"Uh..." At the sound of Houtu's voice suddenly coming from behind it, Gungun's bear body stiffened. Then it swallowed, turned around, and looked up at her, explaining, "Lady Ancestral Witch, I was only... thinking of the two Great Shamans' happiness. Well, they aren't exactly young anymore. They've been lonely for hundreds of thousands of years, so I thought... it was time they found companions."
Hou Yi: "???"
Xingtian: "???"
"Wasn't this about teaching the Eastern King a lesson? How did it turn into looking out for them?" Houtu asked coolly.
"Well... it's killing two birds with one stone. We can break the Eastern King's heart and help the two Great Shamans gain beautiful fairies as Dao companions. Wouldn't that be-"
"Shut up!" Houtu scolded Gungun.
"Oh." Gungun lowered its head, its two panda ears drooping listlessly. The whole bear looked utterly dejected.
At the sight, Houtu's expression shifted slightly. Two seconds later, she raised a hand, intending to pat its head and comfort it before patiently explaining that it was still young-not even two hundred thousand years old-and that beautiful female immortals and Dao companions weren't things a bear its age should be thinking about. But...
[Looks like I'll have to find someone else to seduce those female immortals and steal Bai Fengjiu and Peony Fairy away. Who should I ask? Maybe... right, Ao Yue! Doesn't everyone say dragons are lustful by nature? Ao Yue would definitely be happy to do it. He was the one who killed the Eastern King, too. I'll have him kill the Eastern King a few more times emotionally!]
Houtu: "..."
Suddenly hearing Gungun's thoughts, Houtu immediately abandoned the idea.
Just how much of a grudge could this big fat bear hold?
Even now, it's still thinking about how to deal with the Eastern King in the future. And Ao Yue? He's Eastern Emperor Taiyi's Dharma Protector! With thoughts like these, I have every reason to suspect you've defected to the Demon Race. Do you realize that?
"Sigh!" With that thought, Houtu lowered her arm and sighed inwardly, a trace of helplessness flashing in her eyes. Then she told the bear and the two shamans before her, "I've helped the Eastern King return to life, but he is unwilling to rebuild the Immortal Court and oppose the Demon Race again. He has also changed his title to Imperial Lord Donghua."
"What?"
"Imperial Lord Donghua?"
At her words, Hou Yi's and Xingtian's expressions changed at the same time, and they exclaimed in astonishment.
Gungun, meanwhile, muttered, "Shameless. Being a king wasn't enough for him. He got beaten to death, and after coming back to life, he actually started calling himself an imperial lord. Anyone who didn't know better would think he'd defeated the Demon Race."
Houtu: "..."
Hou Yi: "..."
Xingtian: "..."
"Achoo~" Somewhere on Penglai Immortal Island, Donghua, clad in a long purple robe with a head of white hair, suddenly sneezed. He then calculated on his fingers, and his expression immediately darkened.
"You damned bear! How dare you speak ill of this Imperial Lord behind his back! You'd better watch..." Just as he was about to make some threats, he suddenly remembered that his cultivation was now only at the great immortal level, roughly on par with that Iron-Eating Beast. Donghua gritted his teeth. After a long while, he gave his sleeve a forceful flick and said, "Forget it. This Imperial Lord won't stoop to arguing with a bear!"
"Achoo~" In front of Houtu, Gungun suddenly sneezed. Then it calculated on its bear fingers, and its entire face immediately darkened.
A damned bear? Won't stoop to arguing with a bear?
You're nothing but a fart this great god let out! What right do you have to look down on us bears?!
Imperial Lord Donghua? Is that supposed to be impressive?
Once you become Lu Dongbin, this great god will beat you black and blue every single day!
Seeing Gungun calculate on its fingers, Houtu narrowed her eyes. She tucked her right hand behind her waist and performed a calculation of her own. Then...
She truly had no idea what to say.
Even with her mediation and the settling of their karmic ties, the resentment Gungun and the Eastern King-no, Donghua-held toward each other far exceeded her expectations. It would probably stir up plenty of trouble in the future.
Fortunately, Donghua's Primordial Spirit had suffered severe damage, his cultivation had been impaired, and his source essence had been... by Gungun. In short, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything to Gungun from now on.
With that in mind, considering the little camaraderie they had gained from fighting side by side today, as well as Donghua's status as the leader of the Primordial World's male immortals, personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor, Houtu suppressed the thought that had just arisen of making him perish again. She told Gungun, "All right, Gungun, stop sulking. Fellow Daoist Donghua said that we of the Witch Race can take anything on Penglai Immortal Island that catches our eye. Go look around. If you find anything you like, just take it."
Hearing this, Gungun's two ears twitched. It raised its head and asked Houtu, "Lady Ancestral Witch, can I take that Donghua away?"
Houtu closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, then asked Gungun coldly, "Do you think you can?"
"All right, I understand." Gungun nodded in response, then clambered up from the ground.
Honestly, it wasn't disappointed by Houtu's answer at all. It had only asked offhandedly. If it really had to fight Donghua to the death, it would be too lazy to budge. If it were Lu Dongbin instead, it might have a little interest.
After standing up, Gungun opened its paw and took the Treasure-Fishing Rod out of the Minor World it carried with it. Then it rested the rod on its shoulder and told Houtu, "Then, Lady Ancestral Witch, I'll go look for treasures now."
"Mm." Houtu hummed in acknowledgment.
Hearing her response, Gungun turned to go clean out all the remaining treasures on Penglai. Unexpectedly, Houtu suddenly called it back.
"Gungun, wait."
"Hmm?" Gungun stopped and looked back at her, a trace of puzzlement on its big, plump face. Was there something else?
"Gungun, tell me, how should we deal with the Demon Race armies that haven't withdrawn yet?" Houtu pointed overhead and asked it.
Gungun looked in the direction she indicated. Some seventy or eighty thousand li up in the sky, the Demon Race armies that had come to attack Penglai were still stationed there, having yet to retreat.
"They... probably want to wait until we leave, then occupy Penglai completely. After all, Penglai is one of the finest grotto-heavens and blessed lands in the Primordial World, right?" Gungun raised its head and blinked as it spoke.
"Exactly. What do you think we should do?" Houtu asked.
"Shouldn't that be something for Donghua to worry about? Mount Buzhou is too far from Penglai, and this place is within the Dragon Race's sphere of influence. Unless the Demon Race leaves us alone, our Witch Race won't be able to control this place at all. Lady Ancestral Witch, don't worry about it on his behalf." Gungun scratched its head as it spoke to Houtu, its tone adorably guileless.
"So we simply stand by and watch the Demon Race occupy Penglai?" Houtu furrowed her delicate brows and pressed it.
"There's nothing we can do about that. Unless... we have that Imperial Lord go complain to the Dao Ancestor, saying the Demon Race bullied him, beat him to death once, and now wants to seize his home too?" Gungun thought for a moment and suggested.
"Hmm?" At Gungun's casually devised suggestion, Houtu's eyes lit up. This plan could work!
Before you continue