Man in the heavens, wins by lying down to prove the truth

Chapter 335 The Lonely Monkey King is Without Support; Mountain Spirit, Heed the Woodcutter's Words
The cold comes and goes, the autumn is harvested and winter is hidden.

Zhou Cheng rode the white ox slowly eastward, traveling no more than thirty or forty li a day. This was only because the white ox was over ten feet tall and had a large stride; otherwise, it would have been even slower.

Thus, after seven full cycles of the four seasons, they finally reached the border of the Western Continent of Niuhe.

"Sir, that child was truly ungrateful. If it were me..."

The white ox huffed and puffed, when Zhou Cheng smiled and tapped its horn: "Ox, calm down."

"Yes, sir."

Zhou Cheng pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "It is not their fault that mortals, with their mortal eyes and limited understanding, cannot recognize the Dao."

"I'll teach you a principle: open your divine eyes to see all living beings, and you'll see that I am also one of them."

The white ox nodded as if it understood, then said with a hint of flattery, "I don't really understand. Your Excellency's ability to govern the world is certainly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people like me."

Zhou Cheng laughed and said, "How do you know I am not one of the masses? In this world, who is not an illusion?"

"I don't understand, please enlighten me, sir."

Having spent seven years together, the old bull demon had come to know Zhou Cheng quite well and was aware of his character.

As long as the old ox asked the question, this great being never pretended to be profound; he would speak his mind without hesitation. This was an immense opportunity.

"Does the ox know where heaven and earth came from?"

Upon hearing Zhou Cheng's question, Old Niu quickly replied, "I have heard something, but I don't know if it's true or not. It is said that Laozi transformed into Pangu, separated heaven and earth, opened up the primordial chaos, and divided the primordial chaos."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Cheng said, "This is true. Do you know where Laozi came from? And where the primordial chaos came from?"

"This... the ox doesn't know."

"Everything has a beginning and a cause; that is the origin of everything."

"All things in this world, whether visible and tangible or invisible and intangible, are merely variations of the original source, all like bubbles that burst at the slightest touch. Only the original source is real."

"Whether it is the Supreme God of Heaven or the sovereign ruler of the Pure Land, what they pursue is to reach the source and see the great truth."

The reasoning behind it is not complicated and can be understood by ordinary people, so the old ox naturally understood it as well.

"What the master seeks is probably this very source, isn't it?"

"Goodness, therefore it does not become that original source. All sentient beings are not distinguished, there is absolutely no nobility or baseness. Do not rely on your own great supernatural powers to act recklessly and sow evil seeds. In the future, you will eventually taste the evil fruit."

“I will remember your teachings, Master.”

Old Niu obediently agreed, keeping it in mind, but only keeping it in mind.

Everyone understands the grand principles, but putting them into practice is extremely difficult. This has been true throughout history and across all living beings.

The man and the ox chatted idly as they crossed mountains, seas, and rivers, entering the territory of the Southern Continent.

Before long, they came into view a precipitous mountain range that reached into the sky. It was majestic and precipitous, and the rich Daoist aura of the Five Elements was almost tangible, swirling around the mountain and giving rise to countless spiritual seeds and mystical roots.

This sacred mountain is undoubtedly one of the best places for cultivation in the world, except that people cultivate here and establish their own caves.

The reason for this is the inscription on the mountaintop, which reads the six large characters 'Om Mani Padme Hum'.

This is the Six-Syllable Mantra, also known as the Six-Syllable Proverb, which possesses the boundless blessings and compassion of all Buddhas.

Of course, the most important thing is that this mantra was written by the Buddha himself and contains the wonder of supreme enlightenment. Once it is pasted here, all kinds of supernatural powers cannot be used and immeasurable magical power cannot be moved.

“What a majestic mountain, sir. This mountain is truly extraordinary, but... I passed by here many years ago and never saw this mountain.”

Old Niu looked at the Five Elements Mountain and wondered if he had misremembered it.

Zhou Chengsui laughed and said, "This mountain is certainly extraordinary. It is truly as if it were formed from the Buddha's arm, and it also has the World Honored One's seal pressed down on it, just to suppress a monkey. Don't you think it's extraordinary?"

The old ox was startled. Its eyes darted around, and after a moment it finally spoke: "Master, I also swore brotherhood with this monkey back then, but he was too arrogant. He openly defied the heavens. I knew this day would come, so I ran away long ago."

Zhou Cheng nodded: "Let's go see this monkey. Hide your true form and transform into an old ox."

This old ox was extraordinary in its original form. It was an eight-hundred-foot-tall white ox, heroic and handsome. Even when it was reduced to a height of ten feet, it was still obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary ox.

“Master, that monkey is incredibly powerful. My transformation techniques might not be able to fool him.”

As the ox spoke, it transformed into a lean old ox.

"Do not worry, for I will ensure that none of these beings can perceive the change in you."

When Zhou Cheng spoke, his words were imbued with profound power, so much so that even the countless gods and Buddhas could not discern his true form.

As they spoke, Zhou Cheng himself naturally used his transformation technique, turning into a burly woodcutter, wielding a sharp axe and chanting as he went into the mountains.

Old Niu followed behind Zhou Cheng, obediently carrying the firewood that Zhou Cheng had chopped.

“This monkey was incredibly powerful back in the day, and he made countless friends. I, Old Ox, even became sworn brothers with him.”

"Now that the monkey is in trouble, he's forgotten all about us. I, the old ox, am far inferior to the monkey. If I fall into trouble in the future, it will probably be even more so."

Being demons themselves, the old ox felt a pang of sympathy for the fallen.

In reality, it was only natural that the monkey's friends back then were all demons, preventing him from achieving enlightenment, and his wisdom was far inferior to that of the mortals in the Southern Continent's court.

Think about it: such a serious crime, yet they didn't kill the monkey. What kind of background and ability does that mean?
Instead of taking this opportunity to offer timely help, they resorted to a severing of ties.

As Zhou Cheng led the old ox deeper into the mountains, they saw beams of divine light descend upon them.

The newcomers were none other than the Five Directions Protectors. These few had just witnessed the changes in Zhou Cheng and Old Niu, so they naturally knew who the newcomers were.

"We pay homage to His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and praise the primordial truth."

The Five Directions Gatekeepers are the Golden-Headed Gatekeeper, the Silver-Headed Gatekeeper, the Paragatekeeper, the Parasamgatekeeper, and the Mahagatekeeper.

These five people were essentially the elite of the Lingshan security team, and they would later serve as the secret bodyguards for the Journey to the West team.

"You're too kind, everyone. I'm just an ordinary mortal. Please leave now."

Zhou Cheng held the axe upside down and bowed with clasped hands.

Upon seeing this, the five guardian deities repeatedly turned aside, refusing Zhou Cheng's courtesy, and then quickly transformed into divine light and dispersed.

Immediately, Zhou Cheng, with the old ox, continued chopping firewood in the mountains.

In a daze, half a day passed, and the sun was high in the sky.

Zhou Cheng had chopped firewood all the way to the foot of the mountain when he saw a stone box there. Inside the stone box was a head, which belonged to Sun Wukong.

But the monkey now was nothing like the glorious Monkey King of old. His pointed snout and sunken cheeks were covered in dirt, his fur was covered in moss, and his entire body was immobile; he couldn't even shake his neck. Only his ears, eyes, throat, and tongue remained relatively free. This was far more pitiful than what Zhou Cheng had seen on television.

TV dramas are just acting, after all. They wouldn't really make the actor suffer like that. With one arm still able to move, they can shake their head and move freely.

But this monkey couldn't move at all; it couldn't escape being stuffed with iron pellets or molten copper.

Even more tragically, two or three boys could be seen playing with the monkey, and no matter how much the monkey bared its teeth, it couldn't scare the audacious teenager.

“Ox, scare them.”

The old ox let out a loud moo, as if it had gone mad, and charged towards the group of mischievous children.

"My goodness, it's a mad cow."

"Run, run."

"Waaaaah, Mom..."

A group of mischievous children were frightened and ran away in all directions, heading towards a nearby mountain village.

At this moment, the old ox finally calmed down, lay down next to the monkey's head, and ate some grass.

The monkey was right next to the old ox, who was his sworn brother.

"Thank you, woodcutter."

The monkey rolled its eyes, looked at Zhou Cheng who was holding the sharp axe, and said thank you.

Zhou Cheng has a burly build and an honest, simple look that gives people a sense of comfort.

"You monkey, where did you come from? Why are you locked in a stone? I will split the stone and free you."

The monkey laughed and said, "Good man, don't bother. This is the great power of the Buddha Tathagata, which suppressed me, Old Sun, under the mountain. Not to mention you, there are probably few people in the whole world who can split it open."

"Speaking of which, you are indeed an extraordinary man. You are not afraid of me, Old Sun, who speaks human language."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Cheng laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? If you had the power to harm people, those two or three children would have been dead long ago."

“The man is quite clever, and he does agree with this reasoning. However, since you do not know my name, Old Sun, you will not kill women and children, thus damaging my prestige.”

As the monkey spoke, Zhou Cheng looked him up and down suspiciously: "You monkey are indeed extraordinary. You just said that you were suppressed under a mountain by the Buddha, could it be true?"

"Hey, you lad, why would I, Old Sun, lie to you? Do you even know..."

The monkey boasted about his deeds for a while, then hummed, "Go ask around the world, I am the most famous demon in history!"

"That was also a monster, suppressed under the mountain by Buddha, unable to move."

Zhou Cheng poured cold water on the situation, and the monkey immediately bared its teeth and then became obedient, sighing, "I regret not listening to Master's teachings, and now I'm in this state. I'm afraid I'll never be able to turn things around. It's so bitter, so bitter."

Good monkey, still unable to cultivate your mind, disturbed by the two spirits, your wisdom is unclear.

If a monkey were truly intelligent and perceptive, how could it not see that this path was a trial? How could it possibly remain forever trapped in its current state?

The Buddha went to great lengths to subdue the monkey under the mountain. If it weren't for teaching him a lesson, why make things so difficult? He could have just killed him directly.

Don't say that monkeys are incredibly powerful and an irreplaceable part of the journey to the west.

No one is irreplaceable. There are many demons in Journey to the West, and many of them are incredibly powerful. But once they are bound by the headband, they are all honest children.

If you don't do it, plenty of others will.

“Alas, you are quite pitiful. I went into the mountains to chop firewood and felt unbearably hungry and thirsty, so I picked a wild peach to eat. I will give it to you to eat now.”

Zhou Chenghua, disguised as a man, hung a sharp axe at his waist and reached into a basket behind him to pull out a bright red mountain peach.

"You can't eat this, you can't eat this. I, Old Sun, am indestructible. I can't starve or die of thirst. But you are just a mortal with grain worms in your body. You can eat this."

The monkey refused Zhou Cheng's offer to feed it, which made Zhou Cheng smile.

“Good monkey, there are plenty of mountain peaches over there, you can eat them, and I will pick more if I get hungry or thirsty.”

Upon hearing this, Wukong said no more, and quickly ate the peach that the woodcutter had brought to his mouth.

"Thank you, thank you, I, Old Sun, will remember this kindness forever."

The monkey seemed to be speaking from experience, saying, "Back in the day, I, Old Sun, would only take one bite of the purple-striped peaches of immortality from heaven and then throw them away. Their taste was far inferior to these mountain peaches of today."

Zhou Chengsui laughed and said, "Even a woodcutter like me knows this principle: when you're full, even the finest delicacies taste bland; when you're starving, even spoiled food seems like a delicacy."

The monkey laughed and exclaimed, "That's exactly right! That's exactly right!"

Over the years, the monkey has been trapped under the mountain with no one to visit it, so it has naturally become more talkative.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Cheng listened to the monkey blowing his conch shell for a long time.

Suddenly, the monkey exclaimed, "Good man! I don't know your background. If I, Old Sun, can get out of here in the future, I will repay this peach for your kindness."

"I'm just a woodcutter from a village at the foot of the mountain. Hearing your words, I felt quite proud, but now I've fallen to such a state. This reminds me of a story from my hometown. Would you like to hear it?"

Upon hearing this, the monkey quickly replied, "Good man, please speak freely, please speak freely."

Zhou Cheng sighed and said, "Mountain spirit, listen to the woodcutter's words. For generations, we've eked out a living by chopping firewood. Fortunately, we had a thatched hut to shelter us from the wind and rain, and my wife and children would work hard and laugh together as we cooked. We chopped firewood in the morning and carried it to the market in the evening. We were content with simple meals. Suddenly, we saw a thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum growing on the cliff, its red light shining brightly in the forest. Greed arose, and we forgot our roots. We abandoned our axe and climbed the vines, wanting to ascend to heaven. My wife advised me to be content, and my children held my hand, but I said that the immortal herb was worth ten thousand coins! One day, I lost my footing and fell into a deep ravine. A torrential rain and a flash flood swept us away. Only the broken eaves dripped cold dew, and my widow and her orphan cried endlessly."

"Mountain spirit, do not be obsessed with the dream of gold. Coarse cloth is the warmest. Do not forget the old axe of the ancients. The green moss on the stone grows green year after year, and the mountain moon shines like a lamp on the old garden."

After saying this, Zhou Cheng patted the yellow ox and slowly walked down the mountain, leaving only the old monkey in the stone, unable to recover for a long time.

After a long while, the old monkey hurriedly shouted, "Which deity are you? Can you tell me your name? I, Old Sun, will surely repay you in the future!"

Beneath the Five Elements Mountain, the monkey's mind was calmed. Even though its cultivation of the mind was not yet complete, the monkey was no longer arrogant and ignorant, and its spirituality was never completely obscured.

After Zhou Cheng said this, the monkey finally realized that the person who came was definitely no ordinary person.

After a long while, the monkey watched the departing figure, only to hear the echoing tune from the mountains, lingering for a long time: "Watching chess, the axe handle rots; chopping wood, the sound of metal striking metal; strolling slowly by the valley entrance, clouds in the distance. Selling firewood and buying wine, laughing wildly, indulging in self-satisfaction..."

……

Once they left the Five Elements Mountain forest, the white ox revealed its true form and looked at Zhou Cheng, saying, "Master, since you still recognize the monkey, why don't you show your true form?"

“The monkey is clever but arrogant. This is a trial for cultivating the mind. I will not reveal my true form so that the monkey can achieve something in the process of suffering and attain enlightenment without relying on force.”

The white ox bowed its head in agreement and prostrated itself before Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng laughed and said, "Go ahead, go ahead. Go to the Great Han Dynasty and meet the wise ruler who will revive the Han Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)