Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 257: Sealing with the Jade Seal

The White Dragon Horse was extraordinary in speed and grace, but anyone with even a basic understanding of horses could see that it was tall and majestic, its hooves seemingly not touching the ground as it ran, with its long mane flowing like that of a celestial horse descending to earth.

When Tang Seng saw that this man had improper thoughts toward the White Dragon Horse, he thought to himself, “This horse was given to me by a bodhisattva—how could I give it to you?” So he said, “Esteemed donor—”

“What donor? Call him His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!” shouted a military officer.

Tang Seng grew annoyed as well. How dare such a minor country’s military officer be so rude? He replied coldly, “In my eyes, all princes and nobles are merely donors.”

The military officer glared and swung his whip at him.

The Crown Prince turned his gaze away; he was used to such scenes. The whip stopped mid-air, as if held back by something. He pulled several times, but it didn’t move, so he pulled harder.

Unexpectedly, when he pulled it further, the strange force vanished, and he fell off his horse. Seeing the military officer in a sorry state, Tang Seng knew that Wukong must have arrived. He couldn’t help but laugh. But realizing his mistake, he quickly sat upright and chanted a few words of “Amitabha.”

The military officer got up, covered in dust, and naturally assumed Tang Seng possessed magical powers. He exclaimed, “This monk knows sorcery!”

The Crown Prince’s expression changed. He had also seen the national advisor perform magic before—those with real powers were immortals, and no amount of ordinary military force could do anything against them. Since Tang Seng hadn’t moved a muscle and still made the military officer fall from his horse, it seemed he was out of luck today and had encountered a tough opponent.

The Crown Prince had no desire to go hunting anymore. He waved his hand, ordering his men to return to the palace.

With a swirl of dust, the group came in high spirits but left disappointed.

Wukong reappeared and said to Tang Seng, “Master, you’ve suffered wrongs.” Tang Seng replied, “As the heir to the throne, how dare he act so recklessly, trying to snatch horses right in the street!”

Wukong said, “Master, you’re not well-versed in the world. There are things a hundred times worse than this happening all the time.”

Tang Seng sighed. “If everyone believed in Buddhism, there would be no conflicts in the world.”

Wukong thought to himself, “If everyone believed in Buddhism, life would be utterly boring.”

Zhu Bajie and Wuhui caught up from behind, and the group set off toward the Country of the Black Chicken.

After traveling for a while, they arrived in the city of the Country of the Black Chicken. The people in the streets looked similar to those in the Eastern Land, though their clothing was much more colorful. There were many palaces and towers in the city, which, though not as grand as those of the Tang Dynasty, still had a magnificent appearance.

Tang Seng said, “Wukong, it’s still early. It’s a good time to go to court and get new travel permits, then we can continue our journey.”

Wukong replied, “If Master isn’t tired, then we have nothing to worry about.”

Tang Seng said, “We rested last night.”
Wukong replied, “Then let’s go straight to the palace. That way we won’t waste time greeting people at inns; just a little delay could cost half a day.”
The group carried their loads and led the horses to the palace gates. Wukong stepped forward and spoke to the gatekeeper, “We are envoys sent by the King of Tang from the Eastern Land to worship Buddha and obtain scriptures in the Western Heaven. We now wish to enter the palace to get the necessary permits. Please convey our request so that we may not delay our good deed.”
It was the time for court meetings. The imperial messenger entered the main gate, knelt on the red steps, and reported, “There are four monks outside the palace, claiming to be envoys from the Kingdom of Tang, sent to worship Buddha and obtain scriptures in the Western Heaven. They wish to get the permits now and are waiting outside.”
When the King of Wuji heard that they were envoys from the King of Tang, he ordered them to be summoned. He said cheerfully, “Indeed, the people of the Great Tang are remarkable—they fear no hardships and dare to travel to the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and obtain scriptures.”
The Grand Master said, “The scriptures from the Western Heaven vary in quality. In my opinion, these monks might end up traveling in vain.” The Second Grand Master then laughed and said, “How can you say that, Grand Master? They’re still on their way. To say they’re traveling in vain is unfair.”
Tang Seng and his three companions arrived before the golden throne hall. They saw the civil and military officials, all solemn and dignified with noble appearances. Tang Seng clasped his hands together and said, “We pay our respects to the king.”
The Grand Master shouted from above, “You monks! Why don’t you bow when you see my king?”
Before Tang Seng could answer, Wukong used his magic to discover that the Grand Master was actually the Green Lion Spirit under Manjushri Bodhisattva. So he replied boldly, “You people from a distant borderland dare to demand that the nobles of the imperial court bow to you. You didn’t even come to greet me properly.”
The Grand Master became extremely jealous upon seeing Wukong. Knowing he couldn’t defeat Wukong in a fight, he took advantage of his position as Grand Master to create obstacles in the permit process.
Then the Second Grand Master said, “Indeed, the people of the Central Land are extraordinary in appearance. Someone, arrange seats for them!”
Wukong had been focusing on the Green Lion Spirit earlier. Hearing the Second Grand Master speak, he glanced over and found the man somewhat familiar. Using his secret magic, he examined him closely and realized the man was not a demon but an honest immortal, likely at the eighth or ninth rank among celestial beings.
The monk from Baolin Temple had mentioned that the man’s surname was Qin. After thinking carefully, Wukong suddenly remembered him. In the Three Realms, atop the Daoist Peak, he had met this man before, though he didn’t know his background. He seemed to be connected to the Daoist sect.
Wukong was right—the Second Grand Master was none other than Qin Wuxian, the leader of the Daoist sect. On that day, when the granddaughter of the sect’s second leader, Yun Zhaoying, was seeking a husband, Wukong, the Nine-Headed Worm, and others disrupted the event. Seeing that his own magic was too weak to help, he had taken the chance to escape.

After two or three years, seeing that the Way-Seeking Sect remained unchanged and those formidable figures no longer attacked, he emerged from seclusion once again to become its leader. Before the collapse of the three realms, he also escaped from the Eight Deserts Universe Dao Array and arrived in this world.

Wukong had long guessed that since this Second Grand Sage was opposing the Green Lion Spirit, he must not belong to the Eastern Buddha. The Three Pure Ones and the Heavenly Court surely wouldn’t care about such matters; it was most likely Guanyin who was behind it. Seeing Qin Wuxian today only reinforced his suspicion. The founder of the Way-Seeking Sect was under the control of the Nine-Headed Worm. If this man surnamed Qin didn’t have someone backing him, how could he have come to this small country uninvited to oppose the Green Lion Spirit? Immortals wouldn’t create enemies for no reason unless seeking profit. So this matter was still related to the Nine-Headed Worm. The Nine-Headed Worm, Guanyin, and Tathagata—these three were already seen by Wukong as ants on the same string.

In “Journey to the West,” Guanyin also sent the Golden Fur Wolf and the King of Spiritual Inspiration to hinder the pilgrimage. That Guanyin was probably very different from the one now. Though Wukong didn’t know what changes had taken place, from Guanyin’s behavior, it was clear she was determined to prevent the pilgrimage. Thinking of the Nine-Headed Worm, a shadow passed over Wukong’s heart. Since leaving the three realms, he had never met the Nine-Headed Worm face to face, but it was highly likely the Nine-Headed Worm knew that Tang Seng’s eldest disciple was the monkey he had seen in the three realms. The monkey wasn’t a problem, but even his second form—Nine-Headed Worm in white robes—was known to him. Fortunately, the Nine-Headed Worm had never seen Zhuanxu, and just calling him a man in white wouldn’t allow Guanyin to connect him with Wukong. If the Nine-Headed Worm learned Zhuanxu’s appearance, his situation would become extremely dangerous.

He wondered if Qilin and the others had captured the Nine-Headed Worm. With this man surnamed Qin acting here, it was unclear whether the Nine-Headed Worm would come to help. Should he set an ambush here and wait for the Nine-Headed Worm to appear?

The King of Wuji Country had long become accustomed to these two grand sages, but both possessed great magical powers, and he couldn’t afford to offend them. Over the years, they had ensured peace and prosperity in his kingdom, with no disasters or troubles, allowing the people to live in happiness—this was enough for him.

An imperial official brought a chair for Tang Seng, who sat down calmly.

The First Grand Sage said, “Monk from the Eastern Land, if you want to pursue the scriptures, go ahead. Why come to the court?”

Tang Seng knew this First Grand Sage was against him, but he replied, “This humble monk brings the pass from King Tang to have it sealed by the king of this country.”

Hearing this, the King of Wuji Country looked troubled.

Seeing the king’s expression, Tang Seng’s heart sank, and he said, “Your Majesty, please examine this pass. If there are no errors, I would be grateful if you could affix your seal.”

The King of Black Chicken laughed and said, “It’s common practice to stamp official documents with an additional seal. How could I not know that? It’s just that our national seal was sealed yesterday and won’t be available for another hundred days.”
Tang Seng exclaimed, “Why was the seal sealed?”
The King of Black Chicken replied, “It’s our country’s custom. By sealing the seal and burning money in offerings daily, we can ensure peace and prosperity for the nation.”
Tang Seng shook his head with a wry smile and said, “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Wukong saw the Grand Master, the Green Lion Spirit, sitting aside with a sneer and knew he must be behind the mischief. He asked, “King, I’d like to ask—how many years has this custom been in use?”
The King of Black Chicken replied, “Well… this is the first year.”
Wukong burst into laughter. “What a coincidence! We want to stamp the documents, but you claim the seal is sealed as part of a custom that only started this year. We arrived here today, yet you sealed the seal yesterday. King of Black Chicken, that seems like an attempt to cover up the truth.”
The King of Black Chicken said, “You little monk, what do you mean by covering up the truth? I don’t understand at all. The Grand Master is skilled in divination; he’s kept our country rich and peaceful these past years. Surely he can’t be wrong.”
Wukong replied, “How can a country function without a seal? The so-called sealing of the seal is only meant to deceive simple people.”
The Grand Master snapped, “You insolent monkey! Bring these four away!”
Just as the king was about to give orders, Qin Wuxian spoke up, “Your Majesty, I think the Tang Dynasty monks make sense. If the Grand Master is truly skilled in divination, he should have foreseen that the Tang king would send someone to seek the scriptures through our country. Why would he choose to seal the seal exactly the day before the Tang monks arrived? There’s much to ponder here.”
The Green Lion Spirit said, “What do their quest for scriptures have to do with me? Though I’m skilled in divination, it’s not useless.”
Qin Wuxian replied, “How could it be useless? The Tang Dynasty is indeed a great empire. Though our country is rich, it can’t compare to the Tang Dynasty. If the Tang king’s envoy can’t pass through today, others will think we’re being unreasonable. After all, sealing a country’s seal for a hundred days is utterly absurd. If that ruins relations between the two countries, will you still say it’s useless?”
Wukong grew to like Qin Wuxian more and added, “Of course. Seeking the scriptures is the top priority for the Tang Dynasty right now. If it’s delayed, you might not be able to take responsibility for that.”
The Green Lion Spirit said, “So what if it’s the Eastern Land? If I refuse to pay tribute or trade with the Tang Dynasty, how can they control our country?”
Qin Wuxian smiled and said, “After all, he’s just a hermit from the mountains, unaware of the complexities of court politics. In international relations, one shouldn’t sacrifice much for little gain. Your Majesty, you’re a rare wise ruler. It’s up to you to make the decision.”
After hearing the two grand masters argue, the king of Black Chicken was also unsure what to do.

The Green Lion Spirit shouted, “I don’t care about matters in other countries. I only care about ensuring good weather and harvests in my own country. If we take out the jade seal now, disaster will strike next year. Don’t come to me again!”
Qin Wuxian replied, “In previous years, we didn’t use the jade seal, yet no disasters occurred!”
Seeing their argument going nowhere, Wukong stepped in and said, “Great Grand Sage, what ability do you have to guarantee that a country will be free from disasters?”