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

Chapter 123: The Holy Spirit Visits, White Deer Blocks the Road to Falin

But in the quiet room, Jiang Yuan and Zhen Jian were talking.

Zhenjian said, "My senior brother and the Bodhisattva told me that I was a Zen master on a high mountain outside Fuling Mountain. Because I taught others with my words, I lived in a nest and was named Wuchao Zen Master. I waited for a long time in the mountain and got to know Zhu Ganglie. He was the reincarnation of Tianpeng Water God. He was quite interesting, but he was haunted by the Wood Mother and couldn't be at ease. I wanted to give him some advice and let him practice with me. I wanted to teach him the method of keeping precepts, but he didn't want to, so I had to give up."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Then we will meet the pilgrims who are seeking scriptures?"

Zhenjian sat on the cushion and said, "That's right. Just as my elder brother said, the man who came to the mountain to seek scriptures and met me was the reincarnation of Elder Jinchan. I didn't dare to be arrogant, so I listened to what my elder brother and the Bodhisattva said, passed on a scripture to him, taught him a few sentences, and then let him go west."

Jiang Yuan asked again: "What about the monkey head?"

Zhenjian shook his head and said, "There is no sign of cultivation at all, only the appearance of a demon."

Jiang Yuan said: "Wukong has many demonic appearances, probably because he has two minds in one body. Is he rude?"

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "Brother, you already expected it, why bother asking again."

Jiang Yuan said, "I think that monkey is rude and impatient. If you say a few words to him, he will take out his golden cudgel and beat you up. He may even kill you, right?"

Zhen Jian nodded and said, "I know that Senior Brother must have expected something. Junior Brother Wukong is going west, I wonder if he can return to the right path."

Jiang Yuan said: "Don't worry, the obstacles ahead are fierce and severe, and the monkey will definitely return to the right path after suffering all the disasters."

Zhenjian pondered for a long time and said, "If Junior Brother Wukong is in power, he should have confidence. But here, two gods are in power, and two minds are in charge of things. How can it work?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Brother Zhen, don't forget the golden hoop. The golden hoop is used to lock up the real master and the two gods. However, for the real master, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. With the golden hoop, the real master will be in power again after half of the journey."

Zhenjian said: "If what Senior Brother said is true, Junior Brother Wukong will have a chance to succeed."

Jiang Yuan said, "Speaking of which, when you met Wukong, there were only four of the five people on the pilgrimage, and only Li Xingshi would return, and then the five would be complete. That was when the journey to the west began. The white deer was not far from the Flowing Sand River. Do you think that Wukong, if he recognized my whisk, would dare to fight the white deer?"

Zhen Jian shook his head and laughed, "Big Brother, that monkey is afraid of you. If he recognized the whisk, how could he dare to fight with you? If he didn't run away immediately, he would be very brave."

Jiang Yuan said: "If that monkey doesn't act recklessly, why would he be afraid of me? Now that my fellow apprentice has returned, can you practice in the cave?"

Zhen Jian stood up and bowed, saying, "This mansion is my home. If I leave home, I will have nowhere to go."

Jiang Yuan held Zhen Jian's hand and said with a smile: "Junior brother, I am not sending you away, but asking you to help me. If you have time, please come and help me. If you don't have time, then forget it."

Zhen Jian said: "Brother, if you need my help, please tell me. I will do my best to help you."

Jiang Yuan pointed to a room outside and said, "I have been refining pills recently, but no one helps me. Since you have some free time, why don't you help me refine the pills?"

Zhen Jiandao said, "Big Brother, I have practiced a little bit, so I know that there is a concept of fire in alchemy, which is a secret that cannot be passed on. When Master taught me, he read a book with me. The book said that those who practice the right way can only 'pass on the medicine but not the fire'. When I, Master Hua, was waiting for the pilgrim to seek the scriptures, I also heard about the secret of fire, but I dare not steal it."

Jiang Yuan heard this and smiled: "Brother, why do you say that? If you have the ability to understand, you can learn it. I will praise you. Don't worry, just follow me to make pills."

Zhen Jian understood his senior brother's intention, tears fell on his cheeks, and he said, "Please forgive me, senior brother. I cannot accept your kindness. I need Master's consent before I can peek into this secret. Otherwise, I will never do this."

After hearing this, Jiang Yuan and La Zhen went to the quiet room to pay homage to the master.

After entering the quiet room, he told the master about the matter.

Upon hearing this, the ancestor walked out of the quiet room, helped up Zhenjian who was kneeling on the ground, and said: "Zhenjian, you practiced side doors in your early years and suffered from your foundation. In your later years, you saw through the mystery of life and death, and your heart of Taoism was born. You practiced hard with one heart. Even if you were blinded by a leaf, your heart of Taoism would not be shaken, and you will eventually get the right result. You are not practicing the right way, so I have never taught you the fire. Don't belittle yourself. Since your senior brother asked for your help, you should accept it. There is no saying that the secret of the fire is not passed on. Practice with peace of mind. I am the only two disciples in my master's mansion. One is your senior brother, who has inherited my aspirations, and the other is you. I originally wanted to let you go out and follow your aspirations, but since you are determined to stay in the mansion, I will follow you. Don't worry too much."

Zhen Jian's eyes were filled with tears. He kowtowed to the ancestor first, then bowed to Jiang Yuan, and said, "It is because of the kindness of Master and Senior Brother that I am who I am today. I will never forget Hai En. I only wish to stay in the mansion."

The ancestor said: "From now on, I will have your eldest senior brother in the mansion. What your eldest senior brother says is what I say. Just listen to him and don't worry too much."

Jiang Yuan and Zhen Jian both expressed their gratitude to the master for his kindness, and only then did they leave according to the master's wishes.

The two left the quiet room and entered the alchemy room that Jiang Yuan had renovated. Jiang Yuan asked Zhen Jian to build fire and draw wind to nourish the true yang energy. Earlier, he taught Red Boy to learn the full fire, but the true yang energy had not been nourished. Now with Zhen Jian's help, he could start refining the elixir.

Zhen Jian has now achieved the true fruit of the side door, has made some achievements in the Tao, and is quite familiar with the Dharma nature. It is very easy for him to teach.

Jiang Yuan learned some concepts about the timing of fire from Shi Zhen, so he asked him to build fire and draw wind to nourish the true yang energy.

……

Jiang Yuan was so absorbed in refining the elixir that he paid no attention to what was happening outside the mansion. Before he knew it, a month had passed.

During this day, Jiang Yuan was watching the stove and was very busy building the fire and pulling the wind.

When the immortal was watching the furnace, he did not forget to put away the medicine boxes and put the four herbs in place. The amount of herbs used in alchemy is very strict and cannot be wrong. If one of these herbs is missing, the elixir will not only be of great use but also extremely poisonous, which is exactly in line with the "yin and yang theory".

The Immortal collected the medicine box and did not forget to explain it to Zhenjian, saying, "Junior brother, have you read about this kind of medicine in a book?"

When he saw the fire, he did not forget to reply: "Big Brother, I have never read it."

Jiang Yuan put the medicine box away and said, "Whether it is preparing the external golden elixir or practicing the internal golden elixir, there are four medicines, namely black essence, rabbit marrow, wood liquid and gold essence. However, there are other names besides these, such as sun soul and moon spirit, blue dragon and white tiger, black tortoise and red snake, cross pear and fire date, baby and beautiful girl, father essence and mother blood, etc. They are all nicknames, but their original meaning is the same, all referring to these four medicines, and the same is true for the five people in the body."

Zhen Jianwen said, "I have learned your lesson."

Jiang Yuan said: "The amount of medicinal materials cannot be too little. One millimeter more or one millimeter less will lead to failure."

Zhenjian listened to what Jiang Yuan said and took note of it carefully, not daring to be negligent. He knew that the eldest senior brother was teaching him the theory of alchemy.

Jiang Yuan didn't say much, but he gave me a little time to truly see and remember.

The Immortal was watching the furnace, waiting for the True Yang Qi. He could not be impatient when refining the elixir. Suddenly, he felt something in his heart and looked outside the mansion. It seemed that someone was coming. The Immortal said, "Brother, you have just accumulated the True Yang Qi here. I went out of the mansion to see who it was. The Bodhisattva has visited many times recently, but this is not the Bodhisattva's visit again."

Zhen Jian said: "Big Brother, please go ahead. I will watch the fire here. Don't worry, Big Brother."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan walked out of the cave. When he arrived outside, he opened the door wide, walked out and took a closer look. He saw gusts of wind and gloomy fog in the distance, with a divine light hidden in it.

The Immortal used his luck and eyes to see through what was hidden in the divine light, and found that the person inside was an old friend of his.

The one who was controlling the wind and fog was none other than the True Lord Erlang Xiansheng of Guanzhou in the Southern Continent. The ones accompanying him in the fog were the six brothers of Meishan and a group of soldiers, each of them wearing a bow and holding a sharp blade. There was a falcon circling in the sky, and a small dog was following him. In his hands were foxes, rabbits, tigers and wolves.

When Jiang Yuan saw the wind and fog coming towards him, he knew in his heart that it was True Lord Erlang who came to see him. Clouds and mist rose from his feet and he went into the wind and fog.

When they were halfway in the air, the two sides met.

When Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun saw Jiang Yuan, he hurriedly ordered them to stop and went forward to meet Jiang Yuan.

Erlang Shen and Zhenren saw him and held hands with him. Zhenren said, "Zhenren, I haven't seen you for many years. I hope you are doing well recently."

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, I am practicing meditation and I am fine. Master, how are you?"

Erlang Shen smiled and said, "I am fine."

As the two talked, they were both happy to see old friends. Jiang Yuan invited everyone into the cave to reminisce about the past. Erlang Shen knew that this was where Patriarch Bodhi was and did not dare to offend him, so he left the soldiers and the six brothers outside the cave and entered alone with Jiang Yuan.

After entering the palace, Erlang Shen first paid his respects to the ancestor, and then went into the tower with Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan prepared a banquet and treated him politely, offering seasonal fruits. After he finished offering them, he asked, "Master, is there anything you need my help with?"

Erlang Shen sat at the table and said with a smile, "No! I came here with my brothers to hunt, but on the way, someone reported that there was a demon blocking the road outside the Liusha River and not letting people pass. So I took the three-pointed double-edged spear and went to the outside of the Liusha River with my brothers, intending to subdue the demon. When I went there, I found out that the one blocking the road in the forest was the white deer under the Immortal's seat. I asked it a few questions and found out that it was following the Immortal's intention to stop us and argue. Those who can't argue will not pass. I heard about it and saw that this road is not far to the Immortal's home, so I came here with my brothers. The Immortal must know that I am not here to punish you. I know that the Immortal has the white deer there, and there must be a reason. I came here to reminisce with the Immortal."

Jiang Yuan heard this and said, "The True Lord is indeed free and easy, hunting everywhere. This True Lord came to reminisce with me and must stay in the mansion for a few more days. What the white deer said is indeed as the True Lord said, there is a reason for it. Have you ever heard of the Monkey King who caused trouble in the past?"

Erlang Shen nodded and said, "I have heard that this great sage has escaped from his captivity and received ordination as a monk. After completing his practice, he will sit on the lotus platform. In the past, this great sage who made trouble in the sky was subdued by you, the Immortal."

Jiang Yuan said, "To be honest, Master Zhenjun, this great saint is my junior fellow apprentice. He has converted to Buddhism and is also practicing. However, this practice requires suffering from disasters before it can be successful. Therefore, the Bodhisattva on the sea asked me to borrow people, so I lent three people to the Bodhisattva, and the white deer is one of them. The deer stopped people there, which is a problem."

Erlang Shen said, "So that's the case. I've heard that the Great Sage has great magical powers. I've never fought him before. If I have the chance one day, I will definitely test my abilities."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "There must be a good opportunity."

He understood in his heart that if Wukong were to fight with Erlang Shen now, the odds would be fifty-fifty. Erlang Shen had the help of a small dog, a falcon as his eyes, and all his brothers following him. If they deployed their forces, he would definitely lose.

The two talked about the matter and never mentioned it again. Erlang Shen only said that he needed help, but he sent someone to say that he would help Jiang Yuan with all his strength. Then the two had a long talk, and they were in harmony and happy to talk about it.

……

The story goes that the pilgrims encountered the Quicksand River on the way and were in trouble. Li Xingshi just hid in the water and did not fight with Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong. The Quicksand River was turbulent and it was difficult to ferry across.

Zhu Bajie tried to lead Li Xingshi to the shore in vain, but finally Monkey King had an idea and went to the South China Sea to ask for help from Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Bodhisattva sent Monkey King Hui'an to help, and Li Xingshi realized that the monk who was seeking scriptures was indeed Tang Monk. He then converted, took the Buddhist name Sha Wujing, got a ferry, and crossed the river to the west.

In this way, with Monkey leading the horse, Pigsy guarding the left, Wujing guarding the right, and Monkey Hui'an protecting in the clouds, all the people with magical powers protected each other, and Tang Seng safely crossed the Quicksand River.

Hui'an Xingzhe left only after helping Tang Seng cross the Quicksand River.

From then on, the journey to obtain the scriptures was complete.

Just as 'the monkey in the heart holds the golden prince, the wood mother's mind is subdued, the yellow woman is originally an innocent child, and they work together to protect the original spirit', it is just like practicing the alchemy, in this recipe, all five people are present, and the result will be achieved as long as the mind is settled.

The five masters and apprentices came out of the Liusha River and headed west, passing through green mountains and clear waters without any obstacles on their way.

Bajie was walking with a smile on his face, carrying the load on his shoulders, and said, "Master, this is great. I haven't encountered any trouble for a long time. There are no obstacles on the road ahead. The Western Paradise is right in front of me."

The Monkey King scolded him, "You idiot, where are you? How can you achieve your goal when you haven't even left the house yet?"

Wujing led the horse and said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, please stop arguing. There are still difficulties ahead."

Tang Seng asked, "Wu Jing, you have lived here before, and you said the road ahead is difficult. What do you mean?"

Wujing said, "Master, you don't know that there has been a rumor going around for a few days that there is a forest on the road far away, called 'Falin', and there is a demon in the forest, who is quite famous."

Tang Seng asked again: "What did that demon do to become so famous?"

Wujing replied, "That demon doesn't eat humans, doesn't harm humans, and some people even offer sacrifices to it and worship it, and it helps people exorcise evil spirits and subdue demons. It's truly miraculous."

When Tang Monk heard this, he was delighted and said, "How can it be so difficult to do this?"

Bajie muttered, "Master, don't listen to my nonsense. How can there be demons in the world that don't eat people? I'm afraid this is a trick of the demons. When people are not afraid anymore, more will gather and eat until they are full. There is a saying that goes 'Don't open the market for three years, and eat for three years if you open the market.'"

Wu Jing shook his head and said, "Second Brother, you don't know. This demon is different. It doesn't want to hurt people. It wants to argue with people in the forest. If you can't win the argument, it won't let you pass. That's why the forest where it is is called 'Lin of Law'. The road ahead is difficult here. If we go west, we must pass through that forest. Otherwise, we will give up."

Tang Seng said with a worried look, "I don't know what Dharma they are arguing about. If it is the Buddha Dharma, it is easy to explain. But if it is some other Dharma, how can we Buddhists argue it out?"

When Sun Wukong heard this, he was filled with anger and said, "Let the guard go ahead. I don't know what kind of magical power he has to dare to block my way."

(End of this chapter)