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

Chapter 169: The Master Hidden a Secret to Save Wukong (asking for monthly tickets)
The Monkey King was locked in the Yin-Yang Qi Bottle. After a while, he found that the bottle was cool and comfortable. He did not understand what it meant, so he said, "What kind of treasure is this Yin-Yang Qi Bottle? It was used to capture me without causing any harm. Isn't it often said that if a person was put in the bottle, it would turn into pus and blood in a moment? Now I am here, and it is so cool and I have no pain at all."

The traveler pondered for a long time and suddenly remembered what his senior brother once said, that the numbers of heaven and earth are based on the theory of yin and yang, such as day and night, sun and moon, and so on. Therefore, there is a principle of rotation. His bottle is called the yin and yang energy, so there must be changes.

He should be in the Yin number, so it is cool and shady. If this is the case, then where is the Yang number?

When the traveler thought of this, he was shocked and thought to himself that this was not good. This positive number was the murderous intention.

The traveler peeped into the origin of the Yin-Yang Gas Bottle, but it was too late. If the Yin-Yang Gas Bottle contained a person who did not speak, then it could provide temporary shade. But if it was opened, fire would come.

The traveler practiced the fire-avoiding technique and was not afraid of the raging fire at all.

In less than half an hour, the flames subsided and forty fire snakes appeared all around, biting the traveler whenever they saw him.

The Monkey King had supernatural powers, so how could he be afraid of the fire snakes? He tore them into pieces one by one. Just as he had dealt with the fire snakes, he saw three fire dragons coming and coiling around him.

The targets of these three fire dragons are all different. The first fire dragon burns the walker's body, the second fire dragon burns the walker's holy fetus, and the third fire dragon burns the walker's heart.

The Monkey King could not bear it any longer. Before long, Guguai's burning sensation softened his body and he felt some pain. His anger attacked his heart again, and he was at a loss. He felt sad and said, "I have returned to the right path to cultivate. I have endured countless hardships along the way and traveled thousands of miles. I hoped to reach the West and obtain the right result. When I return home, I will be praised by my elder brother and master. But today I met this demon, which wants to make me die in the bottle. I will never obtain the right result again and will never see my master again. What can I do?"

The traveler was just reminiscing about the time in the Fang Cun Mountain when he suddenly saw a hair on his body gleaming with golden light. He was overjoyed and said, "Master, I don't know when you put this hair in my body. Seeing that my life was in danger, the hair changed on its own."

The traveler plucked out the hair, only to see it turned into a drill, which drilled into the bottom of the bottle and made a hole in it.

The Monkey King was overjoyed and said, "It is just like a peck and a drink, there is a destiny. There were originally yin and yang energies in this bottle, which formed the number of heaven and earth. Now I have been asked to drill a hole, so that the number of heaven and earth is no longer complete. Just like I was captured this time, it was because I did not have the number of heaven and earth. My tail was exposed and I was captured. Now I am out because of this. It is really wonderful."

When the Monkey King came out of the bottle, he saw the three demons drinking. He became furious and drew out his golden cudgel, and used all his strength to fight his way out of the Lion Cave. He saw that the cave door was closed. He knew that it was his brother, the Bull Demon King, who had broken the door, that would be his greatest revenge. However, he could not tolerate the actions of the three demons.

The Monkey King swung his golden cudgel, smashed the door, and flew out on a cloud.

The three demons were furious, but they could do nothing.

……

The Monkey King rode the cloud back to where Tang Monk was, and saw Tang Monk picking up soil as incense and praying to the sky.

Tang Seng chanted: "I pray to all the gods, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas to protect my disciple Wukong and keep him safe and bring him back safely."

The Monkey King listened and felt warm in his heart. He felt that it was worth it for all the hardships he had endured while protecting Tang Seng. He stepped down from the cloud and said, "Master, I am back."

Tang Seng stepped forward, held Monkey's hand, and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you by not coming back for so long. I was afraid something bad might happen to you. I hope you come back safely now."

The traveler said, “I have not been tired, but the demons in the mountains do have some abilities.”

The traveler then recounted what had happened previously.

Tang Seng went forward to take a look, and was relieved to see that Monkey was not injured.

The Monkey King said, "Master, I should go into the mountains and fight him again, but there are three demons with countless demon soldiers. I am afraid I can't do it alone, so it will be difficult to fight."

Tang Seng said: "Why not let Bajie and Sha Seng go with you, so that you can have someone to look after you. With your magical powers, you will surely be able to defeat the monsters in the mountains."

The Monkey King pondered for a long time and said, "That's fine. But I'm afraid that if Bajie and Sha Monk go with me, there will be no one to look after Master. It would be better if Bajie goes with me, and Junior Brother Sha Monk can look after Master here."

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

Zhu Bajie said in panic, "Brother, please don't hurt me. I don't have much ability. Wouldn't it be a burden for you if I go with you?"

The traveler said, "Although you don't have much ability, you are still a human being. In the past, you were even the Marshal of the Heavenly Peng. As long as you don't lose your might, it would be useful to frighten someone a little."

Zhu Bajie said, "Come on, come on, come on. Since you say so, I will go with you."

The fool cheered up, took out the nine-toothed rake, and was about to come to help.

The Monkey King took Sha Wujing aside and gave him careful instructions, asking him to look after Tang Monk and not let any evil spirits harm him.

Sha Wujing nodded deeply.

The Monkey King grabbed Zhu Bajie and went to the cave to fight the monster, but we will not talk about it for now.

……

But let’s talk about the Huaihe River.

Jiang Yuan teaches the Water Ape Great Sage and helps him solve some of his confusions.

The Water Ape Great Sage was extremely grateful to the Immortal, knowing full well that the Immortal was extremely accomplished and had extraordinary powers that were beyond his reach. Yet he still dared to fight the Immortal seven times.

After teaching the Water Ape Great Sage, Jiang Yuan was considering whether to go find Emperor Xuan and tell him about the previous incident with Lei Cao.

The real person thought about it for a long time and finally decided to go for it.

Before leaving, he asked the Great Sage of the Water Ape to take care of Zuo Liang and the White Deer on his behalf.

The Great Water Ape Sage bowed and said, "I have a great favor to you, so I will take care of you two for you."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you. I will go to Emperor Xuan right now and will be back in a few days. If the Bull King comes back, let him stay in the Water Palace for a while."

The Aquatic Monkey King said, "Yes, True Man."

After he finished speaking, he asked carefully, "Master, is Emperor Xuan really as cruel as some demons say, and hates evil as much as he hates evil, and will kill any demon he sees?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "It's just a rumor."

The Water Ape Great Sage asked, "What is the temperament of the Xuan Emperor?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Don't be afraid, the Emperor Xuan has a compassionate heart. If he is not, how can there be demons under his command? If you follow the right path, it's okay if you don't bow to the Emperor Xuan. If you do evil things, you will be killed if you bow to the Emperor Xuan."

The Great Ape Sage panicked and said, "I will definitely follow the right path, I will definitely follow the right path."

Jiang Yuan smiled, said no more, and went out of the water palace. The immortal had his own magical powers and was not afraid of water or fire. The water of the Huai River all dispersed and could not get close to him.

After leaving the Huai River, the immortal rode on a auspicious cloud and headed for Wudang Mountain.

It didn't take long for the immortal to reach Taihe Palace on Mount Wudang. When the spirit official learned that the immortal was coming, he reported it to the Heavenly Venerable Dangmo.

The two met in the hall and greeted each other. After the greetings were over, Jiang Yuan told them what happened.

Upon hearing this, the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said angrily, "I knew there would be many illegal things, but I never thought there would be such a thing. It's really hard to guard against."

Jiang Yuan said: "There are many illegal things."

The Heavenly Venerable who Subdues Demons summoned the Spirit Official, took out the black book, and wrote the law in mysterious characters: 'If the gods and ghosts in heaven commit crimes and are dissatisfied, they can all use this law to seek redress. However, if a cultivator arbitrarily punishes someone for other reasons, one year of his life will be reduced. If he commits the crime again, the cultivator will bear the punishment on his behalf.'

Jiang Yuan saw the black word "Xuan" with only two laws on it. He said, "Emperor Xuan, if this is the case, I wonder how many laws are needed to reduce the number of illegal activities."

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said, "I hope that those who practice cultivation can practice in peace and not commit any more illegal acts. Speaking of which, this time the True Man subdued the demon, and the commotion was quite big." Jiang Yuan said, "The Great Water Ape Sage of our sect was convinced, but he never thought that it would alarm the three realms. It was my fault."

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said: "I really envy the True Man's magical powers."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I admire Emperor Xuan's ability."

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said, “If I have some free time, I will discuss a few things with you.”

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I am definitely not a match for Emperor Xuan."

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord shook his head and said, "Master, don't be too modest. I have some friendship with Master Xiansheng. I once heard him say that Master Xiansheng was defeated, which shows that Master Xiansheng has extraordinary magical powers."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Xiansheng Zhenjun has a heroic temperament. It is very pleasant to be with him."

The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Venerable said: "It is not easy for the True Lord Xiansheng to cultivate all the way. To be able to cultivate to this level is because the True Lord's Tao heart is unshakable."

Jiang Yuan said: "For those who have achieved success in cultivation, nothing is easy."

The Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable recalled the past and agreed with it, saying, "That's right, what the Immortal said makes a lot of sense."

The two of them talked in the hall. Emperor Xuan was very happy and kept the immortal in the hall for a while. He was unwilling to let him go. It was not until five or six days that he was willing to let him leave.

……

The story takes place at the Lion Camel Mountain, 800 miles away. When the pilgrims arrived there, they had to pass through the mountain. The pilgrim used magic again and again to pass through the mountain. In front of him, he fought a blue lion with Zhu Bajie and then went into its mouth. Zhu Bajie was so frightened that he thought the pilgrim was dead and went back to divide the luggage. However, he didn't know that the pilgrim had entered the body of the blue lion and made it violently violent, forcing the blue lion to submit. Later, he defeated the white elephant, making the two kings convinced and no longer causing trouble. They only wanted to let the pilgrims pass through the mountain and dared not oppose the pilgrim again.

The two kings begged again and again, saying that they would not eat humans anymore in the future. They then sent people to escort Tang Seng across the mountain and dared not commit the offense again.

The Monkey King was about to achieve his goal through practice, and he felt a little more compassionate. How could he have regained his former viciousness? Upon hearing this, he let the two kings go for once, then returned to tell Tang Seng and prepared to cross the mountain.

In the Lion Cave, the two kings returned home in fear and met the Dapeng.

Dapeng said, "My two brothers, do you really want to escort that Tang Monk across the mountain? He is a good man who has practiced for ten lifetimes. Eating one of him is better than eating tens of thousands of people here."

The old demon Qingshi said: "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven is indeed a powerful person. I have heard that he is the most famous demon in history. Now that I have fought with him, I know that this is true. If he was not kind and righteous, we would have killed him long ago."

The second demon, the white elephant, sighed, "He really has a magical power. I have heard of him for a long time, but I never thought he was so powerful. I can't do anything to him. With my nose, even an ordinary immortal would die with hatred if I just rolled it. But he pulled my nose and almost killed me."

Dapeng said angrily, "My two brothers, how can you be afraid?"

The old demon said, "My dear brother, from what you said, you don't want to see me off? You once used the Yin-Yang Qi Bottle to fight him, but you couldn't do anything to him. If you want to fight again, what can you do?"

Dapeng stood up and said, "I have a plan that can capture Tang Monk."

The old demon asked, "What's the plan?"

Dapeng said, "It is 'luring the tiger away from the mountain'. We will send sixteen elite demons to carry Tang Monk across the mountain, and another thirty elite demons to prepare enough tea and food for Tang Monk so that he can have a full stomach."

The white elephant asked in confusion: "What do you mean? My dear brother, aren't you also sending Tang Monk across the mountain?"

Dapeng laughed and said, "My two brothers, you don't know that the reason why we prepared forty-six little demons is to separate Tang Sanzang from the group of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Going west from here, you will reach my Lion Country, where my troops are. Once we get there, the troops will come out together, and the three of us will work together to stop the group of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Then the head and the tail will not be able to take care of each other, and the sixteen little demons will carry the sedan chair and take Tang Sanzang away. Isn't that right?"

Upon hearing this, the old demon laughed and said, "Good idea, my dear brother! Good idea! I'll do as you say."

The three demons conspired and urgently deployed troops.

The next day dawned.

The old demon then led thirty cooks and sixteen sedan bearers to welcome the group of travelers.

The old demon called out from afar, saying, "Master Tang, Sun Dasheng, today is a good time to cross the mountain. Thank you, Dasheng, for sparing my life, and I have come to escort you across the mountain."

When the group of pilgrims heard this, they became alert.

Tang Seng asked, "Wukong, who is coming over there?"

The Monkey King opened his eyes wide, took a closer look, and said, "Master, this is the demon we subdued. I promised to escort you across the mountain."

When Tang Monk heard this, he was delighted and said, "My wise disciple is indeed capable. Let the mountain king come and escort us."

Zhu Bajie was a little indignant and said, "Master, I have also contributed, why didn't the demon even mention my name?"

The Monkey King said, "You fool! When I entered the belly of the lion-demon and subdued the monster, how could you tell Master that I was dead? You almost killed us all. How can you still have the nerve to talk about your strength?"

Zhu Bajie shouted, "Brother, even if you walk against the wind, you are still contributing."

The Monkey King said, "Don't make a fuss. It won't hurt if I share some of my achievements with you."

Zhu Bajie just smiled happily.

The old demon Qingshi ordered people to carry a sedan chair over and invited Tang Seng to sit in it.

Tang Seng looked carefully and saw that it was a sedan chair made of fragrant rattan. He exclaimed in admiration, "How lucky I am to ride in a sedan chair across the mountain."

Say it.

When he got into the sedan chair, the old devil shouted loudly and the sixteen bearers were divided into two teams, with eight people in each team. The eight people carried the sedan chair, and the other eight people guarded it from the front, back, left and right.

The Monkey King was secretly on guard, so he drew out his golden cudgel and stood guard at his side.

Zhu Bajie shouted, "Don't leave just yet. Let me carry the luggage. Lao Sha, let the horses go and let them lead them."

The old demon smiled apologetically, agreed to everything, and ordered the little demon to carry the luggage and lead the horse.

The group crossed the mountain and went west for more than 400 miles when they suddenly saw a city ahead. The travelers opened their eyes wide and took a closer look. They were shocked to find that the city ahead was actually a demon country.

I saw the tiger as the chief, the wolf guarding the gate, the leopard as the general, the horned deer as the guards, the python surrounding the city, the long snake occupying the road, the leopard as the guarding envoy, the cunning rabbit doing business in the city, and the wild boar carrying a load through the streets. How could there be any human presence at all?

The Monkey King thought something was wrong and was about to ask his master to get out of the sedan chair when he suddenly saw a painted halberd coming towards him. It was actually Dapeng appearing and coming to attack the Monkey King.

The Monkey King raised his stick to block it and cursed, "What a treacherous thief you are."

Dapeng did not answer, but just swung his Fang Tian Hua Ji to fight with Monkey King in martial arts.

The old demon drew his sword and chopped at Zhu Bajie, who was so frightened that he swung his nine-toothed rake randomly without any plan at all.

The white elephant swung its spear and stabbed at Sha Seng, and a fight started between the spear and Sha Seng's demon-subduing staff.

Of the sixteen bearers, eight snatched the white horse and the luggage, and the other eight carried Tang Seng and ran into the city.

Only six people were left outside the city to fight.

(End of this chapter)