Cheng Chumo kept his word, and three days later, an official from the Chang'an magistrate came to collect the items. He was not only very polite to Xu Milu throughout the process, but also patted his chest and assured Xu Milu that the items would definitely be delivered to the disaster victims.
"Young lady, you don't know, this snow disaster came strangely. Many people froze to death during the night. There was a woman who had just given birth to a baby. It snowed during the night, and she died. The baby was frozen stiff. It's so pitiful."
The head constable sighed repeatedly, seemingly afraid of frightening Xu Milu, and lightly slapped himself a few times.
"Look at me, why would I say such things to such an important person? I'm afraid it would offend his ears. The young lady is kind-hearted and beautiful; she must be a fairy descended from heaven!"
Xu Milu took some time to return to Earth, casually changed her appearance, and bought a large number of old cotton quilts at the second-hand market. Modern people use things that are updated and replaced quickly, and those cotton quilts were just a bit worn, but they were still useful for keeping warm.
Hundreds of cotton cores were neatly bundled together. Although they didn't look new, they still surprised the people in Chang'an.
These quilts were stuffed with some white stuff (cotton), and although they looked a bit dirty and old, they were warm to the touch. If they were taken out and sold, there would be quite a few people willing to pay for them. The fact that this young lady was willing to donate them deserves to be called "kind-hearted".
The constables, accustomed to the fickle nature of human relationships, had long since mastered the art of speaking to one person as one speaks to another. Xu Milu didn't take it seriously, but simply asked a few more questions:
"You said this snow disaster came about strangely? What do you mean by that?"
The constable was taken aback, not expecting Xu Milu to bring this up. After glancing around, he whispered:
"Young lady, you think I'm just talking nonsense—a few days ago, before the snow, many people said they saw a huge, strange bird with two horns on its head in their homes. It was calling out like a little child, and it was carrying a crystal-clear vase in its three claws. Wherever it shook, it would start snowing heavily! How terrifying! Now people on the street are saying that this heavy snow wasn't a natural disaster, but the work of a monster!!"
A large bird with two horns on its head and three claws?
[Host, the system has found the following content in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*: "...Five hundred li further east is Mount Luwu, barren of vegetation, rich in gold and stone. The Zegeng River originates there and flows south into the Pang River. A beast dwells in the river, named the Gu Diao, which resembles an eagle but has two horns and three claws on its belly. Its cry is like that of an infant, and it eats people."]
The system kindly reminded you:
[Considering the high degree of overlap between this dimension and the content of "Journey to the West" on Earth, what those people saw was likely a Gu Diao, which, from a human perspective, would indeed be considered a monster.]
Xu Milu didn't speak, but just frowned.
...
...
Upon learning that the snow disaster might be caused by a monster, Xu Milu returned home and prepared a vegetarian meal, along with two plates of fresh fruit. She then shouted three times towards the sky:
"Little stone, little stone, little stone—"
Just kidding, if there's a monster, of course you should look for the Great Sage!
But there was no reaction.
Xu Milu recalled Pigsy's story about Sun Wukong going to Heaven to drink, and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Could it be that my eldest brother is drunk and can't hear me calling him?"
She then solemnly clasped her hands together and shouted three more times towards the sky:
"Sun Wukong, Sun Wukong, Sun Wukong—"
This time there was a reaction. The clouds in the sky were churning, and a red cloud swept across the horizon, abruptly turning a corner as it passed the small courtyard, and crashed straight into it!
"You little monster, calling out that monkey's name here, aren't you afraid that monkey will kill you with his stick?"
A clear, childlike voice rang out. Xu Milu looked up and saw a five or six-year-old child suddenly appear on the table she used to offer sacrifices to her senior brother. The child was completely naked except for a red bib with a pine and crane motif, a pair of gold rings on his wrists and ankles, three small tufts of hair on his head, and a red dot between his eyebrows. He looked incredibly cute and adorable.
Xu Milu pondered for a moment, then looked at the sky and then at the child in front of her. She didn't understand why Red Boy had appeared when she was calling for Sun Wukong.
Indeed, Xu Milu, who considers herself a hardcore reader of "Journey to the West," immediately recognized that the "child" dressed in such a way could only be the famous mischievous boy from "Journey to the West"—the Holy Infant King, Red Boy.
"Hey! I'm asking you a question! You little monster, have you scared me silly? I just saw you calling out Sun Wukong's name from the clouds. Who are you to him?!"
Red Boy stood on the table, barely at eye level with Xu Milu.
"Me? I'm his neighbor, it's none of my business. Little deity, who are you? Where did you come from and where are you going?"
Xu Milu pondered to herself that the Journey to the West storyline had only just ended, and even if Red Boy had become the Good Fortune Boy, he should still be a mischievous kid.
Red Boy was clearly dissatisfied with this answer. He crossed his arms, sat down on the table, picked up a bunch of ping-pong grapes, and began to devour them.
"Hmph! Don't try to fool me! You've cooked so many delicious dishes and dared to call my uncle by his full name. You must be very close to him. You must know where he went. Why don't you tell me quickly?"
Xu Milu then remembered that Pigsy had said that Red Boy's mount had been stolen by the monk Sanzang, which was why Red Boy kept chasing after Sun Wukong demanding an explanation.
Even if she knew where Sun Wukong went, she couldn't tell him.
Xu Milu pushed the fruit plate forward and said with a smile:
"Really, I'm not lying to you. I really am his neighbor. I only make offerings to him when I need something from the Great Sage. But seeing how capable you are, little immortal, you must be a big shot!"
Red Boy truly has the personality of a child; his expression changes in an instant. Upon hearing Xu Milu repeatedly call him "little immortal" and "capable," he immediately became flattered and elated.
He coughed, sitting cross-legged, and said in a mature tone:
"Cough cough cough, you little demon have good taste! I think your vegetarian feast is not bad. If you need anything from me, then make some more snacks and fruits and send them up. Let me tell you the truth, I am the Holy Infant King who lives in the Fire Cloud Cave of Dry Pine Stream. I have cultivated in Flaming Mountain for more than three hundred years, mastered the Samadhi True Fire, and wield a ten-foot-long fire-tipped spear. My martial arts are extraordinary. You little demon are so sensible, why don't you hurry up and bring some snacks and fruits to offer me?! I am much more capable than that monkey!"
It's quite adorable for a child who's barely knee-high to say that, not to mention he's naturally cute and fair-skinned, like a little pink dumpling.
Xu Milu resisted the urge to pinch his cheek and went to the kitchen to prepare some sweet snacks and fruits to coax him so that he could help her investigate the origin of the Gu Diao.
They say it doesn't matter if a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat. Now that the Monkey King isn't here, having a good boy like Sudhana is just as good!
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