Chapter 437: Nezha: Did I Bloom Just So You Could Eat Lotus Seeds?

In the past, when she blew up cow dung, it was at most the power of an ordinary firecracker, merely covering Nezha and Xiaotian Quan in cow dung.

But the firecracker in her hand at this moment had Dharma Power compressed within it, and was ignited by Dharma Power. It was enough to blow up a toilet.

"I originally wanted to spare your life and let you live in pain. But I've changed my mind; I'll reluctantly do a good deed and let you vanish into smoke and dust along with the shrine you hold so dear."

Tang An threw the firecracker, but did not leave; she wanted to witness the birth of the fruits of victory with her own eyes.

When the fire exploded, fire clouds rose into the air, and the shockwaves surged, the Jingguo Shrine was razed to the ground.

And as the firelight reflected, scenes from the past appeared before Tang An's eyes.

It was the cruelty of the battlefield, the bodies of our predecessors shredded by airplanes and artillery shells. It was the broken remains of those who used their lives to block bunkers, their intestines torn and stomachs ripped open. It was the heroes who would rather be burned to death than make a single sound.

It was the women who used their bodies to hold up a bridge so the army could advance, shouldering half the sky. It was the heartbreaking sacrifice of the boy scouts who died gloriously for their country.

It was even more so the countless tombstones engraved with five-pointed stars, stretching endlessly, watching the scene before her alongside her.

Tang An choked with sobs and bowed sincerely toward the East, which counted as giving the martyrs an answer.

The sun in the East pierced through the clouds and shone on Tang An, as if it were a warm response to her.

After a moment of surprise, a faint smile appeared on Tang An's face.

She looked at the Jingguo Shrine, which had collapsed into ruins before her; from now on, no one would ever be able to rebuild it. And with the national fortune of the island nation severed, it would be completely destroyed in three years at most, disappearing from the long river of history forever.

Huaxia, within Tang An's Divine Mansion.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes.

And the moment she opened her eyes, those three familiar handsome faces were pressed right up against hers, crowding her.

"I..." Tang An touched her face, "Is there food in my teeth?"

Sun Wukong, Yang Jian, Nezha: "..."

Silence is always so deafening.

"Master, ever since you returned, your Merit has been skyrocketing again and again. Even when your soul leaves your body, you can trigger visions of heaven and earth?" Yang Jian might as well have had a giant question mark stuck to his forehead.

Tang An coughed dryly and tossed her hair conceitedly. "After all, I'm the protagonist, okay? Do you understand what a protagonist is? I have cheats."

Sun Wukong looked Tang An up and down; he could no longer see through Tang An's cultivation. "Master, what exactly is your cultivation level now?"

Yang Jian also stood up, and the two of them, one on the left and one on the right, stroked their chins as they sized Tang An up.

"I..." Tang An scratched her neck, not knowing if telling them would crush their self-confidence.

After all, in the past, the three of them were always the strong ones, and she was always a weakling wherever she went, the one being protected.

"With Master's Merit, and the Hongmeng Purple Qi gathered within your body, I'm afraid you've already condensed the Great Dao Foundation and can attain the Dao and Enter Sainthood, right?" Yang Jian didn't seem to feel crushed at all.

On the contrary, the stronger Tang An was, the more it meant she could protect herself well.

Tang An chuckled, "What's the point of becoming a Saint? Becoming a Saint sounds high and mighty, but it's just being bound even deeper by the Heavenly Dao."

"I think being a human is quite good; I don't want to be any kind of Saint."

Sun Wukong let out an "Oh~" and understood immediately. "So it's not a matter of whether Master can Enter Sainthood, but entirely up to whether Master wants to."

"Good, good, good. My old Sun has gained another person to rely on if I cause trouble in the future."

Tang An was so embarrassed by their praise that she chuckled and changed the subject. "I'm hungry again. Is the food ready?"

Yang Jian nodded, "Alright, I'll go do it now."

"Third Brother, come, help me start the fire."

Nezha snapped out of his daze, "Oh, coming."

Their kitchen was different from others; Nezha was the one who controlled the fire, while Yang Jian was responsible for the stir-frying.

"What is Third Brother thinking about?"

Nezha shook his head, "Nothing."

"Is it a sense of frustration? Feeling that Master has grown to the point where she no longer needs you or me to protect her?"

Nezha thought for a moment and let out a long breath. "Yes, but there is more worry."

"Worry?"

"The greater the ability, the more dangerous the situations she will have to face." Nezha looked at Tang An, who was eating potato chips and watching TV in the living room. "If only she could stay like this forever; even if she were a mortal, with us around, she would never be in danger."

Yang Jian sighed and patted Nezha.

He knew that it wasn't just Tang An who was growing rapidly; even Nezha had undergone a transformative growth.

In the past, he was full of malice and killing intent. He would kill at the slightest whim, and his behavior was quite boyish.

But now, Nezha had gained much more composure, his killing intent was restrained, and he was already a qualified Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Court.

"The situation in heaven and earth is unpredictable. Although you and I have the power to protect ourselves, we are still pushed by undercurrents, drifting with the waves, unable to reach the shore."

"Rather than fretting over the future, it is better to live well in the present."

"Master is very happy right now, and I, Monkey Brother, we are all very relaxed and happy."

"Third Brother, you must cherish the present and not look back. Do not wait until you regret it, for it will be too late."

Nezha looked up at Yang Jian; he understood, and he had reached an epiphany.

"Hey, Third Brother, where are you going?"

"Cherishing the present."

"Ah? What about the fire?"

"Second Brother can just use Dharma to start the fire."

Yang Jian:...

Is this a twisted version of "teaching the apprentice to starve the master"? I just persuaded him to reach enlightenment, and he turns around and won't even start the fire for me!?

Sigh, forget it, I'd better just cook.

In the living room.

Tang An was just about to open another bag of snacks when Nezha suddenly sat down next to her, holding a transparent long vase in his arms.

???

Tang An did not understand the situation and did not even dare to move, fearing that Nezha would splash water all over her. After all, judging others by herself, she was capable of doing such a thing.

"Do you like lotus flowers?"

"Huh?" Tang An scooted backward, her alertness at a twelve out of ten.

Nezha reached his hand into the vase and secretly cast a spell.

Tang An watched the top of Nezha's head, her mouth gradually opening until it formed an 'O' shape. Her eyes were filled with amazement as she scrambled up and leaned toward Nezha.

What did she see?

She saw that flowers had bloomed on Nezha's head, and several lotus flowers at that.

"Are these real flowers?"

This was absurd; so, when a lotus root touches water, it can really bloom?

She reached out to touch them, and the lotus flowers trembled slightly, causing a flush to rise on Nezha's cheeks.

He grabbed Tang An's wrist to stop her from touching them indiscriminately, then, guided by feeling, plucked the largest and finest lotus flower and handed it to Tang An.

"For you."

Tang An took the lotus flower, her eyes devoid of appreciation for the flower, filled instead with curiosity about Nezha's head.

"Wow—"

"You can bloom, so can you bear fruit? I mean lotus seeds, can you produce lotus seeds?" She swallowed her saliva.

Nezha closed his eyes, feeling the speechlessness of someone winking at a blind person.

He gritted his teeth in helplessness, but still said one word, "Yes."

And then...

And then it became a large-scale scene of picking and eating lotus seeds on the spot, with the tool-root—no, the tool-person Nezha—having to produce, sell, and even peel them himself.

And Tang An?

She was naturally just purely responsible for eating!