Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Hearing Sun Wukong's words, Jiang Liu slowly opened his eyes, looked at him, and was slightly stunned. He was also a bit surprised, saying, "Little White Dragon went to Western Heaven to receive his title, and he had other purposes as well? What purpose?"

"He said that his uncle, Dragon King of Jing River, seemed mysterious, so he wanted to properly investigate his uncle's cause of death after being conferred in Western Heaven," Sun Wukong sat beside him, picked up an apple from the table, crunched into it, and answered.

"Oh? Is the Dragon King of Jing River really Little White Dragon's uncle?" Jiang Liu asked, somewhat astonished upon hearing this.

Though in his previous life, there were innumerable adaptations of 'Journey to the West,' the relationship between the Dragon King of Jing River and Little White Dragon was seldom emphasized.

Or perhaps in his previous life, he hadn't paid attention to this detail?

"His purpose was to investigate the cause of death of the Dragon King of Jing River?" Jiang Liu mused silently to himself. With this being said, perhaps Little White Dragon could also become a member of his side in the future?

Others might not know, but Jiang Liu, of course, understood how the Dragon King of Jing River died, since back when he was in Chang'an, he had quietly warned the Dragon King.

He knew even clearer, that once this truth was fully revealed, Little White Dragon would inevitably harbor hatred towards Buddhism.

Of course, this matter was quite important to Jiang Liu, but he would not so readily trust him. After obtaining Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound, Jiang Liu carefully inquired about the details of the matter.

Learning that Little White Dragon had gone alone in front of the Statue of Guanyin to worship, and then chatted with Sun Wukong, recounting his purpose in going to Western Heaven to be conferred, these details made Jiang Liu silently nod.

Despite feeling that he would not lie to Sun Wukong about this issue, because Little White Dragon was a loyal supporter of the grand mission of scripture seeking in the West, Jiang Liu still did not easily believe him.

"Hmm, this is indeed quite important news, as for the truth of this matter, we will have to carefully investigate it later," Jiang Liu said after pondering for a moment.

To Jiang Liu, the news Sun Wukong brought back was indeed important, but it still required thorough and careful investigation.

Questions such as whether or not Little White Dragon and the Dragon King of Jing River were truly related, or what their relationship was like, if they had always been on good terms?

Sun Wukong's personality, though often hasty, had a term to describe it: crafty. Throughout the Journey to the West, Sun Wukong indeed had moments of being clever.

Thus, despite lacking a grand vision and long-term perspective, Sun Wukong was still quite crafty and understood what his and Jiang Liu's purposes were.

Therefore, after hearing the real purpose of Little White Dragon, he also thought it necessary to inform Jiang Liu.

A quiet night passed in cultivation, and a whole night of cultivation yielded quite a lot of experience points.

The next morning, as usual, Jinchi rose, washed up, but suddenly saw two disciples from the temple, one carrying water and the other carrying washing towels and toiletries, heading towards the Zen Room where Master Xuanzang was.

"Junior Brother, let's hurry, let's not let the other senior brothers beat us to it. The two who guided Master Xuanzang yesterday got his autograph, a real treasure from Master Xuanzang himself — I hope we also can," said the monk carrying water, rushing.

"You saw how smug those two guys were yesterday, just over two words? Today I must get it too," added the other monk carrying towels, visibly annoyed but even more determined. The two walked very quickly.

After they passed, in just a short moment, two more monks walked past.

However, what they were carrying was not toiletries but breakfast: a bowl of hot porridge, two steamed buns, and a few side dishes.

...

"Abbot, you got up quite early today," a middle-aged monk approached Jinchi, handed him his cane, and spoke.

Abbot Jinchi was already over 200 years old, and his daily meals were normally prepared by himself.

"Hmm, I feel quite spirited today, so I got up early. What is going on with those people?" Jinchi took the cane and asked.

It was only a matter of one evening, it seemed that Master Xuanzang was even more revered?

"Oh, last night, two disciples in the monastery guided Master Xuanzang. Before leaving, Master Xuanzang personally wrote down his Dharma name for them, calling it an autograph; they were so thrilled. Thus, many disciples today wanted to please Master Xuanzang and also hoped to get an autograph," the middle-aged monk replied.

"I see," Jinchi nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Given Master Xuanzang's status, it was only natural for the other disciples to want to keep his calligraphy.

In the Zen Room, Jiang Liu truly enjoyed a celebrity-level treatment; someone had prepared washing utensils, breakfast was served, and even the desserts and fruits after breakfast were all provided. The only thing missing was someone feeding Jiang Liu by hand.

This enthusiastic manner indeed made one feel overwhelmed.

"How did Master Xuanzang find the breakfast?" Just after finishing his meal, Jiang Liu took a piece of silk cloth to wipe his mouth as the aged voice of Jinchi, bending slightly with a walking stick, approached him, speaking with a gentle and kind expression.

Seeing Jinchi approaching, the surrounding monks naturally did not dare to behave improperly and all stepped aside.

"Hmm, it's just that everyone is too enthusiastic, which I'm not quite accustomed to," Jiang Liu replied with a slight smile to Jinchi's words.

"No one minds such courtesy; since the Master has finished breakfast, this old monk will take you to the grand hall to recite scriptures and worship Buddha," Jinchi replied cheerfully, nodding and personally leading Jiang Liu to the grand hall.

After all, Jiang Liu had said when he first arrived that he wanted to pay a proper visit to the Guanyin Zen Temple.

"Thank you," Jiang Liu said, joining his hands in a modest and polite gesture of gratitude, and followed Jinchi out.

"By the way, Master, I wonder if it would be convenient for you to give this old monk one of your autographs to cherish?" Jinchi suddenly asked as they were walking out.

"Um, of course..." upon hearing Jinchi, Jiang Liu was momentarily taken aback, then immediately nodded.

"Thank you, Master," Jinchi's smile widened upon hearing Jiang Liu agree.

"By the way, Master, you have received Buddha's decree from Bodhisattva Guanyin; this western journey to meet the Tathagata must be a burning desire in your heart. I dare not detain you to hinder your great endeavor.

After the worship, this old monk will personally see you off, hoping that we shall meet again in this lifetime," Jinchi said, leaning on his walking stick, his voice filled with admiration.

Going west to see Buddha, that must be something every monk around the world envies, right?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Cough cough..."

Hearing Jinchi's words, Jiang Liu awkwardly coughed twice and said, "Actually, I quite like it here, and you, Elder, have lived over two hundred years with profound knowledge of the Buddhist Law. I would like to stay a few more days to seek teachings from you."

"Master Xuanzang, you flatter me. How could this old monk's understanding of the Buddhist Law possibly compare to yours? After all, your poem, the 'Formless Gatha,' has long been celebrated across the world," Jinchi responded with a smile blooming like a flower, yet with a somewhat startled demeanor, hastily waving his hand.

"Elder, you are too modest; as the proverb goes, there is a teacher among every three I walk with."

"Master, please do not flatter this old monk; I would never dare to show off my knowledge of Buddhism in front of you."

"How about we discuss it mutually?"

"In that case, this old monk asks for your guidance," Jinchi said.

Alas...

After much discussion, Jinchi finally nodded in agreement, causing Jiang Liu to secretly sigh in relief.

He had really worn out his lips trying to find an excuse to stay a few more days.