Deliverance in the Bhikshu Kingdom (II)

When Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived at the city gate, they saw three characters written on it, "Bhikshu Kingdom".

A row of soldiers stood outside the city, imposing and orderly.

Bajie laughed, "These past few days of sandstorms have blinded you, Senior Brother. It's clearly a Bhikshu Kingdom, yet they insist on calling it some prefecture or county. You don't even have Master's sharp eyes!"

Wukong asked in confusion, "Strange! Strange! If this is the Bhikshu Kingdom, why is there no Purple Qi in the city? Could it be that the Old King has died and the new king has not yet ascended the throne? Even so, there should be less Purple Qi, so why can't we see it? Could it be that, as Bajie said, we are blinded?"

Tang Sanzang laughed and said, "Alright, now that we've arrived at the Royal City, let's go in and exchange our travel documents. If it truly is a new king's ascension to the throne, we'll stay a few more days and ask the new king to affix his Precious Seal after the ascension."

Bajie laughed and said, "Maybe there will even be a banquet for us when we ascend the throne!"

The four then entered the city.

The four of them led their horses to the city's bustling streets, where the people were well-dressed and refined.

The poem says:

Loud voices filled the restaurants and singing houses, while colorful curtains hung high in the teahouses and tea rooms.

Businesses thrive in every household and every shop; wealth flows in from every street and every market.

Gold buyers and brocade traders swarm like ants, vying for profit and fame, all for money.

Polite and solemn, the scenery is magnificent; the rivers are clear and the seas are calm, a peaceful year.

Bajie said, "Great! Great! This is a wealthy Royal City; the King will certainly not be stingy! Brother, look, there are even candied melons for sale here. Let's buy some to eat!" As he spoke, Bajie stepped forward and asked, "How much are these candied melons?"

The vendor was packing candied melons into a paper bag when he suddenly looked up and saw a Pig Demon approaching. Startled, he spilled half the bag of candied melons on the ground.

Bajie exclaimed happily, "We don't need these anymore, give them to the monks to eat!" So he picked up six or seven candy melons, wiped them clean, blew away the dust, ate them, and even shared some with Wukong and Sha Wujing.

Wukong laughed, "You idiot! Quickly cover your face, don't scare others! Let's go to the Courier Station first! Let's go to the Courier Station first!"

The four walked through the streets and turned onto a government office, which was the Golden Pavilion Courier Station.

The four of them went inside and explained their origins.

The postmaster then instructed his subordinates to take care of the guests, arrange lodging, and prepare meals.

After a short while, the four of them finished their Buddhist vegetarian meal. Tang Sanzang asked the postmaster, "We are in a hurry to get on our way. I wonder if we can go to the capital today to see the emperor and exchange our travel documents?"

The postmaster said, "Please, Holy Monk, stay for a few more days. You will not be able to go to court for nearly Half a Month."

Wukong asked, "Why is that?"

The postmaster said, "It is because there is a great joyous occasion in our country, and another auspicious day falls in Half a Month later. The whole country is celebrating together, so the king will not hold court for the next few days."

Bajie exclaimed joyfully, "What a joyous occasion! Is your new ruler ascending the throne? That's wonderful! That's wonderful! We monks can also share in the joy and have a Buddhist vegetarian meal!"

Wukong and Sha Wujing laughed and said, "Yes! Yes!"

The postmaster's expression changed, and he cursed:

"You four rude monks, I treated you with kindness, how dare you curse my king?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang quickly said, "Sir, my master and I are monks who have just arrived in your country and are unfamiliar with its affairs. Please forgive us for any offense we may have caused."

Upon hearing this, the postmaster's expression softened somewhat, and he said:

"Considering you are monks and ignorant of worldly affairs, I will spare you for now. But if you were to speak such words outside, the entire country would find you unacceptable!"

Wukong asked, "What is this joyous occasion that warrants nationwide celebration?"

The postmaster bowed and said, "This is the 110th birthday of my beloved Monarch!"

The four people were all astonished upon hearing this.

Sha Wujing said, "A hundred and eleventh birthday! I've never heard of King who lived to be one hundred and ten!"

The postmaster said, "That is precisely why it is an auspicious omen bestowed by Heaven. Shouldn't the whole country celebrate?"

Wukong's eyes flashed, and after the postmaster left, he said to Tang Sanzang:

"Master, I'm afraid this isn't a good thing!"

Tang Sanzang nodded and said, "I've only heard of Ancient Times sage kings who lived past one hundred years old, but this King of the Bhikshu Kingdom..."

Sha Wujing bluntly stated, "I'm afraid it's a Demon!"

Wukong said, "This city has no imperial aura, so how could there be a hundred-year-old emperor? He must be Demon!"

Bajie said, "In my opinion, when the day comes, the King will definitely show up. We'll know then, won't we?"

Wukong nodded and said, "That makes sense!"

The four of them then stayed at the Courier Station.

On the other side, Ao Tu left Qinghua Manor and first detained the local earth god of Willow Grove Slope, asking him where the Deer Spirit had gone.

The Earthly Way, "Many years ago, there were two spirits who lived in the Qinghua Manor for a few years before moving away."

Ao Tu asked, "Do you know where they moved to?"

The Earthly Way, "This humble god does not know."

Ao Tu then walked toward the faint Purple Qi he had seen earlier.

Before long, they arrived at a village with few people. There was a child, about four or five years old, drawing on the ground with a twig at the village entrance.

The Purple Qi emanates from the child.

Ao Tu then stepped forward and asked, "Whose child are you?"

Upon seeing Ao Tu, the child hurriedly ran back, exclaiming, "Grandpa! Grandpa! A strange person has come!"

Ao Tu followed and saw a hunched Old Man. The child was hiding behind the Old Man.

The Old Man, seeing Ao Tu, asked fearfully, "Were you sent by the king?"

Ao Tu said, "I am Beyond the World, and I saw that this child is extraordinary, so I came here. You are not his grandfather, are you?"

The Old Man exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know?"

Ao Tu said, "You are a rootless person, destined to have no descendants. This child has the aura of an emperor, how could he be your Sun Tzu?"

Upon hearing this, the Old Man knelt down with a thud and cried out, "Immortal! Please save our Bhikshu Kingdom!"

Ao Tu asked, "Get up and tell me the truth."

The Old Man said, "I was originally an old eunuch in the palace. Many years ago, misfortune struck the country. A Demon Daoist came, killed the King, and seized the Throne. I escaped with the King's child and raised him to adulthood. This child was born later and is the great-great-grandson of the King."

Ao Tu asked, "Where are the child's parents?"

The Old Man said, "They're all dead."

Ao Tu nodded and said, "How about this? I'll take this child as my apprentice, teach him my skills, and wait until he grows up to restore the State Altars."

The child listened and looked at his grandfather.

The old eunuch said, "Child, quickly acknowledge your master."

Upon hearing this, the child immediately performed the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows.

Ao Tu let him stay by his side, then looked at the old eunuch. He thought to himself that the old eunuch was already a dead tree, and wouldn't live for many more years. If he took him to the Qinghua Manor, he might accidentally run into a group of demons and die instantly. It would be better to leave him in this village to spend the rest of his life.

So he stretched out his hand and conjured up an ox, a donkey, two vicious guard dogs, five chickens, five ducks, a box of cloth, a box of copper coins, and a shed of grain for the old eunuch's Expenses.

The old eunuch was extremely grateful.

Ao Tu then took the child and flew away on the clouds.

The old eunuch then knelt and bowed repeatedly to the Immortal.

On the other side.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples stayed at the Courier Station.

As night fell, all four were fast asleep.

Suddenly, Yin Wind blew, and Tang Sanzang, fast asleep, saw an Old King looking at him with tears in his eyes.

Tang Sanzang hurriedly bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, which country are you the King of, and why are you weeping?"

The Old King said, "Elder, I am the King of this Bhikshu Kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang immediately knew that he had encountered ghosts and monsters again. Fortunately, he had been dealing with poisonous demons and vicious monsters along the way, and had even encountered the spirits of an entire kingdom in the Lion Camel Kingdom before, so he was used to it and was not afraid of this Old King's spirit. He asked:

"Your Majesty, it is said that you are celebrating your 110th birthday, so why do you appear in my dream today?"

Old King said, "That person celebrating his birthday was a Demon. He tricked me into concocting Immortal Medicine, claiming it could Longevity Extension by a thousand years. I was foolish enough to believe his lies, which caused discord among the people of the city. He then harmed me, took my appearance, bestowed favors upon the people, seized the Throne, and even took my beautiful queen! All the officials and millions of citizens are disloyal, worshipping the Demon as their king, and not a single person has spoken out for me. Instead, they all praise the Demon's Merit. I am pitiful, wandering aimlessly, without even a grave to rest in!"

Tang Sanzang asked, "Then why doesn't Your Majesty go to the Underworld to file a complaint?"

Old King said, "That Demon bribed the City God Yin Spirits, saying that I was immoral and deserved this calamity, but I had nowhere to seek justice! Fortunately, the Bodhisattva of Sangharama Temple recently told me that a Great Tang Reverend Monk was passing through this place and had the ability to bring the dead back to life. He could help me seek justice and restore the State Altars, so he appeared to me in a dream tonight."