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

At first, Sun Wukong was still a little worried and stayed by Tang Sanzang's side.

Gradually, he discovered that this little demon didn't seem to have any bad intentions; he was simply interested in Buddhism.

So he stopped staying by Tang Sanzang's side every day and started wandering around the temple.

Yun Zhao had the monks explain the strangeness of Wukong and his companions to the pilgrims.

While the worshippers were still somewhat apprehensive as they wandered around the temple, they were no longer afraid.

The monkey then took the opportunity to ask people for their opinions on Yun Zhao.

Of Tang Sanzang's three disciples, he looked the most human.

The title "Monkey King" wasn't given lightly.

After the initial unease caused by unfamiliarity dissipated, people found that this monkey was quite amusing and was willing to interact with Sun Wukong.

After making some inquiries, he discovered that all the worshippers had a very positive opinion of Yun Zhao.

I can finally relax completely.

In contrast to their leisure, Tang Sanzang has been quite busy these past two days.

Every day, the first thing he does upon waking up is debate with Yun Zhao.

In order to delay as much time as possible, Yun Zhao also used all his tricks.

Unfortunately, Xuanzang was Xuanzang after all. He was the one who was appointed as the Grand Master of the Monks by Li Shimin, and this was no empty title.

Yun Zhao's understanding of Buddhism was still shallow, and he was a "monk" who had only recently become a monk. By the third day, he had completely emptied his mind and had nothing left to argue about.

He simply surrendered: "Elder, you truly are a venerable monk from the Tang Dynasty. I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

His goal wasn't to compete, and admitting that he was inferior in skill wasn't a big deal.

Tang Sanzang replied, "Abbot, you flatter me. We are merely discussing Buddhist scriptures; there is no question of superiority or inferiority between us."

Yun Zhao nodded in agreement.

"These past few days we've been so focused on debating scriptures that we've neglected to teach our disciples. Elder, your Buddhist teachings are profound. I wonder if you could convene a Buddhist assembly to instruct the disciples of my White Tiger Temple, so they may know that there are always higher levels of understanding and greater wisdom!"

These words were spoken with utmost sincerity, leaving Tang Sanzang no room to refuse.

In addition, he had indeed developed a sense of kinship with Yun Zhao over the past few days, so he readily agreed, saying, "Amitabha, I am honored that the abbot thinks highly of me. This humble monk is willing to share my insights with all the monks."

"good!"

Yun Zhao was overjoyed, as he could delay the situation for a few more days.

He immediately ordered his men to give instructions: the eminent monk from the Tang Dynasty was going to preach to his disciples, and everyone should not be negligent.

The disciples of Baihu Temple have heard these days that Tang Sanzang's Buddhist teachings are much stronger than the abbot's, and they are very much looking forward to it.

However, in order to buy time.

Yun Zhaodao said that today's event was too rushed and that his disciple was not yet ready. Furthermore, he needed to bathe and change clothes before holding the Buddhist ceremony in order to demonstrate his piety. Therefore, he suggested that the ceremony be held tomorrow.

Tang Sanzang, unaware of Yun Zhao's true thoughts, assumed that Yun Zhao was genuinely devout and thus agreed.

The next day.

With his meticulous preparations, the Buddhist assembly officially commenced.

Inside the White Tiger Temple, the scene was unprecedentedly grand.

Yun Zhao specifically sent people to spread the word extensively in several prefectures and counties near Baoxiang Kingdom.

The abbot was renowned, and when they heard that an even more powerful Tang Dynasty monk was coming to preach, they all wanted to join in the fun.

Whether they were genuinely Buddhist or just joining in the fun, the crowd packed Baihu Temple to the brim.

In addition, Yun Zhao specifically emphasized that all pilgrims who participate in the Buddhist assembly can enjoy a free vegetarian meal for one day.

This is even more appealing than Buddhist assemblies.

Many people don't care about Buddhism or Taoism; all they know is that filling their stomachs is the most important thing.

When Tang Sanzang appeared at the venue with several disciples, he was startled by the sea of ​​heads.

"Master, there are so many people."

Bajie looked around and thought, "It seems like the whole county has come!"

The monkey felt that something was wrong, but couldn't quite put its finger on it.

Through observation over the past few days, Yun Zhao has come to realize that he truly harbors no ill will towards his master.

But why does everything seem a bit strange?

Unable to figure it out, he decided to wait and see.

Tang Sanzang was unaware that these people were all attracted by Yun Zhao's methods.

He even remarked to himself, "This place is truly a wonderful and virtuous place. I heard that a Buddhist assembly is to be held here, and so many people have come. I wonder what a grand spectacle it will be in the Western Paradise!"

"Elder Tang, over here!"

After Yun Zhao discovered Tang Sanzang and his disciples, he immediately invited them to the platform that had been set up.

Now it was the great Tang Dynasty monk's turn to shine. After giving a brief opening speech, he handed the stage over to Tang Sanzang.

For Tang Sanzang, who had presided over the Water and Land Assembly, such a scene was nothing special.

Looking at the vast crowd below, he remained calm, adjusted his pace, and began to preach.

Strangely enough, despite the enormous size of the venue, Tang Sanzang's voice was able to reach everyone's ears precisely.

The monks below listened with rapt attention.

This was also the first time they had a concrete concept of a high-ranking monk.

In the past, when Yun Zhao lectured them, it was like a top student explaining a problem. They understood it while listening, but when they tried to comprehend it on their own afterwards, they always felt that something was missing.

Tang Sanzang was a genius; what he said was not only easy to understand, but also vivid and interesting.

Even Yun Zhao listened with great interest, and even felt that he was beginning to understand the Buddhist scriptures he had learned.

If he hadn't been learning this stuff just to delay Tang Sanzang's journey to the West, he would have really kowtowed to Tang Sanzang after this lecture.

Those pilgrims were laymen and their understanding was not as profound as that of the monks, but they could still distinguish between good and bad in a simple way. Even the abbot of Baihu Temple, who was once highly regarded, seemed inferior to them, not to mention the other ordinary monks.

As a leader in this field, Tang Sanzang's sermons were concise and to the point.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The monks studied for three days, while the pilgrims enjoyed three days of vegetarian meals.

Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

This is the first time I've ever lived such a carefree life since I started following Tang Sanzang.

With ample food and lodging, if it weren't for the mission of obtaining Buddhist scriptures, I would have loved to stay here for a year or two.

After three days of preaching, Tang Sanzang had imparted many valuable teachings. Feeling he had already given the abbot of Baihu Temple enough face, he proposed to end the session.

The monks pleaded with him to speak again, and Yun Zhao also tried to persuade him, but Tang Sanzang was determined this time because he was concerned about obtaining the scriptures.

Seeing that this method wouldn't work, he had no choice but to say, "The elder has given these three days of lectures, so I should treat him properly. Otherwise, wouldn't it seem like we're impolite?"

Tang Sanzang had no choice but to stay another day after hearing this.

The next day, when he asked to leave, Yun Zhao took him on another tour of the pagoda. Tang Sanzang had once made a grand vow to sweep every pagoda he encountered.

Although there are only nine floors, it still takes some effort to clean, so we stayed an extra day.

Nine days have passed since Tang Sanzang arrived at the coordinate point, which is longer than any previous interception.

Having stayed for so long, Tang Sanzang's departure was now unwavering. Yun Zhao understood that there was no way to stop him this time, so he treated them to a good vegetarian meal before letting them leave.

"Nine whole days... I wonder what kind of reward we'll get." He murmured to himself, watching their departing figures.

"However, there's still another challenge ahead."