The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 47 - 0 The Jingshui Countrys Ruler Banquets
Chapter 47: Chapter 047: The Jingshui Country’s Ruler Banquets Distinguished Guests
Chapter 47 -047: The Jingshui Country’s Ruler Banquets Distinguished Guests
The envoys from the Great Han, including Cai Yin, arrived at Jingshui Country and were led by the City Lord to the Pure Water Temple, where they met Shemoteng and Zhufalan, disciples of Bodhidharma. These two were chosen by Tathagata to spread Buddhist Law in the Eastern Land. After their mission was complete, they were to ascend to Mount Meru in the Western Heaven and receive the incense power and wishes from all below, achieving Buddhahood and becoming Ancestors.
Therefore, both of them were fully committed when propagating their doctrines, spending each day discussing Buddhism with Cai Yin and others. Indeed, Cai Yin and his entourage also wanted to learn more about Buddhism, to return and establish great renown, while also currying favor with the current Son of Heaven, Emperor Liu Zhuang. This was a case of mutual willingness—what remained unknown was whether future generations would develop just as Wukong’s past life’s history did. At the end of the Eastern Han, eunuchs monopolized power leading to chaos within the palace, triggering the fall of national destiny, the rise of warlords, with Cao Mengde commanding the feudal lords by holding the Son of Heaven hostage, and Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai. On reflection, Wukong realized that the turmoil of the Three Kingdoms also involved Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, even the various doctrines flourishing during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The Eastern Land had always been a great feast; nobody wanted to miss out on a piece of it. Since the population of the Southern Toad Continent was the largest, the faith in the Way of the Dao meant increased incense power and wishes, even strengthening the sect’s destiny.
In the Pure Water Temple, scriptures were recited daily, and the King of Jingshui Country had left the capital because of the arrival of the emissaries from the Great Han, currently on his way here.
The City Lord planned to wait for the King’s arrival, then hold a grand banquet for three days, performing all due ceremonies, before letting Cai Yin and the other Celestial Dynasty’s envoys depart. Otherwise, it would invite criticism for the people of Jingshui Country not understanding proper etiquette.
As the envoys listened to Shemoteng and Zhufalan expound on the scriptures day and night, they found the Buddhist Law profound and subtle. Although it contained much sophistry, it did not affect its appeal. By comparison, the Taoist Way seemed somewhat chaotic, with many conflicting ideas and even some exclusions.
Nonetheless, the Great and Lesser Vehicles of the Buddhist sect also had conflicts, but Tathagata, being the Respectful Ruler of the World, explained both vehicles of Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism with striking clarity. Naturally, Shemoteng and Zhufalan found it easy to captivate others simply by discussing the Rulai Buddha’s doctrines, leaving people dizzy and disoriented.
Yang Jian and Daoist Equal to Heaven sat on a cloud, with Yang Jian saying, “These Buddhist sect people are indeed detestable, actually bewitching the officials of the Eastern Land Dynasty. All of these Buddhist laws are nothing but sophistry, and now even the teachings of Amitabha and Zhunti have been twisted to such an extent! They truly deserve death!”
Daoist Equal to Heaven chuckled mischievously and said, “Yang, don’t be in a hurry. Let us just watch these people make a scene. We are still within West Cow He State, and Zhen Yuan Immortal has gone to Jade Void Palace for a lecture and has not yet returned. We must not act rashly and alarm the masters of the Buddhist sect—once they come after us, we would be unable to escape, even with wings! Let’s wait until these two monks enter the Eastern Land, then we can defeat them in the Great Han Emperor’s court. Wouldn’t that be satisfying?”
After hearing this, Yang Jian nodded again and again, saying, “What Qi Tian Daoyou said is right. Once they enter the Eastern Land, our Daoist masters will certainly not sit idly by. They will make sure to slap the Buddhists’ faces hard in court, and then let’s see how they dare to spread their Buddhist Law in the Eastern Land!”
There were countless experts in the Eastern Taoist Sects, such as the Shushan Sect. The Shushan Sect is made up of sword knights who do not practice external methods but cultivate the sword alone, achieving integration between the swordsman and his sword, thus dominating the world. There’s also the Maoshan Sect, skilled in talismans and capable of summoning spirits and deities with their spells. The Orthodox Oneness of Dragon and Tiger Mountain practices thunder magic, wielding thunderbolts and storm to slay demons with terrifying power. The Wudang Sect practices the Taoist Arts of Yin and Yang, with many capable individuals emerging from its ranks. The ancestor of the Wudang Sect is the Great Emperor Zhenwu, whose strength speaks for itself.
Daoist Equal to Heaven was determined to stop the Buddhist eastern transmission, not for any other reason than to change his own destiny. If it weren’t for previous arrangements, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, would not have sent Xuanzang on the Journey to the West. In fact, Xuanzang had been compelled against his will initially. Bound by favors and soft-hearted by nature, since Li Shimin had treated him so well and named him the Royal Brother, he had no choice but to undertake the Journey to the West or else risk being drowned in condemnation.
Before awakening the memories of Golden Cicada, Xuanzang was selfish, timid, and afraid. Only after Laozi enlightened him in a dream did he abruptly come to his senses, subsequently using the Rebirth Box to reverse time and space.
Reflecting on this, Wukong could not help but sigh with regret—it’s said that life is full of variables, yet being born to be a pawn in someone else’s game is a form of sorrow.
Although Daoist Equal to Heaven originated from the same source as Wukong, their personalities were different. His thoughts were of defying fate—if Li Shimin were indeed to be born again, he wondered whether he should just kill him outright to prevent the rise of Tang and ensure the cessation of the Western Journey. However, such an act would bring immense karmic forces upon him from the Heavenly Dao. Even though saints might not recognize the shared origin between Qi Tian Daoyou and Wukong, the Heavenly Dao, emotionless and overseeing all, would bring down a calamitous punishment, possibly reducing him to ashes.
As Daoist Equal to Heaven and Yang Jian listened to the chanting from below, Daoist Equal to Heaven glanced down and suddenly said, “The king of the Pure Water Temple has arrived. Look, that’s his procession.”
Yang Jian looked towards the distance, and sure enough, he saw a grand procession—a spectacle reserved for the King of the Pure Water Temple. No one else would dare to display such a grand entourage.
Yang Jian said, “Once the king has feasted with Cai Yin and others for three days, they should be returning to the Eastern Land, right?”
Daoist Equal to Heaven replied, “Certainly so. Cai Yin wouldn’t dare delay too long, lest he be punished by the Emperor. After meeting the king, he will surely be eager to return.”
Yang Jian nodded and said, “These mortals must walk back step by step; we will indeed have to wait.”
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Daoist Equal to Heaven was recently cultivating the Sutra of the Other Shore from Amitabha Buddha and found that listening to more Buddhist doctrines was beneficial to his progress; hence, he was not in a rush and commented, “No matter. We’ll keep a close eye on them to avoid any mistakes, which would cause us trouble.”
Yang Jian nodded again, for he too was dissatisfied with the Buddhist reach extending too long, even attempting to enter the Eastern Land to spread their sect. Having once received the incense power and wishes himself, he was certainly reluctant to have it diluted by others.
The cultivation methods of the Buddhist sect mostly revolve around cultivating sharira and a golden body, and now, Daoist Equal to Heaven had successfully cultivated a golden body of his own. Although it was incomparable to Tathagata’s true six-zhang golden body, it wielded a certain amount of power. The golden body had six arms, and on one of the arms, he had cultivated a Magical Treasure – the Sword of Wisdom, representing great wisdom that could sever all things. This was the advantage of Buddhist cultivation methods – there was no need to personally refine Magical Treasures, as they could be cultivated through the methods.
Daoist Equal to Heaven also showed the Sutra of the Other Shore to Yang Jian, but as soon as Yang Jian took a look, he immediately felt overwhelmed. He could not understand the principles in the scriptures and, lacking the opportunity, felt his Primordial Spirit being torn apart upon reading it. Thus, Daoist Equal to Heaven secretly thought that besides Tathagata, those scheming against him probably included the Two Saints of the West, Amitabha Buddha and Daoist Zhunti.
It had to be said that Zhufalan and Shemoteng had some understanding of the Dao; when it came to the meanings of Buddhist teachings, they grasped them easily. Sometimes, when Daoist Equal to Heaven could not explain certain principles, he would impart them through dreams to General of the Household Cai Yin, who naturally assumed he had realized something on his own, and would then consult Shemoteng and Zhufalan with these profound and arcane questions. The two monks struggled to answer at first but, after much contemplation, they were finally able to unravel the Zen mysteries. They then resolved Cai Yin’s doubts, which benefited Daoist Equal to Heaven enormously. He gleaned a deeper understanding of Buddhist principles and mysteries, and his cultivation of the Sutra of the Other Shore became even smoother.
Speaking of cultivation methods, Daoist Equal to Heaven seemed most suited to cultivate the Blood God Sutra. But the cultivation method of the Netherworld Blood Sea had too much malign influence, and considering Daoist Equal to Heaven’s naturally perverse and impetuous disposition, Wukong feared that he would accrue too much karmic force and ultimately be destroyed. That would be a loss not worth the gain. Therefore, they cultivated the Blood God Sutra by themselves, while Daoist Equal to Heaven cultivated the Sutra of the Other Shore, which could be considered a kind of complement to each other.
Meanwhile, the king’s procession arrived near them, and Cai Yin, along with the envoys and the two monks, Shemoteng and Zhufalan, hurried out to greet and pay homage to the king.
The imperial authority of the Great Han could not be compromised, so Cai Yin did not kneel but instead presented Emperor Liu Zhuang’s imperial edict.
The king of Jingshui Country, Tanaixin, quickly bowed and submitted, saying, “Your servant, the lord of Jingshui Country, Tanaixin, greets His Majesty the Son of Heaven.”
This greatly increased the dignity and prestige of Cai Yin and others, bringing them honor and a sense of comfort.
After Cai Yin announced Emperor Liu Zhuang’s imperial edict, ending with an authoritative “heed this well,” Tanaixin again bowed.
The names in the Western Regions were rather unusual, and the city lord’s name was even more complex. Translated into the language of the Great Han, it comprised seventy to eighty characters, but simply translated, it became two characters, Manlin.
This was the result of different regional cultures, but the imperial might of the Great Han Dynasty had long been spread far and wide, with many nations eager to learn from it.
Tanaixin said, “Honored angels, His Majesty has already prepared a feast at the mansion of the city lord, and we invite you to move there.”
Seeing Tanaixin being so respectfully attentive, Cai Yin felt immensely pleased, yet he also appeared very modest, replying, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Please lead the way.”
Thus led by Tanaixin, the heavenly entourage proceeded to the city lord’s mansion, where a splendid feast had been set up, featuring delicacies from the skies, the land, and the waters, as well as various exotic dishes imbued with the allure of foreign lands – a hospitality many times better than the previous ones.
Cai Yin and the others, delighted in their hearts, engaged in toasting and convivial conversation with the king at the banquet.
The two monks, however, remained tranquil, consuming only vegetarian dishes and maintaining their composure, only speaking when spoken to.
Daoist Equal to Heaven laughed and said, “Watching them eat is quite unbearable; I’ll go fetch some things myself.”
With a spell cast, a gust of wind blew through, causing everyone in the hall to sway, and when he reappeared in the clouds, he already had a table full of food and several jars of fine liquor.
Down below, Shemoteng and Zhufalan exchanged glances and, citing discomfort, retreated to an inner chamber. Then, sitting in meditation, their souls left their bodies and ascended towards the heavens.
To find out what happens next, please listen to the following installment.
