txolops Chapter 146 Wuji Kingdom: The Deceitful Dragon King
Chapter 146 Wuji Kingdom: The Deceitful Dragon King
Meanwhile, in Baolin Temple, the fake Li Fa sat upright in his meditation room, while the fake Hu lay crouching at the foot of the steps; everything seemed normal.
At dawn the next day, in Jiming City, the capital of Wuji Kingdom.
In the Crown Prince's residence, Jinzha, disguised as the Crown Prince, got up early to wash his face and change his clothes.
He was wearing a purple-gold crown, an ochre-yellow robe, a jade belt, and pink-soled boots; he was a man of imposing stature and majestic presence.
Jin Zha mustered five hundred elite soldiers, each armed with swords and spears, and marched in a grand procession toward Baolin Temple.
The monk official was instructing the monks to repair the mountain gate when he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves. Looking up, he saw a troop of soldiers rushing in and completely surrounding the mountain gate.
He was filled with fear, and when he looked up, he saw it was His Highness the Crown Prince. Panicked, he stumbled forward and bowed, saying, "Your...Your Highness, this humble monk was unaware of your arrival and has failed to greet you properly; I deserve to die!"
Jinzha reined in his horse, looked down at him, and shouted, "Has a group of monks come here?"
The monk official trembled and said, "Your Highness, a group of monks did come to ask for lodging last night. They said they were from the Tang Dynasty in the East, on their way to the Western Paradise to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. There was also a Taoist priest riding a tiger who stayed in the backyard with them."
Jin Zha was secretly delighted, but feigned anger, pointed his riding whip, and shouted, "You wicked bald thief! I received a secret report that one of these people is a demon in disguise, intending to infiltrate the capital and cause chaos! Why didn't you inform me sooner? Go and bring those people out! If you are even a moment late, don't blame me for being ruthless with my sword!"
Upon hearing this, the monk official hurriedly went to report the news.
Upon hearing the news, Tang Sanzang was greatly alarmed: "This...why is this? We monks have not broken the law, so why are soldiers coming to arrest us?"
The pilgrim laughed and said, "Master, don't panic. Let me go out and take a look." He picked up his staff and walked out.
Pigsy and Sandy, each wielding a weapon, followed closely behind.
Outside the mountain gate, Jinzha sat upright on his horse. Seeing the pilgrim emerge, he cupped his hands and asked, "Are you the holy monk who has come from the East to retrieve the scriptures?"
The traveler asked, "Indeed. Who are you? And why are you leading troops to besiege the temple?"
Jinzha said, "I am the Crown Prince of Wuji Kingdom. Last night, the palace received a secret report that a sorcerer had infiltrated Baolin Temple and was plotting something sinister. My father ordered me to come and capture him. I beg the Holy Monk to do me a favor and hand over the sorcerer. I will then withdraw my troops and will not cause any disturbance."
The pilgrim's eyes darted around, and he said, "My group only consists of monks, not Taoist priests. Has the prince mistaken me for someone else?"
Jin Zha said, "The secret report is accurate. That evil Taoist riding a tiger, who calls himself the Cloud Crane Taoist, is in the temple. If the Holy Monk refuses to hand him over, I will have no choice but to order my men to search the temple."
Having said that, he waved his hand, and five hundred soldiers shouted in unison, raising their swords and spears, their voices shaking the mountain gate.
Just as the Monkey King was about to lash out, Li Fa rode in from within on a tiger, laughing, "Great Sage, there's no need to make things difficult. They want to capture this humble Taoist; I'll let them go."
Tang Sanzang said urgently, "Daoist Master! Your journey is fraught with danger, you must not go! This prince is coming with great force; he must have been bewitched by a demon and intends to harm you!"
Li Fa waved his hand and said, "Elder, rest assured, I have my reasons."
Seeing his composed demeanor, the pilgrim, though suspicious, knew he was no ordinary man and nodded, saying, "In that case, I won't stop you. But you must be careful and avoid any mishaps."
Li Fa laughed heartily, mounted his tiger, and said to Jin Zha, "Your Highness, I am Bai Yunhe. If you want to take me, just come and take me."
Jin Zha was overjoyed and ordered the soldiers to come forward. Li Fa did not resist and let them chain him up and put him on the prison cart.
The fake tiger was also tied with a rope and led behind.
Seeing that he had succeeded so easily, Jin Zha had some doubts, but then he thought that since the evil Taoist had surrendered, he must be afraid of the mortal soldiers. So he stopped thinking about it and escorted the prison cart back to the city in a grand procession.
Where has Li Fa's true form gone?
It turned out that he had slipped away unnoticed, his true form had already fled outside the temple, concealed his presence, and headed straight for the capital of Wuji Kingdom.
He planned in his heart: while the fake body distracted the Buddhist sect, he could sneak into the Imperial Garden, rescue the two corpses from the bottom of the well, and then do his thing.
Before long, they arrived at the Crystal Well. You saw him use his supernatural powers to transform himself into the appearance of Moang, the eldest prince of the West Sea Dragon King.
Wow! This complete version of the transformation of fetus into form is truly mysterious. Even without seeing its true form, one can imagine its transformation into countless forms.
He transformed, now wearing a gilded helmet, silver scale armor, a dragon-embroidered belt, and a crimson robe.
His face was as fair as jade, his eyes as bright as stars, the majesty of heaven was concentrated in his brows, and the aura of dragons was displayed in his body.
He held a three-edged, solid gold mace in his hand and a four-sided green-edged sword at his waist.
Indeed, he is the Crown Prince of the Western Sea, a true prince, and the young hero Moang of the Dragon Palace!
Li Fa thought for a moment, then took out the pearl that he had stolen from the little white dragon in Eagle Sorrow Gorge, hung it under his chin, and then plunged into the well.
Arriving outside the Crystal Palace, Li Fa straightened his clothes and strode forward. A Yaksha, who had already spotted him, asked, "Who goes there?"
Li Fa said, "Thank you for your kind introduction. I am Ao Moang, the eldest prince of the West Sea Dragon King. I have come to pay my respects to my uncle on the orders of my father."
Upon hearing this, Yaksha immediately dropped his weapons and bowed respectfully: "So it is Prince Moang! I was blind and offended Your Highness. Please forgive me! Your Highness, please wait a moment, I will go and report immediately."
The yaksha then went to report.
Before long, the palace gates opened wide, and the Well Dragon King came out to greet him, cupping his hands and saying, "So it is Your Highness Moang who has arrived. I am sorry for not welcoming you sooner! Please come in and have a seat."
Li returned the courtesy, and they then entered the palace, where they took their seats as host and guest.
The Dragon King of the Well asked, "May I ask what brings you here, my nephew?"
Li Fa said, "I have come on my father's orders to invite you to the banquet, Uncle."
The Dragon King of the Well was taken aback and asked, "Attending a banquet? What kind of banquet is it?"
Li Fa said, "Uncle, you may not know this. My father has recently acquired a rare innate treasure, a piece of mysterious ice from the beginning of time. It can suppress water veins and harmonize yin and yang. My father is overjoyed and wishes to summon the Dragon Kings of the other three seas, five lakes, eight rivers, four streams, nine marshes, hundreds of rivers, thousands of wells, and tens of thousands of pools to gather at the Dragon Palace of the West Sea."
Firstly, I wanted to invite all my uncles and elders to share this treasure; secondly, it's been a long time since we've seen each other, so this is a good opportunity to reconnect. Therefore, I specially sent my nephew here, having extended invitations from all corners of the country.
Upon hearing this, the Dragon King of the Well was moved, but also had some doubts. He thought to himself, "It is only natural that the Dragon King of the West Sea would invite all the Dragon Kings to a gathering after obtaining the treasure."
Why send Crown Prince Moang to invite him personally? A crown prince shouldn't be doing this errand. Could this Moang be an imposter?
As he was pondering this, he looked up and saw the bright pearl hanging under Li Fa's chin.
He knew that the pearl was a treasure bestowed by the Dragon King of the West Sea specifically for his offspring, and only the eldest son could possess it. Therefore, most of his doubts disappeared immediately, and he laughed, "So that's how it is! Since it is Brother Ao Run's great favor, how could I dare to refuse? However, there are many matters to attend to at the moment, and I need to explain a few things..."
Li Fa waved his hand and said, "Uncle, please give your instructions first. I still have other invitations to make, so I dare not linger. Once you've packed up, Uncle, you can go to the Western Sea."
The Dragon King nodded repeatedly and said, "Very well! Since you are so busy, my nephew, I will not linger. After I give you some instructions, I will depart immediately."