Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Which side the scale will tilt towards depends solely on the changes in the chips.

When one was an ordinary person and the other two were a green lion demon and a white elephant demon, it fell towards the mounts of the two Bodhisattvas.

When one end was the Bodhisattva's mount and the other was Wen Jiao, it fell towards Wen Jiao.

When one side is Dapeng and the other side is Wen Jiao and ordinary people, it leans towards Dapeng.

When on one side is the journey to the east involving Buddhism, and on the other side is Dapeng, let alone Dapeng being only Tathagata's uncle in name only, even if he was Tathagata's biological mother, even if Tathagata came in person, the balance would have to tip towards the journey to the east.

The two Bodhisattvas clasped their hands together and bowed in the direction of Mount Lingshan. When they stood up, they had received the Buddha's instructions. Manjusri asked, "Since the goddess said that she has no sectarianism, then is the questioning today for the Buddha or for the Tao?"

"I am a human being." Wen Jiao answered decisively.

Manjusri nodded: "Since I am a human being, I can also be a Taoist or a Buddha."

The "wei" he said twice was not pronounced the same way.

Wen Jiao's eyes tightened, and she had a premonition in her heart. Sure enough, he continued, "As the Buddha said, retribution is inevitable and the score is justified. The three demons, Lion, Elephant and Peng, have committed countless sins, and they should follow the law of the six reincarnations, suffering in hell for thousands of lifetimes until they have paid off their sins, and then they are allowed to enter the good path."

After careful planning, she finally got the desired result. Wen Jiao felt relieved, but not at ease, because she knew there was another sentence.

Manjusri opened his right hand, and a pure blue lotus appeared in his hand. He handed the lotus to Wen Jiao: "The goddess has great wisdom and a deep affinity with Buddha. Although she is a Taoist, she can also achieve Buddhahood. Six years later, at the end of spring and the beginning of summer, when the Buddha's light shines brightly, the goddess can come to Lingshan to be conferred."

If someone is pleasing to the eye, they will be allowed to join. This is the traditional method of Buddhism. Wen Jiao had expected this.

To be more precise, more than ten years ago, at Fu Yi's funeral where paper money was flying everywhere, she had already anticipated her future intersection with Buddhism.

Isn't it just a part-time job? She already has a lot of part-time jobs, and adding one more is not too much. Besides, there are some things that she will do no matter what profession she is from. In this case, doing the same job and getting two salaries, isn't it fun? There are many gods who are both Buddhist and Taoist. Haven't you seen that two of the three princes of Li Tianwang's family received salaries from the Eastern Heavenly Court and went to work for the Western Bodhisattva?

Going back further, Manjusri's origin was also related to the East. And after the future Monkey King recognized Douzhansheng Buddha, his title of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was not cancelled. It can be seen that the two families' employment was a normal operation for those gods with great abilities.

But Wen Jiao hesitated, but did not reach out to take the green lotus. A furry red head poked out from her sleeve. Huo Linger looked a little timid and said, "Wen Jiao has a Taoist partner, how can she become a nun?"

Samantabhadra's eyes darkened and he looked over. Huo Ling'er quickly retracted Wen Jiao's sleeves. This usually loud and innocent lion lowered his voice for a rare time, but still insisted on his point of view: "It's good to be able to achieve the fruit of Buddhism, but doesn't Buddhism always require celibacy? Wen Jiao can't abandon her Taoist partner just to achieve the fruit of Buddhism."

Wen Jiao focused her attention on the green lotus. The fragrant and pure lotus flower trembled gently and luxuriantly, like an unspoken smile of compassion and peace.

She lowered her eyes. She was touched by Huo Ling'er's righteous words, but she couldn't let her bear the pressure alone. "What Sister Huo said is what I feel. I am honored that the Buddha has favored me. But there is only one thing. Monks have always been pure and have cut off worldly ties, but I am not. Once I enter Buddhism, how will my Taoist companion deal with it?"

Manjusri smiled friendly and said: "The Buddha knew that the goddess would ask this question, so he only told her two words: no problem."

Wen Jiao felt relieved, and took the green lotus with one hand, and pushed the judgment book towards Manjusri with the other hand. A flash of blue and gold passed by, and the names of Manjusri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas were written on the judgment book of the three demons, Lion, Elephant and Peng. On the left shoulder of Wen Jiao's clothes, a lotus pattern as green as emerald leaves and as smooth as jade appeared.

As the transaction between the two parties was completed, the air of heaven and earth became clear.

Mostly, the wicked will go to the evil path, and the wronged will be reborn. In the eyes of Agoncuo below, he saw countless transparent human figures like foam floating under the blue sky, as free as pure white babies who had shed all their past. In the invisible rotation, they gradually changed from big to small, until they turned into undetectable silver dust and sank into the invisible but extremely grand vortex.

The wind is light and the clouds are thin, it is a good day.

Agoncuo smiled towards the sun and kept smiling until his pupils were stung by the sunlight, but he stubbornly refused to move his eyes away.

Pixie looked at her and smiled as well, but Zhen'e said worriedly, "Sister Agongcuo, your tears are flowing, be careful not to hurt your eyesight if you keep looking."

Agoncuo then wiped his face and choked up, "Yes, the sun is too bright."

Above the nine-layered clouds, when the two Bodhisattvas were leaving, Manjusri suddenly asked, "To be impartial, to uphold the right path, not to abandon the law because of love, not to abandon the public because of personal interests, not to sacrifice the straight for the crooked... can I achieve the state that the goddess asks of people?"

This time it was Wen Jiao's turn to remain silent for a long time. The bright sunlight shone on her body, but it could not illuminate every tiny corner. There was a faint shadow between her eyebrows and eyelashes, as if she was lingering with endless thoughts.

The state of mind you seek in others is like a lotus flower blooming on its own without touching the water. Can you achieve it yourself?

Looking back at the path you have taken step by step, do you really think you deserve the evaluation of being "upright and having a clear conscience"?

If so, why did Menaka die? Why didn't you dare to face Shakuntala's crying eyes? Because you asked yourself, did you think that Menaka's death was caused by your pursuit of a happy ending with flowers and clusters, but you forgot to ask her own wishes?

Looking into the long road ahead, can you guarantee that you are upright and have a clear conscience?

Are you really not willing to sacrifice public interests for personal gain? When the people who enter the six reincarnations are Yin Kaishan and his wife, Yin Yuan and his wife, your nephews and nieces, and other blood relatives, and... Yuan Tiangang? Can you restrain yourself from giving them a better afterlife, approaching them, or even opening the door to convenience, and forcing them to have an immortal position, so that they can live forever and share endless happiness?

Everyone’s faces separated and gathered, and then dispersed, turning into a dazzling ball of light that beat against her heart.

After a long time, she spoke with indescribable heartache and clear and calm calmness, "The way of justice is not completely without humanity. If it does not hurt others, it is natural to be humane. If it hurts others, you should be ruthless and give up desire to prove the clear distinction between the pure and the turbid. Such a way..."

She paused, as if intentionally leaving a gap to let the dull pain in her heart settle.

"Until now, maybe. From now on, I can."