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

Chapter 347 Overcoming one obstacle after another, a heart divided by one body is born.
Now, the good monkey gave them a good beating, knocked down the ginseng tree, destroyed the Wuzhuang Temple, and the group continued their journey westward.

They only said that the sun and moon would turn and dawn would break again, and the travelers were resting.

Just then, auspicious light descended, and a virtuous immortal descended from the clouds and landed in front of the crowd.

"Elder, this humble Taoist priest will now begin." Zhenyuan Daxian greeted Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang dared not be negligent and quickly returned the greeting, saying, "I was rude to you. I did not know who you were. It was this humble monk who was impolite."

"I am Zhen Yuanzi from Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain. I have come here with a question: why did you harm the alchemist in your temple and sever the lineage of my immortal family?" Zhen Yuanzi immediately asked.

Immediately, a fierce glint appeared in the traveler's eyes, and he said, "You Taoist priest, are you that so-called 'fellow ruler of the world'? What kind of disciples do you teach? They wrong innocent people and knock down your tree, that's what they deserve."

"What makes you say that?" Zhenyuan Daxian asked.

The traveler snorted coldly, and then recounted the whole story, including all the causes and consequences.

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi said, "In that case, it was my boy who was rude and deserved to be beaten and scolded. But you were absolutely wrong to cut down my ginseng fruit tree. What should we do now?"

Upon hearing this, the traveler laughed heartily and said, "If you want the tree to live, what difficulty is there? I said I would heal the tree, what do you say?"

The immortal laughed and said, "I will swear brotherhood with you and have that boy serve you as your elder, offering you daily sacrifices without ceasing. What do you say?"

"It's a deal! I'll go find the remedy for the healing tree right away. Great Immortal, please don't neglect us, my master and disciples."

“That’s how it should be, that’s how it should be,” the immortal laughed.

After giving Tang Sanzang many instructions, the traveler rode away on auspicious clouds in a golden light to find the remedy for the tree-curing immortal.

First, they arrived at the Penglai Immortal Realm and sought the help of the Three Elders of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity. However, the three elders shook their heads repeatedly, saying that the tree was a Primordial Immortal Root, an existence that existed before the creation of heaven and earth, and could not be cured.

After some tea and casual conversation, it was revealed that the traveler had left Penglai on auspicious clouds and arrived at Fangzhang Immortal Mountain much earlier.

This Fangzhang Immortal Mountain is indeed extraordinary. The monkey dared not be negligent, for there was a great power here, namely the Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Azure Flower, the foremost immortal of the misty clouds.

After explaining the cause and effect, the Emperor could only sigh and say, "I have the Nine-Turn Taiyi Pill, which can cure all living beings in the world, but it cannot save the ginseng fruit tree."

Only then did the traveler realize the enormity of his mistake, and a heavy feeling of guilt settled over him.

The Eastern Azure Emperor, also known as the Eastern King Duke, the Wood Duke, the Eastern Great Emperor, and the Azure Mysterious God.

Have you not heard the poem that says: "If I were the Green Emperor in the future, I would make the peach blossoms bloom together"?

But the monkey was worried because even the emperor couldn't cure the ginseng fruit tree.

The Emperor saw the monkey's unease and said, "You are a disciple of the Great Virtue Master, why don't you go and seek out your master? It is said that the Great Dao is above all things, there is nothing it cannot do, nothing it is not ultimate, only then can it be called the Great Dao."

The monkey was slightly embarrassed, but said, "Taiyi Heaven is hidden from the world. Although I am a disciple of the patriarch, I cannot subdue the five hearts and cannot see the Taiyi Mountain gate."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor couldn't help but burst into laughter, which made the monkey somewhat defensive.

At this point, the Emperor's voice gradually subsided, and he said, "In that case, come with me to pay our respects to the Great Virtue Begins."

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!" The monkey was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly kowtowed and bowed.

Immediately, the Emperor rode auspicious clouds, traversing the five lakes and four seas, and in an instant arrived at the outer heavens, landing outside the gate of the Taiyi Cave Heaven.

As for the monkey, looking at the Taiyi Cave, tears welled up in his eyes, and he sobbed uncontrollably.

Upon seeing this, the Emperor remained silent until the monkey calmed down.

"Your Majesty, please excuse my poor manners."

The monkey wiped away its tears and looked at the Emperor with a slightly embarrassed expression.

The Emperor laughed heartily and said, "I have never seen you before, I have never seen you before. Please pay my respects to the Great Virtue."

Just then, the mountain gate opened wide, and the Daoist master Yi Feizi emerged, holding the Ruyi scepter.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I shall begin." Yi Feizi bowed solemnly to the Emperor.

Upon seeing this, the Emperor quickly returned the greeting: "It is not that the True Man Yi is too polite. I did not know that you were in the mountains at the beginning?"

Yi Feizi shook his head, but said, "After the patriarch came out of seclusion a few days ago and played a game of chess with a great immortal, he went straight to the Great Luo Heaven Sacred Realm to discuss the Dao Fruit of Transcendence with the Great Luo Heaven Saint."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor was slightly disappointed and said, "I did not expect to see the true face of the Great Virtue at its beginning."

Yi Feizi said, "I wonder what important matter Your Majesty has? I will inform you when the Patriarch returns."

The Emperor laughed and said, "I am fine. It is the monkey who could not ascend to Taiyi Heaven, so I sent him here."

At this moment, the monkey knelt down with a thud: "Senior Brother..."

"Wukong, it's been a long time."

Yi Feizi sighed, but said, "The Patriarch foresaw that you would cause trouble, so let me wait for you in the mountains. Now, let's set off."

After speaking, Yi Feizi looked at the Emperor and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Your Majesty, for this monkey."

"No need for that, no need for that. I was just looking for that great immortal to have a fruit," the Emperor stroked his beard and laughed.

Immediately, Yi Feizi waved his Ruyi, which transformed into a whisk and drifted away, saying, "This place is not Taiyi Heaven, but Wanshou Wuzhuang Temple!"

After he finished speaking, the law followed his words, and the stars and constellations shifted.

Three figures suddenly appeared in front of the Wuzhuang Temple.

The celestial boy in the temple did not recognize Yi Feizi, but he did recognize the Emperor and the Traveler. He hurriedly entered the temple and shouted, "Master, Elder Dongfang Qing and a great immortal have been invited here by the Traveler!"

The Emperor is also one of the Five Elders of the Five Directions in the Journey to the West world, hence he is called the Green Elder of the East.

At this moment, Zhen Yuanzi was chatting with his fellow disciple Tang Sanzang. Upon hearing the news, he immediately descended the steps to greet them, repeatedly bowing and saying, "I did not expect that the Emperor and the Immortal Yi Fei would come together. My apologies."

The Emperor laughed and said, "I came here just to mooch some fruit."

Yi Feizi greeted him respectfully and said, "Greetings, Earth Ancestor. I have come to apologize on behalf of my junior brother."

"There is work, there is work."

Zhen Yuanzi immediately ordered an incense table to be set up and the back garden to be swept. He then invited everyone into the garden, where they saw the tree lying on the ground, its roots exposed, its leaves fallen, and its branches withered.

Yi Feizi waved his whisk and said, "The tree is alive and full of fruit, the tree is alive and full of fruit."

It was a boundless magical power. It was as if time had reversed, and the ancient tree was seen to revive, with all thirty fruits plump and hanging down with a divine light of immortality.

Upon hearing this, the immortal said, "Bring the golden mallet and knock down eight spirit fruits. Firstly, to thank you for your trouble, and secondly, to hold a ginseng fruit feast."

The lesser immortals in the temple dared not be negligent, so they rearranged tables and chairs, laid out alchemical trays, and invited the Emperor and Yi Feizi to sit in the two rows of seats of honor, with the others following in turn.

Thus, another ordeal was over. After personally thanking the Azure Emperor and his senior brother and respectfully seeing them off, the Great Immortal Zhenyuan arranged for food and wine and became sworn brothers with the Monkey King.

This is a rare opportunity; the journey westward continues.

……

It is said that in the thirty-sixth heaven beyond the heavens, in the Great Luo Sacred Realm there are immortals, with ten thousand miles of heavy clouds stretching high, where two true saints look down upon the mortal world.

"Another ordeal has passed, and you seem to value the monkey more than I do."

Mr. Boyang looked at Zhou Cheng with a smile.

However, Zhou Cheng, who was opposite Mr. Boyang, was not like before. He was vague and indistinct, like a dream bubble, as if it would burst at the slightest touch.

"Good monkey, protecting me is something I should take seriously." Zhou Cheng said with a smile, but seemed a little hesitant.

Mr. Boyang said, “Go ahead and do as you please. I will take care of the two women and make sure they don’t suffer.”

"If I die at that time, all living beings should forget me, so as not to burden others."

A smile appeared on Zhou Cheng's face as he looked at the world.

It is said that one day in heaven is equivalent to one year on earth.

The pilgrims and their companions first subdued the Corpse Demon, then passed through the Lotus Cave, ruled the human world outside the Dharma Kingdom, and collected infants at Drill Mountain... Thus, the seasons turned, and they overcame all difficulties, having traveled more than halfway westward.

Speaking of Tang Sanzang, when he went through the Women's Kingdom, he broke four precepts: no alcohol, no meat, no lying, and no killing. He dared not break the precept against lust.

Now, the traveler, having overcome one trial after another, was at the crossroads of his five minds and two tendencies.

At this point, the two spirits of consciousness and desire are the most troublesome.

If three of the five minds are subdued, then the two spirits of consciousness and desire will no longer be able to obscure the true nature of the mind.

Therefore, Wukong has been feeling troubled and prone to evil thoughts every day.

"What's going on? Why is this happening?"

Wukong couldn't figure it out, and even after using his double pupil technique, he still couldn't see the reason.

Fortunately, Wukong has now achieved some success in cultivating his mind. If he still had the same mindset as before, he would probably only feel that this evil thought was his own and would not be able to detect anything unusual.

On this day, the group arrived at the foot of a high mountain, and it was getting late.

Then Pigsy spoke up, looking at Monkey King and saying, "Brother, we are all starving and thirsty. Even the dragon horse can't walk anymore. Let's take a break."

"If we rest like this, when will we reach Mount Ling?"

Wukong was already in a state of agitation, and upon hearing this, his anger flared even more. He became extremely irritable and immediately stepped forward to urge his horse forward, brandishing his golden cudgel: "Go!"

Instantly, the horse broke free of its reins and galloped off along the road like an arrow.

Tang Sanzang's expression changed drastically. He could only grip the reins tightly and let the horse run free, galloping for more than twenty miles across the fields before slowing down and taking a leisurely stroll.

Just then, more than thirty thugs suddenly jumped out from both sides of the road, wielding knives, guns, and clubs, blocking the way.

"Monk! Where are you going!"

Tang Sanzang immediately became trembling with fear, unable to sit still on the saddle, and fell off the horse with a thud.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!" Tang Sanzang begged for mercy repeatedly.

The two burly men at the head of the group shouted, "We won't hit you! Just leave the toll and we'll call it a day!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang quickly lied, "This humble monk has a young disciple who will arrive shortly. He carries a few taels of silver with him; you can have it all!"

The bandit leader laughed and looked around, saying, "This monk doesn't seem to be willing to suffer a loss now; let's tie him up first!"

Meanwhile, Wukong, already annoyed, was enraged when he saw Tang Sanzang being harassed by a group of bandits.

"You scoundrel, you're asking for death!"

Wukong roared, his voice echoing for miles, like an earthquake.

Startled, the Five Directions Protectors, the Six Ding and Six Jia all appeared to protect Tang Sanzang.

Meanwhile, Pigsy and Sandy were so shaken that they staggered and felt dizzy.

Even though Pigsy and Sandy were still practicing their cultivation, they felt their heads were splitting from the shock and couldn't help but gag.

Those bandits and all the living beings within a radius of a hundred miles suffered terribly, each of them dying with their seven orifices ruptured.

It is said that Tang Sanzang's expression changed drastically upon seeing Sun Wukong rushing over, and he couldn't help but scold, "Why did you kill someone? Have you not heard that monks are compassionate?"

Upon hearing this, the traveler became even more enraged and said, "Compassion? You only know compassion when you feel pleasure and sorrow when you feel pain. If you feel pleasure, then you must also be compassionate."

Tang Sanzang was even more shocked and angry when Wukong contradicted him, and immediately began to recite the headband mantra over and over again.

Sun Wukong was in so much pain that he rolled on the ground, and even after being scolded dozens of times, he was still not satisfied.

The old monk only stopped the monkey when it was unable to move and collapsed to the ground, at the urging of Pigsy and Sandy.

"Bajie, Sha Wujing, please dig the hole, fill it with soil, and bury it."

Tang Sanzang gave the order, and Pigsy and Sandy dared not disobey, only saying that they should hurry up and get to work.

Looking at the corpses of the bandits, Tang Sanzang said, "I beseech the spirits of the heroes to hear my prayer: Remember that I am a man of the Tang Dynasty in the East. I have been ordered by the Tang Emperor to travel to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. Now, when you come to the Yama's Palace to lodge your grievances, remember that every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. He is surnamed Sun, and I am surnamed Chen; we are of different surnames. Do not accuse me, the monk on my pilgrimage!"

At this moment, Wukong also came to his senses. Hearing Tang Sanzang's words, he became even more furious and cursed, "Bah! You old monk, with this attitude, what kind of scriptures are you going to retrieve? Let them sue me! The Ten Kings of Hell were once my servants, and the Five Wrathful Gods once served me! Let them sue me, let ...

"Let's see if in the end they bring down me, Old Sun, or blame you, you old monk!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang reacted as if a cat had been stepped on, exclaiming in shock and anger: "Truly a wicked demon! Truly a wicked demon!"

After saying this, Tang Sanzang was about to recite the Tightening-Headband Mantra again, but was repeatedly stopped by Pigsy and Sandy.

"Master, my eldest brother will be able to get rid of the golden headband one day. Why do this? Why do this?"

"Third Brother is right, and Eldest Brother was only angered in a moment. How can Master take it seriously?"

After spending these days together, Pigsy and Sandy weren't stupid; they realized who the true core of the journey to the West was.

The old monk immediately retorted angrily, "If that's the case, then let that monkey go. I don't need his protection; I can obtain the true scriptures myself!"

"Go then! You can't distinguish right from wrong. I want to see what kind of scriptures you've acquired!"

Wukong stared fiercely at the old monk, and immediately came up with a plan. He used a spell to ride on a cloud and headed straight for the vast South China Sea.

In a short while, they arrived at Luojia Mountain in the South China Sea.

Immediately, a black bear appeared, stopped Wukong, and asked, "Great Sage, where have you come from?"

"Being humiliated by that old monk, I sought the Bodhisattva to file a complaint."

Now, Wukong, who had been harboring many evil thoughts, found that upon entering Mount Luojia, all the distracting thoughts in his mind vanished, and his mind became clear once again.

The black bear laughed heartily and said, "Even the Great Sage has fallen to this state?"

Wukong was immediately enraged and said, "Why haven't you informed them yet? Are you asking for a beating?"

"I'll report it right away, I'll report it right away!" The black bear immediately became obedient when he saw Sun Wukong take out his staff.

A short while later, the black bear returned and invited the traveler into the Tide Sound Cave in the Purple Bamboo Forest, where the Bodhisattva was waiting for him.

Wukong entered the cave and paid his respects to the Bodhisattva, but that's another story.

The Bodhisattva then smiled and asked, "Wukong, where do you come from?"

Wukong immediately said, "Bodhisattva, you are wise. It was that old monk who banished me again. I have no other request than to be freed from the shackles on my head and return to the mountain gate to serve my master."

Upon hearing this, the Bodhisattva said, "Wukong, don't be hasty. Tell me the whole story so I can judge the matter."

(End of this chapter)