Although the coordination of the Journey to the West had been entrusted to Maitreya Buddha, Xuanzang was, after all, the reincarnation of his second disciple, Master Golden Cicada. As such, the matter of the Journey to the West was of great concern to Tathagata.
And naturally, Tathagata was also keeping an eye on Jiang Liu's visit to the Underworld.
Even though Ksitigarbha was a member of the Buddhist Sect, he had always been at odds with them—a fact well-known to Tathagata.
Almost every time Xuanzang went to the Underworld to find Ksitigarbha, he was refused an audience, which was consistent with Ksitigarbha's character and not at all surprising.
But today, Ksitigarbha was willing to meet him, as if the last time Xuanzang was cast out it had never happened. This naturally made Tathagata feel puzzled.
When did Xuanzang's relationship with Ksitigarbha become so close? Why had he never known about it?