Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

All eyes fell upon Jiang Liu, whether they were believers who had come to Guanyin Zen Temple or the monks of the temple itself, all had their eyes wide open.

With behavior like his, he really did not seem to be a monk, so the question was whether his head would bear the Scars of Precepts or not?

Silence!

As Jiang Liu removed the Vidyaraja Crown, the entire Guanyin Zen Temple fell into a death-like silence, and everyone, both monks and believers, stared with wide eyes as if they had seen a ghost, mouths agape wide enough to fit an entire fist, as gasps echoed intermittently.

With a thump, Elder Jinchi's staff dropped to the ground. His eyes, slightly squinted and somewhat cloudy, were now wide open, and his body began to tremble slightly.

Looking at Jiang Liu's implausibly youthful face, and seeing the full twelve Scars of Precepts on his head, everyone was dumbfounded, feeling as if their minds had gone completely blank.

"Ten... twelve Scars of Precepts... Am I seeing this correctly?" Inside the Guanyin Zen Temple, an old believer who had come to offer incense murmured softly in disbelief after seeing the twelve Scars of Precepts on Jiang Liu's head.

For them, the eight Scars of Precepts on Elder Jinchi's head were already a rare sight in their lifetime; they had never imagined that today they would witness a monk with a full twelve Scars of Precepts, something utterly unheard of.

"This, this is impossible. How can someone have twelve Scars of Precepts on their head?" A martial monk, unable to believe what he saw, looked at Jiang Liu, whose twelve Scars of Precepts nearly covered his entire head. The monk then touched his own head, which bore only two Scars of Precepts.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Ah... Amitabha..." Elder Jinchi, who had lived for over two hundred years, was shocked by the twelve Scars of Precepts on Jiang Liu's head. However, after remaining silent for a long time, he managed to compose himself and muttered the Buddha's name with some difficulty.

Immediately, he bowed and knelt in Jiang Liu's direction.

"Abbot!" Seeing the behavior of Elder Jinchi, the monks of Guanyin Zen Temple were shocked. At the same time, a middle-aged monk hurried over and helped Elder Jinchi to his feet.

"Abbot, even if he possesses twelve Scars of Precepts and has profound Buddhist affinity, we are all disciples of the Buddhist Sect. Why do you need to pay such respect and kneel to him?"

With the help of the martial monk, Elder Jinchi, somewhat helplessly said, "Well... that... I, I was just picking up my staff."

...

"Holy Monk Xuanzang has come from the Great Tang in the Eastern Land, and visitors from afar are guests. Please take a seat at the table," said Elder Jinchi in the Guanyin Zen Temple, where he had specially prepared a table of exquisite vegetarian dishes. He personally took a seat at the end of the table and said to Jiang Liu.

Compared to the condescending manner before, Elder Jinchi's attitude had completely changed after Jiang Liu took off the Vidyaraja Crown and revealed the twelve Scars of Precepts on his head.

"Amitabha, I have heard that the Heavenly Empire of Great Tang is a blessed country. A year ago, a disciple with twelve Scars of Precepts appeared. However, I was not well-informed and did not know that Mage Xuanzang had received enlightenment from Bodhisattva Guanyin and was heading to the Western Spirit Mountain to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I truly envy you.

If it were not for my old bones being so frail, I would wish to accompany you to the Western Heaven to meet the Buddha," he said.

"Since the Mage has come to the Guanyin Zen Temple, and is guided by Bodhisattva Guanyin, as the abbot of the temple, it is only right for me to offer you the best hospitality. A Zen Room has already been prepared for you and your disciple to rest, and rest assured, we will take good care of your steeds as well..."

During the meal, Elder Jinchi was very enthusiastic in speaking with Jiang Liu. Clearly, in the Buddhist Sect, the number of Scars of Precepts on one's head indicated the depth of one's Buddhist affinity. Jiang Liu, with his twelve Scars of Precepts, had a level of Buddhist affinity that was indeed rare throughout history.

"I thank you, Elder Jinchi," Jiang Liu said, bringing his hands together in thanks.

Although he was somewhat uneasy with the other's sudden shift from arrogant to obsequious, there is a saying about not smiting the smiling face that reaches out. Now that he was eating the vegetarian meal prepared by the Guanyin Zen Temple, it was not appropriate for Jiang Liu to show displeasure.

"Ptui, how tasteless..." Sun Wukong, however, after chewing a few mouthfuls of cabbage, didn't hesitate to spit it right out onto the dining table.

While Jiang Liu might still care about etiquette, Sun Wukong was quite straightforward. When he was pleased, it showed; when he was displeased, it was just as obvious. Unconcerned with offending those around him, he spat the unappetizing food straight onto the table.

Then he reached out to the table, picked up a peach, and turned away from the table.

"Alright, Master, your disciple can't get used to these meals, so I won't eat, going to see how Xiaobai is doing," holding a peach, Sun Wukong limped out.

"This...," watching Sun Wukong's dismissive manner, Elder Jinchi felt somewhat embarrassed.

"I apologize, my mischievous disciple is naturally stubborn, and being a monkey species, he favors fruits. Thus, it's no surprise that the meals don't suit his taste," seeing Elder Jinchi's embarrassed expression, Jiang Liu smiled slightly and gracefully smoothed things over.

"It's alright, it was my lack of consideration," hearing Jiang Liu's words, Elder Jinchi's expression cleared slightly.

Eating the meals? Well, the food of this era was mostly cooked and boiled, so indeed, the taste was somewhat inferior to stir-fried dishes. Besides, this place had long been outside the borders of Great Tang, and dietary habits also varied. In fact, Jiang Liu himself didn't find the meal very palatable either, so it wasn't surprising that Sun Wukong reacted that way.

However, at this moment, Jiang Liu lingered at the dining table not because he wanted to eat more but because he was waiting for the plot to advance.

Shouldn't Elder Jinchi soon start showing off his collection of treasured kasayas?

But now that Sun Wukong had left, would he have to be the one to broach the subject of the kasayas?

They chatted back and forth for half a Chinese hour, and the food on the table was almost finished. Yet Elder Jinchi still showed no intention of flaunting his treasures, leaving Jiang Liu feeling a little impatient.

"Ahem, Elder Jinchi, seeing as how the Guanyin Zen Temple is so splendidly decorated, I presume the temple is quite wealthy?" Since Elder Jinchi wasn't flaunting his wealth, Jiang Liu coughed twice, feeling it was better to provide some subtle prompting.

"Oh, I understand, understand…," Yet, upon hearing Jiang Liu's words, Elder Jinchi suddenly seemed to realize something and gave a meaningful look to a monk beside him.

"Understand what?" Looking at Elder Jinchi's shared glance with the departing monk, Jiang Liu became completely confused.

Could it be? He's getting some treasured kasayas?

A moment later, the departed monk returned, carrying a tray covered with a red cloth, and placed it on the dining table.

"Holy Monk of Great Tang, you didn't hesitate to travel a thousand miles through remote mountains. It seems your provisions might be exhausted, no? Here, I have one hundred taels of gold, and I hope the Holy Monk will not decline…" Elder Jinchi removed the red cloth from the tray, revealing ten hefty gold ingots.

"Elder Jinchi is mistaken, I am not here to ask for provisions."

Looking at the gold pushed towards him, Jiang Liu's lips twitched slightly before he said, "It's just that along the way, I happened to hear the common people mention Elder has collected a number of exquisite treasured kasayas, so I thought…"

"Oh, I see now," but before Jiang Liu could finish, Elder Jinchi again looked as if he'd suddenly understood.

"Your kasaya is worn out, and it so happens that I have indeed taken in a few kasayas. Though they can't really be considered treasures, they certainly cannot match the rich materials from the Heavenly Empire. If the Holy Monk doesn't mind, why not visit my Treasure Room where I keep the kasayas? If there's one that catches your eye, I'd be happy to gift you a few…"

Jiang Liu: "…"

This development seems a bit off, doesn't it? What happened to the old monk who loved to show off his wealth?

Why is he so generous and enthusiastic? Can this trial even continue?

(PS: By the way, has it been a while since I've asked for recommendation tickets? Are you holding them back for something special? Toss them my way…)