Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 590 Tang Sanzang: Disciple Chen Yi pays respects to Master Fang Yu

Under the shade of a tree, Sun Wukong was cleaning his ears with his golden cudgel, while Zhu Bajie munched on wild fruit and muttered, "This bald monk's chanting is more annoying than flies."

Don't be fooled by how Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie call him "Master" in TV dramas.

In truth, the two of them looked down on the naive monk.

Learn from experience?

What's the use of that!

The daily segment where junior disciple Fang Yu "teaches" the bald monk a lesson is also their favorite part to watch and listen to.

Fang Yu suddenly kicked a tree stump: "Old Tang! A horse team has spooked itself and is charging towards you. There's a child tied up on one side of the fork in the road ahead, and five old men tied up on the other. Now you have a chance. Push the cart over, and the horse will be spooked again and change course. Do you want the horse to go straight and kill the five old men, or do you want it to change course and let the horse trample one of them to death in exchange for the lives of the other five?"

Once the classic train dilemma was posed, Tang Sanzang was speechless.

Just as Pigsy and Monkey King were pondering, Fang Yu urged Tang Sanzang to hurry up.

"Tell me! Are you going to drive the horse or not?"

Tang Sanzang suddenly stopped holding his prayer beads: "Amitabha. Why were the cavalry startled?"

"Stop interrupting!" Fang Yu frowned. "Just tell me which side you're choosing!"

Sun Wukong suddenly interrupted, hanging upside down, "If you ask me, I'd kill all the horses with one blow!"

"Amitabha Buddha. You impudent monkey, you are still as bloodthirsty as ever," Tang Sanzang muttered.

Fang Yu said, "It's different now. You know, the Great Sage is a monkey, and a horse's life is also a life. It even injured a horse for the sake of people. What more do you want from it?"

"Hey, my little junior brother is quite the smooth talker." Sun Wukong returned to the tree with satisfaction.

"Alright, answer now." Fang Yu steered the conversation back to the main topic.

Tang Sanzang's forehead was beaded with sweat when suddenly a thought struck him: "The Mahaparinirvana Sutra says, 'All beings are equal.'"

"Speak quickly! Stop dawdling!"

Tang Sanzang was sweating profusely. He knew Fang Yu's question was a complete trap, but if he answered rashly, although no one would actually die, ...
Pigsy suddenly raised his hand: "I choose to save the child! The five old coffins combined are over two hundred years old!"

Tang Sanzang was forced to the tree roots, and the image of Fang Yu denouncing imperial power flashed through his mind.

He suddenly grabbed the front of his robe: "This humble monk...this humble monk will rush towards the cavalry!"

"Ha!" Fang Yu suddenly slapped his thigh and laughed. "Afraid to answer? Starting to talk nonsense? Even if you lose your life, those five people will still be hit. Keep going?"

Tang Sanzang stared at the ground. "This humble monk...this humble monk cannot say it."

The air was suddenly quiet.

Fang Yu smiled and said, "If you don't answer, then five old men will be killed in the crash."

Tang Sanzang hesitated, "Then I... then I..."

Fang Yu smiled brightly, "And how about you?"

"Then I'll have the carriage change course."

Tang Seng regretted it as soon as he said it.

Sure enough, Fang Yu patted Tang Sanzang on the shoulder, "Holy Monk! You just killed someone!"

Tang Sanzang swallowed hard. "What! What murder?"

Fang Yu suppressed a laugh, "Just as you mentioned changing lanes, a carriage actually hit and killed a child."

His face darkened. "You really think I'm joking with you?"

"what!"

Tang Sanzang took a few steps back and sat down heavily under a big tree, completely unable to accept this reality, and immediately began chanting scriptures!
Seeing Tang Seng's grief-stricken appearance, Fang Yu suddenly slapped his thigh and burst into laughter: "Just kidding, old Tang! How could I be so heartless as to kidnap someone while questioning you? No way! Don't worry!"

Tang Sanzang ignored him, his prayer beads spinning rapidly in his hand, his lips moving incessantly.

"It's all over, it's all over." Pigsy squatted by the tree root, gnawing on his nails. "That bald monk's gone mad!"

Sun Wukong was itching all over from the chanting. He somersaulted to Fang Yu's side and said, "Think of something quick! If he keeps chanting like this, I, Old Sun, will be hitting his bald head with my golden cudgel!"

Fang Yu squatted down in front of Tang Sanzang and waved his hand in front of his eyes: "Hey, Old Tang?"

Tang Sanzang suddenly grabbed Fang Yu's wrist with astonishing force: "This humble monk... just now truly caused the death of a child."

His eyes were bloodshot. "It all depends on a single thought of mine."

"I already told you it's fake!" Fang Yu pried his fingers open. "I made it up!"

"But the thought of killing is real!" Tang Sanzang suddenly roared, startling the birds in the treetops into flying away. "Buddha said that having thoughts of killing is a sin! This humble monk... this humble monk is not worthy to go on the journey to the West!" As he spoke, he tried to tear off the Buddhist beads hanging around his neck.

Pigsy stamped his feet in frustration: "Divide the luggage! Divide the luggage! We can't get the scriptures!"

"It's no big deal if we can't get it, since it's useless anyway."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang's previous dissatisfaction surged back into his heart. "How could the journey to the West be useless! The journey to the West can save all the people of the world!"

"Fine! You still want to debate, huh? Then I'll tell you a story! I hope this story will show you whether your faith is effective or not!" Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together, but his face twitched. "Go ahead! I'm sure I can refute you!"

"Okay, then I'll tell you."

“There is a temple in my hometown that is very popular with worshippers. People from all around come to worship there.”

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together with satisfaction: "Excellent, the Buddha's teachings are spreading widely, and the people are turning to goodness."

“There’s a rule in the temple,” Fang Yu said with a faint smile, “when you worship Buddha, you have to give something in return. For building the temple, food or supplies are fine, but of course, money is the best.”

"What's wrong with that?" Tang Sanzang frowned in confusion. "Temples need offerings from believers to maintain themselves; this has always been the case."

Fang Yu suddenly turned around. "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush." ​​A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "The other day I went to a temple and saw an elderly couple..."

His voice suddenly turned somber, as if squeezed out from between his teeth: "The old man was hunched over like a shrimp, and the old woman was so thin that you could see the veins on her cheekbones. The two of them were carrying half a bag of millet, and their fingernails were full of mud."

Tang Sanzang unconsciously slowed his pace.

"The millet sack was still patched, and the old couple knelt down to hand the rice to the monk in charge of receiving guests. Guess what happened?"

He mimicked the throwing motion, "The monk just threw it! The rice bag hit the stone steps and scattered all over the ground with a 'whoosh'!"

"What?!" Tang Sanzang frowned in anger. "How could he, how could he do this?"

Fang Yu bent down and picked up a leaf, slowly clenching it in his palm: "That monk scolded them for 'giving away beggars,' saying that who would donate such things these days? If you want to donate, donate incense money."

"The old woman was kneeling down picking up rice grains, and the old man was about to faint under the sun. He was furious."

Tang Sanzang's face turned from red to white, and veins bulged on his forehead: "Where did this fake monk come from! He... he's not a Buddhist!"

"Oh?" Fang Yu leaned against the old pine tree on the cliff edge. "Then tell me, what is a true Buddha?"

"Is it a gilded hall? Or monks dressed in brocade?"

Tang Seng's lips trembled, and before he could answer, Fang Yu spoke.

"Don't worry, the abbot accepted the bag of millet later, and let them worship Buddha, express their wishes, apologize sincerely, and then let them go."

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, this is a true monk. May Buddha have mercy."

Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie scratched their heads, both wanting to hear what Fang Yu would say.

Because they've both understood in the past few days that Fang Yu is definitely going to make a change.

As expected, Fang Yu started cursing.

"fart!"

"Bullshit!"

"What true monks! What Buddha's compassion!"

"In my opinion, the truly kind person is that young monk who chased the old farmer away!"

Tang Sanzang walked a few steps to Fang Yu, "Why do you slander me like this? Why are you distorting the truth?"

"hehe."

Fang Yu, looking like a wise and enlightened master, turned his back on Tang Sanzang.

"Two elderly people, who could barely afford two meals a day and had no grain at home, finally managed to get a bag of millet, which they used to worship Buddha and pray that they would have enough to eat in their next life."

"Tell me, what's the point of them worshipping Buddha?!"

"Numb your stomach? To satisfy your mind?"

"Is that feeling of hunger what you, Buddha, seek?!"

Tang Sanzang was stunned.

He never imagined there would be such an answer.

"Hmph." Fang Yu sneered at Tang Seng, "A truly good person, upon seeing believers struggling so hard for their lives, would instead urge them to abandon their faith and focus on their own well-being. They can't even feed themselves, yet they're contributing to the temple."

"In contrast to the hypocritical, benevolent abbot who ignored their plight and accepted their food."

“I think the real ‘Buddha’ is actually the guest monk who drives them away and makes them doubt their faith!”

"They can't even fill their stomachs, yet they still believe in Buddhism! They still make vows! They still hope to be reborn into a better life in their next life while suffering in this sea of ​​misery."

"Isn't this kind of belief harmful?"

"They eat people without spitting out the bones!"

"What a cruel heart!"

Such remarks make one wonder if Tang Sanzang was a fool.

Even Sun Wukong, who wreaked havoc in Heaven, and Zhu Bajie, the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy, fell silent!
After a long while, Tang Sanzang put his hands together in prayer, but then put them down again.

He looked down at Fang Yu's feet and said...
"Xuan," he stammered, then spoke again, "Chen Yi, I've learned a lot."

(End of this chapter)