Others follow advice and imitate celebrities, but you start by pretending to be a god?

These seemingly ordinary questions actually conceal profound meanings, all subtly helping Tang Sanzang strengthen his resolve to become a Buddhist. During this dialogue at the Great Thunder Temple, Tang Sanzang's faith in seeking enlightenment grew even stronger.

After this, the Buddha sent someone to deliver the scriptures. However, a minor incident occurred during the journey to the West—the blank scripture incident. Fortunately, this did not affect the overall progress of the journey. After this incident, the Buddha sent eight Vajra Guardians to escort the four travelers back home.

The Eight Vajras used their supernatural powers to create a gust of wind, sending Tang Sanzang and his disciples flying through the air. At this speed, they would be able to return to the Tang Dynasty from Mount Ling in just a few days.

Standing on a cloud, Tang Sanzang was filled with emotion: "It took me more than ten years to come here, but now it only takes a day to go back. It's truly a world of difference!"

At this point, Tang Sanzang no longer wanted to walk back step by step. He had already traveled from the Tang Dynasty to Mount Ling, a journey that had taken more than ten years. Now that he had obtained the true scriptures, he couldn't wait to return to the Tang Dynasty and spread them so that all living beings could benefit from them.

Sun Wukong joked from the side, "If I, Old Sun, had come earlier, I could have reached Mount Ling in just a few somersaults. But Master insists on taking it one step at a time."

Pigsy also said cheerfully, "As long as we've obtained the scriptures, that's good. Now let's go back to the Tang Dynasty as soon as possible to enjoy ourselves and achieve perfect merit, that's the important thing."

The four of them, master and disciples, were still eagerly anticipating their return to the Tang Dynasty. However, at this moment, the Eight Vajras suddenly stopped, and without saying a word, they descended from the clouds and put Tang Sanzang and his disciples down.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples were left looking at each other, completely bewildered. Tang Sanzang, stepping onto mortal ground, was startled. Pigsy, however, laughed heartily, saying, "Good! Good! Good! This is exactly what we needed to do—be late!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Wujing chimed in, "Good! Good! Good! We must have been moving too fast. The Eight Vajras are telling us to rest here."

Sun Wukong, the eldest disciple, also said, "As the saying goes, 'Ten days you sit on the beach, one day you travel through nine beaches.'"

Seeing that his disciples all said the same thing, Tang Sanzang felt relieved, thinking that the Eight Vajras had really only left them here to rest. So he said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Why don't you take a look at where we are and find your way?"

Tang Sanzang turned and looked around. They had flown so far back from the sky that they had no idea how far they had traveled or where they had landed. However, they did hear the sound of water.

"Could it be that we've arrived at Brother Sha's hometown, Liusha River? The Eight Vajras have told us to rest here," Pigsy guessed.

Sha Wujing shook his head and said, "This is not my Flowing Sand River."

Sha Wujing had lived in the Flowing Sand River for hundreds of years and was extremely familiar with everything there. At this moment, just by listening to the sound of the water, he could tell that this was not the Flowing Sand River. However, he still needed to look more closely to determine exactly where he was.

The next moment, Sha Wujing carefully examined the great river before him. He saw that the river was surging and powerful, and a look of horror gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Oh no, Master, this is the Tongtian River!" Sha Wujing shouted.

"The Tongtian River?" Upon hearing this, both Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie's expressions changed.

They all knew very well that the Tongtian River was not just a river; it also represented another meaning—the Kingdom of Chechi! The Tongtian River was within the territory of the Kingdom of Chechi, and there was also a Chenjia Village there.

Long ago, right on the banks of this Tongtian River, they witnessed Guanyin Bodhisattva being forced into Nirvana by Lin Nan. Therefore, they all had a deep memory of this Tongtian River, and their hearts were filled with awe and fear.

"The Tongtian River?" Sun Wukong was also surprised. He leaped into the air and looked into the distance. After a moment, he landed and said with certainty, "This is indeed the Tongtian River, and it is the west bank of the Tongtian River."

"Is this really the Tongtian River?" Tang Sanzang no longer doubted it. He looked around and found that there was no one on the bank.

"What should we do? The eight Vajras have left us here, putting us in a dilemma!" Tang Sanzang said anxiously.

Pigsy muttered, "I only knew that mortals were lazy, but I didn't expect that even the Vajra before the Buddha would be so lazy. They promised to send us back to the Tang Dynasty, but they abandoned us halfway, and in the territory of Chechi Kingdom no less."

Pigsy felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it. He said worriedly, "If we get caught in Chechi again, what if we get forced to carry cement?"

"Did King Kong place us here for some other reason?" Pigsy suddenly realized something and said, "Speaking of which, back in the day, the five hundred monks were still carrying cement in Chechi."

Pigsy, with his boundless imagination, actually came up with this idea. Tang Sanzang, upon hearing it, fell into deep thought, realizing that Pigsy's words made sense.

Sun Wukong nodded in agreement and said, "Perhaps that's how it is. It's time for us to go back to Chechi again."

As he spoke, Sun Wukong looked at Tang Sanzang and said, "Now that Master has obtained the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, why don't we go back to Chechi and discuss Buddhism with that Daoist Master Lin Nan again?"

On the west bank of the Tongtian River, Tang Sanzang and his disciples hesitated, unsure of what to do. Sun Wukong, however, understood perfectly that this meant their journey through the "eighty-one tribulations" was not yet complete, and they still needed to continue their trials in the mortal world, experiencing all aspects of human life.

Pigsy's words led Tang Sanzang to mistakenly believe that his failure to rescue the five hundred monks in Chechi Kingdom was the root cause of their current predicament. After much contemplation, Tang Sanzang finally resolved to confront this predicament head-on.

He thought to himself, now that he had obtained the Mahayana Buddhist teachings, why not hold another debate in Chechi Kingdom and try to rescue the trapped monks? At the same time, he also realized that while it was important to spread Buddhism to the Tang Dynasty in the East, it would be an even greater merit if Buddhism could take root and flourish in Chechi Kingdom as well.

Thus, with this belief in mind, Tang Sanzang resolutely decided to step into Chechi Kingdom once again. Although his disciples each had their own concerns, seeing that their master was determined, they had no choice but to follow closely behind.

However, they soon faced a problem—how to cross the vast and boundless Tongtian River? Just as everyone was frowning in worry, suddenly, a deep voice came from the Tongtian River.

"The Holy Monk Tang?" The voice seemed to carry a hint of surprise and anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang and his disciples looked up and around, but saw only the surging river and no sign of anyone. Looking down, they were surprised to see a large white turtle poking its head out of the river, its eyes gleaming with wisdom.

Seeing that Tang Sanzang and his disciples had noticed him, the old turtle transformed itself, a whirlpool rising beneath its feet, lifting him up and transforming him into an old man with a tortoise shell on his back. "The River God of Chechi?" Tang Sanzang was startled, recognizing the deity who had once helped them cross the river.

The old turtle smiled slightly, stepped ashore, and said, "Master Tang, I didn't expect you to actually come back. Did you reach Mount Ling, meet the Buddha, and then return to Chechi?"

This was the first deity they encountered after their journey to the West, inquiring about their whereabouts. Tang Sanzang nodded slightly, while Zhu Bajie couldn't help but boast, "That's right, we returned from Leiyin Temple."

Upon hearing this, the old turtle smiled and congratulated, "Congratulations, Master Tang, on achieving your wish and obtaining the true scriptures." As he spoke, he looked around and saw that the west bank of the river was desolate and deserted, without even a trace of a piece of wood.

At that moment, the old turtle offered, "Do you need to cross the river? I can lend you a hand again."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang and his disciples were naturally overjoyed. The old turtle then beckoned towards the Tongtian River and made some strange sounds. Soon, many small turtles emerged from the river; they were all descendants of the old turtle.

The old turtle casually told some of its strong offspring to stay behind so it could carry Tang Sanzang and his disciples across the river. And so, the group boarded the backs of the old turtle and its descendants, beginning their journey across the river.

However, after sailing on the Tongtian River for a long time, when they reached the middle of the river, the old turtle leading the group suddenly asked, "Master Tang, when I led you across the river years ago, I asked you to inquire about some things with the Buddha. I wonder if you have already asked?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang and his disciples exchanged bewildered glances. Since arriving in the Western Paradise, they had been preoccupied with worshipping Buddha and paying homage to the Bodhisattvas and Arhats, completely forgetting the task entrusted to them by the old turtle. If the old turtle hadn't asked them about it now, they wouldn't have remembered it at all.

Seeing that Tang Sanzang and the others were speechless, the old turtle immediately guessed the key point and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He sighed slightly and said, "As the saying goes, monks do not lie. Master Tang is a holy monk of the East and a Buddhist disciple. I never thought he would be such a forgetful person."

"In that case, let's part ways here. We've already crossed most of the river, so you can proceed on your own." With that, the old turtle vanished into the Tongtian River.

The turtles that had been carrying Tang Sanzang and his disciples also turned over and dived deep into the river. Caught off guard, Tang Sanzang and his disciples fell into the water. However, Tang Sanzang, having shed his mortal form, possessed an extraordinary body and did not sink. His disciples, even more agile, easily surfaced.

Sun Wukong immediately used his powers to lead everyone away from the Tongtian River and to the eastern bank. However, their clothes and scriptures were soaked through.

"Sigh!" Pigsy sighed. "On Mount Ling, we were so busy having fun that we completely forgot about these things, and now we have to go through this again."

Tang Sanzang was extremely anxious and hurriedly went to check the scriptures, filled with worry. Sun Wukong comforted him, saying, "Master, don't worry, we just need to let the scriptures air out."

Sha Wujing worked silently, unpacking his luggage and laying it out to dry on a large rock. Sun Wukong stood guard nearby, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

"This is also a calamity," Sun Wukong murmured to himself, gazing at the sky. "Our return from the pilgrimage is due to the power of creation, which allows us to endure as long as heaven and earth, shine as brightly as the sun and moon, enjoy eternal life, and have an immortal body. This is why heaven and earth cannot tolerate us. Just watch, besides this human calamity, there will surely be natural disasters as well!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sudden gust of wind arose, the sky darkened, thunder roared, smoke billowed, and stones and sand flew everywhere. Sun Wukong, however, was not surprised at all. He brandished his golden cudgel and fought bravely against this calamity of heaven and earth.

Just as people must undergo tribulations, their journey to the West also requires them to endure enough trials to reach its conclusion. However, with Sun Wukong by their side, these heavenly tribulations are no match for them.

The night passed, and the calamity was successfully averted. However, Sun Wukong remained vigilant, knowing full well that the ordeal was far from over and that more troubles lay ahead. Natural disasters are relatively easy to overcome, but human calamities are difficult to prevent, especially when one is within the territory of Chechi Kingdom.

The thought had barely formed in Sun Wukong's mind when he saw several fishermen by the river who spotted them.

"A monk?" a fisherman exclaimed in surprise.

"No, they were monks who passed through here a few years ago on their way to obtain Buddhist scriptures!" another fisherman corrected.

"It's them!" The fishermen reacted strongly as soon as they saw Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

This filled Tang Sanzang and the others with an ominous premonition. Sure enough, a fisherman hurriedly ran back to the village, shouting as he ran, "There are monks! There are monks!"

Judging from the way they were shouting, it was as if this was something truly astonishing. Pigsy couldn't help but worry, "Could it be that the laws of Chechi have changed, and now they no longer tolerate monks?"

Sun Wukong watched the fishermen leave, unsure of where to report to them, and powerless to stop them. After all, they had witnessed Guanyin Bodhisattva being beaten to death by Lin Nan for allowing her pet goldfish to wreak havoc in Chechi Kingdom.

Now, even if the fishermen want to do something, Sun Wukong, this lawless fellow, will subconsciously not stop or provoke them.

Instead, he said to Tang Sanzang, "Master, let's quickly dry and put away the scriptures to avoid causing any more trouble." Since this was someone they couldn't afford to offend, Sun Wukong's first thought was to avoid them.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples hastily gathered up the scriptures they were drying and hurriedly left the east bank of the Tongtian River. They knew that Chenjia Village, because of the goldfish demon incident, had shown no kindness to Guanyin Bodhisattva, let alone monks like themselves. Therefore, they had no intention of contacting the villagers of Chenjia Village and only wanted to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

However, when they collected the scriptures from drying, they discovered that some of the ink had been imprinted on the large stone, causing parts of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures to be damaged. This gave the large stone where the scriptures were dried a strange new appearance.

The old turtle's figure emerged from the Tongtian River and noticed the rock. A thought struck him, and he used his supernatural powers to manipulate the water flow, directly lifting the large rock up.

"A Buddhist scripture was left on the stone?" the old turtle muttered to himself. "This kind of thing can't be left in Chechi; it would corrupt the spirit of the people of Chechi."

As he did these things, he thought to himself, "I should hand them over to the Grand Master for disposal." With that, the old turtle used its divine power to guide the strange stone with the inscriptions on it in the Tongtian River to Lin Nan's location.

Originally, this "scripture-preserving stone" should have had some great opportunities to shine, but it disappeared quietly in Chechi.

"Several years have passed, yet the atmosphere of this bustling village remains the same!" Pigsy sighed, gazing at the receding Chen Family Village. (End of Chapter)