Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Uh...

Hearing the words of the Novice Monk, Jiang Liu was slightly startled and then silently hid the Soul-Bewitching Nail he had held between his fingertips.

He had thought that Ksitigarbha would not allow him to see him this time and was prepared to press on, but unexpectedly, Ksitigarbha had allowed him entrance.

"Thank you!" Jiang Liu nodded slightly and said. As his words fell, he turned and walked towards the entrance of the Ksitigarbha Cave.

"Phew..." Seeing that Jiang Liu had no intention of attacking and went straight into the Ksitigarbha Cave, the Novice Monk secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

For Jiang Liu, navigating the Ksitigarbha Cave was nothing new, and he quickly arrived in front of Ksitigarbha.

"I pay my respects, Bodhisattva!"

Upon reaching Ksitigarbha, Jiang Liu bowed slightly and after delivering a respectful greeting, he began to speak.

"Hmm, Xuanzang, you have come this time for the soul of the Spider Demoness, haven't you?" Ksitigarbha nodded slightly and without waiting for Jiang Liu's inquiry, he opened the conversation.

"Oh? Really? So the Spider Demoness's soul is indeed in your hands!?" Hearing Ksitigarbha bring up the topic, Jiang Liu's eyes brightened.

Jiang Liu wasn't surprised that Ksitigarbha knew his purpose, for Tingdi had once mentioned that Ksitigarbha had always been very attentive to him and might have been watching him since he arrived.

Thus, him knowing about the troubles he encountered during his Journey to the West was not strange.

For this reason, on every previous visit, Ksitigarbha had sent a Novice Monk to wait at the cave entrance to block him early on.

"Yes, indeed, the Spider Demoness's soul is in my hands, which means she has become one of the Immortals and Buddhas!" Ksitigarbha nodded slightly as he responded.

"It's just as expected! The Supreme Elder Lord was right!" Getting confirmation from Ksitigarbha, Jiang Liu muttered to himself.

The Spider Demoness's soul being in Ksitigarbha's hands meant that someone had indeed added her name, turning her into one of the Immortals and Buddhas, likely to render his Soul-Returning Pill ineffective and keep him from investigating who impersonated him to kill the Spider Demoness.

Who would be so capable as to hastily elevate someone to the status of an Immortal or Buddha, and who might be orchestrating things from behind the scenes?

And to think, who was overseeing the Journey to the West for Scriptures? After a brief reflection, Jiang Liu realized that Maitreya Buddha was the prime suspect, wasn't he?

"So, you've guessed who it might be, haven't you?" Ksitigarbha did not hurry to say much, just waited a moment for Jiang Liu to think through the situation before asking.

"It should be Maitreya Buddha, right?" Hearing Ksitigarbha's inquiry, Jiang Liu made no attempt to conceal his guess.

Ksitigarbha nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

He simply gazed at Jiang Liu and asked, "So what next? After obtaining the Spider Demoness's soul, what do you plan to do?"

"What to do?" Hearing Ksitigarbha's question, Jiang Liu pondered deeply.

Indeed, after understanding the truth, Jiang Liu hadn't really thought about what to do next.

Ksitigarbha remained silent, just quietly watching Jiang Liu, clearly waiting for his response.

Indeed, if all this was a scheme by Maitreya Buddha, what should he do?

Confront him directly? He hadn't even completed half of his Journey to the West; it seemed too early to reveal his intentions.

But to pretend ignorance as if nothing had happened? Then what was the purpose of all he had done? Was it all in vain?

"It seems I need to find a way to coax something out of Maitreya Buddha," Jiang Liu mused to himself for a moment before voicing his idea.

"Not bad, that's a good idea!" Hearing Jiang Liu's words, Ksitigarbha's face broke into a smile.

Clearly, he approved of Jiang Liu's plan.

Without waiting for Jiang Liu to ask, Ksitigarbha added, "As far as I know, Maitreya Buddha has many Dharma Treasures in his possession. You already know about the Cymbals and the Human Seed Bag displayed by Huangmei at the Lesser Thunder Monastery, but remember this, Maitreya Buddha also has a flag!"

"A flag? What flag?" Hearing Ksitigarbha specifically mention the flag, Jiang Liu's intrigue piqued, and he immediately asked.

"The Green Lotus Treasured Flag!" Ksitigarbha revealed.

"Bodhisattva, do you mean..." Realizing what was suggested upon hearing about the Green Lotus Treasured Flag, Jiang Liu looked at Ksitigarbha in astonishment.

Ksitigarbha was implying that he should extort the Green Lotus Treasured Flag from Maitreya Buddha, a notion Jiang Liu instantly grasped.

But such a Supreme Treasure as the Green Lotus Treasured Flag, could it really be extorted so easily?

Considering that the Green Lotus Treasured Flag, like his Brocade Kasaya, was one of the Innate Five-Directional Flags...

With such a Supreme Treasure, how could he manage to extort it?

"Exactly!" Although Jiang Liu didn't finish his sentence, Ksitigarbha understood his meaning and nodded slightly in agreement.

"It is indeed a valuable treasure, but how should I plan?" Ksitigarbha, I beg for your guidance!"

Although Jiang Liu greatly coveted the Green Lotus Treasured Flag, how could he extort it from Maitreya Buddha's hands? Jiang Liu sincerely did not know how to proceed.

Hearing Jiang Liu's inquiry, a smile formed at the corners of Ksitigarbha's mouth.

Jiang Liu always felt an inexplicable unease whenever he saw that smile on Ksitigarbha.

"It is quite simple. You do not need to do the extortion yourself. Tathagata will take care of it for you!" Ksitigarbha said with a smile on his face to Jiang Liu.

"What? Tathagata will take care of it for me?" Hearing this, Jiang Liu was slightly startled.

Jiang Liu was aware of the competitive relationship between Tathagata and Maitreya Buddha.

One held the current reigns of the Buddhist Sect while the other was the future holder. Was there no competition between them? Jiang Liu did not believe it.

Therefore, it was not surprising to Jiang Liu that Tathagata would seize any opportunity to suppress Maitreya Buddha.

But out of the blue, how would Tathagata help him extort the treasure?

Jiang Liu found it somewhat unclear.

With these doubts, Jiang Liu noticed Ksitigarbha's mouth still bearing a disturbing smile, which made his heart skip a beat.

Wait, something was off with Ksitigarbha today. Ordinarily, he would resolutely refuse to meet him, but today he had a Novice Monk wait for him early?

"Bodhisattva..."

After a brief silence, Jiang Liu nervously spoke, "You suddenly take such interest in this matter. If your disciple really obtains the Green Lotus Treasured Flag, are you not going to share the spoils with your disciple?"

"No!" Ksitigarbha shook his head as he responded.

"Phew... I thought so. You are a person of great compassion, likely embracing the philosophy of emptiness. You wouldn't possibly share the spoils with your disciple!" Relieved by Ksitigarbha's firm response, Jiang Liu sighed inwardly.

"Because that Green Lotus Treasured Flag shall be mine!" However, before Jiang Liu could fully relax, Ksitigarbha added.

"What!?" Jiang Liu stared dumbfounded at him upon hearing the latter half of Ksitigarbha's sentence.

So, he was supposed to extort the Green Lotus Treasured Flag only to hand it over to Ksitigarbha?

No wonder Ksitigarbha was willing to meet him today, no wonder his smile seemed so off. So, this was the situation?

"Bodhisattva, isn't that a bit too harsh? You want to eat the meat yourself and not even leave me a sip of soup?" Jiang Liu asked Ksitigarbha, his face bearing a strange expression.

"Yes!"

Far from being ashamed, Ksitigarbha nodded straightforwardly, even proudly admitting it.

"This way, wouldn't your disciple be busy working for nothing, dressing up for your benefit? I cannot accept this!" Jiang Liu said, clearly discontented as he heard Ksitigarbha's candid admission.

"Are you wanting to settle accounts with me properly?"

Seeing Jiang Liu's reluctance, Ksitigarbha's expression became stern as he spoke, "Initially, when Tingdi took the Ninth Grade Merit Golden Lotus to find you, I lent you my Golden Lotus for so long; isn't it time to return it to me?"

"Ah, you really are petty, still bringing up the Golden Lotus after so long..." Jiang Liu said, feeling quite awkward and embarrassed upon hearing Ksitigarbha mention the Merit Golden Lotus.

Both of them were on the same side now, subtly united in their stance. Logically, the Merit Golden Lotus that he took from Ksitigarbha should indeed be returned, right?

"Alright, the Golden Lotus is quite a gain in exchange for a flag that wasn't even yours to begin with!" Seeing Jiang Liu's reluctance, Ksitigarbha waved his hand dismissively.

"Well, alright then, Bodhisattva, let's put the Golden Lotus matter to rest, and don't bring it up again in the future!" After a moment of internal debate, Jiang Liu nodded in agreement.

After all, Ksitigarbha and he truly were on the same side.

Being able to plan and obtain a Five-Direction Flag from Maitreya Buddha, which ended up in Ksitigarbha's hands, was indeed not a bad deal.

"So, Bodhisattva, how should we proceed exactly?" After pondering for a while, Jiang Liu asked Ksitigarbha.

"Come closer and listen!" Hearing Jiang Liu's question, Ksitigarbha smiled slightly and gestured with his hand.

Then, he whispered into Jiang Liu's ear.

...

Spirit Mountain, Great Thunder Monastery.

Tathagata sat quietly on his Lotus Platform, his eyes half-closed as if he were dozing off, but his spirit lingered in the Underworld.

"Strange, wasn't Xuanzang kicked out last time? Why would Ksitigarbha willingly meet him this time? Since when did their relationship become so close?"