One year later.
Chaoge City.
Wu Tian looked up at the city gate, which he hadn't seen for two years, and felt a deep sense of emotion.
After leaving Mount Putuo, Wutian and Guanyin entered the territory of the Great Shang Dynasty and began their travels in the southern vassal states. The two transformed their forms and changed their appearances, becoming ordinary people as they walked among the vassal states, heading towards the direction of Ge.
During this year, not only Guanyin but also Wutian underwent training. The two sealed their cultivation and lived like ordinary people. At first, Guanyin was not used to this feeling, but out of her yearning for Buddhism, she eventually persevered.
For the first time, Guanyin experienced hunger, heat, and cold; she also learned about the hardships of mortal life and witnessed some of the beauty in the world.
Once, the two passed through a village where a wedding was being held. The bride and groom were former slaves who had been freed years before. Seeing the newlyweds smiling happily amidst the villagers' blessings, Guanyin was deeply moved. Even though the so-called new house was just an ordinary thatched hut, it was home to them. At that moment, Guanyin seemed to understand why mortals could still burst forth with such vigorous vitality in their short lives.
Along the way, Wutian did not deliberately guide Guanyin; everything was left to its own devices, and she had to experience everything on her own.
Gradually, Guanyin changed. She no longer focused on breaking through her cultivation level, but instead followed Wutian to learn some pharmacological knowledge. The two often gathered herbs on their journey, and would treat people in need whenever they encountered them. Guanyin once asked Wutian why he didn't use his magic to help people. Wutian said that mortals have their own paths to walk, and excessive interference would only make people more dependent on cultivators. People should strive for self-improvement so that the human race can prosper.
"Is this Chaoge? I've heard many of my fellow disciples talk about it at Yuxu Palace before," Guanyin said, looking at the majestic city gate.
"Oh? What are they talking about?" Wutian turned around and asked.
"It seems like everyone is belittling the King of Men," Guanyin said after a moment's hesitation.
"So what do you think? How do you feel about the Human King or the human race right now?"
Guanyin remained silent for a while.
“They are wrong. I don’t know why they made that judgment. In the past year, although I have seen some bad things, there have been more touching things. Ordinary people have it tough, and they are worthy of respect and affirmation.”
"As for the King of Men..."
“Although I have never met him, based solely on his act of freeing the slaves from their shackles, and everything I saw upon entering the territory of Chaoge, he is undoubtedly worthy of the title of King of Men,” Guanyin said.
Wutian nodded and did not press the matter further, as asking further would be seen as sowing discord. Although Guanyin had entered the Buddhist order, her feelings for Yuxu Palace were not something she could easily sever. Moreover, Wutian knew that Guanyin had a lingering resentment towards Yuanshi Tianzun, and she did not know how she would face her former teacher in the future.
"Let's go in."
By this time, the two had followed the crowd into the city and arrived at the city gate. The soldiers guarding the city only glanced at the two of them briefly. Seeing that they were dressed as ordinary people, they did not ask any questions and let them pass directly.
Upon entering Chaoge City, Guanyin felt its unique prosperity. Compared to the human cities she had visited before, it was more vibrant, with noisy vendors' cries, a constant flow of people, and running children, all exuding energy.
The two walked and looked around, but Wutian consciously headed towards the Zhutian Tower.
"As expected of Chaoge, there are probably more people here than I have seen and encountered on the road combined," Guanyin exclaimed.
"Haha, of course, this is the capital of the Great Shang Dynasty," Wutian laughed.
Just then, a commotion broke out in front of the street.
The two exchanged a glance and quickened their pace to walk over.
They saw a group of people gathered around something. The two quickly entered the crowd and saw a three-year-old girl standing on a man in the center of the crowd. The man was holding a large knife with a cold glint in his eyes.
“Mengmeng…” Wu Tian was stunned.
"Don't you even know who I am? How dare you lay a knife on me?" the little maid said angrily.
"Murder! Murder!" The burly man cried out as he lay on the ground.
The people around started talking. It turned out that this person had just arrived in Chaoge not long ago. He was said to be a Taoist cultivator, but he was extremely arrogant and domineering. After arriving in Chaoge, he used his cultivation level to extort money from some merchants. If they refused, he would use magic to hurt them. At first, he was somewhat restrained, but in the past few days, he seemed to have tasted the sweetness of success and became more and more outrageous. Today, he happened to come to a pastry shop next door to extort money, but he was unexpectedly subdued by a child.
"Keep yelling, or I'll castrate you. Hehehe..." Mengmeng burst into laughter after saying that.
"You brat, let me go! Do you know who I am? I am a disciple of Kunlun! Do you know Kunlun? My master is Deng Hua from the Yuxu Sect!" the man shouted.
"Eek? It's Yuxu again." Mengmeng's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and she put her little feet down slightly.
"Click..."
The man's leg bone was broken.
"ah..."
The man screamed in agony, in great pain.
"good."
Those around him cheered upon hearing this.
At this moment, Guanyin's expression was extremely awkward. She naturally knew Deng Hua, but he was only a nominal disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun. She wasn't very familiar with him, but he was still considered a disciple of Yuxu Sect. Now that her disciple had committed evil and been arrested, she felt ashamed.
"If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too," Wutian said, shaking his head.
Guanyin remained silent. The facts were undeniable, and she could not refute them. For someone who cultivated the Tao to do such a despicable thing was truly shameful.
Just then, a group of soldiers pushed through the crowd and walked in.
"Miss Mengmeng." The leader seemed to know Mengmeng.
"Hmph, you're so late. I'll tell Dan Chenzi to punish you later," Mengmeng said sweetly.
The soldiers immediately wore bitter expressions.
Mengmeng jumped off the man and said casually.
"I've handed the man over to you. I've already destroyed the magic he possesses."
After the little guy finished speaking, he was about to turn around and leave, but he quickly stopped and turned back to the pastry shop he had just been to.
She packed up all the pastries displayed at the stall by the door, then carried the package, which was bigger than her, and said to the bewildered shop owner.
"Hehe, consider this a thank you gift. I'm off!" The little guy said, then turned and ran off in a flash, leaving everyone both amused and exasperated.
Soon, Wutian and the other person continued walking forward. After what had just happened, Guanyin was very depressed.
As I walked through an alley, a figure suddenly jumped out from the side.
"Hey!"
A childish voice rang out, and what came into view was an enormous package. Then, a small head peeked out from under the package—it was none other than Mengmeng, who had just left.
Guanyin was taken aback, while Wutian looked at her with a smile.
"I saw you a long time ago, hehe, how was I? Wasn't I awesome just now?" Mengmeng said with a smile.
"So impressive, so impressive! It would be even more impressive if you didn't take their snacks," Wutian joked.
"Hmph, what do you know? This is payment, take it." Mengmeng pouted unhappily, then threw the package to Wutian, who caught it.
The little guy then circled around the two of them.
"Why did you turn out like this? I still prefer your bald look," Mengmeng said, frowning.
"Who is this older sister?" Mengmeng asked.
Wu Tian was immediately overwhelmed with a headache.
Guanyin looked surprised, realizing that the two knew each other.
"Alright, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go back."
Wu Tian said helplessly.
"Mmm." The little guy nodded.
"Hold me." Then she leaped onto Guanyin's body like an octopus.
"Uh..." Guanyin was stunned for a moment, looking at Wutian with some confusion. She had never been hugged so intimately before, even though the other party was a little girl.
"Hahaha, her name is Mengmeng, she's a mischievous and adorable little devil." Wutian burst into laughter upon seeing Guanyin's expression.
"Hehe, you smell nice, just like Sister Long and the others." Mengmeng leaned closer to Guanyin and sniffed her.
The three of them then walked together toward the Tower of All Heavens.
"So, you're all alone?" Wutian asked.
"Yeah, it's so boring." The little guy nodded.
"Hehe, you're back just in time, you can play with me now."
"I originally wanted to go to Biyou Palace, but my brother wouldn't let me leave Chaoge," Mengmeng said with a pained expression.
"Biyou Palace?"
Guanyin was immediately startled.
"Hahaha, don't go and cause trouble for Fellow Daoist Tongtian." Wutian couldn't help but laugh.
"Hmph, I won't pull his beard next time I come to see him. By the way, did you bring me any gifts?" Mengmeng said, looking at Wutian with anticipation in her eyes.
"Cough cough...Yes, of course I have some. I'll give it to you when I get back," Wu Tian said after coughing twice.
Soon the three arrived at the foot of the Tower of All Heavens. With a wave of Mengmeng's little hand, Guanyin immediately felt the surrounding space shift. When she came to her senses, she and Wutian had arrived in an unfamiliar room.
"This is the Tower of All Heavens," Wutian explained, then pointed to the window beside him.
Guanyin looked over and saw the street outside. She couldn't help but look at the child in her arms and realized that the child was even more powerful than she had just seen, able to bring her here without her noticing.
"Hey, where's the present?" Mengmeng jumped off Guanyin and stretched out her little hand to Wutian.
Wu Tian reached into his sleeve and pulled out a golden lotus flower, which shimmered with light and was extremely dazzling.
Guanyin recognized it at a glance. It was a golden lotus that Wutian had been nourishing with Buddhist teachings every day for the past year. Originally, she thought it was a magic weapon that Wutian had made himself, because it already had the aura of a magic treasure and would become an extraordinary treasure in time. She never expected it to be a gift for this little girl.
"Wow, lotus flower, it looks so delicious!" Mengmeng happily took it.
"Eat?" Guanyin thought she had misheard.
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