Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Chapter 59 Testing the Mind of Zen: Plotting to Capture Li Fa

Without another word, Mucha leaped into the clouds, transforming into a streak of light, and headed straight for Mount Emei.

Upon arriving at Mount Emei, Mucha did not need to announce his arrival and went straight into the mountain gate.

The Venerable Samantabhadra was meditating when he heard someone approaching. He quickly looked up and saw it was Moksha. He then smiled and said, "Oh, it's Moksha! Aren't you guarding the Flowing Sand River? What brings you to your teacher's place?"

Moksha bowed and said, "Disciple Moksha greets Master! I have come today on the orders of the Venerable Guanyin to invite Master to Mount Putuo for a discussion. The Venerable Guanyin has important matters to discuss, which concern the great undertaking of the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, and are extremely urgent!"

Upon hearing this, Samantabhadra stopped smiling and asked, "Oh? Why did Venerable Avalokiteshvara summon you specifically and mention the great journey to the West? Could it be that something has happened? Please tell me in detail."

Moksha dared not conceal anything, and immediately stood up, bowed his head, and recounted in detail how he encountered the fake Tang Monk who tricked Sha Wujing at the Flowing Sand River, how he was injured in his primordial spirit during their fight, and so on.

Puxian listened quietly, and when Moksha finished speaking, a look of solemnity flashed in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Is this really the case? This fellow is incredibly powerful and has repeatedly disrupted the westward journey plan. If we don't subdue him as soon as possible, he will surely become a great threat in the future. Since it is Venerable Guanyin who has summoned us to discuss countermeasures, then let's set off immediately and not delay."

After saying this, Samantabhadra stood up, straightened his robe, and then walked out of the Huayan Hall with Moksha, heading towards the mountain gate.

Just as the master and disciple passed by the elephant stable behind the palace, Mucha glanced over and saw that it was empty. He couldn't help but stop and ask in confusion, "Master, the White Elephant Venerable is always guarding this place. Why is there no sign of it today?"

Samantabhadra said, "That day, the Yellow Wind Monster stirred up the wind and disturbed the Three Realms. The White Elephant took the opportunity to break free of its chains and descend to the mortal realm on its own."

Moksha was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Master, the white elephant is your powerful protector. Its unauthorized descent to the mortal realm might cause trouble. Why not send someone to retrieve it immediately?"

Samantabhadra gently shook his head and said, "This matter is not an accident, but was personally arranged by the Tathagata Buddha. There are cause and effect calculations involved, which are related to the arrangement of the tribulations on the journey to the West. You do not need to worry, you will know in the future."

Seeing that Samantabhadra's expression was resolute, Moksha knew that there must be a deeper meaning to this matter, so he did not ask any more questions and bowed, saying, "Since it is the World-Honored One's arrangement, then this disciple can rest assured."

Without further delay, the two immediately leaped onto the clouds and sped off in the direction of Mount Putuo.

Mount Emei and Mount Putuo are not far apart, and since both of them are highly skilled in magic, they arrived at the foot of Mount Putuo in no time while riding the clouds at high speed, and flew straight towards Chaoyin Cave.

At this time, Manjushri Bodhisattva and Vajra had already arrived and were talking with Guanyin in the cave.

Samantabhadra descended from the clouds and followed Moksha inside. After exchanging greetings with Manjushri and Avalokiteshvara, they took their seats as host and guest.

After everyone was seated, Guanyin got straight to the point and recounted the matter of Li Fa in detail. She concluded with a sigh, "This man's origins are unknown, and his supernatural powers are unpredictable. First, he caused trouble at Eagle Sorrow Stream, then he appeared at Black Wind Mountain, and now he has even ruined Sha Wujing's ordeal at Flowing Sand River. If this continues, there may be disaster. Therefore, I have invited the two Venerable Ones to come and discuss countermeasures."

Manjushri pondered and said, "This person has both an indestructible body and the Five Elements Escape Technique, making him indeed troublesome. With the combined strength of the three of us, it wouldn't be difficult to subdue him by force. However, he is full of tricks, and if we miss our first strike and he escapes, it will be difficult to capture him again."

Puxian nodded and said, "Brother Manjushri is absolutely right. We must come up with a foolproof plan to make him walk right into our trap, only then will it be safe."

Guanyin sighed, "There's something strange about him; I can't figure him out."

Upon hearing this, Manjushri and Samantabhadra sighed and rubbed their foreheads, realizing that the most crucial thing was to find the right people.

As they were discussing, they suddenly heard a woman's voice laughing outside the cave: "The three Bodhisattvas were hiding here having a secret meeting, and I've been looking for them everywhere."

Upon hearing this, the three were all startled and quickly got up and went out.

Outside the cave, auspicious clouds swirled and mists swirled, and an old immortal, holding a cane, walked in with a smile.

It was none other than the Old Mother of Lishan.

Guanyin quickly put her palms together and said, "I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly, Mother. May I ask what brings you here?"

The Old Mother of Lishan waved her hand and smiled, "Venerable Guanyin, there's no need for such formalities. I've come here precisely for the matter you've mentioned."

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged a glance, all showing surprise in their eyes.

Guanyin asked, "How did you know about this person, Mother?"

The Old Mother of Lishan said, "I know a little about this man's background. As for the specific reasons..." She paused, then suddenly stopped, only smiling and saying, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. In short, I will lend you three a hand and help you capture him."

Manjushri said, "We are more than happy to have Mother's help. However... we cannot find out where that fellow is hiding now."

Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded and said, "I just used my wisdom eye to observe the three realms, but I couldn't find him. This person seems to have a method to conceal the secrets of heaven, making it difficult to calculate."

Manjushri Bodhisattva said, "I have also tried, but I still cannot find him."

Upon hearing this, the Old Mother of Lishan chuckled and said, "Although you cannot find him, I have found him."

The three Bodhisattvas all looked at her.

Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, "Does Mother know where he is?"

The Old Mother of Lishan nodded, but refused to say more, only saying, "Well... I have my own wonderful method."

Puxian's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously pointed to the top of his head, whispering, "My mother knows, could it be... that the Heavenly Venerable secretly instructed him, or..."

"Junior brother, you mustn't say too much! How can you call me Hunyuan by my name!" Manjushri was startled upon hearing this and quickly interrupted Samantabhadra.

Puxian immediately realized his mistake, quickly lowered his head and shut his mouth, saying in a low voice, "Senior brother is right, I misspoke."

Seeing the two of them like this, the old woman didn't scold them. She simply waved her hand gently, her smile unchanged, "It's alright, it's alright. Venerable Samantabhadra acted out of desperation. Enough of this small talk. I'm willing to join you in setting a trap to capture him. Are the three of you willing?"

The three Bodhisattvas nodded hurriedly and asked in unison, "But we wonder what brilliant plan Mother has in store?"

The old mother said, "Back when we were quelling the rebellion at Mount Ling, wasn't there a test of the Zen mind? The four of us were perfect for that, so why don't we set up that test now to capture him!"

Guanyin said, "That's fine, but if we use this method to capture him, Tang Sanzang will have one less trial. Originally, there was the trial at the Flowing Sand River and the trial to test his Zen mind. Now there are two less trials, so it's not enough to complete the full number of trials. What should we do?"

The old mother laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that? There are always some down-on-their-luck gods and disillusioned demon immortals in heaven and on earth. We can just find a couple and have Sanzang go through a few more tribulations to make up for it, right?"

Upon hearing this, Guanyin's doubts vanished, and she said, "Mother, you have thought this through thoroughly. This is all the better."

The old mother continued, "That fellow is bound by the Flying Rainbow Rope; he'll surely need to find a place to recover his magical powers. We'll use our supernatural abilities to set up a village and a town, and he'll walk right into our trap!"

Upon hearing this, Guanyin and the other two exchanged a glance and indeed devised this ingenious plan.