"Hahaha..."
Clear, ringing laughter echoed across the square.
The man laughed until tears streamed from his eyes. He wiped their corners and looked at Xuanzang, his gaze filled with admiration.
"Xuanzang, how did you recognize me?"
Xuanzang slowly rose from the Lion Throne, pressed his palms together, and bowed respectfully to the man below the platform, a gentle smile touching his lips.
"When telling a story, how could one tell only half of it?"
"Though Bhikshu Shengyi fell into hell and suffered boundless torment for slandering the true Dharma in a moment of anger, he cultivated through countless tribulations, cleansed his sins, and ultimately attained enlightenment."
Xuanzang paused, his voice clear and resonant.
"The world reverently calls him Manjushri Bodhisattva."
"He embraces all prajna, is honored as foremost in wisdom, and stands at the head of all bodhisattvas."
Xuanzang looked at the man before him with a soft smile. "And as for someone who enjoys taking countless incarnations, manifesting in the mortal world, and testing cultivators with such blunt words, this humble monk truly cannot think of anyone besides you."
Before his words had faded,
the man turned with easy grace.
As he turned, the ordinary Ochre Dragon Robe on his body dissolved into motes of golden light.
When he turned back,
not a trace of the Wuji Kingdom Ruler's appearance remained!
He wore the Five-Wisdom Crown upon his head and the Celestial Garment upon his body, with a Bejeweled Necklace draped around him, resplendent with precious light.
His right hand held a treasured sword aloft, while his left held the Blue Lotus Sutra Scroll.
His sacred countenance was solemn, yet brimming with youthful vitality. Rather than a bodhisattva, he looked more like a graceful scholar-swordsman, spirited and full of confidence.
Across the Dharma assembly square, thousands of monks and