In the Royal Palace of the Women’s Kingdom, Jiang Liu and his companions ended up staying for three more days.
Though Jiang Liu had always desired to find ways to delay time on the journey, he dared not procrastinate any further in the Women’s Kingdom.
After waiting another three days and just as he was about to proactively approach the King of Women’s Kingdom to discuss exchanging the Travel Permit Plaque in order to leave, a maiden proactively came to him.
"Holy Monk, our majesty is waiting for you in the Imperial Garden, saying that she has already exchanged the Travel Permit Plaque for you," said the maiden to Jiang Liu.
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"This..." Hearing that the exchange of the Travel Permit Plaque was going to take place in the Imperial Garden, Jiang Liu hesitated slightly.
After all, last time in the Imperial Garden, the tender feelings of the King of Women’s Kingdom nearly overwhelmed him.
However, although he was hesitant, thinking about it being possibly the last time he would see her regarding the matter of the Travel Permit Plaque, Jiang Liu felt a sense of melancholy and nodded, saying, "Go ahead, I will come to see her majesty soon!"
"Understood, Holy Monk!" Upon hearing Jiang Liu’s response, the maiden nodded and then turned to leave.
"Master, actually, this King’s affection for you is very deep, far deeper than any Female Demon we have encountered along the way..." As the maiden left, Zhu Bajie could not help but speak up and say to Jiang Liu.
"Eh? Is there? The King is a very nice person, and I, Old Sun, quite like her, but to say she holds deep feelings for Master? I didn’t see that," said Sun Wukong, interrupting even before Jiang Liu could respond, expressing his surprise to Zhu Bajie.
"That’s because you are blind!" Zhu Bajie retorted with an irritated roll of his eyes at Sun Wukong’s comment.
"Yo, fool, seems like you’ve been getting a bit too arrogant lately! Has it really been that long since you last had a taste of I, Old Sun’s ear-grabbing?" Upon hearing Zhu Bajie’s words, Sun Wukong’s eyes widened, he raised his hand, ready to grab at Zhu Bajie’s ears.
"Ah, Master, save me! It was Monkey Brother himself who didn’t understand, and yet he wants to grab Old Pig’s ears!" Seeing Sun Wukong about to make a move, Zhu Bajie was startled and quickly hid behind Jiang Liu.
"Alright, Wukong, Bajie, stop making trouble!" Jiang Liu shook his head and told Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie.
At this remark, Jiang Liu thought of Sun Wukong, and remembered that he still had a Divine Level Quest for him to clearly recognize his own feelings. Thus, Jiang Liu added, "Actually, Wukong, Bajie isn’t wrong. You really don’t seem to understand much about the affections between men and women. This is something your teacher hopes you will consider carefully!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Zhu Bajie nodded vigorously in agreement with Jiang Liu’s words.
"Big Brother, Master is right!" Sha Wujing thought for a moment and then joined the conversation, asserting his presence.
"What’s so good about affairs of the heart? Looking at you all, it seems like there’s no benefit in getting involved in feelings. I, Old Sun, would never want that! I will never fall into the troubles of romantic love in this lifetime!" Sun Wukong spread his hands, scoffing as he continued, "I, Old Sun, will never be tangled in the troubles of romance!"
"Is this him setting a flag?" Upon hearing Sun Wukong’s words, Jiang Liu murmured to himself, glancing at Sun Wukong, but he said nothing.
Shaking his head, Jiang Liu was about to walk towards the Imperial Garden when suddenly, a notification chime for incoming messages sounded.Hearing this sound, a thought crossed Jiang Liu’s mind, and he opened his friend list, only to find it was a message from the Scorpion Demon.
"Holy Monk, I’ve packed up. Shall I start heading to Flame Cloud Cave now?" This was the message from the Scorpion Demon.
"You’re by yourself, what took so much time to pack that it took three days?" Jiang Liu considered that she was one of his own main generals, thought for a moment, and sent a response.
"Even a battered ship has three thousand nails, right? By the way, over the past few days, did anything happen between you and the King of Women’s Kingdom?" After sending a reply, the Scorpion Demon immediately responded with a gossip-like attitude, inquiring about news.
"Wasn’t I tied up by you at the time? What could have happened? Day by day, I really wonder what you’re thinking?" Seeing the Scorpion Demon bringing up the matter of Pipa Cave again left Jiang Liu feeling somewhat displeased, as it was one of the few embarrassing moments for him.
"Oh? So, did the King of Women’s Kingdom give you the antidote at that time?" Jiang Liu’s response was followed by a moment of silence before the Scorpion Demon sent another message.
As he got up and started walking towards the Imperial Garden, Jiang Liu saw the message from the Scorpion Demon and replied irritably, "Do you think the King of Women’s Kingdom is like you? You merely like me, but for her, it’s love..."
"Like? Love? Aren’t they the same thing?" The Scorpion Demon replied with another message.
"Let me tell you a story. Once there was a tree that bloomed with very beautiful flowers. A passerby came, liked these flowers a lot, and so picked one to wear in their hair. Another passerby came by, loved these flowers dearly, so they watered the tree before leaving..."
"Thus, the former simply liked the flowers, while the latter truly loved them!"
"You people of the Buddhist Sect like to speak in Zen riddles, which I hate the most. Why don’t you just tell me directly that liking is about seeking, whereas love is about letting go?" The Scorpion Demon clearly did not fancy what Jiang Liu said and responded with a message.
Although the Scorpion Demon’s words were unpleasant to hear and revealed her dissatisfaction with the Buddhist Sect throughout, Jiang Liu’s lips curled into a smile upon seeing this.
The more dissatisfied she was with the Buddhist Sect, naturally, the happier Jiang Liu felt in his heart.
"However, Holy Monk, if what you say is true, then I will never fall in love with anyone else in my life. My love is that selfish. If I like someone, I want to be with them, forever and always, every moment together. As for letting others have what they want? Sorry, but my love cannot be so altruistically selfless. So, Holy Monk, just wait. Sooner or later, I will have you!"
"..."
Jiang Liu did not respond to the Scorpion Demon’s final words.
While the Scorpion Demon’s words might seem somewhat petulant and selfish, it cannot be denied that, to some extent, her perspective on love is quite reasonable.
"So, did the King deceive you at the time?" Seeing that Jiang Liu did not reply to her, the Scorpion Demon stopped sending messages and just glanced at the antidote she had picked up from the ground. Her gaze flickered, full of complexity.
She felt admiration and, of course, anger as well.
The admiration was for the King of the Women’s Kingdom, who loved the Holy Monk to the core, yet did not try to forcibly keep him. Perhaps this was the selfless love that the Holy Monk spoke of?
No wonder the Holy Monk was moved by her. Could it be that their views on love were so similar? The Scorpion Demon admitted to herself that she would never be able to do what the King of the Women’s Kingdom did!
If it weren’t for the fact that the Golden Hoop controlled her, the Scorpion Demon would have tried every means possible to have the Holy Monk for herself.
And even now, restrained as she was, the Scorpion Demon still hadn’t given up hope, secretly pondering when she could remove the Golden Hoop. After all, the world was vast with countless exotic treasures, and who knows, there might just be some treasure that could help her get rid of it.
Of course, alongside the admiration, the Scorpion Demon felt great anger.
She had set a perfect trap, and just as the Holy Monk seemed to be caught, to think he was actually saved by the King of the Women’s Kingdom? It’s no wonder the Scorpion Demon was far from pleased.
...
Setting aside the Scorpion Demon’s mindset for now, on the other side, Jiang Liu, who had not replied to her final words, had arrived at the Imperial Garden.
In the Imperial Garden, the King of the Women’s Kingdom, dressed in the Phoenix Robe, was still sitting serenely, with a pot of Clear Tea set before her.
Jiang Liu walked over, brought his palms together in a salute, and only after this respectful gesture, did he sit down in front of the King of the Women’s Kingdom.
Without saying much, the King of the Women’s Kingdom took out a cup, placed it in front of Jiang Liu, and poured him some tea.
"Holy Monk, are you planning to leave so soon without staying a few more days?" The King of the Women’s Kingdom’s demeanor was much calmer than before, as if speaking to an old friend.
"Yes, Your Majesty, we have lingered here for some time now and it is time for us to depart," Jiang Liu replied after taking a sip of the Clear Tea in front of him.
"Hmm, if you, the Holy Monk, are resolved to leave, then I shall not keep you any longer," the King of the Women’s Kingdom said, nodding and then gesturing to someone beside her.
Subsequently, a maiden approached, carrying a tray with Jiang Liu’s Travel Permit Plaque and other items.
Jiang Liu took them and noticed that all the seals were already affixed.
This indeed surprised Jiang Liu inwardly.
Originally, he had thought that being asked to meet in the Imperial Garden by the King was an attempt to keep him one last time, but who would have thought she would be so decisive and straightforward in handing over the Travel Permit Plaque?
"Your Majesty, you..." Jiang Liu took the items, looking at the King of the Women’s Kingdom in astonishment. Enjoy exclusive chapters from freewebnovel
However, before Jiang Liu could finish, the King of the Women’s Kingdom gestured with her hand to stop him, and then said, "I already know the purpose of your Journey to the West, and I will not keep you here. But don’t forget that there is someone waiting for you in the Women’s Kingdom."
"Finally, if you ever need my help, even if you have to face the Buddha of Western Heaven, the Women’s Kingdom is willing to offer the full support of the kingdom to assist you!"