Chapter 36 - Persuading Laojun
Chapter 36: Persuading Laojun
No sooner had Qin Chuan finished speaking than the doors of the Palace of Douluo gently opened.
A small head peeked out, asking, “Which one’s the sneaky kid?”
Qin Chuan’s face darkened as he looked speechlessly at the two little boys dressed in gold and silver Taoist robes standing before him.
No wonder they were Taishang Laojun’s fire-fanning attendants—each had already reached the pinnacle of True Immortal cultivation. Descending to the mortal realm, they could easily become local demon kings. Give them another five hundred years, and attaining Golden Immortal status was certain.
But their intelligence seemed… questionable. No wonder they were so miserably outwitted by the Monkey King later on.
Qin Chuan followed the two boys into the alchemy chamber and respectfully bowed, saying, “Junior pays respects to the Supreme Pure Saint!”
Taishang Laojun glanced at Qin Chuan and smiled, saying, “Don’t talk nonsense. The Supreme Pure Saint resides beyond the thirty-three heavens in the Eight Views Palace. I am but an old alchemist of the Heavenly Court.”
Qin Chuan exhaled slightly in relief. At least his stereotype about this figure wasn’t wrong.
“Well then, with your permission, I shall call you Laojun!” Qin Chuan bowed again and glanced at the Eight Trigram Furnace. One year in the mortal world equaled one day in heaven; the Monkey King had already been inside the furnace for ten days.
Laojun paused for a moment, then laughed: “You sneaky kid sure know how to climb up the ranks quickly. So, since the Jade Emperor hasn’t punished you, do you think I wouldn’t toss you into this furnace to keep the Monkey King company?”
Qin Chuan scratched his head awkwardly and smiled, “Laojun, you must be joking. Everyone in the Three Realms knows that stealing peaches and pills is the Monkey King’s doing!”
“Ha—tsk.”
Inside the Eight Trigram Furnace, the Monkey King was enjoying the coolness brought by the heart leaf when he suddenly sneezed.
Taishang Laojun didn’t dwell on that and looked at Qin Chuan softly: “Speak. What brings you here?”
Qin Chuan’s expression turned serious as he bowed deeply, “May I ask Laojun, by placing Wukong inside this Eight Trigram Furnace, is it meant to damage his foundational root?”
“Fire eyes and golden pupils? Bah!”
Laojun slightly opened his eyes. Qin Chuan felt the air in the alchemy chamber thicken; even as a Taiyi Golden Immortal, he found breathing difficult.
“Did your master send you to ask?”
Laojun stared at Qin Chuan, his face expressionless.
Qin Chuan shook his head and struggled to meet Laojun’s gaze: “I’m asking on my own accord. I imagine my master and Laojun have some prior understanding?”
Laojun was silent for a moment, then said, “I’ve made a huge favor to ensure your master won’t interfere in this matter. And I promised him that I would not harm the Monkey King’s life.”
Qin Chuan pondered, then boldly asked, “May I dare to ask why it’s necessary to place Wukong…”
This time, Laojun didn’t directly answer Qin Chuan’s question. Instead, he smiled and said, “Don’t underestimate him just because you’ve mastered the True Form of the Ancestral Witch and refined the Solar True Fire.”
“This Monkey King’s origins are extraordinary. Without restrictions, his future achievements would be far from ordinary!”
“Fate has decreed a great rise of Buddhism. I can allow Buddhism to gain one more Great Luo Golden Immortal, but…”
Taishang Laojun spoke, then seemed to recall something. He looked toward the Eight Trigram Furnace and fell silent.
“But… I cannot allow Buddhism to gain another Buddha like the Tathagata!”
Qin Chuan looked at Taishang Laojun and continued his words.
Taishang Laojun furrowed his brow and looked at Qin Chuan. “You actually know this, so why do you still come?”
Qin Chuan said, “I still don’t understand why it’s necessary to damage Wukong’s root foundation.”
Taishang Laojun smiled: “I know what you mean, but I have failed once before, so I’m not optimistic about it.”
“Do you think this Monkey King is better than Duobao back then?”
Qin Chuan was silent. He understood what Laojun meant. After the Investiture of the Gods catastrophe, the rise of the Western Sect was decreed by fate.
Duobao Daoist, the chief disciple of the Tongtian Sect leader, became a Buddhist by converting the Hu people and founded Buddhism, dividing the fate of the Western Sect.
Unexpectedly, the two Western saints tricked the West and Buddhism into a complete fusion. Duobao Daoist, now the Tathagata Buddha, became the third generation leader.
Since then, Buddhism’s fortune rose greatly, nearly surpassing the Daoist sect.
In all of this, Qin Chuan could guess with his toes that the key was Duobao Daoist himself.
Even if the Western Sect and Buddhism merged, if Duobao Daoist, after becoming the third Buddhist leader, were to break away and return to the Daoist path, then despite the rise of the Western Sect, it would be hard to threaten Daoism’s position.
Taishang Laojun’s strategy of striking at the root was very wise.
But now, where is Duobao Daoist in the Three Realms?
Only Shakyamuni Buddha, seated high on the lotus throne at the Great Thunder Sound Temple in the Western Pure Land!
Taishang Laojun continued, “Duobao back then was far superior to this Monkey King—in cultivation, magical power, and heart for the Dao. Do you think after the end of the Journey to the West calamity, he’d still be your junior brother or the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?”
“Even I must admit, those Buddhists… really have something special!”
Qin Chuan was silent for a long while. Indeed, he did not dare to guarantee otherwise. According to legends from his past life, the Monkey King might eventually follow Duobao Daoist’s path.
Rather than letting Buddhism gain another Tathagata Buddha, it’s better to damage his root foundation. That way, after the Journey to the West ends, the Monkey King would at most be an ordinary Great Luo Golden Immortal.
If Buddhism produced another Tathagata Buddha—such a strong figure who could suppress a whole sect’s fate—it would be a huge blow to Daoism.
Qin Chuan instinctively glanced at the nearby Eight Trigram Furnace and seemed to see the carefree Monkey King inside, fast asleep thanks to the power of the heart leaf.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Chuan clasped his fists and bowed deeply to Taishang Laojun: “Laojun! Please show mercy to my junior brother Wukong!”
Taishang Laojun looked calmly at Qin Chuan: “I believe I have made myself very clear.”
Qin Chuan raised his head, his expression extremely serious, and spoke word by word to Taishang Laojun said, “If Wukong truly betrays in the future, I will personally settle the score!”
Taishang Laojun quietly observed Qin Chuan, then suddenly sighed, “I’m afraid by then it will be too late. The Six Saints are banned from the Heaven beyond heaven; all Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortals cannot enter the Three Realms.”
“Even I might not be able to defeat Duobao… do you understand?”
Qin Chuan said nothing more, but a boundless light flashed briefly between his brows!
Taishang Laojun opened his mouth, showing a rare look of astonishment.
After a moment, he said, “What do you intend to do?”
Qin Chuan smiled slightly: “I want to do what you did back then!”
Taishang Laojun glanced at the fiercely burning Eight Trigram Furnace, as if weighing something carefully.
Finally, he looked back at Qin Chuan: “Then give it a try!”
“Thank you, Laojun!”
…