Chaos Spirit Field

Wu Chengen had gone out confidently to sell books, but now he felt incredibly discouraged. He was lost, unsure of what to do next. After much deliberation, he decided to seek the Buddha's guidance and inspiration.

In Xiqi, only one temple remained, called the Fahua Temple. This temple had been relocated from Luoyi, and the abbot was still the same Master Yuanqiu. Because the people of Luoyi had lost faith in Buddhism, the temple had no chance of attracting followers, so they had to start a new one elsewhere, and so they moved to Xiqi.

Wu Cheng'en, with a sincere heart, knelt before the Buddha statue and prayed silently. He poured out his deepest confusion and anxiety to the Buddha, hoping for a clear answer or advice. However, this time, he received no response. Just as he was perplexed, a nearby monk told him that without offering incense money, the Buddha would not respond.

Wu Chengen suddenly realized what was going on, and a wave of sorrow welled up within him. He had once believed that a sincere heart could communicate with the Buddha, but reality had left him feeling hopeless. He thought of his expectant wife and hungry children at home. In his despair, he could not help but loudly question the Buddha: "Buddha, why have you abandoned me for money? Is God truly so unfair? From now on, I will no longer believe in Buddhism!"

Upon hearing this, the monks at the temple rushed forward and beat him out, saying, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" Wu Chengen dragged his injured body with difficulty and slowly walked into the Erlang Zhenjun Temple. He worshiped the statue of Erlang Zhenjun again and again with full piety. At this moment, the statue suddenly lit up, and a miraculous thing happened - his injuries were instantly healed.

At this time, the temple keeper came over and said to Wu Chengen in a gentle tone, "Dear believer, your piety has moved Erlang Zhenjun. Please use these ten kilograms of food for emergencies. Remember, difficulties are only temporary. A better future requires your own efforts. Erlang Zhenjun will always be by your side to protect you."

Wu Chengen burst into tears of gratitude, expressing his gratitude repeatedly. He held the food, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and he couldn't help but sigh. He recalled how foolish he had been, blindly believing in Buddhism. He regretted that Journey to the West was a distorted and perverse book. He regretted not destroying it.

At this moment, the copy of "Journey to the West" lay quietly in the hands of Yuan Qiu, the abbot of Fahua Temple. After flipping through it, he couldn't help but exclaim, "What a rare and wonderful book! Liaoyuan, where did you get this book?"

Liaoyuan replied respectfully, "Master, just now a poor man who couldn't even afford the incense money was causing trouble in the temple, and this book fell out of him."

Yuan Qiu said angrily, "You bastards! You actually kicked out such a devout believer. I've said countless times that devotion lies in the heart, not in the amount of money spent on incense offerings. Go get this book and print more copies. The more the better."

Liaoyuan didn't answer. He said, "Master, Fahua Temple is out of money."

Yuan Qiu frowned and thought for a moment, then with a pained look on his face, he pulled out a jade bottle from his bosom and reluctantly handed it to Monk Le Yuan, instructing him, "Take this bottle of Diamond Pill and sell it! You must spread this Journey to the West. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you responsible!"

Monk Liaoyuan took the jade bottle and the book, nodded respectfully, and indicated that he would strictly follow the instructions.

Thus, "Journey to the West" officially came to light. Thanks to this remarkable book, Fahua Temple not only made a fortune but also attracted a large number of believers to convert to Buddhism. Gradually, the book's influence expanded, eventually spreading to other countries. Looking at the endless stream of pilgrims at the temple, Abbot Yuan Qiu finally smiled with satisfaction.

Over time, the influence of Journey to the West grew, even attracting the attention of high-ranking Buddhist figures. Eventually, this remarkable book fell into the hands of the Taoist master Zhunti. After reading it, he was overwhelmed with excitement. He realized that this book was tailor-made for the flourishing of Buddhism! This excitement was accompanied by a moment of deep contemplation.

The book was so perfect that the Taoist Zhunti felt it was too coincidental, so he decided to investigate it himself. He first investigated the author of Journey to the West, Wu Chengen. A thorough investigation revealed no flaws, but instead uncovered some unsavory practices among Buddhist disciples, who had driven away devout believers for the sake of money. Abbot Yuanqiu of Fahua Temple suffered a terrible fate, having expected a boon but instead faced punishment.

If the author is fine, does that mean the entire "Journey to the West" is also fine? This world is different from the history we know. Here, there's only the Zhou Dynasty, not the Tang Dynasty. This Wu Cheng'en isn't the same Wu Cheng'en. He's just an ordinary writer. Without material and imagination, how could he have created such a monumental work?

Journey to the West is a household name on Earth, especially in China. Few people haven't read it. As someone with memories of past lives, Zhao Shanhe has naturally seen a fair share of films and TV series based on the tale. It's easy for him to copy the original, perhaps even better than the original author. After all, he's a monk with real-life experience. So, what's his purpose in doing this?

After a detailed investigation, the Taoist Zhunti did not find any problems. He took "Journey to the West" to discuss with the Emperor of Heaven. Buddhism could not do it alone, and the best way was to win over some allies.

When the Emperor of Heaven saw the arrival of the Taoist Zhunti, he couldn't help but complain in his heart, what was this idiot doing here again? Of course, some things can only be thought about in the mind. He smiled and said, "The Taoist Zhunti must have a plan, and the Heavenly Court will definitely cooperate with it."

The Taoist Zhunti replied, “I recently obtained a rare book, and I invite Your Majesty to take a look at it.

The Emperor of Heaven took the Journey to the West from the Taoist Zhunti and began to read. The more he read, the angrier he became, especially when he saw the Jade Emperor, frightened by Sun Wukong, crawl under the table and yell, "Quickly spread the message to the Tathagata Buddha." He couldn't help but curse, "This Jade Emperor is such a coward! As the Lord of Heaven, he's afraid of a monkey! How absurd!"

Taoist Zhunti said, "Your Majesty, this is just a novel. Don't take it seriously. Please continue reading."

After reading the entire book, the Heavenly Emperor said, "The author of this book must be a mortal, lacking much common sense. He's also likely a Buddhist, and his tendency to promote Buddhism and suppress Taoism is quite serious. However, while many of the plots in this book are absurd, there are still many plausible points."

Taoist Zhunti said: "Your Majesty has a keen eye. I would like to borrow Yuan Hong for a favor."

The Emperor's expression turned grim. If it weren't for that damned monkey Yuan Hong, the Queen wouldn't have descended to earth, and he wouldn't have been cuckolded by a mortal. He pondered for a moment and said, "Never mind. You can take the monkey. I'll choose the right person for Sha Seng."

"make a deal."