Chang'e's cultivation level was naturally not something Marshal Tianpeng could touch. She easily dodged the onrushing Marshal Tianpeng, but the "Heavenly Charm Dance" that she was maintaining was also interrupted. Everyone present immediately came to their senses, but they were still confused. Seeing Marshal Tianpeng's lewd smile and Chang'e's angry face, everyone's minds were already confused. Stimulated by the dance, they regarded Chang'e as a saint. How could Marshal Tianpeng dare to lay a finger on her?
Immediately, the crowd roared in anger, demanding that Marshal Tianpeng be captured and punished. The Jade Emperor, who had previously appeared mentally impaired, was even more enraged. He shouted and summoned the spirit officials to subdue Marshal Tianpeng and take him to the execution platform for beheading.
Marshal Peng also came to his senses that day. He secretly realized that he had been tricked. Although he was very annoyed, he was not worried. He had a sage behind him, so Haotian would not dare to do anything to him in this matter.
However, he still put on a show of politeness, and immediately burst into tears, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was drunk and acted improperly. Please forgive me!" Although he did this, he looked relaxed.
The Jade Emperor on his throne seemed determined to punish him, ignoring his words and shouting, "Where is the Spirit Officer? Seize this scoundrel, for he has tarnished the reputation of my Heavenly Court!"
Everyone present was furious, and not one of them pleaded for Marshal Tianpeng.
Tathagata glanced at Marshal Tianpeng below and secretly pondered, "Marshal Tianpeng is from Laozi's lineage. Although Laozi doesn't manage much affairs, he is still a sage and values face the most. Haotian's actions are rather strange. Could it really be for Chang'e?" After thinking for a moment, Tathagata looked at Haotian strangely.
Seeing that Haotian was putting on a complete act, even Tathagata couldn't guess what he was up to. He thought to himself, "Laojun and I have been kind enough to pass on our teachings. If I save this person, firstly, I will repay the debt of karma, and secondly, Marshal Tianpeng, who commands 100,000 Heavenly River Navy troops, can be used by my Buddhist sect. This is a win-win situation, and it is a good thing."
At that moment, Buddha spoke up: "Great Heavenly Venerable, why be angry? Marshal Tianpeng was unable to control himself after drinking. Besides, people have seven emotions and six desires. It is not uncommon for him to be attracted by the beauty of the Moon Palace Fairy after drinking. Marshal has worked hard in the Heavenly Court, if not meritorious. Please forgive him, Jade Emperor."
After the Buddha said this, the people present had some different opinions. They didn't know what the Buddha was planning, but they could see that the Buddha wanted to protect Marshal Tianpeng. Considering the Buddha's status, the people also wanted to flatter him, and some celestial officials stepped forward to plead for Marshal Tianpeng.
Haotian sneered inwardly and said to Tathagata, "Our Heavenly Court was granted by the Dao Ancestor to perform the duties of the Heavenly Dao. It is upright and strict. This Marshal Tianpeng has violated the Heavenly Laws. If I do not punish him, I will lose my dignity. In the Buddha's opinion, how should this matter be handled?"
The Buddha said, “Marshal Tianpeng violated this heavenly law because his Dao heart was not firm enough. Our Buddhist sect has countless great methods to cultivate people’s hearts and merits. Now, the people of the Southern Continent are in turmoil and are not making use of their destiny. Our Buddha has great compassion and wishes to spread the Dao in this place. He has sent a pilgrim to travel from the East to Mount Ling to seek the Mahayana scriptures, so as to spread the name of our Buddha’s compassion. This is a great merit. However, such merit is too great. The pilgrim is also a mortal. The journey is long and the path is unstable. Marshal Tianpeng is also a person with some destiny. Why not let him escort the pilgrim to Mount Ling? Firstly, it will be a merit, and secondly, it will temper his Dao heart. It is a win-win situation.”
Upon hearing this, Haotian immediately understood that Tathagata also had his eye on the 100,000 naval troops. He chuckled inwardly, thinking that he had been worried about how to explain things to the Sage, but now that Tathagata had shown up himself, he was determined to make Tathagata suffer a great loss.
Haotian then said, “The Buddha’s compassion is beyond our reach. Marshal Tianpeng has indeed done some good deeds, as the Buddha said. Although he has violated the heavenly rules, he cannot escape the consequences of his actions. It would be better to send him down to the mortal world and let him return to the heavenly court after he has helped the pilgrims. This would also maintain the dignity of the heavenly court and ensure fairness.”
The Buddha thought about it and agreed. The spirit official then took the still confused Marshal Tianpeng down, but Haotian secretly used a trick to shatter his physical body and send his primordial spirit to the mortal realm to be reborn into a litter of domestic pigs. But let's leave that aside for now.
The Queen Mother of Yaochi was unaware of Haotian and Tathagata's respective plans. Seeing Haotian punish Marshal Tianpeng, she thought Haotian was striking at his love rival and secretly resented him. It turned out that Haotian had been too careful and had used a very secretive spell, so that no one else knew about it. Yaochi was also kept in the dark, which was unfortunate.
Yaochi was secretly furious. This woman, once angered, was naturally somewhat unreasonable. She glanced at the Curtain-Raising General standing cautiously to the side. This Curtain-Raising General was a confidant of the Jade Emperor, who had ascended from the mortal realm. He had attained enlightenment during the time of the Three Sovereigns. At that time, the Heavenly Court was lacking in talent, so he was highly valued by the Jade Emperor and raised as a trusted confidant.
However, as the number of people in the Heavenly Court increased, and the Curtain-Raising General was not very promising—not only was he an honest and unassuming person, but even after ascending for so long, his cultivation level had not improved much and he was still hovering in the Heavenly Immortal realm—over time, the Jade Emperor stopped paying attention to him. But having gotten used to him, he still assigned him to a position relatively close to the Heavenly Court.
Yaochi resented the Jade Emperor's change of heart. That's how jealous women are; they always need to find someone to vent their anger on. Upon seeing the Curtain-Raising General, she had a plan. Marshal Tianpeng had just been dragged away, and the celestial officials in the arena were somewhat terrified and their minds were a little confused.
Suddenly, Yaochi flicked her sleeve, her method strikingly similar to Haotian's. A spell struck General Juanlian, causing him to lose his composure. His hand trembled, and he knocked the fruit platter on Yaochi's table to the ground, where it shattered with a bang.
This was a trivial matter, and no one present took it seriously. However, the Queen Mother of the West suddenly shouted, "Hey! How could you, a celestial general, be so ignorant? You have broken my Heavenly Court's treasure, the Glazed Lamp, violating my Heavenly Laws. If I don't punish you, wouldn't it be a disgrace to my Heavenly Court? Guards! Seize this man and banish him from Heaven!"
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