The Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree, Innate Supreme Treasure, came to sweep the floor, Jieyin the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, Nüwa, and Dao Ancestor Hongjun, utterly speechless.
Only Xiao Tian could pull off something so interesting.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao Deva Path! Did you create those flower and plant spirits?" Zhunti suppressed his anger, checked the Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree and found no changes, and then got down to business.
"Yes."
Xiao Tian's projected avatar laughed, "This is to solidify the pilgrim's Buddhist heart and sincerity in going to the Western Heaven to obtain the scriptures, and incidentally, it also uses up one of the tribulations."
"If that's the case, then let's see how Golden Cicada handles it." Zhunti was too lazy to say anything more. In any case, no matter what he said, he couldn't beat Xiao Tian unless his fists surpassed Xiao Tian's, then his words would be more powerful.
The lower realm.
Tang Sanzang was terrified, his heart pounding wildly. As a high monk of Jinshan Temple, he had studied Buddhist scriptures since childhood and had never had much improper contact with female benefactors.
What he just experienced was like having half a million meteorites dropped into the calm and uneventful ocean of his life!
"Monk, what are you doing? What are you chanting? You haven't done anything wrong to me." Xiao Lu, the flower fairy, looked puzzled.
"Madam, I apologize! It was this humble monk who overstepped his bounds."
"Hey, monk, stop chanting. It's just a little hugging and cuddling, I'm not embarrassed at all, why are you getting so worked up about it?"
Tang Sanzang blushed at what was said, turned his head away and continued chanting scriptures to calm his mind.
Remembering the Sage's instructions, Xiao Lu's beautiful eyes gleamed with cunning, her silk skirt fluttering, and a fragrant breeze stirred around her.
"Monk, you kept calling for your mother while you were sleeping. Did you miss her? You were sleeping just like a child, so cute and well-behaved."
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang's heart was immediately stirred, recalling his childhood experiences and his mother's misfortune.
unexpected!
A pair of slender but warm arms and a warm embrace arrived, catching Tang Sanzang off guard.
"Female benefactor, what are you doing! Release this humble monk at once!"
"Monk, what are you pretending to be so righteous for? When you sleep, you're all lovey-dovey and hold me so tightly, you don't want me to leave your side at all."
Tang Sanzang was covered in cold sweat, his forehead and face were dripping with sweat, and he kept muttering "Amitabha, I have committed a sin."
"Monk, where do you come from?"
Tang Sanzang suddenly cleared his mind and remembered his purpose.
"This humble monk comes from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands, on his way to the Great Thunderclap Monastery on Western Heaven Spirit Mountain to obtain Buddhist scriptures."
" The Great Thunderclap Monastery on Western Heaven Spirit Mountain? Hehehe..." Xiao Lu couldn't help but laugh, and her laughter made her body tremble.
Tang Sanzang cried out in apology, "Amitabha!" and struggled desperately to break free.
"Monk, it's not that I look down on you, but what you're saying is absolutely outrageous. Do you even know where you are? Getting to the Great Thunderclap Monastery from here is more than just a hundred thousand miles. Just the mountains and rivers alone are at least a million miles away, not to mention the monsters and wicked people along the way. With your physique, you're just an ordinary mortal. In short, even I can't say for sure that I can get there, let alone you."
"Monk, abandon this absurd idea. You're practically courting death. Rather than being eaten by monsters or captured by bad guys, why not find a place to live with me? We can farm and weave during the day, and enjoy a blissful life together at night, even having a few children. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Tang Sanzang's face turned deathly pale, and he shook his head frantically, saying, "Female benefactor, this humble monk's will is firm. This True Mahayana Scriptures of the Western Heaven Paradise must be obtained. Female benefactor, please release this humble monk."
"Monk, you're lying. I can sense the turmoil in your heart. You're also full of doubts about whether you can reach Spirit Mountain, aren't you?"
"No, this humble monk's resolve to journey to the Western Heaven to obtain the scriptures is unwavering!"
"Really? You stinky monk, your heart beats so fast, you're clearly not resolute."
Tang Sanzang's face and the roots of his ears were as red as blood, and heat was visibly emanating from them.
"Female benefactor, no matter how eloquent your words, this humble monk's beliefs will never change!"
The sunlight shone on him, Tang Sanzang's inner turmoil completely subsided, replaced by utter calm. Even as a fairy embraced him, teasing and provoking him with her words, his Buddhist heart was gradually being tempered and solidified.
Three hours later, Xiao Lu frowned. No matter how she tried to provoke the monk with her words, blow on his ear, stroke his chest with her small hand, or loosen his cassock, Tang Sanzang's heartbeat was no longer abnormal.
"You heartless and ungrateful monk! I saved your life, and you treat me with such indifference. Fine, go and fetch your scriptures."
Upon feeling the embrace disappear, Tang Sanzang knew he had overcome his inner demons.
He turned his head, watched Xiao Lu disappear into the forest, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and murmured, "Female benefactor, when this humble monk obtains the true scriptures and completes his merits, I will surely repay your kindness."
Tang Sanzang continued on his journey.
In the Purple Cloud Palace, Zhunti of relief. He was genuinely afraid that Tang Sanzang would be tricked by the flower and plant spirits under the watchful eyes of all the saints, resulting in him being extremely embarrassed and making a fool of himself.
"Fellow Deva Path, this dilemma has been resolved, hasn't it?"
"Well, that's all in the past now."
Zhunti was very satisfied; he hoped to quickly deplete Xiao Tian's power over the 18 tribulations.
"I'll take on the next challenge myself."
Zhunti's heart, which had been at ease, couldn't help but start to pound again.
Niu Family Village.
Tang Sanzang successfully begged for alms by virtue of his kind appearance and spent the night in a Peasant School's house.
After a simple Peasant School dinner, Tang Sanzang returned to the hut he had been assigned and fell asleep immediately.
Lobby.
"Honey, that monk might have some good stuff hidden in his bag, why don't you..."
"This monk's robes are shabby, he looks travel-worn, and his bundle probably doesn't contain anything of value."
The old woman couldn't help but sneer in a low voice, "Old man, have you forgotten that slovenly woman from three years ago? Although she was dressed slovenly, if Er Heizi hadn't discovered that she had hidden gold bars, Er Heizi wouldn't have been able to open a shop in the city."
"That's right, then I'll look through it tonight."
Exhausted from his journey, Tang Sanzang slept soundly, unaware that the two old men who owned the house had thoroughly searched his belongings.
Back in Chang'an City, Bodhisattva Guanyin sold the Nine-Ringed Monk's Staff to Li Shimin Tang Sanzang, Li Shimin bestowed it upon Tang Sanzang. Tang Sanzang lost the staff, but the Brocade Kasaya inside his bundle remained.
This Brocade Kasaya, inlaid with many pearls and gemstones and blessed by Buddhist teachings, can be considered a remarkable Buddhist implement.
Wearing this garment by a Buddhist practitioner with magical powers, one's magic can enhance their realm, making them immune to all evil and warding off disasters.
Ordinary people with a Buddhist heart, like Tang Sanzang, would be feared by ordinary demons and evil spirits.
The two old people stared wide-eyed at the kasaya radiating a precious light in the dark room, their breathing becoming heavy and labored.
"Honey, we've struck it rich!"
"This robe could probably fetch a fortune; the monk should get rid of it quickly, lest things escalate."
The two old men were overcome with greed and their murderous intent was already formed.
The old man simply covered Tang Sanzang's face with the blanket, and Tang Sanzang soon woke up due to lack of oxygen, struggling with his limbs.
Although Tang Sanzang was young, he didn't exercise much. He couldn't compare to the strength of an old man who had worked hard day and night for forty or fifty years and was still hale and hearty at sixty.
Before long, Tang Sanzang stopped struggling.
"He's suffocating. Go get a hoe and bury him on the back hill."
In the Purple Cloud Palace, Zhunti's face was ashen.
The reincarnation of Golden Cicada died just like that.
If Bodhisattva Guanyin hadn't secretly collected his soul in time, Tang Sanzang's soul would have been taken away by the soul- Horse-Face Gou Hun sent by the power of the Underworld.
" Great Sage Sun, it's your turn to appear."
Sun Wukong scratched his head and shook his head, saying, "How am I supposed to make an entrance? Kill those two wicked old men and steal back the cassock?"
" Great Sage Sun, do whatever you want with him."
Sun Wukong refused, saying, "Bodhisattva, what you're saying is impossible for me. Let's revive this monk first and let him handle it. I'll just protect him."
"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say."
Sun Wukong: "..."
Tang Sanzang was resurrected by a drop of willow nectar from Bodhisattva Guanyin's Jade Purity Vase.
" Bodhisattva Guanyin!"
" Tang Sanzang, the journey to the Western Heaven is fraught with danger. This is Sun Wukong, who will protect you on your journey to the Western Heaven to retrieve the scriptures."
When Tang Sanzang saw Sun Wukong, he almost burst into tears.
" Wukong! This humble monk needs you!"
Sun Wukong couldn't help but shudder. Was this monk having another episode?
After the Bodhisattva flew away, Sun Wukong asked Tang Sanzang to recall what had happened.
"Oh no! My Brocade Kasaya and the travel document the emperor gave me—my baggage is gone!"
"Monk, those two are leaving the village tonight to sell their goods in the city. I, Old Sun, will fly you there."
Tang Sanzang, with tears in his eyes, said, " Wukong, fly slower, I'm afraid of heights."
"Hmph! You think you can be my master, Master Sun? No way! From now on, you'll call me Master Sun Wukong, and I'll call you Little Tang. That's settled."
Tang Sanzang didn't mind. After enduring so much hardship, he now deeply understood the importance of a strong teammate and the importance of maintaining team harmony.
" Little Tang, we've arrived. Let's wait here for those two wicked old men."
Tang Sanzang was lost in thought when, less than a second later, he was startled to see the surrounding streets and the clamor of noise reaching his ears.
" Wukong, you're amazing! That speed is incredible!"
"That's right. If possible, I, Old Sun, will take you directly to the Western Heaven Spirit Mountain, where it will only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
"Amitabha! Wukong, this won't do! The journey to the Western Heaven to obtain the scriptures requires a down-to-earth approach and a sincere heart."
"All right."
Tang Sanzang's eyes widened in surprise. How did they end up back in the village?
" Wukong, you!"
" Little Tang, you're the one who said we had to be down-to-earth, so that when we get to the Western Heaven, they won't give you the scriptures because of this, and you won't blame me, your old Sun. I, your old Sun, don't want to suffer in silence." Sun Wukong said, putting Tang Sanzang down.
"Walk on foot, head east, and if you walk fast, you'll catch up with those two old men."
Tang Sanzang's face immediately fell; what a generation gap!
In the Purple Cloud Palace, Xiao Tian and Nüwa burst into laughter, abandoning all restraint.
Zhunti also wanted to laugh, but the situation didn't allow him to. After all, he was the leader of the Western Sect and the beneficiary of this journey to the Western Heaven. If he laughed, wouldn't people think he was being too arrogant?
Tang Sanzang finally persuaded Sun Wukong Sun Wukong to take him to the city, where they caught up with the wicked old man who had stolen his Brocade Kasaya and bundle.
"Hey! You two scoundrels! Give Little Tang's robe back right now!"
The two wicked old men were stunned to see Tang Sanzang, who was supposed to be dead and buried in the ground, appear alive before them. They were speechless with disbelief, and then, with hiccups coming from their mouths, they both clutched their hearts and fell to the ground.
They were terrified!
People on the street screamed and ran frantically away; even the stall owners abandoned their stalls.
For a moment, the entire street was reduced to only two people standing and two lying across the ground.