Man in the heavens, wins by lying down to prove the truth

Chapter 345 Only after the test do we know the true nature of things; entangled in thorns, we should not blame fate.
Now, let's talk about Pigsy. He was truly blinded by greed, saying that he was upset and his anger was flowing downwards.

The traveler's words were meant as a reminder to the old pig that his every move was being watched, but the old pig paid no heed.

This is why Pigsy didn't care. Even if he was kicked out of the pilgrimage group, he would simply go back to his Gao Village and continue to live a carefree and happy life.

"Horse, horse, hurry up."

Bajie was driving the white dragon horse, saying he was going out to let the horse graze. The white dragon horse wanted to eat grass, but Bajie kept driving it away.

They only heard that when they turned to the back gate, they saw a woman with three fairy-like figures, who were enjoying themselves while admiring chrysanthemums. Even Pigsy was mesmerized by their beauty.

"Oh no, Mother, someone is spying on us!"

Meanwhile, the third daughter, Lianlian, suddenly cried out, feigning panic, and quickly pulled her two older sisters into the house.

Seeing that Pigsy was watching from a distance, the woman immediately went to the back gate and said, "Little Elder, why are you spying like this?"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy quickly replied, "Mother, you've misunderstood. I didn't peep at all. I just said I was there to let the horses graze and that we met unexpectedly."

These words disgusted the woman, who said with disdain, "I have no son as ugly as you. Don't say such things, don't say such things."

Upon hearing this, Bajie immediately became anxious and hurriedly said, "Mother, please don't say such things. I would rather find a son-in-law for you. Please tell your daughter that you don't have to be so picky."

"Think of my Tang Monk master, though he is handsome, he is actually useless. I may be ugly, but I can still support the family."

Upon hearing this, the woman smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy patted his chest and said, "Although I am ugly, I am hardworking. Even if I had thousands or tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, I would not need oxen or horses. With just one stroke of my rake, I could plow it all in a day."

"If the weather is unfavorable, I, Old Pig, can use the Heavenly Dipper Magic to teach you: to pray for rain when there is no rain, to summon wind when there is no wind, to summon the sun during floods, to summon earthen dikes during floods, and to handle all kinds of trivial matters, such as kicking the sky and making a well."

Upon hearing this, the woman said, "If that's the case, I won't mind your ugliness. Look at my three daughters; they are certainly suitable for you."

"But your master is really ungrateful. You need your master's permission before he can take you in."

Upon hearing this, Old Pig could not contain himself and immediately said, "I don't need that old monk's consent. He's not my biological parent. It's none of my business. I, Old Pig, can make my own decision."

"Very well then, I will go and ask my three daughters which one is willing to marry you."

"Thank you for your trouble, Mother. I, Old Pig, am very grateful."

Pigsy was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly, saying he would watch the woman go back to her house.

Immediately, Pigsy stopped letting the horse go and returned to the hall to reunite with Tang Sanzang and the other two.

Tang Sanzang stared at Pigsy suspiciously, sizing him up and asked, "Wuneng, can you feed the horses?"

Pigsy felt guilty and said, "There's not much good grass nearby, and that dragon horse is too proud to eat it, so there's nothing I can do."

Just then, the hall door opened, and maids carrying red lanterns rushed in, followed by a woman with her three daughters.

“Daughters, pay your respects to the elders.”

The three daughters immediately stood side by side and gracefully bowed to Tang Sanzang, each possessing a beauty that was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Meanwhile, among the four disciples, Tang Sanzang lowered his head, not daring to look, Wukong wandered off into the heavens, and Sha Wujing simply turned away.

But the pig-headed man stared intently at his three daughters, his lust rising, and hurriedly said, "Please trouble Mother to invite the fairy sisters here."

The woman then looked at her three daughters and said, "Go behind the screen."

"Yes," the three women replied, and hid behind the screen.

Then the woman said, "Four elders, my daughters are all exceptionally beautiful and chaste. Would you be willing to keep them as a matchmaker?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang did not answer, Wukong ignored him, and Bajie hesitated. Only Sha Wujing looked at Bajie and said, "We have discussed it and decided to let that one who calls for his mother stay here."

Pigsy, looking hesitant and timid, said again, "I can't remember, I can't remember. Let's discuss it further."

Tang Sanzang said, "Since you've already called her 'mother,' what else is there to say?"

Wukong, having regained his senses, said, "In that case, I, Old Sun, will act as the matchmaker, and Sha Wujing will be the guarantor. Master will be the male in-law, and this old bodhisattva will be the female in-law. Let's get things done today."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy quickly replied, "I don't remember, I don't remember, we need to check the date."

Wukong sneered: "What do you care about the date? I, Old Sun, am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. If today is a day of divine favor, then it is a day of divine favor. Go and pay your respects to your master and become his son-in-law."

Seeing this, the woman said, "In that case, boys, quickly set out the tables and chairs and prepare the vegetarian meal. Don't neglect our three in-laws. I'll take my husband to his room now."

"Yes, Madam." The maids bowed and went about their business.

Immediately, the woman led Pigsy into the room.

After traveling for at least two or three miles and passing through countless gates, they finally entered the main hall. To their surprise, Bajie exclaimed repeatedly, "What a large house! What a luxurious estate!"

Upon entering the main hall, one sees a woman sitting upright in the hall.

Without further ado, Pigsy kowtowed repeatedly, saying he was paying respects to his mother-in-law.

After the prayers were finished, Pigsy asked, "Mother, which fairy sister should I be paired with?"

"But I'm in a dilemma. I'm afraid it would be unfair to marry her to anyone. So I've come up with a solution. I wonder if you'd be willing?" the woman asked.

Upon hearing this, Pigsy quickly replied, "Yes, yes, Mother, please tell me what method it is?"

The woman took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and said, "Let me put this handkerchief on your head to cover your eyes and have a marriage arranged by fate."

"I'll have my three daughters walk past you, and I'll tell you whichever one you catch, you can marry her off to. What do you say?"

The old pig quickly took the handkerchief, put it on his head, and called out, "Mother, please invite the three sisters out."

The woman sneered, "Zhenzhen, Aiai, Lianlian, now that you've chosen your husbands, come and meet them quickly."

The old pig only heard the light movement of the waves, the tinkling of jade pendants, and the fragrance that seemed to permeate his heart, as if a fairy had passed by.

The old pig immediately got excited and rushed forward, only to miss.

She said that after a long day of fussing, the pig-headed woman sat on the ground, exhausted, and lifted her veil, saying, "Mother, I'm tired, so tired. My sisters are so slippery, I couldn't get one of them."

"It's not that they're being clever or cunning, but rather that they're being considerate of each other and don't want to argue. If they don't get anything, who can they blame?"

The woman chuckled and looked at the old pig.

Seeing the middle-aged woman smile, the old pig was immediately captivated. He instinctively felt that this old woman was also incredibly charming, and he couldn't help but say, "Mother, since they won't seduce me, why don't you seduce me?"

"How dare you! You lecherous old pig demon, you ignorant wild boar monster, you deserve to be taught a lesson!"

The woman simply pointed, and the handkerchief on the old pig's head transformed into a collar, which was then placed around Pigsy's neck, becoming a restraint that made him roll on the ground in agony.

The fool was immediately overcome with pain and screamed in agony, "It's killing me! It's killing me! Mother, have mercy! Have mercy!"

The woman said, “You shall observe the Eight Precepts: First, abstain from killing; second, abstain from stealing; third, abstain from adultery; fourth, abstain from lying; fifth, abstain from drinking alcohol; sixth, abstain from wearing perfumes and flowers; seventh, abstain from sitting or lying on a high and wide bed; and eighth, abstain from eating at inappropriate times.”

“But if you commit any offense, I will make you suffer a pain worse than death, only then can I appease my anger.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he said that the woman and the three women had all disappeared without a trace, leaving only Pigsy rolling on the ground, transforming back into his original form, knocking down pavilions and banging on walls, struggling in every way, but to no avail. All this commotion, however, did not disturb the three people and horse in the guest room, allowing them to sleep soundly for the night.

……

The next morning, the three of them slept soundly.

Even Wukong, for the first time in hundreds of thousands of years, went to sleep. When he woke up, he felt that his mind was clear and all things were bright. He then performed the work of subduing the Golden Lord.

The journey to the west had barely begun when it was said that the monkey had subdued the two minds, which can be described as a result of accumulated experience.

The three of them looked up and saw that the ornately decorated guest rooms were no longer there. Instead, they were all sleeping in the pine and cypress forest with their two friends.

"Brother, we've encountered a ghost!" Sha Wujing quickly looked at Wukong.

The old monk was also startled and quickly said, "Disciple, didn't we stay at Benefactor Jia's house last night?"

Wukong laughed and said, "Master is right, he is indeed a fake benefactor. I, Old Sun, noticed that this person was strange before. Even when he used the Hunyuan Technique, I could not see his past and present lives. He must be a great supernatural being who has descended here to conduct a test."

"Yesterday, in front of that old lady, I didn't dare to say it outright. I just tried to hint at it and warn her."

"Fortunately, Master's Buddhist teachings are profound, and Junior Brother Sha's heart is pure, so he passed the test. But that old pig must have suffered a lot last night."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang and Sha Wujing recalled the details of the previous night and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother, it was all thanks to your vigilance last night!" Sha Wujing hurriedly thanked him, but in reality, he was determined to obtain the scriptures and didn't need to thank him at all.

But... isn't this just a matter of social etiquette?

Tang Sanzang also praised him, saying, "Wukong is indeed intelligent. In the future, if there are similar situations, you must not hide your talents."

Sun Wukong nodded quickly and said, "I know, I know, go and check on that idiot."

As he spoke, Sun Wukong pointed to the fool three or four miles away, saying that the fool had already fainted on the ground and was unconscious.

"Let's go, let's go take a look."

After everyone had finished getting ready, they saw the old monk riding a horse, Monkey King leading the way, and Sandy carrying him on his back to pay their respects.

They walked for only a quarter of an hour before they saw the unconscious Pigsy.

And then one could see that Pigsy had a shiny magic ring around his neck, which was dazzlingly bright.

Two letters were pasted on Pigsy's belly.

Seeing this, Sha Wujing stepped forward and took two letters without his master or fellow disciples needing to speak.

The first letter contained only eight lines of verse: "The Primordial Lord of Taiyi sits at the Cloud Pass, the Compassionate One comes to invite you to the mortal realm. Samantabhadra and Manjushri attend the gathering together, the emerald forest transforms into a jade maiden's hair. The Golden Cicada guards the precepts, the spiritual altar is pure, Pigsy is lost in the gates of lustful thoughts. Only after the test will you know the true form, do not blame Heaven for being entangled in thorns!"

Upon seeing this verse, Sha Wujing exclaimed in surprise, "That woman and the three girls are actually the transformed forms of the Goddess Yuanjun and the three Bodhisattvas..."

Although Sha Wujing felt he had done nothing wrong the night before, he was still startled and broke out in a cold sweat.

Even Tang Sanzang felt a lingering fear. He took out a second letter and said, "Wukong, Bajie has also ended up like this. If he breaks the rules again, he will not have a good time."

Wukong was stunned for a moment, but said, "Taiyi Yuanjun, I wonder which master's wife you are? I didn't pay my respects to you last night, alas..."

Tang Sanzang knew that Wukong was a disciple of Taiyi, having learned this during the ordeal with Zen Master Wuchao.

Sha Wujing, on the other hand, had an expression of "I see" on his face. No wonder his senior brother said he was rebelling, but the Great Heavenly Venerable couldn't do anything about it. It turned out he had a powerful background.

Tang Sanzang looked at the dazed Wukong and then instructed his three disciples, "Wujing, go and wake up Bajie."

Upon receiving the order, Sha Wujing revived his unconscious second senior brother.

After only a moment, the old pig slowly woke up, touched the collar around his neck, and said with a mournful face, "I can't be at ease anymore, I can't be at ease anymore."

Tang Sanzang scolded, "Wuneng, do you dare to commit this offense again?"

"I dare not do it again, I dare not do it again. I am willing to follow my master to attain enlightenment." Old Pig kowtowed repeatedly.

At this point, the five elements have gathered, calming the restless monkey, subduing the wood mother, stabilizing the yellow woman, and taming the willful horse, leaving only the golden cicada (golden man) whose mind is unsettled.

……

Time flies, and before they knew it, the Golden Cicada and its companions had been traveling for more than a month.

On this day, at the Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, the ancestor of the Earth Immortals was reciting scriptures when he suddenly saw an invitation.

They came from the outer heaven of Taiyi Heaven. It was said that the great virtuous one from Taiyi Heaven was going to preach the Dao Fruit of Limitlessness and invited great beings from all directions to gather.

Immediately, Zhen Yuanzi dared not delay and instructed his men, "You will all follow me to the Taiyi Heaven to listen to the lecture on the Wuji Dao Fruit."

All the disciples bowed their heads in agreement, leaving only two children, no more than 1,200 years old, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Master, we haven't even achieved Golden Core yet, how can we hear about the Limitless Dao Fruit?" The two children bowed and paid their respects, their faces showing bitterness.

Without achieving the Golden Elixir, listening to such sermons will inevitably leave one feeling drowsy and confused.

If you fall asleep, that is a sign of disrespect.

Five hundred years ago at the Ullambana Festival, the consequences of Master Jinchan's disrespect for the Great Law terrified countless practitioners.

Upon hearing this, Zhenyuan Daxian said, "In that case, you two will stay here and guard the house. I will calculate that an old friend of mine, a monk from the East, is on his way to worship Buddha in the West and will pass through this place. We will treat him to ginseng fruit and not neglect him."

The Golden Cicada Master was not enough to warrant such attention from the Primordial Dao Fruit. Moreover, the Buddhist Elder behind the Golden Cicada Master could not be ignored. This was a case of "not considering the monk's face but considering the Buddha's face."

Upon hearing this, the two boys repeatedly agreed.

After Zhenyuan Daxian and his party left, after a certain amount of time, Tang Sanzang and his entourage were seen entering Wanshou Mountain and looking towards Wuzhuang Temple.

"A divine abode of immortals, a Taoist home where one lives in harmony with the world—what arrogance!"

When Pigsy saw the couplet at the Wuzhuang Temple, he couldn't help but be shocked.

"To speak such words in the same manner as the world must be a rare and virtuous master, a man of extraordinary talent and virtue. We should go and pay our respects to him."

Wukong looked at the old monk on horseback.

Upon hearing this, the old monk hurriedly dismounted and said, "In that case, I shall go on foot to pay my respects."

After knocking on the door, two boys, Qingfeng and Mingyue, greeted them, and the group entered the temple.

The two boys, following the instructions of their master, only said that they would offer two ginseng fruits as a sacrifice to Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang saw that the ginseng fruit looked like a child, so he dared not eat it.

Upon seeing this, the two boys were naturally delighted. Without further ado, they each received a piece of fruit and ate it with relish.

This scene was witnessed by Pigsy from afar.

(End of this chapter)