Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Chapter 208 The First Encounter Between Master Zhenyuan and Tathagata

Initially, Master Zhenyuan indeed detained Jiang Liu and his companions at Wuzhuang Temple, seizing the Buddhist Sect's weak point, and he could negotiate conditions with them at leisure.

However, now, seeing Jiang Liu and his companions perfectly content to stay in Wuzhuang Temple, showing no desire to leave, even leading astray his two Taoist Boys, Mingyue and Qingfeng, Master Zhenyuan's complexion looked somewhat unsightly, and he couldn't help wishing they would leave as soon as possible.

"Could this be Tathagata's scheme, purposefully allowing this scripture-seeking party to come and corrupt the customs of my Wuzhuang Temple?"

Even such a thought flitted through Master Zhenyuan's mind, and the more he considered it, the more likely it seemed.

Master Zhenyuan had watched the birth of the Buddhist Sect with his own eyes, witnessing its rise from nothing. Those two had been very crafty from a long, long time ago. Thus, such cunning has been somewhat recognized among the Three Realms and Six Paths as a characteristic of the atmosphere within the entire Buddhist Sect.

Therefore, seeing how Jiang Liu's party seemed to have changed the customs of Wuzhuang Temple, having some conspiratorial thoughts was not an overreaction at all.

After much contemplation, Master Zhenyuan felt that the scripture-seeking group should not stay in Wuzhuang Temple for too long.

It was fine for now, with only the Taoist Boys Mingyue and Qingfeng affected. The other forty-six disciples were still at Yuxu Palace. They couldn't stay there indefinitely, could they? If those disciples returned to find even themselves influenced, the consequences would be unpredictable.

With this thought in mind, Master Zhenyuan secretly plotted how to make Xuanzang and his companions leave soon while still negotiating the best possible terms with the Buddhist Sect.

Indeed, in Master Zhenyuan's ideal scenario, he would detain the scripture seekers in Wuzhuang Temple. Then, in their desperation, they would be unable to escape and would have to seek rescue from Tathagata and Guanyin.

When they would come to plead with him in person, that'd be the time for him to propose his conditions.

But now, if he were to voluntarily suggest to Tathagata to take the people away, even if he held their weak point, the loss of initiative meant that the conditions he could dictate were limited, a principle Master Zhenyuan was well aware of.

Yet, considering the current atmosphere at Wuzhuang Temple, Master Zhenyuan simply could not wait. Moreover, the scripture seekers were in no hurry at all!

...

Putting aside Master Zhenyuan's current musings, elsewhere at the Great Thunder Monastery of the Western Heaven, Tathagata sat upon the Lotus Platform, softly murmuring Buddhist Law.

Below the Lotus Platform, all the various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas remained in silent attendance.

After a long while, the miraculous sight of flowers falling from heaven dissipated, marking the end of this particular religious gathering.

The Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Vajras, and so on, each paid their respects to Tathagata before gradually dispersing.

"Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, please stay your Zen Step!" As the Buddhas left, Tathagata's gaze fell upon Guanyin, and he addressed her.

The departure of the other Buddhas caused no surprise in this regard, as after all, the grand scheme of the Journey to the West had already begun. Guanyin, being the overall in charge of the event, would naturally have a lot of matters to discuss and hand over to Tathagata, which was expected.

"The Journey to the West has begun; it must have been nearly a year by now, right? How is it progressing?" Without mincing words, Tathagata directly inquired to Bodhisattva Guanyin.

Almost a year had passed, and in Tathagata's view, it was time for Bodhisattva Guanyin to report on the progress of the related matters, giving a routine update.

"Amitabha Buddha, venerable Buddha..." As Guanyin heard Tathagata's inquiry about the current progress of the work on the Journey to the West, she felt a mix of emotions, a sense of grievance as well as embarrassment.

The grievance was because she indeed had suffered some indignities lately—distresses she couldn't voice—and the embarrassment was born of concern that her performance might cause the Buddha to doubt her capabilities.

But irrespective of whatever was in Bodhisattva Guanyin's heart, she reported to Tathagata in detail all the challenges Jiang Liu faced along his Journey to the West, leaving nothing out.

In particular, Bodhisattva Guanyin placed emphasis on her losses, including her Mystical Mirror and the Ninth Grade Black Lotus, in her report to the Buddha.

"Amitabha Buddha, indeed, the great catastrophe of the world is not easily managed. These days have led to considerable losses for Guanyin!"

Having known Guanyin for so many years, Tathagata was well aware of her nature—nothing escaped her, not even plucking feathers off a flying goose. Now that she had suffered some losses herself, it was easy to imagine how Guanyin felt.

"For our grand purpose, a little loss is negligible!" Waiting for this exact affirmation from Tathagata, Bodhisattva Guanyin felt naturally pleased, but she still had to maintain a facade of willing sacrifice for the great cause of the Buddhist Sect.

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"Amitabha Buddha, from now on, you may use the treasures in our Buddhist Sector's treasury at will. Your words are true, we must gather the eighty-one trials; creating calamities does indeed require treasures!" Pleased with Guanyin's response, Tathagata nodded in satisfaction and spoke.

He knew the saying well: to make the horse run fast, you must feed it well. And indeed, treasures were essential for creating calamities.

So after pondering, Tathagata granted Guanyin Bodhisattva the authority to freely utilize the treasures from the Great Thunder Monastery's treasury.

"Thank you for your trust, O Buddha!" Hearing this, Bodhisattva Guanyin was naturally overjoyed.

In this way, not only would her duties become easier, but she might also be able to privately keep one or two items for her own use, should the opportunity arise.

Even if there were to be losses in the future, they wouldn't involve her own treasures!

"Right, where have Master Golden Cicada and his companions reached now?" Seeing the joyous demeanor of Guanyin, the Tathagata nodded slightly before following up with a question.

"Reporting to the Buddha, the current situation is somewhat tricky!" Hearing the Buddha inquire about the Journey to the West Team's situation, the countenance of Bodhisattva Guanyin turned somewhat grim.

"Oh?" The brows of the Tathagata raised slightly as he glanced at Bodhisattva Guanyin.

What could be so problematic as to trouble her?

"Master Golden Cicada and his party are now at Wuzhuang Temple, and it seems they have been detained by Grand Immortal Zhenyuan..." Speaking with an expression of difficulty on her face, Bodhisattva Guanyin said.

Upon hearing this, the brows of the Tathagata furrowed slightly and he murmured a Buddhist chant lowly, clearly feeling very troubled.

Grand Immortal Zhenyuan? What sort of status does that carry? Have Master Golden Cicada and his group been detained by Grand Immortal Zhenyuan?

It's not only that Guanyin lacks the capacity to demand their release, even I don't possess such an ability.

It seems that to retrieve them from the hands of Grand Immortal Zhenyuan, it's imperative to offer something in exchange rather than confronting him with force.

But, would a minor concession suffice to satisfy Grand Immortal Zhenyuan if he has intervened personally?

Could it be that a substantial sacrifice is required this time? The mere thought of it is distressing.

Thud, thud, thud!

Just as the Tathagata and Bodhisattva Guanyin both appeared somewhat distressed, contemplating how to retrieve the Scripture Seeking Team from the grasp of Grand Immortal Zhenyuan, a Vajra clad in golden armor with heavy footsteps approached.

"Reporting to the Buddha! Grand Immortal Zhenyuan has arrived! He seeks an audience with the Buddha! We have already arranged for the Grand Immortal to wait in the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas!" The Vajra reported upon arriving before the Tathagata.

"He's here..." Hearing the words of the Kinkaku, the Tathagata and Guanyin exchanged glances, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

With Grand Immortal Zhenyuan coming personally at this moment, it seems an inevitable verbal battle is ahead.

However, fortunately, it's better to resolve this matter sooner rather than later. Since Grand Immortal Zhenyuan himself has come, this might be a good opportunity to swiftly settle the matter?

"Please invite him in quickly!" The Tathagata said, his thoughts shifting.

However, as soon as the words were spoken, the Tathagata stood up, adding, "Wait, I shall go to greet him personally!"

"I greet Grand Immortal Zhenyuan!" Upon meeting in the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the Tathagata and Bodhisattva Guanyin initiated the greeting, bowing deeply in respect.

"I greet the Buddha!" Likewise, Grand Immortal Zhenyuan returned the gesture with a bow.

The Tathagata's respect towards Grand Immortal Zhenyuan was an acknowledgment of his divine status and because he was a senior figure of profound supernatural power in the Three Realms.

Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's respect towards the Tathagata, conversely, was an acknowledgment of his position as the head of the Buddhist Sect.

After exchanging greetings, they took their seats, and Biqius served up Buddhist tea as hospitality. The conversation seemed unhurried, with just a few casual exchanges of words.

Shortly thereafter, the Tathagata, with an air of nonchalance, said, "May I know what has brought Grand Immortal Zhenyuan to our Great Thunder Monastery for a visit today?"

"This humble deity crossed paths with your Great Thunder Monastery by a fortunate coincidence today. There's a minor matter I wish to discuss with you!" Grand Immortal Zhenyuan said, casting his gaze upon the Tathagata.

"Please, Grand Immortal, enlighten us!" In the presence of Grand Immortal Zhenyuan, the Tathagata adopted a very humble posture.

After all, not only is Grand Immortal Zhenyuan's status truly extraordinary, but also, do I not presently seek his favor?

"Well, a few days ago, your second disciple, the reincarnation of Master Golden Cicada, passed by my Wuzhuang Temple. Remembering our familiar terms with your Buddhist Sect, I intended to personally host him to fulfill the courtesy of a landlord, but alas, the decree of Yuanshi Heavenly Venerable from Yuxu Palace summoned me for a discourse.

I thus instructed my disciples of Wuzhuang Temple to serve him two Ginseng Fruits..."

Grand Immortal Zhenyuan calmly narrated the events at Wuzhuang Temple, summarizing the story succinctly.

In his own words, he had been nothing but gracious and hospitable, yet the members of the Journey to the West Team, oblivious to good fortune, dared to offend him.

Of course, he would not stoop to squabbles with juniors, but as an elder, he could not simply let the matter rest, could he?

Otherwise, wouldn't everyone in the world think him easy to bully and feel entitled to heap insults upon him?

"Although Wukong is indeed mischievous by nature, yet…" Bodhisattva Guanyin, who was beside him, could not help but interject upon hearing this.

However, the Tathagata gestured with his hand, indicating that there was no need for Guanyin to speak.

The gaze of the Tathagata fell upon Grand Immortal Zhenyuan as he said, "May I ask what sort of resolution the Grand Immortal is looking for?"