From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Five years ago, a young woman arrived. She was sixteen years old, graceful and beautiful, with bound feet. She called herself Half-Bodhisattva, and claimed to be able to summon wind and rain and turn stones into gold. She was greatly loved by the king and was taken as a concubine. She was called Guanyin's maid and indulged in revelry every night, neglecting all the other concubines in the palace.

Now, the king is physically and mentally exhausted, eats little, and is on the verge of death.

The imperial physician said there was no cure and was killed by the king. But Guanyin knew a prescription, which she said came from the Western Paradise, with Buddha's fragrant oil and Bodhisattva's candle liquid. It only lacked the brain marrow of 1,500 novice monks as a medicinal ingredient!

"We do have 1,500 monks in our country, but where are we going to find 1,500 novices?"

"Who are those novice monks in cages on the street?"

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue were puzzled.

"They are all descendants of the people of the country."

The postmaster sighed, "That demon queen only wants novice monks, not full monks. She says that monks are too old, lack vitality, and have complicated minds, with their brains full of filth."

The best are the novice monks who are between seven and twenty years old. They are young, full of energy, and know how to chant scriptures and mantras. Their spirits are pure and clear.

Using pure qi in medicine can make people feel refreshed and invigorated, light and healthy. Not only can it prolong life, but even immortality is easily attained!

"Dark Lord!"

Pigsy started cursing loudly.

When he first came to the Kingdom of Bhikkhu, he didn't care at all about the king's plan to use the hearts and livers of hundreds of children as a medicinal ingredient. He only felt that if the king wanted his subject to die, the subject had no choice but to die.

But now, following the river to retrace the journey to the West, he has truly cultivated a compassionate heart.

"If Old Pig sees him, he'll rake him and see if he still wants to eat the novice monk's brains!"

"Be careful!"

The postmaster was startled, covered Pigsy's mouth, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "It's fine if you curse my king as a tyrant here, but you mustn't say it outside, or you'll lose your head!"

"Humph!"

Bajie shoved the postmaster's hand away. "Old Pig has plenty of skills! By the way, you haven't told me where those novice monks came from. There are only 1,500 monks in the city, no novice monks. Did you buy them from other countries?"

"Of course not."

The postmaster sighed again, "Those novices hadn't become monks five years ago. It was just that the king needed a medicinal ingredient and forced all the children in every household to shave their heads."

No parent in the country agreed, yet they dared not disobey the emperor, so they could only spread rumors that the kingdom had been renamed Shami City.

Upon hearing the reason, Hu Yuan and Hu Jue were both furious, wishing they could capture that foolish king, bite his head off, and see just how much mush was in his brain.

Otherwise, how could they have agreed to the concubine's foolish decision to use the brains of 1,500 novice monks as a medicinal ingredient? And how could they have forced every household to shave their children's heads and lock them in cages to serve as novice monks?

"Don't talk about such things outside!"

The postmaster was a good man. Not wanting Jiang Liu and his group to get into legal trouble, he arranged accommodation for them and then went to handle other matters.

But how could Jiang Liu sit idly by?

He then said to Hu Yuan and Hu Jue, “You two go out of the city and find an open space, pick some fruit, catch some deer, make a fire and cook, so that the novice monks can have a full meal.”

"You want to feed the novices meat? Why not buy it in the city?"

Pigsy was puzzled.

"Firstly, we don't have enough money to buy so much food; secondly, I want to blow a gust of wind at night to blow all those iron cages out of the city, so we need someone to guard them."

Jiang Liu explained, “Tomorrow I will find an excuse to see that wicked king and, by the way, see the true form of that ‘Guanyinbi’.”

If it were a human, they would probably follow the same path as those immortals and Buddhas, seeking external medicine as their true goal, only more directly. I will transmit to them the essential principles of the innate nature, teaching them to return to the right path.

If she is a demon, she must be trying to eat my brains. You, I, and Ba Jing should take action and eliminate her, restoring peace to this boy's kingdom.

Everyone suddenly realized.

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue dared not delay and hurriedly headed east. After leaving the city, they found a clearing in the woods outside the city, but felt it was not big enough, so they took their monk's knife and cleared out another three thousand acres of clearing.

When the night was deep and quiet.

Jiang Liu went out the door, stood on the roof of the post station, surveyed the streets and routes, and then blew a gust of wind towards the southeast.

What a pleasant breeze!

But we see:

A divine wind blows, dimming the stars in the sky; a dismal fog obscures the moon for a thousand miles.

At first, it was gentle and leisurely; later, it became a raging torrent. Gently and leisurely, fathers from hundreds of families went out to save their children; fiercely and raging, women from thousands of households crossed thresholds to pull out their blood and bones. But the wind rose invisibly, obscuring people's words, and the cold chill penetrated their clothes like iron.

But the parents were in vain, and the elder brother and sister-in-law were filled with grief. Sandstorms raged across the ground, and the iron cage was taken away. Though the lonely creature cried out that night, dawn brought joy.

【Though separated, we are reunited; do not weep. I am the monkey within my heart, who knows the affairs of this nation. I know that king is muddle-headed, not the emperor of the Heavenly Dynasty. Tonight, I will perform a ritual to save people for miles around. When the night ends, it will be time for reunion!】

Seeing the grief of parents in every household on the street, Jiang Liu had a sudden thought: he could comfort the parents in his heart, and only then did he return home.

The next morning.

Jiang Liu did not delay and found the postmaster, saying, "Brother, please lead us to see the king."

"Why see the king? You are not monks sent to the west by imperial decree. I will give you a pass to show to the postman guarding the west gate, and you may leave without seeing the king."

The postmaster thought they didn't understand the intricacies, so he explained it to them.

"That's not it."

Jiang Liu laughed and said, "We are cultivators. We cannot bear to see these 1,500 novices have their brains ripped out, nor do we want these 1,500 children and teenagers to become monks in their ignorance."

Throughout history, only those who are unloved by their fathers and mothers, and have no other ties, have shaved their heads and become monks as a last resort.

All the children in your noble city have fathers and mothers. How can they become novice monks and lose their lives because of the king's confusion?

We also know a method for prolonging life that doesn't require brain marrow. We wish to have mercy and instruct the King to improve his health.

The postmaster, upon hearing this, was skeptical but still complied.

Without him.

It was only because his nephew had also been chosen to be a novice monk, and his brain was to be extracted.

They entered the palace.

Jiang Liu, Bajie, and Bajing waited outside the hall. The eunuch learned of the situation from the postmaster and went straight to the Golden Palace and the Golden Steps. He said, "Your Majesty, the postmaster has brought three pilgrims on their journey to the West. He says there is a way to improve Your Majesty's health without needing the brain marrow of a novice monk."

"The pilgrims? Are they foreigners?"

The king was ashen-faced, like a blank sheet of paper, yet he still held Guanyin's maid and questioned the eunuch.

"He's a foreigner."

The Yellow Gate official responded.

"not see!"

The king refused, saying, "They must be foreign swindlers, utterly useless!"

Chapter 1552 Debating Sanzang in the Imperial Court

"Your Majesty!"

A prime minister stepped forward and said to the king, “Our country is separated from other countries by towering mountains and steep ridges. Those who can cross these borders are all capable and should not be negligent.”

Upon hearing this, the king was startled, but asked the maid Guanyin he was holding, "My lady, do you think we should meet those three foreigners?"

"Since you've come from afar, why don't you take a look?"

Guanyinbi nodded thoughtfully, "A gust of wind blew last night and the medicinal ingredient was lost. If they really have a prescription to regulate His Majesty's body, that would be good."

If not, Your Majesty can capture them.

Those who can traverse mountains and rivers are mostly sincere, though not as simple-minded as a novice monk, but their minds are still useful.

Upon hearing this, the king was overjoyed and immediately ordered the palace eunuch to invite the three foreigners in.

But as soon as the three entered, the king saw them and was so frightened that he almost lost two-thirds of his life.

Without him.

Although Jiang Liu has the appearance of the Monkey King, with a clear mind and handsome eyes, people from the future would definitely want to take pictures with him. But at this time, he is feared and kept at a distance, scaring away a third of the king's life.

Although Pigsy had already cultivated the elixir of immortality, and his body was no longer short and ugly, and his pig head had turned into a human face, he still had an arched nose and wide ears, which frightened the king away by a third of his life.

Only Ba Jing, with his fair complexion and handsome appearance, managed to frighten the king for the last third of his life.

"Guards! Take these monsters out and kill them!"

Having saved that third of his life, the king hurriedly summoned the Imperial Guards.

"Wait a minute!"

Jiang Liu shouted, startling the Imperial Guards present. He chuckled and said, "You're a tyrant! How can you judge people by their appearance? Although we look different from ordinary people, we've never harmed anyone. Why are you going to drag us out and execute us?"

The king was indeed frightened; his pale face turned red and then pale, finally regaining some color. He cursed, "Being ugly is not a problem, but causing trouble is a crime!"

"Your Majesty, how do our appearances compare to those of the gods and guardians in the temples?"

Jiang Liu asked again.

Upon hearing this, the king was speechless, for in fact, these three men were all exceptionally handsome, even compared to the gods and guardians in the temple.

Especially that fair-skinned young man, he even has three-tenths of his former charm!

So the king dismissed the Imperial Guards and simply asked, "What miraculous cure do you have for me?"

"We possess the Three Pure Scriptures, which can deliver people from the sea of ​​suffering."

Jiang Liu chuckled and said, "I'll bring a copy of the Dharma and chat with you."

Bajie chuckled and said, "I have a copy of the Treatise on Earth."

Ba Jing smiled and said, "I hold a collection of scriptures to deliver ghosts."

Upon hearing about the Tripitaka Sutra, the king was startled and asked, "Is this the legendary sutra that the Tang Dynasty sent people to retrieve from Mount Ling in the Western Paradise five hundred years ago?"

"No."

Jiang Liu laughed and said, "The scriptures that the eminent monk from the Great Tang Dynasty obtained are the Sutras, Vinaya, and Abhidharma."

These are the words spoken by the Tathagata.

The Vinaya refers to the precepts upheld by monks.

This discourse is merely the interpretation of the Buddha's words and monastic precepts by the many Bodhisattvas and Arhats of Vulture Peak, and is fundamentally different from the Tripitaka I possess.