Dong Gua's face was ashen.
If she had fallen into the hands of Tian Yan Sect or Taicheng Dao Sect, the situation probably wouldn't have been much better.
But despite her extreme reluctance, her body could only follow closely behind Wu Kong.
The two of them didn't fly at full speed, traveling through the low skies instead. It wasn't particularly fast—perhaps Wu Kong intended to keep their movements concealed.
Dong Gua was still pondering how to break the silence when she noticed something fine and white drifting down from above.
She looked up and saw snowflakes descending slowly.
Beyond the scattering flakes stretched an endless expanse of white.
She gazed into the distance and realized that the trees far ahead had already withered across a vast stretch.
It dawned on Dong Gua—was it already winter?
Time had passed so quickly. It felt as though she hadn't done anything at all, and yet another year was gone.
Wu Kong noticed Dong Gua's unusual stillness and glanced sideways at her.
Startled by his gaze, Dong Gua snapped back to reality. Perhaps it was the chill of the snow that had frozen her heart as well, for she abandoned all pretense of tact.
"We're already in the Central Prefecture borders. If you're going to send me to my death, the least you could do is tell me what's really going on."
"You always think the worst of me." Wu Kong's face betrayed no emotion.
"If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have stopped that person earlier. You would have died quite naturally on your own."
"At the very least, my hundred years of Buddhist practice weren't wasted. There's no need for me to specifically send you to your death."
Dong Gua scoffed. "You throw on a kasaya, chant a few Amitabhas, and you actually think you've become a Buddha?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Kong turned to Dong Gua with genuine seriousness in his eyes. A faint golden light began to emanate from his body.
Dong Gua felt a shiver run through her. Was this monk about to start beating her right now?
But a moment later, Wu Kong simply spoke.
"Amitabha."
With that, Wu Kong accelerated, leaving Dong Gua standing there in a daze.
The hostility on Dong Gua's face deepened. She glared with raw hatred at Wu Kong's figure receding ahead.
This monk was clearly mocking her.
Heh…
Did this dead monk truly not understand? If you don't leave others a way to survive, you can't expect them to leave you one either.
She wasn't nearly magnanimous enough to care about the demonic great cause if she couldn't even stay alive herself.
Dong Gua made a firm decision in her heart—if she was really going to die, she would drag this wretched monk down with her!
For the rest of the journey, Dong Gua said nothing. She simply followed behind Wu Kong in silence, letting him go wherever he wished.
Wu Kong's route was strange. He would occasionally circle back, pause at a certain spot for a while, and then set off again.
It was as though he was deliberately stalling for time.
Dong Gua scoffed inwardly. Ordinarily, she would have tried to strike up conversation again, but now she didn't utter a single word.
After several days of travel, despite the detours, the general direction became clear.
Dong Gua gradually realized where Wu Kong was heading—Tian Yan Sect.
———
Hua Ping Cloud Sea.
This was the starting point of Tian Yan Sect's direct sphere of influence.
The water was shallow, reaching only about waist height, and stretched on in an unbroken expanse. There were occasional breaks that resembled marshland, but overall it remained connected.
Withered lotus leaves lay draped across the river's surface. Only faint traces of grayish-yellow remained visible beneath the freshly fallen snow.
From a distance, it looked as though white lotus leaves were quietly awaiting white lotus blossoms to bloom.
The river hadn't frozen yet and still flowed steadily. Snowflakes that landed on the water's surface quickly melted into it.
What should have been a scene of utter decay was completely concealed beneath the snow, invisible to the eye.
Wu Kong paid no mind to Dong Gua's perpetual scowl, nor to her silence—no more pleading, no more attempts at reason.
He darted forward toward the location from his memory. Moments later, a dilapidated little Buddhist temple came into view.
The temple was peculiar.
It sat on the only flat ground amid a vast expanse of marshland. Apart from the temple itself, there were no other buildings. A small river flowed nearby, with a few battered boats moored at its edge.
The perimeter walls were remarkably tall—even taller than the small pagoda within the temple grounds. They bore obvious signs of careful maintenance and repair.
The temple itself, however, was the exact opposite. It was dilapidated throughout, and the sole main hall had a hole in its roof that hadn't been patched.
A large tree still clung to its green leaves, its roots sunk into the ground not far from the hall. The tree was enormous, and its spreading branches had actually punched through the ceiling, reaching into the interior of the hall.
With a single sweeping glance, Dong Gua took in all of it.
This dead monk in the broken temple had the time to maintain the outer walls, yet couldn't be bothered to fix the living quarters or deal with the branches invading the hall.
It was as strange as that wretched Wu Kong himself.
Bizarre as the appearance was, Dong Gua didn't care in the slightest. She had no interest in understanding why things were done this way.
When it came down to it, that bunch of monks only ever spouted impractical nonsense—cloudy, vague-sounding platitudes that sounded like great wisdom but were actually complete and utter drivel.
Let go. Don't concern yourself. That's how things should be.
Nonsense.
If that's how everything should be, then everyone should just go die—preferably taking this wretched Wu Kong along with them.
Dong Gua's thoughts churned in silence. Suddenly, Wu Kong's voice sounded beside her.
"Your mind is deep, yet you can't even control the expression on your face anymore. The hatred is practically written across it."
Dong Gua recovered herself and looked at Wu Kong. She didn't answer—just let out a single scoff.
Wu Kong flew toward the strange temple and spoke again.
"You see demons in everyone. Why not try letting go of your prejudice and trusting me for once?"
"Heh…" Dong Gua gave a cold laugh.
"If you had any sincerity, you would have explained things to me clearly from the start. Instead, you dragged me through the fog all the way here."
"Now that we've arrived and I'm about to be sent to my death, you want me to trust you?"
"What do you take me for? A fool? An idiot? Or something else?"
Wu Kong landed in the center of the courtyard and turned to look at Dong Gua, who had touched down beside him.
"Some things can only be said once we've arrived."
Wu Kong let out a soft sigh and walked toward the tightly shut hall doors.
Dong Gua stood motionless where she was, her expression cold and contemptuous. She watched Wu Kong reach out and knock lightly on the temple doors.
She wasn't polite about it either—she released her divine sense directly, brutally sweeping it into the temple's interior.
Wu Kong raised a hand. His divine sense surged, and golden light flared around his body, directly shattering Dong Gua's intrusive probe.
"It's quite lively outside. But a broken temple has nothing worth hiding. If the benefactor wishes to look, let her look."
A deep, hoarse voice rang out from within the temple. A moment later, the great doors swung open.
An elderly monk emerged with a benevolent smile on his face. He wore clothes that had been washed so many times they had faded to a pale white, and the kasaya draped over his shoulders was the same.
He first nodded to Wu Kong, then turned his gaze to Dong Gua. His eyes narrowed slightly, but in the end, he simply gave a gentle nod.
Wu Kong pressed his palms together in greeting and was about to speak, but the elderly monk cut him off.
"All matters can wait until we're inside."
With that, the old monk turned and led the way into the temple.
Wu Kong followed him in.
Dong Gua remained rooted to the spot, her cold sneer intact.
A moment later, Wu Kong's voice drifted out from within.
"Come in. Otherwise, don't blame me for using Buddhist arts to invite you in."
Dong Gua let out another cold scoff—but then golden light flared inside the temple.
The scoff died in her throat as some distinctly unpleasant memories surfaced.
Fine. Consider it a final courtesy to this dead monk before he meets his end.
Dong Gua walked into the courtyard. Her gaze swept the surroundings, and a flicker of genuine surprise crossed her features…
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