Finally, the highly-anticipated Meng Junliang casually walked into the tavern under Qin Manyun’s eager gaze.
The entire tavern turned silent with only Meng Junliang’s voice ringing in the air.
“The Emperor gave an order to the Gods, grouping them accordingly. Three Qing, Four Wei, Five Lao, Six Si, Seven Yuan, Eight Ji, Nine Yao, and Ten Du.
“Thousands of Saints attended the gala to thank the Buddha. These included the Four Sky Guardians, the Nine Fairies, The Golden Gate, the Taixuan Gem Palace, and the Dongyang Jade Palace. They invited the Buddha to sit on the Seven Gem Pedestal. With the rest sitting in their seats, they were served Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow, Jade-sauced Flat Peach…”
An extravagant gala unfolded in the minds of the audience. Although it was merely a story, none of them dared to make a sound!
The names and titles of the attendees of the gala made them rather confused and numb, almost losing their ability to think properly. The Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow served were beyond imagination!
They were dragons and phoenixes! These Godly Beasts were born as Immortals. To the cultivators, they were not to be offended and should be worshipped. Who would have thought of eating them?
Yet, in the Heavenly Temple, Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow were merely some dishes…
Terrifying! Terrifying!
Though Qin Manyun was shocked, she did not forget to link any information to its possible deeper meanings. Since the scholar said that she would be tested today, she had to be mindful!
She frowned, holding her breath.
The Heavenly Temple was celebrating Wukong’s suspension. It was similar to how the cultivators of this realm would celebrate after defeating their enemies! The losers would be trapped in the bottom pit, unable to turn around. The winners stayed at the top, feasting and celebrating.
As for the Dragons and Phoenixes, the Immortals treated them like how the cultivators treated ordinary monsters. It seemed that other than their extraordinary powers, the Immortals were not that different from the cultivators.
What was he hinting at?
Qin Manyun continued to listen. The scholar remained at a steady pace as he continued telling the story.
Many people treated this as a story, though some people had started frowning in contemplation. It seemed that there was a hidden and shocking secret behind all of these.
The story of how Wukong was being confined began to touch a little bit on Buddhism.
“When the disciples heard about this, they put their hands together and asked, ‘Do you have the Tripitaka Sutras?’
“Buddha answered, ‘I have the Dharma and Tibetan. One talks about Heaven, and the other discusses Tibet, Earth, and Ghosts. There are a total of thirty-five volumes, fifteen thousand and one hundred forty-four scrolls. They consist of the Path, the gate of righteousness…
“‘I’m sending them to the East Soil with good faith. To teach one how to travel through thousands of mountains and rivers. To come to me for the Truth, spreading them to the East Soil, teaching the others how to become sentient beings. The mountains remain as a great land of blessings, with the deep sea as its pride. Who’s willing to come?’”
This, this, this…
Qin Manyun stared at Meng Junliang, wide-eyed.
As the ‘Journey’ was about to begin, a loud humming resonated inside Qin Manyun’s head. Buddhism was about crossing over to the east, to look for disciples to seek the truth from the west. Meng Junliang was appointed by the expert to walk toward the west. The difference was that one was seeking the truth from the West while the other was preaching to the west!
Buddhism was about preaching its teachings to the world. So, why did the expert choose to preach to the west? What was its deeper implication?
When the scholar reached the part of the story where Wukong was recruited to protect the Tang Seng in their pursuit of truth in the west, Qin Manyun’s breathing quickened. Wukong was unruly and powerful. Why would he be willing to protect the Tang Seng after being confined in the mountain for five hundred years?
Meng Junliang glanced at Qin Manyun. He spoke more than he usually would today. He only stopped once he reached the part where the tightening hoop was placed on Wukong’s head.
“Wukong listened to Tang Seng’s teaching intently. Since he could not move, he had to repent as he knelt and pleaded.
“‘Master! Please, let me protect you in the west! I won’t mess with them anymore! Please, forgive me and punish me at your will! I’m willing to protect you with no regret!’
“‘Tang Sang said, ‘If so, help me to my horse.’
“Wukong succumbed to his heart and spirit. He tied a knot on the cotton bag, buckled the horse, packed his luggage, and was ready to start the journey. Who would’ve known what laid before them? Stay tuned for the next session.”
The scholar stood up to leave. Qin Manyun’s face remained confused as she sat transfixed in her seat. Her expression kept changing, sometimes furious, sometimes hopeless and pale.
She understood!
She understood what the expert was hinting at her!
However, after learning the truth, she felt more listless than before. The bigshots liked to use the sky and ground as their chessboards, playing with the fates of the mortals. It seemed that these were all true!
The Buddha asked them to seek the Truth from the west. Was that not all but an arrangement? The so-called Tang Seng and Wukong—were they not merely his pre-arranged chess pieces? So what if Wukong had supernatural powers? Was he not conquered and subdued in the end, like a dog whose fate was determined by its master?
The bridge from mortal to immortality had been broken—was that not equivalent to the ‘tightening hoop’ placed on the cultivators here?
Could it be possible that this was all set up by some unknown forces? If they wanted to treat the beings here like dogs, what else could they do?
Luo Shiyu saw her trembling and could not help asking, “Sister Manyun, are you alright?”
Qin Manyun bit her lip. Her face was unusually grim and bitter. “I think I know the reason why the bridge between mortal and immortality was broken.”
“The bridge is broken?” Luo Shiyu halted.
“Yeah,” Qin Manyun nodded. “Cultivators like us strive for Immortality, but once you’ve reached the end of the cultivation journey, you’d realize that becoming Immortal is impossible! In the past thousands of years, there haven’t been any successful occurrences.”
Luo Shiyu asked in disbelief, “What? How could it be? Haven’t there been a lot of legends who have cultivated immortality?”
“Well, that was in the past, but not anymore,” Qin Manyun said with a low voice. “The Linxian Palace even tried to contact our ancestors from the Above Immortal Realm, only to be told about the broken bridge. Nobody knows the reason behind it.”
“Tzz…” Luo Shiyu took in a cold breath. This news was too shocking that her mind temporarily lost its ability to think. This may as well be the greatest secret in this realm! No wonder she had not heard news of cultivators becoming Immortals in a very long time. Not to mention, she had not met any Immortal from above in a long time as well.
The bridge between mortal and immortality was…broken?
Wow!
Qin Manyun stood up and marched out of the tavern. She walked toward Meng Junliang.
Meng Junliang sat under the willow tree just like the day before. Seeing that Qin Manyun was approaching him, he gradually opened his eyes.
“You understood?”
Qin Manyun bowed deeply. “I have.”
Meng Junliang smiled. “Tell me more.”
“The world is the chessboard and the beings in it are the chess pieces. With my lack of talent, I’m willing to become a chess piece in the hands of the expert,” Qin Manyun declared solemnly.
Meng Junliang seemed pleased. “It seems that your understanding isn’t too bad.
“However, not everyone will be qualified to be a chess piece in the hands of the expert,” Meng Junliang continued. “The rules of the world were re-written by someone. Mr. Li’s appearance at such a time makes it apparent that he’s in a game with another unknown existence! His every move contains deeper implications. Although I was nothing in the eyes of Mr. Li, I’m willing to become a small pawn on his chessboard, doing anything he wants me to do!”
