India Captures the Jade Rabbit (XVIII)

Now, in this case, Tang Sanzang was brought to the mortal realm for a face-to-face confrontation, watched by all the immortals. The argument lasted for half an hour, and a verdict could not be reached.

The reason is that each side has its own perspective, and both have their own logic.

The Jade Rabbit Spirit, acting on Ao Tu's instructions, spoke the truth without a trace of falsehood.

It's true that Tang Sanzang trespassed into the Princess's boudoir, and it's also true that he composed poetry in the Imperial Garden. How can this be refuted?

Although Tang Sanzang was wronged, he could not prove his innocence. Even after explaining the truth in detail several times, it was still to no avail.

The Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor ate a bunch of Jade Grapes and felt a little tired. He called the Celestial Worthy of Salvation to the back to talk and handed the case over to Wang Lingguan for handling.

Wang Lingguan had a red face and three eyes, and carried Golden Whip; he could distinguish right from wrong.

He brought Tang Sanzang, the Jade Rabbit Spirit, and the others to the Tongming Hall and interrogated them. "Jade Rabbit! You should have been pounding medicine in the Toad Palace, why did you Lower Realm to the India realm without permission, disguise yourself as a Princess Tianzhu, and cause this case! Confess the truth!"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit said, "It's because I had a personal grudge against a palace maid in the Toad Palace. She was Lower Realm as a Palace Maids in India, and I followed her to the Lower Realm India Princess to avenge that grudge."

Only then did Wukong and the others understand the whole story.

Wang Lingguan said, "Someone, go and invite the Taiyin Star Lord, and summon the Palace Maids."

A Heavenly Official then passed by.

Wukong said, "Wang Lingguan, those Heavenly Official clouds are slow; who knows when they'll return from the Guanghan Palace? Let me, Old Sun, go instead!"

Wang Lingguan, upright and incorruptible, said, "Sun Wukong, you are Tang Sanzang's disciple. If I send you, I fear you will side with Tang Sanzang and cannot be impartial."

Wukong laughed and said, "How petty! Would I, Old Sun, cheat?"

Wang Lingguan remained silent.

After waiting for a long time, the Heavenly Official returned with Palace Maids, confirming that what the Jade Rabbit had said was true.

Wang Lingguan nodded and said, "Let's set aside this case for now. Jade Rabbit, first punish you for the Lower Realm the mortal realm without permission!"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit said, "I am from the Moon Palace. My unauthorized Lower Realm the mortal realm is the responsibility of the Taiyin Star Lord."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lingguan said nothing more and continued to ask:

"Jade Rabbit, do you have any proof that you accused Tang Sanzang of indecent assault?"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit countered, "Does Tang Sanzang have any clear evidence to prove his innocence?"

Wang Lingguan slapped his Golden Whip, his three eyes widening, and shouted:

"You audacious Jade Rabbit! You accuse Tang Sanzang Tang Sanzang indecent assault, yet you demand that he provide corroborating evidence? If there is no real evidence, it is a false accusation. You shall be Golden Whip and banished to the Lower Realm!"

Seeing that Wang Lingguan was so impartial, the Jade Rabbit Spirit Wang Lingguan dared not speak recklessly and said:

"There's solid evidence! There's solid evidence! That day, Tang Sanzang barged into the women's quarters and was caught red-handed. Dozens of Palace Maids and Court Ladies from the Tianzhu Kingdom can testify to this. Afterwards, he composed four poems in the Imperial Garden, all written by Tang Sanzang himself. Now, his eldest disciple, Sun Wukong, possesses this physical evidence."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lingguan asked Sun Wukong for the poems.

Wukong initially tried to be cunning and refuse, claiming he had never seen any poems or lyrics.

Upon seeing this, the Jade Rabbit Spirit said that there was a palace official as witness, and personally handed the four poems to Sun Wukong.

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Wukong lied again, claiming that the poems were lost.

Wang Lingguan immediately used his Divine Eye to see through Wukong's transformation and retrieved the four poems. After reading them one by one, he asked Tang Sanzang:

"Tang Sanzang, did you write these four poems?"

Tang Sanzang confessed, "It was this humble monk who did it." He then recounted in detail how he fell into the trap and how he composed the poem.

Wang Lingguan asked, "Tang Sanzang, is there any evidence to support your claims?"

Tang Sanzang said, "The Emperor of the Tianzhu Kingdom) is our witness."

Wang Lingguan then instructed the Heavenly Official to go to the Tianzhu Kingdom and summon the Tianzhu Kingdom emperor, palace Court Ladies, and Palace Maids.

These are all Mortal, so only their spirits are taken to the Heavenly Realm, their bodies left untouched, as if it were all a dream, so as not to disturb the mortal world.

After waiting for a while, the Heavenly Official brought the souls of the Palace Maids and Court Ladies from the Tianzhu Kingdom.

Wang Lingguan interrogated the suspects one by one, confirming that the Jade Rabbit's preface was true.

As for the emperor of India, the Heavenly Official did not find him.

Wang Lingguan asked the Jade Rabbit Spirit about the whereabouts of the Emperor of India, but the Jade Rabbit Spirit only said that it did not know.

Wukong said, "That emperor must be some kind of Demon in disguise!"

Wang Lingguan said, "None of the Nine Hells and ten categories can escape the Book of Life and Death. Someone, go to the Netherworld Realm and ask the Ten Yama Kings to verify."

The Heavenly Official Lower Realm to the mortal realm. Because the Heaven and the earth were far apart, he also went to the Bimawen the Heavenly Horse Qiji. Carrying the Official Order, he flew through the clouds all the way to the Netherworld Realm.

When the Heavenly Official arrived in the Netherworld Realm, he first met the Judge, then King Yama, and presented his Official Order.

After Yama, the King of Hell, saw this, he ordered someone to bring the Book of Life and Death and search for the records of Emperor Yizong of the Kingdom of Tianzhu in Xiniu Hezhou.

Little did they know that Ao Tu possessed Fragment of the Book of Life and Death, the Origin document governing the Western Heaven. The Emperor and Empress of India had long been imprisoned in Ao Tu's Gourd, their lives erased from history; how could Yama, the King Yama, possibly find them?

The King Yama flipped through the Book of Life and Death four or five times, breaking out in a cold sweat, but found no record of it.

King Yama, "Heavenly Official, there is no such person found."

The Heavenly Official didn't believe it. How could the emperor of a country simply disappear into thin air? So he asked the other nine King of Hell to investigate as well.

The Ten Yama Kings stood together, sweating profusely, but still could not find this person.

King Yama, said, "There is no record of it. We should go to the Six Paths of Reincarnation and see if there are any Living Soul there."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Official went to search for it, but still found nothing.

King Yama, said, "Beside the Six Paths of Reincarnation, there is a Vice Sect Leader of Minghe who has been demanding Good Souls and Evil Souls from us in recent years. Perhaps he has taken them; we might as well ask him for them back."

The Heavenly Official, however, possessed some Wisdom. Upon hearing this, he rode his Heavenly Horse back.

The Heavenly Official returned to the Heavenly Realm and told Wang Lingguan the whole story.

Wang Lingguan, upon hearing this, was also at a loss, muttering to himself, "How can we not find the person? Something is definitely strange!" He then addressed the crowd, "Let's adjourn the court for now and wait until we find a witness before deciding the truth!"

Afterwards, Tang Sanzang and his disciples, along with the Jade Rabbit Spirit, were invited to two separate side halls. Wang Lingguan, fearing that some of them might run away out of guilt, specially assigned people to guard them.

On the other side, Ao Tu and the Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor were talking in the back.

There was a small lacquered table with dragon patterns, where two people sat facing each other. On it were several plates of Purple-Patterned Peach of Immortality, Ginseng Fruit, Immortal Apricot, Fire Jujubes, grapes, Golden Elixir, and Jade Dew.

In addition, there was Immortal Tea. Ao Tu had vowed to abstain from tea for some time, so he did not drink any tea. Instead, he broke open a Ginseng Fruit, offered half to the Jade Emperor, and ate the other half himself.

The Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor inquired about Ao Tu's conferment of Investiture of the Gods.

Ao Tu then explained his plan: the Investiture of the Gods upon were mainly his various subordinates.

The Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor asked, "Have you decided how to bestow titles upon those who died and entered the tribulation?"

Ao Tu said, "I have collected their souls in the Gourd and, according to their merits in life, have appointed them to reside in the Good and Evil Realms."

The Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor shook his head and said, "No. I'm asking about those Western Heaven Buddhist Sect who died and entered the tribulation."

Ao Tu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Their Dispersed Soul and Scattered Spirit been scattered, and their True Spirit are no longer in my hands."

The Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor said, "I happened to be there when you were setting up your formation and fighting with them. It was secretly taken away by the Taoist Jieyin."

As he spoke, the Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor took out Heavenly Book and said to Ao Tu:

"If you have no intention of taking them in, you might as well bestow titles upon them here."