I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Two guardian monks opened the doors of the Prayer Hall, and Abbot Faxin of Wanfu Temple carried the golden statue of the 'Clavicle Bodhisattva' inside.

Upon entering the hall, Abbot Faxin looked up and saw that the huge Prayer Hall was surrounded by wooden shrines, and on those shrines were more than a hundred identical golden statues of the Bodhisattva of the Collarbone.

Faxin placed the golden statue of the Bodhisattva of the Collarbone on the shrine, then looked at the statue before him and slowly raised his right hand to point at the center of the statue's brow.

The next moment, Jiang Yuxian's soul flew out of the golden body. She first saw Faxin, then her own golden skeleton, and finally the more than one hundred golden skeletons around her.

Jiang Yuxian was greatly horrified, her soul trembled violently a few times, and then she was stabilized by the spiritual light emitted by the golden corpse.

At this moment, Faxin looked at Jiang Yuxian and said, "In order to refine your golden body, the temple has consumed the incense and vow power of thirty years. I have refined so many golden bodies, but I have never consumed so much incense power as you have."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuxian looked at Faxin with a terrified expression: "Master, why did you do this?"

"Why? Of course, it's for your own good." Faxin pointed to the golden statues of the skeletons around them and said, "They were all women your age, and now they have all become Bodhisattvas, enjoying eternal bliss. Isn't that good?"

Jiang Yuxian felt a chill run through her body. To her, this place held no sense of sacredness or light, only eeriness and terror.

Faxin smiled and said, "Do you know who the prefect of Guiming Prefecture is?"

Jiang Yuxian shook her head and said, "I don't know."

Faxin said, “He is the Venerable King of the Supreme Dharma. That day, the Venerable King of the Supreme Dharma wanted to give you initiation so that you could quickly attain the position of Bodhisattva. Unfortunately, you do not understand the principles of Heaven and do not know the secrets of Heaven, so you have to go through the tribulations again.”

At this point, Faxin asked again, "Who released your soul from the temple?"

Jiang Yuxian shook her head: "I don't know."

Faxin smiled slightly and said, "If you tell me now, you can suffer less."

Jiang Yuxian calmed down and said indifferently, "Didn't you say I was the Bodhisattva of the Collarbone? If I am a Bodhisattva, how dare you speak to me like that?"

Faxin said, "If I say you are a Bodhisattva, then you are a Bodhisattva; if I say you are not a Bodhisattva, then you are not a Bodhisattva."

“If I am not a Bodhisattva, then what am I?” Jiang Yuxian asked.

Faxin said, "The Corpse Demon."

As he spoke, Faxin took a candle from the side and held the flame beneath Jiang Yuxian's skeletal remains.

The next moment, Jiang Yuxian screamed, and then her whole body burst into flames, writhing on the ground in pain and howling incessantly.

After burning for a while, Faxin moved the candle away, and the flames on Jiang Yuxian's body disappeared instantly, but she collapsed to the ground in pain, unable to get up.

"I'll ask you one more time, who was the one who sent your soul out of Wanfu Temple?" Faxin asked coldly.

Jiang Yuxian snorted coldly, looking at Faxin: "I don't know!"

So flames reignited on her body, and she was repeatedly burned by the fire for an hour. Jiang Yuxian stubbornly refused to reveal who the person was, which made Faxin admire her willpower.

"I never imagined that a woman like you would have such a strong will. I admire you." After saying this, Faxin stopped the torture and put the candles back.

"Fine, if you won't tell me, I won't ask anymore. If it happens once, it will happen again. If he dares to release her once, he will release her a second time. He will be exposed sooner or later." Faxin said, and then sent Jiang Yuxian's soul back into her golden body.

Then Faxin stood in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the more than one hundred golden skeletons, and thought to himself, "Those seven women don't seem to be ordinary cultivators, but I wonder what their origins are. I sent the Corpse Demon to curse and kill them, but it had no effect. It seems they have a way to defend themselves."

Thinking of this, Faxin turned and walked out of the Prayer Hall. The two Dharma protectors outside the hall immediately closed the hall door and then locked it.

Faxin returned to his meditation room, changed into a brand new kasaya, and prepared to go to the prefect's mansion to see the 'Shangfa Mingwang'. But just then, a young novice monk reported from outside: "Reporting to the abbot, five monks have come from outside the temple. They say they have come from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East and want to stay at the temple for the night."

"Oh?" Faxin raised an eyebrow. "A monk from the Tang Dynasty in the East?"

Thinking of this, Faxin immediately said, "Okay, you go first, I'll be there soon."

The young novice monk responded and left. Faxin had no choice but to temporarily abandon his idea of ​​going to see the Supreme Dharma King, and instead led several elders from the temple out of Wanfu Temple to greet him.

The moment Faxin saw Tang Sanzang in the distance, his expression turned solemn, and a trace of gravity flashed in his eyes.

Upon approaching, Faxin saw that Tang Sanzang had a dignified appearance and kind eyes, and he knew that he was a high monk.

So Faxin took the lead in bowing and said, "This humble monk is the abbot of Wanfu Temple, my Dharma name is Faxin, greetings, Elder."

Tang Sanzang quickly put his palms together in return and said, "This humble monk is Xuanzang. I come from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East and am on my way to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I passed by your esteemed temple and, seeing that it was getting late, I brought my disciple here to ask for lodging for the night. I hope the abbot will be so kind as to grant me this favor."

"It's convenient, Elder Tang, please." Faxin said, and invited Tang Sanzang and his party into the temple.

At this moment, an elder behind Faxin saw Sun Wukong and his group behind Tang Sanzang and quickly reminded Faxin.

Faxin turned his head and gasped in shock. How come he was accompanied by several demons?

Tang Sanzang saw the astonished faces of Faxin and the others, and immediately understood that he had encountered many such things along the way.

So Tang Sanzang explained that these were all disciples he had taken in on the journey, who were there to protect him on his way to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures.

After hearing this, Faxin and the others suddenly realized what was going on. So they invited Tang Sanzang and his disciples into Wanfu Temple, sent the Purple Dragon Horse to the stable to feed it hay, and arranged a meditation room and a vegetarian feast for Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Faxin was very curious about this monk from the East, so he personally accompanied him.

At the vegetarian feast, Tang Sanzang ate while answering Faxin's questions.

Faxin asked, "Elder Tang, what is the Tang Dynasty like in the East?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang smiled and said, "The Tang Dynasty has a vast territory, abundant resources, a wise and virtuous emperor who governs diligently, and a prosperous people. It is a land of poetry, books, and etiquette."

Upon hearing this, Faxin asked with some doubt, "Judging from Elder Tang's words, the Tang Dynasty seems to be a prosperous and stable country?"

Tang Sanzang nodded and said, "That's right."

Faxin said, “That’s not right. The Buddha once said, ‘The southern continent of Jambudvipa is a place of greed, lust, and pleasure, where there is much killing and strife. It is a dangerous place for words and a sea of ​​evil.’ How can this be explained?”

Tang Sanzang was speechless for a moment. He could refute this statement, but Faxin had quoted the Buddha's words, and refuting it would be disrespectful to the Buddha.

Seeing that Tang Sanzang could not answer for a moment, Sun Wukong said with a smile: "Master, do you not know that the rich and powerful are prone to greed and lust, the peaceful are prone to chaos, the large population leads to killing, the abundance of things leads to strife, the elaborate rituals lead to quarrels, and the many principles lead to disputes? From this, it can be seen that the Southern Continent is too rich and the people are too particular about etiquette, which has led to so much killing and strife."

Tang Sanzang breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile at Sun Wukong.

Faxin smiled and said, "What Elder Sun said is very true, but I often hear merchants and travelers say that Buddhism has been persecuted many times in Jambudvipa. Why is that?"

Tang Sanzang could answer this question himself. He said, "The persecution of Buddhism was due to the monks at that time not abiding by the precepts, seizing land, hoarding wealth in temples, being unaware of the suffering of sentient beings, failing to alleviate their calamities, lacking compassion and good deeds, and giving rise to greed and evil in their hearts. The Buddha's heart gave rise to demons, hence the persecution of Buddhism." At this point, Tang Sanzang added, "While it is called the persecution of Buddhism, it is also the persecution of demons. The Buddha said that Buddha and demon are separated by a single thought. We monks should naturally maintain good intentions, strictly abide by the precepts, be free from greed and contention, widely open the Dharma gates, teach and guide sentient beings, and save the world. If we can do this, Buddhism will flourish and demons will diminish, and naturally there will be no more persecution of Buddhism."

Upon hearing Tang Sanzang's words, Faxin and the others felt their hearts pounding. He immediately said, "This humble monk cannot agree with what the elder has said. The elder said that the destruction of Buddhism was due to the depravity of monks and the arising of demons in the Buddhist heart. Was there not a single monk in Jambudvipa who could keep the precepts at that time?"

Tang Sanzang was somewhat surprised by Faxin's strong reaction, but still replied, "There should be."

Faxin said, "Then how can all the blame be placed on the monks? Doesn't the imperial court also have its faults?"

Tang Sanzang smiled and said, "What the abbot said is absolutely right. The court and the emperor listened to slander and recklessly launched the persecution of Buddhism. This action is contrary to the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people."

Faxin was then satisfied and said, "Elder Tang's words are correct."

After saying that, Faxin saw that there was still a lot of food in Tang Sanzang's bowl, so he quickly said, "Elder Tang, let's talk later. You should eat first."

"Thank you, Master," Tang Sanzang said, then slowly began to eat.

After the meal, Faxin ordered the vegetarian feast to be cleared away and tea to be served to Tang Sanzang and his companions.

Tang Sanzang took only one sip and exclaimed excitedly, "This is tea from the Tang Dynasty?"

Faxin was astonished upon hearing this and said, "Elder Tang has excellent taste. He could tell that this is tea from the Tang Dynasty with just one sip?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang said with deep emotion, "How can I forget the taste of my hometown?"

Faxin asked, "How many years has the elder been out?"

Tang Sanzang calculated with his fingers and said, "No more, no less, it's exactly fourteen years."

Faxin was deeply moved upon hearing this and said, "To seek the true scriptures, you left your hometown and endured wind and rain for fourteen years. Your virtue is beyond my reach."

"Not at all," Tang Sanzang quickly waved his hand, then asked, "This place is far from the Tang Dynasty, so why do we have tea from the Tang Dynasty here?"

Faxin said, “In recent years, trade between the Tang Dynasty and Xiniu Hezhou has been very frequent. Although this place is far away from the Tang Dynasty, special products from the Tang Dynasty are occasionally sold here.”

Tang Sanzang nodded, but Faxin continued, "However, this tea was not brought by merchants. A month ago, a Tang army passed through this area and sold tea in the city for military use. Our temple also bought some."

"Oh?" Tang Sanzang was greatly surprised upon hearing this and said, "The army of the Great Tang Dynasty?"

Faxin nodded and said, "That's right. They borrowed a route from Zhituo Kingdom, which is why they passed through Guiming Prefecture. The general leading the army seems to be named Su Dingfang."

"Oh." Tang Sanzang nodded, then turned to his head and said, "Wukong, I never expected that the Tang army would advance faster than us."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Master, they have military supplies and provisions to support them along the way, and they don't have as many tribulations to overcome, so naturally they travel faster than us."

Tang Sanzang nodded and said, "That's true."

At this moment, an elder said, "Abbot, Elder Tang and the others have been traveling all day and must be tired. Let them go and rest first."

Upon hearing this, Faxin nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right, that's right. Elder Tang must be tired from your journey. Please go and rest first. I have already ordered the monks in the temple to prepare hot water. Elder Tang, you can go and take a hot bath first."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang was overjoyed and quickly got up to thank him. Then, led by a young novice monk, he went to the meditation room.

After Tang Sanzang and the others left, Faxin asked the elder, "What is it?"

The elder said, "The Supreme Dharma King has arrived."

Faxin's face darkened, and he said, "What is he doing here at this time?"

The elder said, "The Supreme Dharma King knows that there are pilgrims from the East here, so he has come to see them."

“Where is he?” Faxin asked.

The elder said, "In the Great Buddha Hall."

So Faxin arrived at the Mahavira Hall and saw a tall, middle-aged man dressed in a purple brocade robe sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat, his hands clasped together and facing the Buddha.

Upon seeing this person, Faxin said, "Tonight is not the time for business."

The middle-aged man opened his eyes and slowly stood up; he was none other than Shangfa Mingwang, the prefect of Guiming Prefecture.

Then King Shangfaming said, "I heard that the pilgrims from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East have arrived at Wanfu Temple?"

"What?" Faxin asked, "Are you planning to take advantage of them?"

The Supreme Dharma King did not answer, but asked, "Does Tang Sanzang have a disciple with a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth?"

“That’s his eldest disciple, Sun Wukong,” Faxin said.

The Supreme Dharma King exclaimed excitedly, "It's this Sun Wukong! Do you know his background?"

“I didn’t know that,” Faxin said. “What? Are you interested in him?”

“It’s not just a matter of being interested,” said the Supreme Dharma King. “This Sun Wukong has an indestructible body. If we refine him into an indestructible elixir, eating it will allow one to achieve physical immortality and become a saint!”

Faxin's expression changed, and he said, "Is this really true?"

King Shangfa said, "Would I lie to you? The Golden-Winged Roc of Mount Ling, the Green Lion, the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva, the White Elephant, the mount of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and the Yellow-Eyebrowed Boy under Maitreya Buddha have all descended to the mortal realm as demons to capture the pilgrims. What is their purpose? Isn't it to achieve physical sainthood and immortality?"

Faxin was deeply moved upon hearing this. Why had he gone to such lengths to refine the golden body of his corpse? Wasn't it because attaining enlightenment through normal cultivation was too slow? Therefore, he sought to achieve the status of a Bodhisattva through unorthodox methods.

The Bodhisattva status of this golden body of corpse has not yet been achieved, and there is a better and safer method right in front of him. How could he not be tempted?
But Faxin quickly thought of something and said, "Since Sun Wukong has an indestructible body, how can we refine him into a golden elixir?"

The Supreme Dharma King said confidently, "There is a way. Tang Sanzang was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, so as long as we use Tang Sanzang's flesh and blood as fire, we can melt Sun Wukong's indestructible body and refine him into a golden elixir."

"I see!" Faxin said excitedly, "Then when will we make our move?"

King Shangfaming said, "There's no time to lose. They're leaving first thing tomorrow morning, so let's make our move tonight!"

Faxin nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll go and arrange for someone to light the furnace. Once we capture Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong tonight, we'll send them directly to be refined into pills."

King Shangfaming said, "Yes, let's make our move together later. Tang Sanzang's disciples are not simple. Countless demons have fallen to them along the way. We must be careful and plan carefully."

Faxin nodded and said, "Your Excellency's words are reasonable." (End of Chapter)