Pilanpo Bodhisattva’s words were clearly not a direct answer to what Su Qing had just said...
Consequently, they seemed somewhat abrupt.
Even so, Su Qing was able to understand what Pilanpo Bodhisattva meant.
She looked at Pilanpo Bodhisattva helplessly, then smiled and said, "Since Guanyin Bodhisattva has put it that way... I must still give Senior Guanyin some face."
Since Guanyin Bodhisattva had made such a promise, it wouldn't be right for her not to show some respect.
Although killing the Multi-Eyed Monster right now likely wouldn't cause much trouble... Guanyin Bodhisattva's promise was clearly more significant than killing this creature.
Pilanpo Bodhisattva let out a small sigh of relief upon hearing Su Qing's answer.
"Amitabha. It is for the best that Sovereign Su thinks this way. I thank Sovereign Su for this!" Pilanpo Bodhisattva continued to speak to Su Qing with a gentle and pleasant expression.
Su Qing nodded, not wanting to make things difficult for the Bodhisattva. She simply said, "No need for thanks. Just please mention it to Senior Guanyin and make sure she doesn't forget her promise."
"Rest assured on that point, Sovereign Su. Guanyin Bodhisattva has always been as good as her word," Pilanpo Bodhisattva said with a chuckle. "Then, Sovereign, please hand this centipede demon over to me."
Hearing this, Su Qing said no more and simply released her foot from where she had been pinning the Multi-Eyed Monster down.
Then, with a slight wave of her hand, Pilanpo Bodhisattva caused the Multi-Eyed Monster to revert to its original form and fall into the medicine basket she carried with her.
Seeing this, Su Qing said with a smile, "This monster is a centipede demon, which makes it an excellent choice for medicine. It's just a pity... that it can't be dried and used as an ingredient."
Pilanpo Bodhisattva shook her head with a beaming smile and said, "Amitabha. Sovereign, my business here is done, so I shall take my leave. If you have any needs in the future, Sovereign, you may come find me! I reside in the Qianhua Cave on Mount Ziyun. Although I have lived in seclusion for many years, I can still offer some small assistance."
Su Qing nodded and said, "Then, take care, Senior. I will certainly come to visit you in the future."
Such polite pleasantries were always said this way...
But whether they would actually meet again was another matter entirely.
Moreover, although the other party said she could seek her help if she encountered difficulties, it was hard to say if the offer was genuine.
After all, they had only just met.
Pilanpo Bodhisattva chuckled at her words, then stepped onto an auspicious cloud and departed.
After bidding farewell to Pilanpo Bodhisattva, Su Qing turned and returned to Chaoyan and Jingyue’s side.
"Jingyue, how is it? Is the poison cleared?" Su Qing asked. "Do you need my help?"
Jingyue curled her lip and said, "The poison was indeed somewhat potent, but that’s all it was. The detoxification pill my master left me has already neutralized its effects."
Hearing this, Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "It's good that it's cleared."
Jingyue looked at Su Qing, then asked with a look of helplessness, "Sister, did you see that the Taoist was using poison?"
Su Qing shook her head and said casually, "No... I only sensed that he was a demon. I thought he would host us honestly for a day, but I didn't expect the fellow to poison our things in the end."
Jingyue stared at Su Qing for a moment, then didn't press the matter further.
She simply said, "Speaking of which, it seems you and Yudie are completely unafraid of poison?"
"Yudie is a sword spirit, and I am naturally immune to most poisons. Once you reach my level, this kind of poison won't even be enough to give you a stomachache."
Su Qing spread her hands and said:
"Besides, I am a snake demon myself, and one that is particularly skilled in using poison. This bit of toxin would be nothing to fear even if I didn't have my current strength."
Jingyue nodded; she had almost forgotten those facts.
"By the way, how is Chaoyan doing?"
"Not much has changed. Other than your spell keeping her from waking up, everything else is normal..." Jingyue said helplessly. "Sister, why must you insist on hiding your strength? On the road now, there are very few opportunities for Chaoyan to act, right? It can hardly be considered training anymore."
Su Qing shook her head and said, "Continuing to hide my strength is so she can occasionally get some practice. Besides that, it's to maintain my persona and to give her a big shock later on."
Hearing Su Qing's words...
Jingyue looked at Su Qing with surprise, then said thoughtfully, "I get the feeling your main goal is that last one."
Su Qing smiled at that, neither confirming nor denying it.
Seeing that Su Qing had stopped talking, Jingyue spread her hands in boredom, then stretched and asked, "How much longer until this girl wakes up?"
"Soon." Su Qing rubbed her chin, estimating as she said, "We should think about how to explain what happened earlier to her!"
"Tell the truth," Jingyue said, glancing at her.
Su Qing reached a conclusion and choice upon hearing this, so she nodded slightly and said, "You're right."
Su Qing's quick agreement caught Jingyue a bit by surprise.
She had thought Su Qing would definitely try to fool Chaoyan!
But since Su Qing had said so, she didn't bother to say anything more.
In fact, Su Qing's idea was very simple...
She did intend to tell the truth... but she would omit some unnecessary parts.
It would be enough as long as Chaoyan understood the general situation...
In any case, she trusted Jingyue.
Jingyue certainly wouldn't expose her strength.
As for Yudie...
That went without saying. She was steadfastly on Su Qing's side.
Su Qing didn't have to wait long...
In a short while, Chaoyan woke up.
Upon waking, Chaoyan was a bit dazed...
Looking at the Taoist temple that had been somewhat ruined by the battle, her mind was even more confused.
She hurriedly looked toward Su Qing, only to see Su Qing looking at her with a smile.
Her heart was filled with doubt, and she couldn't help but ask about what had happened.
Just as she had originally planned, Su Qing gave Chaoyan a simple account of the events.
At the same time, she did not reveal her own situation.
She only said that the demon had been taken away by a passing Bodhisattva.
Everything Su Qing said was the truth, just with some less important details omitted.
Chaoyan did not doubt Su Qing's words...
She simply nodded silently and let out a sigh of relief.
"As long as you are fine, Godmother, then all is well," Chaoyan said.
Su Qing gave a faint smile and said, "Don't worry! Your Godmother has always been very lucky. How could anything major happen?"
Chaoyan nodded and revealed a smile, saying, "That's true! Since the Bodhisattva could arrive so timely, I suppose you have been protected by the Bodhisattvas all along the way, Godmother."
Su Qing chuckled and didn't argue.
After all, it wasn't easy for her to tell Chaoyan directly that even without the protection of a Bodhisattva, she would have been fine.
As for whether the Bodhisattvas were actually protecting her...
That was hard to say. Regardless, she felt that Guanyin definitely checked in on her whenever she was bored.
"Alright, although this place is damaged, it's still fine for staying. We'll just make do here for another night!" Su Qing was too lazy to keep bringing up the previous events.
After all, with some things, the more you say, the more mistakes you make and the more you reveal, so it was better to say nothing at all!
Hearing this, Chaoyan didn't say much either and simply nodded.
Then she followed Su Qing to the side rooms to tidy up.
That night...
Su Qing and the others slept quite peacefully.
Nothing unpleasant happened during the night.
Because the monster had been taken away, the young Taoist acolytes in the temple had disappeared to who knows where...
So that night was naturally very quiet.
Time passed quickly.
Before they knew it, dawn had broken.
In the early morning...
Su Qing and the others rose early.
After a simple wash...
The group once again set out on their journey toward the Western Heaven.
Setting off once more...
The group traveled for a long time.
The journey was exceptionally arduous.
Along the way, things were not peaceful for Su Qing and the others...
There were many demons on the road...
Although some were scared off, there were still those brainless enough to try and go head-to-head with Su Qing's group.
While these demons weren't particularly difficult to deal with, having so many of them was a real nuisance.
It made their journey much more exhausting.
Their speed was forced to slow down considerably.
After all, with so many people to escort, they naturally couldn't move very fast.
The group continued on like this.
Unknowingly, they had passed through the summer and reached the beginning of autumn.
After autumn arrived...
The summer heat faded away.
Walking on the road was much cooler and more pleasant.
As the saying goes:
Sudden rain sweeps away the lingering heat,
A single fallen leaf startles the autumn air.
Fireflies flit along sedge paths at dusk,
Crickets chirp as the moonlight brightens.
Yellow mallows bloom, reflecting the dew,
Red knotweed spreads across the sandy banks.
Poplars and willows are the first to wither,
While cold cicadas buzz in rhythmic song.
Su Qing and the others walked along, admiring the surrounding scenery...
When they weren't encountering trouble...
Walking on the road was quite pleasant.
Occasionally enjoying the views felt very much like being on an excursion.
Unfortunately, this road was anything but peaceful.
As they walked...
Before long, the sky darkened considerably.
Su Qing and the others had no choice but to look for a place to stay.
Although they were accustomed to the elements, having a place to shelter from the wind and rain was much better than not having one.
However, after walking a few more miles, they didn't see any households.
Fortunately...
Though they didn't find any homes, they happened upon a ruined temple on the road.
"It's a good thing there are so many gods and immortals in this world, and so many temples... otherwise, these ruined temples wouldn't be so easy to find." Su Qing led the horse, guiding Yudie and the others into the ruined temple.
Inside the temple was a statue of a Bodhisattva.
Unfortunately, the statue was already broken, and one could only vaguely tell that it was likely dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Chaoyan walked into the temple and saw the statue.
Even though the statue was damaged, Chaoyan still bowed before it.
She then said, "Amitabha. Today I borrow the Bodhisattva's sacred grounds for a day's stay and will leave tomorrow."
Su Qing had no objection to Chaoyan doing these things.
She simply tied the horse in a place sheltered from the rain and fed it some pills.
After having the pills to eat, the horse became even more affectionate toward Su Qing.
Seeing this, Su Qing just patted the horse's mane and turned to find Chaoyan and Jingyue.
"We'll just make do here for the night," Su Qing said calmly. "The road ahead will likely be even harder to travel, so get some good rest tonight."
Hearing this, Chaoyan hurriedly nodded and said, "Don't worry, Godmother. No matter how hard the road is, I won't complain."
Su Qing glanced at her, nodded, and then said, "I know you won't complain! I'm just telling you to get some good rest."
Chaoyan stuck out her tongue and asked, "Then Godmother, what is there to eat tonight?"
"What else could there be besides dry rations?" Su Qing spread her hands and said, "We haven't come across any markets lately; otherwise, I could have bought some rice and grain to cook something else for you on the road."
Chaoyan sighed slightly at this; it looked like she had to eat those unpalatable dry rations again.
However, she didn't complain much.
After all, this journey was a pilgrimage of hardship.
She had already had it much easier than expected along the way.
Time passed minute by minute.
Outside the temple, a heavy rain unknowingly began to fall.
The rain was exceptionally fierce.
It drummed incessantly against the tiles of the ruined temple.
Su Qing sat by the fire, looking at the torrential rain outside, her mind wandering slightly.
She was thinking about some future matters.
While she was lost in thought...
A sudden sound of frantic footsteps came from outside.
Her brow twitched slightly, and she narrowed her eyes to look into the blurry rain.
She saw...
A group of people in the rain, sprinting toward the ruined temple. They looked anxious and hurried, as if they were fleeing as they rushed into the temple.
The group was dressed like martial artists, appearing to be escorts...
Seeing this, Su Qing didn't pay them much mind.
She simply allowed them to enter the temple.
The group rushed inside.
Seeing that there were people already in the temple, they cupped their hands toward the group.
They said, "We hope you don't mind us staying here for the night as well?"
Hearing this, Su Qing shook her head slightly and said, "Please, feel free. This temple has no master."
At this, the men breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, young lady."
After speaking, they found an empty spot and started a fire... to dry their soaking wet clothes.
Since there were women in the temple, the men did not take off their clothes, but simply sat by the fire to dry them.
Both sides were exceptionally quiet.
No one spoke.
Until Chaoyan, finding the silence a bit boring, suddenly spoke up and asked, "By the way, what do you all do? Where are you going? Are you like us, heading to the Western Heaven?"
Chaoyan had never made any secret of her goal.
So, she used it as an opening for small talk, asking where they were going and what they did.
Across from their fire...
One of the escorts was stunned by Chaoyan's words and asked, "You all are going to the Western Heaven?"
"That's right!"
"This... if I may be blunt, I'm afraid the road ahead is impassable. We just fled back from there! If we hadn't run fast enough, we might have already lost our lives!"
"What do you mean by that?" Chaoyan was startled and couldn't help but ask.
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