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

Chapter 341 If one does not live to be ten thousand years old, what is the point of being a human being in this world?

Now, let's talk about the monkey. Even after escaping his predicament, he remained arrogant.

The group that accompanied Tang Sanzang had not gone far when they killed a group of bandits. After being nagged by Tang Sanzang, they immediately became unhappy and turned to go back to Flower Fruit Mountain.

Great Sage, your auspicious clouds soar for thousands of miles, and in an instant you can travel across the four continents and four seas, returning to Aolai Kingdom.

Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Aolai, there was a temple fair, bustling with people.

"Wow, what a beautiful fruit."

A flash of inspiration struck Wukong, and he saw someone selling peaches in a human market. Each peach was bright red and glistening, looking incredibly tempting.

"Go and grab one to try."

With a slight thought, Wukong used a spell to land on the ground and commit a theft.

If a monkey is a habitual thief, even if he falsely attains the Hunyuan Fruit level, he will not make any progress.

With the monkey's abilities, what delicacies and rare creatures couldn't it conjure up with a magic trick of 'manipulating creation'?
Even if you just want to experience personal pleasures, you can easily collect gold dust and silver from the mountains and rivers and buy some openly.

Just as the monkey reached into the peach basket, the old stall owner raised his hand and grabbed the monkey's hairy hand.

"Where did this monk with the face of a thunder god come from, engaging in such a groping act?"

The stall owner, with his white hair and beard, was now glaring at the monkey, puffing out his beard and staring intently.

The monkey quickly apologized with a smile, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I was so hungry and thirsty that I couldn't resist eating a peach or two. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to greet you first."

Monkeys are not inherently bad. If it were someone who said, "I don't eat beef," they would have hit them with a stick at this point.

"I don't believe it. You have a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, and you don't look like a decent person. Come with me to see the magistrate!"

The old stall owner grumbled and dragged the monkey, ready to see the officials.

The monkey was extremely anxious. If this were to go to the authorities, what would become of his reputation as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?

"Brother, brother, look, isn't this a good deal? It's enough to exchange for these two baskets of peaches, isn't it?"

The monkey reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold nugget the size of a chestnut, which he quickly handed to the old stall owner.

The old man was shocked and quickly said, "That's too much, too much! A basket of peaches can't possibly be worth that much. Take them back quickly."

The monkey laughed loudly and said, "I'll give you as much as I can, brother. Although I have never used any magic, I am not someone that others can see. It is fate that you were able to see me, brother."

The old man waved his hand: "Take this gold. I misunderstood you first. You can eat these peaches as much as you want, but don't mention money."

Upon hearing this, the monkey immediately felt a little guilty.

The old man didn't misunderstand him; he genuinely intended to take out two to eat.

For a moment, the monkey felt that it was no match for this mortal old man.

“In that case, my eating your peach is the cause and effect. Brother, is there any difficulty you are facing? Just tell me.”

The monkey felt a mix of trepidation and excitement about returning home. Looking at the Flower and Fruit Mountain, visible to the naked eye in the distance, its initial eagerness subsided. Seeing the old man's magnanimity, it uttered these words.

"There are no difficulties, but there is one troubling matter that is beyond your control," the old man sighed.

The monkey immediately became defiant and said, "Go ahead and say it. There is no trouble under heaven that I, Old Sun, cannot solve."

The old man sighed, "That's my eldest son; he's too young to understand."

“When my son was young, he learned a craft from a master craftsman. For the first three months, he planed wood, but he found it boring. For the next three months, he learned mortise and tenon joints, but he complained that it was too difficult. In less than a year, he quit and became a blacksmith.”

"Who knew that after less than half a year of blacksmithing, he found the sparks too hot to handle and turned to learning tailoring... After twenty years of this, he was already thirty years old, but he still had no skill in the trade."

“I once heard a Zen master in the temple say: ‘Practicing Zen is like planting a tree, and cultivating oneself is like growing. If you rush to transplant it before the roots are firmly established, let alone flowering and bearing fruit, it may not even survive. Of all things in the world, the most dangerous thing is this word ‘transplant’.”

"My son regrets it now. If he had studied hard back then, he would have achieved something by now and would be married and have a family."

“As a father, I am powerless to help. I can only keep up my old age, carry a load of peaches to sell, and save up some money so that my son can get married.”

Sun Wukong listened to the old man's sighs, pondered for a moment, and then sighed.

The old man asked in surprise, "I was just lamenting my son, why are you lamenting?"

Sun Wukong's eyes reddened, but he said, "I am also like your son, which makes the elders in the family uneasy."

"What is your situation? Where do you live?"

When the old man asked, Sun Wukong replied, "I was born of heaven and earth and am an immortal without father or mother. Fortunately, I received teachings from my master, who regards me as his parents."

“In my early years, I learned great skills and thought I was invincible. I did not listen to my master’s teachings and brought all kinds of disasters upon myself, suffering for half a thousand years.”

"Thinking back, I realized that if it weren't for my master protecting me, I would have lost my life long ago."

"Now that I am free, I have no face to see my master again."

Upon hearing this, the old man immediately rebuked him angrily: "You are an unreasonable person. How can a father despise his son just because he is useless?"

"Since you are a promising person and believe that you are invincible, then make a name for yourself. Wouldn't it be wonderful to return to your sect then?"

“If things continue like this, then I will be like my parents, causing them only worry and anxiety, and I will not be a proper son.”

Upon hearing this, Wukong felt enlightened and said, "Brother, you are a wise man. Thank you for your guidance."

“In that case, I shall go and make a name for myself. Once I have achieved my goal, it will be no more than three to five years. At that time, I will definitely come to thank you in person.”

After saying this, Wukong leaped up and flew over the clouds, using a magic spell to escape to the Thirty-Three Heavens.

After Wukong left, the old peach seller chuckled and waved his hand. Then, the people at the temple fair transformed into Taoist robes, exuding an air of otherworldly grace.

Now, the old man selling peaches was none other than Yi Feizi, the number one person on Mount Taiyi and a sage in his previous life.

The rest of them were all the disciples of the Yi generation from back then, who have now traveled all over the world and established their own temples.

"Senior Brother, let's talk about Junior Brother. His heart is still pure, and he will surely be able to subdue the five hearts and achieve enlightenment in the future." The man who had previously transformed into a blacksmith smiled and looked at Yi Feizi.

Yi Feizi nodded and smiled, "Wukong is born with divine wisdom and extraordinary comprehension. None of us can compare to him. If he is trained in the future, he will surely become a great power in the world."

As he used his supernatural powers to cross the Eastern Continent and fly over the South China Sea, his powers suddenly failed him.

It turned out that this was the Bodhisattva's sacred site in the South Sea, where all kinds of supernatural powers had failed. Just as the monkey was about to take a detour, he saw auspicious clouds and beams of light, which transformed into a solemn Dharma image.

The Bodhisattva's image sternly rebuked, "Sun Wukong, why are you so disobedient and fail to protect Tang Sanzang? What are you doing here?"

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong quickly bowed and greeted him, saying, "Thanks to the Bodhisattva's kind words, a Tang Dynasty monk indeed came, removed the seal, and saved my life. I became his disciple who protects the Dharma. However, he blamed me for being fierce and unruly, so I dodged him. Now I will go and protect him as well."

The Bodhisattva of the Sea sighed and said, "Go now, go now, lest you miss the opportunity and fail to live up to the initial expectations of the World-Honored One and the Great Virtuous One."

Upon hearing this, Wukong quickly replied solemnly, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva then dispersed his Dharma form.

Meanwhile, Wukong breathed a sigh of relief: "What a powerful Bodhisattva from the South Sea! I'm afraid I can't defeat him." The Bodhisattva had only shown a little of his abilities, yet he had already startled the monkey.

Monkeys only act so understandingly when facing the elderly, weak, women, children, or powerful beings they cannot defeat.

However, after a short while, Sun Wukong returned to his original spot, where Tang Sanzang was sitting silently by the roadside, neither moving forward nor backward.

Sun Wukong quickly landed on the ground and asked, "Master! How do we continue our journey?"

Tang Sanzang said with some resentment, "Where are you going? I dare not go, for I fear you will not be able to find me."

Sun Wukong said, "I was thinking of my hometown for a while, so I rode the cloud away, looked into the distance, and relieved my homesickness before returning."

Tang Sanzang was indeed skeptical: "A monk does not lie. You once said that your home is on Flower Fruit Mountain, 100,000 li away. Now it only takes half an hour to get there and back. How could you have traveled 100,000 li?"

Sun Wukong immediately perked up and said, "Master, you don't know my supernatural powers. I, Old Sun, have been learning from the Patriarch since I was a disciple..."

As he spoke, Sun Wukong showed off his supernatural powers again, looking exactly the same as he had when he was in front of Buddha Shakyamuni.

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang replied, "In that case, could you conjure up some food for me?"

“It can’t be changed, it can’t be changed. Master needs to beg for alms to go on his journey to obtain the scriptures. Since Master is hungry, I will go and beg for some food for you.”

Seeing that the topic had been brought up, Tang Sanzang finally said, "No need to trouble yourself. There is some dry food in my baggage. Just take a bowl and fill it with some water."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong quickly untied the bundle and found several coarse flour cakes in the middle. He took them out and handed them to Tang Sanzang. Just as he was about to take the purple-gold alms bowl to fill with water, he saw a brightly colored cotton robe and a hat inlaid with gold flowers.

Immediately, the Wood Mother in Sun Wukong's mind began to stir, and he had a thought of 'luxury and pleasure'.

Sun Wukong, holding the clothes and hat, looked at Tang Sanzang and asked, "Did you bring these clothes and hat from the East?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang said, "These are clothes I wore when I was a child, but I can't wear them now. If I wear these clothes and hat, I can understand my true nature and subdue the five minds."

"Oh? Such a rare treasure! Such a rare treasure! Good master, since you can't wear it, then let me wear it?"

Sun Wukong looked at Tang Sanzang with a delighted expression.

Tang Sanzang naturally wouldn't refuse. He saw the monkey take off his old clothes and put on the cotton robe, which fit him perfectly, as if it were custom-made.

Immediately, the good monkey put on the brocade hat again, and felt very imposing. He quickly took the alms bowl and went to the stream to fill it with water for Tang Sanzang, and also to check his own appearance and attire.

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang, who was eating his dry rations, saw the monkey put on his hat and fetch him water. Without the slightest hesitation, he silently recited the Tightening-Headband Mantra.

Immediately, Sun Wukong clutched his head and cried out, "It hurts! It hurts so much!"

This pain stunned Sun Wukong; he had never felt such pain before.

The pain caused Sun Wukong to roll on the ground, tearing his gold-inlaid hat and revealing the hair-like gold headband.

When Tang Sanzang saw that the brocade hat was torn, he was immediately shocked and did not see the headband in the hair.

It was the monkey that noticed the golden thread-like band tightly binding it, impossible to remove or break; it had already taken root.

"Samadhi Fire, ignite!"

Sun Wukong immediately used his supernatural power, summoning a divine fire that could burn anything, to incinerate the golden headband.

Seeing this, Tang Sanzang quickly continued chanting scriptures.

Immediately, the pain caused Sun Wukong to continue jumping around, doing handstands and somersaults, complaining that his brains felt like they were about to burst out, and that his head was throbbing and his eyes were swollen.

After a while, Tang Sanzang finally saw how much the monkey was being tortured and couldn't bear it, so he stopped talking.

At this moment, Sun Wukong also noticed Tang Sanzang's actions and angrily said, "So it was you, old monk, who harmed me and cursed me with a headache!"

"When I curse you to have a headache, I am reciting the Tightening-Headband Sutra, which was taught by the Bodhisattva."

Sun Wukong was suspicious and said, "Read it again!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang recited the sutra again, causing Sun Wukong to writhe on the ground in pain once more.

Immediately, Tang Sanzang felt more confident and looked at Sun Wukong, saying, "In that case, are you convinced of my teachings?"

"I'm convinced, I'm convinced." Sun Wukong couldn't recover for a long time and could only say repeatedly.

Although that's what he said, Sun Wukong actually wanted to kill Tang Sanzang in secret. Tang Sanzang said, "This scripture was given to me by the Bodhisattva of the Sea. Even if I can't bind you, the Bodhisattva of the Sea can still recite it."

Immediately, Sun Wukong deflated and angrily said, "Why did Guanyin of the sea do this to me?"

Realizing he couldn't defeat Guanyin, Sun Wukong said helplessly, "Master, I will go west with you and report back on your success. But please don't recite the Tightening-Headband Sutra."

Seeing this, Tang Sanzang instructed, "In that case, please help me mount my horse."

Seeing Sun Wukong so humble and subservient, the monk began to act in such a bossy manner.

Sun Wukong dared not speak out in anger, so he could only suppress his rage, help the old monk mount his horse, and continue westward.

……

Meanwhile, in a forest a hundred miles away, Guanyin Bodhisattva and Chuxiu stood atop the clouds, gazing at this scene from afar.

"Only in this way can the monkey's restless heart be subdued. I wonder if the monkey will be able to remove the headband on his own during this journey westward."

Guanyin Bodhisattva clasped her hands together and sighed.

If one cannot even lower one's mind, how can one bear the expectations of the great virtuous beginning and the Buddha and Elder of Lingshan?

Chu Xiu then smiled and said, "Master instructed me to come here to set up a trial, which is to help Brother Wukong subdue his mind. Bodhisattva, please be pleased."

"In that case, I'll trouble you, young master."

"Don't dare, don't dare."

Now, Chu Xiu, holding the precious Ruyi, transformed into a Taoist robe and landed in the forest. She used a spell to make her words come true and said, "There is no road to the west except this one."

Upon hearing this, the mountains and fields transformed, and all roads stretching for thousands of miles were cut off, leaving only this one road.

Immediately, Chu Xiu pointed, and an ancient tree grew, its canopy forming a nest, blocking the road.

Now, Chu Xiu sat cross-legged here, adopting the appearance of an old monk, calling himself "Zen Master Wuchao," and quietly waited for Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong to arrive here on their journey to the West.

After two or three days, the monk finally appeared, and the monkey came leading the rope.

Upon seeing this, Chu Xiu flicked his whisk and leisurely recited a poem: "Man has the most spiritual thing, vaguely residing in the North Star. I do not know what it is called Qi, but once I understand it, it will naturally become true. My heart is as pure as ice and snow, and my body is as light as azure clouds. If I do not live for ten thousand years, what kind of person am I?"

The sound was not loud, but it was melodious and had a celestial quality, which both the monkey and Tang Sanzang heard clearly.

Tang Sanzang quickly said, "Disciple, there is a cultivator ahead. Help me down from my horse and greet him."

Sun Wukong sneered, "Master, don't be impatient. This guy is probably a fraud. What a big mouth he has! If he's not 100,000 years old, what kind of person is he? Let me, Old Sun, have a go at him."

(End of this chapter)