Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 264: The Avalokiteshvara Plan The king closed his eyes, resigning himself to fate. After waiting for a while, he felt the queen gently poking him twice from behind. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Qin Wuxian and the others standing motionless as if carved from clay or wood, seemingly frozen in place. Gathering his courage, the king reached out to push aside the broken sword in front of his neck and asked tremulously, “Which deity has saved me?” Suddenly, a figure flashed inside the room—a monkey, none other than Wukong. Wukong smiled and said, “It’s not a deity; just a humble monk on a pilgrimage.” The king examined Wukong closely and said, “It really is you!” Then he tried to get down to pay his respects. Wukong held back the king and asked, “No need to bow. What should we do with these people?” Qin Wuxian and the others could speak but not move. Seeing that Wukong had subdued them without a trace, they cursed themselves for failing to recognize his greatness and not realizing the immense powers of these pilgrims. If they had known they would handle such matters, they would have waited until they left before taking action. The king was at a loss, not knowing what to do. Wukong lifted the paralysis spell from Qin Wuxian and said, “Master Qin, what remarkable skills! You even tried to seize the throne of a human king. It’s a shame you’re still just an immortal practitioner!” Qin Wuxian, now completely desperate, knelt down and begged for his life. Wukong smiled and said, “Killing you is effortless. You can choose how you want to die.” Qin Wuxian beat his head against the ground, pleading for mercy. After thinking for a moment, Wukong said, “Though you’ve committed capital crimes, it’s not my place to judge. Go live in a cave outside the city. If you can keep the land of Wuji Country peaceful for a hundred years, that will be considered forgiveness.” Hearing such a lenient punishment, Qin Wuxian immediately kowtowed in gratitude. Wukong added, “If you ever harbor evil thoughts again, bring your head here.” His words sounded casual, but to everyone else, they were like thunder. Wukong lifted the paralysis spell from everyone and asked, “Where has the Grand Master gone?” Qin Wuxian dared not hide anything and recounted what had happened. Wukong laughed inwardly—these people, through their chaotic actions, had driven away the Green Lion Demon. He wondered what Manjushri would think upon hearing this. Wukong waved his hand, telling everyone to leave. Then he turned to the king and said with a smile, “The Grand Master you’ve raised for so many years turns out to be a demon.” The king of Wuji Country broke into cold sweat, filled with fear. If it weren’t for Qin Wuxian’s ambition to seize the throne, who knew how much longer this demon would have hidden itself. He still wanted to express his thanks, but in the blink of an eye, Wukong vanished without a trace. The king called out twice, “Elder Immortal? Elder Immortal!” The palace fell silent, and only then did they realize Wukong had left.

After leaving the palace, Wukong did not return to the inn but headed straight to the Qin family’s courtyard. Looking up from above, he saw that the Qin residence was covered in debris; all the pavilions and towers had turned into ruins, and their original shapes were no longer recognizable. Wukong searched the area but found not only no signs of people but even no trace of any living being. An idea struck him—Guanyin! It must have been Guanyin who did this! Guanyin had taken away twenty-three people with the Five Elements constitutions and destroyed those strange corridors; this was her purpose in staying in the Country of the Black Chicken. At that moment, Wukong heard a soft sigh behind him. Turning around, he saw the beautiful woman in white standing in midair—none other than Guanyin. Startled, Wukong prepared to pay her respects, but Guanyin waved her hand and said, “It’s alright.” Wukong immediately asked, “Bodhisattva, this—” “Yes, it was I who destroyed this courtyard,” said Guanyin. Pretending to be surprised, Wukong asked, “Why destroy a perfectly good courtyard?” Guanyin replied, “You don’t understand formations or the dangers involved. This courtyard was laid with a deadly array designed to steal the fortune of the Country of the Black Chicken.” Wukong suddenly understood and said, “I just came from the palace. That second grand priest tried to kill the emperor and seize the throne, but I stopped him.” Guanyin raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?” Wukong recounted what had happened, and Guanyin said, “That makes sense. They came for the throne. Fortunately, you were here; otherwise, they would have succeeded.” Wukong said, “In that case, these people were punished too lightly.” Guanyin shook her head. “It shows you have a compassionate heart, which is rare.” Wukong knew Guanyin was just talking nonsense—the second grand priest was under the control of the Nine-Headed Worm; how could he be interested in the fortune of the Country of the Black Chicken? But since she had discovered him spying on the courtyard, he felt uneasy. Wanting to change the subject, he asked, “Bodhisattva, I have a question.” Seeing that Guanyin remained calm, he continued, “Were those meatballs given to me by the Bodhisattva?” Guanyin replied, “Yes. That Zhu Bajie is endlessly greedy, refuses to reform, and is full of laziness. That’s why I deliberately tested him. I never expected him to be able to eat pork—how could such a person who violates moral principles enter my Buddhist sect?” Wukong thought for a moment. If Zhu Bajie ate pork, it was no different from eating human flesh—it was truly unbearable. Then Guanyin added, “Now only you and Wuhui are left to protect Tang Seng. We’re short of manpower. I’ll send the old turtle from the South Sea to help you. He’s quiet and gentle, making him an excellent ally.”

After hearing the Bodhisattva’s words, Wukong suddenly understood as if enlightened by divine wisdom. The Bodhisattva wasn’t criticizing Zhu Bajie at all; instead, she wanted to place one of her own people in the group, and this transfer was likely related to the capture of the Nine-Headed Worm. Wukong was right—Avalokiteshvara was extremely clever. The Nine-Headed Worm had been operating in the Country of the Black Chicken for years without any mistakes, but as soon as the pilgrims arrived, chaos ensued. Though she had no proof, she vaguely felt that Wukong might be involved in some way. And since Wukong was the one chosen by the Buddha for the mission, how could she dare to take action against him? After much thought, she turned to Zhu Bajie. Back then, she had accepted bribes from the Heavenly Court and sent the demoted Marshal Tianpeng into the pilgrim group, never expecting what would happen later. Ultimately, the four major Bodhisattvas who often roamed the world appeared to revere the Tathagata on the surface but secretly colluded with the Buddha from the East. Not only was the Buddha from the East the Buddha of the future, but on Mount Ling, he was also on very good terms with the Ancient Buddha Ran Deng. One was the Buddha of the past, the other the Buddha of the future, both as prominent as the Tathagata, if not even more so. Yet even the Bodhisattvas never expected such strange circumstances to arise—nothing in the world was more important than their own lives. Left with no choice, they had to turn to the Tathagata, hence their utmost dedication to ensuring success in the mission, fearing any mistakes. Avalokiteshvara naturally knew that Bajie was a pawn of the Heavenly Court. Previously, siding with the Buddha from the East, she had turned a blind eye, as such was the nature of shared enemies. But she also knew that such a petty trick from the Heavenly Court couldn’t hide from the Tathagata, so she had always planned to remove Bajie from the group. When chaos broke out in the Country of the Black Chicken, Avalokiteshvara could no longer tolerate it and used a scheme to have Tang Seng issue a decree to demote Bajie. Although this method somewhat diminished his status, with the authority of a Bodhisattva, a simple claim of “testing the Buddha’s heart” could cover it up. The old turtle from the South Sea was extremely loyal to her, so placing him there served two purposes: to protect Tang Seng on his journey west and to monitor Wukong and Wu Hui. Wukong was exceptionally clever, and even now, Avalokiteshvara couldn’t see through him completely. Wu Hui’s origins were even more mysterious, as if he had appeared out of thin air in the sky. By not driving him away, Avalokiteshvara wanted to see what kind of person this mysterious Wu Hui really was. After hearing Avalokiteshvara’s words, Wukong asked, “The old turtle from the South Sea? Is it that old man Wu?” Avalokiteshvara replied, “Exactly!” Wukong said happily, “Old Man Wu has great magical powers. If he can help with the mission, it would truly be a blessing for our master.” Avalokiteshvara said, “You must get along well and live in harmony as brothers if you want to succeed.”

Wukong scratched his head. Where did this notion come from? It was fine for himself, but even the little kid Huo Wuhui was to be called brother with the old man Wu, and moreover, his senior brother.
Guanyin asked, “Why are you scratching your head?”
Wukong replied with a smile, “Bodhisattva, I didn’t realize the old man Wu had arrived. Between him and Huo Wuhui, who is the elder?”
Guanyin said, “Naturally, it depends on the order of joining. He should call Wuhui his second senior brother.”
Wukong said, “Bodhisattva, rest assured. We will surely escort Tang Seng westward wholeheartedly, without any other thoughts!”
Guanyin nodded in satisfaction and said, “If that’s the case, I’ll be going now.”
Wukong clasped his hands and watched as Guanyin, dressed in white, walked away. On this full moon night, it formed a truly beautiful scene.
After seeing Guanyin off, Wukong felt uneasy. The old man Wu must have been sent by Guanyin to watch over him. With such high cultivation, his future actions would be far more difficult. Sigh, even if he knew this outcome, he still had to capture the Nine-Headed Worm. Compared to that, it was still a gain.
Wukong returned to the inn and waited until dawn, preparing vegetarian food. Tang Seng woke up early; he hadn’t eaten the night before and now woke up hungry. Wukong said, “Master, please have some vegetarian food first.”
Tang Seng looked around and asked, “Where’s Zhu Bajie?”
Wukong almost laughed out loud. You just drove him away yesterday, and now you’re looking for him again. As soon as Tang Seng said this, he realized it was wrong and sighed, “It’s hard for me!”
Wukong said, “Master, as the saying goes, one must cultivate good karma before attaining Buddhahood. Along the way, Zhu Bajie has done more evil than good. What happened today was inevitable; it’s just that his fate hasn’t yet arrived.”
Tang Seng said, “Bodhisattvas avoid desires as if avoiding fire pits. Although we’re not bodhisattvas, we must also keep this in mind. We must understand that ‘karma follows cause and effect.’ Once karma is committed, it’s impossible to escape forever.”
Wukong said, “I’ll remember that carefully. Master, please have some food first, then we’ll go to court.”
Hearing about going to court, Tang Seng sighed again, “I wonder if the king can change his ways. It’s hard.”
Wukong said, “It’s said that for the sake of the Dharma, one must endure these hardships. Even if it’s difficult, we must go. Who knows, maybe he’ll really change his ways.”
When Tang Seng heard Wukong reciting the Lotus Sutra, he was surprised and asked, “Where did you learn that, Wukong?”
Wukong was stunned. He wondered too—how did those sutra words suddenly come to his mind?