Chapter 40. Back to Flower Fruit Mountain.
After leaving the embroidered ball, Jiang Huaisu still remembered Bai Ya and mentioned it, asking Nezha if he remembered this person.
"Of course I remember. It took quite a bit of effort to catch that evil demon." Nezha chuckled. "That guy who enjoys torture and killing, what's he pretending to be innocent for? I told him long ago that he can only choose between freedom and living."
Jiang Huaisu didn't have a good impression of this tiger demon to begin with, and after hearing his story, she was even more impressed that he was honest and didn't talk much. She was glad she didn't believe his nonsense.
That was the end of the conversation about White Teeth. Jiang Huaisu quickly put that person out of her mind and turned her attention to Sun Wukong, whispering with some worry, "I wonder how things are going on the monkey's side."
"Didn't the book say that he couldn't die? Going into the alchemy furnace is just like taking a hot bath."
Jiang Huaisu paced back and forth, muttering, "Some things are one thing when you read about them in a book, but quite another when they actually happen around you. How can the experience be the same?"
In reality, you can't just turn the page and skip the plot. What ends in a few paragraphs in the book can take forty-nine days to find out in real life, which is inevitably frustrating.
She added, "Besides, many things that didn't happen in Journey to the West have happened here, such as your soul descending to the mortal realm, and your encounter with me. So we can't rely too much on the original book's plot."
"Oh. So, do you think meeting me in the mortal realm was a good thing or a bad thing?"
The topic was instantly veered off course by Nezha, but Jiang Huaisu still thought about it seriously and replied, "Great, it gives me another powerful backer to rely on."
Nezha said coolly, "I've never seen you hug him. You're always just hanging around Sun Wukong."
"This period is rather special." Once Sun Wukong got on the right track and joined the team to go west to obtain the scriptures, there was nothing left for her to do.
“Third Prince, we’re friends now. If you ever encounter any difficulties, I’ll do my best to help you.” Jiang Huaisu’s annoyed mood didn’t last long. She sat down in the rattan chair and swung her legs. “However, you’ve already become a great god who has achieved enlightenment in Journey to the West. There won’t be any more major setbacks.”
This makes me wonder what it would be like if she traveled back to before Nezha caused havoc in the East Sea.
If feelings develop between people, how can one bear to watch a friend suffer such a loss? But if Nezha hadn't died once, how could he have had the subsequent opportunities? Therefore, if she were to travel back to that point in time and face such a dilemma, she would definitely be torn to death.
Seemingly thinking the same thing, Nezha spoke up: "If you had met me earlier..."
He paused here. There were no "what ifs" anymore; the past was the past, why make pointless assumptions? But he also knew that, given Jiang Huaisu's personality, she couldn't possibly have ignored it. Asking her was less helpful than asking himself: if she had tried to stop him from committing suicide, would he have continued?
Putting himself in his past shoes, he felt that he might waver, but the outcome wouldn't change. After all, he was extremely self-willed back then, and even if he traveled back in time, it wouldn't make a difference.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this." He quickly changed the subject, lifting Jiang Huaisu up from the rattan chair. "You didn't participate in the Peach Banquet on the surface, so the Jade Emperor won't punish you. After that, you just stay in the Cloud Tower Palace and wait for Sun Wukong to come out."
Jiang Huaisu nodded. Right now, there was nothing she could do but wait, and she didn't have the guts to venture into the Tushita Palace.
But now that Flower Fruit Mountain is leaderless, she felt it necessary to go down and take a look, so she said to Nezha, "Third Prince, I'm going to Flower Fruit Mountain, I'll be back soon."
"What are you going to do?"
“Sun Wukong has been captured. I’m afraid that demons will take the opportunity to seize his cave and oppress the monkeys.”
Although the monkeys had been instructed to cultivate good relations with the nearby monsters beforehand, it wasn't a foolproof plan. Monsters who dared to seize territory probably wouldn't be bound by such meager human connections. In short, it was best to see for oneself to be at ease.
“I don’t believe you’ll be back anytime soon. You’ll probably be reluctant to leave once you’re there,” Nezha pointed out incisively.
"Even if I stay there for several years, only a few days will pass in the sky. For the Third Prince, it will be over in the blink of an eye!"
Nezha said with a stern face: "...Why can't you just stay in Yunlou Palace? The demons are fighting for territory, what use are you? How many years of cultivation have you had? Don't let them use you as a snack."
"I've only cultivated for a few years and I've already taken human form! This shows that I'm exceptionally talented, and I might not be without a fighting chance against a strong enemy. Besides, if I can't beat them, I can just run away, or at worst, I can call for reinforcements."
"So, did you move it?" Nezha pointed to himself. "Or am I not included in this 'rescue' category?"
Jiang Huaisu reacted almost immediately. Just a moment ago she had been arguing with him with great pride, but now she had put on a fawning expression and patted Nezha's shoulder in a very obsequious manner, saying happily, "Third Prince, does this mean you are willing to come down to the mortal realm with me? Oh, you should have said so earlier, how could I have objected?"
Unmoved by her flattery, Nezha turned and walked away, sitting down by the pond with a face as cold as frost, seemingly annoyed about something again.
"Third Prince?" Jiang Huaisu was somewhat puzzled, but still followed. Recalling what she had just said, she didn't think there was anything inappropriate about it. Did he dislike this overly flattering tone?
She sat to his left, and Nezha turned his head to the right. She moved around to his right, and Nezha turned his head to the left again.
Jiang Huaisu: "......"
It's not an illusion; Nezha's temper seems to have really gotten much worse lately.
When they first met again at Flower Fruit Mountain, she had thought this great deity was aloof and cold, with almost no emotional fluctuations, giving off the impression of an inorganic, artificial person. Now, her childish antics with him made him seem more down-to-earth, reminding her of Miaolian in her youth.
Unable to fathom the lotus root man's thoughts, she simply asked directly, "Third Prince, why are you angry?"
"Jiang Huaisu, if I hadn't said I wanted to go down to the mortal realm with you, you would never have brought it up, right?" Nezha still didn't turn his head back, questioning her in a flat voice.
Unexpectedly, she was angry for this reason. Jiang Huaisu explained good-naturedly, "I was afraid of troubling you."
"What trouble could there be? Do you think I can't handle those little demons?"
"Because... your relationship with Sun Wukong doesn't seem to be good enough for you to help him guard the mountain. Besides, you're on the Heavenly Court's side, officially belonging to the side of the attack, and I don't want to put you in a difficult position."
"Why think so much? I'll just stay here. The Heavenly Court won't dismiss me."
His tone was still a bit fierce, but his attitude had softened.
Jiang Huaisu, observing his expression, mustered her courage and tried to tug at his sleeve. However, a terrifying scene unfolded. Just as she was about to touch Nezha, his body collapsed without warning, shattering into countless fragments.
She almost thought Nezha was literally furious, but upon closer inspection, she discovered that the "fragments" were all lotus petals, and the fragrance wafted into her nose when the wind blew.
Layer upon layer of petals rained down, quickly piling up on her knees. She dared not brush them off, fearing these lotus flowers might be Nezha himself. In the end, she was almost completely submerged in the pile of petals, so overwhelmed by the fragrance that she sneezed.
She called out uncertainly, "Third Prince?"
As the wind picked up, it lifted the petals, creating a rising, pink vortex in the air before they fluttered and fell into the lotus pond.
Nezha's voice rang out again, this time seemingly from beyond the heavens, its origin unknown, exceptionally ethereal. "This state helps to absorb spiritual energy and recuperate."
He could at least have given her a heads-up beforehand. The sudden shower of lotus blossoms made Jiang Huaisu suspect he was playing a prank, trying to scare her. Of course, she wouldn't voice this unfriendly suspicion; she still needed Nezha's help to make a scene at Flower Fruit Mountain.
Nezha meant that he should rest and recuperate for a while before setting off with her. Jiang Huaisu had no objection to this. Nezha had been quite busy lately, having just returned from his campaign against Flower Fruit Mountain and now having to protect it. His shift in allegiances was incredibly smooth, and he needed a break in between.
That said, the skill of scattering petals into a rain of petals when the wind blows is perfect for escaping; I've never seen him use it before.
Without resting for long, just a quarter of an hour later, Nezha transformed back into human form from his lotus body and, full of energy, climbed onto his Wind Fire Wheels: "Let's go!"
His energy recovered so quickly. Jiang Huaisu looked at him, feeling a little envious of his full potential. If she had to exorcise demons every day, she would be too exhausted to move after work.
On the way, Nezha complained that she was flying too slowly, so he blew a breath from behind the clouds, and she instantly shot out like an arrow. She screamed in fright at this upgraded roller coaster-like experience, but once she got used to the speed, she felt that it was not bad. The feeling of adrenaline rushing was quite exciting.
Back in the day, she had ridden the Somersault Cloud before, so she didn't dislike the feeling of speeding through the clouds at high speed.
Upon arriving at Flower Fruit Mountain, Jiang Huaisu hurriedly landed and headed straight for the Water Curtain Cave.
Along the way, large chunks of lush green grass on the mountainsides were torn up, revealing the scorched yellow soil beneath, and countless jagged gashes on the rocks, demonstrating just how fierce the battle had been.
She crouched down and squeezed into the waterfall, where she saw many monkeys huddled together inside a cave, all bearing injuries of varying degrees. These wounded monkeys were gathered here to recuperate and receive medical treatment.
Jiang Huaisu initially thought they were all injured by the heavenly soldiers, but after communicating with the gibbon, she learned that Sun Wukong had protected the monkeys very well during the great battle. To prevent them from being affected by the fighting, he even set up a three-day barrier around the Water Curtain Cave. The Heavenly Court did not exterminate the monkeys; after capturing Sun Wukong, they withdrew their troops.
Everyone thought that Sun Wukong was in grave danger, and some demons nearby couldn't contain themselves and came to Flower Fruit Mountain to divide up the territory, but they were repelled by the monkeys working together.
Sun Wukong's insistence on not letting the monkeys participate in the battle was probably due to this situation, hoping that they could conserve their strength.
But ultimately, they were outnumbered and outgunned. The monsters came wave after wave, and the fighting style became much more cautious. It seemed that they wanted to slowly weaken the monkeys' strength, and then swarm them when they were weak enough to divide up the piece of meat left behind by Sun Wukong.
Upon learning the full story, Jiang Huaisu slammed her fist on the table in anger. All those gifts she had given to curry favor with others were now wasted!
"Alright, let's wait and see! When those demons come again, we'll beat them so badly they'll run away in terror and never dare to covet our territory again." Jiang Huaisu knew that Sun Wukong wouldn't be back anytime soon, so they had to get rid of these annoying flies once and for all to prevent future troubles.
At this moment, I can't help but feel fortunate that Nezha was brought along as a helper.
With him around, things become much simpler. Even if he just sits there doing nothing, simply showing his face to the demons can have a deterrent effect. That's the advantage of having a formal position; as a celestial general, Nezha's words and actions, to some extent, represent the attitude of the Heavenly Court.
If the people of Heaven want to protect Flower Fruit Mountain, even the most stubborn demons will have to consider whether they can afford the price.
After hearing Jiang Huaisu's bold words, Nezha disagreed and said, "Why wait for the rabbit to run into the tree stump instead of going directly to its door?"
Jiang Huaisu explained, "When monsters fight for territory, it's usually not a struggle between two forces, but a multi-party melee. The first to get restless are usually those homeless, scattered monsters. In other words, it's a motley crew that has temporarily gathered together. It's very troublesome to search for them one by one."
Nezha gave an "oh," seemingly finding it reasonable. He then turned and ordered the little monkey to prepare a room for him, where he would stay.
The monkeys dared not speak out against him, and he was involved in both of the sieges of Flower Fruit Mountain. The first time, they were able to refrain from retaliating because of their past relationship, and Sun Wukong even managed to get a government position. The second time was different; with their king's fate unknown, the monkeys found it difficult to be friendly towards the gods of Heaven.
But Jiang Huaisu is now the backbone of Huaguo Mountain. Since she has shown trust in Nezha, the monkeys have no choice but to put up with it for the time being and do as she is told to clean his house.
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