Young After All

Regarding the fact that Red Boy differed from the descriptions in the Journey to the West from her past life's memories, Su Qing was somewhat surprised, yet not entirely so.

When she first learned that the Bull Demon King had a daughter, she was indeed very startled, even worrying if this would cause too many changes in the future. But later, she felt she was likely overthinking it. The events of the Journey to the West were inevitable. Even if the Bull Demon King's son had become a daughter, it wouldn't stop her from becoming one of the tribulations on the journey.

Therefore, she soon made peace with the matter. Moreover, through her subsequent interactions with the little girl, Su Qing gradually grew fond of the little thing. Although the girl was a bit of a crybaby when she was small, she was quite adorable and very polite.

However, it had been over a hundred years since they last met, and Su Qing wondered if she had turned into the lawless, overly arrogant Red Boy from the original novel. After all, Su Qing had taught her quite a few things back then.

"I'll find out when we meet later!" Su Qing thought to herself. Regarding Red Boy, Su Qing naturally intended to save her if possible, as she was a junior she quite liked. While becoming a disciple of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the South Sea wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it did mean losing her freedom. With a bit more discipline, she could still be a good child.

After Su Qing and Yudie chatted for a while, they soon settled down to rest. They had to continue their journey tomorrow, so getting some sleep was necessary. The night passed without dreams.

The next day, Su Qing and the others set off again, treading through the morning dew as they continued their westward trek.

Meanwhile, in another place...

Red Boy, having nothing better to do, was riding a red cloud through the sky to enjoy the scenery. She was also keeping an eye out for when the pilgrim would arrive.

Speaking of which... about a year ago, some bald donkey had somehow stumbled into her cave dwelling. Although she couldn't be bothered to kill the monk, she was quite annoyed by anyone trespassing in her home. So, she ordered her subordinates to give him a scare.

Who would have thought that in order to escape her 'clutches,' the monk would tell her a piece of incredible news? He claimed that a pilgrim would pass through here in the future, a person of ten lifetimes of virtue who had been personally selected and bestowed with treasures by the Buddha and Guanyin. Supposedly, eating the flesh of that pilgrim would grant eternal life, making one as immortal as the heavens themselves.

Red Boy was skeptical of the monk's words. However, she still wanted to try and catch the pilgrim. If it really worked, she could share the meat with her parents and her sisters at the Changbai Mountains. That way, everyone could live forever, staying together without ever worrying about losing one another.

"I don't know when my father will finally let me go back to the Changbai Mountains. Staying in this dump all the time is truly boring to the extreme," Red Boy said, swinging her feet listlessly. She didn't quite understand her parents' thinking. She had been cultivating for so many years and was extremely powerful. Where was the need for 'training'? Besides, what was there to train in this godforsaken place? Being a mountain king on patrol was nowhere near as fun as living a carefree life.

What irritated her most was that the leisure books she had gotten from Sister Su were all gone, replaced by a pile of depressing materials. Thinking of this, Red Boy sighed and muttered to herself, "Maybe when I'm strong enough, I'll go pick a fight with my old man. If I win, I should be able to go wherever I want, right?"

Of course, talk was cheap; actually doing it was another matter entirely. If it were that easy to beat her father, she wouldn't be staying here so obediently as some mountain king. Red Boy continued her idle thoughts, gazing into the distance as her mind wandered.

Suddenly, her sharp eyes spotted a glimmer of rosy light on the horizon. Her brow twitched, and she leaped up, peering intently at the ground in the distance. She originally thought it was Tang Sanzang arriving, but when she looked closer, she saw two familiar faces—old acquaintances she hadn't seen in over a century.

"Sister Su Qing!? And Sister Yudie... why are they here?" Red Boy was stunned for a moment. Then, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Although she didn't know why Su Qing had come here, now that she was here, Red Boy intended to keep her for a few days of fun no matter what.

After a brief thought, Red Boy decided not to wait for Su Qing to find her. Instead, she would take the initiative. She transformed herself into the likeness of a human child, planning to play a prank on Su Qing. Well, consider it a little surprise she was preparing—or perhaps a scare.

Su Qing was walking along the main road, pondering future events, when she suddenly felt a subtle demon wind approaching. Her brow rose slightly. She looked around but saw no demons attacking, so she didn't pay it much mind. Even if a demon did attack, she wasn't afraid. However, after walking a bit further, the group suddenly heard a cry for help.

Su Qing frowned at the sound. Hearing the plea, Chen Chaoyan said, "Someone is calling for help? I'll go take a look."

Chen Chaoyan rarely stood by when someone needed help. The knowledge and etiquette she had learned taught her to be compassionate; ignoring someone in distress was simply not allowed. Su Qing didn't stop her, only saying, "Let's all go take a look together."

Chen Chaoyan naturally had no objection, so the group walked into the nearby woods. Upon entering the forest, they quickly found the person calling for help. It was a little girl. The girl had several whip marks on her body, looking as though she had been abused, which was truly a pitiful sight. Her miserable appearance was enough to make anyone's heart soften.

Seeing this, Chen Chaoyan instinctively hurried forward, wanting to help untie the ropes and ask what had happened. However, the moment Su Qing saw the girl, she saw right through the disguise. A cold smile played across her lips. Seeing Jingyue about to step forward to help as well, Su Qing reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back.

Jingyue was slightly confused and looked at Su Qing. Su Qing merely smiled and shook her head at her. Seeing this, Jingyue knew that Su Qing had likely spotted something suspicious and had her own plans, so she obediently stood by Su Qing's side.

Chen Chaoyan quickly untied the little girl and asked for the reason behind her state. Upon hearing the girl's tragic story, Chen Chaoyan couldn't help but recall her own past experiences, feeling even more pity. "Where do you live? Do you have any relatives? I'll take you to them first! Also, where are those bandits? I'll go avenge your family," Chen Chaoyan said with a firm gaze, letting out a heavy breath.

Hearing this, the little girl laughed inwardly, but on the surface, she wiped away tears and said piteously, "I live in that mountain hollow over there, just a simple thatched hut. I have no relatives left. It's enough if you just take me home, Sister. As for those bandits, please don't go looking for them. They are very powerful and know demon arts! You are so kind and beautiful, Sister; if you were caught by them, wouldn't it be dangerous? I don't want a good person like you to be harmed."

"Don't worry, I am very strong! Amitabha, I will surely deliver those people to the authorities to face justice," Chen Chaoyan recited a Buddhist greeting before continuing, "By the way, can you still walk? If not, I can carry you."

The little girl quickly shook her head and said, "I... I can't walk anymore. I was tied to the tree for so long and haven't eaten; I have no strength left. My feet are also injured. But you don't need to carry me, Sister. You're holding so many things, how could you? Why don't that sister carry me instead?"

As she spoke, the girl pointed at Su Qing. Chen Chaoyan looked at Su Qing and said, "I should do it! Don't worry about the luggage."

However, the little girl suddenly became stubborn, insisting that Su Qing must be the one to carry her. This made Chen Chaoyan frown slightly, finding it strange that the girl was so adamant about Su Qing.

When Su Qing heard the girl asking to be carried, her brow arched. But a moment later, she revealed a smile. Since this girl wanted to mess with her, she couldn't be blamed for playing along and pranking her back.

"It's fine. Since she wants me to carry her, I'll do it," Su Qing said with a faint smile. "She's just a child; she can't be that heavy. After all, my Yudie sleeps on my stomach every day!"

Hearing this, Yudie curled her lip. Don't just tell outsiders about things like that! It's embarrassing.

However, she couldn't argue, as it was the truth. Of course, more than her annoyance at her mother revealing her bad habits, Yudie was displeased that this little girl dared to make her mother carry her. Her mother rarely even carried her! Such a thing was bound to make her unhappy.

Chen Chaoyan nodded helplessly and said, "Since you have no objection, Godmother, then so be it. Though I really don't know why this girl insists on you."

"Perhaps she's dissatisfied seeing me riding a horse alone?" Su Qing said casually. Since she planned to counter-prank Red Boy, she couldn't let the plan be disrupted, so she proactively spoke up for her. Red Boy, meanwhile, had no idea that Su Qing had seen through her transformation. She laughed inwardly, Sister Su is so stupid! She actually believed it!

At this moment, Red Boy felt she had the upper hand, certain that she could make Su Qing suffer a bit. Unfortunately for her, she didn't realize her plan had been exposed from the start, and Su Qing already had a counter-measure ready.

Chen Chaoyan, hearing Su Qing's explanation, thought the reason was somewhat far-fetched but couldn't think of a better response, so she simply nodded silently. Su Qing stepped forward and hoisted Red Boy onto her back, then said with a smile, "Let's go. Since you're on my back, you can point the way for me."

Red Boy nodded quickly. "Mm-hmm, I will."

At this moment, she appeared quite well-behaved, not looking like someone about to pull a prank at all. But Su Qing knew very well that since this girl had appeared here, a prank was inevitable. Su Qing couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental. A hundred years wasn't a long time, but it was enough to change people. For instance, this girl had indeed changed from a well-mannered, sensible child into a prankster. However, as for exactly what she had become, the two had only just met and were pretending not to know each other, so Su Qing couldn't be entirely sure yet.

Thus, with Red Boy on her back, Su Qing continued on the road, following the girl's directions. Su Qing didn't know where Red Boy was leading her, though it was likely toward her actual home.

"Little girl, I didn't expect someone of your size to be so heavy," Su Qing remarked with a laugh as she felt the girl on her back suddenly weigh as much as a thousand pounds.

"Maybe it's because you haven't exercised in a long time, Sister?" Red Boy said with a grin. She then secretly formed a hand seal to further increase her weight.

However, just as she had barely finished half the spell, she suddenly felt a strange, warm wind blow past her ear and slip into her collar. It made her body shudder, causing her to lose focus and break the spell. She felt as if something had crawled inside her clothes with ill intentions. Obviously, that strange wind was responsible.

Seeing her shudder, Su Qing adjusted her grip on Red Boy and asked, "What's wrong? Were you frightened by something?"

Red Boy hurriedly patted her own face and said, "No... it's nothing..."

"Really nothing?" Su Qing asked with a smile, then secretly manipulated a talisman to cause mischief inside Red Boy's clothes. Red Boy's face flushed. "Really... it's nothing!"

"Then why did you suddenly become so much lighter?"

"Perhaps your strength suddenly returned, Sister."

"Is that so?" Seeing that she still wouldn't reveal herself, Su Qing gave a hidden smile and pinched the soft flesh of the girl's backside. "Then why are you shaking?"

"Maybe because it's cold?" By now, how could Red Boy not know that Su Qing was behind all of this? She realized she had likely been exposed long ago. Clinging to Su Qing's back now was like walking right into a trap. Forget pranking others; she was the one being played with.

"It may be autumn, but the sun is quite bright today. How could it be cold? Are you sick?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sick!" Red Boy was stubborn, possessing a bull-headed temperament, and refused to reveal herself. One had to admit she was truly the Bull Demon King's daughter; she had certainly inherited his stubbornness.

Su Qing smiled faintly, then controlled the talisman to move to the girl's armpits to tickle her. At the same time, she intentionally freed one hand to poke and prod at the sensitive spots on the girl's waist. Finally, Red Boy couldn't take it anymore. She tried to scramble off Su Qing's back, but just as she broke free, Su Qing gave her a pull. With a 'thud,' she hit the ground face-first in the dirt.

Su Qing walked over helplessly, then reached out and pinched the girl's soft, chubby cheek. "You little brat, how much longer were you planning to keep up this act?"