Journey to the West: Building a Celestial Empire Starting from Lion Camel Ridge

"Elder, are you perhaps a pilgrim from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, on your way to the Western Paradise to seek Buddhist scriptures?"

"Exactly."

Tang Sanzang was weak and listless. He had been hungry and thirsty for half a day, and he could no longer lift his eyelids.

He only managed to raise his eyes to look at Chen Ping'an when Chen Ping'an walked right up to him.

That's right.

Chen Ping'an bowed deeply.

"Master, I am here to wait for you on the orders of Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Sanzang was both surprised and delighted, but being a mere mortal, he could not distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Chen Ping'an invoked Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Taibai Jinxing had just said that he would have divine disciples to help him.

They simply treated Chen Ping'an, the clone, as a disciple of the god.

Overwhelmed with joy, two more lines of tears streamed down her face.

"The opportunity that the main body chose is truly excellent."

Chen Ping'an, the clone, couldn't help but sigh. At this moment, Tang Sanzang was on the verge of collapse and was about to encounter a fierce tiger and a long snake again. If it weren't for Liu Boqin, the mountain-guarding bodyguard, they would probably have stopped here.

At this moment, he desperately needed someone to be with him.

"Thank you, Guanyin Bodhisattva. Thank you, Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Just like in the original story, he was indeed a devout Buddhist.

"What's your name?"

"Master, my surname is Chen, and my Dharma name is Wu'an."

"To share the same surname as my lay family is good, a good name, perfectly suited to our sect."

Tang Sanzang nodded: "How about I give you another nickname, Ping An?"

"Disciple, you will listen to your master."

Chen Ping'an had thought he would have to be tested on his Buddhist cultivation, but he didn't expect that becoming a disciple would be so easy.

Sure enough, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.

"My disciple, I am starving. Could you please go and beg for some food?"

Tang Sanzang was so hungry that he could see stars.

The first instruction given to Chen Ping'an was to have a vegetarian meal.

In the original story, Tang Sanzang would send Sun Wukong to beg for alms wherever he went. It seems that this will become his job from now on.

After all, they are just ordinary people, which is perfectly normal.

This is an excellent opportunity to get started.

After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Unfortunately, none of the three apprentices ever really cared about this.

"Alright, Master."

"Please wait a moment."

Chen Ping'an walked into the dense forest for a while, and after making sure he was out of Tang Sanzang's sight, he gave orders to his main body, Chen Ping'an.

Before long, he had a bowl of vegetarian rice and a plate of stir-fried vegetables in his hands.

All of these were readily available in the shelter; Zhao Gou'er had prepared dinner for the night watchmen.

As for Chef Zhao's culinary skills, there's no need to elaborate.

Chen Ping'an flashed over. Although the food was simple, the enticing aroma had already reached Tang Seng's nose.

"Apprentice, where did you get this?"

"To be honest, Master, I possess some supernatural abilities."

As for what kind of supernatural power he possessed, Chen Ping'an didn't elaborate.

Tang Sanzang, who was so hungry he was almost delirious, didn't ask any more questions.

Chen Ping'an clearly saw that Tang Seng's eyes were glowing green, he was obviously hungry.

They quickly served the vegetarian meal and seasonal vegetables, along with bowls and chopsticks.

Tang Sanzang took the bowl and chopsticks, while Chen Ping waited quietly to the side.

Even though his master was so hungry he was about to faint, he still ate slowly and carefully, and it took him a long time to finish. Finally, a trace of life returned to his face.

After finishing his meal, Chen Pingan put away the bowls and chopsticks and returned them to the shelter.

Just as the two were about to move forward, they suddenly heard a tiger roar in their ears, and when they looked back, they saw a long snake coiled around them.

"Disciple, what should we do?"

Having eaten his fill, Tang Sanzang finally had the strength to remount his horse. Seeing this desperate situation, he was so frightened that he lay prone on the horse's back, not daring to move.

"Thank goodness I'm not Han the Demon, otherwise I would have already shielded you, Master!"

Chen Ping'an thought to himself, Tang Sanzang was indeed exactly as described in the original work. Although he had a firm heart for Buddhism, he was also really timid.

He silently sent a request to the locals to share his cultivation level.

The next instant, the true energy of the sixth level of Qi Refining swept over his entire body.

A surge of energy caused robes to flutter.

"Master, please rest assured, I'll take care of everything!"

Chen Ping'an strode forward. With his cultivation, these two fierce tigers would be no match for him.

"Disciple, just disperse them, but don't harm any lives!"

What era are we living in? Still insisting on sweeping the floor so as not to harm ants, and protecting moths by covering lamps with gauze!

How pedantic!

Chen Ping'an smiled wryly, "My true self, what kind of work are you making me do!"

Has she come to work as a nanny?

However, Chen Ping'an also knew that Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng, and Sha Wujing each had their own strengths and weaknesses.

What I need to do now is to first lay the groundwork in Tang Sanzang's mind so that he is absolutely satisfied with me.

He wanted to absorb the strengths of the three people and discard their weaknesses.

He must make sure that Tang Sanzang can't live without him.

Or to put it another way, make Tang Sanzang your powerful backer!

Even if the Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva discover your existence, are they going to drive you away?

Tang Sanzang would definitely be the first to disagree!

As for finding another person to undertake the pilgrimage? That's easier said than done!

Right now, the priority is to maximize my goodwill towards Tang Sanzang!

Then, using his familiarity with Journey to the West, he mediated among the four, making himself the rightful eldest brother of the three!

As for skills, Chen Ping'an knew he couldn't possibly defeat the three of them, but that didn't matter!

Most importantly, Tang Sanzang himself has the right to speak. Now that the Journey to the West has begun, Tang Sanzang, whose memories have been erased, has the highest authority!

"Rest assured, Master, I will always cherish a compassionate heart and love all living things!"

"He has the potential for wisdom!"

Tang Sanzang, riding on his horse, watched as Chen Ping'an merely shouted to drive away the tiger and then picked up the hissing snake behind him. Even though the snake was biting his arm, Chen Ping'an only frowned slightly and showed no sign of harming him.

"A true follower of God!"

Tang Sanzang exclaimed, "Venus, you were right!"

He naturally didn't know that the divine disciple Taibai Jinxing spoke of was not the one standing before him.

But does it matter?

The kind of disciples Tang Sanzang needed were those who could offer timely help in times of need, not those who would cause obstacles along the journey to the West!

"Disciple, how are your injuries?"

Seeing Chen Ping'an approaching, Tang Seng quickly asked, his face full of worry.

"Master, it's alright."

Chen Ping'an stretched out his arm, and with the blessing of the Kunyuan Guardian Divine Power and the talent of being immune to all poisons, his injury had already healed.

"A true follower of God, indeed a follower of God!"

He clearly saw the snake bite Chen Ping'an, but now there were only a few drops of blood, and no wound was visible.

What else could this be but a follower of God!

"Master, let's go! With your disciple here, I guarantee your journey to the West to obtain the scriptures will be a success!"

"Good disciple!"

Tang Sanzang praised him again, and the two of them spurred their horses westward.

......

midair.

The Golden Head Guardian on duty stared blankly at this scene.

"Was this arranged by the Bodhisattva?"

As the lowest-ranking guardian deity, Guanyin Bodhisattva never told them how many disciples Tang Sanzang would take on his journey to the west, or where he would take on those disciples.

After all, when Guanyin Bodhisattva traveled to the Tang Dynasty in the East, half in the clouds and half in the mist, only Huian Xingzhe accompanied her alone.

To put it bluntly, the thirty-nine guards who are now protecting Tang Sanzang are all acting on orders made by their superiors and have no idea about the inside story of the journey to the West.

They didn't have the authority to ask questions when the plan was being finalized.

When it came time to implement the plan, these lower-level workers were once again pushed out to do manual labor.

They are on duty every day, never leaving the side.

"Yes, it must have been arranged by the Bodhisattva."

Golden-Headed Jiedi did not want to cause any more trouble.

Seeing that Tang Sanzang was indeed very satisfied with this person, praising him repeatedly, he nodded repeatedly without hesitation.

"What a wonderful disciple the Bodhisattva has arranged!"