Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 240 - 19 Causality

At this moment, Tang Monk was utterly terrified, with the images of the ferocious tiger and thieves beaten to death by the monkey flashing incessantly in his mind, the bloody scenes causing his heart to shudder non-stop.

"Impossible," he muttered to himself, "the Bodhisattva said this Golden Hoop grows roots upon touching flesh."

"Ha-ha, the tight hoop, the tight hoop, is but a manifestation slave to the mind," the monkey spoke with pride. "Now that I, Lao Sun, have steadied the mind monkey and tamed the willful horse, how could this tight hoop control me?"

The monkey of today was no longer that furious, resentful Great Sage Equalling Heaven who had just been trapped under the Five Elements Mountain. After earnest cultivation and the Five Qi facing the primordial, recognizing his true mind and nature, in a certain sense, the monkey now possessed the Buddha’s enlightenment.

The tight hoop was a method of controlling the mind; should there be resentment, anger, or hatred, unable to see one’s own spiritual nature, naturally, it would cause unbearable pain. But if one could dispel the heart’s mist and see the true mind and nature, it would just be an ordinary tight hoop.

Tang Monk listened blankly to the monkey’s words, feeling that the disciple before him was completely different from the brutally fierce, unruly demon he had imagined in his mind, his words full of Chan mystery, even giving him the sensation of listening to the Dharma in front of the Buddha. This settled his previously anxious heart.

"Amitabha Buddha!" He chanted the Buddha’s name softly, and a compassionate and majestic expression immediately appeared on his face.

The monkey looked at Tang Monk and vaguely saw the shadow of the monk called Golden Cicada in him and sighed softly, "Master, this Journey to the West is fraught with hardship and danger, truly not easy."

Tang Monk, thinking the monkey was persuading him to turn back, immediately showed a resolute expression and said, "The poor monk has vowed before the Buddha to retrieve the True Scriptures and to save all sentient beings, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, I must go."

But the monkey just laughed and shook his head, saying, "You don’t understand, you don’t understand. But since I’ve acknowledged you as my master, I, Lao Sun, am not one to go back on my word. I will accompany you through mountains of knives and seas of fire. Since you don’t like my killing, I will try to kill less."

"Amitabha Buddha, well said! Well said!" Tang Monk pressed his palms together, finally feeling relieved, and resolved in his heart to properly teach Wukong and let him understand the concept of compassion.

The monkey helped Tang Monk onto the horse, and the two then commenced their Journey to the West.

On the other hand, Lu Yu also left Huaguo Mountain, preparing to return to his own cave dwelling when suddenly, a figure on a cloud blocked his path, which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be the Dragon Tamer Arhat with whom he had an encounter before.

"It turns out to be the Dragon Tamer Arhat in person. May I ask why you are obstructing Lu’s path?" inquired Lu Yu, puzzled.

The Dragon Tamer Arhat joined his palms and chanted the Buddha’s name, "Amitabha Buddha, I come by the order of our Tathagata to seek the cause and effect from Mr. Lu."

This statement immediately tensed up Lu Yu’s heart; he had long guessed that the karmic debt between him and Buddhism would eventually come due as Buddhism was adept at manipulating karma, but he did not expect it to come so soon. The Journey to the West had not yet ended when Buddhism came knocking at his door.

However, he also knew that his karma had been largely severed by his own master before his dissipation, and what remained was not enough to put his life in jeopardy, so he was reassured. After all, having this karma hanging over his head was not a good thing.

"May I know what instruction the Buddha Ancestor has given?"

"In our Western Mount Ling, a Buddha Mother has been born in the Eastern Land, the Great Tang, to unite the yin and yang of heaven and earth. Now this Buddha Mother’s reincarnation has reached the age of fourteen, and a calamity is looming; we hope Mr. Lu can travel to the Eastern Land, to be the protector of the Buddha Mother’s reincarnated body."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu became interested and asked with a smile, "May I know her family name and given name, and where does she reside?"

"This lady is now called Wu Meiniang, and she has already entered the Imperial Palace."

The words of the Dragon Tamer Arhat sounded like thunder in Lu Yu’s ears, and he asked incredulously, "Wu Meiniang?"

"Correct, does Mr. Lu recognize this lady?" The Dragon Tamer Arhat was also surprised. Did that name carry some special significance? Otherwise, how could it cause such astonishment in someone who had practiced the Five Qi to the emperor’s presence?

"I do not know her, but I have occasionally heard the name." Lu Yu chuckled, while also mocking himself inwardly. Here he was in ’Journey to the West,’ could likely be considered among the immortals, yet he had been disconcerted by a name from a previous life. It really wasn’t appropriate. Wu Meiniang, after all, was just another mortal who would experience birth, aging, sickness, and death.

"Since it is the Buddha’s command, Lu shall comply. After this matter is done, let the cause and consequences be canceled out," Lu Yu said with a smile.

"Amitabha! Well said! Well said!" The Dragon Tamer Arhat brought his hands together and chanted the Buddha’s name.

After parting with the Dragon Tamer Arhat, Lu Yu had no choice but to change direction and fly towards Changan of the Great Tang. Find adventures on novelbuddy

By the time he arrived outside the Imperial Palace, the Dragon of Fortune circling above the palace opened its eyes, directing a powerful pressure down from the sky. Yet Lu Yu was not flustered, for he pulled out the Sword of state.

This sword, made from the surplus materials of the Nine Tripods and worn by Lu Yu’s nephew Lu Zhang, had been infused with the Dragon Qi of the Human Path for a long time. Moreover, it had been bestowed with the fortune of a nation and had long been considered a treasured gem of the Human Path.

Now, using this treasure as a shield, he was naturally capable of nullifying the hostility of the Human Path’s fortune. Sure enough, when Lu Yu took out the Sword of state, the Dragon of the Human Path seemed unable to sense its target and slowly closed its eyes.

Only then did Lu Yu secretly heave a sigh of relief. The moment just then was indeed difficult to endure, but things had gone as he expected. The Sword of state could indeed shield him from the Dragon of Fortune. He guessed that the reason the Buddha Ancestor of Mount Ling had asked him to undertake this task was precisely because he possessed the Sword of state.

Otherwise, even the Buddha incarnate would only suffer mutual harm with the Dragon of Fortune, to no one’s benefit.

Using the Invisibility Technique, Lu Yu leisurely walked through the Imperial Palace, eyeing the renowned palace with appreciation.

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This was a rare opportunity. A thousand years later, this magnificent city would have been changed beyond recognition by wars. However, he was now able to experience it firsthand, slowly surveying and appreciating it, feeling an immediate sense of joy.

It was late at night, and the bright moonlight illuminated the palace, casting a silvery gleam on the flat pathways. Lights were already on in the palace, but unlike other dynasties with their blazing lights, Li Shimin advocated frugality, so there wasn’t that sense of bright illumination, just enough to see the roads at night.

The white marble railings sculpted from White Jade gleamed brighter under the moonlight. Palace maids and court eunuchs, carrying lanterns, shuttled between the various palaces, providing all sorts of conveniences to their masters, adding a touch of living breath to the otherwise imposing yet somewhat eerie palace.

From time to time, patrols of guards marched past Lu Yu in neat formation, but none could detect his presence. And so he wandered through the Imperial Palace alone, casually searching for the presence of Wu Meiniang.