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

Chapter 159: The Traveler Passes the Flaming Mountain, Seeing Zhenwu Is Like Seeing Me

The story goes that Wukong went to Fangcun Mountain and asked the Immortal Master and Red Boy to come out of the mountain to help him. He flew up the cloud from Fangcun Mountain to Cuiyun Mountain and arrived there in less than a day.

Jiang Yuan held down Xiangyun and said, "Holy Infant, please go into the palace and talk to the Ox King."

Red Boy bowed and said, "Yes, Master."

Say it.

Red Boy took the order and went into the Banana Cave.

The monkey and the immortal stood in the clouds and watched. Soon, five divine dragons and elite soldiers came forward to pay homage to the immortal.

Jiang Yuan returned the gifts one by one, not daring to make any mistakes.

The five great dragons said, "Master, Emperor Xuan has heard of your name a lot and has been in spiritual contact with you for a long time. He once said that if he sees you, he must invite you in person and have a good chat with you."

Jiang Yuan said: "I am grateful for Emperor Xuan's concern. I have also been friends with Emperor Xuan for a long time."

The monkey heard this and said, "Big Brother, I couldn't do anything about Yu Ding, so I went to the Heavenly Palace to ask for reinforcements, but failed. So I went to the Taihe Palace and met with the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable to ask for troops. The Heavenly Venerable was merciful and gave me troops. He also told me that I have been friends with you for a long time and invited you to the Taihe Palace."

Jiang Yuan said, "Since Emperor Xuan has invited me, I will go. When the matter here is settled and you withdraw your troops, I will go with you to meet Emperor Xuan."

The five divine dragons nodded deeply.

While they were talking, the door of the Banana Cave below opened wide, and the Bull Demon King came out with his troops, followed by Red Boy and the Rakshasa woman.

The Bull Demon King bowed deeply to Jiang Yuan's Xiangyun and said, "Greetings, sir! I didn't know you were coming, so I didn't greet you. I'm sorry for being rude, but please forgive me!"

Jiang Yuan pressed down the cloud and said, "I have never been guilty."

The Bull Demon King said, "Please come into my house, sir, and I will prepare a feast for you."

Jiang Yuan readily agreed, and entered the mansion with Wukong and the five divine dragons. When they entered the mansion, the Bull Demon King came out with the two generals, the turtle and the snake, and said to them that they had never been rude. Then they let them go, set up a banquet for them, and treated them with great respect.

During the meal, Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "Bull King, why are you so difficult for Wukong? How can he get by?"

The Bull Demon King came to pay his respects and said, "Master, I never troubled him."

Wukong said, "Brother, your tripod is very powerful. It is difficult for me to pass through here."

The Bull Demon King said, "You monkey, I wanted to let you and your group endure the heat in the Flaming Mountain, so I lent you the banana fan to cross the mountain, but you broke my door. It was you who insulted my child first, and that caused the grudge."

After hearing this, Wukong pondered for a long time and said, "If it is indeed my fault, please punish me, brother."

The Bull Demon King was somewhat surprised and said, "I expected that given your monkey temperament, you would refute me again and again. Even if you don't mention the matter of the head of the sect, I remember that it was Zhu Bajie who did the insulting of my child. Why do you agree to it?"

Wukong said: "To obtain the righteousness of this journey to the West, we must work together and have no second thoughts. Therefore, what Zhu Bajie did was also what I did. It is my fault."

The Bull Demon King exclaimed: "I thought you had been teaching for hundreds of years in the mountains, so your practice would definitely not be as good as mine. But what you said today made me realize that you are much better than me. I was just looking at the world from a narrow perspective."

Wukong said: "Brother, you are quite capable. I fought hard with you, but I didn't get even half the points."

Jiang Yuan said: "It is said that 'enemies should be resolved rather than created'. You two are originally one family, why do you have to fight with each other?"

The Bull Demon King said, "Since the master has said so, I shall obey and stop fighting. But I have two requests. If Sun Wukong agrees, I will lend him the palm leaf fan, and we can cultivate brotherhood and never harbor any resentment again."

Wukong stood up and said, "Brother, please speak."

The Bull Demon King said, "First, you should build the gate for me personally, and I will give you the luggage then. Second, leave Zhu Bajie here and let him suffer for two or three days. I won't beat him or kill him, just starve him for two or three days."

Wukong said: "If that's the case, I will accept it."

The Bull Demon King said, "Since you are talking like that, I will lend you the banana fan."

Say it.

The Bull Demon King took an apricot leaf, shook it until it became the shape of a palm-leaf fan, and handed it to Wukong.

Wukong took it and said, "Thank you, brother. Thank you, brother!"

The Bull Demon King said, "When I became sworn brothers with you, there were seven of us, and we were given names according to our size. I am the eldest brother because I am the oldest, and you are the seventh because you are the youngest."

Wukong accepted the palm-leaf fan and said, "Brother, I will remember this."

The Bull Demon King said, "At that time, we became sworn brothers just to have fun together. We were not true brothers. When we were in trouble, we left each other. When we were rich, we came together first. In the world of Jambu, there is a saying that goes 'share wealth and adversity together'. This is what true brothers do. Now that you have come here, I have made it difficult for you. Are you willing to cultivate brotherhood with me again?"

Wukong said: "Since you call me elder brother, I will never forget it. I am willing to renew our brotherhood."

The Bull Demon King stepped forward and said, "Okay! Since I have been practicing with you, I have never been a brother to anyone. Since you said so, and we are from the same family, we should rebuild our brotherhood. But please don't blame me for blocking your way. Before you destroyed my family, I never insisted on making things difficult for you."

Wukong stepped forward, put his arm around the Bull King's shoulders, and whispered, "Brother, I already know the whole story, so there's no need to explain."

The Bull Demon King said: "The Holy Infant came to the mansion earlier and told me about your good qualities. I then knew that you and your nephew had a close relationship, but I didn't know that before. It was very difficult for you."

Wukong said, "Brother, that tripod is indeed hard for me to handle."

The two men cultivated their brotherhood again. The Bull Demon King set up a banquet again and invited real people to witness it. He and Wukong became sworn brothers again, sharing wealth and adversity. However, if one of them was in trouble, the other would definitely help with all his strength and would never dare to make any mistakes.

Jiang Yuan naturally agreed. Bull Demon King and Sun Wukong were both happy. They feasted in the mansion for five or six days and strengthened their brotherhood. Sun Wukong wanted to leave, but Bull Demon King refused to let him go. After enjoying himself for another three or four days, he let Sun Wukong go and arranged for the demon soldiers to take Sun Wukong and his luggage to the Flaming Mountain.

Before leaving, the Bull Demon King grabbed Wukong and said, "My dear brother, since we are cultivating brotherhood again, I have something to advise you. The Flaming Mountain was created because of your disturbance in the Heavenly Palace in the past. This place has suffered from disasters for a long time. If you don't cure it, it will become a disaster in the future. All the causes and effects are caused by you. Listen to what I say, and leave this mountain."

Wukong heard this and asked, "Brother, do you know how to cure this Flaming Mountain? Do we need to move it away?"

The Bull Demon King said, "No, no. The 800-li Flame Mountain is very difficult to move. The banana fan in your hand is a rare treasure. You only need to fan it seven times in a row, and the Flame Mountain will be cured and will never get angry again. But if you fan it seven times in a row, it will require supernatural power. I, an old bull, will have to eat after fanning half of the time. I see that you can endure it long enough, so you can succeed."

Wukong thanked the Bull King for the reminder.

The Bull Demon King smiled and said, "The road ahead is long. Go ahead, my dear brother. If you are in trouble, please report to me. I have more than 10,000 demon soldiers under my command and they will definitely come to help."

Wukong said, "Thank you very much, brother."

After he expressed his gratitude, he bowed to the Immortal, then spoke to the two generals, the Turtle and the Snake, and asked them to convey his gratitude to the Emperor Xuan. Only then did he leave with his luggage.

When the Bull Demon King saw the Immortal leaving, he returned the Yu Ding with both hands, saying that his mission was accomplished. Jiang Yuan took the Yu Ding and tied it around his waist. He smiled and said, "You almost made Wukong suffer. I didn't expect that you two could still reconcile your old relationship."

The Bull Demon King said, "Master, I once went with you to see him at the foot of the Five Elements Mountain. At that time, he still looked like a demon, but now he has a spiritual appearance, with a deep Buddhist nature, and he has returned to the right path. Master once taught me that 'those who hear the truth are one and the same'. Old Bull is also a cultivator, so there is nothing wrong with rekindling our old relationship."

Jiang Yuan said: "You have never been lazy in practicing."

The Immortal said no more, gathered Emperor Xuan's troops and planned to go with him to the Taihe Palace in Wudang Mountain to pay a visit to Emperor Xuan.

Bull Demon King went with the sect to protect the immortal, but Jiang Yuan left Bull Demon King in the mountains to regroup and told him to go to Fangcun Mountain when he had free time. After giving these instructions, Jiang Yuan went to Wudang Mountain with the two generals Turtle and Snake, five divine dragons, and many elite soldiers.

……

The houses in Huoyan Mountain.

The Monkey King returned with his luggage and the palm leaf fan. He called back the demon soldiers, fearing that they would alarm Tang Monk. He then entered the room and called out, "Master, Master! I am here."

The old man, Tang Monk and Sha Wujing came out together.

The Monkey King raised the palm leaf fan in his hand and said, "Master, now I have accomplished my mission. This is the palm leaf fan."

The old man took a closer look and said happily, "It is this fan, it is this fan! I have seen the Iron Fan Fairy here before."

Tang Monk approached and said, "My dear disciple, you have made a great contribution by obtaining this treasure."

Sha Wujing looked around and said, "Big Brother, where is Second Brother?"

The Monkey King explained what had happened before so that Tang Seng and Sha Wujing could understand the reason behind it.

Tang Seng heard that all these things happened because Bajie didn't cultivate his speech. He said, "Bajie doesn't cultivate his speech. We should teach him to repent and not do it again. Otherwise, there will be more troubles. When can we go to the West?"

Sha Wujing said, "Master, we should teach our second brother to improve his speech."

The Monkey King also agreed with this. He bowed and said, "Master, there is a fierce fire on the road ahead. Wait for me to use the palm leaf fan to put out the fire. Then there will be no more fires here. Only then can we cross the mountain."

Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, "That should be the case."

Upon hearing this, the old man prostrated himself before the traveler, shedding tears and saying, "How gracious of you, Immortal! How gracious of you, Immortal!"

The traveler helped the old man up and said there was no need for him to kneel. He helped the old man up, held the palm-leaf fan, stepped into the clouds and mist, and went deeper into the Flaming Mountain. When they reached the hottest part of the Flaming Mountain, he held the fan and used his divine power to fan it, looking at the top of the Flaming Mountain and fanning it seven or seven times in a row. He stopped only when the traveler was exhausted.

There was a heavy rain on the mountain, and the mountain fire was completely extinguished and never recurred. The Huoyan Mountain was thus completely cured.

The Monkey King then rode on his somersault cloud to the Heavenly Palace to meet Laojun, and explained to him the matter of the Flaming Mountain and asked for mercy on behalf of that land. Laojun did not say much, only offering to pardon his sin.

The Monkey King then returned the palm-leaf fan intact to the Bull Demon King, and set out on the journey westward with Tang Monk and his companions. This will not be mentioned for now.

……

However, it is said that Jiang Yuan and Emperor Xuan's troops returned to Wudang Mountain within a day. The troops went inside to report. When Tianzun Dangmo heard that the immortal was coming, he went out of Taihe Palace to welcome him in person.

When the Immortal saw the Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable, he bowed and said, "I am a disciple of Bodhi Patriarch in the Three Stars Cave of the Slanting Moon on the Square Inch Mountain of Lingtai, Hezhou, Xiniu, and I pay my respects to the Emperor of Mysterious Heaven."

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable responded, "I have been in spiritual contact with the Immortal for a long time. Please enter the palace."

Jiang Yuan then went into Taihe Palace with the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord. When they entered the palace, the Heavenly Lord asked someone to serve tea and all the other arrangements were completed in full.

Jiang Yuan was grateful for the gift from the Heavenly Venerable, but he did not understand how the Heavenly Venerable knew his name, so he asked, "The Emperor Xuan is enjoying the Wudang Mountain. I have heard of the Emperor Xuan's name for a long time, but I am an unknown person, so I don't know how the Emperor Xuan knows my name."

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said with a smile: "Master, when you became enlightened in the past, I witnessed it, how could I not know about you? I have heard of your name for a long time, and I feel that you are somewhat similar to me, so I feel very close to you."

Jiang Yuan asked: "Are there any similarities between Emperor Xuan and me?"

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable asked, "Does the Immortal know anything about my past practice?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I have heard some, but I don't know everything."

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable smiled and said, "Before I became a Taoist, I was born in the family of a ruler. I was born with supernatural powers. I was brave when I was young, not inferior to the warriors on the battlefield. I had my own spiritual energy when I grew up. My father saw that I was brave and liked me. He made me the crown prince and was about to inherit the throne. However, in a disaster, he made me realize that the world is like the passing smoke and clouds, and will disappear sooner or later. So I devoted myself to cultivation, gave up wealth and honor, went into the mountains to cultivate, and entered into a state of meditation. I practiced hard for many years. Fortunately, I had some luck and succeeded. At that time, my merits and deeds were complete, and I ascended to heaven in broad daylight. The Jade Emperor gave me a title. I saw many demons in the north, so I went down to the mortal world to eliminate demons for many years. I dominated the north and was named "Zhenwu" to cut off the demons in the world."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan was delighted, thinking that the former was a person like him, working hard to cultivate the Tao. He stood up and bowed to the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable.

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable stood up and returned the greeting, and then asked, "Why are you bowing, Immortal?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Worshiping you is like worshiping myself."

Seeing Zhenwu now is like seeing me, it should be like this.

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Master smiled and said, "I am returning the gift as if I were returning it to myself."

Jiang Yuan said: "Now I know why Emperor Xuan said that he felt so close to me."

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said, "I have long heard that the Immortal Master is also a person who has achieved success through hard practice, and his heart of Taoism is unshakable. However, I have never had the same concentration as the Immortal Master. I saw the Heavenly Palace in front of me but did not enter. I also heard that the Jade Emperor invited the Immortal Master twice but was refused. The Immortal Master is much better than me in this respect."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "It's not like what the Heavenly Lord said. I have no intention of staying in Heaven and only want to practice."

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said, "This kind of heart is rare and precious. Who among those who practice cultivation doesn't know how good the heaven is? Many practitioners focus on ascending to heaven, thinking that once they enter heaven, they will no longer be troubled by life and death. How can they achieve success if they practice this way? The heart of a true person is exactly what a practitioner should have."

Jiang Yuan said: "There are many practitioners in the world who don't know what heaven is like, so it's normal for them to yearn for it."

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said: "If you want to do it, just practice with all your heart. However, from what I have seen, most practitioners have illegal intentions, and it is difficult for them to succeed."

Jiang Yuan asked, "The Emperor Xuan said that he was practicing a side sect?"

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said: "There are also quite a few people who practice the righteous way. They subdue one of the five people in their body. They think they have accomplished something, show off their skills, and have illegal thoughts. In the end, they fail. However, before the success or failure, there are many injustices."

Jiang Yuan heard this and pondered for a long time before saying, "To be honest with you, Emperor Xuan, I haven't left the mountain for a long time. I mostly practiced in the mountains, so I don't know this."

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said, "If there were as many cultivators as the True Ones in the world, how could they not achieve success?"

Jiang Yuan asked: "Since Emperor Xuan has said this, is there any way to restrain those who break the law?"

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord said, "I have some ideas, but it will take some time."

(End of this chapter)