Taking a Disciple in Jade Flower Prefecture (21)

Meanwhile, Ao Tu was talking to Red Boy.

Nezha nuzzled against Ao Tu's chest, waking up with a stiff expression and bright red ears.

Oh no! How come he's sleeping like a little kid on this Demon Dragon! And sleeping so soundly!

If I were to get up now, I would surely laugh at him!

Nezha had no choice but to pretend to be unconscious. He swayed his little body, rolled off Ao Tu, and lay down on the offering table, revealing half of his fair belly. He then pulled his bellyband down to cover his lower abdomen to keep it warm. After a while, he opened his eyes and pretended to slowly wake up.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Ao Tu staring at him.

Nezha blushed and quickly turned his head away.

Wukong was staring at him from the other side.

Red Boy was also staring at him.

Nezha, forcing himself to remain calm, asked, "Monkey, what brings you here? What are you all looking at?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Look at you, all disheveled!"

Nezha then realized that his hair bun had come undone, and he tried to tie it back up, but he was too clumsy to do it properly.

Even Ao Tu wouldn't.

Even Wukong wouldn't know.

Red Boy would be even less likely to do so.

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Wear this for now! We'll have Xiao Zhenying take care of it when we get back. Come with me now."

Nezha asked, "Where are you going this time?"

Ao Tu said, "Go see a Prince."

Having said that, he got up and walked outside.

Wukong and Red Boy quickly followed.

Nezha quickly jumped down and mounted his Wind Fire Wheels, but there was only one.

"Demon Dragon, I've lost my Wind Fire Wheels!"

Ao Tu said, "Here," and returned the Wind Fire Wheels to Nezha.

The four of them rode the clouds and mist, and soon arrived at Jade Flower Prefecture.

Ao Tu descended from the clouds.

Wukong said, "Please follow me to the Prince's Palace."

Ao Tu remained unmoved, saying, "Have the Prince come and invite him in person."

Wukong said, "That's fine."

So Wukong returned to the palace and saw Tang Sanzang and the others there, with the Third Prince serving the Old King.

Wukong said to the Third Prince:

"Come! Come! The person has arrived. Follow me, Old Sun, to greet them!"

Tang Sanzang: "Wukong, who are you?"

Wukong laughed and said, "You'll all know once you see them."

The Third Prince then tidied his appearance and asked Wukong:

"Master Sun, should we prepare some Processional Guard to show our importance?"

Wukong said, "It would be good to get some."

The Third Prince then had some musicians and Processional Guard brought out of the palace to greet him.

Many people gathered to watch, seeing the impressive spectacle.

Seeing this from afar, Ao Tu said, "This Prince has quite a grand Processional Guard; I mustn't be outdone!"

Having said that, he dropped a Fifth-Grade Golden Lotus, which transformed into Precious Lotus Throne, suspended in the air. It was nine zhang in diameter and emitted Ten Directions Jewel Light.

Nezha exclaimed happily, "You Demon Dragon, what kind of luck did you have in your past life? You have so many treasures!"

Ao Tu said, "This is my Third-Grade Golden Lotus. I exhausted all my energy, nurturing it day and night, before it grew to a second grade."

Having said that, he straddled the Golden Lotus, his hands hanging down in a natural posture, and behind him appeared Immeasurable Merit Light that stretched for Three Thousand, surrounded by the Three Jewels Gratitude Bag, the Merit, Chaos Bell.

When Red Boy saw him, his eyes were filled with admiration.

Nezha scoffed and couldn't resist sneaking a peek.

This Demon Dragon, who was clearly no match for me at first, has somehow become incredibly powerful, cultivating into a figure who can be called an ancestor in the Three Realms. Even so, he has not forgotten our old friendship. Despite his sacred and noble body, he still plays around with people like him and the Monkey. Thinking of this, Nezha raised his little face slightly and smiled.

Ao Tu called out, "Come up quickly, you're diminishing my prestige from below."

Red Boy quickly responded, transformed into Hong Yun, floated up, and obediently landed on Ao Tu's right side.

Nezha gave a soft hum and said, "Who said I was going to go up?" With that, he leaped up and landed to Ao Tu's left.

Below, countless people were worshipping the gods.

The Third Prince rushed over, bowed deeply, and asked, "May I ask your holy name?"

Ao Tu Hong declared, "I am the master of the great Western Heaven Great Sect."

Nezha and Red Boy stood on either side. Hearing Ao Tu's voice, which sounded just like a Buddha's, they couldn't help but puff out their little chests and their faces became more arrogant.

Looking at their expressions, Wukong felt just like he had met the two Immortal Child, Qingfeng Mingyue, when he first followed his master on his Journey to the West and passed by the Longevity Mountain Wuzhuang Temple.

Seeing that the Holy Boundless Power was truly Supernatural Ability, and that the two Immortal Child beside him were exceptionally handsome and beautiful, and that Master Sun had come from afar to invite them, the Third Prince had no doubt whatsoever, and immediately bowed and said:

"We beseech True Lord to enter our royal palace and receive our sincere worship."

Ao Tu raised his hand and said, "No need, things here are easy. What do you want? Please tell me."

The Third Prince hesitated for a moment after hearing this, then looked back at Wukong.

Wukong said, "No need to hide it! Speak! Speak!"

The Third Prince then spoke up, asking:

"O True Lord! My Father King is gravely ill, and my Second Brother Big Brother locked in a bitter struggle for the Throne. My Father King wishes to pass it on to me, but I fear that the three of us brothers will fight amongst ourselves, and he will die with his eyes wide open in dismay! True Lord to use His power to end the conflict and restore harmony among us brothers, so that my Father King may rest in peace. If this wish is granted, I will offer Incense Offerings and prayers throughout the land."

Ao Tu listened and laughed:

"I don't want your Incense Offerings. I've heard that your two elder brothers first worshipped Buddha, then Daoism, and now they wish to become disciples of two Daoism immortals. Is that true?"

The Third Prince said, "That is indeed true. Your two elder brothers acted for the sake of our Father King, and as his younger brother, I dare not speak recklessly."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Yesterday, the Great Sage traveled thousands of miles to the Southern Jambudvipa to invite me, saying that you are Loyalty, Filial Piety, Benevolence, and Righteousness, and righteous, a wise and virtuous person, and asked me to take you as my disciple to help you overcome your difficulties. Today, I see that it is indeed so. Very well, I will accept you as my eldest disciple, and in the future, you will inherit my mantle and become a saint. Are you willing?"

The Third Prince was both surprised and delighted. How could he not accept such an opportunity? However, he dared not agree directly, and turned to Wukong, asking:

"Master Sun, you've invited True Lord to be my master. Does my original master, Sha Wujing, know about this? Have you discussed it?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong glanced at Ao Tu. Knowing his exceptional intelligence, he quickly grasped Ao Tu's meaning and smiled, saying:

"Third Your Highness, this Great Sect leader is a newly born saint in the Three Realms. Even the Tathagata Buddha would give him a wide berth. If you were to become his disciple, you too would one day attain sainthood!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince nodded in delight and said, "In that case, Master Sun must have already spoken with my master!"

Wukong said, "Third Your Highness, there's no need to worry about such a trivial matter. Quickly become a disciple, lest the Venerable Sage wait any longer."

The Third Prince's smile faded slightly, and after a moment's thought, he said:

"Master Sun, perhaps you haven't discussed this matter with my master yet?"

Wukong shouted, "You Mortal, you really don't know what's good for you! How can you expect the Venerable Sage to wait for you? I and your master are sworn brothers, so what's wrong with me making the decision? To be honest, I originally wanted to discuss this with your master, but I went earlier and haven't entered the palace yet. Let's wait until I've formally become your disciple and established our titles before discussing it with your master!"

The Third Prince hesitated greatly upon hearing this, then looked up at the Heaven.

Ao Tu simply smiled faintly.