Guanyin Bodhisattva

Su Qing remained quite calm after hearing Chang'e's words, only nodding slightly as she spoke:

"So, the reason this Peaches of Immortality Banquet has no peaches, was turned into a complete mess, and was even forced to be canceled, is all because of that Wukong?"

In truth, Su Qing had already known about these events long ago.

None of this had managed to exceed her expectations.

However, out of politeness, she still responded to Chang'e's words.

Chang'e had no idea that Su Qing already knew everything.

"Yes, this matter has already spread among the immortals! It is only because you haven't gone to the Heavenly Palace that you aren't clear on the details."

She leaned back against the chair, saying with a face full of helplessness:

"Actually, I guessed long ago that the Peach Garden would more or less run into trouble. After all, letting a monkey guard a peach garden—it would be strange if nothing happened."

"What I didn't expect was that the monkey would be so capable of eating and so greedy, actually eating almost all the ripe peaches, and even spoiling the food and fine wine of the Peach Banquet."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot to mention."

"That wretched monkey didn't just steal and eat the peaches or steal and drink the wine of the banquet."

"Somehow, he even made his way above the Thirty-Third Heaven and slipped into Laojun's alchemy room."

"He even stole and ate all the Nine-Turn Golden Elixirs that Laojun had refined for the 'Danyuan Assembly'—five whole medicine gourds of golden elixirs... I imagine Laojun must be heartbroken."

Hearing this, Su Qing couldn't help but say helplessly, "Laojun has truly suffered a massive loss this time."

In reality, whether these golden elixirs counted as a massive loss or caused heartbreak for Laojun...

Su Qing wasn't entirely sure.

After all, Laojun had previously given her a large amount of those same pills all at once...

After reflecting for a moment, Su Qing shook her head and stopped thinking deeply about it, only asking:

"By the way, Wukong has caused such a great disaster; where is he now? Has he already been captured by the Jade Emperor?"

Because Su Qing was in the Moon Palace, she wasn't very clear on exactly what stage the current events had reached.

So she could only ask Chang'e, who was an insider.

"That monkey? He probably knew he caused a disaster, so he fled to the lower realm long ago."

Chang'e thought for a moment and said:

"However, whether he has been caught yet, I don't know. When I returned to the Moon Palace, the Jade Emperor had only just sent people out to capture him."

"I see," Su Qing said, nodding slightly upon hearing this.

Once Su Qing learned that the monkey had escaped the Heavenly Court and returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain, she understood exactly what stage they were at.

Chang'e didn't know what Su Qing was thinking at this moment; she only saw Su Qing's contemplative look.

She thought Su Qing was worried about being implicated by the Jade Emperor's anger because she was the monkey's big sister.

She thought for a bit and then continued:

"By the way, you don't need to worry about His Majesty venting his anger on you."

"Although that monkey caused a great disaster, His Majesty only ordered troops to be sent to capture that wretched monkey and didn't mention your affairs."

"Furthermore, no one in the court has mentioned your existence..."

Hearing this, she turned to look at Chang'e, then smiled and shook her head, saying:

"I've troubled you to worry, sister, but I am not actually afraid of His Majesty venting his anger on me."

Su Qing wasn't worried about the Jade Emperor's anger.

After all, she hadn't done anything; she had stayed in the Moon Palace the entire time and left no leverage. Even if he vented his anger on her, the most he could do was dismiss her from her official post.

However, not only would she not be unhappy about that, she would actually find it quite good.

Without the constraints of an official post, it would be much simpler for her to leave the Moon Palace and return to the mortal world to cultivate in the future.

Seeing Su Qing say this, Chang'e curled her lip; it turned out she had worried for nothing.

Then she suddenly thought of another possibility and couldn't help but ask:

"By the way, since you aren't worried about being implicated by the monkey, you aren't thinking of going to help that monkey, are you?"

Hearing Chang'e's words, Su Qing was also momentarily stunned.

Even she couldn't understand how Chang'e had drawn such a conclusion from her previous answer.

This sister of hers seemed to have a mental circuit even larger than her own problems.

"How did you reach that conclusion?"

"Aren't you that monkey's big sister?"

"I am indeed his big sister... but in this matter, I do not intend to intervene."

Su Qing shook her head slightly and said:

"After all, he brought this disaster upon himself, so he must naturally taste the bitter fruit himself."

Chang'e was stunned for a good while before nodding and saying:

"What you say is indeed correct. It's good that you can think this way..."

"I originally thought you would want to take action against the Heavenly Court's immortals because you were worried the monkey would be killed!"

Chang'e wasn't worried about Su Qing being killed by those crusading immortals...

One must know that over these past decades, Su Qing had learned quite a lot from her and the Lunar Deity.

Among Earthly Immortals, she was already one of the top-tier, outstanding figures.

With Su Qing's current strength, few people could be her match, except for a very small number of powerful Earthly Immortals and those Heavenly Immortals.

What Chang'e was truly worried about was that if Su Qing took action, she would end up crippling, injuring, or killing those righteous gods of the Heavenly Court.

They were, after all, righteous gods of the Heavenly Court. If she incited public outrage and everyone went to the Jade Emperor to file a complaint...

Even if the Jade Emperor didn't want to punish her heavily, he would have no choice.

Even with Laojun present, it might not be possible to completely waive her punishment.

Therefore, after Su Qing expressed that she didn't intend to intervene, she also breathed a sigh of relief.

Yes, she breathed a sigh of relief for those crusading immortals.

Hearing this, how could Su Qing know that Chang'e was thinking so much?

She only smiled and said:

"You don't need to worry about me. I am much more rational than you think and won't do such foolish things. Besides, I am not worried about his life or death; after all, he most likely won't die."

"Why are you so certain?" Now it was Chang'e's turn to be a bit confused.

Hearing this, Su Qing didn't know how to explain it to Chang'e.

After all, she couldn't exactly say she knew the events of the future, which was why she wasn't worried at all about the monkey dying, right?

So after thinking for a moment, Su Qing simply imitated her master's manner, stroked her chin, and said in a worldly-wise tone, "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed!"

Hearing this, Chang'e couldn't help but roll her eyes, then reached out and pinched Su Qing's cheeks.

"Why are you also learning that routine from Old Mother of Mount Li and the Lunar Deity! How hateful, I'll have to let you have less contact with the Lunar Deity in the future; she's led you astray."

"What a good child you were! Now you've also learned to talk in circles with me."

"You're no longer pure! Quick, let sister check you over!"

Su Qing: "..."

Is it possible that, compared to the Lunar Deity, your problem is actually even bigger?

"I'm fine, I'm okay, you're not allowed to mess around!" Su Qing said quickly, fearing this woman would actually start acting up.

Chang'e curled her lip and then said:

"Fine, fine. Since you aren't worried and don't plan to intervene, let's not talk about these things anymore. Let's chat about something else."

Hearing this, Su Qing also nodded.

She was also too lazy to continue talking about this matter.

After all, she more or less knew what would happen next.

If one were to ask Su Qing what the Eighty-One Tribulations were, she would definitely only remember the Jade Rabbit Spirit, the Spider Spirit, and the Women's Kingdom right now.

But when it came to the Havoc in Heaven, her memory was still quite deep; at the very least, she remembered several very key turning points.

After Chang'e stopped talking about the Peach Banquet, she also told Su Qing about some other strange and interesting anecdotes.

Especially some amusing things she had heard from other immortals during the period of the Peach Banquet.

Chang'e and Su Qing were quite leisurely in the Moon Palace.

However, the many immortals at Flower-Fruit Mountain were not leisurely at all right now; instead, they were somewhat depressed.

Nezha and the Four Heavenly Kings had fought with Wukong for an entire afternoon but had been unable to take him down.

In the end, they had no choice but to surround Flower-Fruit Mountain so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak out...

And after winning a few battles, Wukong's spirit was even higher.

He felt a sense of looking down on all heroes and was currently celebrating in the Water Curtain Cave.

Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Palace.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, who had come from the South Sea to attend the Peaches of Immortality Banquet, saw the mess at the Jade Pool and knew that chaos had broken out here.

She saw several Heavenly Immortals in the Jade Pool discussing the matter, so she stepped forward to ask what exactly had happened.

"So that's how it is. For such a disaster to occur... I ask you all to lead this poor monk to see His Majesty the Jade Emperor," Guanyin Bodhisattva said calmly.

Seeing it was Guanyin Bodhisattva, the several Heavenly Immortals also bowed slightly and then led Guanyin Bodhisattva to the front of the Hall of Universal Brightness.

At this time, many immortals had already gathered before the Hall of Universal Brightness. Besides some ordinary celestial officials, there were also the four celestial masters, the Barefoot Immortal, and others.

Seeing the four celestial masters, the Bodhisattva also exchanged greetings and then inquired about the current situation.

Upon learning that the heavenly soldiers had failed to capture the demon monkey in time, the Bodhisattva uttered, "Amitabha."

She then said, "I wish to have an audience with His Majesty; please pass on the request."

Hearing this, the celestial master Qiu Hongji entered the Lingxiao Treasure Hall to ask for His Majesty's opinion. After receiving permission, he led Guanyin Bodhisattva into the treasure hall.

Inside the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, His Majesty sat high on his throne, with Taishang Laojun and the Queen Mother at his side.

Seeing that not only His Majesty but also Laojun and the Queen Mother were inside, Guanyin Bodhisattva inquired about the demon monkey's origins after paying her respects.

The Jade Emperor tapped the armrest of his chair and slowly recounted the demon monkey's origins.

Coincidentally, at this moment, Heavenly King Li's memorial requesting reinforcements was sent up.

It said they could not defeat the monkey head and requested reinforcements.

After the Jade Emperor finished reading, he said calmly, "This Heavenly King Li... Hmph, forget it. Since he says he is no match and requests reinforcements, do you have any recommended candidates?"

Inside the Lingxiao Hall, the many immortals looked at each other, but for a moment, no one came forward to make a recommendation.

At this time, Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke: "Your Majesty, rest easy. I recommend a deity who can certainly capture this monkey."

"Who is the one you recommend?"

The Bodhisattva said, "It is Your Majesty's nephew, Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun."

Hearing this, the Jade Emperor nodded slightly and then looked at the others...

At this point, another person stepped forward and said, "I also have someone to recommend! This person can also subdue this monkey."

"Speak, who are you going to recommend?"

That immortal said, "It is Azure Spirit Sovereign Su Qing, who serves under the Lunar Deity of the Moon Palace! This woman is also that demon monkey's big sister and the person he respects most. If she steps forward, she will surely be able to persuade him to surrender."

When the Jade Emperor heard this name, his brow couldn't help but furrow slightly. He turned his head to look at Laojun and then glanced at the Bodhisattva.

After a moment, Guanyin Bodhisattva chanted a Buddhist name and said:

"I feel that this matter is inappropriate... she is, after all, the demon monkey's relative; she certainly will not help the Heavenly Court persuade the demon monkey to surrender."

Hearing this, that person spoke again, "In that case, why not do the opposite?"

"How so?" the Jade Emperor asked with a deep frown.

"Use Azure Spirit Sovereign as leverage to force that demon monkey to surrender."

Hearing this, the Jade Emperor rubbed his brow, let out a long sigh, and said, "You may withdraw; do not come back in the future."

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?"

The Jade Emperor shook his head and said, "Hmph, this method of yours is even worse than your first one! Each one is more rotten than the last."

Although Laojun and the Queen Mother remained expressionless at this time, they clearly also felt this method was inappropriate.

In the end, Guanyin Bodhisattva stepped forward and said:

"Why not summon both of them! If Su Qing is willing to help the Heavenly Court persuade the demon monkey to surrender, let Su Qing handle the matter. If Su Qing is unwilling, then let Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun capture the demon monkey."

Seeing Guanyin speak, the Jade Emperor gave her some face and temporarily did not punish that person.

Instead, he said, "It shall be as you say! I will issue a mobilization order for Erlang to call him to help, and as for Azure Spirit Sovereign's side, Guanyin, you shall handle the negotiations."

Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded slightly, chanted a Buddhist name, and then departed.

In truth, by coming to the Heavenly Court this time, she originally intended to meet this person. Now that the Jade Emperor had given the order, it suited her wishes perfectly.

As for the immortal who had offered the bad advice, he was currently being pulled outside the Hall of Universal Brightness by the celestial master to be lectured.

An immortal tens of thousands of years old was now being scolded by the celestial master like a child who had done something wrong... he didn't even dare to lift his head.

However, being given such a lecture without any face saved by the celestial master was still better than truly angering the Jade Emperor and being punished with the same fate as Wu Gang.

But while the death penalty could be avoided, a living punishment was hard to escape.

A demotion or being banished to the mortal realm were both possible.

In the Heavenly Palace, perhaps only a short time had passed.

But in the Moon Palace, three or four days had already passed since Su Qing and Chang'e's casual chat.

On this day, Su Qing was idle and sitting under the osmanthus tree, watching Wu Gang—who had been dead for who knows how long and remained only as an obsession—mechanically chopping at the osmanthus wood.

Watching such mechanical movements was naturally boring, but it was also a good way to empty one's mind.

Too many things had happened recently, making Su Qing's mind a bit chaotic, so she simply decided to let it go blank.

Only, for some reason, Su Qing suddenly felt something in her heart and returned to her senses from that blank state.

She looked up toward a certain direction of the Moon Palace, feeling in her heart that someone was about to walk out from there.

Sure enough, a moment later.

Su Qing saw a woman dressed in white robes, with a red mole between her brows and a Jade Pure Vase in her hand, walking slowly toward her with lotus flowers blooming with every step.

With just one glance, Su Qing immediately recognized who this person was.

This person was Guanyin Bodhisattva!

If one were to ask which figures among the Great Buddhas of Buddhism Su Qing understood best and had the deepest memory of...

First was Ru Lai, second was Maitreya, and third was Guanyin Bodhisattva.

There was no other reason; it was mainly because these three images were too distinctive and too deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Seeing Guanyin approach, although Su Qing was curious about what important business she had in seeking her out...

Out of politeness, Su Qing still bowed first and said, "Junior Su Qing greets Guanyin Bodhisattva."

"Amitabha. Little friend, there is no need for this. Just treat me as an ordinary nun or an ordinary sister; it is better to be casual," Guanyin Bodhisattva said, shaking her head slightly upon hearing this.

Hearing this, Su Qing nodded slightly, but the necessary politeness still had to be maintained.

After all, elders always liked to say things like that...

But if you truly did as they said, most of them would feel displeased.

So, one must agree, but do another.

Seeing this, Guanyin said with a smile:

"I once heard Bodhi and the Buddha mention you. I thought they were merely exaggerating, but looking at you now, what those two said was indeed correct. Little friend, you truly are a talent."