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

Chapter 139: The Walker is Defeated, the Holy Infant Shows His Power
When Monkey King learned that Red Boy lived in the Fire Cloud Cave, he went to the Dry Pine Stream with Pigsy and Monk Sha and found the Fire Cloud Cave.

The Monkey King told Sha Seng to stay in front and watch over the horses and luggage, and then he led Zhu Bajie to the Fire Cloud Cave.

The two stopped in front of the cave, and saw a stone tablet in front of the door, with eight large characters engraved on it: "Fire Cloud Cave in the Dry Pine Valley on the Hao Mountain".

The Monkey King smiled and said, "My nephew is quite sober. He has never followed the example of those demons and monsters who call themselves immortals or gods."

Bajie asked, "Brother, how do we get him out?"

The Monkey King said, “Go up and challenge him. If you offend the Holy Infant King, he will surely be driven out.”

Bajie heard this and approached to challenge him, cursing, "You incompetent monster in the cave, hurry up and send my master out, or I will flatten your mountain with my rake."

Say it.

Before Bajie could make a move, the gate of the mansion opened and a group of about ten little demons came out pushing five small carts. The five carts were different in color: red, white, black, green, and brown.

The demon pushed the five chariots in formation, with the red chariot facing south and the black chariot facing north, and the distance between them was eighty-six feet, which corresponds to the distance between the heart and kidneys being eight inches and six feet, and the distance between heaven and earth being eighty-four thousand feet. Another demon pushed the white chariot in the west to correspond to the red chariot, the green chariot in the east to correspond to the black chariot, and the brown chariot in the center, forming a complete four-chariot formation.

Bajie saw this and laughed, "Brother, this guy is afraid of us, so he pushed his cart over here and gave us some gold and silver to save us from killing him."

The traveler saw this and said, "Don't be careless, fool. This Holy Infant King has some tricks."

Bajie asked, "What's the trick?"

While the two were talking, Red Boy rushed out with a flaming spear in hand and a brocaded skirt tied around his waist, stepping on the flames and saying, "You two, are you here to get the Tang Monk?"

Bajie stepped forward and said, "Don't say any more. Even if you have captured my master, I understand that you are young and have little magical power. I don't want to fight with you. Send my master away as soon as possible to avoid being beaten and killed."

Red Boy was very angry and said, "You rude monk, I live in the mountains and practice Buddhism. I have no hatred against you. Why do you insult me ​​again and again? I will not let you go. I will report this to the Heaven and the Underworld. I am right."

The Monkey King stepped forward and grabbed Bajie, saying, "My dear nephew, this is indeed the fault of this fool. He has always been stupid and stubborn. I hope you will forgive his crime."

Red Boy asked, "Why do you call me nephew?"

The Monkey King said, "You don't know that your father and I are sworn brothers. Your father is the Bull Demon King. In the past, I was a demon king. At that time, I had a close relationship with the six demon kings and became brothers. The six demon kings are the eldest brother, the Bull Demon King, known as the Great Sage Flattering the Sky. The second brother, the Dragon Demon King, known as the Great Sage Covering the Sea. The third brother, the Peng Demon King, known as the Great Sage Mixing the Sky. The fourth brother, the Lion King, known as the Great Sage Moving Mountains. The fifth brother, the Monkey King, known as the Great Sage Ventilating the Air. The sixth brother, the Ape King, known as the Great Sage Driving the Gods. I, Sun Wukong, am the seventh one to walk around. I was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. We often played together at that time. You were born later, so you don't know this. According to seniority, you are my nephew, so you should call me uncle."

Red Boy looked Monkey up and down and said, "You look like a demon. My father often practices with the Immortal Master and has spiritual energy. How can we become brothers with a demon like you?"

The Monkey King was a little annoyed and said, "When you were young, your parents never practiced with the Immortal. Now, is the Immortal you are talking about the Immortal Guangxin?"

Red Boy said, "It is Master Guangxin."

The Monkey King said, "Master Guangxin is my senior brother."

Red Boy refused to believe it and cursed, "It is said that 'monks do not tell lies'. You, a monk, do not abide by the precepts and are definitely not a cultivator. You tricked me into knowing my father and then tricked me into being a disciple of the Immortal Master. Are you taking advantage of my young age? Look at the gun!"

Say it.

Red Boy thrust his spear forward, trying to pierce the Monkey King.

The Monkey King was a skilled martial artist. He dodged the spear tip with a quick move, raised his golden cudgel, and said, "You are such a fool, you really don't know how to count. In that case, watch out for my cudgel!"

The two stopped talking, and a vicious fight broke out between their spears and sticks. One wanted to stop the group from obtaining the scriptures, while the other wanted to save Tang Monk. One held the golden hoop stick horizontally, while the other held the flaming spear. They went back and forth, in a fight that was half cloud and half mist. Both sides were fierce and aggressive, and they were determined to win.

After fighting for twenty rounds, Red Boy showed signs of defeat. He was weak and had only learned martial arts for a short time. How could he be a match for Monkey, who was so skilled in martial arts?

Red Boy could only parry, blocking left and right, but he had no ability to attack or kill. The Monkey King seemed to be teasing him, but also looking for a good opportunity, without any rush or impatience.

Seeing this, Zhu Bajie, who was standing behind, thought to himself, "This Bi Ma Wen is playing tricks. In a few rounds, the Holy Infant King will surely be defeated. If this continues, and I rescue Master, Bi Ma Wen will tell Master about my faults. Master will definitely blame me. I must go up and earn some merit so that the merits and demerits can be offset."

Think about it.

Zhu Bajie picked up the Nine-toothed Rake and rode on a cloud to attack Red Boy.

Red Boy was frightened when he saw this, and he returned with his spear in defeat, hiding between the five carts.

The Monkey King was annoyed at the fool's mischief, so he wanted to tell Red Boy to relax so that he could capture him. But the fool rushed over, so he shouted, "Chase him."

The two men descended on the clouds and saw Red Boy sitting on a brown chariot. The two men chased after him with weapons in their hands. Red Boy clenched his fists and hit his nose twice.

Red Boy had practiced with the Immortal and knew some numbers of heaven and earth. The nose bridge under the eyebrows is also called the "Thunder Palace". Vibrating this place can lead to the Niwan Palace. The nose bridge goes down to the mouth, which is called the "Golden Bridge". The Golden Bridge has two holes, one for the mouth and one for the nose. Red Boy is clever. He uses the five chariots to borrow the power of heaven and earth to make up for the five people in his body. Vibrating the Thunder Palace makes the original spirit use its magic to go down from the Golden Bridge, showing the fire. One hole in the nose spews smoke and one hole in the mouth spews fire.

Bajie saw this and said with a smile, "You bastard, you might as well break your nose and let some blood come out so that you can go and complain to your parents."

The Monkey King grabbed Bajie and said, "Don't be careless, fool."

Red Boy was seen using the five carts for his own use. He opened his mouth and sprayed out thick smoke from his nose and flames from his mouth, sweeping across the sky.

The fire burned through the sky and the earth. A closer look revealed that the fire was so intense that it was "blazing fiercely, filling the sky, and majestically covering the ground with red."

Bajie was frightened by the fire and said, "Brother, run away quickly, the fire is too big, get into the fire, roast the old pig, add spices, and save yourself the trouble. He can just enjoy it."

The Monkey King had great magical powers, so how could he be afraid of fire? He followed the fire-avoidance technique and entered the fire. He was just about to look for Red Boy, but there was so much black smoke that he could not get close to him.

His eyes, which had been heated in the Eight Trigrams Furnace by the Jade Emperor in the past, were turned into golden eyes by the old man with eye disease. He was most afraid of this kind of wind and smoke. When he saw the billowing black smoke, he could not get close and had to retreat.

The Monkey King wanted to take Bajie away, but Bajie disappeared long ago and no one knew where he had escaped to, so he had to ride on a cloud and leave alone.

When Red Boy saw Monkey running away, he lowered the fire and was secretly frightened. He said, "Although this ugly monk likes to fool people, he is quite capable. Fortunately, I knew how to control him. That pig demon has average ability, but he ran very fast. I should have burned him a few more times. I was not careful and he escaped."

Red Boy called on the little demons to bring the chariot back.

……

It is said that outside the withered pine stream, a group of people who were seeking scriptures gathered together.

The Monkey King grabbed Bajie's palm-leaf fan and said, "You are such a fool, you have no sense of loyalty. When you saw the monster breathing fire, you ran away without caring about me. Fortunately, you have some skills, otherwise I would have put you in great trouble."

Wujing said, "Second Brother, you were like this when you were with the Yellow Robe Monster."

Bajie said, "Please spare me, please spare me. The fire is so fierce that it is hard to resist. How can I fight him?"

Wu Jing asked, "Big Brother, is the fire really that dangerous?"

The Monkey King released Bajie and said, "The Holy Infant King is indeed quite skilled and has great timing, but his spear skills are mediocre and his strength is lacking. I was just about to capture him when you, a fool, ruined things."

Bajie rolled his eyes and said, "Brother, I saw that he couldn't hold on any longer, so I came to help you. I don't want to cause any trouble."

Wu Jing was afraid that the two would quarrel, so he stopped them and said, "Big Brother, that monster has such power, how can we defeat it and save Master?"

The Monkey King said, "That monster's martial arts are not as good as mine, but he has a certain degree of skill. As the saying goes, 'mutual promotion and mutual restraint', why not find a way to restrain him, break his skill, and then capture him."

Bajie shouted, "I heard him say earlier that he has a past with Master Guangxin. Why don't you go and ask Master Guangxin to come? Then the disaster will be resolved." Monkey said, "Why ask my senior brother to come? It's absurd. This road to the west is for us, not for my senior brother."

Wujing bowed and said, "Thank you for your advice."

Bajie said: "This won't work, so how can we find a way to resolve the disaster?"

The traveler said, "Water can overcome fire. We should find some water to overcome this fire."

Wujing asked, "Where can I find water?"

The traveler said, "There are only two places where water in the world can be found. One is where the Ao brothers are in the four seas, and the other is where the God of Water Virtue is in the sky. I am going to the East Sea to borrow some sailors to help me."

Wujing asked, "When will you return?"

The traveler said, "It will take less than half a day to return. You two stay here to guard the baggage and horses. Don't engage in a fight with them. You two are no match for that monster."

Wujing and Bajie responded.

The traveler rode on a somersault cloud and headed for the East China Sea.

……

In the cave, Red Boy returned inside, and the demons all cheered, congratulating the king on his victorious return.

Red Boy said, "The master once said, don't be arrogant, arrogant soldiers will be defeated, you should calm down."

The demons said, "Your Majesty has won. We are overjoyed."

Red Boy looked outside the mansion and said, "Although I have won today, I have not yet captured those monks. The monk with the hairy face and thunder mouth has some skills. If he sees that I am not defeated, he will definitely think of a way to rescue me. I should be prepared."

The demons asked, "My lord, how can we defend ourselves?"

Red Boy said, "Earlier, I relied on the power of fire to force him to retreat. I thought he would find some way to defeat me. This is human nature. To defeat fire, there is no other way but water. However, the power of fire I have is not ordinary fire. It is the power of heaven and earth. He will never recognize it, and he will suffer a loss then."

The demons asked, "Does the king need our help?"

Red Boy shook his head and said, "Just push the chariot out, and then I will generate some fire and burn him to pieces."

Red Boy had some plans, and he thought of Tang Monk again, so he asked, "What about Tang Monk?"

The demons said, "We have heard the king's order and have not lacked food and drink. But for some reason, we don't want to eat."

Red Boy asked, "But are you trying to scare him?"

The demons shook their heads and said, "No, no."

Red Boy didn't understand what he meant, so he asked, "What do you usually eat and drink?"

The demons said, "There are mountain deer, wild deer, snakes, wolves, tigers and leopards, everything."

Red Boy said, "He is a monk. Why are you giving him meat? Give him some tea and food. Don't let him go hungry. I hate his disciple, the pig spirit, but I don't hate him."

All the monsters responded.

……

But the slanting moon and three stars are in the cave.

The master was gathering all the disciples in his mansion, sitting on the altar and beginning to preach the great truth. There were two disciples and one disciple in the class, namely Jiang Yuan, Zhenjian, and his disciple Chongyang.

This section talks about etiquette and some common topics of the esoteric sect. This very simple principle, spoken by the ancestor, has a wonderful meaning. Jiang Yuan listened to the wonderful sound and felt that the truth was hidden in it, which made him chew it over and over again.

When I first heard the Tao on Chongyang Festival, I was intoxicated.

After preaching for a long time, the master stopped and dismissed the class. Zhenjian returned to the alchemy room, Chongyang went back to the library to study, and only Jiang Yuan and the master were left in the class.

The master asked, "Boy, is there anything unclear in your practice recently?"

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Master, I have not been confused recently. Thank you for your concern."

The master nodded and said, "I will teach you some mantras. Do you understand anything?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I have realized it myself."

The master smiled and said, "Tell me about it."

Jiang Yuan said: "The true words that Master taught me are obscure and difficult to understand, but their origin is beyond the number of heaven and earth."

The master said, "That's exactly why I didn't let you go to Yuanshi Palace with me to listen to the lecture because I was worried about your practice. I will tell you some of the truth later. I feel relieved when I hear you say this. You are not wrong. Just concentrate on your practice and cultivate your nature to return to the truth."

Jiang Yuan bowed deeply and suddenly thought of Red Boy. He had not seen this spiritual boy for a long time. If Red Boy taught him to protect his soul, he would have his own destiny when he returns.

He asked, "Master, when I open a temple, can I ask you to give me a generation name?"

The master smiled and said, "Don't worry too much. If you open a mansion, I will make full preparations. You don't need to ask too much, just practice with peace of mind."

Jiang Yuan said: "Yes, Master."

The master said, "Go and practice. I won't say much to you about cultivating your mind. You like quietness by nature. Besides, you have achieved success in practice. As for cultivating your mind, you can reflect on it yourself."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Although it can be saved, I still need to ask Master to advise me from time to time so that I won't be confused."

The master said, "You, my boy, you didn't know the way in the past, and you spent ten years outside the mountain seeking the way. Now you have achieved enlightenment for a long time. Why do you want me to take care of you in everything? If I teach you this, won't you still need me to take care of you when you cultivate great magical powers in the future?"

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Even if I have cultivated great magical powers, I am still Master's child. Master should take care of me."

The master pointed at Jiang Yuan and said with a smile: "If it weren't for the ruler, I would definitely take the ruler here."

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, you have been very kind to me, and I have never been able to repay you. I sincerely hope that you will allow me to follow you and serve you wholeheartedly, so that I can repay you a little."

The master smiled and said, "It's up to you. Go back to your room to practice or go to the alchemy room to make the elixir."

Jiang Yuan said no more, and escorted the master back to his room before returning to the alchemy room.

When he reached the alchemy room, he suddenly thought of the monkey. He said that the monkey had not come for two or three months. He didn't know what kind of trouble the monkey was suffering from. Since he didn't come to tell others, it must be that no trouble could stop him.

Jiang Yuan was secretly pleased, and went into the alchemy room to concentrate on making the elixir.

(End of this chapter)