Chapter 13: The Divine Eye Fails, Arriving in the West

  The king Xuan of Zhou had ordered Bigan to enter the palace and take out his heart, and all the officials had already heard the news, so they were all worried and hurriedly went to the grand temple. However, before they arrived at the grand temple, Wu Cheng Wang Huang Feihu had already received the news that Bigan had dug out his own heart in the palace and gone away, but no one knew where he was going. The officials looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what to say. Minister Xiazha sighed and said: "The emperor has lost virtue! He built a large deer platform, causing suffering to the common people; the official Yang Ren had his eyes gouged out for remonstrating with him. Now he is crazy and listens to the words of a wicked woman, harming his imperial uncle, and all the officials are disappointed, the world is heartbroken!" After finishing speaking, his expression was downcast.

  All the officials present covered their faces with their sleeves and burst into tears. Huang Feihu saw this, sighed inwardly, thinking that his family had received great kindness from the Zhou dynasty, but he couldn't be like those who rebelled against it. He was also a clever and astute person, holding high office, understanding the way of being an official, though not consorting with villains like Bi Gan, yet unwilling to speak out bluntly and offend King Zhou. Now, seeing one loyal minister after another die unjustly, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow in his heart! He looked up at the sky, thinking: "Will the dynasty that was established six hundred years ago by Cheng Tang really be destroyed by King Zhou?"

  Only then did the doctor Xia Zhao shout loudly: "The emperor is incompetent!" He didn't care about the other ministers, and strode towards the Deer Platform with a fierce momentum!

  Huang Feihu exclaimed: "Minister Xia is going to speak bluntly again, I'm afraid the Emperor won't listen and he'll only bring disaster upon himself! We must hurry to stop him, for the sake of the dynasty, we cannot afford to lose another loyal minister!"

  All the ministers heard this and woke up one after another, following Huang Feihu to chase him. However, neither Huang Feihu nor anyone else expected that Xia Zhaoyi, a scholar-official, would suddenly possess incredible strength and run as fast as flying. He let everyone chase him but couldn't catch up, and before they reached the foot of Lutai Mountain, a figure suddenly fell from mid-air with a loud crash, splashing blood everywhere.

  All the ministers were shocked! After a closer look, they saw that the person who had been killed had a face covered in blood and flesh. His whole body was broken, but from his clothes, it could be discerned that he was indeed Xia Zhao.

  King Zhou appeared on the Deer Platform, looking down at his ministers and coldly shouted: "Xia Yujiu, a mere commoner, wanted to assassinate me but failed and jumped off instead. He has exhausted my patience! Pass down my order: behead Xia Yujiu's entire family, big and small, at the Meridian Gate, and display their heads to the public!" After finishing speaking, he ignored his ministers again and returned to his indulgence.

  The officials heard the words and felt a chill in their hearts, secretly grieving. Suddenly, they heard that a soldier had come to report that Taishi had already pacified the rebellion of Yuan Fu in Beihai and was leading his troops back to the capital, soon to arrive at the Wu Gate. The officials were overjoyed when they heard the news. They knew that Xun Zhong was a loyal minister who had been entrusted with the emperor's will, and he had always been brave and upright. Now that he had returned, it was just the right time for him to take charge of the government. Therefore, they all rushed to the Yellow Flying Tiger Ground to welcome him, led by Huang Feihu.

  Before long, a team of military horses came from the front. The leader was a man with three eyes on his head, who looked majestic without being angry. Under him, the black unicorn was mighty and powerful, it was actually the arrival of Grand Master Wen Zhong!

  Huang Feihu led the officials forward to pay their respects and said: "Congratulations, Grand Preceptor, on your victory and triumphant return to court. Heaven has blessed the Tang Dynasty!"

  Wen Zhong smiled and said: "Thanks to the blessing of our ancestors!" He then swept his eyes over the crowd, furrowed his brow and asked: "Why isn't Assistant Minister Bi Gan here?"

  As soon as these words came out, the faces of all the ministers turned gloomy!

  Wen Zhong had doubts in his heart and asked Huang Feihu: "Is something wrong?"

  Huang Feihu sighed and told Wen Zhong about all the things that had happened in Chao Ge over the years, and after finishing speaking, he still couldn't help but sigh!

  Wen Zhong's eyebrows stood on end, his eyes wide with anger, as he exclaimed: "I never thought that after ten years of fighting abroad, the imperial court would have become so corrupt! All of you gentlemen follow me into the palace to pay your respects!"

  All the ministers were overjoyed when they heard the words, and followed Wen Zhong to the Jiange Temple, beating the drums. Before long, King Zhou arrived at the main hall with a group of attendants, and upon seeing Wen Zhong there, he was not surprised, as someone had already reported to him that Wen Zhong had returned to Zongzhou. As soon as he sat on the throne, Wen Zhong paid his respects and said: "Your Majesty, I report to you that after ten years, the rebellion in Beihai has been pacified."

  King Zhou was delighted: "The Grand Preceptor is indeed a capable minister. Now that Beihai has been pacified, I am at ease!"

  Hear the imperial music again: "I heard that Your Majesty has newly taken in Empress Su, who is a virtuous and chaste person of great virtue, and the whole country praises her. As a subject, I cannot but pay respects to the empress dowager. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission to pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress, so as to fulfill my duty as a subject."

  King Zhou nodded and said: "The Grand Preceptor is indeed a loyal minister, your request is granted!"

  He immediately ordered someone to invite Da Ji, and after the ministers paid their respects again, Wen Zhong stood up, his eyes wide open, and a third eye on his forehead suddenly opened, shooting a beam of black and white light onto Da Ji's body. Da Ji was startled, thinking he was going to harm her, and was about to cast a spell to counterattack, but saw that the light had already disappeared, and Wen Zhong's third eye on his forehead had quietly closed again!

  King Zhou exclaimed: "What does this mean, Grand Preceptor? Are you trying to assassinate Empress Su and failing?"

  Hear the words, Wen Zhong bowed his body and said: "I beg your majesty to forgive my crime. I am not the one who assassinated Empress Su. Allow me to explain, I was born with three eyes, the third eye has divine power, can distinguish between loyalty, treachery, and evil. Although I have heard that Empress Su is virtuous, I have not seen her personally, so I just used my divine eye to test her, and indeed she is a virtuous person after all. This old minister was impolite, I hope your majesty and the empress will forgive me!" After finishing speaking, he bowed his head and kowtowed.

  Daji said to King Zhou: "Your Majesty, I heard that the Grand Preceptor was a trusted minister of the late Emperor and also Your Majesty's pillar. The Grand Preceptor only acted out of loyalty, although he was rude, his feelings can be excused; besides, the Grand Preceptor has been fighting for ten years, and has pacified the North for Your Majesty, his labor and merit are high, Your Majesty should not blame him!"

  King Zhou's expression slightly improved, and he said: "The Empress indeed has the virtue of tolerance!" He then turned to Wen Zhong and said: "You are also a loyal subject, I already know that. You have been at war for ten years, you must be very tired, go back to your mansion and rest first!" After speaking, he bestowed many riches and treasures upon Wen Zhong in front of everyone, and then took Daji back to the palace to indulge in pleasure!

  Huang Feihu stepped forward and asked in a puzzled tone: "Old sir, were your previous words true?"

  "Wen Zhong sighed and said: "I, the old man, was born with divine eyes, which can see up to thirty-three heavens above and penetrate the nine hells below. I can distinguish all evil spirits! However, today, for some reason, when I used my divine eyes to observe just now, there was a layer of something blocking my divine light, making it unclear. Alas! It turned out that Hong Xuan had personally helped the fox spirit conceal its demonic energy. The saint's move was extraordinary, and even Wen Zhong's divine eyes, which could see through heaven, couldn't break through the spell cast by Hong Xuan himself!"

  Huang Feihu heard this and frowned, saying: "When things go against the norm, they must be evil! Even the old master can't see clearly, it's even more certain that she is a demon! But we have no evidence, and the king is under her spell, what to do?"

  Wen Zhong sighed and said: "In any case, I was entrusted by the late emperor, as long as I am alive, I will protect Yin Shang!"

  The many ministers had no choice but to bid each other farewell and leave. When Wen Zhong returned, King Zhou was intimidated by Wen Zhong's prestige and did not dare to commit too much evil. The imperial court was greatly shaken for a time, and the ministers were encouraged. However, it was unexpected that after Wen Zhong returned to the court for only a few days, there was military news that Ping Ling Wang of Donghai had rebelled. At that time, the imperial court was shocked, and King Zhou lost his composure. Wen Zhong had no choice but to report to King Zhou and expressed his willingness to lead the army again to help Cheng Tang pacify the world.

  King Zhou was overjoyed when he heard the report and immediately ordered Wen Zhong to mobilize 200,000 troops with rations. They set out from Chaoge in no time and headed east towards the East Sea.

  When Wen Zhong had not left for many days, the capital city received military reports again. It turned out that Xi Bo Hou Ji Chang had already accepted Jiang Ziya as his prime minister and led a large army to attack Chong Hou Hu's territory. Chong Hou Hu was greatly shocked and hastily reported to King Zhou, leading his family generals back to the north. Unexpectedly, he was captured by Jiang Ziya and his brother Chong Hei Hu through inside and outside coordination and beheaded. From then on, the entire northern region was under the control of Chong Hei Hu, no longer respecting the orders of the capital city! When this news reached the capital city, it caused a stir, and the people secretly applauded and praised. The court officials were in a state of panic! Among the four major vassals of the world, three had already rebelled. Looking at the current situation, it's likely that the day when Xiqi rebels is not far off! The ministers seemed to have seen the downfall of Cheng Tang.

  King Zhou was still infatuated with Daji's beauty, neglecting state affairs and indulging in the favors of treacherous officials, causing the downfall of the imperial court. Furthermore, he even attempted to humiliate Huang Feihu's wife, Jia Shi, and pushed Huang Feihu's sister, Princess Huang of the Western Palace, off the Star-Picking Tower. This move ultimately provoked Huang Feihu, who led a group of his clansmen in rebellion against the capital, heading west towards Qishan. By the time Wen Zhong had pacified the Eastern Sea and returned, it was too late to send troops to pursue them. After experiencing numerous hardships, the Huang family finally arrived in Qishan and surrendered to the Western Duke's camp.

  The sky was clear and the realm was profound. The two eyes of Hongyuan flashed with cold light, and he let out a cold snort. He stepped down from the cloud bed, took one step forward, and arrived in the Western Land.

  Gazing at the distant Western Pure Land of Bliss with a faint Buddha sound, Hong Xuan coldly laughed repeatedly.

  "Amitabha Buddha!" After a loud Buddhist chant, the guide appeared before Hong Xuan, bowed and said: "The Taoist friend has arrived in the West, I'm sorry for not welcoming you from afar, please forgive me!"

  Hong Xuan also bowed his head and returned a courtesy, saying: "I have returned the courtesy! I sit in meditation every day in the Taoist temple, feeling bored and idle, when suddenly I thought that I had not yet visited my fellow Taoist. We are both saints, we should visit each other frequently!"

  The Taoist's eyes sparkled and he said, "What you say is reasonable! But I don't know what brings you here?"

  Hong Xuan snorted softly and said with a fake smile: "Is this the way you treat your guests, fellow Taoist?"

  The Taoist had no choice but to say, "It's indeed my fault! Please come in, fellow Taoist!" After saying that, he stretched out his hand and led Hong Xuan into the Western Paradise together.

  As soon as he entered the Western Pure Land, he saw that everywhere was a Buddha land, with countless Buddha sons chanting and worshiping within, their devotion unceasing. A sheet of Buddha light filled the entire world, waves of Buddha sounds echoing from who-knows-where, washing away the evil in people's hearts! Row upon row of Bodhi trees stood tall throughout the entire Pure Land, lush and dense, luxuriant and thick!

  Hong Xuan nodded and said: "Indeed worthy of the Western Paradise! The Great Law of the West is indeed extraordinary!"

  Jie Yun Dao Ren couldn't grasp Hong Xuan's intention, so he shook his head and said: "Fellow Daoist has spoken too much! This poor Daoist's cultivation is lowly and can't bear to be in the eyes of Pan Gu Zheng Zong!"

  Hong Xuan coldly smiled and said: "Fellow Daoist, you're being too modest! If the great method of the Western Regions isn't profound, how could your hand reach all the way to the Eastern Lands?"

  The Taoist priest heard this and calmly asked: "What do you mean by these words, fellow practitioner?"

  Hong Xuan snorted and said: "Fellow Taoist, it's really timely for the East Sea Pingling Wang to rebel! I wonder how your disciple Maitreya is doing there?"

  The guide finally changed color!

  It is: Even if one has a natural divine eye, it will be useless; as soon as they enter the Western Pure Land, they will be taught by the Master!