Chapter 71: Magic Item White Jade Lotus Leaf

“Little Brother Bai Ze, my legs are tired from walking, can you let me sit on the ox for a while?”

At this moment, Pigsy suddenly stepped forward, trying to curry favor and interrupting Bai Ze’s thoughts. Previously, in the Journey to the West team, only Tang Sanzang rode a horse, and everyone didn’t pay much attention, after all, Tang Sanzang was the Master.

But now, in the Journey to the West team, there is another person with transportation, and the other three who are walking are complaining in their hearts.

They are all traveling together, these two are sitting, while we are walking.

Especially Pigsy, who has begged Bai Ze several times, hoping to ride the yellow ox for a while.

“You’re so heavy, what if you break the yellow ox?” Bai Ze rolled his eyes. Want to ride my mount? No way.

The yellow ox over there was also very angry, its large copper bell eyes glaring at Pigsy, with green smoke coming out of its nostrils.

Pigsy said, “Old Yellow, just let me ride for a bit, please?”

“Scram!”

The old yellow ox raised a hoof and slammed it into Pigsy’s chest with a ‘thud’, directly sending him flying backward. He crashed through several pine trees before stopping.

“Ouch, my butt!”

Pigsy, who had fallen to the ground, clutched his butt and complained repeatedly.

Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing on the side were laughing at him. They knew that the old yellow ox wouldn’t let anyone ride it, so they didn’t go up to make fools of themselves.

At this time, Tang Sanzang glanced at the sunset in the sky, knowing that the sun was about to set, and said, “Let’s stop here for today’s journey. Wujing, go help the little benefactor set up camp and cook.”

Because Bai Ze brought dry rations, the Journey to the West team’s meals have been regular these days, and they can eat on time.

Bai Ze jumped down from the yellow ox. The dry rations were all carried on the yellow ox’s back. Because Bai Ze’s Universe Bag was too small, it didn’t even have enough space to store important items, so the food could only be carried on the ox.

Sha Wujing came over to take the dried noodles and the pot, while Sun Wukong was starting a fire over there.

The two also repeatedly praised the thing that Bai Ze invented called instant noodles. It was really too convenient. Adding some vegetables and boiling it in water made it very delicious, much better than their previous rough meals in the open.

At this time, Pigsy also rubbed his butt and walked back. He glanced at Bai Ze and the yellow ox with a depressed look.

At this moment, Pigsy suddenly pointed in one direction and said, “Look quickly, someone is coming.”

Everyone looked at the same time and saw a refined young man in white, carrying an iron rod on his back, flying over on a cloud.

Bai Ze didn’t know which celestial being this was. Sun Wukong said, “It’s Hui An.”

Bai Ze: “Hui An?”

Sun Wukong smiled and said, “Hui An is his Daoist name. His real name is Li Muzha. He is like you, a disciple of Guanyin Great Master. He’s probably here to find you.”

Bai Ze, upon hearing that he was a fellow disciple, stepped forward and bowed to the sky, “Bai Ze greets Senior Brother!”

Li Muzha landed on the ground, put his palms together in greeting to the others, and then began to size up Bai Ze.

Although he was small, he had rosy lips and white teeth, and was handsome and otherworldly. Just this appearance was worth the Master taking him in.

Li Muzha stepped forward and smiled, “So you are the new disciple that Master has taken in.”

Bai Ze said, “That’s right. May I ask what brings Senior Brother here?”

Li Muzha said, “Since you have joined my Purple Bamboo Grove, I have also prepared your identity plate, and I’ve come to deliver it to you.”

At this time, Li Muzha took out a jade talisman and handed it to Bai Ze.

Is this to give me a formal position?

Bai Ze took the jade talisman, and saw that it was engraved with: Putuo Immortal Mountain Purple Bamboo Grove Immortal Child.

“Why am I only an Immortal Child? I am the Master’s personal disciple, she said so herself.”

Although Bai Ze was confused, he also knew that the rank of Immortal Child was not high.

Li Muzha explained, “This Immortal Child is a position, and it has nothing to do with whether you are a true disciple.

You have just entered the sect, and have not learned any of our sect’s immortal arts, so you can only be an Immortal Child for now.

With this, you can freely travel to and from Mount Putuo.

In addition, an Immortal Child can receive one hundred incense offerings per month, but you need to pay twenty percent of your personal income tax.”

“Incense offerings also have personal income tax?” Bai Ze widened his eyes, extremely surprised.

Damn, I’ve already arrived in the Journey to the West world, and I still can’t escape the fate of paying taxes?

Li Muzha said, “Junior Brother, don’t complain. In these Three Realms, from Golden Immortals down to temporary workers, no one can avoid paying taxes. That Zhao Gongming is watching closely.”

“Cough cough…”

Bai Ze coughed twice. This monthly income of one hundred incense offerings… to be precise, eighty after tax, is considered an unexpected income. It’s better than nothing.

Bai Ze said, “Then may I ask, Senior Brother, how much is one incense offering worth?”

Li Muzha said, “About the amount of incense offerings collected by an ordinary village-level temple in a month is one incense offering.”

“Oh.”

Bai Ze understood. So one hundred incense offerings is quite a lot. The entire eight hundred miles of White Tiger Ridge probably only has a few thousand incense offerings. With this Immortal Child status, he immediately obtained one hundred, which was quite a lot.

Li Muzha said, “This incense offering is the universal currency of the Heavenly Realm.

If it is used for cultivation, there are two ways to use it. One is as resources for your cultivation, helping you to improve your realm.

The other is to directly use incense offerings to improve your realm, without having to cultivate. But I advise you not to use this method.”

◈◈◈

Bai Ze said, “Why does Senior Brother advise me not to use incense offerings to directly improve my realm?”

Li Muzha said, “The incense offering cultivation system requires sufficient incense offerings as an aid.

When you are in a high position in the Heavenly Court, you can get a lot of incense offerings, so it’s naturally not a problem.

But once you lose that position, and lose the supply of incense offerings, it will be difficult to make progress.

And if your previous realm was all built up by incense offerings, if you want to cultivate by yourself, you will have to return to the starting point, which would be a big problem.

However, those Disassembled Corpse Immortals like to use incense offerings for cultivation the most.

Because they do not become immortals through their physical bodies, but are conferred as gods after death. Their current bodies are conferred transformations, and their original bodies are not suitable for cultivation. Therefore, they often choose to cultivate with incense offerings.”

Bai Ze nodded, understanding Li Muzha’s meaning.

If one can always obtain incense offerings, using incense offerings to recharge and become stronger is indeed easy.

But the problem is that you may not always be able to obtain incense offerings.

Therefore, Bai Ze does not intend to use incense offerings to directly recharge and become stronger.

At this time, Li Muzha took out another item from his Universe Bag. It was actually a white jade lotus petal, crystal clear and lustrous, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

Li Muzha said, “This is the white jade lotus that Master has bestowed upon you. This white jade lotus has extremely strong defensive power, and can even withstand the full attack of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Of course, don’t be foolish enough to try to block a Great Luo Golden Immortal. Although this petal won’t break, your small body can’t withstand the shock.”

Bai Ze was surprised!

Is this an absolute defense magic item?

Li Muzha said, “The complete form of this white jade lotus is a white jade lotus platform plus thirty-six lotus petals. Master has already refined one petal for you. You will have to slowly refine the rest yourself.

Drip a drop of blood on it, and it will become your magic item.”

“Thank you, Master!” Bai Ze took the white jade petal with both hands. This magic item was too important.

He cut his finger and let the blood seep into the white jade petal.

At this time, Bai Ze felt a strange connection established between the petal and himself. At his thought, the white jade petal quickly enlarged and then floated in front of him, forming a petal shield.

The shield was still in the shape of a petal, emitting a white jade luster.

“This is great!”

Bai Ze repeatedly praised it. This white jade lotus was too convenient to use, and it also had absolute defensive power. It would be his life-saving artifact in the future.

“Junior Brother Bai Ze, come with me to this side.”

At this time, Muzha took Bai Ze aside alone, and then handed him three brocade pouches, “Before you reach Mount Hao, Tang Sanzang and his disciples will go through three major tribulations. These are the scripts for the three tribulations.”

“What? There are scripts for this?” Bai Ze was shocked.

Muzha quickly covered Bai Ze’s mouth, “Keep your voice down, don’t let anyone hear. Tang Sanzang’s journey to the West requires him to go through eighty-one tribulations, but it’s not natural that they would just happen to be exactly that number. Naturally, they are deliberately arranged.”

Bai Ze said, “I remember now, our Master seems to have received a decree from Tathagata. Could it be that this decree also includes the scriptwriting part?”

Muzha said, “That’s indeed the case. Sigh, to put it this way, this is a difficult task. You think about why Tathagata didn’t give the task to his own disciples, but instead found Master from outside of Vulture Peak. You’ll understand that there’s something not simple about it.

So, you must not cause trouble and disrupt the script that Master has written. These three brocade pouches list the tribulations that Tang Sanzang and his group must experience.

No matter how you mess things up, do not disrupt this part.”

Hearing Muzha’s reminder, Bai Ze suddenly remembered that although they were all from the Buddhist sect, Guanyin did not belong to Vulture Peak. She was a member of the Western Paradise.

Amitabha’s Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss was not in the Pangu Great Thousand World at all. It was in another Great Thousand World.

Tathagata was the Buddha of this world. It was not right to give the task of the pilgrimage to an outsider. It should have been given to a disciple of the Vulture Peak lineage. Yet he gave this task to Guanyin.

It was clear that there was a big problem here!

Bai Ze said, “Don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble for Master. But, if the scripts are all pre-designed, then are my mother and I also pre-designed?”

Muzha said, “The Three Battles with the White Bone Lady were pre-designed, but you and your mother were an accident. Master was afraid that more trouble would arise, so she sent me to inform you.”

Bai Ze understood. Indeed, his choice at the time was correct. Although he had disrupted the rhythm, he still completed the script of the Three Battles with the White Bone Lady, which was considered a barely successful tribulation for Tang Sanzang.

“Master asked me to tell you that she hopes you will return safely. I’m going back now.”

With that, Muzha soared into the clouds and left.

“Senior Brother, take care, and thank Master for the white jade lotus.”

Bai Ze hid the brocade pouches, and then giggled at the white jade lotus. Obviously, in addition to delivering a message, Guanyin Bodhisattva was also worried that Bai Ze was not a match for Red Boy, so she especially sent the white jade lotus.