Seeing Ming Li remain silent, Sun Wukong’s expression grew even more complex. "Master, am I fake? Is this whole world fake?"
Ming Li replied, "No, you are real, and this world is also real."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong visibly relaxed. He wanted to ask more, but hesitated.
Ming Li said nothing.
After Sun Wukong left, he reread the book numerous times, yet found no mention of his master, which only deepened his confusion.
Not long after, a woman in white arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain. Upon seeing Ming Li, she nodded gently and said, "Benefactor, I am sent by the Buddha. We wish to ask your disciple for a favor."
Hearing this, Ming Li raised an eyebrow, guessing what was happening. She glanced at the monkey practicing his moves not far away and said, "You can find him."
Two days later, Sun Wukong returned to Ming Li, his face etched with complexity. "Master, Guanyin Bodhisattva from the West wishes to invite me to protect a monk..."
He knew the Journey to the West, as described in the book, was about to begin...
Upon hearing Sun Wukong's words, Ming Li looked at the monkey before her with a faint gaze. After a moment of thought, she spoke, "If you don't want to go, then don't. If they threaten you, I'll go beat up the Tathagata."
Sun Wukong: "..." What was this overwhelming sense of security?
After a long silence, Sun Wukong knelt towards Ming Li, kowtowed three times, and then said, "Master, this disciple wishes to go."
Ming Li raised an eyebrow. "If you wish to go, then go."
"This disciple is unfilial, unable to remain by Master's side to show filial piety!"
Ming Li waved her hand and said nothing more.
Thus, the next day, Sun Wukong departed Flower Fruit Mountain to find the reincarnated Golden Cicada...
After Sun Wukong left, Ming Li also departed.
She had her own mission to complete...
...
"Clan Leader! Clan Leader! Little Li'er is back! She's alive, Little Li'er!"
As Ming Li stepped into the forest, she heard someone exclaim.
Ming Li: "..." What do you mean, "she's alive"?
Over there, hearing the shout, the surrounding demons poked their heads out from the grass, from the branches, from behind the rocks, their gazes fixed on the slender figure walking against the light.
As the figure drew closer and the demons got a clear view of her exquisite face, joy bloomed on their faces, and they all swarmed towards her.
"Little Li'er, are you alright?"
"Little Li'er, are you still alive?"
"Little Li'er, you seem to have gained some weight."
"Little Li'er..."
Ming Li: "..."
After a moment of speechless silence, Ming Li answered all the demons’ questions. Although she lacked strong emotions, she could tell that these demons genuinely cared for the original owner of the body.
After Ming Li finished answering everyone, an old man with a white beard, a cane tucked under his armpit, came running from a distance.
Finally, the old man stopped beside Ming Li, examined her from head to toe, breathed a sigh of relief, and then flicked her forehead with a loud "snap."
Ming Li: "..." Old man, do you know you're courting death?
"Confess honestly, where have you been all this time? Do you know how much your spiritual herbs in the clan leader's medicinal field have missed you!"
Ming Li: "..."
After a long silence, Ming Li stated the truth, "I went to save the world."
The demons: "..."
Hearing this, the demons looked at Ming Li with strange expressions, as if they were looking at some new species...
Aunt Deer clapped her hands and said with concern, "It's over, Little Li'er has lost her mind! Quickly! Clan Leader, please examine her!"
Ming Li: "..."