Chapter 161: True Man Enters the World of Jambu

Tang Seng was worried about his life. He had been attacked by demons many times along the way. How could he not be terrified?

The Monkey King smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Master. If we don’t exchange the pass, how can we travel west? Even if there are evil spirits on the road ahead, we should subdue them, firstly to ensure that we can travel west smoothly, and secondly to save innocent people.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, “Since it is as Wukong said, then let’s go into the city and pay attention.”

Zhu Bajie, carrying his load, came up to Monkey and said, “Brother, how come you are so eloquent lately? Have you taken some magic medicine?”

The Monkey King grabbed Bajie and said, “How can you have a magic elixir, you fool? Just improve your speech and you will surely make progress.”

Zhu Bajie whispered, “Brother, you are so eloquent, why don’t you sit on the horse?”

The traveler said, “Don’t talk nonsense, fool, just keep going forward and work together.”

Bajie dared not say anything more and continued walking forward with his load on his shoulder.

When the group of pilgrims arrived at the city gate drawbridge, a soldier saw them and came up to them and asked, “Where are you from?”

The traveler said, “We are monks from the Tang Dynasty in the East. We are going to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures at the order of the Tang Emperor.”

The soldiers looked at each other, fierce light flashing in their eyes, and shouted: “Monks from the East? Come in, come in.”

The Monkey King led the horse across the suspension bridge. When he was about to enter, he approached the white horse and said, “Master, be careful. That soldier has a bit of a vicious aura. I think he is in league with the queen of that country. I will definitely report it.”

Tang Monk asked: “Is there any way to resolve the disaster?”

The traveler said, “Just go inside. No matter how evil his methods are, they will not be able to defeat the righteous path. I and my two junior brothers will protect you, so you can rest assured.”

After hearing this, Tang Monk felt relieved and walked into the city. He passed through the towering city gate and entered the streets. He saw people living in the shops. Going further in, he saw palaces and pavilions layered together with corridors. It was truly the atmosphere of a great country.

The group of pilgrims went in and saw that it was getting dark, so they rested in the inn. They would exchange the pass when they went to court the next day.

……

Inside the palace, the soldiers reported what the queen knew.

Upon hearing that Tang Monk had arrived, the queen was overjoyed. She walked around the palace, thinking to herself, “I’ve heard of Tang Monk a long time ago. Some say he is the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, who has practiced for ten lifetimes. If I eat a piece of his flesh, I will surely be immortal and attain enlightenment. But I’ve heard that his three disciples are not good people, especially the eldest disciple, Sun Wukong, who is also known as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. He once caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace and has supernatural powers. We must be on guard. If we are not careful, we might be harmed by him.”

“Tomorrow, he will come to exchange the pass. My three disciples will not be here. I will use a trick to turn him into a monster so that Your Majesty can capture him. Then I will replace the original with the fake one and take him away to taste slowly.”

The queen had a plan in mind, which was to deal with Tang Seng.

The queen realized this and ordered the guards to come and tell the king to let Tang Seng come alone tomorrow.

The guard took the order and went to report.

……

At dawn the next day, Tang Monk, accompanied by his disciples, put on a brocade cassock, took the pass, held an alms bowl in his left hand and a staff in his right hand, and went to pay homage, exchange the pass, and then set off on his journey westward.

Suddenly, a guard came to report that in the Tang Dynasty, monks had to go to court to worship only one person and no one else was allowed to accompany them.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie laughed and said, “This king is really honest. He knows that we are exhausted from coming here, and that it is better for one person to bear the burden than for four people, so he asked Master to go alone so that we can rest.”

Sha Wujing said, “Second Senior Brother, please don’t say that. Senior Senior Brother once said that the Queen Mother of this country is a demon. Now you are saying this, I’m afraid it will harm Master’s life.”

When Tang Seng heard this, his face turned pale, he fell down in shock, and said, “What should I do?”

Sun Xingzhe stepped forward and said, “Master, don’t be afraid. Let me go to pay homage to the king of that country. I will talk to him and exchange the pass.”

Tang Seng said: “I am afraid that you will not exchange the pass when you see me.”

The Monkey King said, “Master, I have seventy-two transformations. When I become like you, the king will exchange letters of trust with me. Master, just wait and see.”

Say it.

The Monkey King shook his body and swayed, and turned into the appearance of Tang Monk.

The traveler clasped his hands together and said, “I am a poor monk from the Eastern Tang Dynasty who has been ordered by the emperor to go to the Western Heaven to worship the Living Buddha and seek the true scriptures.”

Tang Seng panicked and asked, “Wukong, is that you?”

The traveler smiled and said, “It is Old Sun.”

Tang Seng said: “What a skill! What a skill!”

Sha Wujing pointed at the Monkey King and said, “Big Brother, it’s leaking, it’s leaking!”

The traveler looked down and saw that his tail was exposed. He quickly hid it in his clothes and said, “You don’t know that I am not a human, so I don’t have the whole universe. Therefore, I have some flaws and this tail cannot be hidden.”

Zhu Bajie said, “Big Brother, hide your tail well and don’t show your monkey side.”

The traveler smiled and said, “Don’t worry, don’t worry.”

The Monkey King was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something. He turned back, grabbed Tang Seng and said, “Master, please follow me.”

Tang Seng’s entourage walked a little further away and asked, “Disciple, do you have anything to say?”

The Monkey King said, “Master, I am worried that no one will protect you when I am not around. Bajie is always talking nonsense, and I am afraid that Junior Brother Kaosha will not be able to protect you, so I have a way to help you stay safe.”

Tang Monk asked: “What do you mean?”

The Monkey King pulled out a hair, tied it to Tang Seng’s finger, and said, “Master, I have a way to protect you. If you encounter an evil spirit that wants to harm you, or if Bajie talks nonsense, just clench your fist and shout ‘Great Sage Equaling Heaven’, and I will protect you.”

Tang Seng nodded in agreement.

The traveler has just left to go to the court to exchange the pass.

……

The traveler walked to the king’s palace and went to pay homage to him.

Some court officials had already reported this to the emperor.

The king heard the report and said, “Yesterday the queen told me to send him alone to show her sincerity. But did he come alone?”

The courtier said, “It is indeed a man who has come. Your Majesty, please treat him with courtesy. The Great Tang in the East is the superior country of China. It is tens of thousands of miles away from here. A monk from the Tang Dynasty can walk here, so he must have some ability. Moreover, the good karma of China cannot be destroyed, otherwise there will be disasters of war.”

The king asked, “Does the Chinese nation really have such prestige?”

The queen beside him said, “Your Majesty, do not listen to slander. Even if China is a superior country, our country is not inferior to it. We should treat it with dignity and show our country’s prestige.”

The king said, “What the queen said is true. In this case, we should show our dignity and summon the Tang monk to come and have him pay homage to us.”

The court officials took the order and left. Not long after, Xingzhe Xuanzhi entered the hall and was ordered to pay homage with great ceremony.

The Monkey King, in the form of Tang Monk, clasped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, I am a monk from the Great Tang Dynasty and am not subject to the laws of other countries. Therefore, please forgive me for not paying homage to you with great ceremony.”

The king waved his hand to give up, but suddenly saw the queen’s expression and changed his words: “You are in my country now, so you should obey my etiquette and laws. Bow down quickly, or I will give you a stick to serve you.”

The Monkey King was unmoved when he heard this. Instead, he looked at the Queen with his eyes wide open. He could not see any clues, only some ferocity. He thought that the Queen must be a demon. Now in the palace, he could not break her magic. He was about to say something else when the Queen suddenly said, “Your Majesty, this Tang Dynasty monk is a demon.”

The king was shocked when he heard this and asked, “Is what the queen said true?”

The Queen said, “To be honest with you, Your Majesty, I have learned some Taoist techniques since I was young, and I have the ability to identify evil spirits. This Tang Dynasty monk is indeed an evil spirit. If Your Majesty does not believe me, I will use my method to make this Tang Dynasty monk reveal his true form.”

The king asked, “The queen is capable of this?”

The queen hurriedly ordered someone to fetch a cup of water, spit out a mouthful of water, and sprayed it on the traveler, creating an illusion.

Unexpectedly, the traveler had already achieved immortality, so he was not afraid of such a small trick. He remained unmoved even when the queen took the water and sprayed it on him, and just looked at the queen with a smile.

The queen was shocked when she saw this, and didn’t understand why his trick didn’t work.

The Monkey King put his hands together and said, “Your Majesty, this is a saying that a thief cries out to be a thief. In my opinion, your queen is the demon.”

When the court officials in the hall heard this, they hurriedly scolded him for being so daring.

The king said, “Although you are a Chinese holy monk, you should not humiliate our country like this.”

The traveler said, “If your majesty does not believe me, I have a way to make this queen appear in her true form.”

The king said, “What do you have to say? Show it to me.”

The traveler smiled and asked someone to bring a cup of water, which he sprayed on the queen. Sure enough, her body disappeared and her true form was revealed, which was actually a fox.

The king was greatly shocked when he saw this. Without hesitation, the Monkey King revealed his true form, raised his stick and struck the fox to death on the spot.

Another prince came by and was shocked when he saw the fox. Monkey hit it with his stick and killed it. It turned out to be another little fox.

The Monkey King pointed at the two foxes and said, “Your Majesty, I am Sun Wukong, the eldest disciple of Tang Monk. I have concealed something from you before, and it has even endangered your queen. These are your queen and prince. When I entered the palace, I saw that you were weak and must have been harmed by demons. Take a good look at what your country looks like now. I have heard that your country is wise and has produced many wise men. Take another look at what your country looks like now.”

The king suddenly came to his senses after hearing this. He fell on the stage and wept bitterly, regretting his actions. He said, “My child! Give me a cup of poisoned wine and I will kill you.”

The traveler was puzzled when he heard this, so he went to ask the court officials. He then learned that there was a prince in the country who was very wise, but was suppressed by the queen and later killed by the king with a cup of poisoned wine.

After hearing this, the traveler thought that if the king had not had any evil thoughts, how could the evil spirit dare to harm him? It was too late for the king to regret. The traveler watched in secret and did not mention the affairs of the Baoliang Kingdom for the time being.

……

Speaking of Zhenren, Jiang Yuan rode a white deer and traveled to the southern continent under the protection of Bull Demon King. After walking for a long time, he finally saw a city in front of him.

The immortal said with a smile: “Can we enter the Tang Dynasty in the East from here?”

The Bull Demon King, holding a mixed iron rod, replied: “Master, we have entered the Tang Dynasty. The place behind is Hangu Pass, and this place has entered the Tang Dynasty.”

The Immortal said, “There is a city ahead. We are here to see the lawlessness of the human world. We should walk more in the human world and go inside.”

The Bull Demon King said, “Master, I will change my appearance, otherwise I will scare others.”

Jiang Yuan readily agreed.

The Bull Demon King suddenly transformed himself into a farmer. He said, “Master, you look very majestic. Do you want to change your appearance?”

Jiang Yuan said: “There is no need to change. Those who hear the Tao will see my immortal appearance, and those who hate the Tao will see me as an ordinary person with no blessings or fortune.”

The Bull Demon King said: “If anyone dares to insult me, I will fight him.”

Jiang Yuan smiled without saying anything, and asked the Bull Demon King to lead the deer towards the city.

When he approached the city gate, a soldier stopped him and asked him where he came from.

The Bull Demon King stepped forward and said, “We are here from the West to travel and practice. We have come here so we will enter the city to rest for one night.”

The soldier said, “Since you are here for a trip, then come in. But today, the immortals in the Fuluan Temple have invited the immortals. Since you are a cultivator, you can go and see it.”

Jiang Yuan rode on the back of the deer and said, “Thank you. Where is the Fu Luan Temple?”

The soldier said, “It’s in the north of the city.”

After Jiang Yuan thanked the soldiers again, he walked into the city.

The Bull Demon King walked into the city, but seeing the crowds, he said, “Master, is there any problem with this Fu Luan Temple?”

Jiang Yuan said, “No problem, I just went to see it. Fuluan Temple wants to invite gods, I will go and see what kind of gods they can invite. If there is any trick to Fuluan to invite gods, I also know a little bit.”

The Bull Demon King led the white deer and said, “If there is anything illegal in the Fuluan Temple, should I stop it?”

Jiang Yuan said: “If it endangers living people, then we should save them. If it doesn’t endanger people, and there is something illegal, if it involves immortals, then we should hand it over to the heaven. I haven’t received the immortal certificate, so I must not lose the etiquette.”

The Bull Demon King exclaimed: “I have never seen a person who values ​​courtesy as much as you do. Before I followed you to practice cultivation, I thought that if you succeeded in cultivation, you would eat and drink well, be free and at ease, and do whatever you want. That is freedom.”

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, “If that’s the case, then the more you cultivate, the more you will go backwards.”

The Bull Demon King said: “That’s exactly the truth. Since I followed you to practice, I know that freedom is not freedom. That kind of freedom is the freedom of the Wood Mother, not my freedom.”

Jiang Yuan said: “The flower is not a flower, the fog is not a fog, the mountain is not a mountain, the water is not water.”

The Bull Demon King bowed and said, “I am grateful for your advice.”

As the two of them were talking, they were heading into the city when suddenly someone blocked their way.
The Bull Demon King was holding a mixed iron stick and was about to step forward, asking Jiang Yuan to stop him.

The man said, “You two, my master wants to see you.”

The Bull Demon King asked, “Who is your master?”

The man pointed to a place not far away, and saw an old man wearing gold and silver standing not far away, waving at Jiang Yuan and Niu Wang.

Jiang Yuan rode on the back of the deer and asked with a smile, “What’s your master’s surname?”

The man said, “My master’s surname is Zuo.”

Jiang Yuan said, “Talk to your master first. If you are interested, come over and talk. It’s only about ten steps away. If you are not willing, I will leave.”

Upon hearing this, the man hesitated for a moment, then bowed to Jiang Yuan and the other man, and turned back to tell the old man about it.

The old man pondered for a long time. When Jiang Yuan was about to let Niu Wang leave, the old man stepped forward, bowed and said, “Zuo Liang greets you, sir.”

Jiang Yuan dismounted the white deer and asked, “Since you sent servants to block the road, what instructions do you have?”

The old man said, “Just now I heard you talking with this brother, saying that cultivation is not about eating and drinking well and doing whatever you want, and that it is not true freedom. I wonder what you mean by that? If it is not freedom, why do so many people in the world covet gold and silver, and do not cultivate and pursue true freedom?”

Jiang Yuan smiled and asked back: “I see that you are rich and powerful, and I guess you have a fortune. Are you comfortable? I see that you are not comfortable.”

The old man asked, “Do you know that I am uncomfortable?”

Jiang Yuan said: “If you are at ease, why would you stop me?”

(End of this chapter)