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

Chapter 239: Revising the Law, the True Man Does Not Reveal His Identity
The conversation shows Emperor Xuan and Immortal in the main hall of Emperor Xuan Temple.

What the two of them talked about was the location of the "Two Hundred Li Lan Mountain" and the fact that one of the Nine Cauldrons was in this mountain.

Emperor Xuan said, "Master, the Nine Cauldrons are hard to see, let alone obtain, unless one has compassion and benevolence in one's heart and supernatural powers. Now that Master knows where the Nine Cauldrons are, you should go and look for them. There is no need to be humble to me."

Jiang Yuan said: "I dare not not tell Emperor Xuan about this treasure."

Emperor Xuan smiled and said, "Master, these treasures are meant for you. The Nine Cauldrons have never been seen before. Master, you have obtained two of the Nine Cauldrons, which is enough to show that Master and the Nine Cauldrons have a predestined relationship. Master, you know these treasures, so you can take them yourself."

Jiang Yuan nodded, having understood Emperor Xuan's intention. He bowed and said, "Since this is the case, I should thank Emperor Xuan."

Emperor Xuan said, "No need to thank me, I got it originally from the Immortal. In this case, I will let the Immortal eliminate the evil spirits in the 200-li Lanshan Mountain."

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "That's right."

Emperor Xuan pondered for a long time and said, "Master, I have dealt with the matter of Emperor Xuan's temple here. I feel something and intend to revise the law again. But please listen to me. If there is anything inappropriate, please point it out to me."

Jiang Yuan said: "It should be so. I wonder what laws the Emperor Xuan should establish?"

Emperor Xuan took out the black book from his sleeve and said, "I have three ideas for the law, but please listen to me, Master."

Jiang Yuan listened attentively.

The Bull Demon King took two cushions and placed them in front of Emperor Xuan and Jiang Yuan. He and the others left the main hall and closed the door.

Emperor Xuan sat on the cushion and said, "There are three ways to cultivate the law. The first is that as long as one cultivates the righteous law and respects the higher law, he will not be ashamed of the immortals and gods. He should also have three points of respect and not be frivolous to the immortals and gods. If he is frivolous to the immortals and gods, he will be punished by being badly dismissed."

"Secondly, those who practice the scriptures should not recite them nonsense, nor should they recite them out of context, or recite the false and unclear texts of the demonic chapters. If anyone violates this, he will be punished."

"Third, those who sincerely practice cultivation should not have sex in front of the statues of gods or do other profane things. If they do, their life span will be shortened."

Jiang Yuan heard this and thought for a long time before saying, "Emperor Xuan, are these the three laws?"

Emperor Xuan replied, "That's right, that's right. What do you think, Immortal?"

Jiang Yuan said: "There is nothing wrong with these three laws, but I have some doubts."

Emperor Xuan asked, "What doubts do you have, Master?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Emperor Xuan, we are revising the laws for the sake of the people who practice cultivation in the world, but when we revise the laws, the constraints become heavy, and I am afraid that later generations will change them or misinterpret them, and then the laws may be useless."

Emperor Xuan said, "Master, we only need to improve the laws. If later generations really change them or misinterpret them, we can do nothing about it. If someone enters the sea of ​​suffering and is determined not to come out, it will be useless even if we have great magical powers."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan understood Emperor Xuan's logic and nodded with a smile.

Emperor Xuan then wrote the laws in a black book.

The two talked for a long time in the main hall. Emperor Xuan was about to leave and return to Wudang Mountain to sit in Taihe Palace.

The Immortal saw Emperor Xuan off, and they walked out of the city and came to a pavilion in the mountains.

Emperor Xuan stopped the Immortal and said, "Immortal, we must part ways eventually. Please stop here. When you are free in the future, please come to the Taihe Palace and I will treat you with courtesy."

Jiang Yuan said, "If I have time, I will definitely go there. Emperor Xuan, after this matter is over, I will return to the mountain. The matter of repairing the law may be postponed for a while."

Emperor Xuan asked, "What is the matter with you returning to the mountain? Do you need my help?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "No need, it's my eldest disciple's practice."

Emperor Xuan smiled and said, "If that's the case, you can go there and revise the law when you have time. I can send my generals to walk around the world to find a place where the law can be revised. When you return, I will discuss it with you."

Jiang Yuan responded.

Emperor Xuan said no more, bid farewell to the immortals, and left on a auspicious cloud.

Jiang Yuan watched Emperor Xuan leave, and then said, "Junior brother, Niu'er, Zuo Liang. Let's set off for Lanshan."

Zhenjian responded with a smile, led the deer, and helped the immortal to ride on the white deer.

A group of people went towards Lanshan.

Bull Demon King was walking side by side with Zuo Liang from behind. Seeing Zuo Liang's uncertain expression, he said with a smile, "Old Zuo, you were not shocked when you saw Emperor Xuan today, but you are not moved when you saw so many immortals and gods?"

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "That's not the case."

The Bull Demon King asked, "If that is not the case, why are you not frightened?"

Zuo Liang said, "Master Niu, I don't know, but I really wasn't frightened at all. I just felt calm, not frightened or afraid."

Niu Mo Wang Chao Zuo Liang looked carefully and said, "Do you have any magical powers?"

Zuo Liang said: "I am just a mortal, not an immortal, how can I have magical powers, Master Niu, please don't tease me."

The Bull Demon King said: "Since you have no magical powers, how can you seem to be extraordinary?"

Zuo Liang was a little puzzled when he heard this, so he asked, "Master Niu, is it because of the method you taught me that you can speak the truth?"

The Bull Demon King asked, "When did the master teach you how to practice?"

Zuo Liang said, "Master, didn't you teach me to focus more on the space between my eyebrows a few days ago? I'll focus more on it when I have free time."

When the Bull Demon King heard this, he understood immediately. He knew what was between the eyebrows. In a human body, the center between the eyebrows is the "Heavenly Gate", one inch further in is the "Mingtang", another inch further in is the "Bridal Chamber", and one inch further back is the "Niwan". The Niwan Palace is the place where the true self, the primordial spirit, resides.

Zuo Liang had a realization between his eyebrows, and he might have gained something, which is why he was able to transcend the world.

The Bull Demon King asked, "Old Zuo, how did you gain enlightenment?"

Zuo Liang replied: "Master Niu, I place my hand between my eyebrows and feel something. I capture the feeling and comprehend it with my mind."

The Bull Demon King asked again: "Is this all right?"

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "Master Niu, you are just speculating randomly. How can you say whether it will succeed or not?"

The Bull Demon King was speechless.

……

Time flies, and before I knew it, five days had passed.

The group of immortals continued along the road, and within forty miles they entered the territory of Lanshan.

The group had just entered the territory of Lanshan, and he had just walked in when Sun Wukong came riding on a cloud and joined the group of immortals.

Sun Wukong bowed to the Immortal and paid his respects to his brother. He was overjoyed to know that Zhenjian had come. He had a good chat with Zhenjian and reminisced about the old times.

After the two of them had reminisced about the past, the Immortal asked, "Wukong, why have you been gone for so long? Did something happen along the way?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "Big Brother, nothing has changed, nothing has changed. I took the green ox to the Heavenly Palace, so I had to pay respect to the Great Celestial Lord first, and then went to the Tushita Palace to return the ox. In the Tushita Palace, Laojun gave me some Green Lotus Pills, and I ate some before returning, so I was a little delayed."

The immortal smiled and asked, "How is Laojun?"

Sun Wukong replied, "I am well, Laojun."

Jiang Yuan said, "In that case, Wukong, please come with me to this Lanshan Mountain to subdue the monster. After we subdue the monster, we will return home together."

Sun Wukong said: "Big Brother, is it not necessary to revise the law anymore?"

Jiang Yuan then recounted the previous events and told Sun Wukong everything that had happened in Donglai County.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was furious and said, "How could someone do such a wicked thing when I am not around? If I were here, I would definitely teach him a lesson!"

Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "How can you, Wukong, kill them all if you are here?" Sun Wukong listened to the question from his elder brother. He scratched his head and said: "Elder brother, I dare not do that, but you can suffer a little."

The Bull Demon King stepped forward and said with a smile: "My dear brother, I have often heard that when you were traveling on the road to the west, you encountered strong men blocking your way, but you never showed mercy and always killed them one by one."

Sun Wukong felt a little ashamed and said, "At that time, I didn't practice well enough, so I made a big mistake. I made a big mistake."

When everyone saw Sun Wukong like this, they just found it interesting and were very happy.

Jiang Yuan shook his head and smiled, "The matter is over. Now Wukong has achieved his goal."

Sun Wukong bowed and said, "Big Brother, we are going to Lanshan to subdue the demon. I am willing to lead the charge for you and subdue the demon."

Jiang Yuan agreed with a smile.

Zhen Jian waved his leaf fan and said, "Big Brother, to be honest, Emperor Xuan is somewhat innocent. Emperor Xuan was clearly unaware of the incident at Emperor Xuan Guan, but because it is a place dedicated to Emperor Xuan, it is somewhat implicated in it. Even if it is dealt with now, some cause and effect with it cannot be avoided."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "Buddha of Wisdom, have you ever heard a word?"

Zhenjian asked, "Ox King, what do you say?"

The Bull Demon King said, "There is a saying that 'a true man does not reveal his true self, and a man who reveals his true self is not a true man'. Since he has revealed his true self and has been known by others, and many people have offered him sacrifices, this kind of thing is bound to happen."

Zhenjian suddenly realized and bowed to thank the Bull Demon King.

The Bull Demon King did not dare to accept the gift.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan suddenly recalled that in the past when he had not yet achieved success, he was practicing in the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. One year, the people living at the foot of the mountain offered sacrifices to the ancestor and him. At that time, the ancestor taught him to dissuade the people from offering sacrifices.

Looking back now, what the master did may have been intended to teach him.

Jiang Yuan shook his head, and told Sun Wukong and the others to gather their forces and head towards Lanshan.

As they walked into Lanshan, they found the scenery was quite extraordinary, with 'distant mist and haze, dense pines and cypresses, bridges on dead wood, ivy around the peaks, birds carrying red buds to the clouds and valleys, and deer treading on the fragrant bushes and climbing up the stone platform'.

Sun Wukong walked in, drew out his golden cudgel and cleared the way, saying, "Big Brother, where shall we go?"

Jiang Yuan said, "Let's see where the evil spirit is in the mountain."

Sun Wukong received the order and flew into the air with the wind and fog, using his ability to see the air. He looked towards the mountain with his flaming eyes wide open.

He looked carefully, but did not see any evil spirit in the mountain, because below him was the place of the True Man, who had achieved immortality and was a true immortal. Therefore, there were misty auspicious clouds and auspicious air swirling above his head. But where the True Man was, how could there be any evil spirit around him? Even if there was some evil spirit, it would be blown away by the True Man's auspicious clouds.

Therefore, you won’t see any evil spirits in the mountains here.

Sun Wukong walked forward a little despite the wind and fog. When he was far away from the Immortal, he opened his flaming eyes wide and looked around.

After a while, he saw black gas rising into the sky from the west of the mountain. There was also a lot of black gas in the southwest and northwest of the mountain.

Sun Wukong immediately knew where Shanxi was, and that must be where the evil spirit was.

He rode the wind and fog back, and when he was close to where the real person was, he dispersed the wind and fog, walked up to him, and said, "Big Brother, I know that the evil spirit in this mountain is in the west of the mountain."

Jiang Yuan said, "In that case, let's go to the Shanxi area and get closer to see what the evil spirit is."

Everyone responded and headed towards the western part of Lanshan.

……

There is an ancient tree cave in the west of Lanshan Mountain, which is where the evil spirits in the mountain reside.

This mountain monster has been around for hundreds of years. It is a spirit from a tree in the mountain. After being a spirit for a long time, it has gathered all the big and small monsters in the mountain. It has become the king of Lanshan and committed many evil deeds.

One day, the tree spirit was drinking and having fun in an ancient cave. In front of him, a group of monsters of all sizes were dancing for his amusement.

The tree spirit took the wine cup and drank, sighing repeatedly.

A little demon saw this and came forward to ask, "My king, why are you so sad? We have captured many female ghosts and used them to deceive passers-by. We often eat human flesh, essence and blood. This is a happy thing. Why are you sighing, my king?"

The tree spirit asked, "How do you know why I am sad?"

The little demon said, "My lord, I don't know, but if you tell me, I will do my best to help you solve your puzzle."

The tree spirit said, "You all know this. I have a treasure, a divine weapon, which I have had for five hundred years. However, during these five hundred years, I have not been able to lift the divine weapon. No matter what method I use, I cannot make it work for me. I sigh to myself."

Upon hearing this, the little demon was a little shocked and said in panic, "Your Majesty, are you talking about that big cauldron?"

The tree spirit asked, "Besides the tripod, what other artifacts are there?"

The little demon was surprised and said, "If it is that big cauldron, there is nothing we can do about it."

In the early years, more than a hundred monsters in the cave pulled the cauldron together, but they still couldn't shake it. The cauldron was very strange and weird, but the monsters in the mountains all knew that the cauldron was weird and were a little afraid of it.

The tree spirit said: "It is because you are helpless that I sighed just now. I cannot shake it with my strength and I don't know how to use it for my own benefit. But I know that if I use this divine weapon for my own benefit, I will definitely make progress in my practice."

Upon hearing this, the little demon said cautiously, "My lord, why don't you try a sacrifice?"

The tree spirit said: "Sacrifice? It's not that this has never been done before, but it's useless."

The little demon said, "My king, why don't you try to offer human flesh and blood as a sacrifice? It might be useful."

The tree spirit was puzzled and asked, "Using human flesh and blood for sacrifice, what's the point of this?"

The little demon replied, "My king, the big cauldron is hidden in our mountain. It has been with us and has some evil spirits. We like human flesh, so maybe this big cauldron also likes human flesh. We can give it a try by using human flesh and blood as a sacrifice."

The tree spirit said, "What you said makes sense. If so, go and prepare the supplies and prepare to offer sacrifices to the sacred vessel."

The little demon took the order and said, "My lord, I will go and catch two people who have enough energy and blood and skin them alive. I will show my sincerity."

The tree spirit stopped the little demon and said, "Don't scare him. If you scare him, his meat will become sour and the sacrifice may be ineffective."

The little demon said "yes" and turned away.

The tree spirit was about to drink some more wine when he suddenly remembered that he had not called the mountain god for a long time. He didn't know how he was doing recently and whether there was any change in the mountain.

But the tree spirit had learned the Five Thunder Technique and had the ability to command the local gods and mountain spirits of various tribes.

He lived in Lanshan, where he arrested all the land and mountain gods, and controlled them with threats, forbidding them to leave and requiring them to report to him regularly. If anyone violated his rules and he found out, he would send them to be executed using the Five Thunders Method.

Shu Jing had something in mind, so he sent all the local mountain gods from Lanshan over.

Seventeen land and mountain gods came and knelt on the ground, terrified and panicked, saying, "My king, please leave quickly, leave quickly!"

The tree spirit did not understand what he meant, but seeing his panic, he was a little angry and said, "What are you doing? I have lived in this mountain for many years, why are you asking me to leave? Tell me a way. If you can't tell me, I will blame you. Then I will let you beat me to death. Don't blame me for not remembering our friendship."

The land god of the mountain was shocked and said, "My lord, there is a disaster coming to the mountain."

The tree spirit asked, "What do you mean?"

The crowd then replied, "Your Majesty, someone has arrived in the mountain."

The tree spirit said, "I am leaving when someone comes. What's the reason? Tell me the name so that I can know who is coming."

Everyone was trembling with fear, so they said, "So the Guangxin Zhenren of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou, the Monkey King who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago, the recently conferred Zen Wisdom Buddha in Lingshan, and the Bull Demon King who commands more than ten thousand soldiers and horses in Cuiyun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou have all arrived, seemingly intending to find the king, and are now heading here, and we are just about to report it."

Upon hearing this, the tree spirit was trembling with fear. How could so many people come to subdue him? Could it be that news of his evil deeds had spread? Even if news of his evil deeds had spread, so many people should not have come.

(End of this chapter)