A Solution, Houtu's Reflections

The summer sun was scorching, and even the wind couldn't dispel its heat. The sounds of insects and birds chirping restlessly echoed from the Myriad Mountains, and the fish in the lake, not wanting to be left out, leaped out of the water.

The flowers in the Flower Valley looked wilted, their beautiful heads drooping listlessly, and even the bees and butterflies didn't want to visit them.

Only the golden pheasants remained energetic, clucking in flocks among the bushes beside the Sacred Tree, always seemingly hungry, searching for food.

From a domestication perspective, Wu Chu's pheasants and Fat Dog A Qiu were both successful; one successfully became a domesticated chicken, and the other successfully became a fat Siberian Husky.

Standing in the pavilion, gazing at the lake and mountains, and feeling the surrounding scenery, Wu Chu smiled somewhat awkwardly at Houtu's question, saying, "If I said I was worried that Old Demon would come back to seek revenge on me, would you laugh at me for being a coward?"

Houtu paused for a moment, then said, "What's there to worry about? Your Merit Supreme Treasure is the nemesis of that demon. After learning from this mistake, would that Old Demon dare to come looking for trouble again?"

Wu Chu wanted to say: You know nothing about this Old Demon!

But then he felt it was a bit impolite to say that, so he said, "Although I don't know if he will come, I'm just worried that he might! If he were to descend here in his true form, neither of us would be a match for him. I was thinking, should we leave here and go out to hide?"

Wu Chu felt no pressure at all when he revealed his true self to Houtu.

Houtu didn't laugh at Wu Chu for his sincerity. After thinking for a moment, she nodded in agreement, "What you think makes sense, but there's no need to rush. Since you say your Daoist Temple is in the Western Land, let's assume he's at the peak of the Daluo Realm. It would probably take him two or three hundred years to get here."

After a pause, Houtu continued, "If you do not know where you are when the time comes, you may come to Mount Buzhou to find me. My Witch Clan will certainly welcome you to visit."

Wu Chu laughed and said, "If I really go to Mount Buzhou, I will definitely visit my sister."

At this moment, Yibao whispered to Wu Chu in her heart, "Master, actually, you only need to retract the Mountain Protection Array of the Purple Jade Divine Tree, covering only this area within a radius of ten thousand miles, or even just a radius of a thousand miles. Basically, no one will be able to find us easily. Even using the Tianmu Daoist's method of bombardment might not be able to blast us out. If that doesn't work, you can continue to shrink it further..."

"..."

Wu Chu silently widened his eyes, silently replying, "It can be like this?"

"Why not? Before, the Mountain Protection Array covered an area of hundreds of thousands of miles. Someone could easily throw down a spell and blast us out. But if it's only a few hundred miles in radius, let someone who has never been here before try. See how long it would take to blast us out of this area of hundreds of thousands of miles. By the time he blasts us out, we'll have already made our escape. Of course, if it's just a Demon Ancestor Clone, then we naturally can't let it go."

Yibao now appears full of confidence when facing the Demon Ancestor Clone, and has even begun to think about hunting him down to earn Merit.

It has to be said that after this battle, this little sprite has become quite arrogant!

Wu Chu silently grumbled, but after Houtu and Yibao's explanation, he felt relieved. The situation wasn't as urgent or serious as he'd imagined; it was best not to scare himself. Besides, the Demon Ancestor might not even come in person. Firstly, the two places were indeed very far apart, and secondly, the Demon Ancestor's current cultivation level wasn't yet invincible in this world. If he exposed himself too early, how could he continue to stir up trouble behind the Three Clans in the future?

Therefore, at Wu Chu's behest, the Purple Jade Divine Tree withdrew its accompanying Mountain Protection Array, covering only an area of 30,000 li in radius.

A hundred years later, he planned to shrink the formation again to defend against Luohou.

This area, spanning 30,000 li in radius, is precisely the range of the Mountain Terrain Formation Array that Zhen Yuanzi set up for him.

With the heavy weight lifted from his heart, Wu Chu felt much more relaxed and was able to pay attention to Houtu Tu's every move.

Unlike Nuwa, Houtu, except when enjoying delicious food, occasionally abandons her physical form and is mostly a gentle and quiet older sister.

Although she would occasionally be amused by Little Moon Spirit, the Little Fox, the clumsy Fat Dog, or the adorable Little Deer Cub, most of the time she would cover her lips and laugh without showing her teeth, rather than laughing unrestrainedly like Nuwa, or even laughing like a goose.

As for culinary skills, it must be said that, apart from talent, personal interest is also a very important teacher when learning a skill.

When Houtu was learning cooking, she learned much faster than Nuwa.

Moreover, Houtu, unlike Nuwa, did not have any other hobbies.

In his spare time, Wu Chu chatted with Houtu and asked her what she liked to do most besides cultivating. Houtu surprisingly told him that it used to be thinking, but now it's eating!

After saying that, she added, "Actually, I used to like eating it too, but raw blood doesn't taste good, so thinking took precedence. Now it's time to 'eat' it instead."

Wu Chu couldn't help but ask curiously, "So what does your sister think about?"

"There are many! For example, why do we live? What is the meaning of our procreation? Where do we come from? And where will we go? Why did Father God Pangu create heaven and earth? What is the meaning of our Witch Clan being the children of Father God...?"

"Have you figured out the answers yet?" Wu Chu became even more curious, because many of these questions were ones he himself wanted to know the answers to but couldn't find.

For example, why did Pangu create the world?

When asked, Fuxi and Nuwa were unwilling to say much, perhaps because they themselves did not know.

For example, were the Twelve Ancestral Witches truly transformed from the Pangu Essence Blood?

"Most of them have no answers." Houtu gently shook her head. "If I could get the answers, I wouldn't need to think about them anymore."

Hmm! That makes a lot of sense!

Wu Chu was speechless, but couldn't help asking the question that had been bothering him.

Houtu shook her head, "I've also been wondering why Father God created heaven and earth. If Father God had known that creating heaven and earth would lead to his demise, would he still have done it? We were born from Father God's blood, and as Father God children, we should be grateful, but we don't know how to repay this debt of gratitude..."

Houtu began to think again, silently gazing at the twinkling stars in the night sky.

After a long silence, she finally asked, "Has Fellow Daoist considered these questions?"

"Uh! No!"

Wu Chu realized that his intellectual level was far behind that of the other person.

Although Houtu is not yet the revered Houtu of later generations, Wu Chu still has no intention of putting on a show in front of her.

In the presence of these powerful individuals whom he considered worthy of his acquaintance, Wu Chu intended to be his most authentic self. Only when facing opponents and enemies would he don a mask and put on a facade.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "No rush, there's plenty of time. Sister can take her time to think it over. I believe that one day, Sister will figure out those issues."

Wu Chu suddenly wondered if Houtu's future creation of the Six Paths of Reincarnation might have stemmed from these very questions she was pondering.