The mandarin fish received the command, flicked its tail, parted the water, and shot toward the shore like an arrow.
Just as Li Changzhou was about to cast a spell, the sky suddenly surged with auspicious qi, and an incredibly beautiful Immortal with white hair and purple clothes burst through the clouds, riding a Green Bird as she descended from the heavens.
Li Changzhou laughed, "Isn't this the Wushan Goddess? Why come to my Tongtian River instead of attending the Flowers Conference?"
Had Guanyin already troubled Yang Qinglan? Was she sent by the Queen Mother?
As it turned out, Li Changzhou's worries were superfluous.
"I ran into Qing Lan on the way and she told me about your situation, so I came to see you, the water Great King," Yao'er said with a smile.
After exchanging pleasantries, and as she was short on time, she asked, "Do you need any help? Once I enter the Turquoise Pool—the Queen Mother's Turquoise Pool—I might not be able to come out until the task is completed."
If faced with a life-and-death crisis, Yang Qinglan and Li Qianxia could appear beside Li Changzhou through "Life and Death" and "Bond Summon," but she could not.
So before entering the Turquoise Pool, she specifically came to inquire.
"For now, I don't need it, and moreover, your identity is not suitable for assisting me," Li Changzhou said.
Yao'er nodded; as the Queen Mother's adopted daughter, if she helped him, Sun Wukong would immediately tumble to the Heavenly Court, forcing the Queen Mother and even the Jade Emperor to reprimand her own daughter.
"So what are your plans?" Yao'er asked further.
Li Changzhou didn't answer; instead, he exhaled twice, once yellow and once red. The yellow was a dog, the red a fox.
He said to the fox, "Transform into an innocent, lovely, kind village girl."
Red mist filled the air, and when the mist dispersed, the fox was gone, replaced by a country girl with eyes as clear as Qing Shui, a beautiful face, and a graceful figure.
"Your name is Cui Cui," Li Changzhou said to the girl.
"I'm called Cui Cui," the red fox laughed, kind and cute, innocent and naive.
"You're the yellow dog," Li Changzhou said to the dog.
The yellow dog barked eagerly.
"Hahaha! You're a fox spirit too!"
"Then come at me with your big stick."
"Now that you're a Goddess, don't you know that lust is a knife hanging over your head?"
If she wasn't in a hurry, Yao'er would have given him a cut, or perhaps been cut by him, but at the moment... knowing Li Changzhou's plan, she felt somewhat reassured.
But she still couldn't help admonishing him, "Be careful, and don't get killed by Sun Wukong's cudgel."
"I know, I know, if you guys encounter something you can't handle, remember to call for me," he replied.
The Green Bird's clear call pierced the air, bringing with it auspicious qi as it carried Yao'er back to the Heavenly Palace.
Li Changzhou felt a hint of warmth. Yao'er had been sincerely concerned, without a trace of seduction or pretense, and he savored the feeling of being cared for.
This won't do, I almost lost my true heart.
Setting his thoughts aside, Li Changzhou procured a wooden boat and detailed his instructions to the red fox, now transformed into Cui Cui.
The red fox bobbed her head in agreement, assuring, "Don't worry, master."
She rowed the wooden boat, which carried the yellow dog, disappearing into the river.
At first, her rowing was clumsy and awkward, but after a few strokes, she grew skilled and steady, even singing a riverside song, the epitome of a country girl.
Li Changzhou released a black eagle, telling it to fly towards the Kingdom of Biqiu, to keep an eye on Tang Seng from a thousand miles away.
◇
After passing through layers of Gang Wind, Yao'er returned to the Heavenly Palace, proceeding along the straight path to the South Heavenly Gate which stood thousands of feet high.
The four mighty Uranuses guarding the South Heavenly Gate, each as tall as mountains, radiated Divine Power.
Above the South Heavenly Gate, the Demon Mirror emitted golden rays.
According to Yao'er's personality and common human decency, she should have greeted the four Uranuses, but her visit to Li Changzhou was made in a sliver of time she managed to spare; she simply didn't have a moment to lose.
She hastily blessed them with a salute and scurried off to the Turquoise Pool.
The Heavenly Palace was incredibly vast, with countless Jade Palaces poking through the sea of clouds, palaces connected by rainbow bridges, with auspicious beasts such as Phoenixes, Immortal Cranes, and Qilins.
Aside from the palaces, some clouds revealed forests, meadows, waterfalls, and gardens.
Some smaller clouds held pavilions, a lone tree, or a chess set.
There were even clouds filled with golden lotuses, amidst which countless golden carps frolicked.
Yao'er hadn't the time to admire these sights on her descent to the mortal realm, nor upon her return, as she rushed to the Turquoise Pool.
The hall was filled with fairy maidens, and nearly liquid qi whirled along the ground.
Yang Qinglan in her white clothes was particularly eye-catching, for across the hall, the fairies were in vivid purples and bright greens, adorned with jewels and heavenly hairpins.
Yang Qinglan was seated with Li Qianxia on a lotus leaf, tasting the Heavenly Palace's Jade Liquid and Jade Dew, and speaking in soft voices. Catching sight of Yao'er's hurried entrance, they exchanged glances.
"Yao'er, why have you just arrived? Come over here," Queen Mother beckoned with a smile from her high seat, exuding an air of grace and astounding beauty. Setting aside her aura, her looks alone merited at least an eight, possibly a nine.
Yao'er averted her gaze, calmed her beating heart, and composed her emotions before walking over with a smile.
"Your Majesty, my arrival was in haste; I have just been to Ying State to fetch some Eternal Youth Spring Water to present to you for watering the Flat Peaches!"