Tathagata said, "Since the feather has arrived, its owner can naturally arrive too. If you stay, perhaps there will co a day when you et."
Tang Sanzang halted his steps imdiately, turned, and looked at Tathagata, "That makes sense... the problem is, if I stay, what about my disciples?"
Tathagata replied, "Those willing to stay can continue their spiritual practice with you. If they feel lonely, they can descend the mountain to wander the clouds. Everything depends on you, not on ."
Basically, Spirit Mountain was opening the door of convenience. Whether Zhu Ganglie and the others stayed or left was up to Tang Sanzang to decide.
Tang Sanzang turned to Sun Wukong, the Six-Eared Macaque, Sha Wujing, Zhu Ganglie, and others, "What do you all think?"
In that instant, Sun Wukong, the Six-Eared Macaque, Zhu Ganglie, and the White Dragon Horse all turned to look at Sha Wujing.
Sha Wujing said, "Brother disciples, why are you looking at ?"
The Six-Eared Macaque, while digging in his ear said, "Old Sha, just co out with it already; your stance is our stance."
Everyone nodded at the sa ti.
Throughout their journey, everyone had taken sides in various situations, sotis choosing wrongly, but Sha Wujing had never made the wrong choice.
So, although everyone longed for freedom, they were still waiting for Sha Wujing to make a choice.
Sha Wujing was speechless for a mont, then respectfully said to Tang Sanzang, "Master, however you arrange things, I will comply."
The others imdiately took a stand, "Sa for us!"
Tang Sanzang thought for a mont and said, "Well then..."
At this point, Tathagata spoke, "Tang Sanzang, their staying in Spirit Mountain is not very aningful. Aren’t you looking for the owner of this feather? Instead of you waiting here, why not let them go out and search?"
Tang Sanzang snapped his fingers, "Makes sense!"
Then Tang Sanzang said to his disciples, "Stop looking and disperse; go look for the person!"
Upon hearing this, the disciples were initially stunned; happiness had co too quickly!
However...
Thump!
Sha Wujing suddenly knelt on the ground, hugged Tang Sanzang’s thighs, and cried out, "Master, I don’t want to leave you; I can’t bear to part from you, Old Sha!"
Seeing this, the other disciples followed suit, so hugging legs and others wrapping waists.
To those in the know, it was about not wanting to part; to those unaware, it seed like these fellows were crying pitifully, all clinging to Tang Sanzang and wiping their noses.
Tang Sanzang rolled his eyes and said, "All of you scram, and hurry up and find the person! The first to find gets no reward, and those who don’t find anyone, I, as your master, will deliver a punch to each of you when I descend the mountain."
Whoosh!
In an instant, the disciples who were clinging to Tang Sanzang and sobbing irrepressibly were all suddenly gone without a trace.
The Buddhas present were at a loss for words...
This master was very crafty, making the disciples work with not only no reward, but also a punishnt;
These disciples were even craftier, with acting skills better than those preaching Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats, crying and sobbing on cue...
And running away just as quickly, without even a backward glance.
Everyone couldn’t help but exclaim once more, "Having this guy stay, is it a blessing or a curse?"
After settling his disciples, Tang Sanzang looked up at Tathagata, "Buddha, you want to stay and learn... ritual etiquette, who will teach ?"
Tathagata smiled and said, "Don’t worry..."
Then, the Buddha called out to the sky, "Disciples of Buddhism, assemble at Great Hero Treasure Hall imdiately!"
The voice was imnsely powerful, instantly spreading throughout the entire Spirit Mountain, even carrying far and wide, covering the five continents!
This was the power of a Subhuti, when a Subhuti speaks, the world listens!
Buddhist disciples scattered across five continents all stopped what they were doing and looked toward the west.
Sowhere, the Maitreya Buddha, with his belly full, set down the waterlon in his hands, chuckled as he glanced westward, and then...
"I’m getting old, my mory isn’t what it used to be. Did the Buddha just speak? Probably not... I’ll continue eating my waterlon."
Elsewhere, walking on a small boat across the river in the sky, Jie Yin Buddha pulled two cotton balls from his ears, "Did soone just speak?"
In an ancient temple deep in the mountains, a skinny old monk in a bright red kasaya slowly opened his eyes, illuminating the lamp beside him as he did so, and then...
"I’m not going!" The old Buddha dropped the sentence, closed his eyes again, and continued his ascetic practice.
In a cave paradise resembling a small world, a Buddha standing on a glass tower, observing the dicinal herbs carpeting the mountains below, wiped his sweat and said, "I still need to farm, I won’t be going."
...
So weren’t going, but many more were confused about what had happened that would cause the Buddha to summon everyone back to the mountain.
Instantly, countless beams of light shot up into the sky, heading straight for the Spirit Mountain Thunder Monastery!
So monks, knowing a little secret about the journey to the west yet understanding not much, wore anxious expressions.
"Couldn’t it be that legendary fake Tang Sanzang attacking Spirit Mountain?"
Your journey continues on .Côm
"Spirit Mountain can’t hold out anymore, are they gathering us to fight to the death?"
Thinking this, these monks quickly grabbed their tools and charged towards Spirit Mountain.
Seeing a group of monks, brimming with murderous intent, rushing toward Spirit Mountain.
Many idle monks were also startled but finally followed suit, piecing together their best guesses.
Suddenly, rumors that Tang Sanzang was about to break through Spirit Mountain and slaughter everyone, that the Buddha could no longer hold out, and that Buddhism was about to be extinguished spread among the monks throughout the Three Realms.
This caused widespread panic...
So, who were either not firmly devoted or had sought refuge in Buddhism, imdiately dropped their wooden fish and sprinted out the door, shouting, "I’m returning to secular life!"
So less ticulous small temples even saw the whole collective split up and scatter to the winds.
There was actually a small-scale disbandnt movent among the temples...
The Buddha himself couldn’t have dread that his simple call for a gathering would almost cause the demise of Buddhism...
After figuring this out, the Buddha’s forehead was lined with worry.
However, in Buddhism, it is all about fate. Those who left Buddhism, their destiny with Buddhism was just over. He didn’t mind and instead faced the Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and others with a serene smile.
The next mont, a group of monks burst into the Great Hero Treasure Hall, sweating profusely and carrying various Buddhist weapons, shouting, "Where’s Tang Sanzang? Stop harming our Buddha!"
"Buddha, we’ve co to protect Spirit Mountain!"
Suddenly, hundreds of people stord in, each brimming with a killing intent, shouting about slaying Tang Sanzang.
The Buddha himself hastened to say, "Wait..."
Before he could finish, he saw Tang Sanzang slowly turn around and curse, "A bunch of baldies, who are they calling bald? Take this!"
Boom!
With one punch, Fist Power exploded!
Those sitting in front of Tang Sanzang—Arhats, Bodhisattvas, Venerables, what not—seeing the situation turn dire, grabbed the cushions off the floor, picked up their belongings, and ran for their lives!
Boom...
No sooner had they fled than a loud bang followed, the whiplash leaving a stinging sensation on the scalp.
After the loud bang, the sounds of conflict ceased, and a breeze blew through, feeling rather chilly...
Looking back, they saw half of the Great Hero Treasure Hall was gone, and the several hundred monks who had charged in were also nowhere to be seen.
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