An Unexpected Turn

Regarding Bai Yuhe, Su Qing was somewhat helpless but didn't say much more. After all, this woman was simply stubborn and refused to admit her feelings easily.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, night fell.

At Donglin Temple, Wukong and his group had already settled into their meditation rooms. However, for some reason, the Elder felt a sudden urge and went to sweep the pagoda at the back of the temple.

Donglin Temple was a temple built with royal funds, so it naturally featured standard structures like Buddhist pagodas. Besides the pagodas within the main temple grounds, there were several ancient ones on the back mountain. Seeing Tang Sanzang go off to sweep the pagoda alone, Wukong couldn't quite set his mind at ease. So, in the middle of the night, he went to the pagoda to keep watch over his master.

After all, Tang Sanzang was a magnet for trouble throughout this journey. Although they had just passed one tribulation, who could say for sure if another wouldn't follow immediately?

Fortunately, the night passed peacefully. No demons appeared to spirit his master away. Wukong breathed a sigh of relief.

"I suppose I was worrying too much," he thought. "This is, after all, the kingdom where my Big Sister stays. Even though she's often away, not just anyone would dare to act wildly here."

As for the demon Daoist who had occupied the Abortion Spring earlier, Wukong suspected it was likely arranged by the Bodhisattva to add a tribulation while Su Qing was away.

Wukong wasn't stupid. Ever since they encountered Taishang Laojun's two boys at Lotus Flower Cave on Pingding Mountain, he had begun to understand how things worked. While some demons were just a result of his master's bad luck, others were clearly orchestrated by Guanyin Bodhisattva herself.

However, Wukong had no way to change this. He could only seek Guanyin's help when he couldn't win a fight. Since she arranged it, asking her to resolve it was always the fastest way.

In the morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Tang Sanzang finished sweeping the pagoda and was preparing to return to rest. Just then, several young nuns approached.

"Elder, Her Majesty requests your presence."

Tang Sanzang was momentarily stunned and asked curiously, "Does Her Majesty have some business with this poor monk?"

"Her Majesty didn't say specifically. She only mentioned that an old friend of one of your disciples has arrived, so she sent us to fetch you," one of the nuns replied after a moment's thought.

"An old friend of my disciple?" Tang Sanzang was puzzled.

Wukong, however, thought for a moment and knew exactly who it was. He chuckled and said, "Master, it's likely my Big Sister has arrived! She must have heard we are here and wants to see us!"

Tang Sanzang understood immediately. He nodded and said, "Then let us go quickly. Wukong, go call Bajie and Wujing."

Wukong nodded and hurried off to find his two junior brothers.

On the other side, Su Qing and Bai Yuhe were already waiting in the main hall. While they waited, they chatted idly, as they couldn't just sit in silence.

"It seems you've been quite diligent in your cultivation lately," Su Qing said with a smile.

"When someone else is so powerful, it would be hard to win without practicing hard," Bai Yuhe replied with a grin. "Besides... if I don't cultivate properly, we won't be able to stay together for the long haul."

"It's good that you can think of that," Su Qing noted, nodding.

"I am a monarch, after all. I can understand such simple truths," Bai Yuhe said, rolling her eyes playfully.

Su Qing chuckled and was about to speak when she heard a palace maid's voice from outside the hall, announcing the arrival of Wukong and the others.

Su Qing was slightly surprised. She rubbed her chin and said, "They arrived quite quickly."

"Quick indeed... it seems your little brother respects you immensely," Bai Yuhe said teasingly.

"That's true..." Su Qing agreed.

As they spoke, Wukong led his master and two junior brothers into the hall. As soon as Wukong entered and saw Su Qing, he shouted, "Big Sister! we're here!"

Su Qing nodded slightly. "I didn't expect you to reach this place so soon. Your speed is impressive!"

Wukong chuckled. "I wouldn't call it fast. Compared to soaring on clouds, this is incredibly slow. If Master didn't insist on walking with a sincere heart, I would have flown him here long ago."

"That is true... the pilgrimage to the West emphasizes sincerity. Doing it this way is a good thing."

"A good thing it may be, but my master is disaster-prone. He has suffered endless hardships on this road," Wukong said helplessly. "I don't know how many more trials lie ahead."

"Amitabha. Regardless of the hardships, this poor monk must reach the Western Heaven to obtain the true scriptures," Tang Sanzang added timely.

Su Qing nodded at his words. "You are indeed sincere. Rest assured, you will certainly obtain the scriptures."

"I hope it is as the Sovereign says," Tang Sanzang replied.

"Hahaha, it's not a prophecy, just a fact," Su Qing said, shaking her head.

Afterward, Su Qing chatted with Wukong and the others for a long time, eventually inviting them to stay in the palace for a vegetarian meal.

During the banquet, Bai Yuhe's sister appeared. She took a fancy to Tang Sanzang and expressed her desire to marry him. Su Qing's brow twitched slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Years ago, when Su Qing first arrived in the Women's Kingdom and recognized Bai Yuhe, she had guessed that the sister might become the tribulation Guanyin used to replace Bai Yuhe's role. So, seeing this scene did not surprise her.

She simply let Bai Yuhe make her own decision. After all, this was Bai Yuhe's sister; Su Qing was only her 'sister-in-law,' not her blood sister.

Bai Yuhe's decision, however, surprised Su Qing slightly.

"He is a monk. What is the point of marrying him? Besides, he has traveled all the way from the Great Tang to seek scriptures in the West. How could he possibly return to secular life to marry you?" Bai Yuhe said helplessly to her sister.

"Sister, you are the monarch. If you command it, how could a mere monk dare to disobey?"

"That still won't do..."

"But—"

"There are no 'buts.'" Bai Yuhe's gaze sharpened. "He is the master of your 'sister-in-law's' brother. To us, they are practically family. To use power to force a relative into marriage is a despicable act that would bring shame upon us. So, let this matter drop!"

Bai Yuhe was a monarch and Su Qing's 'husband'; she naturally couldn't do something so classless. Especially since Su Qing had a significant relationship with that group. Forcing them would be meaningless and would only breed resentment. Furthermore, forced affection held no value.

"Sister..."

"There is nothing more to say. You are not a commoner; you must learn to control your emotions! If you truly wish to find a beloved, I can ask your sister-in-law to take you beyond the borders of Xiliang!" Bai Yuhe said firmly to her sister.

Hearing this, the Princess knew she couldn't change her sister's mind. She sighed helplessly. "I understand, Sister..."

"Good." Bai Yuhe nodded and said no more.

Listening from the side, Su Qing's lip twitched. She suddenly had a bad premonition. She felt she would likely be scolded by Senior Guanyin later.

"Forget it, it's not like I haven't been scolded by her before," Su Qing thought, shaking her head. She continued chatting and eating with the group.

After lunch, Wukong took Tang Sanzang—who had been up all night sweeping—back to rest. What was rather amusing was that the usually lustful Bajie was the fastest to run once he heard they could leave; he didn't dare linger in Su Qing's presence. Su Qing just chuckled and didn't bother the fool, letting them depart.

Once Tang Sanzang returned to his room at Donglin Temple, he quickly fell asleep. Wukong, meanwhile, went out to play in the city.

In Wukong's view, with Su Qing here, no one would be suicidal enough to try and kidnap anyone. Thus, he could safely go out for some fun. Besides, with the White Dragon Horse keeping watch, what could go wrong?

However, during this outing, Bajie was exceptionally well-behaved.

Wujing couldn't help but ask, "Usually, Second Senior Brother is the most interested in women. Why are you so restrained today?"

Bajie grumbled, "I'd love to look more, but do I dare? You don't know how much women love to hold grudges. If the Sovereign finds out I'm staring at her subjects like that, who knows if she'll get upset and punish me?"

"The Sovereign surely wouldn't do such a thing."

"Hmph, that's where you lack experience, Junior Brother," Bajie snorted. "She might not punish you to your face, but a stab in the back is inevitable! Last time I accidentally complained about the Lunar Deity, she set me up so badly I was stuck in bed for a whole month, unable to move."

"Second Senior Brother! Why do you always like to provoke such powerful people?"

"You think I want to?"

As they spoke, Wukong interrupted, "Enough, enough, how annoying. Bajie, you're right to be honest! If my Big Sister gets angry, I won't be the one to stop her! If she slices you into fatty pork strips, you'll have deserved it."

Wukong was naturally just saying this to scare Bajie. He knew his Big Sister's temperament better than anyone; she wasn't as petty as Bajie thought. But if she truly got fired up... the person responsible would indeed meet a grim end. And he really didn't think he could stop her.

"Eldest Senior Brother, don't say that, I'm scared!" Bajie said, his body trembling.

Meanwhile, in the palace backyard, a simply dressed nun arrived. She asked to see Su Qing immediately. When Su Qing received the news, she didn't say much and went straight to meet her. She knew exactly who this was. Who else could it be but Guanyin Bodhisattva coming to demand an explanation?

Arriving in the backyard, Su Qing said with a smile, "What brings Guanyin Bodhisattva here to see me? Didn't we just meet a few days ago?"

Seeing Su Qing's smiling face, Guanyin felt a surge of irritation. "Do you know you've ruined another tribulation I arranged, you girl?"

Su Qing spread her hands. "You can't blame me for this. I didn't do a thing!"

"Hmph! You call this doing nothing?"

"I really didn't do anything... it was the Queen's own choice," Su Qing argued. "Besides, Bodhisattva, using someone's sister as a tribulation is a bit much, don't you think?"

"Hmph... you fellow. You've already taken the Queen for yourself; do you want to take the sister too?"

"I hadn't thought of that until you mentioned it. But Senior, you've truly misunderstood me. And why are we suddenly talking about that? Weren't we discussing the tribulations?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Guanyin said, her teeth practically itching with frustration. "You... you really never stop causing trouble."

Su Qing said helplessly, "Bodhisattva, you really can't blame me for this! I didn't expect Yuhe to be so resolute. Besides, even if this tribulation is gone, can't you just find another way to make it up elsewhere?"

Guanyin exhaled a long breath of murky Qi. "You make it sound so easy, but you have no idea how tired I am! The Buddha is the same, just dumping all the work on me. It's truly a case of the higher-ups giving orders while the subordinates run themselves ragged."

Su Qing's lip twitched, and she didn't dare respond. What could she say? Guanyin was complaining about the Buddha; what right did a mere Mountain God of the Changbai Mountains have to butt in?

"Fine, fine. Since you've spoiled this tribulation, so be it! I truly have no way to deal with you." After venting about the Buddha for a bit, Guanyin sighed. "But since you ruined this one, you are not allowed to interfere with the next one."

Su Qing nodded, then asked curiously, "I'm a bit curious, what is the next tribulation? Can you tell me?"

Guanyin glanced at Su Qing and nodded. "Forget it, it's no secret. It's simply arranging for that little Scorpion Spirit to kidnap Tang Sanzang."

Su Qing looked at Guanyin. "That little scorpion isn't like she used to be. Why would she kidnap him? For his flesh? For his Primal Yang?"

"You don't need to worry about that; I naturally have my ways," Guanyin snorted. "But you are absolutely forbidden from interfering... you'll just have to find an excuse to come with me! Don't worry, I won't treat you poorly. It just so happens there's a vegetarian banquet at Thunder Monastery. You can go there and attend in my stead."

Su Qing spread her hands. "Since you've put it that way, Senior, how could I refuse? But it seems you really are busy, Senior, if you can't even make it to a banquet."

"And I wonder whose fault that is?" Guanyin said, poking Su Qing's head twice with mock annoyance. "Alright, I'm leaving. Go tell that Queen of yours yourself."

Su Qing nodded. "Safe travels, Senior."