Chapter 198: 198. Chapter 198: Calling Someone

198. Chapter 198: Calling Someone "Little Sweetie" When Looking at the Stars

Niu Mowang was somewhat confused, while Ye Ming, standing to the side, felt a bit helpless.

If it were any other version of the Journey to the West, it would be fine, but it just had to be A Chinese Odyssey, directed by Master Xing.

This version was, for that time, a bit too ahead of its time.

The point where it was ahead of its time lay in Sun Wukong's own romantic entanglements.

Seducing the second sister-in-law, flirting with the eldest sister-in-law, the eighteen-year-old Baigujing, Zixia Xianzi from the heavens...

This kind of romantic arc was indeed difficult for some people to accept.

Now that such things were happening to him personally, it truly caused him some distress.

Ye Ming looked at the snide Tieshan Gongzhu before him, his mind still thinking about following the plot and retrieving Sun Wukong's power first.

He forced a smile, "I'm tired from the pilgrimage, and I want to get closer to my sister-in-law."

"Once I marry Xiangxiang, won't we be one big family in the future..."

"Hmph!"

Tieshan Gongzhu snorted coldly, rolled her eyes at Ye Ming, and then turned to look at Niu Mowang, "You come with me. I want to hear what kind of nonsense you're going to come up with."

Niu Mowang cast a look of distress toward Ye Ming, frantically pursing his lips at Tieshan Gongzhu and winking at Ye Ming.

Ye Ming spread his hands, showing an expression of being unable to help.

Despair filled Niu Mowang's eyes as he was dragged away by his ear by Tieshan Gongzhu.

Listening to the intermittent screams of Niu Mowang coming from afar, Ye Ming covered his ears and walked toward the inner hall to the side.

Just as he reached the inner hall, he saw Zixia sitting all alone on the stone steps of the courtyard, her face filled with sorrow.

Seeing this scene, the memories belonging to Zhizunbao surged up in Ye Ming's heart, stirring up waves within him.

"It seems this reincarnation has, after all, had some influence on me!"

He murmured in his heart, his mind filled with complex emotions.

Years of acting experience and traversing through several Reincarnation Secret Realms had made him forget himself, knowing only the goal of eternal life.

But after the memories of Zhizunbao appeared, he felt uncharacteristically dazed.

The memories of Zhizunbao were ones he had experienced himself. Zhizunbao was another version of himself.

"It seems I must refine another avatar to separate Zhizunbao's memories."

Ye Ming would not let these memories affect him; if not for the mission of the Reincarnation Secret Realm, he would have severed everything long ago.

After thinking this through, Ye Ming adjusted his state of mind, squeezed a smile onto his face, and walked toward Zixia.

"Why are you here?"

He asked Zixia with a face full of tenderness, but he did not expect that after Zixia looked up and saw it was him, she would suddenly draw the Purple-Blue Sword and hold it directly against his throat.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and Ye Ming's eyes were filled with surprise.

"At that time, the sword was only 0.01 centimeters from my throat, but a quarter of an incense stick later, the mistress of that sword would fall completely in love with me."

"Because I decided to tell a lie. Although I have told countless lies in my life, I consider this one to be the most perfect."

From the memories of Zhizunbao, this passage suddenly popped up, making Ye Ming feel slightly astonished.

He thought for a moment and simply decided to act according to Zhizunbao's ideas.

After all, this mission to break the inner demon really required the consciousness of Zhizunbao to maintain.

He himself really couldn't compare to Zhizunbao when it came to these romantic experiences.

Even the Sun Wukong in this A Chinese Odyssey couldn't compare.

The grass on the graves of the women who had professed their love to him before should have been replaced several times over by now.

"If you take another half-step forward, I will kill you!" Zixia hooked her left hand with her right, the Purple-Blue Sword still held against Ye Ming's throat.

A tear suddenly appeared in the corner of Ye Ming's eye, and he said with deep affection: "You should do this, and I deserve to die."

"Once, a sincere love was placed before me, but I did not cherish it. Only when I lost it did I regret it too late."

"There is no greater pain in this world than this."

After Ye Ming finished these sentences, Zixia's gaze softened, and the Purple-Blue Sword slid away from his throat.

"Let your sword cut into my throat; there is no need to hesitate anymore."

"If Heaven could give me another chance, I would say three words to that girl: I love you."

"If this love must have a time limit..." He looked at Zixia's softened eyes and continued affectionately: "I hope it is ten thousand years."

"Mm..."

Zixia murmured, and the Purple-Blue Sword instantly fell from her hand to the ground.

She picked up the sword in a fluster, her gaze fixed directly on Ye Ming, "Then why did you pretend not to know me yesterday?"

Ye Ming shook his head, "I had unavoidable reasons."

He stepped forward two paces, took Zixia's hand, and whispered softly: "Zixia, don't you believe me?"

"It's all arranged by Heaven!"

"I believe you." Zixia's eyes were already filled with hot tears; she looked at Ye Ming and nodded, "I believe you, Zhizunbao."

"Let's run away?"

"Escape from Niutoubao, find a corner where no one will disturb us, and live out our lives happily."

Ye Ming wore a smile on his face and nodded without hesitation.

"Hmph, I've already heard enough of your sweet talk back at Huoyanshan." Just then, Tieshan Gongzhu walked past the inner hall, pulling Niu Mowang by the ear.

She suddenly saw Ye Ming and Zixia huddled together and immediately scolded, "What are you two doing here?"

She let go of Niu Mowang's ear, walked over, glanced at Zixia, and then stared intently at Ye Ming, asking, "Who is she?"

Zixia touched her hair, Ye Ming looked up at the sky, and neither of them responded.

Tieshan Gongzhu arched her eyebrows, turned her head to look at Niu Mowang beside her, and asked, "I'm asking you, who is she?"

"She..." Niu Mowang rolled his eyes, looked at Ye Ming, and said urgently, "Brother, who is she? Tell her!"

"She... is my wife." Ye Ming looked at Zixia, his face full of tenderness.

"Wow! Brother, you've gone too far!" Niu Mowang said loudly, then raised his eyebrows at Ye Ming, secretly gave a thumbs-up behind his back, and mouthed a silent sentence.

"Good brother, you're a real one!"

Tieshan Gongzhu raised an eyebrow and looked at Niu Mowang, "He has a wife, and you still married your sister off to him?"

"That's why his wife can't stand it and is pointing her sword at him!" Niu Mowang took the opportunity to say.

Zixia laughed, and Ye Ming also nodded very naturally.

Tieshan Gongzhu felt a tightness in her heart, pulled Ye Ming to the side, and said, "Come here with me, I have something to ask you!"

In place, Zixia remained immersed in joy. She looked at Niu Mowang and said with a smile, "Oh~ so you have a wife!"

"The relationship fell apart." Niu Mowang spread his hands, looking very sincere.

On the other side, after Tieshan Gongzhu dragged Ye Ming to the side, she questioned him, "Explain to me clearly, what on earth is going on!"

"I already told you, sister-in-law." Ye Ming raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Hmm~ you called me sister-in-law?" Tieshan Gongzhu glanced at Ye Ming, feeling a bit jealous in her heart.

Ye Ming thought for a moment and spoke again, "I'm sorry, Madam Niu."

Tieshan Gongzhu looked at the corner and said with great desolation, "When you used to accompany me to watch the moon, you called me 'Little Sweetie'. Now that the new replaces the old, you call me 'Madam Niu'."

Tieshan Gongzhu looked up at Ye Ming, on the verge of tears.

"'Little Sweetie'?" Ye Ming almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

Truly feeling this scene, even he found it somewhat hard to accept.

"Mm-hmm." Tieshan Gongzhu nodded with peace of mind, secretly nudged Ye Ming's chest with her shoulder, and said slowly:

"Do you think I came here with so much trouble just for this stinky ox?"

Tieshan Gongzhu blocked the sight of the two people behind her, reached out to pinch the soft flesh on Ye Ming's arm, and twisted it fiercely, "It was for you, you heartless stinky monkey!"

"Hiss!!" Ye Ming took a deep breath of cold air, and for a moment, he didn't know how to speak.

"Sigh!" In the distance, Niu Mowang heard Ye Ming's miserable sound, sighed quietly, and murmured, "Brother, it's really hard on you."

"It has nothing to do with me!" Ye Ming looked at Tieshan Gongzhu, feeling somewhat helpless.

This time, in order to complete this inner demon mission of Sun Wukong, he had sacrificed far too much.

"I don't care!" Tieshan Gongzhu suddenly grabbed the clothes on Ye Ming's chest, "Tonight at the second watch, wait for me here, I have something to tell you!"

She touched Ye Ming's chest, blinked, and then turned to walk toward Niu Mowang and the other.

Tieshan looked at Zixia and said with a sense of 'hate that iron doesn't become steel', "If I were you, and my husband wanted to take a concubine, I would rather be dead!"

"Really?" A look of joy appeared in the eyes of Niu Mowang on the side.

"Yes! But I'd castrate you first!" Tieshan Gongzhu glanced at Niu Mowang, "Follow me!"

She turned and left without saying anything more.

After Tieshan and Niu Mowang left, Zixia walked over again, looking at Ye Ming with full hope, "Zhizunbao, let's run away tonight, shall we?"

"Take me away, leave this place!"

Ye Ming looked at those shining eyes and nodded gently.

"Tonight at the third watch, you wait for me here, and I will take you away!"

He looked at Zixia and said very firmly.

"Okay, I'll wait for you!" Zixia's face was full of smiles, as if she never thought her beloved would lie to her.

During the day, there were too many demons in Niutoubao, so it was indeed not a good time to leave.

She waved at Ye Ming and walked into the inner hall.

After watching everyone leave one after another, Ye Ming directly opened the Fox Immortal Blessed Land and summoned a clone to stay in Niutoubao.

As for himself, he used the Ancestral Symbol of Space to arrive at Pansi Cave, which was the original Shuiliandong.

Walking into the cave, familiar scenes emerged in his mind, but Ye Ming ignored them and walked directly to the deepest part of the cave.

He looked at the stone wall dripping with water in front of him, clenched his fists, and then slammed a punch onto the stone wall.

Crack, crack, crack!!

The stone wall shattered with a boom, revealing the entrance to a cave.

Water droplets fell inside, and faintly, a wisp of golden light burst out from within the cave.

Seeing this, Ye Ming stepped directly inside.

Walking past several stone platforms to the deepest part of the cave, he looked up and saw the Ruyi Golden Cudgel hanging on the stone wall, as well as the Golden Hoop placed on the stone table next to it!

When he was still Zhizunbao, he had already come to this cave countless times.

In the dark, he had also sensed the calling from the depths of this cave.

But at that time, he had not awakened the memories of Ye Ming himself, and he only regarded this inexplicable reaction as a scene from a dream.

But Ye Ming knew clearly that this calling came from within Shuiliandong, where the power of the Ruyi Golden Cudgel and Sun Wukong before his reincarnation resided.

It was precisely for this reason that Ye Ming chose to come to Shuiliandong first via the Ancestral Symbol of Space.

"Sun Wukong, you have come."

"Do you understand now?"

"Put on the Golden Hoop, and you will regain your power."

The voice from his past dreams came, and Ye Ming now understood that this voice was indeed spoken by Guanyin Dashi, who had sent him into reincarnation.

At this moment, waves of seductive power emanated from the Golden Hoop, filling his mind, as if urgently urging him to put it on.

If it were an ordinary person, they would certainly be unable to resist this seductive power and would choose to put on the Golden Hoop in a trance.

However, Ye Ming's soul power was immensely vast, and after recovering his memories, the power of the laws he controlled surged even further.

He could now face Guanyin head-on and have the strength to fight, let alone resist the mere power of temptation emanating from this Golden Hoop.

Yet, a curve appeared at the corner of Ye Ming's mouth, and he nodded lightly, saying, "Guanyin Dashi, I have already thought it through."

"The pilgrimage for the scriptures is my mission."

"I am willing to wear the Golden Hoop to protect Tang Sanzang on his journey west to retrieve the scriptures and save the world."

"Good!" That mysterious and profound voice echoed once again in Shuiliandong, and Guanyin Dashi spoke, "For you to have such an epiphany, it was not in vain that Tang Sanzang gave you a chance with his own life back then."

"However, I must remind you of one thing. Once the Golden Hoop is worn, you will no longer be a mortal; you must not touch even a shred of the desires of the human world."

"If you let your heart waver, this Golden Hoop will tighten more and more upon your head, causing unbearable suffering."

"Understood!" Ye Ming walked to the stone table with great nonchalance, picked up the Golden Hoop with both hands, and prepared to place it on his head.

Suddenly, Guanyin Dashi spoke again, "Before you put on this Golden Hoop, is there anything else you wish to say?"

Ye Ming held the temptation-filled Golden Hoop in his hands and said with great sincerity, "Once, a sincere love was placed before me, but I did not cherish it; only when I lost it did I regret it beyond measure."

"There is nothing more painful in this mortal world than this. If Heaven could give me another chance, I would say to that girl, 'I love you'."

"If this love must have a time limit, I hope it is ten thousand years!"

Ye Ming held the Golden Hoop in his hands and slowly moved it toward his head.

Just as the Golden Hoop was about to land on his head, his hands stopped abruptly.

"Hmm? Sun Wukong, do you still have any doubts?"

As if sensing Ye Ming's actions, Guanyin Dashi's somewhat puzzled voice echoed once again in Shuiliandong.

Ye Ming smiled slightly and casually stuffed the Golden Hoop in his hands into his System Storage Space.

A smile appeared on his face, "No doubts."

"But all of this was a lie to you!"

"Heh."

Ye Ming scoffed, "Wearing the Golden Hoop will grant me power?"

"Do you think I am that Black Bear Spirit from your Mount Luojia?"

He raised his hand slightly, and the Golden Cudgel resting on the stone wall seemed to hear a command, shaking violently.

The next moment, bursts of golden light surged forth, and the seal placed upon the Golden Cudgel shattered inch by inch!

Ye Ming gripped the Golden Cudgel, which had been imprisoned by Guanyin in Shuiliandong, and felt a mysterious power surging endlessly within his body.

He could perceive that the two mysterious laws—the Law of Strength and the Law of Transformation—had opened their doors to him.

This also meant that the power of Sun Wukong in this world had been restored! (End of chapter)