Chapter 18. Chapter 18. Closed to all visitors.
Jiang Huaisu returned to Huaguo Mountain, still thinking about Miaolian.
It's clear he really wants to be alone, to shut himself off, and to act as if he doesn't want to communicate with the outside world... He's convinced he's sick and doesn't want to involve others.
Jiang Huaisu could understand this mentality to some extent, so she didn't linger at Zhenfu's residence. She only told him to keep in touch with her using the communication character.
If you don't want to meet in person, chatting online is fine, right?
Unfortunately, Miaolian had no intention of communicating with her much, and continued to ignore her messages. The only time she contacted her was to demonstrate her determination to isolate herself.
I'm closing my doors to visitors. Don't message me or come to visit. If I die, I'll let you know beforehand.
Jiang Huaisu frowned as she stared at the line of text.
Given Miaolian's personality, even if she knew she was about to die, she wouldn't show any fear or sadness, right? This person seems to have reached a point of numbness regarding birth, aging, sickness, and death.
But must all reincarnated deities be destined to die young? Jiang Huaisu didn't understand. In her view, someone who was an exceptional individual shouldn't leave so hastily.
But this was not up to her. Miaolian was a mortal, and even if she was healthy and free from illness and disaster, her lifespan would only be a short hundred years.
Only after returning to Heaven can he become whole again and reclaim his majestic status as a great god. For Nezha, however, his life as Miaolian was merely a relatively uneventful experience.
Once he transforms back into Nezha, will he still remember her? Jiang Huaisu is skeptical about this.
But she didn't dwell on it for too long. After all, she had her own life to live and couldn't devote herself entirely to someone else. However, having interacted with Miaolian before, she couldn't help but pay more attention to him.
Two more years passed, and she never saw Miaolian again. She couldn't resist contacting her once more using a teleportation device, and the reply she received was: "[She's not dead]."
That's fine then. Her main concern was that if Miaolian died quietly in the Zhen Mansion, no one would collect her body.
It's the season when peach blossoms are in full bloom, and the weather is getting a bit warmer. Small animals are always playing in the water around the waterfall at Huaguo Mountain.
Having become a part of the Water Curtain Cave, Jiang Huaisu consciously took on the responsibility of caring for the cubs. Surrounded by this noisy and bustling environment, it was difficult to be distracted by sentimentality; taking care of the children every day was already exhausting enough.
Life was chaotic yet joyful. Occasionally, she would think of Miaolian and feel a pang of worry. She pondered whether she should look for an auspicious burial site for Miaolian after her death...
But he should be able to consider this himself. Given his personality, he might prefer to be cremated after death and have his ashes scattered at sea.
Miao Lian said she would contact her before she died, probably to make arrangements for her affairs. Thinking about it this way, Jiang Huaisu felt less depressed. He must have his own reasons.
Two major events have recently occurred.
Secondly, Sun Wukong has returned.
The monkeys swarmed around him. After several years, their king was still the same majestic king, and he had returned riding on a cloud! He must have learned some amazing skills!
Jiang Huaisu stood at the back of the monkey troop, watching nervously. She wanted to go up and call out to the monkeys to welcome them, but she couldn't squeeze in at all. Besides, she had changed her appearance now, and Sun Wukong might not even recognize her.
Just as she was pondering how to start the conversation, she saw Sun Wukong walking towards her, with several monkeys hanging on his body and two more on his arms.
"Jiang Huaisu!" Sun Wukong freed one hand, put his arm around her shoulder, and gave her a happy hug. "Long time no see, why aren't you welcoming me?"
"Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome! I didn't expect you to be back today..."
Sun Wukong's voice suddenly softened as he leaned close to her ear, "I'll tell you a secret, but I've been kicked out by my master too."
Jiang Huaisu blinked, feigning surprise.
"I thought I'd be stuck there for a hundred years before I came back." He looked a little dejected, but his expression quickly brightened. "Oh well, it was my fault anyway."
"It's alright, it's fine to go back to Flower Fruit Mountain and continue being the Carefree King."
"That's right."
Many monsters on Flower Fruit Mountain have come to see what's going on since they heard Sun Wukong has returned. Under the scrutinizing gazes of all sorts of people, Jiang Huaisu felt a bit pressured.
"Shall we go inside and talk?"
Sun Wukong readily agreed: "Okay."
The little monkeys busied themselves carrying fruit platters and pouring fruit wine, while Jiang Huaisu and Sun Wukong sat at the stone table talking.
She told Sun Wukong everything that had happened after she left the Cave of the Crescent Moon and Three Stars, including the story of Miao Lian, and only told him the important parts.
Sun Wukong didn't care about her feigned monkey power and fabricated a message to stay in the Water Curtain Cave, but he became somewhat interested in Miao Lian:
"Oh? That kid is actually a reincarnation of a god." He said thoughtfully, "No wonder you stopped me from avenging you back then, saying I couldn't beat him."
Before he learned his skills, he was indeed no match for him. But now he can, right?
As if she could read Sun Wukong's mind, Jiang Huaisu said promptly, "Don't go looking for him now."
"Why?"
"He's going back to heaven."
Sun Wukong: "Oh." Then we'll find an opportunity to spar after he gets back.
Not dwelling on the matter, Sun Wukong quickly changed the subject.
"You look different from before, why?" He looked her over. "Don't you like your original face?"
"That original face was just something I sculpted and made do with. Now that my transformation skills have improved, of course I'll choose one that suits me better." She subconsciously touched her face.
Except for a demonic mark between her eyebrows, her current appearance is no different from her human face.
Sun Wukong was also very skilled in transformation techniques, but he still chose to keep his original face. In his words, he was not used to not having hair on his face.
After the welcoming ceremony and a night's rest, Sun Wukong prepared to get down to business.
He spent some time beating up a few troublesome demon kings in the vicinity, then went to the armory to find swords, spears, and halberds, distributing suitable weapons to the monkeys so they could practice their martial arts.
In this way, the monkey troop's fighting strength was greatly enhanced, and even if he was not there, they could protect themselves and prevent problems before they occurred.
But those weapons were not good enough for him; they were too brittle and too light.
On the old monkey's advice, he decided to go to the Dragon King of the East Sea to ask for a divine weapon.
"I think you should have one too," Sun Wukong asked Jiang Huaisu. "Want to come with me?"
They both entered the sect at the same time, with Sun Wukong having the advantage of age and becoming the nominal senior brother. Although they have both been expelled from the sect, Sun Wukong, out of a sense of responsibility, still treats her as a younger sister.
If there's anything good, you should save some for your junior sister.
Jiang Huaisu's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Can I do it too?"
She knew this plot by heart; the Golden Cudgel was about to find its destined master—a cause for celebration. But she hadn't expected to get a piece of the action herself. Why not seize this opportunity to upgrade her equipment?
Sun Wukong said boldly, "Of course, what difference does it make whether I borrow one or two?"
That's true. Jiang Huaisu nodded, certain that the Dragon King would agree. After all, the bigger the fist, the bigger the face. In Journey to the West, the Dragon King almost turned the Crystal Palace upside down to satisfy the Monkey King's demands.
...Although he went to Heaven to complain as soon as the monkey left, this still advanced the plot.
Sure enough, the process of demanding the weapons went incredibly smoothly.
Sun Wukong sat on the throne in the palace, holding his golden cudgel, and stroked his newly acquired treasure with satisfaction. Since he was already here, he also borrowed a set of armor from the other three Dragon Kings of the Seas.
Armored in gold, crowned with gold, and adorned with cloud-patterned shoes, his attire was simply too imposing.
As for Jiang Huaisu, after being overwhelmed by the sheer number of weapons, she finally decided to prioritize lightness and portability. She removed a bunch of steel forks, iron axes, and meteor hammers, leaving only a gold-plated soft sword and a long bone bow.
According to Luang Phor, the former is made from gold veins at the bottom of the sea, and its sharpness makes it as easy to cut a person as cutting vegetables. The latter bow is made from the bone of a dragon, and when the bowstring is drawn, water automatically gathers to fill the arrow.
One is melee combat, the other is ranged combat; both sound incredibly powerful. Jiang Huaisu was in a dilemma, unsure which one to choose.
"Can't choose?" Sun Wukong waved his hand. "What's so difficult about that? We'll take them all."
The small fish and shrimp peeked from behind the coral, intimidated by his display of power with the golden cudgel, and dared not show themselves. Sigh, why does the East Sea always attract the wrath of evil spirits? What bad luck! Luckily, this person only wants money and won't kill; he'll probably leave after taking what he's got, right?
Jiang Huaisu excitedly tried out the weapon, and when she looked up, she met Sun Wukong's encouraging gaze.
He even gave her a thumbs up: "It suits you perfectly."
Perhaps due to his prolonged seclusion in the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, Sun Wukong's current state seems to have hit rock bottom and rebounded. He says, "Thank you for your kindness, neighbor," but one foot is already on a chair. His posture is quite arrogant, yet he has the right to be so boastful.
Jiang Huaisu found it quite novel to see him like this for the first time. She also thought to herself that the patriarch's prediction that he would cause trouble was indeed correct.
But she was involved in this matter, so how could she let Sun Wukong take the blame alone?
She said loyally, "No, no, put the sword and bow on my tab."
The Dragon King's lips twitched, and he could see clearly that these two were just talking about their accounts, but there would never be a day when they would settle the score!
But he could still distinguish between the mastermind and the accomplices. The old Dragon King was heartbroken, but he politely saw them off, already plotting how he would give this monkey a good scolding when he got to Heaven.
A note from the author:
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