Banishing demons on Lion Camel Ridge (nineteen)

At Ao Tu's command, the Golden-Winged Great Peng spread its wings and transformed into Golden-Winged Great Peng, flying towards the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons.

There were several Nagas, several Yaksha, several Asura, and several Great Python Deity.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng spread its Steel Claws and swooped down.

The group of Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons felt a sudden darkness in the sky. Looking up, they saw a Golden-Winged Great Peng swooping down, its wings obscuring the clouds. Its two Steel Claws claws gripped one of the Nagas tightly, and it instantly took flight.

The Nagas was half-human and half-snake, with six arms, and it hurriedly attacked the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng clamped down on it with its Steel Claws, pecked at it, and chopped off half of its head, eating its brains before leaving the corpse behind.

The other Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons below were terrified and fled back hastily.

Unfortunately, the Golden-Winged Great Peng's wingspan is ninety thousand miles with a single flap, how could they escape? Before long, they all died under the Golden-Winged Great Peng's hooked beak.

Finally, Golden-Winged Great Peng pressed a Great Python Deity to the ground, pecked at its skull, pulled out its tendons, strung together the corpses of more than a dozen of the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons, and brought them back for Ao Tu to see.

Tang Sanzang looked at the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons dragons, some missing half a head, others with their hearts eaten, and red and white substances gushing out. He was so frightened that he hurriedly retreated, not daring to look directly at them.

Ao Tu said, "You beast, you are extremely cruel. I taught you to eat them, so why did you bring them here in this state?"

Golden-Winged Great Peng couldn't help but curse inwardly. "They say Buddhist Dharma practitioners are ruthless, and it's true! You made me eat them, and now you blame me for being cruel? What kind of logic is that?"

Of course, Golden-Winged Great Peng dared not say this outright, only saying, "I've pecked away all the good meat; the rest is inedible."

Upon hearing this, the Green Lion and White Elephant thought to themselves, "These Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons are also gods of the Western Heaven. Eating their flesh and blood would prolong their lives. The Golden-Winged Great Peng doesn't eat them; he must have eaten too much of it over the years and is tired of it. They, on the other hand, have never tasted it before, so why don't they eat them?"

Green Lion said, "Third Younger Brother, if you're not going to eat it, give it to the two of us!"

The White Elephant said, "Yes! Yes! Let's eat!"

Golden-Winged Great Peng said, "Big Brother Second Brother want to eat, I will naturally offer it to them!"

The Green Lion and White Elephant were delighted and stepped forward to eat.

Upon seeing this, Manjushri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva both snorted coldly.

The Green Lion and White Elephant froze, turned around, and saw the two Bodhisattva watching them coldly, so they dared not eat.

In the end, it all ended up benefiting the Little Demon, who fought over it.

Tang Sanzang lowered his head and chanted scriptures, not daring to open his eyes to look.

Manjushri Samantabhadra clasped their hands and said, "We two have neglected to discipline them; we are truly sorry!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "You two Bodhisattva are too modest. It's nothing. Please continue on your way."

The group then continued on their way.

Traveling over four hundred li, eating and lodging day and night, until we reached the vicinity of that city.

Wukong looked up and was terrified.

The Lion Camel City was filled with ferocious beasts.

Clumps of Demon and monsters, all four gates are filled with Wolf Spirit.

A striped tiger serves as the commander-in-chief, while a white-faced leopard is the general.

The story of the Fork-Horned Deer is told, while the clever fox leads the way.

A giant python, a thousand feet long, encircles the city; a snake, ten thousand feet long, blocks the way.

Downstairs, a gray wolf calls out commands; on the stage, a leopard makes human voices.

Waving flags and beating drums are all Demon; the watchmen and their posts are all mountain spirits.

The cunning rabbit opens the door to trade, while the wild boar carries loads to make a living.

What was once a celestial empire has now become a city of tigers and wolves.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples followed Ao Tu into the city with trepidation. In the city stood a statue of Ao Tu, but only his shape was sculpted, not his face.

Golden-Winged Great Peng said, "Those Little Demon are clumsy, and I was afraid they wouldn't carve well, so I asked the Third Great King to come over and carve it in the same way."

Ao Tu said, "That's fine then, there's no need to carve the face."

Golden-Winged Great Peng asked, "Shall we erect another statue of the Great King?"

Ao Tu said, "The Great King is a man of low profile and dislikes showing his face, so there is no need to make a statue of him."

Golden-Winged Great Peng quickly agreed, then, remembering something, asked, "By the way, Little Demon, how often should we worship?"

Ao Tu said, "That Cultivation Technique is somewhat harmful to the body. One day you nourish your heart, one day your liver, one day your spleen, one day your lungs, one day your kidneys, and one day your blood and qi. Therefore, you should pray once every six days."

Golden-Winged Great Peng said, "Yes, I will give the order right away."

As the group walked further in, they saw a High Platform erected in the center of the city.

Ao Tu said to Tang Sanzang, "This is the place. There are a few Vengeful Souls here. Please perform rituals to help them pass on, and then we will let you continue your Journey Westward."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang ascended the High Platform and chanted sutras to help the deceased find peace.

As soon as the Scripture, Black Fog rose in the city, stirring up a whirlwind. Tang Sanzang's eyes were blown by the sand and dust, so he hurriedly covered his face and rubbed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, the scenery before him had changed completely.

But then one sees five Fan Tower facing each other, connected by a flying bridge. Ordinary people, musicians, and tourists come and go, and the sounds of string and wind instruments drift out of the streets and alleys. New voices and laughter fill the willow-lined lanes and flower-lined streets, and songs and music can be heard everywhere in teahouses and taverns, where common people relax and enjoy music and drinks.

The streets are lined with residences and teahouses, bustling with activity. In the secluded alleys, every household faces the street, running shops and making a living, regardless of the neighborhood or market area; shops are everywhere.

The population is vast and numerous; adding tens of thousands more would not increase the number, and subtracting them would not diminish it. Flower-lined streets, wine-filled gardens, fragrant mountains, medicinal herb gardens, deep alleys, food shops, and general stores are scattered throughout the area, numbering in the tens of thousands.

There were those who provided grass for domesticated horses and fed cats and fish; others who repaired stoves and pots, nailed hinges and fixed tools, mended shoes and hats, and washed and scrubbed headscarves, sitting along the street waiting for customers.

There were people specifically assigned to fetch water, chop firewood, replace fan handles, and make jewelry for the neighbors. In the summer, they would wash felt and clean wells, and their livelihoods were continuous Four Seasons.

There were vendors who went door-to-door selling mutton, chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, vegetables, fruits, spices, and fruits, as well as selling clothing, bronzeware, and porcelain.

Street-side fried dough shops each bake over twenty dough cakes, while larger shops bake over fifty, with smoke billowing from their ovens. Restaurants from both the north and south line the streets and alleys, catering to tastes from all directions.

Teahouses were scattered throughout the streets and alleys, where idlers would gather, and artisans, merchants, and commoners would stop to rest, drink tea, and chat.

After a long period of peace, the population has grown. Children with their hair in locks are only skilled at dancing and playing music, while the elderly with gray hair know nothing of war.

Three drumbeats were heard, and then the Processional Guard carriages, banners and dragon flags, the wind-flying chariot, the compass chariot, the jade carriage and the elephant carriage, and all the officials entered the court.

Amidst the commotion, an Old King appeared, wearing Crown and a yellow robe, walking slowly towards them.

The officials disembarked, all dressed in crimson and purple robes, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times.

Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang was momentarily dazed and hurriedly rose to bow, saying:

"This humble monk, Tang Sanzang, comes from the Great Tang Eastern Land, on his way to the Journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures. I am fortunate to have met Your Majesty while passing through your esteemed country. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for any rudeness I may have shown."

The Old King stepped forward and helped Tang Sanzang up, saying:

"Holy Monk, for hundreds of years, not a single monk in our country has dared to come here to chant scriptures. How dare you come?"

Tang Sanzang said, "It is because Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty sent this humble monk to the Journey to the West Buddhist scriptures. On our way, we passed through this place, and a Buddha instructed us to come here to deliver the souls of the deceased. By the way, does Your Majesty know where those souls are?"

The Old King asked, "May I ask what country this Great Tang Dynasty is?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang thought to himself, "Is there such an ignorant and uninformed country on this journey to the Western Heaven? They don't even know what the Great Tang Dynasty is?"

So he said, "Our Great Tang of the Eastern Land is located in China. Since the reigns of the Three Sovereigns, the Five Emperors divided the land. Yao and Shun ascended the throne, Yu and Tang brought peace to the people. The Zhou dynasty was prosperous, and the six states submitted to Qin. The land belonged to Han, and Han was ruled by Sima. There were twelve dynasties in the north and south, and the Great Sui dynasty succeeded it. Later, it was passed down to our Great Tang Kingdom Li Shimin, who pacified the Turks in the north, pacified the Quicksand in the west, quelled the Baiyue in the south, and guarded the Liaodong Peninsula in the Four Seas. His prestige was known far and wide, and his talents were known throughout the world. Of the four barbarian states, those that had paid tribute and then either exterminated each other or were exterminated for their crimes numbered over three hundred. Of these, more than seventy remain."

The Old King replied, "I know of the Han dynasty, a great nation of China. The Tang dynasty must have been its successor."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang thought to himself that this Old King was not only ignorant but also uneducated. He knew nothing about the Han dynasty, the Jin dynasty, the Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen dynasties, the Sui dynasty, and then the Great Tang dynasty.

However, since the other party was the emperor of a country, Tang Sanzang could not point it out in public. He could only say, "Your Majesty's words... are quite accurate. By the way, this humble monk has Passbook here. Please, Your Majesty, affix your Precious Seal!"