Chapter 723
Guanyin Performs a Seductive Dance in Shame and Anger
"You stop!"
Seeing that Lin Zhu was unmoved by reason or coercion, Guanyin finally lost her temper and shouted sharply.
Lin Zhu stopped this time, turned slightly to the side, and looked at her with a half-smile.
"What? Does Guanyin Bodhisattva have any further instructions? Could it be that you've come to a change of heart and are willing to stay and help us move bricks for a few days? We happen to be short of a supervisor."
Guanyin was so angry that her vision blurred, and she barely suppressed the urge to retaliate, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth.
"What...what will it take for you to release Sun Wukong? State your conditions!"
She finally understood that going around in circles, reasoning with him, or threatening him was useless; she should just ask for his terms directly.
Lin Zhu turned around, revealing a wicked smile that sent alarm bells ringing in Guanyin's heart.
He stroked his chin and looked Guanyin up and down. His gaze made Guanyin feel extremely uncomfortable, as if she had become a commodity waiting to be sold.
"As for the conditions..."
Lin Zhu drawled out his words, speaking slowly under Guanyin's tense gaze.
"Actually, it's quite simple. I've been busy with the construction of the Law Enforcement Hall lately, and it's almost the end of the year, so I've been thinking about organizing some entertainment activities for my brothers to add some festive atmosphere. Unfortunately, I haven't had any good programs yet."
He paused, staring intently at Guanyin, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
"Perfect timing, Guanyin Bodhisattva, you've arrived. Look at you, of noble status and outstanding temperament, and renowned in Buddhism as 'Wonderful Sound' and 'Avalokitesvara,' you must also be exceptionally talented in singing and dancing?"
Guanyin's heart skipped a beat, and an extremely ominous premonition surged into her mind.
Lin Zhu continued speaking in that infuriatingly easy tone.
"How about this, Guanyin Bodhisattva, just stay here and sing and dance for all of us brothers in the Nine Heavens Prison... Hmm, the requirements aren't high, the song should be cheerful, the dance moves should be fluid, and the duration should be as short as the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
"Once you've finished dancing, I'll immediately have someone bring Sun Wukong out and politely return him to you, ensuring it won't interfere with your journey to the West. How about that?"
He even added "thoughtfully".
"If you don't have a suitable costume, or you're not good at dancing, no problem! Our Nine-Story Prison can kindly provide costumes and props, and can even arrange for someone to choreograph a simple and easy-to-learn dance for you on the spot! We guarantee you'll dance in a way that's both... dignified and... festive!"
"..."
Dead silence.
Absolute silence.
Not only was Guanyin Bodhisattva frozen in place, as if struck by lightning from the heavens, but even the hundreds of law enforcers in the Nine-Level Heavenly Prison around her were collectively petrified! Their eyes widened and their mouths gaped open, as if they had heard the most absurd, unbelievable, and...exciting request since the beginning of time!
To have Guanyin Bodhisattva...perform a song and dance for a group of law enforcers...at the entrance of the Nine-Story Heavenly Prison?!
Want something more cheerful? A short time, like the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? Costumes and props provided?!
Nezha suddenly remembered his boss's obscure "poem" from before, something like "Buddhist chants accompany beautiful dances," "Ten thousand merits enter my pocket," "Superb driving skills must be hidden"... So that's what it meant!
Boss... Boss, you're too... too daring! This isn't just high-level driving skills, it's like driving a Chaos Chariot straight into a Saint's face!
Guanyin Bodhisattva stood frozen for three full breaths. Her face, which had initially turned green with anger, instantly flushed red, then turned deathly pale, and finally rose in a flush of extreme shame and indignation! She trembled all over, pointing at Lin Zhu, her voice sharp and distorted by extreme shock, anger, and shame, completely losing her usual composure.
"You...you're outrageous!!! Lin Zhu! How dare you...how dare you make such...such a frivolous, rude, filthy, vulgar, perverted, and shameless request!!!"
She was so angry she almost fainted! This was a thousand times worse than being forced to perform that so-called "Pure Land of Bliss" dance by some unscrupulous being in the underworld back then! At least that was in the relatively closed underworld, with a limited number of onlookers. But this was happening in front of a large audience, in front of hundreds of elite law enforcers in the Nine-Level Heavenly Prison! And the other party had even specially gathered so many people!
This is simply trampling on her, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the dignity of the entire Buddhist community, and repeatedly crushing it! It is an indelible disgrace that she can never wash away in her lifetime!
If she really jumps, she will become the biggest laughing stock in the Three Realms, and the prestige of Buddhism will be completely destroyed! It will be even worse than the time in the Underworld, because that time could be considered a "stopgap measure" or a "game," but this time, it is naked coercion and humiliation!
"Flirtatious? Rogue? Pervert?"
Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow, looking aggrieved as if to say, "How could you think that way?"
"I just wanted to bring good luck, add some auspiciousness to the soon-to-be-completed Hall of Law Enforcement, and also put on a show for the year-end party. Art is priceless, and entertainment is for the masses. Look, haven't you 'delivered yourself' to my doorstep? It's perfect for making the best use of everything... no, for making the best use of everyone's talents."
"A dance in exchange for a key figure in the pilgrimage, and a shift in the course of Heaven's will—what a worthwhile deal! If you don't agree, then this Sun Wukong…sigh, he'll probably have to stay here a while longer."
His shameless attitude of "I'm doing this for your own good" and "You've gotten a huge advantage" completely shattered Guanyin's psychological defenses.
She felt a tightness in her chest, unable to go up or down, and her vision blurred.
"You...you can forget about it! I'd rather die than..."
Guanyin gritted her teeth, her tone resolute, as if she truly intended to fight to the death.
Lin Zhu shrugged indifferently.
"Not jumping? Then forget it. Anyway, I'm not the one in a hurry. Nezha, see the guest out. Oh right, go back and tell Buddha that Sun Wukong is eating and sleeping well here, so he doesn't need to worry about him. I'll consider releasing him after Journey to the West is completely ruined."
Having said that, he actually turned around and made a move to walk into the prison, his steps leisurely and without any hesitation.
"wait wait wait!"
Just as Lin Zhu was about to step through the gate, he heard Guanyin behind him utter two words, almost squeezed out between her teeth, filled with endless humiliation and struggle.
Lin Zhu paused, a knowing smile curving her lips, and slowly turned around.
Guanyin Bodhisattva bit her lower lip hard, her originally crystal-clear teeth almost drawing blood. Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes were slightly red, and her body trembled slightly from extreme shame and indignation.
His appearance didn't resemble a Buddhist master who was awe-inspiring throughout the three realms; rather, it looked like a virtuous woman who had been bullied by a tyrant, had nowhere to turn, and was forced to submit... well, a virtuous bodhisattva.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and as if using all her strength, squeezed out a broken sound from her throat.
"...I...I'll jump! But...only this one segment! After you finish...you must immediately...hand over Sun Wukong!"
These words were spoken with an overwhelming sense of tragedy, as if they weren't agreeing to dance, but rather agreeing to die. A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Zhu's eyes, followed by understanding. The agreement... seemed to have gone more "smoothly" than expected? It seemed that things were truly getting urgent on the Western Paradise side because of the delay in the Journey to the West.
The fact that Buddha sent Guanyin was itself a sign of weakness and compromise. Guanyin probably received some vague instruction to "spare no expense" before she left, or she herself knew the importance of this matter to the Western Paradise and to Buddha, and had no choice but to make sacrifices.
This great Bodhisattva has now truly become a victim of the Western Paradise's dire situation.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?"
Lin Zhu smiled broadly, as if he had made a perfectly legitimate deal.
He reached out and grabbed at the air, and a golden rod, as thick as a bowl, with golden hoops at both ends and black iron in the middle, appeared out of thin air. He casually tossed it toward Guanyin.
"Here we go! Use this as a prop! It'll make you look even more imposing!"
That staff was none other than Sun Wukong's golden cudgel!
Guanyin instinctively caught it, and it felt incredibly heavy in her hand.
Looking at the Ruyi Jingu Bang, a symbol of untamed spirit and the ability to fight against heaven and earth, and then thinking about how she was about to dance with it... an indescribable sense of absurdity and shame almost overwhelmed her.
What terrified her even more was that this stick... was so big! So thick! What if she accidentally... while dancing...
The color drained from her face, and her voice became distorted, tinged with panic.
"This...this is too big and too heavy! What if...what if it gets swung around? It could easily...it could easily cause an accident!"
The "mishap" she was thinking of was clearly some kind of embarrassing incident that could lead to even more serious humiliation.
Lin Zhu was taken aback at first. Looking at Guanyin's terrified and indignant expression, as if she were holding a hot potato, and then at the golden cudgel in her hand, she suddenly realized that Guanyin might have misunderstood. Her facial muscles twitched, and she glared at Guanyin in annoyance.
"What are you thinking?! This is a dance prop! It's for you to hold up poses and increase visual impact! Who told you to actually use it as...as that?! Can't you think more rationally?! This is a proper artistic performance!"
"..."
Guanyin was speechless after Lin Zhu's sharp retort, her cheeks involuntarily flushing red again, this time purely out of embarrassment. So… she had misunderstood? She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt even more ashamed of her "unhealthy" association, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
She gripped the golden cudgel tightly, her knuckles white, her head bowed, not daring to look at anyone around her. At this moment, all she wanted was to finish that damned dance, complete this damned deal, and then immediately leave this hellish place that had robbed her of all her dignity, never to set foot there again!
Seeing that Guanyin had caught the golden cudgel, Lin Zhu realized the misunderstanding was cleared up. He then reached into the air and rummaged around for a few moments, actually producing a set of... well, a set of visually striking clothing, and a piece of jade that shimmered with a faint light.
He handed the outfit to Guanyin.
It was a black outfit with a certain exotic style, made with very little material, adorned with mesh elements and cute plush decorations... a "bunny girl" uniform? It even came with a pair of long, fluffy black bunny ear hair accessories!
At the same time, he placed the jade stone into Guanyin's hand and explained.
"A dance tutorial, just read it with your divine sense. It contains a complete set of simple, easy-to-learn, lively, and cheerful dance moves that are perfect for you... uh, for this kind of occasion, along with matching music and rhythm. Remember, it has to be cheerful, and last for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. As for the golden cudgel... just use it as a 'pole' prop, strike a pose, and add some... a sense of power?"
As he spoke, he pointed to the golden cudgel that Guanyin had shoved on the ground, clearly intending to use it as a prop for some kind of special dance.
Guanyin looked at the set of thin, almost transparent, black "strange clothes" in her hand, which were full of certain suggestive meanings. Then she felt the rhythmic information coming from the jade, which was obviously not from any orthodox music and dance in the Three Realms. It was full of strong beats and provocative meaning. Then she looked at the golden cudgel that was being used as a "steel pipe"...
Her already pale face was instantly covered by a thick, almost ink-like gloom! Shame, indignation, humiliation, rage, and a chilling murderous intent of having her dignity utterly trampled upon intertwined wildly in her eyes! Her hands, gripping the uniform and the jade, trembled slightly, the knuckles white from the force of her grip.
"Lin...Zhu!"
Guanyin squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth, her voice hoarse, like that of a wounded mother beast.
"You...you've gone too far!!! Such...such a despicable thing! How dare you...how dare you make me..."
She was so angry that she couldn't speak a complete sentence; she felt as if her very soul was burning.
This was a more specific and insulting demand than the previous one, which was merely "a song and dance"! It had completely crossed her psychological bottom line!
Looking at her expression, which seemed about to explode on the spot, Lin Zhu felt a tiny... well, perhaps a one in a million "conscience" unease? He touched his nose and tentatively said.
“Um… Guanyin Bodhisattva, if you really think this… this costume and dance are too… avant-garde and hard to accept, there are actually other ways.”
He paused, then put on an expression that said, "I really care about you."
"How about this, I'll give you a 'reduction' suggestion. You don't have to dance. You don't have to wear this outfit either. As for Sun Wukong..."
Guanyin suddenly looked up, a faint, unbelievable glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes.
"You can take Sun Wukong with you now."
Lin Zhu said slowly, and then, under Guanyin's surprised gaze, added the second half of the sentence.
"As long as you acknowledge that all the materials and Buddhist weapons that I 'fortuitously obtained' from Mount Ling in the Western Paradise were voluntarily, uncompensatedly, and joyfully given to me by the Nine Heavens Prison to support the Heavenly Court's law enforcement work and promote the development of art and culture in the Three Realms."
Furthermore, I swear by the compassionate heart of Guanyin Bodhisattva that this matter is absolutely true, without any coercion. The entire Western Paradise is completely convinced of this, deeply grateful, and will never mention it again. Moreover, they will widely spread the 'profound friendship' between my Nine-Layered Heavenly Prison and the Western Paradise.”
"..."
The light of hope in Guanyin's eyes was instantly extinguished, replaced by a deeper, almost despairing coldness.
She looked at Lin Zhu and suddenly stopped trembling and roaring in shame and anger. Instead, she became unusually calm, but beneath that calm was a volcano about to erupt.
"Lin Yushen, there's no need for further words."
Guanyin's voice was as cold as ancient ice, carrying a resolute air of "what's the use of trying?"
"Since I have come on the Buddha's orders, I will not leave empty-handed. The journey to the West is of paramount importance. Your conditions..."
She stared intently at Lin Zhu, each word spoken as if engraving hatred into the depths of her soul with a carving knife. (End of Chapter)