Chapter 736
Guanyin Sends Treasure to Stabilize the Situation
Below, night deepened, and the mountains and forests were silent, save for the rustling of Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong's footsteps and the occasional low murmur of Tang Sanzang explaining his new insights into the "Buddhist teachings of the underworld" to Sun Wukong. Guanyin, hidden behind distant clouds, forced herself to stay alert, calculating the opportune moment, her expression still not pleasant.
Silent all night.
The next day, the sun rose, dispelling the thin mist in the forest. Although the master and disciple had traveled all night, they were in surprisingly good spirits, especially Tang Sanzang, who seemed to have inexhaustible energy. He ate cold tiger meat as he walked, and occasionally fed Sun Wukong some "chicken soup for the soul" and "twisted Buddhist teachings".
Hidden in the shadows, Guanyin, after a night of calm reflection and calculation, felt the time was ripe. Sun Wukong had just escaped his predicament and had "found a renowned master," learning "new Buddhist teachings." He was now arrogant and needed to be "disciplined" and "set up with rules." As part of the original plan, it was time to move on to the next step.
Her gaze turned slightly cold as she looked towards a bend in a mountain valley ahead, where the terrain was somewhat treacherous, with dense forests and grass.
Just as Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong were about to pass the corner, they suddenly heard a sharp, strange whistling sound from the bushes by the roadside!
Followed by.
Six figures suddenly appeared, lined up in a row, and blocked the middle of the road!
Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong were traveling together, discussing the issue of "Buddhist practice" after "indulging in wine and meat" with great enthusiasm, when suddenly a sharp whistle came from the bushes by the roadside, like a wild dog whose tail had been stepped on, and six figures sprang out.
They lined up in a row with a "whoosh" and blocked the middle of the road, effectively shutting out the way.
These six men varied in height and build, but all were strangely shaped, with faces that were either ferocious or lewd. They wore tattered coarse cloth clothes and carried rusty machetes, chipped spears, and even a pitchfork and a rolling pin. They looked exactly like desperate, impoverished bandits.
They stared wide-eyed, baring their yellow teeth, trying their best to make fierce and menacing expressions.
If an ordinary wandering monk had seen this scene, he would probably have been terrified, prostrating himself and begging for his life. But when Tang Sanzang saw it, he was not alarmed at all. Instead, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered some rare treasure, and a strange smile appeared on his face, a mixture of excitement and "this child is teachable."
"Wonderful! Look, my disciple!"
Tang Sanzang nudged Sun Wukong beside him with his elbow, lowered his voice, and said in a tone full of joy that "teaching materials have been delivered to his door."
"In this desolate wilderness, rarely visited by humans, there are six... well, uniquely dressed benefactors blocking the way."
Isn't this the perfect opportunity to test our Buddhist resolve and put into practice the essence of 'abstaining from others killing, stealing from, or harming me'? It's practically a divinely ordained lesson!
Just as he was secretly gloating, the six bandits, following their "business procedure," began shouting in their hoarse voices. The leader, a one-eyed man, brandished a chipped machete, spitting as he yelled.
"Hey! You monk up ahead! And you weirdo with the hairy face and thunderous mouth! If you know what's good for you, leave your horses, luggage, and all the money on you to us! We'll spare your lives! Otherwise, we'll kill you and leave you to rot in the wilderness, your souls scattered to the winds!"
Horses? Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong exchanged a glance and were both taken aback.
Where did they get their horses?
Sun Wukong scratched his face, blinked his golden eyes, and kindly reminded him.
"Hey, you bunch of blind fools, are you blind? My master walks, and I, Old Sun, also rely on my legs. Where would you get a horse to steal?"
He paused, as if remembering something, and added.
"Oh, the horse you're talking about, is it that one? The wild horse that Master casually picked up from that mountain valley last night to use as a mount? It disappeared before dawn, and it's probably heading back to its hometown by now."
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang remained unfazed and even nodded, saying to Sun Wukong.
"My disciple has a good memory."
That horse was wild and untamed, and my connection with it was shallow; so it went and went.
It was as if casually taking a horse was the most normal thing in the world.
The six bandits were speechless at Sun Wukong's words, and the one-eyed man was especially enraged, feeling that his professional dignity had been insulted.
"Enough nonsense! No horse? Then leave your bundle behind! And that monk's staff looks like bronze; it should be worth a few coins!"
Tang Sanzang ignored their clamor and instead stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the six people like a butcher eyeing lambs to the slaughter, his calmness chilling.
"You six, who make a living by robbing highwaymen here, must all have some 'skills'. I ask you, how good are your martial arts? Have you studied under a famous master? Do you practice external hard skills or internal energy cultivation? What school or style of swordsmanship and spear techniques do you use?"
The question left the six thieves looking at each other, completely baffled.
This monk didn't beg for mercy or ask where they came from; instead, he became interested in their martial arts skills. Could he be a martial arts fanatic?
Sun Wukong found it amusing, but he could also tell that these six people were just ordinary people who had practiced martial arts for a few days and whose qi and blood were slightly stronger than the average person. They were not even the lowest level of Qi cultivators.
He was worried that Tang Sanzang's enthusiasm for "teaching" was too much and that he might make a mistake... Although his master's strength in fighting the tiger was frightening, after all, two fists can't fight four hands, and even a hero can't withstand a pack of wolves, so he spoke up to advise him.
“Master, they are just six petty thieves, ordinary people, like ants. Why should you lower yourself to their level? What if you get hurt? Wouldn’t that be bad luck? I think we should just scare them away.”
His words were meant to remind Tang Sanzang that the other party was a mortal, and to be careful not to kill him and incur karma. But Tang Sanzang heard them in a different way.
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang not only did not back down, but became even more smug, raising his head slightly as if to say, "I am a master who keeps his abilities hidden."
“My disciple, you underestimate your master. This ‘Buddhist teaching’ of mine is not something to be taken lightly!”
Having said that, he suddenly took a step forward, and the nine-ringed tin staff in his hand slammed into the ground with a "thud," causing the ground to tremble slightly.
He held his staff in one hand, pointing it at the six thieves opposite him. His face suddenly turned stern, and his previous interest in "teaching" turned into icy anger. His voice was like the clang of metal.
"Hey! You six thieves, state your names! Let this humble monk know which wandering ghosts you are performing the ritual for today!"
This aura, this tone—it doesn't sound like a monk at all; it's clearly a mountain bandit chief challenging others!
The six bandits were also taken aback by his sudden murderous aura, but their courage returned because of their numbers and the fact that their opponent was just a delicate monk. The one-eyed man grinned maliciously, seemingly thinking that announcing his name would intimidate them more, so he pointed at them one by one using their usual nicknames and shouted loudly.
"Listen up! Grandfathers don't change their names or surnames! I am 'Yan Kan happy'!"
He pointed at a skinny man with squinty eyes and a greedy look.
"This is 'Anger Upon Hearing'!"
A burly man with unusually large ears who cannot tolerate dissenting opinions.
"That's 'love through smell'!"
A man with a bright red nose and a bulbous nose who was always sniffing around. "This 'Tongue-Tasting Master'!"
A fat man who always licks his lips and is greedy for good food.
"And there's a 'desire for opinions'!"
A sharp-mouthed, monkey-faced man with shifty eyes who always nitpicks and offers his opinions.
"Finally, there's our boss, 'in distress'!"
The one-eyed man finally pointed to a gaunt old man who always looked worried and seemed to be feeling unwell.
The six names that were uttered sounded strange, like nicknames that had been made up on the spot, yet they seemed to subtly resonate with certain senses and emotions.
However, Tang Sanzang, whose killing intent was at its peak and who only wanted to find a "lesson plan" to practice "Buddhism," had no time to ponder the deeper meaning of these names. He only found the six names noisy and laughable. After hearing them, he simply snorted coldly, slammed his staff down again, and said in a chilling voice.
"The eyes see joy, the ears hear anger, the nose smells love, the tongue tastes thought, the mind desires, the body is inherently sorrowful... Such fancy names! Never mind, this humble monk is too lazy to remember them. Since you dare to block my way, you have violated a major precept of Buddhism."
Today, I present you with two choices—whether you wish to be cremated on the spot by this humble monk's 'Vajra Wrath,' or to be converted by this humble monk's 'Supreme Dharma,' repent and turn over a new leaf, and take refuge in the Buddha?"
His words were menacing, yet he was also a monk, making them sound particularly eerie.
The word "redemption" coming from his mouth sounded exactly like a synonym for "physical annihilation."
The six thieves were stunned by his menacing and cryptic words, and had not yet fully realized whether the monk wanted to reason with them or take action.
The one-eyed man, "Yan Kan happy," was the first to lose patience. He felt that the monk was being deliberately mysterious, so he steeled himself and roared.
"Brothers! Stop wasting time talking to this crazy monk! Charge! Chop him down, and all the loot will be ours!"
"kill!"
The other five thieves also shouted in unison, brandishing their broken copper and scrap iron, and rushed towards Tang Sanzang in a swarm! Although they had no strategy, the six of them charging together did create quite a stir.
"Master, be careful!"
Seeing this, Sun Wukong tightened his grip on his golden cudgel, ready to step forward. Although he knew these mortals couldn't harm his current master, out of a sense of duty as a "disciple," he still decided to deal with them to avoid dirtying his master's hands.
"Disciple, wait!"
Tang Sanzang, however, gave a low shout and stopped him.
He glanced back at Sun Wukong, and a hint of "kindness" and "responsibility" appeared in his eyes.
"How can I let you do such dirty and tiring work? With your master here, you should step back and observe how your master uses 'Buddhist teachings' to subdue demons!"
Sun Wukong was taken aback by his gaze and words, and a strange feeling of...感动 welled up in his heart? Was Master going to protect me? Was he going to demonstrate for me personally?
He scratched his face, feeling that the target of his "demon-slaying" was far too weak, but he still stopped as instructed, took two steps back, planted the golden cudgel on the ground, and truly adopted a posture of "observing and learning".
In the blink of an eye, the six thieves had rushed forward, wildly wielding knives, spears, and clubs at Tang Sanzang.
A fierce glint flashed in Tang Sanzang's eyes, and he let out a low, thunderous roar.
"court death!"
He gripped the middle of the nine-ringed staff with both hands, neither dodging nor avoiding, and met the one-eyed dragon "Yan Kan happy" who was charging first with a sudden, unpretentious sweeping blow!
The staff in his hand seemed less like a monk's staff and more like a massive siege weapon! The staff sliced through the air with a dull whistling sound, yet its speed was astonishing!
One-Eyed Man "Yan Kan Xi" only saw a flash of dark light before his eyes, followed by a gust of evil wind. He instinctively raised his knife to block. With a crisp "clang," the chipped cleaver snapped in two! Immediately afterward, an irresistible force slammed heavily into his chest!
"puff--!"
One-Eyed Dragon coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward as if he had been hit by a charging bull, knocking "Hearing Wrath" and "Sniffing Love" who were right behind him to the ground! The three of them rolled around in a heap, screaming in pain, unable to get up for a while.
The remaining three thieves were terrified at the sight, their charge halting abruptly. But Tang Sanzang wouldn't give them a chance to react. With a swift movement, he moved forward like a ghost, his staff striking, parrying, and sweeping!
"Bang bang bang!"
The three muffled thuds occurred almost simultaneously.
"She Changsi" was struck on the shoulder with a stick, and half of his body instantly became numb. The rolling pin flew out of his hand, and he spun like a top and fell into the roadside bushes.
"Desire for Opinion" was quite clever. Seeing that things were not going well, it tried to run away, but Tang Sanzang swept its staff across the back of its leg. With a soft "crack" sound, its shinbone was clearly deformed, and it fell to the ground with a miserable howl.
Finally, the worried-looking leader, seeing his brothers wiped out in an instant, turned ashen-faced and turned to flee, but Tang Sanzang caught up with him and kicked him in the buttocks.
The kick was delivered with "just the right" force, not sending him flying, but leaving him face down on the ground in an extremely embarrassing position, his mouth full of mud, groaning and unable to get up for a long time.
From the moment the six thieves charged to the moment they all fell to the ground, only a few breaths had passed. Tang Sanzang stood with his staff in hand, his monk's robes barely disheveled, though his breathing was slightly rapid and a few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead.
His cold gaze swept over the six groaning and struggling men on the ground, his murderous intent not yet completely subsided. In his view, these villains who robbed and intended to kill were only a menace if left alive; it would be better to "exorcise" them cleanly, thus eliminating a scourge for the people and accumulating "merit."
He carried his staff and strode toward the nearest "Ear-Listening Wrath" who was still trying to get up. His eyes flashed with cold light, clearly intending to "finish him off" and end the matter completely.
"Master! Show mercy!"
Seeing this, Sun Wukong quickly spoke up again.
He didn't pity these petty thieves; rather, he felt that killing a few mortal ants was pointless and might even bring unnecessary karmic entanglement to his master.
"Heaven cherishes life, and you, Master, often say that we should be compassionate."
These fools only need a lesson; why take their lives? Just drive them away.
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang paused, glanced back at Sun Wukong with a hint of disdain, as if to say, "Womanly compassion." But after thinking about it, he perhaps felt that Sun Wukong's words made some sense, so he snorted and put away his staff.
He walked up to the six groaning thieves, kicked each of them until they rolled over, ensuring they were temporarily incapacitated, before looking down at them with a cold voice like that of a judge from hell.
"Today, out of respect for my disciple's pleas, I will spare your six dog lives! Remember, if you dare to do evil again, this humble monk will skin you alive, tear out your tendons, and grind your bones to dust! Get out!" (End of Chapter)