Journey to the West: Beginning with the Apprenticeship of Bodhi Patriarch

Chapter 109 Li Xing is actually Sha Wujing, who ascends to heaven with Laojun
A hundred years of time passes like flowing water, and before you know it, another year has gone by.

Jiang Yuan and the Bull King traveled in the Southern Continent for some time. They saw people who had heard of the Tao along the way and helped one or two of them. However, most of them were ignorant and confused and could not recognize the real person. A year later, the real person traveled to the border of the Western Continent of Niuhe and suddenly saw a quicksand river in front of them, which stopped the three of them.

Jiang Yuan looked ahead and saw that the Quicksand River was really dangerous. It was eight hundred miles long and tens of millions of miles long. The water was rolling like the earth, and the waves were rolling like the back of a mountain.

The Immortal said, "This river is turbid and difficult for ordinary people to cross. We saw a monument ahead, which said it was the Quicksand River. Niu'er, why are you walking like this on your way home?"

The Bull King said, "Master, you just said we were going home, why did you say which way to take? This way is closer, so let's take it."

Jiang Yuan said, "Forget it, forget it, forget it. Tengyun is it."

As he said this, he was about to fly back to his home in Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

Suddenly, a man jumped out of the quicksand river and blocked his way.

This man's eyes flickered like two lamps under a stove, his mouth was forked like a butcher's bowl, his fangs supported the blade of a sword, his red hair was messy, just like an evil ghost, his voice was like thunder, and he held a demon-subduing staff and started to attack as soon as he came up.

When the Bull Demon King saw this, he was furious and said, "Where did this wild monster come from? How dare you offend me!"

Niu Wang wielded a mixed iron stick and went forward to fight with him.

Sticks and canes clashed, what a vicious fight, it was really shocking. The Bull King used an iron stick, the Dharma Protector used martial arts, the spirits and monsters used a stick to subdue demons, and Huang Po's vicious nature was revealed. They competed for strength with each other using sticks. One of them was the Western Strong King, who cultivated supernatural powers under the tutelage of Guizheng Zhenren. The other one was the curtain-lifting general in heaven, who was exiled to the Quicksand for his crime.

The two fought back and forth for forty rounds, and the Bull King was slightly better, beating the monster so hard that it had no power to attack. After some time, it would undoubtedly be defeated.

Jiang Yuan took a closer look and found that the monster looked familiar, but he had not recognized it for a moment. He pointed at the monster and said "fix", using a spell to freeze the monster.

The monster was hit by the immobilization spell and could not move. It was seen gritting its teeth, opening its eyes, and spreading its hands. It stood still, unable to move or speak.

The Bull King took advantage of the situation and killed the monster with one blow.

Jiang Yuan said, "Niu'er, don't harm his life."

Upon hearing this, the Bull King withdrew his stick and retreated to the side of the deer, saying, "Master, this fellow has some skills, but he can't beat me."

Jiang Yuan did not answer. He dismounted the white deer and came a little closer. He recognized the monster. This person was none other than Li Xingshi, who had come to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain to become an apprentice but had not been able to learn the Dharma.

He released the immobilization spell and asked, "But Li Xingshi?"

The demon was so frightened that he retreated, swinging his staff and asking, "Who are you? How do you know my name in the human world?"

When Niu Wang saw the man like this, he stepped forward with a mixed iron stick, wanting to fight him and protect the immortal.

Jiang Yuan said, "Don't you know me? In the past, you went to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain to seek the Dharma but failed. I protected you for a while and went down the mountain to find a master."

The demon was shocked and surprised when he heard this, so he stuck his demon-subduing staff into the ground, knelt down and said, "How can you be in front of the master? I don't want to offend the master, but I beg for forgiveness!"

Jiang Yuan stepped forward and helped him up, and asked, "In the past, you became a disciple and went up the mountain. Later, I passed by and went up to look for you, but I heard that you had ascended to heaven. Why are you here now?"

Li Xing said: "To be honest, Master, my master is a deity in heaven, so when my master went to heaven, I also went to heaven. At that time, I was halfway to enlightenment, and the Jade Emperor valued me in heaven, and appointed me as the general who rolled up the curtain to protect the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor taught me to practice well and achieve enlightenment as soon as possible, but I led the Heavenly Court to be blinded and made Huang Po do evil. I accidentally broke the glass cup at the meeting, so the Jade Emperor beat me 800 times and demoted me to this point, making me look like this. He also taught me to use a flying sword to pierce my chest and ribs for more than a hundred times every seven days. It's painful, painful!"

Jiang Yuan heard this and sighed in his heart. It was a pity that Li Xingshi's practice was not easy, so how could he fail at the last moment? Since the Jade Emperor personally appointed him as the General of the Curtain, he must be valued by the Jade Emperor, and his alchemy was about to succeed, so the Jade Emperor was willing to cultivate him.

When the alchemy is about to be accomplished, it is the time to subdue the enemy, so one must practice the seven steps.

Unexpectedly, Li Xingshi taught the Heavenly Court to be blinded and made Huang Po do evil, so that his Taoism could not be accomplished. He even broke the glass cup and was demoted here, where he failed at the last moment.

Jiang Yuan asked, "How is the Huang Po in your body?"

Li Xingshi said: "I can't accomplish anything. Huang Po is doing evil now, which has changed my nature and made me do many evil things. However, this evil is not what I want, and I can't hold it."

Jiang Yuan listened to it and couldn't understand why Li Xing was the general who rolled up the curtain and was demoted to the lower world. He was just like Sha Wujing in the "Journey to the West" in the dream. But he never thought that it was because of Huang Po's rebellion that he failed.

Li Xingshi is being punished like this now, which can be said to be a tempering for him. If Huang Po cannot be subdued, not to mention the right way, even the side way will be unsuccessful.

Jiang Yuan said: "You are being punished now, but it is Huang Po who did evil. This is the evil in your body, which is useless. If you do not calm your mind and subdue Huang Po, your evil will never stop and you will never get the door. I will tell you a piece of advice for calming your mind. If you listen to it, you will have less sins. If you do not listen, it will also be your own business."

Li Xingshi bowed again and said, "Thank you very much, Master."

Jiang Yuan then passed on Jingxin's words to Li Xingshi.

Li Xingshi took note of it carefully and kowtowed to Jiang Yuan countless times.

Jiang Yuan said: "Your practice is not good enough, so you are punished here. But if you practice diligently, you will achieve perfection in the future. Then you can come to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain to see me. I will prepare a bed for you and reminisce with you."

Li Xingshi said: "If there is a day when my merits and deeds are perfected, I will definitely go to the master's house to talk to him."

Jiang Yuan smiled, said no more, turned around and rode on the white deer, ready to fly away. Li Xingshi stepped forward to stop him, attracted the attention of the Bull King, and swung the iron rod with both hands.

Li Xingshi said, "Master, there is no need to fly. I will bring the ferry myself and ferry you across in person to repay your kindness."

Jiang Yuan said: "Thank you for your help in ferrying me across the river."

Upon hearing this, Li Xingshi sank to the bottom of the water and disappeared.

The Bull King stepped forward and said, "Master, is this man reliable? Before I was converted, I often heard that there were spirits who loved to drive away the surrounding ferries. They would simply transform themselves into ferries, wait for passers-by to come, and coax them into the boats. Once they were on the boats, they had no control over their life and death."

Jiang Yuan said, "Niu'er, don't think too much. This person is an old friend."

The Bull King said: "People's minds change."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "You little idiot, you actually thought of this. Don't worry, I have many treasures to protect me, and I also have some shallow magical powers, so you can't hurt us."

The Bull King said: "That's right, the master has great magical powers, how could anyone hurt the master."

The three waited for a while and saw Li Xingshi rowing the ferry. Li Xingshi had some magical powers in his body, which made the ferry come safely in the huge waves.

When Li Xingshi approached the shore, he invited Jiang Yuan and the other two to board the boat. With the protection of Niu Wang and Li Xingshi, the ferry was safe and secure, and they crossed the Quicksand River in a short while.

Li Xingshi stood on the ferry and bowed, saying, "I cannot repay the Master for His kindness to me, so I can only use this to ferry you across the river. I hope the Master will not blame me."

Jiang Yuan stood on the shore and said, "What's the point of talking about gratitude? I just hope that you can complete your merits and deeds as soon as possible, don't let Huang Po do evil, and come to reminisce with me, that's all."

Say it.

The Immortal said nothing more, rode on the white deer, and with the Bull King leading the way, he returned to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

Li Xingshi bowed deeply and watched the immortal go away.

……

Time flies, and before I know it, half a year has passed.

Jiang Yuan passed through many countries in Xiniu Hezhou and finally returned to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. He walked along the mountain path of Fangcun Mountain and went to Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

The Bull Demon King cried out in pain, "Master, I have finally returned."

Jiang Yuan rode on the back of a deer, walked slowly along the mountain path, and asked with a smile: "Niu'er, did you gain anything during this outing?"

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King pondered for a long time and replied, "Master, it is my blessing to be converted to the right path and practice with you."

Jiang Yuan laughed and scolded, "I thought you had gained something, but you said this. You, my ox, must not slack off in your practice even after returning to the mountains."

The Bull Demon King nodded deeply.

The three of them walked along the mountain path and soon returned to the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave. Jiang Yuan released the white deer in the mountains and let the Bull King rest. He walked into the Three Stars Cave and exchanged greetings with his junior brother. Then he entered the Fairy Cave Yaotai and walked along the small path to the Patriarch's quiet room. The door of the Patriarch's room was wide open. It was because the Patriarch knew that the Immortal was about to return, so he opened the door to wait for him to enter.

Jiang Yuan walked to the quiet room, bowed deeply, and said, "Master, I am going home now."

The master was sitting cross-legged in the quiet room. He opened his eyes and looked over. He smiled and said, "Boy, have you succeeded?"

Jiang Yuan entered the quiet room and said, "Master, I have returned with my mission accomplished."

The master asked, "How do you say that?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, I traveled from Xiniuhezhou to Nanzhanbuzhou, and met Junior Brother Wukong. I gave him some advice, and then I shared with him what I saw with the Dharma Master, which made his true nature complete and no longer harmed by demons. Only then did I return. When I returned, I saw Li Xingshi who went up the mountain to seek the Tao in the past. He was harmed by Huang Po. I also gave him a piece of meditation words, hoping that he could subdue Huang Po."

When the master heard this, he smiled and said, "As the boy said, this method came from and the boy taught us."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "How dare a disciple talk about fate."

The master said: "The way of the child has become more profound day by day, and he should be able to say that he has obtained the blessing of nature."

Jiang Yuan smiled, how dare he say Dao Shen, he said: "Master, I haven't served you for many years, Master, are you well?"

The master said, "All is well. Boy, Lao Jun has not yet returned after completing his mission, but you have already returned. You can take a rest in the mansion and wait for Lao Jun to return. Then you can continue to practice with him."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he bowed to the master and felt deeply grateful for his kindness.

The master helped him up, talked to the boy, then took the chessboard, set up the table, and played chess with Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan and the master were playing chess in the room, passing one move after another, setting up the chessboard, one black and one white, and every time a piece fell, the situation on the board changed.

There is a saying that goes, "The way of gambling is to be rigorous. Those who are good at winning do not fight, those who are good at forming a battle array do not fight, those who are good at fighting do not lose, and those who are good at losing do not panic."

Since Jiang Yuan practiced tranquility and returned to the truth, his style of playing chess has changed to become more tranquil and steady.

The game ended with Zushi winning by two pieces against Jiang Yuan.

The master designated a chess game and said with a smile, "Boy, your chess skills have improved."

Jiang Yuan looked at the chessboard and shook his head, saying, "Master, my path is far from yours, and I cannot see where you are."

The master asked, "How do you know?"

Jiang Yuan said: "As seen in the chess game."

The master asked, "How can you explain the difference between the two men?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I lost two pieces, but I felt that it was Master who made me lose two pieces, not that I could really lose two pieces. If Master wanted, he could have made me lose one piece or three pieces."

The master laughed and said, "Why do you say that?"

Jiang Yuan said: "My disciple is not very knowledgeable, but I can understand a little bit."

The master said, "In the past, you only wanted to win or lose when you made your move, so how could you know the depth? Now that you have made your move and won, doesn't that mean your chess skills have improved?"

Jiang Yuan then bowed in submission.

……

There are winds in the four seasons: the mild wind in spring, the fragrant wind in summer, the golden wind in autumn, and the northerly wind in winter. They are all the rotation of the monsoons. The rotation takes a year.

This cycle lasts for four years, and it has been four years, and this period is the time when the wind is gentle and warm.

One day, Master Jiang was sitting cross-legged on a cushion in a quiet room, cultivating his nature and practicing Taoism, when suddenly a sound arose.

"Tong'er, come to the balcony."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan did not dare to make any mistake. He put on the purple robe, wore the seven-star crown on his head, straightened his clothes and walked out of the quiet room to the tower.

When he reached the tower and pushed the door open, he saw the Patriarch and Laojun sitting at the table, talking happily with each other.

Jiang Yuan understood clearly that Laojun had returned this time to take him to heaven to practice the magical power of "alchemy".

The immortal walked into the building, bowed to the ancestor, and then bowed to Laojun, saying: "Greetings to the master, greetings to Laojun."

The master said, "Boy, please stand up and take your seat. The Lord has returned. When he returns, you will go with him and come back when you have accomplished your mission."

Jiang Yuan said: "Yes, Master."

The master waved his hand and asked the boy to sit down. After the boy sat down, the master looked at Laojun and asked, "Since Laojun has come, it must be a sign of success. I heard that you went there to seek the Dharma, so why don't you see me?"

Laojun shook his head and said: "It is not due to fate that I can teach him the Dharma, but he does not need to go to heaven."

The ancestor said: "It is so."

Laojun said: "I have heard that the Buddha in the West intends to spread the law of Nirvana to the East. Bodhi, have you heard about it?"

The ancestor shook his head and said, "If I don't fight with this kind of people, how can I hear about it?"

Laojun smiled and said, "Buddha knows that Nirvana cannot last forever, so he intends to spread it to the East to make it exist. This has something to do with Guangxin."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he didn't understand what it meant.

The master asked, "How do you say that?"

Laojun said: "Guangxin once established Zen. Now Zen is widely spread. Nirvana is weak. That's why Buddha and Laozi spread it to the east."

The master asked, "If he wants to spread Buddhism to the East, are you willing to follow him?"

Laojun said: "You can give it a try. The purpose of spreading Buddhism to the East is to save all living beings. However, it is so difficult to save all living beings in one continent. If the Buddha is willing to give it a try, then there is nothing wrong with it."

The ancestor said: "If this is the case, they need help, but they should help and not stop them."

Laojun said: "That's right. This is related to Guangxin and the two-thirds cause and effect. When Buddhism and Taoism spread to the East, they must have asked Guangxin about it."

The Patriarch said: "If the years are not up to par, how can Buddhism be spread to the East?"

Laojun nodded and said, "That's right. There's no rush here. I won't stay here for long. I'll return to heaven. Guangxin, come with me. I'll return to Tushita Palace and teach you my magical powers of alchemy."

Jiang Yuan stood up and thanked him.

The ancestor said, "Why are you so anxious?"

Laojun smiled and said, "This has something to do with your monkey. He ate all my five pots of elixir, whether raw or cooked, as if it were food. Now I have ordered the boys in the palace to light a fire and train. You must watch over them to prevent any trouble."

Upon hearing this, the ancestor nodded and said, "In that case, I won't stop you."

Laojun then stood up and went out of the mansion with the master, and Jiang Yuan followed closely behind.

When they reached the outside of the palace, Laojun took the rope of the green ox from the Bull King, rode on the green ox, called Jiang Yuan to come closer, and auspicious clouds rose from under his feet, and he went to heaven.

This is the recipe for the immortal who went to heaven and learned the true magical power of "alchemy" from Laojun.

(End of this chapter)