I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Chapter 114: Nezha descends to the mortal world for a banquet, and the Buddhist calamity extends

But on this day, the court meeting in the Lingxiao Palace of the Heavenly Palace had just ended. After saying goodbye to his colleagues, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King boarded his "Heavenly Horse Jade Chariot".

The Jade Chariot is a chariot made of five kinds of sacred jade and pulled by celestial horses. It is the chariot bestowed by the Jade Emperor to high-ranking immortal officials.

The specifications of the Heavenly Horse Jade Chariot are allocated according to the official rank of the immortal official, and the grades are also different, including "Two-Horse Jade Chariot", "Four-Horse Jade Chariot", "Six-Horse Jade Chariot", "Eight-Horse Jade Chariot", and "Ten-Horse Jade Chariot".
In short, this is a symbol of status and a sign of favor from the Jade Emperor to his ministers.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King rides on the "Six-Horse Jade Chariot", which is pulled by six pure black heavenly horses, and is accompanied by a charioteer and six heavenly soldiers.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had just stepped onto the jade carriage and the driver had just urged the charioteer to start up the heavenly horses when a red figure was seen approaching.

The driver quickly reined in the horse, and the carriage, which had just started, immediately stopped. The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King asked, "What's the matter?"

The driver replied, "Heavenly King, the Third Prince is here."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King immediately raised his hand and lifted the gauze curtain of the jade carriage, and saw Nezha coming in front of the carriage.

Nezha bowed and said, "I pay my respects to my father."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King smiled and said, "What's the matter, my son?"

Nezha said, "Father, I need to take two days off to go to the lower world."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King frowned and asked, "Why did my son ask for leave to go down to the mortal world?"

With Nezha's temper, it would be best for him to stay in heaven. Who knows what kind of trouble he might get into in the lower world.

Nezha said, "I have to go to the lower world to attend a banquet, so I came to ask for leave from my father."

"To the banquet?" asked the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, "Who invited my son to the banquet?"

Nezha took out an invitation from his sleeve, took three steps forward and handed it into the carriage. The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King took the invitation and looked at it carefully, then asked in surprise: "The Lord of the Spiritual Platform invites you to a banquet?"

"Yes." said Nezha.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King stroked his beard, thought for a moment and said to Nezha: "I will give you three days' leave. You must return to heaven after three days without any delay."

When Nezha heard this, his face lit up immediately and he bowed and said, "Thank you, father."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King smiled and said, "Be careful in the lower realms and don't cause trouble."

"I understand, kid." After saying that, Nezha bid farewell to the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and then turned and left.

Nezha came out of the West Heaven Gate and into the lower world, and soon he arrived outside the Danchiling Divine Palace.

"Sir, who are you looking for?" A voice came from behind Nezha. Nezha turned his head and saw a very strong woman standing behind him, looking at him with a smile on her face.

Nezha took a quick look and saw that it was a tiger spirit who had cultivated into an immortal, so he asked, "Who are you?"

Lan Er smiled slightly and said, "My husband is the Tiger Vanguard of Lingtai Divine Mansion, and I live in this Lingtai Divine Mansion."

"Oh." Nezha nodded in realization, then his expression calmed down and he said, "I'm here for the banquet. Lingtai God invited me to the banquet."

"Ah?!" Hearing this, Lan'er was startled, then she looked Nezha up and down carefully and said, "So you are the famous Nezha Third Prince in the Three Realms?"

Nezha listened to Lan'er's shocked tone and admiring expression, and straightened his back for a moment, nodded slightly and said: "Yes, it is this god."

Lan'er's eyes lit up, and she became very excited. She quickly took out an old, yellowed piece of hemp paper from her sleeve and handed it over.

Nezha looked at the hemp paper in front of him and asked in confusion: "What is this?"

Lan Er smiled and said, "I have three sons. My second son admires you very much, so when he was a child, he asked me to buy him some paper, and he drew a picture of Nezha, the Third Prince, in his mind."

Hearing this, Nezha was deeply touched. He immediately took the folded hemp paper and unfolded it to take a look.

"What is this?!" Nezha screamed when he saw what was drawn on the hemp paper.

Lan'er leaned over to take a look, then pointed at the 'monster' above and said, "That's you, the three-headed, six-armed Nezha the Third Prince."

Nezha was greatly surprised when he saw the thing that looked like a windmill. "Isn't this a windmill? Yes, I have three heads and six arms, but I am not a windmill. Besides, how come your windmill has fire?"

Lan scratched his head and said, "It is said that you have a fire wheel. My son said that your three heads and six arms turn into a fire wheel."

Nezha looked at the painting in his hand with a tormented expression, "Hey, sister, look at me, how do I resemble this painting?"

Lan Er looked at Nezha, then at the painting, and said with a smile, "It's true that he doesn't look like him. You are much more beautiful."

Nezha thought for a moment, then returned the painting to Lan'er, saying, "Keep it, but don't tell anyone that this painting is of Nezha. I can't afford to lose face."

Lan Er smiled innocently and said, "Don't worry, Third Prince. Even my son doesn't know that this painting is still there. I just keep it with me."

When Nezha heard this, he suddenly thought of his mother and smiled and said, "Where is Lingtai Shenjun?"

Lan Er quickly came back to her senses and said, "I'm in the mansion, waiting for you, Third Prince. Please wait a moment, Third Prince."

As she spoke, Lan'er walked to a small wooden house on the left side of the temple and took out a pile of neatly chopped peach wood.

Nezha asked, "What are you holding these for?"

Lan Er smiled and said, "Aren't you here for the feast? The Lord God asked me to bring some more firewood."

Nezha was surprised and asked, "Cook it now?"

Lan Er smiled mysteriously and said, "Third Prince, just follow me."

Soon Nezha followed Lan'er into the divine palace and came to the 'Yingyue Lake' in the Lingtai Divine Palace, where they saw the beautiful blue water and sparkling blue waves.

In the center of Yingyue Lake, there is a pavilion with white smoke rising from it. A large round stone table is placed in the middle, and three people are already sitting at the table.

Lan'er led Nezha onto the corridor and came to the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Nezha looked inside and saw that among the three people sitting at the table, two of them were people he knew.

One is Zhuang Yan, one is the Fire Spirit Immortal, and the other is also a female immortal with a gentle and beautiful appearance.

Seeing Nezha coming, Zhuang Yan immediately stood up and walked over with a smile. Fire Spirit Immortal and Lu Hanzhi also quickly stood up to greet him.

"Third Prince, come on, come on, take a seat now that you are here." Zhuang Yan bowed, then smiled and pulled Nezha to take a seat.

Nezha sat down with a bewildered look on his face. Fire Spirit Immortal and Lu Hanzhi bowed and greeted him. Nezha returned the greeting first, then looked at the strange-shaped stone table in front of him, which turned out to be a "stove and golden tripod" and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Gudong Soup." Nezha looked into the golden tripod and saw all kinds of delicious dishes thrown into it. They were cooked over a high fire and bubbling. It was a very descriptive name.

"It's also called hot pot." Zhuang Yan smiled and brought bowls and chopsticks to Nezha, then called Lan'er and said, "Lan'er, you should sit down and eat too."

Lan'er smiled and said, "Okay, My Lord, I'll add some fire." After that, she added firewood to the stove under the table and sat down next to Lu Hanzhi.

Seeing Nezha's puzzled expression, Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "These delicacies are all treasures. They are Lingzhi immortal vegetables collected from various places by Daoist Fellow Lu Hanzhi. And the meats are all from the spiritual birds and beasts hunted by True Immortal Huo Ling and Lan'er. You will regret it if you don't eat them."

As she spoke, Lan'er placed some seasonings and a pot of sesame oil in front of Nezha. Nezha smelled a fragrant aroma and immediately asked, "Suhe sesame oil?"

Fire Spirit Immortal nodded and said, "Yes, it was presented to the Divine Sovereign by Elder Guangde of Tianci Temple at the beginning of this year."

Zhuang Yan taught Nezha to prepare the sesame oil bowl and dish, then he personally picked up a piece of meat and placed it in the sesame oil bowl and dish and said, "Dip it before eating, it smells very good."

At this point, Zhuang Yan made another joke: "Don't worry, although these meats are from spiritual birds and beasts, they are all hunted without intelligence. Eating them will not reduce your merits."

Nezha smiled when he heard this and said, "Buddha is my godfather, how can he reduce my merits?"

After saying that, he picked up the chopsticks, picked up the meat, dipped it in sesame oil and seasoning, and put it into his mouth. In an instant, all kinds of tastes came up. Although the chili in this pot could kill a mortal, the taste was just right for them, the gods.

"Wow!" Nezha's eyes lit up instantly, and then he started chewing with big mouthfuls.

Soon a piece of meat was eaten. At this time, Zhuang Yan handed over a glass of frozen fruit wine and said, "Try a sip of this."

Nezha glanced at Zhuang Yan, then took the fruit wine and took a sip. In an instant, coolness and heat danced on the tip of his tongue, and the fragrance of the fruit wine and the rich aroma of chili and sesame oil echoed between his lips and teeth.

Nezha blinked his eyes, then drank the wine in the cup, and then said: "It feels so good! The mortal world is still full of flavor after all."

“Hahaha.” Zhuang Yan laughed loudly, and then said, “Come on, everyone, start eating.”

Following Zhuang Yan's order, everyone started to pick up their chopsticks. There was a jar of fruit wine next to each person, and they could pour it themselves if they wanted to drink.

The hot pot was steaming hot, and the fruit wine was so delicious that Nezha raised his glass to the Fire Spirit Immortal and said, "Come on, Fire Spirit Taoist, I'll toast you."

The Fire Spirit Immortal's face changed, and he quickly picked up the wine glass and stood up and said, "How can this be done? Let me toast the Third Prince."

Nezha said: "If you say I respect you, then I respect you. Don't fight with me. Come on."

Fire Spirit Immortal had no choice but to drink a cup of wine with Nezha. After drinking a cup of wine, Nezha immediately said, "Fellow Daoist Fire Spirit, can I ask you for a favor?"

The Fire Spirit Immortal said in surprise: "Third Prince, if you have anything to ask, just tell me. Why do you have to ask for help?"

Nezha asked, "Really? Then can you give me the receipt and not let me compensate you for the peach tree?"

Fire Spirit Immortal said: "Hey, this is different, it's different."

Nezha sighed and said, "Oh, I knew it. Let's put it this way, Taoist Huo Ling, I'll tell you the truth. I really can't compensate you with the Longevity Peach Tree, but I can compensate you with something else."

"Oh?" asked the Fire Spirit Immortal, "What is it?"

Nezha immediately took out the 'Heaven and Earth Ruyi' and said, "This is a fairy treasure called 'Heaven and Earth Ruyi'. It has a secret that can collect all things. Can I use it to compensate you for those peach trees?"

"This," Fire Spirit Immortal said with some embarrassment, "But I want a peach tree."

When Nezha heard this, he immediately turned around, looked at Zhuang Yan, and nudged Zhuang Yan with his right elbow.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "This fairy treasure is indeed good. I think it's okay."

Hearing Zhuang Yan's words, Fire Spirit Immortal nodded and said, "Since the Lord of God has said so, then okay."

Hearing this, Nezha immediately stuffed the Qiankun Ruyi into the arms of the Fire Spirit Immortal, and then stretched out his hand and said, "Give me the written document."

Fire Spirit Immortal smiled and took out the document and handed it over. Nezha threw it into the stove below and burned it cleanly. Then he laughed and said, "Eat, eat, eat. This hot pot is really delicious."

The Fire Spirit Immortal smiled and put away the Qiankun Ruyi. Zhuang Yan looked at Nezha who was eating vigorously and asked, "Speaking of which, how did those old immortals deal with it?"

Nezha said: "It was decided at the court meeting today. To save some face for those old immortals, they will not be put on the beheading platform. Let them sit and die on their own, and then their souls will be sent to reincarnation in the 'human world'."

When Zhuang Yan heard this, he nodded slightly and said, "The Heavenly Court has done its utmost."

Then Zhuang Yan asked Nezha, "What about the Bodhisattvas Vajra Fist and Vajrapani?"

After saying this, Nezha paused, then put down his chopsticks. He first looked around, and Lan'er and Lu Hanzhi immediately understood and stood up and said, "Lord God, we have finished eating, and we will take our leave first."

Zhuang Yan said, "Just sit down."

Then he asked Nezha: "Can't I tell you about this? If you can't tell me, then don't tell me."

Nezha shook his head and said, "It's not that I can't tell you, but you guys should not spread it for the time being."

After that, Nezha whispered, "Bodhisattvas Vajra Fist and Vajra Hand passed away in the Lingguan Hall."

"What?!" Zhuang Yan was slightly surprised and asked, "How did he pass away?"

Nezha said: "It is a calamity. The Buddha Mahavairocana has arrived in heaven today to deal with this matter. Now there are many countries in the Southern Continent, fighting each other and killing each other. Three of them have already begun to 'destroy Buddhism'."

"Destroy Buddhism!" Huo Ling Zhenxian, Lan'er and Lu Hanzhi took a deep breath. These two words sounded very scary to them.

Nezha nodded and said, "Yes, since the three kingdoms of Jambudvīpa destroyed Buddhism, other countries have also been imitating. Now the Buddhist community in Jambudvīpa has entered its last days. Buddha statues have been destroyed, monasteries have been burned, and all monks have been forced to return to secular life, either to join the army or to marry, have children and go home to farm."

“Therefore, under this trend of destroying Buddhism, the two Bodhisattvas, Vajra Fist and Vajrapani, who are the Dharma protectors of Buddhism, naturally bore the brunt of the great calamity of Buddhism and demons, and passed away in the Lingguan Hall.”

"This passing away is no small matter. Without hard practice, it is impossible to return to the status of a bodhisattva."

"Even under the influence of the Southern Continent, some countries in the Eastern Continent and the Western Continent also began to destroy Buddhism."

At the end, Nezha sighed and said, "This great calamity between Buddha and demon was just a minor one among the Buddhas and immortals, but once it landed on the human world, it became a monstrous calamity that spread far and wide, and the trend of destroying Buddhism affected the three continents."

After everyone heard this, the three Fire Spirit Immortal women were stunned and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Only Zhuang Yan looked calm. He looked at the shocked and unbelievable faces of the crowd and said with a smile: "Don't be afraid. It was the Buddha who was destroyed in the world. What does it have to do with us? Come, eat and drink."

The atmosphere suddenly relaxed. It was not the fault of Fire Spirit Immortal and the others. After all, immortals like them did not even dare to think about "destroying Buddhism", but those mortals really dared to do it!

(End of this chapter)