“Sigh.”
Li Miaoci had just hidden herself when she heard the monk let out a delicate, affected sigh.
“Why does my lady sigh?”
Black mist drew near, and within the dense clouds, a tall figure emerged.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the tightly shut window creaked open.
He entered the room through the window.
“You come and go on clouds and mist every day—I don’t know your name, your whereabouts, or where your home is, nor what kind of person you are. Yet you claim you want to be my husband. I see little sincerity in you.”
The monk, transformed into Gao Cuilan, spoke with a tone of melancholy.
Hearing her sorrowful voice, even without any lamplight, one could imagine the beauty silently shedding tears in her distress.
Listening to this, Li Miaoci felt her bones go weak. But upon hearing Zhu Ganglie’s voice, she thought, The TV series misled me!
If I had known his voice was so pleasant and captivating, I could have fallen in love with my eyes closed!
“My lady,” the demon walked to the bedside, making as if to sit next to the monk.
The monk nimbly dodged to the side.
The demon drew closer again, chanting, “Miss, who wouldn’t be sincere in wanting to marry you?”
The words sounded somewhat stiff, as if spoken reluctantly.
“I was originally…”
I was originally Marshal Tianpeng, descended to the mortal world, but mistakenly reincarnated into a pig’s womb. Hence, I took the surname Zhu, with the official name Zhu Ganglie. My home is in the Cloud Ladder Cave of Fuling Mountain.
Li Miaoci stared wide-eyed, carefully observing the scene before her, but the room was too dark, and thick clouds shrouded the outside.
She could only make out a faint, indistinct silhouette.
Still, this didn’t stop her from mentally reciting the lines Zhu Bajie was about to say.
But the next moment—
“I was originally the Divine Lord of Clear Origin and Wondrous Dao, surnamed Yang, named Jian. My home is at Guankou River Mouth.”
Wait a minute?
Li Miaoci’s vision went dark, as if she had drunk counterfeit wine.
She blurted out, “Who did you say you are?”
“Who are you?”
“Ah!”
The monk could no longer maintain the disguise and let out a sharp cry. Instantly, the candles in the room lit up.
Li Miaoci felt a blinding flash of light, and beside her, Miss Gao reverted to her original form.
In the room now stood a handsome and elegant gentleman—the true God Erlang!
“What Divine Lord or not—demon, look who I am!”
He raised his staff and struck.
Yang Jian stared in astonishment at the scene before him, then vanished into mid-air.
Li Miaoci chased after him, clinging to the railing of the loft and shouting into the pitch-black night sky, “No! Where’s my Brother Pig?”
She couldn’t ride clouds and mist, let alone fight.
She watched helplessly as the Handsome Monkey King and the handsome man disappeared together, stomping her feet in frustration.
“Master! Master! Something terrible has happened! Big Brother…”
Li Miaoci hurried downstairs to find Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang had been sitting uneasily in the main hall, chanting sutras. Hearing her exclamation, he anxiously asked, “Has your big brother been captured by demons?”
“Not exactly, but something terrible has happened!”
“What exactly happened?”
Tang Sanzang pressed urgently.
Li Miaoci poked her fingers together. This was truly a long story, and a difficult one to tell.
She now wondered if she had crossed into a pirated version of Journey to the West?
Or was this actually some kind of rule-based horror story?
“Master, do you think things that are supposed to happen are destined to happen?”
Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and replied, “Amitabha, well said, well said. Your question, my disciple, carries profound meaning. In my humble opinion, all things in this world have their own causes and effects. What is meant to happen is sown by prior causes, and the consequences naturally manifest. However, all living beings possess the power of choice. If one can cultivate good intentions and virtuous deeds, widely sowing seeds of goodness, perhaps one can resolve evil consequences, turning danger into safety.”
Li Miaoci nodded thoughtfully.
That makes sense, but what did he say after “Amitabha”?
Night deepened.
Li Miaoci lay in bed, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
Although she found the Journey to the Western Heaven amusing, she still wanted to return home. She had no intention of staying here forever.
But if the Scripture Seekers were not the right ones, could she still return home after reaching the Western Heaven?
Tossing and turning for half the night, she decided to personally visit the Cloud Ladder Cave to find the second senior brother. She had to steer the plot back on track!
Leaving her room in the dead of night, she wandered around Gao Village for hours, finally finding the way out of the village at dawn.
Damn my terrible sense of direction!
Even as an Immortal Herb, I’m still so… ugh.
After a while, clouds gathered and mist rose in the sky.
Two figures descended from the heavens into the Gao household.
The eldest senior brother and God Erlang had returned.
Li Miaoci hurried back.
When she arrived at the entrance of the Gao residence, she saw everyone gathered there.
Miss Gao timidly hid behind Old Master Gao, her face full of fear and awe toward God Erlang.
“Master, he too was instructed by the Bodhisattva to wait here specifically for the Scripture Seeker,” Sun Wukong said.
Tang Sanzang looked at God Erlang with admiration. “So that’s how it is.”
“Miaoci, come over and greet your second senior brother.”
Li Miaoci stared dumbfounded at Yang Jian. His appearance, figure, and demeanor were truly celestial—such beauty was rarely seen in the mortal world!
“Eldest Senior Brother, are you mistaken?”
“How could I be mistaken?” Sun Wukong retorted.
“But I remember the second senior brother…” She trailed off halfway, and Sun Wukong seemed to recall something as well, but the strange thought quickly slipped from his mind.
“Second Senior Brother?” She looked at Yang Jian, his hair disheveled and his clothes marked with lightning strikes.
Yang Jian’s face was pale with anger, his expression stern and imposing.
He couldn’t understand it, truly couldn’t understand!
He, a primordial sage who had attained sainthood through physical cultivation, was actually trapped on Fuli Mountain.
The Heavenly Dao seemed to be forcing him to do things he didn’t want to do, or else dozens of heavenly thunderbolts would strike down in unison.
Although the thunder tribulations couldn’t harm him, they still hurt when they hit.
Spitting too much blood also consumed more Spiritual Energy.
And it seemed this nightmare would only end once he helped Tang Sanzang retrieve the true scriptures.
Fine, fine.
With his abilities combined with the monkey’s skills, this journey westward should be a breeze.