Chapter 396

Sun Wukong spoke little, but the information he revealed was substantial.

This made Yaoji scrutinize Gu Qing.

“The little monkey doesn’t understand—he’s just calling out for fun.”

Gu Qing feigned evasion, stepped forward, bowed to Yaoji, and said, “This monkey was conjured by me and Yang Chan together, born of heaven and earth, with exceptional talent. I’ve taken him across heaven and earth, acquiring many things—but only the Heavenly Eye requires your guidance.”

In the mythological world, Sun Wukong and Yang Jian are constantly compared; among the most iconic claims is that Yang Jian’s third eye is the Seventy-Third Transformation, a configuration superior to Sun Wukong’s.

In this Bao Lian Deng world, the Heavenly Eye is a divine artifact of the Heavenly Court, once worn by Yaoji, then passed to Yang Jian; Yu Ding Zhen even said everyone possesses a Heavenly Eye—it’s merely a matter of unlocking it… Gu Qing brought Sun Wukong to Huashan specifically to awaken his Heavenly Eye.

Yaoji and the Yang family owed Gu Qing great debts; hearing his plea, she set aside Yang Chan’s matter for now, stepped before Sun Wukong, and studied the monkey closely.

Sun Wukong blinked repeatedly, saying nothing.

“He can indeed awaken the Heavenly Eye.”

A silver radiance bloomed behind Yaoji’s head; under its glow, Sun Wukong’s third eye emitted a faint light, responding in kind.

Gu Qing, standing nearby, observed it all clearly.

With that single pulse of light, Yaoji withdrew her power; as Sun Wukong nurtured his Heavenly Eye, she turned again to Gu Qing and asked, “We must discuss Chan’er now.”

As Yaoji spoke, her heart was heavy—Yang Chan was still young, only matured prematurely to evade the Heavenly Court’s pursuit, and since then they’d seen little of each other; now, in an instant, Yang Chan was about to marry.

But Gu Qing was no suitable match.

“Mother-in-law, rest assured.”

Gu Qing patted his chest and vowed, “I will treat her well.”

At these words, Yaoji’s eyes narrowed.

“Let our young people handle our own affairs.”

Gu Qing spoke sweetly: “Isn’t our rebellion against heavenly law precisely for the sake of free love?”

By calling himself “young,” Gu Qing implied a generational gap between himself and Yaoji.

“But not too free!”

Yaoji’s face hardened; in that moment, she felt the Heavenly Law protected female immortals—keeping them safe from men like Gu Qing!

Yaoji was a traditional woman.

“About these matters, I’ll explain to you another time.”

Gu Qing did not dally with Yaoji on this issue; he reached out, lifted the already enlightened Sun Wukong, and said, “Mother-in-law, I’m taking my leave.”

That single word—“Mother-in-law”—sent a chill through Yaoji. Watching Gu Qing and Sun Wukong soar into the sky, she urgently called for Yang Jiao and Yang Jian to come forward.

“Quickly, quickly bring your sister back!”

Yaoji cried out, “Gu Qing is trying to make rice into cooked porridge with your sister!”

Upon hearing this, Yang Jiao and Yang Jian—both doting brothers—were enraged. Yang Jian immediately summoned Xiao Tianquan, ordering him to activate a secret technique to locate Yang Chan.

“Heaven and Earth without limits, ten thousand li pursuit…”

Xiao Tianquan chanted the spell, sniffed the air, and after a long silence, turned back to Yang Jian and said, “She seems to have used the Bao Lian Deng to mask her aura.”

“Third sister!”

Yang Jian struck his palm in despair; he and Yang Jiao transformed into twin beams of light—one heading to Qianyuan Mountain’s Golden Light Cave, the other to Kunlun Mountain—to find Yang Chan and ensure she was brought back before Gu Qing could act.

“If you meet Gu Qing, fight him! Don’t let him get near your sister!”

On Huashan, Yaoji slammed her palms together in fury, wishing at that moment she could invoke the Heavenly Law to protect Yang Chan.

“Hahaha…”

In the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother watched this scene and burst into laughter, broadcasting it to all the gods: “See? This is the fate of immortals who marry. Now you all understand—the Heavenly Law is heartless, a protection for you!”

As the Jade Emperor spoke, his gaze drifted toward the female immortals.

Chang’e’s eyes were cold; the Seventh Princess lowered hers; among these goddesses, the Eighth Princess remained cheerful and unconcerned.

“Your Majesty.”

Wangmu Niangniang said, “Gu Qing grows ever more reckless among mortals.”

The Jade Emperor nodded; in today’s Heavenly Court, Gu Qing was the number-one enemy—but even all the gods bound together could not match him.

“We must punish him!”

The Jade Emperor said coldly.

Hearing this, Wangmu Niangniang understood; after the celestial assembly, she whispered to the Jade Emperor, “Your Majesty, we are two Golden Immortals.”

Two Golden Immortals…

At these words, the Jade Emperor’s eyes brightened slightly.

The Jade Emperor wielded the Heavenly Law, his word supreme across the Three Realms; even the Three Pure Ones bowed to him as Your Majesty—he was the foremost among Golden Immortals. But lately, like a man in midlife, he had grown increasingly weary.

All of it stemmed from Gu Qing’s arrival.

The Jade Emperor struggled to manage the Golden Immortals’ entanglements with the Heavenly Law while suppressing the Three Realms—like holding ten fleas with ten fingers; loosen any one, and he’d be overwhelmed.

Gu Qing’s seemingly minor disruption had already destabilized the Jade Emperor’s entire system.

“Gu Qing killed the Nine Golden Crows—this most severely damaged the Heavenly Court’s dignity,” Wangmu Niangniang said.

The Jade Emperor gazed deeply at her and said, “We are two Golden Immortals—we shouldn’t be so powerless.”

Wangmu Niangniang’s expression was unreadable, but she remained silent.

“I shall enter seclusion to contain those ambitious ones; during this time, you shall temporarily oversee court affairs and fully manage the Register of Deification—ensure every immortal is listed.”

The Jade Emperor laid out his plan: “During your regency, all calamities shall be counted as my own doing.”

The Jade Emperor chose to trust Wangmu Niangniang.

In the main Bao Lian Deng story, the Jade Emperor was timid, while Wangmu Niangniang took decisive action—this shift occurred because, in the prequel, the Jade Emperor’s past decisions brought disasters to mortals, while Wangmu Niangniang proved orderly and capable, earning his delegation of power.

Now, under Gu Qing’s pressure, the Jade Emperor chose seclusion, giving Wangmu Niangniang a stage to act.

Wangmu Niangniang gazed down at the mortal realm, a slow smile spreading across her face.

The Eastern Sea.

Gu Qing stood beside the Eastern Sea, watching the waters churn; suddenly, an explosion erupted—Sun Wukong burst forth from the Dragon Palace, golden staff in hand, while simultaneously, a streak of golden light shot straight toward Gu Qing.

Sun Wukong’s eyes darted; seeing Gu Qing’s signal, he turned, summoned a cloud, and departed, leaving the scene to Gu Qing.

Sun Wukong’s eyes darted around, and after seeing Gu Qing signal to him, he turned and rode off on a cloud, leaving the place to Gu Qing.

Beneath the golden light appeared a monk clad entirely in white robes, lips red, teeth white.

Beneath the golden light, a monk clad entirely in white robes, with red lips and white teeth, appeared before Gu Qing.

Jin Chanzi clasped his hands and addressed Gu Qing.

Gu Qing studied Jin Chanzi, nodded. In the Bao Lian Deng prequel, this monk had matched Yang Jian evenly in battle; when Yang Jian sought to storm the Heavenly Court, Jin Chanzi’s intervention forced a truce—and their clash had even triggered Sun Wukong’s birth.

Gu Qing looked at Jin Chanzi and nodded; in the prequel to the Treasure Lotus Lamp, this one had matched Yang Jian evenly in battle, and because of Jin Chanzi, Yang Jian had accepted mediation when he sought to storm the Heavenly Court—their clash had even triggered Sun Wukong’s birth.

Gu Qing asked.

“I have come for fate,” Jin Chanzi replied, his expression blank, eyes fixed on the direction Sun Wukong had vanished. “He and I share a master-disciple bond—he can aid me in attaining enlightenment.”

In this Bao Lian Deng world, Tang Seng is not only powerful but also prophetic—like his counterpart in the sequel to Journey to the West, he is a formidable figure.

In the Bao Lian Deng prequel, Jin Chanzi clashed with Yang Jian, triggering Sun Wukong’s birth; when Tian Peng Yuan Shuai and Juan Juan Da Jiang arrived to guard him, Jin Chanzi glanced at them and immediately recognized their master-disciple bonds—just as he had with Sun Wukong: one look, and he knew this was the one who would help him achieve enlightenment.

Gu Qing yawned, uninterested. “This Sun Wukong is my disciple, cultivated through immense hardship—how can you take him away with a single word?”

“Fate cannot be resisted,” Jin Chanzi said matter-of-factly, as if stating an unshakable truth.

Gu Qing did not argue about fate; instead, he asked, “The West is in deep cultivation—why have you left?”

Gu Qing knew the reason, but asking allowed him to steer the conversation.

“While the Buddha was preaching, he suddenly held up a flower. Kashyapa smiled in response. No one else understood—neither the Buddha nor Kashyapa explained. I grew frustrated, sought Kashyapa repeatedly for the meaning, but he never spoke. Finally, in anger, I left Ling Shan.”

Jin Chanzi said, “I will return to Ling Shan only when I have fully comprehended the meaning of the flower and the smile.”

“When the Buddha was preaching, he suddenly held up a flower; Venerable Kasyapa saw it and smiled. Aside from the Buddha and Venerable Kasyapa, no one else understood—it angered me greatly. I sought out Kasyapa several times to learn the meaning, but he never spoke. Finally, in frustration, I left Mount Lingshan.”

Gu Qing patted Jin Chanzi’s shoulder. “But I think you won’t understand it.”

Jin Chanzi’s face hardened; he found that smile overly insolent.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!!”

The Eastern Sea erupted repeatedly; a dragon leapt from the water, circled thrice, then landed beside Gu Qing. “Did you see that monkey just now?”

The speaker was Ao Tingxin, the Fourth Princess of the Eastern Sea—later killed by Yang Jian, sealed in her corpse, and eventually resurrected.

She would later become one of Yang Chan’s closest friends.

Originally, they had met when Ne Zha impersonated the Jade Emperor and beat the Dragon King—but because of Gu Qing, they had yet to meet.

“Didn’t see him.”

Gu Qing shook his head, watching Ao Tingxin’s fury, then asked, “What happened?”

“I’m still unmarried—he entered the Dragon Palace and started yelling ‘Mom!’”

Ao Tingxin raged. Compared to the loss of the Ruyi Jingu Bang, she cared more about her reputation.

After all, she couldn’t retrieve the Ruyi Jingu Bang alone.

“That was indeed wrong,” Gu Qing said, playing the virtuous man.

Two more dragons leapt from the sea, circled once, then transformed into human form—a man and a woman. Gu Qing turned his face away the moment he saw the woman’s face.

Not because she was ugly—but because she was too inauspicious.

The woman was Ao Cunxin, Yang Jian’s wife in the Bao Lian Deng prequel.

In the prequel, Yang Jian’s life could’ve been easier—but he was cursed with Ao Cunxin as his wife. Their wedding night ended in a quarrel, driving Yang Chan out of the family, fracturing Yang Jian’s bonds with his brothers, and turning their marital strife into a punchline—so much so that the Kitchen God wrote a scroll mocking them, making Yang Jian’s household a laughingstock across the Three Realms.

It wasn’t that the Dragon Girl was ugly, but that she was too unlucky.

This woman was Yang Jian’s wife from the prequel to the Precious Lamp, Ao Cunxin.

In the prequel to the Precious Lamp, Yang Jian didn’t have to suffer so much, but he Pianpian ended up with Ao Cunxin as his wife; on their wedding night they quarreled, and he drove San Shengmu out of the house, causing Yang Jian to be separated from his brothers, and because of their marital quarrels, the Kitchen God turned it into a memorial, filled with mockery of Yang Jian and his wife, making Yang Jian’s family a joke throughout the Three Realms.

Someone like that, Gu Qing would keep his distance.

“Did that monkey call her ‘Mom’?”

Gu Qing asked Ao Tingxin.

Ao Tingxin shook her head and said, “That monkey’s hands were fast—he was heading straight for the Ruler of the Sea’s Divine Needle. He shouted at me along the way.”

Good!

Gu Qing nodded inwardly; he had no desire to be entangled with Cunxin.

“Young Master.”

Jin Chanzi, at this moment, looked toward the man beside Ao Cunxin, hesitated, then said, “We two should have a connection.”

The man was the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King. Hearing Jin Chanzi’s greeting, he asked, “What connection could there be between us?”

“Master-disciple connection.”

Gu Qing, standing aside, whispered to Tang Seng, “He’s been trying to take that monkey as his disciple.”

“Take the monkey as a disciple?”

“The monkey?”

Ao Cunxin and Ao Tingxin both stared in shock at Jin Chanzi, as if questioning his sanity.

Jin Chanzi smiled and said to the third prince, “Forgive me, Third Prince—I’ve already taken a disciple. Now I’m looking for a mount.”

“You bald bastard!”

Enraged, the third prince drew his sword and lunged at Jin Chanzi.

A golden aura flared around Jin Chanzi; in an instant, he shed his form and flew away.

Seeing this, the third prince leapt into the air and chased after him, but after only a few flips through clouds and mist, he lost all trace of the other.

“You still need practice.”

Gu Qing comforted the third prince, saying, “With your speed like this, how could you ever be anyone’s mount?”

Hearing this, the White Dragon Prince flew at Gu Qing in fury. At that moment, Gu Qing also turned to golden light, twisting and turning three times before vanishing before the three dragons’ eyes.

“I’m furious!”

The three dragons gathered together, seething with rage.

Guanjiangkou, Yang Mansion.

Gu Qing had traveled here by duncang, and upon returning to the Yang Mansion, he found it thoroughly cleaned inside and out. He stepped inside and saw Yang Chan, by the window, copying calligraphy.

“That’s strange.”

Gu Qing strolled up behind Yang Chan, wrapping his arms around her waist, and said, “Your eldest and second brothers have been searching everywhere—surely they’d come to Guanjiangkou at least once.”

This Yang Mansion in Guanjiangkou is the Yang family’s foundation—the very place where the Weak Water, even as an embodiment of fate, refused to drown.

“Not strange.”

Yang Chan waved her hand, and the Precious Lotus Lamp flared—within the flames appeared Sun Wukong leaping through the clouds, occasionally transforming into Yang Chan’s form, confusing Yang Jiao and Yang Jian and delaying their discovery of the Yang family.

“Then we should hurry—”

Gu Qing kissed Yang Chan lightly and began fumbling with her clothes.

Yang Chan turned her head and elbowed him hard, saying, “Do you really want my mother to kill me?”

After such a scandal, if they still carried on, Yang Chan wouldn’t even pretend to be human.

“Then let me take over—”

The Seventh Princess descended gracefully, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Gu Qing and Yang Chan, saying, “Cousin, could you give me this chance?”

She had heard from the Heavenly Court that the rice was already cooked, and she was deeply tempted.

(End of Chapter)