Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 684 - 683: Guanyin Tests Chen Nuo

Bodhisattva Guanyin thought this, bent her form to come to the mortal realm, preparing to first investigate whether this mortal was indeed blessed with such an opportunity, then she would find a way to convert him to Buddhism.

Chen Nuo was riding his horse on the road and had been feeling as though he was being watched for several days now, the sensation still hadn’t dissipated; although it was not frightening, it certainly was uncomfortable.

After half a month, the feeling of being watched suddenly vanished.

But Chen Nuo couldn’t relax just yet; even if he wanted to rest, he had to wait a while longer.

Just as Chen Nuo had suspected, less than half a day after he began to loosen up, he was being observed once again.

This time, the sensation was much more intense. It was no longer a hovering presence above his head, but rather a presence behind him. Chen Nuo felt it was Buddhism starting to make its move.

It was now afternoon; he had just finished eating dry food, riding along on his horse, not too quickly. With the feeling of being watched arising again, he could slowly start to search for its source.

He sensed the direction from where the gaze originated, but did not divert his attention to that place. Instead, he used his spiritual power to observe his surroundings.

After waiting a while, Chen Nuo heard a painful moan behind him. The sound was not loud and sounded like an elderly person had fallen down.

Although the voice was aged, the intent behind it could not deceive anyone.

As soon as the voice behind him appeared, Chen Nuo had already sensed that the other party was not mortal, but someone testing him.

The sound was quite soft, and it was behind him, but Chen Nuo pretended to have seen and heard nothing, continuing straight on his path.

Bodhisattva Guanyin had originally disguised herself as an old woman looking to test the mortal. She thought that he would surely stop to help her up immediately, but to her surprise, he simply walked past.

Could it be that her voice was too soft, or was it the wrong location?

Bodhisattva Guanyin would not give up on this bit of testing; if once wasn’t enough, she’d try a second time.

The second time, she positioned herself directly in front of Chen Nuo, with a heavy bundle of firewood on her back, huffing and puffing as she trudged forward.

Chen Nuo, riding his horse, saw Bodhisattva Guanyin carrying the firewood.

The Bodhisattva also noticed him, and she put even more effort into her act.

When Chen Nuo reached Bodhisattva Guanyin’s side, he pulled the reins of his horse and asked, "Old lady, you are carrying so much firewood, where are you going with it?"

"I’m going to my home, this is the firewood I need to burn," Guanyin said.

Who wouldn’t know she was heading home; was she supposed to carry all that firewood across the sea, Chen Nuo thought sardonically to himself.

"Where is your home? Let me see if it’s on my way. If it is, I could help you carry some of it," Chen Nuo asked with a smile.

"My home is over there in that fortress," Bodhisattva Guanyin pointed to a place at random, sure that this mortal would definitely help her.

Chen Nuo looked in the direction the Bodhisattva had pointed and sighed, then said to her, "Ah, old lady, that’s unfortunate; I’m heading to the northwest, which is not on your way."

"Ah?" Bodhisattva Guanyin was taken aback; she had not expected any response other than assistance with the firewood.

"That really is a pity. But, old lady, it looks like you must be used to carrying so much firewood; even without my help, I’m sure you’ll be back home quickly, so I’ll be on my way." Chen Nuo said and with those words, he left.

Bodhisattva Guanyin was truly dumbfounded on the spot. How could anyone treat an old person with such an attitude? Did he see through her disguise, or was it simply his nature to be like this?

Thinking of the first possibility, Bodhisattva Guanyin shook her head.

It’s impossible, his character must be as such, even if he encountered such a situation, he wouldn’t choose to spend his own time helping an old woman.

Thinking this way, the man seemed not as kind as he appeared on the surface. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Of course, Bodhisattva Guanyin’s assessment must not be so simple, if the first trial didn’t do, there would be a second one, and if the first two failed, then there would be a third.

If he failed to pass after three trials, that would mean this mortal really didn’t have such karma, and since he couldn’t achieve Buddhahood, then Bodhisattva Guanyin would no longer concern herself with him.

Chen Nuo rode his horse in haste, the sensation still hadn’t dissipated, it seemed Bodhisattva Guanyin still had plans for him.

Thinking of this, Chen Nuo sighed. What virtues and abilities did he possess? It was just that he had traveled with Xuanzang for a while, and yet Bodhisattva Guanyin had set her sights on him, even wanting to help him achieve Buddhahood.

Unbeknownst to him, the sky had slowly darkened.

Chen Nuo looked at the sky, noticing there were no inns around. If he did not want to hurry on in the dark, then he would have to find a family in a nearby village to stay with.

To Chen Nuo it didn’t seem to matter; after all, the horse still had plenty of energy, and even travelling at night didn’t seem like such a big deal.

The darkness didn’t hinder Chen Nuo’s progress; he still rode his horse into the depths of the forest.

The sky grew darker and darker, at first he could barely make out the path, but later on, he couldn’t see it at all.

Barely using the moonlight, he could make out some trees, so he wouldn’t bump directly into the woods.

The horse’s night vision was much better than that of mortals, so riding the horse, he wasn’t likely to lose his way. If one were walking alone, though, it would be truly difficult to move even an inch.

However, all these views were from the standpoint of mortals. For Chen Nuo, there was no difference between day and night; he could see clearly at both times.

Bodhisattva Guanyin had already made preparations in a nearby village, waiting for this mortal to come, but after waiting a long time, the mortal didn’t show up.

She found it strange; what could have happened? Could it be that the mortal had stayed in some other villager’s home?

Impossible!

Bodhisattva Guanyin thought, she had already set up formations in every part of this village. As soon as he entered, no matter where he knocked first, his location would be swapped.

It was already late. If the mortal hadn’t come this way, could it be that he was resting out in the wilderness?

Bodhisattva Guanyin wasn’t one to wait idly; she used her spiritual power, following the mortal’s trail to search. She searched all around and still couldn’t find the mortal; it seemed he wasn’t here.

If he wasn’t here, there was only one possibility left; that the mortal had chosen to travel under the cover of night.

How could there be such a foolish mortal? In the deep dark night, even in these remote mountains and forests, wasn’t he afraid of being devoured by wild beasts?

No matter what, the mortal had left.

Bodhisattva Guanyin felt that there was no longer any need to test this mortal; he was very unique indeed, and his aura was strong, but his actions didn’t quite align with the principles of Buddhism.

No matter how good this person’s life pattern was, there was no need to probe this mortal any further.

Chen Nuo continued to walk through the forest when suddenly he felt a lightness throughout his body, as if Bodhisattva Guanyin had finally relaxed her surveillance on him.

It seemed he had managed through his own abilities to convince the other party that he was not suitable for cultivating within Buddhism. Chen Nuo smiled. This was exactly what he wanted.