No taboos in the world

Chapter 608 Xuanzang’s Journey to the West
Hong Chen pondered for a moment and finally shook his head.

"I don't know what to calculate, why don't you help me decide?"

Hearing this, Yuan Shoucheng was skeptical at first, then smiled, stroking his short beard and said, "Nothing to ask for, nothing to think about, it seems that fellow Taoist has found peace. Congratulations, congratulations!"

Hong Chen bowed in return with a faint smile on his face.

Yuan Shoucheng grabbed the copper coins beside him and said, "In this case, I will calculate your future path for you." Then he scattered the copper coins on the table.

There were a few tinkling sounds, and perhaps he had used too much force, a few copper coins rolled along the edge of the table and finally disappeared along a crack in the ground.

Yuan Shoucheng was stunned for a moment.

Then, he looked up at Hong Chen, with a look of surprise and suspicion in his eyes.

Hong Chen looked at the crack on the ground with a normal expression and asked in surprise: "Daoyou, what does this mean?"

Yuan Shoucheng used his eyesight to the utmost, but could not see anything unusual on Hong Chen. After thinking for a while, he said, "It seems that Daoyou's future is beyond my ability to predict." He turned around, picked up a pen and paper beside him and handed them to him, "Why don't you write a word, and I will say more after observing it."

"Alright."

Hong Chen nodded slightly, took the paper and pen, wrote a word, and handed the paper back.

Yuan Shoucheng took the paper and looked at the character "人" (person) with only two strokes, without saying a word for a long time.

Hong Chen waited for a moment, and seeing that he did not move, he shook his head, got up, mounted his horse and left.

After an unknown amount of time, someone saw Yuan Shoucheng maintaining the same posture for a long time, and could not help but step forward and call out softly, "Master~Master?"

puff~
A mouthful of scarlet hot blood spurted out, splattering all over the paper. Drops of blood slid down and covered the word "人".

Yuan Shoucheng's face turned pale and his breath suddenly weakened, scaring the person who called him so much that he stepped back repeatedly.

But Yuan Shoucheng didn't care about all this. He hurriedly got up and staggered back.

Halfway through the journey, a man saw Yuan Shoucheng, was frightened and came forward to help him.

"Uncle! What happened to you?"

Hearing this, Yuan Shoucheng's eyes, which had been gradually scattered, focused again. He turned his hand and grasped his nephew Yuan Tiangang's arm, and said with all his strength: "After I die, burn my body and scatter it into the Jing River. Sell all my belongings, and use the money to do charity!"

Yuan Tiangang was shocked: "Uncle, you clearly..."

Yuan Shoucheng squeezed his wrist tightly and interrupted, "Don't say any more! Remember what I said?!"

Looking at the pupils that had begun to dilate, Yuan Tiangang nodded with tears in his eyes: "Uncle, don't worry, nephew will remember it!"

"Okay, okay..." As he said that, Yuan Shoucheng's body suddenly became weak and he died after a few breaths.

Yuan Tiangang tried his best to support his uncle's body, feeling confused for a moment.

He didn't understand why his uncle, who had already achieved great success in his practice and was even qualified to be included in the immortal class, would suddenly die, and even his last words seemed so inexplicable.

So why did Hong Chen do this?

Because Yuan Shoucheng secretly participated in the plan of spreading Buddhism to the East as a Taoist monk, and the reward he received was probably a position as a god in heaven in the future.

If you really want to find out, this can indeed be considered a betrayal of Taoism.

But Hong Chen did not do this because of this.

As for betrayal of Xuanmen, the journey to the West is about to begin, and even the master of Xuanmen is involved in it, so how can it be considered betrayal?
Besides, Yuan Shoucheng was doing it for his own career, so it couldn't be said that he did anything bad.

After all, what do the dragon clan and the like have to do with him, Yuan Shoucheng?
Hong Chen's actions did not actually harm him. On the contrary, they gave him a chance to start over and move to a higher level.

If Yuan Shoucheng ascends to heaven with this achievement, his future achievements will be fixed. A person who ascends to heaven by helping Buddhism will not have much room for development in the heavenly court in the future.

It would be better to give up this life, be reborn as a human being, and start practicing from the beginning. With the luck accumulated in this life and the merits of facilitating the opening of the Journey to the West, you may be able to reach a higher level in the next life.

So, life and death, good and bad, are they not as simple as they seem?
Yuan Shoucheng's death did not cause much commotion in Chang'an City.

However, the dragon head that fell into the palace caused a lot of trouble to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

The falling of a dragon head and the spilling of dragon blood are not good signs.

Li Shimin recalled that the Dragon King had appeared in his dream before, so he summoned Wei Zheng to inquire about it. When he learned that Wei Zheng had killed a dragon in his dream, he became furious.

But Wei Zheng was also acting in accordance with the will of Heaven, and he, the Human Emperor, could not blame him.

Then the dragon spirit entered Li Shimin's dream, and he was so frightened that he could not fall asleep. He had to summon his generals to guard the place.

One day, Hong Chen was eating wontons at a street stall when suddenly a woman came over with a bamboo basket.

Hong Chen couldn't help laughing when he saw her: "What is the Bodhisattva doing? Going to the street to buy vegetables? Or selling eggs?"

Guanyin smiled helplessly, sat down opposite him, took out a cake from the basket and handed it to him.

Hong Chen took it, took a bite, and nodded: "Did you make it?"

Guanyin nodded: "How does it taste?"

"It's pretty good. Boss, give this sister-in-law another bowl of wontons!"

"okay!"

Hong Chen bit the pancake and ate it with wonton soup, enjoying himself.

Guanyin Bodhisattva sighed: "The golden dragon of luck doesn't sleep, so it's hard to seduce the soul."

Hong Chen put down the bowl, took another bite of the biscuit, and said while chewing: "You are not a stubborn person."

“This is the best method.”

"The best?" Hong Chen chuckled and shook his head, "I definitely agree with the prosperity of Buddhism, because even if I don't agree, it's useless because the saint agrees. But have you forgotten that everything has its ups and downs? You are now plotting against the Emperor of Man for the prosperity of Buddhism, just to make this prosperity last a little longer. But after the journey to the west, the prehistoric world will not just perish and disappear, everyone still needs to continue to practice and continue to exist."

Guanyin frowned when she heard this: "What the emperor means is..."

"Humanity is not limited to humans, but humans are the undisputed protagonists of humanity. Today you are plotting the life and death of the Human Emperor, but can you withstand the reckoning of the Human Emperor in the future?"

Guanyin's heart trembled.

Hong Chen took another sip of soup and said with a smile, "You are done for today. You may be afraid of the Human Emperor's revenge in the future and try to stop me from reviving humanity. Then there will be another big battle. I don't mind you stopping me, but I am afraid that it will affect the recovery of the western veins and then affect the tunnels."

At this point, he looked up at Guanyin Bodhisattva and said, "Look, everything is interconnected. I am really doing this for your own good. But if you don't care about this, then it's up to you. Anyway, the Golden Dragon of the Tang Dynasty can't stop you, a quasi-saint who has killed two corpses."

Guanyin fell silent.

The vendor brought the wontons.

After she finished eating the wontons, she said, "Your Majesty, what you said makes sense. I haven't seen enough and thought enough. I will skip this matter. Thank you for your guidance."

"No need to do that. In fact, I have seen through many things. Buddhism is great, and it is not completely unacceptable. Most of those scriptures are good, but some people have misinterpreted them, and some people have compiled some specious things for their own selfish reasons. There are also some people who use the name of Buddhism to do evil and inhumane things. There are also many such evildoers in the Xuanmen, and we cannot generalize them."

Hearing his words, Guanyin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Apart from other things, just from these remarks, we can tell that Hong Chen's previous prejudice against Buddhism has been eliminated a lot now.

Hong Chen took out the copper coins and counted them while saying, "Buddhism is so big, and I think you are doing a good job. I won't comment on the past, after all, I am not you. Just look at the present, and I am willing to sit down with you like this and eat and chat."

"I am deeply grateful for the recognition of the Great Emperor." Guanyin's eyes were shining. Hong Chen smiled, put down the wonton money, and asked, "Would you like to go to my place for a cup of tea?"

Guanyin shook her head: "I am so busy and inconvenient. I will ask the emperor to come next time."

Hong Chen nodded, stood up, led the horse and left.

Guanyin looked at his back as he disappeared into the crowd, sighed with emotion, and then busied herself with the arrangements.

Half a month later, a grand water and land ceremony was held in Chang'an City. The speaker was a young monk named Xuanzang.

At the ceremony, Guanyin appeared, and Xuanzang naturally took on the task of obtaining the Buddhist scriptures.

At that time, the still thin and hazy calamity energy between heaven and earth suddenly gathered towards him, and in an instant made him the center of the entire calamity.

A few days later, Xuanzang left Chang'an City riding a white horse, accompanied by two attendants carefully selected by the emperor.

The border of the Tang Dynasty, Hezhou Wei.

When Xuanzang and his two companions arrived, the general of Hezhou Guard and local monks all came to meet them and were very respectful.

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After dinner, they fed the horses and rested for the night. Then they set off at four o'clock the next morning, facing the clear frost and the bright moon.

Leaving Hezhou Wei, there is a mountain in front.

Under a big locust tree at the foot of the mountain, a dull horse was nibbling grass with its head down, a bonfire was crackling, and a Taoist priest was sitting beside the bonfire barbecuing. The pieces of meat skewered on sticks gave off an enticing aroma.

Xuanzang was slightly stunned when he saw this scene, and the two attendants beside him licked their lips at the smell of meat. It was hard for them to follow the Tang Emperor's brother, and it was not easy to prepare meat for every meal, so they could only eat vegetarian food with Xuanzang.

After a moment's thought, Xuanzang stepped forward and put his hands together: "Amitabha, I am honored to meet you."

Hong Chen looked up and said with a smile, "It's a time of heavy frost and dew, why are you still on your way, monk?"

Xuanzang: "My fellow Taoist, you may not know that I and my fellow monks have already rested for a night and have just started our journey."

"Oh?" Hong Chen greeted, "Meeting is fate. Please take a seat, warm yourself by the fire, and chat. It won't be too late to set off again."

The two attendants were somewhat tempted, but in the end, Xuanzang had to make the final decision.

Xuanzang looked at their expressions and nodded slightly, "Okay." Then he took the lead and sat down.

"Where are you going, fellow Taoist?" Hong Chen asked with a smile.

Xuanzang smiled and said: "I am following the order to travel west to meet the Buddha and seek the true scriptures."

"Wow! That's not close."

"That is true, but the true scriptures cannot be ignored."

Hong Chen smiled and nodded: "Not bad, you have some perseverance." As he said that, he tore a piece of the barbecue and put it in his mouth to chew, then divided it into two portions and handed them to the two followers.

Seeing that Xuanzang did not speak, the two attendants took it and thanked Hong Chen.

Hong Chen waved his hand and asked again: "Daoyou, are you seeking scriptures? Are they also seeking scriptures?"

Xuanzang said honestly: "That's not the case. They just followed me and helped me carry some luggage."

Hong Chen tore pieces of meat and ate while his eyes moved between the three people.

After a moment, he sighed: "What a pity, what a pity."

Xuanzang was puzzled and asked, "Why do you say that, fellow Taoist?"

Hong Chen smiled and pointed deep into the mountain range: "If you want to go west, you must pass through this mountain range. Do you know the situation in this mountain range?"

Xuanzang immediately asked sincerely: "Please give me some advice, fellow Taoist."

"This mountain is called Shuangcha Mountain. There are demons gathering in the mountain, causing trouble for the people. Mortals are no match for them and can only stay away from them. But if you want to go west, you can't avoid it unless you go a thousand miles around." After a pause, Hong Chen said, "But I see that you have a firm look in your eyes and a resolute will. I think you will not choose to go a thousand miles around and waste time. You must face the difficulties and enter Shuangcha Mountain. But with your abilities, you can never defeat those demons, and you can't avoid their eyes and ears. That's why I said it's a pity."

Hearing this, Xuanzang was shocked, his eyes filled with fear. The two attendants didn't even have the mood to eat the meat at their mouths.

moment.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know what kind of monster is in Shuangcha Ridge?" Xuanzang asked again.

Hong Chen shook his head: "I don't know. I'm just a little Taoist priest, but I heard that there are monsters in the mountains, so I only dare to rest temporarily at the foot of the mountain. I don't even dare to tie up my horse. I'm afraid that monsters will appear, so I'm ready to ride away at any time."

Xuanzang nodded slightly, his expression solemn.

After a while, he suddenly turned around and looked at his two attendants.

"Let's go!"

The two attendants were stunned, and then they shook their heads: "Why do you say that, Elder? Since His Majesty has ordered us to follow you, how can we retreat when we encounter difficulties?"

In other words: His Majesty the Emperor sent us to follow you, and now if you just let us go back like this, if His Majesty the Emperor knew the reason, we brothers would be dead, and maybe even the nine clans would be killed together.

Xuanzang certainly didn't have so many thoughts, but he could hear the concerns of the two people.

So he immediately got up and rummaged through his luggage, found paper and pen, and wrote down two pieces of paper on the spot. The letter mentioned that the two people would be sent back, and begged the emperor not to blame them.

After receiving the letter, the two attendants were delighted at first, then their faces became complicated, and they finally shook their heads and said, "We two already know what the elder wants, but since we know there will be trouble ahead, we cannot leave. Even if we have to die, we should die before the elder!"

Xuanzang frowned and tried to persuade him.

However, the two attendants refused to listen to the advice.

After a while, Xuanzang sat back by the campfire helplessly, and the two attendants turned around to pack the luggage and feed water to the horses.

Hong Chen smiled and whispered, "Do you want me to help you?"

Xuanzang was delighted when he heard this, and whispered, "How can I help you, fellow Taoist?"

"Look at me."

Hong Chen stood up and knocked out the two attendants one after another.

Xuanzang was stunned.

Hong Chen smiled and said, "Elder, go ahead. I'll watch over them."

Xuanzang smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Thank you for your help, fellow Taoist. I will take my leave now." As he said that, he packed his luggage and mounted his horse.

"Aren't you afraid of death?" Hong Chen asked.

Xuanzang turned around and smiled: "Daoyou, why do you have to test me? Since you can come here, how can you be a coward who is afraid of death? Thank you for your reminder. If we can meet again in the future, I will definitely discuss Taoism with you in detail." After saying this, he held the horse's belly and went straight into the mountain.

When Hong Chen heard this response, he also smiled, and felt that there seemed to be some differences between this Tang Monk and the one from the Three Realms.

Turning around, he waved his hand and sent the two attendants straight back to Chang'an.

At this time, a person walked out of the void beside him. It was Taibai Jinxing.

He smiled and bowed: "The great emperor is merciful and saved the lives of those two mortals."

(End of this chapter)