Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 557 Arriving in Chang'an, Explaining the Sutra with Tang Sanzang (and Sparring)

Clutching the booklet in his hand, Fang Yu gave a wry smile.

He felt like he was just like that Monkey King.

He received benefits from the Dragon King and had a powerful master who didn't acknowledge him.

He pursed his lips. "It's a pity, if only it were a hidden space within a sleeve."

Fang Yu stood on Chang'an Avenue, surrounded by a bustling crowd of people of all kinds.

Shops lined both sides of the street, Persian merchants led their camels slowly along, and the air was filled with the aroma of roasted flatbread, the richness of newly brewed rice wine, and the scent of sandalwood from afar.

This contrasted sharply with his memory of the pungent smell of rotting flesh and sulfur in the Lion Camel Kingdom.

"Is this the glorious Tang Dynasty?" Fang Yu murmured to himself, taking in every detail of this magnificent city.

In the distance, the golden roof of the imperial city gleamed in the setting sun; nearby, the streets and markets bustled with traffic, and pedestrians, dressed smartly, radiated the confidence and composure unique to this era.

"Gululu~"

Fang Yu's stomach suddenly growled.

After eating vegetarian meals for so long at Wuzhuang Temple and experiencing a great battle with the Dragon King of the South Sea, he was already starving.

My gaze swept across the street food stalls and finally landed on a three-story restaurant with a plaque that read "Drunken Immortal Pavilion".

As soon as I stepped into the restaurant, the waiter came to greet me.

The young man was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with fair skin and bright, darting eyes; he was clearly a clever fellow.

"Please come in, sir!" the waiter said enthusiastically, leading the way. "Are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

Fang Yu chose a table by the window and sat down: "Give me ten catties of braised beef and two jars of good water first."

"Ten jin?" The waiter's eyes widened, and he almost dropped the rag in his hand.

The guests at the surrounding tables also turned their heads to look.

A middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe, who looked like a merchant, couldn't help but interject: "Young master, ten catties of beef is probably enough for three tables of people."

Fang Yu grinned, "I have a big appetite."

The waiter swallowed hard. "Sir, our braised beef is cooked in a secret broth. One pound is enough to fill an ordinary person up."

"What? Afraid I can't afford it?" Fang Yu pulled out a silver ingot he'd casually swiped from the old cat demon and slammed it on the table. "Is this enough?"

The waiter's expression changed, and he quickly smiled apologetically, "No, no, I'll go prepare it right away!" After saying that, he ran off to the kitchen.

Soon, ten plates of thickly sliced ​​braised beef were served.

The sliced ​​meat has an enticing reddish-brown color, a glossy sheen, and an irresistible aroma.

Fang Yu didn't stand on ceremony and started eating heartily with his chopsticks.

His eating style can be described as bold; he can eat half a pound of meat in one bite with his chopsticks, chew a few times, and then swallow it.

The surrounding diners were stunned, some even forgetting to eat, only concerned with watching this extraordinary sight.

"Could this young man be the reincarnation of the Taotie?" a scholar-looking young man muttered to himself.

Fang Yu, with his sharp ears, looked up and smiled upon hearing this: "I'm a reincarnated starving ghost." After saying that, he stuffed another large mouthful of meat into his mouth.

Just as Fang Yu was enjoying his meal, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the restaurant.

The crowd on the street surged in one direction like a tide, and words such as "holy monk" and "preaching" could be faintly heard.

"Waiter, what's going on outside?" Fang Yu asked while eating.

The waiter, who was bringing over the second jar of wine, replied, "Sir, don't you know? Today is the day that Master Xuanzang of the Great Ci'en Temple is giving a sermon, and the whole city is rushing to listen!"

Fang Yu suddenly stopped chewing, a golden glint flashing in his eyes: "Tang Sanzang, Tang Xuanzang?"

"Shh!" The waiter looked around nervously. "You mustn't call the Holy Monk by his name. You should address him as 'Holy Monk' or 'Tripitaka Master'."

Fang Yu sneered, stuffed the last piece of beef into his mouth, and casually wiped the grease from his mouth: "Interesting, I'll go join in the fun."

After eating and drinking his fill, Fang Yu strode out of the restaurant and blended into the crowd on the street.

The closer you get to the Great Ci'en Temple, the more crowded it becomes.

The incense smoke grew stronger, and the air was filled with the sounds of chanting and wooden fish drums. Fang Yu stood in the square in front of the temple, looking up at the magnificent temple.

The vermilion gates of the Great Ci'en Temple were wide open, flanked by imposing statues of Vajra warriors. Inside, incense smoke swirled, and the sound of chanting emanated like a tidal wave.

People from all directions gathered to listen to the sermons. There were richly dressed officials and nobles, as well as ordinary people in coarse clothes, and even foreign merchants with blond hair and blue eyes.

"Make way! Make way!" Fang Yu squeezed to the front row with his extraordinary strength, which drew a chorus of discontented grumbling.

But he didn't care at all, his eyes fixed on the figure on the high platform inside the temple.

Tang Xuanzang, draped in a brocade robe, sat upright on a lotus throne.

His face was peaceful and serene, with a dot of vermilion between his eyebrows and his eyes slightly closed, as he slowly recited scriptures.

The sound wasn't loud, but it miraculously traveled throughout the entire square, making it clear to everyone.

"When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajnaparamita..."

As Fang Yu listened to the familiar Heart Sutra, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

His ability to clearly "see" the faint Buddhist light surrounding Xuanzang was a testament to his true Buddhist cultivation, far surpassing that of charlatans.

But the more this happened, the more intense Fang Yu's anger became.

He thought of the people of Lion Camel Kingdom who were devoured by monsters, and of the indifference of the high and mighty gods and Buddhas towards human tragedies.

“What a saintly monk,” Fang Yu muttered to himself. “You preach and expound the Dharma in Chang’an, saving all sentient beings, but have you ever thought that the foot of Mount Ling is a living hell? There are so many suffering people in the world. What’s the use of believing in Buddhism? Cultivating for the next life? Why does the Buddha live forever? Isn’t he just attached to the human world? He might as well die in a flash. What a fool you are.”

Fang Yu's cold laugh, though soft, spread rapidly among the devout believers like a drop of ink falling into clear water.

"You madman! How dare you blaspheme the holy monk!" A scholar wearing a turban was the first to attack, his finger almost poking Fang Yu's nose.

The surrounding pilgrims were in an uproar upon hearing this. Seven or eight women dressed in coarse cloth immediately surrounded him. An old woman carrying a vegetable basket even spat at Fang Yu: "You rotten-tongued brat! You dare to spout nonsense while the holy monk is preaching!"

"Did I say something wrong?" A flash of golden flame appeared in Fang Yu's eyes. "Do you know that there is a Lion Camel Kingdom at the foot of Mount Ling? Their intestines hang on the city gates as colorful ribbons, and their skulls are piled up to form Buddhist pagodas! And the Arhats and Bodhisattvas you kneel and worship are meditating a hundred miles away!"

The crowd suddenly fell silent.

"Spreading heresies and misleading the public!" The scholar's face turned ashen. "India is a Buddhist paradise! How could there be any demons causing trouble there!"

"Pure Land? I hope you have a complete corpse in Pure Land."

"Amitabha!"

A Buddhist chant, like a clear spring, dispelled the restlessness, and Xuanzang found himself standing on the steps without realizing it.

“Your aura is quite strong, benefactor.” Xuanzang’s gaze swept over Fang Yu, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. He waved for the martial monk to step back, then suddenly bowed deeply: “It is this humble monk’s improper preaching that has angered you, benefactor.”

Fang Yu was caught off guard and instinctively took a half step back.

He originally thought that Tang Sanzang was also unreasonable, but he didn't expect that the other party would apologize first.

"Why should the monk apologize!" the old woman with the vegetable basket stamped her foot in frustration. "That madman!"

“Auntie,” Xuanzang interrupted gently. After the old woman retreated hesitantly, he turned to Fang Yu: “Could you describe in detail the hell you saw?”

Fang Yu chuckled mischievously, "The Golden-Winged Roc likes to dip people in sweet and sour sauce when he eats them, the White Elephant King uses skulls as wine vessels, and the Green Lion Monster's palace is covered with human skin carpets. Are these details detailed enough?"

The crowd stirred again. The description was so real, yet it was not quite the same as the sacred mountain they had imagined.

At the foot of Mount Ling, is there really some evil spirit causing trouble? Are the gods and Buddhas really turning a blind eye?

Xuanzang remained unfazed. "That's why I'm going to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek the true scriptures."

Before Fang Yu could answer, Xuanzang gestured to the young novice to bring a prayer mat: "Please sit down."

Seeing that Tang Seng wanted to talk in detail, Fang Yu plopped down on the floor.

"Don't say anything yet, let me ask you first," Fang Yu said, taking the initiative.

"I've heard that the holy monk is going to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures to save the people of the world from suffering."

"Then let me ask you a question~"

He smiled with narrowed eyes, seemingly harmless, but his words were like small knives piercing the crowd.

Even if you go to the Western Paradise and successfully obtain the scriptures...

Fang Yu's next sentence caused an uproar in the audience!
"But it is also related to all living beings under heaven."

"What does this have to do with plucking a chicken's feathers?!"

(End of this chapter)