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

Chapter 125: Falin is blocked and his quest for scriptures is frustrated (asking for monthly tickets)
As the sky was getting dark, the group of pilgrims returned to Old Man Li's home, where they spent the night and made some plans. Old Man Li and his family served them tea and food, and after they finished their meal, they went to bed early.

At dawn the next day, Monkey King got up and walked to the village. As soon as he came out, he saw Pigsy and the old man from the Li family chattering incessantly, but no one knew what they were talking about.

Sun Xingzhe listened attentively.

Ba Jing held the luggage in the courtyard and said to the old man of the Li family, "You are an elder. My master respects you. If we really have to disband and divide the luggage, I will also have a share of the luggage. When the luggage is divided, you must talk to my master and give me more. I will go to Gao Laozhuang to be a son-in-law."

The old man from the Li family laughed and said, "Why do you say that?"

Bajie said, "Our master can't win the fight against a demon, so what else can we do but disband? Just listen to me, old pig, and persuade my master to give me more. My Gao Village is not far from here. When the farming season is busy, I will ride a wind and fog to help you plough the fields to repay your kindness."

The old man from the Li family smiled and said, "Okay, okay."

Bajie said again, "You must pay attention. Among my people, Bi Ma Wen is from Huaguo Mountain and will definitely leave. My master will return to the Tang Dynasty to be an imperial disciple, where he will enjoy endless wealth and glory. Junior Brother Sha has nowhere to go, so I advise him to follow me back to Gao Laozhuang. When the farming season comes, the two of us are better than twenty men."

Sun Xingzhe could no longer bear to listen and became very angry. He shouted, "Fool, what are you talking about? I'm going to get beaten!"

Say it.

Sun Wukong leaped up and hit Zhu Bajie, who was so frightened that he dodged and did not dare to fight.

After a brief fight, Zhu Bajie begged for mercy again and again, not daring to talk about breaking up and dividing the luggage.

It is precisely this Wood Mother that needs the Monkey King to subdue her mind. If there is no restraint, then success will fail.

While the two were fighting, Tang Seng walked out of the room and called Monkey and Bajie into the main hall.

When the two of them entered, Wujing was already there, serving Tang Seng.

Tang Seng said, "My disciples, I am not proficient in Buddhism and cannot defeat the demon king Falin. We cannot get through the forest. You always say that you are a person who can't even kick the sky or dig the well. Do you have any good remedy?"

Bajie said, "Master, you can't even argue with the Buddha's teachings. How can we, who have just changed our ways, defeat those demons and monsters? There is a saying that goes 'If you change your ways, you have to start from the beginning'. We can't defeat them."

Wujing looked at Xingzhe and asked, "Big Brother, do you have any solution?"

The Monkey King pondered for a long time and said, "Master, Bajie, and Junior Brother Sha, I think the forest is very large. Apart from the Buddha Dharma demon, there are no other demons in the forest. We can cross the forest from another place at night and not take the forest path. Old Sun's eyes can walk at night. After we pass through the forest, we can find a place for Master to rest. This way, we will pass through the forest."

Bajie heard this and laughed, "I've heard that you're a famous thief in the Three Realms. If that's true, you're really a familiar thief."

The traveler was angry and asked, "What are you talking about, you fool?"

Bajie smiled and dared not say anything more.

Tang Monk asked: "Wukong, is this method really feasible?"

The Monkey King said, "Of course it is possible. If it weren't for the fact that he has never harmed anyone, I would just put an end to it and save myself the trouble."

Upon hearing this, Tang Seng had no choice but to respond.

The master and his disciples settled the matter and were ready to set off at night.

At this time, the old man served tea and food, and at Bajie's suggestion, he came to persuade Tang Seng to disband, which caused Bajie to ridicule him, so he didn't mention it for the time being.

……

Before I knew it, the night had deepened. It was the beginning of spring now, the gentle breeze was about to die down and the fragrant wind was about to rise, and it was not cold at all late at night.

Tang Monk traveled at night, with Sha Monk leading the horse, Bajie carrying the load, and Monkey leading the way as they walked forward.

Before reaching Falin, the traveler looked back and saw Tripitaka dozing off and swaying on his horse.

The monk said, "Master, hold on. After we pass Falin, we will find a good family and let you stay for a day or two."

Tang Seng responded.

Bajie, who was carrying the load, said, "Big Brother really has the ability to stay awake for a thousand nights."

Sha Wujing, who was leading the horse, asked, "How do you say that? How do you say that?"

Bajie muttered, "How can a thief commit a crime in broad daylight? He must come and go at night without anyone noticing, and must stay awake for thousands of nights."

The Monkey King had sharp ears, and as soon as he heard it, he turned around and started scolding Bajie, scaring Bajie so much that he dared not say anything.

The group of pilgrims traveled at night and after walking for a long time, they finally arrived at Falin and saw Falin from afar.

The Monkey King turned the road, took out the embroidery needle from his ear, and shook it. It became as thick as a bowl and turned into a golden hoop stick. He held the iron stick to clear the way, but if there were any plants or trees blocking the way, he asked the Monkey King to break them up and make a way out from the side of the forest.

The traveler said, "Master, fellow disciple, let's go this way. It's easier."

Sha Seng and the others did not dare to make any mistake and followed him.

The group of pilgrims entered the Falin. Not long after they walked, they heard a laugh.

"I thought you were some great and holy monk, but you turned out to be a robber. You left during the day and came to this forest at night, which is not in accordance with the rules."

But then a white deer was seen coming out of the forest, landing in front of the road and stopping the group of people seeking scriptures.

The white deer said, "It is said that 'monks do not tell lies'. You, a monk, argued with me during the day, saying that the winner goes away and the loser goes home. But you came here at night and deceived me! How do you know that the spirits of the plants and trees in this forest are all familiar with me? I will know once you enter the forest."

Upon hearing this, Tang Monk on the white horse blushed and dared not say a word.

Bajie said, "Now the thief has been caught by his master."

The Monkey King was furious, and swung his golden cudgel, shouting, "Master, please stop being so kind. Since we cannot cross the river secretly today, and this person is blocking our way, we will kill him and let him go to the West."

When Tang Seng heard this, he was trembling with fear and dared not say a word.

The Monkey King stepped forward holding his golden cudgel, ready to fight the white deer.

The white deer asked, "You monkey, why do you come up here and argue with me?"

The Monkey King cursed, "I'm here to tell you! If you retreat, my disciples and I can get through, and your lives will be saved. If you don't let go, don't blame me for using my magical powers to kill you."

The white deer was shocked and said, "You monkey, why don't you follow the rules? Even if you use your magical powers, you can't pass through this forest."

The Monkey King was furious and said, "I don't know what kind of magical power you have. You are so arrogant. Take this blow from me."

Say it.

The traveler hit him with an iron rod.

Bai Lu was startled and took out his jade-handled whisk to fight against Monkey. He used the whisk to block left and right, but no matter how strong and powerful the golden cudgel was, it could not break the whisk.

This is why the whisk is a rare treasure. The jade handle is made of Kun Yuan's essence, and the whisk tail is the treasure of Lao Jun. Bodhi Patriarch gave it to Guangxin Zhenren. This Zhenren and the white deer protected him, showing divine power, fighting with the iron rod without showing any sign of defeat.

The traveler fought with the Taoist for five rounds, but seeing that the Taoist's martial arts were just ordinary, the traveler was just about to use his might to kill the Taoist with one blow.

While the traveler was fighting, he suddenly saw that the jade-handled whisk was familiar. He shook his iron rod and stepped back, opening his fiery eyes wide and finding it incredible. He rubbed his eyes and looked again.

The Monkey King was surprised and asked, "Where did you get this treasure?" The White Deer raised his whisk and asked, "Where do you think it came from?"

The traveler was frightened when he saw this, and dared not go forward to fight the enemy, so he retreated.

Wujing stepped forward and asked, "Big Brother, what's going on?"

The traveler said, "Go, go, go! Don't stay here, go back."

The traveler was timid and did not dare to stay, so he just led the white horse back.

Bajie asked, "What's this for?"

The Monkey King did not answer, but just walked back. The group of pilgrims were at a loss as to what to do, so they had to follow him, leave Falin, and go back to Li's house.

The White Deer watched the Monkey King leave, holding up his whisk, smiling happily, and said, "I believe this monkey has some vision, but there is no need for me to mention my master's name. Since this monkey has recognized this treasure, he will never dare to compete with me again."

The white deer was very proud. Unless the one debating with the Dharma was the Buddha himself, he would definitely not be able to win the debate. If there was a fight, the monkey would definitely not dare to come forward. The master's name was enough to keep him still.

……

But Monkey King brought Monk Tang and his companions back to Li's house, where they spent the night. At noon the next day, they gathered in the main hall of the Li's house again. The old man of the Li's family was sincere and did not mind being annoyed, but only served them tea and food.

After everyone finished their tea and meal, the old man from the Li family left, saying only that the family was well-off and it would be okay for Tang Seng to eat there for as long as he wanted. When Tang Seng wanted to return from the east, the old man from the Li family would see him off personally.

Bajie sat in the middle hall, feeling somewhat indignant, and said, "This old man is a bit underestimated."

Tang Seng asked: "How can you underestimate us? Donor Li is very polite and never underestimated us."

Bajie said, "Master, you are not underestimating us, but you are underestimating me, the old pig."

Tang Seng asked: "What do you mean?"

Bajie said, "That elder Li said that his family was rich and he would give us as much food as we wanted. But I, an old pig, didn't let him go and ate only half full at every meal. If I had eaten as much as I wanted, I would have eaten all his food in less than a day."

Wu Jing said, "Second Brother, don't say that. We are monks. Master Shi has fed us, but we cannot act recklessly like this."

After saying this, Wujing looked towards Monkey King, only to see Monkey King lowering his head in deep thought, without making a sound.

Wu Jing stepped forward and asked, "Big Brother, why did you make us retreat last night?"

Bajie muttered, "I saw him fighting fiercely with that thief monster. That thief monster held a treasure. He fought with it for a while and then gave up. If he fought a few more times, the thief monster would definitely not be his opponent. Brother, do you have any history with that thief monster?"

The traveler said, "You can't pass through this forest. You don't know that the thief is quite famous."

Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, "Wukong, what do you mean?"

The traveler said, "That thief monster has a treasure in his hand. It is a treasure of a Taoist immortal. This monster must have a past with the immortal, and the immortal gave him the treasure. If we force our way in, we will definitely offend the immortal, and that will be a bad ending. We must take the right path to get through."

Wu Jing was shocked and asked, "How can we survive this situation?"

Bajie asked, "Brother, the real person you are talking about is the Guangxin real person?"

The traveler nodded and said, "That's right."

Bajie was shocked and said, "If this is the case, we can't defeat this monster, we can't take the small path, and the master of the right path can't argue with us. How can we get through the forest of Dharma?"

Wujing also asked, "Big Brother, Second Brother, is the Guangxin Zhenren you are talking about the one from Xi Niu Hezhou?"

The traveler said, "He is the Master Guangxin from the Three Stars Cave of the Slanting Moon in Hezhou Island, Xiniu."

Wu Jing said: "Before I became a Taoist in the past, I received his kindness. Later, when I was demoted from heaven, he also helped me. It was because I was not ambitious and did not keep my mind focused to achieve success. This real person is the real Tao! If this monster has a connection with him, don't hurt him, don't hurt him!"

The Monkey King said, "I never thought that Junior Brother Sha and that Immortal had such an old story."

Bajie said, "In this case, you must not get hurt. You must follow the right path. Master, you must be the one to debate the Dharma."

After hearing what was said, Tang Seng was speechless and lowered his head, but he could not argue with him.

Bajie shouted, "I followed the advice of the Bodhisattva on the sea and converted to Buddhism, but I never thought that now I have not even left the door and someone is blocking me at the door. How can I go west now?"

Tang Seng sighed, "My disciples, my Buddhist teachings are shallow and I cannot win the argument with the demon king. Since this is the case, I have betrayed the Bodhisattva and violated the will of the Tang Emperor. It is better to divide the luggage and you can go yourselves."

Bajie stood up and started to divide the luggage, saying, "Master, please don't be partial. I have been carrying the load all the way, so I should get more."

The Monkey King grabbed Bajie and said, "Master, Bajie, don't worry, don't worry! That thief monster is holding a magic treasure, so he must have come from somewhere. Let me use my somersault cloud to go to the sea and ask the Bodhisattva, and then I will know where he is."

After hearing the Bodhisattva's words, Tang Seng felt a little more confident and said, "Disciple, how long will it take to go back and forth?"

The Monkey King said, "Master, I will ride my Somersault Cloud and travel 108,000 miles. I will be here in a day or two. I will talk to the Bodhisattva and will be back in a day or two. Bajie, Brother Sha, you must take good care of Master and make sure he doesn't get hungry or cold."

Bajie and Sha Seng responded repeatedly, and Tang Seng did not dare to stop them and hoped that they would return home soon.

Sun Xingzhe said this, walked out of the courtyard, said "Old Sun is leaving", and jumped up, disappearing without a trace in the clouds, heading for the South China Sea.

……

The Monkey King rode his somersault cloud for 18,000 miles. In a moment, he arrived at Luojia Mountain in the South China Sea. He pressed down the cloud, where the Monkey King Hui'an was already waiting.

Venerable Hui An stepped forward, took a closer look, and seeing that it was Monkey, he bowed and said, "I thought it was the one who had disappeared without a sound outside the Purple Bamboo Forest, but I didn't expect it to be the Great Sage. Aren't you protecting Tang Monk on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures? Why are you here?"

The Monkey King responded by saying, "I was protecting Tang Monk on his journey to the west. On the way, I came across a forest and was stopped by a demon. I could not leave, so I came to see the Bodhisattva and talk it over with him. If you cannot help me, then I will give up and you can remove the golden hoop from my head."

When Venerable Hui An heard this, he said, "Stay here for a while, I will talk to Master."

Sun Xingzhe said, "Go, go!"

Venerable Hui'an walked into the forest and entered the Chaoyin Cave.

Not long after, the Venerable came to report that the Bodhisattva had called him in.

Sun Wukong did not dare to be rude. He entered the Chaoyin Cave, walked to the lotus seat, bowed deeply, and said, "Greetings to the Bodhisattva."

Guanyin Bodhisattva asked: "Wukong, since you are protecting Tang Monk on his journey to the West, why don't you do your best? What are you doing here?"

Sun Xingzhe said, "Bodhisattva, I came across a forest on the way and could not pass through it, so I came to ask for your will. Whether to disperse or pass through is entirely up to your will."

The Bodhisattva said, "Tell me about it."

Sun Xingzhe said, "Behind the Flowing Sand River, there is a forest called the Dharma Forest. In this forest there is a demon who is well versed in Buddhism and teaches people to debate with him. Only after the debate is successful can they pass through. If the debate fails, he will leave. My master debated with him about Buddhism, but he retreated after two words and dared not argue again. I wanted to kill him, but when I passed this forest, I didn't expect that he had a magic weapon in his hand. That magic weapon belonged to my eldest brother. I didn't dare to fight with him, for fear of offending my eldest brother, which would be a thousand sins. Now I can't fight him, and I can't argue with him. I am at a loss, so I came here to ask the Bodhisattva for help."

The Bodhisattva asked, "If that's the case, why don't you go to the Three Stars Cave and come to my place?"

The traveler said, "Bodhisattva, I have not yet accomplished my mission, so I am ashamed to see you, my elder brother."

(End of this chapter)