The Monkey, upon hearing these words, remained silent, merely gazing quietly at Guanyin, yet he thought to himself, "This Bodhisattva is apt to beguile me with empty talk, as if Old Sun is completely ignorant of the Journey to the West."
Though he was trapped by the Five Elements Mountain, there was still Lu Yu outside; never was he cut off from news, coupled with Lu Yu’s indirect hints, how could the Monkey, with his keen intelligence, fail to see the tricks in the Journey to the West? The myriad Buddhas would probably rather invite him to lend them his strength, so why would Guanyin need to make promises?
She was clearly preparing to gain something for nothing.
Guanyin sighed inwardly, seeing the Monkey’s expression, how could she not know that the offer was not sufficient? Thus, she continued, "I will grant you another skill."
Bodhisattva Guanyin plucked three willow leaves and placed them behind the Traveler’s head, softly uttering, "Transform!" and they turned into three life-saving strands of fur.
She told him, "Should you find yourself in a desperate, leaderless situation, you can react accordingly to save yourself from dire straits."
Only then did the Monkey laugh and say, "Worthy of Bodhisattva Guanyin, indeed a clever method. However, since your Purifying Vase is abundant with willow leaves, why are you being so stingy? I, Old Sun, am not greedy, just give me five more."
"Still not greedy? My willow leaves are no ordinary items; they are remnants from Chaos, bestowed by a powerful being, and after years of my Ritual Refinement, they are truly incomparable in utility. I hardly use them myself, and here you are, receiving three without thanking me and instead calling me stingy." Guanyin said indignantly.
Seeing this, the Monkey knew he could not gain more from Guanyin, so he said, "Even so, as a gentleman, Old Sun does not take what others cherish, so you may keep the rest of the willow leaves."
"However, Bodhisattva, why do you find the time to come here today?" the Monkey asked, his face wearing a mischievous smile.
"I have come today specifically for this evil dragon."
"Oh! Could it be that this evil dragon has a past with the Bodhisattva?" the Monkey teased at her side.
"This evil dragon is the Third Prince of the West Sea Dragon Palace, accused by his father of setting fire to the imperial gifted pearl, and denounced to the Heavenly Court. The Jade Emperor then suspended him on the Dragon Execution Platform, preparing him for execution."
"Seeing him pitiable, and considering your master’s mortal body, undertaking this westward journey through countless mountains and rivers, how could an ordinary mortal horse suffice? Thus, I pleaded with the Jade Emperor to turn him over, to serve as your master’s steed."
Upon hearing this, the Monkey instantly realized that there might be details he was unaware of, but this was of no concern to him—the addition of a steed could lighten his own burden, and he would have another to command, to which he saw no reason not to be pleased.
He then laughed and said, "That’s really coincidental; this Little White Dragon swallowed my master’s horse and now hides in the river, afraid to come out."
Guanyin glanced at the Monkey and was momentarily at a loss for words.
The reason Little White Dragon dared not come out was not that the Monkey, recently provoked to fury by Tang Monk, had developed a murderous intent, which Little White Dragon had sensed.
If it weren’t for this, she wouldn’t have needed to intervene. She truly feared the Monkey might act rashly, actually harming Little White Dragon and thus creating an unsalvageable situation.
"Go to the stream and call out, ’Ao Run, Dragon King, Third Prince of Jade Dragon, come forth, Bodhisattva Guanyin stands here.’ He will come out."
The Monkey did as Guanyin instructed. As soon as the words left his mouth, a white dragon leapt from the water’s surface and, reaching the sky, transformed into a handsome young man.
Dressed in white, crowned with jade, his face as bright as the full moon, and eyes like twinkling stars, he was a dashing and attractive youth.
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The young man stood amidst the air, paying respects to the Bodhisattva, "I am profoundly grateful to the Bodhisattva for my deliverance, I have been waiting here long without any news from the Scripture Seeker."
The Bodhisattva pointed to the monkey and said, "Isn’t this the Scripture Seeker’s senior disciple?"
The young man, still frightened, glanced at the monkey, and said, "With all due respect to the Bodhisattva, yesterday, out of unbearable hunger and thirst, I ate his horse. However, he did not say he was the Scripture Seeker. Instead, he attacked me. I couldn’t compete with him, so I had no choice but to hide underwater and dared not show myself."
Bodhisattva Guanyin laughed and said, "This monkey has always been like this. Now that the Scripture Seeker has arrived, it is time for you to shed your dragon body and carry Tang Monk to the Western Heaven for the scriptures. Once your sins are redeemed, and your deeds accomplished, you shall transcend ordinary dragons and I will grant you a Golden Body."
The White Dragon prostrated on the ground, expressing his fervent gratitude to the Bodhisattva. With a gentle stroke from the willow branch, Guanyin transformed the White Dragon, and in an instant, he became a white horse, indistinguishable from before.
"What marvelous skill, Bodhisattva!" praised the monkey, witnessing the transformation.
This was no ordinary Art of Transformation; it touched upon the marvels of creation. With the Five Qi directed to his core and extraordinary experience, the monkey naturally recognized the profoundness of Guanyin’s skills.
He humbly put aside his pride, for to such a powerful figure as Guanyin, the Five Qi gathering at the core was merely the beginning.
Seeing that her act indeed impressed the monkey, Guanyin felt a private thrill of triumph. After all, every good performer needs an equally astute audience. Discover exclusive content at freewebnovel
Otherwise, it would be like casting pearls before swine. For someone common like Tang Monk, he might simply admire the Bodhisattva’s power without understanding its intricacies.
Only someone like the monkey, who possessed the Five Qi and had come from a renowned lineage with wide knowledge, could appreciate the depth of her skills and comprehend the underlying significance.
After taking the white horse in, the master, the disciple, and the White Dragon continued their journey westward.
Meanwhile, as Tang Monk sat waiting for the monkey, countless strands of Human Path Fortune and Destiny flowed through his body, seeping slowly into the earth. These strands moved like living beings, threading through the earth until they reached the earth’s nodal points, where they coiled and radiated bright light.
The Earth God of Eagle Sorrow Stream suddenly appeared where Tang Monk had just been, watching the master and disciple’s retreating figures.
The Earth God laughed and said, "This Great Saint really is formidable. I have never seen anyone dare to treat a Bodhisattva this way."
But the Mountain God said, "I think this Mage Xuanzhuang is truly remarkable. This body of Human Path Fortune and Destiny, wow, just releasing a trace of it makes me feel suffocated. I don’t know how he manages to carry all this Fortune and Destiny and travel everywhere."
"I don’t understand, I don’t understand. This isn’t something us minor gods should concern ourselves with anymore. Now the Human Path Fortune and Destiny is connected to this mountain, we must be careful with its management, for if anything goes amiss, our lives may be in jeopardy," the Earth God said, shaking his head.
"Alas! This Human Path Fortune and Destiny is too overbearing. Now that it has entered the earth veins, it’s already subtly repelling us. If one day it surges forth, we will inevitably lose our Divine Positions," the Mountain God said anxiously, aware that his own Divine Position, though minor, symbolized immortality.
"We can’t fret over this. Higher powers will handle it. We just need to do our jobs; let those taller worry about the sky falling," the Earth God reassured the Mountain God, and in doing so, comforted himself as well.
Throughout this Journey to the West, they felt a sense of instability, uncertain of how the powers above planned their moves. Being powerless, they could only go with the flow.