After hearing the Lunar Deity's words,
Su Qing looked silently at the Purple Bamboo Plaque in her hand.
She felt that her image of Guanyin Bodhisattva had shifted once again...
After all, who could have imagined that Guanyin would cast such a wide net, giving away her hand-carved mantras everywhere?
At least for Su Qing, it was definitely hard to fathom.
However, Su Qing also seemed to understand why the Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra was so widely known in the mortal world.
With Guanyin giving them out like this, how could they not be widespread?
"This... is truly hard to imagine," Su Qing said, her lips twitching slightly.
The Lunar Deity couldn't help but smile and said, "There's nothing hard to imagine about it. Nowadays, many people are even more anxious than Guanyin Bodhisattva..."
Hearing this, Su Qing was momentarily stunned, but then she seemed to understand what the Lunar Deity was talking about.
She could only give a helpless smile... while simultaneously remembering a favor the Buddha had once asked of her.
Thinking of this, Su Qing shook her head and said, "But doesn't Guanyin Bodhisattva have several disciples?"
"You'd have to ask Guanyin about that. How could I know everything she's thinking?"
The Lunar Deity narrowed her eyes and smiled:
"I only know some of her thoughts and deeds; I'm not a worm in her belly. Perhaps... her disciples are unable to fully comprehend the contents. That's not entirely impossible."
After hearing the Lunar Deity's words, Su Qing stopped declining and chose to accept the item.
The Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra on this Purple Bamboo Plaque was indeed of significant use to her.
If she could comprehend the knowledge within, the benefits to her cultivation would be self-evident.
Since Guanyin Bodhisattva was giving them away everywhere anyway, it would be a waste not to take it.
"Then please help me thank Guanyin Bodhisattva, Lunar Deity."
Seeing Su Qing choose to accept it, the Lunar Deity nodded slightly and said:
"Just make sure to comprehend this Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra well."
"Furthermore, Girl Su, your talent is excellent. You can learn from your master and cultivate all three paths."
"However, you don't need to be too impatient; just take it one step at a time. You are still very young and have plenty of time to cultivate slowly."
Su Qing thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Senior, I won't be impatient."
"Good, that's for the best."
The Lunar Deity said calmly:
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can come to my palace and ask me anytime."
"As for matters related to Buddhism, you can ask Moonlight Bodhisattva... if all else fails, you can ask that fat monk Maitreya. He's usually quite idle."
Su Qing knew Maitreya, and it seemed Maitreya had a good relationship with her master.
Going to ask him wouldn't be out of the question...
So Su Qing nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, the Lunar Deity smiled. Since she had said all she wanted to say, she naturally prepared to leave, saying:
"Since I've given you the gift, it's time for me to go."
The Lunar Deity lived right there in the Moon Palace, so Su Qing naturally didn't need to urge her to stay, only saying, "Safe travels, Lunar Deity."
"Mm, remember to cultivate well and don't slack off." The Lunar Deity nodded slightly, stood up, and walked toward the door.
Just as the Lunar Deity reached the door, she suddenly remembered something, turned her head, and said:
"Oh, right, there's one more thing I forgot to tell you."
Su Qing was stunned for a moment; the Lunar Deity really did have a bit of her old man's style.
However, she didn't say anything, only listening intently, curious about what major matter it could be.
Taiyin Xingjun looked at Su Qing and said seriously:
"Girl Su, I've noticed you've been a bit too accommodating with that little rascal Chang'e lately, haven't you?"
"Don't blame me for not warning you. Chang'e has a shameless personality. The more you accommodate her, the more she'll give an inch and take a mile. So be careful she doesn't do something truly out of line one day."
After saying this, Taiyin Xingjun didn't care whether Su Qing took it to heart or not; after giving the warning, she left directly.
In Taiyin's view, she had already informed Su Qing of the possible consequences.
If she didn't listen, that was Su Qing's own business.
They were both hundreds of years old, no longer children.
Since she made her choice, she should bear the corresponding consequences...
Seeing the Lunar Deity leave immediately after speaking, Su Qing gave a helpless smile.
Actually, she knew everything the Lunar Deity had said, but she didn't think Chang'e could really do anything out of line, nor did she feel she was humoring her.
After all, she quite liked drinking herself...
Besides, Chang'e's alcohol tolerance was truly poor. Before Chang'e could do anything, she would likely have already drunk herself under the table.
So, Su Qing really had nothing to worry about.
Instead of worrying about her, the Lunar Deity should probably worry about Chang'e...
Thinking this, Su Qing shook her head: "If I keep thinking about it, things might turn bad."
Clearing her scattered thoughts, Su Qing's gaze fell back onto the Purple Bamboo Plaque in her hand. After a moment, she put it away, not rushing to comprehend its contents.
"Forget it, no rush. One step at a time; I can't hurry this now," Su Qing thought, looking toward Leng Xiang and going to find her for some fun.
The atmosphere in the Moon Palace was relaxed, but in contrast, the atmosphere in the Heavenly Palace was quite tense.
After Guanyin Bodhisattva left the Moon Palace, she returned to the Heavenly Palace without stopping to inform the Jade Emperor of the news.
When the Jade Emperor learned of the matter from Guanyin, he wasn't surprised. After all, this was the outcome he needed.
He simply nodded and said, "No matter. This matter shouldn't have been her responsibility. If she's unwilling, we won't force her."
Having said that, he ignored the reactions of the other ministers and simply asked, "How is the situation with Yang Jian?"
A divine general stepped forward and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun has just arrived at Flower-Fruit Mountain with his subordinates and is currently exchanging blows with that demon monkey."
Hearing this, the Jade Emperor only nodded slightly, then ordered Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Hearing Ear to keep watch outside the South Heaven Gate and report back at any time.
The story turns to Flower-Fruit Mountain.
By this time, the True Sovereign and the Great Sage had fought for three or four hundred rounds, yet neither could determine victory or defeat.
One was a divine general who had tempered his physical body to the peak and possessed outstanding martial arts.
The other was a Spiritual Stone Monkey who had stolen Peaches of Immortality, drunk Imperial Wine, and stolen Golden Elixirs to achieve Diamond Indestructibility.
Both were top-tier experts among Earthly Immortals, evenly matched in strength, with neither able to overcome the other.
They were truly well-matched opponents, and their tempers flared in the heat of battle.
The True Sovereign roused his divine might and, with a shake of his body, transformed instantly into a figure ten thousand feet tall. He had a blue face with protruding tusks and vermilion hair. With a ferocious gaze, he raised his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade and cleaved down toward the Great Sage's head.
Seeing the True Sovereign use the Heaven and Earth Law Image, Wukong was not to be outdone. He formed a hand seal and, with a shake of his body, also manifested the Heaven and Earth Law Image.
Instantly, Wukong's form grew to the same size as the True Sovereign, his face taking on a similar appearance, except he held the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod like a pillar that supports the sky, blocking the True Sovereign's descending Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade!
While the True Sovereign and the Great Sage fought fiercely, the monkey troop on the mountain scattered and fled under the assault of the Meishan Six Monsters and a host of Grass-Headed Deities.
Flower-Fruit Mountain was peaceful and aloof from the world, so there weren't many powerful demons—one could even say there were none.
Although these monkeys had been drilled for several decades and gained some strength... they were ultimately just a group of little monkeys who hadn't even reached the Divine Immortal Realm.
Now that Wukong was pinned down by the True Sovereign, Flower-Fruit Mountain was naturally no match for the Meishan Six Monsters and the Grass-Headed Deities.
They easily broke through the defensive lines and charged into the mountain.
However, although the Meishan Six Monsters and the Grass-Headed Deities broke through, they did not kill indiscriminately or turn Flower-Fruit Mountain into a river of blood.
They only killed a few monkeys to warn the rest; for the others, they captured those they could and avoided killing where possible...
As it turned out, before setting out for war, Erlang already knew the situation here and was aware of some inside information.
Therefore, he had instructed his subordinates early on not to kill indiscriminately. They were to capture them alive if possible, avoid causing great misery to the living, and especially not destroy the blessed land of Flower-Fruit Mountain.
This naturally wasn't to protect the blessed land from damage, but rather to do someone a favor.
Even if Erlang Shen was a god of war, he wasn't all muscle and no brains; he understood the ways of the world very well.
Who knew if he might need to ask for a favor in the future? So, if he could do someone a favor, he would.
Now, Flower-Fruit Mountain was in total chaos. The mountain's monkeys had long since thrown down their weapons and armor, cast aside their swords and spears, and were running and shouting, losing all of their initial formidable appearance.
At this time, Wukong, in his Heaven and Earth Law Image form, also noticed the situation on Flower-Fruit Mountain. He couldn't help but worry for his monkey children and grandchildren, so he quickly retracted his Law Image and pulled away to save them.
Seeing this, Erlang naturally couldn't let him escape so easily. He quickly gave chase, shouting:
"Where do you think you're going! Surrender now, and I'll spare your life."
The Great Sage ignored him, only focusing on fleeing to save the monkeys.
In the Heavenly Court, every detail of the battle in the mortal world reached the Jade Emperor's ears.
Hearing the battle report, the Jade Emperor nodded in satisfaction and couldn't help but praise the Bodhisattva's good eye for recommending the right divine general.
At the same time, the Jade Emperor said pettily, "In contrast, some people only know how to use petty cleverness."
The person who had previously recommended Su Qing broke out in a cold sweat, knowing that now that the Emperor was free, he was going to deal with him.
Ignoring his dignity, he hurriedly begged for mercy.
However, begging was clearly useless. The Jade Emperor simply said casually:
"Look at you. You only gave a rotten suggestion; I'm not going to sentence you to death."
"Acting like this makes it seem as if I am some sort of tyrant."
The Jade Emperor shook his head, looking disappointed.
However, these words didn't put the official at ease at all. He only dared to keep his head bowed while kneeling, not daring to look up.
Seeing this, the Jade Emperor sighed slightly and said:
"However, your character is indeed lacking. How about this: you shall go down to the mortal world for a few hundred years of tempering before returning to your post in the Heavenly Court."
Hearing this, the immortal broke out in a cold sweat...
Being banished to the mortal world was hardly better than death.
And in this lifetime, he would likely never return to his current position.
He wanted to cry but had no tears...
He even struggled to understand why His Majesty was so protective of that Su Qing.
Unfortunately, even knowing this now was of no help; it was already too late.
Guanyin Bodhisattva saw this and only shook her head slightly.
She didn't blame this immortal for giving a bad suggestion; after all, almost no one below the rank of Heavenly Venerate knew that person's importance.
Nor did they know that if she interfered... it would bring immense chaos to a predestined fate that could have had its losses controlled.
So, he truly couldn't be blamed.
However, she didn't think there was anything wrong with what His Majesty did either...
Though it was indeed making a mountain out of a molehill, it would prevent others from coming up with more rotten suggestions.
It was just a pity for this immortal, who became the victim of this incident.
While she was thinking, Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Hearing Ear returned to report the battle situation, saying that Erlang Shen had surrounded the demon monkey but had not yet captured him.
After hearing this, the Emperor's gaze fell on Taishang Laojun. Laojun understood tacitly and volunteered to help.
He then took out the Diamond Snare, walked out of the South Heaven Gate, and threw it from top to bottom. A resounding crack was heard as it struck Wukong right on the forehead.
This strike left Wukong dazed and confused, unable to stand steady, and he fell over.
"Not good!"
Wukong knew things were bad and realized someone had backstabbed him. He immediately tried to run again.
But unfortunately, he was now surrounded, and with Erlang Shen—who was as strong as himself—blocking the way, escape was difficult.
Erlang Shen caught up and pinned him down with a foot, while the Celestial Hound on the side bit down hard on him, not letting go.
Wukong was both furious and enraged. If they hadn't bullied him with superior numbers, how could he have been defeated here?
Even if he couldn't beat Erlang, if he wanted to flee, he could have.
Erlang glanced at Wukong and gave a cold snort. He then formed a hand seal, sealed his transformations, and bound him to be taken back to the Heavenly Court.
Seeing this, Taishang Laojun nodded slightly, then retrieved the Diamond Snare and returned to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.
Now that everything was settled, the Bodhisattva, seeing that no major mishaps had occurred, took her leave of the Emperor and returned to her South Sea Purple Bamboo Grove.
Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun didn't know about the hidden complexities; he simply brought the demon monkey before the Jade Emperor and claimed his reward.
Afterward, he took his brothers and left the Heavenly Court to return to Guanjiaokou, having no intention of staying.
He had truly had enough of the Heavenly Court. If the benefits the Jade Emperor promised this time hadn't been so tempting, he wouldn't have bothered coming back at all.
Halfway there, Erlang suddenly remembered something and said to his brothers, "You go back to Guanjiaokou first. I'm going to the Moon Palace."
Hearing this, although his brothers were puzzled, they didn't ask much and only told Erlang to go and return quickly.
Erlang nodded slightly and headed toward the Moon Palace with his Celestial Hound.
Arriving at the Moon Palace gate, Erlang said to the female warrior on guard, "I wish to see your Palace Mistress. Please announce me."
The female warrior nodded and went into the Guanghan Palace to inform Chang'e.
However, as soon as she entered the place where Chang'e usually handled official business, she saw Chang'e holding Su Qing arm-in-arm in an unrestrained manner, saying something.
Seeing this scene, she was stunned, her brain unable to process it for a moment.
She mechanically looked away, pretending she hadn't seen anything.
Chang'e was also startled, then quickly assumed her usual dignified expression. She cleared her throat and asked, "What is there to report?"
The warrior felt a bit awkward and had to quickly straighten up, informing Chang'e that Erlang Shen had come to find her.
Hearing this, Chang'e couldn't help but wonder what Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun was doing here.
Could it be... related to Su Qing?
She glanced at Su Qing, then nodded and said:
"Mm, let him in."
"Yes!" After the warrior spoke, she immediately turned and left.
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