Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

How many gossips can a person have that he can hide from his mother?

Even though Wen Jiao was just an old mother who changed her job halfway, she still collected a lot of gossip about her adopted son.

For example, from which river did the old monk who adopted you pull you out? What was his Buddhist name?

Which temple did you stay at after you returned to Chang'an? Who was the abbot?

Why was your father sent to jail?

Is Hu Bing delicious?

Who taught you martial arts?

Tell me the Dharma names of three or more of your disciples during the Tang Dynasty.

Who almost forced you to get married?

Ah, the last question. Since he has not passed through the Kingdom of Women yet, he will naturally not be forced into marriage by the King of the Kingdom of Women, so it is invalid.

If the first question cannot be answered, Wen Jiao has prepared many more questions and will test them one by one. She will always be able to reveal the truth.

Facts have proved that this fake king didn't even make it past the first level. As soon as Wen Jiao asked the question, she saw that one of the two Xuanzangs looked calm, while the other had a wandering gaze. The difference in level was evident from their expressions alone.

As expected, the former Xuanzang said, "The emblem left by my mother is on my left foot."

The latter opened his mouth in panic, but before he could make a sound, Wukong shouted, "Don't leave, demon!"

The golden cudgel carried the power of wind and thunder and smashed towards the fake Xuanzang's crown.

The demon tried to break free, but the one holding him was really strong. It was rare for him to see a good thing fly into his hands, just like a good fat duck flying right in front of his mouth, how could he let it go? He even used all his strength to dig in the mud, snorting, "Demon, you've already run into your Grandpa Pig's hands, and you still want to leave?"

Seeing that the tip of the golden hoop was about to hit his forehead, the demon was quick-witted. He bent his knees and shouted at the fastest speed in his life: "Great Sage, spare my life, I surrender!"

Wukong had been a monk for more than 500 years, but this was the first time he had encountered such a spineless person. He immediately stopped and shouted, "The King of Wuji Kingdom is very sincere to you and regards you as a brother, but you secretly harmed him. The throne of Wuji Kingdom has been occupied by a fake like you for three years, and you have been able to manipulate state affairs. This sin cannot be solved by just saying you surrender? Just kill him."

Wen Jiao knew that there was one more thing that Wukong was not comfortable saying in front of the King of Wuji Kingdom, the Crown Prince, and all the civil and military officials in the court - it is a sin to allow you to defile the beauties in the harem.

Of course, if Wukong really said it, he would find that the demon had never coveted beauty. As for the reason, it was not because he was so calm and upright, but because of another hidden pain that could not be told to outsiders.

She said, "Wait a minute, Sun Dasheng, let me ask him first..."

The alarm bells in her mind suddenly rang loudly, and the inexplicable strong feeling of fear made her subconsciously move sideways several feet.

The next moment, a transparent sword energy came from the sky, as light as a breeze and as gentle as a wave, but it firmly blocked Wukong's golden hoop. A soft voice floated from the sky, accompanied by colorful blue lotus petals falling one by one: "Wukong, you don't need to take action to subdue this monster."

"Isn't this Manjusri Bodhisattva? Does this wise Bodhisattva still have time to subdue demons?" Sun Wukong scratched the back of his hairy head, his eyes rolled, and he had a guess in his mind. He turned his head and ordered Bajie, "Fool, take this demon away and go with me to see the Bodhisattva. Sha Wujing, protect the master and the king. Master..."

Wen Jiao flashed back to her original form, frowned and said, "I was planning to go and pay my respects to Manjusri Bodhisattva."

Wukong understood and said, "Then let's go!"

Everyone immediately took to the air and chased in the direction of the sword energy.

The clear sword energy seemed to be endless, reaching up to the clouds in the sky. When they flew up to the sky, they saw a Bodhisattva standing upright among the auspicious clouds, with the sword energy held lightly in his hand, shining brightly under the sunset glow, as if there was endless wisdom hidden in it.

When Manjusri saw them coming, he retracted his sword energy, glanced at the demon, and sighed, "Lion, if you don't show yourself yet, when will you show yourself?"

The demon immediately bowed his head and transformed into a majestic blue-haired lion.

Wukong had expected this, and just as he was about to speak, Bajie started yelling. The black-haired pig looked sad and angry, as if his heart was bleeding: "What's going on? It's not easy for me to catch a demon from Monkey Brother's hands, but how come it became the lion king, the mount of Bodhisattva!"

Manjusri Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Pig Wuneng, stop yelling. My lion did this because he received the Buddha's order. The Buddha saw that the king of the Black Chicken Kingdom was very blessed and wise, so he sent me to enlighten him. But the king was a mortal and thought I was a fraud, so he threw me into the river and soaked me for three days and three nights. The Buddha just sentenced him to three years of drowning, and the lion was just following the Buddha's order."

This monster was just the mount of Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Bajie dared to complain in order to get some benefits. When he heard that it was the Buddha's intention, he immediately smiled at the Lion King and said, "So that's how it is. Bodhisattva should have said it earlier. Hey, Lion King, as the saying goes, 'Ignorance is not blame'. You didn't say that you were acting on orders. Even if I have offended you, don't take it to heart."

Wukong sneered: "The Bodhisattva's words are really flowery. He has been stealing the throne for three years, and he has never done anything bad?"

"Indeed, it has not happened." Manjusri Bodhisattva said, "The country of Wuji has enjoyed good weather and peace, the prince has grown up safely, the concubines in the harem are not guilty, and no one has been harmed except the king."

"Buddha, be merciful." Wen Jiao interjected. She lowered her eyes slightly, not looking at the brilliant Dharma body. Her attitude was very respectful, but her tone was straightforward. "But since the Lion King acted so prudently in the Black Chicken Kingdom, why did he kill the Queen Chiji of the Jiadi Kingdom eight years and eleven months ago?"

The Lion King was stunned: "Queen Chiji? Who is this? I have never heard of her."

Wen Jiao said coldly, "Lion King, you might as well recall it. After all, it is rare for a queen to be lured out of the palace by you as a juggler, and then deliberately make loud noises to attract countless people to watch, and then die under the eye demon."

The Lion King shook his head so hard that his shadow was left: "I've never heard of it!"

Manjusri sighed, "Queen Chiji is the descendant of the Jiadi Kingdom on Wuliangyuan. Shi'er has always behaved in a proper manner. Unless he gets permission, he will never go out, let alone get to know her."

Wen Jiao had long anticipated that the Lion King might not confess his guilt honestly, so she just wanted to help Wukong capture him and force the truth out of him before Manjusri Bodhisattva arrived.

Unexpectedly, she was still a little late. And Manjusri Bodhisattva protected her with all his might.

Her palms felt damp. Wen Jiao sighed silently and gathered her scattered determination again: "But Chi Ji clearly pointed out that the people who harmed her were transformed from a lion, an elephant, and a roc. And the lion in the lead was the mount of the Bodhisattva."