Chapter 731
Tang Sanzang Slaughters a Fierce Tiger with His Bare Hands
She desperately tried to make the tiger struggle and flip the "devil" off its back.
However, Tang Sanzang's legs clamped tightly around the tiger's belly like iron clamps, and his left hand was incredibly strong, pulling so hard that it made her scalp tingle.
More importantly, she was currently using the Transformation Technique to transform the tiger. To ensure realism and to fit the "test" setting, she hadn't infused much magic power into the tiger's body, relying mainly on her divine sense and the tiger's physical strength. Faced with Tang Sanzang's illogical and brute force, she was finding it difficult to break free! If she were to use her magic to forcibly break through, she would inevitably expose her identity, ruining all her previous efforts and potentially leading to even more uncontrollable consequences.
So she could only helplessly and passively endure Tang Sanzang's furious barrage of punches!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Fists rained down, striking the tiger's head and back. Tang Sanzang was engrossed in the fight, his face contorted with rage, shouting incessantly.
"I told you not to break the precepts! I told you not to block the road! I told you not to frighten this humble monk! I'll convert you! I'll deliver you from suffering!"
Sun Wukong, watching from the side, felt his eyelids twitch and subconsciously swallowed.
He considered himself a ruthless killer... no, a demon slayer who didn't hesitate to vanquish evil, but he had never seen anything like his master, riding on the back of a tiger and using pure physical strength to "send" the tiger away with each punch.
The visual impact is even more shocking than when he smashed the monster with a stick!
'Goodness… this master… is pretty fierce…' Sun Wukong thought to himself, even feeling a faint… fear? No, it was awe! 'I, Old Sun, am supposed to be the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, someone who should strike fear into the hearts of all, so why does my master seem even more… more ferocious than me? This kind of master… seems… not so bad? At least I don't have to worry about his safety all the time, and maybe we can even fight side-by-side?'
He quickly shook his head to suppress these strange thoughts, and out of a sense of duty as an "apprentice," he spoke up to remind him.
“Master! Master! Mind your manners! Mind your manners! We are monks, we should be compassionate, this… isn’t this ‘liberation’ a bit… too ‘physical’?”
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang paused slightly, looked down at the tiger beneath him that had been beaten black and blue, bleeding from its mouth and nose, and was on the verge of death, and then looked at his own fists covered in tiger fur and blood. He seemed to think that he had gone a bit too far? But he immediately became righteous and said, panting heavily.
“Disciple, do not stop it! This tiger has broken the precepts first. This humble monk is using the appearance of a Vajra with wrathful eyes and the means of thunder to help it ascend to the Pure Land and escape the sea of suffering! This is great compassion!”
Sun Wukong.
"..."
You're right, you have the bigger fist, so you get to call the shots.
Taking advantage of the moment Tang Sanzang was speaking, the tiger mustered its last bit of strength, kicked off with all four limbs, and tried to break free of its restraints and escape.
It was terrified! If the fight continued, its divine sense would likely be shattered! It was so frustrating!
"Trying to run away?!"
Seeing the tiger struggling, Tang Sanzang was filled with rage and roared.
"You wretched fool! You dare to run away? This humble monk will not let you get away with it!"
After saying that, he gathered his strength and punched the tiger hard right in the center of its forehead!
"Boom!"
A dull thud, as if striking tattered leather.
The force of this punch was so great that it directly shook the wisp of divine thought that Guanyin had attached to the tiger's body, causing it to become violently disoriented and almost leave its body! The tiger's body suddenly stiffened, then its limbs went limp, and it stopped moving completely, only exhaling and not inhaling.
The wisp of Guanyin Bodhisattva's divine will, under the impact of the final punch, could no longer be maintained. Like a startled rabbit, it suddenly escaped from the tiger's corpse and instantly disappeared into the high-altitude clouds.
She didn't even dare to reveal her true form immediately. Instead, she hid behind a cloud, clutching her chest, still shaken and unable to calm down for a long time. The feeling of those punches landing on "herself" just now, though not painful, was still a shock and aggrieved from the force that stirred her Dao heart.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
Lin Zhu's voice, filled with undisguised amazement and laughter, rang in Guanyin's ears.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! What a 'Tang Sanzang punches Guanyin'... oh no, I mean punches the roadblock! The plot, the tension, the character arcs! It's a super-enhanced version of that Lu Zhishen punching Zhen Guanxi! If Shi Nai'an saw this, he would have to admit he was an expert and feel inferior!"
His tone was full of "gratification".
"It seems that Elder Tang has truly grasped the essence of 'the wrath of the Vajra,' inheriting some of the legacy of Monk Lu... no, some of the sages of the past: 'When you see injustice, roar out; when it's time to act, act decisively!' Moreover, his ambition is even higher, and his belief even firmer! Burying the heavens, burying the earth, burying all living beings... tsk tsk, what a vision!"
Guanyin hid behind the clouds, her face turning from white to green, then from green to black. Hearing Lin Zhu's sarcastic remarks, she became even more furious, her Buddha light flashing wildly.
She suddenly revealed herself, staring intently at Lin Zhu, who had reappeared quietly in the clouds not far away. Her voice trembled with extreme anger and frustration.
"Lin-Zhu! Was it you?! Was it you who did this?! What did you do to Tang Sanzang?! Why did he become like this... like this?! That power is not something an ordinary person should have!"
She strongly suspected that Lin Zhu had secretly tampered with Tang Sanzang, instilling some nonsensical "Buddhist teachings" into him or even using some evil methods to strengthen his physical body! Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain it!
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu immediately raised her hands in a gesture of surrender, her face showing an extremely "wronged" expression, and gave a triple denial.
"No! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"
He explained with a serious expression.
"Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, you're wronging an innocent man. I was merely encouraging Elder Tang to strengthen his resolve and forge ahead, not teaching him to fight tigers! His courage and... well, his strength in fighting tigers, must be the essence of Buddhist teachings that Elder Tang himself comprehended, or... perhaps some 'side effects' of the Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenating Pill?"
After all, that's an elixir produced by Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao), so it's reasonable for it to be potent enough to alter one's constitution, right?
"That's reasonable...!"
Guanyin almost swore, but forcibly held back, trembling with anger.
If the Nine-Turn Great Rejuvenation Pill could make a person incredibly strong and as violent as a demon, then it wouldn't be a holy medicine for healing, but a divine pill for body refining!
But she couldn't refute it, because there was no evidence that Lin Zhu had directly tampered with it.
She could only swallow her anger, while secretly feeling fortunate.
'Fortunately...fortunately it's just a transformed flesh and blood body, so even if I kill it, it won't incur karma, and it won't truly harm my original body...otherwise, I would have lost face in the Chaos Sea today!'
"Alright, alright, stop being angry."
Lin Zhu waved his hand and pointed downwards.
"Look, your Tang Elder... oh no, our Tang Elder is up to something again."
Upon hearing this, Guanyin suppressed her anger and looked down. She saw that, after confirming the tiger was completely dead, Tang Sanzang had rolled off its back, clapped his hands, and a satisfied smile of "mission accomplished" appeared on his face. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he produced a gleaming, rather sharp-looking small knife!
Under the astonished gazes of Guanyin and Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang squatted beside the tiger's corpse and began to dissect it with practiced ease.
His movements were swift and precise, his knife slicing through the tiger's belly, avoiding the bones and fascia. Blood gushed out, splattering all over his face. Tang Sanzang didn't care at all; he even stuck out his tongue to lick the tiger's blood that had splattered on the corner of his mouth, smacked his lips, and frowned slightly.
"It's a bit fishy, but it's full of yang energy."
He turned to Sun Wukong, who was staring in disbelief, and gave him a "kind" smile.
"Disciple, would you like a bite? It's very nourishing!"
Sun Wukong.
"!!!"
He abruptly took two steps back, shaking his head violently, his eyes filled with wariness and disbelief. Drink...drink raw tiger blood? Master, isn't your hobby a bit too wild?!
Tang Sanzang didn't insist and continued with his work.
He quickly peeled off the tiger skin completely, leaving it bloody. He held it in his hand, shook it, and then, with a gentle expression on his face, said to Sun Wukong.
“My disciple, I see you are shirtless. Although you look imposing, it is somewhat unrefined and might frighten passersby. Fortunately, this tiger skin is quite nice. I will make you a leather skirt. Wearing it will be both majestic and warm. What do you say?”
His skinning technique, so skilled it was almost outrageous, his composure in the face of blood, even tasting it, and his gentle tone as he spoke of making a tiger-skin skirt—all of this left Guanyin in the air dumbfounded, and then utterly enraged!
"Even the legendary butcher Ding's skill in dissecting an ox couldn't be better than this!!" Guanyin roared inwardly. "This technique! This efficiency! I wouldn't believe he hadn't killed a hundred tigers! Jin Chanzi! What exactly did you secretly do before your reincarnation?! Did you go to the Western Paradise to fetch the scriptures, or did you become an outlaw on Liangshan Mountain?! This guy's a repeat offender, isn't he?!"
Lin Zhu watched with great interest, and even patted Guanyin on the shoulder, saying with a mischievous smile.
"Calm down, calm down. Elder Tang is just in a 'bad' situation. When you're out in the world, you have to be independent and self-reliant. It's normal to have a little... well, a little trick up your sleeve. Look, he even knows to make clothes for his disciples. How considerate."
"This is what you call underhanded tactics?!"
Guanyin finally couldn't hold back and retorted in a shrill voice.
"Killing a tiger and skinning it, he does it with practiced ease! Without batting an eye! And...and even tastes the blood! This is not normal! This is clearly...clearly..."
She stammered for a long time, but couldn't find a suitable adjective. She only felt that the shock her Buddhist heart had suffered today was greater than the sum of the past tens of thousands of years!
"It's always good to have a skill to rely on when you're away from home."
Lin Zhu continued making sarcastic remarks.
"Perhaps Elder Tang was a hunter in the deep mountains in his previous life. It makes perfect sense that he was reincarnated with his skills."
Guanyin was speechless. She glared at Lin Zhu and then looked down at Tang Sanzang, who was diligently dealing with the tiger's corpse and humming an unknown tune. She secretly hardened her heart.
'No! This matter must be thoroughly investigated! After settling them in, I will definitely have a good talk with the Five Directions Protectors! This reincarnation of Jin Chanzi is definitely suspicious!'
Below, Tang Sanzang quickly disposed of the tiger carcass properly, sorting out the usable tiger skin, tiger bones, tiger penis, etc., and wrapping them in a large cloth.
He looked at the remaining flesh and blood, seemingly a little regretful, but after thinking about it, he decided not to waste it.
He took a deep breath, squatted down, and exerted force with both arms—
"Hey!"
He actually carried the remaining tiger carcass, which weighed over 500 pounds, directly on his shoulder! Although his delicate brows furrowed slightly due to the weight, he stood steadily and could even take steps!
"Disciple, let's go! Continue westward!"
Tang Sanzang, carrying the tiger's corpse, greeted Sun Wukong, who was still in a daze, in a relaxed tone as if he were only carrying two ounces of cotton.
"It's not safe to stay here for long; the smell of blood is too strong and might attract other wild animals."
"This tiger meat... we'll eat it slowly on the way."
Sun Wukong looked at his master, who had delicate skin and could pull a tiger with one hand, kill a ferocious beast with a punch, and carry 500 jin on his shoulder with ease. He also looked at the gentle yet firm smile on his master's face, and the face that was stained with blood but still looked "compassionate". Sun Wukong opened his mouth.
In the end, he could only nod blankly, shoulder the golden cudgel, and silently follow behind his master, who exuded an eeriness and power.
Under the setting sun, a handsome monk carrying a bloodied tiger carcass and a hairy-faced, thunder-mouthed monk carrying an iron rod, their expressions complex, embarked on their true journey to the West. However, this scene seemed slightly different from the expected "holy monk seeking scriptures, with a divine monkey protecting him."
In the air, Guanyin Bodhisattva gazed at the two receding, incongruous figures, speechless for a long time, feeling only that the future... was shrouded in darkness, filled with unknown violence. Lin Zhu, meanwhile, had long since vanished, leaving only a faint, wickedly satisfied chuckle echoing in the air.
On the desolate official road at the foot of Five Elements Mountain, Tang Sanzang carried the huge tiger carcass, which he had "physically exorcised" and which had been skinned and dismembered, on his shoulder, walking steadily ahead.
The afterglow of the setting sun gilded him with a layer of gold. If it weren't for the blood-stained, heavy "luggage" on his shoulders, his handsome profile and calm expression would have made him look like an ordinary traveling monk on a devout journey, as if the violent scene of killing a tiger with his bare hands, eating its blood raw, and skillfully skinning it had never happened.
Guanyin Bodhisattva, hidden in the clouds, gazed at the incongruous scene below, her expression shifting constantly.
A tidal wave surged within her; Tang Sanzang's dramatic change in temperament and abilities had completely exceeded her comprehension and control.
Her first thought was to immediately return to Mount Ling and report this terrifyingly unusual situation to the Buddha—there seemed to be a serious problem with the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi! This was no pilgrim; he was clearly the reincarnation of a god of war!
However, just as this thought crossed her mind, a voice that made her teeth itch rang out in her ear.
"Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, I advise you... to think twice before you act."
Guanyin suddenly turned her head and glared angrily at Lin Zhu, who had somehow appeared on a cloud near her and was watching the show with a look of amusement.
Lin Zhu seemed oblivious to the anger in her eyes and continued his analysis.
“Look at Tang Sanzang now, although… well, it’s a bit like performance art, isn’t his determination to go west even stronger? Isn’t he more courageous in the face of difficulties? Isn’t he more ‘caring’ towards his disciples? What does this show? It shows that he’s in great shape and full of energy!”
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of playful sarcasm, as if he were saying, "I'm thinking of you." (End of Chapter)