Now, Wukong's coaxing had left the Yellow-Browed Old Demon utterly spellbound.
This was because the Yellow-Browed Old Demon was merely the Qing Attendant boy serving Maitreya Buddha. His standing was ordinary, and he had never truly glimpsed the realm of those with great supernatural abilities.
Or, in a sense, many like him in the Three Realms would never have even one chance at attainment of the Dao in their entire lives. Even a glimpse of that level was an extravagant hope.
Ao Tu's five attainments of the Dao were exceedingly rare-indeed, they could be called utterly without precedent.
Previously, after Ao Tu had attained the Dao once, Guanyin Bodhisattva had begun treating him as a peer. That alone offered a glimpse of what it meant.
This was a gulf between levels.
Before Ao Tu, the claim that eating a Śarīra could make one a Buddha would have been exposed in an instant. Yet the Yellow-Browed Old Demon had sunk so deeply into it that he could not pull himself free.
The Yellow-Browed Old Demon untied the Bundle at his waist and said, "Very well, I'll trade it to you. But I fear that even if you take this Bundle, you won't dare keep it."
Wukong laughed. "Why wouldn't I dare? If you're willing to trade, I'll dare accept it. There's nothing in this world that I, old-"
"What?" asked the Yellow-Browed Old Demon.
Realizing he had nearly let something slip, Wukong hurriedly said, "Nothing. I said I'm a disciple of the Venerable Ananda, with Buddha behind me. What would I not dare accept?"
The Yellow-Browed Old Demon sneered. "I fear even Ananda would be no help. Never mind. Let's make the trade!"
"Wait," Wukong said. "Fetch paper and a brush, and we'll draw up a contract. Otherwise, with you trading