Chapter 156: Once or twice, but not three or four times
"Sun Dasheng, don't bother to take the boat and waste other people's money. I will take you and your disciples across."
The old turtle's voice came from a distance, like the sound of thunder in an urn, making people's eardrums itch.
The mortals living by the river were so frightened that they were trembling with fear. The timid ones hurriedly fled back home, while the brave ones hid far away and watched what was happening over there.
Soon, the water surface rolled, and the old turtle appeared in everyone's sight, with a pink bald head, green eyes and sharp teeth, and a human-like, flattering smile on its tortoise face.
The monkey picked up his golden cudgel and shouted, "Stop right there, you evil creature! If you dare to come forward again, I will beat you to death with one blow of my cudgel!"
Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng also looked alert. They picked up their weapons and stood in front of Tang Seng to protect him.
No wonder they were so vigilant. Just now, Guanyin cast a spell to liberate the aquatic creatures in Tongtian River, and in the blink of an eye, such an old turtle appeared. It was really weird!
The old turtle said, "I am grateful to the Great Sage and am willing to do a good deed to send you as master and disciple. Why do you want to hit me?"
The monkey asked, "What favor have I done for you?"
The old turtle said, "Great Sage, you don't know that this turtle house down there is my home. It has been passed down from generation to generation. The Inspiration King came here at the head of the tsunami nine years ago. He relied on his magical powers to injure many of my children, robbed many of my clansmen, and occupied my cave."
"The Great Sage has invited the Prison God and Avalokitesvara to take the evildoer away and return the cave to me. This favor is as heavy as a mountain and as deep as the sea. How dare I not repay it?"
The monkey's eyes were full of divine light, but he saw the old turtle had a clear and bright aura flowing through him, which didn't seem like a demon. He lowered his guard and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"
The old turtle opened his red mouth and swore to the sky: "If I didn't sincerely help Tang Monk cross this Tongtian River, please let me turn into blood and die without a burial place!"
This swearing to the sky is not an oath to the heaven, but an oath to the way of heaven!
The higher the level of cultivation, the greater the constraints on a person. Once violated, the oath will be fulfilled immediately.
Although the old turtle in front of him has not transformed into a human form, it is not because of insufficient cultivation, but because it has a deep foundation and is an alien species in heaven and earth, so it is difficult to transform.
It dares to make this oath, so it must be telling the truth!
The monkey put away his golden hoop and said, "Come up."
The old turtle then swam to the shore, leaped up onto the cliff, and its back, four meters square, was like a white cover, revealing a slight glow.
The old turtle bowed to Tang Seng and said, "Master, please get on my body and I will carry you across."
Tang Seng hesitated and said worriedly, "This tortoise shell is very smooth and it may be difficult to stand on it. If I fall into the water when I am in the middle of the river, what should I do?"
The old turtle said, "Master, don't worry. My tortoise shell only looks smooth, but it is actually the same as the ground. It is very stable and this kind of thing will never happen."
Zhu Bajie also advised: "Master, don't worry! This old turtle has been in Tongtian River for so many years, how could it make such a mistake? If you are worried, I, the old pig, will give it a try for you first!"
As he spoke, Zhu Bajie led the White Dragon King onto the turtle's back. It was indeed very stable, just like being on the ground.
Seeing this, Tang Seng no longer hesitated and walked towards the old turtle.
Just as he was about to step onto the turtle's back, a voice suddenly came from the side.
"etc!"
Tang Seng looked back and saw that it was the monkey. He asked in confusion, "Wukong, what's wrong?"
The monkey frowned, but didn't know what to say.
Just now, he suddenly felt a little uneasy and subconsciously opened his mouth to stop Tang Seng.
But if you really ask him what the problem is, he can't say it.
The monkey didn't say anything and the scene was frozen for a moment.
Sha Monk stepped forward and said, "Brother, since this old turtle dares to swear, I think there is nothing wrong with it. It may be sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva to give us a drink."
"Yeah." The monkey nodded.
What Sha Seng said was the most reasonable possibility he could think of.
However, he could not eliminate the uneasiness in his heart.
Turning his head to look at both sides, he found that the mortal boatmen were scared away by the old turtle. He had no choice but to get on board the old turtle!
This old turtle came in a strange way, I need to be more careful!
The monkey took off his tiger tendon belt, put it through the old turtle's nose, and pulled it like a bridle. He put one foot on the lid and one foot on the head. With one hand holding the iron rod and the other hand pulling the bridle, he shouted, "Old turtle, walk slowly. If you stray, I'll hit you on the head!"
"I dare not! I dare not!" The old turtle shook his head repeatedly. He did not struggle or resist and let the monkey do whatever it wanted.
There was no further movement after that, and they safely brought Tang Seng and his three disciples, along with their horses and luggage, to the other side.
Only after getting ashore, when Tang Seng thanked him, he asked Tang Seng to help him ask Tathagata Buddha when he could transform into a human form.
"Could it be that I, Old Sun, am just being overly suspicious?"
The monkey looked at the old turtle's back as it disappeared into the river, feeling somewhat uneasy, but he could not find the source of the trouble.
In the end, he had to give up for the time being and head to the West with Tang Seng and the other two.
What he didn't know was that after the old turtle saw them off and returned to the cave, a strange and evil purple light suddenly appeared on his body.
A black lotus emerged from its body and floated in the air.
"Buddha." The old turtle bowed his head to the ground with a respectful attitude: "Disciple has followed the Buddha's instructions and established a cause and effect with that Tang Monk."
"Good." A voice came from the black lotus platform.
The old turtle hesitated for a moment, and could not help asking: "Buddha, when can I transform into a human form?"
Hei Lian said: "Just wait here in Tongtian River with peace of mind. When Tang Monk and his disciples return from Lingshan and settle the cause and effect with you, that will be the day when you transform into a human form and achieve the right result."
The old turtle was overjoyed and kept bowing: "Thank you, Buddha! Thank you, Buddha!"
The black lotus did not speak again. Its light gradually dimmed and merged into the old turtle's body.
On the other hand, Guanyin also obtained the order from the Jade Emperor to bring the King of Inspiration back to Luojia Mountain for severe punishment, and brought the King of Inspiration out of the Heavenly Prison.
There was no conversation along the way until they returned to the Purple Bamboo Forest of Luojia Mountain. They took the King of Inspiration out of the bamboo basket and put it into the lotus pond.
Guanyin then asked what Li Anran did after taking him away.
King Lingguang said, "After the prison god brought me back to the prison, he locked me up in a cell. Apart from that, he never did anything else."
Guanyin breathed a sigh of relief, and then warned: "The affairs of the mortal world are in the past. Don't mention them to anyone again. If you say even a word, I will know it and I will peel off your skin and grind your bones, and you will never be able to recover!"
The King of Inspiration was extremely terrified and assured: "I will never reveal a single word."
Guanyin waved her hand, dismissed the King of Inspiration, and sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, her brows furrowed, full of thoughts.
No matter whether Li Anran was really enforcing the law impartially or trying to please Taiyi Tianzun and deliberately causing trouble for her and humiliating her, he sent the King of Inspiration to prison.
As long as she didn't find out that the King of Inspiration used the souls of young boys and girls to make elixirs, it would not be a big deal for her!
What really made her sleepless was——
"Who on earth led Master Xuanzang and his disciples to Chenjiazhuang?"
The person directly responsible for the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures at Lingshan is Guanyin!
She knew very well that the route to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures should not pass through Chenjiazhuang!
But now, not only has it passed, but the timing is also right before the sacrificial ceremony. It is obvious that someone is secretly plotting this!
This person must have known that the King of Inspiration used the souls of young boys and girls and the incense of their blood relatives to make elixirs, and he may even have solid evidence.
This time, he showed mercy and did not expose the matter directly. He just led Tang Seng and his disciples to Chenjiazhuang as a warning to her!
But next time, or when the other party asks her to do something, that may not be the case!
The sword hanging above her head posed a huge threat to her!
"What should I do?" Guanyin clenched the bamboo basket in her hand, feeling uneasy.
After she learned that Monkey and his companions appeared in Chenjiazhuang, she immediately went to the purple bamboo forest to weave this watertight bamboo basket in order to screen all the creatures in Tongtian River and find out the person who was secretly plotting against her.
At least find some clues.
But the result was that nothing was found!
Afterwards, he cast a spell to liberate all the aquatic creatures in Tongtian River. He was worried that the news would leak out, but also to vent his anger!
Guanyin did have a few suspects in her mind, but in this kind of situation, without solid evidence, how could she dare to ask them for confirmation!
I can only keep this matter in my heart and wait for the other party to come to me.
Guanyin thought of the monkey again.
According to Lingshan's original plan, the Monkey King has great luck and is also quite powerful. If he is made the guardian of Tang Monk, he should be able to deal with Xuanmen's calculations and turn danger into safety and turn disaster into blessing!
Apart from Xuanmen's calculations, other disasters on the way to the West are the benefits given by Lingshan to those gods and Buddhas who know the inside story of the journey to the West and agree to join forces to deal with the catastrophe!
They sent their disciples and mounts down to the mortal world, and then went down to the mortal world to subdue them. This was considered as experiencing some disasters, but they were also able to gain the humanitarian merit of spreading Buddhism to the East.
In this way, they always have to remember the good things about the West and give Lingshan some face.
Even if an accident happens and the disciple's mount dies, it's just the disciple's mount that dies, it won't hurt you at all !
Unexpectedly, the monkey recognized Li Anran and would go to the Heavenly Prison to find Li Anran whenever something happened!
First it was Red Boy, then it was Chechi Kingdom, and then it was Tongtian River!
But the reasons the monkey gave were so legitimate that it was difficult for Guanyin to stop him openly!
This caused her a lot of trouble!
This time at Tongtian River, if the monkey had not suddenly gone up to heaven to invite Li Anran to come down to earth to subdue the demon, she would not have to be so anxious!
"That monkey has always been unruly and unruly, but now he repeatedly goes to heaven to ask for help from the prison god in the name of being a demon who has violated the laws of heaven. What is he thinking? Is he trying to take refuge with the Xuanmen?"
"And the prison god, does he know about the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures and the gambling battle between Buddhism and Taoism?"
Guanyin frowned slightly.
If Li Anran knew about the gambling fight between Buddhism and Taoism, and if she deliberately made friends with the monkey, then she would have to be more careful!
Among the four guardians of the journey to the West, the monkey is the core of the core!
If Li Anran pried the monkey away in front of all the gods and Buddhas of the Three Realms, her fake one would not be able to replace the monkey, and the journey to obtain the scriptures would be difficult from then on!
"Things in this world can only happen once or twice, but not three or four times! I will give that monkey two more chances!"
Guanyin made a decision quickly.
Afterwards, she collected her thoughts and sat cross-legged to practice.
This time she captured the King of Inspiration and brought him back to Luojia Mountain, which was considered a journey through disaster. The efficiency of practicing at this time would be hundreds or thousands of times higher than before, so it could not be wasted.
At the same time, Li Anran was also practicing in the Heavenly Prison.
Guanyin came with the Jade Emperor's decree to take someone away, so he had no choice but to hand over the King of Inspiration. Fortunately, he was fast enough and had already read the King of Inspiration's life story.
After thinking it over again and again, he decided to stay away from the old turtle.
The old turtle first plotted against Guanyin and led Tang Seng and his three disciples to Tongtian River.
Later, after Tang Seng and his disciples returned from their journey to the West, the Tathagata threw them into the Tongtian River on the pretext that Tang Seng did not help it ask Tathagata when it could cultivate into a human body .
After that, the demons snatched the scriptures.
This courage is incredible!
Although according to the records in Journey to the West, the monkey protected the scriptures with his own skills.
But at that time, the monkey had already achieved enlightenment, and his cultivation level was at least that of a Daluo Jinxian!
Li Anran had just entered the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal at this time, but he did not want to get into trouble.
For the next half month, Li Anran practiced peacefully in the Heavenly Prison.
During this period, Nezha completed his mission of subduing demons and returned from the mortal world. The first thing he did was to go to the Heavenly Prison to find him.
Not for any other reason, just to show off his status as a senior brother!
"Junior Brother Li Anran, Junior Brother Li Anran" he kept calling out, making Li Anran roll his eyes.
Only a little brat like Nezha who never grows up likes to take advantage of others based on seniority!
Even though this little brat is over ten thousand years old!
But, my mind is still childish and immature!
Naturally, these words made Nezha furious. He took out his fire spear and had a big fight with Li Anran. They drank a lot of wine, and then -
Success reaped two failures!
During this process, Li Anran was surprised to find that Nezha seemed to have let go of Li Jing.
In the past, whenever Nezha drank too much, he would grit his teeth when he mentioned Li Jing, and he would wish he could rush over and kill Li Jing immediately.
This time, after drinking too much, he started talking to Li Anran about the laws of nature.
Li Anran: “???”
Is it popular to talk about heavenly rules and regulations now?
How come everyone from Yang Jian to Monkey King and then Nezha started talking about the heavenly laws and regulations?
Li Anran was bewildered.
He didn't know that Yang Jian and Nezha had already revealed their cards. After Nezha learned of Yang Jian's ambition to modify the Heavenly Laws and regulations and implement them, he unconsciously began to pay attention to the Heavenly Laws. This led to the scene of today's drunken discussion of the Heavenly Laws.
As for Li Jing, Nezha had already figured out how to deal with him and was now just waiting for the right opportunity.
Nezha talked drunkenly with Li Anran for a long time before he staggered back to the Yunlou Palace.
Not long after Nezha left, another Taoist boy from the Tushita Palace came to the Heavenly Prison.
"The Prison God, the Supreme Daoist Patriarch invites you to the Tushita Palace for a chat."
"good."
Li Anran was not surprised.
The fake Tongtian is still in his hands. Taishang Laojun wants to complete his plan against the Eight Immortals of Shangdong Cave. It would be strange if he didn’t come to find him!
