Digging a well is an extremely arduous task, especially when there is a lack of manpower.
The old county prince was already aged, and in all of Phoenix County, only Tripitaka was willing and able to do such work. Naturally, the burden fell upon Tripitaka's shoulders.
Meanwhile, in the corners all around, the demon generals, Monkey’s followers, and others watched day after day.
“Can water really be found here? If it could, why didn’t anyone dig before?”
At these words, Lingji straightened his sleeves, stepped down the stairs, and came to the center of the hall. He pressed his palms together and bowed to Lord Buddha.
Days passed. Five zhang, ten zhang, twenty zhang. Still no sign of water.
“Should we help out? If we pitched in, we could dig a hundred or two hundred zhang in a single night, couldn’t we?”
“Are you stupid? What good would that do? Have you forgotten Tripitaka’s attitude? If we help, who knows what trouble we’ll stir up again. All pain, no gain—why bother?”
Thirty zhang, fifty zhang. Still no water.
“If there’s never any water, does he really plan to keep digging forever?”
“What about the Great Sage’s westward journey?”
Lingji lifted his head slightly and gazed at Lord Buddha.
After a long moment, Lord Buddha nodded. “Very well, let’s give it a try.”
......
Spirit Mountain, Great Thunderclap Temple.
“Tripitaka is digging a well in Phoenix County? Can he get any dumber?”
“There is indeed an underground river there, but the flow is extremely small. If he picks the right spot, he might get a trickle of water, but what good is a trickle?”
“It’s not impossible. There aren’t many people left alive in Phoenix County. Even a single well, no matter how little water it yields, would help the people live a bit better.”
“But what’s the point? Is this his Universal Salvation? Saving a few, not the entire county?”
The entire hall fell silent; all the Buddhas looked at each other.
“Did we... overestimate him? After his talk of Universal Salvation, is Tripitaka now a spent arrow, caught in a dead end?”
Amid the crowd, Venerable Lingji suddenly thought of something and smiled faintly.
Lord Buddha took a deep breath and said, “I’ve heard that fishermen put catfish in the tank to stir up the other fish, forcing them to swim for their lives and thus survive. It seems, Earth-Store King, you must drop a catfish into Damon Six-Ears’s tank. Now that he’s been revived, he must not sink into passivity, lest calamity befall him.”
“Venerable Lingji, do you have something to say? Please, speak.”
After a long moment, Earth-Store King pressed his palms together and silently bowed to Lord Buddha, then withdrew from the hall.
“This humble monk has a wonderful plan.”
“A wonderful plan?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Lingji shook his head and waved his hands, smiling broadly: “It can’t be said, it can’t be said. If I speak, it won’t be wonderful. It can only be done.”
At this, the Buddhas present grew even more puzzled, each one furrowing their brow.
Lingji lifted his head slightly and gazed at Buddha.
After a long moment, Buddha nodded. “Very well, let’s give it a try.”
“Lingji obeys.” With that, Lingji bowed and withdrew from the hall.
Once he had left, the Buddhas immediately began to discuss.
“What is Lingji planning? Why can’t he say it? Could there be an insider among us?”
“Maybe he’s just showing off.”
“Given his temperament, it’s not surprising. But whether this plan is truly wonderful, that’s another matter.”
“I heard that when he played tricks on Tripitaka outside Gao Village, not only did he fail to gain anything, he ended up doing all the work for someone else. Let’s hope this ‘wonderful plan’ doesn’t backfire.”
While the Buddhas were deep in discussion, Buddha seemed not to hear them at all. He lowered his head and sighed softly: “Anna Yang’s appearance must have caught even Earth-Store King by surprise. As a result, the chess move with Damon Six-Ears is wasted. If they coexist peacefully, what Dharma is left to debate?”
With that, his gaze shifted slightly and turned to Earth-Store King.
“Not necessarily,” Earth-Store King replied calmly. “From the moment Damon Six-Ears came into being, he was destined to oppose Monkey. Peace between them is impossible.”
Buddha took a deep breath and said, “I’ve heard that fishermen put catfish in the tank to stir up the other fish, forcing them to swim for their lives and thus survive. It seems, Earth-Store King, you must drop a catfish into Damon Six-Ears’s tank. Now that he’s been revived, he must not sink into passivity, lest calamity befall him.”
All the Buddhas quietly watched Earth-Store King.
After a long moment, Earth-Store King pressed his palms together and silently bowed to Buddha, then withdrew from the hall.
......
Meanwhile, in Phoenix County.
“You’re saying... Clara Heart is in Damon Six-Ears’s hands?”
Louis Quickpaw nodded heavily.
Marshal Silver looked in surprise at King Bullhorn.
King Bullhorn also nodded gravely.
These two demons, who usually couldn’t meet without quarreling, were now staring anxiously at Marshal Silver.
Collecting himself, Marshal Silver quickly glanced out the window.
Not far away, Monkey sat cross-legged on the rooftop, glaring westward, his face full of resentment.
“You haven’t told him yet?”
“We don’t dare,” Louis Quickpaw whispered. “The Great Sage has been in a foul mood lately. If he finds out, he’ll rush straight to Lionback Kingdom. That’s why we came to consult you.”
“I don’t understand. Why... why would Clara Heart be in Damon Six-Ears’s hands? He shouldn’t know Clara is Belle. And Clara should be in Crescent Star Cave... How could this happen?”
“Damon Six-Ears doesn’t know, but Heaven and Avalon Mountain do. I suspect those old immortals deliberately leaked the news just to make trouble for us.” Louis Quickpaw glanced nervously at Monkey’s location. “As for why Clara left Crescent Star Cave, that’s a mystery. It feels like a trap.”
“So what are you planning to do? Rescue her yourselves... that won’t work, will it? But if you say nothing and something happens to her, you know how the Great Sage’s temper is.”