Li Miaoci followed Yang Jian and Nezha as they departed.
Along the way, she couldn’t help but speak up: “Since it’s Divine Will, I think we should first find a way to heal the tree, then proceed with the Journey to the Western Heaven.”
“After all…”
Nezha glanced at her, “After all, you want to Achieve Enlightenment?”
Li Miaoci gave a dry laugh. She didn’t want to Achieve Enlightenment—she wanted to go home.
Of course, if Enlightenment could be brought back with her, she’d welcome it.
“That’s simple enough.”
A flicker of sly amusement flashed in Nezha’s eyes.
His face was excessively beautiful, stunning to a degree that was breathtaking whether in male or female form.
Exquisite features paired with sharp eyes, along with his consistently aloof and untamed temperament.
Every aspect was flawless.
Of course, it would be even better if he spoke a bit more gently.
In contrast, God Erlang standing beside him appeared more refined and dignified, with intense brows and eyes, a high-bridged nose, and an aura of solemnity befitting the Celestial War God.
Yet when he smiled, he became much gentler.
Li Miaoci sighed inwardly—what a sin. Such beauty, combined with Tang Sanzang’s delicate, fair-skinned face.
If they journeyed west, who knew how many Demons would covet their looks along the way.
“What are you spacing out for? Let’s go!”
Seeing her lost in thought, Nezha couldn’t resist glaring at her fiercely.
She looked pitifully at Yang Jian, “Second… Brother.”
“Let’s go. It’s your first time in the Celestial Court—I’ll show you around.”
Yang Jian said.
She followed the two, “strolling” until they reached Tushita Palace.
“Where is this?” she asked curiously.
“Laojun’s Alchemy Room.”
Yang Jian replied.
Nezha patted her shoulder, “Isn’t this the place your eldest brother knows best? Didn’t he tell you about it?”
“No.” Li Miaoci stopped, “But you two are esteemed Heavenly Gods. Isn’t it improper for us to sneak into someone’s alchemy room like this?”
“Besides, a gentleman…”
“What gentleman? It’s not us sneaking around—it’s just you.” Nezha distanced himself.
“If we’re discovered, you can just take the blame.”
“Second Brother…” She tugged at Yang Jian’s cloak, but Yang Jian helplessly averted his gaze.
As the God of Justice, he couldn’t knowingly break the law.
The only thing he could do was pretend not to see.
Nezha entered the alchemy room and, with a wave of his hand toward the rows of gourds containing Elixirs, sent the multicolored gourds tumbling through the air toward him.
He took the Elixirs one by one, like a mountain healer prescribing medicine in the mortal realm, paying no heed to their effects and focusing only on quantity.
“Don’t be greedy.” Yang Jian didn’t look at him but didn’t forget to remind him, “Little Junior Sister’s Spiritual Power is no different from Mortals. She can’t handle so many Immortal Elixirs.”
Nezha suddenly realized, “Right.”
Though he said this, he didn’t return the Immortal Elixirs. Instead, he casually picked up an intricately patterned Sachet Artifact.
Then he stuffed all the Immortal Elixirs into the sachet.
The sachet, now holding many Elixirs, shrank to the size of a palm.
He tossed the sachet to Li Miaoci, “Keep it with you. Treat them like candy pills—over time, you’ll absorb them all.”
“With these Immortal Elixirs, you won’t need Enlightenment or attainment. You can become a Rogue Immortal as you please.”
Li Miaoci’s hands felt weak—this was her first time being a thief.
“But aren’t you afraid that carrying such a treasure with me, I’ll be robbed by Demons?”
Nezha scoffed, as if hearing the biggest joke.
Half an hour later, the three appeared before the gates of the Peach of Immortality Garden.
Li Miaoci gazed at the Peach of Immortality Garden, shrouded in immortal energy and stretching as far as the eye could see, feeling for the first time the urge to be a monkey.
These divine fruits looked even larger than her face, and their rich, fragrant aroma could be smelled from a hundred paces away.
“Is this really okay?”
Li Miaoci grinned as if she had stumbled upon gold while out for a walk.
She glanced back at the cold-faced God Erlang, then at Nezha, who had already leaped onto a peach tree.
Deep down, Nezha felt rather conflicted. He didn’t like weak friends. But back in the mortal realm, when he had killed mortals and Tang Sanzang scolded him, Li Miaoci had unhesitatingly stepped in front of him to shield him.
He had to admit that, from childhood till now, no one besides his mother had ever defended him so recklessly.
“Come and eat,” he said, somewhat irritably.
Li Miaoci caught the divine fruit he tossed down. “But what if someone finds out?”
“Who’s going to find out?” Nezha pointed at Yang Jian. “The Great Emperor of Heaven is his uncle. Tell me, is there anything wrong with a nephew bringing friends to his uncle’s place to eat a little something?”
“Theoretically, no,” Li Miaoci agreed. After all, she had a very good relationship with her own uncles.
But Yang Jian and his uncle didn’t seem quite as close, did they?
“But Second Brother doesn’t seem that close with his uncle, right?”
“Exactly,” Nezha replied, even more matter-of-factly, casually tossing another peach to Yang Jian as he spoke. “Since their relationship isn’t good anyway, eating a couple more or a couple fewer peaches won’t change anything.”
“I never imagined the Third Prince would turn out to be a philosopher.”
“What?”
“I said this peach really is more delicious than the ones in the mortal realm.”
After eating two, Li Miaoci still took a stroll around the garden, picking out a peach of exceptional shape and color to take with her.
“What’s that for?”
“Next time we meet, I’ll bring it for Elder Brother. He loves them,” Li Miaoci said.
“It seems we won’t find out anything more about the journey to the west. I’ll take Little Sister back to Guankou River Mouth first,” Yang Jian said, unwilling to indulge their mischief any longer.
Nezha jumped down from the tree. “Fine. When I have time, I’ll go down again to see if the old monk is still alive.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Miaoci suddenly felt a gust of wind sweep past her ears.
When she looked again, the two who had been standing alive and well before her had vanished without a trace.
Li Miaoci paused mid-bite into her peach. Wait—they ran off without her?
Nezha found himself back in the Flowing Sands River, unable to break free no matter what he tried. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
Muttering to himself, he said, “Let me go, I’m going to the Western Heaven to retrieve the scriptures.”
The next moment, he was back in the Peach of Immortality Garden.
Yang Jian appeared almost simultaneously. The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with too many complex, indescribable emotions.
There was no escaping it. Truly, no escaping it.
Unbeknownst to them, the time they had spent delaying in the heavens amounted to over ten days in the mortal realm.
Guanyin Bodhisattva, having waited in vain for the Scripture Seeker to seek her help in reviving the tree, descended to the mortal realm herself.
She restored the Ginseng Fruit Tree to life, and Zhenyuan Great Immortal no longer troubled Tang Sanzang, allowing him to continue his journey to the west.
Tang Sanzang led his horse, which carried their luggage on its back.
Though his disciples were absent, his determination to journey westward remained unchanged.
Sun Wukong was the first to return, followed by Nezha and the other two.
Tang Sanzang was not surprised by their return. Whether they stayed or left, he maintained a calm composure.
He felt it was good to have protection, but if there was none, he was prepared to give his life on the journey to the west—such was the karma of Buddhism.
“Senior Brother!” Li Miaoci presented the Peach of Immortality to him as if offering a treasure. The Monk’s eyes lit up as he took the peach. “You’re always so thoughtful, little junior sister. You never forget old Sun in everything you do.”
“Weren’t you two brothers unwilling to journey west? How come you’ve returned as well?”