On Axel's other side, Eldest Sister lowered her head and secretly glanced at Second Sister's exposed foot before covering her mouth with a quiet laugh.
Noticing the reaction, Second Sister pursed her lips mischievously. She lifted her foot slightly and hooked Eldest Sister's skirt with her toes beneath the table.
At the same time, Fourth Sister shot Second Sister an annoyed look, clearly preparing another sarcastic remark.
But before she could speak, the main doors of Zi Zhuer's residence suddenly swung open.
The moment the doors creaked apart, all six sisters instantly stood up and turned toward the entrance together.
The Spider Sisters were genuinely well-mannered. Each one had her own personality, yet all of them carried themselves with elegance and discipline.
Of course, they were also strangely adorable whenever they accidentally fell from the ceiling after returning to their spider forms.
At that moment, Zhu Bajie swaggered out from the room and waved toward Axel.
"Great Sage Brother, did you eat well?"
Axel snorted.
"How was I supposed to eat properly? Half the dishes haven't even been served yet."
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"And weren't you two supposed to be reminiscing? You barely spent any time inside. These younger sisters haven't even gotten drunk enough for me to tease them properly yet."
"Heh."
Zhu Bajie grinned shamelessly and patted his stomach.
"What kind of joke is that, Great Sage? Do these innocent girls really need you to flirt with them?"
He gestured proudly toward the Spider Sisters.
"The moment you stepped through the door, these silly girls could barely stand still."
Then his expression softened slightly.
"I've been gone for too many years. Their mother had to raise all of them alone, so naturally they turned out timid and inexperienced."
Before he could continue, a slender hand suddenly reached out from inside the room and grabbed the back of his neck.
Zi Zhuer stepped out gracefully in her crimson wedding dress while squeezing his neck hard enough to make him wince.
Then she bowed politely toward Axel.
"This humble one greets the Great Sage."
Axel laughed heartily and walked over.
"Sister-in-law is truly beautiful. Old Pig really got lucky."
Zi Zhuer's cheeks flushed slightly.
She immediately smacked Zhu Bajie's back.
"Husband, behave yourself properly. The Great Sage and the children are watching."
After quietly scolding him, she bowed once more toward Axel.
Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie reluctantly glanced around the courtyard, especially at the wide-eyed Spider Sisters staring at him in shock.
Finally, he sighed heavily before black wind suddenly wrapped around his body.
Whoosh!
A tall and handsome man appeared where Zhu Bajie had been standing moments earlier.
His features were sharp and heroic, carrying the rugged charm of a seasoned warrior. He looked less like the sloppy pig demon everyone knew and more like a heavenly general from the Celestial Court.
Perhaps embarrassed from revealing his true form after so long, he awkwardly looked away and scratched his cheek.
"Great Sage Brother, don't laugh at me."
He grinned sheepishly.
"When I served as Marshal Tianpeng in Heaven, this was what I actually looked like. I'm not trying to show off."
"Yeah, yeah."
Axel nodded with an amused smile while studying him carefully.
That made sense.
No matter how chaotic Heaven could be, the marshals of the Celestial Court were still divine immortals. Even the ugliest among them would appear dignified in human form.
Only their giant battle forms or original bodies looked monstrous.
As Marshal Tianpeng, Zhu Bajie's status may have been lower than Erlang Shen's, but in terms of appearance, he was not inferior at all.
Unfortunately, behind that handsome face was still the same shameless old pig.
Meanwhile, the Spider Sisters were completely stunned.
Their mother's appearance alone had already shocked them.
They had never seen Zi Zhuer look this young before.
Back during the Journey to the West, Zhu Bajie killed six of Zi Zhuer's sisters. Although Zi Zhuer herself survived, he never realized she was already pregnant at the time.
Severely injured while carrying children, Zi Zhuer nearly died from her wounds. With no one there to save her, she barely survived by consuming the remains left behind after the battle.
By the time she managed to recover, the damage to her body had already become permanent.
When she later raised the Spider Sisters, she already looked worn down and aged.
So for the daughters standing there now, this was the first time they had ever seen their mother look so beautiful and dignified.
As for Zhu Bajie...
The sisters stared at him with even greater disbelief.
Second Sister tightly grabbed Eldest Sister's arm.
"Eldest Sister, I finally understand why Mother never forgot him."
Her eyes stayed fixed on Zhu Bajie's face.
"Marshal Tianpeng really deserves his title. He actually looks worthy of being a marshal of the Heavenly River."
She sighed softly.
"No wonder Mother still remembers him after all these years."
"Hey."
Eldest Sister quickly tugged her sleeve.
"Don't say it like that."
She lowered her voice carefully.
"Mother was never someone who cared only about appearances. Didn't she teach us that herself?"
Then she glanced toward Zhu Bajie again.
"If you ask me, even though that marshal acts unreliable, his heart is probably still decent. Otherwise Mother wouldn't have held onto him for so long."
"Haha!"
Zhu Bajie immediately seized the opportunity to join the conversation.
"You little girl really know how to talk."
He proudly straightened his robes.
"Your words truly warmed Old Pig's heart."
Then he shamelessly continued.
"Back at the Queen Mother's Peach Banquet, your mother fell for me at first sight."
He laughed loudly.
"After I was banished to the mortal world, she even followed me down here. It wasn't until I arrived at Spider Silk Ridge and noticed the rouge mark on her forehead that I realized who she was."
He sighed dramatically.
"Back in Heaven, I failed as a marshal. Yet after becoming a demon, I somehow managed to meet your mother instead."
Then his expression became more serious.
"But during the Journey to the West, surviving alone was already difficult."
At that point, he grabbed Zi Zhuer's hand and shamelessly pulled her toward the banquet table despite the increasingly cold look on her face.
As they walked, he spoke to Axel again.
"Good brother, forget the women for now. Old Pig will drink with you properly tonight."
He laughed proudly.
"Once the banquet ends, we'll move the entire family to Little Western Heaven."
He pointed toward the Spider Sisters.
"All the girls are skilled weavers. The clothes for your people can be handled by our family, and their craftsmanship definitely won't lose to Heaven's silk workers."
Then he grinned toward Zi Zhuer.
"My wife and I already discussed everything."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"Her body was damaged at the foundation level, right? Well, after that centipede demon stole my senior brother's relic, he temporarily left it here with her to help her recover."
"But she no longer needs it now."
Zhu Bajie proudly puffed out his chest.
"I already gave her the spiritual essence collected from those transformed Bodhisattvas inside my sack. The energy from the Four Great Bodhisattvas works far better than my senior brother's relic."
"Her old injuries are basically healed."
He continued proudly.
"My senior brother's six relics are also stored safely inside my sack right now. Once Erlang Shen and Bull Demon King bring back the remaining pieces, we can revive my senior brother completely."
"We just need to... hm?"
Mid-sentence, Zhu Bajie suddenly frowned and turned toward the front courtyard.
At the entrance outside, a pale-haired woman dressed in flowing moon-white robes stood quietly while staring at the trembling short staff in her hand.
She shook the staff lightly, looking confused.
"Little staff, are you certain Lord Fude is here?"
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"How strange. Isn't this place supposed to be one of the breeding grounds arranged by the Grand Supreme Elder Lord? Immortal Crane was sent here specifically because the Five Poisons are useful for alchemy."
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"So why would Lord Fude come here?"
Then she smiled softly to herself.
"Did he cause trouble in Heaven again and decide to interfere with celestial affairs afterward? If that's true, his personality really is straightforward."
With a flick of her wrist, she hid the short staff inside her sleeve before stepping forward and knocking gently on the front gate.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
After the third knock, she spoke softly.
"This humble Star Lord of the Moon has come to pay a visit."
She smiled politely while standing outside the courtyard.
"May I ask if the Lord of Blessed Earth and Heavenly Abode is present?"
Her gentle voice bypassed the entire courtyard and reached everyone inside clearly.
The Spider Sisters immediately exchanged confused looks and huddled together.
"Star Lord of the Moon?"
"She sounds important."
"Fourth Sister, don't say nonsense. She's a Star Lord from Heaven. Of course she's important."
"But why would someone like that come here?"
"And who exactly is this Lord of Blessed Earth and Heavenly Abode she mentioned?"
"Yeah, who is tha..."
Thud!
A sudden sound interrupted them.
The sisters quickly turned toward Zi Zhuer.
She had collapsed onto the floor while tightly gripping Zhu Bajie's wrist.
Tears streamed down her face as her body trembled uncontrollably.
"It's actually her..."
Her voice shook with panic.
"She still found me..."