The Monkey King

When asked by Zhen Yuanzi, Xuanzang couldn't help but be slightly startled.

Others didn't take it seriously, just taking it as a polite comment and doing what they were supposed to do, but Xuanzang knew the weight of these words.

Taoism and Buddhism are two schools. Although there is no direct conflict, they have different doctrines.

The so-called Tao is different and they do not seek each other.

It would have been fine if Xuanzang had taken the initiative. This dignified Longevity Immortal Zhen Yuanzi, one of the few great Taoists, actually expressed his curiosity about the "Pudu" belonging to Buddhism and asked Xuanzang to tell him about it. Saying this really made Xuanzang confused.

For a moment, Xuanzang, who had always remained calm even when the mountain collapsed, was a little unsure.

Of course, Xuanzang was not the only one who was confused among the people present. The eyes of the monkey on the side had already narrowed into slits.

Not long ago, didn't Qingxin tell Monkey that Taoist was also provoked by him? If Sanqing or Subhuti intervened, Monkey really didn't believe it. This is not their style. After much deliberation, among the powerful men, only this stupid Qing Zhen Yuanzi is the one who has the potential to stand out.

Could it be that he was the one who provoked the Taoists?

Thinking of this, Monkey's brows raised slightly, and his look at Zhen Yuanzi became more meaningful.

Seeing Xuanzang's slight hesitation, Zhen Yuanzi then cupped his hands and said, "I hope Master Xuanzang will not hesitate to give me some advice."

After saying that, he bowed and bowed.

Xuanzang was shocked and had to step forward to help him and said, "Wanshou Immortal is so polite. Xuanzang cannot bear this gift."

"Then Master Xuanzang agrees?" Zhen Yuanzi raised his head and looked at Xuanzang with a smile.

"This..." Blinking his eyes blankly, Xuanzang looked at the monkey aside, hesitated for a while, and then clasped his hands together. He said softly: "Xuan Zang... just do your best."

Hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi slowly raised his body, stroked his long beard and said with a smile, "I would like to thank Master Xuanzang in advance."

Xuanzang clasped his hands together and replied: "I don't dare."

The monkey on the side had already furrowed his brows.

With this attitude, even if he were to kill him, he would not believe that Zhen Yuanzi had no agenda.

At this moment, several Taoist disciples slowly walked in from the door carrying various dishes, and quickly filled the colorful table.

One of the Taoist disciples slowly walked up to Zhen Yuanzi and said, "Master, the vegetarian dishes are ready."

Zhen Yuanzi nodded. Then he said to Xuanzang: "This is the vegetarian food that I, Wuzhuang Temple, have specially prepared for you. Please use it with caution. It has been a tiring journey all the way, and I will not disturb you for your rest. I will send someone over again in the afternoon." Meet Master Xuanzang."

Xuanzang clasped his hands together, bowed and said, "Thank you, the Great Immortal Wanshou."

"Pindao, farewell." After saying that, Zhen Yuanzi turned around and walked out. The Taoist disciples also followed closely, leaving only one person standing guard outside the door, waiting for orders at any time.

After Zhen Yuanzi left, everyone slowly gathered around the table of dishes.

The originally simple vegetarian dishes have been transformed into countless variations in the hands of the chefs at Wuzhuangguan. From a distance, there are birds, animals, flowers, green leaves, and all kinds of dishes, just like pieces of art. . It's even difficult to identify its original material.

Seeing these dishes, Xiao Bailong suddenly became happy: "This is like food for people to eat. Not bad, no worse than my chef at Xihai Dragon Palace. However, I have to try the taste before I can make a final conclusion."

After saying that, he picked up the chopsticks and reached for the dish.

But before he could touch the dish. There was only a "pop" sound, and the hand was slapped away by the monkey.

At this moment, Xiao Bailong was stunned. He quickly held the chopsticks in both hands and brought them to the monkey. He said with a smile: "Yes, yes, the great sage should use the chopsticks first. Look at Ao Lie, he hasn't eaten well in a long time." , even greedy insects have been raised. Oh, confused, confused."

As he spoke, he pretended to slap his mouth.

Reaching out to take the chopsticks handed over by Xiao Bailong, the monkey glanced at him lightly and sighed: "It's so greedy that it won't be unjust if it's poisoned to death."

"poisonous?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone present was stunned.

Xuanzang took a deep breath and said, "It shouldn't be the case. After all, he is the Immortal of Longevity."

"What do you know? Could he have good intentions when he invites us here? Tell me, considering the festivals I have had with him, under what circumstances would he entertain us warmly? It's better to be careful." With that, the monkey kicked He stepped on the chair, stretched out his chopsticks and rummaged through the dishes. The spiritual energy flowed through his hands and flowed into the dishes along the chopsticks.

It wasn't until the table full of dishes that were like works of art had been turned over that the monkey waved his hand and said: "I've confirmed that it's not poisonous, let's eat it."

After saying that, he put his chopsticks on the table, turned around and walked out the door, leaving everyone looking at each other in confusion at the table of dishes.

After a while, Xiao Bailong looked at the dishes and smiled slowly, and said, "Great Sage, is this too much? How could the Great Immortal Wanshou do such a vile thing?"

Looking up, he realized that not only were the others not smiling, but they all had serious expressions on their faces, so he had to quickly put away the smiles on their faces.

After a long while, Tianpeng sighed lightly and said: "There's nothing wrong with being careful. Now that you've confirmed that it's not poisonous, just eat it."

With that said, he took the lead in sitting on the chair.

…

At this time, in another part of Wuzhuang Temple, a Taoist disciple slowly walked into the main hall carrying a plate that should have a red cloth.

"Master, the ginseng fruits have been picked, there are five in total."

Zhen Yuanzi, who was sitting cross-legged and with eyes closed, slowly opened one eye.

The Taoist disciple immediately uncovered a corner of the red cloth.

Under the red cloth, each white baby-shaped ginseng fruit radiates a milky white light.

After covering the red cloth again, the Taoist disciple asked softly: "Master, would you like to send the ginseng fruit over now?"

Slowly closing his eyes, Zhen Yuanzi said in a low voice: "Let it go for now, don't be in a hurry. We will make a decision after I have talked with Master Xuanzang."

"Disciple, obey."

The Taoist disciple bowed towards Zhen Yuanzi. Holding a plate with ginseng fruit in both hands, he slowly exited the hall.

…

At this time, the monkey was searching around the Wuzhuang Temple.

The huge Wuzhuang Temple is as big as a palace, but there are only sixty or seventy Taoist disciples living in it. As for the defensive array. Although there are many, they are not activated, so that the monkey feels like he is in a deserted land.

In just this moment, Xuanzang and others hadn't even finished their meal. The monkey had already searched almost the entire Wuzhuang Temple, and even went under the ginseng fruit tree. However. No abnormalities were found. The uninterested monkey had to return to the attic where he lived.

In the blink of an eye. It was already afternoon, and Zhen Yuanzi sent someone as expected.

As soon as the Taoist disciple crossed the threshold, he saw the monkey's golden hoop lying in front of him.

Crossing his legs, the monkey swayed and looked at the Taoist disciple.

Seeing this, the Taoist disciple had no choice but to stop and salute Xuanzang through the golden hoop and then salute the monkey. He said: "The master ordered his disciples to come and take Master Xuanzang to the main hall."

The monkey raised his head and asked with a smile: "Can I go together?"

"OK."

"What about the others going together?"

"also."

Turning his head, Monkey waved his hands towards the other people and said, "In that case, let's go to the main hall together."

"Please." After saying that, the Taoist disciple turned sideways and made a casual "please" gesture.

Everyone looked at each other, and as expected, everyone stood up and followed.

Not long after, under the guidance of the Taoist disciple, everyone came to the main hall.

Seeing everyone, Zhen Yuanzi was still as polite as before and immediately stood up to greet them.

Both parties greeted each other. After everyone was seated and tea was served, Zhen Yuanzi said softly: "I have always been puzzled about this 'Pudu', and I would like to ask Master Xuanzang to clarify it."

"Wanshou Immortal, please speak." Xuanzang said immediately.

Zhen Yuanzi cleared his throat and said: "The so-called Pudu, the 'pu' means the unity of all living beings. The 'cross' means reaching the other shore. Is there any mistake in what I said?"

"No mistakes or omissions."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi smiled faintly, stroking his long beard and said, "In this case, I have to ask out of curiosity, where is the other side?"

Xuanzang raised his head slightly, thought for a while, put his hands together and replied respectfully: "The other shore is the sea of ​​suffering. Crossing means to help him escape from the sea of ​​suffering. The other shore is naturally the place of bliss. ”

Zhen Yuanzi stroked his long beard with one hand, laughed out loud, and said, "Then can Master Xuanzang please explain this 'bliss' in detail to the poor people?"

"The poor monk is showing off his ugliness." Xuanzang bowed slightly, paused for a moment, seemed to clarify his thoughts, and said: "This so-called place of bliss is not just a place, but lies in the sudden realization of the suffering of life, the suffering of old age, Sickness is painful, death is painful, separation from love is painful, hatred and resentment are painful, not being able to seek is painful, the five yins are flaming and painful, the meaning of escape from the eight sufferings..."

The two of them chatted like this, Zhen Yuanzi kept asking questions, and Xuanzang answered all questions. From time to time, Zhen Yuanzi would nod in agreement.

The monkeys on the side looked a little confused.

No matter how you look at it, Zhen Yuanzi didn't mean to make things difficult, but instead had an attitude of asking for advice humbly.

What's going on?

Could it be that the majestic Wanshou Immortal is also planning to switch to another sect?

If that's true, that's really a good thing. With such a powerful person who is famous in the three worlds, the journey to the west will definitely be much smoother.

After listening like this for a long time, the two of them started talking about what Pudu is, how to achieve Pudu, and all the details of how to achieve Pudu.

In this part, Xuanzang admitted that he had not yet truly realized his enlightenment, and Zhen Yuanzi also expressed his understanding and even made some small suggestions.

That attitude was really kind.

"Could it be that I am too careless and judge a gentleman with a villain's heart?" The monkey couldn't help but become confused.

The more the two chatted, the more mysterious they became. Gradually, among everyone present, Xuanzang was probably the only one who could understand.

After stretching, the monkey left everyone behind and walked out of the hall slowly, holding the golden hoop and looking up at the sky with a confused look on his face. But until this moment, he still locked onto Xuanzang's location with his spiritual consciousness. Within a radius of one mile, no disturbance could escape his eyes and ears.

However, Zhen Yuanzi's attitude remained the same and he had no intention of doing anything out of spite.

"Hey. It seems that I really thought too much." Shaking his head helplessly, the monkey turned and returned to the temple.

After all, Zhen Yuanzi is a great master of Taoism. Many Dharma schools are actually related to Buddhism and Taoism. Xuanzang only had to say one thing. Then Zhen Yuanzi could understand what Xuanzang was thinking and draw inferences.

Not long after, the discussion in the main hall was coming to an end. Xuanzang had nothing more to explain and had no choice but to bow his head in obedience.

Zhen Yuanzi didn't do anything to make things difficult, he just laughed and raised his hand. The Taoist disciple who had been waiting aside brought the plate covered with red cloth to Zhen Yuanzi.

"I would like to thank Master Xuanzang for explaining it today. The way of universal salvation will really enlighten me. If this way is proved, it will be a blessing to all living beings." Zhen Yuanzi stretched out his hand to uncover the red cloth and said with a chuckle: "These are the ginseng fruits that I grew in my temple. There are five of them in total, so I will give them to you all. I just treat them as Master Xuanzang's explanation for the poor Taoist today. I would like to express my sincere feelings. Please don't refuse, Master Xuanzang."

Seeing the baby-shaped ginseng fruits that emitted soft light, everyone present couldn't help but take a second look.

Everyone in the three worlds knows that ginseng fruit is as famous as the heavenly flat peach as a life-extending treasure. Those present, Tianpeng and Xiaobailong, have even eaten flat peach. Even at this time, the group of people still had three flat peaches in their luggage. To them. Flat peaches are nothing.

However, the two functions are equally famous, but their rarity cannot be equated.

Although flat peaches are planted in the ninth heaven, one year in the sky and one year on earth, and the time required to mature is extremely long, there is an entire flat peach orchard with thousands of flat peach trees. Calculate it. In one day in the mortal world, several flat peaches mature in heaven. There is only one ginseng fruit tree in the sky and on the earth. There is no other tree. It takes tens of thousands of years to mature. In addition, the ginseng fruit has a very short shelf life after being picked. Many people in the three worlds have heard of its name, but very few have actually seen it, let alone had the opportunity to feast on it.

Among the people present, only Tianpeng had smelled the ginseng fruit when he offered ginseng fruits to the Jade Emperor when he was a court guard in Zhen Yuanzi in his early years. As for the ginseng fruit-flavored tea that Zhen Yuanzi brought out during the private meeting between Tianpeng and Zhen Yuanzi later, that didn't count.

Holding the plate, the Taoist disciple slowly walked up to Xuanzang, bowed down, and said softly: "Master Xuanzang, please."

Xuanzang looked at the ginseng fruit on the plate, hesitated for a moment and said: "No reward for no merit, Xuanzang cannot accept this gift."

"Take it." Zhen Yuanzi sighed lightly: "Pindao has already said it, so let Master Xuanzang explain it to Pindao today. This ginseng fruit can only be kept for one day after being picked from the fruit tree. Since I have already taken it off, and I ask Master Xuanzang not to refuse and waste the heavenly treasure. The Tibetan Sutra is worth thousands of dollars. As long as Master Xuanzang understands the true meaning of this way of salvation in the future, remember to return to Wuzhuang Temple and talk to him. Once the poor Taoist lectures, the poor Taoist will be satisfied."

Hearing this, Xuanzang looked towards the monkey. After confirming that the monkey did not express any objection, he clasped his hands together and bowed: "In this case, Xuanzang will thank the Great Immortal Wanshou."

By this time, night had fallen.

After taking the ginseng fruit and saying goodbye to Zhen Yuanzi, everyone returned to their residence under the guidance of the Taoist disciples.

As soon as he returned to his residence, the monkey checked the newly received ginseng fruit again, and only distributed it to everyone after confirming that it was non-toxic.

The black bear spirit happily hid the ginseng fruit in his sleeve, smelled it from time to time, and said he would keep it for one more night and eat it tomorrow.

Little Bailong didn't need to say anything, he took it and started eating, chewing slowly, with an expression of enjoyment.

Tianpeng took the ginseng fruit and sat under the moonlight to examine it carefully, as if he was very curious about why the fruit had the shape of a baby.

The monkey didn't take it at all, and put it on the plate together with Xuanzang's one on the table. He walked out silently and took up the responsibility of keeping vigil.

Time passed slowly, and late at night, the monkey sitting cross-legged on the roof looked down at the canopy and sat in the yard holding a ginseng fruit to look at it. He couldn't help but say: "Don't look at it, it will make you sad if you look at it again." It’s bad. Let’s eat it quickly. If you want to send it to Fairy Nishang early tomorrow morning, I have another one, just take it.”

Tianpeng caressed the white jade-like fruit body and said: "Thank you for the great sage's kindness. Nishang already has flat peaches. It is meaningless to eat this ginseng fruit again. If you just want to try something new, wait until Tianpeng remembers the taste. See you later. It’s the same thing if you change the face into two.”

"Hey, I thought you were thinking about how to open your mouth to give ginseng fruits."

"Since I agreed to go west, I won't leave casually."

The monkey let out a long sigh and said, "I still believe you on this point."

At this time, Xiao Bailong opened the door and staggered out, holding his stomach, muttering: "This town Yuanzi really has bad intentions. He just gave away ginseng fruit, and he still wants to trick us." Together, it’s true.”

After saying this, the monkey stood up quickly and shouted: "What happened?"

Raising his head, Xiao Bailong grinned at the monkey and said: "It's okay, don't be nervous, Great Sage. That guy Zhen Yuanzi didn't explain how to eat ginseng fruit when he gave it to him. This thing is different from flat peaches. When you eat it... …Hehe, you must exercise your spiritual power when eating, otherwise the meridians will be disordered. But it’s okay, just adjust your breath. I didn’t know it just now, so I just ate it, and now I have an attack.”

As he spoke, he chuckled. The monkey present, Tianpeng, turned pale.

…

At this time, a Taoist disciple hurried into the candle-lit hall, knelt down in front of Zhen Yuanzi, and reported in a low voice: "Master, the disciple who is responsible for sending Master Xuanzang and his party has just reported for the third watch."

"Oh?" Zhen Yuanzi opened his eyes, smiled slowly, and sighed leisurely: "So, Xuanzang has already eaten the ginseng fruit? Just eat it, just eat it. After so many years, this is still the case The first Buddhist disciple to eat ginseng fruit." (To be continued~^~)

PS: A 5,000-word chapter, and now I owe 19,000. That’s right, today has not passed yet, so it can’t be counted yet~ Go ahead and continue writing~