The Monkey King

On the 35th level, outside Miluo Palace, Master Taiyi was pacing back and forth, looking up from time to time at the Taoist boy standing expressionless, looking slightly anxious.

Not long after, the door of Miluo Palace suddenly opened.

A Taoist boy in white came out, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Taiyi, Master has invited me."

Master Taiyi opened his mouth slightly as if he wanted to say something, then hesitated for a moment, nodded and said, "Junior brother, please lead the way."

Entering Milo Palace, the two of them walked along the spacious corridor. Along the way, Taiyi Zhenren only met two or three Taoist boys. The huge palace seemed empty.

Halfway through, the Taoist boy leading the way suddenly turned a corner.

At this intersection, both of them were stunned.

The Taoist boy said quickly: "Senior brother, please come this way."

"What?" Master Taiyi said softly: "Aren't you going to the main hall?"

The Taoist boy replied respectfully: "Master will meet you in the backyard."

"The backyard..." Master Taiyi couldn't help but frowned.

"Yes, in the backyard. Uncle Tongtian is also here."

Master Taiyi nodded and asked no more questions.

Walking around the corridor and past the lotus pond, the two came to the lush backyard.

From a distance, the two of them saw Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Cult Master sipping tea in the pavilion, talking and laughing, looking contented.

Slowly walking up to the two of them, the Taoist boy knelt on his knees and announced loudly: "Master, uncle, senior brother Taiyi is here."

Master Taiyi quickly took a step forward. Kneeling on the ground, he knelt down and said, "Disciple Taiyi, see you as master, see you as uncle."

Yuanshi Tianzun, who was sitting high in the courtyard, looked down at Master Taiyi and said to the boy, "You go down first."

"Disciple, obey."

Wait for the boy to turn around and leave. Yuanshi Tianzun pointed behind Master Taiyi and said calmly: "Sit down."

Turning his face slightly, Taiyi Zhenren realized that a simple chair had been prepared behind him.

He stood up slowly while holding on to the ground, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Master." Then he turned around and sat on the chair.

As soon as they sat down, the three of them fell silent.

Leader Tongtian looked at Master Taiyi, then at Yuanshi Tianzun, and was slightly startled. He smiled and said, "It seems that you, master and disciple, want to have some private conversations. In that case, I will leave first."

With that said, the leader of Tongtian Cult stood up.

Yuanshi Tianzun on the side stretched out his hand and patted the table gently, indicating that Master Tongtian should sit down, then raised his head slightly and said to Master Taiyi: "Tell me, it's okay."

Master Taiyi nodded and glanced at the Tongtian Cult Leader. He cupped his hands and said, "Master, the location of Xuanzang has been found."

Suddenly, the three of them were silent again, but their expressions were different.

Taiyi Zhenren maintained the posture of cupping his hands and carefully raised his eyes to look at his master.

Leader Tongtian turned his face and looked at Yuanshi Tianzun with deep meaning, but Yuanshi Tianzun just stroked his long beard and looked up at the sky slightly.

After a long time, Marshal Tianzun asked softly: "What are you looking for him for?"

"Master." Master Taiyi asked cautiously, "Is it possible that you really want to let him go?"

Hearing this, Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but laugh: "Then what do you think we should do? Can you offend Buddhism, or can you offend that monster monkey?"

"This..." Master Taiyi was speechless for a moment. His brows were furrowed tightly.

"Xuan Zang?" Tongtian Cult Leader turned his face and asked, "Is this the reincarnation of the Golden Chanzi?"

Yuanshi Tianzun nodded and asked casually: "Junior brother also knows?"

"Of course I know." Tongtian Cult Master took a deep breath and sighed: "Your Majesty has sent me several letters, saying that the demon monkey came out again, but did not cause trouble, but escorted the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi Heading west. I went to find Tathagata to debate the Dharma."

Yuanshi Tianzun smiled faintly, reached for the teapot, filled it with tea for the Tongtian Cult Master, poured another cup, and pushed it forward.

Immediately Master Taiyi bowed forward knowingly, holding the tea cup, and then sat back down.

Yuanshi Tianzun let out a long sigh and said, "Junior brother, what do you think about this matter?"

"I want to talk about opinions..." Tongtian Cult Master stroked his long beard, closed his eyes and said leisurely: "We all know the way that Jin Chanzi has proved, but we didn't expect that after hundreds of years, after ten lives, , he is still obsessed with this matter. If he achieves it, firstly, Buddhism will definitely change its past stubbornness and pose a real threat to our Taoism. Secondly, without the Tathagata to restrain it, the monster monkey will probably No one can control it anymore. This is another threat. In the final analysis, traveling westward will do no good to our Taoism."

Master Taiyi quickly echoed: "Uncle Master is right."

Before he finished speaking, he saw Master Tongtian taking a sip of tea and then continued: "However, Subhuti assured me that the monster monkey will not cause trouble again. If anything happens, he will personally go into battle to capture him."

After saying this, Master Taiyi's face became a little gloomier, but Yuanshi Tianzun laughed and said: "Back then, when the demon monkey didn't break the way of heaven, there was nothing you and I could do against him. Your Zhuxian The sword array was all broken in his hands. Can Subhuti be the only one to capture him?"

"It's just rhetoric." Tongtian Cult Master sighed softly: "He is the mentor of that monster monkey after all. Although the monster monkey is bold and reckless, he has not yet completely ignored the etiquette and law, and he will not really follow his mentor. Shall we take action, Master Ye? Besides, if war really breaks out, how can the three realms be unharmed? Jin Chanzi wants to attain universal salvation, but he personally creates a big demon who harms the three realms. How can he prove this path?"

"Then I don't know about him." Yuanshi Tianzun sighed lightly, picked up his tea cup, tasted it carefully, and looked like it was nothing to do with him.

Taiyi Zhenren cupped his hands and said: "Master, have you ever remembered how the demon monkey gained power that day? In the final analysis, it was because no one in the sky or on earth wanted to control it and let it go. Now it's Xuanzang... If you let it go like this, it will definitely become a problem in the future. What a disaster."

Marshal Tianzun slowly raised his eyes and said, "Really? Tell me, what kind of disaster will it cause?"

"Xuan Zang will follow the path of universal salvation. If he succeeds, Buddhism will surely spread. By then..."

Yuanshi Tianzun suddenly put down the teacup in his hand with a "pop" sound, interrupted Master Taiyi's words, and laughed. Said: "He practices the path of universal salvation, which is beneficial to all sentient beings in the three realms. Why not? Besides, since he has universal salvation, don't we Taoists advise people to do good deeds? At most, it will only wax and wane, like a hundred flowers blooming together." Our Taoist family has tens of thousands of years of foundation. It will never be destroyed. Don’t worry about things in vain.”

As soon as I put these words down. Immediately, the corners of Taiyi's mouth twitched slightly, and he stared at Yuanshi Tianzun closely. His brows furrowed tighter and tighter, but he could only lower his head.

The leader of Tongtian Cult on the side glanced at Yuanshi Tianzun and couldn't help but become confused, but he didn't explain it.

Yuanshi Tianzun said again: "This disciple has many disciples, but it is not necessarily good. At first, you had the most disciples in the world, Uncle Tongtian, so what? Now, I, Yuanshi Tianzun, have the most disciples in the world, so what. ? Master, why don’t you see the slightest improvement? Man, even if you have cultivated the way of heaven, you still have a mouth and a body, and you only have three meals a day and a bed every night. How much sleep can you get? Really? Pursuing these flashy titles, your master and I have already become the Jade Emperor. How can we stay here in Miluo Palace and wander the clouds and wild cranes?"

After saying that, Yuanshi Tianzun burst into laughter and gave Tongtian Cult Leader a meaningful look.

Seeing this, the leader of Tongtian Cult was a little unhappy, and said sourly: "If you want to laugh at yourself, that's all. You don't have to involve me too, right?"

"Are you still thinking about old grudges?" Yuanshi Tianzun slapped the leader of Tongtian Cult hard on the arm and hummed: "It's just a joke. So many years have passed since the Battle of the Gods, why bother? If you really want to care about it like this, Aren’t these old acquaintances going to have to live and die?”

As he spoke, he enthusiastically picked up the teapot and refilled the tea that Master Tongtian had just taken a sip of.

The leader of Tongtian didn't answer anything, lowered his head and sipped tea blindly, his expression looked a little unhappy.

Seeing this, Master Taiyi raised his head and was about to speak, but he heard Yuanshi Tianzun pointing at him first and saying: "It's nothing, just go back. If you are really busy, please pay attention to the teacher and see if there is anything." What interesting new gadgets. In these days of neglect, it’s really boring without some gadgets to pass the time.”

Helpless, Master Taiyi had no choice but to swallow the words that came to his lips and changed his words: "Disciple, I obey."

After sitting quietly for a while, seeing that there was nothing else he could say, Master Taiyi had to get up and leave.

After Taiyi Zhenren left, Tongtian Cult Master looked at Yuanshi Tianzun suspiciously and asked softly: "You really don't care?"

Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes slowly slanted toward the Tongtian Cult Leader, and asked: "Do you want to provoke that monster monkey?"

The leader of Tongtian Cult quickly waved his hand and said: "I don't want to, although the cultivation of heaven is gone, it's still a big deal. Besides, who can guarantee that he won't cultivate back? My old bones are not far away from the heavenly calamity. I can't withstand it." toss."

Looking at the tea leaves floating in the cup, Yuanshi Tianzun said seriously: "So, we must not take action. The monster monkey is now bent on seeking revenge from Tathagata. The disaster has been diverted to the west. Is it possible that we still need to lure him back? Let's see. Well, Taiyi will never give up. In this case, we will just watch from behind. If something happens, we can smooth things over. If we take action to catch him, then who will There’s no end to it.”

…

At this time, the monkeys and their party had been staying here for two days on the bank of the ice-covered Liusha River.

From waiting on the shore at the beginning, to letting Xuanzang serve as bait on the shore alone while others ambush nearby, various methods were used. However, seeing that the weather is getting colder and colder, the Liusha River has a faint tendency to freeze, but there is not even a ghost in the roller blind.

In desperation, the monkey had to tell others to protect Xuanzang, and went into the water to search for him himself, and did not return until sunset.

As soon as he got out of the water, he saw Xuanzang standing on the shore and looking quietly.

Seeing the monkey coming back, Xuanzang clasped his hands and nodded towards the monkey, saying: "The Great Sage has gained something from this trip."

"No." The monkey landed steadily in front of Xuanzang, and while using magic to remove the water from his body, he said: "The entire Liusha River has been searched, except for some little demons who have just become spirits and can't even speak. , I didn’t find anything. Unfortunately, there is no Dragon King here, so I can’t find anyone to ask.”

"Doesn't the Great Sage have a vajra? Just use it to find the location of the roller-shutter general?"

The monkey glanced at the diamond on his wrist. He shook his head and said: "I tried it, but I don't know why, but there was no response. It's really strange."

"Then what is the Great Sage going to do next?"

"I don't know either." Monkey cleaned up his clothes, sighed and passed by Xuanzang.

At night, a canopy lit a bonfire on the river bank. The group of people sat around and spent the whole night looking at each other without saying a word. The monkey lowered his head from beginning to end and seemed to be thinking about something.

Late at night, Lu Liuguai's adopted daughter Ying'er came over with several demon generals to escort Lu Liuguai back.

Monkey wasn't too surprised by what had been agreed upon a long time ago. I just repeatedly told you to be careful along the way. Lu Liuguai burst into tears. He kept promising that when the matter was resolved, he would soon return to the monkey to "fulfill his duty as a loyal minister."

From the beginning to the end, the demon generals and Ying'er who came to pick up Lu Liuguai had their heads lowered, not even daring to look at the monkey.

Perhaps it was Lu Liuguai's subtle relationship with them, but they almost worshiped the monkeys as gods, even more so than the monsters in Huaguo Mountain.

After sending Lu Liuguai away, the group changed from six people and one horse to five people and one horse.

Canopy was still sitting by the campfire, staring at the fire. From time to time, he used the branches in his hands to stir, while the black bear spirit sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to meditate. The little white dragon was completely restless. Not only did he really fall asleep, he even started to purr.

Looking at the scene in front of him, the monkey felt more and more awkward. He scratched his cheek, turned around, walked to the river bank and sat down, looking at the river blankly.

Not long after, Xuanzang slowly came to the monkey with his pendant in hand. He handed the bamboo tube in his hand to the monkey and said softly: "The water in the Liusha River has been filtered by the poor monk with cloth."

The monkey stretched out his hand to take the bamboo tube, brought it to his mouth, took a sip and then handed it back, wiped his mouth clean and said: "It doesn't matter if people who have reached the realm of transformation don't drink water."

Xuanzang took the bamboo tube and covered it. Holding the bamboo tube and sitting cross-legged next to the monkey, he pointed at the river and said softly: "It looks like the entire Liusha River will freeze soon."

The monkey looked up at the sky and sighed: "That's right. It's really a bit cold today."

"The poor monk asked Marshal Tianpeng and heard that in ordinary years, the Liusha River will not freeze even in the coldest time. Although there are exceptions, they are rare after all."

The monkey stared quietly at the dark river surface and said nothing.

After a moment of silence, Xuanzang added: "If the river freezes, it will be the best time to cross the river. What do you think, the Great Sage?"

"Do you think we should go?" Monkey asked.

Xuanzang hesitated and said softly: "Can the Great Sage tell Xuanzang what role the curtain general will play in the team?"

"It's not much of a role, just a simple and honest man." The monkey sighed longly, turned his head to look at the black bear spirit, and said: "What he can do, black hair can do too. Even his cultivation is not the same. Not necessarily taller than Black Hair.”

"Then why is the Great Sage willing to wait here? Just because of the "Journey to the West" that the Great Sage mentioned?"

Shaking his head slowly, the monkey said softly: "I don't know either. There are actually a lot of mistakes in that thing. I tried so hard to get out before, but finally fell into it. Now I want to keep it the same, but I don't know Where to start.”

Closing his eyes, he smiled slowly and said: "In fact, sometimes I envy those enlightened people. It's like Laojun. When he did the same thing as me, he always managed to do everything in a trivial manner. He didn't need to be as micromanaged as I am. , I have to personally handle everything. In fact, I am afraid, because I simply cannot see which point may affect the final outcome, so I have to grasp every point."

Reaching out to wipe his face, Monkey smiled helplessly and said, "Actually, I'm a little confused."

"It's chaos, so why not just stay the same to cope with all the changes. Let's just go west and leave the rest to God. Just like what the poor monk originally thought."

"Leave it to God?"

"Yes." Xuanzang nodded and said, "If the river freezes early tomorrow morning, we will not wait any longer and cross the river directly. There will be no need to think about the rest of the journey. How about that?"

Hearing this, the monkey nodded and said, "Okay."

The next day, when the sky was gray and bright, the originally flowing river was indeed covered with ice.

Looking at the vast white river, Xuanzang looked back at the monkey and sighed softly: "God's will."

After that, he held his staff and walked towards the river step by step.

"Can we walk here?" Xiao Bailong stretched his neck and said in a long voice: "Be careful of falling into the river."

The monkey glanced lazily at the little white dragon, then followed him up, and with a casual spell, the river surface in front of Xuanzang was reinforced.

After a moment of hesitation, the others quickly followed.

In the cold wind with lingering snow, the group of people walked unobstructed on the vast and boundless river, heading towards Xiniu Hezhou step by step, as small as a few ants.

…

At the same time, Puxian, who was wearing an emerald green monk's robe and holding a jade Ruyi in his hand, slowly landed on the edge of a stream hundreds of miles away from this place with his two disciples.

There are few people here, but it is surrounded by mountains and rivers. Even in this winter, there are still birds singing and the fragrance of flowers. It looks like a paradise.

Puxian glanced at the surrounding scene briefly and raised his hand.

Suddenly, the green leaves of the surrounding vegetation fell one by one, but the branches grew crazily again. In front of the three people's eyes, houses grew up one after another.

Puxian pointed his finger in the air again, and the hares, sika deer, and even birds flying in the forest that were originally active in the forest fell down in front of him, and quickly transformed into villagers and stood up. Everyone put their hands together and bowed to Samantabhadra.

Seeing this, Puxian gave another stroke, and the entire grassland was lifted up and turned into pieces of plowed farmland, and patches of crops quickly grew in the fields. A bamboo fence has grown on the ground, and there are even morning glories climbing up one after another.

In the blink of an eye, there are houses, farmland, cattle, and even children playing by the stream, and a small village has quietly taken shape. Everything is present and looks like it was originally here.

It was only then that Puxian put his hands away and looked at his results indifferently.

The disciple on the side bowed and said: "Master, I'm afraid I can't fool that monster monkey..."

"When did my master say that he wanted to deceive the monster monkey?" Puxian smiled and said softly: "There is someone else who has to wait." (To be continued ~^~)

PS: I just said it would be updated the day before yesterday, but it was disconnected yesterday... It turns out that coding is not something that requires just hard work. Everything I wrote yesterday has been overturned and rewritten today... How does it feel to watch the results of a whole day's hard work being deleted in pieces? Today’s update is 5,000 words. Counting what I owed yesterday and before, I still owe 7,000 words. Keep working hard tomorrow and try to pay it off as soon as possible~