At the sight of the white jade figure before them, Dragon Subduing Arhat alone remained expressionless. The other two Arhats of the Supreme Capital hastily composed themselves and pressed their palms together.
"Greetings, Bodhisattva."
In truth, when it came down to it...
River Crossing and Cloth Bag both harbored a measure of contempt for this Dragon Girl Bodhisattva.
After all, she had once been nothing more than a demon who whipped up winds and waves.
She should never have stood above the many Arhats.
But who could help it when her fortune reached the heavens?
By a stroke of luck, she had been converted by the Buddhist Gate, then attained the rank of Bodhisattva-a blessing she must have spent countless lifetimes earning.
Later, she had even gained that one's favor, which had granted her the exalted standing she enjoyed today.
Thus, however much they despised her inwardly, they still had to observe every courtesy and rule with the utmost respect.
Besides...
Cloth Bag Arhat's eyes shifted slightly, his mind already made up.
He straightened a little, his face filled with anguish, and spoke first. "Bodhisattva, please judge this matter clearly. Today's failure at the Repayment Gathering was not because we failed to give our all."
"Rather, Dragon Subduing disregarded the greater good and openly defied your decree."
"River Crossing and I had already stabilized the situation. The World-Crossing Blood Lotus was only one step from completion."
"Yet Dragon Subduing stubbornly refused to see reason. For the sake of those ant-like rogue cultivators, he brazenly struck at us with lethal force."
"Had he not created complications and sparked internal strife, how could River Crossing and I have been held in check by him? However useless the followers below might have been, they would never have allowed the Heavenly Court's people to