Chapter 72 (Second Update) "My child's face..."

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and news came from the palace that the preparations for the wedding banquet were complete.

The king was delighted and was about to invite the Tripitaka Master and his retinue to a banquet when the National Preceptor suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I beg your pardon. I have something to report."

The king said, "Please speak, Grand Preceptor."

"I know that the Holy Monk Sanzang has three disciples, all of whom are capable. Zhu Bao'e and the prince are compatible according to their birth dates, so there will be no negative impact. In fact, she can help him recover and wake up soon. Only his two disciples, Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing, are left. They are both highly capable but also have fierce tempers. I'm afraid they might offend the prince and hinder his health."

"What the Grand Preceptor says makes perfect sense," the King pondered. "Perfect timing. Since we're in court today, I'll keep Zhu Bao'e here and send that holy monk Guan Wen away as soon as possible. Once my child has recovered, it won't be too late to send Zhu Bao'e away. What does the Grand Preceptor think?"

"Your Majesty is wise," the Imperial Preceptor said. "Send those three away first. Once Your Highness awakens, if you like Zhu Bao'e, you may keep her."

The king immediately thought of Bao'e's appetite and felt a slight chill, but after thinking it over, he said, "As long as my child is happy, I can keep her for ten or a hundred years."

After saying this, he immediately ordered someone to invite the Tang Monk and his disciples.

When the four of them arrived, he brought up the matter of exchanging the travel documents, prepared travel expenses for them, and told them to leave quickly.

Bao'e panicked and said, "They've left, what am I to do? Your Majesty, I still need to go on my pilgrimage."

"No rush, no rush." ​​The king followed the royal advisor's advice. "After the wedding banquet, someone will escort you out of the city. At that time, whether you stay or leave will be entirely up to you. Is that alright?"

Bao'e grumbled, "You ignorant brat, you let them go and made me chase after them. Don't you know that Mount Ling is right in front of us, but the road is too difficult to travel? By the time they get the scriptures, I'll still be panting and rushing on my way. The Bodhisattva will scold me for being lazy."

She kept muttering to herself, making the king blush with embarrassment and wish he could punish her.

But the Imperial Preceptor said, "No need to worry. Besides the travel expenses, I will also give you a horse to help you on your journey, is that alright?"

"What kind of horse?" Bao'e asked. "It must be a fine horse."

"It is a fine horse fed with high-quality grains."

"No, no!" Bao'e said. "Back then, I walked through desolate mountains and crossed wild rivers, but I had no fine food to feed it. It was just a waste of its life. Wild grass was enough for the horse."

Upon hearing this, the king felt both ashamed and admiring. He said, "I underestimated you all. Guards!"

After he finished speaking, someone took the official document from Sha Wujing's hand, affixed the seal and stamped it with the flower character, and then gave gold and silver to Sanzang and others.

Tripitaka hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, no, no! If a monk like me is tempted by wealth and status, it will be difficult to cultivate virtue for a thousand kalpas."

“Master, please accept this.” The Monkey King said cheerfully, “If Wu Miao wants to keep it at that time, it can be a wedding gift. After we finish the pilgrimage, I can come to see her again, and that will give me another place to visit.”

Enraged, Bao'e jumped up and down, shouting, "You impudent monkey, stop yelling! You've framed me for no reason!"

Bao'e said, "Master, to be honest, I have some good fortune now, unlike before."

Tripitaka, however, frowned and repeatedly instructed, "Wumiao, you must not let momentary pleasure ruin your cultivation along the way."

Bao'e nodded and said, "I understand, I understand!"

Helpless, Sanzang had no choice but to leave the city with his two remaining disciples.

On the way, he turned back several times and said to Wukong, "Wukong, although saving people is the priority, do we really have to leave her alone? Wumiao's mind is not firm. I'm afraid she will get stuck in the rich and powerful and refuse to leave."

Sha Wujing also said, "Brother, this is indeed a bit hasty."

The traveler remained silent until they reached the post station, at which point he said, “Master, Wujing, you two eat here and do not speak to me. Whatever the postmaster asks, just give a vague answer.”

Sha Wujing asked, "Brother, what do you mean by that?"

The pilgrim said, "There may be evil spirits causing trouble in the court. I, Old Sun, will transform into a bee to protect Wu Miao from harm."

Sanzang finally relaxed his brow and instructed him, "Wukong, be very careful."

“Master, I understand.” The pilgrim plucked a hair, which transformed into a false body that remained at the post station, while his true body became a bee and headed straight for the capital.

Meanwhile, Bao'e was alone in the palace, looking around, when she suddenly heard a buzzing sound behind her ears.

Unlike usual, she immediately realized what was happening and whispered, "Senior brother, is that you?"

“Yes, yes, it’s me, Old Sun.” The Monkey King whispered in her ear, “Wumiao, don’t worry, and don’t let your worldly desires be disturbed.”

The fool just kept nodding: "Don't worry, don't worry."

When the king saw her nod, he smiled and said, "Zhu Bao'e, it seems you are pleased as well. Come on, the wedding feast is ready."

Bao'e then followed him to the inner palace.

The palace was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, creating a lively atmosphere.

She sat down and looked around. She couldn't take in all the beautiful women and graceful ladies, which dazzled her and left her speechless.

The traveler, however, was focused on the Grand Preceptor, noting that he was still a mortal with only a faint trace of demonic energy about him.

He pressed down and didn't move.

After the meal, Bao'e was full and satisfied, and the king invited her to the palace.

Bao'e asked, "Your Majesty, I am an honest person, and I am quite curious about this. I have heard that the prince is handsome, is that true?"

The king laughed: "Zhu Bao'e, you're not being honest. My child is handsome, I won't let you leave disappointed."

Bao'e then excitedly prepared to leave.

"Bao'e," the Imperial Preceptor suddenly called to her.

Bao'e stopped and looked at him: "Brother, why did you call me?"

The Imperial Advisor seemed about to say something, but his expression changed slightly, and he immediately smiled and said, "It's nothing, you can go. His Majesty's words are true, and I will not let you leave disappointed."

Bao'e then went to the prince's palace.

But then they saw Prince Jing lying on the bed, surrounded by a thin veil, making it impossible to see his face.

Bao'e stepped forward and inexplicably remembered what Mao Er had said in her dream.

But she stared blankly at the person in the tent, and hesitated to send him any demonic energy.

Suddenly at that moment, the traveler saw a hint of demonic aura emanating from the person in the tent.

Unlike the one emanating from Young Master Gao, this person's demonic aura was not fierce, but rather extremely strong.

He immediately recognized that the person in the tent was the true form of the demon.

This traveler was also impatient; he couldn't tolerate it any longer. He immediately revealed his true form, grabbed the person from the tent, and shouted angrily, "You beast, what strange things are you trying to do hiding in here? Don't even think about escaping, take this!"

Bao'e saw his face clearly and murmured in surprise, "Mao Er, when did you become a prince?!"

The traveler, not hearing this, drew his staff and prepared to smash the demon's body into a pulp.

The imperial advisor, who had been waiting quietly outside the door, suddenly swayed upon seeing this, and a demonic aura seemed to burst forth, heading straight into the prince's body.

Even after infusing only a trace of demonic energy, the Imperial Preceptor suddenly gritted his teeth and forcibly trapped the remaining demonic energy within his body.

Someone roared in his heart: "Gao Cuilan, that wicked monkey wants to destroy my physical body, why are you stopping me!"

The Imperial Preceptor gritted his teeth and remained silent, not allowing even a trace of demonic energy to escape, until blood gushed from his mouth and nose.

It turns out that he was actually Gao Cuilan in disguise. He had been bewitched by the ghost of Mao Er and came to this Indian kingdom to become the national advisor.

Because of his action, although the prince regained his senses for a moment and took a step to dodge, he was still grazed by the golden cudgel, which shattered his left shoulder bone, and he immediately fainted on the ground.

Unexpectedly, he changed his mind, which enraged Mao Er. After a great deal of effort, he finally broke free of the restraints and returned to his physical body.

Just then, the traveler raised his staff to strike him, and he took out a short stick shaped like a pestle and fought with him, his moves ruthless and extremely fierce.

He sneered, "You scoundrel, your reach is too long! Meddling in my family affairs, I'll beat you to death!"

The pilgrim laughed and scolded, "You evil spirit, who are you? You're utterly unreasonable. Pretending to be a prince is one thing, but what are you trying to do to fool my junior sister?"

"Enough talk, take this!" Mao Er endured the pain and fought with him in mid-air, each displaying their unique skills.

When Bao'e saw the Imperial Preceptor fall to the ground, she rushed forward.

She helped him up and said, "Brother, that Mao Er is an impatient and wicked demon. Why do you associate with him?"

“Bao’e, Bao’e…” The young master Gao’s eyes were filled with tears, his breath was weak, and he shook his head repeatedly, “The difference between immortals and mortals is truly like an insurmountable chasm.”

Bao'e panicked and said, "Brother, don't die. Don't worry, don't worry, we've even ventured into the underworld, we won't let you die."

But the young master Gao stopped her, saying, "Even if I could live, the guilt in my heart would be hard to lessen. Besides, I have neither the heart of Tao nor the heart of Buddha. Rather than live forever, I would rather enter the cycle of reincarnation."

"Oh no, oh no!" Bao'e was about to leave when she looked up and suddenly saw auspicious clouds flying in the sky. The person on the auspicious cloud stepped down and said to her, "Senior Sister."

The newcomer was tall and imposing, dressed in a ceremonial robe, with a somewhat sloppy posture, and carried a sword on his back.

Bao'e recognized him; he was none other than Junior Brother Yan.

She said, "Junior Brother Yan, what brings you here? I have important matters to attend to right now and no time to catch up with you."

The swordsman chuckled and glanced sideways at the young master Gao.

He looked away, took out an item, and said, "My master asked me to deliver something to you."

Bao'e looked into his hand and saw that it was a pill.

She said, "This smells like the Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenation Pill."

"That's right," the swordsman said. "It can save his life and grant him immortality."

Bao'e nodded: "Good master, he rarely acts like a human being. Junior brother, if you run into him again, please thank him for me."

As she spoke, she reached out to take the medicine.

The swordsman clasped his hands together and raised them upwards.

"There's only one thing," he said with a smile, "Master said that if this young master Gao is willing to follow him to cultivate, then it's fine. But it will take a thousand or a hundred years of tempering, and I'm afraid there will be no chance to meet my senior sister. Is that alright?"

Bao'e nodded without hesitation: "So be it, so be it, it's better than killing him."

She knew her master's temperament; he was extremely protective of his own and sometimes even unreasonable.

He indulged whoever she was with back then, but if she showed the slightest impatience, he would beat her at will, treating her like a toy.

She took the pill and, while the young master still had a breath left, stuffed it into his mouth.

The swordsman grabbed him by the back of his collar, lifted him up, and said to Bao'e, "Master asked me if Senior Sister has anything to say to him?"

Bao'e thought for a moment and said, "Tell your master that if he wants to see me in the future, he can go to my temple to pay his respects. But remember to burn plenty of incense, so that I don't become a hungry god."

"Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Bao'e fell silent, standing motionless with a slightly vacant look in her eyes.

The swordsman chuckled inexplicably, then turned and rode away on a cloud.

Meanwhile, Mao Er and the traveler fought, and neither could gain the upper hand.

The Great Sage, being impatient, simply tossed his golden cudgel into the air and shouted, "Transform!"

The golden cudgel multiplied from one to ten, then to a hundred, and finally to a thousand, surrounding Mao Er and attacking him relentlessly.

Mao Er panicked and quickly transformed into a gentle breeze, heading straight into the air.

The traveler followed closely, brandishing his staff and striking wildly.

Just as he was about to kill him with his staff, he suddenly heard a voice: "Great Sage, please don't do it."