novelraw Chapter 653 542: The Journey to the West Ends
Chapter 653 542: The Journey to the West Ends
It might be a coincidence or Heaven's Will, but the four master-disciple members just happened to bump into the robbers who were looting the Kou Family, and these guys were even suicidal enough to try to rob the west-bound team too.
The Monkey, having no choice, fought back and ended up not only keeping their belongings but also gaining more gold and silver than they could carry.
In the end, they were caught red-handed, and the master and his disciples ended up behind bars.
Yes, Sun Wukong didn't resist; they just went in. His inaction was not due to fear of anyone but because, having learned from previous experiences, he wanted to handle things gracefully.
You accused us unjustly? Tomorrow I'll have you begging on your knees to let us out!
Of course, he then slipped away to show some spirit at the Kou Family, play ghost at the County Magistrate's, and add some special effects at the county government.
As a result, early the next morning, the people of the Kou Family and the County Magistrate respectfully invited them out.
Had it not been for the death of Landlord Kou, they would have held a grand release ceremony!
Even at this, Sun Wukong wasn't satisfied, saying, "Isn't Kou the Great Kind Man dead? I say you can't die!"
After making arrangements, he headed to the underworld, first arriving at the Yama Hall, where Ji Chang was working, and was shocked to see Sun Wukong again, wondering why this unfortunate monkey was back.
Now, the witches of the underworld were howling their way to the Chaos Battlefield to slay monsters, and if he started a ruckus, it would become a big issue.
"Great Saint, what brings you here?"
Sun Wukong, having matured greatly by now, directly mentioned the matter of Landlord Kou.
Ji Chang breathed a sigh of relief on checking and finding nothing amiss.
"Great Saint, that Kou Hong possessed some merit, and his soul has already been summoned by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. If you wish to find him, go to the Bodhisattva."
Sun Wukong wasn't too surprised; having had dealings with the incidents of the real and fake Monkey King, he already knew Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and promptly went to his abode.
Upon entering, he mentioned the matter of Landlord Kou to Ksitigarbha, who was also not surprised, as this Kou Hong was nothing special in the eyes of the truly virtuous Ksitigarbha.
"You call that charity? You're simply showing off."
But at his level, he could disregard everything, although the lowest monks indeed needed to eat.
Had you not encouraged the deeds of Kou Hong, would monks in the future have nothing to eat?
"Wukong, that Kou Hong has some merit, and I've kept him to work as a scribal Yin Cha here. If you wish to see him, see him."
Soon after, a monk brought Kou Hong over.
"Elder, save me!"
The degree of 'underworld' in the underworld was indeed very 'underworld', and Ksitigarbha did not indulge in enjoyment, so his abode was nothing special either.
Kou Hong, being someone used to luxury, understandably sought help to escape this, given his current predicament.
Sun Wukong was somewhat conflicted. Although the working conditions weren't great, it was still a small official post. Should he abandon it and return to being a human?
"Elder, I really don't want to stay here. Please, save me and let me leave!"
Ksitigarbha remained expressionless.
"According to the divination, your mortal lifespan is up, but you've earned some merit over years of feeding monks, so I'll extend your life by twelve more years. You can return with the Great Saint now."
Here, a twelve-year cycle isn't much time but isn't insignificant either.
Kou Hong was overjoyed because he truly didn't want to stay in this ghostly place any longer.
Seeing that the person in question agreed, Sun Wukong didn't say much more and took Kou Hong's spirit back to the mortal world.
Kou the Great Kind Man was successfully resurrected.
With that, the matter ended, yet as the master and his disciples were about to leave the next day, Kou the Great Kind Man tried to retain them again, talking about holding a resurrection ceremony...
Xuanzang: ...
Xuanzang left without turning back, thinking to himself, "You kid, truly lack insight, and that's likely how you'll always be in this lifetime."
Proceeding on their westward journey, the rest of the way was peaceful, and over three months later, Xuanzang and his disciples successfully arrived at Lingshan.
This time, there were no further incidents, completely concluding the westward expedition.
At Lingyun Crossing, Puti, disguised as the ferryman, awaited eagerly as Sun Wukong led Xuanzang and his companions to the ferry.
Sun Wukong's master and teacher met for the first time.
Sun Wukong glanced at the ferryman with his Eyes of Golden Flame, feeling his eyes sting, realizing how much he had grown and had some realization within.
Xuanzang, still in his mortal body, looked at the river, slightly puzzled, and asked, "Wukong, how are we supposed to cross this river?"
Sun Wukong chuckled.
"Where there's a river, there's a boat, so how could we not cross?"
At this moment, the ferryman revealed his figure and motioned for them to board the boat. Xuanzang was about to step on but hesitated, realizing the boat had no bottom.
After some explanation, he calmed down and boarded.
Zhunti was very pleased with the westward journey, as the eastern and western spiritual veins were completely opened, and the West would gradually thrive like the East. Buddhism had spread thoroughly over the Primordial and would gain more believers.
The flourishing of the Buddhist Sect began here.
For the two Saints, it significantly reduced their debts.
The master and his disciples crossed the Lingyun Crossing, shedding their mortal form, and Xuanzang's past accumulated memories would gradually awaken.
The Buddhist Sect had its methods, ensuring Xuanzang wouldn't transform but would remain who he was, just his memories of different times in life.
Through successive lifetimes of accumulation, Xuanzang's cultivation would advance rapidly in the upcoming period.
Arriving at the Great Heroic Treasure Hall, Old Li sat at the center, while the Bodhisattva Arhats were mostly present, and Nezha also joined in to watch the fun.
The few of them achieved their righteous fruits, like in the original story: Sun Wukong as the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Xuanzang as the Vajra Merit Buddha, Sha Wujing as the Golden Body Arhat, Bajie as the Purification Envoy, and Little White Dragon as one of the Eight Heavenly Dragons.
This righteous fruit was akin to a position within Lingshan, unrelated to the person's cultivation and combat power.
Although Old Li, the World Venerable, held the highest nominal position in Buddhism, there were countless others with higher combat prowess.
Nezha, having watched the whole ceremony, conversed with Old Li and then turned to leave, as his own planning was about to commence.
Nezha had yet to sever his desire for power and had been busy with this matter for years, initially thinking that his long tenure as Heavenly Emperor would have resolved it, but it hadn't.
Serving as Heavenly Emperor was like working a desk job, and Nezha had no interest; not only hadn't his desire for power grown, it had even weakened!
One man's meat, another man's poison.
Does anyone truly like working?
Nezha had a realistic understanding of himself, and this situation was not unexpected.
Thus, to foster his desire for power, he had to resort to some special means.
Five hundred years~ The vicissitudes of time
Time flies like an arrow; five hundred years since the successful scripture retrieval flew by in the blink of an eye.
Five hundred years is nothing more than a moment to an Immortal.
Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, did not remain in the West but returned to Huaguo Mountain, while Xuanzang wandered from place to place, spreading the teachings and practicing his ideal of universal salvation.
Sha Wujing did not return to the Heavenly Court that he belonged to but secured a position and worked dutifully; Bajie chose to be reincarnated as a Heavenly Person, merging his past Dao Fruit to start anew.
Over these five hundred years, Buddhism prospered, a good thing, yet the intertwining of Buddha and demons also spawned the Demon Dao.
Watching everything within the Three Realms, Nezha had anticipated this, having known it was destined the moment he brought back Hong Jun's heart demon.