Leaving Gao Village

Upon hearing those words, Zhu Bajie immediately felt that things were taking a turn for the worse.

He hurriedly said, "Immortal, please understand. Under Guanyin Bodhisattva's guidance, I have already turned over a new leaf and switched to a vegetarian diet..."

Hearing this, Su Qing shook her head slightly and said, "Rest assured, I do not intend to make things difficult for you regarding that matter... Firstly, you do not fall under my jurisdiction, and secondly, Guanyin has already enlightened you. I am only asking because I have something I need you to do."

At these words, Bajie breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What matter does the Immortal need old Pig to handle? Just say the word, and I will certainly spare no effort!"

Seeing this, Su Qing nodded slightly and proceeded to explain the task she required of him.

Once Bajie realized it wasn't anything difficult, he readily agreed.

Of course, he didn't dare refuse. Although Su Qing said she wouldn't kill him, she had plenty of ways to teach him a lesson. He had no desire to have his flesh torn and skin split from a beating. Moreover, the person before him was already a Heavenly Immortal... while he was currently only an Earthly Immortal. How could he possibly resist? How could he fight back? It was better to just agree quickly.

Seeing his compliance, Su Qing gave a faint nod. She then turned and left, returning to Gao Village.

After Su Qing departed, Zhu Bajie let out a massive sigh of relief...

"Facing such a powerhouse, one really can't afford to be careless for a single moment," Zhu Bajie sighed, talking to himself. "It's lucky I accepted the Buddhist teachings of Guanyin beforehand, otherwise I'm afraid I wouldn't have escaped today's ordeal. I still need to maintain a good relationship with that one... or it'll be trouble later. Fortunately, her request isn't a difficult one..."

Zhu Bajie let out a long sigh, feeling fortunate. He was glad that Chaoyan wasn't the pilgrim he was supposed to follow. If he had to deal with a pilgrim like that... he could hardly imagine how grueling the journey ahead would be. What should have been a simple matter would have become incredibly difficult.

After a long while, he exhaled a breath of turbid air. He turned to look at the Yunzhan Cave behind him and set it ablaze. Burning the cave was a way to completely sever ties with his past, leaving himself no path of retreat. Because from now on... he was bound to stay in Gao Village until the pilgrim arrived.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, another day had passed.

At dawn the next day, Su Qing rose early to wash up.

No one knew what had happened the previous night except for Su Qing and Bajie. Chaoyan had slept well and felt much more refreshed. Clearly, camping out in the wild for the past few days had prevented her from getting proper rest.

"We should be leaving today, right?" Chaoyan asked, looking at Su Qing.

"Naturally. We've troubled Elder Gao's household for a day already; it's time to go," Su Qing nodded and said. "After breakfast, we shall bid Elder Gao farewell."

"Mm... I understand." Chaoyan lowered her head in thought for a moment before asking, "Speaking of which... Mother, did you sense a faint, lingering demonic aura? I noticed it, but I can't find where the demon is."

Hearing this, Su Qing smiled faintly and said, "I sensed it, of course, but I didn't find where the demon was either... I suppose it has probably already left?"

"Left?"

"After a demon leaves, some demonic aura will naturally remain. That's likely why you sensed the aura but couldn't find the demon."

"Is that so? I suppose that must be it." Unable to find the cause herself, Chen Chaoyan could only trust her godmother's judgment. After all, her godmother was more experienced and could judge such matters more clearly.

Seeing this, Su Qing patted her head and said, "Alright, alright. Once you've finished washing up, come with me!"

"I know, Mother." Chen Chaoyan stopped dwelling on the demonic aura and focused on finishing her morning routine.

Su Qing, Yudie, and Chen Chaoyan were called by the servants to eat breakfast. Afterward, Su Qing followed the plan and bid farewell to Elder Gao.

"Actually, it would be no trouble at all if you stayed for a few more days," Elder Gao said, somewhat reluctant to see Su Qing go. It was rare for him to meet a young person he got along with so well.

"No, thank you. We have a long journey west ahead of us and cannot afford to keep delaying," Su Qing shook her head, declining Elder Gao's invitation to stay.

"I see... what a pity. Well then, since the journey is long, why don't I donate some funds for your travel expenses?" Seeing she wouldn't stay, Elder Gao didn't press the issue but thought for a moment and offered instead. Money meant little to him, and creating a good karmic bond was a wonderful thing.

Su Qing naturally declined his kindness. Chaoyan did the same. As a practitioner of Buddhism, while she could seek alms, it was only for food; she could not accept monetary gifts. It would be one thing to put it in a merit box at a temple, but while traveling, she absolutely could not accept money from people.

Seeing this, Elder Gao had no choice but to give up. "In that case, at least take some dry rations with you."

This time, Su Qing accepted. Taking food was perfectly fine.

"Alright, Elder Gao, we shall take our leave now," Su Qing said with a smile.

"Safe travels to you all," Elder Gao nodded.

Nearby, Cuilan and Zhu Ganglie also bid them farewell. Seeing Su Qing walk into the distance, Zhu Bajie breathed a slight sigh of relief. He had finally seen off this great deity. However, while she was gone for now, he still hadn't completed the tasks he promised her... he would have to fulfill those agreements later.

After Su Qing and the others left, they continued their journey westward. Another two or three days passed. On this day, they found themselves without a place to stay, so they found a random mountain cave to settle in.

Just as they had settled in and started a fire... they saw a black cloud flying from the horizon before the sky had fully darkened. The cloud was billowing with thick, sinister demonic energy; one look was enough to know it was nothing good.

Su Qing remained unmoved by the sight, but Chaoyan immediately recognized the aura... it was the exact same demonic aura she had sensed before. Initially, Chaoyan didn't intend to pay it any mind—after all, the other party hadn't targeted them yet. If it was just passing by, there was no need to go looking for trouble. But as she watched the black cloud head straight for them... she realized its target was none other than them.

"Mother..." Chaoyan called out.

Su Qing nodded calmly and said, "That demon's strength is not great. You and Yudie go deal with it."

Hearing this, Chen Chaoyan didn't doubt her. She nodded; since her mother said she could handle it, she believed it. Thus, she and Yudie leaped out of the cave and charged toward the incoming demonic cloud.

The demon was shrouded in the cloud, making its features hard to see. One could only vaguely distinguish that it was a wild boar demon wielding a Nine-Toothed Nail Rake. During the struggle, the demonic cloud gradually dissipated, and before long, the demon's appearance was revealed. It had long tusks, sharp teeth, and a ferocious expression, with a tuft of bristles on the back of its head. Its appearance was hideous and terrifying to the extreme.

"He's so ugly..." Chen Chaoyan couldn't help but complain internally. "Ugh, no, Amitabha, Amitabha. It's not good to say that about others. If Master found out, I'd surely get another scolding."

However, despite her internal monologue, Chaoyan's strikes were not soft in the least. Whether to kill was one thing, but when fighting, there was no need to worry about being compassionate... taking down the enemy was the priority. Besides, not everyone in their group was a nun; if a killing blow were truly needed, couldn't Yudie do it? They didn't need to be shackled by those rules.

While the battle raged in the sky, Su Qing was in the cave roasting a rabbit she had caught. She wasn't particularly concerned about the fight above, nor was she worried. After all, she was the one who had asked Zhu Bajie to come... how could she be worried about Chaoyan's safety? At most, the girl might suffer some minor injuries, which could be easily treated so she'd be lively again the next day.

That's right... the favor Su Qing had asked of Zhu Bajie was exactly this. Bajie's appearance was quite wretched and he looked like a villain, so she had him play the part of the bad guy to fight the girls. It was a way to train their combat skills and let them experience pressure. However, she realized she might have truly frightened Bajie back then... she wondered how much of his strength he would dare to use this time.

Of course, Bajie didn't need to go all out. His strength was already far above those two; even without using his full power, he provided immense pressure, which was more than enough for their training.

Su Qing looked at the half-roasted rabbit and thought to herself, "I wonder... if they can finish the fight before this meat is done."

Minutes and seconds ticked by, but the battle remained exceptionally fierce. It was a stalemate. Although Chaoyan and Yudie were giving it their all, they couldn't gain the upper hand against Zhu Bajie, let alone kill him.

"Didn't Mother say this demon wasn't strong? How can he hold out for so long against the two of us?" Chaoyan complained internally as she fought. Despite her complaints, as she fought Bajie, she felt that he wasn't much stronger than them... that they could win if they just worked a bit harder. It was a very strange feeling—clearly a stalemate, yet it felt winnable.

For a moment, Chaoyan's offensive became even more ferocious. Seeing this, Yudie didn't think much of it and followed suit, unleashing even greater power.

On the other side, as the sky grew darker, Zhu Bajie began thinking about how to make his escape. He had only agreed to Su Qing's request to train Chaoyan and Yudie; he hadn't said how long they would fight. They had been at it for a while now, and he had given the two girls a significant amount of pressure, which should be enough to fulfill the agreement. Besides, the sky was getting dark, and he had to rush back for dinner! In this world, eating was the most important thing.

With that thought, Bajie made his decision and began to intentionally show openings. If they truly kept fighting, they would be at it until the end of time. As for simply knocking the two girls down, tossing them back to Su Qing, and leaving... he didn't dare do that. These two women called Su Qing 'Mother' and 'Godmother'; they were clearly her dear ones. If he actually hurt them, who knew if Su Qing would become overprotective and give him a severe beating? That would be a terrible loss. So, it was better to hand the other side a victory.

In the cave below, Su Qing looked up at the battle in the sky and knew it was about to end. She could see that Zhu Bajie was already looking for a way to flee. Seeing this, Su Qing shook her head helplessly, but she didn't blame him; the goal had been achieved. If he wanted to leave, she wouldn't say anything.

It seemed Marshal Tianpeng knew what Su Qing was thinking, as his 'mistakes' became even more frequent. Soon, he stumbled and fell toward the mountains. Then, dropping the act entirely, he mounted a cloud and fled the area, refusing to stay even a second longer.

Su Qing's mouth twitched as she shook her head, thinking, "What clumsy acting..."

In mid-air, Chen Chaoyan was momentarily stunned as she watched Marshal Tianpeng flee. She hesitated, wondering if she should give chase. After all, they were so close to winning before he ran off... it was somewhat frustrating. But as soon as the thought appeared, Chaoyan recited the Heart-Clearing Incantation.

"Greed for victory is no good..." Chaoyan thought, shaking her head. She then returned to the mountain cave with Yudie.

Returning to Su Qing's side, Chaoyan couldn't help but say, "He got away... I wonder if letting him escape will lead to him harming others."

Hearing this, Su Qing smiled faintly and said, "I doubt it. I've already spoken to the local Earth God about this demon. He will report it to the Heavenly Court, and they will handle it."

"Ah? It can be solved like that?"

"Not every time," Su Qing shook her head, making up a random excuse.

Chaoyan looked at Su Qing and didn't doubt her further. Her mother was quite miraculous; nothing she did would be surprising. Yudie, on the other hand, gave her mother a helpless glance. She realized that her mother was becoming increasingly adept at misleading Chaoyan, telling lies without even needing a script.

However, she only complained in her heart and wouldn't actually expose her mother. She simply chatted with Su Qing or listened to Chaoyan complain about the demon that got away. To be honest, this battle had indeed taught the two of them a lot. Although the fight was grueling, they hadn't actually sustained any injuries, as Zhu Bajie didn't dare truly hurt them.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, another day dawned. Su Qing and the others packed up and set off once more toward the west. The three of them traveled for another month of smooth sailing. Unknowingly, spring had arrived. The snow covering the world had vanished, replaced by patches of green as life gradually revived.