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

Chapter 242: When will the government be established to raise green cattle in the lower world?

Inside the tree spirit's cave, Jiang Yuan and Zhen Jian were sitting on a high platform, chatting while waiting for Bull Demon King and Zuo Liang to finish dealing with matters outside the cave, and then waiting for Sun Wukong to return from the Heavenly Palace.

Jiang Yuan asked, "Junior brother, I have not been in the mansion in recent years. Is Master doing well?"

Zhen Jian waved a leaf fan and said with a smile: "Big Brother, don't worry. Master is fine. He has been meditating in the mansion and has no idea how many years have passed."

Jiang Yuan said, "As long as the master is well, that's all."

Zhenjian said: "But I see that Master is somewhat concerned about Senior Brother. Sometimes when I go to visit Master, I often hear Master talking about you."

Jiang Yuan said: "I am ashamed. This is my fault for not being able to serve the master."

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "Master understands Senior Brother and knows that Senior Brother is also here for cultivation, so how could he not tolerate it?"

Jiang Yuan said: "That's what I said, but I still feel ashamed."

Zhen Jian said, "Let's not talk about that. Big Brother, the disciple Zuo Liang you are going to accept is a promising cultivator."

Jiang Yuan smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhen Jianchao looked outside the mansion and said, "Big Brother, although Zuo Liang's disciple has no power, he has a very good character and is perceptive. I see a light in his eyes. He is a cultivator. If a cultivator of the mind enters into practice, he will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Jiang Yuan said: "He has a very good character and is very understanding. Although he started practicing late and has revealed his roots, he has benefited from his ancestors and has a lot of understanding. If he can concentrate on practicing, he may be able to become an expert in the art in the future."

Zhen Jian hesitated for a moment and said, "Big Brother, do you think that no matter how Zuo Liang practices, he will never be able to achieve the Golden Elixir?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "No. Junior Brother, you must know that the path of the golden elixir is difficult. This difficulty is not easy. Zuo Liang's roots are not stable, so it is difficult for him to practice, let alone the golden elixir path."

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "Big Brother, if Zuo Liang insists on practicing the Golden Elixir Dao, what will you do?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "If he insists on practicing the golden elixir path, I have nothing to say. The road is right under our feet. Needless to say, whether Zuo Liang can reach Xiniu Hezhou is still a matter of debate. You must know that this place is very far from Xiniu Hezhou."

Zhenjian replied: "I think Zuo Liang can definitely reach Xiniu Hezhou."

Jiang Yuan heard this and said with a smile: "Junior brother, what do you think? You have only known Zuo Liang for a short time, why would you say such a thing?"

Zhen Jian said, "Big Brother, we knew what kind of person Zuo Liang was the moment we saw him. With your discerning eyes, you would have seen through him."

Jiang Yuan nodded and said no more.

Zhen Jian asked again: "Big Brother, you have great magical powers now. How long will it take for you to open your own residence?"

Jiang Yuan was touched by what his junior brother said, so he replied: "It will take some time, but it is not far away."

Zhen Jian laughed and said, "Big Brother, you should open a residence as soon as possible. Since Master stopped accepting disciples, the residence has become quite deserted."

Jiang Yuan heard this and agreed with a smile, saying that when the time came, he would open a school and recruit many disciples.

The two talked in the mansion.

It didn't take long for the Bull Demon King to finish his work and took Zuo Liang and Bai Lu into the mansion.

Seeing that Sun Wukong had not returned yet, Jiang Yuan waited in the mansion.

……

However, Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud and went into the Heavenly Palace. This time he knew the limits and did not report the matter to the Jade Emperor. He knew that the matter was not serious enough for the Jade Emperor to handle.

So Sun Wukong entered from the Heavenly Gate and found the Four Heavenly Masters outside the Tongming Palace.

The four Heavenly Masters were somewhat surprised to see Sun Wukong coming, so they stepped forward and asked, "How did you get here, Great Sage? What do you have to report to Your Majesty?"

Sun Wukong stopped his cloud and said, "I have nothing to report to the Jade Emperor. I came to heaven to look for you four."

The four Heavenly Masters looked at each other and asked, "It is strange that the Great Sage came to look for us."

Sun Wukong did not say much to the Four Heavenly Masters. He only told them all about the tree spirits in the lower world and the land gods in the mountains.

Upon hearing this, the four Heavenly Masters said, "Great Sage, we are aware of this matter, but please rest assured, we will handle it properly."

Sun Wukong replied, "I feel relieved when you four say this. I know the Jade Emperor is busy, so I won't bother you any more. I hope you four can pay your respects to the Jade Emperor on my behalf and say that I, Sun Wukong, have paid my respects."

Ge Xianweng said, "That's right. But why are you in such a hurry, Great Sage? Since you have come to the Heavenly Palace, you know etiquette, so we should treat you with courtesy. Great Sage, please come with us to our residence, and we will offer you exotic fruit and fragrant tea."

Sun Wukong waved his hands and said, "We'll talk about it another day. My elder brother is still waiting for me in the lower world, so I can't delay here any longer."

Upon hearing this, Ge Xianweng bowed and said, "Since the Immortal is still waiting in the lower world, we dare not keep the Great Sage here. Please ask the Great Sage to go down to the lower world as soon as possible."

Sun Wukong bid farewell to the four heavenly masters, turned around and was about to leave, heading towards the outside of the Heavenly Gate.

He had not even walked out of the South Heaven Gate, and was halfway on his way when someone stopped him. Wukong looked carefully and saw that it was the Third Prince Nezha who stopped him. Sun Wukong stepped forward and said, "Third Prince, why did you stop me? Do you have something to ask me?"

Nezha said, "Great Sage, please don't leave. Come with me to the side."

Sun Wukong followed Nezha and walked to the side, leaving the main road. He jokingly said, "What do you mean, Third Prince? Could it be that Li Tianwang treated you harshly, so you invited me here to deal with Li Tianwang?"

Nezha laughed and said, "How did the Great Sage know that? Since the Great Sage already knows, there is no need for me to say more."

Sun Wukong was shocked and said, "Third Prince, is this really the case? Don't scare me."

Nezha said, "I am just joking with you. I came here because Laojun knew you were coming. I happened to be in Tushita Palace, so he sent me to summon you to Tushita Palace."

Sun Wukong said: "Since Laojun invites me, I will go."

Nezha said with a smile: "I heard that you, Great Sage, have achieved success and have been crowned the Buddha of Fighting and Victory. Although I know this, I don't have time to come down to the mortal world to congratulate you. Now that you have come to heaven, after the business with Laojun is over, you must stay and talk with me."

Sun Wukong said, "I can't do that here. To be honest with you, Third Prince, I came to Heaven because of a matter concerning the gods of the land and mountains in the lower world. There are gods of the land and mountains in the lower world who are accompanied by demons, and it is difficult for my eldest brother to deal with them, so I came to Heaven to report to the Heavenly Palace for a decision. My eldest brother is still waiting in the lower world, so I can't keep him waiting for too long."

When Nezha heard that it was a real person's story, he said, "Since that's the case, I won't keep the Great Sage here. I'll talk to you again when you're free someday."

Sun Wukong bowed and went to the Tushita Palace.

He often came to the Heavenly Palace and was familiar with the way. In a moment he arrived at the gate of Tushita Palace. The fairy boy standing guard at the gate opened the way for Sun Wukong to enter.

When Sun Wukong entered the central hall, he saw Taishang Laojun waiting for him there.

Sun Wukong stepped forward and bowed again and again, saying, "Old Lord, I am here."

Taishang Laojun stroked his beard and smiled, "Monkey, you are here? Sit down. Here are some pills and dates for you to enjoy. These pills are made by me, and the dates and pears are presented by the sea. Sit down and enjoy them. Don't be anxious before you leave."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong sat down at the table, took a red date and ate it, saying, "Why did Laojun ask me to come here now? Is it just to teach me how to eat these treasures?"

Taishang Laojun smiled and said, "No hurry, no hurry. It won't be too late after you finish using these pills and dates."

Sun Wukong felt uneasy after hearing this and said, "Old Lord, please tell me the truth first. I will use these pills soon. Old Lord, you are still not telling me and I am worried."

The Supreme Lord laughed and scolded, "You rascal monkey, you stole the pills from my palace in the past, made a big fuss in the Heavenly Palace, showed off your martial arts in front of the Tongming Palace, and acted violently. I had no doubts then, so why do you have doubts now?"

Sun Wukong said, "Old Lord, at that time I had not yet cultivated my mind and returned to the right path, so I had some demonic and ferocious appearances. Now that I have achieved the right result, my spiritual appearance has reappeared, but it is different from before. Old Lord, please don't say such words, it will shame me to death."

Taishang Laojun said: "Stop, stop, stop. Since you say so, I will not hide it from you. I asked you to come here for an important matter. This matter is related to the blue ox."

Sun Wukong scratched his head and asked in confusion: "The Green Ox returned to the palace for a while, could it be that he escaped again?"

The Supreme Lord shook his head and said, "How could he be allowed to escape again? That's not the case."

Sun Wukong said, "If he didn't escape, could it be that the Green Bull lost some treasures when he sent him back? The Green Bull had two treasures in his hand, one was the Diamond Chisel, and the other was the Panlong Crutch, but they have already been returned."

The Supreme Lord said: "It is not like that either."

Sun Wukong heard this and asked, "If that's the case, what is that?"

The Supreme Lord said, "Monkey, I won't hide it from you. The Green Ox in my palace is a restless person. He can't sit still in the palace and always wants to go down to the lower world to play. He has never done anything evil, so I can't punish him. I asked him a few days ago and found out what he wanted. I also know that the Green Ox should be raised in the lower world. I can't bear to let him go down to the lower world, so I ask you to take the Green Ox to the lower world."

Sun Wukong said, "Old Master, you want me to look after a cow? I used to raise horses in the Heavenly Palace, so I have some skills in looking after celestial horses, but I can't look after a cow. Besides, that blue cow is very powerful, how can I easily keep it under control?"

The Supreme Lord said, "Don't worry, take the blue bull with Guangxin. Guangxin is able to subdue the blue bull and make him afraid to escape. Just take the blue bull with you when you travel, and let him have fun. That way, he won't be bored."

Sun Wukong said, "Old Master, how can I answer on behalf of my elder brother? If this is the case, I cannot answer, I cannot answer."

Taishang Laojun stroked his beard and smiled, saying: "Take the blue ox to the lower world and talk to Guangxin about it. Guangxin will agree."

Sun Wukong was skeptical and asked, "Is it true?"

Taishang Laojun said with a smile: "How could I fool you? Just take the blue ox to the lower world without any worries."

Sun Wukong said: "If that's the case, I can take the blue ox with me to the lower world."

Taishang Laojun said: "Monkey, eat all the pills in the palace before going down to the lower world. There is no need to rush."

Sun Wukong responded, "Old Master, the pills in your palace are a bit bland, but do you have any pills with other flavors?"

The Supreme Lord laughed and scolded, "You monkey, my pills are all golden pills. It would be a great blessing for ordinary people to get one or two. You think they are boring even when they are food. You are really a picky eater."

As Taishang Laojun spoke, he took out a gourd and took out a few black pills from it. He said that the pills were of little effect and had a taste, so he told Sun Wukong to eat them.

Sun Wukong thanked him again and again, then took the meal and enjoyed it.

(End of this chapter)