In the mortal realm, inside the city of Luoyang during the Sui dynasty, Li Ling appeared with his cultivation sealed.
Though his cultivation was sealed, it did not hinder Li Ling from practicing arts; the seal served merely to deceive the Western Paradise Buddhism.
Now, with the Journey to the West cataclysm imminent, heaven and earth were plunged into chaos, rendering the immortals and Buddhas incapable of divination, let alone regarding matters concerning the Scripture Seeker.
Yet, according to Li Ling's memory, this Monk Tripitaka should be born during the Sui dynasty, and his mother, Yin Wenjiao, had already grown to adulthood by this time.
Li Ling had appeared in Luoyang city five years ago, and drawing upon his nine years of compulsory education from his past life, he was now a moderately ranked official.
"Brother Li, where are you heading off to now that your shift is over?"
As he walked along, Li Ling did not even turn his head as he replied, "Xuanling, could it be you're looking to unwind again?"
"Ha, ha! Nothing can escape Brother Li. Ever since you took me there last time, I haven't been able to eat or drink properly. I even heard that His Highness the Crown Prince himself speaks of the place with boundless praise."
"Xuanling needn't flatter me. It's merely some trivial, unrefined amusement. Since Xuanling wishes to go, shall we head over together?"
"My sincerest thanks to Brother Li, then. Without you leading the way, someone with my meager salary could truly never afford it."
In the five years since descending to the mortal realm, Li Ling had not done anything overly elaborate; he had simply opened an establishment called "Heaven on Earth" in Luoyang city, packing it with every form of service he had heard of in his past life.
Doing this served two purposes: first, to network with the powerful and elite of Luoyang, and second, to befriend scholars throughout the realm.
The moment "Heaven on Earth" opened, business was booming. It was not as if no one had ever come to cause trouble, but upon discovering that the person behind it was Yang Guang, they quieted down for good.
All of this was done by Li Ling for a single purpose: to find a "good father" for Monk Tripitaka.
After all, Chen Guangrui had been arranged for even before Monk Tripitaka was born, which left Monk Tripitaka somewhat lacking in paternal love.
For hundreds of years, through continuous divination, Li Ling had finally confirmed one thing: the trajectory of this world was proceeding toward the history he knew so well.
The greater trend could not be altered, but in minor matters, the Heavenly Dao would simply not interfere.
As for anyone capable of influencing the historical trend, it was impossible to "arrange" them easily; doing so would inevitably demand an enormous price.
Inside the Pavilion of Heaven, Li Ling looked at Fang Xuanling, who had just taken a sip of wine, and spoke up: "Xuanling, you're not so young anymore. Have you never thought about marrying soon?"
"Cough, cough—"
Hearing Li Ling's words, Fang Xuanling burst into a fit of coughing, hastily grabbed the flagon beside him, downed a mouthful of wine, and said, "Why would Brother Li bring this up today? I am merely an official of the seventh rank at present; which noble family's daughter would ever consent to marry me?"
Hearing this, Li Ling smiled faintly. "As long as you wish to marry, Xuanling, leave the rest to me."
After pondering for a long time, Fang Xuanling finally nodded in agreement. "Then I must trouble Brother Li!"
It was no wonder Fang Xuanling agreed so readily. Now in his early twenties—an era when people in antiquity married in their teens—he was already considered an overdue bachelor.
In the Underworld, several Arhats handed a jade vial to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and said, "Bodhisattva, this is the primordial spirit of the Golden Cicada. The Buddha instructed us to deliver it to you, and asks that you make arrangements promptly so as not to miss the timing for reincarnation."
Ksitigarbha, seated upon his lotus throne, looked at the Arhats and replied, "Rest assured, I shall make the arrangements at once. Did the Buddha specify where the Golden Cicada should be reincarnated?"
One of the Arhats pressed his palms together and answered, "Yin Kaishan's daughter, Yin Wenjiao."
Hearing this, Ksitigarbha nodded and ordered someone to summon the Judge.
A short while later, Judge Cui Yu arrived at Ksitigarbha's presence.
"This is the primordial spirit of the Golden Cicada. Take it!"
As Ksitigarbha finished speaking, the jade vial containing the Golden Cicada's primordial spirit slowly floated up and landed before Cui Yu.
Cui Yu carefully received it and asked, "Where is he to be reincarnated in this lifetime?"
Ksitigarbha replied, "Luoyang city, to Yin Kaishan's daughter, Yin Wenjiao."
Cui Yu nodded upon hearing this, said nothing more, and turned to leave. This was not a matter he could sway; it was a scheme concocted by Buddhism, the outcome of which had already been discussed and agreed upon with the higher-ups of the Underworld.
Time passed swiftly, bringing the day when Chen Guangrui placed first in the imperial examinations, rode a horse through the streets in celebration, and Yin Wenjiao set up a decorated stage to toss her embroidered ball.
Li Ling stood quietly among the crowd beneath the stage, watching it all unfold.
Sure enough, hidden high above the stage were agents of Buddhism.
Before long, Yin Wenjiao tossed the embroidered ball into the air. Li Ling watched as the ball bounced continuously above the crowd, with no one able to catch it.
After tumbling through the air for a moment, the ball happened to land right in the hands of Chen Guangrui, the newly minted top scholar who had ridden up on horseback.
A newly minted top scholar and the daughter of a high-ranking official—from every perspective, the two were an absolute match.
A cheer erupted from the crowd.
Soon, Chen Guangrui was escorted amid the crowd up to the stage, while Yin Wenjiao looked thoroughly satisfied, blushing furiously with shyness.
Yin Kaishan, moreover, was endlessly pleased with this prospective son-in-law.
As Chen Guangrui was escorted by the crowd toward the Yin estate, Li Ling kept his gaze locked on those few figures in the sky.
Seeing them fly away, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Buddhism did not have the habit of watching people get married and enter the bridal chamber.
Outside the Crown Prince's residence, Li Ling announced himself to the guards and walked straight inside; the guards naturally recognized Li Ling as the Crown Prince's favorite confidant.
Entering a hall, he found Yang Guang being fed by two beauties clad in translucent black silk.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Only when Li Ling spoke did Yang Guang look up at him, offering a slight smile. "Li Ling, what brings you the time to visit my residence today? Come, come, join me in drinking wine and enjoying the song and dance."
Li Ling stepped forward to stand before Yang Guang, ignoring the cup of wine Yang Guang extended toward him.
Seeing this, Yang Guang frowned slightly. "What? Could it be you look down upon the wine in my palace?"
Hearing this, Yang Guang's words did not fluster Li Ling, who merely raised his hands in a calm salute and said, "Your Highness, to speak the truth, I have come today to ask a favor."
Hearing this, Yang Guang perked up and laughed. "In all these years, I have never seen you ask me for a single thing. Tell me what's on your mind today."
"I have a close friend who has taken a fancy to Yin Kaishan's daughter, Yin Wenjiao. Day and night he loses his appetite, growing daily more haggard, and I have specially come to ask Your Highness for assistance."
"Oh? Who is this friend of yours? Since he fancies her, he should simply go and propose marriage. I shall make the decision on this; in a few days, I will speak with Yin Kaishan myself."
Li Ling forced a wry smile. "Your Highness, I'm afraid it's too late. Today, Yin Kaishan's daughter set up a stage to cast an embroidered ball to choose a husband, and the one who caught it is the current top scholar. By now, the two of them have likely already wed."
Yang Guang was startled by this. "If that's the case, why come to me?"
"To crash the bridal chamber!"
As soon as Li Ling uttered those three words, even Yang Guang was taken aback.
"Have you lost your mind, Li Ling? If ordinary commoners did such a thing, it would be one thing, but that is Yin Kaishan's daughter! Yin Kaishan is deeply trusted by His Majesty. If I were to do this, I fear I would immediately follow in Yang Yong's footsteps."
Seeing that Li Ling remained silent, Yang Guang continued, "Tomorrow, I will have someone look into which noble families have daughters of marriageable age and arrange another match for your friend."
Li Ling shook his head. "My friend is a man of deep constancy; I fear he could never bestow his heart upon another. I must beg Your Highness to help us. This friend once saved my life; if Your Highness is willing to lend a hand, I am willing to surrender all profits from 'Heaven on Earth' to Your Highness, including the complete yields and recipes for Immortal Brew."
Hearing this, Yang Guang could not help but fall into hesitation and struggle.
One must realize that, let alone the profits of "Heaven on Earth," "Immortal Brew" alone was like a flock of golden-egg-laying geese.
Li Ling had only given him thirty percent of the profits from "Heaven on Earth," yet those thirty percent alone were enough to keep him living comfortably and secure his position as Crown Prince.
If all of it were his...
Yang Guang had certainly considered seizing it by force back then, but without Li Ling, the operation simply wouldn't function, leaving him with no choice but to agree to that thirty percent share.
After pacing back and forth for a long time, Yang Guang gritted his teeth and said to Li Ling, "Fine! This Crown Prince shall accompany you to crash a bridal chamber once! Tell me what you need me to do."
Seeing Yang Guang agree, Li Ling smiled faintly.