The Rotting Buddhas of Journey to the West - chapter 6

Even after leaving Flower-Fruit Mountain, I was still dizzy and overwhelmed, unable to digest what I had just heard.

Forming a hand seal and chanting an incantation, I arrived at the Underworld. The task the old monkey entrusted to me before he left was precisely to add his name back into the Book of Life and Death.

The old monkey said he had lived enough…

And I, too, needed to verify something.

The Underworld was gloomy and dark, devoid of sun, moon, or stars. It was like a long, wide black coffin, imprisoning every soul within.

King Yama also avoided meeting me, but I paid no mind to that. I first found Judge Cui and took care of the old monkey’s matter.

Standing beside the judge was White Impermanence, who made me feel uneasy. I turned my face away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

“Help me check one more thing: five hundred years ago, did a monkey from Flower-Fruit Mountain drown at sea?”

Judge Cui searched for a short while before telling me:

“That’s right. That year, there was indeed a monkey from Flower-Fruit Mountain who drowned at sea.”

Crack!

I smashed the desk with force, feeling as if I was about to go mad.

Eldest Senior Brother once said that a dead person had been following us all the way on the Journey to the West. Could it be that he was talking about himself?

No! It was all because of that pale-faced monster-every strange thing was its doing!

No! It was the fake monkey who returned after learning his skills…

No, the one who returned was truly Eldest Senior Brother, and the one who died at sea was the fake monkey…

Wait, the one who died was real, and the one who returned was…

Countless thoughts crashed in my mind, and for a moment, I felt as if my head would split open.

It was a long time before I regained my composure. Scenes from the Journey to the West flashed before my eyes. Eldest Senior Brother was kind and compassionate, possessing a truly pure heart. He could never be that bizarre monster.

My resolve gradually strengthened. I believe in Eldest Senior Brother!

And this also made me certain that the next stop, Patriarch Bodhi’s place, was a destination I must visit.

Patriarch Bodhi is a true master, on par with the Three Pure Ones and the Buddha. Perhaps he would know something.

At the foot of Mount Fangcun, mist shrouded the land. Occasionally, the cry of an immortal crane could be heard. Thousands of ancient cypresses, exotic flowers, and rare herbs-this was truly a blessed land.

Not far away, a hearty singing voice drifted over. Curious, I walked toward the sound and found a woodcutter.

He wore a bamboo hat, held an iron axe, and carried a bundle of firewood on his back.

“Excuse me, brother, do you know if there is a blessed land on this mountain called the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave?”