Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Purple Bamboo Forest, by the Lotus Pond.

Guanyin, with her feet bare, was quietly grooming by the side of the Lotus Pond, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts, naturally focused on the matters of the Journey to the West.

Reflecting on everything, Guanyin felt that something seemed amiss.
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The path of the Journey to the West appeared to be fully under her control; for instance, the romantic entanglement between Xuanzang and Princess Gaoyang, the fact that she had offered the Brocade Kasaya and the Nine-Ring Staff to guide Xuanzang onto the path of Scripture Seeking, and that her enlightened disciples, Sun Wukong, Marshal Tianpeng, General Juanlian, and Little White Dragon had all joined the team for the Journey to the West…

All of these were exactly as she had arranged.

However, Guanyin saw many aspects that were different, like the matter of tribulations.

Logically, the Yellow-Furred Rat Demon that had escaped from Spirit Mountain should have been a challenge.

Also, the encounter with the Tiger Demon and others before reaching the Five Elements Mountain should have been tribulations too!

But in reality? None of these posed any threat to him; the ninety-nine eighty-one predestined tribulations of heavenly will were not met at all.

Moreover, upon careful consideration of the items she had recently given away, a golden hoop, a lotus seed, a Mystical Mirror, and most importantly the inability to reclaim the Ninth Grade Black Lotus, and in the end, a stalk of Colored Glaze Vine was lost as well…

She had already sacrificed so much just at the beginning of the Journey to the West.

Guanyin truly wondered, if they indeed completed the eighty-one thousand li journey, whether she would end up sacrificing her entire fortune and still find it insufficient?

"Alas, matters predestined by the Heavenly Dao are unstoppable; the grand trends cannot be altered, though the minor ones can. The overall direction is within my plan, but why are these details so vastly different?" Thinking of the items she had lost in recent days, Guanyin couldn't help but sigh deeply.

She felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Bodhisattva, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, as well as Mother of Lishan have all arrived…"

Just as Guanyin was pondering her recent experiences and sighing inwardly, the Pearl Holding Dragon Maiden came over and interrupted her thoughts.

"Alright, go ahead and receive them well, I will join you once I finish grooming!" Guanyin answered with a nod upon hearing the message.

With these words, she stopped pondering and quickly tidied up her appearance, then stepped out of the Lotus Pond.

Having left the Lotus Pond, she saw Mother of Lishan and the others enjoying the scenery and conversing cheerfully in the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Guanyin gracefully walked towards them, and they exchanged polite greetings.

After some small talk, Mother of Lishan turned her gaze to Guanyin and said, "Bodhisattva, you have been very busy lately with the matters of the Journey to the West, both big and small. What prompted you to invite us to enjoy the scenery today?"

"Mother is too kind. Even amidst busyness, there is always time to invite you to appreciate the scenery!" Guanyin responded modestly to Mother of Lishan's remark.

Manjushri and Samantabhadra glanced at each other and shared a smile, choosing not to comment.

With a slight nod, Mother of Lishan said no more, simply quietly admiring the beauty of the Purple Bamboo Forest, where exotic beasts roamed and Buddhist Light shimmered in waves.

"Actually, the reason I invited you all here is not only to enjoy the scenery but also to discuss other matters!" After a brief exchange of pleasantries and hesitating for a moment, Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke up.

Immediately, the gaze of Mother of Lishan and the others fell on Guanyin, clearly waiting for her to continue.

"Xuanzang and his companions have already begun their Journey to the West. However, the nineteen eighty-one tribulations predestined by the Heavenly Dao fall far short. Therefore, some days ago, I borrowed a Ninth Grade Black Lotus from Marshal Tianpeng's Floral Mink and sent it to the Lower Realm to add a tribulation for the Scripture Seeker…"

Guanyin began to narrate the sequence of events, starting from dispatching the Floral Mink to the Lower Realm, which was then killed by Sun Wukong with a single strike, sharing the details succinctly with everyone present.

"Oh? You mean to say that Master Golden Cicada's reincarnation, as the Scripture Seeker, possesses divine skills of his own? He managed to thwart the Floral Mink without even allowing it to use the Black Lotus!" Picking up on the crux of the issue, Mother of Lishan immediately pointed it out upon hearing Guanyin's account.

"Indeed, despite his low cultivation level, such supernatural powers are truly astonishing!" Agreeing with Mother of Lishan's words, Manjushri nodded.

"Regardless, the Scripture Seeker is one of our own from the Buddhist Sect. If he possesses such methods, it is indeed a blessing for us Buddhists!" Samantabhadra, on the other hand, spoke up joyfully.

Samantabhadra's remark drew nods of agreement from the three companions.

Indeed, it was surprising that the Scripture Seeker had some divine skills, but considering that the Journey to the West was a major tribulation predestined by the Heavenly Dao and the Scripture Seeker was a person of destiny, such strangeness wasn't unnatural.

Logically, if the Scripture Seeker, being a member of the Buddhist Sect, possessed stronger divine skills, wouldn't it signify a fortune for Buddhism?

After all, as Tathagata's second disciple, Golden Cicada's status was without a doubt, authentic within Buddhism!

Mother of Lishan's words were merely a mention, for given Jiang Liu's legitimate origins, the Bodhisattvas did not dwell on the issue any further but turned their attention to the essence of the Floral Mink incident.

"In that case, it seems that the Floral Mink's skills were still inadequate! That's why it was slain. In the future, if such events recur, we must seek individuals of exceptional prowess, or perhaps, bestow sufficient defensive treasures!" Mother of Lishan said, reflecting on the death of the Floral Mink.

"Indeed, what the Mother says is very true!" agreed Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and the others, nodding in approval at the words of Mother of Lishan.

If one possesses strong abilities, there is no need to fear even Sun Wukong, and with a powerful defensive supreme treasure, even without being activated, it can protect its owner. Perhaps only thus can life be preserved during the challenges on the Journey to the West?

However, such a plan would increase Guanyin's workload, since her treasures were limited and she surely couldn't bring them out every time, could she?

Furthermore, there was a need to seek out the help of highly capable Immortals and Buddhas in the future! Who knows how much favor one would need to curry for that!

"Sigh..." Guanyin lamented softly, thinking of these complications.

Difficult indeed!

Although Guanyin had braced herself for the Journey to the West and knew it would not be easy, the path had just begun and she already found the difficulties to be much greater than anticipated.

"You don't need to sigh and put on a show. Speak your mind if you have something to say; you didn't invite us three here just to air your grievances, did you?" Mother of Lishan, who was not fooled by Guanyin's act, asked with a slight smile.

"The Mother is perceptive, indeed. Actually, this time I truly require your help. Why don't the four of us go down to the Lower Realm and take a turn there?" Guanyin, having her thoughts revealed by Mother of Lishan, did not feel embarrassed and briefly outlined her idea.

The descent of the four saints to the Lower Realm certainly could not involve capturing and screaming to eat human flesh like demons; wouldn't that be shameless? Therefore, Guanyin resolved to descend under the pretense of putting them to the test and create a tribulation for them.

Most importantly, it was another way to genuinely see the current state of the Scripture Seeker's team.

If it was a test, then what would be tested? Or rather, who would be tested?

Jiang Liu, being central to the Journey to the West, obviously needed no testing; if the test failed, it would be a disgrace for all of Buddhism!

Sun Wukong was impetuous by nature, and if the test provoked a strong backlash from him, no one knew what startling things the monkey might do. Therefore, Sun Wukong was also out of the question.

That left Zhu Bajie, who conveniently had vulnerabilities in his character.

After some deliberation, the four saints settled on a plan, with the three Bodhisattvas transforming into the guise of young women.

Mother of Lishan, on the other hand, took on the form of a middle-aged woman, claiming to be the mother of the three Bodhisattvas.

...

Unaware of Guanyin Bodhisattva's intentions, Jiang Liu, seated atop the White Dragon Horse, continued his westward journey, pondering over the plot development of the Journey to the West.

In fact, Jiang Liu's journey could be considered a battle of wits with Buddhism, and his greatest reliance was not only his gaming system's abilities but also his foreknowledge of the original storyline.

However, the incident with the Floral Mink had instilled a sense of urgency in Jiang Liu's heart.

Because it showed that due to his own interference, things had changed somewhat. Notably, on his Journey to the West, he would face many tribulations that did not exist in the original storyline, and he must be very careful.

Of course, while these additional tribulations not present in the original story also meant more opportunities for Jiang Liu.

The specific gains would depend on how he played his hand.

Luckily, before reaching the Great Thunder Monastery of the Western Heaven, Buddhism would not allow him to die, so his life was nothing to worry about.

"Hey, Master, there's a big residence up ahead, and it's getting late. Let's rest there!" Lost in thought, Zhu Bajie suddenly spoke up, pointing excitedly at a grand residence not far ahead.

"A residence? In this wilderness, who would build a home here? It wouldn't be convenient to step out for groceries or household items, would it?" Sun Wukong said in wonder as he looked at the elegantly designed and grand house ahead.

Then his fiery eyes shimmered with a golden glow, clearly using his Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze to scrutinize the place.

But after a brief moment, Sun Wukong deactivated his divine skill and shook his head at Jiang Liu, "Master, there are no signs of demon Qi, it's not a transformation by a demon."

As the day was indeed drawing to a close, Jiang Liu nodded slightly, "Let us take a look then, and ask for lodging for the night."

If there were no troubles, resting for a night would be pleasant, but if there were troubles? All the better!

Therefore, without much deliberation, Jiang Liu decided to stay the night and see what would unfold.