Chaos Spirit Field

On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, which was the day when the immortal Wu Jin got married, the newly built Guanyin Temple in Gao Laozhuang held an opening ceremony on this day. The statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the temple emitted a dazzling light. The people who came to watch the ceremony felt a lot more relaxed and worshiped it one after another.

Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at Zhao Shanhe with dissatisfaction, her voice full of reproach: "Xuanzang, aren't you playing tricks? How can we do this!"

Zhao Shanhe smiled and responded, "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, even the best wine needs a well-maintained niche! If you don't let the world know the benefits of believing in you, why would they offer you their worship?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva frowned, obviously disagreeing with his statement: "Xuanzang, the believers you recruited in this way must have impure motives."

Zhao Shanhe, however, was unfazed. He patiently explained, "Avalokitesvara, preaching is not much different from doing business. First, we must find a way to attract people. Next, we must test how skillfully we promote our teachings to them. As long as they benefit, why worry about their continued patronage? Once word spreads, from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, the incense will naturally grow stronger. The rituals Zhao Zilong devised for worship at the Temple of the Goddess of Childbirth in Haojing City are actually a carefully designed set of physical exercises. With diligent practice, one's physical fitness will be enhanced, making it easier to conceive. In this way, if a woman conceives, the credit goes to the Goddess of Childbirth; if she fails, the blame lies with her own lack of devotion. While this method may be misleading, it's preferable to some gods inciting war to absorb the power of faith. At least you benefit the believers."

While the two were chatting, Guanyin Bodhisattva felt that the number of her believers was increasing rapidly. She agreed with what Zhao Shanhe said, and her heart suddenly rippled. She felt a little warm, and the air suddenly became ambiguous.

Just then, a burly, well-built man approached the Guanyin Temple with slow, heavy steps. This man was none other than Tianpeng. Formerly the Marshal of the Tianhe Navy in the Celestial Court, he had now lost his deity. Upon seeing the newly constructed Guanyin Temple, a complex wave of emotions welled up within him. He understood that since he no longer held a deity, the villagers' worship of other deities seemed perfectly acceptable. Still, he felt a sense of unease, a sense of being robbed of his labor.

Zhao Shanhe, upon learning of Tianpeng's arrival, was looking for an excuse to leave. Being too charming wasn't always a good thing. He said to Guanyin Bodhisattva, "Guanyin Bodhisattva, my second disciple has arrived, and it's time for me to leave. Mr. Gao is an upright and kind person, making him very suitable to be the abbot of Guanyin Monastery." Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded slightly in agreement.

When Tianpeng saw Zhao Shanhe, he immediately knelt on the ground, his eyes gleaming with determination. He said, "Master, I have thought it through. I am willing to go with you to the West to obtain the scriptures. Please grant me the Tightening Curse!"

Zhao Shanhe clasped his hands together and said with a smile, "Amitabha, Tianpeng, are you truly willing to join Buddhism?"

Tianpeng replied without hesitation: "Master, Tianpeng is willing."

Zhao Shanhe nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Sun Wukong and shouted, "Wukong, bring me the razor."

Yuan Hong was stunned for a moment, then blew on the golden cudgel in his hand, transforming it into a razor and handing it over to Zhao Shanhe. Zhao Shanhe took the razor and shaved Tianpeng's hair completely. He clasped his hands together and said solemnly, "Amitabha, I shave your head today and grant you the Dharma name 'Zhu Bajie'. From now on, you are a disciple of Buddhism. You must abide by the precepts and devote yourself to the Buddha."

Tianpeng was filled with gratitude and knelt down to kowtow. He said, "Thank you very much, Master, for your guidance. I will devote my whole life to your work until my death."

Zhao Shanhe replied, "Zhu Bajie, you must remember the meaning of this name. We have spent too long in Gao Village. It's time to get going."

As night fell, Zhao Shanhe found a cave to set up camp. He said to Yuan Hong, "Wukong, I'm hungry. Go pick some fruit for me."

Yuan Hong replied, "Master, please wait a moment. I, Old Sun, will be back soon."

After Yuan Hong left, Zhao Shanhe said to Tianpeng, "Zhu Bajie, Wukong has left. If you can't let go of your hatred, go ahead and do it."

Tianpeng showed a fierce look, and asked in confusion: "Xuanzang, since you knew I wanted to kill you, why did you send Yuan Hong away?"

"Because I am indeed hungry, Tianpeng has become Zhu Bajie, you can't kill me."

Tianpeng laughed wildly and said, "Xuanzang, you are still stubborn even when death is imminent. Although your formation is indeed powerful, there are formation-breaking beads in this world that can restrain formations."

Zhao Shanhe showed no fear. He said calmly, "My formation is truly vulnerable to the formation-breaking beads of Master Xuandu. Zhu Bajie, you will be condemned by your conscience for betraying your master and ancestors."

Tianpeng said disdainfully: "My master is the great master Xuandu, not you, a bald donkey. I am Tianpeng, not Zhu Bajie."

Zhao Shanhe sneered, "There are so many fools in the world. They're sold and still count money for others. Calling him a bald donkey in front of a monk is really rude. He must be punished. I will take a rest first, and you can enjoy it slowly."

Before Tianpeng realized the seriousness of the situation, he summoned his Nine-toothed Rake and was about to attack Zhao Shanhe when a sharp pain surged from his soul to his entire body. He felt like he couldn't live or die. The pain was so severe that he couldn't even utter a word of begging for mercy.

Zhao Shanhe was awakened from his sleep by a foul smell. It turned out that Tianpeng had lost control of his bowels and bladder. He quickly stopped the tight-fitting spell. If he killed someone, the Buddhist sect would be in trouble and would have to answer to the sage Laozi. He instructed, "Little Fourteen, wash him."

Long Shisi replied, "Master, I am a horse and do not do dragon's work."

Zhao Shanhe said sinisterly, "Since you like being a horse, don't be a dragon anymore."

Long Shisi only now realized that he could speak. He said, "Master, Xiao Shisi was just joking with you. I knew you loved me the most. This fat pig stinks. Could it be dead? Xiao Shisi hasn't eaten meat in a long time. Master, how about we have roasted pig? A pig this fat can last for several meals."

After Tianpeng was awakened by the water, he quickly knelt down and said, "Master, Zhu Bajie was wrong. I will never dare to disobey you again."

Zhao Shanhe nodded in satisfaction. He said, "Zhu Bajie, you're quite clever. You can't just say it and then be convinced. The Tightening Curse has an automatic recognition function. For the sake of your life, I'll call Gao Cuilan up. If you still can't resolve your knot, there's no need to go on the pilgrimage."

Tianpeng said respectfully, "Thank you, Master, for your help."

"You two can chat. I'll give you three days."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Shanhe disappeared, and Gao Cuilan, who had become a ghost, appeared. Tianpeng said happily, "Cuilan, it's great that you didn't die."

Gao Cuilan said, "Thanks to the holy monk Xuanzang for rescuing me. Tianpeng, it's all my fault for getting you into trouble."

"Cui Lan, it's me who has implicated you. I will definitely cleanse your sins for you. In this reincarnation, we will continue our relationship."