Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

The woman in the cage was named Bai Susu.

Its true form is a golden-nosed white-haired rat that has been listening to sutras at the foot of Mount Ling for a long time. Over the years, it has become imbued with Buddhist nature and gradually developed spiritual wisdom.

A few days ago, she was overcome by a sudden burst of delusions and actually stole the incense, flowers, and candles offered before the Buddha. These were offered with the sincere devotion of a great benefactor and were imbued with the Buddha's power, which was no small matter.

After eating, Bai Susu took advantage of this opportunity to greatly increase her cultivation and establish a foundation for the Dao.

During her time at Lingshan, she listened to the wonderful teachings for many years and saw the majestic and compassionate appearance of Guanyin Bodhisattva. She felt boundless admiration for the boundless Dharma.

However, he knew that his foundation was shallow. Although he had obtained a human body, his yin energy was dominant and his yang energy was not in balance, which was a deficiency in the Great Dao.

She then called herself "Half-Bodied Guanyin," partly out of pride in her appearance, and partly out of a desire to achieve harmony of Yin and Yang and the perfection of the Great Dao.

After stealing the Buddhist treasures, she knew she had committed a sin and dared not linger, fearing that she would be questioned by the Vajra.

He then rode the demonic wind and fled from the Ling Mountain region, fleeing in a panic towards the lower realm of Xiniu Hezhou.

I originally intended to find a secluded mountain valley, open up a cave dwelling, and spend years in quiet cultivation, hoping to comprehend the mechanism of yin and yang harmony and complete my Daoist foundation.

Unexpectedly, due to bad luck, they mistakenly entered the territory of Wujin Mountain, alarming the two demons, Jinhuan and Wuhuan, who were entrenched there.

Bai Susu's cultivation period is short and her mind is unsettled. How can she possibly be a match for these two old demons who have been around for many years?

After a battle, he was trapped by demonic magic, captured and taken back to the cave, his magical powers were sealed, and he was imprisoned in this black iron cage.

At this moment, Bai Susu heard the two demons uttering filthy words, actually wanting to find some alchemy master to throw her into the alchemy furnace.

They want to refine her spiritual body, which attained enlightenment through fragrant flowers and precious candles, into some kind of blood-eating elixir, divide it up, and devour it to suppress her inner demons!

She called herself Half-Bodhisattva, and was proud and arrogant. How could she have ever suffered such humiliation?

She, who always presented herself as delicate and timid, was now trembling with anger, her pearly teeth clenched, and her beautiful eyes wide open.

I was filled with shock, anger, hatred, and fear.

What shocked him was that these two demons were so cruel and tyrannical that they had committed such an act of extermination; what angered him was that he, a person of noble birth from Mount Ling, had been regarded as a medicinal ingredient.

She hated the two demons for being so vile and yet trying to ruin her path; she feared that if the alchemy demon arrived, she would truly perish, soul and body.

She couldn't help but raise her tear-streaked, pitiful face to the two demons seated there, and scolded them in a delicate voice:

"I'll punish you two idiots who don't know true cultivation and only know how to eat blood!"

A toad yawning—what a boastful tone!

You dare to dream of using your great-aunt to refine pills? Although I, Bai Susu, am not an enlightened being, I have heard the chanting of Buddhist scriptures and seen the true Buddha at the foot of Mount Ling!

Although my great-aunt was greedy and had a sweet tooth, she was destined to suffer some misfortune.

But it's not meant for you two vile, bloodthirsty loaches from your filthy dens to be defiled!

Her voice, normally soft and melodious, now carried a hint of anger and became even crisper:

"Return the Demon Yuan Pill? Bah! You've tried to draw a tiger but ended up with a dog instead; you've only made a fool of yourself by imitating others!"

Your so-called unorthodox and corrupt cultivation methods, infused with demonic energy, have led to you being plagued by inner demons—this is divine retribution!

Instead of repenting and practicing meditation, they want to harm living beings and steal human life. They are like a snake trying to swallow an elephant, their greed is insatiable!

I think you're all shameless cowards, sticking your heads out of coffins! Sooner or later, you'll be struck by lightning and annihilated, body and soul!

Bai Susu's scolding was crisp and delicate, yet it was also barbed and sarcastic.

He mixed together the Buddhist principles and Zen wisdom he had overheard at the foot of Mount Ling with the vulgar slang and colloquialisms of the marketplace, and hurled them at her relentlessly.

She was confident in her appearance and had just come from a pure land like Mount Ling, so she looked down on these bloodthirsty and filthy demons who roamed the mountains and fields.

At this critical moment of life and death, fear turned to anger, so he decided to go all out and just want to vent his anger.

The two demons, Golden Ring and Black Ring, were drinking and making merry when they were suddenly berated by the delicate drug ingredient in the cage.

They were stunned for a moment, but after hearing what was said, the expressions on their two demon faces became quite interesting.

"Pah!"

Bai Susu was still not satisfied. Through the cage bars, she lightly touched Wu Huan Tai Sui's dark face, which reeked of alcohol:

"You two plague-ridden worms, what right do you have to talk about destiny?"

While I was listening to lectures at the Great Thunder Temple, you were still freezing in some filthy swamp!

She took a breath, her chest heaving slightly, and continued cursing:

"Suppressing inner demons? I think you're just drinking poison to quench your thirst, courting your own death!"

Having relied on demonic energy for quick success, now it's backfiring on you. The feeling of your heart burning inside must be unpleasant.

Greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt—the five poisons are all present! These inner demons are your own doing; what do they have to do with me?

Trying to use your great-aunt as medicine? Like a toad lusting after a swan! What a pipe dream!

Be careful, or you might suffer indigestion. A tiny spark of Buddhist wisdom could backfire and burn your meager spiritual progress to ashes. That would be karmic retribution, and you'd deserve it!

King Jin Huan slammed the skull-shaped wine bowl he was holding onto the stone table with a thud, and instead of being angry, he laughed.

A pair of golden, scale-like eyes sized up the woman in the cage, then it grinned widely:

"Tsk tsk, what a sharp-tongued rat spirit!"

"She really is from Mount Ling; she has such a sharp tongue and a fiery temper!"

Wu Huan Tai Sui was even more irritable. Upon hearing this, he snorted coldly, his dark eyes flashing with a fierce light.

"Bah! What sacred chants of Mount Ling? They're nothing but thieving rats who dare to pretend to be big shots!"

"Brother, why waste words with this prisoner? It only spoils the drinking experience! Once that old devil from Jieyang Mountain arrives, let's see how long she can keep up her stubbornness!"

Seeing that the two of them didn't take her angry words to heart at all and were even joking around, Bai Susu felt even more resentful.

Hearing Wu Huan Tai Sui mention alchemy again, he became even more bitter, and his eyes reddened even more.

He gripped the black iron cage bars tightly with his slender hands, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

"You...you two murderers!"

Do you really think I'm some kind of dough figurine that can be kneaded and shaped at will?

I've heard Vajra glares and seen Bodhisattvas lower their brows on Mount Ling, but I've never seen such foolish creatures who don't understand destiny and don't cultivate merit!

When demonic energy invades the body, the heart burns itself out; this is the fault of one's own making!

Instead of seeking the righteous path of tranquility and non-action, they choose to commit these heinous and immoral acts!

I see you as a snow lion drawn to a fire, half-melted, not far from the calamity of utter annihilation!

She took a breath and said hurriedly:

"Let me out! Although I haven't attained enlightenment, I have heard the wonderful teachings and know about cause and effect!"

If you harm me, how could the Buddha of Lingshan not know?

Aren't you afraid...aren't you afraid of divine retribution?!

When King Jinhuan heard her mention divine retribution, he raised an eyebrow slightly, then burst into laughter, his voice echoing throughout the cave:

"Divine retribution? Young lady, you must be out of your mind! This Wujin Mountain, spanning a thousand miles, is our heaven and earth!"

Even the Buddha of the Western Paradise and the immortals of the Eastern Paradise, when they come to my Wujin Cave, they must follow the rules of my brothers!

Your sacred mountain is a hundred and eight thousand miles away, what business is it of yours?

He picked up the wine bowl again, took a sip of the blood wine, squinted his eyes, and spoke with a mocking tone.

"As for the gods? Hehe, little lady, you are the great medicine that the gods delivered to us brothers!"

By consuming you, we've strengthened our foundation and suppressed our inner demons. Who knows, one day my brother and I might be able to live freely as true demons. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Why fear that damn divine retribution?

You should give up your ambitions as soon as possible, stay put, and you'll suffer less indignity.

Wu Huan Tai Sui also grinned maliciously:

"You little rascal who steals oil and candles, how dare you act like a celestial being in front of your grandfather? Bah!"

Brother, why waste your breath on this ungrateful little brat!

"I'll open the cage right now, drag her out, tear off her sharp tongue first, then rip off her delicate skin, and see how long she can keep up her stubbornness!"

He was panting heavily, his fangs bared, and he pointed at Bai Susu viciously, saying:

You called us worms? True!

Your grandpa is a worm that has become a spirit, and I specialize in eating delicate, self-righteous little devils like you!

Struck by lightning? Hmph!

Why don't you see that damned Buddha of Mount Ling or the Dharma Protectors appear to save you?

Clearly, she's a wild demon with no foundation or origin; she's fit to be the alchemist's guide for my brother and me!

Inside the cage, Bai Susu heard the words "wild demon" and "Dan Tou," and felt even more ashamed and indignant. Her eyebrows stood on end and her almond eyes widened.

Ignoring her delicate appearance, she grabbed the cold iron bars with one hand and spat out:

"Bah! You two damned sinners!"

Even if I, Bai Susu, attained enlightenment through illicit means, it was still something I was tainted before the Buddha!

It's so much cleaner than you filthy worms who wallow in those two stinking ditches and play in those rotten mud!

"How dare you mention Buddha? Beware of your grave sins of speech; the hell of having your tongues pulled out already has a place for you!"

She took a breath, her eyes darting around, then suddenly sneered, her voice laced with sarcasm:

"What do you mean by dominating a region? You're just hiding in remote and desolate places, bullying little demons and ghosts, and eating blood and remnants of souls. Do you really think you're someone important?"

You want to learn alchemy? I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible!

My body is a Daoist body, protected by the power of Buddha. Your evil alchemical fire cannot refine me even a little bit; on the contrary, it will burn me!

"When the alchemy furnace explodes, look at this shattered black gold mine—it'll become a snake meat roasting stall!"

These words really hit the two demons where it hurt.

They cultivate by acquiring demonic energy, and what they fear most are the pure and righteous powers such as Buddhist teachings and thunder.

The Golden Ring King's eyes flashed with a fierce light, but he suppressed his anger and said in a sinister tone:

"Okay, okay, okay!"

She's got a silver tongue, she can talk a lot. But no matter how eloquent you are, once the person arrives, you'll be thrown into the fire.

With the addition of a thousand kinds of filthy substances such as [Myriad Filth Demon Saliva] and [Blood Fiend Ginseng], no matter what kind of Buddhist power protects you, it will refine you until your bones are soft and your muscles are weak, and your soul becomes medicine!

Then we'll see if you can still be so stubborn!

Hahaha……"

The two demons laughed wildly, and the lesser demons in the cave joined in with their strange cries and laughter.

Bai Susu felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing about the insidious and poisonous "Ten Thousand Filth Demon Saliva."

But he didn't back down, turning his head away and spitting:

"May these evil spirits and heretics die a horrible death!"

But her voice eventually lowered, and her delicate body in the cage trembled slightly, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell.

The two demons were drinking wine in the cave.

King Jinhuan mentioned the old ghost of Jieyang Mountain, estimating that the time was approaching, and laughed:

"That old ghost monk is a bit slow, so he should be able to get here in a short while."

Brother, let's drink another cup. Once the fire in the alchemy furnace is lit, we'll...

"Report! Your Majesty! Your Highness! Disaster! Disaster!"

A weasel-faced little demon tumbled and crawled into the cave, fell to his knees in front of the pile of bones, his face ashen, and he could barely speak.

"Reporting to the two kings! No... something terrible has happened!"

"A lot of them have come from outside the cave..."

King Jinhuan frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face. He slammed his wine cup down heavily and rebuked:

"What's the panic! Is the sky falling? Have the people from Jieyang Mountain arrived? Why are you so flustered!"