Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 501: Returning to the Town Again

Fairy Chang’e regretted her words more and more, wishing she could travel back in time right now and give her former self a thrashing.

Yang Chan was listening on the side and asked, "That divine official, what kind of official is he? What does he oversee?"

"I just thought he looked a bit familiar, but I can’t quite recall."

Chang’e tried hard to remember the scene at the time, but she couldn’t remember the divine official’s face at all, "He’s probably a worshipper of Tian Peng, considering he is a Military Officer; having many worshippers isn’t really surprising."

In this way, it indeed wasn’t strange, though Tian Peng wasn’t popular among the civil officials and Fairies. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

But in the community of Military Officers, Tian Peng was extremely popular, both in stature and in cultivation. They almost wished they could become like him. It wasn’t strange for worshippers to express their encouragement to their idol in this way.

But Chen Nuo always felt something was odd about this divine official’s sudden appearance, "Fairy Chang’e, do you remember what that divine official looked like?"

Chang’e shook her head, "No matter how hard I try, I can’t remember the face of that divine official, but he wasn’t very tall, probably just a little taller than me, with a slender frame, appearing frail as if a gust of wind could blow him over, wearing a headband that seemed a bit too large, as though his whole head could fit inside it; I just can’t recall the divine official’s face."

"I see, perhaps that person is just a Junior Deity who worships Tian Peng," sighed Sun Wukong. "It’s alright, it’s not your fault, and you didn’t do it on purpose."

Although Chen Nuo still had many questions about the identity of that divine official, for the time being, the matter came to an end and seemed to have no issues.

After returning from the banquet, Chen Nuo thought of He Xi’s matter; he took to heart everything that was talked about during the banquet.

Indeed, since he had already changed someone’s Life Pattern, he should cherish it and make sure to explain the matter clearly to He Xi.

That night, Chen Nuo descended to the mortal realm, arriving at a small town at the foot of Mount Taihang.

In the mortal world, it was autumn, and the townspeople were busy with the autumn harvest. The oil had been prepared early, and there were no customers coming to buy oil in the shop, except those who came from other places.

Chen Nuo first went to the second floor of the shop, a place that was safe and where his appearance wouldn’t be seen by anyone. Then, Chen Nuo slowly walked down the stairs.

He Xi was sitting inside the counter reading a book. Besides selling oil every day, she spent her time reading, with the days passing by in this way.

As Chen Nuo descended the stairs, He Xi seemed so immersed in her book that she didn’t hear the sound of the steps. By the time she realized it, Chen Nuo had already approached her.

"What book are you so engrossed in reading?"

He Xi stopped at the sound, seemingly unable to believe her ears. She looked up and saw the person she had been longing for, "Chen, how did you come here?"

"I came to see you," replied Chen Nuo, looking at the young girl behind the counter.

For Mountain of Mind and Heart, it seemed like a few days had passed, but in the human world, He Xi had properly lived out several years, and he had already regarded her as his own sister.

This little girl, who was no taller than his thigh when they first met, was now as tall as his chin.

She was cute and lively as a child, and now at nineteen, she still retained a bit of youthful greenness, but she had grown into the beginnings of a mature woman.

"I thought you would only come during the New Year, Chen, how come you came now?" He Xi hugged Chen Nuo’s waist. "I missed you so much, Chen. Without you here, all I can do is read books; it’s really boring."

"I’m here now, aren’t I?" Chen Nuo smiled and stroked her hair. "You seem to have lost a little weight. Haven’t you been eating well these past few days?"

"Are you doing okay, though? Have you really lost weight?" He Xi looked down and touched her stomach, "Lately, my cooking seems to be off. Either I burn the dishes or they’re undercooked. That’s probably why I haven’t been eating well."

She was already so grown up, yet she still acted like a child. Chen Nuo couldn’t help but give a wry smile, "It looks like after all this time, you still can’t take good care of yourself."

"There’s no helping it. You took such good care of me that now you’re gone, I simply can’t look after myself," He Xi stuck out her tongue.

Chen Nuo reached out and tapped He Xi on the head; she was becoming better and better at talking back playfully.

Afterward, taking a seat beside He Xi, Chen Nuo looked around the small store. When she first bought it, it seemed quite new. But now, the walls had yellowed, the beams darkened, and even some spider webs had formed in places.

The relentless march of time is always so merciless. The human world is not like the Mountain of Mind and Heart; it does not remain unchanged for hundreds or thousands of years.

"Xi, you’re almost twenty years old now, aren’t you?" Chen Nuo asked.

He Xi nodded, "Yeah, it has been two years since you left. I can take care of myself now."

"Is that so? Then who was it that burnt the food earlier?" Chen Nuo teased.

At this, He Xi fell silent.

There was only one chair in the store, which He Xi offered to Chen Nuo to sit on while she stood on tiptoes beside Chen.

In the blink of an eye, it was as if they had returned to the time when Chen Nuo had first taken her in, when she used to behave in the same way.

Chen Nuo, afraid that staying alone in the courtyard for long periods would make her fear socializing, would sometimes bring her to the store. When they were at the store, Chen Nuo would sit on a chair, and she would stand beside Chen.

But back then, there actually was a little stool next to the chair. It’s just that she was small at the time and didn’t want to sit, preferring instead to stay close to Chen Nuo.

She had thought that after so many years, even with Chen Nuo having moved on to her own life elsewhere, she would gradually get used to living alone.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case. With Chen Nuo beside her, she still stood in the same place, making the same gestures as before.

"What are you thinking about, Xi?" At this point, there were no customers in the store, and Chen Nuo just sat at the counter watching the people coming and going. It seemed as if nothing had really changed from before, not the passing crowd nor the small shops outside.

"I’m not really thinking about anything," He Xi replied, embarrassed to admit she was reminiscing about her childhood.

People have to look forward, always reminiscing about the past gets one nowhere. This was a lesson that Chen Nuo had taught her long ago.

"You’re not being good," said Chen Nuo, "why aren’t you telling me the truth?"

"I’m not," He Xi paused before saying, "I was just thinking about my childhood. Back when you used to bring me to the store, it felt just like now. But when we were kids, our shop had a lot of customers, especially during the New Year or the autumn harvest, people buying oil would come in an endless stream."

"Back then," Chen Nuo said with a smile.

When the shop first opened, even though his oil was well received, people were not used to consuming vegetable oil regularly, often buying just enough for a few meals at a time.

Times are different now. Oil has become a staple just like firewood, rice, soy sauce, and vinegar. People buying oil tend to buy in bulk to stock up.

Oil doesn’t spoil easily, so there’s no need to buy it frequently. Except for restaurants and visitors from out of town, locals usually buy it every few months, or even enough for a whole year at once.