Chapter 1006
Staying True to One's Original Intention
Guanyin Bodhisattva, who stood to the left of the Buddha's seat, slowly stepped forward. She was dressed in white, as white as snow, and held a vibrant green willow branch in a jade vase. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her cool gaze swept over the Buddhas below.
"World Honored One, what Venerable Samantabhadra said is true." Guanyin Bodhisattva's voice was like a clear spring striking a stone, crisp yet tinged with coldness. "Just now, I used my wisdom eye to observe the lower realm. Jin Chanzi not only ate meat and drank strong liquor, but even his gait lacked its usual reverence. They were laughing and joking, where was the slightest bit of piety and asceticism that a pilgrim should have? If this evil trend is allowed to spread, I'm afraid that when they reach Mount Ling, Jin Chanzi will not be able to accept the Mahayana Buddhism, let alone save the masses of the Eastern Land."
The Buddha slightly raised his right hand, and his golden finger flicked lightly in mid-air.
"Zheng—"
A clear, ethereal voice echoed through the hall, silencing all the subtle whispers.
"Jin Chanzi descended to the mortal realm to undergo the eighty-one tribulations, to cleanse himself of worldly impurities and reshape his Buddhist heart." The Buddha's gaze seemed to pierce through the clouds, looking at Tang Sanzang riding the white dragon horse. "However, that unpredictable Chu Yang used the seven emotions and six desires, greed, anger, and ignorance of mortals to undermine the precepts in his heart. The sea of suffering is boundless; if one is unwilling to even endure suffering, how can one reach the other shore?"
Guanyin Bodhisattva bowed slightly: "World Honored One, that Chu Yang is eloquent and acts without any scruples. He is using the calamities we have arranged to manipulate us. In the battle of Lion Camel Ridge, the three demon kings were forced to kowtow and apologize in public. This matter has already been quietly circulating among the earth immortals and mountain gods in the lower realm. If we use ordinary demons to stop them, I'm afraid that the mischievous monkey and Chu Yang will become even more outrageous and cause trouble in the Heavenly Court or Mount Ling again."
“Not only that,” Bodhisattva Samantabhadra continued, the jade ruyi in his hand drawing an arc of light in mid-air, “that Chu Yang has already made Jin Chanzi doubt the ‘destiny’ of Buddhism. He asked Jin Chanzi ‘why not?’ Those four words were utterly piercing. Jin Chanzi now believes that moderate enjoyment is not unacceptable, and that Buddhism should be based on fate. Such unorthodox thinking is more terrifying than the sharp teeth and claws of any demon.”
The Buddha remained silent for a moment, and the entire Mahavira Hall fell into a deathly silence. Only the golden carp in the Eight Treasures Merit Pond occasionally leaped out of the water, making a soft splashing sound.
"Since ordinary demons cannot silence their tongues, nor restrain their hands and feet," the Buddha slowly spoke, his golden lips opening and closing, uttering words as clear as law, "then there is no need to send demons down to the mortal realm."
Guanyin Bodhisattva raised her head, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes: "What does the World Honored One mean..."
"Since they think this journey to the West can be carefree and filled with wine and meat, it's because the road is too wide and the Heavenly Way is too wide." The Buddha lowered his eyes, gently flipped his right hand, palm facing upward, and said, "Venerable Guanyin, go down to the mortal realm. Create a city on their inevitable path."
"A transformed city?" Guanyin Bodhisattva seemed to be deep in thought.
"This city must not have any demonic aura, any evil spirit, and absolutely no murderous intent." The Buddha's voice became extremely deep, as if containing an endless abyss. "The people in this city are all good people; the rules in this city are all ironclad laws. Doesn't Chu Yang like to find loopholes and reason with others? Then you shall establish the strictest 'rules' in that city. Once violated, you won't need to lift a finger; divine punishment will descend on its own. I want them to see just how fragile mortal desires are in the face of absolute cause and effect."
Manjushri Bodhisattva's eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands together in praise, "World Honored One, this plan is brilliant. Even if that mischievous monkey and Chu Yang have extraordinary magical powers, they cannot contend with the laws of cause and effect. If they break the precepts and cause trouble in that city, thus incurring divine punishment, it will be their own fault. At that time, Jin Chanzi will surely be able to see the karmic obstacles on their bodies and return to the Buddhist precepts."
Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded, her white robes fluttering, and gently waved the willow branch in her hand: "Disciple obeys the decree. However, how should the rules of this city be defined? What if Chu Yang sees through this illusionary city and takes Jin Chanzi to take a detour?"
The Buddha smiled slightly, but there was no warmth in his smile: "The city cannot be bypassed. Connect that city to the earth's veins beneath their feet. No matter which direction they walk, they will eventually step through that city gate. As for the rules... they shall be bounded by the five poisons of greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt. There must be no greedy things, no angry words, and no arrogant attitude within the city. Those who violate these rules will have their bodies weigh over a thousand pounds, and their souls will be as if they are being burned by raging fire. I will make it so that Jin Chanzi cannot move an inch within that city, until he understands what true asceticism is."
"Disciple understands. I will make the arrangements immediately." Guanyin Bodhisattva bowed her head slightly, and her figure slowly dissipated in a soft white light, transforming into a wisp of breeze and leaving the Great Thunderclap Temple.
A suffocating silence returned to the main hall. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva gazed in the direction Guanyin had left and murmured, "World Honored One, if Chu Yang were to perish under this heavenly punishment, would Jin Chanzi harbor resentment?"
The Buddha closed his eyes again, his enormous golden body appearing unapproachable in the Buddha's light: "The journey to obtain the scriptures is inherently a process of sifting through the sands of time. If a mortal cannot pass this test, it proves that he has no affinity with the Buddha and is merely a wisp of ashes on this journey. If Jin Chanzi harbors resentment, then let him meditate in this city for another five hundred years."
……
The lower realm is more than 300 miles away from Qingfeng Town.
Sunlight filtered through the dense maple leaves along the roadside, casting dappled patterns of light. It was early autumn, and the breeze carried a slight coolness, rustling the roadside weeds. A clear stream meandered along the official road, its waters splashing against the smooth pebbles, producing a crisp, tinkling sound.
"Brother, look at that big black fish over there! It must weigh at least seven or eight pounds!" Sun Wukong hung upside down from a crooked old willow tree by the stream, one hand gripping a branch, the other holding his golden cudgel. He pointed at a black shadow swimming in the water, grinning excitedly. "I'll go down and spear it up. Tonight we'll make fish soup, with lots of ginger, to warm our stomachs, how about that?"
Chu Yang strolled leisurely to the left of the white dragon horse, a blade of grass he'd plucked from who-knows-where dangling from his mouth. Today he wore a clean blue robe, and the seven-colored, shimmering sword of slaying karma hung at his waist. He walked with a swaying gait, looking more like a carefree young nobleman enjoying a leisurely stroll than a pilgrim on the edge of a knife.
Hearing Sun Wukong's greeting, Chu Yang spat out the foxtail grass and turned to Tang Sanzang, who was sitting on horseback, with a smile: "Brother Monkey, you'll have to ask Master about this. Master, you made an exception for us last night in Qingfeng Town. This blackfish looks really plump and delicious today, and the meat isn't greasy at all. How about we give it to him again tonight?" Tang Sanzang sat on the white dragon horse, twirling the string of polished sandalwood prayer beads in his hand. His complexion was much better than it had been a few days ago at Lion Camel Ridge; even the wrinkles that had always been taut around his eyes had smoothed out considerably. Hearing Chu Yang's teasing, he blushed slightly and coughed a couple of times, looking a little awkward.
"Benefactor Chu, please stop teasing this humble monk." Tang Sanzang's tone remained leisurely, but it lacked its previous sternness. "Last night's events were a special case. We escaped death, so drinking some warm wine to warm ourselves and eating some meat to regain our strength was a temporary measure. But today we have been traveling on a smooth official road without suffering any hardship. How can we indulge in gluttony every day? Amitabha, let's eat some alms-gathered food tonight."
Sun Wukong flipped himself off the tree and landed steadily. Carrying his golden cudgel, he walked up to the white dragon horse and pouted, "Master, you're being unreasonable. What do you mean by 'expedient measure'? It's only natural to want to eat something delicious when you're hungry! My brother said that mortals should have their own kind of fun. Look at you, you didn't eat less meat last night, and now that you've had a nap, you're bringing up the precepts again?"
"Wukong, don't talk nonsense." Tang Sanzang's ears turned red after Sun Wukong exposed his weakness, and he quickly covered his face with his sleeve. "This humble monk was... that was to avoid disappointing Benefactor Chu's kindness. Besides, these fish are swimming freely in the water, how could we bear to take their lives for our own selfish desires? Heaven cherishes life..."
"Hey, hey, stop, stop, stop." Chu Yang quickly waved his hand to interrupt Tang Sanzang's chanting prelude, walked to the stream, glanced at the black fish that had already swum far away, and said with a smile, "Master, if you don't want to eat, that's fine, we won't force you. Anyway, we still have plenty of dry food left from Qingfeng Town, so we'll just eat steamed buns tonight. But Master, I have to remind you, we're living too comfortably right now, and those eyes in heaven are probably not happy about it."
Tang Sanzang was taken aback, and stopped holding his prayer beads: "What do you mean by this, Benefactor Chu? Do you think the Bodhisattvas would blame us for not encountering any trouble?"
"Blame them? They'll only think we were sightseeing on our journey westward, not taking their 'calamity' seriously." Chu Yang leaned against a large rock by the roadside, gazing at the cloudless sky above, a cold glint in his eyes. "The Bodhisattvas went to great lengths to arrange their mounts to descend to the mortal realm, hoping to see us wallowing in the mud, to see us suffer a fate worse than death, before descending like saviors. And what happened? Not only did we not suffer any loss, we even extorted money from them. Do you think, with Bodhisattva Samantabhadra's protective nature, he could swallow this insult?"
Sun Wukong slammed his golden cudgel heavily on the ground, sending pebbles flying, and sneered, "So what if he can't swallow it? I'm not afraid he won't come looking for trouble! If he dares to release any lions or elephants again, I won't even let them kowtow this time, I'll just smash them into mincemeat with this cudgel!"
Tang Sanzang sighed with worry: "Wukong, don't be too bloodthirsty. In the end, we will still have to rely on the Buddha's protection on this journey. Benefactor Chu, in your opinion, is there perhaps an even greater danger ahead?"
Chu Yang dusted himself off, straightened up, and looked at the faint mountain shadows at the end of the official road: "There will definitely be danger. And I bet the next calamity won't be as simple and brutal as Lion Camel Ridge. Manjushri and Samantabhadra suffered a great loss, and Buddha Tathagata will definitely intervene personally. They know that force can't deal with us, so they might resort to underhanded tactics."
"Playing dirty tricks? How do you do it?" Sun Wukong asked curiously as he leaned closer.
“For example…” Chu Yang stroked his chin, looking thoughtfully at the surrounding environment, “They could set up an illusion array, create a maze, or directly use a causal weapon to trap us in a place where we can’t reason with them and can’t fight back. Master, you must keep your mind calm then, and don’t be fooled by their grand theories.”
Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and said solemnly, "Don't worry, Benefactor Chu. Although I am but a mortal, my faith in Buddhism has never wavered. If there is a true test, I will certainly remain steadfast in my resolve."
"I hope so." Chu Yang smiled noncommittally, turned around and took the reins of the white dragon horse. "Let's go, there seems to be a fork in the road ahead. It's getting late, we need to find a place to stay quickly."
The three continued on their way. The further they went, the more subtle the scenery seemed to change.
Originally, there were some messy weeds and crooked trees along the roadside, but gradually, the trees became extremely neat. The height of each tree, the shape of its crown, and even the color of its leaves all seemed to be carved from the same mold. The wildflowers on the ground no longer bloomed haphazardly, but were arranged in a very symmetrical pattern, with red, yellow, blue, and green clearly distinguished.
Even the wind blowing past my ears seemed to have lost its carefree whistling sound, becoming gentle and rhythmic, as if someone was deliberately controlling their breathing.
Sun Wukong stopped in his tracks, his golden eyes flashed suddenly, and two beams of golden light shot out in all directions. His brows immediately furrowed into a tight knot.
"Brother, something's not right." Sun Wukong held his golden cudgel horizontally in front of his chest and sniffed the air hard. "It's too clean."
"What's so clean?" Tang Sanzang looked around from his horse and thought the place was beautiful and exceptionally tidy. "Wukong, this place is lush with vegetation, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, like a paradise. What's wrong with it?"
"It's precisely because there's nothing wrong that it's so incredibly wrong!" Sun Wukong scratched his cheek in frustration. "How could there not be a single flying insect in this mountain forest? I just used my Fiery Eyes of Truth to check, and within this ten-mile radius, there's no demonic aura, no immortal aura, and even the life force of a living person is pitifully faint. But these trees, this grass, these stones, are all arranged so neatly, as if someone measured them with a ruler!"
Chu Yang's hand was already on the hilt of the Sword of Slaying Karma. He closed his eyes, sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy around him, then opened them, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Brother Monkey, it seems I was right. Those big shots in the heavens are really efficient; they've set up the scene so quickly."
"Brother, are you saying they're behind this?" Sun Wukong immediately became alert, leaning against the white dragon horse to protect Tang Sanzang. (End of Chapter)