Chapter 70 "I'll go take a look right now."...
Bao'e stared intently at the decorated tower.
She couldn't see the Imperial Preceptor's face clearly, but she could see one hand lifting the thin veil, revealing a delicate embroidered ball.
"Whoever's daughter falls into his hands, he shall marry her," the Imperial Advisor said. "Do not steal her, lest you bring imprisonment upon yourself."
Bao'e turned her head to the side and said to Sanzang, "Master, this person's voice sounds somewhat familiar. Perhaps he is someone we know."
“Amitabha, he is the national teacher of India. You are a pilgrim on a journey to the West. How could you be familiar with him? Or perhaps his voice sounds like that of an old acquaintance of yours, and you have misheard him.” Sanzang paused for a moment, then his tone suddenly changed. “Wumiao, we are here only to exchange our travel documents. What are you looking at him for?”
Before Bao'e could speak, the pilgrim chuckled, "Master, she's planning to get married so she can get money."
"You monkey, don't talk nonsense! How dare you joke about this with me, Master, don't listen to his nonsense!" As Bao'e was speaking, something suddenly hit her head. She was in a bad mood, so she grabbed the thing and put it in her arms.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent, and all the merchants and others turned to look at her.
Bao'e stared blankly back: "What's wrong with me? I was talking to this monkey, I didn't curse anyone."
After he finished speaking, the crowd of people suddenly cheered and were overjoyed.
Bao'e panicked and said, "What are you laughing at? What are you laughing at? Don't mistake me for a monkey and make fun of me!"
The palace maids and eunuchs upstairs came down and bowed to her, saying, "Congratulations, Your Excellency! Congratulations on receiving this embroidered ball! Please come to the court to offer your congratulations."
Bao'e froze, then slowly looked down and saw that she was holding an embroidered ball.
"Oh dear, oh dear!" She threw the embroidered ball away. "Whoever threw it at me is no good! I'm on my way to seek the scriptures, what time do I have to come here for a wedding to bring good luck!"
One of the palace maids picked it up, but handed the embroidered ball back to her.
She buried her head and tried to dodge to the side, waving her hands repeatedly: "Go away, go away! No, no! I'm not a tailor, and I can't find any fault with your embroidered ball, yet you're looking for someone else."
Sanzang also said, "Excellent, excellent! Please take back this embroidered ball, my disciple is truly not inclined to have worldly desires."
“Master, don’t stop me.” The pilgrim laughed from the side, “My dear sister, this embroidered ball has hit your head, it’s a happy occasion, why don’t you hurry up and come to see me, so that this wonderful thing can come to fruition.”
Bao'e scolded, "You rascal, you're making fun of me again."
Sanzang also said, "Wukong, don't tease her. What good will it do to make her do something happy?"
The pilgrim said to the two men, “Master, don’t worry, I’m just joking with her. I saw some demonic energy on that decorated tower, so I had her pretend to agree, so I could see for myself.”
Sanzang was slightly relieved, but still advised, "Wukong, don't tease him."
The traveler laughed and said, "I know, I know!"
Just then, the Imperial Preceptor came downstairs.
Bao'e had been muttering incessantly until she saw the face of the Imperial Preceptor clearly.
She suddenly paused, staring blankly at him, and said, "Brother, why are you here? Did that embroidered ball knock me unconscious and I'm dreaming now?"
The Imperial Preceptor was dressed in a crane-feather cloak, with gentle and refined features. Upon closer inspection, his handsome appearance made him look exactly like a noble young master.
The Imperial Advisor did not respond to her, seemingly not being familiar with her.
He said politely, "Congratulations on winning the embroidered ball, Your Excellency. Please come with me to the court to offer my congratulations."
Bao'e said, "Brother, when did you become the Imperial Preceptor without informing me?"
Meanwhile, the traveler, with his fiery eyes, scrutinized the scene closely.
For some reason, he clearly saw a few wisps of demonic energy on the national advisor, but he couldn't discern his demonic appearance.
He found it strange, but kept quiet and said to Bao'e with a smile, "Good sister, don't joke. Gao Family Village is thousands of miles away from Tianzhu Kingdom, and that young master Gao is a sickly and incompetent mortal. How can he be the national teacher of Tianzhu Kingdom?"
“Yes, yes,” Bao’e murmured, then stepped forward to the Imperial Preceptor and said, “Brother, please don’t be offended. I just thought you looked familiar and mistook you for someone else.”
“It’s alright,” the imperial advisor said gently, turning to the side. “Let’s go.”
The master and his three disciples, along with the four imperial advisors, arrived together at the Golden Palace.
The king saw that Bao'e was a woman, so he looked at her closely.
He saw that although she was clever and pretty, she was poor, dressed in coarse clothes, and had a monk and a monkey by her side, which displeased him greatly.
He said unhappily, "Imperial Preceptor, I ordered you to throw the embroidered ball from the decorated tower. What is the meaning of this?"
The Imperial Advisor said, "Your Majesty, it was this Miss Zhu who received the embroidered ball. I asked her about her birth date and time, and it is a perfect match for Your Highness."
Upon hearing that their birth dates were compatible, the king's expression changed slightly, and he said with great delight, "Is it really true? Then who are these gentlemen...?"
Sanzang said, “Your Majesty, this humble monk was sent by the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty in the East to the Great Thunder Monastery in the West to retrieve the scriptures. She is my disciple, and she also has the heavy responsibility of retrieving the scriptures, which is difficult for Prince Liang to marry. I beg Your Majesty to forgive my sins, change the travel documents, and allow this humble monk to go west to retrieve the scriptures.”
The king said, “Holy monk, since you have the heart of a bodhisattva, how could you not know the principle that ‘saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda’? My child has been born with a fainting spell and rarely has a moment of lucidity. Now that we have finally found a way to cure him, I hope the holy monk will understand. The marriage is a pretense, the real purpose is to save his life. It will only take one night to save his life.”
“This…” Sanzang hesitated for a long time, then looked at Wukong.
The traveler laughed and said, “Your Majesty, saving lives requires a healer. My sister is ignorant of medicine, and even if we spend two or three nights together, she probably won’t be able to figure out a way to save lives. I wonder which healer came up with the idea, or what method they intend to use? I hope Your Majesty will tell us, so that we can consider it.”
The king then said, “This is exactly the royal advisor’s idea. According to the royal advisor, my child’s fate lacks yin, and he needs someone of the water or wood element to be his match. Spending one night together is a pretense of marriage to harmonize yin and yang.”
“Exactly, exactly!” the fool suddenly nodded. “I am indeed of the Wood element, and I have also commanded naval forces.”
The traveler grabbed her and said, "Silly girl, stop yelling!"
He then looked at the Imperial Preceptor and asked with a smile, "Imperial Preceptor, you are truly omnipotent. I wonder what skill you have learned?"
The Imperial Preceptor said, "It is a unique skill, but it is not appropriate to tell outsiders."
"Good, good, good! I, Old Sun, once studied under a sage and mastered the Great Dao. I truly must witness such supernatural powers."
Then the official in charge of Yin and Yang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, today is the eighth day of the month, and the thirteenth day of this month would be the most suitable date for the wedding."
The king asked, "What does the royal advisor think?"
"It is an auspicious day for marriage."
"Very well!" the king said happily. "Please stay for a few days, elders. Once the marriage is complete and my son has regained consciousness, I will exchange the travel documents and have someone escort you out of the city."
The elder was about to refuse, but the king laughed and said, "I hope the elder will help me, lest I end up being dragged out and beheaded by the Imperial Guard."
The elder was terrified, and the traveler whispered that a demon was causing trouble. Helpless, he could only bite the bullet and agree.
Upon hearing that he also had a disciple at the Huitong Inn, the king sent someone to invite Sha Wujing and then ordered the cleaning of the pavilions and towers in the royal garden.
The monks and their disciples had a vegetarian meal in the Imperial Garden.
Bao'e had been starving all the way and could not bear the hunger. Seeing that the food at the banquet was all her favorite, she ate and asked for more, eating and asking for more, and in one go she ate five or six bowls.
The king was somewhat alarmed and said, "This disciple of the holy monk really does eat a little more than ordinary mortals."
“Amitabha,” said the monk, clasping his hands in prayer, “that is right, that is right.”
The Imperial Preceptor suddenly asked, "I wonder if the vegetarian food suits your taste?"
Bao'e didn't even bother to look up, nodding repeatedly: "Delicious, delicious! It really makes me feel like a rat in a jar."
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Advisor smiled faintly.
The traveler, having observed this, waited until the meal was finished and, when no one was around, asked Bao'e, "Wumiao, you've been in Gao Family Village for many years, is that Gao Cuilan a monster?"
Bao'e said, "He is a mortal, not a demon."
After a moment's thought, the traveler asked her again, "In your opinion, was that Imperial Preceptor Gao Cuilan today?"
“No, no!” Bao’e said.
"What is the reason?"
“I asked him just now, and he said no.”
The traveler laughed and said, "You fool, don't talk nonsense. Just because he says it's not, doesn't mean it isn't. But if I say it is, does that mean it is?"
Bao'e stared at him blankly: "Brother, I feel a little dizzy."
“That Imperial Preceptor is quite strange. He has a demonic aura about him, but no demonic form is visible,” said the Monkey King. “If he is the young master of the Gao family, he has probably been tricked and harmed by some demon.”
Bao'e was furious, gripping her rake so tightly it rattled: "I'll kill this wicked monster with this rake before I'm satisfied!!"
"Don't rush, don't rush!" the traveler asked her, "Is there any way to find out who he is?"
"Yes." Bao'e nodded.
What method?
"Fool, stop your nonsense!" The traveler sneered slightly. "Are you going to strip him naked?"
“That works too.” Bao’e turned and left. “Brother, I’ll go take a look right now.”
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