Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 213 - 207: Famous Scenes of the Journey to the West [Seeking Subscriptions, Seeking Monthly Tickets]_1
"The system detected that the Saint Laozi’s External Incarnation, the Sub-Sage Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad, has requested you to become his disciple. You have the following choices."
"Choice one: Agree to Lord Lao Zi’s request, become the disciple of the Sub-Sage, and receive the Magical Tool [Purple Gold Gourd]. The Purple Gold Gourd is Lord Lao Zi’s gourd used to hold Immortal Pills; it can absorb heaven and earth, devour the skies and engulf the lands, and its power is boundless."
"Choice two: Refuse Lord Lao Zi’s request and receive the Magical Tool [Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag]. The Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag is one of the Innate Five-Color Flags, containing limitless power of the water element, capable of turning rivers and flipping seas, controlling the waters and stirring the waves."
Sha Chen looked at the options and was momentarily stunned.
The Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag of the Innate Five-Color Flags? I already possess the Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji, and now this Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag has appeared. Could it be that the system hopes I will gather all the Innate Five-Color Flags!? It’s said that they were transformed from the five leaves of the ancient green lotus. If I gathered them all, wouldn’t that make me unrivaled in the world!? Perhaps I could even condense the ancient green lotus and create a world of five colors.
Sha Chen felt a thrill just thinking about it. As for becoming a disciple of Lord Lao Zi, he didn’t even consider it, rejecting the idea outright.
A mere Sub-Sage at that! When I wouldn’t even pledge discipleship to the Saint Tongtian Hierarch, why would I accept a Sub-Sage as my master? Let the sage Laozi himself come and speak if he wishes! An External Incarnation trying to attract me as a disciple?! All temptations are mere illusions and monsters.
Sha Chen had already refused in his heart, but he couldn’t be too direct in person, fearing Lord Lao Zi would lose face.
After all, Lord Lao Zi is unlike the Tongtian Hierarch; he is a staid and calculating person. If I carelessly offend him, he might turn a potential disciple into an enemy. Wouldn’t that be courting death?!
Sha Chen hesitated repeatedly, pondering how to phrase his refusal.
Lord Lao Zi stood with his hands behind his back, the fervor in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a furrowed brow.
He had initially felt somewhat rash in offering to take on a disciple; after all, over countless years, he had seen innumerable geniuses. Even so, he had only accepted Master Xuandu and Immortal Huolong as direct disciples; the rest were disciples in name only or outer sect disciples. In short, he was very particular about accepting disciples.
Now that he had asked Sha Chen to become his disciple, he felt somewhat regretful for not having examined Sha Chen more thoroughly, a trace of remorse stirring internally. But a word once spoken is like a team of horses that cannot be called back, and he was not one to go back on his word. So he simply waited for Sha Chen to kowtow and pay respects, and he would then smoothly accept Sha Chen as his disciple. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
What troubled him, however, was that if Sha Chen did become his disciple, he couldn’t allow him to join Buddhism, as that would ruin the grand Buddhist undertaking of the scripture quest. He would have to find another way to fill this gap for Buddhism; otherwise, the duo of Zhunti and another would come nagging in his ear once again. After all, he owed a karmic debt and a favor to Buddhism from the time of the Divine Enthronement, which he had to repay. Assisting in the establishment and completion of the scripture quest was how he intended to settle that karmic debt. If he were to take Sha Chen as his disciple now, wouldn’t that disrupt the grand Buddhist undertaking, effectively destroying this karmic tie with his own hands?
This was why it was a headache. But an arrow loosed from the bow does not return; since he had already offered to take a disciple, if Sha Chen agreed to become one, he would have to accept him. So he just waited for Sha Chen to kowtow and pay his respects.
However, he had not expected Sha Chen to hesitate, which somewhat displeased him.
I, this venerable one, have made an exception to accept you as my disciple! That is your great honor! Countless people yearn to enter my tutelage, yet you hesitate!? Outrageous!
Lord Lao Zi was somewhat displeased and decided that when Sha Chen accepted the discipleship, he would give him a bit of a dressing-down to assert the prestige of a master.
Sha Chen hesitated for a moment but decided to speak the plain truth, because being deliberately ambiguous in front of Lord Lao Zi seemed inappropriate.
He said, "Thank you for your noble esteem, Senior. This junior has limited talent and shallow learning, an insignificant background, and a weak foundation, harboring no lofty aspirations. I only wish to cultivate here and avoid the dust of the mortal world, as I am unqualified to climb such a high peak. Thus, I dare not enter the Saint’s tutelage and tarnish the reputation of your lineage."
Lord Lao Zi, who was waiting for Sha Chen to kowtow and pay respects, was taken aback. Listening to Sha Chen’s rapid stream of words, he had thought Sha Chen would praise him and express his joy at becoming a disciple before gracefully prostrating himself in acceptance.
But who would have expected that after saying so much, it was all a refusal? There was no indication that he intended to become a disciple. In other words, Sha Chen was refusing to become his disciple.
Lord Lao Zi was completely stunned; he had never encountered such a situation before.
"Do you realize what you are saying?" Lord Lao Zi said, astonished. "In the entire Three Realms, figures of repute are as numerous as ox hairs, yet Saints are few and far between. The status of a Saint’s disciple is something countless people eagerly pursue, and now that I am offering it to you, you decline?"
Seeing that Lord Lao Zi was agitated, Sha Chen worried that his pride was wounded and he might vent his anger on him without restraint, so he wanted to explain.
But Lord Lao Zi was truly agitated and continued, "Many yearn to become disciples of a Saint but cannot achieve it, let alone being personally recruited by a Saint to become a direct disciple, ranked third among the disciples! And yet you refused without hesitation?"
Sha Chen wanted to say that he *had* hesitated. Even though my hesitation was just an act to give you face, since you’ve pointed it out yourself, you’re the one embarrassing yourself, not me. Nevertheless, he did not dare say it.
Instead, he said, "Please forgive me, Saint. This junior has limited talent..."
He intended to repeat his excuses, but Lord Lao Zi interrupted him, "Stop talking! You clearly don’t understand what a tremendous opportunity you’re turning down. A moment ago, I was still wondering if I was too hasty in taking you as a disciple, but now it seems you do not cherish it. Do you realize that you are letting an opportunity to associate with a Saint slip by?"
"Many yearn for the status of a Saint’s disciple, yet you are unwilling. Do you think being a Saint’s disciple is as common as dirt, or do you believe that during the great calamity of the Divine Enthronement, when disciples of Saints were supposedly everywhere, their status no longer held any significance?"
Sha Chen hurriedly said, "Not at all, not at all; this junior never said that."
Although he did think that in his heart, it was not what he had in mind when he had refused just then. At the same time, he broke out in a cold sweat. I refused the Tongtian Hierarch, and he didn’t have such a strong reaction. How come you, a person known for deep schemes and profound composure, are this agitated?
He grew even more troubled and worried. He had thought refusing a Saint was a commonplace matter; after all, this wasn’t the first time he had done so. The Tongtian Hierarch hadn’t reacted much, so why was Lord Lao Zi’s response so extreme?
Sha Chen panicked. The last thing I need is for Lord Lao Zi to become furious out of shame and strike me down. It seems I might have to kneel and call him Master after all.
Lord Lao Zi was truly agitated and said, "If you really think the status of a Saint’s disciple is as common as dirt, then you are gravely mistaken. Not to mention, during the Divine Enthronement calamity, the Saintly disciples suffered heavy casualties, and few remain. Even in those times, there were distinctions in status among Saintly disciples. The vast majority were outer sect or ordinary inner sect disciples, who were worlds apart from direct disciples."
Sha Chen broke out in more cold sweat and nodded continuously, "Yes, yes, this junior understands. This junior has never meant any disrespect."
Lord Lao Zi snorted, "Of course, you cannot look down on it, nor are you qualified to. Even if I were to take you as a disciple and you became a direct one, you still couldn’t look down on others."
"Moreover, you have refused. You’ve missed the chance to become a direct disciple of a Saint, and there won’t be another opportunity like this. You will live out your days in mediocrity, utterly unremarkable."
Sha Chen quickly said, "Yes, yes, this junior is terrified. This junior is mediocre. This junior harbors no grand ambitions."
Lord Lao Zi was so angry he could barely stand it. If Sha Chen had argued back a bit, he could have taken the opportunity to chastise him and vent some of his frustration. But Sha Chen actually agreed with him completely! This left Lord Lao Zi with pent-up anger and nowhere to direct it.
Shameless! So devious!
After a long pause, he still couldn’t resist raising his hand. Then, after Sha Chen flinched and ducked his head, he withdrew his hand again. But upon withdrawing his hand, he felt unsatisfied. He reached out again, frightening Sha Chen into flinching and ducking once more. Lord Lao Zi withdrew his hand again. After repeating this several times, he ultimately couldn’t help himself and slapped the back of Sha Chen’s head three times.
After being hit, Sha Chen quickly checked his body to see if the Saint had placed any kind of restriction on him. Finding none, he breathed a sigh of relief. So, he just slapped me a few times on the back of the head to vent his anger for not getting a good disciple. That’s all.
Sha Chen originally thought that Lord Lao Zi truly had a petty temperament, even worse than the Tongtian Hierarch. But thinking about this famous scene, he suddenly froze again, looking around, sometimes frowning, sometimes puzzled.
Lord Lao Zi said angrily, "You wretch, why are you looking around like that?"
He had thought that after his display of anger, Sha Chen would kneel and beg for mercy, then confess his wrongdoing with tears and sobs, pleading to be taken as a disciple. Then, he would refuse Sha Chen, thus restoring his own dignity.
But Sha Chen was merely looking around, showing no intention of kneeling and begging, and certainly no signs of tearful terror or pleading to be accepted. This made Lord Lao Zi even angrier.
Sha Chen hurriedly said, "Why did the Saint hit my forehead? And three times, at that? Could it be that you want this junior, in the dead of night, to climb through a window or use a back door to seek the Saint’s teachings?"
"I just don’t know which palace the Saint plans to rest in, so that this junior can prepare early, tidy up the Saint’s personal belongings, make the bed, and arrange everything properly."
Lord Lao Zi’s eyes widened. He pointed at Sha Chen, speechless for a long moment.
Since he had appeared here, he had always maintained his composure, never letting his joy or anger show. Even when Sha Chen shocked him repeatedly, his expression had not changed. But Sha Chen’s refusal to become his disciple had wounded his pride. He had initially thought Sha Chen was playing hard to get, but after confirming several times, he was certain: Sha Chen had absolutely no intention of becoming his disciple. Not even a sliver of a thought.
He roared angrily, "Wretch! How could such a crude and simple place be worthy of my presence? And you, not even my disciple, yet you wish to learn from me!?"
Angered, he raised his hand and, with a sweep, sent Sha Chen flying. Sha Chen crashed through a dozen palace buildings.
Sha Chen was unharmed and, even more so, did not feel his dignity was damaged in the slightest. Being struck by a Saint and remaining unharmed? That’s something I could brag about for a lifetime! How could my dignity be hurt by that?
Moreover, he had refused a Saint’s offer to become a disciple, and the Saint had lashed out in anger. The one who lost face was the Saint.
Sha Chen just sighed. What a pity. The famous scene occurred, but the expected outcome didn’t happen to me. I really thought Lord Lao Zi would have me sneak in through the back door in the middle of the night for some special guidance on cultivation. But no, Lord Lao Zi turned out to be truly stingy. Even if you fail to take a disciple, common decency remains, doesn’t it? Especially since I treated you to good wine and food. Striking someone was already excessive, but not even imparting a couple of saintly secret arts or reciting a few lines of saintly Dao Techniques? Is that justifiable!?
