Well, his presence within the Buddhist delegation wasn't exactly incomprehensible. After all, Wukong was a member of the Buddhist faction himself, holding the high-ranking title of Victorious Fighting Buddha.
What truly surprised Su Qing was that he hadn't come alone, but had arrived alongside the rest of the Buddhist group. Usually, he didn't stay at Spirit Mountain; he remained at Flower-Fruit Mountain as the Handsome Monkey King, managing the demons and humans of his domain.
Considering the vast distance between those two places, she couldn't fathom how they had ended up together... Surely they hadn't just bumped into each other on the way?
Furthermore, Su Qing was slightly speechless at the sheer scale of the Buddhist group's arrival. Their entrance was even more grand than Chang'e's. To an outsider, it might have looked like they were coming to pick a fight!
Of course, while Su Qing grumbled inwardly, she still had to go out and welcome them. As the host, she couldn't ignore guests of such high status, especially since most were her friends, and some were seniors with far more seniority than herself. Standing there unmoved would be incredibly impolite and a failure of her duties as a host.
Su Qing exhaled slowly and stepped forward quickly. She bowed to Medicine Master, who was leading the group, and said, "Greetings, Senior Medicine Master. I am deeply honored and humbled by your presence."
Medicine Master Buddha pressed his palms together, chanted a name of Buddha, and said with a chuckle, "Amitabha. Benefactor is a great benefactor of our Buddhist faction. Since you invited us to your daughter's Full Moon Banquet, we naturally had to come and show our support. Ru Lai originally intended to come as well, but unfortunately, someone must keep watch over Spirit Mountain, so only we could attend."
Medicine Master's words were incredibly respectful, elevating Su Qing to an extraordinary height. This left Su Qing somewhat helpless. She shook her head and replied, "You overstate it, Medicine Master Bodhisattva. How could I be considered a benefactor of the Buddhist faction? I merely did what a junior should, handling a few small matters for the Bodhisattvas and the Buddha. The Buddha granting me a Bodhisattva status was already more than I deserved..."
Su Qing had no desire to be placed on a pedestal; it wasn't particularly interesting to her, nor did it bring any benefits. Moreover, if one is held too high, a fall would be devastating. She preferred to maintain a humbler profile.
"Amitabha, Benefactor is as modest as ever..." Seeing that she didn't want to be over-praised, Medicine Master didn't push the point. Continuing to heap praise upon someone who didn't want it could be seen as a malicious attempt to set them up for a fall. Instead of fostering a friendship, it would create animosity, which would be a poor outcome.
Su Qing felt relieved at his response and said, "I'm not being modest. Senior, please follow me inside and take a seat!"
As she spoke, she led the group to their designated places. Wukong didn't sit down immediately; instead, he followed Su Qing with a grin, saying, "Big Sister is truly Big Sister. I've only ever seen a gathering of so many immortals and Buddhists at the Peaches of Immortality Banquet. Your friends truly come from all corners of the world... I thought I had many friends, but yours are even more numerous."
Wukong wasn't teasing her; he was genuinely astonished. He truly hadn't expected Su Qing to draw such a crowd for a mere Full Moon Banquet. Even Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Buddha had come. Her social standing was immense.
'Back when I was called the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, most people only called me that because I'd beaten them into submission, or they were just using flattery and sarcasm. Few truly respected me as a Great Sage. But Big Sister's title of Azure Spirit Sovereign... everyone seems to recognize it. I really couldn't compare to her back then! No wonder Master valued her so much... there's so much I can learn from her.'
Thinking this, Wukong glanced at Su Qing, feeling that it would take him a long time to reach her level. Fortunately, he was getting closer. After all, his current title of Victorious Fighting Buddha was recognized by all—a genuine Bodhisattva status with temples in the mortal world.
Su Qing had no idea Wukong was thinking so much in that short span of time. She just gave him a helpless smile and shook her head. "I just sent out invitations hoping a few more people would make it lively. I didn't expect so many to actually show up. Anyway, enough about that. I'm more curious about you. Why did you come with the Buddhist delegation? Weren't you at Flower-Fruit Mountain?"
She didn't want to dwell on the guest list, as she didn't even consider most of the deities and Bodhisattvas close friends—just acquaintances she'd invited as a courtesy. Thus, she shifted the topic.
Knowing she didn't want to talk about it, Wukong didn't press further and answered her question. "Hehe, I just happened to bump into them on the way, so we came together. Besides, I am technically part of the Buddhist faction now, so arriving with them isn't out of place." Wukong scratched his head. "Actually, I thought it was quite a coincidence... I'd just left home when I ran into them."
Wukong was telling the truth, though whether it was a pure coincidence was known only to Heaven, Earth, and the Buddhist faction.
Su Qing nodded, not caring too much. She had only been curious and wanted to change the subject. She smiled and said, "I thought that once you became the Victorious Fighting Buddha and had the Tight-Fillet removed, you'd just keep the title and stop interacting with the Buddhist faction so much!"
"If it were the old me, I certainly would have. But I'm different now... I understand the pros and cons, so I won't do something like that. Even if I didn't like it before, I'm one of them now," Wukong answered honestly.
Su Qing was slightly surprised by his growth. This fellow was getting smarter and smarter! She nodded and said, "Mm, good. You've indeed matured quite a bit."
Wukong grinned. "Big Sister, you're making me blush with all this praise."
Despite his words, there wasn't a hint of embarrassment on his face; he was beaming with joy. Su Qing didn't call him out on it. After a few more words, she prepared to go speak with the others.
"There's still a while before the meal. Wait here for a bit; I'm going to chat with Chaoyan and Guanyin Bodhisattva," she said.
Wukong had no objections and nodded. "Go ahead, Big Sister! I'll just sit here."
Su Qing nodded and walked over to Chaoyan.
"Godmother."
Chaoyan smiled as Su Qing approached. Her aura had grown stronger, and her power had taken a leap forward. However, what surprised Su Qing more than her strength was that Chaoyan looked more mature. It seemed she no longer intended to maintain the appearance of a young girl. That was good; it showed her inner growth.
Unlike her own two daughters, who were centuries old but still acted like children.
Su Qing smiled and nodded at her. "Good. It looks like your breakthrough went smoothly."
"Thanks to Master and Godmother, my strength has improved a bit." Chaoyan giggled, then pouted slightly. "But Godmother, you really are something, quietly giving me a little sister without saying a word."
Su Qing scratched her head and laughed. "Hahaha, I just didn't think it was a huge deal, so I didn't publicize it widely."
Few people knew about Bai Suzhen's pregnancy until Su Tingtong was born. Naturally, Chaoyan had been kept in the dark. In fact, even Guanyin Bodhisattva hadn't known, as she could no longer calculate much about Su Qing's affairs.
Chaoyan curled her lip in dissatisfaction. "Regardless, Godmother hid it from me for so long. I didn't find out until my sister was almost a month old. This is definitely your fault, Godmother. So, shouldn't you give me some compensation?"
"And what kind of compensation do you want?" Su Qing asked with a casual smile.
Chaoyan was surprised by how quickly Su Qing agreed. However, since she'd asked for compensation, she was serious, and she'd already thought of what she wanted.
Chaoyan stroked her chin and said with a mischievous grin, "Actually, the compensation I want is very simple. I want Godmother to help me persuade Master to let me stay here with you for a year."
Su Qing's eyebrows shot up. She'd thought it would be something difficult, but it was just this? However, before Su Qing could speak, Guanyin Bodhisattva, who was standing beside Chaoyan, spoke up first.
"Ahem! You brat, I'm right here! Conspiring so loudly, do you think I'm deaf?"
Guanyin felt that her disciple was getting bolder the longer she stayed with her. She was nothing like the Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl, who had been honest since childhood. This child had been honest as a girl but had become increasingly playful as she grew up. Guanyin felt Su Qing had everything to do with this change.
Chaoyan wasn't embarrassed or afraid. She just giggled and said to her master, "Hehe, for the sake of your disciple's future, wouldn't it be better to just pretend you didn't hear?"
Guanyin Bodhisattva was even more speechless. Her disciple's skin was getting thicker by the day. It was definitely Su Qing's fault.
Chaoyan then turned back to Su Qing with a beaming smile. "So, Godmother, is that okay?"
Su Qing felt helpless; the student had truly surpassed the master. She nodded and said, "I'll give it a try."
"That's enough, you two. I'm still right here!"
A vein throbbed on Guanyin Bodhisattva's forehead; she was clearly getting annoyed. Su Qing saw this and said to Chaoyan, "You really are something, child. How can you speak to your master like that?"
Chaoyan giggled and made a face at Su Qing. Then she looked back at her master and said, "Master won't mind, right?"
Guanyin: "..."
"Hmph, forget it. I can't be bothered with you two."
Guanyin Bodhisattva huffed. She resolved not to agree to their request to let Chaoyan stay for a year. If this girl stayed with Su Qing any longer, she'd be led completely astray. There was still some hope for her, so Guanyin had to bring her back on track.
Su Qing and Chaoyan shared a look and a smile. Chaoyan knew very well that her master talked tough but had a soft heart and was incredibly kind. Though she occasionally liked to prank people, she was better than anyone to those close to her. After all, if her master weren't so good, how could Chaoyan be so bold? She was simply spoiled.
Of course, while they could play around normally, Guanyin was exceptionally strict when it came to her cultivation studies.
Guanyin glanced at her disciple, sensing she was thinking of something nonsensical again. She sighed and didn't say more, simply asking Su Qing, "Since you're holding a Full Moon Banquet, did you invite my Pearl-Bearing Dragon Girl?"
She missed her disciple, the Dragon Girl.
Su Qing nodded. "Ao Yiyi? Of course I invited her."
"Where is she? Why hasn't she come to see me?" Guanyin frowned.
"She probably hasn't noticed you yet, senior."
"Hmph. It's not that she hasn't noticed me; she's just afraid I'll take her back to the Purple Bamboo Grove, isn't she?"
"And would you, senior?"
"To be honest, I'd like to."
"You'd like to, which means you won't!"
"If she doesn't want to return, I can't force her. After all, she is my disciple..." Guanyin Bodhisattva shook her head.
Su Qing nodded and said, "Then we have a deal, senior. I'll call her over, but you aren't allowed to use force to take her back!"
Guanyin gave her a look and said, "If I had that intention, I would have taken her long ago. Why would I wait until now to ask you?"
Su Qing smiled; that was indeed the truth.
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