Honghuang: Creation of the Green Lotus, the beginning of the Three Pure Ones

Sun Wukong immediately said, "The place ahead should be Gao Village in the Kingdom of Wusizang. I wonder what calamities await you, old monk."

Tang Sanzang said expressionlessly, "It is a rule established by Buddhism that one must go through eighty-one tribulations to obtain the true scriptures."

"Therefore, it is my fate to bring disaster wherever I go. Wherever I pass by, there are mountain spirits and monsters."

Tang Sanzang's words were broadcast live by the Kunlun Mirror. This enraged the human race, who then launched into a tirade of curses against the Western Buddhist sect.

Some have even gone to Chang'an to petition Li Shimin to send someone to bring back Tang Sanzang, saying that our human race will not take this scripture.

The events unfolding on the human side were naturally reported to Mount Sumeru by the Buddhist disciples. In the end, the Buddha decided to have Guanyin Bodhisattva intervene to mitigate the negative impact on Buddhism.

Guanyin Bodhisattva naturally wouldn't refuse, and immediately said to the Buddha, "My Buddha, the village of Gao Lao Zhuang in the Kingdom of U-Tsang is just ahead."

"One of the chosen ones in Journey to the West is in Gao Village. He has now been reincarnated as a demon named Zhu Ganglie, and has gathered thousands of lesser demons around him."

"This Zhu Ganglie was Marshal Tianpeng in his previous life, but he is not a member of our Buddhist sect. We can take this opportunity to salvage some of our Buddhist sect's reputation."

"However, this is only a temporary solution. The only way to eradicate the prejudice of humans against Buddhism is to prevent ordinary humans from seeing the contents of the Journey to the West."

"Otherwise, if we hone the pilgrims, it will inevitably lead to misunderstandings among the human race. So we need to find someone quickly to talk to the Fire Cloud Cave."

As soon as Guanyin Bodhisattva finished speaking, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the Great Thunderclap Temple nodded in unison. After all, only in this way could the problem be eradicated.

The Buddha also agreed with Guanyin Bodhisattva's words, and then looked at everyone present. Instantly, all the Bodhisattvas and Arhats lowered their heads in fear, and even the Buddhas closed their eyes slightly.

In short, no one wants to do such a thankless and laborious business. They might end up becoming the next Manjushri Bodhisattva.

As for Manjushri Bodhisattva, he stood expressionless on his lotus throne. Reflecting on the torments he had suffered in the eighteen levels of hell, he had long since decided to no longer concern himself with the Journey to the West.

But his thoughts are just his own; they don't mean others think the same way. The Bodhisattva Akasagarbha spoke directly.

"My goodness, last time Manjushri Bodhisattva set up difficulties for the pilgrims at Guanyin Temple. It caused a lot of trouble for our Buddhist sect. In the end, we had to pay a great price to redeem him from the Netherworld."

“Yes, this matter should be handled by Manjushri Bodhisattva, which can be considered as him atoning for his sins. If he can’t even do this, he is not qualified to be a Bodhisattva.”

As soon as Bodhisattva Akasagarbha finished speaking, the Western Sect lineage began to echo his sentiments. Even the Jie Sect's influence within Buddhism felt that Manjushri Bodhisattva should be sent to the Fire Cloud Cave.

Manjushri Bodhisattva was so angry he gritted his teeth, thinking to himself, "This isn't about letting me atone for my sins. This is clearly trying to kill me!"

But would Manjushri Bodhisattva dare to refuse? If he really said he wouldn't go, it's estimated that Akasagarbha Bodhisattva would have to ask the Buddha to strip him of his Bodhisattva status.

Just as Manjushri Bodhisattva was in a dilemma, Tathagata Buddha spoke up: "This humble monk will personally go to Fire Cloud Cave. After all, even if this humble monk intervenes, Fire Cloud Cave may not agree to this matter."

What the Buddha wanted to do was to balance the three forces, ensuring that no one was suppressed and no one became too powerful.

Therefore, he naturally couldn't allow Bodhisattva Akasagarbha and the others to torment Manjushri Bodhisattva to death. However, he would also absolutely not let them miss the opportunity to escalate the conflict. Having seen that the desired effect had been achieved, the Buddha Tathagata naturally spoke up.

This might even make Manjushri Bodhisattva deeply grateful to the Buddha. After all, without the Buddha's intervention, his situation would have been far more difficult.

Leaving aside the departure of Buddha and the meeting of Nuwa at Huoyun Cave, let's focus on Old Master Gao of Gao Village, who is currently filled with worry.

"What's going on here? How did my daughter suddenly become a reincarnated fairy? How did she end up being chosen by the demon king of Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain?"

"Master, there's no need to sigh anymore. You've said this hundreds of times already. Let's hurry up and find a solution, or the demon king's wedding procession will be at our door soon."

Gao Cai, the steward of Gao Taigong's household, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Grandpa Gao sighed and said, "We've invited all the experts, the ones on the left and right. They've either gone mad from fright or disappeared without a trace."

"Now Cuilan is locked in her room, and we don't even have a chance to meet. What can I, a mere mortal, do?"

As soon as Gao Taigong finished speaking, the old woman beside him said directly, "There are no more masters around here, but Elder Jinchi of Guanyin Temple is a true living Buddha and high monk."

"If we could invite Elder Jinchi, he would surely be able to subdue that demon and rescue our daughter Cuilan from its clutches."

At this point, Old Master Gao was already desperate and grasping at straws. He nodded directly and said, "Gao Cai, go to the accounting office and get a thousand taels of silver. Immediately ride a fast horse to Guanyin Temple and invite Elder Jinchi."

Gao Cai nodded without hesitation, then turned and left, leaving only the elderly couple, Gao Taigong and his wife, sighing and lamenting.

Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie, the Pigsy, was counting the time on his fingers in the Yunzhan Cave of Fuling Mountain.

"Judging by the time, Monkey King and that old monk should have passed Guanyin Temple and will be here soon."

"Once they arrive, I, Old Pig, can go and bring my wife back. Thinking about how I've been separated from Ruoshui for hundreds of years, I really miss her."

Indeed, the wife that Pigsy mentioned is none other than the Weak Water Fairy of the Milky Way. They have not met since Marshal Tianpeng rebelled against the Heavenly Court.

The laughter of the Weak Water could often be heard from both banks of the Milky Way, but now it is a thing of the past. For decades, the Weak Water has been nowhere to be seen.

Finally, Ruoshui learned that Marshal Tianpeng had been reincarnated as a demon and was now king of the Yunzhan Cave on Fuling Mountain in the Kingdom of Wusizang. She then conceived the idea of ​​going to meet Marshal Tianpeng.

However, due to the constraints of his identity, he was unable to leave the Heavenly Court. In the end, he had no choice but to separate his true spirit from his physical body and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation to find Marshal Tianpeng.

Ruoshui, who was reincarnated, was reborn as Gao Cuilan, the daughter of Gao Taigong.

Unfortunately, Gao Cuilan, after her reincarnation, had long forgotten her past life. Otherwise, she would have already run up the mountain to find Zhu Ganglie herself; there would have been no need for Zhu Ganglie to steal her away.
However, Gao Cuilan's past life memories are not irrecoverable. The one who can help her regain her memories is none other than Sun Wukong.

Therefore, Zhu Bajie had to wait until Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang arrived at Gao Village and helped Ruoshui regain her memories before they could hold their wedding ceremony. (End of Chapter)