I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

At that time, Patriarch Bodhi, through the hand of Daoist Lu Ya, secretly used a trick to almost put him in a desperate situation.

If he hadn't been exceptionally astute and noticed the signs in advance, he would probably have perished long ago.

Jiang Wang sneered and muttered, "Bodhi, you old fox, your withdrawal is not out of kindness, you must be plotting something again."

He took a deep breath, his spiritual sense spreading out like a tide, probing the surrounding movements, determined not to give the other party the slightest opportunity.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, auspicious clouds rolled in, the South Heavenly Gate stood majestically, and gilded giant pillars appeared and disappeared among the clouds.

Bodhi Patriarch, dressed in a green robe, with an air of otherworldly grace, slowly descended upon the South Heavenly Gate, stepping on white clouds.

Upon seeing him, the heavenly guards bowed respectfully: "The esteemed Patriarch Bodhi has graced us with his presence. The Heavenly Court has failed to greet you properly; please forgive us!"

Bodhi smiled slightly and flicked his sleeve, saying, "It's alright. I have important business to attend to. I wish to visit Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. Please inform him."

The heavenly general dared not delay and hurriedly ordered someone to report to Li Jing, while he himself respectfully led the way, taking Bodhi deep into the heavenly court.

Before long, Bodhi arrived at the palace of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

The gates of the mansion gleamed with gold, and the gilded plaque read "Mansion of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King".

The five characters shine brightly.

Li Jing had already heard the news and personally went to the door to greet him, cupping his hands and smiling, "Bodhi Patriarch, it's been a long time!"

Your visit to my humble abode today is truly an honor!
"Please come in quickly, let's talk inside!"

He was clad in golden armor, holding a pagoda, exuding an air of authority mixed with warmth.

Bodhi returned the greeting with a gentle smile: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I have come here with important matters to discuss, and I hope Your Majesty can lend a hand."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two entered the main hall of the mansion.

The hall was beautifully furnished, with wisps of smoke rising from a gilded incense burner, and divine fruits and wines already prepared.

Li Jing invited Bodhi to sit down and asked with a smile, "What brings you here, Ancestor?"
If there is any need for assistance, Li Jing will certainly do his utmost!

Bodhi stroked his long beard, his eyes flashing slightly, and slowly said, "I have heard that the Old Man Under the Moon is in charge of marriage in the Three Realms and has superb skills. Recently, I suddenly had a whim to invite the Old Man Under the Moon to have a chat and discuss some of the mysteries of marriage."

The Heavenly King and the God of Marriage have a close relationship; could you please extend an invitation on my behalf?

Upon hearing this, Li Jing laughed heartily: "What's so difficult about that?"
The matchmaker and I have always been on good terms. This little matter is all yours, Li!
"Someone, go to the Yue Lao Palace and send a message, requesting that the Yue Lao come to the Heavenly King's Mansion for a gathering as soon as possible!"

He waved his hand, and the heavenly general beside him immediately obeyed the order and left.

A glint of light flashed in Bodhi's eyes, but his face remained calm. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your righteousness, Heavenly King. I am deeply grateful."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Bodhi excused himself to change his clothes, quietly left his seat, and with a flicker of his body, used his invisibility technique to transform into a wisp of breeze, heading straight for the Moon God's Palace.

The Palace of the Matchmaker is located in a corner of the Heavenly Court. It has red walls and green tiles, and the palace gate is tightly closed. A simple copper lock hangs on the door, emitting a faint spiritual light.

The celestial being arrived and called out loudly, "Old Man of the Moon, the Heavenly King invites you to the Heavenly King's Palace for a chat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace gates creaked open, and the Old Man of the Moon, dressed in a red robe with a full head of white hair, walked out with a smile: "Oh?"

Invited by Li Tianwang?

"Haha, this old man will go right away!"

With a casual wave of his hand, the copper lock flashed and the palace gate closed automatically.

He instructed the heavenly generals: "This lock was made by my own hands. No outsider can open it. You do not need to guard the gate. You may leave."

Having said that, he rode on auspicious clouds and headed towards the Heavenly King's Palace.

Moments after the Old Man of the Moon left, a beam of green light fell in front of the palace gate; it was none other than the hidden Bodhi.

He sneered and muttered, "Old Man of the Moon, your lock is ingenious, but my methods are far superior!"

He raised his hand and pointed, a golden light bursting from his fingertip, transforming into countless tiny runes that drilled into the copper lock.

Just hear "click"

With a soft click, the copper lock opened, and the palace gates slowly swung open.

Bodhi flashed in, and the room was filled with red light.

The palace was decorated in a bright and colorful manner, with red silk hanging high and wooden plaques covering the walls. Each plaque was engraved with a name and identity, and the plaques were connected by red ropes, symbolizing the entanglements of love and marriage among all beings in the three realms.

Bodhi glanced around and quickly found a wooden plaque that read, "Jiang Wang, a mortal cultivator."

He snorted coldly, took down the plaque, and then found another one next to it that read "Chang'e, the fairy of the Moon Palace."

The wooden sign.

He took out a red rope from his sleeve, skillfully tied the two wooden plaques together, and whispered, "Jiang Wang, you mere mortal, how dare you ruin my important plans?"

This time, I've arranged a marriage between you and Chang'e, angering the Jade Emperor. Let's see how you handle this!

He paused, a sly glint in his eyes, then searched the palace again, successively removing the "Howling Celestial Dog, Erlang Shen's Mount" from its sheath.

"Pigsy, Marshal Tianpeng"

All the wooden plaques were connected to Jiang Wang's wooden plaque with red rope.

Bodhi looked at his "masterpiece".

He couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Jiang Wang, if you don't become the laughingstock of the Three Realms this time, then I have lived these ten thousand years in vain!"

At the same time, the Old Man of the Moon had arrived at the gate of the Heavenly King's Palace and was about to step through the gate when he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and his expression changed drastically.

He stopped abruptly and exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no!"
Someone broke into the Palace of the Matchmaker and disturbed the Book of Marriages!

He didn't have time to exchange pleasantries with Li Jing; he turned around and transformed into a streak of red light, hurrying back to the Palace of the Old Man Under the Moon.

Halfway there, an uninvited guest arrived at the Yue Lao Palace.

Kui Mulang, clad in black armor and exuding a sinister aura, silently infiltrated the palace.

He pushed open the palace gates, his gaze fixed on the Book of Marriages, and quickly found a piece that read, "Baihua Xiu, Heavenly Fairy."

The wooden sign.

Next to the wooden sign, the words "Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven" were prominently displayed.

The wooden sign, with a bright red rope connecting the two, is eye-catching.

Kui Mulang's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared, "Sun Wukong!"

"You impudent monkey, how dare you steal my beauty, Baihuaxiu!"

He ripped the red rope off roughly, almost crushing the wooden sign.

He took out a wooden plaque from his pocket, which read "Kui Mulang, Twenty-Eight Constellations".

He gritted his teeth and tied it to Baihuaxiu's wooden plaque with a new red rope, muttering under his breath, "Baihuaxiu is mine, and no one can take her away!"

"Sun Wukong, I'll settle this score with you!"

He moved quickly, completely unaware that a pair of invisible eyes were coldly watching him from behind.

Bodhi hid in the shadows, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes full of mockery.

He muttered to himself, "Kui Mulang?"

How interesting! I originally intended to make Jiang Wang a laughingstock, but I didn't expect you, you brute, to get involved too.

"Fine, let's make this play even more chaotic!"

He did not reveal himself, but continued to remain hidden, quietly observing the development of events. Outside the Yue Lao Palace, a flash of red light appeared, and Yue Lao had already returned.

He pushed open the palace gate and saw red ropes and wooden plaques scattered all over the ground. He was so angry that his hair stood on end and he shouted, "You audacious thief, how dare you alter a marriage arrangement!"

"I will definitely drag you out and send you to the execution platform!"

He scanned the palace with his spiritual sense but found no one inside. Only the red ropes on a few wooden plaques were still trembling slightly, telling the story of the chaos that had just occurred.

The Old Man of the Moon strode forward, examined the Book of Marriage, and his gaze fell on the wooden plaques of Jiang Wang, Chang'e, Xiaotianquan, and Zhu Ganglie. He immediately gasped: "This...who did this?"
Jiang Wang is just an ordinary mortal, how could he be involved in marriage with so many people?
If this matter were to reach the Jade Emperor's ears, it would likely cause a massive uproar!

He then saw the wooden plaques for Baihuaxiu and Kui Mulang, and his brows furrowed even deeper: "Kui Mulang?"

"Hmph, this brute is surely indulging in wishful thinking again!"

Just as he was about to use magic to restore the red rope, he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from outside the palace.

The Old Man of the Moon felt a pang of anxiety and shouted, "Who's outside?"
Show yourself at once!

No one answered; only the howling wind seemed to mock the tangled mess in the Matchmaker's Palace.

The night was as dark as ink. The osmanthus trees outside the Yue Lao Palace cast swaying shadows. A gentle breeze swept by, carrying a few petals that softly landed on the bluestone path.

Jiang Wang silently hid behind an ancient osmanthus tree, his eyes like an eagle's, fixed on the slightly ajar palace gate not far away.

He was tall and slender, dressed in a long black robe, with a sword at his waist that gleamed coldly, and his brows exuded an inexplicable calmness and sharpness.

Having transmigrated to this Journey to the West world for several years, he had long been accustomed to the treacherous schemes of the Heavenly Court, but he never expected to witness such a scene tonight.

"Squeak-"

The palace gates creaked open, and a figure stealthily slipped out of the Moon God's Palace.

Jiang Wang squinted and, by the moonlight, made out the man's appearance—Kui Mulang, one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, wearing a silver helmet and starlight armor, but clutching a blood-red rope in his hand. He looked around nervously, as if to make sure no one was following him.

"Hmph, Kui Mulang, what shady things are you doing?"

Jiang Wang sneered inwardly, but did not move an inch.

He was not intentionally following them, but was ordered by Patriarch Bodhi to secretly investigate the unusual activities of the Moon God Palace.

Bodhi once said that there seemed to be something unusual about the Heavenly Court's marriage register recently, and that someone might be tampering with the red thread. Jiang Wang then took on this task.

At this moment, he held his breath and decided to wait and see.

Kui Mulang was clearly unaware of Jiang Wang's presence. He looked down at the red rope in his hand, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. Just as he was about to leave, he heard an angry shout from behind: "Kui Mulang!"

How dare you!

Jiang Wang's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze turned to the palace gate. There he saw an old man with white hair holding a whisk, standing angrily at the threshold. It was none other than the Old Man of the Moon.

Although the Old Man of the Moon is old, his eyes are sharp as knives. With a wave of his whisk, several red ropes shot out like nimble snakes, instantly binding Kui Mulang tightly.

"The Moon...the Old Man of the Moon!"

Kui Mulang's face turned pale. He struggled for a moment, but found that the red rope was tightening more and more, making it impossible for him to move. "What do you mean by this?"

I was just... just passing through!

"Passing by?"

The Old Man of the Moon snorted coldly, pointed his whisk, and a glass lamp flew out from inside the palace gate. The lamplight flickered, reflecting Kui Mulang's guilty face. "I saw with my own eyes you pry open my palace gate and sneak into the marriage register. You still dare to argue?"
Where did you get that red string in your hand?

Cold sweat beaded on Kui Mulang's forehead as he stammered, "This...this red rope is...something I found. Immortal, you've misunderstood!"

"Picked it up?"

The Old Man of the Moon was so angry that his beard trembled. With a flick of his whisk, golden runes appeared on the red rope, faintly revealing the aura of the Heavenly Dao. "This red rope was made by my own hands. It bears the mark of the Heavenly Dao. How could you, a mere constellation, possibly pick it up so easily?"
Say!
What is your purpose in infiltrating the Palace of the Old Man of the Moon?

Jiang Wang, hiding behind the osmanthus tree, frowned slightly and thought to himself, "Kui Mulang is too audacious. Secretly connecting with the Red String is a serious crime that violates the Heavenly Laws. How dare he be so blatant?"

His gaze shifted, and he noticed that inside the palace behind the Old Man of the Moon, rows of wooden plaques were vaguely visible, suspended in mid-air, with red ropes intertwined and emitting a faint light, clearly indicating the location of the Book of Marriage.

Forced into a corner, Kui Mulang gritted his teeth and said, "Immortal Elder, please calm your anger!"
I...I only did this for one person, I had no other intentions!

"For one person?"

The Old Man of the Moon's eyes sharpened, and with a flick of his whisk, the runes on the red rope suddenly lit up, transforming into a screen of light that reflected two wooden plaques.

Looking into the distance, Jiang Wang saw a wooden sign that read "Kui Mulang".

The other one reads "Hundred Flowers Shy".

A red rope clearly connects the two signs.

"A hundred flowers blush?"

A maidservant from the Hall of Fragrant Breeze?

The Old Man of the Moon's face darkened, and he said angrily, "Kui Mulang, as a star of the Heavenly Court, how dare you tie the red thread for mortal women without permission!"
Do you know that this action will disrupt the natural order of marriage and bring about terrible calamities?

Kui Mulang lowered his head and remained silent, but a trace of tenderness flashed in his eyes, as if he were recalling a past event.

Jiang Wang's heart stirred, and he thought to himself, "Baihua Xiu... This name sounds familiar. Could it be the woman that Kui Mulang met when he descended to the mortal world?"
It seems this constellation has truly fallen in love.

The Old Man of the Moon didn't allow him to think too much. With a wave of his whisk, another light screen appeared. This time, Jiang Wang was suddenly stunned—his own name appeared in the light screen!

The wooden sign reads "Jiang Wang".

The two characters are clearly visible, and "Chang'e" is also displayed next to them.

"Howling Celestial Dog"

Their names were linked together by a tangled red string.

"What does this mean!"

The Old Man of the Moon's expression changed drastically, his voice filled with a hint of panic, "Kui Mulang, how dare you alter the marriage of Jiang Wang, Chang'e, and even Xiaotianquan!"
"You...you're going against the heavens!"

Jiang Wang's pupils contracted, and a storm raged in his heart: "My marriage?"
Chang'e?

Roaring dog?
What on earth did that Kui Mulang do?!

He suppressed his shock and stared intently at Kui Mulang, trying to discern something from his face.

Kui Mulang looked bewildered and said urgently, "Immortal Elder, you are wise!"
I only tied the red string for Baihuaxiu. As for Jiang Wang, Chang'e, and Xiaotianquan, I never touched their wooden plaques!
There must be some misunderstanding!

"Misunderstand?"

The Old Man of the Moon sneered, pointed his whisk, and a clanging sound came from the horizon. Dozens of heavenly soldiers descended from the clouds and surrounded Kui Mulang. "This matter is of utmost importance. We must report it to the Jade Emperor and have the Court of Justice thoroughly investigate it!"

"Guards, take Kui Mulang away!"

The heavenly soldiers swarmed forward and bound Kui Mulang tightly.

The Old Man of the Moon then turned to a celestial soldier and said, "Go to the Hall of Justice immediately and inform Venus of this matter. Make sure to investigate the anomaly in the Book of Marriages!"

He paused, then looked at the palace gate. "The rest of the heavenly soldiers, guard the Yue Lao Palace. No one may approach without my permission!"

Seeing this, Jiang Wang knew that he would have no chance to investigate the Yue Lao Palace tonight, so he had no choice but to quietly leave.

Before leaving, he glanced back at Kui Mulang, who was being taken away, and thought to himself, "This matter is getting more and more complicated. If Kui Mulang really only wanted to tie the red thread for Baihuaxiu, then why is my name on the marriage register?"
Could it be that someone else is secretly plotting this?

……

The Lingxiao Palace shone with golden light, and celestial music filled the air.

The Jade Emperor sat high on his dragon throne, looking down at Kui Mulang, who was being escorted by heavenly soldiers. His majestic voice resounded throughout the hall: "Kui Mulang, do you know your crime!" (End of Chapter)