Rescuing the Bhikshu Kingdom (III)

Meanwhile, the King the Bhikshu Kingdom appealed to Tang Sanzang for justice.

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang asked, "Does Your Majesty have any descendants still alive?"

The king of Bhikkhu said, "No more. There was once a prince, who died of old age. There was a grandson, who was imprisoned by that monster for many years and also died of old age. There was a great-grandson, who went missing. Now there are no descendants."

Tang Sanzang said with a sigh, "Difficult! This is indeed difficult!"

The King of the Bhikshu Kingdom wept and said, "The Bodhisattva said that the Holy Monk is the reincarnation of the Buddha's Disciple, so how come he can't subdue the demon?"

Tang Sanzang said, "It's not that we can't subdue the demon, but that Demon has now transformed into the appearance of a king. How dare my disciples and I rashly take action? You, as the emperor, how come you have no one in your Imperial Court? If you are captured and accused of deceiving and destroying the country, no one will speak up for us monks!"

The King of Bhikkhu said, "Holy Monk, there is no need to worry. Although that demon has changed my appearance, it is not the same as me. We can expose him in front of the civil and military officials!"

Tang Sanzang asked, "In what way is it different?"

The King of Bhikkhu said, "That monster has transformed into my appearance, but his body shape is different. I am old and frail, while he is tall and strong. His face is also different; I am old and my face is loose, while he is young and his face is solid. His clothing is also different; I wear a dragon robe, while he wears a Daoist robe. His behavior is also different; I am devoted to the affairs of the state, while he cultivates Daoism and seeks immortality. His family affairs are also different; I favor only my beautiful queen, while he defiles my three concubines every night."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang said, "Your Majesty, you are far too cowardly."

The king of Bhikkhu asked, "How am I cowardly?"

Tang Sanzang said, "This Demon can't even completely imitate your appearance. There are so many differences between you and it. It's probably not a very powerful Demon. You just need to appear in the dreams of the Imperial Court and military officials in the court, and also in the dreams of the concubines in the Imperial Harem. If you capture that Demon, won't the State Altars be restored?"

Upon hearing this, the King of the Bhikshu Kingdom could not stop weeping and said:

"The Imperial Court are all disloyal. Some are foolish and cannot recognize the Demon, while others are afraid and unwilling to identify it. The six palaces are all heartless. I appeared to them in a dream, but they ignored me completely."

Tang Sanzang asked, "Even the Empress doesn't care?"

The king of Bhikkhu said, "The queen is the most heartless of all!"

Tang Sanzang said, "You can also appear in the people's dreams. They remember that when you were in power, you were dedicated to the country, diligent in governing and caring for the people, and they will surely help you restore the country."

Upon hearing this, the King of the Bhikshu Kingdom could no longer hold back his tears and said:

"Don't mention it! Don't mention it! The people of this country are all heartless wolves, they don't remember my past kindness. That Demon gave every household Talisman protection, but I can't even get through a door! For decades, I've been sleeping on the streets, with nowhere to even settle down."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang couldn't help but feel sorry for the King the Bhikshu Kingdom. It was truly lamentable that a ruler of a country had fallen to such a state.

The King of Bhikkhu said, "Holy Monk, you are a capable monk. Many of the court officials already know that the King is a demon in disguise, but lacking loyalty and integrity, they dare not identify him. If you and your disciples were to identify him, you would surely be able to have the officials capture the demon. I also have a token here, the national seal passed down through generations of Bhikkhu. Without this seal, the demon cannot even issue decrees! I entrust it to you, Holy Monk, hoping you will seek justice for me!"

Tang Sanzang then accepted the Precious Seal and agreed.

The king of Bhikkhu said, "Holy monk, remember this matter must not be mentioned to the people of your kingdom."

Tang Sanzang asked, "Why can't we tell the people of our country?"

The king of Bhikkhu said, "Many of my people are greedy for small gains. If we tell them, they will surely accuse us of being monsters and come to arrest you, then nothing will be accomplished."

Tang Sanzang nodded.

The king of Bhikkhu then departed.

Tang Sanzang awoke with a start from his dream. He touched his hand and found a palm-sized seal carved with dragon patterns, which was the national seal of the Kingdom of Bhikshu.

So he woke up his apprentices and told them what had happened.

Wukong exclaimed, "Strange! Strange! What did this King do? His concubines, his ministers, and the entire nation—not a single one of them was willing to side with him. After he dies, he doesn't even have a place to rest?"

Sha Wujing said, "It is somewhat strange!"

Bajie said, "What's the big deal? We're just commoners, who cares about the King's family affairs? We probably don't even know the King's name!"

Wukong said, "That's true."

Bajie said, "Sleep! Sleep! After Half a Month, when we see the King, we'll naturally know whether he's Demon or not."

Wukong nodded.

The four of them then went to sleep again.

Ao Tu, meanwhile, brought the Little Crown Prince back to the Qinghua Manor.

There was a clear stream outside the village. Ao Tu, carrying the Little Crown Prince, reached out and removed his old clothes. The child blushed with embarrassment.

Ao Tu threw him into the stream.

The Little Crown Prince was initially panicked, but then, seeing that he possessed magical powers and was not drowning, he began to wash himself in the water.

Before long, he was washed clean, and Ao Tu transformed into a small Daoist Robe for him to change into. Then a fair-skinned and clean-looking child appeared.

Ao Tu led him inside, where they encountered the White Bone Spirit.

The White Bone Spirit laughed and said, "Where did Your Great King bring this child from?"

Having spent a long time among the common people, the Little Crown Prince was discerning and knew how to flatter. Seeing that the White Bone Spirit Demon was dressed in extraordinary clothes and had a Fairy -like appearance, he called out, "Master's wife, I am the disciple of my master."

Upon hearing this, the White Bone Spirit was overjoyed and couldn't help but steal a glance at Ao Tu.

Ao Tu raised his hand, broke off a Willow Branch, and smacked the Little Crown Prince.

The Little Crown Prince quickly admitted his mistake.

They continued walking and came across the Scorpion Demon.

The Little Crown Prince admitted his mistake again and was punished once more.

In the end, Ao Tu arranged for him to stay at the Qinghua Manor.

The next day, Ao Tu rode a cloud and flew towards the palace of the King of Bhikkhus.

The old eunuch's words cannot be entirely trusted; Ao Tu must first find out the whole story.

Before long, they arrived at the Palace.

Ao Tu descended from the clouds and heard many sounds of lewd music inside.

Ao Tu looked over and saw that the Deer Spirit was full of yang energy, and that the Fox Spirit, along with many Empress and concubines, most of whom were around forty years old, were indulging in debauchery during the day.

Having seen many beautiful sights, Ao Tu found them offensive. He raised his hand and used his divine power to turn the Deer Spirit back into its Original Form.

It was White Deer with seven forked antlers.

The Deer Spirit was terrified, realizing it had encountered a powerful Supernatural Ability. It immediately knelt on the ground, crying out and begging for its life.

Those concubines must have been so enamored with the Deer Spirit Deer Spirit that they all disregarded their clothes, standing naked in front of him to protect him.

The Fox Spirit then ran away naked.

Upon seeing this, Ao Tu grabbed the Deer Spirit and the Fox Spirit, then returned to the clouds and tossed them down.

The two quickly bowed and said, "Immortal, please spare us! We don't know where we offended you, please forgive us!"

Ao Tu said, "I am not an immortal, but Demon. It is only because Tang Sanzang and his disciples passed through the Bhikshu Kingdom that I led a group of demons to capture them. Seeing that you two had usurped the throne, I brought you here to question you."

Upon hearing this, the Deer Spirit quickly asked, "But is it the Blood Sea King in person?"

Ao Tu said, "That's my elder brother."

The Deer Spirit said, "That must be Great King Ao Tu!"

Ao Tu nodded.

The Deer Spirit said, "So it's Grandpa Dragon in person. Please ask away, this junior Little Demon would not dare to conceal anything."

The Fox Spirit beside her was also unaware of what was happening, and didn't even know who Ao Tu was; she simply kept kneeling and bowing.

Ao Tu found the white, fluffy body irritating, so he raised his hand and pointed, transforming her back into her Original Form —a white-faced fox.

Ao Tu asked, "Tell me the truth about how you two came to rule this land."