Manjushri spread his hands at those words, his face a picture of innocence. "Now, don't put it like that. You can't blame me for this. Didn't you choose it yourself?"
The Wuji Kingdom Ruler grew even angrier. Trembling all over, he pointed at Manjushri's face, his voice cracking:
"You pushed me down there with your own hands, took on my appearance, and seized my kingdom! Was that my choice?"
Bodhisattva Manjushri shook his head.
He swept a hand across his face. Golden light flashed, and the blue-robed monk's appearance changed. His features became delicate, his expression gentle. He wore old monk's robes washed nearly white and held a battered alms bowl.
"Your Majesty, look closely. Do you still recognize this humble monk?"
The Wuji Kingdom Ruler's eyes widened. His lips trembled, and he stumbled two steps backward as though he had seen a ghost. "It's... it's you?" he cried involuntarily.
Watching from the side, Sun Wukong could not help scratching his cheek and grinning:
"Oh? So after all that, it turns out you'd met before?"
Bodhisattva Manjushri returned to his youthful appearance in blue monk's robes and curled his lip:
"Several years ago, I took the form of this wandering monk and came here specifically to guide him to salvation."
"I entered the palace to beg for a meal and challenged him with a few words. He failed to recognize my good intentions, had me tied up with a rope, and sent me into the Imperial Water River, where he kept me submerged for three days and three nights!"
After hearing this, the astonishment on the Wuji Kingdom Ruler's face turned into a bleak, sorrowful smile.
His hand dropped limply, and he nodded repeatedly in self-mockery:
"So that's it... so that's it!"
"I understand now. This was no trial to