A Tender Farewell

"Jiu'er?" Chen Tong froze. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me out at sea? Why didn't you stay there?"

After sending her a message, Chen Tong had been busy fighting Bodhisattva Guanyin and hadn't paid it any attention. It was only when he saw her now that he remembered.

As soon as Ninth Princess came down, she clasped Chen Tong's right arm with her delicate hands and gave it a playful shake, acting coyly and showing a surprisingly girlish side.

"No! I still didn't know what was going on when you started fighting Bodhisattva Guanyin. By the way, Brother Chen, why did you suddenly become so powerful? You can even beat Bodhisattva Guanyin?"

Ninth Princess cast a deep glance at the Jade Pure Bottle in Chen Tong's left hand. A complicated look flickered in the depths of her beautiful eyes.

"Do you remember when you found me injured?" Chen Tong gazed into the distance. Though he didn't want to show it, the emotions stirring inside him gave him away. "Old Thief Tathagata did that."

"Ah..." Ninth Princess parted her lips slightly and stared at Chen Tong in surprise. "You mean Buddha Tathagata?"

"Mm. That old thief thought I had some heavenly treasure on me. He resorted to underhanded methods to force me to submit. So, Jiu'er!" Chen Tong looked at her lovely face and said solemnly, "Do you still trust those sanctimonious people? They'll devour you whole without even spitting out the bones."

"I don't know!" Ninth Princess murmured, her face falling.

She was a princess who had lived deep within the Dragon Palace, innocent and sweet. Her heart was as pure as a blank sheet, untouched by the world's ugliness. Chen Tong understood that, of course, and didn't want her to bear such burdens too soon.

"All right. You've been out for a long time, so hurry home. Otherwise, your father will worry."

The main reason Chen Tong had brought her along was that she had just saved him. Now that her task was done—and he had become a wanted criminal of Spiritual Mountain—he knew the days ahead would be dangerous. He didn't want her to stay by his side any longer.

"Brother Chen, are you trying to send me away?" Ninth Princess lowered her head like a little girl who had done something wrong, and kept shaking Chen Tong's hand.

Sigh. Chen Tong looked helpless. He was glad that this girl had suddenly come into his life. Though they had known each other only briefly, compared with the world he had just arrived in, she felt like a precious family member. Who wouldn't want a beautiful angel by their side?

"Jiu'er, you know, you're like an angel in my life. You warmed the loneliness in my heart. You're noble and pure, and I can't bear even the tiniest speck of dust to touch you." Chen Tong continued, gazing at her tenderly. "You're the warmth I'd give my life to protect. So, Jiu'er, I'm in danger right now. You have to leave. Only then can I feel at ease."

His words left the guileless, pure-faced Ninth Princess blushing like the sunset. Her heart thumped, her breathing turned unsteady, and she kept her head bowed, too shy to look up.

"B-Brother Chen, d-do you really mean that?" Her voice was already soft, and the words that followed were scarcely more than a breath.

"Mm!" Chen Tong didn't let her expression stop him. He continued earnestly, "If I break this vow, may the heavens strike me with lightning—" He glanced up at the sky and swallowed the last word. What a joke. This was a world of gods; anything deemed impossible could happen here. Best to be careful.

"Brother Chen, I don't want you to swear. I... I believe you." Ninth Princess lowered her blushing head, unwilling to let Chen Tong see her lovely face.

"Mm. Since you believe me, close your eyes. I'll send you home."

Ninth Princess immediately looked up at Chen Tong, then lowered her head again and asked in a timid whisper, "Th-then will I get to see you again?"

Chen Tong gazed silently at her. He wanted to stroke her fragrant hair, but his hand stopped in midair. Then he focused his thoughts, and a faint, dusky-blue light began to shine from his hand. "Jiu'er, your enchanting scent has seeped into my very bones. I'll never forget it as long as I live. Once I'm through this danger, I'll come find you. Then I'll take you across countless mountains and rivers, and I'll never tire of it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dusky-blue light enveloped Jiu'er's delicate figure. Before she could respond, she vanished from the sea the next instant. The Jade Pure Bottle disappeared with her. At the moment he sent her away, Chen Tong had thrown it toward her. After all, it belonged to Guanyin and was a rare treasure.

"Sigh. I don't have anything to give you, but I hope you like this Jade Pure Bottle I got so cheaply." Watching Ninth Princess disappear, Chen Tong murmured to himself.

Inside the Emerald Dragon Palace, in a brightly decorated room, Jiu'er was just about to answer Chen Tong when she suddenly found herself in familiar surroundings, in the room she knew so well. She looked around, dazed, and murmured, "How did I get back here? Where's Brother Chen?"

She was dazed for only a moment before coming to her senses. A feeling of emptiness and disappointment swept over her. Chen Tong's words still echoed in her mind, her cheeks remained flushed, and the warmth of the moment lingered.

"Brother Chen, why didn't you wait for me to say a few words before sending me back?" Ninth Princess thought dreamily about what Chen Tong had said, still feeling a little shy.

The next moment, she sensed something inside her body. With a single thought, the object appeared in her hand.

Staring at the pure white bottle, as clean as jade and radiating an aura of purification, Ninth Princess froze. "Isn't this Bodhisattva Guanyin's Jade Pure Bottle? How did it get here? Could it be...?"

Ninth Princess realized what had happened and smiled, though a little worry followed. She understood that Brother Chen must have given her the Jade Pure Bottle. But it belonged to Bodhisattva Guanyin. What if the Dragon Palace got caught up in trouble because of it? What would they do then?

"Never mind. As long as I hide it well, no one will find it." She was, after all, a simple-minded young woman. Her worry from a moment ago turned to joy the next.

Inside the great hall on Spiritual Mountain, shafts of golden light gleamed like rubies deep in the mountains. Along with the thick immortal mist, they lent the place an air of mystery and holiness. Within that holiness rang the Buddhist Chant, wondrous and distant, flowing on without end.

At that moment, atop the great hall, a golden Buddha radiated light. With eyes closed, hands resting on his abdomen, and legs crossed before the Buddha's seat, he looked peaceful and still, dignified and sacred.

Below him sat the All Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the various Vajras and Arhats. They, too, looked sacred and dignified. The one thing they all shared was the reverence and affection in their faces as they looked up at the Buddha.

At the very center, two battered figures slumped on the ground. Their auras were in disarray, and their faces were pale. They had clearly been badly injured.