Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

By this time, Xuanzang had been in India for over two years. His travels had already made him renowned throughout Indian Buddhist circles. Hundreds of monks from Nalanda, carrying flowers, welcomed this foreign monk from afar with a grand ceremony. When, accompanied by twenty monks, Xuanzang paid homage to the revered abbot of Nalanda, the highest authority on Mahayana Buddhism in all of India, the Venerable Śīlabhadra (a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Śīlabhadra), he bowed deeply to him, performing the disciple's rites, his heart filled with immense joy.

Subsequently, the accomplished Buddhist monk Xuanzang returned to Chang'an with the Tripitaka (Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma) and widely propagated Buddhism.

This is the historical origin of "Journey to the West," but how much of it is consistent with mythology is unknown.

"boom!"

As Samael was pondering to himself, he accidentally bumped into a figure walking towards him, and the travel brochure in his hand was thrown to the ground.

The two swayed slightly, straightened up, and looked up at each other in surprise.

Samael was the first to come over, looking at the other side and asking with a smile.

"Are you alright, little girl?"

A girl with brown hair and eyes, twin ponytails, two gold rings on her wrists, and a red lotus-shaped pattern between her eyebrows came back to her senses, chuckled and shook her head. She then picked up the travel brochure from the ground, looked at the open page, and asked curiously.

"You're going to Nalanda Monastery?"

Samael took the travel brochure and nodded slightly.

"What's so fun about that lousy place? It's just a bunch of broken trees and rotten rocks every day. I'm so tired of it."

The girl scratched her head and waved her hand listlessly.

"We're not going there to have fun, we're going to find someone."

Looking at the lively and spirited girl in front of her, Hinako felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and subconsciously explained her purpose.

"Find someone?"

The girl's eyes darted around, and a smile spread across her face.

"Perfect timing! I know a shortcut to Nalanda Monastery that avoids the queue."

Following the girl's direction, Hinako glanced at the throng of people nearby, swallowed hard, and looked inquiringly at the leader, Samael.

"Come on, come on, I'll take you there, it's free!"

At this moment, the enthusiastic young girl volunteered, grabbed Samael's arm, and led the four of them through the crowded people, heading towards the backyard of Nalanda Monastery.

Perhaps because it was under maintenance, the further you went in, the fewer people there were, while the vegetation became more lush, presenting a primitive and rustic appearance.

They walked for a full twenty minutes, their steps uneven, but the girl leading the way showed no sign of stopping.

Hinako Akuta, growing impatient, frowned and asked, "How much further?"

"Almost there, almost there!" the girl turned her head and answered with a grin, pulling Samael along to get going.

However, the figure standing still remained motionless, its snake-like vertical pupils slightly narrowed, and it spoke softly with a half-smile.

"This shouldn't be the road to Landa Monastery, right, Third Prince..."

Instantly, the girl leading the way stopped abruptly, her pure and innocent smile freezing on her face.

Third Prince.jpg

Chapter Twenty-Two: Supernatural Powers Cannot Overcome Fate

The girl turned her head, feigning composure, but looking completely bewildered.

"What did you say?"

"Stop pretending, Third Prince, you've already given yourself away."

At this moment, Tamamo-no-Mae, who had been nowhere to be seen, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, dusted off the grass clippings on her body, rolled her eyes, and snorted softly.

"Fox spirit! You're even here!"

Upon seeing that stunningly beautiful face, the girl was startled and her expression froze. She immediately leaped back, assuming a defensive stance, her face showing an air of complete understanding.

"Hmph, I knew you guys were up to no good!"

Her chance encounter at the market had revealed that the person carrying a full load of stuff was no ordinary person.

The search for Nalanda Monastery was certainly not for sightseeing; there was probably some other purpose behind it.

The plan was to lure them to a secluded place for a thorough interrogation, but they unexpectedly confessed and revealed their true colors.

Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, we absolutely cannot let them live!

Flames surged around the girl, and a spear with a flame-shaped tip, its tassel shimmering with purple light, and a shaft over eighteen feet long, appeared in her fair palm. She frowned and snorted coldly.

"You heretics, your death is nigh!"

The fox spirit, who had been prepared all along, cunningly retreated to the back after stirring up trouble, leaving the pressure on Samael at the front.

Facing the angry girl wielding a fire-tipped spear, Samael shook his head and rubbed his forehead while casting a sinister glance at the suddenly appearing demon concubine "Daji".

This vixen arrived at the perfect time, and the moment she appeared, she completely confirmed their suspicions.

Given the feud between Su Daji and this Nezha, they didn't even need to bother with "excuses."

Thank you so much.

As the ancient snake mentally added a bad note to its record about this scoundrel, it stomped forward and threw a punch.

The sharp punch struck the Fire-Tipped Spear squarely, unleashing a violent force like a landslide and tsunami, sending the charging Nezha flying like a cannonball.

He slid back a full hundred meters before finally regaining his balance and dissipating the force on his body.

So strong!

Faced with a formidable foe, the girl not only did not back down, but instead was filled with excitement and her fighting spirit was ignited.

"Not bad, then I won't be polite! Manifest your true form, with three heads and six arms!"

Amidst a low shout of excitement, a hundred-foot-long burst of flame erupted from the girl's body, transforming her into a three-headed, six-armed form. She stood on a golden wheel, her arms adorned with the Universe Ring, her body wrapped in the Hun Tian Ling, one pair holding a Fire-Tipped Spear, another pair holding a Yin-Yang Sword, and the last pair holding a Vajra Pestle. Lotus flowers bloomed in her six eyes, and a fragrant aroma permeated the surroundings.

Samael took a deep breath and smacked his lips.

It tastes a bit like stewed lotus root with the delicate fragrance of lotus flowers...

Instantly, the perceptive Nezha sensed the offense in that strange gaze, and he became furious, swinging his Fire-Tipped Spear to launch a preemptive attack.

The burning spearheads, accompanied by overwhelming flames, formed a raging torrent of fire that consumed everything in its path, advancing with overwhelming force.

"boom!"

Fifteen minutes later, a humanoid object bound like a rice dumpling with red silk landed heavily on the ground, struggling and writhing like a turtle in a market that refused to accept its fate.

The more she struggled, the more the red ribbon dug into her flesh, creating more noticeable diamond-shaped marks and outlines.

"Ghost Armor Binding? You're quite skilled at it."

As the dust settled, a head peeked out from behind, its gaze fixed on the knot binding Nezha, its eyes full of mockery.

Samael, who was clapping, suddenly stopped and coughed repeatedly.

"Ahem, just doing it on the spur of the moment..."

"I was careless just now. If you're so capable, let me go! Let's have another match!"

At this moment, the girl on the ground, bound in her own magic ribbon, looked indignant.

Samael naturally ignored this request, turned to look at the fox spirit beside him, and reached out his hand in an annoyed manner.

"Bring it!"

Tamamo-no-Mae reluctantly took out a jade talisman from her pocket and handed it to Samael.

Samael then squatted down, held up the jade talisman in his hand, and waved it in front of Nezha.

"Do you recognize this? Marshal Zhongtan?"

As the familiar patterns on the jade talisman came into view, the girl was taken aback.

"The Prime Minister's token? How did this end up in your hands?!"

"We come from Kunlun. We have some matters we wish to discuss with the great master of Mount Ling who lives in seclusion here. We would be grateful if the Third Prince could introduce us."

Despite his overwhelming military superiority, Samael spoke in a very official and polite manner because he needed Samael's help.

However, due to preconceived notions, the girl remained unmoved.

"Hmph, fake! Don't try to fool me! You're definitely here for that thing!"

"That thing?"

Samael was slightly taken aback, his eyes showing surprise.

"Trying to get information out of me? No way!"

The girl turned her head away, looking completely unmoved.

"Why don't you hand her over to me?" Tamamo-no-Mae rubbed her hands together with ill intent, eager to try. "I guarantee she'll throw up even how old she was when she wet the bed."

As a former concubine of the Shang Dynasty, she had a long history of conflict with this vanguard officer of the Zhou Dynasty.

Right now, it's a good time to settle both the old and new scores together.

"Gulp, kill me if you dare, I'd rather die than tell!"

The girl stubbornly refused to yield, even at the cost of her life.

Samael ignored Tamamo-no-Mae's malicious self-recommendation and the girl's unruly demeanor. He glanced at the walls of Nalanda Monastery not far away, then at the girl in front of him, his eyes darting around.

According to legend, Nezha was originally the son or grandson of Vaishravana, the Heavenly King of Buddhism. His mother was the goddess Lakshmi, and his master was Shakyamuni (the Buddha). He held a halberd, had three heads and six arms, returned his bones to his father and his flesh to his mother, and used his great divine power to preach the Dharma to his parents.

Later, he was introduced to China as a guardian deity of Buddhism and absorbed into Taoism, becoming the young god Nezha. To this day, he is still worshipped and loved in East Asia, centered on China.

Since it's a guardian deity, that means...

Samael, deep in thought, grinned as he walked toward the tightly bound girl on the ground, a thick leather whip appearing in his hand.

"Waaaaah! No, help!"

Immediately, a series of high-pitched, mournful cries soared into the sky, startling a large flock of birds in the forest.

Meanwhile, in a secluded meditation room somewhere in Nalanda Monastery.

The figure sweeping in the backyard paused abruptly upon hearing that familiar voice, and looked up at the wall.

Then, a gentle breeze swept by, and the fallen leaves in the courtyard were automatically gathered into a small pile, while the figure had disappeared with the wind at some point.

The figure rushed into the woods, followed the sound, and headed straight for the tree from which the distress call had come.

"Nezha!"

However, the moment her fingertips touched the target, the person's arm was suddenly pressed down, and with their back to her sobbing figure, they twisted and writh, revealing a completely different appearance.

"caught you!"

Tamamo-no-Mae smiled charmingly and waved to the side.

At that moment, amidst a rustling sound, Samael, carrying the gagged Nezha, led Jiechuzi and Xiao Yangyuhuan out from behind the bushes.

Sure enough, this trick still works when dealing with her.

The probability of encountering a monster and getting caught is 100%, and that's no exaggeration.

The ancient snake looked at its target, smiled, threw the struggling Nezha in its hand, and performed a Buddhist salute.

"It's really not easy to pay my respects to you, Sandalwood Merit Buddha."

"You're cheating!"

As soon as Nezha broke free from the Hun Tian Ling, he glared angrily at the two cunning and treacherous duo and began to accuse them indignantly.

"It's just a temporary measure, sorry for the inconvenience."

Samael smiled, showing no shame, and stepped forward to hand over Taigong Wang's token to the target.

"So it's our distinguished guests from Kunlun who have graced us with their presence. Please, everyone."

Compared to the unruly and stubborn Nezha, this Sandalwood Merit Buddha was obviously easier to communicate with, smiling and inviting everyone inside for a short rest.

"Hey, don't you ever learn? You just got scammed by them, who knows if they're real or fake?"

Seeing that the Sandalwood Merit Buddha beside him believed the other side so easily, Nezha, who had just suffered a silent loss, scolded him with a look of disappointment.

"Nezha, do not be rude. Our Buddha is merciful. No matter what the person seeks or what their identity is, we should open the door of convenience to save all people."

The Buddha earnestly advised, his pure eyes overflowing with compassion and Zen.