Chapter 776
Guanyin's Buddha light wasn't finished yet when the White Dragon Horse kicked
His ordinary horse was eaten by the White Dragon, and without a mount, he had to walk on two legs. Who knew when he'd reach the Western Paradise from Eagle's Sorrow Gorge? Guanyin Bodhisattva said she'd go find him a horse, but she'd been gone for ages and hadn't returned. He was seething with anger and had nowhere to vent it.
Hearing someone shout "Your horse is here!" he instinctively wanted to curse back—whose horse? My horse was eaten by a monster a long time ago, where did this horse come from? Are you fucking making fun of me?
He turned his head angrily, his mouth half-open, with a curse on the tip of his tongue.
Then he saw who it was.
Lin Zhu stood on the hillside by the stream, his prison god robes fluttering in the wind, while the white dragon horse behind him shimmered softly in the sunlight.
The man's features looked exceptionally deep in the backlight, with a lazy smile in his eyes. Standing there, he looked like a deity who had stepped out of a painting—no, he was a deity, and the most powerful one at that.
Tang Sanzang swallowed the profanity that was about to come out of his mouth.
The anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a dazzling smile. He jumped down from the rock, clasped his hands together, and clicked his tongue in admiration, his voice filled with exaggerated excitement: "Lord Prison God! It's only been a few days, and your looks have improved even more! This aura, this presence, this demeanor, are as dazzling as the sun in the sky, making it hard for this humble monk to keep his eyes open!"
He tumbled and crawled across the rocky beach, almost losing a shoe in the process, shouting as he ran, "I was just wondering why there were auspicious clouds hanging over this desolate mountain wilderness. It turns out it's the arrival of the God of Hell! No wonder!"
Sun Wukong, who was squatting on the rock, also noticed Lin Zhu.
His eyes lit up, the bored expression on his face vanished, and he leaped down from the rock with incredible agility, hopping and bounding to Lin Zhu in a few bounds. His fiery eyes blinked, and he clearly saw the white dragon horse behind Lin Zhu. His mouth instantly stretched to his ears, revealing a set of sharp teeth: "Hell God! What brings you here? I was just talking about you!"
Lin Zhu smiled and waved his hand, maintaining his calm and composed expression, and said in a slow and unhurried voice, "I've been entrusted to deliver a horse to Tang Sanzang."
Tang Sanzang had already run up to the white dragon horse.
He circled the white horse three times, his eyes wide and mouth agape, marveling at the horse. Its mane was snow-white, its physique robust, its limbs long, its back broad, and the silver trim on its saddle gleamed in the sunlight.
He had seen many horses in his life, but he had never seen such a beautiful horse. It was simply a divine steed descended from heaven.
He excitedly hugged the white horse's neck, rubbing his cheek against it, his voice becoming high-pitched with excitement: "What a fine horse! What a fine horse! What a fine horse! The coat, the build, the muscles, the mane, it's amazing! It's like a celestial horse descended to earth! I've never seen such a fine horse in my entire life!"
He turned to look at Lin Zhu, his eyes almost brimming with tears, and asked in a trembling voice, "Where did this horse come from? I've lived this long and seen hundreds, if not thousands, of horses, but this is the first time I've ever seen a divine steed as pure white and with such extraordinary bearing!"
Sun Wukong stood to the side, rubbing his fiery eyes on his golden cudgel twice, producing two points of golden light, and then swept them over the white dragon horse. He chuckled, his voice filled with a knowing smugness: "Master, of course your mortal eyes can't see it. My fiery eyes can see it clearly—this horse is the dragon from the bottom of your ravine!"
Tang Sanzang was stunned.
He hugged the white dragon horse's neck, slowly turning his head. His eyes widened even more, and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly before he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "A dragon... a dragon transformed?"
"That's right!"
Sun Wukong slung his golden cudgel over his shoulder, his tail swishing behind him, his tone filled with the excitement of watching a spectacle, "It's that dragon that ate the ordinary horse you rode before! It's you! It's him! He turned into a horse!"
Tang Sanzang froze.
He maintained his position of holding the white dragon horse's neck, his mind racing.
He recalled the scene of his ordinary horse being swallowed whole by the little white dragon, the frustration of cursing at Eagle Sorrow Gorge for a long time but being unable to do anything about the dragon, and the troubled expression on Guanyin Bodhisattva's face when she said she was going to find someone to help.
Now the dragon has turned into a horse, standing in front of him, obediently letting him hug its neck and rub its face against it.
Who has such great power to turn a dragon that eats horses into a horse that is ridden?
Tang Sanzang's gaze fell on Lin Zhu, his eyes overflowing with gratitude. He released the white dragon horse's neck, straightened his body, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to Lin Zhu, his head almost touching his knees. His voice was full of piety and emotion: "Great God of Hell! I can never repay your kindness in this lifetime! You have helped me solve another enormous problem. I don't know how to thank you enough!"
Lin Zhu waved his hand casually, his smile undiminished, and was about to say something modest.
However, at that moment, a clear Buddhist chant suddenly rang out in mid-air.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was extremely penetrating, clearly discernible even amidst the roar of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge. Immediately afterward, countless golden rays of Buddhist light poured down from the clouds, illuminating the entire rocky beach with a dazzling golden glow, even tinging the gorge water with a pale golden halo.
A rich sandalwood scent filled the air, and golden lotus blossoms bloomed in the void, fluttering down.
Guanyin Bodhisattva descended slowly from the clouds, standing on a golden lotus.
Her posture was extremely graceful, her dress fluttered gently in the wind, and layers of Buddhist light spread out from her body, making her look like a jade sculpture that had descended from the sky.
Her face wore a dignified and compassionate smile, the curve of her lips was just right, her eyes were gentle and deep, and a seven-colored halo slowly rotated behind her, making her figure appear even more sacred and inviolable.
She looked down upon the master and disciple below, her voice deep and solemn, each word echoing as if from a great distance: "Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, listen well—this white dragon horse, having received the grace of the Western Paradise, has converted to Buddhism and willingly become Tang Sanzang's mount to carry him on his journey to the West to retrieve the scriptures. This is a great merit for the Buddhist sect of the Western Paradise, and a benevolent connection between the dragon race and our Buddhist sect. From this day forward—"
He had only spoken halfway through his sentence.
The white dragon horse suddenly let out an angry neigh.
The neigh was sharp and piercing, making Tang Sanzang's ears ring. Immediately afterward, the white dragon horse suddenly raised its front hoof, and its muscular leg, carrying immense force, kicked Tang Sanzang squarely in the chest.
Tang Sanzang flew backward like a kite with a broken string, rolling three times on the ground before coming to a stop. His monk's robe was covered with mud and pebbles, his hat was askew on the back of his head, and his face was covered with a layer of ash.
He lay on the ground, raised his head in a daze, completely bewildered as to why the horse was kicking him.
However, the white dragon horse didn't even glance at him.
The white dragon horse raised one of its front hooves, the hoof soaring high, its tip pointing directly at Guanyin Bodhisattva in mid-air. Its roar erupted from its mouth, shaking the stream and causing ripples: "Guanyin Bodhisattva! Stop deceiving the world and stealing fame here!"
The sound was so loud that it echoed back and forth in the valley, layer upon layer of echoes, causing pebbles to fall from the mountainside.
The solemn expression on Guanyin Bodhisattva's face froze instantly.
The white dragon horse's forehooves were still pointing at her, its voice filled with anger and disdain, each word seemingly squeezed out from between its teeth: "The reason I, the little white dragon, am willing to transform into a white horse to carry Tang Sanzang to the west is entirely because Your Excellency the God of Hell gave the order! I am only embarking on this journey to the west by obeying the God of Hell's command. What does it have to do with your Western Paradise? What does it have to do with your Guanyin Bodhisattva? You are spouting nonsense here, claiming to have received the grace of the Western Paradise and converted to Buddhism. This is simply turning black into white and has no shame!"
The rocky beach suddenly fell silent.
Only the roar of the stream echoed in my ears. Guanyin Bodhisattva's face was as black as soot from the bottom of a pot.
Her lips twitched twice, and the compassionate smile that had been on her face just moments before vanished completely, replaced by an indescribable sense of frustration and embarrassment.
Her fingers clenched tightly inside her sleeve, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. She pursed her lips repeatedly, but couldn't utter a single word.
She subconsciously looked at Lin Zhu.
Lin Zhu stood to the side, arms outstretched, shoulders slightly shrugged, eyebrows raised, his face full of innocent expression that said, "It has nothing to do with me, it's none of my business, he said it himself."
His expression was so realistic that it made him seem like an outsider, a bystander who just happened to be passing by.
Guanyin Bodhisattva felt a sweet, metallic taste rise in her throat.
Having lived for so many years, what kind of situation hasn't she seen? Big and small, good and bad, being beaten and turning the tables, she's experienced it all.
But she had never seen anything like this before—she had paid a heavy price to bring the White Dragon back to its rightful place, losing 100,000 merits and divine water, destroying the Dragon-Subduing Magic Treasure, and having her face rubbed against the ground by Lin Zhu several times.
When they arrived in front of Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong, the White Dragon Horse simply said, "I came here on the orders of the God of Hell," putting all the credit on Lin Zhu.
She couldn't refute it yet.
Because she couldn't beat Lin Zhu.
Moreover, in the current situation, Little White Dragon has clearly been completely subdued by Lin Zhu. If she says another word, Little White Dragon might cause some trouble again.
The image of the saddle being crushed was still vivid in her mind, and she didn't want to experience that heartache again.
Guanyin Bodhisattva took a deep breath and swallowed back the metallic taste in her throat.
endured.
What else can we do but bear it?
She shifted her gaze away from the white dragon, took a few deep breaths, and tried to regain her composure.
The face, which had been as black as the bottom of a pot, gradually regained some color. Although the curve of his mouth was still a bit stiff, he at least looked like a normal person.
She cleared her throat, and her voice returned to its distant and solemn tone, only eight octaves lower than before, as if afraid of further agitating the little white dragon.
"Let's leave that aside for now."
Guanyin Bodhisattva abruptly changed the subject, shifting her gaze from the white dragon horse to Sun Wukong.
She stretched out a hand, her fingers long and slender, white, with a faint golden light shimmering at the tips, and pointed it directly at Sun Wukong's nose.
Her expression turned stern again, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her lips pressed into a straight line, and her voice carried a reprimanding tone: "Sun Wukong, listen to me."
Sun Wukong was watching the commotion with great interest when he was suddenly called out, and he was taken aback.
The voice of Guanyin Bodhisattva echoed above the stream, each word clear and stern: "When you were still a child, you were willing to cultivate diligently, meditating and sitting in meditation every day without the slightest slackening. Now that you have escaped the natural disasters and transcended the Three Realms and are no longer within the Five Elements, you are extremely lazy and always want to give up and run away. Where is the slightest bit of a cultivator in you?"
The smile on Sun Wukong's face slowly faded.
Guanyin Bodhisattva continued, her voice growing increasingly solemn: "In my school, one attains enlightenment through Nirvana, requiring unwavering faith. Now that you have entered my Buddhist path, you should wholeheartedly journey westward, not constantly throw tantrums and threaten to return to Flower Fruit Mountain. If you were to reach a dead end, how would you conduct yourself? How would you protect your master?"
Her tone softened slightly, she removed her fingers from Sun Wukong's nose, opened her palm upwards, and three points of emerald green light suddenly appeared in her palm: "Come here, and I will give you another skill."
At this point, a confident smile reappeared on Guanyin Bodhisattva's face.
This thing is one of her most prized possessions. It is made from willow leaves and can save lives in emergencies and even in critical moments.
Who in the Three Realms wouldn't want such a life-saving means? She felt that even if Sun Wukong was unruly, he couldn't possibly refuse such a free treasure.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, Sun Wukong rolled his eyes.
"No."
These two words were spoken crisply and decisively, without any hesitation, and even with a hint of impatience.
Sun Wukong slung his golden cudgel over his shoulder, tilted his head to the side, and held his tail high in the air, speaking with an arrogant tone: "I, Old Sun, can handle things myself; I don't need anyone's help. What treasure do you want? No way!"
Guanyin Bodhisattva's smile froze on her face.
Her hand, holding the willow leaf, froze in mid-air, unsure whether to offer it or accept it. She hadn't expected Sun Wukong to refuse, and so decisively, without even a second's hesitation. This was completely different from what she had anticipated—shouldn't a normal person gratefully accept it and say thank you, Bodhisattva?
This is the biggest difference between the Western Paradise and the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court emphasizes rules and hierarchy. When a superior gives something to a subordinate, the subordinate must accept it with both hands and respectfully say thank you, whether they like it or not.
But the Western Paradise is different. The cultivators there value following their own heart and fate; it's all about mutual consent. If Sun Wukong says no, then he really means no, and you can't force him to accept it.
But Guanyin Bodhisattva couldn't tell him not to.
These three hairs were specifically instructed by Buddha to be planted on Sun Wukong.
The Buddha didn't explicitly state the purpose of this thing, but Guanyin Bodhisattva vaguely guessed that it was no ordinary life-saving hair; it probably contained some kind of method she didn't know, something that could forge a deeper bond between the Western Paradise and Sun Wukong. (End of Chapter)