Chapter 11. The Master's Departure.

Jiang Huaisu slumped in Sun Wukong's arms, completely giving up: "I will absolutely not move again from now on."

Sun Wukong lay down on the spot, as if he were about to peacefully sleep: "I just saw him, that Fairy Lin Chun. She's very ugly, and she darts around like a ghost, harder to catch than a mouse."

"And now, he's run away?"

"They ran away."

What does he look like?

"Like a standing piece of dog poop."

"...What kind of monster looks like dog poop?"

"Who knows?" Sun Wukong said with disgust. "It could just be a lump of silt from the bottom of a lake that has become a spirit, and it stinks."

She whispered a reminder: "Hey...look behind you."

Sun Wukong turned his head and immediately jumped up like a spring:

"I knew I smelled that stench again! Turns out that persistent ghost was nearby. If it gets away again, I'll..."

Before he could finish his harsh words, a long sword descended from the sky, swiftly and accurately piercing the mud-like thing through the ground.

This unexpected joy left both Sun Wukong and Jiang Huaisu stunned.

The latter felt more nervous than happy. Once bitten, twice shy, she suspected that she had fallen into an illusion again.

Until the sword master landed gracefully, the clouds beneath his feet dissipated, revealing a handsome young boy.

The young boy easily killed the mud demon, then turned around and comforted them for a few moments. He then introduced himself, saying he came from Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and Xieyue Sanxing Cave. He had come down the mountain on his master's orders to exterminate the evil demons causing trouble in the vicinity.

"Don't panic." The boy sheathed his sword and said calmly, "There is no danger now."

She never revealed the name of the place called Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

The credibility of the boy's words increased dramatically, especially since he seemed to possess genuine skills.

Sun Wukong's focus, however, strayed from the question: "How should the reward money be divided now?"

It's not that I'm greedy; it's just that I'm new to the human world and want to try many new things. Since mortal things can only be exchanged for mortal currency, there's no other way.

The boy asked, "A reward?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Jiang Huaisu laughed it off and took over the conversation. "Fairy Boy, to be honest, we originally wanted to take on this demon-catching job ourselves, but unfortunately we weren't capable enough, so we had to ask you to clean up the mess."

The boy laughed and said, "You two are also demons, yet you've come to steal the job of exorcising demons. It seems my master was right: Buddha and demon are separated by a single thought; good and evil share the same origin. The distinction between right and wrong is merely a manifestation of the mind."

Jiang Huaisu was completely confused, but the talented contestant next to her had already grasped the deeper meaning of the boy's words and nodded in agreement: "That's right. Although we are both demons, I am different from that mud spirit."

Realizing the purpose of his trip belatedly, Sun Wukong scratched his head and continued, "By the way, little fairy, since you said you have a master, I'd like to ask you a few more questions."

What do you want to ask?

"Who is your master? Is he very skilled?"

"My master is called Subhuti, who has great supernatural powers and boundless magical abilities."

Jiang Huaisu listened with satisfaction, thinking that they were finally getting to the point. It truly was a destined master-disciple relationship; their meeting was only a matter of time.

After some negotiation, Sun Wukong explained that he had come to seek the Dao and learn immortality, and wondered if the patriarch still had the intention of taking on disciples.

The boy nodded knowingly.

“My master said that if you encounter a cultivator on your way down the mountain, you should pay close attention. I think it’s you. If you want to become his disciple, he will definitely accept you.”

Lingtai Fangcun Mountain is nearby, so the rest of the process was straightforward.

Considering that Sun Wukong and Jiang Huaisu were tired from their journey, the boy specially allowed them to rest in the town for one night and set off again at dawn.

Jiang Huaisu had already started making plans for the future, but she never expected that Bodhi Patriarch would sweep them both away with a wave of his hand.

The old man, with his otherworldly air, was much easier to talk to than she had imagined. There wasn't even an entrance exam; he directly arranged for the two of them to become his disciples and move in.

...It's like a windfall!

Jiang Huaisu thought to herself with delight that it was probably because she had been spending so much time with Monkey King and was influenced by the protagonist's halo that her luck had improved considerably.

Then came the much-anticipated learning process.

A few days later, Jiang Huaisu could no longer smile. The learning process was far more difficult than she had imagined. Recalling the fear of being dominated by advanced mathematics, she was in agony and even dreamed of memorizing incantations.

When discussing Buddhist scriptures and doctrines, Sun Wukong could fully grasp the meaning of the same words, but she struggled to understand their deeper significance. There was a sense of helplessness in watching the top student and the teacher converse happily, while she herself couldn't join the conversation.

Therefore, she had to put in more effort to study and keep up with the class schedule.

The only good news is that Sun Wukong has been given a name by his master, so she can finally call him by his name without worrying about accidentally revealing it.

Early that morning, Sun Wukong mysteriously called her aside and handed her a purse.

She held it in her mouth, weighed it in her hand, and realized it was quite heavy.

"This is?"

“Thirty taels of silver,” Sun Wukong said proudly. “I secretly went to exchange it the night I stayed in town. After a few days of teaching from my master, I understand that money is just an external thing. I originally wanted to split it with you, but now I’ll just give it all to you.”

What nonsense about material possessions! It's obvious that Sun Wukong noticed her worries and anxieties these past few days and wanted to use this opportunity to please her.

What a thoughtful monkey!

Jiang Huaisu almost burst into tears. She deeply felt how important it was to have a good classmate, who could both inspire and comfort her, preventing her from breaking her Dao heart.

For an ordinary person like her, the positive effects of thirty taels of silver were obvious. Although she didn't have the opportunity to spend it for the time being, Jiang Huaisu felt at ease as long as she knew that her purse was full.

When you have a more open mind, your learning efficiency will be higher.

The leaves on the mountain turned red and green again, then green and red again. Several years passed in the blink of an eye, and the world below the mountain was in a completely different state.

But Jiang Huaisu didn't really feel it. The fact that her senior brothers and sisters looked the same for decades gave her the illusion that time had never passed.

However, having skill alone, without substantial magical power to support it, meant that she could not maintain her human form for long, and most of the time she still appeared in her magpie form.

Even so, she was quite content. She had heard that some demons took hundreds of years to transform into human form, but she could do it in just a few years; how could that not be considered a gift?

After transmigrating here, she encountered two powerful figures, which slightly dampened her confidence and prevented her from immediately realizing that she was also among the top students. Now she has figured it out: don't compare yourself to freaks with maxed-out talent points; such comparisons will only drive you crazy.

As usual, she was sweeping under the tree when a passing senior brother asked in surprise, "Hey, Junior Sister Huai Su, why did you only transform into half of your human form today?"

Jiang Huaisu turned the bird's head towards him: "Ah, it feels more comfortable this way."

Although to outsiders she now appears as a bird-headed, human-bodied monster, her senior brothers, being worldly-wise, weren't easily frightened. Moreover, after transmigrating into a demon, her aesthetic sense seemed to have changed somewhat, and she gradually understood why some animals, after cultivating into human form, liked to retain some animalistic features.

Besides feeling relaxed, another reason she chose to appear this way was that she thought her bird head looked quite nice.

"I've heard that you're quite skilled in the art of human transformation. Could you transform into something else for us to see?"

"Sure, sure..." She puffed out her chest with some pride. After all, she already had a foundation, so learning the Transformation Technique was much easier and faster. "What do you want to see me transform into?"

"May I take a look at this variegated orchid?"

"Simple." She thought of the orchid in her mind, and in a flash, a tender green spring orchid appeared on the ground.

The senior students watching applauded and cheered. Jiang Huaisu was initially a little smug, but gradually, a strange sense of unease rose in her heart.

Something feels off...?

The patriarch clapped his hands and said quietly, "Since you dare to show off your skills in front of others, you must have already graduated."

Jiang Huaisu felt a chill run down her spine, finally realizing where that strange feeling came from. Wasn't there a similar scene in Journey to the West? Sun Wukong showed off his skills in front of his fellow disciples and was expelled from the sect by Patriarch Bodhi... but that was Sun Wukong's part!

She quickly transformed back into her original form and apologized, saying, "This disciple dares not."

However, it was all in vain. The master never spoke lightly; when he said she was "ready to graduate," it meant she could pack her bags and leave. She had already learned everything she needed to learn, and there was really no need for her to stay any longer.

The patriarch smiled and said, "Huaisu, our master-disciple relationship has come to an end. We are now separated by mountains and rivers. You may go now."

How could this be!

Jiang Huaisu groaned inwardly, but dared not argue. Knowing that there was no turning back once the patriarch had made his decision, she could only bid farewell to her fellow disciples and return to her quarters with a mournful face to pack her things.

When Sun Wukong learned of this, he was even more dumbfounded than she was.

Without warning, his best friend was kicked out. The monkey was frantic, pacing back and forth behind her: "Are you really leaving? I'll plead for you, we'll go to the patriarch together..."

Jiang Huaisu said seriously, "No need."

"You have a plan?"

She sighed, picked up her bag, and said, "What kind of plan could I possibly have? It's already happened, so I'll just let things take their course."

Seeing Jiang Huaisu's expression, Sun Wukong didn't say much. After all, it was the decision made by the Patriarch. Although he was dissatisfied, out of respect for his master, he would never disobey or rebel.

Besides, even Jiang Huaisu herself had accepted it, so what could he possibly do to stop her? He had no choice but to abandon his plan to plead with his master and instead earnestly inquire about her future plans:

"Where will you go after leaving your sect?"

"Uh... Flower Fruit Mountain?" That's not forgetting your original intention.

Originally, her destination was Huaguo Mountain.

Sun Wukong's tail was almost touching the ground, looking very reluctant to leave. Jiang Huaisu patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Don't be sad, we will meet again."

He gave a reluctant reply, taking it as Jiang Huaisu's words of comfort, and walked her down the mountain with a sour face.

Little did he know that Jiang Huaisu was telling the whole truth. If the original plot were to continue, he would eventually be banished back to Flower Fruit Mountain by the patriarch.

Jiang Huaisu waved to him with a rather nonchalant air:

"Alright, that's enough for now."

A note from the author:

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