Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Both of them entered a restaurant where Golden Cicada skillfully ordered a variety of dishes, his familiarity with the menu leaving Lu Yu secretly astonished.

"I say, you monk, it would be fine if you just ordered a lot, but why do you always pick the meat dishes!" Having spent some time with Golden Cicada, Lu Yu's image of the monk had completely collapsed.

He found it very hard to connect this worldly and irreverent monk with the Tang Monk from the Journey to the West, and he was beginning to believe that the Buddha Ancestor was right about Golden Cicada belittling Buddhism.

"Amitabha, this poor monk is now a mortal. It's only natural to eat when hungry," Golden Cicada was unperturbed.

"But it's my money you're spending!" Lu Yu emphasized.

"Oh! Is that so? The virtuousness of the layman knows no bounds, surely you will receive blessings," Golden Cicada pretended not to understand Lu Yu's point and said with a laugh.

"Speaking of which, isn't it forbidden for people in Buddhism to eat meat?"

"That's for those who are new to Buddhism. They need to be restrained by strict precepts to be able to see Tathagata amidst the worldly dust. As for me, who has seen Tathagata, naturally there is no need to adhere to such rules," Golden Cicada said with an air of sanctity and a long-drawn Zen-like manner.

However, Lu Yu was quite skeptical, suspecting that the monk was purely making excuses to indulge in drinking and eating meat. But he didn't mind it; on the contrary, he found such a Golden Cicada more interesting. If he were like the Tang Monk from the books, he would have kept his distance.

Just as the two were happily feasting, a bell-like voice came from outside the restaurant,

"Golden Cicada, you've finally deigned to come see me!" No sooner had the voice faded, a girl in red rushed in from outside.

The young girl had bright eyes and white teeth, and skin as clear as jade. Wearing a red dress, she was like a burst of flame. Her wrists and ankles were adorned with small silver bells, which tinkled pleasantly with every step she took, making lovely sounds.

Upon hearing this voice, Golden Cicada's brow furrowed slightly, and his head involuntarily lowered. However, his bald head was so conspicuous here that it wasn't necessary for anyone to point it out, as the girl in red charged directly toward their table with great vivacity.

She reached the table and seized Little Black Bear into an embrace with the speed of lightning, rubbing her beautiful face against him, while a bell-like laughter escaped her lips, "Little Black, sister has missed you to death."

Little Black Bear looked at the girl in red with a speechless expression and sent a pleading look towards Golden Cicada, begging him to come up with a solution quickly.

At this moment, however, Golden Cicada acted as if he had not seen Little Black Bear's plea for help, and lowered his head like an ostrich.

"Golden Cicada, have you come to Changan this time to marry me?" the girl in red asked Golden Cicada.

On hearing this, Lu Yu couldn't help but spit out the food in his mouth, looking at the helpless Golden Cicada in amazement. He felt as if he had stumbled upon a juicy piece of gossip and was somewhat excited inside.

Golden Cicada said somewhat helplessly, "Madam Bai, I am a monk. I cannot marry."

"Why can't you marry? Who says a monk can't marry?"

"The Buddha Ancestor said it."

"Who is Buddha Ancestor? I want to argue with him. Why won't he let you marry? What gives him the right not to let you marry me?"

Golden Cicada covered his forehead and said, "Bai Xiaoyao, the Buddha Ancestor isn't here. He is in the Great Thunderclap Monastery on Mount Ling in the Far West Land. It's probably not going to be easy if you want to argue with him."

"If he's that far away, why bother with him? Let's just get married. He can't see us anyway."

Lu Yu watched the debate between the two with a smile, finding it very amusing. This girl clearly had a fiery personality; he wondered why she had taken a liking to Golden Cicada, insisting on marrying a man who had taken religious vows. However, since Buddhism had only recently spread to Kyushu, it was natural for many people to be unaware of monks and their customs.

"Haven't I told you? I am not going to marry," Golden Cicada firmly refused.

"Hmph! I don't care, I will marry no one but you. If all else fails, I'll become that Bhikkhuni you mentioned, and then you'll marry me," Bai Xiaoyao said, hands on her hips.

Lu Yu was astonished by the girl's train of thought, wondering where she had come up with such a conclusion. It was fortunate that the Buddha Ancestor was not present, for he might have knocked Golden Cicada on the head until it was covered in lumps.

"Bai Xiaoyao, if you continue to spout such nonsense, don't blame me if I refuse to see you again," Golden Cicada suddenly roared.

Lu Yu could not help but laugh; it was truly a case of a beast meeting its match. He had suffered quite a bit at Golden Cicada's expense recently, and now he was amused to see the monk in such a fluster, losing all the composure of a high monk.
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"Oh, is this Scholar your friend? He's quite handsome," Bai Xiaoyao's attention shifted to Lu Yu with his laughter. As a true connoisseur of beauty, her eyes lit up the moment she saw him.

"My name is Lu Yu, pleased to meet you, Miss," Lu Yu said, smiling.

"Hello, Lu Yu, I am Golden Cicada's fiancée; my name is Bai Xiaoyao. You can call me Madam Bai." Bai Xiaoyao was very polite to Lu Yu as he was a friend of Golden Cicada, and she wanted to consider his reputation. At that moment, she felt like she had the potential to be a virtuous wife and mother.

"Madam Bai?" Lu Yu asked, puzzled by the term.

"Since I am Golden Cicada's wife-to-be, of course I should be called 'Madam.' He wouldn't tell me his family name, so I can't call myself Lady Jin; that would sound terrible," Bai Xiaoyao said, shuddering at the thought.

Lu Yu was stunned by Bai Xiaoyao's bizarre logic, gazing at the thoroughly disheartened Golden Cicada, casting him a strange look.

"Why are you looking at me? It's not my fault," Golden Cicada said irritably.

"How is it not your fault? She's your wife-to-be," Lu Yu said, chuckling. This was quite a relief; in the past few days of debating with Golden Cicada, he had never won, leaving him speechless, which was quite embarrassing for someone with knowledge of the future.

Just then, a young girl with braided hair ran in, shouting as she did so, "Miss, the master is looking for you, you'd better hurry home."

Upon entering and noticing the presence of Lu Yu and Golden Cicada, she quickly bowed and said, "Oh, the Mage is here too."

"Xiao Cui, haven't I told you to call me Madam Bai from now on?" Bai Xiaoyao frowned.

The young girl hurriedly replied, "Yes, Miss, I understand, Miss. Let's hurry, or the master will get anxious and start searching for you with a stick again."

"I got it, stop nagging," Bai Xiaoyao waved dismissively.

"Don't think about abandoning me after a fling. Once I've seen my father, I will come looking for you," Bai Xiaoyao turned to Golden Cicada and instructed him, not waiting for a response before rushing out of the inn.

Looking at the relieved Golden Cicada, Lu Yu burst into hearty laughter and said, "Golden Cicada, you've met your match today."