"So, I'd like to discuss with you—how about letting me keep this magical item for myself?" Tripitaka openly voiced his intent, looking at Monkey King with anticipation.
"???" Monkey King was baffled.
So proactive?
Did that mean the elaborate excuses he'd prepared were now useless? Or was this "Band-tightening Spell" really a defensive treasure?
Monkey King started to doubt himself, almost tempted to try it on just to see. But, as long as he was in his right mind, he would never put that thing on. Just one "Amitabha" and he'd be writhing in unbearable agony.
Seeing Monkey King's silence, Tripitaka assumed he was reluctant to give up the treasure. To ensure his own safety in the future, he decided to continue persuading him.
Truth be told, Tripitaka could have kept it quietly without informing Monkey King. But years of practicing Buddhism had instilled a certain integrity, and he didn't want to appear completely shameless. Besides, since Bodhisattva Guanyin had instructed him to pass it on to Monkey King, he felt it necessary to put up a semblance of a show.
"Listen, Wukong, I'm merely a mortal. Without a magical treasure or two for protection, any random monster on the road might harm me. That would certainly delay the great task of retrieving the scriptures!" Tripitaka argued earnestly.
Monkey King rolled his eyes. Out of all the monsters in their journey, how many actually wanted to eat at Tripitaka's flesh? Most of them just captured him, gave him a bath, maybe even a steam treatment, and then let him go. He'd come out no worse for wear and continue happily along his way.
Tripitaka, however, knew nothing of this. He was genuinely aware that the journey to the West was fraught with monsters and demons. For the sake of his life, it was only wise to secure some protection.
Also, since that taste of meat the previous night, Tripitaka's once-devout heart had started to waver. Perhaps being a monk wasn't as grand as it seemed!
"Master, it's no trouble at all. If you want this treasure, then by all means, keep it," Monkey King said, concealing his amusement. Though his well-thought-out arguments were rendered unnecessary, the outcome was still in his favor.
"Good!" Tripitaka said contentedly. "Wukong, you really are considerate of your master!"
Tripitaka carefully held the Band-tightening Spellwith both hands, raising it high as if he intended to personally place it on Monkey King's head. With Monkey King crouching beside him, it really did appear as though he was going to ceremoniously crown him.
At least, that's what the the Five Noble Truths (Buddhism) watching from above thought!
"This monkey, finally on his way to becoming a loyal servant of the Tathagata!" Golden-Headed Guardian Deity smiled, reassured. Once Monkey King donned the Band-tightening Spell, they'd no longer need to supervise him.
They'd been away from Mount Sumeru for five hundred years; it was long enough!
"He's just a demon monkey. Why does the Tathagata care so much about him?" Silver-Headed Guardian Deity asked, puzzled.
"Ah, you lack understanding," Mahagati Devaraja said smugly. "This demon monkey is the five-colored stone left by Goddess Nuwa after repairing the sky. He bears the merit of mending heaven!"
"On top of that, he's one of the Four Innate Spirit Monkeys, blessed with great fortune. If he serves our Buddhist order, then—"
"Mind your words!" Golden-Headed Guardian Deity interrupted, cutting him off abruptly. Discussing such matters risked revealing the grand schemes of the Buddhist order.
"Amitabha, forgive me," Mahagati Devaraja mumbled, realizing his error.
"Ahhh—"
Suddenly, Tripitaka's scream echoed below.
"Bodhisattva Guanyin, you set me up! Ahhh—"
The the Five Noble Truths (Buddhism) quickly looked down and saw Tripitaka rolling on the ground, clutching his head with the Band-tightening Spellon it.
The Devarajas stared in bewilderment, completely at a loss. the Band-tightening Spellthat should have been on Monkey King's head was now on Tripitaka's.
"Amitabha, speedily—uh!" Golden-Headed Guardian Deity's face froze.
"Boom!"
Tripitaka's head was crushed under the tightening fillet, and he fell to the ground, lifeless.
Both Golden-Headed Guardian Deity and Mahagati wore grim expressions. At the moment of Tripitaka's death, karmic forces began to entangle them.
This was a serious problem.
"Mahagati, come with me to Mount Sumeru. The rest of you stay here!" Golden-Headed Guardian Deity commanded, his face darkened, as he and Mahagati Devaraja swiftly departed. The remaining three exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to do next.
Mount Sumeru, Great Thunderclap Temple.
Not long after returning from the Western Paradise, the Tathagata's face darkened once more.
Tripitaka was dead… again?!
And this time, it had caused quite the uproar. The entirety of Mount Sumeru was in chaos.
"Amitabha" was commonly recited within the Buddhist order, practically every conversation included it.
With Tripitaka dead, anyone who had recently uttered "Amitabha" now found themselves tainted with karmic retribution, leaving the bewildered Tathagatas uncertain of what had transpired.
Even the Western Paradise's Jieyin Daoist, upon learning of the incident, turned pale.
He once roamed the world of the Great Desolation in the guise of Amitabha, and now, with Tripitaka designated as the Buddhist scripture-seeker, his death tied this event directly to Jieyin Daoist.
As a result, all monks and disciples who had indirectly caused Tripitaka's demise were linked by karma, with a heavy portion of it converging upon Jieyin Daoist himself.
"Ugh!" Jieyin Daoist spat out a mouthful of golden blood as his aura weakened his cultivation slipping by an entire level.
"Who dares to plot against the Buddhist order?" Jieyin Daoist's voice trembled with rage; his killing intent almost tangible.
Beside him, Zhunti Daoist frantically attempted divination, tracing the source of the calamity back to the Band-tightening Spell now resting upon Tripitaka's head!
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