Chapter 174 - Good Friends

 How did this child end up wandering into the great Guanyin's area? I quickly rushed to Lingxiao Temple with Yin Zi. Fortunately, this place is under Hai Yang's control so he gave me face and quickly took me to the prison.

**(Guanyin is considered the Goddess of Mercy, the bodhisattva known as Avalokiteśvara in Buddhist scriptures)***

Xiao Mao was not tortured and bloody like I imagined, he was just tied up with a bundle of immortal roped to a corner of a prison cell, there was also a little red-haired girl tied next to him.

There was a plum blossom mark on her forehead, her eyes were red as well her cheeks, her face was full of tears, behind her was a fluffy velvet fox tail, when I came in, she seemed afraid and shrunk to the side, and she quietly said: "Godmother..."

Xiao Mao looked up and hurriedly said: "Mother, this matter has nothing to do with her, it was me who wanted to go there."

What godmother? When I heard the girl call me this, I felt a little silly, I stood in place for half a  day searching my brain for a long time.

When Yin Zi saw my confused face, he came towards me and whispered near my ear, "When you went to do your mortal test that time, didn't you save two foxes and acknowledge their son as your godchild?"

"But...this is a girl." I still hadn't finished thinking.

"The stupid family gave birth to a daughter, so naturally the daughter will still be your godchild, as they have seen that your name has weight." Yin Zi looked at me as if I was an idiot.

Okay, let it be a daughter then, we can look into that later. I walked over to Xiao Mao and pulled him off the floor and angrily said, "What did you go to the purple bamboo forest for? There's plenty of bamboo forest around the Hua Manor, Why did you go there to cause trouble?"

Xiao Mao refused to talk. Chongchong on side quickly crawled over and pleaded at my feet, "It was me who instigated Xiao Mao to go into the purple bamboo forest. Godmother, please punish me."

"Idiot!" Xiao Mao suddenly shouted after hearing her speak, "What's the matter with you? The whole plan was my idea and so it is naturally my responsibility."

"You are both so affectionate." Yin Zi sneered, "You two best make it clear, why did you go into the purple bamboo forest? If you don't explain it well, I will let your mother beat both of you up."

"Right! I will beat both of you!" I was so angry that I felt my head was going to blow up, I threw Xiao Mao to the ground then went to seat in a chair in the cell, waiting for the explanation.

The two children looked at each other for a while. Finally, Xiao Mao wanted to speak up, unexpectedly, Yin Zi stopped him, "You are not honest enough, let Chongchong say it."

Chongchong was so scared that she immediately explained the events that happened.

For many years, the violent Hong Hai'er, gentle Chongchong, and the sly Xiao Mao, the age difference between the three of them are not too far apart, so they got along and would often play together. From time to time, they would get together and go looking for trouble for fun. I ordinarily am not fond of this Hong Hai'er, but there is not one to play around with Xiao Mao, he is also big brother's son, therefore I allowed him to go along with him. Chongchong is a fox-spirit, so Lou Sha is not fond of her.  However, Hong Hai'er became quite good friends with her also had very good feelings towards her, even Xiao Mao became her good friend. But, not long ago the Tang monk and his entourage passed by the mountain where Hong Hai'er lived. Hong Hai'er had apparently heard from who knows where, that if you eat the flesh of the Tang monk you can gain immortality, so he moved with evil thoughts, wanting to kill the Tang monk and share his meat to everyone.

That guy has always been wild, no matter what Chongchong says to persuade me otherwise, I don't want to listen. This is how it started, who would have expected that before he could steal the chicken, he lost the rice. He was subdued and captured by the Guanyin, taken to be rehabilitated into a good child.

Missing Hong Hai'er, Chongchong would cry every day in her cave, missing her friend and the days the three of them spent together. Xiao Mao could not bear it and quietly it and quietly went to break into the purple bamboo forest, wanting to see Hong Hai'er, to see if he was okay and whether he was being bullied or not. He didn't expect to be accidentally seen, caught and imprisoned here.

Speaking of Xiao Mao, he also shyly bowed his head and said, "Actually, I knew that Hong Hai'er was going to attack the Tang monk...but I didn't stop him because everyone said that if you can eat the Tang monk's flesh, you can live forever, so I thought...if Hong Hei'er can succeed, I will ask him for some and give it to father and mother. If he can't, then there's a chance Sun Wukong, the monkey king for the sake of Bull devil could go fight and secure the meal, otherwise, he can lay down his life.  I didn't expect the Guanyin to suddenly appear in such a place."

"How absurd!" Yin Zi suddenly shouted in anger, "Is it fun to break rules? Hong Hai'er has never had a brain, but now you two also have no brains? It is Buddha who motioned for the Guanyin to move and go to protect them, how could doing this not stir up trouble?"

I also followed and reprimanded, "Human flesh is so sour that mother does not like it at all! If you want to be filial, you might as well go to the Eastern sea to catch a few more fish! Why do this? How will I face Sun Wukong and Bull devil?"

Xiao Mao and Chongchong both hung their ears and did not dare to speak.

"Well, it's okay, " Hai Yang came over and advised. "Fortunately, they didn't cause much disturbance this time. Several gods were sympathetic to them and pleaded for leniency. So this time they will just get hit with the board a hundred times, but if there's a next time they will not be spared."

After hearing this, I was relieved in my heart. Hai Yang waved a hand and people came in to drag the two children for their punishment, and he quietly made a gesture for them to be light in their hits and then led us to the hall to wait. On the way, he suddenly said to me, "Recently, the Heavens have started to clean out all the demons, you must maintain a low profile. Remember not to mind other people's business and don't interfere with the gods and live well earnestly."

"That is naturally other people's business, it has nothing to do with me."

The punishment started and as the boards hit them, Chongchong cries of agony reached my ears. Xiao Mao was quiet and did not make any noise until the punishment was finished.

When the Heavenly soldiers were finished, they brought the two injured people to us. I looked at Xiao Mao and his bloody butt, I was still so angry but I couldn't bear seeing him like this. I thanked Hai Yang and hurried to Molin.

Molin was shocked to see Xiao Mao's injury and hurriedly called for Jun wen to help, the two of them looked over them and applied medicine for them. Fortunately, thanks to Hai Yang, the injury only looked serious, but it was only a flesh wound and the bones were not affected, after a month they will be back to normal.

Xiao Mao had been biting his lips so hard that it was bleeding, Chongchong was whimpering on the side, but I couldn't discern if all the sobbing I was hearing was hers or someone else's as well.

Seeing their condition, I felt it would not be good to move them. So decided to leave them at Molin's for treatment, and then later go to Xuan Qing palace. Molin didn't care how long they stayed and said that he would love for Xiao Mao to stay for a long time.

The others left the room to go get medicine and to send a letter back to report. Xiao Mao saw that everyone else was gone and whispered, "Mother...sorry..."

At this time, I didn't know what to do with him. I shook my head and said it didn't matter.

"Are we never going to see Hong Hai'er again in the future?" Chongchong looked up at me desperately, "Are we not going to see him forever?"

"I don't know..." Seeing the two children sad, I carefully tried to comfort, "Anyway Hong Hai'er's behavior is very volatile, it is better for him to be under the tutelage of the Guanyin."

"Although Hong Hai'er is very fierce...but he treats me very well."Chongchong eyes were very red and swollen like two big peached. "Chongchong's parents are gone, madam Lou Sha also hates foxes and wanted to drive me away from Hong Hai'er's side, he was so angry that he quarreled with her and moved out to live on his own in order to protect me from being bullied. I am so sad when I think that I will not see him in the future."

I awkwardly said, "Even so, you shouldn't have done such a thing. Especially you Xiao Mao, you know you should have reported this to us long ago."

Xiao Mao also sadly asked, "Mother, what will you do after father's hundred year lifetime?"

I was dumbstruck for a while by his question, I finally asked, "What do you mean?"

"I heard uncle Hai Yang say that last time during the demon invasion of Mao mountain, dad used his divine powers, breaking Heavenly law and now he can no longer ascend to heaven." Xiao Mao then seriously asked, "If he really can only be a mortal now and has to keep reincarnating, how many 500 years can wait? How much effort will it take for you to awaken his love for you each time?"

"I don't know." After thinking for a long time, I finally answered honestly.

"I was thinking that if he was immortal then you wouldn't have to wait." Xiao Mao said as he lowered his head.

"Gaining eternal life by eating someone...your father will not accept it. He hated the demons that killed and ate people in his last life." I smiled and touched Xiao Mao's head, "I cannot let him do something he will be unhappy with for his longevity, he will be angry."

"What will you do?" Xiao Mao continued to ask.

I shook my head, "No one can say anything about the future. Now that we're happy, let's not bother ourselves with future troubles and make our lives unhappy. When I get there, I will make my decision. If I want to keep waiting, I will wait. If I don't want to wait, I won't wait. There's no need to think so much. Mother can see your genuine intentions."

"Mother, you can also see things clearly."

"It's because I am too lazy to think."

Chongchong looking pensive lowered her head...

Mirai's Comment: Hong Hai'er translates to Red child/boy...just to clarify.

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