Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Early in the morning, the King of Mingji Nation had arrived at the Great Luo Temple? Jiang Liu's heart was secretly surprised; it couldn't be for him, could it?

If it really were for him, wouldn't that be placing too much importance on him?

Although surprised in his heart, Jiang Liu's movements were swift. After getting up and washing up, he quickly took Sun Wukong and the others to the main hall of the Great Luo Temple, where they met the King of Mingji Nation.

Dressed in a bright yellow royal robe, the King of Mingji Nation appeared to be a middle-aged man in his forties, who at that moment was conversing with Master Puhui.

When Jiang Liu and his party walked in, naturally, the King's gaze fell on Jiang Liu, sizing him up carefully.

"This must be the Holy Monk from the Great Tang, right? Truly young and promising indeed!" The King's gaze rested on Jiang Liu and after sizing him up for a moment, he said.

"Your Majesty, I have seen you!" Jiang Liu bowed respectfully and humbly said.

"Holy Monk, there is no need for such formalities!" the King said, seeing Jiang Liu bow to him.

At that point, he paused slightly and then continued, "Master Xuanzang, the journey to the Western Heaven must be tough, must it not? The Emperor of Tang and all the people of the Heavenly Empire are also waiting for the Holy Monk's scriptures, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Liu felt that the King of Mingji Nation's words seemed a bit off, but he didn't give it further thought and nodded slightly.

"In that case, although I would like to keep the Holy Monk here for a few more days, I cannot, for my own selfish desires, disregard the common people of the world. I hope that Holy Monk Xuanzang will set off for the West at an early date!"

Nodding his head, the King of Mingji Nation had an air of helplessness mixed with a sense of righteousness as he spoke.

Jiang Liu's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

No matter how nicely the King of Mingji Nation spoke, Jiang Liu could clearly sense the underlying meaning of his words.

Clearly, he was trying to hasten his departure, right?

"Amitabha, this poor monk naturally keeps the Tripitaka of the Western Heaven in mind, but, I will need to go to the Royal Palace another day to exchange for a Travel Permit Plaque with His Majesty…" Jiang Liu thought to himself quietly for a moment, but outwardly, he remained composed and respectfully spoke.

"Holy Monk, it's quite a coincidence…"

However, following Jiang Liu's comment, the King of Mingji Nation said, "Today, when I left the palace, I happened to bring the Imperial Seal with me. Today, right here in the Great Luo Temple, I can help the Holy Monk exchange for the Travel Permit Plaque!"

That sealed it!

If Jiang Liu had previously only harbored some doubts, upon hearing these words, he was now completely certain.

Indeed, the King of Mingji Nation was giving him an eviction order!

Jiang Liu's face became somewhat somber!

And to think he had just considered the early visit from the King of Mingji Nation as a sign of his importance.

Who would have thought that it was actually an attempt to rush him away?

Why was the King so eager to send him away without any reason, especially since this was their first meeting?

This question puzzled Jiang Liu, who could not find an answer in his thoughts!

Moreover, as he pondered inwardly, Jiang Liu's gaze swept inconspicuously over Master Puhui beside him.

Well then, the King had made his intentions so obvious, yet Master Puhui showed no sign of surprise on his face, not even speaking a word.

Clearly, Master Puhui had been aware of the King's intention to send him away beforehand!

"This Puhui, there's something about him…"

Jiang Liu thought of how Puhui had been very enthusiastic towards him yesterday, yet today he had secretly colluded with the King of Mingji Nation to send him away, kindling some anger in him.

Could it be that he was angered because of the twelve Scar of Precepts which had overshadowed Daoji yesterday?

Tip: Mission "Investigate the Truth" triggered, requiring an investigation into the reasons why Puhui and the King are driving you away. Successful completion of the mission will reward 50 million Experience Points and one Legendary Level Treasure Chest.

As Jiang Liu was flooded with thoughts, suddenly, the system prompt sounded.

A mission with only rewards and no punishment indicated that it had been triggered actively.

It confirmed Jiang Liu's own suspicions, which was why this active mission was triggered.

Since it was an active mission, naturally, Jiang Liu did not need to choose whether to accept or reject it.

Glancing at the mission, Jiang Liu immediately turned his attention back to the King and Master Puhui, his mind racing as he pondered what excuses he could find to stay.

His mind whirled, and Jiang Liu quickly thought of an excuse, his gaze settling on Master Puhui.

"Amitabha, I have once said that on our Journey to the West, upon encountering a temple, we must burn incense in homage to Buddha and sweep the pagodas to express our devotion to Buddha. Yesterday, I did nothing but burn incense and worship, and now, I must sweep the Great Luo Temple as well!"

"You want to sweep the Great Luo Temple!?" Hearing Jiang Liu's words, Master Puhui's face showed a subtle change.

Though the Great Luo Temple was not as grand as the Great Buddha Temple, it was still the top temple in the Mingji Nation and naturally, not small.

If he were to sweep it, how long would that take?

"Holy Monk Xuanzang, originally it would have been our honor to have you help sweep the Great Luo Temple, but we have just cleaned it a few days ago, so there is no need for another cleaning! The fact that you have this intention is enough, and I believe that none of the Arhats would fault you for it!"

Master Puhui shook his head, clearly refusing Jiang Liu's proposition.

"Wukong, it's up to you now..." As Master Puhui politely declined, Jiang Liu sent a message to Sun Wukong through the Social System.

"Hey!"

Receiving instructions from Jiang Liu, Sun Wukong leaped out angrily, shouting, "How dare you, Monk! My master wishes to burn incense and sweep the temples as part of his cultivation, yet you dare to refuse? Are you trying to block my master's path to cultivation!?"

"Exactly, exactly!" While he often enjoyed bantering at ordinary times, Zhu Bajie knew the seriousness of the situation. Following Sun Wukong's outburst, Zhu Bajie also nodded with a displeased expression, "As the saying goes, blocking someone's cultivation is akin to killing their parents! What are your true intentions!?"

As they spoke, Sun Wukong's Jingu Bang and Zhu Bajie's Nine-Toothed Rake were already shining brightly, ready for a fight at a word's notice.

Sun Wukong was a bit better off since he was just a short and skinny monkey.

However, the sight of Zhu Bajie was quite frightening—a big man holding a large Nine-Toothed Rake that looked incredibly vicious.

Startled, Master Puhui and the King of Mingji Nation looked on with fearful eyes and did not dare to speak for a while.

"Wukong, Bajie, do not behave so recklessly!" As Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie raised their voices, Jiang Liu's expression darkened in feigned anger.

While speaking, he bowed sincerely to Master Puhui and the King, "These two disciples of mine are by nature unruly. I hope Your Majesty and Master will not take offense at their behavior!"

"Not at all, not at all..." With a somewhat dry shake of the head, Master Puhui and the King responded.

What could they do? As both the ruler of a country and the abbot in charge of the entire Great Luo Temple, they were not fools and could see that Sun Wukong and Jiang Liu were putting on a charade.

Yet, they dared not offend the Holy Monk Xuanzang with his twelve Scar of Precepts for no good reason.

"Since the Holy Monk has such a heart for cultivation, I will not stand in your way..." After a long silence, Master Puhui said somewhat helplessly to Jiang Liu.

He had orders from the Tiger Conquering Arhat to send Jiang Liu away quickly, but it was clear that Jiang Liu was unwilling to leave. What could he possibly do about it? Would he really attack someone to drive them away?

"Amitabha, in that case, thank you for your kindness, Master..." As Master Puhui agreed, Jiang Liu continued to express his gratitude with a polite and humble demeanor.

"It seems that this was not the King's idea after all, but Puhui's," Jiang Liu murmured to himself after seeing that it was Master Puhui who finally agreed to let him stay, while the King at his side did not add anything further, clearly indicating that the decision was up to Master Puhui.

As Master Puhui gave his consent, the atmosphere relaxed considerably. Jiang Liu started to probe slyly, trying to find out why there was such haste to send him away.

However, Master Puhui still showed great respect for him, with no hint of the reason emerging, leaving Jiang Liu to wonder if he was just very well hidden.

Eventually, His Majesty the King really took out the Imperial Seal, stamped it on Jiang Liu's Travel Permit Plaque, and without further ado, rose to his feet, arranged the procession, and left the Great Luo Temple for the Royal Palace.

And Jiang Liu? Naturally, he stayed behind in the Great Luo Temple and began to sweep it slowly.

It was not easy to find out from Master Puhui why he was so eager to send him away, despite his indirect probing.

Jiang Liu was in no hurry to leave, and stayed in the Great Luo Temple openly and legitimately.

From time to time, he even offered tips to Daoji on questions about cultivation.

Even though he had lost all knowledge of the Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound after a reset, Jiang Liu was now at the Heavenly Immortal Realm in terms of Cultivation Level, so offering guidance to Daoji on cultivation was a trivial matter for him.

...

"What's happening? Have Xuanzang and his group departed yet?" That night, the Tiger Conquering Arhat manifested once again and asked Master Puhui.

"To report to Lord Arhat..."

Shaking his head, Master Puhui looked troubled as he replied, "I made my reluctance very clear, and even His Majesty has already switched the Travel Permit Plaque, but Master Xuanzang refuses to leave!"

"He refuses to leave? Indeed, could he be planning to make a move on Dragon Subduing? It seems I must come up with a plan of my own!"