The Buddhist Sect's Cigarette Problem

Seeing the Buddha puffing out clouds of smoke with an utterly blissful expression.

Many of the Buddhas wanted to know what those cigarettes tasted like. If even the Buddha was addicted to them, they had to be good stuff.

Hmm?

That was right. Besides the Buddha, Lingji Bodhisattva was smoking too.

After work.

Several Buddhas gathered in Lingji Bodhisattva's meditation chamber. Their purpose was obvious: they had come for cigarettes.

Wasn't that why they said smart heads did not grow hair? Lingji Bodhisattva did not have a single strand of hair on his head.

His eyes shifted slightly as he took out a cigarette. "To be honest, this stuff is quite a treasure. Just look at the Buddha, and you'll understand."

Naturally. They had all seen the Buddha's blissful expression clearly.

"I don't have much left either. Everyone can take a puff from this cigarette and have a taste."

Lingji Bodhisattva lit the cigarette and took the first puff himself. Then he handed it to Manjushri Bodhisattva.

Ever since he had caused the two of them to get lost because of smoking, they had remained somewhat displeased with him.

Besides, Manjushri and Samantabhadra were the highest-ranking Bodhisattvas here.

Good things naturally ought to be tasted by them first.

Manjushri Bodhisattva took a puff, and his eyes immediately lit up. It really was good stuff.

No wonder the Buddha so often had one hanging from his lips.

He passed it to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, who also took a puff.

One cigarette was only enough for a handful of people to sample.

As for those who had not gotten a taste, they became even more eager to take a puff.

Someone thus suggested that the next time Lingji Bodhisattva saw Tang Sanzang, he should bring back a pack of cigarettes for them as well.

Lingji Bodhisattva happily agreed. The Buddha could not easily leave Spirit Mountain, so he was also counting on Lingji Bodhisattva to bring back cigarettes.

That had been his plan all along.

He had already calculated the price of the cigarettes in his heart.

With all the treasures he had brought, Tang Sanzang had only given him three packs.

But he told everyone else it had been two packs.

He had to make a little profit off the difference, didn't he?

Some thought the price was rather expensive, but treasures like cigarettes were well worth it.

Manjushri Bodhisattva felt that this suggestion was inappropriate. Lingji Bodhisattva was running errands for everyone, and it would be wrong not to give him some benefit.

Thus, he raised the price a little.

That way, Lingji Bodhisattva, the middleman, could earn a commission.

Lingji Bodhisattva was overjoyed and recited a Buddhist invocation. "Amitabha. Since that is the case, please quickly bring out your treasures. I will descend to the mortal realm shortly and find Tang Sanzang to exchange for some cigarettes, so everyone can have a taste."

Taking the treasures prepared by the Buddhas, Lingji Bodhisattva hurried down to the mortal realm.

They had not been waiting for the White Bone Demon, yet Lingji Bodhisattva arrived instead.

Tang Yu found it a little strange. "What are you here for?"

"Cigarettes."

Lingji Bodhisattva was direct, using one word to state his purpose.

He had already smoked them all so quickly?

That old fellow sure smoked a lot.

"How many do you want?"

"As many as you have."

Lingji Bodhisattva gave a domineering smile.

He had brought plenty of treasures with him, so naturally he was full of confidence.

"I'm afraid you can't afford them."

To Tang Yu, cigarettes were absurdly easy to obtain.

He only needed to exchange for them through the system.

With a wave of Lingji Bodhisattva's hand, a pile of treasures appeared before Tang Yu.

Among them were several quite valuable treasures, but Lingji Bodhisattva had secretly kept those for himself.

The three disciples stared at their master in confusion.

They had no idea what was going on.

Lingji Bodhisattva had traveled all the way from Spirit Mountain just to exchange for cigarettes.

At that moment, the three of them felt rather fortunate. Thankfully, they followed Tang Yu, so they never lacked cigarettes and did not have to pay for them.

The treasures Lingji Bodhisattva had brought last time had exchanged for nearly two hundred thousand Destiny Points.

Tang Yu communicated with the system and asked how many Destiny Points this pile of items before him could be exchanged for.

"One million three hundred thousand," the system answered.

With one million three hundred thousand Destiny Points, added to what he already had, he could exchange for the Nine-Nine Heavenly Merit exactly.

For two hundred thousand Destiny Points, he had given him three packs last time.

Yet exchanging cigarettes from the system only cost him fifty Destiny Points.

This was simply a massive profit.

This time, Tang Yu directly exchanged for nineteen packs and tossed them to Lingji Bodhisattva.

"Actually, these should only get you eighteen packs, but I'm giving you one extra," Tang Yu said.

Looking at the cigarettes, Lingji Bodhisattva was overjoyed, though he still gave a haughty snort.

He was a Bodhisattva, after all. He had to maintain his pride.

He gathered up the cigarettes, turned, and left.

Western Heaven.

The Buddhas once more gathered in Lingji Bodhisattva's meditation chamber, all waiting eagerly.

With a wave of Lingji Bodhisattva's hand, thirteen packs of cigarettes appeared.

As for the remaining six packs, those were his.

Tang Yu had profited, and so had he.

It could be said that he had not contributed a single treasure, yet he had gotten six packs of cigarettes and secretly hidden away two treasures.

The spoils were divided according to the value of the treasures everyone had contributed.

The division was exceptionally meticulous. Some people had contributed fewer treasures and could only receive three cigarettes.

Naturally, Lingji Bodhisattva was the one distributing the cigarettes.

But some clever people had also begun profiting from the price difference.

"Brother, want a smoke? I've got one here."

"How many treasures for it?"

Couldn't afford a pack? No problem. You could buy a single cigarette.

A business model of using cigarettes to earn magical treasures swiftly spread throughout Western Heaven.

Of course, the one earning the most was still Lingji Bodhisattva.

Tathagata Buddha naturally knew every detail of what those below were doing.

He did not stop them.

Because whenever he ran out of cigarettes, he simply asked them for some. Who would dare refuse him?

So this was also a good thing for the Buddha.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, who was secretly observing the Journey to the West group, was considering how to make this trial proceed.

But what concerned her more was the problem with her state of mind.

The damage to her state of mind was now difficult to repair.

It was not as if there were no solution.

Everything had begun because of Tang Sanzang. Killing him would solve it as well.

But that method was unrealistic.

It seemed she could only slowly think of another way.

White Bone Cave.

Bai Jingjing had not made another move for a long time.

Ever since that feeling had appeared that day, she had become even more lost.

She often stroked the golden silk around her body.

She suddenly realized that this golden silk was very similar to Sun Wukong's golden monkey fur.

After a long while, she transformed into the appearance of a village girl once more.

She prepared to act again.

Tang Yu would occasionally send Sun Wukong away, all so he could wait for the White Bone Demon.

Watching the village girl in the distance approach with a basket on her arm.

He secretly smiled to himself.

She was here.

The sudden appearance of this village girl naturally made Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing suspicious.

"Who are you?"

"This little woman is called Bai Jingjing and lives at the foot of the mountain. Seeing that you venerable masters have remained here for a long time, I brought some vegetarian food for you. I hope you will not find it lacking." As Bai Jingjing spoke, she lifted the cover of the basket, revealing several large white steamed buns.