Upon seeing Taishang Laojun, Su Qing couldn't help but smile. If Senior Taishang Laojun was here, then Master certainly couldn't escape this banquet. Although Su Qing sometimes found Senior Taishang Laojun a little annoying, she had to admit he had helped her in many ways. And his arrival this time was quite timely.
Su Qing smiled and said, "Senior Taishang Laojun, you're here! Come help me drag Master to the banquet too! It's a rare opportunity, we can't let Master escape it."
Taishang Laojun chuckled upon hearing this, immediately rolling up his sleeves. He said, "How did you know I came for this very reason?"
Taishang Laojun and Patriarch Bodhi had been old friends for tens of thousands of years. How could he not know Patriarch Bodhi's temperament? So, whatever Patriarch Bodhi's plans were, he was certainly well aware. Naturally, he could anticipate what Patriarch Bodhi would do and prepare in advance. Taishang Laojun's arrival seemed coincidental, but in reality, it was premeditated. After all, how many coincidences could there truly be in the world?
Su Qing couldn't help but smile upon hearing Taishang Laojun's words... she didn't know if Taishang Laojun truly had this intention before, but she was naturally happy that he could help her.
"That's wonderful!" Su Qing smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble Senior Taishang Laojun."
Beside them, Patriarch Bodhi couldn't help but frown upon hearing their conversation... He had intended to scold Taishang Laojun, but remembering his disciple was present, he refrained from speaking. After all, he felt this was likely their last farewell, so he still hoped to leave a good impression on his disciple.
After a long silence, Patriarch Bodhi finally said, "I was dragged here by you and the Heavenly Venerate of Numinous Treasure."
Taishang Laojun chuckled, patted Patriarch Bodhi's shoulder, and said, "But since you're already here, wouldn't it be a waste not to enjoy a meal hosted by the Lunar Deity? Besides, who attends a banquet only to hide away? If others saw, they'd think Su Qing's Master was some eccentric recluse!"
Patriarch Bodhi's mouth twitched upon hearing this... Finally, he sighed helplessly and said, "Fine, fine, I'll go."
Seeing this, Taishang Laojun chuckled and said, "That's more like it!"
Taishang Laojun knew his old friend too well, so he always had various ways to persuade him. It was merely a matter of using a bit more persuasion.
Su Qing, hearing this, looked at her Master with a beaming smile and said, "Then, Master, shall we go? The Star Lord must have been waiting for us for a long time."
Patriarch Bodhi glanced helplessly at his disciple upon hearing this... Finally, he nodded. Then he furiously transmitted a message to Taishang Laojun.
Taishang Laojun: "..."
Well, only caring about his disciple, not his old friend's mental well-being, huh. However, despite Taishang Laojun's grumbling, he had to admit that Patriarch Bodhi truly raised this disciple like his own daughter... It was almost ridiculously good.
Taishang Laojun chuckled, then resumed bickering with his old friend.
The three soon arrived at the banquet hall. And within the banquet hall, there were already many immortals, and now there were even more. Clearly, many immortals had indeed been invited to attend the Star Lord's banquet this time. There were quite a few immortals here, but none were obscure; all were renowned deities.
After Su Qing, Taishang Laojun, and Master arrived at the banquet hall, they had originally intended to find the Lunar Deity for a chat. However, before seeing the Lunar Deity, they first encountered someone else: Pilanpo Bodhisattva.
Pilanpo Bodhisattva walked up to the three, clasped her palms together, and uttered 'Amitabha'.
"It truly has been a long time since I last saw you all."
Su Qing also clasped her palms in response. Taishang Laojun, meanwhile, chuckled and said, "Indeed, it has been quite a while. But haven't you been living in seclusion for several centuries? Why, are you also attending the Star Lord's banquet today?"
Pilanpo Bodhisattva also smiled upon hearing this, saying, "Isn't it simply that after such long quietude, I felt like moving? Besides, with the Star Lord hosting a banquet, how could I not come? However, I am quite surprised to see you here, Bodhi. I recall you don't like getting involved in such affairs."
Before Bodhi could answer, Taishang Laojun on the side interjected, "Isn't it because his disciple is here?"
Bodhi glared at him for snatching the answer, but didn't refute it. Pilanpo Bodhisattva, meanwhile, smiled and said, "You, as a Master, truly love your disciple! It's indeed fortunate for Yuanjun to have met a Master like you."
Su Qing, seeing herself mentioned, also smiled and said, "Yes, it is indeed a lucky thing to have met such a Master."
Pilanpo Bodhisattva nodded and said, "Oh, right, Yuanjun, I have something to give you... I had originally planned to send it to you, but since I've met you here, I'll just hand it over now."
Su Qing was slightly stunned upon hearing this. How was it that today, not only Master but Pilanpo Bodhisattva also wanted to give her something? She just wondered what Pilanpo Bodhisattva intended to give her. As for whether to accept it, it was said that one should not refuse gifts from elders. Since it was being offered, she might as well see what it was first.
Su Qing asked, "Senior, what are you giving me?"
"Haha, nothing much, just some things you'll like." Pilanpo Bodhisattva said with a beaming smile, "I owed you a favor before, and now I'm taking this opportunity to repay it by giving you these."
Su Qing blinked, understanding which matter Pilanpo Bodhisattva was referring to... Wasn't it about letting that centipede demon go previously? She hadn't really paid much attention to that favor, after all, she hadn't had any opportunity to use it. But she hadn't expected Pilanpo Bodhisattva to proactively repay the favor, and even sent her something she liked. However... Pilanpo Bodhisattva said it was something she liked, but Su Qing didn't know what it was, as she liked quite a few things. So she asked, "I see... But what exactly is it?"
"You'll naturally know once you return home... Consider it a surprise, a bit of suspense." Pilanpo Bodhisattva smiled faintly and told Su Qing, "The items are in this flower basket. When you get back, just recite this incantation, and you'll be able to retrieve them. Rest assured, Yuanjun, they are definitely what you like best!"
Su Qing was even more bewildered for a moment... Her favorite? How did Pilanpo Bodhisattva know what she liked best? She wasn't even entirely sure herself! Pilanpo Bodhisattva shouldn't know her that well, right? However, since Pilanpo Bodhisattva had already said so, out of respect for the senior, Su Qing found it difficult to press further. She simply nodded, planning to check it herself once she returned home, to see what it truly was. Then she accepted the flower basket Pilanpo Bodhisattva handed her, and placed it into her Sleeve Universe.
Seeing Su Qing put away the flower basket, Pilanpo Bodhisattva couldn't help but smile and said, "Since the items have been given to you, Yuanjun, let us go sit down and chat further!"
Su Qing had no objection to this, merely turning to look at her Master and Senior Taishang Laojun. Taishang Laojun chuckled and said, "Perfect! Let's find a spot to sit and chat at our leisure!" As for Patriarch Bodhi's thoughts, Taishang Laojun declared he wasn't considering them. He then pulled Patriarch Bodhi along to find seats.
The group quickly found seats and sat down. Then Taishang Laojun began chatting merrily with Pilanpo Bodhisattva. During this, he didn't forget to occasionally say a few words to Su Qing and Patriarch Bodhi, truly not neglecting anyone. Su Qing didn't mind much, chatting when appropriate, speaking when appropriate; after all, they were here to attend a banquet, not to discuss major affairs.
As they chatted, unbeknownst to them, several more immortals arrived, all old deities whom Su Qing recognized. But what surprised Su Qing most was that Maitreya and Guanyin Bodhisattva also came to sit with them... Although Su Qing knew they would likely come, she hadn't expected them to sit at her table. Fortunately, although surrounded by seniors, they weren't the difficult-to-talk-to type. Even Guanyin Bodhisattva, who always fretted about her disciple, wasn't hard to converse with... It was just that whenever her disciple was mentioned, Su Qing felt like Guanyin was about to start complaining about her again. Fortunately, Guanyin didn't complain about Su Qing today... Perhaps seeing so many people, she found it inconvenient to complain about Su Qing? Su Qing could only feel fortunate about this.
Yet, Su Qing always had some doubts. Because every time Guanyin looked at her, there was a smile on her face, like a smile of a scheme having succeeded, which made Su Qing a little puzzled and worried... she wondered what pit Senior Guanyin, that big schemer, had dug for her to fall into. But Su Qing pondered for a long time and still couldn't find an answer. So she guessed that the pit Senior Guanyin had dug for her was simply to make her overthink things. After all, given Senior Guanyin's personality, she was certainly capable of such a thing. Feeling she had seen through it, Su Qing stopped thinking about it, because continuing to think would only play right into Guanyin's hands.
And so, the banquet continued. The events thereafter proceeded exceptionally smoothly, with no unexpected occurrences. Everyone happily enjoyed their meal and had good conversations... Today's banquet thus concluded. As for the Lunar Deity's reason for gathering everyone for the banquet, Su Qing wasn't very clear, nor did she care much. Anyway, she was just here for a meal. If there were any major matters, and they weren't directly told to her, then it wasn't her business. She was purely here to join the fun and incidentally see her Master whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
After the banquet, Patriarch Bodhi was naturally preparing to leave. Before leaving, Patriarch Bodhi said to Su Qing: "In the future, if you encounter any trouble, you can directly seek help from Taishang Laojun. Although he might seem a bit unreliable at times, he is still your senior, and if you ask him, he certainly won't refuse."
Su Qing was startled by her Master's sudden words, then realized he was simply not good at goodbyes. So she smiled and nodded, saying, "Master, rest assured, I definitely won't be shy about asking Senior Taishang Laojun for help!"
"That's good then... I shall take my leave now." Patriarch Bodhi nodded, saying calmly, "Also, remember to take the item I gave you to the Bodhi Tree."
Su Qing also nodded, saying, "How could your disciple forget what Master instructed?"
Seeing this, Patriarch Bodhi merely nodded again, pondering if there was anything else he hadn't said. Finally, after realizing he hadn't forgotten anything, he took out two golden bracelets and said, "These are for your daughters... Keep them safe."
Su Qing blinked, smiled at her Master, then nodded and accepted the two golden bracelets, saying: "Then I'll thank Master on behalf of those two silly girls! I'll give these to them. It's a pity I didn't bring them to the Lunar Deity's banquet this time, otherwise, they could have met you, Master."
Su Qing truly hadn't expected her Master to have prepared gifts for Yudie and Ying'er; it was quite a surprise. However, she didn't refuse her Master's kindness. After all, these weren't for her, but for those two silly girls, so there was no need for her to refuse.
"No need for that..." Patriarch Bodhi waved his hand, shaking his head, and said, "Alright, I really must go now! Don't worry about me."
"Mm, I'll miss you, Master." Su Qing said with a smile.
Patriarch Bodhi chuckled, then departed on a cloud, clearly in good spirits.
After Patriarch Bodhi left, Su Qing casually placed the items into her Sleeve Universe. Meanwhile, Taishang Laojun chuckled and said, "That old fellow is still so insincere... only giving you things at the last minute. But he's truly good to you, even preparing gifts for your daughters. Have you considered having your daughters take him as their Master too?"
"Master probably wouldn't agree, would he?" Su Qing smiled and shook her head, saying, "Senior Taishang Laojun, you know his temperament, don't you?"
"Hahaha, that's true..." Taishang Laojun stroked his beard and said, "Alright, alright, I must go too! There are some matters at the Heavenly Palace I need to attend to. Oh, right, Chang'e seems to have something to discuss with you; she asked me to tell you to go see her later."
Su Qing blinked upon hearing this, wondering what Chang'e wanted with her. But she nodded and said, "Mm, I understand... Thank you, Senior, for the message."
"Heh, it's nothing." Taishang Laojun waved his hand and said, "Time to go, time to go! If I don't leave now, I'll be swamped when I get back."
"Is the Heavenly Palace very busy lately?" Su Qing asked.
"I am very busy lately!" Taishang Laojun said helplessly, then formed a hand seal, preparing to leave, and added, "Alright, if you ever need help in the future, just remember to come find me!"
Su Qing nodded upon hearing this, then waved goodbye to Taishang Laojun. After Taishang Laojun had gone far, Su Qing then turned to look for Chang'e... she wondered what Chang'e wanted with her.
Rate on N.U.
