The Sworn Brotherhood Ceremony

After Su Qing chatted with Gongsun Zhixue for a while.

She said, "Alright, go back to your cultivation! It would be best if you could transform soon..."

Gongsun Zhixue curled her lip upon hearing this, turned around, and made a face at Su Qing, saying:

"After I transform, I'll definitely hide far, far away from you! Let's see how you'll bully me then!"

Su Qing smiled at her words and simply said, "Then you'll have to transform first."

Gongsun Zhixue turned around wordlessly and went back up the tree.

Watching Gongsun Zhixue's behavior, Su Qing could only give a helpless smile... she only hoped this girl could transform quickly.

If she hadn't successfully transformed before the decline, things would become exceptionally troublesome afterward.

"Forget it, I won't think about that for now."

Su Qing shook her head helplessly, glanced at the Bodhi tree again, and thought:

"I hope it's really your doing, and not that the decline has already begun..."

Su Qing touched a leaf, conveying her question to the Bodhi tree.

However, the Bodhi tree gave no response, nor did it transmit any information back through her consciousness.

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and sensed the root system, but she still found nothing unusual; they were still anchored within that mysterious substance.

"Speaking of which... what exactly is this thing?"

Su Qing rubbed her chin, growing curious about what the Bodhi tree's roots were anchored in.

"I remember a saying that Flower-Fruit Mountain is the ancestral vein of the Ten Continents and the source dragon of the Three Islands, established since the separation of the clear and the turbid, formed after the Primordial Chaos was divided. This fellow couldn't have anchored itself into the ancestral vein, could it?"

Su Qing thought about it and shook her head slightly:

"What kind of thing is an ancestral vein? It shouldn't be possible for a Bodhi tree to be riding on its head and sucking its blood, right?"

Su Qing couldn't figure it out, so she simply set it aside for now. The next time she saw Patriarch Bodhi, she would just ask him in person.

"Grow well! It would be best if you could reach maturity quickly."

Thinking this, Su Qing turned and went back inside.

At night, the Little Sparrows returned.

Seeing Su Qing back early, they were surprised and curious about what she had been up to.

Naturally, Su Qing couldn't tell them about her conversation with the seniors today, but she could briefly describe the things she had seen at the Ullambana Gathering.

At this, the little ones were very envious, clamoring for her to take them along next time.

Su Qing helplessly agreed, though she didn't know when the next time would be.

In the days that followed, while life wasn't exactly peaceful, there weren't many waves either.

In the blink of an eye, another half a year passed.

Over these six months, nothing particularly special had happened.

Nothing had changed in the small courtyard either.

On this day, Wukong ran into Su Qing's courtyard and said:

"Big Sister, tomorrow I plan to hold a banquet to swear brotherhood with my brothers and become sworn brothers of different surnames. We need an elder present to witness it, so I wanted to ask Big Sister to help witness the occasion."

"I was born of heaven and earth, born of heaven and earth, with no father or mother. I can't find my Master either, so Big Sister is the only elder I have by my side."

"So, I can only trouble Big Sister to help with this matter."

Su Qing took a sip of tea upon hearing this and nodded slightly, giving her consent.

Su Qing didn't object to this matter; she was just puzzled why this monkey was only swearing brotherhood now.

She had thought they had already become sworn brothers long ago!

As for making an appearance... Su Qing didn't really care much.

Anyway, those brothers of his already knew of her existence.

So there was no point in hiding.

Seeing Su Qing agree, Wukong said:

"Hehehe, since Big Sister has agreed, then I can rest easy. I'll head back first to make the arrangements and won't disturb Big Sister's quiet cultivation any longer."

The monkey knew Su Qing preferred stillness over movement, so he didn't intend to disturb her further.

He turned and left the courtyard.

After Su Qing watched the monkey leave, she took a sip of tea...

She wondered if she should do something else.

Just staying like this all the time was rather boring.

Thinking this, Su Qing shook her head slightly and decided to see how things went.

The next day.

Flower-Fruit Mountain held another grand banquet...

All sorts of fresh fruits unique to Flower-Fruit Mountain covered many stone tables.

Outside the Water Curtain Cave, gongs and drums shook the heavens, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively...

Su Qing sat by a green stone outside the Water Curtain Cave, watching the monkeys jumping up and down, feeling a bit of a headache.

She had intended to come a bit later, but the little ones couldn't wait, wanting to go to the banquet to eat as soon as possible.

So they had woken her up very early, clamoring for her to hurry over.

Su Qing couldn't withstand their pestering and was pulled along.

She just felt a bit of regret now...

Lively as it was, it was different from the bustling atmosphere of the mortal world...

The monkey cries echoing across the mountains were somewhat annoying.

Su Qing let out a helpless sigh, took a sip of wine, and gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

Fortunately, Su Qing didn't have to wait too long before Wukong found her and told her they were about to begin the ceremony.

Su Qing nodded slightly, stood up, followed him over, and took her seat.

Although she had long known of the existence of the other Seven Great Demon Sages and knew what kind of demons they were, today was the first time she truly saw the appearances of those demon kings.

Seeing the looks of those demon kings, Su Qing was momentarily speechless.

These demon kings really looked... a bit surreal.

But fortunately, because they were so surreal, Su Qing could tell who was who at a glance.

After Su Qing took her seat, she sat there drinking tea and watching the show. She was just a witness and didn't have much to do.

At most, she would give a final nod to validate their swearing of brotherhood.

The ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion. The seven demons quickly finished the necessary rituals. When it came time to swear brotherhood, they suddenly realized they hadn't decided who was the eldest and who was the second.

Fortunately, the Bull Demon King came up with an idea to determine the ranking based on age and the size of their true forms.

After a final discussion, the Bull Demon King took the position of the eldest, while the monkey head, being the youngest, took the last rank.

Although Wukong was ranked last, he wasn't dissatisfied.

He simply swore brotherhood with great joy.

From then on, the seven demon kings became sworn brothers of different surnames!

Seeing that the swearing was over, Su Qing prepared to leave, but before she could stand up, she saw the newly sworn Flood Dragon Demon King suggest they each take a title.

"Since we have sworn to be brothers, why don't we each take a title? Calling ourselves Bull Demon King or Flood Dragon Demon King clearly states our identities, but it's also a bit crude and rustic. It would be better to take some nice-sounding titles and names."

Naturally, Wukong had no objections to this, saying only, "Not only must it sound good, it must also be majestic and domineering!"

"Good idea, good idea! What ideas do you all have?" the Bull Demon King also laughed and said.

Su Qing watched from the side, wondering if she should directly mention the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Su Qing couldn't remember when that title was acquired; she only knew that the monkey head and the six demon kings all called themselves Great Sages.

Wukong was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and the Bull Demon King was the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven. As for what the others were, Su Qing couldn't remember.

"Forget it, I'll see first! If they can't reach a conclusion, I'll speak up."

Su Qing thought for a moment and made a plan.

It was just a title; she wasn't instigating him to cause trouble, so it shouldn't bring her any problems.

Wukong and the Bull Demon King and the other demon kings discussed titles for a long time but still couldn't reach a conclusion.

So they simply sought outside help. Wukong didn't ask Su Qing directly but instead called over his Military Advisor, an old Red-Bottomed Macaque, and asked what title he should take.

"Is the Great King's title not the Handsome Monkey King?" the old monkey asked, looking at the Monkey King with dim, old eyes.

"Not that title, but another name. I must have a more resounding title!"

The old monkey thought for a long time and said, "The Great King's magic power reaches the heavens, your lifespan is equal to heaven, and you are a natural-born sage. Why not call yourself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"

Hearing this, the Monkey King was immediately overjoyed and said, "Good! Good! Good! As expected of my Military Advisor! You really know how to give names! I shall be called the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"

The old monkey chuckled and gave a subject's salute, saying, "As long as the Great King likes it."

The Monkey King was very happy and told his brothers this title.

The other demon kings also thought the name of Great Sage sounded good, so they each began calling themselves Great Sages as well.

The Bull Demon King called himself the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven, the Flood Dragon Demon King called himself the Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea, the Peng Demon King called himself the Great Sage Who Mixes Heaven, the Lion Camel King called himself the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains, while the Macaque King and the Yurong King called themselves the Great Sage Who Vents the Wind and the Great Sage Who Exorcises Gods.

Su Qing listened from the side, finding it quite interesting.

She had thought she would have to speak up to push this matter forward, but she hadn't expected an old monkey to suggest it first.

"Perhaps this is the inertia of history? Or maybe an inside agent arranged by the Bodhisattva? Forget it, who cares! There's no point in thinking about so many conspiracies; it's enough that the monkey head became the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

Su Qing smiled, took a sip of wine, and then said she was ready to leave.

Just as she was about to stand up, the Bull Demon King suddenly called out to Su Qing, intending to ask her to stay and drink with them.

Su Qing just shook her head and then left on her own.

Naturally, she wouldn't stay. Firstly, it was noisy, and secondly, since someone had already given the title, she didn't intend to have much more involvement with the other demon kings.

Su Qing didn't give him face, and the Bull Demon King couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. But since she was Wukong's elder, and nominally his elder too, he couldn't do anything to her if she didn't give him face.

He could only say helplessly, "Wukong, this Big Sister of yours really has quite a temper."

"My Big Sister has a great temper! She just dislikes noise and loves peace and quiet! It wasn't easy just pulling her here to be a witness today. How could she possibly stay?"

Wukong chuckled, also speaking up for his Big Sister.

The Bull Demon King laughed, seemingly not taking it to heart.

He just called the other brothers to drink together.

After a day of hearty revelry, the demon kings each departed.

With the demon kings gone, Flower-Fruit Mountain returned to tranquility.

The next afternoon, after the monkey head had sobered up, he ran to Su Qing's place again.

"Big Sister, yesterday I was so busy playing that I almost forgot something," Wukong said, squatting on a stone stool.

"Oh? What did you forget?" Su Qing asked.

"Naturally, it's Big Sister's title!"

"Why would I need a title?"

"We all call ourselves Great Sages now. How can Big Sister not have a majestic title?"

Su Qing gave a helpless smile and said, "You know, I like to keep a low profile."

Wukong chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Then we'll just pick a low-key title. If it really doesn't work, Big Sister can just treat it as playing along with me."

Su Qing couldn't really argue with Wukong, so she didn't bother to dispute it with him. It was just a title; she would just pick one at random.

"Then what is your suggestion?"

"Naturally, you should be called a Great Sage!" Wukong chuckled.

"That's not low-key at all," Su Qing said casually, feeling helpless.

"Then what does Big Sister want to be called?"

Su Qing felt an urge to roll her eyes. So in the end, I have to come up with it myself, right?

But Su Qing didn't want to argue with Wukong; she just wanted to finish this quickly and send this fellow away.

"Then call me Bi Ling Yuanjun Azure Spirit Sovereign," Su Qing said after a moment's thought.

The 'Bi' in Bi Ling naturally comes from the word for jasper, which matches the color of my true form's scales, while the character 'Ling' is a homophone for 'scales' (Lin).

As for 'Yuanjun', it is a title used in Daoism for female immortals.

So Su Qing just randomly combined these words and called herself Bi Ling Yuanjun Azure Spirit Sovereign.

However, after saying it, Su Qing suddenly remembered.

Although 'Yuanjun' was a respectful title for female immortals, not just any female immortal could be called a Yuanjun.

Thinking carefully, this title of Yuanjun wasn't necessarily any more low-key than Wukong's Great Sage title.

"Forget it, it was just a casual remark. I'll tell the monkey not to take this title seriously later and not to go around blabbing it. Lest this fellow helps me become famous..." Su Qing shook her head inwardly, thinking to herself.

At this time, Wukong also said with a smile:

"Hehe, I didn't expect Big Sister to be so good at picking titles! This title is indeed much more low-key."

"I'm a bit curious, why were you so insistent on me picking a title?" Su Qing shook her head and asked.

"You are our Big Sister. Since I have such a majestic title, how could Big Sister not have one?"

Su Qing was speechless and said, "Fine, you know this title now, but don't go around blabbing it."

"I know, I know, I understand everything," Wukong chuckled, scratching the back of his hand and saying with a smile.

Seeing this, Su Qing just nodded.

As long as this fellow didn't go around blabbing it, it would be fine.

"Mhm, that's good then. Do you have anything else?" Su Qing asked, her meaning being quite obvious.

If there was nothing else, he should go play on his own.

Wukong naturally understood, chuckled, and wasn't annoyed.

But just as he was about to speak, a knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door.

Su Qing's brow twitched at the sound, and she waved her hand to open the door.

The door opened, and a Golden Snub-nosed Monkey came tumbling in. After rolling twice, he knelt on the ground like a human and said:

"Great King, Senior King, it's bad, something terrible has happened!"

Su Qing found the address 'Senior King' somewhat strange, but she didn't care much and only asked:

"Why such a panic? Has some demon king come to attack?"

"Don't panic, don't panic. Even if some ignorant demon king has come to attack, I, Old Sun, can beat him back! What's there to panic about?" Wukong was quite confident, looking like he feared nothing in heaven or earth.

The Golden Snub-nosed Monkey hurriedly said, "It's not a demon king attacking, it's the Military Advisor! He's about to pass away!"

Su Qing's brow twitched slightly upon hearing this, wondering who that was.

Thinking carefully, she remembered. Wasn't the so-called Military Advisor the monkey who had come up with the title Great Sage Equal to Heaven for Wukong yesterday?

He was fine yesterday, so how could he be at his end today?

"What!?" Wukong exclaimed in surprise.