Time flies, and several months have passed.
The westward-bound team has arrived at the Wanshou Mountain in the southern continent.
Along the way, the four masters and apprentices have witnessed too many human tragedies.
Wherever the calamity energy passes, all things become withered and silent, all living things turn into demons, and many once prosperous cities are now in ruins, becoming the nests of demons.
I don't know how much blood of demons has been stained on Sun Wukong's golden cudgel.
Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing had long lost their initial playfulness and laughter, and their expressions became solemn and murderous.
However.
The moment they stepped into Wanshou Mountain, a completely different atmosphere hit them in the face.
Here, there is no disturbing gray aura of disaster, no crazy roaring monsters, but instead, there is fairy air and full of inspiration.
It is a completely different world from the bloody purgatory outside.
"What a blessed place for immortals!"
Zhu Bajie sniffed and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Sun Wukong swept his flaming eyes over and chuckled, "Ahead is the Wuzhuang Temple of the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi."
Several people continued to move forward.
Before they got close to the ancient Taoist temple, the gate was already wide open.
Two Taoist children with celestial bearing came out quickly, followed by a group of disciples from Wuzhuang Temple: "Respectfully welcome the holy monk Xuanzang, respectfully welcome the Great Sage!"
Leading the way are the breeze and the bright moon.
Unlike the arrogance in the original book, the two of them at this moment were extremely respectful.
Xuanzang dismounted, put his hands together, and returned the greeting: "Thank you, Taoist priests."
Qingfeng and Mingyue hurriedly said, "Thank you, Saint Monk. Our master has been waiting in the temple for a long time. Please come in!"
Speaking of.
They led the way and welcomed the master and his disciples into the Wuzhuang Temple.
Inside the view!
A middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a khaki Taoist robe, with a gaunt face and three long strands of beard, was standing there with a smile on his face.
It was the ancestor of earthly immortals, Zhen Yuanzi.
Seeing Xuanzang and his companions, he smiled loudly and came forward to greet them: "Holy monk, you and I have known each other for a long time, and today I finally get to see the real person."
Xuanzang also smiled slightly and said, "The demeanor of the great immortal also impresses this poor monk."
The two of them had already become good friends through the Tianxuan Mirror for many years, and now they were meeting in person without any strangeness.
Sun Wukong on the side scratched his head. He remembered that he seemed to have seen Zhen Yuanzi when he made trouble in Heaven, but they were not close.
After they sat down, Zhen Yuanzi ordered people to serve fragrant tea and fairy fruit. He looked at Xuanzang and said with emotion: "I'm afraid the holy monk must have seen a lot of tragic things on his journey westward, right?"
Xuanzang sighed and said with emotion: "The southern continent has become a purgatory. I traveled west not to seek scriptures, but to spread the way of my Great Qin, where everyone is like a dragon, and to form a nine-state barrier to protect all living beings."
"Good." Zhen Yuanzi clapped his hands and praised: "Only the Great Qin has such courage and dares to fight against the catastrophe of heaven and earth with the power of a country."
Xuanzang asked curiously, "May I ask the Immortal, why is it that the Wanshou Mountain is not disturbed by the calamity and can remain intact?"
Zhen Yuanzi smiled slightly when he heard this and waved his hand.
Buzz!
The entire Wuzhuang Temple was shaken violently.
A pure white light curtain rose from the ground of the Taoist temple and spread out in an instant, covering the Wanshou Mountain Range that covered billions of miles.
Above the light curtain, the shadow of a holy and flawless ninth-grade white lotus slowly rotated, casting down billions of soft, purifying rays of light.
Outside the light curtain, thick gray calamity energy surged endlessly and attacked the light curtain madly, but was blocked outside by the purifying light and could not advance an inch.
Zhen Yuanzi smiled and explained, "This was given by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the Ninth-Rank Pure World White Lotus Formation."
Xuanzang looked at the holy lotus and suddenly he understood.
I see.
Along the way, he always had a doubt in his mind.
Why is it that during a catastrophe when everyone is in danger, Zhen Yuanzi and Queen Mother of the West are able to remain safe and sound, and even protect the lives of those around them?
Now, he understood.
All of this was within the calculations of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Wuzhuang Temple and West Kunlun are the two nails that the Qin Dynasty has driven into the southern continent of Zhanbuzhou and the western continent of Xiniuhezhou!
Just at this moment.
Zhen Yuanzi said to the outside of the door: "Qingfeng, Mingyue, go and pick five ginseng fruits from the backyard to welcome the holy monk and his disciples."
Qingfeng and Mingyue bowed in response, then turned and left.
After a while, the two men came back carrying a white jade plate.
On the plate, there were five fruits that were shaped like babies, with complete limbs and clear features.
It is the ginseng fruit, which blooms once every three thousand years, bears fruit once every three thousand years, and takes another three thousand years to mature. If you smell it, you can live to be three hundred and sixty years old, while if you eat it, you can live forty-seven thousand years.
Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing looked at the fruit with their eyes shining.
The white dragon horse was standing aside, snorting non-stop.
Zhen Yuanzi smiled and said, "Holy monk, everyone, please come in."
Xuanzang looked at the fruit that looked like a baby, without any pretense, he picked up one and chanted the Buddha's name: "Amitabha, I would be disrespectful to refuse it."
After saying that, he opened his mouth and bit it.
The fruit melted in his mouth, turning into an extremely pure warm current of life that instantly flowed through Xuanzang's limbs and bones.
His cultivation, which had stagnated on the threshold of becoming a Golden Immortal, actually showed signs of loosening.
Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong also chuckled, picked up one, and swallowed it in two or three bites.
Zhu Bajie was even more exaggerated. He stuffed the whole fruit into his mouth and swallowed it whole. After eating, he smacked his lips with satisfaction: "Good fruit! Good fruit! It's just too small. It's not enough for me to fill my teeth."
Sha Wujing and the White Dragon Horse also ate one each and felt relaxed all over and their magic powers improved a lot.
The scene was filled with joy for a while.
Just when everyone was tasting the ginseng fruit.
Look outside.
A Taoist boy hurried in and bowed to Zhen Yuanzi and reported: "Master, there is a Buddha light coming from outside the temple. It is said that it is the Tathagata Buddha of the Great Leiyin Temple in the West Heaven. He invites you to go to Lingshan to discuss the great Dao together."
As soon as these words came out.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became a little subtle.
Sun Wukong scratched his cheek and Zhu Bajie also stopped smacking his lips.
They all knew that the Buddhist sect sent people here at this time for more than just a discussion of the Dao.
Zhen Yuanzi still had a smile on his face, as if he had expected it. He waved his hand and asked the Taoist boy to leave.
immediately.
Zhen Yuanzi looked at Xuanzang and got straight to the point, saying frankly, "Xuanzang, I will not hide anything from you."
"Buddhism has already determined a disaster for my Wuzhuang Temple."
"They calculated that your disciple, Sun Wukong, would have an argument with my disciples because of stealing ginseng fruit, and in anger, he would knock down my ginseng fruit tree."
"At that time, I will be furious and capture you and your disciples. Then, Guanyin Bodhisattva will mediate and use the Three Lights Divine Water to save the fruit tree."
"In this way, I have done a favor for the Buddhist sect, and you and your disciple have successfully survived this disaster, and everyone is happy."
Zhen Yuanzi told the Buddhist sect's plan in detail without hiding anything.
The words fell.
Sun Wukong jumped up from his seat, pointed at his nose, and said in bewilderment: "I, Sun? Knock down the ginseng fruit tree? Why would I, Sun, do such a thing? Didn't you, the Taoist priest, personally invite us to eat this fruit?"
"Besides, I, Old Sun, and you, an old Taoist, are old acquaintances. How could I destroy your Taoist temple for no reason?"
Obviously.
Sun Wukong found this matter totally incomprehensible.
Zhu Bajie also muttered, "That's right, that's right, we are not robbers."
Zhen Yuanzi looked at Sun Wukong's anxious face and just smiled without saying anything.
He turned to Xuanzang and said, "Xuanzang, I have already told you about this calamity."
"Do you want to go along with this so-called calamity and play along with them, or do you have other plans? It's up to you to decide."
"As for me... since Tathagata has invited me, I have no choice but to go to this sacred mountain."
After saying.
Zhen Yuanzi stood up and bowed to Xuanzang, Sun Wukong and the others, saying, "Everyone, I am leaving now. You can do whatever you want in the temple."
The words haven't finished yet.
Zhen Yuanzi's figure turned into a ray of light, disappeared in the hall, and went straight towards the direction of Xiniu Hezhou.
In an instant, only Master Qin and his five disciples were left in the entire hall.
Sun Wukong looked at the empty throne, then looked at Xuanzang, and scratched his head: "Master, this...what should I do?"
Zhu Bajie came forward and whispered, "Master, how about... we just do as the old Taoist said and push the tree down and make a scene? After all, someone will come to clean up the mess in the end."
Sha Wujing stood silently by the side, waiting for Xuanzang's decision.
Xuanzang looked calm. He picked up the half remaining ginseng fruit on the table and ate it slowly.
Then, he wiped the corners of his mouth, slowly stood up, glanced at his three apprentices, and said with a sneer, "Acting?"
"I traveled west to spread the Dharma, not to be an actor for the Buddhist sect."
"In the way of our Great Qin, there is no need to compromise with anyone, and there is no need to act according to anyone's wishes."
Sun Wukong and the other two were all cheered up.
"Master is right!" Sun Wukong slapped his thigh, put the golden cudgel on his shoulder, and laughed: "I have long disliked those bald donkeys. They are always calculating this and that all day long. It's really not fun!"
Zhu Bajie also puffed up his belly and waved his nine-toothed rake: "Right! I won't act! Whoever wants to act can act! I, the old pig, have to hurry on my way to the West to spread the name of the Qin Dynasty!"
Xuanzang nodded with satisfaction: "This Wuzhuang Temple is now considered an ally of our Great Qin."
"Since we are allies, there is no reason to destroy other people's training grounds."
"We've eaten and drunk, and now it's time for us to set off."
After saying.
Xuanzang had no regrets at all. He directly jumped onto the white dragon horse and walked out of the gate of Wuzhuang Temple first.
Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing followed closely behind and left in a swagger.
From beginning to end, they never looked at the ginseng fruit tree again.
The so-called disaster, the so-called script.
To them, it's just a joke.
I will walk my own Yangguan Road, and you will walk your own single-plank bridge.
Fuck him.
…
Outside Wuzhuang Temple, in the clouds thousands of miles away.
Several Buddhist arhats and Jiedis are hiding here, closely monitoring every move in Wuzhuang Temple.
They are the "Dharma protectors" sent by Buddhism to "escort" the team heading west and ensure the smooth progress of the catastrophe.
According to the script, the Wuzhuang Temple should be in chaos at this moment.
Sun Wukong caused a big disturbance in Wuzhuang Temple, knocked down the ginseng fruit tree, and Zhen Yuanzi attacked him in a rage...
A series of exciting dramas are about to be staged.
However.
They waited for a long time, and when they used their divine sense to investigate, they found that the Wuzhuang Temple was calm, peaceful and tranquil.
No arguments, no fighting.
There wasn't even anyone speaking loudly.
"What's going on?" An Arhat frowned, puzzled. "Why is there no movement? Has the monkey changed its nature?"
"Wait a little longer," the leading Jie Di God said solemnly, "Perhaps the time has not come yet."
But they waited and waited, and still nothing happened.
Just when they were suspicious.
The gate of Wuzhuang Temple slowly opened.
Qin Seng and his five disciples lined up and walked out slowly.
They all had rosy faces and looked comfortable, as if they had just eaten and drunk their fill and were out for a walk.
They walked straight onto the westward road and continued moving westward without looking back.
The several Buddhist guardians in the clouds were completely dumbfounded.
“Leave…leave?”
"Just leaving like that?"
"Where's the ginseng fruit tree? Wasn't it knocked down?"
An Arhat rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and once again urged his spiritual power to explore the backyard of Wuzhuang Temple.
I saw that spiritual root of heaven and earth was still standing there intact, with lush branches and leaves, and full of fairy spirit.
Not even a leaf fell.
The face of the leading Jie Di God suddenly became extremely ugly: "This... this... how is this possible!"
What about the disaster?
Where is the disaster that was promised?
The script carefully arranged by the Buddha and Bodhisattvas was just... messed up?
How could they go back and explain to the Buddha?
The leading god, Jie Di, had a face so gloomy that water seemed to be dripping out of it.
They waited here for several days just to witness this carefully planned "disaster".
What's the result?
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they just walked away without even looking at the fruit trees.
What is this?
This big show hasn't even started yet, but the protagonist has already left the stage early?
Seeing the four masters and apprentices gradually going away, the Western sect masters had no choice but to send one person to go to the West to report truthfully.
As for the others, they continued to keep a close eye on Master Xuanzang and his disciples, waiting for further arrangements.
After leaving the Wanshou Mountain, Sun Wukong looked back at the paradise gradually disappearing in the mist, shifted his golden cudgel from his shoulder to the other side, and approached Xuanzang's horse, "Master, did you see that? When we were leaving just now, there were several bald donkeys with shifty eyes hiding in the clouds in the sky."
Sun Wukong grinned, his face full of gloating, "I guess they must be so angry right now!"
Zhu Bajie, who was listening from the side, also hummed and echoed, "That's right! You want to play me for a fool? No way! I'm Marshal Tianpeng, I'm very smart!"
Sha Wujing said nothing, just silently held the reins, but the corners of his mouth could not help but rise slightly.
Along the way, they had had enough of the Buddhism's omnipresent calculations, and now they were very happy to be able to overturn the table so cleanly and neatly.
Xuanzang looked straight ahead, his expression not changing at all.
"Wukong, we are envoys from the Qin Empire, not actors or actresses."
"Going west to spread the Dharma is the right path. Let others' calculations go as they please, and don't worry about them."
...(End of this chapter)
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