I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Yuankong Temple in North India.

After leaving Vedic countries and entering North India, Chizuru and Simu were invited by Elder Yuantong, the abbot of Yuankong Temple.

Elder Yuantong warmly welcomed the two into the temple, saying, "I have long heard that you two are highly skilled individuals from the Tang Dynasty in the East, adept at subduing demons and monsters. That is why I sent my disciples to invite you here. Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way."

"Not at all," Master Four Eyes laughed. "We travel around to subdue demons and accumulate merit. How could we be bothering you?"

Master Qianhe then asked, "Elder, did you invite the two of us here because there are some demons or monsters causing trouble here?"

“Indeed,” Elder Yuantong said. “However, you two fellow Daoists have worked hard. Let’s have a vegetarian meal first, and then we can talk in detail after we finish eating.”

Upon hearing this, Qianhe and Simu smiled and said to Elder Yuantong, "We will leave it to Elder's arrangements."

Then Elder Yuantong led the two to the dining hall, where two monks and a group of young novices brought out the vegetarian food.

Elder Yuantong invited the two to sit down and have a meal. Qianhe and Simu thanked him and then sat down.

Looking at the sumptuous vegetarian meal in front of them, the two felt a little hungry. Master Simu picked up his bowl and chopsticks to eat.

But just as the rice in the bowl was about to enter his mouth, Master Simu paused for a moment, while Master Qianhe next to him had already picked up some food and shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth.

Seeing that Master Simu suddenly stopped, Elder Yuantong immediately asked with concern, "Why aren't you eating, fellow Daoist? Is the food not to your liking?"

Upon hearing this, Master Four Eyes laughed and said, "No, no." He then put down his bowl and chopsticks, and then made a sword finger with his right hand and pointed it at his brow.

Suddenly, a pair of spiritual eyes appeared below the Four-Eyed Taoist's eyes. He swept his spiritual eyes over the food in front of him, then abruptly stood up and said, "This food is poisoned."

"Ah?" Master Qianhe and Master Simu had traveled together for so many years, and Master Simu had great faith in Master Simu's abilities. Upon hearing that it was poisonous, he immediately reached into his throat to try and remove it.

But Elder Yuantong's expression changed, and he stood up and said, "This humble monk is in a good mood to eat with fellow Daoist. Why would you wrong a monk like me?"

Four-Eyed Taoist was furious and slammed his fist on the table, saying, "Do you think my spiritual eyes are just for show?"

At this moment, a monk behind Elder Yuantong stepped forward and said, "If you accuse us of poisoning the food, first produce evidence."

Master Four Eyes pointed to his eyes and said, "My pair of spiritual eyes are the proof."

Elder Yuantong sneered, "I think you must be demons sent from the north, trying to ruin the reputation of my Buddhist monastery."

Master Four Eyes was so angry he laughed. He pointed at Elder Yuantong's nose and cursed, "You old bald monk, didn't you invite us here?"

Elder Yuantong remained silent, but gave a wink to the side. The next moment, more than a hundred monks wielding knives, spears, and iron clubs rushed into the dining hall and surrounded Daoist Simu and Daoist Qianhe.

Seeing this, Simu and Qianhe quickly huddled together and drew their steel swords from their backs.

"Well, so this is a Buddhist temple, it's just a den of thieves." Master Four Eyes said sarcastically, looking at the fierce-looking monks around him.

Elder Yuantong laughed and said, "You demons, you don't even realize you're about to die."

Master Qianhe nudged Master Simu with his elbow and said, "Brother Simu, I'm a little dizzy."

Master Four Eyes immediately became tense. "The food is poisoned. You've been poisoned. Do you have any antidotes?"

Master Qianhe rummaged in his sleeve, then took out an antidote pill and put it in his mouth, but the pill had no effect after entering his stomach.

"The antidote pill is useless," said Daoist Qianhe.

"Hahahaha." Elder Yuantong laughed loudly and said, "Of course it's useless. This is poison powder made from thousand-year-old Yang-absorbing grass. How can ordinary elixirs counteract it? But don't worry, I only used a small amount. It will only make you dizzy, not kill you."

Master Qianhe felt increasingly dizzy, and his body began to sway. With his last bit of consciousness, he asked Elder Yuantong, "We have no grudge against each other, why do you want to do this?"

Before Elder Yuantong could reply, Daoist Qianhe collapsed to the ground and fainted.

Master Simu hurriedly nudged Master Qianhe, and seeing that he did not respond, he immediately stood up and drew his sword to protect Master Qianhe.

Meanwhile, the monks around them gradually approached. At this moment, Elder Yuantong asked, "Who among you possesses the relics of the Vajrapani?"

Upon hearing this, Master Four Eyes suddenly realized, "You tricked us into coming here just to steal the relic?"

Elder Yuantong laughed and said, "As the saying goes, 'A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure.' This relic is not a treasure that you can keep. You should entrust it to this humble monk for safekeeping."

"Bullshit! This is an opportunity bestowed by the Vajra Master, how dare you, you bald thief, steal it? Aren't you afraid of retribution?" Master Four Eyes cursed.

Elder Yuantong said, "This is not robbery, this is taking back an opportunity. The relics of the Vajra Master should have belonged to my Buddhist disciples. Why should they be given to you Taoist cultivators?"

“Even the Vajra of Secret Traces said that as long as one’s heart is set on doing good, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Buddhism or Taoism. I think you bald monk have wasted all your spiritual cultivation on dogs,” Master Four Eyes continued to curse.

Elder Yuantong's face darkened, and he said, "Since you are unwilling to say, then this humble monk will not waste words. We will know once it is put into the furnace and refined."

After saying that, Elder Yuantong waved his hand and said, "Take down this demon for me."

The hundred-plus monks immediately rushed forward with knives, spears, and clubs. Master Simu grabbed Master Qianhe with his left hand and carried him on his back, while wielding the Green Steel Sword in his right hand and charged left and right.

The Four-Eyed Taoist Master moved with incredible speed and agility, his steel sword flashing out sharp beams of light.

Those monks were no match for Master Four Eyes after all; they were all knocked to the ground by him in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

However, Master Simu was unable to leave the dining hall because all three doors of the dining hall were guarded by three senior monks wearing kasayas.

Seeing that Master Four Eyes had broken through the encirclement of more than a hundred monks, the three senior monks at the door took off their prayer beads and threw them at Master Four Eyes.

Master Four Eyes took a step forward, and with a slight turn of his wrist, instantly created a sword flower.

Then, with a soft crackling sound, the three strings of prayer beads that were flying towards Master Four Eyes were instantly cut down to the ground by him.

However, the moment the prayer beads hit the ground, a burst of light suddenly appeared, and then the prayer beads split into two, then four, then six. Soon the entire floor of the dining hall was covered with smooth, shiny prayer beads.

Master Simu took a step forward and felt a sharp pain in his foot. Then he slid down to the ground and fell flat on his back.

"Hahaha." The three monks burst into laughter, then each took out a rope and threw it over.

A rope landed on Master Qianhe and immediately bound him, pulling him over.

Master Four Eyes rushed to his rescue, but two other ropes fell on him, binding him tightly in an instant.

Then a powerful force surged forth, and the two monks pulled him down to their feet.

Then, two senior monks held down Master Simu and dragged him out of the dining hall along with Master Qianhe, bringing them to Elder Yuantong outside.

"Abbot." The three senior monks bowed respectfully to Elder Yuantong.

Elder Yuantong nodded and said, "Send them to the furnace to be refined until relics are produced."

"Yes." The three monks acknowledged the order and then prepared to take Master Simu and Master Qianhe to refine the relics.

But at that moment, a folding fan suddenly fell from Simu Dao's long sleeve, followed by a clear shout of "Stop!" Then, the folding fan flashed with light and transformed into a beautiful young woman.

Upon seeing the young girl, Elder Yuantong and the three senior monks were all taken aback, and then an ambiguous smile appeared on their faces.

"So you two fellow Daoists have such a penchant." Elder Yuantong said, then looked at the young woman and said, "Perfect. Since the female benefactor is willing to offer herself, then tonight she will accompany this humble monk to cultivate the Great Bliss Dharma."

Yan Fanglan was puzzled by this and asked, "What is the Great Bliss Technique?"

Master Four Eyes said, "It means you have to sleep with him and have sexual relations." "Huh?" Yan Fanglan was shocked, her eyes wide and her face flushed. She said, "What kind of cultivation is this?"

“This is certainly cultivation,” Elder Yuantong said righteously, “and it’s extremely enjoyable.”

Yan Fanglan said blankly, "But...don't Buddhists abstain from lust?"

“Yes.” Elder Yuantong nodded and said, “We do this in order to abstain from lust. As we all know, lust is the most depraved of the seven emotions and six desires. Our Buddhist sect has two methods of cultivation for this.”

Yan Fanglan asked, "Which two?"

Elder Yuantong said, "The first method is to be untainted and free from desires, to have a pure mind, to stay away from the mortal world, and to contemplate white bones and red-faced skeletons. This will naturally allow you to sever your desires."

Yan Fanglan asked, "What about the other kind?"

Elder Yuantong smiled and said, “The other method is our cultivation method. Unlike the previous method of purifying and abstaining from desires, we indulge in desires. Since we want to abstain from lust, we must first indulge in lust. As long as we release the lust in our hearts, we will naturally be able to abstain from lust when our cultivation is perfected.”

"This," Yan Fanglan said, "I have never heard of such a method before."

Master Four Eyes said, "Of course you haven't heard of this. This is a heretical practice they created themselves. They tamper with Buddhist scriptures and teachings, making them no different from demons."

“Fellow Daoist, you are attached to appearances.” Elder Yuantong laughed. “The world is now very different. Buddhist scriptures and teachings must also change with the changes in the world. As Buddhist disciples, we must naturally continue to improve the teachings.”

After Elder Yuantong finished speaking, a senior monk behind him laughed and said, "In Xiniu Hezhou and the Five Great Indias, all the temples and monks do this."

Another senior monk said, "The world is changing, people's hearts are changing, and Buddhism must naturally change as well. What's wrong with us keeping up with the times and seeking change and innovation?"

Master Four Eyes said, "If that's really the case, then it's not Buddhism, it's demonism."

Elder Yuantong said, "Demons are also Buddhas. Even the Buddha-demon Mara still calls himself 'Buddha'."

At this point, Elder Yuantong suddenly mocked, "It's laughable that the Buddha of Nirvana said that we had arbitrarily modified Buddhist scriptures and doctrines, deviating from the Buddha's original intention. He didn't know that the world and people's hearts have changed, and Buddhist scriptures and doctrines must keep pace with the times."

Yan Fanglan exclaimed in surprise, "How can you be so disrespectful to your own Buddha?"

Elder Yuantong said, "The Buddha of Nirvana is a Buddha of the East, not a Buddha of our West."

"They are all Buddhas, is there a difference?" Yan Fanglan asked.

Elder Yuantong countered, "Both the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak and the Great Emperor of the Western Peak are Great Emperors. Is there a difference between them?"

Yan Fanglan was speechless. Of course there is a difference. The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak governs the Northern Continent of Luzhou, while the Great Emperor of the Western Peak governs the Western Continent of Hezhou.

But Yan Fanglan quickly reacted and said, "Since we're talking about the Great Emperor of the Western Peak," she summoned her celestial official jade tablet, "I am Yan Fanglan, the messenger of the Imperial Secretariat of the Western Peak Divine Palace, a seventh-rank celestial official of the Lower Realm! I order you to release the two of them immediately."

Elder Yuantong and the three senior monks were stunned for a long time before they reacted, "A celestial official from the Western Mountain Divine Palace?"

After a moment, Elder Yuantong asked, "Since you are a celestial official of the Western Mountain Divine Palace, why did you turn into a fan and run into his sleeve?"

Yan Fanglan paused for a moment, then said, "Don't worry about that, just let them go."

Elder Yuantong narrowed his eyes and suddenly laughed, “You are a seventh-rank celestial official of the Western Mountain Divine Palace, and also a messenger of imperial edicts from the Ministry of Rites. Instead of staying in the Western Mountain Divine Palace, you secretly transformed into a folding fan and followed two Taoists around. There must be a reason for this.”

After saying that, Elder Yuantong immediately said, "Then we'll arrest you first and then transfer you directly to the Western Mountain Divine Palace."

Yan Fanglan panicked immediately and exclaimed, "You dare?!"

Seeing her so flustered, Elder Yuantong immediately confirmed his suspicions; it seemed that this messenger really had a problem.

Without further hesitation, Elder Yuantong threw out the prayer beads in his hand. The beads flew to the top of Yan Fanglan's head, emitted a beam of spiritual light, and then landed on Yan Fanglan, binding her.

Yan Fanglan found herself unable to move, and even unable to transform back into a folding fan. She cried out in panic, "I am a Celestial Official of the Western Peak, a seventh-rank deity! Monk, how dare you be disrespectful to me?"

Elder Yuantong laughed and said, "You are right. As a celestial official, I dare not let you accompany me to cultivate the Great Bliss Technique. However, I will transfer you to the Western Mountain Divine Palace. Perhaps you can even receive some rewards."

After saying this, Elder Yuantong ordered someone to take Yan Fanglan away, preparing to send her to Xiyue on a chosen day.

But at that moment, another beam of divine light flew down in front of Elder Yuantong and said to him, "Wait a moment."

Elder Yuantong frowned, wondering why this was going on and on. But upon closer inspection, he couldn't help but laugh after recognizing the person who had come. "So it's the Earth God. Why isn't the Earth God receiving blessings in his shrine? What are you doing here?"

The newcomer was none other than the local earth god of Zhaofeng. He looked at Elder Yuantong and said, "I have been monitoring you here for many years. In recent years, Yuankong Temple has gradually degenerated and its behavior is no different from that of the demonic path. Today, it is going to harm the righteous people of the Taoist sect. I cannot sit idly by."

At this point, Zhaofeng Land God pointed at Yan Fanglan, Qianhe, and Simu and said, "Hand them over to me, and I will forgive and forget about them."

Upon hearing this, Elder Yuantong laughed sarcastically, "When I captured those two Taoists earlier, the local earth god did not appear. Now that I have captured this messenger, the earth god has come out to demand the release of the people."

At this point, Elder Yuantong couldn't help but laugh and say, "Could it be that this imperial messenger really has something special about him?"

"You're overthinking it," said the local deity of Zhaofeng. "I am only doing this to uphold justice."

Elder Yuantong narrowed his eyes and then said, "Earth God, you have no right to interfere in the affairs of Yuankong Temple. Moreover, this messenger will not do anything to her; we will simply send her to the Western Peak on a chosen day."

"Therefore," Elder Yuantong said, looking at the local earth god of Zhaofeng, "this humble monk advises the earth god not to interfere."

Upon hearing this, the local deity Zhaofeng immediately brandished a long spear and said, "Since the abbot refuses to listen to reason, then don't blame this deity for showing no mercy."

After saying that, the local earth god Zhaofeng, holding a long spear, rushed towards Yan Fanglan, trying to rescue her.

But the three monks immediately rushed forward, wielding large swords, and engaged in battle with the local earth god of Zhaofeng.

A series of clanging sounds of weapons clashing filled the air, and Zhaofeng Tudi quickly fell into a disadvantageous position. The three monks fought more and more fiercely, and soon Zhaofeng Tudi was forced to retreat repeatedly.

At this moment, a senior monk flicked his sword, knocking the spear from Zhaofeng the local earth god's hand. Then, two other senior monks kicked Zhaofeng the earth god, sending him flying more than ten feet before he crashed heavily into the wall.

With a muffled groan, Zhaofeng the Earth God fell to the ground, clutching his chest and struggling to breathe. But seeing the three monks rushing forward, he quickly endured the pain, got up, and transformed into a wisp of green smoke, disappearing underground.

Seeing this, Master Four Eyes was very disappointed and shook his head, saying, "I thought he was so powerful."

Seeing that Zhaofeng the local deity had escaped, Elder Yuantong did not pursue him. He simply ordered the three senior monks to take Yan Fanglan away and keep her under strict guard, and ordered other monks to take Qianhe and Simu to the Bone-Melting Cave behind the temple.

The so-called Bone-Melting Cave is a place specifically for refining the relics of eminent monks who have passed away. Qianhe and Simu were thrown into the furnace by the monks, and then Elder Yuantong had the monks bring sandalwood and firewood, as well as various spiritual objects for refining relics.

Because the goal is to extract the relics of Vajrapani, the preparations are very complicated, and a fire cannot be started immediately.

After leaving Yuankong Temple, Zhaofeng Tudi fled back to his own Tudi Temple.

But when he returned to his local earth god temple, he saw a man dressed in a sky-blue robe, with a gold rope around his waist and a jade scarf binding his hair, sitting and resting outside the temple.

Moreover, this man was no ordinary person, because a magical power emanated from his body, which blocked the way for Zhaofeng Earth God to enter the temple.

Zhaofeng Tudi was initially taken aback, but quickly calmed down. He saw that the man had his eyes slightly closed and his face was serene, so he didn't seem to be deliberately trying to cause him trouble.

After pondering for a moment, Zhaofeng Earth God tidied his appearance, then transformed into a wisp of green smoke and rose from outside the Earth God Temple, manifesting his divine form. He asked the man, "Who is this esteemed person here, and why are you blocking the gate of my sacred temple?"

As soon as Zhaofeng the Earth God finished speaking, the man immediately opened his eyes, glanced at him, and then laughed, "Earth God, your aura is disordered, your face is panicked, and you look hurried. You must have just been beaten up, right?"

When Zhaofeng the local deity saw that this person had seen through his predicament, he was greatly alarmed, but he still pretended to be calm and asked with his hands clasped, "May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

The man smiled slightly, rose, and returned the greeting with a cupped hand, saying, "My Daoist name is 'Lingtai,' and I am a wandering hermit." (End of Chapter)