Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

Upon seeing Tang Sanzang's appearance, the welcoming monks calmed down somewhat.

"The elder seems like a good person, but your disciple... is far too frightening."

The leader said with lingering fear.

"Hmph! You little monk, you have no discernment. It's true that my master is more handsome, but I am also the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago."

"I am Marshal Tianpeng!" Pigsy followed closely behind and announced his identity.

"I am the Curtain-Rolling General."

Seeing that his two senior brothers had said so, Sha Wujing was naturally unwilling to be outdone.

The leading monk shrank back, thinking to himself that these were just a monkey spirit, a pig spirit, and a blue-faced spirit, yet they dared to speak so arrogantly.

He said nothing aloud, "Yes, yes, in that case, please wait a moment, elders. I will inform the abbot and then welcome you in."

Tang Sanzang understood the reason and smiled slightly: "It's alright."

The welcoming monk gave a signal, and a young monk hurriedly ran inside.

In fact, there was no need for notification; Yun Zhao already knew that Tang Sanzang and his disciples had arrived.

When the young monk rushed in and recounted what had happened at the door, he feigned surprise: "Is that so? Come with me to see!"

By this time, thanks to the pilgrims who had fled to the temple for refuge, the monks had already heard about the "monster" that had come to harass them.

Upon seeing the abbot appear, their curiosity was piqued, and they all followed Yun Zhao to the courtyard gate, eager to see what was going on.

Yun Zhao did not object to this.

He even hoped there would be as many people as possible. Although he disguised himself as a virtuous monk in front of everyone, he was still a skeleton in essence. This appearance was not even a transformation technique.

It's merely using magic to conceal and deceive mortals.

In the eyes of Sun Wukong and the others, he was still a monster, and if he went alone, even if he wasn't exposed, it would be inconvenient for his subsequent actions.

Only by following public opinion can one ensure their own safety.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples waited at the door.

From afar, one could see a famous monk surrounded by people, standing out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.

"This must be the abbot of the White Tiger Temple." Tang Sanzang was delighted and was about to step forward to pay his respects.

The monkey, Pigsy, and the others exchanged glances.

In their eyes, the so-called abbot was just a skeleton that had used some kind of illusion magic. But what was most strange was that the skeleton also had a faint sense of merit and Buddha's light.

The monkey sensed something was amiss and stopped Tang Sanzang, who was about to step forward: "Master, don't go! That monk is no good person; he's a monster!"

"Nonsense!"

Tang Sanzang naturally didn't believe it: "If that abbot is a demon, why is he so beloved by the people, and why haven't I heard of him harming anyone?"

This surprised even Sun Wukong.

Logically speaking, a demon is a demon; I've never heard of a demon that eats people and then becomes the abbot of a temple.

But he just felt that things wouldn't be that simple.

Seeing that Tang Sanzang ignored all advice and insisted on going forward, the monkey originally wanted to use magic to expose Yun Zhao's illusion.

On second thought, he worried that with so many people gathered at this time, if he rashly caused the monster to reveal its true form, it might anger the monster and cause it to harm the innocent people, which would be counterproductive.

Furthermore, he could tell at a glance that the other party wasn't even a demon immortal, but only at the Refining Void and Harmonizing Dao realm. Even if there were any conspiracies or tricks, he was confident that he could nip them in the bud.

So they decided to wait and see what happened first.

The crowd thronged around Yun Zhao, looking at Tang Sanzang and his disciples with trepidation, making them appear as if they were the demons.

Although these people were still filled with fear, they believed in their hearts that the abbot of Baihu Temple was a capable person, and that mere demons were nothing to be afraid of, so their fear dissipated somewhat.

"I heard that a great Tang Dynasty monk has arrived. I have not been able to greet him from afar. Please forgive me."

Yun Zhao walked towards Tang Sanzang with a kind look in his eyes and a gentle tone.

Tang Sanzang immediately felt a bit more favorably disposed towards them: "Amitabha, Abbot, you flatter us. These traveling monks are just wandering monks. They only made a great vow and burned incense at every temple they encountered. When they saw this precious temple, they were overjoyed and have caused us a lot of trouble."

"It's alright, please, Elder."

Yun Zhao said politely.

"Abbot, you mustn't!" a worshipper cried out. "His disciples are all demons, and this monk might be one too. How can we let him in?"

The monkey was furious upon hearing this and was about to argue back.

Then Yun Zhao said, "This benefactor, appearances are all illusions. As long as one's heart is good, even a demon is no different from an ordinary person. But if a person does not cultivate good deeds and only loves to kill and set fires, then even if he wears a human skin, what difference is there between him and a demon?"

Upon hearing this, the worshippers fell silent.

"The abbot is right, we have learned a lot."

Tang Sanzang was delighted: "These are truly golden words of wisdom!"

Even the monkey and Pigsy looked at Yun Zhao with new respect.

Sun Wukong thought to himself, "Although this little demon's cultivation is not obvious, he has no trace of ferocity. His words are indeed in line with Buddhist principles. It seems that I, Old Sun, am also a person who is attached to appearances."

Thinking of this, he was speechless, shook his head, and no longer held any prejudice against Yun Zhao.

"Please come in, elders," Yun Zhao said with a calm smile.

The pilgrims behind him made way for him, and Tang Sanzang stepped forward to walk alongside them.

Watching their figures recede into the distance.

The pilgrims exclaimed, "Truly a virtuous and eminent monk!"

"The abbot's cultivation is profound; his words alone felt like the equivalent of ten years of study!"

"Yes, I heard those monks came from the Tang Dynasty in the East. I think they are not as proficient in Buddhism as our abbot!"

Let's not mention their feelings.

At Yun Zhao's invitation, Tang Seng entered the temple. Seeing the magnificent main hall and the lifelike Bodhisattvas and Arhats throughout it, he felt even more favorably disposed towards it.

"Abbot, this place is truly a precious temple!"

"Elder, you flatter me."

Yun Zhao smiled and went to the abbot's courtyard, where he and Tang Seng sat down as host and guest, respectively.

"Elders, you have come from afar and must be tired. I have prepared food for you. Please do me the honor of coming."

"Abbot, there's no need for you to trouble yourself, we..."

Just as Tang Sanzang was about to refuse, Zhu Bajie's eyes were already shining.

"Okay, okay, I'm starving!"

"Pigsy!"

Tang Sanzang glanced at Zhu Bajie with displeasure, but the other party shamelessly laughed and said, "Master, as the saying goes, food is the foundation of life. I, Old Pig, get hungry if I don't eat. Look at the abbot's large and prosperous household here. It won't bankrupt him if we have a meal."

These words made Tang Sanzang feel somewhat embarrassed.

However, he couldn't lash out in front of Yun Zhao.

Yun Zhao replied, "This Elder Pig is quite right; one must be well-fed before cultivating!"

Seeing that his master had spoken, Tang Sanzang could no longer say anything.

The meal was a pleasant one for both the host and guests.

Pigsy's eyes were filled with longing for delicious food.

Yun Zhao stayed by Tang Sanzang's side, and the two discussed their understanding of Buddhism.

Putting aside everything else, Tang Sanzang was truly an expert in the study of Buddhism.

Every sentence or two can evoke deeper insights.

Yun Zhao, on the other hand, used various perspectives from the later internet environment to have a lively and engaging conversation with Tang Sanzang.

The two were truly evenly matched, like two equally matched generals.

After the meal, they agreed to debate the scriptures together.