Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 222 - 223: The Fire Actually Caused the Monk to Attain Enlightenment

Chapter 222: Chapter 223: The Fire Actually Caused the Monk to Attain Enlightenment

At this moment, the monks of the Guanyin Zen Center all fell into silence involuntarily.

Elder Jinchi gazed at the Brocaded Kasaya in the monkey’s hands with a glitter in his eyes, staring intently, his eyes brimming with greed.

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly that such a kasaya could exist in this world.

Comparing the kasaya before him with those in his own collection, he instantly felt that his were coarse and inferior.

Could these even be called kasayas?

In a flash of thought, Elder Jinchi looked at the kasaya in Sun Wukong’s hands and couldn’t help but covet it.

This treasure of a kasaya is fit only for my Jinchi.

He approached and knelt down before Xuanzang, his eyes brimming with tears, pitifully saying, "Disciple really has no fate with it!"

Xuanzang quickly helped Elder Jinchi up and said, "What do you mean by this, Abbot?"

Elder Jinchi said, "Holy Monk, after this treasure was unfurled, it has gotten quite late, and alas, my old eyes are dim and cannot see it clearly, is that not a lack of fate?"

Xuanzang was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "We can light some lamps, so you can take another look at it."

The Elder Jinchi gave a wry smile and said, "The treasure of the Holy Monk is already bright; lighting a lamp would only make it more dazzling and impossible to examine in detail."

Hearing Elder Jinchi speak in a roundabout manner, Wukong found it somewhat amusing and said, "Then how would you wish to see it?"

Elder Jinchi, looking pitiful again, said, "I am already two hundred and seventy years old this year, and I have never seen such a treasure of a kasaya. Could the Holy Monk perhaps lend me the kasaya to behold for just one night? When the Holy Monk departs, I will surely return the kasaya, and I implore the Holy Monk to fulfill my life’s only wish!"

Seeing Elder Jinchi like this, Xuanzang found himself in a difficult position to refuse, and in the end could only agree to his request.

He lent the kasaya to Elder Jinchi.

Elder Jinchi was overjoyed, hurriedly taking the kasaya inside while instructing the other monks to sweep the Zen Hall clean and prepare bedding for the two Holy Monks to rest.

At the same time, he arranged for a meal to be prepared in the morning to see them off before everyone dispersed.

Having deceitfully obtained the kasaya, Elder Jinchi now wore it in the light of a lamp in the back room.

Looking at himself in the mirror, his happiness grew, wishing he could keep the kasaya for himself.

Yet, when he thought of having to return the kasaya to Xuanzang the next day, his heart suddenly filled with sorrow, and he couldn’t help but weep over the kasaya.

The many monks also knew why their Abbot was like this, and each offered their ideas.

Some proposed to keep the master and disciple around for a few more days, so the Abbot could wear the kasaya for an additional day.

Others suggested whether it was possible to buy the kasaya from the two monks.

As they were speaking, a little monk named Guangzhi opened his mouth and said, "Elder, to have it for the long term is also easy."

On hearing this, Elder Jinchi was surprised and delighted; he naturally wanted to keep the kasaya for good and not just for a day.

Immediately he asked, "Guangzhi, what splendid idea do you have?"

Guangzhi said, "The two masters have traveled hard for a day and are sleeping soundly now. Those of us who are strong enough could take up arms and kill them. Then, this matter would be known only among us!"

"Not only would the lifeless kasaya be ours then, but their White Horse and belongings too. Wouldn’t that be a plan for the long term?"

On hearing this, Elder Jinchi was delighted, but then came to tears and said, "Good! Good! Good! This plan is brilliant!"

He was about to command his disciples to gather weapons and prepare to strike.

At this moment, another little monk named Guangmou, who was Guangzhi’s junior disciple, came forward and said, "This plan is unwise. If we try to kill them, there will surely be noise. The white-faced monk may be easy to deal with, but that hairy-faced monkey does not seem easy to take down. If we fail to kill them and they kill us instead, what then?"

Hearing this, everyone felt it was highly possible, but at that moment, there were no other options.

Guangmou then said, "I have a way that doesn’t require using weapons; I wonder if it might work?"

Elder Jinchi now only wanted to claim the kasaya for himself and was willing to try anything, he immediately asked, "What is your plan?"

Guangmou’s eyes shifted cunningly as he said, "In my view, now that they are staying in the meditation rooms, if each person takes a bundle of firewood and we forget about saving those three rooms, just set them on fire. Even if they have some skills, they would be trapped. Burn the White Horse too."

"Even if the households at the foot of the mountain see it, they’ll think it was their carelessness that caused the fire and burnt down our Zen Monastery."

"Those two monks surely can’t survive the blaze, and it would also be a good way to divert attention. Later, wouldn’t the kasaya become the property of our monastery?"

On hearing this, the monks all thought this strategy was excellent.

"Good, good, it diverts attention and we needn’t worry about other matters!"

"When they die in their sleep, no one can blame us!"

"Right, right, this is a good plan!"

"..."

Elder Jinchi then ordered people to move firewood.

By killing these two, the kasaya would naturally become the possession of their Zen Monastery.

...

That evening, with a sparse scattering of stars, the moon shone brightly.

The pristine moonlight bathed the earth, and within the temple, over two hundred monks were bustling about, each moving firewood from the woodshed and placing it outside Xuanzang and Wukong’s meditation rooms, before setting it ablaze.

In an instant, the Guanyin Zen Center was engulfed in black smoke and flames reached for the sky.

In the midst of the flames, within the meditation room.

Xuanzang was sitting in meditation on the bed in the meditation room; although his cultivation level had not fully recovered, he had attained an understanding beyond mortal men’s, and in that instant, he sensed what was happening outside.

"Amitabha Buddha, Buddhism often says Buddhist law can lead one towards goodness. It’s a pity that although Elder Jinchi has been studying Buddhist law for over two hundred years, he should have surpassed the Five Elements according to Buddhism, not become entangled by worldly matters, wholly devoted to goodness. Yet, he remains burdened by external things and has taken a misguided path!"

"Is this Buddhist law really as I thought it would be, capable of guiding people towards goodness?"

"Is the Buddhist law truly worth my relentless devotion?"

At this moment, Xuanzang’s Buddha mind was once again shaken.

After encountering Wang Yang, he had already begun to question the Buddhist law and had developed his own understanding of it.

But after all, it was a matter of countless lifetimes ago, and everything had become blurred.

It was just at this moment, seeing Elder Jinchi become so merciless for the sake of a kasaya.

His faith in the Buddha was completely shattered.

This hypocrisy in Buddhism, one should not be a Buddha.

My Buddha...

I am Buddha, all sentient beings are Buddha, the whole world is Buddha.

At that moment, Xuanzang once again had a realization, and his body even radiated the Wonderful Dharma, with the infinite breath of Daoist Charm converging and wrapping him in its profound mysteries, revealing a path before him.

Although this path might not have been fully unfolded, on this path there were already countless scenes, and Great Buddhas were seated everywhere on it, appearing extremely real. Just one glance seemed to inspire a desire to convert.

At this moment, he had a complete understanding of his path, taking himself as the road of Buddhist law.

Sun Wukong, who was beside him, couldn’t help but be moved upon seeing this scene and understood why his elder brother would instruct this monk.

Now, even being scorched by fire, this monk could achieve enlightenment.

But in the end, this monk was still of mortal flesh and blood.

Sun Wukong raised his hand and waved, a powerful force enveloping Xuanzang.

With his divine skills, he wasn’t worried about ordinary fire harming Xuanzang.

Then, with a twist of his body, he escaped the meditation room.

He stood in the night sky, looking down at the many monks setting the fire.

No trace of pity was on his face, instead disgust showed clearly, and he blew a breath from his mouth.

In an instant, a wind arose,

the wind aided the fire, which had initially only been burning around Xuanzang and Sun Wukong. In the gust, it spread all around, quickly engulfing the entire Guanyin Zen Center.

"They brought this upon themselves!"

Immediately, Sun Wukong remembered the Brocaded Kasaya he had lent to Elder Jinchi, "What kasaya is this? Although he did not care much about it, it was after all an item belonging to his master, and he naturally wanted to retrieve it."

Without delay, he flew towards where Elder Jinchi resided.

The Brocaded Kasaya was a treasure, impervious to water and fire. Even if Elder Jinchi died in the fire, the kasaya would not be damaged in the slightest.

But when Sun Wukong arrived at Elder Jinchi’s dwelling, he was surprised to find that the Brocaded Kasaya was missing.

Could it be that before setting the fire, Elder Jinchi had taken the kasaya and left the Zen Center?

Otherwise, how could the kasaya have simply vanished without a trace?

Meanwhile, flames scorched half the sky.

Screams and cries rose and fell in succession.

But Sun Wukong couldn’t be bothered with these monks.

He landed on the ground, stamping the earth.

A puff of smoke appeared before him as the Land Deity was summoned.

The Land Deity, extremely respectful,

Even though Sun Wukong had been schemed against by the celestial Court, his havoc in the sky had become the stuff of legend among immortals, spirits, and monsters.

Seeing Sun Wukong, the Land Deity dared not show any negligence.

"I wonder what the Great Saint requires of this little immortal?"

Sun Wukong asked directly, "Do you know where Elder Jinchi of this Guanyin Zen Center is?"

The Land Deity nodded and said, "When the fire broke out in the Zen Center, Elder Jinchi saw that things were not going well and hurriedly left the Zen Center!"

"Oh, do you know where he has gone?"

The Land Deity thought for a moment before replying, "Elder Jinchi, who lived for two hundred and seventy years, had connections with the Black Bear Spirit of the Black Wind Cave on Black Wind Mountain. Perhaps Elder Jinchi went to find the Black Bear Spirit!"

Sun Wukong nodded and asked, "How far is that mountain from here?"

Without hesitation, the Land Deity replied, "Only twenty li away. That mountaintop you can see from here is the one."

"All right, you can go back now!"

Sun Wukong waved his hand; since the Land Deity had spoken thus, Elder Jinchi must indeed have gone to the Black Bear Spirit’s place.

Right then, he flickered his form and dashed straight for Black Wind Mountain and Black Wind Cave.

On arriving at Black Wind Mountain, he immediately sensed Elder Jinchi’s presence.

"Sure enough, you’re here. Let’s see where you’ll run to today!"

Sun Wukong landed at the entrance of Black Wind Cave. A stick materialized in his hand with a flash of light.

"Elder Jinchi, hand over the kasaya, and Old Sun may spare your life!"