Chapter 19

Recently, Grandpa heard that some book friends are using all their起点币 (Qidian Coins) for rewards. Cough, Grandpa feels it's necessary to clarify this. Actually, for Grandpa, the importance of subscriptions far outweighs rewards. If you don't have many Qidian Coins, please don't use them for rewards. Save them decisively and use them for subscriptions when Grandpa's novel goes on sale. This is the greatest support you can give to Grandpa.

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The heavenly soldiers and generals retreated, and the lakeside returned to tranquility. The intense battle that had just taken place seemed as if it never happened.

Sister Guanyin looked up at the sky and sighed lightly, "Indeed, we have been targeted by the Heavenly Court..."

Xiaobailong pouted, "It's all because of me that you're in trouble... Juling Shen said he came to capture me."

"Hey, hey, Juling Shen is clearly lying. This has nothing to do with you, don't take the blame so easily! Those guys are clearly here to capture me, Old Sun." Sun Wukong shouted at Sister Guanyin, "Hey, I said, you black-hearted woman, what's your relationship with Tang Sen? Aren't you going to explain to me, Old Sun?"

Sister Guanyin glanced at Sun Wukong and said, "There's nothing to say to a brainless guy like you. Even if I explain, you won't understand."

At this moment, Tang Sen suddenly spoke, "Sister Guanyin, can I have a word with you? I have a few questions I want to ask you."

Sister Guanyin turned her head and said solemnly to Tang Sen, "The Buddha says, it cannot be said, it cannot be said... Everything can only be understood through your own enlightenment."

"Cut it out, stop pretending here. If you don't talk to me properly, I won't go to the West." Tang Sen said half-seriously, "Do you really think I would believe that my mom's online store would go bankrupt? I'm not that easy to fool."

Sister Guanyin clearly stiffened, then her expression softened, "Alright, I'll answer a few of your questions."

"Then let's find a place where no one can hear us..." Tang Sen pointed to the distant forest.

"Hey, hey, I want to join too!" Sun Wukong shouted.

This guy just doesn't know when to read the room. It's obvious that Tang Sen wants to talk to Sister Guanyin about something he doesn't want her to hear, but she insists on joining. Tang Sen couldn't help but feel a bit awkward... What excuse could he use to get rid of her?

But then Sister Guanyin said in an ambiguous tone, "Wukong, after 500 years, you still haven't improved at all. When a man and a woman want to talk in private, do you know what it means? You're really naive..."

"What does 'naive' mean?" Sun Wukong asked, then suddenly caught the point and broke out in a sweat, "Hey, hey, how could Old Sun not understand? Humph! I have no interest in listening to others talk about love. I'll stay here to take care of Xiaobailong. You two go far away and be mushy. Humph! A pair of dogs."

Tang Sen couldn't help but laugh bitterly. What a powerful Sister Guanyin, truly a black-hearted woman. She really understands Sun Wukong's personality. With just one meaningless sentence, she managed to get rid of this troublemaker. But to be lumped in with "a pair of dogs" for no reason, that's just too unreasonable.

The two walked far away and entered the forest. Sister Guanyin opened a divine barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping, then said solemnly, "Tang Sen, what do you want to ask me?"

"Hey, can you change your exaggerated way of speaking?" Tang Sen complained, "Your black-hearted nature and deceptive methods have been exposed. Now, pretending to be detached from the world is useless."

"Ah, have I been seen through?" Sister Guanyin's dignified face suddenly relaxed. She had been standing gracefully on the lotus throne, looking high-end and elegant, but after being called out by Tang Sen, her divine aura disappeared. She sat down casually, crossed her legs on the lotus throne, and her expression became very relaxed, almost as if she was about to light a cigarette. She said, "Since you've seen through me, I won't bother to pretend anymore. This is more comfortable."

Tang Sen: "..."

"Hey, you said you saw through my true nature. Now that I'm not pretending, why are you spacing out?"

Tang Sen laughed bitterly, "The change is too big, I need to adjust." He paused and then asked, "Why did you trick me into going to the West to marry Rulai? Is there a deeper reason?"

Sister Guanyin shrugged, "Since you're already traveling with Sun Wukong, you probably already know. Rulai is the reincarnation of the Buddha. To carry on the lineage, she must marry and have a child, giving birth to the next Buddha... This cycle must continue to ensure the lineage of the Great Thunderclap Temple. And you, are the man we've chosen for Rulai... I tricked you into going to the West to have a child with Rulai. There's no deeper conspiracy, and I have no intention of harming you. Instead, you'll get the girl, how practical."

"Travelling 108,000 miles to be a pimp?" Tang Sen was speechless. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly asked, "How old are you?"

Sister Guanyin shrugged, "I can't remember, maybe 18 years old..."

Tang Sen: "..."

"Don't look at me with that strange expression, okay... To be honest, I'm probably a few thousand years old, maybe a few ten thousand years, or even a hundred thousand years... Hey, hey, don't ask a woman's age, that's too impolite, right?"

"You can live for thousands or tens of thousands of years, but why can't the Buddha? Why does he need to keep reincarnating and having children? Isn't that strange?" Tang Sen asked curiously.

"Because I am a Bodhisattva, and she is a Living Buddha!" Sister Guanyin smiled, "A Living Buddha is different from a Bodhisattva like me. I died long ago, and after my physical body was destroyed, I became a Bodhisattva, existing eternally. But a Living Buddha is a living person who must keep reincarnating. There are deep reasons for this, but since you're not part of my sect, you wouldn't understand... Explaining it clearly would take hundreds of chapters, and readers would say I'm padding the story, then angrily unsubscribe."

"Unsubscribe?" Tang Sen was startled. If that happens, he, as the main character, would lose popularity, and it would be a lose-lose situation. He couldn't delve into why a Living Buddha must keep living and dying, so he changed the subject, "Now, the real question is, why does the Heavenly Court want to kill me?"

Hearing this, Sister Guanyin crossed her legs even higher, her foot swinging, causing her white skirt to flutter, revealing her snow-white calves. If she swung any higher, her undergarments would be visible. It was unclear if she was wearing them.

She said solemnly, "Do I need to say? Of course, they want to prevent Rulai from having a child, to cut off the lineage of the Buddha... to weaken the Great Thunderclap Temple. If the Great Thunderclap Temple no longer has the Buddha, the Heavenly Court can immediately send troops to annex it."

"Right, I had a rough idea." Tang Sen laughed bitterly, "Then why are you smiling at Juling Shen? Why not beat him to death?"

Sister Guanyin said unhappily, "Of course, I want to beat him to death, even go to the Heavenly Court and cause a ruckus like Sun Wukong, but that wouldn't help... It would only make the relationship between the Heavenly Court and the Great Thunderclap Temple more tense... The situation is very complex, and I can't explain it to you."

"So, neither side wants to openly confront each other, only to secretly compete. Erlang Shen disguised himself as a human bandit to kill me to avoid responsibility, and Juling Shen openly came to kill me, but when he saw you, he immediately changed his story to say he was chasing Xiaobailong." Tang Sen couldn't help but laugh, "Interesting, it's like two superpowers, both wanting to destroy the other but not daring to act openly, only creating small conflicts at the border to test the other's reaction."

Sister Guanyin said, "You're quite smart... Just knowing a little bit, you can guess so much."

Tang Sen said, "Alright, now I know the truth, and I know I'm in danger, possibly at risk of dying. Why should I do such a dangerous thing? I'm going back to the capital to be an ordinary college student. All these gods and ghosts, and their schemes, have nothing to do with me."

"No!" Sister Guanyin said urgently, "If you go back, who will marry Rulai?"

"I don't care who she marries, it won't be me." Tang Sen said, "Compared to a strange woman I've never met, my life is more important."

Sister Guanyin frowned, thought for a few seconds, and then her eyes flashed with understanding. She said solemnly, "I understand, make your demands! You're deliberately saying this to try to get something in return. I'll listen to what you want."

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