From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Jiang Liu was pleased and stopped Bajie, Bajing, Huyuan, and Hujue from admonishing them. He then offered a heartfelt blessing, saying, "I just hope you won't become so immersed in the state of 'emptiness' that you can't extricate yourself."

Regarding the correspondence between the nine orifices of heaven and earth and the nine orifices of the human body, the Lion Camel Kingdom corresponds to the Central Palace Orifice, one of the nine orifices of the human body, which is also the true "severing of the three corpses" in "Journey to the West".

Therefore.

Even though the king, ministers, and people of Lion Camel Kingdom had all died, Tang Sanzang's travel document was still stamped with the "Lion Camel Kingdom Seal".

By severing the three corpses, one's mind can fully realize the Bodhisattva state, cultivate wisdom, and be able to see emptiness, which is the true nature of the world.

However, if one becomes immersed in the state of "emptiness" and believes that everything in the world is illusory, one is no different from those sorcerers who are immersed in the dreamlike illusions of inner visions and cannot extricate themselves.

"Yes!"

Pingping smiled and agreed.

Afterwards, Jiang Liu said to Liang Luzhen, "You should stay too."

"what?"

Liang Luzhen was taken aback, then dropped the carrying pole, hurriedly knelt down, and kowtowed, saying, "Senior Brother, I want to cultivate with you!"

"The world is vast, where can't one cultivate? Your cultivation is right here," Jiang Liu said with a smile.

It was only because Liang Luzhen had cultivated himself along the way, giving up alcohol and carrying heavy loads, that he had gained some enlightenment. Otherwise, how could he have seen the words on the banner outside the city gate of Zhu Zi Kingdom?

His state of mind has also become close to that of a Bodhisattva.

Therefore, what he needs now is to awaken others based on self-awareness.

If Liang Luzhen continues to travel west with Jiang Liu and his group, she will only be able to continuously improve her physical cultivation, but her mental state will not improve much. It would be better for her to stay in this "Central Palace Aperture" place and assist Pingping in building a real "Zootopia" to improve her cultivation.

Upon hearing that his cultivation was taking place in the Lion Camel Kingdom, Liang Luzhen seemed to ponder this and did not insist on going to the Western Paradise with Jiang Liu.

Since the sacred mountain resides within one's own heart, and one has already attained enlightenment, why should one seek any additional Buddhahood from the Tathagata Buddha?

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Liu took out the Jade Purification Bottle and the Red Gourd and handed them to Pingping and Luzhen, saying with a smile, "You will follow me in cultivation and comprehend the Great Dao. Ordinary immortals, Buddhas, demons and monsters will no longer be able to do anything to you. But just in case, I'll give you these two treasures for self-defense."

Lu Zhen and Ping Ping accepted the two items—a purple-gold gourd and a jade bottle—that had been refined by Jiang Liu's primordial spirit, and expressed their gratitude.

“Brother Yuanjue, why don’t you change the name of Lion Camel Kingdom?”

Pingping brought up the matter of the Lion Camel Kingdom changing its name.

“The character for lion, without the beast radical, becomes ‘shi’ (師), meaning teacher, who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts; the character for camel, without the horse radical and with an ear radical, still becomes ‘tuo’ (陀), meaning hill, hence it is also called Shituo Country,” Jiang Liu said.

"Lion Camel Kingdom? Shituo Kingdom?"

After murmuring it twice, Pingping cast a spell, replacing the characters "Lion Camel" on the city gate of Lion Camel Kingdom with "Shi Tuo," saying, "From now on, this place will be called Shi Tuo Kingdom!"

This is precisely:

Make friends from all directions until you reach one heart; subdue the three poisons without delay.

Discipline breaks free from the cage, and when the time is right, one ascends to the highest realm.

After spending half a month in Shituo Kingdom, Jiang Liu taught Pingping and Luzhen how to modify the terrain according to the Lion Camel Talisman and use the acquired method to supplement the innate. Then, Jiang Liu led Bajie, Bajing, Huyuan, and Hujue to bid farewell to the two and set off again.

On the road.

Hu Yuan pondered Jiang Liu's words to Liang Luzhen and asked, "Senior Brother, will we two brothers also leave someday in the future?"

Hu Jue shared this concern, saying, "If we part ways in the future, how will we meet again?"

"As the ancients said, the moon has its phases of waxing and waning. Does leaving mean goodbye forever? When your cultivation is complete and the nine orifices become second nature, you will no longer need to use your mind to connect them, and you can visit at any time," Jiang Liu said with a carefree smile, offering words of comfort.

Instantly.

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue dispelled their worries and became enlightened. They were free from anger, ignorance, and greed, and their bodies and minds became more and more perfect. Their minds gradually entered the realm of Bodhisattvas.

Several months passed as the five traveled, winter turned to spring, and they saw grass growing and birds flying, peach blossoms blooming and willows turning green. Suddenly, a city appeared in front of them.

What is that place?

Hu Yuan inquired.

Although Bajie hadn't traveled this road for over five hundred years, he knew it like the back of his hand and laughed, "It's that boy's city."

"Why is he called Little City?"

Hu Jue exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that the emperor of this country is a child, hence the name 'Little Boy City'?"

"It's not Little City, but the Kingdom of Bhikkhu."

Bajie chuckled and recounted a story from the past: "Five hundred years ago, the king of this Bhikkhu Kingdom listened to a sorcerer and wanted to take the hearts and livers of 1,111 children as a medicinal ingredient, combined with a secret recipe from overseas, to refine an elixir of immortality. That's why the people of this kingdom called Bhikkhu Kingdom 'Little City' back then."

"I see!"

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue suddenly realized, but were also worried, "I wonder if those hundreds of children from back then were saved?"

"With my senior brother here, how could we possibly fail to be saved?"

Pigsy looked proud.

Hearing this, Hu Yuan and Hu Jue were finally relieved.

After all, before these two followed Jiang Liu to cultivate, one followed the ancestral teachings, devoured all the lost and evil, and escorted good people to the past. He was honest and straightforward. The other hid at the bottom of the well and played with the children in the village. Although he was almost bewitched by the Yellow Wind and went into a state of demonic possession, he would not harm the children. How could he not worry about the children?

Near the city gate.

Seeing an old soldier dozing off, Hu Yuan and Hu Jue went up to ask about the place and confirmed that this was indeed the Kingdom of Bhikkhu.

The old soldier was startled awake. He rubbed his eyes and, upon seeing Hu Yuan and Hu Jue's fierce appearance, knelt down in terror, kowtowing repeatedly: "Grandpa, spare my life! Grandpa, spare my life!"

“Get up and talk. We’re not bad people, why are you acting like this?” Hu Yuan grabbed the old soldier.

"Aren't you Grandpa Mountain Lord?"

The old soldier steadied himself and carefully examined Hu Yuan and Hu Jue. He realized that although their faces resembled those of tigers from the mountains, they were actually quite human, just a bit fierce, with a tiger-like appearance that made people keep their distance...

Chapter 1551 Kaneki's Compassionate Rescue of the Novice Monk

“We are not mountain kings.”

Hu Jue opened his mouth—

Although he and his brother were tiger spirits, they have now attained human form, and their original forms have become their manifestations.

Therefore.

Even if they meet with misfortune later in life, they will not be able to revert to their original forms after death.

"Then who are you people?"

The old soldier straightened his helmet, but dared not reprimand him. However, it was his duty to inquire.

“We are ascetics on our way to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures. We are passing through this place and have come to inquire about the local country’s name, customs, etc., so that we will not make a fool of ourselves when we pass through again.”

Hu Yuan explained.

"I see... This place was originally called the Kingdom of Boys, but it has now been renamed the City of Novices," the old soldier told him truthfully.

Why is it called the City of Novice Monks?

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue looked at each other in bewilderment.

However, the old soldier was either frightened or had other reasons to hide, and dared not speak.

There was nothing we could do.

The two brothers didn't want to ask too many questions, so they went back and told Jiang Liu, Bajie, and Bajing.

"Eldest brother, second brother is mistaken. This is not the Kingdom of Bhikkhus, it is called the Kingdom of Boys."

"Senior Brother, the old soldier said that the Kingdom of Boys has been renamed and is now called Shami City."

Upon hearing this, before Jiang Liu could even speak, Bajie blurted out, "Wow, it seems that five hundred years ago, the king, to quell public anger, really changed 'bhikkhu' to 'boy.' But why is it now called the City of Novice Monks?"

Ba Jing interjected, "I suspect that this king has been bewitched by some evil spirit again, and instead of using children as the medicinal ingredient, he wants to use young monks instead."

"Let's go into the city and take a look."

Jiang Liu suggested.

The five men then entered the city, and there they saw—

The restaurants were bustling with chatter, the singing houses were noisy, the entertainment stalls were hawking their wares, and the teahouses were draped with curtains—a lively scene of people coming and going, all vying for fame and fortune. But it could also be described as:

Businesses thrive in every household and every shop; wealth flows in from every street and every market.

The group of five walked along the street, taking in the endless prosperity, but all they could see was a square iron cage at the door of each house, covered with black and white cloth, making it difficult to see what was inside. Yet, the sound of chanting sutras could be heard, mixed with the hustle and bustle of the market, making it hard to make out clearly.

Then, Hu Yuan and Hu Jue exchanged a glance, as if by unspoken agreement, and gently blew a breath of wind towards the Xun direction.

A gentle breeze!

A gentle breeze, though it doesn't harm, only stirs up clothing. A roadside vegetable vendor covers his scallions, a pedestrian shields his eyes. A singer drops her handkerchief, a tea drinker smashes his cup. The clamor of voices subsides slightly, the chanting in the cage grows louder.

A gentle breeze lifted the gauze, revealing people inside the cage—all young novice monks.

There are novice monks who drive away birds. They should be driving away birds in the threshing ground and protecting the farmland, but now they are chanting scriptures in cages and are drowsy.

There are novice monks who are between fourteen and nineteen years old and are in harmony with the Dharma. They should be managing scriptures in the temple, but now they are chanting mantras in cages.

There was a novice monk named Nama who was over twenty years old. Although he had not yet received full ordination, he was still able to manage odds and ends and organize scriptures in the temple. However, he was now reading scriptures and chanting mantras in a cage.

"Senior Brother, I think I guessed right."

Upon seeing the novice monks, Bajing confirmed his earlier guess and sneered, "This generation's king is truly a fool!"

"Let's go to the post station."

Jiang Liu did not answer, and led the four men to the post station.

When the postmaster saw these five unusual-looking "strange people," he turned pale with fright, but still stepped forward and asked, "Are you foreigners?"

"Exactly."

Jiang Liu responded, stepped forward, and asked, "We are like the pilgrims from five hundred years ago, also heading to Mount Ling. We heard that this place was originally called the Kingdom of Bhikkhu, and later renamed the Kingdom of Boys. But now we hear that it is also called the City of Novices. We wonder why?"

Upon hearing this, the postmaster was even more frightened and hurriedly grabbed Jiang Liu's hand, saying, "Be careful what you say! Be careful what you say! Such matters should not be discussed casually."

"It's not a matter of national importance, so why can't we discuss it? We were walking on the street earlier and saw many iron cages covered with black and white cloth. When we secretly lifted the cloth to take a look, we found that they were all novices aged seven to twenty. Could it be that novices in your country have to practice in cages before receiving the ten precepts?"

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue, who were standing nearby, asked.

Seeing this, the postmaster, to prevent the five men from asking questions on the street and causing trouble, had no choice but to tell them the truth: "The world is the same, and so are the monks of the East and West. They are only different in their precepts, but they are all the same."