He stammered and glared at the Goddess of Mercy. "What are you looking at? Just because you're a goddess doesn't mean you're special. Haven't you seen a man jealous for his wife?"
"..."
"..."
...
The air fell into an eerie silence. As if oblivious, Sun Wukong huffed and walked towards Tang Seng. He didn't forget to tell Yang Xue, "Just wait here!"
"Hehe..." Zhu Bajie covered his mouth and laughed so hard that his eyes almost disappeared. "Brother Monkey is so jealous. Even the goddess can't escape. Goddess, don't take it to heart. He's just like this. We didn't notice before because he didn't have a wife. Now that he has one, he's forgotten about his junior brothers."
The goddess said seriously, "It's okay. Monkeys do cherish their mates more than humans. I'm really glad to see Wukong protecting Yang Xue so much."
"..." Yang Xue stared blankly at the Goddess of Mercy who was speaking. This world was so mysterious!
How could the goddess be so down - to - earth yet otherworldly when she said such words?
"By the way, what's the deal with that Bai Xue beside Xuan You?" The Goddess of Mercy finally remembered that she had something important to ask Yang Xue. "She looks so demonic, but her appearance is exactly the same as yours. Which one of you is the real White Bone Demon?"
"..." Yang Xue opened her mouth and said dumbly, "Can I say I don't know either?"
"Do you know that she went to see the Tathagata?"
At this moment, the Goddess of Mercy felt more like an ordinary person to Yang Xue, like a serious yet kind female Chinese teacher, intellectual and elegant. Her words guided every listener on the path of cultivation.
"What?" Yang Xue was surprised. "What did she go to see the Tathagata for? Is she trying to court death?"
"She..." The usually calm and unflappable Goddess of Mercy rarely showed a troubled look. "She went to the Tathagata's meditation room in almost nothing and was slapped back to her original form by the Tathagata."
"..." Yang Xue imagined the scene and couldn't help showing a painful expression and baring her teeth.
"..." Zhu Bajie opened his mouth wide. Suddenly thinking of the Scorpion Demoness's attire... he couldn't help doubling over with laughter.
"..." Sha Seng looked calm. He thought that in this sacred Buddhist place, the White Bone Demon was really daring. He'd better go and check on the master to see if he'd had enough to eat and drink these days.
"Second brother, let's go." Seeing that Zhu Bajie still wanted to hear more gossip, Sha Seng grabbed his sleeve. "The master is waiting for us."
"Hey, Brother Sha, I..." He was reluctantly pulled away. He still wanted to hear more gossip. After all, what came from the Goddess of Mercy's mouth must be true.
Yang Xue covered her mouth and laughed heartily. "Was the Tathagata scared? Did he mistake her for me trying to seduce him?"
"I don't know," she shook her head slightly. "But after that night, the Tathagata's inner demons returned. Unfortunately, Bai Xue had already escaped."
"Ah?" Yang Xue rubbed her forehead. "Do you need my help?"
She didn't know why she suddenly felt so kind - hearted. She just thought that at this critical moment, there were too many changes. To avoid disaster, the relationship with the Tathagata couldn't get any worse.
"No. He told me to tell you that from now on, you're not to appear in front of him." As the Goddess of Mercy spoke, a precious box appeared in her hand. "But he hopes that you can put aside your grievances and help Tang Seng."
"What's this?" Yang Xue thought that she didn't have the ability to hold a grudge anyway.
"I don't know." The Goddess of Mercy looked at Tang Seng surrounded by his disciples and said indifferently, "The journey to the Western Heaven for scriptures may be called off. Next time, we'll need new candidates."
Yang Xue didn't care. She lowered her head and studied the box in her hand.
As soon as she opened it, a golden light blinded her. The next moment, she was pulled into another realm by an irresistible force.
It felt like falling off a step in a dream.
She stood on the water. The water met the sky all around. The blue water reflected the sky, making her feel as if she were in a desolate place.
She released her spiritual sense and smiled knowingly. "Tathagata, hello."
"You're here." The next moment, his voice came softly, calm and mysterious. "It turns out that the 'Immortality Scripture' you're practicing is something from the ancient times, from beyond the sky. And you're also from beyond the sky. It belongs to you. But you shouldn't have interfered in the journey for scriptures, and you shouldn't have met Sun Wukong."
Yang Xue could hear the faint anger in his voice.
"Sorry. I didn't want to either. At first, I just wanted to escape." Although she said sorry, she didn't sound sincere. "But you can't blame me entirely. If you hadn't schemed against them, perhaps Tang Seng wouldn't be walking back in a fit of pique at this moment."
"Humph." He gave a cold laugh, which sounded like the north wind blowing in her ear, with a hint of coldness.
Yang Xue crossed her arms and didn't mind.
"If you can leave this secret realm, from now on, the Western Heaven won't stop you. We'll offer you a position here, equal to that of the Goddess of Mercy."
"I don't care about that. You'd better leave this position for someone else." Yang Xue was a bit annoyed. Suddenly, the corners of her eyes twitched, showing a teasing smile. "What was the figure of that White Bone Demon like? Were you tempted?"
"Bang!"
The scene in front of her suddenly shattered like a mirror, and she was back in front of the Goddess of Mercy.