The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 306 - 268: A Cunning Plan to Resolve a Desperate Situation

Chapter 306: Chapter 268: A Cunning Plan to Resolve a Desperate Situation

Laozi led the Ox Demon King and Princess Iron Fan to Mount Meru, not minding his manners at all as he cursed loudly in the face of the Tathagata.

The couple were verbally lashed by Laozi, but far from feeling fearful, they found it somewhat amusing. Their bodies shook with suppressed laughter, and the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas who saw them assumed they were trembling with fear—they never guessed the two were actually holding back laughter. Even Laozi himself, while in the midst of scolding, found the situation quite funny; it was just too much of a bully, and he almost laughed out loud.

Laozi, with his beard blowing and eyes glaring, said, "Ah, it’s all because of my lax discipline that the Buddha Ancestor has suffered such a loss!"

However, Tathagata replied, "No matter, Celestial Venerable Laojun, you are too hard on yourself."

Laozi began to shirk responsibility, shouting, "Ah, although it was Chi Songzi who killed Venerable Maitreya, I must also bear some blame! If not for these two evildoers angering you all, why would there be such a fuss? It’s infuriating, truly infuriating!"

Laozi shook off all the blame, certain that he was justified, and knowing that the Tathagata was unwilling to openly confront him, he could only endure it. In this matter, he did not hold the slightest moral high ground.

"Lingji Bodhisattva came to you to borrow the Banana Leaf Fan, why did you have to fight?" Laozi then began to reproach Princess Iron Fan.

But Princess Iron Fan retorted, "This isn’t borrowing; it’s clear they wanted me to trade my Banana Leaf Fan for that Wind-Calming Pearl. Does his Wind-Calming Pearl compare to my Banana Leaf Fan?"

Laozi, enraged, said, "You evildoer, how dare you talk back! Once I take you back to the Doulu Palace, I will surely punish you!"

In Laozi’s speech, every word hid a profound secret, except for those initial sentences of cursing.

Laozi barked, "You two evildoers, have you not yet apologised to the Buddha Ancestor?"

The Ox Demon King and Princess Iron Fan quickly made a bow to the Tathagata; after all, since they had come out ahead, making a bow was no big deal.

"Buddha Ancestor, your compassion knows no bounds, and this time we were indeed in the wrong. However, we had our reasons for taking action. We earnestly hope you will forgive us and spare our lives," the couple begged.

Laozi had played a vicious game by bringing the Ox Demon King and Princess Iron Fan to Mount Meru to apologize to the Tathagata. If the Tathagata was not willing to let them go, he would earn himself a reputation for pettiness. If the couple later fell victim to the Buddhist sect, the Tathagata would bear the blame. This move was truly ruthless; it beat the Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Buddhas until they cried out in pain. Being forced to swallow the insult, the Buddhist sect had no option but to grind their teeth and bear it. Laozi’s shamelessness was so great that even the Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch might feel embarrassed by comparison!

The Tathagata’s expression changed unpredictably, knowing full well he was being trapped by Laozi, yet he couldn’t help but jump in. The Buddhist sect preached compassion, so if Tathagata insisted on killing the couple, it would be like slapping his own face, a self-inflicted injury far more painful than any blow from others.

The Tathagata was seething inside but couldn’t express it, thoroughly cursing Laojun in his heart. This ordeal at the Flame Mountain had caused the Buddhist sect to lose so many of its elite. Even Maitreya, the Future Buddha, had faced his destined calamity. Now the next Respectful Ruler of the World would have to fall upon the Medicine Buddha from the Eastern Lapis Lazuli Pure Light World.

Maitreya was a Quasi-Saint, after all—how many among all Buddhas could reach the level of a Quasi-Saint? Maitreya even had the potential to become a Semi-Saint in the future.

Wukong needed to cross the Flame Mountain and came to borrow the Banana Leaf Fan. It was only reasonable for them to refuse.

If they wouldn’t lend it, he tried to take it by force. When he failed, he asked for Lingji Bodhisattva’s help. Lingji Bodhisattva also wanted it and got killed in the attempt. That was reasonable.

Seeing Lingji Bodhisattva slain, Tathagata sent Kong Xuan and others down the mountain. Bullying the weak, the Ox Demon King took a stand for his wife, and Enlightenment Dao came to aid his Dao compatriot. That was reasonable.

Maitreya bullied the weak by trying to capture Enlightenment Dao. When Enlightenment Dao’s master Chi Songzi intervened and killed Maitreya, that too was reasonable.

...

In the end, it was the Buddhist sect that lacked justification. Otherwise, would Tathagata let the matter go so easily? If not for having to swallow a good three liters of blood in anger, he wouldn’t be fit to be the Respectful Ruler of the World of the Buddhist sect! Celestial Venerable Laojun had it all figured out from the start, though he had not anticipated Chi Songzi’s involvement. Fortunately, such involvement was within the bounds of reason—Maitreya was clearly bullying the weaker Enlightenment Dao, so how could a master sit idly by?

The Buddhist sect was in the wrong, and Tathagata had no choice but to sigh and say together with folded hands, "Good, good! Since Venerable Maitreya has gone to Ultimate Bliss, it must be fate, for all conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow. Ox Demon King, Princess Iron Fan, you two are not without fault, but if you will extinguish the flames of Flame Mountain, allowing the Scripture Seeker and his disciples to safely pass, I will no longer pursue the matter."

The Ox Demon King and Princess Iron Fan were overjoyed. Having a fierce figure like the Tathagata holding a grudge against them was hardly a pleasurable experience, something that would cause constant anxiety and fear.

The Ox Demon King, bowing to the Tathagata, said, "The Buddha Ancestor is indeed discerning! I’ll head over to the Flame Mountain right away with my wife to extinguish the flames for you and let the Scripture Seeker pass."

Tathagata replied gravely, "I am indebted to you both."

The Ox Demon King laughed, "No trouble at all, no trouble at all!"

All Buddhas of Mount Meru felt extremely stifled, yet they were powerless to do anything. The Ox Demon King was not only taking advantage, but he was also showing off—utterly outrageous. However, what could they say? Even the Tathagata had suffered a great loss at the hands of Laozi, and if they intervened further, they would only make things worse.

Laozi is the Patriarch of Taoism, only the Tathagata could converse with him as an equal.

"Thank you, Buddha Ancestor!" Princess Iron Fan also bowed respectfully.

The couple originally thought that after this incident, they would have to go to the Thirty-Three Skies to lay low for a while, but they didn’t expect the Patriarch to resort to such a cunning strategy, taking them to Mount Meru. After apologizing, all was resolved, and everything was as it had been. They didn’t have to ascend to the austere heavens to avoid disaster anymore.

Ox Demon King said, "We fear delaying the scripture quest. We will take care of this matter right away and won’t linger here any longer."

Laozi waved his hand, "Go on, go on!"

Tathagata turned to a nearby Vajra and said, "See the two of them out."

Ox Demon King and Princess Iron Fan took the Banana Leaf Fan from Laozi, left Mount Meru together, and then looked at each other and burst into great laughter.

"The Patriarch really has no shame. Tathagata seems alright, but I’m afraid he’s so angry that the Three Corpses Deity is jumping up and down in rage. Who knows if he’s smashing things in private?" Princess Iron Fan could not help but cover her mouth and laugh, saying that although Laozi had been cursing people today on Mount Meru, they found it very funny.

The harsher Laozi cursed, the funnier they found it, as if he were telling jokes.

Laozi gave a single-handed salute to Tathagata and said, "Boundless life and blessings! I owe Tathagata many thanks, for he truly has compassion and is magnanimous."

Tathagata replied with a forced smile, "I just hope that in the future, Laojun will lend this poor monk a hand on the Journey to the West."

Laozi retorted, "I strive for peace and non-action. If it weren’t for these two calamities causing great disaster, why would I have descended from the Great Pure Sky?"

Laozi started unpacking his arsenal of tactics again, completely distancing himself from the matter, even though everyone knew for certain that he was the one who planned it. But who would dare to say it out loud? To do so would mean tearing off each other’s faces. And what if they knew it was his scheme? There was not a shred of evidence.

The crux of the matter was who had the more clever and powerful tactics. In this game of strategy, Laojun outwitted Venerable Maitreya, causing the Buddhist sect to suffer a severe loss of primordial Qi.

Princess Iron Fan and Ox Demon King arrived at Flame Mountain. Princess Iron Fan held the Banana Leaf Fan in her hand.

Ox Demon King found Wukong and laughed, "No need to take a detour anymore. Big brother is here to extinguish the fire for you!"

Wukong asked, "What happened?"

Ox Demon King winked and laughed heartily, "The Patriarch took us to Mount Meru to explain things to Tathagata, and then we came to help put out the fire, so as not to delay your scripture-seeking journey."

Wukong thought to himself, "Laojun is utterly shameless and cunning; Tathagata must have been hugely aggrieved by him this time! I bet he’s so angry that one Buddha is born and a second ascends to heaven. The battle at Flame Mountain led to Chi Songzi beheading Maitreya and critically weakening the Buddhist sect. This loss they have to swallow silently, otherwise, Old Bull and his wife wouldn’t have come to help put out the fire voluntarily."

Princess Iron Fan stood at the summit of Flame Mountain with the Banana Leaf Fan, gave a light shout, and shook the fan slightly, which immediately stirred up a cool breeze that caused the fire to crackle and pop.

With another wave of the fan, sand and stones flew about as the winds grew stronger. Her cool breeze was specialized for extinguishing fires. Ordinarily, fire gains momentum from the wind, but the wind produced by the Banana Leaf Fan did the opposite and extinguished quite a bit of it.

Ox Demon King put his arm around Wukong’s shoulder and winked, "You should have seen it on Mount Meru just now; it was so hilarious that it nearly split my sides!"

Wukong asked, "What was so funny?"

At that moment, Princess Iron Fan fanned again, and dark clouds gathered in the sky, unleashing heavy rain, aiming to put out the flames on Flame Mountain.

Ox Demon King mimicked Laozi’s tone, "You two calamities, so insensible! You have brought such annoyance to the Buddha Ancestor! It angers me to death, angers me to death!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong also couldn’t help but double over with laughter, saying, "That’s just too shameless, too shameless! I knew during the Divine Enthronement that Yuan Shi was thick-skinned and dark-hearted, but I had no idea Laojun was even thicker-skinned, reaching the extreme. He tricked Tathagata, not only avoiding him but even going straight to Mount Meru. Haha, this ploy of self-harm was played so cleverly. Tathagata will find it hard to trouble you two in the future."

After Ox Demon King finished, he could not help but burst out laughing again, "Yes, indeed! The image of the Patriarch in my heart has been completely overturned. Ha-ha, if I could learn just a fraction of his thick-skinned tactics, I could probably traverse the world unchallenged."

Looking at the increasingly heavy rain, Princess Iron Fan descended, and with a laugh said, "Uncle, I previously gave you trouble; I was truly in the wrong. I hope you can forgive me. Thanks to the scolding from the Elder today, I have finally awakened."

Both Ox Demon King and Wukong couldn’t help but start laughing again.

If Tathagata knew that after he spared Ox Demon King and Princess Iron Fan, they went straight to causing trouble, he would probably be so angry he’d cough up three liters of blood.

Seeing the flames on Flame Mountain extinguished, Wukong said to them, "We must continue on our journey now. Although Tathagata has forgiven you, you still need to be careful in case he goes back on his word."

Both of the couple nodded and saw Wukong on his way.

Will they succeed in their venture or face more obstacles? Tune in next time to find out. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we invite you to come to Starting Point ([qidian.com](http://qidian.com)) to cast your recommendations and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)