Chapter 154: The dead go, the living stay
Chechi State, Huiyuan County.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, the north wind was howling, and the snow was falling heavily like goose feathers. The area within a thousand miles was covered in silver.
The mighty 800-li Tongtian River was also completely frozen, and many pedestrians...
No, to be more precise, it was the demons transformed into pedestrians walking on the ice!
Just like in the original time and space, after the King of Inspiration learned that Tang Seng and his companions had arrived at Chenjiazhuang, he had the idea of eating Tang Seng's flesh.
Following the suggestion of his subordinate, the spotted mandarin fish lady, he used magic to freeze the Tongtian River. When Tang Seng and his three disciples walked onto the surface of the river, he broke the ice and captured them back to the cave.
"Brother Li, what I said is correct, right?"
The monkey pointed at the icy ground below and complained: "That guy is really audacious! It's ok to call the wind and rain, but he also used this method to change the weather and freeze the area for hundreds of miles! He doesn't respect the laws of heaven, and he doesn't take you, Brother Li, seriously!"
Li Anran: “…”
Li Anran ignored the monkey and glanced at the Tongtian River below, but he began to feel worried.
The King of Inspiration's method of freezing thousands of miles is quite powerful. It froze the entire Tongtian River. The ice layer is at least ten meters thick, and the ice surface is much harder than ordinary ice.
But because of this, the traces of human intervention are very obvious!
In addition, there are those peddlers coming and going on the river who look fake at first glance.
Not to mention the monkey with flaming eyes, any monk with a normal mind can see the trick here!
But, in the original time and space, the three brothers Monkey King, Pigsy and Sha Seng seemed to be blinded and had brain spasms at the same time, and took Tang Seng onto the ice, trying to cross the river on ice!
There is only one possibility for this obviously abnormal phenomenon -
The three monkey brothers did it on purpose!
The only uncertainty is that the three monkeys, or to be more direct, the monkey who made the final decision, wanted to get rid of the demon and deliberately used Tang Seng as bait, but then failed and caused Tang Seng to be captured.
He still realized the trick behind the journey to the West and deliberately let the monster capture Tang Monk.
"If I hadn't traveled through time, with the identities of Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng, I should still know some of the inside stories of the journey to the West. Only the monkey was completely kept in the dark and knew nothing."
"With the monkey's intelligence and the caution he developed under the Five Elements Mountain, he should have noticed something after going through so many things. It is also possible to use Tang Seng to test Lingshan's reaction."
Li Anran is more inclined to the second possibility.
Monkeys have never been kind people, and they never hate evil.
Looking back at the many times he subdued demons and monsters on his journey to the West, either the monsters captured Tang Seng first to provoke him, or he did it to show off his power in front of others.
It is unlikely that he would use Tang Seng as bait just for Chenjiazhuang!
It is more likely that he is using Tang Seng to test Lingshan's reaction!
However, Li Anran estimated that the monkey in the original time and space might not have expected that he would pretend to be stupid and make a suggestion to cross the river on ice.
The two brothers Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng really dared to respond!
Especially Zhu Bajie, he used his nine-toothed rake to chisel the ice surface of Tongtian River with all his strength, but only nine white spots were left!
Despite such an obvious abnormality, he insisted that the ice was thick enough and would not break!
He pretended to get some straw to wrap the White Dragon Horse's hooves, saying that this would prevent it from slipping easily!
Then, he took Tang Seng onto the ice and allowed the King of Inspiration to break the ice and capture Tang Seng.
The three brothers flew into the air and nothing happened!
After that, the three brothers did not rush to rescue people, but went back to Chenjiazhuang to have a big meal before turning back to rescue Tang Seng!
The only thing missing was that they did it on purpose, and it was not written on their faces at all that they were concerned about Tang Seng's safety!
Afterwards, the monkey instigated Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng to go down to the river to catch monsters, while he stayed on the shore to fish.
He just swung his stick a few times randomly when the King of Inspiration jumped out of the water, and then couldn't wait to go to Luojia Mountain in the South China Sea to test Guanyin's reaction!
As a result, he saw Guanyin in disheveled clothes weaving a bamboo basket early in the morning, and then hurriedly left him behind, rushed to Tongtian River, captured the King of Inspiration, and killed all the creatures in Tongtian River!
Tang Seng was safe and sound without any harm!
It was probably at this time that the monkey guessed that there was something fishy behind the journey to the West, and began to work without putting in any effort, and kept asking for help.
Unlike the previous times when he faced the Yellow Wind Monster, the Black Bear Monster, and Red Boy, he only looked for help after he was really helpless against the opponent or suffered a great loss.
Compared with the original time and space, the monkey in front of him knows more about the truth behind the journey to the West.
He already knew about the Buddhism hidden behind the journey to the West, and he also knew that the Buddhism wanted him to surrender and break away from the Xuanmen sect.
After realizing that the King of Inspiration was not an mortal monster, the monkey decisively chose to take the formal route and go to the Heavenly Palace to file a complaint.
The monkey must have learned this from the immortal Huli who used the Five Thunder Method to pray for rain!
Although going through formal channels may be more troublesome, the advantage is that there is no need to worry and no one can find fault with it!
The monkey said, "Brother Li, I am not good at anything in the water. When I go to the sea or on the river, I need to practice the art of avoiding water, or change into the form of a fish or crab. If I practice that art, I can't swing the iron rod, use my magic power, or beat the monster. This time, I have to rely on you!"
Li Anran: "..." Don't you dare to be fake! When we went to the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea to steal the golden hoop, why didn't you take action?
Li Anran couldn't help but roll his eyes.
This monkey has really changed!
In order to avoid trouble, everyone has learned to put aside their pride and give in!
Swish!
Li Anran waved his right hand, and a golden light scattered.
The thick clouds in the sky dissipated instantly like morning mist encountering the scorching sun, the strong wind suddenly stopped, and the snowflakes disappeared.
Golden light sprinkled on the earth and the river surface, and the thick snow and solid ice began to melt at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It only took a few breaths.
The area within a thousand miles of Huiyuan County seemed to have arrived at the beginning of spring from the cold winter, and everything that happened before disappeared like an illusion.
Only those monsters that fell into the water turned into their original forms, which were water monsters such as catfish and crabs. They rolled twice on the river surface and then fled to the cave.
Some mortals on both sides of the Tongtian River also noticed the abnormality outside. They were stunned and kept rubbing their eyes.
Tang Monk, Zhu Bajie and Sha Monk also came out with Mr. Chen.
Tang Seng and Chen Yuanwai had mortal eyes, but Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng saw Li Anran and the monkey in the air at a glance.
Zhu Bajie immediately shrank his head and retreated back into the house. He had suffered a great loss at the hands of Li Anran in the past, and he was still a little scared when looking at Li Anran.
Sha Seng was better, but he was not very happy to see Li Anran, so he simply pretended not to see him and stayed closely beside Tang Seng , as if protecting his master's safety.
"Brother Li, this is indeed a good method!" Monkey couldn't help but admire.
Recovery is much harder than destruction!
It is already remarkable that the King of Inspiration froze a thousand miles overnight!
Li Anran broke the spell of the King of Inspiration in the blink of an eye without causing any harm to the mortal creatures. This method is even more powerful!
"Thank you for your praise, Great Sage." Li Anran didn't care.
He learned this water magic from the preaching of the Supreme Sage. It would be strange if he could not compare with the King of Inspiration who practiced under Guanyin!
Li Anran was not going to waste time, so he immediately descended from the clouds and was about to enter the Tongtian River to capture the King of Inspiration when a voice suddenly came from a distance.
"Prison God, please wait!"
Following the sound, I saw a auspicious cloud flying hurriedly in the distance.
The person on the cloud was none other than the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, except that this time she was barefoot, with her arms exposed, and her skin was crystal clear and as white as mutton-fat jade.
She was only wearing a tight-fitting jacket and a brocade skirt. Her hair was a little messy and she was not wearing any jewelry. In her left hand she was holding an unwoven purple bamboo basket and in her right hand she was holding several bamboo strips.
It flew towards them hurriedly, shouting loudly and weaving bamboo baskets all the time.
"Buddha?!" The monkey rubbed his eyes hard, with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
He had met Guanyin several times, but each time Guanyin was solemn and dignified, with a look of superiority in her compassion. This was the first time he saw Guanyin in disheveled clothes and without makeup!
Are you so anxious that you rushed here without even finishing weaving the bamboo basket?
Li Anran was also slightly surprised.
He had met Guanyin once before in Hulu Mountain, and the Hehuan technique could not sense any emotional fluctuations of Guanyin at all.
But at this moment, he was obviously feeling anxious!
What is hidden in Tongtian River? Why can Guanyin be so anxious?
Li Anran was even more curious, but also a little confused.
The thing behind Tongtian River is so shameful, why doesn't Taishang Laojun use it as a handle to threaten Guanyin or even Lingshan, but instead wants to lure Tang Seng and his disciples here!
If the gambling is just for Buddhism, isn't it like throwing away the watermelon to pick up sesame seeds?
"The prison god."
Guanyinyun was extremely fast and arrived in front of them in an instant. Seeing that Li Anran had not yet caught the King of Inspiration, she breathed a sigh of relief and moved her hands faster, weaving the bamboo basket non-stop.
"Greetings to Guanyin Bodhisattva." Li Anran stepped forward to greet her.
Although Guanyin rebelled against the Chan sect and converted to Buddhism, the Xuanmen and Daoist sects had always maintained superficial harmony, and he had to be respectful to Guanyin.
At least, that's what it appears to be.
"Bodhisattva." The monkey stepped forward and bowed, then could not help asking, "Bodhisattva, why are you here today? And... and dressed like this?"
The first half of the sentence means that the monkey knew the answer, while the second half means that the monkey really didn't think it through!
He has encountered more than one incident where gods and Buddhas' mounts and pets escaped and came down to earth as demons!
Even if this King of Inspiration is related to Guanyin, it shouldn't be like this, right?
As they were talking, Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng had already flown over on the clouds.
They didn't want to meet Li Anran, but now that Guanyin has come, they have no choice but to come out.
Seeing Guanyin dressed like this, they bowed down and said, "We have offended you without permission. We are guilty! We are guilty!"
Guanyin ignored them, only looked at Li Anran with a little shame, and said: "Prison God, this King of Inspiration in Tongtian River is a goldfish raised in my lotus pond. He floats up to listen to the sutras every day and cultivates his skills."
"I don't know which day, but the tide rose and he escaped here. This morning I leaned on the railing to look at the flowers, but I didn't see this guy coming out to pay homage. I counted the lines on my fingers and figured that he had become a spirit here and was doing evil things. So I didn't have time to dress up, but used my magic power to weave a bamboo basket to capture him."
Li Anran pretended to be surprised and said, "This King of Inspiration is actually a goldfish in the lotus pond of the Bodhisattva? No wonder he has such a trick! But, Bodhisattva, there is no need to go to such trouble. I will go down and catch him for you!"
After saying that, Li Anran was about to go into the water. Guanyin's expression changed, and in a hurry, she actually grabbed Li Anran.
Li Anran pulled the arm hard, causing Guanyin to lean forward, but he was unable to shake it off. He turned around and asked in confusion, "What does the Bodhisattva mean by this?"
"The prison god."
Guanyin swept her eyes over Li Anran's face, observing him carefully for a few times, but could not see any clues. She said, "I was careless and let the fish escape, causing trouble to the world. I shouldn't have done that. How can I trouble you to do it again? I'm almost done weaving this bamboo basket. Please wait for a while, God of Prison!"
Li Anran was about to refuse, but suddenly felt a palpitation in his heart, and immediately changed his words and said, "In this case, I'll leave the matter of capturing the King of Inspiration to the Bodhisattva."
Ever since he suddenly realized the law of cause and effect in the Golden Light Cave, Li Anran's perception has become more acute.
Just now he had a premonition that a disaster was about to happen. If he directly rejected Guanyin, Guanyin would most likely attack him!
Only then did he change his tune.
"This is what I should do." Guanyin noticed the surprised and stunned expressions of the three monkey brothers next to him, and unnoticedly let go of Li Anran's hand.
Li Anran said: "Buddha, there is one thing I need to explain to you in advance."
Guanyin asked, "What's the matter?"
Li Anran said: "This King Linggan built temples and shrines to defraud incense offerings, used magic to change the celestial phenomena, and forced people to sacrifice young boys and girls. This has already violated the laws of heaven..."
Li Anran was halfway through his words when Guanyin's face darkened and a terrifying aura came over him like a tide.
The monkey was startled.
Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng opened their eyes wide, and their hands and feet were shaking.
They had never seen anyone dare to speak to Guanyin Bodhisattva like this!
Li Anran did not dodge or evade, neither humble nor arrogant, and met the gaze of Guanyin Bodhisattva with his eyes, and continued: "I need to take it back to the Heavenly Prison, report it to the Jade Emperor, and let the Jade Emperor judge it!"
Guanyin didn't say anything, but her eyes were fixed on Li Anran.
The atmosphere became increasingly depressing.
The heaven and earth seemed to sense something and became a little dim.
Just when the monkey couldn't help but step forward to persuade Li Anran, Guanyin finally spoke.
"It is said that the Prison God is highly appreciated by the Justice God and was promoted by the Justice God. You have indeed learned a lot from her! I agree to this matter!"
"Thank you, Buddha." Li Anran's face remained calm and his tone was indifferent, but he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
Guanyin obviously does not want people to know what is hidden in Tongtian River, so she has disregarded her image and does not bother to cover it up.
Li Anran did not dare to bring this bad luck upon himself and look for any evidence. He could only settle for the next best thing and arrest the King of Inspiration and put him in the Heavenly Prison.
In this way, he will know what exactly happened!
Guanyin stopped talking and concentrated on weaving the bamboo basket.
Soon, she had finished weaving the bamboo basket, untied a silk ribbon from her jacket, tied the basket in place, lifted the ribbon, half stepped on the clouds, threw it into the river, slid it upwards, and chanted, "The dead go, the living stay, the dead go, the living stay!"
After reciting it seven times, he picked up the basket and saw a bright goldfish in it, its eyes blinking and its scales moving.
The Tongtian River was already filled with death; all the water monsters, fish spirits, and even ordinary aquatic creatures had died and rotted away!
Their souls were also liberated by Guanyin and sent to reincarnation!
There is no trace left in the world!
