No taboos in the world

Chapter 613: Test of Zen Heart

Clear springs flow through winding streams, and ancient cypresses lean against deep cliffs.

By the bank of a gurgling stream, Hong Chen carefully washed the peeled meat in the stream water, turned around, pierced the meat with a wooden stick, and roasted it on the grill.

He turned around, picked up the mink skin, and with his hands shining with fairy light, he carefully made a pair of boots.

After all, it is a yellow-haired sable in the Golden Immortal realm, and the boots made from its leather are not bad. Moreover, this pair of boots retains some of the magical powers of the yellow-haired sable and can control the three divine winds, which is also a good method.

After making the boots, Hong Chen waved his hand to break through the space and gave them to Yang Chan who was far away in Taoshan.

It is said that ever since the last meeting with Yao Ji in Taoshan, the Yang family has been reluctant to leave. Yang Tianyou simply cut trees and bamboos by the side of Taoshan and built a small wooden house. Yang Jiao, Yang Jian and Yang Chan also stayed, so that they could accompany their father and be closer to their mother.

Nezha, who was abandoned in the Taoist temple, couldn't stand it for a few days and ran over to find them. It was quite lively when a group of people gathered together.

The bonfire flickered, the aroma of meat gradually wafted up, the oozing fat bubbled, and if it dripped into the fire it would ignite a cluster of hot flames.

At this moment, Hong Chen felt that even if he did not gain anything from observing the catastrophe, the monsters and demons seeking death on the road would not make his trip in vain.

At least, the food from these monsters with good cultivation levels tastes pretty good.

Thinking about the endless monsters that would appear behind him, Hong Chen felt his mouth watering more and more, so he quickly picked up the wine gourd and took a sip.

Suddenly, a breeze came and stopped quietly about ten feet away.

Looking up, Hong Chen couldn't help laughing: "You said you wouldn't come if you had nothing to do, but I see you have something to do every day, so you have to come every day."

Guanyin, dressed as a village girl, was still carrying the bamboo basket. Upon hearing this, she sighed, walked slowly forward, sat down by the campfire, and said, "I don't want to work so hard. If I had known it would be like this, I should have refused it at the time."

"Refuse? Are you willing to give up those merits?"

"Merit is indeed useful to me, but at this level, its effect is very limited."

“You don’t want to become a Buddha?”

"Whether it's Buddha or Bodhisattva, it doesn't matter to me. Just like you, do you care whether you are the Great Emperor or the Heavenly Lord in Heaven?"

"Yes." Hong Chen nodded: "If Uncle Haotian doesn't make me the Great Emperor, I will quit."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva chuckled and shook her head, put down the basket, uncovered the lotus leaves on the surface, revealing the steaming white flour buns inside.

Hong Chen reached out and picked one up and took a bite. While eating, he said, "Can I have some meat next time?"

Guanyin said angrily, "Your Majesty, please don't tease me. I am a vegetarian."

Hong Chen smiled and said, "You can eat vegetarian food, but you can't be a vegetarian."

Guanyin immediately understood what Hong Chen meant and rolled her eyes at him, then picked up the steamed bun and started eating.

Hong Chen cut the mink meat, put it in the steamed bun, took a bite, and nodded, "It tastes really good."

"I have seen this mink before at the foot of Lingshan Mountain. At that time, he had not yet attained enlightenment and transformed into a human form."

"So, whether enlightenment is a good thing or a bad thing is hard to say. Is that right?"

"Yes, the world is like a tide, and cause and effect is like a net. If you behave uprightly, you may be able to escape disaster. If you behave unrighteously, you will die."

Hong Chen looked at her strangely: "I thought you came to me to plead for mercy."

Guanyin laughed and said, "It eats people, so why do you eat it? After Lingji Bodhisattva returned, he wandered around outside my Luojia Mountain for half a day, not daring to enter. Finally, he sighed and turned back to Lingshan."

"He's pretty smart."

"Whether it's smart or not, I can't say, but the fear is real."

"What are you afraid of? I can still fight him to death at Lingshan Mountain?"

"That's hard to say." After a pause, Guanyin looked at Hong Chen and said, "In the final battle of Conferred Gods, you scared a lot of people."

"Don't say that. Most of the people I killed were the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect and the traitors of the Jie Sect. I didn't harm the disciples recruited by the Buddhist sect, right? The Medicine Master died, but it wasn't me."

Guanyin looked helpless, glanced at the dozing horse lying beside her, and whispered, "What about Ksitigarbha?"

"The death of Ksitigarbha is the result of a collision between Buddhist teachings and the rules of the Underworld. The afterlife that Buddhism seeks is actually in the reincarnation of the Underworld. However, Buddhism is not satisfied with this and attempts to use Ksitigarbha as a fulcrum to pry the reincarnation of the Underworld towards the Buddhist teachings. For this reason alone, his death is not unjust."

Hong Chen took a sip of wine and continued, "The great teachings of the saints are based on the saints. The saints respect the way of heaven, and the way of heaven is based on the primordial wilderness. Tracing back to the source, whether it is the Xuanmen or the Buddhist sect, they should have regarded the primordial wilderness as the highest and the rules of heaven and earth as the standard to formulate doctrines. Rather than using the doctrines of each school to control the rules of heaven and earth. On the contrary, Tiangang is a way to die."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva was silent for a moment and said nothing more.

Whether she agreed or not, she couldn't express her opinion to Hong Chen.

After all, she is a Buddhist Bodhisattva. Although she has a high status, she is not the master.

So after the silence, I had to change the subject.

"Xuanzang did not put the golden hoop on Wukong."

"Yeah, I noticed."

Guanyin Bodhisattva raised her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly: "I thought it was the work of the Great Emperor?"

Hong Chen also raised his eyebrows: "Oh, slandering me?"

Guanyin only said: "Xuanzang's change is indeed a bit abrupt."

"Actually, I think we should look at Goku more."

"Oh? What does the Emperor mean?"

"I transformed myself into a Taoist who cut wood and played the zither, and talked to him about some principles."

"I know."

"Wukong is very smart." After a short pause, he added: "Xuanzang is also smart, and he has accumulated knowledge for nine lifetimes and has been a monk for nine lifetimes, so he has great compassion in his heart."

Hearing this, Guanyin looked at the flickering bonfire and fell into deep thought.

She understood what Hong Chen meant, which was that Wukong realized his mistake after Hong Chen's guidance, and Wukong's apology caused Xuanzang to reflect, and the master and disciple reconciled, so Xuanzang was unwilling to let Wukong wear the golden hoop again.

This explanation makes sense, but Guanyin always feels that it shouldn't be that simple.

However, no matter whether Hong Chen did anything or not, since there was no evidence, she couldn't say more.

After all, Hong Chen is someone who can totally overturn the table.

After the last incident, even Jie Yin and Zhunti Saints were unwilling to offend him again. "The five people who are traveling west are all here. The next disaster will be even more different. I wonder if the emperor is willing to come and watch in person, just for fun?"

Hong Chen tore off a piece of meat and chewed it happily, and asked curiously: "You didn't invite Senior Sister Wu Dang?"

Guanyin shook her head: "The situation in the prehistoric world is very different. The Jiejiao in the East China Sea is still the largest sect."

Yes, after Hong Chen's fight back then, the structure of the Honghuang Saint Sect is indeed different.

Just talking about Jiejiao, its core elites are still there today. Even in the land east of the prehistoric world where many practitioners gather, the number of immortal sects that inherited the Taoist tradition of the Shangqing Saint is the largest.

In the current Jiejiao, the Golden Spirit Mother is in charge of everything, the Wu Dang Mother monitors the Jiejiao and the many immortal sects, and the Turtle Spirit Mother spends most of her time practicing in sleep.

After thinking about it, Hong Chen suddenly laughed, interest suddenly appearing in his eyes.

"So, I have another important role?"

Guanyin also smiled and nodded: "That's right. If the emperor is willing, how about being the head of the family?"

After thinking for a moment, Hong Chen nodded: "Hahaha, great, then I will have three older daughters!"
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As the sky gradually darkened, Tang Seng wiped his sweat and asked, "My disciples, it is already dusk. Let's hurry up and walk a few more steps. If we can meet someone, we can ask for a place to stay for the night. If not, we can just rest in the forest tonight."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Sun Wukong nodded and stepped forward to support Tang Seng: "Master, you have walked a long way, why don't you get on the horse and rest?"

Bajie, who was holding the horse, rolled his eyes and said, "Brother Monkey, Master went to the West to obtain the scriptures, and he had to be down-to-earth. If you let him ride a horse, wouldn't that harm his practice?"

Wukong turned back suddenly and said, "You idiot! You said you should be down-to-earth. Master has always practiced this. But Master is a mortal. If you don't allow me to ride a horse, I'm afraid my legs will be crippled if I continue to walk all the way, not to mention how many years it will take to reach Lingshan. Besides, as you said, why would Guanyin Bodhisattva arrange a mount for Master?"

Bajie turned his head to look aside, not daring to say anything back.

Seeing him like this, Wukong got a little angry and couldn't help but step forward to teach him a lesson.

Tang Seng quickly turned his hand and held him back: "Wukong, forget it. Although we have not been together for a long time, you should have known what kind of person Bajie is." After that, he looked at Bajie again: "I know you always like to quarrel with Wukong. I can't stop you, but you have to consider the consequences. If I don't stop you next time, you will be the only one who suffers."

Bajie shook his ears and stole a glance at Wukong. Seeing Wukong staring at him, he couldn't help shrinking his neck and said to Tang Seng: "Master, you are right. I will never say nonsense again."

Tang Seng could tell at a glance that he was not sincere and was just trying to avoid being taught a lesson. He could not help but shake his head and sigh.

The master and his disciples continued on their journey with their heads down. As the night gradually rose, they suddenly saw a house in front of them.

The walls are made of white mud and the courtyard is surrounded by bricks. The halls are magnificent and the buildings are quiet and peaceful.

Tang Seng stopped and said with a smile: "Look, disciples, there is really a manor ahead. It really is worth the journey."

Wukong took a closer look and saw a faint golden light in his eyes. He also saw that the sky above the house was filled with clear air, covered with auspicious clouds, with Buddha's light looming and auspicious mist covering the whole place. He immediately guessed that this must be the special guidance of some god or Buddha.

He rolled his eyes, grinned behind the others' back, and turned around and said, "Okay! Okay! Okay! Let's go and stay the night."

Bajie had been walking all day and was very tired. Upon hearing this, he could not help but agree: "Master and Senior Brother are right. This house looks like a wealthy family. There must be many rooms and even more food. I, old pig, am starving. I'll quickly go over and ask for some food!" As he spoke, he quickly walked towards the gate of the courtyard.

Monk Sha, who was carrying the luggage, also smiled, but did not say anything. He just lowered his head and continued on his way in silence.

At the gate of the courtyard, there are hanging lotus and elephant trunks, and painted buildings and carved beams.

Wukong was about to knock on the door, but Tang Seng hurriedly said, "Wukong, it's already dark, and you all look different. I'm afraid you'll bump into people and scare them. Let me come in."

Wukong thought so too and turned away.

Tang Seng stepped forward, straightened his clothes, and knocked on the door.

Soon, I heard footsteps behind the door. The gate opened a crack, revealing a puzzled face: "Who are you? Why are you knocking on my door at night?"

Tang Monk smiled, clasped his hands together, and said sincerely: "I am a monk from the Tang Dynasty in the East, going to the West to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. The four of us have been on the road for a long time. We passed by your precious place. It is late at night. I came to ask for a place to stay. I wonder if it is convenient for you, old man?"

"Oh?" The door opened a little more, revealing an old butler with a hunched figure: "Where are the other three?"

Tang Seng stepped aside and said: "My three disciples are a little strange in appearance, but they are all disciples of Buddhism and have kind hearts. Please don't blame me."

The butler leaned over to take a look, and Wukong, Bajie and Sha Seng couldn't help but smile at him.

"Oh my! Really... each one is so strange!" The housekeeper was shocked and said, "Elder, it's not that I don't want to, but I'm just the housekeeper here and can't make the decision. You guys wait here for a while, let me report to the head of the family, and then I'll notify you, okay?"

Tang Seng smiled and nodded: "This is as it should be. Thank you for your help, housekeeper."

The housekeeper closed the door and turned to look for his master.

Tang Seng turned around and said with a serious expression: "My disciples, if the host is willing to let you stay overnight, you must observe etiquette and not act rashly. If the host is unwilling to let you stay overnight, you must not get angry and intend to retaliate."

Wukong laughed and said, "Master, you worry too much. This is someone else's place. If they are willing to accept us, then we can go in and have a meal and sleep for a night. If they are not willing, then we can stay in the mountains for a night."

Tang Seng nodded and smiled: "What Wukong said is very true."

Bajie touched his stomach and said, "If they don't want me to do that, won't I, Old Pig, be hungry again?"

Tang Seng's face turned serious.

Bajie waved his hands quickly: "Master, don't worry, I will listen to you. I'm just really hungry..."

As he was speaking, footsteps were heard again from inside the door.

Then the door suddenly opened.

I saw the hunchbacked butler standing aside, and next to him was a middle-aged man dressed in gorgeous clothes, tall and with a dignified appearance, majestic temperament, and beautiful beard.

Seeing this man, for some reason, the four masters and apprentices were all startled. The middle-aged man swept his eyes around, and wherever he looked, even the rebellious Wukong and the naughty Bajie couldn't help but tremble in their hearts, and they could not help but slightly lower their heads and take the initiative to greet him.

"Since the holy monk came from the East, I think his disciples can trust him a little. Although I have never believed in Buddhism, I still respect you as a monk who has traveled thousands of miles. Please come in!"

The middle-aged man had a steady voice and a calm air that was convincing.

Tang Monk hurriedly said: "I am Xuanzang, thank you very much, Mr. Jia!"

Soon, the four of them entered the house under the invitation of the housekeeper, and saw the empty screen wall inside, the mountain spring forming a stream, the swaying bamboo shadows, and the jagged rockery. The house was even more magnificent, exquisite, and luxurious everywhere.

After resting the horse and putting down the luggage, he returned to the main hall under the guidance of the butler.

Mr. Jia was sitting upright in the hall, holding a teacup in his hand.

When he saw the four masters and apprentices, he did not stand up, but just waved his hand and said, "Please take a seat, the four of you."

Tang Seng bowed, then sat down with his disciples in order, waiting for Lord Jia to speak.

(End of this chapter)