txolops Chapter 151 Wuji Kingdom - Golden Palace
Chapter 151 Wuji Kingdom - Golden Palace
Meanwhile, the traveler stole the jade disc that had distracted him, put it in his bosom, and transformed it into a flying insect, which flew out through the crack in the window.
After leaving the palace, he went to a secluded place, revealed his true form, and rode on a somersault cloud back to Baolin Temple.
Before long, Li Fa returned on a cloud.
The two met up, and the traveler laughed, "Old Taoist priest, we've succeeded!"
After saying this, he took out a jade disc from his bosom and handed it to Li Fa.
Li Fa took it and examined it carefully; it was indeed the Dividing Spirit Jade Disc. He nodded and said, "Great Sage, what skill! Now that we have this treasure, we can revive the Queen and the Crown Prince."
The two then descended from the clouds, where Tang Sanzang, the king, Pigsy, and Sandy were anxiously waiting. Seeing them return, the king hurriedly asked, "Benefactors, did you succeed?"
Li Fa said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the treasure has been retrieved."
After saying this, he ordered his men to place the bodies of the Queen and the Crown Prince side by side on the meditation bed.
He then took out a glass bottle, uncorked it, and chanted a mantra. Two points of spiritual light floated out of the bottle and hovered in mid-air.
Li Fa held the Divided Spirit Jade Disc in his hand, channeled his magic power, and pointed at the jade disc.
The jade disc emitted a soft golden light, which focused on the two points of spiritual light and slowly guided them into their mouths and noses.
He then made a hand seal and chanted an incantation, placing the jade disc between each of their foreheads, and shouted, "Live!"
In an instant, the bodies of the queen and the crown prince shuddered violently, their faces turning from white to red, their chests heaving, and they opened their eyes simultaneously.
The queen suddenly awoke to find herself lying in an unfamiliar meditation room, surrounded by several monks and Taoist priests. She was terrified and cried out, "Who...who are you? Where is this place?"
The crown prince also awoke with a start, looking around blankly. Seeing his mother's panicked expression, he quickly stepped in front of her and shouted, "What do you think you're doing? I am the crown prince of Wuji Kingdom! If you dare to be disrespectful, my father will certainly not forgive you!"
The pilgrim then brought the king forward. Upon seeing his wife and children, the king's eyes indeed filled with tears, and he cried out, "My children!"
The prince looked up and saw the king standing before him. He paused, then said in surprise, "Father...Father King?"
The traveler then instructed him to recount the events that had transpired.
After hearing this, the queen finally came to her senses. It turned out that she and the king were deeply in love, and the traveler's explanation made it clear.
Thus, the couple were reunited, and the father and son met. They embraced and wept, each pouring out their hearts.
Tang Sanzang and his disciples were overjoyed to see this.
The traveler laughed and said, "Alright, alright, the family is reunited. All that's left is to settle accounts with the monster."
Li Fa put away the Divine Distraction Jade Disc and said, "Now that we have both witnesses and evidence, we will go to the Golden Palace early tomorrow morning to confront each other face to face."
The king gritted his teeth and said, "That sorcerer killed me, seized my kingdom, and harmed my wife and children. This is an irreconcilable enmity! I rely entirely on you benefactors to uphold justice!"
The pilgrim said, "Your Majesty, rest assured!"
Nothing was said that night.
The next morning at dawn, Tang Sanzang and his disciples packed their belongings, but Li Fa transformed into a small insect and bit the traveler on the head.
The king, queen, and crown prince changed into commoners' clothes, and the entourage made their way to the capital of Wuji Kingdom.
Upon entering the city gates, someone immediately reported to the palace. The fake king, upon hearing the report, was startled and hastily summoned the queen and the crown prince to discuss the matter.
Manjushri said, "Don't panic. I suspect that Tang Sanzang and his disciples have come here to expose you. After you've been exposed, just mess with them a bit, and then I'll subdue you. That way, the calamity on our journey to the West will be over, and we can return to Mount Ling together to report back."
The Green Lion Spirit was relieved upon hearing this, and straightened his clothes before ascending the throne.
Look at that troublemaking monkey king, who led us to the imperial gate and said to the gatekeeper, "We are messengers sent by the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty of the East to worship Buddha and seek scriptures in the Western Paradise. We have come here to exchange our travel documents. Please convey our message to us, sir, so as not to delay our good cause."
The eunuch then entered the Duan Gate, knelt on the steps, and reported: "There are seven monks outside the Chao Gate. They say they are imperial envoys from the Tang Kingdom of the East who are on their way to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. They have come here to exchange their travel documents and dare not enter without permission. They are waiting outside the gate to be summoned."
The green lion spirit immediately ordered the announcement to be made.
So the group went straight to the Golden Palace. There they saw two groups of civil and military officials, four hundred in total, each one dignified and imposing.
The pilgrim led Tang Sanzang to stand before the white jade steps, motionless. The officials below were all terrified, saying, "This monk is utterly foolish! How can he not bow before our king, nor utter a word of greeting? He doesn't even sing a 'Greeting'! How audacious and rude!"
Before he could speak, the green lion spirit asked, "Where does that monk come from?"
The traveler replied proudly, "I am an imperial envoy from the Great Tang Dynasty in the Eastern Land of Jambudvipa, traveling to the Great Thunder Temple in the Western Regions of India to seek the true scriptures from the Living Buddha. Now that I have arrived here, I dare not waste my time, so I have come to exchange my travel documents."
Upon hearing this, the Green Lion Spirit was enraged and said, "So what if you're from the East! I don't pay tribute to your court, nor do I have any relations with your country, yet you treat me with disrespect and refuse to pay homage!"
The traveler laughed and said, "My Eastern Land has long been a Celestial Empire, renowned as a superior nation, while you are merely a border state of inferior land. It has been said since ancient times that the emperor of a superior nation is a father and a ruler; the emperor of a inferior nation is a subject and a son. You haven't even received me, yet you dare to argue that I won't bow?"
The Green Lion Demon was furious and ordered the civil and military officials, "Seize this wild monk!" As soon as he said "Seize," all the officials rushed forward.
The traveler shouted, pointed, and commanded, "Don't come!"
With that single finger, he cast a spell that froze all the officials in place. They were truly like wooden puppets before the captain's steps and like clay figures in the general's palace.
Seeing that he had immobilized the civil and military officials, the Green Lion Demon leaped off the dragon bed and was about to grab them.
The Monkey King secretly rejoiced, thinking, "Excellent! Just what I wanted! This is a head made of cast iron; I can use the stick to punch a hole in it!"
Just as they were setting off, the fake prince unexpectedly appeared from the side. It turned out that Jinzha was afraid that the Green Lion would act recklessly and be harmed by the Monkey King, so he came out to persuade him.
Jinzha hurriedly grabbed the Green Lion Spirit's court robes and said, "Father, please calm down."
The fairy asked, "What did I say, child?"
The Crown Prince said, “I have heard from my father that three years ago, I heard that a holy monk, an imperial envoy from the Tang Dynasty in the East, was going to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I never expected that he would arrive in our country today.”
"His group is quite large now. If we kill him without authorization, I fear the Tang Emperor will send troops to attack us. We have few soldiers and generals; how can we be a match for him? It would be better to interrogate him first."
The Green Lion Spirit believed him and stood before the dragon bed, shouting, "When did that monk leave the Eastern Land? Why did the Tang Emperor send you to seek scriptures?"
The traveler only said it once.
Finally, he added, "As for these three Taoist priests, they are the newly accepted novice monks at the newly built Baolin Temple the other day."
Upon hearing this, the Green Lion Demon, unable to search Tang Sanzang, devised a clever scheme to interrogate the Monkey King, angrily asking, "Monk, when you first left the Eastern Land alone, you gathered six followers. You could forgive the three monks, but you cannot tolerate these three Taoists."
These boys were definitely kidnapped. What's his name? Does he have a certificate of ordination or not? Bring him here for questioning."
Upon hearing this, the king was enraged. Relying on the presence of Li Bai, the Monkey King, he stepped forward and declared, "You wicked Taoist! You took my life and seized my kingdom! Today, with me here, how dare you sit on the dragon throne?!"
The fake king's expression changed drastically, and he was about to lash out when the real prince jumped out, saying, "This prince isn't me either! He's an imposter! And so is the Queen Mother!"