Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Moreover, with Buddhism now spreading eastward, this person who descends to earth to preach will likely accumulate a very solid reputation among humankind. There will naturally be something to boast about, simply because the people hold the original preacher in the highest esteem.

Thus, Li Xiuyuan had a candidate in mind: Bodhidharma. He then said, "The Dragon-Subduing Arhat, the chief of the Eighteen Arhats, is my disciple. I know him well; this task is best left to him."

If Bodhidharma were to do this, it would surely be a great act of merit. Li Xiuyuan could then use this opportunity to elevate him to the position of Buddha, and finally, after deposing the Tathagata Buddha, place Maitreya Buddha in his place, thus vacating the position of the future Buddha. At that time, Bodhidharma could then ascend to become the future Buddha.

Upon hearing this, the Buddha smiled and said, "Very well, that's excellent. I will immediately issue a decree to send Bodhidharma down to the mortal realm to preach the scriptures."

Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Alright, if there's nothing else, let's disperse for today." Buddha Tathagata nodded and replied, "Alright, all Buddhas, let's disperse." Subsequently, all the Buddhas dispersed.

But the ancient Buddha Dipankara and the Buddha Tathagata did not leave. In the end, only the two of them remained in the entire golden hall.

The Buddha spoke up, saying, "Alas, the rise of the Heavenly Dragons is unstoppable."

After everyone had disappeared, Dipankara Buddha spoke furtively, "There is something I am unsure whether I should say."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha frowned and asked, "What could it be?"

The Ancient Buddha Dipankara said, "This Tang Monk and his disciples are on their journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. They are supposed to go through eighty-one tribulations, but now there are only eighty. Should we continue?"

Upon hearing this, Buddha nodded and said, "Very well, Li Xiuyuan is pushing too far. I have already been very tolerant. He should also know my firmness. Send a message to Ananda and Kasyapa, first send them a blank sheet of paper. Let Li Xiuyuan have a headache too."

Upon hearing this, Dipankara Buddha couldn't help but smile broadly, saying, "Very well, so be it! Let Li Xiuyuan suffer a bit too." One can imagine that the Tathagata Buddha's act of having Venerable Ananda and Venerable Kasyapa transmit fake scriptures to them would likely violate karmic principles. The eighty-one tribulations are neither more nor less than one.

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Chapter 615 Ambiguity

Now, Tang Sanzang and his disciples followed Ananda and Kasyapa into the Sutra Repository, intending to retrieve the scriptures, when they suddenly received a message from the Buddha, who naturally sent them fake scriptures.

However, they understood the current situation at Mount Ling, so they discussed it and decided that Ananda would transmit the scriptures to Tang Sanzang and his disciples, while Venerable Kasyapa would secretly go to find Bodhidharma.

After informing Bodhidharma of this matter, he discussed it with Bodhidharma for a while, and then Bodhidharma took him to see Li Xiuyuan.

After Venerable Kasyapa explained everything clearly, he fell silent. Li Xiuyuan listened, secretly amused. He hadn't been able to think of a reason to trip up the Buddha, and this had given him an opportunity.

The Buddha had a clever plan. He had calculated that Tang Sanzang and his disciples were still one trial away from being able to overcome it, so he set one himself. However, he probably didn't know that Tang Sanzang had orchestrated the whole thing, so there was no need for him to interfere.

Li Xiuyuan thought for a moment, then instructed Kasyapa, "Listen to me, I'll tell you. It's the same as before, but you can first ask Tang Sanzang and his disciples for benefits. They definitely won't give them to you. Then, you can ask Tang Sanzang and his disciples for the blank sutras."

If Tang Sanzang and his disciples come looking for you later, I will personally help you escape. You have done well in this matter, and I will not treat you lightly in the future. Go now.”

Upon hearing this, Venerable Ananda quickly and quietly returned to the Sutra Repository, briefly explaining the matter to Venerable Kasyapa. After the two communicated, they summoned Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

The Tang Monk and his disciples walked to the Sutra Repository, where they saw the courtyard filled with scriptures, surrounded by a Buddhist aura, which brought a sense of tranquility. Among them, the one most deeply moved was the Tang Monk. He recalled how he used to love coming to this Sutra Repository to read Buddhist scriptures.

Sun Wukong stepped forward and said, "Venerable ones, please hurry up and give us the scriptures. We have been waiting for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Ananda laughed and said, "Oh dear, you don't know our rules here. This requires giving a reward."

After Venerable Ananda finished speaking, Tang Sanzang and his disciples were all stunned. Sun Wukong immediately asked, "What did you say? You want benefits?" Venerable Ananda pretended to be calm and said, "Uh, this is the rule."

Bajie could no longer tolerate it. He pointed at the two venerable ones and shouted, "Pah! What kind of venerable ones are you? I never thought that this pure Buddhist temple would have such a place where filth and corruption are hidden. Venerable ones, huh? I think you are clearly just petty officials who have been embezzling and taking bribes."

Upon hearing this, the two venerable ones were speechless for a moment. Tang Sanzang then spoke up, "I am Ling Chanzi. Back then, I read countless scriptures in this Sutra Repository, and you never asked me for any reward. Why are you asking for it now?"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Ananda scratched his head and said, "Times have changed. Besides, back then you were a disciple of the Buddha. Who would dare to ask you for favors?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately flew into a rage and said, "Fine, fine, then I'll go and ring the golden bell to invite all the Buddhas of the heavens. I, Old Sun, want to ask if this Scripture Pavilion actually has such a rule!"

Seeing that they couldn't fool them, the two venerable ones followed the Buddha's instructions and said, "Alright, alright, you're not allowed to argue. Come with me to obtain the scriptures."

Once Tang Sanzang and his disciples extinguished the fire, they stopped arguing. Their goal was to obtain the true scriptures, and since these two venerable ones had agreed to give them the scriptures, they naturally didn't need to bother with such useless matters.

The scrolls of scriptures were eventually packed into four large boxes. Pigsy and Sandy each carried two boxes, and they happily left Mount Ling to return to the Tang Dynasty.

Tang Sanzang, leading Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, with Sun Wukong clearing the way, was in high spirits. Just as they were about to turn a corner, a large-bellied figure suddenly crashed into Sun Wukong.

This was rather awkward. Sun Wukong looked up and saw it was the Buddha of the East, also known as Maitreya Buddha. Sun Wukong immediately patted Maitreya Buddha's belly and laughed, "Oh dear, Buddha of the East, you have quite the physique. Your belly is like a watermelon, round and round. Hahaha."

Maitreya Buddha laughed and said, "Very well, it seems that the Great Sage Sun is in a good mood today."

Sun Wukong replied, "That's right, that's right. Today we've finally gotten our hands on the scriptures."

Maitreya Buddha stepped forward and patted Sun Wukong, laughing, "Great Sage, don't be too joyful. If you become too happy, it won't look good." Sun Wukong seemed to understand something, but still asked, "Buddha of the East, could you give me some pointers?"

The Maitreya Buddha chuckled, clutching his belly, and said, "Haha, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. Let nature take its course, and all will be well." Then he vanished.

Inside the Sutra Repository, Venerable Ananda and Venerable Kasyapa watched as Tang Sanzang and his disciples, carrying scriptures, joyfully left Mount Ling, their faces etched with worry. Ananda sighed, "We don't know what to do either. Let's leave it to fate. May both Buddhas bless us."

After Tang Sanzang and his disciples left Mount Ling, Bodhidharma saw them off for a while, then hurried back to Li Xiuyuan and reported, "Master, Tang Sanzang and his disciples have already left. They have traveled for a while and are about to leave the desert."

Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Alright, I've already made all the arrangements. Let's wait and see. This time, it's like the Buddha himself has run into my wound. Even if a saint intervenes, I'm afraid he can't blame me."

Then, Sun Wukong and the others were about to return to the Tang Dynasty. This return journey was unlike their arrival; they would essentially fly back on clouds. However, Sun Wukong kept thinking about what Maitreya Buddha had told him, and he couldn't shake it off.

To be on the safe side, they flew at full speed, so when they arrived at their destination, they were still not out of the desert.

Pigsy couldn't help but complain, "Brother Monkey, what are you thinking? Let's hurry up and send the scriptures to the Tang Dynasty, then come back quickly, and we can each get our own things. Wouldn't that solve everything?"

Indeed, the Tang Monk and his disciples endured hardships to reach the Western Paradise, not to retrieve the scriptures, but to attain enlightenment. Retrieving the scriptures was merely a task; enlightenment was their ultimate goal.

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Chapter 616 Obtaining the True Scripture

Just then, as Tang Sanzang and his disciples were caught off guard, a majestic eagle suddenly appeared, standing behind them without any warning.

Wukong reacted quickly, but it was already too late for Cui to defend. The eagle opened its sharp talons and snatched away the two boxes of scriptures.

Sun Wukong hurriedly gave chase, but the eagle suddenly released the box and fled into the distance. Thus, he had to choose between the box and the eagle.

Sun Wukong shouted, "Master, go and get the box back, I'll go after it!" and then chased after the eagle.

After chasing for nearly two thousand miles, Sun Wukong was finally able to reach the eagle. He immediately brought his staff down.

Unexpectedly, the eagle suddenly transformed into a wisp of spiritual energy and then vanished. Sun Wukong thought to himself: It was actually formed from spiritual energy?

Then, Sun Wukong heard Li Xiuyuan's voice. Li Xiuyuan said, "Wukong, the scriptures are fake. Return quickly and retrieve the true scriptures."

Sun Wukong was greatly surprised when he asked. With a single somersault, he found Tang Sanzang and the others. Tang Sanzang asked, "Wukong, did you capture that eagle?"

Wukong remained silent, but quickly stepped forward, opened the box, and emptied out the contents. He took out the scriptures, opened them, and found they were just blank pages.

Then he took out another scroll, and after flipping through it, he found it to be a scripture without a single word. Sun Wukong sighed, "The scripture is fake! We've obtained a fake scripture; there isn't a single character on it!"

The others were incredulous. They took out all four boxes of scriptures and examined them one by one. Sure enough, there wasn't a single word in them; they were all blank pages.

For some reason, Pigsy asked, "Brother, how did you know about this? What exactly happened?"

Sun Wukong sighed, "It was a hint given to me by the Heavenly Dragon Buddha. It seems that Maitreya Buddha had already given me a hint just now, but I didn't see it clearly at the time."

Tang Sanzang also asked, "Wukong, what does Buddha tell us to do next?"

"Pack up the scriptures and send them all back to them. Master said we'll retrieve the true scriptures again. We need to make this matter clear to the Buddha!" ​​After saying this, Wukong had Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie pack up the scriptures and then returned to the Western Paradise.

Lingshan, Golden Palace.

Li Xiuyuan arrived here once again and rang the golden bell once more. All the Buddhas gathered once more. Li Xiuyuan was laying the groundwork this time, intending to make sure that Tathagata would suffer the consequences later.

All the Buddhas gathered, and the Tathagata Buddha, feigning profundity, asked, "Who is ringing the bell?"

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "I will ring the bell."

"What is the matter?" Buddha asked.

Li Xiuyuan looked at Buddha and said, "May I ask Buddha, why did Tang Sanzang and his disciples obtain fake scriptures? Now that they have returned in such a menacing manner, what about the reputation of our Western Paradise?"

The Buddha, however, disagreed, saying, "Heavenly Dragon Buddha, you're exaggerating. I calculated with my fingers and knew that Tang Sanzang and his disciples would face a total of eighty-one tribulations. However, since they only experienced eighty tribulations, we couldn't give them the true scriptures. So we gave them fake scriptures, and that counts as one tribulation."

"Since they have come, give them the true scriptures."

After the Buddha finished speaking, Li Xiuyuan smiled faintly and said, "The Buddha is indeed wise. Then bring up the Tang Monk and his disciples."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha said, "Very well, let them all come in." Then Li Xiu and his disciples arrived at the hall. Pigsy and Sandy, carrying the fake scriptures, threw them on the ground.

Sun Wukong opened his mouth and questioned the Buddha: "Buddha, we have come here with great difficulty to obtain the scriptures, but you have deceived us with fake scriptures. Please give us an explanation."

Just as Tathagata was about to explain, Li Xiuyuan spoke first, saying, "Wukong, Tathagata has his reasons. He has already told me that this journey to the Western Paradise involves eighty-one tribulations. You are still one tribulation short, so Tathagata set up this one. Now that you have finished your tribulations, you should hurry to the Treasury Pavilion to find Venerable Ananda and Venerable Kasyapa to obtain the scriptures."

After Li Xiuyuan's persuasion, Tang Sanzang and his disciples couldn't say anything. However, this was a real swindle for them, and it could be said that they harbored deep resentment towards the Buddha. If it weren't for Li Xiuyuan's intervention, they might not have even discovered the scriptures were fake once they arrived in the Tang Dynasty.

Upon arriving in the Tang Dynasty, he was faced with the prospect of starting all over again, and even more so with the arrival of foreign dignitaries. Enraged, Sun Wukong dumped all the fake scriptures onto the golden palace and left with the empty box.

Faced with the rudeness of Tang Sanzang and his disciples, who arrogantly strode away, Buddha was furious, but there was nothing he could do. He had only given Li Xiuyuan a special look, and he wouldn't tolerate his unruly behavior.

Unexpectedly, the two Venerables, Ananda and Kasyapa, still refused to give them the scriptures. They still wanted something in return before they would act. At this point, Tang Sanzang and his disciples were also unwilling to get entangled with them any longer, so they took out the purple-gold alms bowl they used to beg for alms and gave it to the two Venerables.

Ananda and Kasyapa reluctantly accepted the gifts, agreeing to give the scriptures to Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Afterwards, Tang Sanzang and his disciples obtained the true scriptures. Having learned from their previous experience, they carefully read through each scroll of the scriptures, fearing that they might encounter fake scriptures again.

After Tang Sanzang and his disciples obtained the scriptures, they left Mount Ling. Then Bodhidharma went to the Golden Hall and reported, "Tang Sanzang and his disciples have left Mount Ling and have headed east."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha said, "Now that the matter is over, we only need to wait for their return to perform the investiture ceremony. Now, everyone, please withdraw."

As many Buddhas were about to leave, Li Xiuyuan remained unmoved and said, "Buddha, I definitely have other things on my mind today. Perhaps we should wait a while; I feel something is about to happen."

After Li Xiuyuan spoke, all the Buddhas gave him face and sat back down, waiting for Li Xiuyuan to explain the reason for the matter.

Chapter 617 Driving Away the Buddha

After about half an hour, the Buddha could no longer sit still and asked, "Buddha of the Heavenly Dragon, could you please explain what this is about?"

Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Alright, I've calculated it's time. Please take a look!" With a flick of his hand, Li Xiuyuan conjured a shimmering light and shadow.

What is shown is Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Then they saw that Tang Sanzang and his disciples had arrived at the Tongtian River.