I am a fairy in Journey to the West

After Bai Suzhen burned down Jinshan Temple, Qi Ying'e and the staff of the Nanzhanbuzhou branch of the Human World Gazette were the first to arrive.

However, they were not there to help. The Southern Continent had been peaceful for the past few hundred years, to the point that even the human gazettes had started publishing news about the Tang Dynasty in the mortal realm.

Now that a major incident has finally occurred, Qi Ying'e naturally rushed over as soon as she heard the news.

"The White Snake Demon Burns Down Jinshan Temple?" Qi Ying'e shook her head repeatedly as she looked at the headline of the official gazette brought to her by her subordinate. "This headline is too ordinary."

The subordinate asked, "Sir, isn't this how our official gazette has always been titled?"

Qi Ying'e shook her head and said, "Not now. Our official gazette's sales have dropped too much recently. Even the official gazettes run by Taoist and Buddhist sects are almost catching up with our sales."

The subordinate pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then, sir, what do you think the headline of the official gazette should be?"

Qi Ying'e began to ponder. After about fifteen minutes, she suddenly got up, picked up a pen, and wrote a long line of text on the white paper in front of her: "Shocking! Ancient Buddhist temple destroyed. Unveiling the story of the White Snake Demon, her husband, and the monks of Jinshan Temple."

The subordinate stared at the long title for a moment, then suddenly realized what it meant and immediately gave Qi Ying'e a thumbs up, saying, "Master, this title is brilliant!"

Qi Ying'e smiled faintly, put down her pen and said, "Starting today, conduct a comprehensive interview with everyone at Jinshan Temple. We must find out the whole story."

The subordinate smiled and bowed, saying, "Your subordinate understands."

Soon after, the "Human World Anecdotes" newspaper sold very well, mainly because its headline was so attractive.

Not to mention the other deities, even the bodhisattvas who usually cultivate in seclusion in the temple couldn't help but be curious after hearing about this official gazette and asked their disciples to buy a copy.

Of course, everyone was furious after reading it. Although the headline of the official gazette was exaggerated, the things it said were not fabricated at all. The official gazette recorded exactly what the monks of Jinshan Temple had said.

One can imagine that although the Southern Jambudvipa Gazette branch did not falsify anything, the monks of Jinshan Temple certainly embellished it.

In particular, the monks added many unfounded embellishments to the story of Bai Suzhen burning down Jinshan Temple, even fabricating a plot where Bai Suzhen splashed excrement on the Buddha's golden statue.

After reading this official gazette, the Bodhisattvas and Arhats of Buddhism were all furious. What was a little white snake demon? How dare she bully the Buddhist community?
If we don't beat her to a pulp, how will Buddhism maintain its foothold in Jambudvipa?
As for Bai Suzhen's claim of being enlightened by Guanyin Bodhisattva, that's a joke. Guanyin Bodhisattva has been in seclusion for a long time and has never come out of seclusion. How could she possibly enlighten Bai Suzhen?
This Bai Suzhen actually used the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva to descend to the mortal world and marry a mortal, and then turned around and humiliated Buddhism. She was truly guilty of heinous crimes.

Only Amitabha Buddha found this official report somewhat strange and immediately sought out Maitreya Buddha, who was now actually in charge of Buddhist affairs.

"World Honored One," Amitabha Buddha said, bowing with his palms together to Maitreya Buddha, "I feel that this matter is probably not so simple."

Maitreya Buddha did not speak, but only glanced at Amitabha Buddha before falling silent.

Amitabha Buddha was somewhat surprised by this, but he didn't say anything more. He simply stood on the lotus platform and waited for Maitreya Buddha to speak.

Just then, a Vajra quickly entered the Mahavira Hall, bowed to Maitreya Buddha, and said, "Reporting to the World Honored One, just now the eighteen Arhats left the temple and went down the mountain together."

"This is bad," said Amitabha Buddha. "They must be going to cause trouble for that white snake."

Maitreya Buddha finally spoke, and he smiled at Amitabha Buddha: "What's wrong with going to cause trouble for that white snake? That white snake burned down Jinshan Temple and offended the Buddha's golden body. It's just right to let the eighteen Arhats subdue her."

Amitabha Buddha said, "The matter has not yet been clarified, and the words in this official gazette cannot be entirely trusted."

At this point, Amitabha Buddha added, "I have deduced the secrets of heaven. The white snake actually has a master-disciple relationship with the Old Mother of Lishan. It is clear that this matter is not so simple."

Maitreya Buddha asked, "What is the opinion of the Amitabha Buddha?"

Amitabha Buddha said, "This is very likely the work of the Brahma religion. They want to incite conflict between our Buddhist and Taoist sects."

Maitreya Buddha said, "In that case, we should let the Eighteen Arhats take Bai Suzhen in. If she is really the disciple of the Old Mother of Lishan, the Old Mother of Lishan will come to my Mount Sumeru."

“This,” Amitabha said, “is just that once this official gazette is published, the anger and resentment of all the Bodhisattvas and Arhats in our Buddhist sect will greatly increase. If we kill Bai Suzhen, wouldn’t we really be making enemies with the Old Mother of Lishan?”

Maitreya Buddha said, "If Bai Suzhen is truly a disciple of the Old Mother of Lishan, then she will not die."

Amitabha Buddha was very puzzled. "Heaven has revealed that Bai Suzhen and the Old Mother of Lishan are indeed destined to be master and disciple. This humble monk really does not understand why the World Honored One would say such a thing."

Maitreya Buddha said, "Sometimes even heavenly secrets can be deceiving."

Amitabha Buddha instantly became alert, "World Honored One, are you saying that someone is deliberately disrupting the secrets of heaven?"

Maitreya Buddha nodded, "That's right. If you want to see all this clearly, the root cause still lies with Bai Suzhen. We don't need to concern ourselves with the Eighteen Arhats' descent from the mountain. It's a good opportunity to test the waters."

Amitabha Buddha understood, "So that's how it is."

Maitreya Buddha then asked Amitabha Buddha, "Has the Buddha of Guidance paid any attention to Mount Emei recently?"

Amitabha Buddha paused for a moment, "Mount Emei is the Bodhimanda of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, why is the World Honored One asking me this?"

Maitreya Buddha said, "The report in the official gazette that Bai Suzhen received guidance from Guanyin on Mount Emei is indeed true."

"What?" Amitabha Buddha exclaimed in astonishment, "Has Guanyin Bodhisattva emerged from seclusion?"

Maitreya Buddha shook his head and said, "It's not about leaving seclusion. What I mean is that it really happened that Bai Suzhen met Guanyin on Mount Emei and received guidance from her."

Amitabha Buddha felt a chill in his heart, "Is someone impersonating Guanyin on Mount Emei?"

Maitreya Buddha nodded and said, "That's right, and the aura of Samantabhadra has been gone for a long time. I only discovered it a few days ago."

Amitabha Buddha's expression changed drastically. Who would dare to attack two of the three great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism at the same time? "So, Venerable Samantabhadra and Venerable Avalokiteshvara have both met with misfortune?"

Maitreya Buddha shook his head and said, "Venerable Guanyin is still in seclusion on Mount Luojia. Moreover, Venerable Guanyin is the teacher of all Buddhas, so it is not so easy to harm her. As for Venerable Samantabhadra, I'm afraid he has really encountered misfortune."

At this point, Maitreya Buddha said to Amitabha Buddha, "Buddha of Amitabha, if we were to send a Buddha to Mount Emei to investigate this matter, who do you think would be suitable?"

Amitabha Buddha said, "The Victorious Fighting Buddha is the most suitable, but he is currently stationed in the Five Elements Great World and cannot return without the order from the Jade Palace of the Mortal Realm."

At this point, Amitabha Buddha paused for a moment, then said, "Let the Sandalwood Nirvana Merit Buddha go."

Maitreya Buddha nodded and then proclaimed the Dharma decree: "The Buddha of the Merits of the Extinction of Sandalwood shall come to the Wuliangbao Temple for an audience immediately."

"What? The Eighteen Arhats?" Master Fatian was shocked and quickly went to the makeshift reed hut. Sure enough, he saw eighteen monks with Buddha-like halos standing inside.

Master Fatian had no doubt that the Buddha's light was the divine light of Buddhism, which only monks who had attained enlightenment possessed.

"This humble monk is the abbot of Jinshan Temple, with the Dharma name 'Fatian,' and pays respects to the Eighteen Arhats and Bodhisattvas." Zen Master Fatian clasped his hands together and bowed solemnly.

The eighteen Arhats returned the greeting with their palms together, and then the Arhat riding a deer said, "We already know about the White Snake Demon burning Jinshan. This time we have come down to the mortal world to subdue that White Snake Demon. Zen Master, can you send someone to take us to find Bai Suzhen?"

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Fatian was overjoyed and immediately said to the novice monk behind him, "Go and call Junior Brother Fahai over quickly."

The young novice monk responded and turned to leave. Zen Master Fatian then said to another monk, "Quickly go and prepare spiritual tea for all the Arhats and Bodhisattvas."

"No need," the Happy Arhat laughed. "You're not having an easy time either, and rebuilding the temple has cost a lot, so there's no need to entertain us."

After saying this, the Happy Arhat took out ten purple coins and handed them to Zen Master Fatian, saying, "These ten purple coins can help you rebuild Jinshan Temple."

Master Fatian quickly bowed in thanks, then put the ten purple coins into his pocket. At that moment, Fahai also came here with the little novice.

Zen Master Fatian hurriedly said, "Brother Fahai, come quickly to pay your respects to the Eighteen Arhats Bodhisattvas."

Upon hearing this, Fahai's expression turned solemn, and he immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Disciple Fahai pays respects to the Eighteen Arhats Bodhisattvas."

The eighteen Arhats were all astonished when they saw Fahai. They exchanged glances and confirmed Fahai's identity.

However, the eighteen Arhats did not reveal the truth, but understood it in their hearts and smiled. "Master Fahai, there is no need for formalities. Please take us to find the white snake demon immediately and subdue her."

Fahai was overjoyed. With the arrival of the eighteen Arhats, Bai Suzhen would surely not escape the law.

Fahai readily agreed and immediately led the eighteen Arhats away from Jinshan Temple, arriving at Bao'an Hall in Hangzhou.

"Wait a minute." The Arhat Subduing Dragon stopped the group who were about to descend from the clouds. "Many mortals come and go from Bao'an Hall. If we subdue demons here, we may accidentally injure mortals, which would be undesirable." The Arhat with Long Eyebrows said, "This matter is simple. We only need to display an unusual phenomenon outside the city to lure these mortals outside the city."

Fahai volunteered, saying, "Bodhisattvas, please leave this matter to your disciple."

“Alright.” The long-browed Arhat nodded and handed a purple-gold wooden fish to Fahai. “Use your magic to strike the wooden fish, and you can release Buddhist light.”

Fahai accepted the wooden fish, bid farewell to the eighteen Arhats, and then flew to the outskirts of Hangzhou. He chose a place to sit cross-legged and then used his magic to strike the wooden fish.

In an instant, chanting filled the air, and a hundred-foot-long Buddha light shone forth. Auspicious clouds gathered within a thousand miles, instantly startling the mortals of Hangzhou.

"A living Buddha or Bodhisattva has manifested outside the city! Everyone, hurry and go see!"

"What? A living Buddha or Bodhisattva has manifested? Let's go, let's go!"

"Hurry, hurry, let's go see the Buddha."

When the news reached Baoan Temple, the ordinary people who were seeing doctors stopped and ran away. They thought that instead of taking medicine and seeing doctors, they would just get some Buddha's light and their illnesses would be cured naturally.
Seeing this scene, Xu Xian looked helpless and said to Bai Suzhen beside him, "Make sure you have all the prescriptions ready. If anyone comes back without getting any Buddha's light, give them the medicine."

Bai Suzhen smiled and nodded, while Xiaoqing, seeing the auspicious Buddha light outside the city through the doors and windows, said with annoyance, "These bald monks are here to deceive people again."

"Hey! Xiaoqing, you're not allowed to swear," Xu Xian said. "Those monks at Jinshan Temple may be a bit wicked, but those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are all compassionate. How can you swear at them?"

Bai Suzhen realized something was wrong. After arranging for someone to fetch the medicine, she stood up and grabbed the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword.

Upon seeing this, Xiaoqing's expression changed, as if she had realized something, and she immediately moved closer to Bai Suzhen.

Seeing this, Xu Xian looked helpless and asked, "Who is it this time?"

"Bai Suzhen!" As soon as Xu Xian finished speaking, a stern shout came from outside Baoan Hall, "The Eighteen Arhats have come to take you away."

After he finished speaking, a beam of Buddhist light shone into Baoan Hall with great power and force. Xiaoqing was directly blasted away by the Buddhist light, spitting out blood and collapsing to the ground.

Bai Suzhen had no demonic aura, so the Buddhist light posed little threat to her, only causing her magical power to stagnate somewhat.

Seeing that Bai Suzhen was unharmed, Xu Xian rushed to Xiaoqing and shielded her from the Buddha's light.

As for Zhuang Yan, Lao Jun, and Ru Lai, who were not far away, they squatted in the corner of the medicine cabinet, eagerly preparing to watch the excitement.

Bai Suzhen, holding the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword, stepped forward. Before she even stepped out, she heard a loud voice outside, "It's you stinking monks again! What are you doing blocking the door? Don't people get medical treatment? Have you no morals?"

Bai Suzhen immediately recognized Li Gongfu's voice and hurriedly walked out the door, only to see Li Gongfu coming forward to push away the eighteen Arhats.

"Brother-in-law, stop!" Bai Suzhen hurriedly called out as she saw Li Gongfu pushing the Tiger-Taming Arhat.

But as soon as she shouted, a flash of divine light appeared on the body of the Tiger-Taming Arhat, and Li Gongfu was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Ouch!" Li Gongfu cried out in pain and asked Bai Suzhen, "Sister-in-law, who are these people?"

Bai Suzhen said with a bitter smile, "Brother-in-law, they are the Eighteen Arhats, they've come to take me away."

"What?!" Li Gongfu's expression changed, and he immediately flew into a rage. He stood up, drew his Chaotic Sword, and cursed, "Are you bald monks ever going to stop? What business is it of yours how a young couple lives their lives? Fine, fine, since that's the case, I'll show you my martial arts skills, Li Gongfu."

The Arhat Subduing Tiger looked at Li Gongfu, who was stepping forward with his sword, and sternly rebuked him, "Step back."

"I'll back off you my foot!" Li Gongfu thrust his sword forward, but the Tiger-Taming Arhat didn't care and simply struck out with his palm.

The palm force of the Tiger-Taming Arhat first touched the Chaotic Sword, but the sword tip directly pierced through the Tiger-Taming Arhat's magic power and stuck into the Tiger-Taming Arhat's palm with a 'plop'.

The Arhat Subduing Tiger cried out "Ouch!" and withdrew his palm. Looking at the bleeding wound on his palm, he was furious. "You wicked creature, since that's how it is, this humble monk will deliver you from suffering."

Having said that, the Tiger-Taming Arhat showed no mercy and unleashed the Tiger-Taming Divine Palm, slamming it down towards Li Gongfu.

With a loud bang, Li Gongfu was unharmed, but the other thirteen Arhats beside him were knocked to the ground. Only the Deer-Sitting Arhat, the Long-Eyebrow Arhat, and the Dragon-Subduing Arhat withstood the Tiger-Taming Palm.

A chorus of "Ouch!" rang out, followed by the Arhats rebuking the Tiger-Taming Arhat.

"Fu Hu, what are you doing?"

Who are you hitting?

"Can't you aim properly? How could you miss like that?"

"Huh?" The Arhat Subduing Tiger stood there stunned, looking at Li Gongfu, who was standing there unharmed, and then at the thirteen Arhats lying on the ground, with a childlike look of bewilderment on his face.

Even Bai Suzhen was confused. She stood there blankly, not knowing why this was happening. Had the eighteen Arhats fallen out?

Only Li Gongfu reacted after a moment of stunned silence. Looking at the sword wound on the palm of the Tiger-Taming Arhat, he suddenly realized and laughed loudly, "Haha, so this is the divine power of the Chaotic Sword!"

After saying this, Li Gongfu, holding the Chaos Sword, took a step forward and stabbed the nearest Arhats on the ground, the Pagoda-Bearing Arhat and the Hand-Reaching Arhat, with his sword.

The Pagoda-Bearing Arhat screamed in pain, clutching his bleeding buttocks, and hurled the pagoda in his hand at Li Gongfu.

But after the pagoda flew out, it suddenly turned sharply and smashed into the head of the Arhat Subduing Dragon with lightning speed. The poor Arhat Subduing Dragon withstood the Tiger-Taming Palm, but not the pagoda, and was knocked to the ground in an instant.

"What?!" The Pagoda-Bearing Arhat was speechless with shock when he saw the Dragon-Subduing Arhat covered in blood.

The Arhat Sitting on the Deer was the first to react and hurriedly stepped forward to stop the Arhat Reaching Out to attack Li Gongfu, saying, "Don't make a move yet. That sword is strange. Let someone who hasn't been injured by the sword deal with him."

The Elephant-Riding Arhat and the Laughing Lion Arhat both replied, "We'll deal with him."

After saying this, the Elephant-Riding Arhat and the Laughing Lion Arhat each released their two beasts, a white elephant and a golden lion, which pounced on Li Gongfu from the left and right respectively.

Seeing this, Bai Suzhen immediately rushed out with the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire Sword in hand. Upon seeing this, the Arhat Riding the Deer immediately formed the Arhat Golden Seal with his hands, his body radiating Buddhist light, and leaped up to strike down with his palm, shouting, "Snake demon, why don't you submit to the law!"

With a powerful palm strike, Bai Suzhen leaped forward and wielded her sword. In an instant, the sword blazed with fire and light, shattering the Arhat's divine power and piercing his physical body. The sword left a wound on his stomach and the Nine Heavens Profound Fire that clung to him like a leech.

Seeing that the Deer-Riding Arhat was injured, all the other Arhats except the Elephant-Riding Arhat and the Laughing Lion Arhat immediately attacked Bai Suzhen. However, before Bai Suzhen could make a move, the attacks of the Tiger-Taming Arhat, the Hand-Reaching Arhat, and the Pagoda-Bearing Arhat, who were injured by the Chaotic Sword, landed on the Joyful Arhat, the Bowl-Holding Arhat, and the Happy Arhat.

Three more Arhats fell to the ground, and the remaining Arhats felt a chill run down their spines. They hurriedly said to the three Arhats, Fuhu, Tanshou, and Lita, "Don't make a move!"

The three Arhats were bewildered and helpless, while the remaining Arhats had already engaged Bai Suzhen in battle. Bai Suzhen's swordsmanship was fierce, and in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she had wounded all the Arhats to the ground. Only the three Arhats, Fuhu, Tanshou, and Tuota, stood there helplessly.

Just as Bai Suzhen was about to speak, she saw the white elephant and golden lion suddenly rush towards the three Arhats, Fuhu, Tanshou, and Tuota. The three Arhats also sensed the danger and hurriedly turned around to look.

Fortunately, the Elephant-Riding Arhat and the Laughing Lion Arhat reacted quickly, rushing forward and using all their strength to hold down their mounts, each bearing a chaotic sword wound.

At this moment, the constables from Qiantang County had arrived at the scene. They were all shocked by what they saw, especially the two fierce and powerful beasts, the white elephant and the golden lion, which made them turn pale with fright.

Upon seeing the constables, Li Gongfu immediately waved his hand and said, "Brothers, you're all here! Quickly, arrest these monks who are committing crimes in broad daylight and send them to jail."

Because of the injuries inflicted by the Chaos Sword, the white elephant and the golden lion were somewhat out of their masters' control, so the Elephant-Riding Arhat and the Laughing Lion Arhat had no choice but to take their mounts back.

Li Gongfu immediately shouted, "Arrest him!"

So a group of constables followed Li Gongfu and rushed forward, capturing all eighteen Arhats. At first, the eighteen Arhats resisted, but Li Gongfu, wielding the Chaos Sword, stabbed each of them once.

In this way, no matter how the eighteen Arhats resisted, their supernatural powers would fall on their own people. After a while, they were all exhausted and covered in wounds. In the end, they were all captured by Li Gongfu and imprisoned in the prison of Qiantang County.

Bai Suzhen, holding the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire Sword, stood at the entrance of Bao'an Hall, staring blankly at everything. She didn't react until long after the Eighteen Arhats were taken away. How could this be different from what she had imagined?

However, for some unknown reason, the news that the Eighteen Arhats had been arrested and imprisoned by the constables of Qiantang County spread like wildfire, and soon attracted Qi Ying'e from the Nanzhanbuzhou branch of the Human World Gazetteer.

When Qi Ying'e saw the eighteen Arhats imprisoned in the county jail in the mortal world, her expression was quite interesting.

"Quickly." Qi Ying'e, unable to contain her excitement, instructed her subordinates behind her, "Prepare paper and pen to record this; I want to interview the Eighteen Arhats." (End of Chapter)