Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 774 - 773: The System Makes Chen Nuo Agree

How many years can a person live? No need for a hundred years; just fifty years and he can no longer walk. But being an Immortal or a Buddha is completely different.

If you become an Immortal or a Buddha, you can live forever. If you want to live even longer, you need to diligently cultivate. After all, Buddhism is the master of this world. Has this mortal’s mind been flooded with water? To forsake eternity for a mere few years of worldly pleasures as a mortal is absurd.

"Mr. Chen, if you follow the Tang Monk on his Journey to the West for Scriptures, it will be fraught with danger. Yet, you stand to gain much from it. Not only that, the merits you accumulate will not only increase your lifespan but also boost your mana. In the future, you can go anywhere you wish. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to play with anything in this world you fancy?" Guanyin slowly tried to convey how beneficial it would be if he agreed to her proposal.

It was indeed tempting, but if he were not Chen Nuo, but instead a common mortal in this world, he might have been persuaded by the Bodhisattva Guanyin’s words to follow the Tang Monk to the Western Heaven for Scriptures. On his return, he could gain mana and even things he never dared dream of before.

But Guanyin had approached the wrong person. He was Chen Nuo—such trivial benefits did not matter to him. "Sorry, Bodhisattva, but I still feel what you offer is different from what I seek."

If Master Zhenyuan had previously admired Chen Nuo and even considered befriending him, now he was somewhat in awe.

He never imagined that this mere mortal would be so unbending. Not only did he face the Bodhisattva Guanyin without groveling or arrogance, but he also directly refused her well-meant advice. Even some immortals might not dare to be so forthright.

"Mr. Chen, I think you really should reconsider this matter."

Guanyin thought that he refused because the terms had not been made clear enough before, so she reiterated the conditions more explicitly.

"This Journey to the West is very important for Buddhism and the Heavenly Realm. If you can assist in this journey, your merit points will be boundless in the future. I hope you will give this serious thought," Guanyin said, giving Master Zhenyuan a meaningful look as she spoke. After all, Master Zhenyuan had made a deal for those merit points and thus needed to persuade this mortal.

Master Zhenyuan coughed. He had just been a spectator munching on melons and had not expected to become involved.

But since they had signaled him, it would be inappropriate for him not to respond.

So he said to Chen Nuo, "Right, Mr. Chen, although I do not know what you seek, I think there is sense in what Bodhisattva Guanyin says. Wouldn’t it be better to have more things to do when you achieve Buddhahood or become an immortal?"

"What’s good about that?" Chen Nuo shrugged. "I think that if I have more things I can do, I would actually lose many joys. If I could ride the clouds, I’d have no time to enjoy the scenery along the way to my destination. Wouldn’t that diminish the fun? And if I could use spells, wouldn’t I also lose the pleasure of doing things with my own hands when I wish to accomplish something?"

Master Zhenyuan was left speechless by Chen Nuo’s words. He had not anticipated that one day, a mortal would move him with such a perspective. Indeed, the more one gets, the more one stands to lose.

Having nothing to do every day is truly dull, especially for someone of his caliber, who had almost reached the limits of his cultivation with little room for improvement.

As for other tasks that could easily be done using hands, indeed, no one wanted to do them one by one themselves.

Bodhisattva Guanyin did not share such thoughts; after the commencement of the Journey to the West, it seemed the setbacks he faced increased.

Not only were there more setbacks, but with so many things to deal with daily, he no longer had the time to ponder life. So, he didn’t understand the mortal’s perspective at all—not only did he not understand, but he also found such thinking rather foolish.

"Mr. Chen, I’ll take your words as just an excuse you’ve contrived to reject me," Bodhisattva Guanyin said. "I really think you should reconsider carefully."

In such high-level conversations, Xuanzang dared not interject. He simply listened quietly to the exchange between Bodhisattva Guanyin and Master Zhenyuan.

He had heard Chen Nuo’s statement and admired him; this man showed such open-mindedness, even more so than him, an ascetic.

No wonder Bodhisattva Guanyin wanted to bring such a person into Buddhism. If were up to him, he would also opt for such talents.

Master Zhenyuan also felt it would be quite a good opportunity if Chen Nuo could attract Guanyin’s attention and then accompany them on the Journey to the West for Scriptures.

Although he looked down upon such matters, Mr. Chen was different. He was a thorough mortal; he should not only think of the present but also consider his future.

"Mr. Chen, I think what Bodhisattva Guanyin says is indeed good. Won’t you reconsider?"

There was nothing to consider. Chen Nuo, without a second thought, was about to refuse when the System suddenly spoke up.

"Host, I suggest you accept the offer." As Chen Nuo was about to verbally refuse, he suddenly closed his mouth and inquired internally, "Why? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, host, you need to collect ten Magic Artifacts. You’ve already gathered two and redeemed one; there are seven left. Considering your eagerness to open a dessert shop, accompanying Xuanzang might speed up the acquisition of Magical Treasures," the System explained. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Chen Nuo scoffed. Why should he follow Xuanzang openly? Even in secret, he was capable of gathering the artifacts. Being in the open would mean having to tread carefully, which he found uncomfortable.

"Host, after exiting here, you will encounter demons such as the White Bone Essence, Kuimu Wolf, Golden Horn King, and Silver Horned King. The Kuimu Wolf possesses the Exquisite Inner Alchemy, equivalent to two Magic Artifacts, and the Golden Horn King has five Magic Artifacts," the System continued.

Initially, Chen Nuo was disdainful; at most, there would be one artifact per demon, and some might not even have any.

Following Xuanzang would mean a long and tiresome journey with no benefits. The rewards from Buddhism were useless to him—what good were a few merit points, doing nothing to improve his situation, akin to a pauper.