Su Fu transformed herself into Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva(Guanyin), seated upon the Lotus Throne, surrounded by swirling Buddhist radiance.
In her left hand she held the Guanyin’s Net Bottle, in her right a willow branch.
With a light flick of her sleeve, she floated toward the direction of Baijiao Cave of Mount Cuiyun.
‘Steady now, don’t slip up.’ She recited silently in her heart.
Using the reflection in the water from the Net Bottle, she checked her appearance—a faint smile on her lips, a touch of cinnabar at her brow, her face calm and compassionate, embodying the very image of the savior of all who suffer.
“This appearance of Avalokitesvara shouldn’t have any problems.”
But then again, of everything, only the Net Bottle was real.
The willow branch was just an ordinary one she had picked.
The Lotus Throne beneath her was her own Wind-Fire Wheels transformed, and everything else was a mix of transformation and illusion.
Still, fooling the Iron Fan Princess shouldn’t be an issue.
Though the princess was somewhat overbearing and unreasonable, deep down she feared the gods and Buddhas, especially such a great Bodhisattva as Avalokitesvara.
Gradually, Su Fu saw the entrance to the cave, and just then, the two little demons guarding the door noticed the golden light approaching.
“Av—Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva?!” one of the little demons exclaimed in shock.
The other raised its head as well.
When the golden light drew nearer, both demons hurriedly knelt, their foreheads pressed tightly to the ground.
“Greetings to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva!”
Su Fu slowly descended to the open space in front of the cave entrance, sitting upright on her Lotus Throne, her expression gentle and serene.
“Amitabha.” She put her palms together, her voice ethereal and far-reaching.
“No need for excessive ceremony. This humble monk has come to visit the Iron Fan Princess. Please inform her for me.”
The little demon quickly got up and stammered, “Yes! I’ll announce your arrival right away, Bodhisattva! Please wait a moment!”
With that, it turned and dashed into the cave.
The remaining little demon stood where it was—respectful, but not afraid.
After all, Avalokitesvara was always known for mercy and compassion.
It thought to itself, ‘Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has truly manifested! The princess will surely be ecstatic when she hears!’
Inside the cave, the Iron Fan Princess was dressing and fixing her hair, all the while thinking, ‘I wonder how Yunsi is getting on with the matter. When exactly will this Avalokitesvara come?’
‘Could Yunsi have been making it all up?’
Just then, a little demon rushed into the main hall in a panic, barely able to catch its breath.
“P—Princess! Something major has happened!”
Iron Fan Princess frowned, “What is with this flustered behavior?!”
Panting and excited, the little demon said, “Princess! Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is here! She’s really here, right at the entrance!”
“What did you say?!” Iron Fan Princess shot to her feet.
“She really came!”
Not waiting for an answer, she could not contain her excitement and rushed outside, thinking with surprise and delight that Yunsi had indeed spoken true.
If Avalokitesvara was here, then could it be that Red Boy was here too?
She hurried out of Baijiao Cave, and saw a woman in white, sitting upright upon a Lotus Throne.
On the woman’s head was a lotus crown, a cinnabar mark on her brow, golden light all around—
Who else could this be but Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva!
Suppressing her excitement, Iron Fan Princess calmed herself and saluted respectfully, “Greetings to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva!”
Su Fu gave a faint smile, chanting, “Amitabha, Iron Fan Princess, no need for such courtesy.”
“Thank you, Bodhisattva!” Iron Fan Princess couldn’t help but peer behind Avalokitesvara, only to find nothing but drifting clouds and mist, no sign of Red Boy.
“Red Boy hadn’t come?’ Iron Fan Princess was instantly crestfallen.
He didn’t accompany Avalokitesvara?
If that was so, wasn’t her hope dashed?
So what Yunsi said wasn’t entirely true either!
She forced down her disappointment, squeezing out a smile as she asked, “May I ask what brings Bodhisattva to my humble abode?”
Su Fu saw it all but kept a serene face, her compassionate voice ringing out: “This humble monk passed by this place and saw the wild fires of Flame Mountain raging, charring the land for a thousand miles. The people suffer greatly; I could not bear it.”
She paused, her gaze full of pity, “I wish to lend a hand, but I heard that the fire of Flame Mountain cannot be extinguished by ordinary magic—only your Banana Leaf Fan can do it. So I have come to request to borrow your treasured fan. Would that be possible?”
Iron Fan Princess hesitated at her words.
Borrow the fan?
Murray and the other examiners watching all drew in a sharp breath.
“Th… this actually works?!” Kofman was shocked, “Wait, does the Iron Fan Princess really believe she’s Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva?”
No one had expected that with such a bold move, Su Fu would actually manage to fool Iron Fan Princess and succeed.
“This is way too gutsy,” Fox Hart was incredulous.
“Has she even considered the consequences? What if she gets found out?”
“Her acting is flawless,” Ji Yao sighed, “and her courage is even more impressive…”
“Apparently, she’s really pulled it off. The Iron Fan Princess suspects nothing.”
Yet as they watched Su Fu in the scene, everyone’s hearts were in their throats.
No helping it, this was far too thrilling—Su Fu was truly performing on a knife’s edge.
They even felt as if they themselves were present, even more nervous than Su Fu.
Murray frowned tightly, “But her biggest flaw right now is the lack of Red Boy by her side. How will she convince Iron Fan Princess?”
“Without Red Boy, why would Iron Fan Princess easily agree to lend the Banana Leaf Fan?”
That was the real crux of the problem.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Though Su Fu had assumed the guise of the compassionate Guanyin and pressed her advantage with terrifying power, wresting the Banana Leaf Fan from its owner by brute force alone was no simple matter.
After all, Iron Fan Princess was tough by nature—if you used force, it might not work at all.
“And don’t forget,” Fox Hart narrowed his eyes, “though Iron Fan Princess is deeply attached to her son, she’s no fool.”
“I think she’s not so easy to fool. If Iron Fan Princess tries to probe Su Fu even once, her true identity may be revealed right away.”
Ji Yao nodded, “That’s right. Didn’t she just send her maid to investigate the Tongtian River? That shows she didn’t blindly trust Su Fu’s words. Now that she can’t see Red Boy, she’s unlikely to hand over the fan so easily.”
“Wait, look!” Someone suddenly exclaimed.
“See, Iron Fan Princess is already suspicious!”
‘Borrow the fan?’
After her initial excitement, Iron Fan Princess’s mind calmed down.
Something didn’t add up.
She’d only just received news of Avalokitesvara yesterday, and now she was here?
So soon?
And Rong Er, who she’d sent to investigate the Tongtian River, hadn’t returned yet.
‘Could it be… news had leaked, and those shapeshifting demons had come knocking?’ With this thought, her expression sharpened and she grew tense and vigilant inside.
In this world, there weren’t many demons who could transform into Avalokitesvara, but it wasn’t impossible.
She couldn’t be sure of the authenticity of the “Avalokitesvara” before her—it all seemed far too coincidental.
‘In that case, I must test her.’
But how could someone like Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva be tested lightly?
If she really was a Bodhisattva and was offended, the consequences would be unthinkable.
“What should I do…”
At this moment, Iron Fan Princess’s eyes fell upon the Net Bottle in Avalokitesvara’s hand.
‘Hmm? Net Bottle?’
A flash of inspiration struck.
Iron Fan Princess pretended to feel unwell, her voice weary: “Merciful Avalokitesvara, to be honest, I have been troubled night and day by the calamity of Flame Mountain. I cannot rest, my head aches endlessly.”
She paused, and cautiously looked up, “Would Bodhisattva bestow some Sweet Dew to ease my mind?”
It was a reasonable request, and since the Bodhisattva was always compassionate, if this were truly her, she’d surely agree.
And Sweet Dew had healing powers—this was the best way to test authenticity.
As long as she could taste the Sweet Dew, she would know the truth herself.
Perfect.
Fox Hart watched this with a “just as expected” look, spreading his hands as he exclaimed, “Told you! The Iron Fan Princess isn’t easy to fool—Su Fu’s finished now, she’s bound to be exposed!”
Ji Yao shook her head and added, “Indeed, without Red Boy it won’t work. Iron Fan Princess only lets her guard down around her son. Under normal circumstances, she’s far too difficult.”
“Now there’s no hope of borrowing the fan. If Su Fu can’t get through this, even saving her own life will be hard!”
Kofman sighed, “Such a pity, she was so close to succeeding. Now she’s there all alone—once her cover is blown… it’s all over!”
Chief examiner Murray also frowned in worry, “Now this is truly a thorny problem.”
All eyes were on the scene, hearts in their throats.
This was a gamble with Su Fu’s life on the line.
But then, they saw Su Fu remain calm as ever, lightly shaking the Net Bottle in her hand.
“Good, very good.”
Su Fu’s voice was like heavenly music, echoing through the valley: “If Iron Fan Princess truly cares for the people, this humble monk will naturally help—let me first ease your worries.”
She gently stroked the Net Bottle, and a mist drifted from the mouth, coalescing into a few sparkling drops of water, floating slowly toward Iron Fan Princess.
“This is Sweet Dew—it can cure all ailments and relieve all sorrows.”
Iron Fan Princess caught the Sweet Dew.
As soon as it touched her, it dissolved and entered her body.
In an instant, she felt her whole body relax; days of anxiety vanished, and even the exhaustion between her brows faded.
‘It was real. This really was the Sweet Dew of Avalokitesvara!’
Iron Fan Princess looked up at the Bodhisattva in shock, now utterly certain that this was truly Avalokitesvara.
But at that moment, she saw Avalokitesvara gazing at her with a half-smile.
Instantly, she realized that she had just tried to test the real Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva—her whole body went cold.
More importantly, from the Bodhisattva’s expression, it was clear she knew exactly what Iron Fan Princess had just done!
The string in Iron Fan Princess’s mind snapped.
She dropped to her knees and kowtowed repeatedly, “Please, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, forgive my moment of foolishness—I dared to test the holy Buddha!”
Terror welled in her heart—now she realized the stupidity of her action.
If she angered Avalokitesvara, not only would she suffer, but even Bull Demon King and Red Boy would be implicated.
Just then, she heard Avalokitesvara sigh, “I understand the Princess’s concerns. But I am disappointed. I came all this way to explain in person, yet your first concern was not the raging fire of Flame Mountain, but the safety of your Banana Leaf Fan.”
Iron Fan Princess was struck as if by thunder; her face turned ashen—so that was the reason.
Avalokitesvara cherishes all living beings, full of mercy.
Yet she had only cared about guarding her fan, ignoring the people’s suffering.
That was why the Bodhisattva was displeased.
Clearly, this was a rebuke for accepting offerings from the people, yet failing to fulfill the responsibility—never using the fan to put out the fire in time.
“Bodhisattva’s lesson is just!” Now she was truly convinced—this was Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
“If you had put out the fire earlier,” Su Fu said with a sigh, “would this humble monk have needed to travel so far?”
Iron Fan Princess blushed with shame at these words.
Every phrase was a rebuke for her dereliction of duty; her scalp tingled, fear welling up in her heart.
Wait… would the Bodhisattva punish her?
She hurriedly said, “It’s all my fault. I am willing to lend the Banana Leaf Fan to the Bodhisattva to help extinguish the great fire!”
A smile tugged at Su Fu’s lips, ‘success.’
***
Zhou Yu coughed twice, “Who said Su Fu was bound to be exposed?”
“Ahem.”
Fox Hart: “……”
He truly didn’t understand and asked, “That Sweet Dew… how did Su Fu manage to fool her?”
Everyone: “…..”
Don’t ask them—they didn’t know either.
“The key is,” Lina muttered, “not only was she not exposed, but with just two sentences, she dispelled all of Iron Fan Princess’s suspicions—and the Princess actually offered the fan herself!”
Just a moment before, Iron Fan Princess had been suspicious and tense, and exposure seemed imminent; but in the next, she was bowing her head, willingly handing over the Banana Leaf Fan.
Heavens, how was this even possible?
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