However, just as Su Qing finished speaking and was about to look away and set off, an auspicious cloud glowing with Buddhist light appeared on the horizon.
When Su Qing saw the cloud, she felt a sudden urge to curse under her breath.
She was just about to leave to find Ao Ying and Leng Xiang, and now this Bodhisattva had arrived on his cloud. Talk about perfect timing.
It was truly exasperating.
Su Qing felt a wave of frustration, but she couldn't hide. The one who had come was none other than the Buddha himself.
Since the Buddha had come to find her personally, what choice did she have? She could only honestly meet with him first.
She wanted to see exactly what he wanted. She didn't expect anything good; she only hoped it wouldn't be something too troublesome. After all, troublesome matters wasted a lot of time.
While Su Qing was lost in thought, the Buddha descended from the clouds and landed in the courtyard.
"Little Friend Su... it has been a long time, has it not?" the Buddha said with a beaming smile as he looked at Su Qing.
Su Qing pursed her lips and replied, "Senior, didn't we just see each other a while ago? It hasn't been that long, has it?"
In truth, Su Qing couldn't remember exactly when she had last seen him, but based on the frequency of their meetings, it shouldn't have been that long—half a year at most.
The Buddha laughed heartily. "Indeed, it has not been very long. However, I have come quite suddenly this time. I hope I am not disturbing you?"
Hearing this, Su Qing complained internally, 'You are disturbing me! You really are!'
But she could only keep such thoughts to herself. Saying them aloud to a senior would be quite impolite.
"I wouldn't say you're disturbing me, but your arrival was quite unexpected. I'm a bit surprised, that's all," Su Qing said, spreading her hands.
"Hahaha, my apologies for startling you then."
Su Qing's lips twitched slightly. She then calmly invited the Buddha to the table nearby. "Senior, please have a seat. It wouldn't be right to leave you standing. By the way, Buddha, you must have a reason for coming here, right? And for you to come in person, it must be something very important?"
If the Buddha had come personally, how could it not be important?
He was the Buddha, after all, busy with countless affairs every day. If it weren't something particularly significant, why would he travel all this way himself? Unless he was truly very idle.
Hearing this, the Buddha chuckled. "Hahaha, I do indeed have something to discuss with you. However, as for whether it is important... it is not necessarily so. I simply felt it would be more convenient to speak with you in person to avoid any misunderstandings that might arise from a messenger failing to convey the words correctly."
Su Qing understood immediately. The Buddha was indeed very idle.
However, she didn't bother to call him out. She simply nodded and said, "In that case, Senior, please tell me directly what you need help with. As long as it's within my power, I will do my best to assist."
Yes, 'do her best.' As for whether she actually would, only Heaven knew. For instance, the matter with Chen Nianxin was a clear case where she hadn't exactly given it her all.
The Buddha smiled and chanted a Buddhist name. "Amitabha. In that case, I shall have to trouble you, Little Friend."
Su Qing offered a silent smile and didn't speak. The Buddha chanted again, "Amitabha. Actually, the main reason I have come is to ask you to fulfill a past promise. Did you not once agree to help us arrange a tribulation? Now is the time when we require your assistance."
Su Qing was momentarily stunned. "You need my help to arrange a tribulation? Why? Is Guanyin Bodhisattva too busy?"
"She is indeed quite occupied," the Buddha nodded. "Are you familiar with... the Bhikkhu Kingdom?"
Su Qing raised an eyebrow. She naturally knew of the Bhikkhu Kingdom. After all, it was one of the trials in Journey to the West. However, that trial had been ruined by her.
Su Qing nodded. "Of course I know it. I passed through that place when I took Chen Chaoyan to the Western Heaven. What about it?"
"That place was originally a tribulation arranged by Guanyin and myself for Tang Sanzang and his disciples," the Buddha explained. "But because you spirited away the South Pole Immortal's mount and the Old White Deer Spirit's daughter, that tribulation was completely ruined. Therefore, we need your help to rearrange a new one!"
"Huh?" Su Qing was a bit dazed. "Does 'rearrange' mean... you want me to replace the Old White Deer Spirit and his daughter?"
"No, no," the Buddha shook his head. "If we only needed a trial similar to the previous one, there would be no need for you to act personally. We could simply find a few demons of similar strength to fill the roles."
"Then..."
"We need to arrange an entirely new tribulation. After all, the master and his disciples have already passed the Bhikkhu Kingdom," the Buddha said with a nod.
Su Qing was baffled. They had already passed the Bhikkhu Kingdom? In other words, that tribulation had been skipped entirely? Was this the butterfly effect? No, it wasn't exactly that. It was entirely due to her own meddling.
And usually, the messes she made couldn't be fixed naturally; Guanyin Bodhisattva and the others had to manually intervene to correct the variables. Thinking of this, Su Qing fell silent for a moment before asking, "In that case, what do I need to do?"
Su Qing didn't refuse to help. After all, this was something she had promised long ago. Now that they had come for her, she had to follow through, even if it was a hassle.
Her only frustration was that her original plans would have to be delayed. She would have to wait a while longer before she could see Ao Ying and the others.
'It really is exasperating,' Su Qing thought. 'The Buddha's timing is too perfect. I was just about to leave when he arrived! It’s like he was waiting for the exact second.'
Even though she had agreed to help, she still had to grumble a bit in her mind. Even if she couldn't say it aloud, couldn't she at least think it?
The Buddha didn't know what she was thinking, nor did he intend to use mind-reading to check. He simply looked at her with a smile. "So, does this mean you agree to help?"
Su Qing nodded. "I promised to help before, so I won't go back on my word. So, Senior... what exactly do I need to do?"
Seeing this, the Buddha chuckled and nodded. "It is good that you agree! As for the specifics, we shall see how Guanyin Bodhisattva arranges things when the time comes."
"See how Guanyin arranges it?" Su Qing asked, her brow furrowing slightly.
The Buddha nodded. "The specific arrangements for the tribulations have always been handled by Guanyin. Naturally, we will follow her lead."
Su Qing's brow didn't relax. She only said, "Guanyin Bodhisattva won't try to prank me, will she?"
"Rest assured. Although she has some complaints about you—especially regarding your 'abduction' of her disciple—she certainly won't prank you when it comes to official business. Guanyin knows what is important. You can put your mind at ease," the Buddha comforted her, knowing full well what Su Qing was worried about.
In truth, even the Buddha felt a bit helpless regarding Guanyin Bodhisattva. Because of her disciple, Guanyin had tried to mess with Su Qing many times. Even so, she was still quite upset with her and always looked for a chance to get back at her. Thus, Su Qing's concern wasn't unfounded.
Su Qing remained silent for a moment before nodding. "Since you've put it that way, Buddha, I'll trust you. But do you know how far Guanyin has gotten with the arrangements?"
"I know that much... she hasn't started arranging anything yet!" the Buddha answered naturally.
Su Qing: "..."
Great. So nothing was prepared. They had only 'prepared' her.
However, as speechless as she was, since she had agreed, she couldn't say much more. She could only say, "Fine. I'll ask for the details when I see Guanyin Bodhisattva."
The Buddha nodded. "That would be best. I shall leave it to you, then."
"It's no trouble. After all, I've already received the payment. It wouldn't be right to take the reward and do nothing," Su Qing said, shaking her head.
The Buddha's payment had been given a long time ago, back when the agreement was first made. Thinking back, it was quite interesting. It was as if the Buddha had foreseen today's events and arranged everything in advance, even making that specific agreement with her.
Perhaps that was the power of a top-tier expert's divination.
Hearing Su Qing's words, the Buddha gave a light laugh and nodded. "Since I have informed you of the matter, it is time for me to return. Oh, by the way, do you intend to find Guanyin now? If so, I can take you with me."
Su Qing shook her head. "That won't be necessary. Before I leave, I need to make some arrangements for my domain first."
The Buddha didn't insist. He simply nodded and said, "In that case, this monk shall take his leave!"
Su Qing naturally wouldn't stop him. She nodded and said, "Safe travels, Senior!"
The Buddha smiled, and with a thought, he soared away on his auspicious cloud.
Su Qing watched him vanish into the distance. The Buddha's cloud didn't look fast, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Clearly, his cloud-soaring was just as fast, if not faster, than the Somersault Cloud. But that was normal; he was one of the most powerful beings in the world. It would be more ridiculous if his speed couldn't even match the Somersault Cloud.
'Come to think of it, Wukong had it the worst, facing off against the Buddha directly back then,' Su Qing thought with a smile, eventually looking away and shaking her head.
She stretched her slightly stiff body and then went to find Bai Rou'er and the others to inform them of her departure.
"Godmother is going to the South Sea Purple Bamboo Grove to find my master?" Chen Chaoyan asked in surprise after learning Su Qing was looking for Guanyin. "What are you going to do there?"
Su Qing simply replied, "The Buddha asked me to assist your master with some business."
Su Qing couldn't just casually mention the arrangement of tribulations, but a simple explanation was fine.
Although Chen Chaoyan didn't know the specifics, she understood that Su Qing and her master were going to handle something important. "In that case, I'll go back with you!" Chen Chaoyan said after some thought.
"You're going back?"
"Yes and no..." Chen Chaoyan scratched her head. "Mainly, I need to go back to fetch something."
"Oh?"
"Hehe, didn't I promise to help you collect Incense Power and faith?"
Su Qing was stunned. "When did you promise me that?"
"Hehe, I promised Godmother Ao Ying! But regardless of which godmother I promised, I can't go back on my word. I've been here for so long; it's time I did something for you! You've helped me so much in the past; now it's my turn to help you."
Chen Chaoyan grinned and tapped her own head.
Su Qing blinked, and after a moment of silence, she didn't say much else, only nodding. "Since you want to go back together, then let's go."
"Thank you, Godmother!"
"..." Su Qing was speechless. "What are you thanking me for?"
"Hehe." Chen Chaoyan didn't explain, just offered a silly laugh.
Su Qing was even more speechless but didn't bother to probe further. She said, "Since you're coming along, wait for me here. I'm going to tell Liu Xixi, just in case she comes looking for me while I'm away and makes a wasted trip."
Liu Xixi was very responsible, and Su Qing didn't want to leave her in the lurch. So, whenever she left, she would always inform her.
Chen Chaoyan naturally had no objections. She nodded and said, "Then I'll wait in the courtyard for you to return!"
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