Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

More than one person has questioned the historical route of Xuanzang's journey to the West. Why did he take a big detour, from the Western Regions through Central Asia and then to India, instead of going in a straight line?

Usually people who have such questions will be directly advised to look at the map.

A strong will and a sincere faith can help people overcome many difficulties, but these difficulties certainly do not include crossing the Himalayas barehanded in the fifth century AD.

Some people may say, hasn't Tibet had exchanges with India since ancient times? Why can't we take this route? Although the climate is a bit bad, it is close!

It was a clever idea, except that it did not take into account the hostile relationship between Tibet and the Tang Dynasty at the time.

In Journey to the West, the situation is more complicated, because this vast area belongs to the border between Nanzhanbuzhou and Xiniuhezhou. Its mountains are extremely high, the climate is extremely cold, and its people believe in Bon religion. It is neither affiliated with the Eastern Heaven nor the Western Buddhist Kingdom.

In the 14th year of the Zhenguan reign, a group of ochre-faced men with long swords on their waists and wearing robes tied to their waists, leading fat short horses, appeared on the streets of Chang'an. They found the officials of the Honglu Temple who were responsible for receiving foreign envoys and said in Chinese with a slightly strange pronunciation: "The general of Ling State, Jiacha Xiega, was ordered by the king of the country, King Gesar, to enter Chang'an from the east to ask for the marriage of the Tang princess."

Chang'an was in an uproar.

Since Li Shimin ascended the throne, he has repeatedly defeated neighboring countries that coveted the rich territory of the Central Plains. Gradually, many small countries came to pay tribute, calling themselves "Heavenly Khan" and bowing down at the steps in front of the emperor. These neighboring countries had more or less exchanges with the East in ancient times, but this Ling Kingdom was not recorded at all, as if it had fallen from the sky or jumped out of a stone. No one had ever heard of its existence.

Jiazha Xiega told the officials of Honglu Temple who received them that Ling Kingdom had only been established for less than four years. Before that, it was a loose tribe living in the mountains. It was his younger brother King Gesar who exerted his supernatural power to unify the tribe and killed 100,000 demons in the surrounding areas, thus laying a foundation for the tribe to expand outward.

Jiazha Xiega also said that his lovely brother King Gesar fell into absent-mindedness and confusion after he ascended the throne. The chief minister believed that this was because his queens were addicted to fun and could not provide spiritual nourishment to the young monarch. He needed to ask a powerful country for a princess who was wise and talented to help him get on the right path.

The officials looked at the jewelry they wore. Although the carving techniques were crude and almost primitive, each piece was very large, and the largest one was even as big as a fist. Then they looked at the curved swords on their waists. The forging technology was very crude, and only good iron was used. Then they looked at the horses they led. Although they were short, their limbs were strong. It was said that they could run fast on the mountains and could also transport goods.

The officials looked at them as if they had seen a mountain of treasure falling from the sky.

The news spread quickly to the palace, and Li Shimin saw an opportunity. When it spread to Xuantian Temple, Wen Jiao also saw an opportunity.

Yes, it took a year for Xuantian Temple to be built miraculously. It turned out that Wen Jiao had finally managed to get Wu Meiniang to leave the palace to practice and accept disciples. But the concubines prayed for the country, so they naturally had to live in a mansion to match the significance of this task. They could not just find a Taoist temple and settle there casually.

Wen Jiao herself lives in the Duke of Yun's Mansion. As Wu Meiniang is her disciple, she can't also live in the Duke of Yun's Mansion. She was Li Shimin's concubine before. How can this be accepted?

Let her live somewhere else? If she is the reincarnation of the future emperor, and she is not kept by his side all the time to exert influence, and if she is left somewhere else and is seduced by outsiders, wouldn't that be making things difficult for others?

After careful consideration, Wen Jiao prayed in front of the statue of the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable, asking him to send down his divine soldiers and generals to show his prowess in front of people and build the Xuantian Temple.

It is said that showing off in front of people is a method that Taoists despise, because practitioners have some magical methods to a certain extent. If they show off in front of people, ordinary people will be deceived and believe in them. That is not believing in the Tao, but believing in the method. Therefore, when immortals pass on their teachings, they always focus on examining the mind and enlightening people, and rarely use supernatural powers to deceive people.

However, Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared in the water and land ceremony with a brilliant and clear Dharma body, which had already broken this unwritten rule. Tooth for tooth, there is no need for Taoism to be too strict.

That night, the south wind blew all night. When people woke up in the morning, they were shocked to find that a towering palace had been erected on the site of the Xuantian Temple, where the residents had just moved their houses. It was painted brilliantly, had a solemn atmosphere, and was covered with dense pine and cypress trees, with clear water and fragrant plum blossoms, all of which were hundreds of years old. The lush and moist air flowed through the pavilions, creating a spiritual atmosphere that could only be found in a thousand-year-old temple.

Under the morning sun, a rainbow bridge crossed the sky. The cloudless sky was filled with auspicious auras, and the image of a golden-armored god was faintly visible throughout Chang'an City. It took half an hour for it to dissipate. Li Shimin was so shocked that he set up an incense table to worship from afar. That day, the whole city was filled with prayers to the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord.

Xuantian Temple was built in this way.

The next day, Wen Jiao rode on Huo Ling'er and took the entire leadership team of the Great Tang Taoist Association to the Chang'an Office of the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord. Three days later, Wu Meiniang was sent to Xuantian Temple at an auspicious time in green clothes, and performed the apprenticeship ceremony with Wen Jiao. Wen Jiao also gave her the Taoist name "Mingcheng".

Wu Meiniang was very interested in this mysterious Ling Kingdom delegation: "I heard that the mountains there are very rich in minerals. Just stamping your feet can break off a piece of agate. And the iron, if it were our Tang Dynasty craftsmen, I wonder how many strong armors and sharp weapons they could make."

"Oh, and about horses, I also learned a few tricks from the horse trainer in the palace. I heard that their horses are very cold-resistant. If we breed them with our Tang horses, we might be able to breed some new famous horses."

Also, demons. Wen Jiao added in her heart.

There were demons lurking in the Southern Continent. Even if there were one or two, they were all elves who devoted themselves to cultivation and had almost no bad deeds, which made it very difficult for her.

Wen Jiao's cultivation is now close to the path to becoming an immortal, but her merits are still far from being enough. As powerful as Wukong is, if he had not accumulated great military exploits by defeating demons and monsters on his journey to the West to obtain scriptures, he would not be considered a righteous god admired by everyone. As for her, it was even worse. She did not have Wukong's magical powers, nor did she have Wukong's opportunities. How could she accumulate merits by defeating demons in a place where there were no demons causing trouble? That's why she had a lot of headaches. When she heard that there were demons causing trouble in Lingguo, Wen Jiao was immediately cheered up.

"So this marriage is inevitable, but I don't know which princess will be married there. After all, it is very cold and bitter there, and there are man-eating monsters. I'm afraid it won't be easy to find someone willing to go." Wu Meiniang continued.

Wen Jiao came back to her senses and smiled softly when she heard this: "In every dynasty, there are always beautiful women with outstanding talents. Who knows if there will be a woman as extraordinary as Wang Qiang in this dynasty?"