Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 593 Lü Zu's Wonderful Magic Play with Guanyin

The Quanzhou ferry crossing was bustling with crowds and noise, far surpassing the usual market scene.

A mighty river breeze swept in, stirring the clothes and sleeves of the crowds on the riverbank, and carrying with it countless sounds of everyday life.

Rough shouts, anxious urgings, the boatman's hoarse chants, the children's cries and the women's helpless sighs, all mingled in the biting cold river wind, rushing towards you.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, with a heart full of compassion, disguised herself as a fisherwoman named "Yu Lan'er" and hid in the mortal world to save all sentient beings from suffering.

Jin Chanzi also possessed great kindness, and transformed into an elderly boatman and fisherman who made a living by rowing, ferrying, fishing and selling fish on the water.

The two went to the Quanzhou ferry and used the ingenious strategy of "throwing money and getting married" to raise funds to repair the bridge, also hoping to enlighten the people of the area.

Before me, the great river was murky and turbulent, its waves surging and roaring.

The rudimentary ferryboat swayed precariously in the turbulent river, like a fallen leaf, ready to be swallowed by the surging waves at any moment.

This scene further underscores the profound compassion and moving sentimentality of Yu Lan'er and the elderly fisherman's act of "selling themselves to raise funds."

As the saying goes:
"Early bird gets the worm."

Suddenly, a burly man, as strong as an ox and with a face full of scars, appeared and took the initiative to attack.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at Yu Lan'er at the bow of the boat. He let out a low growl and swung his arms up with brute force!

Several copper coins, accompanied by a piercing sound of wind being cut, transformed into several dim streaks of light and shot towards the bow of the ship like crossbows released from a bow!
The copper coin, imbued with the brute's crude desires and greed, lunged menacingly at Yu Lan'er's graceful figure.

Strangely, the copper coin barely grazed the corner of his coarse cloth garment as it fluttered in the wind before falling with a few weak "plop" sounds and sinking into the cabin.

"Oops!"

"What a pity! Just a hair's breadth away! Heaven is blind!"

Seeing that he had missed his chance with the beauty, the burly man was so frustrated that he stamped his feet repeatedly, slapping his thigh heavily with his large, fan-like hand while yelling.

"Get out of the way! How could a rough and uncouth bull like you be worthy of such a beautiful young lady?"

A sarcastic sneer rang out from the crowd.

"What a waste of a precious gem!"

"If someone throws in a few more coins, one of them is bound to hit the bullseye!"

A wealthy merchant, dressed in fine silks and satins and with a protruding belly, pushed aside the crowd blocking his way and arrogantly squeezed to the front.

His narrowed, beady eyes gleamed with greed, his gaze blatantly sweeping over Yu Lan'er as if she were already his, making clicking noises as he spoke.

He took out a handful of loose silver, weighed it in his palm, squinted, carefully calculated the angle and force, took a deep breath, and then threw it with all his might!

"Quick! Quick! I want some too!"

"Stop pushing! Get in line!"

"One person at a time!"

"This young lady is mine!"

"A blessed woman does not enter a family without blessings."

"This young lady is a perfect match for a blessed man like me!"

……

With the wealthy businessman making the move, the crowd erupted in chaos!

Countless people surged forward, jostling and scrambling like a pack of hungry beasts that had caught the scent of blood, frantically vying to unleash their desires upon the bow of the ship.

"I go first!"

“Let me go first!”

You stepped on me!

"You son of a bitch!"

……

Shouts, arguments, and curses mingled together, creating a deafening cacophony.

In the celestial realm lives the Moon Goddess, whose beauty is so captivating that she inspires admiration in all.

In the Buddhist realm, there is the Water-Moon Guanyin, whose Dharma image is unparalleled in the world, and who compassionately saves all sentient beings.

In the demon realm, there are beauties who are incredibly beautiful, captivating hearts and souls with every smile and frown.

At this moment, on the fishing boat, the fisherwoman "Yu Lan'er," dressed only in coarse linen clothes, a simple hairpin and skirt, and carrying a fish basket, was so breathtakingly beautiful that she stirred the souls of ordinary people on the shore.

Her appearance was exceptionally beautiful, her face as clear and bright as the moon, her eyes like autumn waters brimming with waves, her arched eyebrows like distant mountains after the rain, and her cherry lips naturally red without any makeup, making her look delicate and alluring.

What's even more captivating is the pure and innocent compassion that emanates from her very being, a blend of ethereal beauty and a touch of melancholy, so holy that one dares not look directly at her, yet one cannot help but feel a frantic possessiveness.

All living beings on the shore were captivated by her.

In the eyes of men, what cannot be suppressed is greed and lust.

The women's eyes held a mixture of amazement and a hint of jealousy.

A literary figure once criticized:
"Men have two great hobbies: to lure virtuous women into prostitution and to persuade prostitutes to reform themselves."

"Women have two great interests: talking about money with poor people and talking about feelings with rich people."

Human nature is what it is.

The scene before us is the same.

The subtlety and absurdity of human nature are vividly portrayed at this Quanzhou ferry crossing.

That pure, ethereal, and compassionate aura made the fisherwoman appear extremely holy.

But the more pure and ethereal the fisherwoman on the boat appeared, the more turbulent and frenzied the primal desires suppressed in the hearts of the people on the shore became.

They only wanted to drag that unattainable, pure fisherwoman down from the clouds, take her home, and ravage her to satisfy their greedy desires.

then.

One by one, handfuls of copper coins, silver coins, broken silver, and even silver ingots, transformed into a chaotic storm of silver coins amidst the roar of desire.

They roared, carrying the greed and madness of ordinary people, and rushed toward the bow of the ship.

Money quickly piled up on the ship, forming a small "silver mountain" in the cabin.

The incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, a fisherwoman named Yu Lan'er, stands quietly at the bow of the boat, carrying a fish basket. Her eyes are fixed on her nose, her nose on her heart, her expression neither sad nor happy. Her figure is like a pure white lotus in the heart of the river, standing tall and pure despite the raging winds and rains and the towering waves. She remains unmoved by the hustle and bustle of the world and the tides of desire.

It fully demonstrates the supreme concentration and great compassion of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

dark place.

"Amitabha……"

Jin Chanzi, disguised as an elderly fisherman, stood with his eyes lowered, silently practicing profound Buddhist teachings.

Those messy copper coins and silver ingots that flew in carrying worldly evil thoughts were quietly dissipated by an invisible, gentle force, and fell lightly onto the ship's deck like withered leaves.

Or perhaps drawn by a very subtle force, it barely brushed against Yu Lan'er's clothes and hair before slipping into the murky river.

Although these coins could not harm the Dharma body of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the slightest.

She then transformed into an ordinary woman.

They were coveted and stalked by countless ordinary people as if they were "hunting" for a romantic encounter, and their money was freely poured into them...

He was being licked inch by inch by countless pairs of eyes filled with lewd desire...

Feeling the strange and blasphemous gazes that seemed to pierce through my clothes, relentlessly whipping and ravaging my body...

The feeling of being openly sold as an item that can be bought at will...

Even though Guanyin Bodhisattva's mind is as vast as the sea and as still as Mount Sumeru, at this moment, in the depths of her pure Buddha-heart, she cannot help but feel a very subtle, embarrassing ripple, belonging to "Yu Lan'er, a mortal," due to her experience of this mundane world.

"Hey……"

It was a complex emotion intertwined with helplessness and compassion towards the filth and desires of the world. Though untainted by worldly defilement, it was enough to make Guanyin Bodhisattva sigh and lament the complexity of human nature and the inexhaustible nature of desires in the mortal world.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva once made a great vow:
"One cannot become a Buddha until hell is emptied."

But there are two things in this world that cannot be looked at directly: the sun and the human heart.

A dead person is nothing more than a lifeless shell, silent and still.

But the living, harboring all sorts of desires and schemes, could become real demons at any moment.

The dead are not scary, the living are.

Hell is empty, the devil is on earth.

Is it truly worthwhile to devote all our efforts to saving these countless beings and their complex and unpredictable human hearts?

It is:

"A celestial destiny cannot be bought with money; a bridal ball may be easily thrown away, but a Buddha's heart remains."

"Ten thousand silver rays swiftly cross the ferry, a touch of compassion chills the world."

In this vast world, people's hearts are like duckweed, drifting and uncertain, difficult to fathom.

Of all the evils in the world, one can guard against a tiger devouring a person, but it is difficult to guard against people devouring each other.

Entering the mountains, one is not afraid of tigers that harm people, but of the double-edged sword of human relationships.

The most treacherous thing in the world is the human heart.

……

at the same time.

Yellow-Eyebrowed Boy and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva were also propagating Buddhism in a certain place in Jambudvipa.

……

Quanzhou Ferry. "My little beauty, you're mine!"

"Such a beauty deserves to be thoroughly ravaged!"

"Once I've had my fill, I'll sell them to a brothel and make even more money!"

"Find someone new!"

"Don't try to take it from me. I've already decided what the child's surname will be!"

……

The sharp, piercing sound of countless pieces of silver shreds cutting through the air carried with it worldly obsessions—the greedy calculations of merchants, the possessiveness of brutes, and the delusions of scholars…

These desires, like a raging storm, all rushed towards the immaculate body of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, as if trying to defile this sacred body in the mire of the mortal world.

Countless gazes, as naked and sharp as blades, relentlessly swept over Yu Lan'er's body.

His eyes were filled with greed and desire, as if he wanted to devour this stunning beauty to satisfy his bestial lust.

Upon seeing this, Jin Chanzi clasped his hands together, lowered his brows, and softly chanted a Buddhist mantra:
“Amitabha… This Jambudvipa is indeed as the Buddha said, a land of greed, lust, and pleasure, rife with killing and strife, a veritable battlefield of words and a sea of ​​evil.”

Since entering this Southern Jambudvipa, Jin Chanzi has deeply felt its suffering and felt that what the Buddha said was true: this place is indeed "a place of greed, lust, and strife, where there is much killing and fighting."

First, let's talk about "more killing, more fighting".

The people of Jambudvipa (the southern continent) are at war almost every year, constantly waging war and fighting.

War, war, and more war.

Whenever war breaks out, the land of Southern Jambudvipa is filled with the sounds of battle and rivers of blood.

They kill tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people at the drop of a hat.

On the continent of Jambudvipa, war and rebellion never cease.

For them, the change of dynasties was as commonplace as eating a meal.

Perhaps it was just a fleeting moment when the immortals in heaven were feasting and drinking merrily.

The world of Jambudvipa had changed. One dynasty perished in bloodshed, and another rose in bloodshed.

Then there's this "lust and pleasure."

This land is a prosperous and splendid place, with eight rivers encircling the city. There are thirty-six red-light districts, a scene of dazzling lights and intoxicating pleasure; and seventy-two music pavilions, filled with the sounds of stringed instruments and the sounds of singing and dancing...

Those nobles and royalty indulged in extravagance, becoming so engrossed in luxurious pleasures that they could not extricate themselves.

Look at the Epang Palace, built by the emperors of the mortal world, how magnificent and splendid it is!
Covering more than 300 li, its scale was so large that it could block out the sun and sky, as if it were trying to compete with the heavens.

Every five steps there's a building, every ten steps a pavilion, with winding corridors and soaring eaves, showcasing the ultimate in human luxury.

The palace was filled with the beauties of the entire country, its air thick with smoke and the fragrance of burning pepper and orchids, exuding an atmosphere of extravagance.

The Wei River became greasy because of the beauty's discarded cosmetics.

Gold nuggets and pearls are thrown away like mud and sand. Fine pots and jade are discarded like worn-out shoes.

Even princes and nobles did not cherish it much, only knowing how to indulge in sensual pleasures and enjoy this endless wealth.

Meanwhile, the ordinary people below were poorly clothed, starving, and homeless.

In the dead of winter, I shivered in my dilapidated house.

If only I could have ten thousand mansions, so that all the poor scholars in the world could rejoice.
In years of famine, the fields were littered with corpses of the starved, a truly horrific sight.

It is:

"While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone."

"There is no idle land under heaven, yet farmers still starve to death."

How cruel this stark contrast is!
On this continent, the corrupt, lewd, arrogant, and extravagant lifestyle of the upper class has never ceased.

Its upper echelons were greedy, lewd, and extravagant, and constantly plundered and exploited those below them, which was a source of war.

Such a scene is heartbreaking.

"Amitabha! Lust and greed corrupt the bones for pleasure, killing obscures the sun and becomes a habit; contention ignites a prairie fire that burns away good roots, and foolish desires dig their own graves!"

"In this Jambudvipa, all beings are drowning in the sea of ​​desire, their words turning into weapons. One sigh for the suffering of all beings, another for the difficulty in extinguishing the flame of Buddhism!"

Jin Chanzi sighed deeply and said:
"The suffering of the masses is my suffering."

"This place is rife with killing and fighting, filled with greed, lust, and lewdness; desires are far too numerous."

"I should use the Buddha's teachings to guide people to do good, kill less, be less greedy and lustful, and seek inner transcendence and freedom."

"Only then can this continent be relieved of its predicament and all living beings be saved from fire and water."

"Even if there are millions of people, I will still go."

at the same time.

Jin Chanzi silently manipulated Buddhist teachings, his methods were divine, and he subtly guided the money to fall precisely into the "charity" area of ​​the ship's cabin.

Countless "embroidered ball silver coins" rained down like raindrops, accompanied by expectant, calculating, and greedy gazes, whistling as they flew toward the beautiful fisherwoman on the stage.

However, these copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins... which came rushing in, were all quietly drawn away by an invisible and gentle Buddhist power.

The money, exhausted from Yu Lan'er's life, drifted down the ship's deck like withered leaves, piling up into a small mountain.

It is spotless and untouched by any injury.

But before the jingling, mountain-like piles of copper coins in the basket, amidst the frenzied shouts and clamor.

That delicate figure belonging to "Yu Lan'er, an ordinary mortal" appeared particularly frail and shaky... like a pure lotus struggling to survive in the turbid torrent of the world.

……

Lu Zu was hailed as the "Immortal of Wine," "Immortal of Swords," "Immortal of Lust," "Immortal of Poetry," and "Immortal of Magic"...

He was fond of wine, swords, women, poetry, and also enjoyed teasing others.

……

It is said that the Pure Yang Sword Immortal Lü Dongbin teased the White Peony Fairy several times last night in the gentle embrace of her.

The white peony, with its charming and graceful movements, captivated Lü Dongbin, leaving him so engrossed that he lost his way and depleted much of his vital energy.

As night fell and dawn broke, Lü Dongbin awoke from his drunken stupor, feeling dizzy, weak, lightheaded, and unsteady on his feet. He couldn't help but sigh:

"Wine and women have made me haggard."

"Quit drinking!"

Lu Dongbin originally intended to find a quiet place to absorb the pure yang energy of the morning to dispel the slight intoxication in his body, so he strolled leisurely to this ferry crossing.

Suddenly, after walking to the edge of the surging crowd, Lü Dongbin stopped in his tracks.

His gaze was sharp as lightning, and he was instantly drawn to the peculiar marriage-seeking boat in the middle of the river.

The ship was bustling with noise and chaos, as if countless desires were churning and surging within it.

"What a beautiful woman..."

Lu Dongbin stared intently, and when he saw the fisherwoman standing gracefully on the boat, his pupils contracted slightly, and he was secretly amazed.

There stood a beautiful young fisherwoman at the bow of the boat. She carried a fish basket, wore a blue cloth dress, and had her hair tied up with a hairpin. Although she was dressed in the most coarse linen clothes, her natural beauty could not be hidden.

Her figure was as slender as a willow swaying in the breeze, her skin as white as snow, and her beauty surpassed even that of the moon goddess.

Her face was as clear and bright as the moon, her eyebrows were lightly drawn like distant mountains after the rain, and her eyes, like pools of autumn water, held an indescribable ethereal compassion.

Her cherry lips, naturally red without any makeup, were so alluring and seemed to evoke the most primal desires in people's hearts.

That alluring charm was incomparable to the common, vulgar allure of the secular world.

Worldly charm often remains superficial, affected, and utterly vulgar.

This woman's charm resembles the pure and ethereal beauty of a fairy plucking a flower with dew on its petals, transcending the mundane and untouched by worldly dust.

That unique aura, a blend of a young girl's charm and a Bodhisattva's compassion, stirred the heart of this Pure Yang Sword Immortal, who was accustomed to seeing the beauty of celestial maidens throughout the three realms, the moment he saw her!
"Alas!"

Lü Dongbin exclaimed softly, secretly wondering:

"Huh? Who exactly is this woman? How could she possess such unparalleled beauty?"

Lü Dongbin raised an eyebrow slightly, inwardly praising:
"The beauty of these three realms is unique in its own way."

"There is the Moon Goddess, pure and aloof, and the Water Moon Guanyin, holy and ethereal."

"There are exquisite flowers, like fairy flowers, so beautiful and intoxicating that I have admired their beauty."

"Yet this woman's beauty possesses a blend of ethereal grace and divine radiance, a spiritual essence that penetrates the very fabric of heaven and earth, and an indescribable purity that transcends words..."

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! This is truly the first time I've ever seen anything like it in my life!"

"With such extraordinary talent and noble character, wouldn't it be a waste of heaven's bounty to not join my Pure Yang Profound Sect and devote oneself to cultivation, thus squandering this exceptional gift bestowed upon us by the heavens?"

Lü Dongbin pondered to himself:

"Since this is a 'bridal bouquet' contest, open to all, why can't I, Lü, try?"

Lu Dongbin's heart stirred; his romantic nature, undiminished, and the playful spirit of the Pure Yang Sword Immortal arose suddenly. A mischievous smile curled at the corner of his lips as he thought to himself:
"Wonderful! Wonderful! Perhaps this is a preordained destiny arranged by Heaven. It would be a wonderful thing if I could guide her into the Pure Yang Immortal Sect and forge a romantic immortal bond with her!"

A playful smile curled at the corner of his lips:

"Let me play a trick on her! With my methods, I can help her escape the sea of ​​suffering in this mortal world and attain enlightenment with me. Wouldn't that be wonderful!"

The thought of teasing such a beautiful woman filled Lü Dongbin with excitement, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he could already see the fisherwoman in front of him, coquettish and helpless.

After "teasing" Bai Mudan, Lü Dongbin felt that he hadn't had enough.

So he decided to "tease" the beautiful fisherwoman again to satisfy his desire.

(End of this chapter)