Journey to the West: Beginning with the Apprenticeship of Bodhi Patriarch

Chapter 287 It is easy to deceive others, but difficult to deceive yourself

In the palace, Empress Wu heard what the Immortal said and pondered for a long time. Finally, she backed off and sighed, "If this is the case, I cannot live forever. It's not that I don't want to give up my kingdom and power, but if I give up my kingdom, I'm afraid that the people will be without a master and the thieves will cause chaos. That would be a disaster."

The real person smiled without saying anything and never said much.

Empress Wu said, "But I wonder if there is a way to prolong my life? I don't seek true immortality, but if I can extend my life by a thousand years, that would be fine."

Jin Chanzi answered, clasped his hands together, and said, "But if you want to prolong your life, I have my own method. It requires the Holy Mother Divine Emperor to practice every day. Although it cannot prolong your life by a thousand years, it can prolong your life by one or two years."

Empress Wu was somewhat displeased when she heard this and said, "One or two years is not enough to extend one's life. I heard that Emperor Taizong found a way to extend his life in the past, but it was said that it could extend his life by ten years. How come the Living Buddha said it was only one or two years?"

Jin Chanzi asked, "How about extending your life by ten years?"

Empress Wu said: "In the past, Emperor Taizong once met an immortal and learned a method from him, called the method of warding off the stars. If you practice it, you can live ten years longer. But because the immortal passed on the method orally, Emperor Taizong was old and could not remember a few words, so he failed."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chanzi pondered for a long time and said with a smile, "But does the Holy Mother Divine Emperor know why the method of warding off evil spirits was passed down?"

Empress Wu shook her head and said, "I only heard that he was a deity, without any honorific title."

Jin Chanzi pointed to the Immortal and said, "The one that Emperor Taizong met in the past was the Immortal, and the method of warding off evil spirits was passed down by the Immortal."

Empress Wu was greatly surprised when she heard this and asked, "Is this really what you said?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, saying: "If it is a method to ward off evil spirits, it is indeed passed down by me, but it is not passed down for no reason. It was Emperor Taizong who exchanged the true scripture with me, so I passed it on to Emperor Taizong."

Empress Wu was overjoyed and asked, "If so, could you please fill in the missing text of the apocalyptic method left by Emperor Taizong?"

The immortal shook his head and said, "The method of warding off evil spirits was passed on to Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Taizong exchanged the true scripture with me. I have already passed it on, and we owe each other nothing. It is unreasonable for me to complete it now."

Empress Wu said: "Taizong can exchange with the true scripture, but I can also exchange with you for something, but you have to ask for it, and you can take whatever you want from the palace."

The Immortal shook his head and said, "But the method of exorcising the stars has been changed, so it cannot be mentioned again."

Empress Wu was unwilling to say, "Is it really impossible?"

The real person smiled without saying anything, and his meaning was clear.

Empress Wu sighed and said, "If that is not possible, I wonder if you have any other way to prolong my life? I don't need immortality, but I just need to prolong my life."

The Immortal laughed and said, "Holy Mother Divine Emperor, there are many ways to prolong life, but the Holy Mother Divine Emperor cannot obtain these methods."

Empress Wu was puzzled and asked, "Why?"

The real person said, "It depends on your heart."

Empress Wu asked, "What do you say, sir?"

The Immortal said: "If you want power and status, you can't find a way to prolong your life."

When Empress Wu heard this, she smiled and said, "Sir, I am doing this for the people of the world, not for the country and power."

The Immortal said, "Holy Mother Divine Emperor, is this really the case?"

Empress Wu said: "That is so. The emperor is not yet mature enough to shoulder the heavy responsibility. Therefore, I was entrusted by Emperor Gaozong to take charge of the sacred artifacts for the sake of the people of the world. I grew up on behalf of the emperor and had sympathy for the people. Then I would return the sacred artifacts. I really did not do it for the country and power."

The Immortal smiled and said, "I hope that the Holy Mother Divine Emperor is really as you said and is not wrong."

Empress Wu asked, "Sir, could you give me a way to prolong my life?"

The Immortal pondered for a long time and said, "Of course you can, but the Holy Mother and the Divine Emperor have a method to prolong your life. The Holy Mother and the Divine Emperor must remember what I said today. If one day, the Holy Mother and the Divine Emperor go against what I said today, the method to prolong your life will be broken."

Empress Wu smiled happily and said, "It will never change, but please rest assured."

The Immortal then asked Empress Wu to fetch a talisman paper, on which he wrote and carved runes himself. Although he was not proficient in this art, he had heard the ancestors mention one or two things, so writing some 'living talismans' was very easy for him.

In a few seconds, the Immortal wrote a life talisman, took it out, and said, "Holy Mother Divine Emperor, open your mouth."

Empress Wu didn't understand what he meant, but she opened her mouth anyway.

The immortal threw his hands and the talisman entered Empress Wu's mouth. Empress Wu only felt a warm current passing through her mouth and extending to her limbs and bones.

Empress Wu didn't understand why, but she felt something. She felt a lot lighter and her tiredness was gone. She was overjoyed and bowed to the immortal, saying, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. But I don't know how much longer this talisman can extend my life?"

The Immortal said, "Twenty years, but if you don't keep your promise, it will bite you back in an instant."

Empress Wu responded with a smile, and then invited all the immortals to rest in the palace for a day or two.

The immortals responded naturally, and a eunuch came forward and invited them to go to the hall to rest.

Empress Wu was very happy to see the Immortal and others leave. Now that her life was extended, she had a lot of time and no longer had to worry about her old age.

A female official beside him asked, "Holy Mother Divine Emperor, besides this group of people, others have also proposed many methods of longevity. Are they all useless?"

Empress Wu said, "They are all just people with empty reputations. I know whether they have any ability or not. The theories they said can be found in many history books. I won't say whether they are true or not, but if there is any mistake, I am afraid that my body and mind will be in danger."

After hearing this, the female official hesitated for a moment and said, "According to historical records, no one who used medicinal stones to make elixirs has ever succeeded, like the Qin Emperor and Han Wudi."

Empress Wu nodded and said, "I know that, but compared with the Qin Emperor and Han Wudi, I am lucky. It is said that the Qin Emperor once sent alchemists to build ships and sail far to seek elixirs, but there was no news until the Qin Emperor died, and he may have been buried in the sea. Han Wudi was even more so. He sent people to seek elixirs and pursue immortality. After his death, those who found the elixirs returned many years later. It was really a joke. But I was able to receive treasures from the gods."

The female official said, "Holy Mother Divine Emperor, that person has said that he must not break his promise, so the Divine Emperor should return power to Li Tang. However, the Divine Emperor has already made up his mind to replace Li Tang. If he knew that he had broken his promise, what would he do?"

Empress Wu laughed and said, "It's not difficult, but he has never stayed in Chang'an for a long time, so how can he know what I am doing? Besides, I have countless troops, so why should I be afraid of him?"

The female official hesitated for a long time and said, "God Emperor, but they are immortals and gods, and cannot be judged by common sense."

Empress Wu heard what he said and said, "That's fine. That's fine. What I told him was that the emperor had not grown up yet, so I had to take over the divine weapon. This was something I had to do. When I replace Li Tang, I will just say that the emperor is incompetent and that I had to replace him for the sake of the people of the world. That's enough."

After hearing what Empress Wu said, the female official thought for a long time and whispered, "Holy Mother Divine Emperor, I wonder when we will carry out our grand plan?"

Empress Wu hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's talk about it in a few years."

The female official said, "Please, Holy Mother and Divine Emperor, please consider this carefully. This is not a trivial matter. It is a violation of the great disapproval of the world. Throughout history, there has never been a woman who has become an emperor."

Empress Wu said: "There has never been such a thing in history. It has existed since I came into being. What's the difficulty?" Upon hearing this, the female official had no choice but to bow and praise Empress Wu for her mighty power.

……

There is a palace outside the imperial palace, and the immortal and others were invited to rest here.

Zhu Bajie said, "Master, I heard in the past that the palace does not allow outsiders to live there. How come the Holy Mother and the Divine Emperor invites us to live there now?"

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "As the saying goes, 'a new emperor appoints new ministers'. At that time, it was the rule when Emperor Taizong was in power. Today, it is the rule when the Holy Mother Divine Emperor is in power. There are differences."

The blue ox said, "What the Bull King said makes sense, but since he allows us to stay here, we can stay here. This is the request of the owner, not our trespassing. Why not?"

Zhu Bajie said, "Of course, of course. But sir, the Holy Mother God Emperor is clearly deceiving you. Even I cannot be fooled by such a trick. How could you give the Life Talisman to the Holy Mother God Emperor?"

Jiang Yuan had just found a cushion to sit cross-legged on. When he heard what Zhu Bajie said, he smiled and said, "Bajie, it's easy to deceive others, but it's hard to deceive yourself. But if he can deceive himself, then the talisman will be fine for him, but he can't deceive himself. It's easy to get the talisman now, but it will be very difficult to give it away later."

Zhu Bajie seemed to be thinking about something.

The Bull Demon King did not say much about this. He had followed the Immortal for some time and knew what the Immortal was talking about. However, he asked him about his business and said, "Master, when are we going to visit the Purple Star Emperor?"

Jiang Yuan looked towards a place in the palace and saw a purple auspicious mist there. It was where the Purple Star Emperor was. He shook his head and said, "No need to go, but we are invited by the host to stay here. We cannot go and wait here. I think the Purple Star Emperor will come to meet us."

The Bull Demon King was puzzled and said, "Master, the Purple Star Emperor has been reincarnated now, how can he come here?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Just wait patiently."

Upon hearing this, Bull Demon King stopped asking questions.

They were staying in the palace and before they knew it, it was already midnight. Eunuchs had already brought them tea and food, but they did not eat any.

The Immortal and Jin Chanzi sat cross-legged on a cushion and talked, while the Bull Demon King and his companions went into the various rooms in the hall to rest.

The Immortal said: "Compared to when I first met him, Sandalwood Merit Buddha is much more stable and his magical powers have improved a lot."

Jin Chanzi smiled and said, "Since I've been reincarnated and traveled to the west, I've become more steady."

The real person said jokingly, "In the past, the Buddha of Merit highly praised Zen. What do you think of it now?"

When Jin Chanzi heard the Immortal mention this matter, he felt a little helpless and said, "I was a little ignorant in the past, so I was so bold. But now I also feel that Zen is very wonderful. This is the general trend of Buddhism. In the future, Zen will be respected. This is because Zen is very easy to understand, but Nirvana is difficult to understand. Therefore, the general trend must be Zen."

The Immortal said, "If the Meritorious Buddha speaks like this again, aren't you afraid that the Buddha will blame you?"

Jin Chanzi said: "The Buddha will not blame me for this. Besides, the real person knows that in recent years, many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have practiced Zen. Wukong, who achieved success in the journey to the west, can also be regarded as a Zen school. There is also the Buddha of Zen Meditation and Wisdom, which is also Zen. This means that Zen has gained momentum. The Buddha knows this, but the Buddha no longer hinders it, and even intends to promote it."

The real person said: "Is this true?"

Jin Chanzi put his hands together and said, "I haven't been to Lingshan for a long time, so I don't know about these things. But if I could go to Lingshan, I would know all about these things."

The Immortal said: "If I have some free time, I must go to Lingshan Mountain to see the changes that Lingshan has undergone over the years."

Jin Chanzi smiled and said, "Speaking of which, the Buddha has mentioned the Immortal many times. He even said in private that if the Immortal is willing to enter Lingshan and sit on the lotus platform, the Immortal can become the Buddha one day."

The immortal laughed and said, "My Tao is not there, how can I enter the sacred mountain?"

Jin Chanzi said: "Zhenren is the recognized founder of Zen, how can you say that the Tao is not in the Buddha's place?"

The immortal shook his head and said, "If you are not the founder of Zen, then the Tao is with Buddha. I practice the three schools, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. I am not the Tao of any of them, so my Tao is not with Buddha."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chanzi nodded and said, "I have said too much. The Immortal Master was personally taught by Bodhi Patriarch, and he has learned all three schools of thought."

The real person was about to say something else.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze was seen coming from outside the door, blowing past and blowing the door open.

The immortal looked outside and saw someone walking in. It was Emperor Ziwei.

The Emperor Ziwei here is in the form of a primordial spirit, with purple air and auspicious aura surrounding him.

When Zhenren and Jin Chanzi saw Emperor Ziwei, they both stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings to the Emperor."

Emperor Ziwei said, "I saw auspicious signs here a long time ago, and I wondered who was coming. I never thought it was Master Guangxin and Buddha Chandan Merit. But please forgive me, as I am now a reincarnated body, so I can only meet you in this way."

Jin Chanzi said: "It is my honor to meet the Emperor."

The immortal smiled and said, "It is enough to meet the emperor like this, but please don't blame me, I am going to Chang'an City, but I know that the emperor has been reincarnated, so I have come to pay my respects."

Emperor Ziwei smiled and said, "I am very happy to meet you two in this way, but fortunately you two came earlier. If it were a few years later, when my reincarnated body and the two gods have grown up, it would be difficult for me to leave my body and meet you again."

The Immortal said, "But I wonder if the Emperor has been reincarnated now, how can he be of help?"

Emperor Ziwei said: "No need to help, but it is enough for you to talk to me for a while."

Jin Chanzi clasped his hands together and asked, "Emperor, do you really not need help? But from what I see, the Li Tang royal family is in danger of being overthrown."

Emperor Ziwei said with a smile: "Gongde Buddha, you can rest assured. When I descended to the mortal world, there were several stars accompanying me. They also descended to the mortal world and they will protect me. In addition, there are also several stars in the mortal world who descended to the mortal world a long time ago. Now they have grown up and can protect me. There will be no big problem."

Jin Chanzi nodded and said, "It is enough that the Emperor has already made plans."

Emperor Ziwei said: "My reincarnated body is still young, so it will take some time, but I already know the current situation in the palace. As long as I grow up, I can bring you to the human world."

Jiang Yuan said, "But I'm afraid that his body will be damaged. If the Emperor's soul is unable to come out, he will be injured by weapons and harmed. Why don't I use a protective spell to help the Emperor so that he can grow up?"

Ziwei Emperor heard what the real person meant, smiled and nodded, and said: "The real person has a good intention, but please cast a spell."

Jiang Yuan said: "The Emperor has saved the world, this is a great mercy, I can't help, I can only do this to show my gratitude."

The Emperor of Ziwei thanked Master Yu again, and the three groups of people talked in the hall.

(End of this chapter)