The Bull Demon King's Daughter?

"Has she arrived?"

Manjusri Bodhisattva spoke as if to herself.

She had known for a long time that someone would come... or rather, someone had already told her that someone would come.

She pressed her palms together, sighed softly, and then slowly rose, preparing to meet the visitor.

She knew exactly why the visitor had come...

So, it was only natural that she should go and offer an explanation.

Before long...

She arrived at the lotus platform.

Su Qing had also reached the front of the platform by then.

Looking up at Manjusri Bodhisattva, Su Qing said, "Junior Su Qing greets Manjusri Bodhisattva."

Manjusri nodded and asked with a smile, "What brings you here so suddenly today, little friend?"

She knew, of course, but she asked to open the conversation, making it easier for Su Qing to ask what she wanted.

Su Qing bowed slightly and said, "I apologize for the sudden intrusion. I simply have a few matters I wish to ask senior about."

"Speak freely."

"I encountered a Blue-haired Lion spirit by the side of the King of Wuji Kingdom. That lion spirit carried a faint trace of Buddhist Qi, so I came to ask if one of senior's mounts had run away." Su Qing did not beat around the bush with Manjusri.

Talking in circles would only make a simple inquiry difficult.

It was better to get straight to the point and speak her mind.

This would save time for everyone.

Of course, Su Qing hadn't actually seen through the lion spirit's transformation...

It was just a guess.

She was simply testing Manjusri Bodhisattva.

Upon hearing this, Manjusri merely nodded. Without hiding anything, she smiled and said:

"Indeed... that is my mount. However, she did not sneak away. I sent her to Wuji Kingdom because of a certain matter."

"As for what that matter is..."

Having received the Buddha's decree, Manjusri naturally would not hide it from Su Qing.

She informed Su Qing of everything in detail.

Besides, since this girl had come, she must have already had her suspicions...

Coming to find her was likely just to get a confirmation and understand the reason.

All Manjusri had to do was tell her.

Su Qing listened to Manjusri's explanation and then nodded slightly.

This outcome... truly didn't surprise her at all.

Everything was exactly as she had guessed.

And the reason behind it was just as she had known it to be originally.

Su Qing said, "So that's how it is. In that case, I will not interfere further in this matter."

Su Qing's purpose in coming here was merely to confirm her theory and resolve the doubt in her heart, not to disrupt the plan.

So, having obtained the answer she wanted...

She naturally didn't intend to disturb Manjusri Bodhisattva any longer.

"That is for the best..." Manjusri nodded with a smile and then said, "By the way, the Buddha asked me to pass a message to you."

Su Qing's brow furrowed slightly at those words...

"For Manjusri Bodhisattva to tell me this now, doesn't that mean... she already knew I was back? No, more accurately, the Buddha knew I would come looking for her?"

Su Qing felt surprised, yet it also didn't seem strange.

The Buddha, after all, was an existence who had lived through countless Great Tribulations of Heaven and Earth...

It wasn't weird for him to be able to calculate such things.

After a moment of silence, Su Qing asked, "What does the Buddha wish to say to me?"

"The Buddha told me to tell you that you need not be too restrained. If there is something you wish to do, do it with confidence and boldness... Your actions will not change the final outcome, but they can effectively change the current reality you see. A fixed destiny is called such only because the final result is hard to change, but the process within is something that can be intervened upon."

As she spoke, Manjusri chanted a Buddhist name. Looking at Su Qing, who had fallen into silent thought, she continued:

"At the very least... you are capable of doing so."

"Did the Buddha truly say that?" Su Qing asked, her brow still tightly knit.

She wasn't stupid; she knew the Buddha was subtly telling her something...

That was why she had fallen into such silence.

In fact, she felt as if this wasn't the first time she had heard such words...

Manjusri nodded slightly and said, "Naturally, it is true."

Seeing this, Su Qing exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, bowed to Manjusri, and said, "In that case, I understand. Then I must trouble Manjusri Bodhisattva to tell the Buddha that I have received his message..."

Manjusri smiled and nodded in agreement.

Afterward, Su Qing chatted casually with Manjusri for a few more moments before taking her leave from Spirit Mountain and returning to Wuji Kingdom.

After Su Qing left.

Manjusri slowly stood up, exhaled, and turned to find the Buddha.

Before the Buddha, Manjusri recounted everything that had just happened.

Upon hearing this, the Buddha gazed into the distance and said:

"Mm... thank you for your hard work. To think that someone who is not within karma and not under the jurisdiction of the Three Realms would act so hesitantly and overcautiously; it is truly worrying."

Manjusri asked, "Buddha... what exactly are you planning? What is so special about that woman? Surely, the reason you pay her such attention isn't just because she is a disciple of Bodhi or someone valued by Taishang Laojun?"

Hearing this, the Buddha glanced slightly at Manjusri Bodhisattva and asked, "Manjusri... how many tribulations have you lived through?"

"Ninety-three thousand seven hundred Small Heavenly Tribulations, one hundred and twenty Great Heavenly Tribulations, and six cosmic era (Yuanhui)." Manjusri fell silent for a moment, wondering why the Buddha had suddenly asked this. Even for a change of subject, it was incredibly abrupt.

However, since the Buddha had asked, she didn't say much... she simply answered honestly.

"So you have lived through six cosmic era already? Then, have you noticed anything different about this cosmic era compared to the previous ones?"

"There are indeed many differences... however, this is already the final Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, and the final cosmic era of this world. Even if there are differences, I haven't paid them much mind. I simply thought it wasn't strange for the final one to be a bit special." Manjusri answered truthfully.

The Buddha chuckled and said, "It's no wonder you can't see what makes that person different... but no matter, if you can't see it, you can't see it! There's no harm in that... As for the question you asked me, I believe I have already given you the answer. If you think about it carefully, you should understand."

Manjusri looked at the Buddha, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. If it weren't for the sake of etiquette and decorum, she really wanted to give the Buddha a massive eye-roll.

They had been colleagues for countless tens of thousands of years; why was he still playing the riddler with her?

Would it really violate the heavenly laws to just state the reason and cause directly?

But despite her internal complaints, seeing that the Buddha was unwilling to say more, Manjusri didn't press further. She simply nodded and took her leave.

On the other side.

On the way back.

Yudie leaned against Su Qing's side, yawned, and said, "Mother, did you make this trip just to confirm that?"

"Yes... just to be sure," Su Qing smiled. "Thank you for coming with me."

"There's nothing tiring about following Mother..." Yudie said. "But I'm curious, why did the Buddha say those strange things? Doesn't Mother always do whatever she wants?"

Su Qing smiled but didn't explain.

It was enough that she understood those things herself.

Before long.

Su Qing and Yudie returned to the temple.

Seeing that it was still dark, they lay back down to rest.

As for the remaining matters in Wuji Kingdom, Su Qing no longer intended to interfere much...

She only decided to give the King of Wuji Kingdom a slight warning and tell him a few simple things.

Of course, Su Qing wasn't going to reveal the truth about the Blue-haired Lion, but rather warn him about the future pilgrims.

The rest of the night passed without word.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

After Su Qing woke up, she followed through with her plan. When she was called for breakfast, she subtly mentioned the future to the King.

Whether the King understood or not, Su Qing didn't know.

She only knew that His Majesty was indeed an optimistic person...

After breakfast.

Su Qing naturally intended to leave.

Continuing their journey was the priority.

"Why the rush to leave? Why don't you all stay in my palace for a few more days? I haven't heard enough of your stories!" The King said reluctantly upon learning that Su Qing and the others were leaving.

He cared deeply about the experiences Su Qing spoke of and hoped to hear more.

Moreover, he was particularly interested in the affairs of the Great Tang...

However, Su Qing didn't plan to stay longer.

After all, delays could lead to complications.

The longer she stayed here, the greater the impact on the future...

So it was better to leave early.

After all, the timing of the Blue-haired Lion's appearance was already somewhat problematic.

"Your Majesty, I am truly sorry, but the few of us must hurry to the Western Heaven, so we never stay in one place for too long. After all, we all wish to obtain the true scriptures early and bring them back to the Great Tang," Su Qing declined firmly.

Hearing this, the King tried to persuade them again.

But Su Qing remained unmoved.

Seeing this, the King said no more...

He simply ordered his men to prepare some gold and silver, saying, "Since you are determined to go, I will not stop you. However, please accept these. The journey to the Western Heaven is long; it won't do to be without travel expenses. You cannot always rely on seeking alms to get by."

Su Qing was originally going to refuse again.

After all, she wasn't short on money.

The main reason she always sought alms was because of Chaoyan.

She herself was the most casual about it.

But seeing the King's expression, she realized that refusing further would only lead to more talk.

So she had no choice but to accept the items...

Seeing Su Qing accept them, His Majesty nodded with satisfaction.

Then, he sent several soldiers, saying they would escort them for a part of the way.

Su Qing and the others didn't refuse this time, accepting with a smile and thanks.

Though, having a few ordinary soldiers escort them... it wasn't clear who was protecting whom.

Leaving the temple, Su Qing and the others soon entered the city.

Once in the city, they followed their routine and replenished some dry rations so they wouldn't go hungry later on the road when there were no houses to seek alms or lodging from.

However, they didn't delay as long as they had in Baoxiang Kingdom...

After replenishing the rations and resting for one night, they continued their journey.

Continuing west.

Su Qing didn't always ride the horse.

Occasionally, she would get down and lead the horse on foot.

And whenever Su Qing got down, Yudie was always eager to come over and grab her hand...

When asked why, Yudie would always say as a matter of course, "What's strange about a daughter holding her mother's hand? Does Mother not want me to hold it?"

Su Qing couldn't help but smile at this, reaching out to pinch her small face. "Of course I don't dislike it... I just think you're always so impatient, you girl."

"Because it's for you, Mother!" Yudie said with a beaming smile.

Su Qing chuckled, then felt someone else link arms with her.

Turning her head, she saw it was Jingyue...

Meeting Su Qing's gaze, the girl looked away bashfully, changing from linking arms to holding Su Qing's hand.

Jingyue's hand was a bit cool, but her face looked a bit hot.

Seeing this, Su Qing couldn't help but giggle, though she didn't tease her further.

Yudie, however, seemed a bit jealous, making a dissatisfied face at Jingyue.

Of course, Yudie didn't just think Jingyue wanted to steal her mother; more importantly, she felt Jingyue was trying to steal her mother from her biological mother!

This was absolutely not allowed!

So she began to feel a bit annoyed by her.

On the other side, Chaoyan saw this scene and couldn't help but chant a Buddhist name, barely suppressing a laugh.

But as she watched, she also felt a bit envious...

Once upon a time, she could also snuggle up to her mother like this.

"What am I thinking... things are very good now. I still have my godmother..." Chaoyan smiled to herself.

Then, she suddenly hugged Su Qing from behind, leaning her weight on her.

For a moment...

A certain person found it a bit difficult to take even a single step.

On the road, the girls played and bickered...

Yet they still moved quickly.

Though they were often delayed by strange things, they all had cultivation, so even walking like this was much faster than ordinary people.

They traveled in this manner.

In the blink of an eye, another long period had passed.

One day.

Su Qing sat by the campfire, watching the soundly sleeping Chaoyan and stroking Yudie, who was resting her head on Su Qing's lap.

After a long while, she looked up slightly; the starry sky was exceptionally beautiful.

"Mother, speaking of which... further ahead, it seems to be the residence of the Bull Demon King's daughter, right? Should we stop by and play with her for a few days?" Yudie lay on Su Qing's lap, letting Su Qing play with her hair, as she suddenly brought up the subject.

Hearing this, Su Qing couldn't help but think of the Bull Demon King's daughter, then gave a helpless smile. "We must go, of course! Since we're passing by, if we don't go, that girl will surely cry a whole dress full of snot on me the next time she visits."

"Great, great! We can go play with Red Boy! But Mother, do you think after all these years of not seeing her, she's still the same as before?"

"Do you think everyone is like you?"

"I'm not 'not growing up,' I'm 'staying true to my initial heart'! Maintaining the appearance Mother loves most," Yudie said shamelessly.

Upon hearing this, Su Qing gave the girl a sharp rap on the head.

Then, she couldn't help but recall some things about Red Boy...