Manjushri Bodhisattva, Foremost in Wisdom

Kasyapa slowly came to, opening his eyes to find Su Yuan meditating beside him.

He let out a long breath. Ignoring the splitting pain at the back of his head, he hurriedly rose and pressed his palms together.

"Amitabha. Excellent, excellent! It is good that Benefactor has returned safely."

Still shaken, he glanced toward Little Western Heaven and said in a low voice:

"That Golden-Winged Roc is wild and ferocious by nature, causing trouble everywhere, so the Buddha imprisoned him there."

"His elder sister, Buddha-Mother Peacock Great King Bodhisattva, is also there keeping watch while cultivating in seclusion. That Bodhisattva... sigh, she is exceedingly narrow-minded and protects her brother as if her life depended on it..."

Su Yuan was speechless.

[Does this Buddhist sect have even one normal person?]

[One Ananda who only buries himself in cultivation and wants nothing but to discuss Buddhism.]

[One Kasyapa with social anxiety who cannot even get a sentence out properly.]

[One blond delinquent ghostfire youth, Golden-Winged Roc, plus his two deadbeat brothers.]

[And one brother-obsessed Kong Xuan.]

[No wonder the Western Sect's two Saints worry themselves sick every day.]

[With such a whole gang of bizarre creatures in their sect, the fact that the two Saints have not started over from scratch already proves they are tough as nails.]

Within Great Thunderclap Temple, an Arhat could not help speaking first:

"Ancient Buddha, that Golden-Winged Roc is exceptionally savage and unruly, and Peacock Great King Bodhisattva personally stands guard over him. The risk of provoking her is immense. Why would Su Yuan brave such peril and insist on seeking out that Roc? This junior has pondered it a hundred times without understanding."

Dipamkara Ancient Buddha was an old schemer. Recalling all of Su Yuan's actions since entering the Buddhist realm, he slowly spoke:

"There is a conspiracy!"

Everyone in Thunderclap Temple was startled!

"Ancient Buddha, what conspiracy? Could the Eastern Heavenly Court be plotting against us?"

Dipamkara shook his head.

"It is not aimed at you. It is aimed at me."

"Su Yuan would rather offend Kong Xuan than refrain from seeking Golden-Winged Roc. There must be a conspiracy behind this."

"His Buddha-nature runs deep, and he knows the hidden secrets of the Buddhist realm. Could he be a hidden piece the Buddha left behind before entering extinction—or even the Buddha's incarnation?"

"And with the Jade Emperor's true body absent from the Heavenly Court, could he be incarnating as Su Yuan and secretly manipulating the next great tribulation?"

The more Dipamkara spoke, the more agitated he became, his face gradually twisting.

"I offended so many people in the last War of the Gods. Could someone be borrowing Su Yuan's hand to take revenge upon me?"

Kasyapa could no longer contain his doubts either and asked directly:

"Layman Su, why are you so determined to see that Golden-Winged Roc?"

Su Yuan jumped at the question. He had taken ten million spirit stones from the Roc Demon King; how could he openly admit that he was trying to find his descendants someone powerful to back them?

He could only put on a troubled expression, cup his hands, and answer vaguely:

"Sigh, Venerable, ask no more. Having accepted another's trust, I must carry out their task. Through mountains of blades and seas of fire, I shall not shrink back."

Manjushri Bodhisattva in Great Thunderclap Temple was foremost in wisdom—and best at filling in the blanks.

Hearing Su Yuan's answer and considering his lavish spending,

Great Bodhisattva Manjushri had already pieced together an entire grand drama in his mind. He leisurely recited:

"The youth bore a hero's spirit, befriending champions of the five cities. Hearts and guts laid bare, hair standing on end. In a few words, life and death were shared. A single promise weighed heavier than a thousand gold."

"Excellent! I understand now! Fellow Daoist Su Yuan has no conspiracy or scheme at all. He is practicing the chivalrous spirit of old! For a friend's single promise, he would brave fire and water; even scattering ten thousand gold would not be regretted. Though facing the divine might of Peacock Great King, he would not retreat! Such sincerity, such faithfulness—how could it not move us?"

The moment Manjushri offered this "profound interpretation," the emotions within the hall exploded!

Especially the three thousand travelers of the mortal world who had once belonged to the Interception Sect before being brought into the Western Sect—they were deeply stirred upon hearing it.

"A promise worth a thousand gold—that is a true hero!"

"Heh heh, were we not the same back then? With one 'Fellow Daoist, please stay' from Junior Brother Shen Gongbao, I cast aside a thousand years of quiet cultivation. Though I knew it was a tribulation, I still descended the mountain to lend my brothers a hand!"

Several Arhats from Ji Province, who placed loyalty and righteousness above all else, were moved to tears.

Dipamkara had been slapped in the face. Seeing everyone bring up old matters from the War of the Gods, he did not dare say more. Leaving behind one sentence, he vanished.

"Ananda, remember to turn those four million spirit stones over to the public accounts later. Our Western Sect is impoverished to begin with, and there are many places where funds are needed. How can they be wasted so casually?"

On the return journey, atop the clouds.

"Fellow Daoist Su Yuan, what have you been busy with? You vanished for several days."

Someone asked casually.

Su Yuan gave a hollow laugh.

"Nothing much, nothing much. Just wandering around and taking in the scenery."

The other members of the Heavenly Court delegation all wore smug expressions, showing off the "spoils" from their trip to one another.

"Look! I stood in line for three whole hours before I managed to snatch up this miniature model of Thunderclap Temple from Spirit Mountain's cultural shop! Look at those upturned eaves and bracket sets, look at those glazed tiles! At morning and evening prayers, it even produces faint Buddhist chants on its own—as though bells are truly ringing!"

"What does yours count for? I finally managed to obtain half a small bottle of water from the Eight-Treasure Merit Pool. Once I return, I'll feed it to the red carp in my pond. Perhaps they will shed their scales and grow horns, attaining the body of true dragons."

"I bought Spirit Mountain's specialty 'Tranquil Mind, Focused Spirit' sandalwood incense. Take one whiff, and your thoughts become clear! Every worldly worry vanishes!"

One immortal official proudly raised a shimmering, radiant branch in his hand.

"Heh heh, see this? I picked it up beneath the Seven-Treasure Wondrous Tree—a branch that 'naturally fell off'!"

"You had better have really picked it up."

After everyone laughed and joked for a while, someone suddenly turned the topic toward the silent Su Yuan.

"Young friend Su Yuan, what about you? Did you trade for any fine treasures? Show us and broaden everyone's horizons."

"Yes, yes,"

another chimed in,

"Your master, Venus Star Lord, privately said that you are a clever lad who never returns empty-handed. This time, in the treasure land of Spirit Mountain, you must have gotten something even better. Hurry and take it out for us to see!"

Su Yuan grew even more embarrassed at this.

Ever since leaving Little Western Heaven, he had felt that everyone throughout Spirit Mountain looked at him with an indescribably strange gaze.

His conscience was already guilty, and those ever-present stares made him uncomfortable all over.

For the past few days, he had simply kept his door tightly shut and waited quietly for the return journey.

The delegation's cloud traveled eastward, preparing to speed away from Spirit Mountain's sacred realm.

Suddenly! Streams of auspicious light chased after them from behind, ten thousand rays of rosy glow and a thousand streaks of brilliant color.

It was actually a group of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats from Great Thunderclap Temple!

Led by Manjushri and Samantabhadra, all wore smiles as they instantly surrounded the Heavenly Court delegation's cloud.

Several leading Buddhas even flew straight before Su Yuan, grabbed his hand, and spoke with the warmth of blood brothers:

"Brother! Brother Su Yuan! Slow down, slow down! Why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

Su Yuan was utterly bewildered and instinctively tried to pull his hand back.

[Great monk, who are you?]

"Brother Su Yuan is fated with our Buddha; at first sight, we felt like old friends! This little trinket, the 'Eight-Treasure Glazed Cup,' is merely a token of this humble monk's regard. You must accept it! Come visit Spirit Mountain often in the future!"

An Arhat gave Su Yuan no chance to refuse, stuffing a treasure-radiant cup into his hands.

Another Bodhisattva squeezed forward, offering a string of prayer beads.

"Fellow Daoist Su is righteous enough to pierce the clouds and possesses a forthright nature. This humble monk greatly admires you! These 'Tranquil Bodhi Beads' are what this humble monk handles daily. They may offer a little help in cultivation, so you must not refuse!"

"Fellow Daoist Su! This is my miniature gold ornament of a 'Vajra Pestle,' to ward off evil and suppress Baleful Intent!"

"Young friend Su! This is 'Ruyi Cake,' a specialty from my hometown. Sweet without being cloying, it replenishes spiritual power!"

"And mine! This is something I have treasured..."

"Please accept this humble monk's offering as well..."