The Buddha nodded in satisfaction at the sight.
Then, Tang Sanzang spoke, "Your disciple Xuanzang, by the decree of the Emperor of the Great Tang in the East, has traveled from afar to this sacred mountain to seek the true scriptures and save all living beings. I pray the Buddha will show mercy and grant them to me soon so that I may return to my country."
Ru Lai nodded calmly and launched into a long-winded discourse.
Su Qing had little interest in this and found listening to it incredibly dull. Fortunately, she was not one to disregard etiquette. Even though she found it boring, she didn't let it show. She simply stood peacefully to the side, silent, waiting for the plot to unfold.
The events that followed were exactly as Su Qing had anticipated. Ru Lai instructed Tang Sanzang and his disciples to partake in a vegetarian banquet before receiving the true scriptures. After they finished their meal, they followed Ananda and Kasyapa to the Library of Sutras to collect the texts.
Su Qing, of course, watched this process unfold. She wasn't the only one; Ru Lai and Guanyin Bodhisattva were watching as well. What transpired was no surprise to Su Qing. The two Venerables, Ananda and Kasyapa, acted just as they did in the original story. Because Tang Sanzang failed to provide a reward, they chose to give them wordless scriptures.
One could argue that wordless scriptures were of a higher, more profound level, but how could a mortal understand them? If they couldn't even see the words, how could they hope to comprehend the Dharma? Ananda and Kasyapa didn't have good intentions; they were simply playing a trick on Tang Sanzang and his disciples because they hadn't received any benefits.
Seeing this, Su Qing knew it was consistent with the original tale and not particularly strange, yet she couldn't help but mutter a dissatisfied critique. "For the two Venerables, Ananda and Kasyapa, to act this way is truly unseemly. As Venerables, they are so greedy that they would hand over wordless scriptures simply because they weren't given a bribe?"
The Buddha’s expression remained unchanged as he said with a kind smile, "Amitabha. This is indeed the fault of Ananda and Kasyapa. Rest assured, little friend, I will certainly punish them afterward. As for those wordless scriptures... do not worry, they will not be taken away."
Su Qing wasn't surprised by this answer. According to the original plot, even if she hadn't spoken up, the wordless scriptures wouldn't have made it back. She had only spoken because she couldn't stand the conduct of Ananda and Kasyapa. As subordinates of the Buddha, such character was truly unbecoming.
However, after her critique, Su Qing didn't intend to say more. She simply nodded and continued to watch the play in silence.
After Su Qing fell silent and Tang Sanzang and his disciples had departed, the Buddha sent someone to retrieve the wordless scriptures. What followed was exactly as Su Qing expected.
Tang Sanzang and his disciples returned to the Hall of Great Might. Wukong was naturally furious about the wordless scriptures. As soon as he returned, he began shouting at Ru Lai in protest.
Ru Lai wasn't angered by Wukong's shouting. He simply brushed the matter aside with the explanation that 'the Dharma cannot be transmitted easily.'
Wukong was quite dissatisfied with this reasoning. 'The Dharma cannot be transmitted easily?' He and his master had traveled so far and endured so many hardships to reach Spirit Mountain—how could that be considered 'easy'?
However, though Wukong felt disgruntled, he didn't voice it further. He only said, "Regardless, Ru Lai, you must exchange these scriptures for us!"
Ru Lai nodded and said, "Ananda, Kasyapa, go and select a few scrolls from each of the true scriptures that contain words and give them to him. Report the count back to me."
With the Buddha's command, Ananda and Kasyapa didn't dare to disobey. They quickly nodded and prepared to lead Wukong and the others back to the Library of Sutras.
Before Wukong and the others left, Su Qing sent a Sound Transmission: "Wukong, be careful on the way back. In the count of nine times nine, you are still missing one tribulation! Buddhism emphasizes that eighty-one returns to one. If you are short one tribulation, I fear it will be difficult to bring these true scriptures back to the Great Tang."
Wukong's eyes darted around as he heard this, and he quickly calculated the hardships his master had faced on the journey. To his surprise, Su Qing was right. His master was indeed short by one tribulation.
Wukong kept a straight face and didn't respond to his eldest sister. He simply followed his master back to the Library of Sutras, but in his heart, he was now mentally prepared for the coming tribulation.
The group arrived outside the Library of Sutras once more. This time, Ananda and Kasyapa made the same demand as before. Wukong, hearing this, naturally started to curse them out, but before he could finish, his master stopped him.
Tang Sanzang had Sha Wujing take out the purple gold alms bowl—the one bestowed by the Emperor of Tang—and handed it over to Ananda and Kasyapa. Upon receiving the bowl, the two were overjoyed. They looked it over from every angle, unable to put it down.
This, however, annoyed Wukong. He said, "Stop looking at it! Hurry up and take us to get the scriptures."
Only then did the two put away the purple gold alms bowl and lead them to collect the scriptures with words. They didn't dare to be too negligent; after all, if they truly enraged Wukong, he might actually crack their skulls open. It was better to settle the matter of the scriptures first and admire the bowl later.
This time, the collection went quite smoothly. Wukong and the others were more cautious, checking the scrolls one by one to ensure they contained words, so as not to be tricked by Ananda and Kasyapa again.
Before long, once the scriptures were checked and packed, Ananda and Kasyapa led Tang Sanzang and the others back before Ru Lai’s lotus throne.
After that came Su Qing's least favorite part: the 'Big Boss Speech' time. Su Qing stifled a yawn, watching the events unfold as she listened.
Things didn't change much from the original story. After the Vajras escorted Tang Sanzang and his disciples away, Su Qing spoke up to announce her departure.
"Senior, the matter of the four disciples has more or less come to a close. I see it is getting late, and it is time for me to return. There are still many things waiting for me to do in the Northern Continent," Su Qing said, bowing to the Buddha.
The Buddha knew that Su Qing was simply bored and didn't want to stay any longer, so she had made up a random excuse. However, Ru Lai didn't mind; her presence wasn't strictly necessary for the upcoming events.
"Amitabha. If you wish to leave, little friend, I will not stop you. However, I hope you will return to the Hall of Great Might in eight days for a gathering."
"?" Su Qing couldn't help but feel confused.
The Buddha said, "I invited you here to witness your junior brother becoming a Buddha. It will take another eight days for him to achieve Buddhahood, so I invite you to return then."
Su Qing was momentarily speechless. She had thought that participating in this event was enough, but now she had to come back in eight days.
It was hard to refuse, so she only said, "I cannot be certain about eight days from now. If I have no other business then, I shall return."
Ru Lai nodded and said, "Very well, that is fine. If you are free in eight days, come and witness the four of them achieving Buddhahood."
Since the Buddha had put it that way, Su Qing nodded and said, "Then I shall take my leave now."
The Buddha smiled slightly. "Go then."
Su Qing didn't linger. She turned and departed on her cloud. On the way back, she didn't travel too quickly, taking the time to enjoy the scenery while her mind was filled with a thousand thoughts.
'Forget it, I probably can't change the fact that Wukong will become a Buddha...' Su Qing shook her head.
To be honest, if possible, she didn't want Wukong to become a Buddha. This wasn't just out of a sister's concern for her brother, but also out of her past-life dissatisfaction as a person from Earth regarding Wukong's fate. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was the Great Sage... the Victorious Fighting Buddha was no longer the Great Sage.
Unfortunately, one cannot fight fate. Su Qing couldn't change the inevitability of Wukong's Buddhahood.
'Sigh, out of sight, out of mind. I'll just find an excuse to skip the event in eight days. I'll find something to keep myself busy. I wonder if there are any disasters in the world... I can go make an appearance while avoiding this troublesome matter.'
Su Qing stretched lazily, thinking of these things. 'Whatever, I'll go back first and see if my dear little Liu Xixi can find anything.'
In a way, Liu Xixi was like Su Qing's magic bag. Whenever she was needed, she could always be put to use and provide the right kind of help. It had to be said that Liu Xixi was indeed a qualified assistant official. In her work, she was never sloppy.
Returning to the domain, Su Qing found Liu Xixi, who had just finished her work and was resting. At that moment, Liu Xixi was washing her face, with water still clinging to her skin, looking a bit dazed.
"Sovereign, you're back?" Liu Xixi asked, looking up at Su Qing.
Su Qing spread her hands and said, "Since I'm standing in front of you, naturally I'm back. I didn't think you would ask such a silly question."
Liu Xixi froze for a moment. Su Qing's answers always caught her off guard. She said helplessly, "My apologies, that was indeed a silly question."
Su Qing waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine... everyone has their moments. More importantly, I want to know if any natural disasters have appeared recently? Here in the Northern Continent?"
"Why do you ask, Sovereign?" Liu Xixi asked in confusion. "If there were any, I would have notified you already."
"So there aren't any?" Su Qing asked, tilting her head to look at her. Then, she whispered to herself, "Looks like I'll have to find another excuse."
Liu Xixi looked at Su Qing in confusion, not knowing what she was talking about. Her voice was too low for her to hear clearly. And in Su Qing's presence, she didn't dare to use magic to eavesdrop on her whispers. Since she was speaking softly, she likely didn't want to be heard.
However, she didn't ask further, only saying, "If you're concerned, Sovereign, I can check again for you. But you truly are worried about the mortal world."
In Liu Xixi's eyes and impression, Su Qing had always been a deity who paid exceptional attention to the mortal realm. She was one of the few who truly cared about mortals. Such a good deity was indeed rare. This was also why Liu Xixi was so willing to work for her.
Hearing this, Su Qing smiled and shook her head. "Well, then I'll trouble you. As a deity, isn't it only right to be concerned for the mortal world? After all, we are beings supported by the offerings of the common people. Since we consume their Incense Power, we cannot be deities who hold a position without doing the work."
Su Qing said these words without blushing or her heart skipping a beat. Liu Xixi didn't notice anything amiss. She simply nodded with a sigh, her perception of Su Qing as a deity devoted to the mortal world becoming even more firmly established.
"You're right, Sovereign. To receive their incense and work for their benefit—I believe that is the basic duty of a deity," Liu Xixi said, nodding.
Su Qing squinted at her and said, "If you ever receive an official post and can accept incense, I'm sure you would become a very good deity."
"I also hope I can be a good deity," Liu Xixi said, not accepting the praise directly. "But to do as well as you, Sovereign, is still too difficult."
Su Qing smiled inwardly, thinking that this girl thought far too highly of her—so much so that Su Qing felt a bit embarrassed. Su Qing waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright. Since there's nothing for now, you should take a good rest. There's no rush... it's a good thing there are no disasters. I'm going back to my private quarters."
Su Qing didn't intend to keep chatting, so she took her leave.
After Su Qing left, Liu Xixi watched her go and then slapped her own cheeks. "Phew, time to get back to work!" she muttered to herself. "Stay focused!"
Liu Xixi proactively ended her rest and threw herself back into her work. She was truly too diligent.
On the other side, after Su Qing returned to her quarters, she found Red Boy and Chaoyan sparring on the practice stage in the backyard. The two weren't using magic, only comparing techniques and moves. After all, at home, if they used magic to spar, they would inevitably break things. If they broke anything, they would certainly be scolded, and neither of them wanted that, so they had to show some restraint.
The two were fighting seriously, and they didn't notice Su Qing's silent arrival. It wasn't until they had finished their bout that they noticed Su Qing was back.
"Sister Xiao Qing!" As the victor, Red Boy confidently hopped over to Su Qing and said, "How was that? I'm pretty great, right? Chaoyan is no match for me at all!"
Red Boy knew Su Qing must have arrived a while ago and likely saw their spar, so she had come to claim credit.
Su Qing smiled helplessly and rubbed her head. "Yes, you're very impressive! But Chaoyan, you did well too. By the way, is there anything you two need to do recently? Or anywhere you want to go? In a few days, I can take you wherever you want to play for a while."
Hearing this, both Red Boy and Chaoyan were a bit stunned.
"Why would you suddenly bring this up, Sister Xiao Qing?" Chaoyan asked, picking herself up from the ground.
"It's nothing, I just want to take you out for a stroll! And we can go see Ao Ying and the others while we're at it," Su Qing said. Naturally, she wouldn't tell the truth and simply made up a reason.
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