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

For the next few decades, Yun Zhao traveled leisurely.

Besides searching for the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, they also continuously spread the story of the White Tiger Paradise.

At first, the people were skeptical, but when the refugees who had been ravaged by the demons migrated westward with their families, they sent letters back a few years later saying, "White Tiger Town is indeed peaceful, and the demons are even more amiable than people." The news spread like wildfire.

Caravans, refugees, fleeing noble families, hunters driven to desperation by monsters... more and more people headed west.

The monsters of Jambudvipa also began to waver.

Those little demons who originally made a living by devouring incense offerings and causing havoc in villages heard that there was a place in the west where "you can live like an immortal without eating people," so they secretly ran to White Tiger Town.

Bai Ling was well-prepared. All the monsters that came were first examined for their physical attributes and temperament, and then they were assigned to various professions in the town according to the rules.

As a result, the size of Baihu Town continued to expand.

Starting from a concave plain, it gradually extended outwards, with streets crisscrossing and markets lining the streets, even forming East Market, West Market, South Market, and North Market.

The fields stretch for thousands of miles, with taverns and teahouses lined up one after another, theaters one after another, gambling dens burning day and night, and brothels brightly lit.

The scene of humans and demons living together became a synonym for "paradise on earth" in the mouths of the people of Jambudvipa.

Yun Zhao himself, however, never stayed in Baihu Town for long.

He has been searching for the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi.

Based on a faint glimpse of divine secrets, he deduced that the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi in this generation should be within the territory of the Chen Dynasty in the Southern Continent.

But every time he painstakingly narrowed down a general area and rushed over to search it carefully, the aura would suddenly disappear like a candle flickering in the wind.

Upon further calculation, it was discovered that the other party had already appeared tens of thousands of miles away.

This happened several times, but instead of getting angry, Yun Zhao laughed out loud.

"The Buddhist sect's work is indeed masterful."

He knew very well that this was not a cover-up by Heaven. If it were truly like the scene when the great calamity of the Journey to the West was truly launched, he wouldn't even be able to deduce a vague location.

Even things related to Journey to the West are shrouded in mystery and gloom.

Now, he is merely the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, secretly protected by someone.

Those who can achieve this level are at least at the quasi-saint level, and it is highly likely that it was personally done by a Bodhisattva or Buddha in Buddhism.

But Yun Zhao wasn't in a hurry.

if I get it I am lucky, but if not, it is fate.

Since he had plenty of time, he decided to treat the search as a pastime, traveling along the way, eliminating evil, promoting White Tiger Town, and observing the various aspects of human life in this chaotic world.

Until this day, he arrived at Yong'an County, a small county town three hundred miles east of Jiankang, the capital of the Chen Dynasty.

Outside the county town, there is an ancient temple called "Ciyun Temple".

The temple is small, but it is very popular with worshippers.

When Yun Zhao passed by, it was afternoon, and people were coming and going in front of the temple, with devout men and women coming and going in an endless stream.

He walked in casually, but his gaze lingered on a young monk who was sweeping the floor.

The monk was about twenty years old, with delicate features, a high nose, red lips and white teeth. His gray monk's robe was washed until it was white, but it was clean.

The broom danced lightly in his hands, sweeping the fallen leaves neatly and cleanly, without a speck of dust.

the most important is--

That aura.

Extremely faint, yet familiar.

Compassionate, pure, and imbued with an innate Buddha-nature.

Yun Zhao stood under the eaves of the main hall, looking at the monk from afar, and a slow smile appeared on his lips.

"Tang Sanzang, could it be you?"

Instead of rushing forward, he turned and left the temple, where he bought a house in the county town.

The three-courtyard house was decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, artificial hills and flowing water. He hired more than a dozen servants and maids, and bought hundreds of acres of fertile land. He transformed himself into a newly arrived rich young master in the county town. His surname was Yun, and his given name was Zhao. He was known as "Young Master Yun".

A few days later, Yun Zhao began to frequently visit Ciyun Temple.

He first struck up a conversation with the abbot of the temple under the pretext of donating money for incense oil, and then, on the grounds that he had nothing to do and loved Buddhism, he proposed to invite a young monk with wisdom from the temple to his home to preach the Dharma.

The abbot was naturally pleased with the arrangement and sent the young monk who was sweeping the floor over there.

The monk's Buddhist name was "Xuanzang".

When Yun Zhao heard this title, he almost burst out laughing.

"It really was you."

From then on, the two began to see each other frequently.

At first, Xuanzang simply gave lectures on time, and Yunzhao listened from the sidelines, occasionally asking some tricky questions.

Although Xuanzang was young, he was well-versed in Buddhist teachings and answered flawlessly.

But what Yunzhao asked was often not the Buddhist principles in the classics, but the human heart.

"Master Xuanzang, the Buddha said that all sentient beings suffer, but I see that in this world, there is wine and meat, wives and children, and people live very happily. Why must one renounce all worldly desires?"

"Master, have you ever considered that if everyone in this world became a Buddha, where would the suffering of all sentient beings come from?"

"Buddhism is compassionate, but if compassion leads to the rampant spread of evil and the suffering of the people, how is that compassion any different from indulgence?"

These questions are all scathing.

Xuanzang was initially able to respond with the scriptures, but later he gradually fell silent.

Later, he began to question Yun Zhao in return.

The two of them, through their back-and-forth conversations, unknowingly became close friends.

Yun Zhao treated Xuanzang extremely well.

Invite him to drink (of course, it should be vegetarian wine), invite him to eat vegetarian food (but always with a hint of meat flavor), take him to see plays, listen to music, visit gambling dens, and visit brothels (just look but don't touch).

Xuanzang initially refused, but gradually stopped refusing.

He started laughing, became curious, and began asking questions unrelated to Buddhism.

"Benefactor Yun, is this wine... truly so delicious?"

"Are the grudges and feuds depicted in plays also considered part of the suffering of all living beings?"

"Why were those women laughing like that?"

Yun Zhao always answered with a smile, his tone gentle, yet each word was like a hook, slowly prying open the Buddhist dam in Xuanzang's heart.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Yun Zhao finally spoke.

"Xuanzang, would you be willing to leave the temple with me and eat meat this time?"

Upon hearing this, Xuanzang remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he nodded slightly.

"it is good."

Yun Zhao laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on, brother will take you to taste the finest delicacies in the world."

The two were just about to leave.

Suddenly, a very faint golden light descended from the sky.

The golden light was silent yet carried a mysterious Buddhist power, instantly enveloping the two of them.

Yun Zhao's pupils contracted slightly, but he did not move.

He could sense that the golden light was merely a spell to temporarily seal his memories, and the caster was only at the Xuanxian realm, far from discovering his true cultivation level.

He did not resist.

He simply smiled slightly, letting the golden light envelop him and Xuanzang together.

The next instant, Xuanzang's figure disappeared into the courtyard.

The golden light faded, leaving the courtyard empty except for a pot of unfinished wine and a plate of untouched vegetarian food.

Yun Zhao did not pursue.

He stood still.

"It really was you."

"Jin Chanzi... Xuanzang."