Honghuang: My understanding is beyond belief. I am the first immortal of Jiejiao.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has many powerful figures under his command, such as the Treasure Goddess and the Angel of Capture. Aren't they all half-step quasi-saints?
How could he possibly... how could he possibly be here unharmed?! And so leisurely, eating sunflower seeds and watching the show?!

However unbelievable it was to her, the figure that was giving her such a headache was really sitting there, as if enjoying a street farce that had nothing to do with her.

This sudden turn of events shocked and terrified her, instantly disrupting her original plans and leaving her in a state of utter confusion.

The burly monk, seeing the old beggar suddenly freeze, look up at the sky, and appear dazed, became even more convinced that she was mentally ill.

His lust was aroused again, and he actually reached out his greasy hand to pinch the Bodhisattva's disguised, filthy cheeks, while making lewd remarks.

"Old man, scared out of your wits? Hehe, I see you're old and dirty, but upon closer inspection, your physique and frame are actually quite decent. Why don't you come back to the temple with me, and we'll have a proper 'discussion' of the essence of the Blissful Buddha's teachings? I guarantee you'll feel as happy as an immortal!"

As he spoke, he even lewdly lifted his monk's robe, revealing his hairy belly, and let out bursts of lewd laughter.

"you……!"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was so angry that she trembled all over, and the Buddhist power emanating from her body was almost uncontrollable!
When had she ever suffered such a humiliating disgrace?! Under normal circumstances, she would have blasted this blasphemous fool into dust with a beam of Buddhist light!
But... but the God of Hell was watching right there!

She had no doubt that if she dared to use even a trace of her magic, that evil star would immediately jump down and use fabricated charges such as "committing a crime in the street" and "attacking a mortal" to "invite" her to the Ninth Heavenly Prison to keep Mu Cha company!
Suppressing her almost explosive anger, Bodhisattva took a deep breath and decided to ignore this fool. She turned around and left this place of trouble, as far away from Lin Zhu as possible!

"Hey? Don't go!"

Seeing that she was about to leave, the burly monk assumed she was afraid and became even more smug. He blocked her path again and started arguing and making a scene.

"I'm speaking to you, Buddha! Let me tell you, my surname is Lu, and my Buddhist name is 'Dali'! In this territory of Chang'an, no one dares to disrespect me! If you don't come back with me today to discuss Buddhism, I'll dig three feet into the ground to find you!"

Guanyin Bodhisattva could no longer bear it, but she could not use her great power. She could only channel a tiny bit of Buddhist power into her feet. Her body moved like a slippery white mouse, and with a nimble step that was hard for ordinary people to understand, she instantly slipped past the gap next to the "powerful monk" and left without looking back.

The monk Lu Dali felt a blur before his eyes, and the old beggar disappeared. He was stunned for a moment, then scratched his bald head and spat.

"Damn, you ran pretty fast! Good thing you know what's good for you! But I'll remember you! I'll find you sooner or later and have a proper 'exchange' of Buddhist teachings with you!"

He grumbled a few words, then, realizing he was being frivolous, he left grumbling.

On the rooftop, Lin Zhu, who had concealed his figure, saw everything and almost burst out laughing.

He stroked his chin, thinking that this monk Lu Dali was truly a "talented person," daring to flirt with even a beggar who was an incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and even discussing "the Dharma of Joy."
That's incredibly audacious! However, he only watched the spectacle and didn't interfere. Seeing Guanyin Bodhisattva leave in a hurry, he moved swiftly and silently followed her like a ghost.

His task was merely to "watch the performance" and "exert his initiative" at crucial moments. Now that the main character had appeared, he naturally had to follow along and see how this "show" would unfold.

For Lin Zhu, this task was incredibly easy and enjoyable. He only needed to watch the show for a day, and at crucial moments, he could earn 50,000 merit points for free by simply speaking up or lending a hand. It was like a windfall, and he was happy to relax, treating it as a post-war vacation.

However, for Guanyin Bodhisattva, the feeling was completely different!

At this moment, her feelings were like those of someone riding an out-of-control roller coaster without a seatbelt, plummeting from a high point into an abyss!

She thought that with Lin Zhu being held back by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, she could finally get rid of the shadow of this evil star and live a peaceful and carefree life as a Bodhisattva, completing the task assigned by Buddha.

Who would have thought that just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I turned around and found that guy sitting on the roof eating sunflower seeds, looking at me with a smile that seemed to control everything!

This feeling of being pricked by a thorn in her back and stuck in her throat made her feel as heavy-hearted as if she were going to visit a grave!

She only has one thought now.

Hurry up and find that unreliable Chen Xuanzang, stuff the cassock and staff into his hands, complete this damned handover ceremony, and then immediately return to Mount Putuo in the South China Sea, shut yourself off from visitors, and hide as far away from the forests and bamboo groves as possible!
She didn't want to stay in Chang'an or in the Southern Continent for even a moment longer!
She used almost all her strength to run as fast as she could, and arrived near Donghua Gate, the agreed meeting place with her "fated one," as planned.

Perhaps it was fate, but not long after she arrived, she happened to run into Prime Minister Xiao Xing, who had just finished court and was preparing to return home!
Xiao Xing was sitting in a sedan chair carried by eight men, still scheming in his mind how to use the power of the Western Paradise to make his family rich and powerful for ten lifetimes when suddenly the sedan chair stopped and a commotion came from ahead.

He frowned and lifted the sedan curtain, only to see a mad old beggar holding two seemingly tattered but actually extraordinary objects, blocking his entourage in the street.

Xiao Xing was initially angry, but then he remembered the instructions given by the Western Angel, his eyes flickered, and he immediately entered "actor" mode.

He straightened his clothes, adopted the demeanor of a prime minister, and asked in a deep voice.

"Hey you old beggar, why are you blocking my way? What are you holding in your hand?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva felt somewhat relieved and quickly answered in a hoarse voice, following the script.

"Your Excellency, this is the supreme treasure robe, the brocade bat cassock! There is also a nine-ringed staff, both of which are Buddhist treasures!"

Following the script, Xiao Xing continued to press for answers.

"Oh? If it's a treasure, what's its value?"

"The cassock requires five thousand taels of silver! The staff requires two thousand taels!"

The Bodhisattva announced the price.

Xiao Xing pretended to ponder, but in reality he was waiting for her to say the key "line" so that he could smoothly continue and then take her to see the Tang King.

He stroked his beard and asked deliberately, as if trying to make things difficult.

"So expensive? What are the benefits?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was anxious and just wanted to finish the process as quickly as possible, so she explained according to the pre-arranged words.

"Benefits? Wearing this robe prevents one from falling into depravity, from descending into hell, from suffering evil calamities, and from encountering the dens of tigers and wolves—that is the benefit! As for the disadvantages, foolish monks who are greedy and lewd, monks who do not observe fasting and abstinence, and ordinary people who destroy scriptures and slander the Buddha will find it difficult to even see my robe—that is the disadvantage!"

She paused and added.

"If someone respects the Three Jewels, rejoices in good deeds, and takes refuge in the Buddha, then don't give them money! But if someone is hypocritical, insists on buying things, and seeks personal gain, then you must sell them the robe for seven thousand taels and the staff for three thousand taels!"

This explanation, originally intended to highlight the sacredness of the treasure and select "destined individuals," now sounded less mysterious and more hurried coming from the anxious Bodhisattva.

Just as Xiao Xing was about to say the line from the script, "In that case, you shall come with me to court to meet His Majesty and present it to him," another unexpected event occurred!
"Wow! This is amazing! I want this, Buddha!!"

A thunderous roar came from outside the crowd!

The burly monk who had just harassed the Bodhisattva—Lu Dali—had returned. He charged forward like a mad bull, trying to snatch the robe and staff from the Bodhisattva's hands. With his other hand, he pulled out a bulging money bag and started shouting.

"Money! I have plenty of money!"

Xiao Xing's face instantly darkened!
Who the hell is this Cheng Yaojin from?! How dare he ruin the Buddha's... no, I mean, ruin the Bodhisattva's and the true form's good deed?!
"stop!"

Xiao Xing shouted angrily, stood up from the sedan chair, and glared at Lu Dali.

"Lu Zhishen! How dare you! You actually steal treasures and disturb this official?!"

It turns out that Lu Dali was not a proper monk at all; his secular identity was Cheng Yaojin, a general under the Tang Emperor and a notorious troublemaker!
He came here on the secret orders of the Tang Emperor to deliberately cause trouble!

Cheng Yaojin ignored Xiao Xing's reprimand, picked at his ear, and snorted disdainfully.

"Prime Minister Xiao, I, Old Cheng, have my eye on this! The silver His Majesty gave me is enough to buy ten or eight of them! Could you please do me the honor and let me have it?"

He was half telling the truth. The money was indeed given by the Tang King, but the purpose was not to have him buy treasures, but to have him cause trouble!
Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, had long suspected that Xiao Xing was colluding with the Western Paradise and intended to use this grand Buddhist assembly to completely introduce Buddhist influence into the East. Therefore, he arranged Cheng Yaojin as a hidden move to sever the Western Paradise's plans!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xing was so angry he was practically fuming!

Relying on the support of the Bodhisattva of the Western Paradise and having a pre-determined script in hand, how could he allow Cheng Yaojin, this brute, to ruin it?
His face was dark, and his voice was icy.

"Cheng Zhijie! This is a treasure presented to His Majesty. How dare you cause such a ruckus here? Step back immediately, and I will pretend that nothing happened today!"

Cheng Yaojin glared at him.

"I, Old Cheng, will not retreat!

I'm definitely getting my hands on this!

"You...you're asking for it!!"

Xiao Xing was thoroughly enraged by Cheng Yaojin's reckless attitude. Coupled with the frustration of being "tricked" by the Tang King in the court and the eagerness to obtain ten lifetimes of wealth, all these emotions intertwined and caused him to lose his mind!

He roared and, disregarding all decorum befitting a prime minister, leaped off the sedan chair like a madman, baring his teeth and claws as he lunged at Cheng Yaojin. Judging from his stance, he truly intended to tear Cheng Yaojin to pieces!
A pampered civil official, a prime minister, pounces on a battle-hardened general...

The result is predictable.

"Bang! Smack! Ouch!!"

But three seconds later...

Xiao Xing flew back even faster than when he rushed out, crashing heavily to the ground with a bruised and swollen face, two missing front teeth, and his arms bent unnaturally, clearly indicating that he was already in a state of second-degree disability.

He lay on the ground, groaning, too weak to even get up.

Cheng Yaojin rubbed his fist, which was bigger than a clay pot, spat on the ground, and cursed.

"Pah! What kind of trash is this! You dare to lay a hand on your Grandpa Cheng? Do you really think I, Old Cheng, am a pushover? I, Old Cheng, am an honest man and the most reasonable person!"

Lin Zhu, who was hiding in mid-air, watching the show while eating sunflower seeds, was shocked when he heard Cheng Yaojin call himself an "honest man." He almost choked on his sunflower seed kernels! Holy crap!
Cheng Yaojin's skin is thicker than the walls of Chang'an! Who doesn't know that you slaughtered so many Buddhist soldiers on the Tang Dynasty's borders that their heads could form a mound of corpses? And you call that an honest man?!

Watching the farce unfold below, he felt that these young men from Chang'an were all exceptionally fierce.

He was happy to remain on the sidelines and chuckled to himself.

This isn't a water-splashing festival, it's a spitting festival! But it's still quite lively!

After Cheng Yaojin finished off Xiao Xing, he turned around triumphantly, ready to retrieve the two treasures, only to be shocked to find that the old beggar and Xiao Xing, who was lying on the ground groaning, had... vanished?!
"What about people?!"

Cheng Yaojin stared wide-eyed at the beggar and Xiao Xing, but there was no sign of them anywhere.
He frowned, realizing that it must have been the Buddha from the Western Paradise who secretly intervened and rescued the person!

Enraged, he punched the stone lion beside him, cracking it in several places, and roared.

"Buddha of the Western Paradise! This is outrageous! How dare you resort to such underhanded tricks in the capital of my Great Tang Dynasty, right under the Emperor's nose!!"

But he was ultimately just a mortal, and he was helpless against the methods of immortals and Buddhas. He could only stomp his foot in anger and turn back to report to the Tang Emperor.

……

On the other side, the moment Cheng Yaojin turned around, Guanyin Bodhisattva almost exhausted her last bit of patience and rationality, and used a meager amount of Buddhist power to create an extremely brief "flash". At the same time, she picked up the half-dead Xiao Xing on the ground and instantly got out of Cheng Yaojin's sight. In a few leaps, she arrived at the palace gate!
Xiao Xing felt a blur before his eyes and heard the wind whistling in his ears. When he looked again, he was already standing in front of the majestic palace gate, and the intense pain in his body seemed to have lessened a bit.

He stared in horror at the bodhisattva beside him, who still looked like a beggar, feeling both fear and ecstasy.

Immortal arts! It truly is immortal arts! I've chosen the right person to follow! Following the Western Paradise will definitely lead to a bright future!
Guanyin Bodhisattva's mood was extremely gloomy at this moment.

She glanced at the palace, then cautiously sensed her surroundings. Confirming that the ominous Lin Zhu didn't seem to intend to jump out and stop her immediately, she couldn't help but feel secretly relieved, thinking that she had escaped a calamity.
She dared not delay, fearing that things might go wrong if she waited too long, and hurriedly urged the still-shaken Xiao Xing to hurry up.

"Quickly! Take this humble monk... take me to see His Majesty the Tang Emperor!"

……

Inside the palace, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, had already learned of everything that had happened in front of Donghua Gate through secret channels.

When he saw Xiao Xing leading an old beggar into the palace in a disheveled state, he knew in his heart that Cheng Yaojin had failed.

As expected... the Buddha of the Western Paradise was indeed a cut above the rest? (End of Chapter)