Chapter 727
Five Mountains Mountain Master and Disciple Reunited
Wuxing Mountain was originally named Liangjie Mountain.
In the past, Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace and was suppressed here by the Buddha. A golden Buddhist verse is pasted on the mountaintop, and the majestic mountain range firmly locks him in place.
Not long ago, Tang Sanzang, the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, arrived at this place and removed the golden seal, causing the mountain to collapse and the earth to split open. Sun Wukong was about to escape, but he scared Tang Sanzang, who was right next to him, so much that his soul was scattered, his physical body was damaged, and his primordial spirit left his body, staging a farce of "the holy monk being crushed into a monkey head mushroom", and the journey to the West was forced to stop.
Three days have passed since that farce.
The originally fractured mountain has been largely restored to its original state by Guanyin's great magical power. At least on the surface, it is still the majestic Five Finger Mountain, except that there are now scattered rubble and traces of freshly turned soil at the foot of the mountain. On the mountaintop, the crucial Buddhist verse gold scroll has also been "replaced".
Guanyin Bodhisattva stood in mid-air, her face still somewhat unnaturally pale, and a lingering trace of shame, indignation, and coldness remained deep in her eyes.
Before her floated a faint golden phantom of her primordial spirit, the still-unstable primordial spirit of Jin Chanzi after its damage. Beside her stood Sun Wukong, looking impatient and scratching his head, and Ao Lie, the little white dragon who had just reconstructed his physical body, looking listless and silent.
"Sun Wukong, stop moving!"
Guanyin suppressed her irritation and shouted at the monkey.
"Once I have restored Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit to its rightful place and stabilized his physical body, you must immediately step forward, follow the plan, become his disciple, and protect him on his westward journey! There must be no mistakes!"
Sun Wukong glanced at her sideways, picked at his ear, and said lazily.
"Okay, okay, stop nagging! Hurry up! I, Old Sun, don't want to stay in this lousy place for another second!"
He had just come out of the "comfortable" environment of the Nine-Story Heavenly Prison, and compared to this desolate wilderness, he naturally felt impatient.
More importantly, he was still pondering Lin Zhu's "twisted logic" and felt an inexplicable awkwardness about his upcoming "acting" career.
Guanyin was even more annoyed by his behavior.
This monkey is unruly, but we can't be too harsh on him right now, lest he give up. The Journey to the West is about to restart, so we must be careful in everything we do and avoid any more mistakes.
But this monkey... seems even more difficult to control than it was five hundred years ago? At least before, it could be threatened with the headband, but now, without the headband on, it's completely lawless.
She was troubled. Who could control this monkey now, besides Tang Sanzang, whose loyalty was questionable? Buddha? Buddha was currently overwhelmed with problems and probably had no time for such a "trivial matter." Herself? The humiliation from just now was still vivid in her mind…
Just as Guanyin was feeling depressed, Sun Wukong was bored, the White Dragon was wandering in the heavens, and Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit was in a daze—
A clear, cheerful voice suddenly rang out in the sky above the mountains and fields that had just returned to "peace".
"Oh, it's so lively here? It seems I've arrived at just the right time. Guanyin Bodhisattva, how have you been? This 'reconstruction' work is progressing quite quickly."
As the words were spoken, a figure in white robes gracefully arrived on a cloud, wearing that familiar smile that made Guanyin's eyes twitch, made Sun Wukong's eyes light up, and made the little white dragon instinctively shrink its neck.
It was Lin Zhu.
Guanyin's face turned completely black the moment she saw Lin Zhu; the shame and anger she had barely managed to suppress almost burst forth again! Why was he here?! This demon! This plague god! What else does he want?!
Sun Wukong grinned, scratched his face, and muttered to himself.
"Hey, Lin, what are you doing here? Came to join the fun?"
Lin Zhu smiled without answering, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room before finally settling on Guanyin's eyes, which were practically spitting fire, and he said slowly.
"I have calculated with my fingers and know that you are in a difficult situation. The restart of Journey to the West concerns the 'harmony' of the Three Realms. As the law enforcement deity of the Heavenly Court, I have come here to observe and see if there is anything that needs 'mediation'. Guanyin Bodhisattva, you wouldn't be unwelcome, would you?"
Above the Five Elements Mountain, Guanyin Bodhisattva was focused on the matter of Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit returning to its place when she suddenly heard that familiar voice that made her soul tremble. She was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and she suddenly turned around!
When she saw that white-clad figure leisurely riding the clouds, with his signature smug smile on his face, even with her bodhisattva-like composure, she couldn't help but cry out in shock, her voice filled with disbelief and a hint of indescribable... panic.
"Lin...Lin Zhu?! You...how did you get here?!"
Guanyin's voice trembled slightly, and she subconsciously took a half step back. A complex expression instantly appeared on her face—shame, anger, vigilance, and even... in the most hidden corner, a strange, almost self-destructive... small expectation was also mixed in.
The thought had barely surfaced when Guanyin ruthlessly extinguished it, replacing it with even deeper shame and indignation—how could she have any "expectations" of this guy? She was simply insane!
Lin Zhu descended from the clouds and landed not too far from Guanyin. As if unaware of the fascinating changes in her expression, he surveyed the "repaired" mountains around him and clicked his tongue twice.
"You've moved pretty quickly. This mountain looks brand new. But... it seems to lack a bit of life?"
Guanyin ignored his comments and stared at him as if facing a formidable enemy, her voice trembling slightly from tension and previous shame and indignation.
"Lin Yushen! This is the sacred ground where our Buddhist sect has restarted its Journey to the West! You... what brings you here?! Could it be... could it be that you still want to take back that... that set of... clothing?! Let me tell you, don't even think about it! That is already my... hard-earned money! No need to return it!"
When she mentioned "earned money," her face flushed again, but her tone was unusually resolute, as if the "bunny girl" outfit was some incredible trophy, and she was afraid that Lin Zhu would change her mind and take it away.
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu was taken aback at first, then chuckled and waved his hand.
"You think too much.
If you like it, keep it as a souvenir; I don't buy secondhand goods. As for the purpose of your visit…”
He dragged out his words, looking at Guanyin's tense expression, as if she were about to pull out her golden cudgel and wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace at any moment. He suddenly found it a bit funny, and his tone became more casual.
"Rest assured, I am not here to cause trouble today. On the contrary, I am here to 'help others'."
"Helping others brings joy?"
Guanyin's face was full of disbelief, her wariness undiminished. "You would be so kind? Help whom? Help my Western Paradise restart the Journey to the West? Lin Yu Shen, don't joke! The Journey to the West is of paramount importance and cannot withstand the slightest disruption! If you dare... dare to do what you did before..."
She couldn't continue; the humiliating memories of "that" past made it hard for her to breathe.
Lin Zhu shrugged, looking completely innocent.
"I always keep my word. I said I was here to help, and I meant it. Look, Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit is unstable, the Monkey King is bored out of his mind, the White Dragon is wandering off into the heavens, and you, the one in charge, look like you've got a long face..."
The scene of this Journey to the West reboot is far too 'discordant'. As the law enforcement deity responsible for maintaining stability in the Three Realms, it is naturally my duty to come and 'mediate' the atmosphere to ensure a smooth process."
He pointed to the faint light emanating from the Golden Cicada's primordial spirit floating in mid-air.
"Alright, stop standing there and get down to business. Administer your medicine and get back to your places. I'll stay here and watch, and I promise not to disturb you... well, unless absolutely necessary."
Guanyin looked at his "I'm just a quiet, handsome spectator" attitude and was completely skeptical, but the mission was already underway and the restart of the Journey to the West could not be delayed.
She gritted her teeth, glared at Lin Zhu fiercely, her eyes seeming to say, "You just wait, I'll settle the score later," before barely managing to suppress the turmoil in her heart and refocus her attention on the matter at hand.
She carefully took out a golden pill the size of a longan from the clean bottle, exuding a rich medicinal fragrance and vibrant vitality—it was the Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenation Pill that she had "exchanged" from Lin Zhu.
She used her magic to hold the pill and slowly sent it to the faint phantom of Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit.
Upon touching the primordial spirit, the elixir instantly transformed into strands of incomparably pure golden medicinal power, merging into it like sweet rain.
The primordial spirit, which had been in a daze and dim in its light, absorbed the medicinal power rapidly, like rain after a long drought, and its light gradually became solid and bright. Its form also underwent a miraculous change, slowly shrinking and solidifying, and finally transforming into a palm-sized, golden, and mysterious Buddhist pattern-covered phantom... a cicada shell? It floated quietly, no longer drifting aimlessly.
At the same time, in the rubble at the foot of the mountain below, the body of Tang Sanzang, which had been lifeless and covered in wounds, began to recover its vitality at a visible speed, like a withered tree coming back to life! His pale face quickly regained its color, his tattered cassock repaired itself, his wounds healed, scabbed over, and fell off rapidly, and even his previously scattered soul seemed to be gathered and stabilized by an invisible force.
A moment later, the body jolted violently, its eyelids twitched a few times, and it slowly opened its eyes.
Those were eyes... filled with pure confusion and emptiness. Tang Sanzang sat up, looking around blankly at the unfamiliar, desolate mountains and wilderness, at the Guanyin statue floating in the air, at the hairy-faced, thunder-mouthed monk carrying a staff beside him, at the listless white dragon horse in the distance, and further away, at the smiling white-robed immortal...
"Who...who am I? Where...where am I? And who...who are you?"
Tang Sanzang's voice was dry and hoarse, filled with confusion and unease, like a newborn baby who knew nothing about the world.
The Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenation Pill saved his life and stabilized his primordial spirit and physical body, but it also caused him to lose his previous memories.
Guanyin, hidden in the shadows, saw that Jin Chanzi's primordial spirit had successfully transformed into a cicada shell and gone into stillness, and that Tang Sanzang's physical body had been restored to its original state and successfully "awakened." She finally breathed a long sigh of relief, and even felt a touch of emotion—the Journey to the West had finally seen hope again! No matter how tortuous and humiliating the process, at least the first step had been successful!
However, before she could even catch her breath, she saw Sun Wukong, who had been bored and even poking ants on the ground with his golden cudgel, suddenly react to Tang Sanzang's "awakening." He picked up his cudgel and walked curiously toward Tang Sanzang.
Guanyin's heart leaped into her throat again! She hadn't forgotten how the monkey's escape had been so commotion that it had scared the poor holy monk half to death! Now that Sun Wukong was approaching, what if the amnesiac monk was further agitated, or the monkey suddenly became displeased...
She focused intently, subtly raising her magical power, ready to intervene at any moment to prevent any unexpected events from occurring.
Tang Sanzang saw a "monster" with a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth, carrying a gleaming iron rod, walking towards him, and instinctively felt a chill in his heart!
Especially when Sun Wukong approached, a fragmented image seemed to flash through his empty mind—a huge staff shadow crashed down, the sky collapsed and the earth cracked, endless fear... Although he wasn't directly hit, the terrifying scene and the feeling of being on the verge of death were deeply imprinted in his subconscious!
"what!"
Tang Sanzang screamed, clutching his head with both hands. He felt a splitting headache, as if countless needles were piercing him! He was so frightened that he trembled all over, staggered backward, and fell to the ground with a thud. He clutched his head, trembling, and pleaded incoherently.
"No...don't come any closer! Don't hit me! I...I've seen...I've seen so many people being...being...by monsters... Waaah..."
He seemed to recall some horrific scenes of witnessing others being harmed by monsters, which intensified his fear.
Sun Wukong walked up to him and looked at his cowardly and tearful appearance, a strange look appearing on his monkey face.
Is this the master I'm supposed to protect? Why is he acting like a frightened rabbit? He's much more cowardly than he was in the Ninth Heavenly Prison!
Guanyin watched anxiously from the side. What was this monkey standing there for? Why wasn't he hurrying up and following the plan to become a disciple and to say nice things to appease him?! She couldn't help but cast a pleading look at Lin Zhu. Although she was extremely unwilling, it seemed that only this "plague god" could control the monkey right now.
"Lin Yushen!"
Guanyin lowered her voice, her tone carrying a hint of anxiety and pleading.
"Quickly! Make that monkey do as planned! Don't frighten the holy monk any further!"
Lin Zhu, however, seemed oblivious to her anxiety. Instead, he crossed his arms and watched with a leisurely air, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Plan? What plan? What business is it of mine? The monkey isn't my pet, why should I order it around? To get him to cooperate, it has to be a matter of mutual consent and respect."
Guanyin was so angry at his shameless words that she almost fainted, and she said angrily.
"You...you just said you were coming to help?! If you don't act now, when will you?! Are you going back on your word?!"
"Even when it comes to helping, it depends on how you help."
Lin Zhu stroked his chin, a wicked glint in his eyes, and suddenly lowered his voice, speaking in a tone only Guanyin could hear, and said mischievously.
"Alright, Guanyin Bodhisattva, you beg me. Hmm... call me 'Daddy,' and I'll make the monkey cooperate obediently, how about that?"
"you……!!!"
Guanyin's pupils dilated instantly, her face turning from white to red, then to green, and finally as black as the bottom of a pot! An indescribable flame of shame, rage, and utter humiliation almost burned away her reason! She pointed at Lin Zhu, her fingers trembling like leaves in the wind, her voice sharp and distorted with extreme anger.
"Lin Zhu! You...you are shameless! Vulgar! Rogue! Scoundrel! I...I will never forgive you!! If you dare to spout nonsense again, I...I will..." (End of Chapter)