Chapter 746
Lin Zhu Snatches the Hoop and Teases the Buddha
He suddenly looked up, and his once empty and lifeless eyes suddenly burst forth with an unbelievable light, a mixture of ecstasy, excitement, grievance, and a trace of dependence that even he himself was unaware of!
He stared intently at the white-clad figure who had suddenly appeared, casually holding the headband, as if a drowning person had finally seen a lifeline, or a ray of light had suddenly shone into his desperate situation!
'Prison God... Old Lin!' Sun Wukong shouted in his heart, and an indescribable sour and hot current rushed to his nose, making his eyes instantly red.
He thought he was in dire straits today. Faced with the overwhelming power of the Buddha's avatar and Guanyin's entourage, who in the Three Realms would dare to confront the Buddha of the Western Paradise head-on for the sake of him, this "sinful monkey"? He had already prepared for the worst and was filled with despair.
But Lin Zhu appeared! At this moment when he was most desperate, most helpless, his dignity utterly trampled, and about to be bound by the shackles symbolizing eternal enslavement, he appeared! Disregarding his own safety, he forcefully intervened in this almost certain crushing defeat!
Overwhelmed by immense surprise and excitement, Sun Wukong withdrew his hand, which had been frozen in mid-air, somewhat helplessly. He subconsciously picked at his nose, trying to hide the tears welling up in his eyes and the turbulent emotions within him.
His throat tightened, and though a thousand words were in his heart, they ultimately boiled down to a single thought.
'Old Lin... is a true friend! I, Old Sun... will remember that!'
After a brief silence, the Buddha's majestic voice, tinged with suppressed anger, echoed across the sky like muffled thunder.
"Lin the Prison God".
The golden Buddha's gaze lowered and landed on Lin Zhu. That gaze was no longer merely indifferent, but carried a substantial sense of oppression and warning.
"This is an internal affair of my Western Paradise, Mount Ling. The journey to the West to obtain the scriptures is ordained by Heaven. There was a prior agreement that you must not interfere. Quickly remove the golden headband, and this matter will be considered closed. Otherwise... I will have no choice but to personally ascend to the Heavenly Palace and have a good talk with His Majesty the Jade Emperor about how you, the Heavenly Court's law enforcement deity, have repeatedly interfered in the internal affairs of other religions and disrupted the order of the Three Realms!"
At this moment, Tathagata was also extremely angry.
With the plan nearing completion and Sun Wukong about to be shackled—the toughest nut to crack—and the biggest variable in the journey to the West about to be eliminated, he even secretly breathed a sigh of relief and began to plan for the future.
To everyone's surprise, that damned Lin Zhu actually jumped out at the last moment in such a shameless way! Although Xitian was not incapable of dealing with Lin Zhu's strength, his status as an "anomaly" and his unpredictable actions, coupled with his ability to always seize key points and disrupt things, made him a real headache and a cause for concern.
At this moment, he brought up the Jade Emperor and the "agreement" as both a threat and an attempt to intimidate Lin Zhu with "rules" and "righteousness," hoping to make Lin Zhu back down.
However, Lin Zhu's reaction once again exceeded everyone's expectations.
Lin Zhu weighed the tight band in his hand, seemingly ignoring the Buddha's veiled threat. Instead, he raised his head, his face displaying an expression of righteous indignation and awe-inspiring integrity. His voice suddenly rose, and he shouted at the enormous Buddha figure.
"Hey! Tathagata! Stop spouting nonsense and distorting the truth! I'm seeing if you've been blinded by greed or if your cultivation has gone mad!"
His shout, full of energy, sounded particularly jarring amidst the Buddhist chanting. Not only was Buddha stunned, but even Guanyin and Sun Wukong were dumbfounded, wondering if there was something wrong with their ears.
Lin Zhu continued with "righteous indignation," pointing his finger at Buddha's nose and cursing.
"This headband is clearly my personal item that I carelessly left here! And you, instead of returning it to its rightful owner, try to seize it for yourself and even use it to coerce others?! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, is there no law left?!"
You, the Buddha, behave in this way? This is utterly outrageous! I will certainly seek justice today!
Tathagata.
"..."
His enormous Buddha image seemed to sway slightly, and the Buddha's light became unstable. Even his unyielding Zen mind was momentarily stunned and speechless by Lin Zhu's completely absurd and counter-accusatory remarks, and his heart was filled with turbulent waves.
'This...this scoundrel! How dare he do this?! The golden headband was crafted by my own hands; when did it become his personal property?!'
Guanyin covered her forehead, feeling a sudden dizziness. Lin Zhu's ability to distort the truth was simply unparalleled!
The Buddha suppressed the urge to immediately slap the scoundrel to death, his mind racing.
He knew that arguing with Lin Zhu head-on was useless; the fellow wouldn't listen to reason. But the golden headband was of utmost importance, and he absolutely couldn't let him take it away. So, Tathagata restrained his outward anger and tried to communicate in a relatively "peaceful" way. A subtle but clear voice transmission was sent directly into Lin Zhu's ears.
"Lin Yu Shen, do not joke. This headband was personally crafted by me, specifically to bind Sun Wukong, help him restrain his nature, and protect him on his journey to the West. When did it become yours? What exactly do you intend to do by being so unreasonable? Do not force me..."
His telepathic message carried a tone of discussion and questioning, but also contained a final warning. Having been "tortured" by Lin Zhu many times before, Tathagata had become a bit "smarter," knowing that directly confronting the threat might backfire and make it easier for Lin Zhu to seize on his weaknesses and make a big fuss about them.
However, upon hearing this telepathic message, Lin Zhu's eyes darted around. Instead of calming down, he displayed an exaggerated expression of surprise. He then suddenly looked up at the enormous Buddha image in the sky and shouted it out even louder than before.
"Oh dear! Buddha! Why are you secretly sending me telepathic messages?! Is there something you can't say openly? Are you suffering from kidney deficiency and shortness of breath, and afraid of being overheard? I am the God of Law Enforcement, not a quack doctor. If you have kidney deficiency and are weak, you should see a doctor! Don't ask me telepathically, I don't know anything about medicine!"
"puff--!"
Sun Wukong, standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer and spat out the mouthful of water he had just drunk to calm his nerves in his excitement! He stared wide-eyed at Lin Zhu, then at the huge Buddha figure in the sky that had suddenly frozen and whose light was fluctuating violently, and only one thought remained in his mind.
'Holy crap! Old Lin... you're awesome! You dare to play tricks on Buddha like this?!'
Guanyin silently took another half step back, lowered her head, and pretended not to exist, but her shoulders twitched slightly, whether from anger or from suppressing laughter.
The golden Buddha image of Tathagata truly began to shake violently this time! The face formed by the Buddha's light seemed to faintly show a hint of iron-blue! He could no longer maintain his compassionate appearance, and the huge Buddha finger pointed at Lin Zhu, his voice like thunder from the heavens, carrying an uncontrollable rage.
"Lin—Zhu—! Cease your insolence! This tight band belongs to me! Hand it over immediately! Otherwise, don't blame me... I will invoke the Emperor's decree. At that time, no matter how many tricks you have up your sleeve, you will not escape punishment!"
He was so angry that he started to speak recklessly, even bringing up the concept of a "saint" in an attempt to intimidate others with his absolute power.
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu frowned, a look of disgust on her face. She picked at her ears as if they were polluted by noise, and then retorted without any politeness.
"Bullshit, you spiraling, colorful, exploding fart!"
This extremely vulgar yet strangely evocative curse left all the "listeners" present stunned once again.
Lin Zhu ignored them and continued pointing at Tathagata. Suddenly, he changed the subject and turned his attention to Guanyin, who was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
"Besides! Who said this headband is yours? That old woman... no, it was Guanyin Bodhisattva herself who said that this 'protective treasure' was given to Tang Sanzang! It's for the pilgrim to protect himself!"
How did it become something that bound Sun Wukong in your mouth? There's no consensus within your Western Paradise; who's really in charge? Or... are you all conspiring to deceive me and steal my personal belongings?!
His sharp gaze swept over Guanyin, and he questioned her sternly.
"Guanyin Bodhisattva! Didn't you just say that this hat was a 'protective treasure' for Elder Tang, automatically protecting its owner and warding off evil spirits? Was that right?! A monk doesn't lie, say it again in front of Buddha!" The pressure instantly shifted to Guanyin! Her delicate body trembled, her face flushing red and then pale. Under the Buddha's icy gaze and Lin Zhu's mocking stare, she felt trapped, wishing she could disappear into the ground!
She did say something similar to coax Tang Sanzang into taking the headband, but that was just a temporary measure! Who could have imagined that Lin Zhu, that scoundrel, would seize on it and confront her in this situation?!
“I…this seat…”
Guanyin opened her mouth, but under the Buddha's gaze that seemed to freeze her soul, she ultimately dared not lie. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, filled with endless frustration.
"At that time... at that time, it was to get Tang Sanzang to take away the golden headband that I... that's why I said that..."
"Did you hear me?!"
Lin Zhu immediately reacted as if he had seized a huge weakness, his voice rising eight octaves as he pointed at Tathagata, his aura menacing.
"Your Bodhisattvas in the Western Paradise have admitted it themselves! This headband is meant for Tang Sanzang! It has nothing to do with Sun Wukong! Now that Tang Sanzang is wearing it, it belongs to Tang Sanzang! Tang Sanzang's things are temporarily being held in my custody! Therefore, this headband now belongs to me! You, Tathagata, can forget about taking it by force!"
His logic was intricately linked, seemingly absurd yet difficult to refute. Having said that, he gave Tathagata no chance to react, flipping his wrist and actually stuffing the dark golden headband directly into his sleeve. Then he turned, patted his behind, and made as if to leave, muttering to himself.
"Honestly, you've wasted my time. What a nuisance!"
The enormous Buddha image was now violently trembling, and even the chanting was disrupted! He felt a surge of blood rushing to his head, and he was so angry that he almost lost control of his divine form! They stole my things and then turned around and accused me of robbery?! They even embarrassed me and Guanyin in public?! Is there any justice left?! Is there no law left?!
He glared fiercely at Guanyin, who was curled up in a ball beside him, the meaning in his eyes was very clear.
More trouble than good! Stop talking nonsense!
Guanyin was so aggrieved that she almost cried, and she lowered her head, not daring to say a word.
Seeing that Lin Zhu was about to take the golden headband, Buddha finally panicked! This divided spirit, though powerful, might not be able to stop Lin Zhu, who was determined to leave. Moreover, if a fight broke out, the situation would be even more difficult to manage. If Lin Zhu took the headband, today's plan would have failed entirely, and without restraint, Sun Wukong would be even more difficult to control during his future journey to the West!
"Lin Yushen! Wait!"
The Buddha suppressed his surging anger, striving to restore his calm tone, even adopting a hint of negotiation.
"There might be some misunderstanding about this matter. Let's talk it over. That headband... is indeed mine, and it will be of great use in the Journey to the West. If you have any conditions, please speak them frankly."
He was truly torn between saving the day and the future. The Journey to the West could not be lost; Sun Wukong had to wear the golden headband. For this, even temporarily bowing to this rogue and paying a price was worthwhile.
He secretly vowed that as long as he got through this ordeal, he would find an opportunity to completely eliminate this anomaly who had repeatedly caused trouble! He had already secretly used a secret method to summon a supreme expert who was in charge of monitoring the progress of the Journey to the West in this region.
However, Lin Zhu ignored his "discussion" and continued walking without turning his head, as if the tight band was already in his possession and no one could take it away.
Just when things were at a stalemate, Buddha was secretly calling for help, and Lin Zhu seemed poised to successfully remove the golden headband—
Lin Zhu, who had already taken a few steps, suddenly stopped.
It wasn't because of what Buddha said, nor because I sensed the aura of some powerful being.
Instead, it was the system notification sound deep within his consciousness that had been silent for a short while, that rang out again clearly in an unprecedented tone with a strange rhythm and fluctuation.
[Ding! Special situation detected. A spirit of unyielding integrity cannot be broken!]
The special prop 'tightening headband' resonates with the current scene...
[The conditions for the 'tightening band' mutation have been met; triggering is initiating...]
Lin Zhu's steps came to an abrupt halt, not because of the suppressed anger of the Buddha behind him, nor because he sensed any approaching danger. What stopped him was the system notification sound deep within his consciousness, which had been silent for only a moment.
This time, the system's voice was no longer cold and mechanical; instead, it carried a strange tone, as if it had a certain rhythm and fluctuation, which clearly echoed in his soul.
[Ding! Special situation detected.]
A spirit as proud as the heavens, how could it be broken?
The special prop 'tightening headband' resonates deeply with the current scene...
[The conditions for the 'tightening band' mutation have been met; triggering is initiating...]
"Hmm? Mutation conditions?"
Lin Zhu's heart stirred, and he immediately focused his mind on the system.
He had long suspected that the system reward of this counterfeit headband was not simple, and now it was indeed going to "stir things up".
A screen of light appeared in his mind, clearly displaying the mutation information about the "tightening band" in his hand.
[Props. Tightening headband]
[State. Mutable]
[Mutation requirements]
Ten thousand merits of divine water, and a supreme acquired treasure containing the law of 'imprisonment' or 'protection', are offered as sacrifices.
[Effects after mutation]
1. Reversing Yin and Yang.
When the wearer is activated by the headband, the effect is reversed. The original "splitting headache and damage to the soul" is changed to "head massage, relaxation of muscles and tendons, and slight enhancement of spiritual cultivation and comprehension".
2. Confuse Heavenly Secrets. It can, to a certain extent, shield and interfere with the Heavenly Secrets calculations and causal probing targeting the wearer; the effect depends on the opponent's cultivation level.
3. Its appearance and aura are highly consistent with the original, making it difficult for non-refiners or those with special supernatural abilities to distinguish the essential differences.
[Should we proceed with the mutation immediately?] (End of Chapter)