Jade Flute looked dazed when he heard that answer.
He slowly lowered his head and remained silent for a long while, unsure whether to cry or laugh.
In the end, Pipa had fulfilled her wish after all.
She truly had a daughter.
The child she had begged for and yearned for all those years, the child whose absence had driven her step by step to where she was today, had finally come to her side.
Only a little too late.
Guanyin glanced at Jade Flute and continued, "Only after that child was born did the demon discover that things were gradually slipping beyond its original control."
Bajie raised his head. "What do you mean?"
"Once the demon had fully manifested, it should have taken complete possession of this body."
Guanyin said, "But thanks to the World-Honored One, Pipa retained a wisp of her true spirit."
"By then, Pipa could barely control her own body. Often, she could not even tell what was happening outside. But that child was different."
Guanyin paused briefly.
"That child was Pipa's daughter, one of the deepest obsessions of her life. She had begged for her for many years, and yearned for her for just as long."
"So whenever the child was beside her, whatever the child did would stir that wisp of Pipa's true spirit."
Guanyin continued, "At first, the influence was very weak, so weak that it could only halt the demon's movements for an instant. Even the demon itself might not have known what had happened."
"But later, that instant grew longer and longer."
"Sometimes, the demon clearly wanted to hand the child over to Lodikalang, yet this body refused to let go. Pipa wanted to watch that child grow up, and she refused to lose her again."
At this point, Little