Su Qing looked up at the pavilion...
Inside, besides the Buddha himself, there were several others. They were all seniors Su Qing recognized, so their presence didn't surprise her.
She stepped forward, and the Vajra who had been leading the way withdrew.
"Greetings to Senior Randeng, Senior Maitreya, and Senior Sakyamuni." Su Qing bowed to the three of them.
They were all ancient seniors. Although Su Qing had come to question them, she couldn't neglect proper etiquette.
"There is no need for such formality... We knew you would come today, so we have been waiting here for some time." Maitreya was still the most cheerful one. Upon seeing Su Qing, he chuckled and beckoned to her, saying, "Come, come, sit and let's chat!"
"Thank you, Senior Maitreya."
Su Qing did not refuse the senior's kindness and walked over to sit at one corner of the square table...
With four corners, the table perfectly accommodated the four of them.
As soon as Su Qing sat down, a cup of tea quietly appeared before her. She wasn't particularly surprised and simply smiled as she thanked Senior Randeng.
Randeng Buddha didn't seem to enjoy talking much. Whenever she faced this ancient Buddha, Su Qing felt as if she were facing a highly respected yet very stern grandfather. She could never feel as relaxed as she did when chatting with Maitreya.
"Do not be constrained. Ask whatever questions you have today. Whatever the three of us can answer, we will answer truthfully," the ancient Buddha said from the side, seemingly noticing Su Qing's slight tension.
Su Qing nodded and said, "Thank you, Senior."
Maitreya also smiled at Su Qing.
After taking a sip of tea, Su Qing inquired, "Regarding Morning Glory... which of your disciples is she exactly?"
Su Qing actually had her own guesses, but she decided she had to confirm it with the source. After all, some things shouldn't be concluded too early.
Hearing this question, the Buddha wasn't surprised. He simply said with a chuckle:
"Don't you already have the answer in your heart? She is the reincarnation of my second disciple, Jin Chanzi... However, that's not entirely accurate, as she only possesses a portion of Jin Chanzi's soul. The true reincarnation of Jin Chanzi is still the pilgrim currently on the road—Tang Sanzang."
"Only a portion of the soul?" Although Su Qing had entertained some theories, she hadn't expected this specific result.
At the same time, Su Qing found it exceptionally strange. She wondered what exactly was going on with this 'portion of a soul.'
The Buddha had clearly anticipated Su Qing's confusion and said with a smile:
"You needn't worry. Although she only has a portion of Jin Chanzi's soul, her own soul is not lacking much. After all, having reincarnated so many times, the deficiencies in her soul have long since been mostly replenished."
"Once her cultivation reaches a higher level, the gaps in her soul will naturally be fully repaired."
"Furthermore... do not forget that she is currently Guanyin's disciple."
"Guanyin has always been fiercely protective of her own. Would she watch her disciple suffer from a fragmented soul?"
"Clearly, that is impossible."
Su Qing fell silent for a moment, reflecting on Guanyin's personality, and then nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, while Guanyin was a bit of a mystery-monger and liked to set people up, she was definitely very good to her own disciples.
One only had to look at how often she brought up the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl in front of Su Qing to know that. Even though Su Qing hadn't had any intentions in that direction, Senior Guanyin was already being incredibly protective.
Thus, there was indeed no need for her to worry about that.
"This... what Senior says is indeed correct." Su Qing nodded, then paused for a moment before asking, "But... why did Senior do this? Was it planned from the very beginning? Or..."
The Buddha knew what Su Qing was asking.
He replied, "Naturally, it was planned from the start. Although there was much hesitation in the middle, after much thought, this was still the viable method. As for why it had to be done this way..."
"It was a preparation made to delay the Great Tribulation."
"Jin Chanzi's reincarnation is a fixed destiny... I cannot change it."
"But you are someone with the ability to influence that destiny."
"Xuanzang's journey to the west is the final fixed destiny of this world. Once his journey is complete, the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth will begin."
"Therefore, I divided Jin Chanzi's soul into two parts to be reincarnated separately. Then, I had you lead one of them to walk the path of the journey to the west once."
"This was done to attempt to influence the fixed destiny..."
"And thereby delay the onset of the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth."
"Or even reduce the impact of the Great Tribulation."
Su Qing sat to the side, quietly listening to the Buddha describe his plans and intentions. As she listened, she began to go a bit dazed, showing the same expression Morning Glory had yesterday.
However, the daze only lasted a moment. A moment later, she snapped out of it and began to ponder these words.
She asked, "Could just walking this path once really influence the journey to the west?"
The Buddha shook his head slightly and said, "Not so, not so... Do not forget everything you have done along the way, all your experiences, and your influence on Wukong and the Chen family over these five hundred years. All of this will influence the path of the journey to the west."
"But... how were you so sure I would follow the path of the journey to the west?" Su Qing raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask.
Hearing this, the Buddha chanted 'Amitabha' and then said, "In truth, we were gambling on that as well—gambling that you would definitely do so."
"And if I hadn't?" Su Qing countered.
"Then we would have formulated the Eighty-One Tribulations based on the path you took! Influencing how Xuanzang walks is much simpler than influencing how you walk," the Buddha said with total confidence.
"But... aren't the Eighty-One Tribulations a fixed destiny?"
"A few are, but for the others, we have room to maneuver, as long as the total number of Eighty-One Tribulations is met."
"Then you seniors have quite a few variables you can control."
"We are only controlling a few changing factors; the fixed destiny is still something even we cannot influence."
At this point, the Buddha's tone couldn't help but carry a hint of lament as he said, "We have cultivated for so many years and survived countless Great Tribulations of Heaven and Earth, yet within this world, we still cannot influence too much."
"So... I am the most special member?" Su Qing frowned slightly and asked.
"Correct, you are the most special variable."
"Why?"
"Why... don't you know best in your own heart?" The Buddha smiled faintly and said, "Why ask what you already know?"
Being told this by the Buddha, Su Qing's lips twitched slightly. She then asked, "So, what was the result?"
"The result is naturally good. With your actions this time, the matters of the journey to the west have been successfully influenced a great deal. If nothing goes wrong, the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth should be significantly affected. At most, it might be delayed by one or two hundred years; at least, it could be delayed by several decades to a century."
The Buddha fell silent for a moment after speaking, answering after some thought.
In truth, even he didn't have a certain number for how long the Great Tribulation would be delayed. After all, this really wasn't something they could say for sure, especially after being influenced by a massive variable like Su Qing.
Hearing this, Su Qing nodded and said, "I see... As long as it was meaningful, then it's fine."
Hearing Su Qing's words, the Buddha couldn't help but ask curiously, "Are you not angry about this?"
"Why should I be angry? I accepted Senior's benefits in the past and promised Senior to make this trip. What reason is there to be angry? Besides, the path I walked was one I chose myself." Su Qing looked at the Buddha strangely and said with a smile, "Senior thinks too little of my character."
Su Qing didn't actually care much about these things. Furthermore, these matters actually brought benefits, so there was even less reason to care. Besides, this matter was beneficial to the people of the world and to herself. Why be angry?
Hearing this, the Buddha couldn't help but laugh heartily and said, "Then it was I who was being petty. Do you have any other questions?"
Su Qing nodded. She still had quite a few things to ask, but she had simply asked the things she wanted to know most first.
The rest was to confirm some of her own guesses with the Buddha and to ask about things she wanted to understand.
Initially, only the Buddha answered her, but later, the three Buddhas took turns answering her questions.
Time passed minute by minute.
Su Qing asked many things and cleared up many of the doubts in her heart. Many things she hadn't understood before or had been suspicious of were resolved today.
For Su Qing, the harvest was extremely rich. Although there were some things the Buddhas were still unwilling to explain too much to her, it didn't matter; she had already gained enough.
By noon, it was time for the vegetarian meal. Su Qing had finished asking most of her questions.
Seeing that the time was about right, Su Qing prepared to bid farewell to the seniors and return to Chang'an. She would stay in Chang'an for a day today and could officially return to the Changbai Mountains tomorrow.
As she was leaving, Su Qing suddenly remembered something. She said half-jokingly to Maitreya, "Speaking of which... didn't Senior Maitreya tell me before that you were going on a trip? It's only been a few years, and you're back already?"
Maitreya was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Su Qing to suddenly ask this just as she was leaving.
He laughed heartily, patted his big belly, and said, "Isn't it because I've finished my business?"
Su Qing chuckled, knowing full well that Maitreya most likely hadn't gone on a trip at all. He was simply afraid she would come looking for him. However, it didn't matter to Su Qing.
She just said with a smile, "I see! Well, I don't have any other questions now... Since it's lunch time, I'll be heading back."
"Why not stay for the vegetarian meal before you go?"
"There are still people at home! If I don't go back to cook, Yudie and Jingyue will surely go hungry." Su Qing shook her head with a smile and said, "So I won't stay for the meal."
Hearing this, the Buddhas did not try to make her stay. They had only been offering out of politeness anyway.
"In that case, you should head back! In the future, if there is anything you are curious about or don't understand, you can always come to Spirit Mountain to find the three of us." The Buddha nodded and said.
Su Qing thanked them, "Thank you, Seniors, for clearing my doubts. I shall take my leave then and visit you all again in the future."
The three of them nodded and watched as Su Qing rode her Somersault Cloud away from Spirit Mountain.
After Su Qing left Spirit Mountain...
The Buddha looked in the direction she had departed and said, "This girl's temperament is even better than we imagined! It's a pity... such a good girl was first met by the Old Mother and sent to Bodhi. Otherwise, how wonderful it would have been if she had come to our Buddhist sect!"
Maitreya laughed heartily, patted his belly, and said, "Alright, isn't she already a Bodhisattva of our Buddhist sect now? Instead of saying all that, why don't you accompany me to eat! I'm already starving."
Randeng ancient Buddha looked at the two of them and shook his head helplessly.
Su Qing left Spirit Mountain and rode her Somersault Cloud toward Chang'an.
However, on the way, she suddenly remembered something else. She couldn't help but stop in the sky above the Women's Kingdom.
She lowered her cloud and floated above the palace, using a bit of magic to secretly peek at the scene inside...
Soon, she found the Queen of the Women's Kingdom.
Looking closely, she saw the Queen busy correcting a batch of official documents. She seemed somewhat exhausted, her brow tightly furrowed.
Seeing this, Su Qing smiled slightly. She then exhaled a breath of Clear Qi, sending a box of pills to the Queen's side.
At the same time, she sent a secret transmission to her, saying, "I'll come to accompany you in a few days. Take these pills; eating them will reduce your fatigue. After finishing the documents, remember to cultivate properly! I'll be coming to check on you in a few days."
Hearing Su Qing's voice, the Queen, who had been processing documents, suddenly froze.
She lifted her head and looked around for Su Qing's figure. Unfortunately, no matter how much she looked, she couldn't see Su Qing anywhere.
Instead, she gave the nearby palace maid a fright.
"Your Majesty... what's wrong?"
After searching and realizing Su Qing really hadn't returned, the Queen waved her hand and said, "It's nothing, just a mosquito! Go and add some more incense."
The palace maid didn't know why, but she obediently went to add the incense.
The Queen, meanwhile, picked up the box of pills Su Qing had sent her. Opening it gently, a refreshing fragrance wafted out. It seemed these pills were of no small value.
"Really... the pilgrimage is clearly over, yet she just drops something off and runs away." The Queen gritted her teeth as she set down the pill box, thinking, "Next time that girl comes, I must teach her a harsh lesson."
Su Qing didn't know that her action, far from giving the Queen a little warmth, had actually made her angry.
She simply rode her Somersault Cloud toward Chang'an.
Before long, Su Qing had returned to Chang'an City. However, before going home, she stopped by a street vendor to buy some vegetables.
Even though it was a bit late to start cooking, they still had to eat.
After buying the groceries, Su Qing walked into the courtyard, only to find that it looked very different from when she had left this morning.
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