Journey to the West: Upon seeing the Yellow-Eyebrowed Demon, why not pay homage?

Chapter 130 What if the Bodhisattva is not innocent? [Third update, please continue reading]

Below the glass well.

Inside the Crystal Palace.

The Dragon King of the Well, who was enjoying wine and revelry with a beautiful clam maiden, suddenly sensed a powerful aura. He quickly put down his wine cup, pushed the clam maiden away, and hurried out of the Crystal Palace. Before he could even see the person's face clearly, he bowed deeply and said, "This humble dragon greets the venerable immortal. May I ask who you are and what guidance you may offer?"

Huang Mei remained calm and slowly spoke: "I am Jia Yizhen, the immortal of Dongyue. Today, I was passing through Wuji Kingdom on a cloud when I saw a demonic aura soaring into the sky in the palace. However, after landing, I sensed a trace of immortal energy in this well. I was puzzled, so I came to investigate."

The Dragon King of the Well paused slightly, then said in a low voice, "Immortal, the situation is extremely complicated. I advise you to stay out of it, lest you invite trouble and suffer for yourself."

"Complex?"

Huang Mei smiled and said, "I'd like to hear just how complicated it is, and see if it can scare me away."

The Dragon King of the Well pursed his lips and said cryptically, "This involves Buddhist bodhisattvas and a grand scheme; immortal, this is no joke. If you interfere without understanding the reasons, you will surely offend Buddhism."

"Why do I detect a hint of conspiracy in your words?" Huang Mei's smile vanished, and he said seriously, "Well Dragon King, you'd better tell the truth, or I, this immortal, will go to heaven and report you. I don't need to elaborate on what became of the Jing River Dragon King, do I?"

"This—" The Dragon King of the Well hesitated, feeling that he was having a bad year.

"What, you doubt my ability?"

Huang Mei snorted coldly and, with a flick of his wrist, produced the Jade Emperor's Golden Token: "Well Dragon King, take a look, what is this?"

The Dragon King of the Well glanced up and was immediately terrified. He knelt down and said, "This little dragon knows his mistake and pays respects to Your Excellency."

Huang Mei silently lowered his arm and said indifferently, "Since you know you're wrong, why don't you confess quickly?"

The Dragon King knelt on the ground, secretly lamenting his misfortune, but dared not conceal it any longer: "Your Excellency, the evil spirit in the palace is a lion-like monster under the command of Manjushri Bodhisattva. The immortal energy you sensed originated from the Youth-Preserving Pearl within the King's corpse."

Eight years ago, the Kingdom of Wuji suffered a sudden and inexplicable drought. The king prayed for rain for three consecutive years, but not a drop fell.

Just when the whole country was in panic, a Taoist priest from Zhongnan Mountain suddenly appeared. The priest ascended the altar and performed a ritual, praying for rain and relieving the drought in the country.

For this reason, the king treated him as an honored guest, swore brotherhood with him, and treated him as a close brother.

Then one day, this lion-like monster suddenly found me, claiming to be a disciple of Manjushri Bodhisattva. He gave me a face-preserving pearl and told me that he would soon push the king into a well, and that I should use the face-preserving pearl to protect the king's body after he drowned.

His sect was truly terrifying, and Xiao Long dared not disobey. He also thought that whatever their schemes, preserving the king's body with the Youth-Preserving Pearl was not a sin, so he kept quiet until now.

Huang Mei waved his hand and said, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! Manjushri Bodhisattva is a figure of great wisdom and compassion. How could he possibly condone his mount killing and stealing a country?"

The Dragon King sighed, "To be honest, sir, I did have my doubts, which is why I helped the spirit of the King of Wuji to seek help everywhere."

Unfortunately, the City God was that monster's friend, the Dragon King of the Sea was that monster's relative, the Eastern Peak Heavenly King was his close friend, and the Ten Kings of Hell were his sworn brothers.

Therefore, the king had no way to appeal, and I was also warned, so I dared not doubt anymore.

Huang Mei nodded slightly and raised the golden token again: "With this golden token before us, is there any falsehood?"

The Dragon King of the Well shuddered and hurriedly said, "This little dragon swears that what I say is what I saw!"

"Very well, I will accept this case and will certainly investigate the truth to clear Manjushri Bodhisattva's name," Huang Mei said resolutely.

The Dragon King of the Well looked troubled and couldn't help but ask, "My lord, what if the Bodhisattva is not innocent?"

"Nonsense! How could a Bodhisattva be impure? Would a Bodhisattva who is impure still be a Bodhisattva? That would be a demon or a false spirit who has become a Buddha," Huang Mei retorted.

Well Dragon King: "————"

"Keep a close watch on the king's corpse, and wait for my return." Without saying a word, Huang Mei waved his hand, and his body instantly turned into light and vanished.

The Dragon King of the Well sighed deeply, thinking to himself, "I just hope it's not a battle between gods that brings trouble to the little dragons—"

After Huang Mei flew out of the well, he waved his sleeve and returned the iron plate and banana leaf to their original positions. Then, he transformed back into his original form and rushed towards the inner courtyard of the Tushita Heaven.

Tushita Heaven.

The inner courtyard meditation room.

Sensing Huang Mei's aura, Donglai Buddha opened the gates from the courtyard to the house, allowing the other party to strode in and stand before him.

"Disciple greets Master." Huang Mei bowed respectfully.

"Rise," said the Buddha Donglai, raising his hand with a curious expression. "What brings you here this time?"

Huang Mei silently straightened his body and said softly, "This disciple has learned of a scandal within the Buddhist community and has come to inform Master."

Donglai Buddha narrowed his eyes and asked with interest, "What scandal?"

"Manjushri Bodhisattva, one of the four great Bodhisattvas of the present-day Buddhist lineage, actually allowed his mount to use his name to harm a king in the human world."

"Even more, that beast transformed into the other's appearance, seized the land, invaded the country, and turned the two classes of civil and military officials, four hundred court officials, the three empresses, and the six concubines into his playthings," Huang Mei said.

The Buddha from the East exclaimed in surprise, "Such a thing is true?"

"Absolutely true."

Huang Mei nodded and said, "This disciple doesn't know if Manjushri Bodhisattva himself knows about this matter. If he doesn't, that's fine. But if he does know, I'm afraid this mount was also under his instructions. In that case, wouldn't that be considered a scandal in Buddhism?"

After pondering for a moment, Donglai Buddha said solemnly, "Of course it is calculated. However, Manjushri is known for his wisdom, and this matter is by no means as simple as it seems on the surface."

Moreover, even if you have solid evidence, given his abilities, he can still use sophistry to extricate himself.

With the Buddha's protection at that time, a major issue will surely be reduced to a minor one, and a minor issue to nothing at all.

He knew very well that his disciple wanted to bind the mount to Manjushri, and that Manjushri would be held responsible for the mount's transgressions.

But he knew even better that Manjushri was not easy to deal with, and he was also worried that this was a trap that Manjushri had set specifically for Huangmei.

Huang Mei chuckled and asked, "Master, do you know what identity that lion-like monster originally appeared in Wuji Kingdom?"

Donglai Buddha's mind stirred slightly: "Monk? Dharma Master?"

Huang Mei said, "He is a Taoist priest who claims to have attained enlightenment in Zhongnan Mountain."

A sudden thought flashed through Donglai Buddha's mind: "You mean—"

"That's right, impersonating a Taoist priest is his biggest mistake. I must turn this mistake into his fatal weakness," Huang Mei said.

Donglai Buddha said in a deep voice, "If you provoke a conflict between Buddhism and Taoism and lose control of the situation, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"I understand, but I really don't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

May I ask, Master, did Manjushri Bodhisattva ever make any mistakes or omissions before this?

"Was there even any controversy?" Huang Mei dropped the pretense and asked frankly.

Donglai Buddha: "————"