Chapter 367

On the Journey to the West, Tongtai Prefecture, Diling County.

"Second to last stop, check-in." Tang An took a few group photos as a souvenir.

After leaving this place, it would be Lion Camel Ridge. Once they passed Lion Camel Ridge, their Eighty-One Tribulations would officially end.

She wondered if the Buddhas of Lingshan had finished their make-up work. She tried contacting Guanyin, but the other party seemed to be on another line; she just couldn't get through.

"'Ten Thousand Monks Not Blocked', interesting."

Tang An put away her phone, suddenly realizing a problem. "Wait, they are 'Ten Thousand Monks Not Blocked', but we aren't monks."

They don't block monks, but they don't say they don't block Daoists.

"Forget it, let's go in and ask; maybe they're willing to provide a meal." Tang An led the way, and their group stopped at the entrance of Kou Yuanwai's house.

The steward of the house asked who they were, and Tang An only said they were people from the Great Tang of the East, heading to Lingshan.

Upon hearing this, the steward immediately went to find Kou Yuanwai.

Tang An also took this opportunity to introduce Kou Yuanwai to everyone outside.

"He is a great philanthropist. He made a grand vow to invite ten thousand monks to a meal."

"It's the opposite of that king; that one killed ten thousand monks and was four short. This one is inviting ten thousand monks to eat, and is four short."

"Let's just treat it as going through the plot, have a meal, and leave after a day."

"Of course, if he dies, we'll just... save him, that counts as a tribulation."

Speaking of this, Tang An slapped her thigh, "Oh no!"

"Oh no? What's wrong?" Sun Wukong asked.

"I forgot to ask Senior Uncle to help gather some tribulations!" Tang An only just remembered, and it was truly a bit late.

"Forget it, let's see if these people can stir up some more trouble. Then at the Lion Camel Ridge tribulation, we'll gather a few more. When we pass Lingyun Ferry, if we drop a scripture, we can gather enough."

"If it's still not enough, we'll see then."

If it really doesn't work, they'll just have to use the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas of Lingshan to make up the tribulations.

"Sigh, I really am a great person." Always loving to stir up trouble for Lingshan; otherwise, if they sat there motionless every day, wouldn't they end up with lumbar disc herniation?

It was during this wait that Kou Yuanwai came out to welcome them.

Hearing Tang An's background, and adding that there were four of them in total, Kou Yuanwai didn't say a word and let them stay in his house.

Four people, four rooms, each one an excellent room.

"Truly a rich man." Tang An couldn't help but sigh, "However..."

She thought of the original story, where Kou Yuanwai's wife wanted to seduce Tang Seng. Such a thing wouldn't happen to her, right?

Don't mess around; although she wasn't a monk, she also abstained from lust.

Tang An finished tidying up, ran outside, took a lounge chair out of the Wealth Gathering Ring, and swayed back and forth while sunbathing—how wonderful.

She carefully recalled the plot; there seemed to be a pair of lovers, right? Kou Yuanwai's daughter, it seemed.

Did they end up together in the end? Hmm... according to the logic of the TV show, they should have overcome all obstacles and ended up together.

"Are you the Princess from the Great Tang of the East, heading to Lingshan to worship Buddha?"

Tang An opened her eyes and saw a pair of beautiful eyes, with a pretty and lovely face.

"You are? Kou Yuanwai's daughter?"

"Yes, my name is Julia." She introduced her name enthusiastically.

"Oh~ are you the one who wants to elope with your childhood sweetheart?" Tang An's first impression of her wasn't bad.

She had a vibrant quality about her, like a nimble little rabbit.

"Elope?" Julia was puzzled, "You are being unreasonable; why say I am eloping with someone?"

"Ah? Isn't it?" Tang An's internal monologue: "Has the Journey to the West plot collapsed to this extent?"

Forget it, let it collapse; it had nothing to do with her anyway.

"Of course not." Julia put her hands behind her back and looked toward the west with longing.

"Can you take me with you? I'll pay any amount of money."

"What the f***???"

What's the situation? It turned into eloping with her? Does it have to collapse this much?

"Isn't this the first time we've met? And you're already asking to come with me?"

A top-tier romantic brain? But the gender doesn't match either.

Julia didn't think so, "You were able to walk here from the Great Tang of the East, which shows you are all very capable."

"If you are willing to take me to the Western Paradise, I am willing to give you all my savings, is that okay?"

"Western Paradise?" Tang An was confused, "That's not a place for mortals to go."

Julia covered her mouth and giggled, "You just arrived here, so naturally you don't know what has happened here in recent years."

"Oh? Tell me more." Tang An told her to sit down and speak slowly, no rush.

According to Julia, at the foot of Lingshan, there was a place called the Western Paradise. As long as one had merit and the opportunity to go there, one could see all the beauty in the world and have all one's heart's desires satisfied.

Therefore, no one who went there ever wished to return.

Tang An interrupted her, "Is it possible they were eaten by monsters and couldn't return?"

"Naturally not." She was very certain that what she knew was the most correct. "That is the foot of Lingshan, how could there be monsters?"

Tang An sighed; it seemed like another little girl who hadn't seen the dangers of the human world.

"Rulai's uncle, you know him, right?"

"Rulai's uncle?"

"Yes, his name is the Golden Winged Peng. He and two other monsters are doing evil at the foot of Lingshan, eating many people. There are mountains of bones there; if you go, you won't even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth."

Julia tilted her head and stared at Tang An, suddenly laughing out loud.

Tang An saw Julia laughing so innocently and naively that she almost lost her own confidence.

"You don't believe me?"

"I believe, and I don't believe; the story you tell is shocking, yet self-contradictory."

"Self-contradictory?"

"Yes, you say Rulai's uncle is the Golden Winged Peng, but you also say the Golden Winged Peng is doing evil with two other monsters; isn't that self-contradictory?"

Julia had believed in Buddhism since she was a child, and in all the influence she had received, Buddha was a good person who saved people from suffering.

And since the Golden Winged Peng was the Buddha's uncle, how could he be a bad person?

On the contrary, the more Tang An said this, the more it made her firmly believe in the existence of that place.

Tang An saw Julia's expression and knew she hadn't taken a single word of advice to heart.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. I'm telling you, if you really go, you'll never come back."

Julia saw Tang An's sincere advice and was half-convinced. "Then why are you going?"

"I..." If Tang An said she was going to seek scriptures, wouldn't that mean she believed Rulai was a good person, and that's why she was seeking scriptures to save people?

"I am naturally going to Lingshan to engage in real estate development."

"Ah?" Julia was even more confused; she couldn't understand what Tang An was talking about at all.

Tang An took out the Peacock Feather Fan to block the sun, closed her eyes, and continued to rest.

"Anyway, this is the last time I'll advise you; any Western Paradise is fake; if you go, you'll just be adding to the pile of bones."

"But if you are truly determined to go, then I will respect your fate and drop the urge to help."