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墨書 Inktalez
If someone asks you how many disciples Tang Seng has, you would undoubtedly answer four! But I would have to look at you with an idiotic expression and correct you: there are five, including the White Dragon!
Well, it’s also possible that Tang Seng only considers the White Dragon as a mount. So, if I ask how many people Tang Seng's group took to retrieve the Western Scriptures, you might say five? Sorry, but I would again look at you like an idiot and correct you: there are also the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Five Directions Revealer, and the Four Guardian Deities—eighteen Guardian Deities in total. Although they protect Tang Seng from the shadows and have less screen time than Sandy Monk’s offerings, they still traveled alongside him on his journey westward.
Alright, I digress. The main character we want to focus on today should be the White Dragon.
After Journey to the West, the White Dragon was granted the title of Eight-Part Dragon and Bodhisattva of Great Power. Although he holds a bodhisattva status that seems comparable to Guanyin Bodhisattva, it is not quite the same. After all, Guanyin Bodhisattva has an entire Luojia Mountain, while our Bodhisattva of Great Power resides on a large pillar in Thunder Sound Temple. From the perspective of living space, it’s evident that he has much less room. Moreover, Guanyin Bodhisattva has a pair of Golden Boy and Jade Maiden to take care of her, while the Black Bear Monster watches over the back mountain and Red Boy runs errands.
Looking back at the Bodhisattva of Great Power, a giant dragon from the deep sea is surprisingly expected to eat hay.
But returning to the question of how powerful the White Dragon is in battle—there are no records about that. However, he is still a Dragon Prince, so his combat strength shouldn’t be too lacking. I glanced at Aobing, who had his dragon tendons pulled out by Nezha. Well, let’s just say I’ll pass on that.
Regardless, summoning a deity is a risky spell. This isn’t my first time using it, but this time I feel confused: will we turn into a horse or a dragon?
A dragon-shaped consciousness descended and entered my sea of consciousness.
“Bodhisattva of Great Power?” I questioned the dragon-shaped consciousness. “Do you need me to relinquish control of my body to you?”
There are two modes after summoning a deity. One mode involves giving up all control over your body. Previously, whether with Mao Ri Xing Jun or Lu Zu, I had given them full control. This mode allows me to gain the abilities of the summoned deity but consumes a lot of mental energy, leaving me weak during the summoning.
The other mode is different; the summoned deity helps you in your mind but doesn’t provide much assistance directly. At most, they offer guidance and some supportive functions.
“No need,” said the White Dragon, shaking his head. Unlike traditional dragons, the White Dragon clearly has a wider and squarer face. Why is that? In Chinese tradition, dragons are depicted with horse-like faces; however, this face looks like a horse's with a dragon's body.
Has the White Dragon been in horse form for so long that he can’t revert back?
The White Dragon slightly tilted his head and looked at me with eyes like lanterns: “Let’s skip it; I’m not very good at using your human form. It would be better if it were my own.”
That makes sense; the White Dragon is usually either a dragon or a horse and isn’t skilled at fighting in human form. But wait—am I really summoning a deity? How could I even call down a bodhisattva? Has the business of summoning deities expanded to Great Thunder Sound Temple?
However, upon closer thought, isn't summoning a deity similar to hailing a ride? A bored deity comes down to lend a hand, and once the task is done, they can return to their usual business. The only difference is that this is voluntary and doesn't involve payment.
The consciousness of the White Dragon spun in my mind and suddenly transformed into a beam of light, emerging from my thoughts.
"My abilities are quite special," said the White Dragon. "So I should handle this myself."
Alright, you are the Bodhisattva, so it's up to you.
"Bodhisattva, that is a Zombie Ba, incredibly strong with a very tough body. Its only weakness is its slow speed. How about this: I will distract it with my speed while you wait for an opportunity to act," I suggested.
"No need," the White Dragon shook its head. "You should let Pixiu step back."
The White Dragon immediately recognized that Pixiu was entangled with the Zombie Ba below, which wasn't surprising since they both belonged to the realm of divine beasts. However, Pixiu was merely a leisurely divine beast, while the White Dragon had already been established in the presence of Buddha.
Pixiu noticed the White Dragon and obediently withdrew from the battle with the Zombie Ba, allowing the White Dragon to take control.
After separating from its consciousness, the White Dragon appeared as a white ethereal form, roughly the thickness of a water barrel and at least ten meters long—much larger than the Zombie Ba. Yet, the White Dragon's speed was unaffected by its size; it flicked its tail lightly and glided toward the Zombie Ba as if swimming through water.
"Why is he here too?" Pixiu's form suddenly shrank back into its previous 'earth dog' appearance and jumped onto a nearby treetop beside me.
"I summoned him," I replied. "Do you know him?"
"White Dragon? By seniority, he should call me uncle," Pixiu said proudly.
Divine beasts also have seniority; typically, first-generation divine beasts include creatures like Qilin, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger. The current Dragon King is a descendant of the Azure Dragon, while the White Dragon is a descendant of the Dragon King. Pixiu is directly related to Qilin. So it makes sense for the White Dragon to refer to Pixiu as uncle.
However, since the White Dragon has already attained enlightenment and there is no true blood relation between them, it isn't strange for the White Dragon to simply call Pixiu by name.
"How strong is he in battle?" I asked Pixiu.
"The White Dragon should be the most battle-hardened among the Dragon Princes. I once saw him at Eagle Cry Gorge, which is why I can recognize him," Pixiu said. "However, he later followed Tang Seng, and I don't know how he fared after that."
Returning to the topic, the White Dragon's combat ability should be quite impressive, at least above Sandy. Previously, the White Dragon had a fierce battle with Sun Wukong at Eagle Cry Gorge. Although he didn't defeat Sun Wukong, the fact that he returned unscathed from their encounter speaks volumes about his strength. Moreover, at that time, the White Dragon was the first formidable opponent Sun Wukong encountered, and since Tang Seng was still doubting Sun Wukong's abilities, it's likely that Sun Wukong didn't hold back during their fight.
So why did the White Dragon, despite being quite strong, only receive the title of 'Eight-Part Dragon' upon achieving enlightenment? Looking at it from another angle makes it clear.
First, let's consider Tang Seng, who is a disciple of Buddha and the reincarnation of Golden Cicada. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to obtain such a good fortune as acquiring the Western Scriptures. Thus, it is only natural for him to attain Buddhahood. This could very well be a foundation laid by Buddha for his own disciple to achieve enlightenment.
Bajie and Sandy were originally high-ranking generals in heaven; Buddha had to give some face to the Jade Emperor.
Now looking at Sun Wukong, who appears to be a monkey demon—why is he the only one besides Tang Seng to achieve Buddhahood? Although Sun Wukong seems like just a creature from Flower Fruit Mountain, if you think about it carefully, his origins are quite remarkable. Not only was he the best student under Bodhi Patriarch in Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave, but even the stone he was born from is noteworthy. That stone was a colorful stone used by Nuwa to patch up the sky!
As for our White Dragon, he went to Eagle Cry Gorge because he burned the Night Pearl given by the Jade Emperor to the Dragon King. He was saved by Guanyin Bodhisattva just before he was about to be executed. Therefore, there was no need for Buddha to give him any face in front of the Jade Emperor. Furthermore, considering the White Dragon's background as the son of the West Sea Dragon King, while it may seem like a solid lineage, in Buddha's eyes—who is essentially a 'supreme leader'—he is merely seen as the son of a 'provincial official.' Thus, granting the White Dragon the title of 'Eight-Part Dragon' is already quite generous.
Ahem, I've digressed again.
In any case, the White Dragon still has confidence in matching up against Zombie Ba.
Pixiu had already exited the battle; only Zombie Ba remained in the arena. After spinning around a few times and realizing that Pixiu had truly left, Zombie Ba immediately raised a blue stone statue as if celebrating. Before Zombie Ba could finish rejoicing, the White Dragon entered the arena and unleashed a Dragon Breath right in Zombie Ba's face.
Before Zombie Ba could react, the White Dragon struck him hard with his tail, sending Zombie Ba retreating over ten meters.
This was the biggest blow Zombie Ba had received since his resurrection; however, it truly shows how formidable the White Dragon is. I glanced at Pixiu and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be of higher rank than him? Why are you so much weaker?"
"I haven't fully recovered yet!" Pixiu replied indignantly. "Besides, I haven't even eaten enough; where would my combat power come from?"
"How much food do you need to feel full?"
"If it's like those dough balls you gave me at first, I'd probably need about fifty or sixty thousand of them."
Fifty to sixty thousand buns? I pulled a worried face; this guy could eat me into bankruptcy.
Buns cost fifty cents each, so roughly thirty thousand would be enough for Pixiu to get full. But who can guarantee that Pixiu won't be hungry again after one meal? If it eats like this every three meals, only someone of Jack Ma's caliber could afford it.
"However, if it's meat, it would be quicker," Pixiu said. "But I don't eat pork."
"Why not?" Has Pixiu ever met Allah?
"I have a good relationship with Penglai Marshal. Ever since he turned into a pig's head, I've sworn off eating pork."
"Good reason! I'm speechless."
"How much meat do you need to get full?"
"Probably two cows. But I get hungry pretty quickly when I eat meat."
Two cows? A cow weighs about half a ton, which is around 1,000 pounds. Fifty to sixty thousand buns would weigh at least twenty thousand pounds, so indeed, the amount of meat needed is less. But still, fifty to sixty thousand buns cost around thirty thousand, and two cows would also cost about thirty thousand. Are you really eating based on price?
From now on, if anyone tells me that Pixiu brings wealth, I'll get angry! Damn it, you tell me about bringing wealth while eating tens of thousands worth of goods? To borrow a phrase from Teacher Zhao Lirong: Grandma Li's leg!
(I haven't been funny in a while; just coming out to have some fun!)
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