Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Along with the respectful salutations, a guard of honor was arranged, and within it, one could see a man of about thirty-five or thirty-six years of age, striding like a dragon and pacing like a tiger, who was undoubtedly the present Emperor of the Great Tang, Li Shimin.

Jiang Liu turned his head and observed Li Shimin carefully.

No matter whether the world he was in was the Tang Dynasty that he knew from history, Li Shimin was a renowned Emperor whose reign he currently resided under, and it was natural for Jiang Liu to take a few extra glances.

Following by Li Shimin's side was a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a gorgeous long gown, which seemed to exude wealth and nobility, and each of her steps appeared to be carried out with impeccable etiquette.

With her delicate features and unapproachable status, her noble demeanor made others feel inferior.

Perhaps it was because they were of a similar age, but nearly all of the young monks on the square had their eyes on Princess Gaoyang.

Jiang Liu's gaze naturally fell upon Gaoyang, and having not seen her for just one week, he found himself missing her deeply.

Unlike what others saw, merely Princess Gaoyang's grace and nobility, Jiang Liu perceived the constraints that so-called royal demeanor placed upon her, which was nothing like the liveliness and naturalness she exhibited during those days behind Jinshan Temple.

"We have seen the Emperor! We have seen the Princess!" In the center of the square, as Li Shimin arrived with Gaoyang, led by Saint Monk Longhai, all the monks of the Great Buddha Temple spoke out and bowed to show their respects.

"Saint Monk Longhai, please, there's no need for formalities. You have worked hard over these years, and today is the great day of the annual Incense Offering Ceremony, so naturally I came to personally attend," Li Shimin said without any pretense of superiority, stretching out his hands to personally help Saint Monk Longhai, who was bowing, to rise.

"It is a great honor for the Great Buddha Temple to have the Emperor come in person. Your Majesty, please take the seat of honor," Even though he bowed his head, Saint Monk Longhai spoke without any servility or haughtiness, and while speaking, he led Li Shimin towards the main seat.

"The Saint Monk is the host of this Incense Offering Ceremony, and I am merely here as an observer; the main seat should be reserved for the Saint Monk," Li Shimin shook his head and did not take the seat of honor, instead taking a seat with Princess Gaoyang on the secondary seat.

"We have seen the Emperor! We have seen the Princess!" Following the Emperor and Princess taking their seats, all the young monks on the square of the Great Buddha Temple, and even those on the sidelines who came to watch the ceremony, kneeled down in unison and called out loudly.

"Everyone, please rise," Li Shimin said, raising his hand.

Jiang Liu stood up and looked at Li Shimin's seat, feeling secretly astonished.

Even the Emperor had to sit in the secondary seat when he came here? It seemed that he had underestimated the Great Buddha Temple and Saint Monk Longhai's capabilities.

But upon further reflection, there had always been a struggle between royal and divine power, and considering that this was a world with real Immortals and Bodhisattvas, was it not understandable that even Emperor Li Shimin should defer to the highest-ranking Holy Monk of the Great Tang, Longhai?

Furthermore, what exactly did Li Shimin mean by the hard work that Saint Monk Longhai had endured? Was he referring to the Incense Offering Ceremony? But this was a matter internal to the Buddhist Sect, so why would Li Shimin come to offer comfort?

"Amitabha Buddha..." A Buddhist chant was intoned, not very loud, but it clearly resounded in everyone's ears. As Saint Monk Longhai began to speak, everyone fell silent.

"From my youth, I received the teachings of the Tathagata in my dreams. Having obtained the Buddhist Law, it is my duty to propagate it to enlighten all sentient beings. Yet, life is suffering for all, and our Buddhist Sect is modest..."

The words spoken by Saint Monk Longhai were not filled with pompous platitudes but gave off a very sincere vibe.

However, Jiang Liu's mind was not on these words. He was only stealthily watching Gaoyang, soothing the pangs of longing in his heart.

Under Jiang Liu's attentive gaze, although Princess Gaoyang sat poised, her eyes swept across the square, searching inconspicuously, and Jiang Liu understood that she was also looking for him.

However, there were hundreds of young monks in the square, each with a shaved head; clearly, she wouldn't be able to find him right away.

"Today, at our Great Buddha Temple, there are 810 disciples participating in the Incense Offering Ceremony. I hope that each one of you will be able to light the incense scar and become a true disciple of the Buddhist Sect!" the words of Saint Monk Longhai were brief, but he concluded with this statement.

As Saint Monk Longhai spoke, the six venerable monks beside him all stood up, each holding a large red incense stick.

Carved with the swastika, the symbol of Buddha, these incense sticks were as thick as a finger; they ignited without fire, turning into twinkling stars.

With the commencement of the Incense Offering Ceremony, young monks, one after another, ascended the platform to partake in the ritual.

The six venerable monks carried out the ceremony simultaneously. Of the six young monks in the first round, only one managed to light an incense scar, while the other five, upon having the burning Great Incense touch their heads, saw the flames extinguish, naturally signifying their failure.

The disciple who had managed to light an incense scar stayed to the side, a joyful expression upon his face.

Those who hadn't, descended with faces dimmed in despair; some even began to sob quietly.

A fifteen-year-old boy's failure in the Incense Offering Ceremony meant he had to leave the monastic life and fend for himself in the world, which was akin to a teenager in modern society having to leave their parents and earn a living. Naturally, they were filled with confusion about the future.

The Incense Offering Ceremony brought joy to some and sorrow to others. Jiang Liu silently watched from the crowd, without saying a word.

However, after about a dozen rounds of the ceremony, Jiang Liu noticed that the success rate of the Incense Offering Ceremony was indeed not high.

Out of fifteen rounds, ninety young monks had stepped up, but only eight managed to light an incense scar, and six of them had achieved only one scar each. The vast majority ended in failure.

Yet with such a low passage rate, it could almost be deemed a failing start. Still, Jiang Liu saw that both the onlookers and the young monks on the square seemed quite composed.

Clearly, the scene before him was considered normal.

"Amitabha, Junior Brother, it's been several days since our parting, yet your grace remains unchanged…," as Jiang Liu observed the Incense Offering Ceremony, a voice rang out behind him.

Jiang Liu turned around to see a young monk dressed in a crescent moon-white robe standing behind him. He looked serenely at Jiang Liu; it was Daoji, whom he had encountered at Esquire Zhang's house before.

"Have you forgotten? You should call me Senior Brother!" It was not surprising that Daoji came to the ceremony, but Jiang Liu hadn't expected him to pick him out in such a crowd.

Even more unexpected, he had the audacity—after being knocked unconscious by Jiang Liu last time, repeatedly calling out "Senior Brother," he addressed himself as "Junior Brother" again upon meeting him today.

Jiang Liu's words reminded Daoji of the time he was beaten, his complexion turning a bit unnatural, but then he whispered, "Over the past few days, while lingering in the Great Buddha Temple, I've come across apt opportunities and learned a new Demon Subduing Technique. After the incense offering, I should like to spar a few moves with you, Junior Brother."

"It seems you've learned some new martial arts in these past days and wish to regain face?" Daoji's words caused Jiang Liu to smirk internally.

In these few days, had he just been idly wasting time? With the Redwood Ring and the Demon Subduing Staff, and his level upgraded to 10, he was still very confident in his heightened abilities during these days.

And for this experience points walking right up to his doorstep, Jiang Liu naturally welcomed it with open arms.

However, changing the subject, Daoji continued, "Of course, all of this depends on whether you can pass the Incense Offering Ceremony. Otherwise, even if I wanted to call you Junior Brother, there will no longer be a chance."