Journey to the West: Upon seeing the Yellow-Eyebrowed Demon, why not pay homage?

"But it's not difficult."

The Barefoot Immortal pondered for a moment and said, "First of all, you must ensure that you do not help either side."

They say that if you don't get involved with either, you'll die quickly, but you're different.

With the Heavenly Court as your backing, even Guanyin (the Bodhisattva of Compassion) will not easily replace you.

If Buddha wants to bestow a title upon you after the journey to the West is completed, you should resolutely refuse, stating that you were born a person of the Heavenly Court and will die a soul of the Heavenly Court.

Ultimately, he returned to Heaven with this achievement. While he might not be promoted or given a higher rank, he was at least reinstated to his original position.

Secondly, on the journey to the West, you must conceal your talents, try to avoid showing off, and even appear somewhat mediocre.

In this way, when the people of Mount Ling feel that you are not of much value, they will easily let you return to the Heavenly Court.

Those are the two points from afar. Now let's talk about something closer to home.

Given your current situation, you can choose to remain neutral, but it's best to avoid offending either side.

Therefore, you cannot simply go back and expel those two thugs; you must establish a legitimate reason to sever ties with them.

Simply put, it's about finding a reasoned opportunity so that others will understand you and even sympathize with you after hearing your decision to cut ties.

After listening to these three points, Sha Wujing pondered them carefully and discovered that all three were entirely for his own benefit, without any other bias. He couldn't help but feel great admiration for them.

"Thank you so much, Master, for clearing my doubts. Otherwise, Old Sha would have been in grave danger."

The Barefoot Immortal waved his hand: "A promising young man..."

Inside the stone mansion, Zhifeng was restless, suddenly raising his head: "Why haven't they returned yet? Could Sha Wujing have been captured?"

At the stone gate, the Dragon Girl stood with her hands clasped, gazing into the distance:

"If this were outside the Flowing Sand River, perhaps it would be possible. But inside the Flowing Sand River... this is Sha Wujing's home turf, he won't be defeated and captured so easily."

Zhi Feng let out a soft breath: "I hope so, otherwise that Yellow Eyebrows will probably get the better of us again."

Based on their past grievances, he felt that letting Huang Mei gain an advantage was more painful than suffering a loss himself.

Half an incense stick later.

Sha Wujing landed slowly in front of the stone mansion alone, and greeted her with a smile, "What is the Dragon Girl looking at?"

"I'm waiting for you."

The Dragon Girl smiled and said, "Where is the Barefoot Immortal? Why didn't he come back with you?"

Sha Wujing replied, "He had other things to do, so he left on his own."

Sudhana paused slightly, then suddenly said, "Wujing, could you lend me the nine skulls of the pilgrims so I can examine them?"

Sha Wujing's expression changed slightly: "What does the Dragon Girl want to investigate?"

"Let's investigate why these nine skulls can resist the Weak Water," said the Dragon Girl of Good Fortune.

Sha Wujing laughed and said, "There's nothing to investigate. The reason is very simple: it contains Buddha-nature and Buddha-power, which can resist the compassionate pull of the Weak Water."

Sudhana Dragon Girl: "..."

broken.

Although it is unknown what the Barefoot Immortal said to Sha Wujing, the fact that Sha Wujing refused to hand over the skull shows that he already had suspicions in his heart.

In an instant, a word flashed into my mind like lightning—the strategy of sowing discord!

On the riverbank.

Now, the Barefoot Immortal emerged from the Flowing Sand River without getting his clothes wet or his feet muddy. When he arrived before the white horse, Sanzang saw that his hands were empty and his heart sank: "Immortal, could it be that you also failed to borrow that magical artifact?"

The Barefoot Immortal laughed and said, "Don't worry, don't worry, the change will come soon."

After saying that, he smiled at Huang Mei, flicked his sleeves, and drifted away.

This left Sanzang completely bewildered. He turned to Zhu Bajie beside him and asked, "Bajie, what does the Great Immortal mean?"

Pigsy chuckled: "Master, to be obedient, you must not only listen to the words, but also observe the expressions and gestures."

"Look at the smile on that fortune teller's face; something good is about to happen. Just wait patiently."

Sanzang: "..."

I hope so.

As he hoped, the barefoot immortal stepped through the void, floated over several mountains and crossed several bridges, and slowly landed on a grassy field. In a flash, he transformed into the appearance of Sun Wukong.

"Hehe, Brother's scheme to sow discord is truly masterful, reminiscent of Chen Ping in historical records."

After secretly praising himself, Sun Wukong waited a little while longer before somersaulting back to the front of the Flowing Sand River and landing precisely next to Huang Mei.

"Big Brother, you're back pretty quickly!" Pigsy said subconsciously.

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Of course, I, Old Sun, can travel 108,000 li in one somersault, and I can come back in just two somersaults."

Sanzang hurriedly asked, "Did the Great Immortal tell you anything else?"

Sun Wukong pretended to think for a moment, then said, "I did say one thing."

Sanzang's spirits lifted: "What did you say?"

"Let my elder brother handle the rest," Sun Wukong said.

Sanzang: "..."

Huang Mei looked at the monkey who had taken the liberty of adding his own drama with amusement, and then said, "Since the Great Immortal has given such instructions, I will go down into the water and take a look."

"I, Old Sun, will go with you," Sun Wukong said immediately.

Pigsy's expression was complicated: "Brother Monkey, aren't you bad at naval warfare?"

"Yes, I'm not good at water battles, but with my elder brother here, we don't have to be afraid of that monster acting tough," Sun Wukong said confidently.

Pigsy: "..."

After a short while, watching the two dive into the deep river together, Sanzang said again, "Bajie, I don't understand why the Barefoot Immortal said that to Wukong."

Pigsy sighed, "Master, why are you worrying about such useless things?"

Sanzang: "..."

He can't very well say that he can't do anything else besides thinking about these things, can he?

Bottom of the Liusha River.

In front of the Shi Mansion.

Huang Mei and Wukong arrived side by side, only to find that the stone mansion was still tightly closed, with emerald green divine light flowing above it.

"This divine radiance... it seems so familiar."

Sun Wukong raised his hand and tapped lightly on the door twice, glancing sideways as he spoke.

"It should be Willow Branch, an old friend." Huang Mei smiled, then a thought flashed through his mind, and he came up with a plan: "Zhi Feng, don't hide inside without saying a word. What kind of man hides like that?"

Just a door away, inside the Shi Mansion, Zhi Feng gritted his teeth again.

Is this never going to end?

And why do you always pick on me to bully?

"Why don't you just cover your ears? It's better to stay out of it," the Dragon Girl advised.

Zhi Feng took a deep breath, shook his head and said, "No, I want to use this to temper my character, to turn it into a whetstone for me, so that it can help me grow."

Sudhana Dragon Girl: "..."

The words sound nice, but I'm afraid the whetstone is too hard and the blade is too fragile.

"Fine, fine, since you insist on ignoring me, then don't blame me for not giving you face and stripping off your undergarments," Huang Mei said again.

Zhi Feng remained indifferent, mentally prepared to be insulted and repeatedly humiliated.

However, what he received was a question that struck at the very core:

"Zhifeng, if I'm not mistaken, you must be in love with the Dragon Girl Sudhana, right?"

In an instant, Zhi Feng's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously retorted, "I didn't!!!"

Sudhana Dragon Girl: "..."