Chapter 1046
The Real Child
"So what do you mean?"
"What I mean is that you should prioritize your journey to the West."
“We’ve always prioritized the Western journey.” Chu Yang looked puzzled. “Otherwise, we would have stayed here for half a month already. We’re just staying for two nights and eating some good food. How is that not important? Does prioritizing the Western journey mean we have to eat grass every meal and practice asceticism every night? That’s just unreasonable.”
Master Xu choked.
He suddenly realized that the most troublesome thing about Chu Yang was not his sharp tongue, but his ability to make the most twisted logic sound like the most straightforward common sense.
You said the Western journey is important.
He said that he needed to be well-fed to have the strength to travel west.
You said that being a holy monk is not easy.
He said that precisely because it is not easy for a holy monk, he should eat better and live more comfortably.
You want to describe "enjoying pleasure" as "misbehaving".
But he somehow managed not to actually make a mistake.
He just made "living comfortably" sound like something that was taken for granted.
Ordinary people are most easily misled by this sense of "self-evident truth".
Because they are living in the most practical things like food, clothing, daily necessities, and rest.
Just as Master Xu was about to say something, someone suddenly rushed in from the backyard.
"Abbot! Something terrible has happened!"
Master Xu's heart skipped a beat: "What is it now?"
The kitchen helper arrived, looking flustered: "Wang Po and Xiao Liu are arguing. They're saying the money left over from buying the chicken yesterday wasn't split fairly, and in the middle of the argument, they even overturned the pot..."
Master Xu: "..."
Chu Yang exclaimed "Oh dear!" with a concerned look on his face, "Is it serious? Will the sweet soup be gone?"
The veins on Xu Guanzhu's forehead were bulging.
But the handyman instinctively added, "The sweet soup is still there, but half the chicken soup might have spilled..."
“No way.” Chu Yang immediately stood up. “I want to drink the chicken soup too.”
Master Xu finally lost his temper and turned around to shout, "Enough!"
The moment that sound rang out, the entire courtyard fell silent.
Chu Yang simply blinked, his expression completely innocent.
"Master Xu, why are you yelling?" He frowned. "The money was paid, the chickens were bought, and you yourselves are arguing over how to divide the chicken soup. Why are you blaming me?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the several "actors-Taoists" who were secretly watching the commotion from the side gate, under the eaves, and by the well all became subtle.
Yes.
They're paying you to run errands, and you're arguing over who gets an extra bite or a few extra coins. Why are you taking it out on the customers?
Master Xu suddenly realized that his shout had gone wrong.
Sure enough, the next moment, the old woman who tended the fire muttered from behind, "In the end, it's just that those leaders only care about ordering us around, and when something goes wrong, they push the blame onto us."
The sound wasn't loud.
But in the quiet courtyard at this moment, it was enough for many people to hear.
Master Xu's face turned black.
Sun Wukong stood to the side with his head down, his shoulders shaking violently, clearly on the verge of dying of laughter.
Su Wanwan tried her best to stay calm, her face almost contorted from the effort.
Tang Sanzang happened to come out from his side and saw the scene in the courtyard. He paused for a moment, unsure whether to chant "Amitabha" first or to mourn for the Taoist temple.
At this point, Xuanyun Temple's scheme to "provoke the pilgrimage group" has basically fallen apart.
But Chu Yang was clearly still not satisfied.
That night, he added the final touch to the fire.
He secretly called the two young Taoist priests who had gone out to buy things that day aside, mysteriously handed them a bag of candied fruit he had brought back from town, and then lowered his voice and said, "Don't tell anyone about this. I only asked you two for help because I like you. If I need to buy anything else in the future, I'll ask you first."
The two young Taoist priests were flattered and nodded repeatedly.
Chu Yang sighed again, as if he was in a great dilemma: "Actually, I originally wanted to bring something for everyone in the temple today, but then I thought about your abbot's temper... never mind, it's best to avoid trouble."
This statement was only meant to be pointed out.
But that was enough for the two young Taoist priests to conjure up a whole string of stories about how the abbot was stingy and domineering, preventing everyone from getting any benefits.
Meanwhile, Su Wanwan was also busy.
During her nighttime walk, she happened to bump into the two women who had always come to comfort her, and sighed softly, "Actually, Chu Yang doesn't intentionally ignore people... he's just sometimes too good at coaxing people. Whoever gets close to him is easily led astray by him."
Upon hearing this, the two women were first taken aback, and then their hearts skipped a beat.
They originally thought Chu Yang was good at coaxing Su Wanwan.
But after observing him for the past two days, it's clear that he's almost completely misled everyone in the temple.
what is this?
This is considered a countermeasure.
Moreover, it is the most shameless, the most down-to-earth, and the most ordinary countermeasure.
I won't hit you, I won't scold you.
He makes you buy chickens for him while simultaneously suspecting that your leader is distributing them unfairly; you want to complete the task while also being reluctant to put down the hard-earned money in your hands and the braised beef in your mouth.
That night, the Xuanyun Temple was a scene of turbulent undercurrents.
The leaders tried to suppress it, but they couldn't.
The people below wanted to pretend nothing was wrong, but they all looked at each other as if they had gotten a good deal or been cheated out of their own.
The instigation and divisive tactics that were originally intended for the pilgrimage group actually circulated within the temple itself.
In the west wing, Chu Yang was leaning against the headboard, slowly munching on the last piece of osmanthus cake.
Sun Wukong squatted on the windowsill, clutching his stomach and laughing until he was almost too weak to move.
Su Wanwan sat at the table, laughing and shaking her head: "How come I never realized before that you could be this bad when you want to be?"
"That's because you were inexperienced before," Chu Yang said.
"I didn't expect this either." Sun Wukong wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. "They originally came to sow discord here, but now they're about to break up on their own."
Tang Sanzang sat to one side, holding prayer beads in his hand, his expression very complicated.
After a long while, he sighed and said, "Benefactor Chu, this humble monk now finally understands what it means to 'return the favor in kind.'"
“Master, you’re not being precise,” Chu Yang corrected earnestly. “I didn’t try to sow discord between them, I just… treated them to something nice.”
Tang Sanzang: "..."
Su Wanwan almost burst out laughing again.
Meanwhile, on Mount Ling, Guanyin finally couldn't sit still any longer.
By the lotus pond, Guanyin looked at the chaotic scene of chickens and dogs in Xuanyun Temple reflected in the mirror. For the first time, her usually gentle and calm expression showed a hint of speechlessness.
The scene in the mirror was utterly absurd.
It was so absurd that even she didn't know where to begin her evaluation.
She had everything planned out perfectly.
Which words should be spoken by whom, when and to whom, which resentment should fall on whose heart, which guilt should weigh on Tang Sanzang's shoulders, and which awkwardness should be buried between Chu Yang and Sun Wukong and Su Wanwan... all were calculated in great detail.
As soon as Chu Yang entered, he first asked for roast chicken, then wine, then peanuts, plums, roast goose, sweet soup, and osmanthus cake.
He didn't even directly expose her scheme.
He simply dragged the whole situation back from "the mental torment" to "the distribution of resources."
Are you putting on an act?
it is good.
First, we need to clarify who runs the errands, who gets the money, who gets the chicken soup, and who gets an extra chicken leg.
The desires, grievances, comparisons, and injustices of ordinary people were all suddenly brought to the surface in these smallest and most mundane places. As Guanyin watched, she almost wanted to facepalm.
The Buddha's voice came from behind: "How is it?"
Guanyin turned around, gave a slight bow, but her expression was unusually complicated.
"...The bureau is ruined."
As Tathagata approached, he looked into the mirror and saw Sun Wukong leading three young Taoists tossing coins behind the woodshed. Chu Yang sat on the veranda instructing a young Taoist boy to go to town the next day, "Remember to buy soy sauce flavored chicken, not honey flavored; I want it salty this time." Meanwhile, in the kitchen, two women were rolling their eyes at each other over who should drink the leftover chicken soup from the previous night.
The Buddha remained silent for a long time.
So long that the wind over the entire lotus pond seemed to stop for a moment.
Finally, he closed his eyes.
“This child…” He paused, seemingly unable to find the right words for a moment.
Guanyin finished the sentence he hadn't finished saying.
"...They are really good at leading people astray."
This assessment might be considered harsh if it were applied to someone else.
But when it came to Chu Yang, it was so precise it was almost naive.
The Buddha did not deny it.
He glanced once more at the chaotic Xuanyun Temple in the mirror, and slowly said, "We can't keep it here any longer."
If they stay any longer, those mortals who were arranged to go in might be completely led astray by Chu Yang.
At that point, let alone completing the task, it's hard to say whether they'll even remember what they originally went there to do.
Guanyin also knew it was time to stop.
If this game drags on any longer, it will only provide more entertainment and laughs for Chu Yang and his friends; there's no point in doing it any further.
So that night, when the moon was high in the sky, she personally intervened and quietly ended the game.
Unlike when it arrived, it wasn't arranged in layers.
Leaving was actually quite simple.
A ray of her light swept over Xuanyun Temple, sending all the temporarily brought-in "actors-Taoists," servants, women, and Taoist boys away from the place without their knowledge, and placing them in a temporary illusion outside the mountain. She let them fall into a deep sleep, forgetting most of the absurd things that had happened in the past few days, and only vaguely remembering after waking up that they seemed to have had a very long, chaotic dream that always smelled of roast chicken.
The original Taoist priests, the old abbot, the young Taoist disciples, and the helpers who had been replaced were all returned to their original positions.
They were all fast asleep.
It was as if the Xuan Yun Temple had simply experienced a few ordinary nights in the past few days.
Nothing happened.
I've never bought a chicken, never divided the money, never flipped the sweet soup, and never played dominoes.
The old plum tree in the courtyard is still there, the big pot in the kitchen is still there, and the incense ash on the altar in the front hall hasn't increased by an inch.
However, when Guanyin stopped, she couldn't help but glance at the direction of the west wing again.
The window of Chu Yang's room was half-closed.
He seemed to be asleep, lying on his side with one hand outside the blanket, his eyes and brows quiet in the moonlight, as if he knew nothing.
But Guanyin knew perfectly well that this person was probably aware of it.
Instead, they know it, but they're too lazy to expose it.
Since the game was already over, there was no need for him to pursue it relentlessly.
Thinking of this, Guanyin felt an even deeper sense of helplessness.
She suddenly had a very subtle feeling—
What makes Chu Yang so difficult to deal with is never his ability to see through the situation.
Even if he sees through it all, he may not necessarily have to fight you to the death.
Sometimes he'll just smile at you and then turn your gathering into a roast chicken feast.
Thinking of this, Guanyin could only sigh softly and turn away.
The night wind blew through Xuanyun Temple, and the entire courtyard was silent.
The true Taoists slept soundly in their respective rooms, their breathing steady.
The white horse swished its tail by the hay trough in the backyard, while the white donkey slept sprawled out, occasionally smacking its lips, perhaps even smelling the aroma of chicken in its dreams.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
Su Wanwan was the first to wake up.
She was always a light sleeper, and she had a vague feeling that this night was unusually quiet, a quietness that seemed a little off. In the past, even in the middle of the night, there would always be some subtle noises in the temple, such as the fire woman getting up to add firewood, two young Taoist priests whispering to each other, or a young Taoist boy tiptoing to the backyard to check on the horses.
But last night, there was almost nothing.
A thought struck her, and she immediately got up, pushed open the window, and looked outside.
The thin mist in the courtyard had not yet dissipated, and the morning dew pressed on the grass blades; the world was as quiet as if it had been washed clean.
But something was clearly missing from this quiet.
She quickly realized what was missing.
It lacked that "pretended liveliness".
She immediately went out and knocked on Chu Yang's window.
Chu Yang opened the door before she could knock a second time, clearly having woken up long ago.
"You also think it's wrong?" Su Wanwan lowered her voice.
Chu Yang hummed in agreement, his eyes remaining indifferent: "Go take a look."
The two left the west wing one after the other.
Sun Wukong was already squatting on the courtyard wall, beckoning to them: "Brother, fox, come here."
Tang Sanzang also walked slowly over from that side, his expression showing a hint of surprise.
"I just went to the front hall to check," he said in a low voice. "That Abbot Xu... is gone."
“It’s not just him.” Sun Wukong pointed towards the backyard. “After going around, all those guys who were watching us, playing the coin toss, and helping us buy peanuts yesterday are gone.”
Su Wanwan's eyelids twitched: "Then what about the people in the temple now..."
"They're all asleep," Chu Yang said.
After he finished speaking, he went straight to the main courtyard.
Sure enough, the real abbot in the main room was fast asleep by the desk, his white beard almost touching the inkstone. He looked to be at least sixty years old, completely different from the middle-aged abbot Xu from yesterday.
In the side room next door, two young Taoist boys were also curled up in their blankets, their faces flushed from sleep, clearly real children.
In the kitchen, the person tending the fire was a real lame old woman with calloused hands; the person sweeping the yard was a skinny little Taoist priest; and the woman by the well who always came to "comfort" Su Wanwan was snoring on a bench, with drool even hanging from the corner of her mouth.
Everyone seemed to have been suddenly stuffed back into their original positions.
And he slept very soundly.
Su Wanwan stared at the scene in disbelief for a long time before finally coming to her senses: "They... they've withdrawn their people?"
“It’s obvious.” Chu Yang stood by the door with his arms crossed. “They probably finally realized that if they didn’t leave soon, those people from yesterday would be asking us today whether we wanted lamb skewers or braised pork knuckle for lunch.”
Sun Wukong laughed so hard he slid off the wall.
"I'm actually a little reluctant to part with them," he said with a laugh. "Those guys had terrible luck yesterday, but they were really diligent in running errands."
Su Wanwan couldn't help but laugh: "I thought they would at least hold on for two more days."
"It won't hold up," Chu Yang said. "The root of this problem is already rotten. Guanyin probably didn't expect that what mortals can't withstand the most is not great storms, but chicken legs and hard-earned money."
Tang Sanzang stood in the room, looking at the sleeping old abbot, and sighed softly.
"In the end, it still disturbed these true cultivators."
"No disturbance." Chu Yang glanced at him. "At most, they'll just get some extra sleep and wake up a little groggy. Compared to being used as a pretext for a scheme, this is already quite minor." (End of Chapter)