Chapter 626: Chapter 561, Tang Sanzang Rents a Treasure
Boom~
The cold pond surged upwards, forming a bulging surface where tumultuous waves crashed. Below the heaving water lay absolute darkness, as if leading to an endless abyss.
As the raised surface roiled with waves, a White Dragon bound in a blue net was lifted from the water. Sun Wukong seemed inconspicuous beneath the White Dragon, yet he managed to hoist it, flying away from the cold pond.
Within the net, the White Dragon struggled fiercely, twisting in vain.
With a mighty heave from Sun Wukong, the White Dragon was thrown straight out, landing with a resounding boom~ in front of Tang Sanzang, sending rocks flying and carving out a Hong Gou on the mountain face, where the White Dragon lay weak and powerless at the end of the gouge.
Startled, Tang Sanzang used his sleeve to cover his face, crouching beside a large boulder.
Sun Wukong descended from the sky, perching on a large rock with crossed legs, and asked, "Little Monk, where did you get that Magic Treasure?"
Tang Sanzang stood up and dusted off his clothes, regaining his composure before saying, "The Master has his own methods. Wukong, follow me."
Tang Sanzang led Sun Wukong towards the White Dragon, both eyeing it warily.
Little White Dragon Ao Lie was also panicking inside, thinking, Bodhisattva, this isn’t what you told me. Didn’t you say I should wait for your call before coming out? What is happening now? What kind of Magic Treasure is this?
Sun Wukong brandished his Jingu Bang at Little White Dragon and bellowed, "What kind of Sin Dragon are you to be wreaking havoc here, daring to devour my Master’s steed?"
"I didn’t eat it!" the Little White Dragon protested.
Tang Sanzang angrily retorted, "Even if you didn’t eat it, it was destroyed because of you."
Sun Wukong declared, "That’s right, pay up! You must pay for the damages."
"I’m a Sin Dragon, where would I have money?" replied the dragon.
"No money? With no money, your old Sun will flay your skin and pull your sinews, and sell you at the Three Realms Mall."
In the midst of speaking, Sun Wukong raised the Jingu Bang high, the terrifying aura pressing down on Little White Dragon as if from a looming sky.
Ao Lie panicked instantly. Despite his vigorous struggles within the Mist and Dew Qiankun Net, it was futile; the net, as delicate as gauze, now seemed unbreakably tough, and even with the power to overturn seas and rivers, he couldn’t break free.
In a fluster, Ao Lie cried out, "Sun Wukong, I am here under Guanyin Bodhisattva’s orders to wait for the Sutra Taker. You cannot kill me."
Sun Wukong paused, somewhat surprised. Guanyin Bodhisattva? Sutra Taker? Could it be he is just like me?
Suddenly, a voice echoed Between Heaven and Earth, "Wukong, stop at once!"
"Hmm?" Sun Wukong looked up.
Above the clouds, Buddha Light suddenly appeared, and Guanyin Bodhisattva emerged from it, gently holding the Jade Purifying Bottle, serene and compassionate.
Tang Sanzang quickly brought his palms together and respectfully said, "Disciple greets the Bodhisattva!"
Sun Wukong’s eyes darted as he flew up to the Cloud Head and shouted loudly, "Guanyin Bodhisattva, why have you given Tang Sanzang a spell to curse your old Sun?"
Guanyin’s expression stiffened for a moment before returning to normal, then scolded, "You monkey! You do not heed the Taoist Scripture, nor strive for the True Fruit. If not restrained like this, you would once again ascend to deceive Heaven, with no sense of right or wrong!
Who else could contain you if you caused trouble like in the past? It’s only because of this Demon that you would willingly enter my Yoga path!"
"Bodhisattva, your words lack reason; where has your old Sun caused trouble?
"Even though I acted rightly, I’m still punished by you all. How could this be considered a true fruit of action?"
"Still dare to argue? You killed and caused harm. Isn’t that wrong?"
Sun Wukong chuckled weirdly and said: "You ask my Master if what Old Sun did was right or wrong?"
Guanyin Bodhisattva looked down.
Tang Sanzang pressed his palms together, solemnly speaking: "With respect, Bodhisattva, Wukong is not at fault. The fault lies with this humble monk.
What is goodness? Goodness is being kind to others, having a pure heart, it’s our own cultivation.
Goodness is certainly not indulgent forgiveness nor endless meekness and leniency. To indulge evil is the gravest evil! Our Buddha’s compassion also has the wrathful eyes of Vajra; faced with evil, it roars like a lion—that is true compassion.
Wukong is right. Fortune and disaster are not invited; they are summoned by one’s actions. The retribution of good and evil follows like a shadow; since one has done evil, one should bear the consequences of their evil deeds. Wukong did nothing wrong."
Guanyin Bodhisattva was somewhat stunned; Tang Sanzang had changed; he wasn’t like this before. Of course, I know Sun Wukong did nothing wrong, I was backing you up, supporting you, and then you betray me like this?
Wait a second, has something strange been mixed in here? "Fortune and disaster are not invited; they are summoned by one’s actions. The retribution of good and evil follows like a shadow." Isn’t this a line from the Taoist Scripture?
Guanyin Bodhisattva, feeling a bit chagrined, said: "Wukong, what exactly have you been discussing with your Master?"
Sun Wukong boasted proudly: "Of course, I debated the Tao with him, and obviously, Old Sun won.
If you want to remove the tightening spell from Old Sun’s neck, just take off the prayer beads from my neck." Having said that, he looked at Guanyin Bodhisattva expectantly. Come on, if you can, take it off!
Guanyin Bodhisattva was speechless. Is this still Sun Wukong? What on earth did he experience in these five hundred years to engage in philosophical debate?
Guanyin Bodhisattva forced a smile and said: "Xuanzang, Wukong, it’s great that you’re able to have such insight. The Westward journey is a path of cultivation; when you have realized the self and comprehended the principles of Buddhism, though the Spiritual Mountain is far away, the Great Leiyin Temple exists within your heart."
Tang Sanzang joyfully bowed, saying: "Thank you for the teachings, Bodhisattva."
Sun Wukong called out: "Guanyin Bodhisattva, don’t change the subject. Let’s not talk about the prayer beads for the moment.
Old Sun and the little monk went through great trouble heading West to obtain the scriptures, and you set this evil dragon here, ruining the little monk’s mechanical steed. How does that make any sense?"
"The Westward journey spans over a hundred and eight thousand miles. How could Xuanzang’s mechanical car, a mere mundane object, endure this journey over thousands of mountains and rivers to the land of Buddha at Spiritual Mountain?
This dragon was specifically requested by me from the Jade Emperor, to transform into a dragon horse to serve as your Master’s steed on the way to the Spiritual Mountain."
Tang Sanzang opened his mouth, feeling a bitter heartache. I don’t want any dragon horse; I just want my mechanical car!
Guanyin Bodhisattva smilingly said: "Xuanzang, open the Mist and Dew Qiankun Net!"
Tang Sanzang replied somewhat embarrassed: "Bodhisattva, this is the first time I am using this Magic Treasure. I truly do not know how to open it."
"Go to the Three Realms Mall and click ’End Rental.’"
"Oh~ Oh~" Tang Sanzang fumbled to open his Three Realms Mall, found the option to end the rental, and clicked it.
The Three Realms Mall immediately emitted a beam of light, gathering nature’s spiritual energy from around within the light, forming patterns that danced in the air, assembling and revealing an Array, hovering above the Little White Dragon.
The Mist and Dew Qiankun Net gradually loosened and ascended upward, sucked into the Array and vanished.
Sun Wukong muttered: "So it was rented!" feeling a tad disappointed inside. If it were the Master’s own, I might persuade him to sell it and pay off debts.
Tang Sanzang also felt a tinge of melancholy. The Bodhisattva knows so much, even how to end a rental—that’s truly Divine Skills abundant.