Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Pretending to be Lord Buddha, Fiery Golden Eyes [Seeking Collection, Seeking Recommendation Tickets]_1
Sha Chen did not know that enduring the "Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart" within the Flowing Sand River brought about either minor or major tribulations. During the ninety-nine minor tribulations, he only felt that the "Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart" was stronger that day, converting into slightly more of his Mana. That was all. He hadn’t expected it to be an actual tribulation, yet he had passed through it safely. Unexpectedly, however, this disappointed many.
Not only Guanyin and her disciples but also Jia Lan on duty, God Riyou, and the others guarding the Flowing Sand River had hoped Sha Chen would succumb that day and emerge from the water as a demon. But unexpectedly, Sha Chen was completely unharmed. He even felt as if an extra dish had been added to his meal and found himself somewhat anticipating the next "extra dish."
Because Sha Chen had set up a Formation, both Jia Lan on duty and God Riyou struggled to ascertain Sha Chen’s exact situation within the Flowing Sand River. They only knew that Sha Chen had not left. As a result, their daily routine became rather dull, and they often slacked off.
Sha Chen, on the other hand, cultivated day after day, occasionally tending to the medicine field to check on its growth. However, the Spiritual Medicines in the field ultimately lacked variety. Furthermore, because it only had Post-Heaven Earth and lacked spiritual water for irrigation or spiritual beasts for tending, their growth inevitably encountered various problems. To ensure future harvests, Sha Chen had to tend to them periodically.
Every time, I have to spend some time caring for them, and I’m not very familiar with tending to spiritual medicine gardens; this just wastes time and effort. I must think of a solution, he thought.
As Sha Chen was puzzling over this, he suddenly discovered that someone on the shore seemed to be calling his name.
"General for Folding the Curtain! An Honorable Buddha is passing by. Why haven’t you come out to pay your respects?"
It was the voice of Jia Lan on duty. Sha Chen was stunned and looked toward the shore. Indeed, he saw Jia Lan and God Riyou paying homage to three Monks, and they had even called for him.
Upon seeing those three Monks, Sha Chen was taken aback. The Monk in the middle, portly with a perpetual smile, was none other than the famous Maitreya Buddha. Sha Chen also recognized the two Monks by his side; they were the renowned Xianglong Arhat and Fuhu Arhat. Although these two were Arhats, they had already attained the Da Luo Position, earning them the title of Venerables, a rank equal to that of a Buddha.
Why had three renowned Honorable Buddhists suddenly appeared at the modest Flowing Sand River!? Sha Chen was dumbfounded.
Jia Lan and God Riyou usually thought they were well-hidden, but Sha Chen knew they were nearby, monitoring him. Now, they had indeed revealed themselves, even kneeling to pay homage to the three Honorable Buddhas and calling for him to come out and greet them. Doubt arose in Sha Chen’s heart.
He did not immediately go out but gazed from beneath the river to assess the situation. Seeing no movement from the Flowing Sand River, Jia Lan on duty felt a bit embarrassed. He was about to rise and rebuke them when Maitreya Buddha said, "Why be angry, Daoist friend? We three are merely on our way to a Buddhist assembly. Passing by, we noticed the Flowing Sand River possesses great providence and came specifically to observe."
Jia Lan replied, "Honorable Buddha, you may not know, but the Flowing Sand River holds no great providence. Instead, it’s a squalid place confining a disgraced general from the Heavenly Court, whom we are tasked to guard." Then he recounted Sha Chen’s story.
Maitreya Buddha smiled. "I see. However, my perception is rarely flawed. It seems that General for Folding the Curtain is a Lucky Person. Please ask him to come out; I wish to speak with him."
Jia Lan and God Riyou both felt somewhat envious. However, they dared not disobey and still called out Sha Chen’s name towards the Flowing Sand River.
At the bottom of the river, the confusion on Sha Chen’s face deepened. How could these three Honorable Buddhas coincidentally pass by here and specifically ask to see me by name? Could it be that Buddhism has stopped hiding its intentions and is determined to recruit me for the Journey to the West?
Sha Chen sensed that something was amiss, that things weren’t quite right. He initially didn’t want to bother, but since an Honorable Buddha beckoned, ignoring the call might anger them. Maitreya Buddha and Xianglong Arhat were one thing, but Fuhu Arhat was said to have a fiery temper. If a fight broke out, it would be troublesome.
Sha Chen had no choice but to exit the Formation, parting the waters to stand above the Flowing Sand River. He didn’t step ashore; in fact, his feet rested on a whirlpool, poised to dive into the water and escape if anything seemed amiss.
Seeing Sha Chen’s tardy appearance, Jia Lan and God Riyou started muttering curses. Sha Chen ignored them and turned his gaze to the three Honorable Buddhas; his eyes suddenly shone with a golden light. Then, in his vision, Maitreya Buddha, Xianglong Arhat, and Fuhu Arhat transformed into three ferocious, grotesque, two-horned rhinoceros demons. All three were rhinoceros demons. One of them was King Bi Chen, whom he had rescued previously, now disguised as Fuhu Arhat. Sha Chen blinked; the illusion of Maitreya Buddha and the two Arhats flickered back into place over the demonic forms. He blinked once more, and the illusion wavered again, confirming their true nature.
He immediately became vigilant. So they *are* three demons in disguise! Lucky for me, my Fiery Golden Eyes, which can see through deceptive illusions, activated automatically. I didn’t discern the truth at first. It must have been due to the Formation and the Flowing Sand River obscuring them.
Realizing the three Honorable Buddhas were fakes, Sha Chen lost interest and prepared to dive back into the Flowing Sand River.
King Bi Han, disguised as Maitreya Buddha, said, "General for Folding the Curtain, you are truly a dragon among men. The moment I saw you, I felt you had an affinity with our Buddhism."
Hearing this, Jia Lan and God Riyou were filled with envy and jealousy.
Sha Chen retorted, "Whether I’m fated with Buddha or not is not for you to decide."
Jia Lan and God Riyou were aghast, exclaiming in shocked indignation, "Juanlian, are you mad? How dare you speak to an Honorable Buddha like that?"
Sha Chen said, "They are not Honorable Buddhas, but demons in disguise." With that, he moved to dive into the water.
Jia Lan and God Riyou were stunned, then scoffed, "What a joke! You claim an Honorable Buddha is fake? Have you ever witnessed such pure Buddhist light? Utterly ridiculous!"
Jia Lan on duty added, "I think the agony of the ’Thousand Swords Piercing The Heart’ has made you hallucinate."
Sha Chen furrowed his brow. "I’ve said my piece. Believe it or not, I won’t keep you company."
Just as he was about to go underwater, Jia Lan and God Riyou felt they were losing face as Sha Chen remained stubbornly defiant, and their patience wore thin. Just as they were about to berate Sha Chen, they discovered the weeds on the ground suddenly shot up, binding them tightly.
Both were greatly alarmed. They turned to look at the three Honorable Buddhas, only to see them burst into laughter. They transformed, revealing themselves as three rhinoceros demons. Jia Lan and God Riyou were horrified and deeply humiliated. To think they had actually been demons in disguise all along!
How had Sha Chen seen through them at a glance? Could his perception truly be sharper than theirs!?
By the time they turned their attention back to Sha Chen, they saw he had already dived into the water, returning to the safety of the Formation.
Jia Lan and God Riyou were terrified. "General for Folding the Curtain, don’t abandon us! Help us call for aid!"
Jia Lan on duty also pleaded, "We were once colleagues! Please help us, save us!"
Sha Chen was unmoved. "I apologize, but my Mana is too low. I’m powerless to help."
The two despaired. However, the three rhinoceros demons did not take their lives.
Instead, King Bi Chen shouted, "General for Folding the Curtain, we didn’t come to cause trouble. My two elder brothers are here primarily to thank you for saving me."
Sha Chen replied, "There’s no need. You should leave."
Bi Chen, helpless, looked towards his two elder brothers, Bi Han and Bi Shu. His eldest brother, King Bi Han, smiled confidently. He had lured Sha Chen out with a simple trick. However, this brute had seen through his disguise. But he remained self-assured and resourceful, confident he could persuade Sha Chen to emerge from the water and join them as a demon.