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

Chapter 208 Jizhou Black Dragon, Wukong Guardian
It is said that in the Lingxiao Palace in Heaven, Li Jing and Nezha returned to Heaven and entered the palace to see the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor knew that they were coming and went to the palace in person.

Li Jing stepped forward and said, "We have been ordered by your majesty to come down to the mortal world to help the immortal. The Great Sage captured the evil spirit, the Fenshui Jiao Demon King. We have now captured him and returned. We have come here to present your order and ask for your majesty's approval."

The Jade Emperor said, "You can surrender it! Has the evil spirit been captured and brought back to heaven?"

Li Jing replied: "He has been captured and sent back to heaven. Now the heavenly soldiers are keeping him outside."

He pondered for a long time, then continued: "Although he has been captured, he was sent here by the real master, so we are just helping him."

The Jade Emperor said, "Tell me the story."

Li Jing explained what had happened previously.

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor said, "This Jiao Demon King has committed many evil deeds. Now that the Immortal is about to send him back to heaven, he should be punished according to the rules of heaven. What should we do?"

Four great celestial masters had already stepped out of the stage and said, "Your Majesty, this demon has been causing trouble for a long time and has eaten countless people. He has also killed the earth gods and slaughtered the mountain gods. The crimes he has committed are too numerous to count. If he is not sent to the demon beheading platform, the majesty of heaven will not be restored."

The Jade Emperor said, "As you have said, I will send him to the Demon Slaying Platform."

The Heavenly Master took the order and left.

The Jade Emperor asked again, "Heavenly King, has the Great Sage Equaling Heaven made any progress now that he has attained enlightenment?"

Li Jing replied, "The Great Sage is now more capable than before, his practice has deepened, he has great magical powers, and his temperament has changed greatly, he is now humble and polite."

The Jade Emperor smiled and said, "This Great Sage Equaling Heaven is indeed different. I will summon him to meet him someday. How do you think he is now?"

Li Jing replied: "The Immortal's magical power is boundless. Now he seems to have great magical power. The Immortal will definitely become a person of great magical power in the future."

The Jade Emperor praised him, "The Immortal is really devoted to cultivation, and his heart of Taoism has not changed. When the Immortal attained Taoism in the past, I sent a celestial being to the lower world to manifest himself, inviting him to enter the heaven, but he refused because he wanted to cultivate. I was grateful for his unswerving heart of cultivation, so I sealed the Jade Edict, waiting for the Immortal to return to his position at any time in the future. Later, Laojun taught the Immortal skills, and when he came to the heaven, I asked him to return to his position twice but he refused, saying that he still had an unswerving heart of cultivation. From what I can see now, the Immortal is really not shirking his responsibilities, but is truly cultivating."

Li Jing said: "That's exactly the truth. I heard that the Immortal is practicing the law with Emperor Xuan this time, in order to warn the world and clarify the heart of the practice in the world of Jambu."

The Jade Emperor said, "Since this is the case, let's pass on the order. As long as there is a real person, Emperor Xuan will go to heaven to ask for the order, and the heavenly palace will approve it."

Li Jing said "yes", and after a long pause, he said: "Your Majesty has invited the Immortal twice, why not invite him again? If you invite him a third time, the Immortal will be grateful for your Majesty's kindness and will definitely return to heaven to serve your Majesty."

The Jade Emperor shook his head and said, "If fate doesn't come, there's no need to force it. One day, the real person will return to heaven. Just seal the Jade Decree and wait."

Li Jing said no more and bowed to the Jade Emperor.

……

But at the place of Fen River, the immortal saw black gas and strange objects in the water. He called Sun Wukong into the water to check where the strange objects were. He and the Bull Demon King waited on the shore.

After a while, Sun Wukong came out of Fenshui.

Sun Wukong stepped forward and said, "Big Brother, Brother, I'm back."

The Bull Demon King asked, "My dear brother, what is that thing by the Fen River?"

The immortal said nothing and just looked at Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong pointed to the Fen River and said, "Big Brother, Brother, you two may not know that there is a strange object in the water. It has a great origin."

The Bull Demon King said, "My dear brother, please don't keep me in suspense. Tell me quickly."

Sun Wukong said, "Big Brother, Brother. The strange object in the water is a skeleton. The skeleton is a dragon bone. I asked the monster in the water and found out that the dragon bone is a strange beast from the beginning of chaos when the world was created. At that time, the heaven and the earth existed. There was a great ancestor who changed the name of Nuwa, refined stones to mend the sky and save the world. At that time, there was a black dragon doing evil in Jizhou, so we killed it to save Jizhou. This dragon bone is that black dragon."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King was surprised and said, "There is such a strange thing. If so, the Jiao Demon King's cultivation has improved so much, probably because of the nourishment of this dragon bone."

Sun Wukong said, "That's right, that's right! Brother, I asked the water monster, and he said that the Jiao Demon King often practices beside the dragon bones. It must be the dragon bones that nourish his destiny, which is why he has such magical powers."

The Bull Demon King turned to look at Jiang Yuan and said, "Master, there is something foreign in the water. Can we take it away to prevent further trouble?"

Jiang Yuan listened to this, pondered for a long time, and said: "We can take this thing away. In my opinion, this thing may be obtained by evil spirits in the future and bring disaster to the world."

Say it.

The real person then walked forward.

Sun Wukong and Bull Demon King accompanied them and they all reached the Fen River.

The immortal took out the Ji Ding and threw it into the Fen River.

The Ji Ding was suspended in the air, and the Fen River parted ways, revealing a skeleton under the water.

Ji Ding put all the bones into the tripod and disappeared. Only then did the Fen River become calm.

Jiang Yuan took the Ji Ding away and hung it on his waist. He said, "Niu'er, this bone is useless to me. When I have free time, I will use it for you. It can help you practice."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King bowed before the Immortal and said, "Thank you so much, Master! Thank you so much, Master! But my cultivation is shallow, it would be more effective if I could use it with my brother."

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "Brother, please appreciate your kindness, but that is a water creature. I have never liked it. It is useless to me. It is right for you to use it. There is no need to be humble."

After hearing this, Bull Demon King had no choice but to accept it and thanked the Immortal again.

Jiang Yuan said, "Now that the matter of Fenshui is over, I will leave. Wukong, you came here to thank me, I already know that. Now I will travel around the world to help Emperor Xuan repair the law. Wukong, you can return to the mountains to practice in peace."

Wukong said, "Big Brother, now that you have accomplished your mission, there is no need to go again. Big Brother, you travel around the world, and I will be your guardian."

Upon hearing this, Bull Demon King became anxious and said, "Brother, why do you say that? It is my duty to protect the master."

Wukong said, "Brother, I am not trying to steal your responsibility. I am repaying you for your kindness. This time, with you and I protecting the Dharma together, my eldest brother will not have to take action again. He can enjoy peace and quiet without any evil spirits daring to invade."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King nodded and said, "If you really have my brother to protect us together, then there is no need for me to take action. The two of us can wipe out the evil spirits, and any evil spirits that appear will be useless."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Wukong, if you really don't need a guardian, don't let this disrupt your practice. Just go back to the mountain and practice in peace."

Sun Wukong knelt on the ground and said, "I beg you to agree. I wish to serve you wholeheartedly. Besides, following you is also a form of cultivation. How can you disrupt my cultivation?"

Jiang Yuan heard this and said, "Forget it, forget it, forget it. It's up to you. In this case, you can come with me."

Sun Wukong said happily: "Junior brother thanks you, senior brother."

Jiang Yuan then went back with Sun Wukong and Bull Demon King.

It didn't take long before the three of them returned to the deserted temple.

Zuo Liang led the white deer up and said, "Sir."

Jiang Yuan said: "Now that we have dealt with it, we should get back on the road. Have you had a good rest?"

Zuo Liang bowed and said, "Sir, I have rested well."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "In that case, let's get on with our journey."

The Bull Demon King asked, "Master, where are we going?" Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I don't know. Just follow the deer. If you see a city, enter it. If you see a temple, worship it. Don't think too much or worry too much."

The Bull Demon King obeyed the order.

The group then left the deserted temple and set out on their way. Jiang Yuan rode on the deer's back, and Sun Wukong stepped forward, held the deer, and said, "Big Brother, I'll hold the deer for you."

When Bull Demon King saw Sun Wukong taking the deer away, he had no choice but to walk back and walk with Zuo Liang.

Zuo Liang was a little frightened when he saw Sun Wukong leading the deer. He said, "Master Niu, that is Master Buddha. How can he lead the deer for you?"

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "You don't know who I am. It's no problem for a Buddha to lead a deer for me. Even an ordinary Buddha wouldn't have the chance to lead a deer for me. If someone wants to lead a deer for me, they either have to cultivate for several lifetimes to get this chance, or they have a predestined relationship with me like this old bull."

Zuo Liang seemed to understand, but he didn't quite understand. He only knew that he had to follow the immortal to practice, as this opportunity was very rare.

The Bull Demon King said, "I heard that you followed the True Man for freedom. You have been walking for a long time now. Are you able to feel free?"

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "I have never been free, but I know that if I follow the True Man wholeheartedly, I will definitely be able to find freedom."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "I see that you are getting old. I was born some time ago, and you are already over sixty years old. Add to that your age now, how long do you have left to live?"

Zuo Liang shook his head again and said, "I don't know how long I can live, I just keep walking. But if I die of old age, it is my fate and I can't blame others."

The Bull Demon King wanted to say something more.

The real voice came with the wind.

"Niu'er, don't talk nonsense. Zuo Liang has been reborn. He should live for fifty years, which is the life span of an ordinary person. So walk peacefully."

When Bull Demon King heard this, he suddenly looked up and saw the Immortal was looking at him. He dared not say anything more.

Zuo Liang bowed and said, "Thank you, sir."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and continued to move forward.

The group walked forward.

Time flies, and before I knew it, more than half a month has passed.

The group headed towards Yongzhou, which was right at the border between the two states. None of the Taoist priests they met along the way had ever stopped by.

One day, the immortal was walking in a mountain when suddenly a white deer stopped.

Sun Wukong, who was leading the deer, asked, "Big Brother, why do you stop?"

The Bull Demon King also came forward and said, "Master, what evil spirits are there ahead?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "I am quite capable. There are no evil spirits ahead. Even if there are, they will retreat when they see the golden light of our eldest brother from afar. How could they block the way here?"

The Bull Demon King said: "You don't know that I have great magical powers. What you can't see, I know."

Seeing the two of them talking and joking, Jiang Yuan said with a smile, "No need to say more. It's not a demon, but Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun. He is coming from the west. Wukong, go and welcome him and tell him to me."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong said, "I never thought it was the Divine Master. Brother, please wait a moment. I will go and invite him to come."

Say it.

Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud and headed west.

Jiang Yuan rode on the white deer and stood there waiting.

Zuo Liang stepped forward and tugged at the Bull Demon King, asking, "Master Niu, is Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun the one from Guanjiangkou?"

The Bull Demon King turned around and said, "Old Zuo, you are quite knowledgeable. You actually know the True Lord Xiansheng."

Zuo Liang said, "Master Niu thinks highly of me. How could I know about Xiansheng Zhenjun? I have visited the temple in Guanjiangkou, so I know this deity. It is said that Xiansheng Zhenjun is very effective and will answer any prayer. I listened to it at that time, so I went there. I never thought that I would have the chance to see Xiansheng Zhenjun when I am walking with you now."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "Don't be alarmed. You will see more gods and immortals in the future."

……

The story goes that Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud and traveled thousands of miles westward, with his flaming eyes wide open all the way, but he never saw the True Lord Erlang.

Wukong scratched his head and said, "Why can't I see the True Lord? Could it be that my elder brother has made a mistake? No, that's impossible. With your magical power, how could you be wrong? Let me go and check a little more."

Wukong was just about to ride the cloud forward, but just as he started to move, he saw a strong wind and a gloomy fog ahead. A group of people were marching forward, led by none other than Erlang Shen, and behind them were the six brothers of Meishan, each of them wearing a bow on his waist and holding a sharp blade in their hands. They flew in the wind and fog, and were followed by many grass-headed gods.

Wukong saw this and said, "Brother, you are right. Let me go up and talk to you."

Say it.

Wukong stepped forward to stop him, shouting, "Master, please slow down your carriage, please slow down your carriage."

Upon hearing this, Erlang Shen stopped his troops and stepped forward to ask, "Who is coming? Is that the Monkey King?"

Wukong laughed and said, "That's me."

Erlang Shen ordered the Six Saints of Meishan to control the troops. He pressed down the clouds and said, "Great Saint, how could it be you? I heard that you had completed your journey to the west and were awarded the title of Fighting Buddha, but I didn't know where you were and couldn't congratulate you. I never thought that we would meet here today, so I should congratulate you."

Wukong waved his hands and said, "Master, you don't deserve my congratulations. Although I am now the Fighting and Victory Buddha, I have not yet understood the Buddha's true meaning. Once I understand the Buddha's true meaning, it will not be too late for you to congratulate me."

Erlang Shen shook his head and said, "It won't be too late to congratulate you again later, but I want to congratulate you now."

Wukong had no choice but to accept Erlang Shen's thanks and said, "True Lord, I am here to block your way this time, not because I have something to ask you, but because my elder brother is ahead and knows you are coming, so he sent me to invite you to meet my elder brother."

Upon hearing this, Erlang Shen was delighted and said, "The real person is actually in front of us? Great Sage, you really did not lie to me. The real person is really in front of us."

Wukong said, "I dare not lie. My senior brother is indeed ahead."

Erlang Shen said, "In that case, wait for me to gather my troops and go over to meet the Immortal immediately. Please, Great Sage, lead the way."

Wukong said, "Master, just follow me."

While the two were talking, Erlang Shen returned to the army, assembled the troops, and followed Wukong eastward, riding on the wind and fog. After a while, they arrived at the border of Yong and Ji states, where they met Taoist Master Guangxin.

Erlang Shen left the wind and fog, pressed down the clouds, walked to the front of the immortal, bowed and said: "Imperial Master Guangxin, it's been a long time since we last met. I hope you are well."

The Immortal dismounted the white deer, helped it up, and said, "I am fine, but I am feeling something. You are in front of me, so I asked my junior brother to invite you to reminisce about the past. Please don't blame me if I disturbed you."

Erlang Shen said with a smile: "How can I blame you? It is my blessing to meet you. But please stay here for a while. I will send soldiers to buy some wine, and we can talk about the past in this mountain."

Jiang Yuan readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)