Tang Seng took off his cassock and let his hair grow long. The queen was even more infatuated with him.
In her leisure time, the queen would always sit with Tang Seng, playing chess, writing, and chatting about Buddhist scriptures.
After each chat about scriptures, Tang Seng would always silently chant "Amitabha" and stare blankly towards the west for a while.
The queen didn't know what was on his mind. She only knew that this man had changed a great deal since their first meeting.
To be precise, the monk standing in front of her now was Jinchanzi.
Moreover, he no longer referred to himself as "poor monk".
"Your Majesty, my disciples will come tomorrow to celebrate the Mid - Autumn Festival with me." Saying this, Jinchanzi stood up, holding Buddhist beads. He was dressed in a long light - yellow brocade robe and black cloud - treading boots. He looked extremely handsome.
The queen's affectionate gaze followed his figure. She slowly got up, walked behind him, and gently patted his back. Softly, she said, "My dear imperial brother, what are you thinking about? I've already sent people to prepare. We'll enjoy the moon and drink in the imperial garden tomorrow night."
"I just occasionally think that such a peaceful and prosperous life is really tempting." Tang Seng said as he twirled the Buddhist beads, the corners of his lips curving slightly. "Even my eldest disciple, Sun Wukong, could be trapped by love. It still seems unbelievable to me."
Thinking of the woman whom Sun Wukong never left for a moment, the queen couldn't help smiling. "She was so charming that even I, as a woman, couldn't help taking a few more glances. How could a man resist?"
"Dear imperial brother, since we've come to this topic, there's something I'd like to ask you." In private, the queen rarely referred to herself as "I". "Why didn't Miss Yang take a fancy to you at first sight? I heard that on the journey to fetch the scriptures, all the demons and ghosts were after Tang Seng. Why was she an exception?"
"..."
"May I ask, dear imperial brother, did you feel disappointed at that time?"
Jinchanzi stood still, thinking that this must have been a question that had been weighing on the queen's mind for a long time.
Well, a Buddhist should not tell lies.
"Yes, I was really surprised and a bit taken aback at that time, but not disappointed." Jinchanzi smiled slightly and reached out to hold her hands. "Actually, after we reached the White Tiger Ridge, many strange things happened, which made me suspect her identity. Because I once received a divine guidance that there would be changes on the journey to fetch the scriptures."
"Why didn't you stop her?" The beautiful queen leaned in his arms. She had heard many stories about the journey from him and had always been very curious about Miss Yang's appearance. "If you had insisted that the Great Sage kill her at that time, maybe there wouldn't have been the following stories."
Tang Seng smiled. "Because I knew that Wukong's outcome wouldn't be as he wished. I saw an opportunity in her. If she was really the turning point on the journey to fetch the scriptures, I wanted to save Wukong through her. Unexpectedly, she fell in love with my disciple."
He recalled the past scene, as if he could see Wukong, who was rarely shy in front of a demon. He understood why his disciple had also fallen in love.
The queen didn't care about this anymore. She lifted the bead curtain, walked to the outer room, and turned to look at Jinchanzi. "Then, why didn't you take a fancy to anyone else at that time? Why were you willing to stay with me to live an ordinary life? After I die, will you wait for me in the next life?"
Jinchanzi frowned and quickly walked over to embrace her. "No, I don't want to wait for the next life. When Wukong and his wife come, we'll plead with the sages to help you cultivate. Then we can be together forever."
The queen sighed. "It's not that easy."
"The days of waiting for someone are too bitter. If you're destined to live only a hundred years, I, Tang Sanzang, don't want to live alone for so long."
"Then, is it really true that eating your flesh can lead to immortality?" The queen looked at his serious expression. She didn't want him to really abandon his identity as Jinchanzi, so she said casually.
"Yes," he suddenly had an idea. He rolled up his sleeve and showed it to the queen. "It's true! It's just that no one has ever succeeded. We must give it a try. Right now!"
"..." The queen opened her clear eyes wide and looked at him in shock. Her eyes were filled with tears.
...
Sun Wukong was very angry. He was sitting on the swing, in a daze. A group of little monkeys were chattering and vying to push the swing behind him, trying to cheer him up.
But Sun Wukong found them annoying and drove them all away. He lay on the swing alone, sulking. No one was allowed to disturb him.
"Daddy~ Daddy~ Daddy, carry me~" A soft and sweet voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Sun Wukong immediately bounced up. He turned around and saw a little figure staggering towards him with open arms.
"Son!" Sun Wukong opened his arms and ran over to pick up the child. He shouted excitedly, "You can walk now! My son is so amazing!"
Yang Xue folded her arms in front of her chest and looked at the interaction between the father and son with annoyance. They actually ignored her.
It was just that she didn't let him kiss or hug her today. Why was he so angry that he came to the hilltop to relax?
After having the child, she just didn't have the mood to be as affectionate with him as before, but the Great Sage couldn't accept it. He was still as clingy as ever.
"You hold the son. I'm going out." Since someone could take care of the child, she might as well take the opportunity to go out and do something.
"Where are you going?" Hearing this, Sun Wukong angrily blocked her way with the child in his arms. He glared at her with a sullen face. "I'm still angry! You don't even try to comfort me and just turn around and leave. You're going to have a tryst with someone else after leaving the child behind. Don't think I don't know. You've taken a fancy to some fox spirit again!"
Yang Xue was helpless. In recent years, she had had close contacts with Qingqiu, so it was inevitable that she would meet some good - looking male fox demons. Although Sun Wukong never said that he minded, he always guarded against her meeting them.
"Great Sage, I'm just going to the foot of the mountain. They're building a medical center in the town. I have to supervise it, or someone might cut corners." She looked at the angry face of the Great Sage and reached out to touch it. "Don't be angry, Great Sage. I'll make soup for you when I come back tonight, okay?"
Unexpectedly, his slightly softened expression flared up again because of this sentence.
"You make soup for me every day, and it's tonic soup. I've been suffering from excessive internal heat for seven days. As my wife, you haven't helped me relieve it for half a month! That's not all. This morning, I just wanted to touch your waist and kiss you, but you actually slapped me!" Sun Wukong angrily stuffed the child into her arms and roared aggrievedly, "In my whole life, no one has ever dared to slap me!"
"..." Yang Xue held the child in her arms and saw the big eyes of the child looking back and forth between them, carefully listening to their quarrel. She couldn't help feeling guilty.
The child was so young, but he already had to learn to read people's expressions. He was smiling happily in the Great Sage's arms just now, but now he was blinking his eyes and pouting, ready to cry at any time.
"Oops, my dear, don't cry. Mommy will hold you." While comforting the child, Yang Xue explained to the monkeys standing not far away watching the show, "I really didn't slap your Great Sage. It's just that he..."
"Pfft~"
Everyone looked back and saw a group of immortals appearing on the treetops. The little monkeys scattered in all directions. Sun Wukong's face turned green and then red, and finally purple with embarrassment.
"Sorry, sorry. I really couldn't hold it in." Nezha, led by Yang Jian with his hand on his shoulder, explained seriously, "I know about this. The Great Sage should understand. After my mother gave birth to me, my father often showed such an unsatisfied expression."
"Pfft~ Hahahahahahahaha... Hahaha..." Zhu Bajie following behind, the God of Wealth who came to visit, and all the immortals who came to ask Yang Xue for the secret of quick cultivation finally couldn't help laughing loudly.
"..." Sun Wukong's eyes turned cold. "You're asking for death!"
"..." They immediately shut their mouths.
"Lord Lao Jun, can I ask you for some pills?" Yang Xue said seriously, "The kind for enhancing passion."
"..."
"..."
"..."
All the immortals quietly floated down the mountain, leaving only Lord Lao Jun standing under the tree, nervously looking at Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong blinked. "Do you have any?"
"Yes!" Lord Lao Jun rubbed his forehead. He had lived for thousands of years, but he had never met anyone who asked for such pills so openly, and in front of so many immortals!
However, when it came from the mouth of the Great Sage, it seemed reasonable, and even made people have a kind of awe for daily life.