I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Chapter 129: Disaster in the Mountains, Ao Hong Returns to Buddhism

In the blink of an eye, Tang Seng had been left on Qingshuang Ridge for more than a month, and no one came to rescue him during this month.

The Dragon King of the Jing River still burned incense every morning and evening and paid homage to heaven and earth, thinking in his heart that the day given to him by Zhuang Yan was almost here and his merits would be fulfilled soon.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, who was morally kidnapped by the Jinghe Dragon King, had little choice but to stay at the foot of Qingshuang Ridge to see when the Jinghe Dragon King would give up his obsession.

One day, the Dragon King of the Jing River brought vegetarian food to Tang Monk. When Tang Monk saw the vegetarian food, he immediately said to the Dragon King of the Jing River, "Dragon King, you have trapped me for more than a month. Is it possible that the obsession in my heart has not been resolved yet?"

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King of Jinghe River said to Tang Monk: "To tell you the truth, I don't have any obsessions at all. I have been enlightened by someone and I am here to practice meditation and pay homage to heaven and earth. When my merits are fulfilled, I will be able to transcend and leave."

At this point, the Dragon King of the Jing River looked at Tang Monk and said, "You once stopped me from claiming my life from the Tang King. I captured you this time just to vent my anger. When I have completed my meritorious service, I will let you go."

Hearing this, Tang Seng hurriedly asked: "When will the merit be complete?"

The Dragon King of Jinghe said: "But I can't tell you."

Tang Seng was stunned for a moment, then said: "How can I achieve perfection in merit? I can recite scriptures day and night, pray for you, Dragon King, and hope that you can achieve perfection in merit as soon as possible, so that I can also embark on the journey to obtain scriptures as soon as possible."

The Dragon King of the Jing River smiled and said to Tang Monk, "Master Tang, don't be anxious."

Tang Monk sighed and said, "The journey to the West is long, and there are countless difficulties and obstacles. If I leave one day earlier, I can get the scriptures back earlier and save all living beings."

The Dragon King of Jinghe River laughed, then stood up and walked to the side to sit cross-legged. As soon as he sat down, he suddenly felt dizzy and then fell asleep there.

Tang Monk, who was not far away, thought that he was meditating and practicing as usual, but he didn't know that the Dragon King of Jinghe River had fallen asleep at this moment.

While sleeping, the Dragon King of Jinghe River felt his memories surging like a flood. After an unknown amount of time, a divine light suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The next moment, Zhuang Yan’s figure appeared in his dream.

The Dragon King of Jinghe River bowed quickly and said, "Little Dragon greets the Spiritual Platform Lord."

Zhuang Yan said nothing, but just looked at the Dragon King of Jinghe River expressionlessly.

Seeing this, the Dragon King of Jinghe River said, "Lord God, I have followed your instructions and practiced Taoism in this mountain, worshipping heaven and earth. There are still seven days until the forty-nine days are up."

But Zhuang Yan still didn't say anything. The Dragon King of Jinghe was stunned for a moment, then said, "Are you dissatisfied with Xiaolong for detaining Tang Monk? Don't blame me, Xiaolong just wants to vent his anger and will not hurt Tang Monk. After Xiaolong completes his merits in seven days, he will release Tang Monk."

Finally, Zhuang Yan smiled, but he still didn't speak. He just nodded slightly to the Dragon King of Jinghe River, and then disappeared.

"Lord Lingtai?!" The Dragon King of Jinghe shouted, and then woke up.

The awakened Dragon King of the Jing River turned his head and saw Tang Seng sitting at the table eating vegetarian food.

The Dragon King of Jinghe River sat there in a daze. He recalled the smile on Zhuang Yan's face when he left in his dream. He felt relieved and said, "It seems that the God King does not blame me."

At the same time, at the foot of Qingshuang Ridge, Guanyin Bodhisattva in a plain robe walked out of her thatched hut, went outside, and looked at Zhuang Yan who was roasting a rabbit in front of the campfire.

Smelling the aroma of rabbit meat, Guanyin Bodhisattva came to the campfire, raised her hand and pointed, and a lotus flower grew out of the ground, and soon grew into a lotus platform.

Guanyin Bodhisattva sat cross-legged on it, and then asked Zhuang Yan: "Lord Lingtai, who do you think taught the Jinghe River Dragon King the method of controlling water?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "How should I know? The Bodhisattva should ask the Dragon King of Jing River."

"Yes." Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "I appeared in his dream just now and was about to ask him, but before he opened his mouth, he told him everything."

Zhuang Yan suddenly raised his head and looked at Guanyin Bodhisattva, then smiled and said, "Bodhisattva, you used your Dharma body to show yourself in the dream, right?"

"No, I became like you." Guanyin Bodhisattva also smiled.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Bodhisattva has this hobby?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said: "Stop talking so smoothly. Since you are the one who taught the Jinghe Dragon King the water control method, you should take it back."

Zhuang Yan saw that the rabbit was cooked, so he took it in his hand and started to eat it. Seeing that the Bodhisattva was still looking at him, he smiled and said, "Bodhisattva, it is true that I taught the Dharma, but I did not ask him to kidnap Tang Monk. This matter has nothing to do with me."

Guanyin Bodhisattva said: "It doesn't matter if it's related. Tang Monk went to the West to obtain the scriptures, and he was destined to go through 81 trials. Now he is trapped by the Dragon King of the Jing River, which is also a trial. He was captured by the three monsters before and lost two followers, which is another trial."

"Wait a minute." Zhuang Yan said, "Buddha, you can't count it like this. This Qingshuang Ridge should only be counted as one difficulty, and it is the first difficulty."

Guanyin Bodhisattva was surprised and said, "The first difficulty? No, no, no, there are already six difficulties before it."

Zhuang Yan asked: "Which six difficulties?"

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara said, "The first difficulty was that the golden cicada was demoted, the second was that he was almost killed when he was born, the third was that he was thrown into the river when the moon was full, the fourth was that he sought his relatives and avenged his grievances, the fifth was that he encountered a tiger when he left the city, and the sixth was that he fell into a pit and was defeated. Adding this 'being trapped in a dragon's nest', it should be the seventh difficulty."

Zhuang Yan heard this and said, "Bodhisattva, if the first five are considered calamities, why don't you just send the Tripitaka to Chang'an City? Why bother letting Tang Seng travel thousands of miles to obtain the scriptures?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said: "Lingtai Shenjun, what do you mean?"

Zhuang Yan said, "Look, Bodhisattva, the tribulations you mentioned are basically made up. The eighty-one tribulations should be counted from when Tang Monk officially set out to obtain the scriptures, and they should be counted as the real tribulations. The encounter with the tiger when leaving the city does not count, and the falling into the pit and being trapped in the dragon's nest should be counted as the first tribulation."

At this point, Zhuang Yan asked, "Bodhisattva, this quest for scriptures should be your responsibility, right?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded and said, "Yes, the Buddha ordered me to take full responsibility for obtaining the scriptures."

Zhuang Yan said, "If that's the case, then Bodhisattva, you must strictly control the process and not make it up. Otherwise, if Tang Seng's fall is counted as one difficulty, then how can people be convinced of the 81 difficulties in the journey to the West?"

"Besides, Bodhisattva, if the Buddha knew about your perfunctory attitude, wouldn't he deduct your wages?" Zhuang Yan asked.

Guanyin Bodhisattva was immediately amused. She smiled lightly, her eyebrows like a crescent moon, and she looked more dignified, elegant, gentle and generous. "What you said does make sense." Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Since Lingtai Shenjun said so, why don't you take on a few disasters?"

Zhuang Yan was stunned for a moment, then he realized that Guanyin was not unaware of this truth, but she could not complete the eighty-one difficulties by herself, so she deliberately guided him to speak like that.
Seeing that Zhuang Yan didn't say anything, the Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Then it's settled. I didn't expect that Lingtai Divine Lord is so wise and righteous. I really admire him."

"Hehe." Zhuang Yan reacted and laughed, then took a bite of the rabbit meat in his hand, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Instead, Guanyin Bodhisattva took out a jade tablet, erased all the disasters on it, and wrote a line of words on it: The greatest disaster is being trapped in the dragon's nest.

Then Guanyin Bodhisattva asked Zhuang Yan, "When will this difficulty of being trapped in the dragon's nest end?"

Zhuang Yan said: "It will end in seven days."

Guanyin Bodhisattva said: "How are you going to place the Dragon King of Jing River? You promised him a good place to stay."

Zhuang Yan stood up and said with a smile, "He has his own place to go. It's getting late, Bodhisattva, go to bed early."

After saying that, Zhuang Yan turned around and went back to his thatched hut. Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at Zhuang Yan's back, smiled faintly, then also got up and went back to her own thatched hut.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. At dusk that day, the Dragon King of Jinghe River paid homage to heaven and earth as usual.

As he bowed for the last time, a divine light flashed before his eyes, and the next moment Zhuang Yan’s figure appeared before the Dragon King of Jinghe River.

When the Dragon King of Jinghe saw Zhuang Yan, he immediately bowed and said, "Greetings to the Spiritual Platform Lord."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Jinghe Dragon King, you have completed your merits and virtues. Today I have come to save you."

The Jinghe Dragon King was overjoyed and bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Lord God. Please give me some pointers."

Zhuang Yan said, "The way forward that I want to show you is from the monk Tang Seng."

"Ah?" The Jinghe Dragon King was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked: "Lord, I don't quite understand."

Zhuang Yan said, "That Tang Monk is the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi. If you eat his flesh, you can immediately reshape into a real dragon body, become an immortal, and live forever."

The Dragon King of Jinghe River was shocked when he heard this. He stood there in a daze, looking extremely confused. "This..."

"What's wrong?" Zhuang Yan said with a smile, "The Tang Monk is right beside you. All you have to do is eat a piece of his flesh and blood, and you will be able to transcend the sea of ​​suffering immediately."

Seeing the Dragon King of Jinghe River hesitated, Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "It's just a piece of meat. It won't hurt his life. Besides, he helped the King of Tang to block you from the palace before. He has a grudge against you. Eating a piece of his meat as compensation is reasonable."

When the Dragon King of Jinghe River heard this, he immediately raised his head and looked at Zhuang Yan. Then he bowed to Zhuang Yan and turned around and walked into the thatched cottage.

But the Dragon King of the Jing River walked into the thatched cottage and saw Tang Monk who was trapped there by him. He immediately strode forward.

Tang Seng looked at the Jinghe Dragon King who was walking towards him with a solemn face, and immediately said with some fear: "Dragon King, what are you going to do?"

The Dragon King of the Jing River did not say anything. He just came to Tang Seng with a sullen face. Then he raised his hand and waved it. A ray of light flashed and all the restraints on Tang Seng were released in an instant.

Then the Dragon King of Jinghe River said, "You can go now. Your horse and your belongings are outside."

Hearing this, Tang Seng was stunned at first, then overjoyed. He quickly bowed to the Dragon King of Jinghe River to express his gratitude, then quickly walked out of the thatched cottage and saw his horse and the gift on its back at a glance.

Tang Seng turned around again and thanked the Dragon King of the Jing River who had already walked out of the thatched cottage. Then he got on his horse and without delay went down the mountain along the path.

After Tang Seng left, Zhuang Yan reappeared. Seeing Zhuang Yan, the Dragon King of Jinghe sighed and said, "Lord Lingtai, please take back the magic you gave me. I don't want anything else. I just want to go to the underworld to settle my sins and then reincarnate. As for eating human flesh, there is no need to mention it anymore!"

Zhuang Yan nodded and smiled, "Not bad, not bad." After that, he withdrew the 'water control' state of the Dragon King of Jinghe River.

The Dragon King of Jinghe River immediately felt that powerful force leaving him in an instant, and for a moment he even felt a little reluctant.

At this time, Zhuang Yan pointed to the sky and said, "Dragon King of Jinghe, who do you think is that?"

The Dragon King of Jinghe River looked up and saw a ray of Buddha's light appear in the sky. Then a Bodhisattva with a precious body, wearing a five-Buddha crown and a cassock made of seven treasures, appeared in the sky with a solemn and dignified appearance.

The Jinghe Dragon King was stunned, then he quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Little Dragon Ao Hong has met the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha."

Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha smiled compassionately and said, "Ao Hong, although you violated the heavenly rules and were punished by heaven before, the Spiritual Platform Divine Lord was merciful and could not bear to see you sink into the mortal world, so he came down to the world to test you. Now that you have passed the test, I am here at the request of the Spiritual Platform Divine Lord to ask you if you are willing to convert to Buddhism and become my disciple?"

Hearing this, Ao Hong was overjoyed and immediately stepped forward to kowtow and said, "Disciple greets Master."

The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha said with a smile: "Very good, very good. From now on, you will be my disciple. Go to Lumen Mountain to practice. When you return, I will reshape your body, give you the precepts and tonsure, and perform the ceremony of conversion."

"Thank you, Master." Ao Hong bowed his head and said.

Then Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva raised his hand and waved it. A ray of fairy light carried Ao Hong up to the sky and landed behind Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

At this time, Zhuang Yan also flew up to the sky. Ao Hong hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Lingtai Divine Lord, for your grace in enlightening me. Ao Hong will never forget it."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "From now on, follow the Bodhisattva and practice diligently, and don't have any worldly desires anymore."

Ao Hong bowed solemnly and said, "Yes."

Afterwards, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva bid farewell to Zhuang Yan and took Ao Hong back to Lingshan Temple.

Watching Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the other man disappear into the sky, Zhuang Yan turned around and flew towards the Five Finger Mountain on a cloud. As for Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, she had already passed by.

(End of this chapter)