A Lesson

Bajie grinned and said, "Perhaps something happened at home! It can't be a demon in disguise. Eldest Senior Brother, why don't you take a look?"

Wukong glanced at the fool, then activated his Fiery Golden Eyes to glare at the woman.

"She's just a mortal, not a demon!" Wukong said, shaking his head.

"As long as she's not a demon," Tang Sanzang said with a sigh of relief. "Since there's a boatman available, let's take this boat across."

Wukong had no objection to this.

Once the boat reached the shore, Wukong went to negotiate with the ferrywoman.

The ferrywoman was startled by Wukong's monkey face. She patted her broad chest and exclaimed, "Where did this wild monkey come from? Why is it wearing human clothes?"

"I am no wild monkey! I am a monk from the Eastern Land of Great Tang, heading to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures!" Wukong was somewhat annoyed, but though he was displeased, he wouldn't go so far as to hit her.

She was just a mortal; at most, he would only give her a scare.

If he actually laid a hand on her, he would likely be subjected to that tight-fillet spell again.

"A monk seeking scriptures from the Western Heaven?" The ferrywoman was momentarily stunned. She turned to look at the others behind Wukong. When she saw Sha Wujing and Bajie, she was terrified.

It wasn't until Tang Sanzang spoke up that the ferrywoman was kept from running away.

After some persuasion from Tang Sanzang, the ferrywoman finally agreed to ferry them across the river.

On the boat, the ferrywoman had nothing to say... she just rowed in silence.

Since she didn't speak, Tang Sanzang had no way to strike up a conversation. They all crossed the river in a quiet, unspoken atmosphere.

Before long, the boat reached the other side.

Tang Sanzang took out some money and gave it to her as the fare.

The ferrywoman weighed the silver in her hand, thanked them, and rowed away.

Watching the boat depart, Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "It's truly strange... All the boats we saw along the way were rowed by women. Could it be that there was a war here and all the men were killed?"

Wukong didn't answer, but Bajie said with a chuckle, "If all the men were killed, doesn't that mean there are only women here?"

"Do not be impolite!" Tang Sanzang snorted coldly.

Hearing this, Bajie grinned and stopped talking.

Tang Sanzang intended to say more, but he suddenly felt a bit thirsty.

"Wukong, is there still water in the waterskin?" Tang Sanzang asked.

Wukong checked the waterskin and shook his head. "Master, it's empty."

Tang Sanzang sighed softly and said, "This river looks quite clear. Let's draw some water from here."

"Isn't it unhygienic to drink directly from the river?"

"It's no matter," Tang Sanzang said, shaking his head.

With that, Tang Sanzang took out his golden alms bowl and scooped up some water to inspect. The river water was exceptionally clear, showing no signs of any issues.

So, he took a tentative sip.

"This river water is sweet, like mountain spring water. It seems there is indeed no problem with it," Tang Sanzang said with a nod.

Bajie took the golden alms bowl from Tang Sanzang and also took a sip. "Hey, this river water is truly strange... it's so sweet and refreshing. Old Sha, do you want a taste?"

Sha Wujing took it and tasted it as well, offering a few words of praise. "With such water and soil, I wonder what kind of people it nurtures! Eldest Senior Brother, do you want a taste too?"

"No, I'm not thirsty."

Wukong didn't drink the water. In his view, it was just river water; how could it be as sweet as the water from Flower-Fruit Mountain? Thus, he had no interest.

After quenching his thirst, Tang Sanzang mounted the White Dragon Horse and continued the journey.

The group traveled along the main road.

Occasionally, they encountered people, but they still didn't see a single man.

Tang Sanzang felt increasingly confused by this.

Even if many men had died in a war, it shouldn't be to the point where not a single man could be seen.

Before long, the sky began to darken.

Seeing a household not far away, Tang Sanzang decided to ask for a night's lodging and, while he was at it, ask what was going on in this place.

However, just as he rode toward the house, Bajie suddenly cried out from behind him.

"Bajie?"

"Ma—Master! My... my stomach hurts."

"How could it suddenly—hiss, why does my stomach hurt too?" Tang Sanzang was about to question Bajie when he began to feel the pain himself.

"Eldest Senior Brother... Master, Second Senior Brother... I—I have a stomachache too."

Wukong was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

He hadn't expected the three of them to suddenly develop stomachaches at the same time.

"Master... there's a house up ahead! Let's go there and ask if there's a doctor nearby." Wukong couldn't immediately figure out why they were hurting, so he could only take them to seek medical help.

Tang Sanzang and the others naturally had no objection to Wukong's suggestion. They were in so much pain they were seeing stars and only wanted the pain to stop as quickly as possible.

On the other side, in the small farm courtyard, Su Qing poured a pot of tea and watched as the Old Mother of Mount Li performed hand seals and cast a spell.

"Senior, what are you doing?" Su Qing asked curiously.

The Old Mother of Mount Li stopped her movements, picked up the teacup in front of her, and said, "Naturally, I am ensuring that no unexpected situations occur."

"For example?"

"That they don't fail to reach us."

"And the result?"

"Naturally, it was very smooth," the Old Mother said with a chuckle. "With both Guanyin and me acting, how could there be any accidents?"

"That's true." Su Qing nodded slightly and said, "But I'm curious, after they pass this tribulation, what will the next one be?"

"As for that! If you want to know, just follow along and watch the play," the Old Mother laughed mysteriously. "What, are you worried we'll take advantage of your Queen of Women's Kingdom?"

Su Qing's mouth twitched. She shook her head and said, "Of course not. I still trust you and the Bodhisattva, Senior. You wouldn't do such a thing."

Su Qing thought to herself that even if she did suspect it, she couldn't say it to their faces!

However, Su Qing truly didn't believe the Old Mother of Mount Li would do such a thing; she was quite confident in that.

"Hahaha, don't act like you understand us so well."

The Old Mother chuckled and tapped her teacup, saying, "But you're right, we naturally wouldn't do such a thing! Since we let you disrupt this tribulation, we won't repeat the same one. Although the number of fixed tribulations cannot be reduced, we wouldn't go so far as to exploit someone's wife."

Su Qing nodded and asked, "So, Senior, you don't plan to tell me?"

"Of course not~" The Old Mother looked at Su Qing and said, "Since you're usually idle anyway, isn't it quite nice to try and guess for yourself?"

Su Qing spread her hands and said, "It seems I'll just have to see for myself then."

When Su Qing asked, she didn't actually expect to get a straight answer; she was just testing the waters. After all, she understood the Old Mother's personality. The fact that she had become someone who liked to seek amusement was somewhat due to the Old Mother's influence.

Seeing her response, the Old Mother smiled and nodded, saying, "By the way, get ready! The guests are coming."

Su Qing knew exactly what the Old Mother meant. She picked up her teacup and walked into the house.

Sure enough, a moment later, the sound of knocking came from outside the door.

Hearing the commotion, Su Qing exchanged looks with the two Bodhisattvas and then got up to open the door.

As the door opened, Su Qing saw a monkey with a hairy face and a thunder-god mouth, a pig-headed man, a bald man, and a monk.

Su Qing appropriately showed a fearful expression.

Her performance was exquisite; even Wukong couldn't see any flaws. Of course, it might have been because they were used to scaring people, so they had long stopped trying to guess if the fear was real or fake.

"Don't be afraid, girl. We aren't bad people. We are monks from the Eastern Land of Great Tang, going to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures..." As he spoke, Wukong appropriately recited a Buddhist greeting.

"Monks? Among you, the only one who looks like a monk is the one in the cassock," Su Qing said 'timidly.'

"This is our Master. We really are monks from the East! It's just that we were taken in by Master along the way."

Su Qing pretended to be skeptical. "Then your Master must be very powerful! You're really not demons?"

"No, no! We've been killing bad demons all along the way!" Wukong shook his head quickly.

"That's good then. But your Master... his face looks a bit pale?" Su Qing said, looking at the monk.

"I came for that very reason... I don't know what happened, but my Master suddenly has a stomachache... so I wanted to ask if there's a doctor nearby." Wukong scratched his head.

Su Qing shook her head and said, "There are no doctors within a dozen miles of here..."

"This... what should we do then?" Tang Sanzang was sweating profusely from the pain. "Does the girl have any way to treat a stomachache? This monk... this monk truly cannot bear it any longer."

"Yes, yes, girl, do you have any way?" Bajie said, clutching his stomach.

Su Qing moved further away from Bajie and said, "My mother used to be a herb gatherer. She knows some medicine and should be able to help you. However... that pig-headed person cannot come in... I'm afraid he'll scare Mother."

Bajie: "???"

Bajie was on the verge of tears. Was he really that ugly? Why was he being treated differently? Besides, Wujing wasn't much better looking than him, was he?

Just then, a woman walked out from inside.

The woman was none other than the Old Mother of Mount Li.

Upon seeing them, the Old Mother appeared very peaceful. "Let them all in! You girl, don't judge people by their appearance. Though they look unsightly, they don't seem like wicked people."

Hearing this, Su Qing stuck her tongue out at the Old Mother, apologized, and said, "I'm sorry. Since Mother has spoken, please all come in."

Su Qing stepped aside to let them pass.

Tang Sanzang thanked both Su Qing and the Old Mother and followed them into the courtyard.

Once inside, they discovered that Su Qing and the Old Mother weren't the only ones there; there were two other women.

"They are my two elder sisters..." Su Qing explained with a smile.

"Gre... Greetings, Benefactors," Tang Sanzang said, enduring the abdominal pain.

The two Bodhisattvas also began to play their roles.

Su Qing didn't interrupt; she just stood aside and watched the show. Although she was an actor, she was more like a spectator with a cameo role. However, while watching the play, she didn't mind playing a few pranks if the opportunity arose.

"Alright, stop disturbing the patients," the Old Mother said.

Hearing this, the two Bodhisattvas appropriately fell silent.

The Old Mother then asked, "Have you eaten anything you shouldn't have recently?"

"We haven't eaten much today... just some dry rations. We eat those every day, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"Then did you drink anything you shouldn't have?"

"This..." Hearing this, Tang Sanzang recalled the river water and told her about it.

The Old Mother suppressed a laugh and said, "I think I know what's going on."

"Lady, what exactly is wrong with us?"

"This? You're pregnant."

"Pregnant?"

"Do you know what you drank?"

"It was?"

"That river is called the Mother-Child River! Drinking its water will make you pregnant with a child," the Old Mother said with a chuckle. "Our Women's Kingdom has no men; we rely entirely on this river water to continue our lineage."

Su Qing watched Tang Sanzang's face turn ashen... she found it quite amusing. At this moment, Tang Sanzang looked just like a woman who had discovered an unplanned pregnancy, though his expression was even more distressed. After all, Tang Sanzang was a man.

Wukong, however, began to laugh... especially when Zhu Bajie started to grunt and moan in pain. He laughed even harder.

After the Old Mother explained the situation of the Mother-Child River to Tang Sanzang...

Tang Sanzang couldn't help but say, "Lady... do you know how to prepare medicine?"

"I certainly know how to prepare medicine."

"Then could you please prepare an abortion medicine for me?"

"This?" The Old Mother fell silent for a moment.

Su Qing spoke up, "Aren't you a monk? If you abort the child, wouldn't that be breaking the precept against killing?"

"Benefactor... I am a monk, and a male monk at that! How could I possibly give birth to a child?" Tang Sanzang was momentarily stunned by Su Qing's words, then replied.

"But... that's still a life, isn't it?" Su Qing tilted her head and said, "Besides, who says men can't give birth? Haven't you become pregnant now that you've drunk the water from the Mother-Child River?"

"Ah, this..." Tang Sanzang was getting a headache from Su Qing's sophistry.

Wukong teased from the side, "That's right, Master. Why don't you stay here for a few days and leave after you've given birth?"

"You monkey! I am a man; where would the child come out from?" Tang Sanzang said, exasperated.

Su Qing wanted to make a few more sarcastic remarks, but she suddenly noticed the Old Mother's gaze. It seemed to be telling her not to overplay it, so she naturally had to give the Old Mother face.

The Old Mother spoke up, "Actually, it's not that I won't help you with an abortion, but this is a fetus condensed from the water of the Mother-Child River. It's not something a common abortion medicine can handle."

"Then what should we do!" Tang Sanzang said. "If this continues, won't we really have to give birth to the children here?"

At this time, Sha Wujing leaned against the wall and said, "Lady Bodhisattva, there must be a way to break the effect of the Mother-Child River water, right? If there is a way, please tell us."

The fool also spoke up, "Yes, yes! There must be a way, right? Please, Lady Bodhisattva, give us a way! I feel like my belly is getting bigger."

Wukong glanced at the fool and said, "Isn't your belly always this big?"

"Eldest Senior Brother, stop teasing me at a time like this," the fool said, sweating from the pain.

Wukong snorted and also asked the Old Mother.

The Old Mother then began her act again.

"There is indeed a solution... In this Women's Kingdom of Xiliang, there is a place called Po'er Cave. Inside is an Abortion Spring, and the spring water from there can neutralize the water of the Mother-Child River." The Old Mother naturally knew that Su Qing had already driven away Immortal Ruyi. So, she didn't mention him... she simply told Wukong the location of the Abortion Spring.

However, even so, it wouldn't be so simple for Wukong to get the Abortion Spring water. After all, the Bodhisattva was there playing the wicked Daoist! The Bodhisattva's strength was far greater than that of Immortal Ruyi. That fellow called himself a True Immortal, but his strength was weak and not worth mentioning. But the Bodhisattva was different. That was Guanyin Bodhisattva...

If Guanyin really wanted to play with Wukong, it wouldn't be easy for him to get the water. Su Qing felt it might even be harder than in the original story. But Su Qing was also wondering who Wukong would go to for help when he couldn't win. He wouldn't try to find her for help again, would he? If he did, he probably wouldn't find her. Her true body was in Linzhou City, and her clone was right in front of him.

"But it's not a big deal anyway. I'm just here to have fun," Su Qing thought to herself as she continued to watch the Old Mother's performance. It had to be said that the Old Mother's acting was a level above Su Qing's. If Su Qing hadn't known this person was the Old Mother of Mount Li, she probably would have been fooled. Of course, this was also quite good... it truly gave Su Qing a great show to watch.

Before long, Wukong, clear on how to solve the problem, left on his Somersault Cloud without another word.

After Wukong left, the two Bodhisattvas began to tease Tang Sanzang and his disciples. Su Qing, feeling a bit bored, made an excuse to go cook, rather than staying to play with the Bodhisattvas and the Old Mother.

The situation afterward was exactly as Su Qing had predicted. Wukong hit a wall this time... and returned looking dejected. But it wasn't his fault; who could blame him for running into Guanyin Bodhisattva? She was far more powerful than the Green Ox Wukong had dealt with before. It was only natural that he couldn't handle her.

However, this made Wukong exceptionally frustrated... after all, time was of the essence. The water of the Mother-Child River would cause the children to be born in at most three days.

"Wukong..." Tang Sanzang saw Wukong return empty-handed and knew he had failed, so he offered a few words of comfort. Zhu Bajie, however, made some sarcastic remarks, which almost made the frustrated Wukong swing his rod at him. Fortunately, Sha Wujing, who was also sporting a large belly, stopped him. Otherwise, the fool would have certainly taken a beating.

Su Qing watched from the side and couldn't help but find it hilarious, making no effort to hide her amusement. After all, they were currently there to make things difficult for the master and disciples. Naturally, she could laugh at them as she pleased. Of course, the focus of her mockery was the pig-headed Bajie. After all, who told him to be so annoying? Even with a child 'in his belly,' his lustful nature remained unchanged. Even the two Bodhisattvas didn't like Bajie much, so they naturally took the opportunity to mock him. But they only laughed and didn't say or do anything more.

Wukong didn't stay in the farm courtyard for long. He said to Tang Sanzang, "I'm going to the South Sea to find Guanyin Bodhisattva. Master, do not be anxious! This time, we will surely turn danger into safety."

With that, Wukong departed on his Somersault Cloud. But hearing that Sun Wukong was going to find Guanyin, Su Qing and the others all suppressed their laughter. On the surface, however, they had to pretend that Wukong was incredibly powerful and praise him to Tang Sanzang... It was truly difficult for them to keep up the act. After all, no one knew better than them that Wukong was destined to return in failure again.

Sure enough, after Wukong went to the Purple Bamboo Grove, he didn't find Guanyin Bodhisattva. He only found her disciple, Muzha. After inquiring, he learned that Senior Guanyin had gone on a long journey and was not in the South Sea Purple Bamboo Grove. When asked where she had gone, Muzha didn't know either.

Afterward, he went to find Su Qing, but learned from Leng Xiang and the others that Su Qing was not at the Changbai Mountains either. Having hit a wall twice in a row, Wukong was quite depressed. How could both people who could help be gone?

In desperation, he had to go to the Heavenly Palace to seek help from his old friends. Fortunately, this time nothing went wrong. Before long, he brought the Third Prince and the Heavenly King, and for good measure, he even went to Guanjiaokou to invite Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun.

Originally, Erlang didn't want to help... but the Buddha and the Jade Emperor had both spoken to him, so he had no choice but to go.

While Wukong was busy running back and forth, Su Qing was exceptionally relaxed and comfortable...

At night, Su Qing stayed with the Old Mother. She claimed to be sleeping next to her mother, but in reality, she was just looking for an opportunity to chat with her.

"Speaking of which, does Senior have any other arrangements for the aftermath of the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang?" Su Qing asked via Sound Transmission.

Su Qing intended to get these things clear beforehand... to avoid any other arrangements disrupting her own plans later.

The Old Mother smiled and said, "Rest assured, this time was just an accident. Afterward, you won't need to do anything more. You can watch the play in peace~"

Su Qing nodded and said, "Mhm, then I'll go stay in the palace. That way, I can watch the play from a closer distance! I'm still very curious about how you all arranged this tribulation."

"Hahaha, don't have too high expectations. That old woman Guanyin has always been quite casual in her work; she probably won't arrange any particularly special hardships."

The Old Mother didn't raise Su Qing's expectations; in fact, she lowered them. Su Qing didn't particularly mind. She said with a smile, "That's fine. I'm just curious about what this tribulation will turn into."

Seeing Su Qing say this, the Old Mother stopped trying to persuade her further and simply said, "It's good that you think that way."

"I'm actually quite open-minded about it," Su Qing said with a nod. "But the guest room next door is really noisy... how can that Bajie grunt so much!"

Seeing Su Qing's complaint, the Old Mother couldn't help but laugh. "That pig-head is indeed a bit noisy. But he's probably in a lot of pain! After all, I added a little something to his food."

Hearing this, Su Qing blinked. She truly hadn't expected the Old Mother of Mount Li to do such a thing... she was a bit curious and asked, "Senior, did that Bajie offend you?"

"That pig-head's lust is too heavy. When Guanyin and I went to test them before, he had the least self-control and was the most annoying, so I'm holding a bit of a grudge. This time, he was also quite annoying..." the Old Mother said calmly.

Su Qing: "..."

For a moment, Su Qing actually felt a bit of pity for the pig-head. After all, he had earned the Old Mother's grudge. However, he had brought it upon himself, so Su Qing didn't truly sympathize with him.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was dawn.

After dawn, the bellies of Tang Sanzang and his disciples had grown another size... looking as if they were seven or eight months pregnant. If nothing unexpected happened, they would give birth tomorrow. As for Wukong... he still hadn't returned. Su Qing didn't know how Wukong's fight with Guanyin was going or what helpers he had invited. It was a pity she couldn't watch the battle in person; otherwise, there would surely have been some fun in it.

"Sure enough, you win some, you lose some!" Su Qing thought helplessly as she looked at the anxious master and disciples in the living room. However, she didn't go over to talk or mock them; she just turned to make breakfast and brought it to them.

"Everyone, please eat something! When you're pregnant, you mustn't go hungry," Su Qing said with a smile.

Hearing this, Bajie immediately grunted, "I won't eat, I won't eat! I'd rather starve the thing in my belly to death."

"You pig-head, you call yourself a monk, yet I've never seen such a malicious one," Su Qing snorted and said, pretending to be annoyed. "Eat it or not, it's up to you!"

Su Qing didn't care if the fat pig ate or not... it didn't have much to do with her anyway. She just set the food down for them.

Tang Sanzang and Sha Wujing didn't think too much and finished their breakfast in a few bites... Bajie also tried to hold out, but the pig couldn't last long and soon crawled up to eat. This earned him a round of laughter from the two Bodhisattvas. Bajie, however, was full of excuses, saying, "Hmph, it's a waste not to eat. It doesn't matter if the child starves, but I can't starve myself. I just wonder why Eldest Senior Brother isn't back yet! If he doesn't return soon, he'll have to be a godfather."

Su Qing was too lazy to mock Bajie anymore; she had laughed enough over the past two days. So, she just ignored him. But she was even more curious about how Wukong's battle was going.

As it happened, just as Su Qing was wondering, Wukong returned. But when he came back, he looked a bit disheveled... his clothes were scorched all over, as if he had been through the Eight Trigrams Furnace again. Fortunately, although the monkey looked battered, he had clearly returned victorious. Su Qing couldn't help but wonder if the Bodhisattva had some personal grudge, hitting him so hard. The difficulty of this battle was probably no less than the one against the Green Ox, right? How much effort did the Bodhisattva put in!

"Eldest Senior Brother! You're finally back." When Bajie saw Wukong return, he immediately put down his food and scurried over. "Eldest Senior Brother, did you get the Abortion Spring water?"

Wukong glanced at Bajie, snorted, and said, "Of course I got it... but it took a lot of effort. That Daoist's strength is truly terrifying. Even with True Sovereign Erlang and the others, it took a great deal of effort to take him down."

Hearing this, Bajie quickly offered a few words of praise. "Eldest Senior Brother is amazing, amazing! Eldest Senior Brother, quickly give me the water. I don't want to carry this big belly anymore! It's so uncomfortable. It makes it so I can't even enjoy my food!"

Wukong pinched Bajie's ear and said, "You looked like you were eating quite happily to me."

"That's because I was starving!" Bajie quickly explained.

Wukong snorted and ignored him, simply pouring the water for his Master and two junior brothers.

After drinking the Abortion Spring water, Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, you've worked hard. Your clothes are torn; give them to me later, and I'll help you mend them."

Wukong nodded and said, "Hehe, thank you, Master! I was just worrying about these clothes."

Tang Sanzang shook his head slightly and said, "This monk can only do such small things."

After the master and disciple exchanged humble words, Tang Sanzang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He felt as if 'nature was calling loudly' and hurriedly asked where the latrine was. Then he rushed off to the bathroom...

As for the other two, because the only latrine was occupied, they had to run to the back mountain to find a secluded spot to resolve their issues.

Seeing this, Su Qing rubbed her chin and asked via Sound Transmission, "Old Mother, I suspect that Abortion Spring is actually a Laxative Spring, isn't it?"

"Hahaha, I don't know... but aren't you the Queen of this Women's Kingdom? How could you not know?"

"I never asked about these things... after all, I don't need it, and even if I did, it wouldn't work on me," Su Qing said, spreading her hands.

"That's only for your true body. If you went with this clone, it would be a different story." The Old Mother's eyes twinkled as she asked, "How about it, do you want to give it a try?"