Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 144 The Battle of Wits in Chechi Kingdom (Part Fourteen)
Meanwhile, as Tang Sanzang and his disciples entered Zhiyuan Temple, forty-nine days had already passed since Ao Tu began refining elixirs.

On this day, the pills were finally refined. The furnace was opened, and instantly the room was filled with pill energy, producing thirteen pills, each about the size of a thumb.

Ao Tu tasted one, nodded, and said, "It's acceptable."

So he called to his eight disciples and said, "Each of you take one."

The eight people were overjoyed upon hearing this. Each of them took a pill, ate it, and immediately felt refreshed and healthy. They all exclaimed, "A divine pill! A divine pill!"

Ao Tu picked up three more and gave them to the three Taoist priests, saying, "Please pass these on to the three national teachers for me."

The three Taoist priests respectfully replied, "Yes."

Finally, only one remained. Ao Tu picked it up, put it in a jade box, and said:
"You will come with me to the palace to present the elixir to His Majesty."

Everyone readily agreed.

Alu looked at the cassock on his body and hesitated before saying to Aotu:
"Master, should I change my clothes? I'm afraid His Majesty won't be pleased if I meet him like this."

Ao Tu said, "It's alright. You can stay by my side and be responsible for presenting medicine to His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the other disciples looked at Alu with envy.

Ao Tu handed the jade box to Alu, and then led his disciples into the palace to request an audience with the King of Chechi Kingdom.

The King of Chechi Kingdom had been eagerly anticipating the day the elixir would be completed, and had people specifically record the time. Knowing that today was the forty-ninth day, he had been waiting since early morning.

Upon learning that the Taoist Master Taixi was requesting an audience, the King of Chechi was overjoyed and immediately invited the Taoist Master Taixi in.

To show respect, the King of Chechi even dragged his ailing body to sit up from his sickbed.

Upon seeing this, Ao Tu said, "Your Majesty, the elixir is ready. Please take it!" He then waved his hand in acknowledgment.

Upon seeing this, Alu quickly carried the jade box forward and presented it.

The King of Chechi Kingdom exclaimed upon seeing him, "This... how come he's a monk?"

Ao Tu said, “Your Majesty, this man is named Alu. He is the abbot of Zhiyuan Temple and also my newly accepted disciple. Although he is a monk, he is very intelligent. He assisted me in refining the elixir this time, and I have already taught him the art of alchemy.”

Upon hearing this, the King of Chechi Kingdom couldn't help but glance at Alu a few more times.

Alu suppressed his great joy and held the jade box high above his head.

The King of Chechi Kingdom took out a jade box, opened it, and saw a red pill the size of a thumb lying inside. The pill had a fragrant aroma, and just smelling it made one feel more energetic.

The King of Chechi Kingdom asked happily, "Master, how should this divine elixir be taken? What medicinal guide should be used?"

Ao Tu said, "This pill has no medicinal guide; you can take it directly, but remember not to swallow it."

The King of Chechi asked, "Why can't it be swallowed?"

Ao Tu said, "Because the pill is a bit large, His Majesty is weak and may not have enough strength to swallow it."

The King of Chechi said, "I see. Thank you for your help, Master."

The King of Chechi Kingdom picked up the elixir, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and ate it.

The pill had no special taste, just a simple medicinal smell. Once ingested, it transformed into a clear, warm current that flowed into every part of the body.

The King of Chechi felt his palms burning, his soles sweating, and his whole body tingling. After a short while, all the ailments that had been bothering him were gone.

My hands and feet move freely without any soreness or stiffness, my breathing is smooth, there is no phlegm in my lungs, and even my eyes are no longer blurry.

The King of Chechi couldn't resist getting down from his shoes. He quickly took a few steps, overjoyed, and laughed loudly:

"Excellent! This is truly a divine pill! Master, may I ask what its name is?"

Ao Tu said, "This pill is called the Nourishing Life Pill."

The King of Chechi Kingdom said, "Master, this elixir is so miraculously effective, yet it's only called a health-preserving elixir?"

Ao Tu said, "Your Majesty, this pill is only for nourishing the body and has no other effects, hence it is called the Nourishing Body Pill."

The King of Chechi sighed, "For me, this is already a miraculous elixir. Guards, issue the decree: 'I hereby bestow upon the Great Western True Man the title of "Grand Master of the Chechi Kingdom," granting him supreme authority over the three religions. He will not bow before the King, and will sit alongside me on the throne!'"

Ao Tu said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The King of Chechi said, "I have no way to repay the kindness of the True Man. His disciples have also made great contributions in assisting him in refining elixirs, and I will reward them handsomely as well."

After speaking, the King of Chechi Kingdom bestowed gifts upon Ao Tu's eight disciples one by one.

Next, Ao Tu chatted with the King of Chechi Kingdom for a while before leaving. Ao Tu walked out of the palace and looked into the distance. He saw divine light emanating from the southern sky, and the Jiedi Garan, the Six Ding and Six Jia, and others were all in the air. Ao Tu knew that Tang Sanzang and his disciples had already entered the city.

Just then, Tiger Power Immortal and his two companions arrived and met Ao Tu at the palace gate. They asked, "Master, how did it go? Did the alchemy go smoothly?"

Ao Tu smiled and said, "Thanks to the blessings of the Three Pure Ones, the elixir was successfully completed. After His Majesty took the elixir, his illness has been cured."

Upon hearing this, the three Tiger Immortals were overjoyed.

Ao Tu said, "His Majesty's recovery was due to the blessing of the Three Pure Ones, which enabled the elixir to be successfully completed. We should offer our congratulations to fulfill our proper respects."

The three immortals, Tiger Power, said, "What you say is absolutely right. We will go back and make preparations now."

Ao Tu nodded.

Meanwhile, Wukong and the others entered Zhiyuan Temple.

After Tang Sanzang explained his purpose, a monk in charge of welcoming him led Tang Sanzang and his disciples to their guest rooms to rest.

The four of them followed the monk inside.

Outside the main hall, several monks were practicing exorcism sword techniques, carrying peach wood swords and performing the Heavenly Gang Steps.

Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang asked the monk beside him, "What is the reason for this?"

The monk said, "Master, there is no need to worry. It is not unusual for the monks of Zhiyuan Temple to occasionally practice swordsmanship to strengthen their bodies."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang continued walking forward and entered the main hall.

Many monks were chanting scriptures inside the hall.

Tang Sanzang listened and asked in confusion, "What Buddhist scripture is this? I consider myself knowledgeable about Buddhist scriptures, so why have I never heard of it before?"

The monk said, "Master, this is the Huangting Sutra."

Tang Sanzang exclaimed in surprise, "The Yellow Court Classic is a Taoist scripture!"

The monk said, "Master, there is no need to panic. It is not unusual for the monks of Zhiyuan Temple to occasionally recite some Taoist scriptures."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy couldn't help but laugh and said to Monkey, "The monks here are really interesting. They're reciting the Yellow Court Classic in front of Buddha, and they say it's nothing strange?"

Wukong said, "Let's see what other tricks they can pull."

The four continued walking and passed a Buddhist hall where they saw many monks writing something on yellow paper.

Tang Sanzang couldn't help but shake his head when he saw this.

The monk asked, "What's wrong, Master?"

Tang Sanzang asked, "Why do the monks of your temple use yellow paper to copy Buddhist scriptures?"

The monk said, "Master, you've mistaken them. They're not copying Buddhist scriptures."

Tang Sanzang asked, "Where are they?"

At this moment, a monk suddenly stood up, holding a piece of yellow paper in his hand, and said:

"Hahaha! It's done! I've succeeded! By order of the Supreme Lord Laozi!"

The yellow paper suddenly burst into flames.

Tang Sanzang was speechless upon seeing this.

Wukong couldn't hold back any longer and said:

"Is this a Taoist temple or a Buddhist monastery? Are you Taoist priests or Buddhist monks? We saw two monks disguised as Taoist priests outside, but they switched back to being monks before entering the temple. What's going on?"

Upon hearing this, the monk replied, "Young master, that's how the monks here are."

Wukong asked, "A monk who performs the ritual steps and recites the Yellow Court Classic?"

The monk said, "Can't a monk perform the ritual steps? Can't a monk recite the Yellow Court Classic? Let's not talk about these things. If you walk a few more steps, there are statues of the Three Pure Ones under construction! If you don't want to stay the night, please leave! I won't see you off!"

After saying this, the monk flicked his sleeves, turned around, and left.

Seeing this, Wukong was so angry that he jumped up and down, but he couldn't vent his anger.

This monk is so rude!
(End of this chapter)