From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

"I see!"

Pingping seemed to understand but didn't ask any more questions. She simply followed Jiang Liu and the others on their cultivation journey.

And so they left, and time passed without warning. Winter went and spring came, peach blossoms bloomed and the sun shone warmly, but all that could be seen was—

With the arrival of spring, the weather turns rosy, and the sky is filled with bright sunshine.

Everything shines brightly, and the land is covered with fragrant blossoms like an embroidered carpet.

A few snowflakes linger on the plum blossoms, while wheat fields swell with clouds. The ice gradually melts, mountain springs flow, and new shoots emerge unfurled, untouched by the scorching heat.

The air is warm with the fragrance of flowers, the clouds are light and the sunlight is fresh. Willows by the roadside stretch their green buds, nourished by the gentle rain that brings forth spring in all things.

As they continued their spiritual practice, they observed the scenery and the changing seasons, making significant progress in their cultivation. However, just as they were advancing, they suddenly heard a thunderous sound explode ahead.

Pingping was startled and stopped chanting the Heart Sutra, exclaiming in surprise, "Has a bolt from the blue struck from the blue?"

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue guessed, "There are probably a group of demons practicing their martial arts over there!"

Ba Jing shook his head and said, "What I hear sounds like human voices. Maybe someone is building a house, getting married, or having a baby, and they're setting off firecrackers over there!"

"Ahead lies the Kingdom of Chechi."

Pigsy chuckled and said, "Back when I came here with Master, I also heard the sound of thunder. It was the Taoist priests forcing the monks to do hard labor..."

Fortunately, we went and helped the king rid him of the three demons, thus absolving the monk of his guilt.

However, the West gained too many benefits from the pilgrimage to the West, which the Heavenly Court disapproved of, leading to the current situation where Taoism is promoted and Buddhism is suppressed in the mortal realm.

I bet the monks from Chechi Kingdom were bullied by the Taoist priests again.

Don't make wild guesses.

Jiang Liu interrupted everyone's speculations and said to Pingping, "When you were at Flaming Mountain, you were protected by the Bull Demon Iron Fan. When you were at Hao Mountain, you lived in a deep mountain forest with few inhabitants."

This is a good opportunity to go and see the human world.

To live a life free from worldly strife, one must first understand the nature of worldly strife.

"it is good."

Having practiced the Heart Sutra extensively, Pingping's mind had become quite active as she followed Jiang Liu along the way. She temporarily transformed into her fox form, moving nimbly through the forest and disappearing without a trace.

Before long, she arrived at the source of the sound and saw a narrow path with two large passes.

There were five hundred people pulling carts on the road below the pass, the carts loaded with bricks, tiles, timber, adobe and the like. But the road was steep and vertical, and it was early spring. The people pulling the carts were thinly dressed and emaciated. How could they possibly pull those carts?

Upon closer inspection, Pingping noticed that the people there all had their hair tied in a bun, and they were all Taoist priests. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "These Taoist priests are really devout. They must be making offerings to the Three Pure Ones. Despite the high mountains and long roads, and the cold weather in early spring, they are working so hard and are not afraid of catching a cold."

"Look at all these people, could the emperor of the distant royal city be a Taoist priest?"

Just as Pingping was pondering this, she saw two monks walking out of the city gate.

Unlike those Taoist priests, he was dressed in gorgeous clothes!

But they—

Wearing a monk's hat and a brocade robe, the hat is adorned with five Buddhas, and the robe is draped with seven precious stones. He wears lotus-shaped shoes and a golden sash. His face is round and full like the moon, resembling the smiling Maitreya Buddha of the Western Paradise.

Upon seeing the two monks, the Taoist priests trembled with fear, yet they exerted even more effort. However, the mountain was high and the road was narrow, and the ground was damp, so how could they move it?

The two monks didn't scold them; instead, they took out whips and lashed the Taoist priests as if they had committed some heinous crime.

"How strange! That pig-headed man said this place was a place that respected Taoism and suppressed Buddhism, but now it's Taoists doing the hard labor and monks being the masters?"

Pingping's eyes were full of curiosity. She was about to go back and tell Jiang Liu, but then she stopped and shook her head, saying, "No! No!"

Brother Yuanjue summoned me not only to investigate the situation, but also to let me go out into the human world and understand what the world is fighting for, so that I can understand what it means to be at peace with the world.

I need to go down and steady myself.

With this thought in mind, Pingping transformed into a human. Because of her previous cultivation and accumulation of the five elements to stabilize the central palace, she also gained some control over the timing of the fire. She was able to transform into a nun.

She was dressed in a pale gray monk's robe, which could not conceal her alluring figure. A plain monk's collar adorned her neck, and her beautiful face remained unchanged. She had shaved off her long black hair and had eight ordination scars, and her beautiful eyes shone with compassion.

Wearing a pair of black cloth shoes, her steps were light and silent, truly like a secluded orchid in a secluded valley, exuding tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of life.

"This humble nun will begin."

Pingping walked towards the city gate and bowed to the two monks.

When the two monks saw the eight ordination scars on the nun's head, they hurriedly returned the greeting: "Where do you come from, Master?"

In monastic practice, the ordination scars serve as the standard.

One ordination scar means "pure heart," signifying entering the Buddhist order as a monk; two ordination scars mean "joy and happiness," indicating successful spiritual practice; three or six ordination scars mean "persistent practice," indicating becoming a manager in a temple; eight or nine ordination scars mean "immense achievement," indicating becoming either an abbot or the head of the temple.

If you can get twelve scars, you'll go to the Western Paradise and become a Bodhisattva!

Can spiritual practice really be based on mere ordination scars? They're just guidelines used by monasteries to differentiate between high and low levels.

Although the two monks wore lotus hats, they only had three ordination scars on their heads. When the Taoist priest who came to watch over the place saw that the nun Pingping had transformed into had eight ordination scars on her head, he dared not be disrespectful, no matter how beautiful she was!

However, they had never seen such a nun in the area, hence the question.

Chapter 1484 Monks and Taoists Fight Again

“My disciple is a nun from the Five Internal Organs Temple in Jambudvipa. In order to cultivate herself, she wishes to emulate the Tang Dynasty monks who went to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures, and travel westward to pay homage to the Buddha.”

Pingping casually said, "I am passing by your esteemed place and would like to ask for a vegetarian meal. May I ask the two monks if there are any kind families in this city?"

I will go and beg for some vegetarian food to exchange for some dry rations before continuing westward.

Upon hearing that she was a nun from Jambudvipa, the two monks suddenly realized, "No wonder we've never seen the nun in the city." They added, "But the nun's words are not pleasant to hear."

"Why doesn't it sound right?"

Pingping, realizing she hadn't seen many monks or Taoist priests, and now, as a nun, her manners were merely imitating a nun she'd met before, suspected she'd given herself away. A chill ran down her spine, and she thought to herself, "If they ask why, I'll say that this nun from the Southern Continent of Jambudvipa has different etiquette than the monks from the Western Continent of Niuhe!"

"Isn't it unpleasant to hear that the nun says she wants to beg for alms?"

A monk laughed.

Why is begging for alms unpleasant to hear?

Pingping felt even more puzzled—

Which monk doesn't beg for alms?

They then asked, "We monks and nuns don't have much money. If we don't beg for alms, how will we get food? Are we supposed to steal or rob? Or should we forage for food in the mountains and forests?"

"She's a nun from out of town; she doesn't understand the benefits of my place."

Another monk laughed heartily, “You don’t know, things are different here. The emperor is benevolent and respects monks the most. As long as you go into the city, not only will you beg for alms, but every household will treat you warmly and offer you tea and food when they see you are bald. They would be eager for you to stay!”

So this place is strange!

Pingping suddenly understood, but feigned doubt and asked, "Why does the emperor here respect monks?"

There are two reasons.

The monk on the left said, "Firstly, five hundred years ago, a Tang Dynasty monk passed through my Chechi Kingdom and killed those three evil spirits who deceived the emperor."

From that time on, our Chechi Kingdom revered monks and abandoned Taoism.

The monk on the right said, "Secondly, a few months ago, a bull demon came to Chechi Kingdom. It ate crops and oranges, causing panic among the people of our country."

Every household seeks Taoist teachings and worships Buddha; Taoist priests burn talismans, and Buddhist monks chant scriptures, all in an effort to ward off evil spirits.

But the Taoist priest was useless. Only my three masters came, chanted incantations, and set up golden statues, and finally suppressed the bull demon.

since then.

In the Kingdom of Chechi, monks were revered.

Those useless Taoist priests were all captured by us and made into slaves, to be used by us.

Upon learning what had happened, Pingping exclaimed in surprise, "So it wasn't the work of you monks, but the skill of those three eminent monks from elsewhere."

Upon hearing this, the two monks were displeased, but seeing that Pingping had eight ordination scars on her head, they didn't say much and could only say, "Master, the monks of Chechi Kingdom have already taken those three eminent monks as their masters. If they are capable, then we monks are capable too."

Is this how it can be calculated?

Pingping was naive and speechless upon hearing such absurd reasoning. She could only ask, "What are the Dharma names of your three eminent monks?"

“My third master’s Dharma name is Śrāvaka, my second master’s Dharma name is Pratyekabuddha, and as for my eldest master, he is even more remarkable. He is already a Bodhisattva of Vulture Peak, so his Dharma name is Bodhisattva.”

The two monks talked at length.

Pingping remained silent.

After all, which Bodhisattva's Dharma name is simply "Bodhisattva"?

He's probably a fake saint!

Then she asked, "I would like to meet these three masters. Could you please introduce me?"

“Of course, my three masters love monks and nuns the most, and they will definitely grant you an audience. However, we need to keep an eye on these lazy Taoist priests, and we will take you to see my master at noon. Is that alright?” the monk suggested.

“Perfect timing. I’m not alone. I have a master and five junior brothers behind me, all of whom are eminent monks who have gone to the West to see the Buddha. I’ll call them over.”

Pingping said.

"Master, hurry!"

Upon hearing that there were six more monks, the two monks were overjoyed and hurriedly asked Pingping to invite them so that they could enter the city together at noon.

Pingping didn't waste any time. She turned around and ran east to find Jiang Liu, where she told him everything she had found out.

“This Chechi Kingdom is truly beyond saving. Five hundred years ago, it revered Taoism and suppressed Buddhism; five hundred years later, it honors Buddhism and suppresses Taoism. It’s all about seeking solutions from outside.” Bajie sighed with regret.

Jiang Liu ignored Bajie's complaints and asked Pingping, "You only asked those two monks?"

"Yes."

Pingping nodded.

"Did you ask those Taoist priests?"

Jiang Liu asked again.

"No."

Pingping shook her head and asked again, "Should we still ask those Taoist priests?"

"nature."