Pretending Not to Know

After hearing Su Qing's words, Chen Chaoyan nodded slightly and said no more.

For Chen Chaoyan, while it was a pity she couldn't personally thank the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl who had helped them, her godmother’s words were far more important at the moment.

She nodded and quickly organized the luggage scattered on the ground, loading it onto the horse.

Over the years of their journey, this horse had been a great help to everyone. Although it was just a mortal horse, after being together for so long, it had gained a touch of spirituality—especially when it was around Su Qing.

It was as if the horse could understand everything Su Qing said.

If Chen Chaoyan hadn't known the horse's origins, she might have thought it was beginning to transform into a demon.

Patting the horse, Chen Chaoyan walked to Su Qing's side and said, "Everything is ready, Godmother."

Su Qing smiled and nodded. "Good. Wait a moment longer; that fellow should be arriving soon."

Su Qing's words left Chen Chaoyan bewildered. She followed Su Qing's gaze toward the waters of the Heaven-Reaching River.

As they watched, Su Qing suddenly remarked, "Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Isn't he here now?"

Following Su Qing's lead, Chen Chaoyan looked closely. She saw a massive goldfish slowly surfacing, carrying a giant flat stone on its back.

Chen Chaoyan’s mouth hung open slightly. "Godmother, this is...?"

"Just a river god," Su Qing replied casually, having no intention of explaining the full details. She spun a bit of nonsense, but she did it with such conviction that Chen Chaoyan believed most of it.

As for why she didn't believe all of it? It was simply because Su Qing fooled her so often.

Regardless, Chen Chaoyan didn't press for the river god's origins or true nature. Since her godmother was brave enough to step onto it, she had nothing to worry about.

However, while the people were brave, the horse was a bit timid. Seeing this, Su Qing raised an eyebrow and spoke to the horse, "Don't just stand there dazed. Get over here!"

The horse seemed to understand her words, or perhaps it was simply terrified of her. It stopped hesitating and hurriedly jumped onto the stone. To the horse, the water was scary, but the person who rode on its back every day was far more terrifying.

Seeing that the horse was aboard, Su Qing nodded and sent a telepathic message, telling the Great King of Inspiration that they could depart.

Receiving Su Qing's command, the Great King of Inspiration immediately set off. Carrying Su Qing and the others, he headed toward the opposite bank.

Though the Heaven-Reaching River was incredibly wide, for a great demon like the Great King of Inspiration, crossing it even with a group of people was a quick task. Naturally, he didn't want to waste any time. He had lost enough face today; there was no need to add to it.

The Great King of Inspiration was indeed fast. In just about two hours, they crossed the eight-hundred-mile Heaven-Reaching River. He could have been even faster, but he was worried about the ride being too bumpy, fearing the Azure Spirit Sovereign might become displeased and give him a blow to the head. Thus, he kept his speed at a steady, stable pace.

Upon reaching the far bank, Su Qing and the others stepped off their 'boat' and onto the shore. The journey had been so quick that they didn't feel tired, though they were a bit bored of the river scenery.

After delivering them to the shore, the Great King of Inspiration took his leave of Su Qing and vanished instantly, not wanting to stay a second longer.

Seeing him leave in such a rush, Su Qing merely chuckled, not bothered by the fellow. His purpose had been served, and there was no need to concern herself with him further.

Su Qing said to Chen Chaoyan, "Alright, it's still early. Let's travel a bit further! Let's see if we can find a household to stay in before dark."

Chen Chaoyan had been watching the goldfish sink back into the water, but she quickly nodded at Su Qing's words.

The group set off once more, heading toward the Western Heaven. They walked for many days...

Before they knew it, the season had shifted from summer to autumn. As they traveled, they came upon a great mountain. Su Qing looked up and saw towering pavilions and tranquil cottages nestled within the peaks.

However, Su Qing's sharp eyes narrowed as she gazed at the distant scenery. Suddenly, the tranquil cottages transformed in her vision, becoming shrouded in heavy yin energy, hidden by ominous clouds and swirling malevolence.

Seeing this, Su Qing lowered her head and performed a quick calculation with her fingers. She immediately realized where they had arrived.

"We've unknowingly reached this place. If I remember correctly, the demon in this Mount Jindou is the domain of King One-Horned Si, and that King One-Horned Si is the transformation of Taishang Laojun's Green Ox..."

Su Qing stroked her chin, a plan forming in her mind. Since she was here, she might as well go say hello to that Green Ox. After all, the Green Ox was Taishang Laojun's mount, so they were technically acquaintances, even if not particularly close.

Seeing Su Qing stop, Chen Chaoyan followed her gaze toward the pavilions in the mountains. Unlike Su Qing, although Chen Chaoyan possessed considerable ability, the gap in their strength was too great. She couldn't see anything special about the mountain buildings.

To her, they looked like ordinary pavilions and houses. Chen Chaoyan said, "Godmother, it's getting late, and there are houses in the mountains. Why don't we go there and ask for a night's lodging?"

Su Qing nodded slightly, then asked for the opinions of Yudie and Jingyue. Yudie, as usual, had no objections. However, Jingyue sent a telepathic message: "Sister Xiao Qing... the pavilions in the mountains seem a bit off. They feel somewhat unreal... almost like a mirage."

Jingyue didn't believe Su Qing hadn't noticed. She specifically mentioned it to gauge Su Qing's thoughts.

Hearing the transmission, Su Qing smiled and replied, "It is indeed a mirage, but don't worry. It's no big deal. I'm here!"

Jingyue pouted at the response. It seemed Su Qing didn't intend to share her plan. However, she didn't bother asking further and simply followed the group toward the mountain.

They moved quickly and soon arrived before the buildings. The pavilion faced south, with a white-washed wall outside and a gateway decorated in five colors. The gate was half-open, as if inviting anyone to enter.

Even though the gate wasn't closed, Chen Chaoyan didn't walk straight in. Instead, she knocked. It would be impolite to enter without permission.

However, despite her knocking, no one came for a long time. She paused and turned around, asking, "Is there no one inside?"

She looked up at the gateway again. It didn't look like a place that had been abandoned for long.

Su Qing said nothing, merely holding Yudie's hand and standing quietly to the side. Seeing Su Qing remain silent, Chen Chaoyan asked, "Godmother... what should we do? Do we just go in?"

As usual, Chen Chaoyan lacked her own initiative. Su Qing gave a helpless smile. "Try knocking again. If no one comes, we'll just head in."

Nodding at Su Qing's response, Chen Chaoyan knocked again. This time, there was finally some movement inside.

Before long, a white-bearded old man walked slowly toward them. He leaned on a dragon-headed cane and was accompanied by a small lapdog. As he reached the gate, he grumbled, "Stop knocking, stop knocking. This old man heard you. No rush, no rush, I walk slowly."

Hearing this, Chen Chaoyan felt a bit embarrassed and quickly pulled back her hand.

At the gate, the white-bearded old man looked at Su Qing, Chen Chaoyan, and the others. "Have you all come here at this hour seeking a place to stay?"

Chen Chaoyan nodded hurriedly. "Yes, Senior. We would like to stay for the night!"

"I see. Then come in!" the old man smiled. "Though it's a rare sight; these days, people rarely come to my dilapidated house for lodging."

Chen Chaoyan smiled and began chatting with the old man. They talked about the usual things: where they were from and where they were going. Even though they said the same things to everyone they met, it was still a reliable topic of conversation.

However, while Chen Chaoyan was chatting happily, she didn't realize that Su Qing was also having a telepathic conversation with the old man.

The old man was none other than the Green Ox who served under Taishang Laojun. The Green Ox transmitted, "My deepest apologies. I only just learned of your arrival, Sovereign, and didn't have time to clean up the mess in this house, which is why I was late in coming out."

"It's no matter, no matter," Su Qing replied via Divine Sense. "Is Senior here by the decree of Taishang Laojun?"

"The Sovereign is perceptive. Indeed..." the Green Ox's transmission carried a hint of bitterness. "I had calculated that the pilgrim would arrive today, but I didn't expect it to be you! Could it be that you have taken the place of the pilgrim's destiny?"

Su Qing shook her head slightly. "It's not me... it's just that by chance, there is another pilgrim arriving before the one you expected. That's why your calculation was off."

"I see... so I miscalculated?" The Green Ox nodded. "By the way, who is this other pilgrim the Sovereign mentioned?"

"It is my goddaughter, Chen Chaoyan."

"So it's her! It seems this old man has grown old and made a mistake," the Green Ox chuckled.

Despite his words, the Green Ox didn't truly believe his divination was that flawed. Instead, he suspected that someone's fate was entangled with that of the true pilgrim. Furthermore, the girl's surname happened to be Chen. However, these were just his private conjectures, and he naturally wouldn't voice them. Thus, he chose to agree with Su Qing's words.

As they walked, the Green Ox couldn't help but wonder what Taishang Laojun was planning, and what the various Buddhas of the West were thinking. After all, the composition of Su Qing's group was far too bizarre.

After a long while, the Green Ox sighed inwardly.

"Forget it, forget it. Why think so much? Even if I knew my master's plans or the Buddhas' thoughts, what would it change? I would simply know. Instead of worrying about that, I should just focus on doing my part well."

After much thought, the Green Ox suddenly gave up on overthinking—or rather, he had reached an epiphany in certain aspects. Everyone had their own hidden agendas.

Before long, they entered the guest hall.

"Please wait here for a moment while I instruct the servants to prepare some food," the Green Ox said with a smile, leaning on his cane.

Chen Chaoyan had no issues with this and sat down obediently, chatting with Su Qing and Jingyue. Meanwhile, the Green Ox hobbled out of the mirage and found his group of minor demons, ordering them to quickly prepare some vegetarian food suitable for mortals.

The minor demons were extremely confused by their king's request, but they didn't dare say anything and obediently went to prepare the items.

After giving the orders, the Green Ox slowly walked back. Halfway there, he suddenly let out a long sigh.

Back with Su Qing, while waiting for the old man to return, she chatted idly with Chen Chaoyan. At the same time, she sent a telepathic message to Jingyue, briefly explaining that she knew the demon here and that there was no need to worry. Upon hearing this, Jingyue was completely relieved and said no more.

A short while later, the old man returned. "Apologies for the wait. Let me show you to your quarters for tonight."

Su Qing and the others nodded and followed without question. Time passed steadily, and everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Chen Chaoyan noticed nothing amiss, only feeling a slight chill in the air, which she attributed to the autumn cold at the change of seasons.

In the middle of the night, while deep in sleep, Su Qing suddenly heard someone calling her via telepathy. She was momentarily startled but got up with a yawn. After dressing, she stepped out of the room.

Standing outside was the old man—the Green Ox.

"Senior Green Ox... is there something you need, seeking me out in the middle of the night?" Although her sleep had been disturbed, Su Qing didn't have any morning grumpiness. She was just curious why the Green Ox had suddenly come to find her.

"My apologies for disturbing your rest, Sovereign. It's just that after much thought, I have something I must show you."

The Green Ox remained extremely polite. Despite being a senior, he showed no air of superiority toward Su Qing. Su Qing's curiosity grew. "Please tell me, Senior, what is it?"

The Green Ox nodded and took two bamboo slips from his sleeve, handing them to Su Qing. "I cannot easily tell you what these are, but once you have seen them, I'm sure you will understand."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow and took the slips. Seeing her accept them, the Green Ox nodded and withdrew. Once he was gone, Su Qing looked at the bamboo slips by the moonlight.

As she read, she couldn't help but chuckle softly. She murmured to herself, "I wondered what the matter was. So it's just about the destinies of Chen Chaoyan and that Tang Sanzang."

"Senior Green Ox is truly something... I've been with Chen Chaoyan for so long and traveled this far; how could I not have noticed her affairs?"

Smiling, Su Qing summoned a ball of True Fire in her hand and burned the two bamboo slips to ashes, acting as if she had never received them.