Chapter 610: Chapter 547, Lianhua Mountain
Liu Boqin said with a beaming smile, "Elder, come inside with me."
He cordially took Tang Sanzang by the arm and headed towards the courtyard. It was vast; after walking down a long corridor, they arrived at the main hall and sat down. Servants promptly served them tea.
At that moment, a woman dressed in splendid clothes walked in slowly, her smile as lovely as blooming flowers.
Liu Boqin stood up and introduced her, saying, "Elder, this is my mountain wife!"
Tang Sanzang quickly stood up, brought his palms together, and bowed, saying, "Greetings to the lady!"
The young woman also bowed gracefully and said in a tender voice, "Greetings, Elder!"
Liu Boqin, still smiling widely, said, "My dear, go and get that big dish of meat ready. Today we have a rare guest from the Great Tang, and I intend to drink with him until we are both drunk."
Tang Sanzang hastily said, "Grand Protector, I don’t drink alcohol."
"Haha~ Don’t be modest. The friends from the riverside nearby also said they couldn’t drink, but ended up drinking without getting drunk. Isn’t that frustrating?"
"I truly can’t drink alcohol!" Tang Sanzang insisted.
"The more you claim you can’t drink, the better you actually can. I understand you!"
Unable to argue, Tang Sanzang thought to himself, I truly can’t drink!
At the banquet that evening, Liu Boqin kept urging him to drink. Tang Sanzang tried to resist as much as he could but wound up having no choice but to take a sip, consoling himself with the thought that he had already drunk the wine Emperor Tang had offered him; this was just one more cup. To him, it wasn’t wine but camaraderie he was drinking! But as one cup led to another, he eventually got thoroughly drunk and couldn’t even stand up.
The next morning, after having breakfast in the manor, Tang Sanzang continued on his journey, heading westward. Liu Boqin escorted him the whole way, and this time there were no mishaps nor any tigers or leopards blocking the path. They went on for twenty or thirty li, passing fifteen peaks across three ranges.
After crossing a towering peak and arriving at the foot of the mountain, Liu Boqin halted, and the Mechanical Man beside him stopped as well.
Liu Boqin pointed ahead and said, "This mountain is called Two-World Mountain. The eastern half is within the jurisdiction of our Great Tang, while the western half belongs to the territory of the Dada.
Wild wolves and tigers over there do not submit to us, not under our control, and I cannot cross into their domain. Elder, you must proceed on your own! Be careful along the way."
The Mechanical Man crouched down with a clatter, transforming back into a Mechanical Car. Tang Sanzang opened the door of the Mechanical Car and stepped out, bringing his palms together for a solemn bow, and said, "Thank you, Grand Protector, for your protection along the way. I am deeply grateful."
Liu Boqin handed over the backpack he was carrying to Tang Sanzang and said, "The weather is getting colder each day. This is a tiger-skin coat my mountain wife has made. I give it to you, Elder, to protect against the wind and keep out the cold."
Tang Sanzang gratefully said, "Thank you, Grand Protector, and thank your wife."
Liu Boqin spoke with gravity, "Elder, there’s a Lianhua Mountain ahead that, as legend says, descended from the heavens five hundred years ago. It is said that beneath this Lianhua Mountain lays buried a King of Demon Kings. Elder, when you pass by, be very cautious!"
Tang Sanzang felt a chill in his heart at the thought of the legendary Demon King and quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you for the reminder, Grand Protector! I will surely be careful."
"Go on! Go on! Come back soon, and we’ll drink heartily," Liu Boqin said with a laugh.
"I really don’t drink~"
"Haha~ But you seemed to enjoy it the other day!"
After a few more casual exchanges, Tang Sanzang bid farewell and left, driving the Mechanical Car towards the west with a rumbling noise, unstoppable by mountains or streams.
Liu Boqin stood at the foot of the mountain, watching Tang Sanzang leave.
A wisp of blue smoke emerged from the ground, transforming into a beautiful middle-aged woman.
Liu Boqin spoke with annoyance, "Land, your performance is not at all convincing. Who in the wild forests wears such fine clothes?"
"I like it, what’s it to you?"
"You refuse to wear the beast skin I prepared for you. What if Tang Sanzang realizes who you are? If the Heavenly Court sends down punishment, how will you bear it?"
"Who would want to wear such ugly garments? And then you tell me to build a big mansion in the middle of the forest. You’ve really got some nerve!"
"You don’t understand, my way is that of a secluded sage. See how wholly Tang Sanzang trusts in it."
"He trusts me just as deeply!"
...
Two days later, Tang Sanzang arrived at the base of a towering peak, where fragrant grass and lush vegetation flourished, and birds chirped sweetly.
Thump~ Thump~ Thump~ The Mechanical Man walked below.
"Master~"
"Master~"
"Master~"
Urgent cries echoed Between Heaven and Earth.
The Mechanical Man halted, and Tang Sanzang looked around the cockpit.
Tang Sanzang called out loudly, "Who’s speaking?"
"Haha~ It’s me, your old Monkey King! Master, you’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting so bitterly long. Quickly let me out, so I can protect you on your Westward quest for the scriptures."
"Where are you then? I can’t see you?"
"I’m trapped inside the mountain, I’ve been confined here for five hundred years. Hurry and let me out, I’ll protect you on your quest to the Western Heaven for the scriptures."
The Mechanical Man turned and looked up at the sheer peak. Tang Sanzang hesitated for a moment before calling out, "This mountain is so tall, how can a humble monk like me rescue you? Am I supposed to move these rocks aside? I can’t do that!"
"How would I know! You just get up here first."
Inside the cockpit, Tang Sanzang hesitated briefly, then pressed a lever, and the Mechanical Man instantly started thumping towards the peak. With a strong leap, it landed onto the mountain and began its strenuous climb upward.
With tenacious fingers, the Mechanical Man dug into the mountainside. Crack~ Crack~ Crack~ It clambered upwards.
Lianhua Mountain was not very high or steep, and climbing it was rather straightforward. Moments later, smack – a steel hand landed on the mountaintop.
Smack – another steel palm rested atop the peak, and the two hands pushed hard, propelling the huge Mechanical Man into the air and thunk – it landed at the edge of the mountain top, quickly running a few steps inland.
Looking up, he saw a pond, and beside it, a residence. Tang Sanzang was surprised – a pond on the mountain top? And a dwelling?
Thud~ Thud~ Thud~ The giant Mechanical Man strode towards the residence. As it drew closer and saw the residence clearly, the Mechanical Man halted, and Tang Sanzang felt a shock in his heart. This was not a common house; there was actually a Taoist Temple here.
Although Tang Sanzang hadn’t had much contact with Taoism, he was not unfamiliar with it, having grown up listening to the reputation of Taoist priests. As a child, whenever he was slightly mischievous, his Master would scare him, saying, "Keep acting up, and I’ll throw you into the Taoist temple to let the priests eat you raw and skin you alive."
Or he would say, "If you cry anymore, the Taoists will hear and come to snatch you away."
One could say Tang Sanzang grew up under the fierce name of Taoism. When he grew up and achieved scholarly learning, he naturally understood that Taoist priests did not eat people or abduct children, but the sight of a Taoist Temple still sent a shiver through his heart.
Xuan Tai Zi, Xuanyu Zi, and Xuan Shangzi, all dressed in Daoist robes, came out of the Taoist Temple side by side.
The Mechanical Man clapped its hands together and immediately bowed respectfully, saying, "I am Tang Sanzang, a monk from the Great Tang, on a mission decreed by Emperor Tang to journey to the Western Heaven to obtain the True Scripture. I apologize for any intrusion upon your precious land and kindly ask for your forgiveness."