Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 773 - 772: Inviting Chen Nuo to Join the Journey to the West Team
Master Zhenyuan’s purpose in saying this was to provoke the Six-Eared Macaque. Although the macaque was not comparable to Sun Wukong of Chaos Residence, it was still a divine monkey that had awakened its divine sense autonomously. It wasn’t just any monkey that could be randomly captured in the mountains and achieve its current level of cultivation. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Chen Nuo had already heard the heart’s voice of the Six-Eared Macaque. He knew that the macaque had already begun to feel regret, but it still needed some time to decide. What was needed at this moment was a quiet environment, as other people’s words would only disrupt it.
Therefore, when Master Zhenyuan was about to speak, Chen Nuo stopped him.
"Great Master of the residence, why not give this monkey some time to ponder on its own?"
Master Zhenyuan felt that Chen Nuo made sense and thus said, "Bodhisattva Guanyin, Tang Sanzang, I think Mr. Chen is correct. We might as well go into the main hall and have some tea. Let the monkey reflect by itself; nobody persuade it, nobody provoke it. How about that?"
There really was no other choice at present, so Xuanzang and Bodhisattva Guanyin went into Master Zhenyuan’s main hall to sit, simply waiting for the Six-Eared Macaque to reflect on its own.
Bodhisattva Guanyin sat inside the house, watching Chen Nuo. The more she observed, the more she felt that this person understood the big picture. Whether it was his speech or actions, everything was quite reasonable. If he could follow Tang Monk to the Western Heaven on the Journey to the West, there would surely be fewer troubles along the way.
And following Tang Monk on the Journey to the West for Scriptures, he could also accumulate merit points, and perhaps even achieving Buddhahood in the future. What a good deal, a win-win situation. It just depended on whether this young man possessed that aspiration.
"This gentleman, are you a guest of Grand Immortal Zhenyuan?" Bodhisattva Guanyin asked indifferently.
Chen Nuo nodded, "Yes, I came to this mountain for a visit previously. By accident, I lost my way and ended up here, then I stayed for a few days. I was actually planning to leave, but then this incident happened, and I was delayed."
Upon hearing this, Xuanzang hurriedly apologized, "I’m sorry, Donor. It’s my fault for not disciplining my disciple properly."
"Not at all, not at all," Chen Nuo said with a smile. "The scenery here is beautiful. Even if I stay an extra day, it’s no loss to me."
Chen Nuo was speaking diplomatically. Such phrases could be considered the perfect speech etiquette no matter the person or the context. But Bodhisattva Guanyin took it seriously.
"From what you say, sir, do you enjoy roaming mountains and waters?"
"Yes, there’s so much to see in the outside world, such beautiful scenery. Every place I go, I meet different people and witness different things. Each experience is very unique, which is why I enjoy roaming around."
Perhaps because Chen Nuo spoke with some conviction, Bodhisattva Guanyin really believed that he enjoyed wandering through mountains and waters, which aligned even more with her thoughts.
Following Xuanzang on the Journey to the Western Heaven for Scriptures was another way of roaming mountains and waters. Encountering a few demons along the way could also be seen as an experience. This gentleman’s philosophy seemed to fit the path of following Tang Monk to the Western Heaven for Scriptures, and Bodhisattva Guanyin felt it was increasingly appropriate.
For some reason, the three people who were originally ready to become disciples of Xuanzang had all disappeared.
For the position of the monkey disciple, Six-Eared Macaque could be a potential candidate. As for the others, she truly couldn’t think of anyone. They were at an impasse, and Bodhisattva Guanyin even considered the Black Bear Demon who stole the kasaya. After all, he was also earnest in his pursuit of the Dharma, though he was indeed lacking in other aspects. Yet, he could be a barely acceptable disciple for Xuanzang.
Bodhisattva Guanyin had personally sought out the Black Bear Demon, originally thinking the demon would gratefully accept her offer. Yet, she unexpectedly faced refusal.
Not even in her wildest dreams did Bodhisattva Guanyin imagine that the Black Bear Demon would refuse to follow Tang Monk to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures and achieve Buddhahood, opting instead to rely on oneself, and even claimed that becoming a Buddha came with too many restrictions, preferring the life of a roaming immortal.
Well then, is Buddhism truly so inadequate? Now even a mere demon dares to look down upon Buddhism. Fortunately, Bodhisattva Guanyin was able to control her temper, not showing anger on the spot despite the rejection by such a lowly demon.
As a result, Tang Monk had reached Wu Zhuang Temple and had only taken on one disciple.
Although there was suspicion that the Curtain-lifting General, who had descended from heaven, and Little White Dragon had been taken away by Chaos Residence, even after a full day’s calculation by the three Buddhas, no trace of either could be detected; they seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Now that she had finally encountered such a discerning individual, Bodhisattva Guanyin was eager for him to join Tang Monk on the Journey to the West for Scriptures.
"Xuanzang is to journey to the Western Heaven for scriptures, passing through many places along the way. Would the gentleman care to join him?" Without any subtlety, nor even a prelude, Bodhisattva Guanyin cut straight to the point.
Chen Nuo paused; Bodhisattva Guanyin’s words had not been rehearsed in his mind, and he genuinely hadn’t expected her to be so direct.
Everyone present, aside from Bodhisattva Guanyin herself, was taken aback.
Master Zhenyuan looked at Bodhisattva Guanyin with a slight frown; what was this about? Could it be that Bodhisattva Guanyin had also perceived the vast potential of this mortal’s fate and came to inquire about his thoughts, knowing that he was destined for greatness?
No sooner had this thought arisen than he dismissed it. Master Zhenyuan considered that perhaps it was the sheer magnitude of the man’s fate that had caught Guanyin’s attention in the first place.
Chen Nuo looked at Master Zhenyuan in astonishment. Was being noticed by Guanyin considered a stroke of luck? His strong fate stemmed from being the shopkeeper of Chaos Residence, not something that would catch Guanyin’s eye.
But then again, on second thought, it would indeed be fortunate for an ordinary person to be noticed by Guanyin, so Master Zhenyuan’s line of thinking wasn’t mistaken.
"What do you mean by that, Bodhisattva Guanyin?" Chen Nuo started to play dumb. No way, he had just come to watch the excitement and now they were trying to drag him into it.
"This is the situation, my lord. Xuanzang is set to travel to the Western Heaven for scriptures. Having observed that you have exceptional appreciation and happen to enjoy traveling through mountains and waters, accompanying Xuanzang on the quest for scriptures will take you through many places. This would enable you to achieve your enjoyment of traveling while Xuanzang would benefit from your help – a win-win situation, don’t you think?" Bodhisattva Guanyin spoke with a smile, feeling quite benevolent for making such an offer. Being handpicked by Guanyin was a blessing that one could not find even in eight lifetimes.
Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Bodhisattva Guanyin, you may have some misconceptions about what it means to travel through mountains and waters."
The smile on Bodhisattva Guanyin’s face stiffened for a moment. Although it was not the first time being rejected, it was never pleasant to experience, so hearing the dismissive tone in Chen Nuo’s reply was still startling.
"The traveling through mountains and waters that I enjoy involves going to any place I like, staying to appreciate the scenery for a few days if I choose. It’s not about following this elder to the Western Heaven on a scripture-seeking journey, being rushed along the way, suffering from poor food, poor sleep, and no enjoyment."
Sure enough, the subsequent words from the gentleman were indeed those of rejection. Bodhisattva Guanyin truly hadn’t expected this person to refuse her. If the Black Bear Demon’s refusal was due to its desire to become an unfettered roaming immortal, then what about this mortal’s refusal? Could it be that he aspired to a life of freedom?
