I am a fairy in Journey to the West

The following day, Bodhi Patriarch held a vegetarian banquet in the Liuguang Hall to entertain Zhuang Yan and the various human emperors.

Inside the Flowing Light Palace, there was a dazzling array of fine wines, delicacies, and rare treats. Above the main hall was a jade throne, which was Zhuang Yan's seat.

On the lower left side of the throne is a prayer mat, which is the seat of Bodhi Patriarch himself.

Subsequently, eight jade thrones had already been placed on both sides of the main hall, which were the honored seats prepared for the eight emperors.

About fifteen minutes later, the eight human emperors arrived one after another outside the Liuguang Hall, where they were personally greeted by Patriarch Bodhi.

The first to arrive was Suirenshi, dressed in plain clothes with a green vine tied around his waist. He had a broad face and wide eyes, and was kind and compassionate.

As the head of the human emperors, Suirenshi was naturally placed in the first seat on the left.

Following closely behind were Fuxi and Shennong, the two human emperors who arrived together, exuding an ethereal and extraordinary aura.

After the two emperors entered the hall, they first went forward to pay their respects to Suirenshi, and then took their seats below Suirenshi in turn.

Immediately afterwards, the other five human emperors arrived at the Liuguang Palace, with the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan leading the way.

The Yellow Emperor, Xuanyuan, was a majestic figure, dressed in a royal robe and carrying the Xuanyuan Sword. He exuded an aura of heroic grandeur.

Following closely behind were Emperor Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Emperor Yao, and Emperor Shun. The five human emperors strode into the Liuguang Hall together with Patriarch Bodhi.

Although these eight were all human emperors, there were differences among them. Suiren, Fuxi, and Shennong were known as the Three Sovereigns, while Xuanyuan Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Diku, Yao, and Shun were known as the Five Emperors.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were the eight human emperors of the human race.

The Yellow Emperor and others stepped forward to pay their respects to Suiren and Fuxi, and then greeted Shennong. Afterwards, they took their seats on the five jade thrones on the right.

At this moment, Patriarch Bodhi smiled at the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and said, "Today, I have specially prepared all the rare and precious fruits and treasures of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of my Buddhist sect. Please enjoy them, sages."

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors bowed and expressed their gratitude. Then they heard Zhuanxu ask, "Fellow Daoist Bodhi has specially prepared a banquet for us today. What is the purpose of this? Please forgive my frankness, but it seems that we do not have much of a relationship with Fellow Daoist Bodhi."

"You're being too blunt," Emperor Ku said to Zhuanxu, then turned to Bodhi Patriarch and said, "We have never visited Fellow Daoist Bodhi before. We are truly flattered by your kind invitation today."

Patriarch Bodhi stroked his beard and smiled, then cupped his hands and said, "Please take your seats and enjoy the banquet, esteemed sages. There is actually one more distinguished guest who has not yet arrived."

"Oh? Distinguished guest?" The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors all turned to look outside the Flowing Light Hall, then turned back to Bodhi Patriarch after a moment and asked, "Which venerable deity is it?"

"Haha, I wouldn't call myself a deity, but I admire the demeanor of all the human emperors, so I came to pay my respects." A clear voice rang out outside the hall, and then Zhuang Yan walked in wearing a sky-blue Taoist robe.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors immediately stood up and looked at Zhuang Yan. Bodhi Patriarch also quickly stepped forward and introduced Zhuang Yan, saying, "Esteemed Sages, this is the Emperor Who Oversees All Humanity, the Great Emperor of the Spirit Platform and the Divine Firmament, Zhuang Yan."

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors instantly became solemn, and a hint of astonishment appeared in everyone's eyes. They then stepped forward and bowed to Zhuang Yan, saying, "Greetings, Great Emperor Shenxiao."

Zhuang Yan quickly returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and then said, "Esteemed emperors, there is no need for such formalities. Please rise."

Bodhi Patriarch then introduced the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to Zhuang Yan. Afterwards, Fuxi said to Bodhi Patriarch, "Fellow Daoist Bodhi, your distinguished guest is indeed quite honorable."

Bodhi Patriarch laughed heartily and quickly invited everyone to take their seats.

Zhuang Yan walked up the palace steps, looked at his jade throne, and couldn't help but laugh, "Why is my position placed so high?"

Shennong laughed and said, "We have no objection."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Then I'll take a seat." He then sat down directly.

At this moment, Patriarch Bodhi slowly sat down, then clapped his hands, and the monks, servants, and novices in the hall immediately began to serve all kinds of delicious food and delicacies.

At this moment, a fragrant breeze wafted through the air, and celestial music filled the air. Many celestial maidens gracefully entered the hall and began to dance.

Seeing this, Suirenshi asked Bodhi Patriarch, "Do you Buddhists also love female musicians?"

Bodhi Patriarch laughed and said, "Our Buddhist school does not favor female musicians; this is for the Great Emperor Shenxiao and all the human emperors and saints to see."

"I don't like watching," Suirenshi said. "It's too noisy, let them go."

"Hey." The Yellow Emperor quickly stopped them, saying, "Since they're already here, let them finish dancing. Don't let Bodhi's kindness go to waste."

Upon hearing this, Suirenshi stopped talking and instead picked up his wine cup, saying, "Then I'll drink."

As he spoke, Suirenshi raised his wine cup and addressed Zhuang Yan above him, saying, "I toast the Great Emperor Shenxiao."

Zhuang Yan immediately stood up with his wine cup in hand and said, "Thank you, Emperor Sui."

The two then drank it all in one gulp. Seeing this, the other seven emperors also stood up and toasted Zhuang Yan with a cup of wine.

After this round of drinks, Zhuang Yan got down to business, "Are all the Human Emperors' dojos located in the Southern Continent?"

The Yellow Emperor nodded and said, "Southern Jambudvipa is the birthplace of the human race. As human emperors, our Daoist practice should naturally be located in Southern Jambudvipa." Zhuang Yan asked, "What do you human emperors think of Western Niuhezhou?"

"A land of barbarians!" Zhuanxu commented sharply, "The people have no ambition to strive, the country has no desire to compete for supremacy, they leave everything to the next generation, they accept whatever comes their way, and they are divided into different castes and classes. They can truly be called barbarians."

Indeed, looking at a problem from different perspectives makes a difference. The Buddha once said that the people of Jambudvipa were greedy, lustful, and prone to killing and fighting, but now Emperor Zhuanxu, who was the human emperor, has retorted.

"Not entirely," Fuxi said. "Wasn't the fighting quite fierce during the recent great calamity in Xiniu Hezhou?"

Shennong said, "I heard from a fellow Daoist that many people died in Xiniu Hezhou this time, and even more than a hundred countries were destroyed."

Emperor Ku said, "This speaks volumes. Over the years, the people of Xiniu Hezhou have been corrupted by Buddhism."

Patriarch Bodhi smiled and said, "Why do you say such things, Fellow Daoist Emperor Ku?"

Emperor Ku said, "You Buddhist sects have been teaching the people of Xiniu Hezhou year after year to accumulate virtue and do good deeds so that they can be reborn into wealth and honor in the next life. This has made people lose their fighting spirit and collapse when attacked. They regard suffering as an ideal and place all their hopes on the next life. Once they are attacked by the Buddhist sect or the demonic sect, they will only be able to be slaughtered at will."

Bodhi Patriarch said, "Isn't the Buddhist religion the same? The caste system that Fellow Daoist Zhuanxu just mentioned was created by the Buddhist religion."

Emperor Ku said, “No, as far as I know, Buddhism has absorbed the ideas of the Tang Dynasty in Jambudvipa and reformed the caste system. The current caste system does not require relying on the next life to improve one's caste; instead, one can directly improve one's caste by making achievements in this life.”

At this point, Emperor Ku asserted, "This is the fundamental reason why Buddhism's fortunes have declined and it has withdrawn from Xiniu Hezhou. Those countries that believe in Buddhism are stuck in their ways and cannot embrace the new and discard the old. They can only be wiped out by Buddhism."

Upon hearing this, Patriarch Bodhi sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Emperor Ku, you truly deserve to be called the Human Emperor. With just one sentence, you have hit the nail on the head. This is indeed one of the reasons for the decline of Buddhism in Xiniu Hezhou."

At this moment, Zhuang Yan asked, "So, in the opinion of all the Human Emperors, how should Xiniu Hezhou be governed?"

The Yellow Emperor laughed and said, "Is the Great Emperor Shenxiao asking us for advice on governance?"

"You could say that," Zhuang Yan nodded and smiled.

Upon hearing Zhuang Yan's admission, the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan pondered for a moment, then said, "The human race controls the workings of heaven and earth and governs the essence of all spirits."

Zhuanxu added: "When the Human Emperor appeared, the country was unified, the laws and regulations were established, and the ethical norms were set."

Emperor Ku also said: "Humans reside above, uniting all spirits! Unifying the six directions, and widely spreading peace."

Emperor Yao slowly said, "What is the Way of the King? It is the Great Unity!"

Emperor Shun said directly: "Inner peace, we should promote rites, music, poetry and books; outer peace, we should conquer the barbarians and the Rong and Di tribes, and together build a boundless human society!"

After listening, Zhuang Yan couldn't help but take a deep breath and said, "It seems that all five emperors have very grand ideas."

Then, Zhuang Yan asked Suiren, Fuxi, and Shennong, "What are your thoughts, fellow Daoists?"

Fuxi took a sip of tea and said, "I don't have the grand vision of the Five Emperors. I just want the country to be peaceful and prosperous, all living beings to thrive, and the human race to live and work in peace and contentment."

Shennong thought for a moment and said, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with equality among all beings. Sometimes, the human race's desires are too strong. If there were three immortal herbs, one that takes ten thousand years, one that takes a thousand years, and one that takes a hundred years, the immortals would pick the ten-thousand-year-old one, the demons would pick the thousand-year-old one, and the human race would uproot them all and take them back. That's not good either."

The Yellow Emperor said, "What's wrong with that? Wouldn't it be better to pull them back and grow them ourselves?"

Shennong retorted, "Are the medicinal effects of herbs that you grow yourself as good as those that grow naturally?"

The Yellow Emperor said, "Aren't they all the same? The medicine is still the same plant, and it absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Aren't they all essentially the same?"

Seeing that the two old rivals were about to start arguing again, Suirenshi quickly interjected, "Alright, alright, I asked you how to govern, why are you arguing again?"

At this point, Suirenshi glanced at Zhuang Yan and then slowly said, "In my opinion, there's no point in making a fuss. The Buddhist sect has withdrawn from Xiniu Hezhou, and now Xiniu Hezhou is occupied by the Demonic Sect and the Brahma Sect. The situation is settled, so let nature take its course. If you fight and I fight, if you attack and I conquer, when will the people ever have peace?"

Emperor Ku said, "Suihuang is mistaken. Wouldn't it be peaceful if we killed off the unstable ones and the rest were settled?"

Suirenshi retorted, "Do you mean to kill all living beings in the mortal world?"

Emperor Ku said, "I mean, kill all the unstable ones."

Suiren laughed and pointed at Emperor Ku, saying to Zhuang Yan, "Great Emperor Shenxiao, this kid is indeed a talent. If he is useful, I recommend him to be the new Great Emperor of the Western Mountain. He will definitely be able to govern Xiniu Hezhou well."

Zhuang Yan smiled. He had already reached a conclusion in his heart. So he did not respond to Suirenshi's words, but raised his wine cup and said, "Today we are just having a casual chat. There is no need for you emperors to fight. Let me toast you all."

So the eight emperors raised their wine cups and drank with Zhuang Yan in one gulp.

Zhuang Yan then took the initiative to end the topic of Xiniu Hezhou and instead chatted with the eight human emperors about daily matters.

About an hour later, the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta arrived at the Flowing Light Hall. After paying his respects to Zhuang Yan and the eight human emperors, he said, "Great Emperor Shenxiao, all human emperors, by the decree of the Buddha, the Dharma banquet will begin tonight at Shenshi (3-5 PM) on the Ten Thousand Buddha Platform of Mount Sumeru. At that time, we would like to ask Great Emperor Shenxiao and all human emperors to take their seats on the platform as soon as possible."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Alright, Bodhisattva, rest assured, we will definitely not be late."

The Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta bowed deeply and then withdrew from the Hall of Flowing Light. (End of Chapter)