Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything-Chapter 692: Counterattack Maitreya?
If it were to happen that someone's golden body was stolen, and that someone was Sun Wukong, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see such a reaction from him.
But now, Zhu Bajie is actually clamoring to seek justice from Maitreya Buddha? It seems, this matter is hard for Zhu Bajie to accept, isn't it?
"Wait, Bajie, don't go!" Watching Zhu Bajie about to seek out Maitreya Buddha, Jiang Liu was secretly astonished, but still spoke up and called out to Zhu Bajie, stopping him.
"Don't go? Master? Why? Maitreya Buddha has stolen Old Pig's golden body, and now the proof and evidence are all here!"
Hearing Jiang Liu's words, although Zhu Bajie halted his steps, his face was still filled with indignation, and he shouted loudly.
A stolen golden body—if it were a demon creature, that would be one thing, but Maitreya Buddha? I really need to have a word with him. As one of the Three-World Buddha, does Maitreya not feel shame for doing such things?
"No, these so-called proofs and evidence don't count for anything!" Seeing Zhu Bajie appearing to be blinded by rage, Jiang Liu spoke up.
"They don't count for anything?" Zhu Bajie looked at Jiang Liu perplexedly, utterly confused.
Now, haven't I got all the proof and evidence I need? Why does my master say it counts for nothing?
"Bajie, if you were to meet with Maitreya Buddha, how would you question him?" Jiang Liu sighed helplessly and then asked Zhu Bajie.
"How to ask? Naturally, I'll ask him why he stole Old Pig's golden body!" Zhu Bajie replied with a befuddled expression, unable to comprehend Jiang Liu's point.
"And what if Maitreya Buddha asks how you came to know about it?" Jiang Liu countered.
"I'll just say the Soul Demon told me!" Zhu Bajie replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"So, what if Maitreya Buddha flatly denies it?" Jiang Liu followed with another question.
"Uh, this..." Zhu Bajie was at a loss for words.
Yes, if Maitreya Buddha denies it, then what? I haven't thought that through.
"Do you think, if Maitreya Buddha denies it, people are going to believe him, or are they going to believe a demon creature? Especially a demon imprisoned in an underground jail by Maitreya himself?" Jiang Liu pressed further as Zhu Bajie became speechless.
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"Well, naturally people would find Maitreya Buddha to be more trustworthy!" Though Zhu Bajie was reluctant to admit it, he understood the logic and said so with some resignation.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie appeared unconvinced and then said, "But Master, Maitreya Buddha is still one of the Three-World Buddha. Is he really so irresponsible? Does he dare to commit acts he cannot own up to?"
"People of the Buddhist Sect can be calculating, even ruthlessly so against their own people. Do you think Maitreya Buddha would risk trouble just for the sake of responsibility?" Jiang Liu countered, seeing Zhu Bajie's disapproval.
"Heh heh, well said, Master. I, Old Sun, agree. If it weren't for Tathagata's deception, how could I, Old Sun, have been so easily suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain? None of these balding monks from the Buddhist Sect is up to any good!" Sun Wukong couldn't help but chime in approvingly, as Jiang Liu's words seemed to resonate with him.
"Second Brother, Master and Big Brother are right!" Sha Wujing spoke up at that moment, expressing his agreement.
"Second Brother, Master and First Brother and Third Brother are right!" Little White Dragon also moved closer to add his opinion.
Zhu Bajie: "..."
The rage within him blazed fiercely, and at that moment, the aura surrounding Zhu Bajie started to surge uncontrollably.
Yet, he had to admit that what his master said made sense. If he truly sought out Maitreya Buddha now, the outcome would indeed be very unfavorable for him. If Maitreya merely denied everything, he would be completely helpless against him.
"Moreover..." At the same time, Jiang Liu continued, "Even if Maitreya Buddha didn't flatly deny it, what if he claimed it was a fortuitous coincidence where he happened upon the evil demon that stole your golden body?"
"Maitreya Buddha effortlessly dealt with the evil demon, and the golden body was left behind, but before he could return it to you, it was stolen by the Soul Demon! Then, how could you prove Maitreya Buddha's words to be false?"
This hypothesis left Zhu Bajie even more speechless. After a long silence, he finally said, somewhat begrudgingly, "Master, does this mean we just let it go? After Maitreya Buddha has stolen Old Pig's golden body, do we simply drop the matter and pretend to know nothing?"
"Of course not!" Hearing Zhu Bajie's words, Jiang Liu shook his head and said, "There's a saying, 'The best steel must be used for the edge of the blade.' Regardless, this incident will be a stain on Maitreya Buddha's reputation. If we create a fuss about it now, it won't be effective, and we will also lose a strong card from our hand."
Pausing briefly, Jiang Liu then continued, "We should let this matter rest for now. Later on, we'll find the right opportunity to reveal this incident at the most critical moment to inflict the greatest damage on Maitreya Buddha—this shall be our revenge."
Hearing what Jiang Liu said, these words left Zhu Bajie's face hesitating for a long while before he finally nodded helplessly and said, "Alright, Master, let's do as you say!"
Upon saying this, Zhu Bajie's expression turned serious as he stared at Jiang Liu and said, "Master, then I'll have to trouble you to meticulously plan this matter. Old Pig can only rely on you now!"
Hint: Triggered the quest "Revenge." The quest requires successful revenge on Maitreya Buddha for the theft of Zhu Bajie's golden body. Successful completion of the quest awards 4 billion Experience Points and an Epic Level Treasure Chest*1. Failure of the quest results in the deduction of 4 billion Experience Points. Accept/Reject?
As Zhu Bajie finished speaking, a system notification sounded in Jiang Liu's mind.
This was a passive quest triggered because Zhu Bajie had sought his help; naturally, it also triggered a passive quest.
"A passive quest of Epic level? 4 billion Experience Points, indeed not a small amount!" Jiang Liu glanced at the reward for the quest and nodded in satisfaction.
With these 4 billion Experience Points, his advancement to level 71 would make a great leap forward.
Once he reached level 71, he would truly step into the ranks of Taiyi True Immortals.
"Nearly half of the Journey to the West has been covered already, so now I'm not just plainly dealing with the trials set by the Buddha Bodhisattvas; in fact, I have started to counter-attack, haven't I?" After accepting Zhu Bajie's passive quest, Jiang Liu muttered to himself.
Was he supposed to calculate against Maitreya Buddha? Was this like sounding his own charge against the Buddhist Sect?
Maitreya Buddha, being one of the Three-World Buddhas, might fall short slightly in temperament but was still an existence at the Quasi-Saint Level. Planning against him was not an easy task.
This matter required some serious consideration.
...
Not to mention Jiang Liu, who was already considering how to plan against the Maitreya Buddha for revenge, on the other side, the Mysterious Bird's wings were flapping continuously as it flew swiftly through the sky.
However, while flying midair, the Mysterious Bird suddenly seemed to notice something, its form pausing before transforming back into the Taoist Body.
Suspended in midair, with a pair of slender, solemn eyes, she called out in a delicate voice, "Who's there? Come out!"
"Hehehe, not bad, not bad at all, little sister Mysterious Bird, your Cultivation Level has improved even further since back then!" As the Mysterious Bird spoke, a dignified voice rang out in midair, and soon after, an elderly woman emerged from the void.
"Is that you? Senior Sister!?" Seeing the elderly woman who had emerged, Mysterious Bird's expression changed slightly, still looking at her warily and asked, "Senior Sister, why are you blocking my way?"
"It's nothing serious, just a bit curious. Little sister, you've been in seclusion for all these years, why have you suddenly shown up?" The elderly woman looked at Mysterious Bird with a calm gaze.
"My coming out of seclusion has nothing to do with you!" Yet, under the elderly woman's stare, Mysterious Bird remained on high alert.
The elderly woman, floating in midair, remained motionless and calm as she watched Mysterious Bird.
Mysterious Bird, eyeing her vigilantly, after a stalemate, asked, "Senior Sister, do you intend to make a move on me?"
"Sigh..."
However, hearing Mysterious Bird's words, the elderly woman seemed to reminisce about something, sighing deeply, she said, "It's rare that you still call me Senior Sister; how could I trouble you? I just came to check on you after you left seclusion!"
With these words, the elderly woman's figure slightly turned aside and said, "Since you, little sister, have things to attend to, naturally, I won't stop you. Go on your way!"
"Then, then alright!" Seeing that the elderly woman had no intention of acting against her, Mysterious Bird nodded slightly, still wary as she flew past her.
Soon after, she turned into a black dot, vanishing into the horizon.
"Senior Sister, huh? Sigh..." Watching the departing figure of Mysterious Bird, the elderly woman quietly chewed on the title Mysterious Bird had used to address her as if it invoked a sense of helplessness. She sighed deeply.
Chirp!
Leaving aside the elderly woman murmuring to herself, on another side, Mysterious Bird swiftly reached the Flame Cloud Entertainment City and then, retracting her wings, transformed into the Taoist Body and descended.
(PS: One more chapter to come around midnight. I'm a bit sleepy, but after some thought, I decided to continue and finish the third chapter.)
