Chapter 737
The Hidden Goods of the Western Paradise Are Exposed on the Spot
The last word, "Get out," struck like a thunderclap, scaring the six thieves so much that they trembled all over. They scrambled and crawled, ignoring their pain, supporting each other as they limped and cried out for their parents as they disappeared into the depths of the nearby dense forest.
"Hmph, they're lucky."
Tang Sanzang patted non-existent dust off his hands, as if he had only done a trivial matter.
He turned around and gave Sun Wukong a "kind" smile.
“My disciple, do you see that? This is the ‘wrathful Vajra’, this is using thunderous means to reveal the compassion of a Bodhisattva! It’s useless to reason with such wicked people; only by subduing them with force can we make them realize their mistakes and not dare to repeat them. Let’s go and continue on our way.”
As he spoke, he tried to pull Sun Wukong along to continue their journey westward.
However, at that very moment, something unexpected happened!
Hidden in the shadows, Guanyin Bodhisattva witnessed the entire "violent teaching" session. Her feelings at this moment could no longer be described simply as "frustrated" or "broken down".
Looking at Tang Sanzang's decisive and ruthless actions, and his appearance that treated human life as worthless and filled with murderous intent, she saw no trace of the holy monk who was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi and had cultivated for ten lifetimes.
This guy is exactly like Lu Zhishen dressed in a monk's robe, no, even more ferocious than Lu Zhishen! If it weren't for Sun Wukong's last word of advice, judging from Tang Sanzang's posture, he really was going to "send away" those six mortal bandits on the spot!
What worried her even more was that after Tang Sanzang finished beating the people and disciplining his disciples, he actually dragged Sun Wukong along to continue on their journey! Those six bandits... the appearance of those six bandits was no accident!
Those were the "six thieves" she secretly guided and enlightened with Buddhist teachings according to her original plan. Their names all corresponded to the "six roots" and "six consciousnesses." They were the first "test of character" prepared for Sun Wukong, and an important prelude and opportunity for him to wear the golden headband later!
But what about now? Tang Sanzang has easily dismantled the "exam question" using physics, and is now about to leave with the "examinee"! How can he find a chance to put the golden headband on Sun Wukong? Without the headband, how can he restrain this increasingly unruly monkey, who has even been "blessed by the Buddha's teachings in the underworld"? Won't the Journey to the West spiral out of control again?
She was anxious but helpless. Should she reveal herself directly? The master and disciple were extremely wary of her and wouldn't cooperate at all.
Force a move? Leaving aside whether they could defeat the plague god watching the show from the clouds, even if they forcibly put the headband on Sun Wukong, it would probably immediately provoke the fiercest resistance from the master and disciple, and the Journey to the West would be doomed.
With nowhere else to turn, Guanyin almost instinctively cast her last hope on the white figure—Lin Zhu—who had been watching the show from the clouds and now seemed ready to join the master and disciple in "watching the play."
Her eyes were filled with helplessness, frustration, and a hint of pleading that she herself was unwilling to admit.
Lin Zhu had already noticed Guanyin's near-collapse mental state and guessed the origin and intentions of the "six thieves." Upon receiving Guanyin's extremely complex pleading look, he merely raised an eyebrow lazily and did not respond immediately. Instead, he leisurely straightened his non-creased cuffs.
Just as Tang Sanzang, pulling Sun Wukong along, was about to leave this "crime scene," Lin Zhu's lazy voice, like a ghost, rang out directly in Guanyin's mind. It was only two short words, but they were cold and real.
"benefit."
Guanyin's delicate body trembled violently, her face instantly turning even paler, even ashen. Just as expected… just as she thought! This demon, this scoundrel, this vampire! He only ever recognizes "benefits"!
She almost gritted her teeth, cursing Lin Zhu a thousand times in her heart. But looking at the receding figures of the master and disciple, thinking of the overall situation of the Journey to the West, the Buddha's entrustment, and the various sacrifices she had made... she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, only a numb resolve remained in her eyes.
She no longer hesitated, nor bothered to haggle any further—she knew that trying to bargain with this rogue would only bring her humiliation. With a flick of her wrist, a small gourd, about the size of a palm, pure white and seemingly carved from mutton-fat jade, appeared in her hand. The gourd's mouth was sealed with a Buddhist seal, from which a soft golden light flowed faintly.
Guanyin didn't even glance at it, as if discarding a hot potato. With a flick of her finger, the small white jade gourd transformed into a faint white light, silently passing through the clouds and landing precisely in Lin Zhu's casually outstretched palm.
Lin Zhu caught the small gourd; it felt slightly heavy in his hand and had a warm, smooth texture.
He probed inside with his divine sense, his eyebrows immediately rose high, and a genuine look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Oh? Ten thousand merits of divine water? Guanyin Bodhisattva, what a generous gesture, what a deep pocket of money! I thought that after what happened at Mount Ling, you in the Western Paradise would have evaporated this stuff as bathwater long ago."
"I didn't expect you to still have some stock here, Bodhisattva! Tsk tsk, indeed, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and a broken boat still has three pounds of nails."
His words were full of sarcasm, implying that the Western Paradise was complaining about being poor but actually had hidden wealth.
Guanyin felt a burning sensation on her face, but could only stiffly tug at the corners of her mouth, forcing out a fawning smile that was more like a grimace, and spoke through divine sense, her voice dry and strained.
"This was... specially instructed by Buddha beforehand... to be kept in case of unforeseen circumstances, to deal with... the possible 'needs' of Lord Hell..."
She practically gritted her teeth as she spoke, mentally cursing Buddha's ancestors and Lin Zhu's entire lineage. What do you mean, "just in case"? She clearly anticipated this plague god would try to extort her!
"So that's how it is. Buddha's wisdom and foresight are truly admirable."
Lin Zhu weighed the small gourd in her hand, a playful smile appearing on her lips.
He knew, of course, that Guanyin was secretly wishing she could tear him apart, but he didn't care. He'd gotten his share of the benefits, watched the show, and was happy to lend a hand.
However, how he helps is entirely up to him.
His gaze swept over Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong, who had already walked more than ten feet below, and then glanced at the remaining traces of the fight on the ground and the direction in which the six bandits had fled. A wicked glint flashed in his eyes.
Immediately, his lips moved slightly, and an extremely subtle yet incredibly clear voice transmission, like a sudden enlightenment, resounded directly in the heart of Tang Sanzang, who was secretly pleased with himself and felt that his "teaching" had been very successful.
"Tang Sanzang, you certainly had a good fight just now. But do you know the names of those six thieves?"
Tang Sanzang paused, puzzled.
"What is the deeper meaning behind these six strange names: 'Seeing joy,' 'Hearing anger,' 'Smelling love,' 'Tasting thought,' 'Thinking desire,' and 'Body worry'?"
He was so engrossed in killing intent that he had no time to think things through.
Lin Zhu's voice continued to echo in his mind, carrying a hint of mockery and guidance.
"The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are the 'six senses.' Joy, anger, love, thought, desire, and sorrow are the delusions arising from the 'six sense objects,' which can also correspond to the 'six consciousnesses.' Buddhist practice emphasizes 'purity of the six senses,' 'non-defilement by the six sense objects,' and 'severance of the seven emotions and six desires.'"
These six thieves weren't just ordinary bandits to be killed out of spite; they were meant to temper your nature and test the manifestation of your inner demons, like Wukong! And what did you do? You grabbed your staff and went up to give them a good beating, enjoying it immensely, but did you even realize what kind of thing you were doing?
These words, like a thunderclap from the heavens, suddenly exploded in Tang Sanzang's chaotic and violent mind!
The six senses? The six sense objects? The six consciousnesses? Manifestations of inner demons? Tempering one's true nature?
So... so those six bandits weren't ordinary robbers, they actually meant this?! A test? Part of the cultivation? Just now... hadn't I missed a tremendous opportunity? No, not just missed, I went completely in the opposite direction! Tang Sanzang was struck dumb, frozen in place. The smugness and joy of "successful teaching" on his face instantly froze, transforming into a mixture of shock, realization, regret, and... an even more fervent understanding!
"I see! I see!"
He suddenly slapped his shiny bald head, and his eyes flashed with an unprecedented gleam, a strange light mixed with "Buddhist mysteries" and "violent practice".
"This humble monk is foolish! I almost missed the supreme and wonderful Dharma taught by the Buddha... no, the Immortal Lord! These six thieves are not meant to be killed, but to be 'severed'! Severing the six desires and keeping the six senses pure is the true path of cultivation!"
His self-talk was quite loud, and Sun Wukong, who was standing next to him, heard it clearly. He scratched his head and looked completely bewildered.
"Master? What are you saying? What six senses and six sense objects? Didn't you already drive those six petty thieves away? Why are you still killing them?"
Tang Sanzang stopped explaining and suddenly turned around, grabbing Sun Wukong's wrist with such force that even Sun Wukong was slightly surprised.
"Disciple! Come back with your master!"
Tang Sanzang's tone was agitated and left no room for argument.
"I almost made a grave mistake just now! Those six people are no ordinary bandits, but precious talents to help us cultivate and sever our six desires! Come, I'll go and give you a proper lesson now, teaching you what it truly means to 'slay the six thieves' and 'cut off the six roots'!"
Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the bewildered Sun Wukong and strode back towards the dense forest where the six thieves had fled! That direction was precisely where the six thieves had disappeared!
Above the clouds, Guanyin Bodhisattva, who had just breathed a slight sigh of relief because Lin Zhu accepted the merit water, saw Tang Sanzang's sudden "awakening" and strange behavior. The hope that had just risen in her heart was instantly shrouded in a thick shadow. An extremely ominous premonition, like a cold venomous snake, suddenly coiled around her heart!
Things... don't seem to be developing as she expected? Tang Sanzang's reaction... feels even more off than when he simply wanted to kill someone.
Looking at Tang Sanzang's fanatical expression of "sudden enlightenment" and "wanting to practice the supreme Buddhist teachings," and recalling his previous madness when he called himself "Tang Sanzang," she felt a chill run down her spine.
This reincarnation of Jin Chanzi... probably has never "disappointed" himself.
His frenzied behavior of "burying the heavens, burying the earth, burying all living beings" was by no means empty talk or intimidation.
Tang Sanzang, dragging the bewildered Sun Wukong, charged back to the "battlefield" with murderous intent.
The six "bandits" who had been transformed and enlightened by Guanyin's magic, but were actually just following orders in a daze, were beaten senseless. However, when they saw the fierce monk return, the simple "instructions" in their minds once again took over. They forgot their fear, struggled to get up one by one, and subconsciously began to recite their "lines".
"Stop...stop! Leave...leave your luggage and horses!"
One-Eyed "Yan Kanxi" clutched his aching chest, his voice trembling, yet he mechanically repeated the robbery slogan. The other thieves, equally blustering, brandished their tattered weapons, uttering feeble shouts.
Sun Wukong was pulled back by his master, full of doubts, and was even more puzzled by this scene.
Have these six idiots lost their minds? They were almost beaten to death by their master just now, and now they still dare to ask for things?
He turned his head to look at Tang Sanzang beside him, and this look made even the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who was used to seeing life and death, feel a slight chill in his heart!
Tang Sanzang was looking down slightly, so his whole face was not visible, but his tightly pursed lips were stiff, and the veins on the back of his hand holding the staff were bulging. He no longer exuded the excitement of "teaching" before, but a kind of cold, bone-chilling, almost solidified... ferocious killing intent!
The pure killing intent was so intense that it even subtly stirred the thin spiritual energy around them, making Sun Wukong feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Master?"
Sun Wukong tentatively called out, then subconsciously took half a step forward, standing between Tang Sanzang and the six foolish thieves, and advised them.
“Master, those foolish mortals who don’t know their own mortality, just teach them a lesson and let it go. Monks should be compassionate and have the salvation of all living beings in mind. Killing... is ultimately wrong.”
He wasn't really concerned about the lives of these magically conjured "thieves," but rather felt that his master's state was a bit off. He was afraid that his master would actually commit murder, and even more afraid that his master would become addicted to killing and deviate from the "righteous path."
However, Tang Sanzang suddenly swung his arm with such force that the unsuspecting Sun Wukong stumbled! He raised his head, his face no longer showing any hesitation or violence. Instead, it was filled with an almost devout "compassion" and "enlightenment," his eyes bright and frightening, as if he had seen through some ultimate truth of the universe!
"My disciple! You're foolish!"
Tang Sanzang's voice was loud and clear, filled with an excitement as if he had been enlightened.
"Can't you see? The true significance of these six thieves' existence is far more than just highway robbery!"
He pointed his knife at the six thieves who were still mechanically yelling, speaking slowly and deliberately, his voice like a resounding bell.
"Look at their names! Their eyes see joy, their ears hear anger, their noses smell love, their tongues taste thought, their minds desire, and their bodies are inherently troubled! The first characters of their names combined form—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's monkey brain raced, and his fiery eyes widened suddenly.
"Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought? This... isn't this what Buddhism calls the 'six senses'?"
"It is precisely the six senses!"
Tang Sanzang was resolute, and his "compassion" became even more pronounced.
“If the six senses are not pure, delusions will arise, and greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt will attack the mind. Worldly ties will not be severed, so how can one talk about pure cultivation? How can one attain enlightenment? These six thieves are the ‘thieves’ transformed from the six senses, who steal our pure original mind and obstruct our supreme path!”
Their appearance here is no accident; it is the divine intervention of Heaven… no, it is the divine guidance of the Celestial Lord, bestowing upon us an exceptional opportunity to sever our worldly ties and purify our six senses! (End of Chapter)