Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Li Xiuyuan landed on the ground and laughed, "You don't know, this Women's Kingdom is a sacred place for men. You are all very fortunate to have been able to come here."

Then Tang Sanzang asked, "Please enlighten me, Bodhisattva."

Li Xiuyuan laughed and said, "Holy monk, there are no men in this Women's Kingdom. If you and your companions enter, you will become the only men. Even if you are ugly, you will be fought over and wanted by everyone."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong exclaimed, "Master, if you say that, wouldn't we all be free to go on the journey to the West?"

Li Xiuyuan smiled and said calmly, "How you choose is your own business. If you stay in the Women's Kingdom, you can't go to the Western Paradise to retrieve the scriptures. If you go to the Western Paradise to retrieve the scriptures, you can't enjoy yourself in the Women's Kingdom anymore. Very well, let's go in first and then talk about it."

Then he led Little King Kong forward.

Xiao Jingang and Li Xiuyuan naturally didn't show too much surprise. Xiao Jingang changed his clothes and turned into a child.

As for Li Xiuyuan, he changed into a young master's clothes, put his hair up with a hairpin, and looked every bit the handsome young man.

Sun Wukong was puzzled and immediately asked, "Master, what brings you here? Do you also want to enjoy yourself?"

Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "This monkey, how could your master be without women? But a few days ago, I did some calculations and foresaw that you would face this calamity, so I came to help you get through it. Secondly, this Women's Kingdom is quite a novelty, so I brought Little Vajra here to see what's so special about it."

Wukong nodded and said, "Master, I'll scout ahead." Then he took his staff and walked in front of Li Xiuyuan and Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

However, with Li Xiuyuan behind them, Tang Sanzang felt embarrassed to remain seated on his horse. He kept leaning closer to Hu and asking, "Why has the Bodhisattva taken such good care of us on our journey to the West? We, master and disciples, are truly grateful."

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Holy Monk, there's no need for that. In fact, the entire journey to the West was planned by me long ago. It was my way of ensuring that you could safely overcome all the hardships."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang could hardly believe it and asked, "Bodhisattva, does the Buddha know about this?"

Li Xiuyuan laughed and said, "Back then, you were a disciple of the Buddha, who banished you to the mortal realm so that you could retrieve the scriptures. However, you must be careful when you become a Buddha in the future, as the Buddha's glory has faded."

In the beginning, when Tathagata was the ruler of the Western Paradise, he had the two saints, Cundi and Jieyin, as his backers. However, all the Buddhas in the heavens were afraid of him.

Later, it was discovered that even sages were incapable of governance, and so they gradually began to rival the Buddha. Eventually, the ancient Buddha Dipankara, relying on his status as a past Buddha, established his own domain alongside the Buddha.

Now, even the Buddha and I must be extremely tolerant of each other. Take the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, for example; it is undoubtedly the most important matter in the entire Buddhist world.

In the beginning, it was the Buddha who laid the groundwork and made the plan. He used you as a scapegoat and found a reason to send you to the mortal world.

Later, I fought a great battle with Tathagata, and both Tathagata and Dipankara Buddha were utterly defeated by me and lost face. Therefore, I took charge of this matter.

In the future, the Buddhist world will also be divided into different schools. I hope that when the holy monks attain Buddhahood, they will not forget who abandoned them and threw them into the mortal world.

Who will guide you to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures? Who will send their beloved disciple to be your apprentice, protecting you along the way and ensuring your attainment of Buddhahood? I hope that the holy monk will not choose the wrong side when the time comes.”

Li Xiuyuan's words sent chills down Tang Sanzang's spine. He had no idea what was going on until he heard them; only then did he realize that there were so many dark secrets behind the journey to the West.

However, Tang Sanzang was not stupid. He immediately said, "When we become Buddhas in the future, we will definitely follow the lead of the Bodhisattva together with Wukong."

Li Xiuyuan seemed very satisfied upon hearing this, nodded, and said, "That's good. Let's go, we'll be in the Kingdom of Women ahead."

Then Sun Wukong stopped, looked at a stone tablet on the road, and muttered, "Women's Kingdom".

After a while, everyone went up and took a look. They saw a stone tablet with three characters carved on it. It was obviously from many years ago, and the characters were blurry, but it was clear that it contained the three characters "Daughter Kingdom".

Li Xiuyuan sighed, "That's right. The Kingdom of Women was just a small country back then. Later, it was invaded by a powerful enemy, and in the end, all the men were put to the task of resisting the enemy. The women all fled to a deep mountain. Later, as the number of women increased, it became a fairly large country."

Chapter 549 The Queen of the Women's Kingdom

The group set off, and after passing the boundary stone, they could be said to have set foot on the land of the Women's Kingdom.

After a short while, the darkness suddenly turned into a wide expanse, with a high mountain in front of them. The group climbed the mountain and looked ahead, where they saw densely packed buildings and shops, with a large river running through the entire city.

Countless women were washing clothes by the river, some playing in the water; as far as the eye could see, they were all women. There wasn't a single man in sight.

Among these countless women, young women were the majority, and there were very few elderly women, and the number of children was also small.

Everyone looked down in astonishment. Pigsy laughed and said, "This really is a Women's Kingdom! There isn't a single man here. This is a wonderful place, much better than Gao Village."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang immediately frowned and said sternly, "Bajie, don't talk nonsense!"

Tang Sanzang scolded him, and Zhu Bajie shut his mouth, feeling awkward.

Seeing this, Li Xiuyuan shook his head helplessly and then said, "Alright, let's go."

Li Xiuyuan then began to descend from the mountaintop, heading straight into the city.

As Li Xiuyuan and his group gradually approached the city of the Women's Kingdom, they suddenly attracted great attention.

All the women crowded around them, eager to see them. The market was so packed that Li Xiuyuan and the others were unable to move.

Even more so, Li Xiuyuan and Tang Seng were considered quite handsome men, so countless hands reached out to them, groping them indiscriminately, touching every part of their bodies.

Li Xiuyuan used a little magic to resolve the issue. Although Li Xiuyuan was known for his lust, even standing there with countless women touching and groping him, he was still reluctant.

Li Xiuyuan avoided it, but Tang Sanzang and Buddha were just mortals, so the situation was quite awkward.

Tang Sanzang was no match for so many women. These women were incredibly passionate and had never seen a man in their lives. They wouldn't easily let Tang Sanzang get so hot from being touched.

Many clothes had been torn off, as women were tearing off their clothes and reaching inside.

Tang Sanzang was a monk who had cultivated himself for many years and had always abstained from women. But now, surrounded by a group of women, his legs were already getting hard, as he thought that many women were fond of this place.

Although Tang Sanzang and Li Xiuyuan were surrounded by many women, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and Sun Wukong, due to their strange appearances, were only pointed at and talked about by the women, who dared not be too presumptuous.

Having been raised with strict rules and precepts, Tang Sanzang had never been involved with women. He was utterly overwhelmed by such provocation, his face flushed red, and his yang energy surged. However, he was just an ordinary man, and he was helpless in the face of such behavior from countless women.

Left with no other choice, Tang Sanzang called out to Sun Wukong behind him, "Disciples, come quickly to save your master. If you do not come soon, I am afraid my pure yang body will be destroyed."

Sun Wukong could see it clearly, and he knew that Tang Sanzang was being humiliated, but he deliberately did not step forward to help, just to see Tang Sanzang make a fool of himself.

Tang Sanzang acted on a whim. If he couldn't control himself here, he might very well have committed adultery in the street.

However, since Tang Sanzang had called them, they could no longer pretend not to see them. Sun Wukong and the others squeezed towards Tang Sanzang, protecting him in the middle. Although the women were scared away by Sun Wukong and the others, they still surrounded him completely.

Just then, a group of soldiers carrying spears suddenly marched towards them.

These soldiers, clad in silver armor and wielding long spears, were all tall and imposing, riding magnificent horses; however, they were all women.

Tang Sanzang and his companions looked at the soldiers, at a loss. However, the soldiers first drove all the women to both sides of the road, clearing out the main street.

Among the crowd, Li Xiuyuan was in the lead, and he asked, "Where did you soldiers come from?"

The soldier leader stepped forward and said to Li Xiuyuan, "We received news today that several men have arrived in our Women's Kingdom. The Queen has sent me to lead the army to escort you all to the palace."

At this moment, Tang Sanzang straightened his disheveled clothes and said, "It's too high. We should hurry to the palace and ask the king to issue us a travel permit so we can head west. This place is really not suitable for us monks."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan laughed heartily and said, "Let's do as the holy monk says and go to the palace."

However, although Tang Sanzang said so, he still lingered on the feeling from before. Since he was inexperienced, he naturally had many fantasies.

Subsequently, escorted by soldiers, they arrived at the palace.

This palace is quite magnificent. However, compared to other palaces, this one appears rather feminine, primarily featuring red and blue colors.

Tang Sanzang walked into the main hall alone. To his right were military officers and to his left were civil officials. Tang Sanzang and his party went directly through the main hall.

The civil and military officials of the Women's Kingdom had never seen a man before, and they were all extremely excited. Although they were in the imperial court, they couldn't help but point and whisper among themselves.

Li Xiuyuan walked alongside Tang Sanzang at the front, followed by Xiao Jingang and Sun Wukong, with Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing at the very back.

However, all the women were quite interested in Li Xiuyuan and Tang Seng, but they were most interested in Li Xiuyuan. After all, Li Xiuyuan was now a handsome young man, while Tang Seng, although not bad-looking, was, after all, a monk.

In terms of sheer presence, Tang Sanzang completely overwhelmed Li Xiuyuan.

Upon reaching the front, everyone stopped and looked ahead.

A beautiful young woman sat on the dragon throne in front of them. She was dressed in a magnificent robe and wore a phoenix hairpin, making her appear incomparably noble, exceptionally stunning, and unapproachable.

However, Li Xiuyuan saw in her longing eyes the heart of a young girl in love.

Moreover, Li Xiuyuan could tell that the Queen of the Women's Kingdom had been staring at him, scrutinizing him for quite some time. The Queen then spoke up, "Who is there in the court?"

Chapter 550 Discussing the Marriage

Li Xiuyuan did not speak, but glanced at Tang Seng. Tang Seng understood and said, "Your Majesty, we are monks from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East who are going to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures. These people are my disciples and warriors who are escorting me to the Western Paradise to obtain scriptures."

The Queen of the Women's Kingdom laughed and said, "You all come from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East and have traveled far to the Western Paradise. I wonder if your journey has been arduous?"

Tang Sanzang laughed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty and Guanyin. For us monks, it is common to eat in the wind and sleep in the open. We are used to it."

At this moment, the head of the civil officials, the Imperial Preceptor, came over and said, "Your Majesty, the holy monk and his party traveled from the Tang Dynasty in the East to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures. They must have endured many hardships along the way."

There are no men in my Kingdom of Women. Perhaps we should let them stay, to demonstrate our nation's hospitality. After they have rested for several months, we can send them away.”

The Queen of the Women's Kingdom nodded in agreement, "Yes, what the Grand Preceptor says makes perfect sense. So be it. Grand Preceptor, you will lead everyone down. Treat them well."

However, just as Tang Sanzang was about to speak, Li Xiuyuan secretly transmitted his voice to him, saying, "Holy Monk, don't be hasty. Can't you see? There are no men in the Women's Kingdom. They want to keep us here. If you speak up, you will surely make it clear that you don't want to be their men. So think about it, how about exchanging something for a travel permit?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang thought about it carefully and also felt that it made sense.

Although there are countless women in this Kingdom of Women, if I stay, I can only enjoy my good life for a few decades. But after I become a Buddha, I will be a Buddha in my own right. What wouldn't I have time to do then?

Thinking of this, Tang Sanzang nodded and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty. We will take our leave now."

The Queen of the Women's Kingdom said, "Alright, Holy Monk, please take care."

Afterwards, Tang Sanzang and the others returned, and Li Xiuyuan also returned. However, Li Xiuyuan suddenly turned around and looked at the Queen of the Women's Kingdom.

Only then did he realize that the Queen of the Women's Kingdom was watching him. Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly at the Queen of the Women's Kingdom, and then turned and left.

Although the Queen of the Women's Kingdom was a local tyrant, she was still a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. Just because Li Xiuyuan smiled at him, he was pounding with excitement.

As Li Xiuyuan walked, a smile involuntarily crept onto his face. He thought to himself, "The Queen of the Women's Kingdom is actually interested in me. Good. This queen is quite something. Truly a beautiful and charming empress, someone I've been longing to see!"

A young girl is in love, and Ji Shi seduces her. Since the Queen is interested in him, he must at least try to seduce her; otherwise, it would be inappropriate.

The Imperial Preceptor led Tang Sanzang and his disciples forward, bringing them to a small pavilion. He said, "Holy monks, this pavilion is your resting place. I hope you will not find it inappropriate."

Tang Sanzang hurriedly replied, "You flatter me, Grand Preceptor. I am already extremely grateful for such a fine pavilion. How could I possibly complain?"