Chapter 196: Youth is good; you fall asleep as soon as you lie down

Seeing Tang An's posture, and realizing it would be quite difficult to leave without accepting the mushrooms, the Jade Emperor took them.

"So be it. Let today's events be known only to Heaven and Earth, to you, and to Me."

"I will try My best to delay this matter; unless absolutely necessary, I will not move against Yang Chan and Chenxiang."

After the Jade Emperor finished speaking, he flew back to the Heavenly Realm.

After the Jade Emperor left, Yang Jian sat in the pavilion, waved his hand to conjure a wine pot, and gulped down several cups.

Tang An walked over, full of apology. "Do you know now why I had to apologize?"

Yang Jian sighed deeply. "In this matter, both you and I are chess pieces. I am not blaming you, Master."

He was angry at himself—angry that even after becoming the Judicial God, even after knowing that this matter did not violate the Heavenly Law, he still couldn't protect his sister.

It was a kind of frustration, a frustration that was powerless and had nowhere to vent!

Tang An returned to her seat, poured herself a cup of wine, and played with it in her hand.

"It was also the moment Chenxiang was born and Huashan emitted five-colored light that I suddenly realized I, Tang An, had become a chess piece pushing for the emergence of the New Heavenly Law."

"I am questioning myself: is my transmigration, my arrival, an accident or an inevitability?"

"Who am I? Have I truly existed? What kind of connection do I have with this world?"

"Throughout this journey west, we've gone crazy, smashed things, and had a great time. But the things that were supposed to happen have all happened without exception."

"We seem to have changed some things, but I feel that my appearance exists solely to change that thing at that time."

"It was also at that moment that I truly realized what destiny is. What a Destined One is."

"And what it means that destiny is hard to defy."

It was a sense of powerlessness, a deep sense of powerlessness.

Just like this Journey to the West, just like Chenxiang's birth. The things she thought she had changed were merely complying with Heaven's will.

Heaven's will is truly a high and mighty hand.

It seems that what she must do from now on is to drag all those high and mighty gods and Buddhas who are indifferent to the situation into the water.

She wants to make the chess game a complete mess; she wants to force the person laying out the schemes behind the scenes to appear.

She wants to borrow power for herself, constantly strengthen herself, and win a chance to truly play the game.

Tang An drank the wine in her hand and looked at the sky with firm eyes.

"Since nothing can be hidden from you, then I simply won't hide anything."

Who says that being a chess piece means you can't use the chess player in return?

"Hmm?" Tang An set down her wine cup. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Were you amazed by what I just said?"

Nezha looked at Tang An's flushed face and neck. "You..."

"Me? What's wrong with me?"

Sun Wukong smelled Yang Jian's wine pot. "Master, has your alcohol tolerance increased?"

"Alcohol tolerance?"

Oh no!

"I..." Before she could finish, she slumped onto the table, unconscious.

Nezha poked Tang An's head with his finger. "She fell asleep so fast."

Sun Wukong giggled and patted Nezha's hand away. "Master didn't fall asleep; she got drunk so fast."

"But it's good that she's asleep, it's good." Sun Wukong held the wine pot and sat on the railing between the pavilion pillars. "Although Master understands late, she thinks and calculates a lot."

"Plus her family matters and heart demons, she must be very tired in her heart right now."

"Once she's asleep, she doesn't have to think about those things for a while."

Sun Wukong raised the wine pot and poured wine into his mouth, drinking deeply. "Refreshing, truly refreshing."

What Tang An only just understood, the three of them had understood long ago. Otherwise, why would they have killed Jin Chanzi three times, unwilling to enter the Journey to the West?

And that Jin Chanzi, did he really want to be the so-called Tang Sanzang?

If he wanted to, why would he go around saying that eating his flesh would grant immortality?

It's a pity, but they eventually embarked on the westward journey and ended up with a Master they couldn't bear to kill.

Jin Chanzi's incarnation as Wu Zhao was just another form of starting the struggle for orthodoxy of Buddhism in the human world.

They were all resisting, always resisting. But everyone was also helpless.

Knowing it couldn't be done, yet having to do it.

Nezha stood by Tang An's side, holding his spear, and said to the two of them: "Monkey Brother, Second Brother."

"Little Brother Nezha, do you have many thoughts?" Sun Wukong asked.

Nezha looked up at the sky. "I want to know, what was it that she gave the Jade Emperor in the end?"

"Hmm?" Sun Wukong immediately burst into laughter; sometimes, he really envied Nezha's temperament.

"Master said those were the most delicious mushrooms; if an immortal eats them, they won't die."

"Then what will happen?"

"That will..." Sun Wukong looked at the sky. "That will have to be asked of the immortals in Heaven."

Why say immortals, and not the Jade Emperor?

Because with the Jade Emperor's cautious personality, having suffered such a big loss from Tang An, he would never eat any mushrooms again.

However, he would be curious about what kind of tricks Tang An had come up with.

Therefore, he would most likely reward them to someone else.

As for who he rewarded them to, that would depend on whose luck was down.

Heavenly Court, Lingxiao Palace.

The Jade Emperor rewarded all those mushrooms to Taibai Jinxing.

"How about it? She said they are most delicious when eaten raw."

"As soon as I returned, I rewarded them to you, my dear official."

Taibai Jinxing looked at the colorful mushrooms in his hand; he couldn't eat them, but he couldn't not eat them either.

Could anything brought back from the Destined One's hands be good?

But since the Jade Emperor rewarded them and was expecting him to eat them, he had no choice but to eat them.

"These are poisonous mushrooms from the mortal world; eating them raw is definitely not okay."

"Jade Emperor, do you mind if I roast them here?"

The Jade Emperor waved his hand. "Go ahead and light the fire."

While they were talking, a fairy maiden came to serve tea to the Jade Emperor.

She not only served it, but she also poured it out for the Jade Emperor according to custom.

The Jade Emperor looked at the tea in front of him, his brows knitting into a "chuan" shape.

In his mind, Tang An's words played automatically: "Jade Emperor, do you still like drinking tea? How about later, I have Yang Jian send you some more Holy Water?"

"Take it away!!!" The Jade Emperor pounded the table in anger. "From now on, I only drink wine, not tea!!!"

Taibai Jinxing lowered his head, not daring to look up.

Why? Because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to suppress the corners of his mouth.

The Jade Emperor clearly suffered a big loss from the Destined One and was unbalanced in his heart, so he came to trick him.

Fortunately, fortunately, he knew a little about mortal affairs and knew that these poisonous mushrooms needed to be stir-fried thoroughly before they could be eaten.

A moment later...

Hmm? Don't say, don't say!

This time, not only was he not tricked by the Destined One, but these mushrooms were also extremely delicious.

"Are they really that delicious?" Seeing this, the Jade Emperor couldn't help but mutter in his heart.

Is the Destined One really that good? Would she really give him something edible?

But Taibai Jinxing had already eaten some, and he looked perfectly fine.

"Would the Jade Emperor like to taste them? They are truly incomparably delicious."

"Taste them?"

"Taste them." Taibai Jinxing hurriedly sent a few pieces of stir-fried mushrooms to the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor tasted a piece with some hesitation.

"Hmm~"

"They are truly incomparably delicious."

Unexpectedly, there are times when the Destined One actually gives him gifts?

Does she feel that the Holy Water matter went too far, so she sent some good things to make up for her previous mistakes?

"I truly wronged the Destined One, I..."

"My dear official, why are you holding your stomach?"

Taibai Jinxing clenched his buttocks, his face flushed red.

"Jade Emperor... Jade..." His voice dropped a few notches, and his voice was trembling.

"Your subject... roar roar roar roar... this old subject..." Taibai Jinxing was holding it in so hard his eyes were about to roll back.

"My dear official, in this state, could it be that those mushrooms have..."

Before the Jade Emperor could finish, he felt a sensation he hadn't felt in who knows how many years—an incomparably sour, hair-raising, rumbling, churning sensation!

"Someone! Go quickly and invite Taishang Laojun!!!!"