Journey to the West: Starting by becoming an apprentice of Emperor Donghua

Ji Sheng, however, said:

"This... I don't know what to do to satisfy the Great Immortal?"

Zhen Yuanzi chuckled:

"It's up to you now. Go ahead, and if you make it in time, you can be back before dinner."

Ji Sheng knew that Zhen Yuanzi wouldn't say anything more, so he could only leave Wuzhuang Temple again and head towards the temple.

Huanxi Temple is located 200 li north of Longevity Hill, not far from the hill itself.

On the way, he kept trying to figure out what Zhen Yuanzi was thinking.

Since he is a lewd and wicked person, should he be killed when punished?

Judging from Zhen Yuanzi's expression, he probably didn't want to go on a killing spree. After all, it was said to be the sacred site of Manjushri Bodhisattva, and it would be too disrespectful to kill them all.

As I was thinking, we arrived at the Temple of Joy ahead.

It was indeed a fine temple, with incense burning brightly and a constant stream of worshippers coming and going. Ji Sheng used his Qi-observation technique to see the incense smoke rising high from the temple's roof.

Ji Sheng transformed into a mortal and entered the temple. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that most of the visitors were female worshippers, all of whom were single. Looking even closer, he realized they were all young women in their twenties and thirties.

He had some suspicions in his mind, so he went to a side hall. Seeing that no one was around, he took out his sword, made a hand seal, and shouted:

"Change!"

The sword instantly transformed into a beautiful young woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six. She had a full, mature figure and a charming, alluring appearance.

The young woman bowed to Ji Sheng and said in a sweet voice:

"I wonder why my master has summoned me here?"

Ji Sheng nodded, quite satisfied with the woman.

His sword contained a dragon soul. Although the dragon soul's consciousness had been erased, it could still generate its own reaction with a little refining.

Therefore, without Ji Sheng's special manipulation, they can act independently according to Ji Sheng's instructions.

Ji Sheng gave her a few words of advice. The woman chuckled and walked out of the side hall.

The moment she stepped outside, she instantly became the most eye-catching person in the crowd. Whether it was a passing monk or a male or female worshipper offering incense, they couldn't help but look at her.

The woman went straight to the main hall, her face full of sorrow. She lit incense and offered prayers before the Buddha statue, bowing respectfully several times.

Just as he stood up, a young and strong monk stepped forward and respectfully chanted a Buddhist prayer:

"Amitabha Buddha, may I ask the female Bodhisattva, what brings you here to offer incense?"

As the monk spoke, his eyes darted around the woman.

The woman immediately blushed and covered her face with her sleeve, not daring to look at him.

The monk's breathing became heavier as he looked at him, and he questioned:

"Did you come here specifically to pray for a child?"

The woman nodded, and the monk continued:

"In that case, please rest assured, my beloved Bodhisattva. This is the most efficacious thing in my temple, guaranteed to be effective every time... cough, it will grant any request."

Seeing the woman's face light up with joy, the monk quickly added:

"However, simply kowtowing and offering incense is not enough; there is another procedure required. Could you please come with me, female bodhisattva?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The monk quickly led the way, and the two went around to a hidden door at the back of the hall. The monk opened the hidden door, which led to a secret passage.

The two entered; the passage was short, ending in a small room. Inside the room was a soft bed and a basin of water.

The monk was somewhat impatient:

"Female Bodhisattva, let's begin!"

Ji Sheng saw all of this through the woman's perspective and chuckled inwardly.

He finally understood why the Joyful Temple was renowned for its effectiveness in granting wishes for children. With monks personally attending to each person, how could it not be effective?

The next moment, the woman suddenly transformed into a gust of wind and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ji Sheng sheathed his sword and left the temple.

The moon was high in the sky; it was already midnight.

The temple was completely silent, save for the occasional roar of a beast echoing from the mountains. The monks, exhausted from a day's work, were all fast asleep.

Suddenly, a sword light pierced through the temple from outside and went straight into the room where the monks were resting.

The silence in the temple was suddenly broken by a scream, followed by another.

Screams rose and fell, filling the entire temple in an instant.

A monk crawled out of the room screaming, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

"Help! I...I've lost my manhood..."

Ji Sheng looked at the monks from mid-air and sneered inwardly.

That sword light just now was his doing; with a single stroke, he severed the manhood of these monks, rendering them incapable of performing fertility rituals for Buddha.

However, the next moment, there was a clanging sound. As the sword light entered a meditation room, it seemed to collide with something hard and was sent flying.

"How dare you!"

A voice as loud as a great bell resounded from inside the meditation room. The next moment, the meditation room shattered into pieces, and a figure soared into the sky, glaring angrily at Ji Sheng.

"What kind of demon came from here! How dare you harm my temple's disciples!"

Ji Sheng's expression turned serious. His opponent was clearly quite powerful; he hadn't even detected them beforehand, and they had managed to block his flying sword.

A quick glance with the Qi Observation Technique revealed that amidst the chilling demonic aura above the other's head, there were also a few wisps of Buddhist light.

What is this? A demon practicing Buddhism?

"Your temple servants, under the guise of seeking children, have wantonly raped women. My actions are to uphold justice on behalf of Heaven!"

The monk was the abbot of the temple, and upon hearing this, he was furious:

"Nonsense! When have my disciples ever committed adultery? Their desire for children was entirely consensual. These couples were overjoyed to have children; it's a tremendous act of merit! You can't distinguish right from wrong; you deserve to die!"

Ji Sheng laughed heartily:

"What a fine example of mutual consent! Anyone can do this, but you monks are the only ones who cannot."

A bunch of lewd monks dare to challenge me? If I didn't know right from wrong, I would have cut off their heads instead of their genitals with this sword.

The abbot was speechless and didn't reply. He flicked his staff and brought it down on Ji Sheng's head.

Ji Sheng dodged instantly with a teleportation technique, and the two flying swords aimed straight for the monk's head.

However, this monk was extremely skilled. He wielded his staff with great force, protecting himself, and with two more clanging sounds, he deflected all the flying swords.

Ji Sheng was taken aback. Since he left the mountain, he had never fought against such a powerful figure.

This person's level of understanding is definitely higher than his.

Just as he was contemplating whether to fight or flee, one of the flying swords suddenly flashed with light and hurtled towards the abbot like lightning.

The monk tried to block, but the moment his staff made contact with the flying sword, it was instantly cut in two.

The monk let out a scream, blood gushing from his crotch, and he was instantly castrated.

Ji Sheng was also somewhat stunned. That sword strike just now contained the glorious righteous path of heaven and earth; it wasn't his work.

A sudden realization struck him: Could it be... Zhen Yuanzi?

The monk had already transformed into his original form in the sky, and Ji Sheng was immediately shocked to see that it was actually a blue-haired lion.

This Joyful Temple is the sacred site of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Could this blue-maned lion in front of us be Manjushri's mount, the Blue Lion Spirit?

Despite the excruciating pain, the lion dared not linger with Ji Sheng any longer, and didn't even dare to retrieve the treasure that had fallen to the ground. With a flick of its four paws, it flew into the sky and disappeared.

Ji Sheng didn't dare to chase after them. Looking at the groaning monks on the ground, he shook his head and turned back to Wuzhuang Temple.