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

Chapter 244: The Star-warding Method, A Dream of Chenxiang

Huabiao Zhenren and his group met with Emperor Taizong in a pavilion outside the city of Chang'an. They talked for a long time, and Taizong suddenly asked if the true scriptures could bring immortality.

Jiang Yuan heard this and said with a smile, "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"

Taizong hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, I will not hide it from you, but I feel that my time is coming and I am afraid that I will die in one or two years. I am really worried about my country, so I have been looking for immortality, but to no avail. Therefore, I see that you are an immortal, so I ask this question."

Jiang Yuan smiled and asked, "How old is your majesty this year?"

Taizong said, "Sixty-one."

Jiang Yuan asked, "How many years is Zhenguan now?"

Taizong replied, "It is the 32nd year of Zhenguan."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, in my Southern Continent, people live to be a hundred years old, but countless people die young. Your Majesty has lived to be sixty-one, which is far better than many others. In the Zhenguan years, I expected the king's aura to last thirteen years, and now it has been extended to the thirty-second year of Zhenguan. How can Your Majesty not be satisfied?"

Taizong said, "I know it is rare to live to this age, but such a great country makes one nostalgic. To be honest, sir, I should have died in the 13th year of Zhenguan, but I was blessed by a judge named Cui in the underworld, which extended my life a little, so I am here today."

Jiang Yuan said: "Your Majesty has lived for another nineteen years, which is rare."

Taizong said: "I have read ancient books. The First Emperor also sought immortality. Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty also sent people to look for immortality. I am following in their footsteps."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, when did the First Emperor and Emperor Xiaowu of Han achieve immortality?"

Taizong said: "I compare myself to him in merit and virtue. If he cannot obtain it, I may obtain it. But I do not know whether the true scriptures can bring immortality."

Jiang Yuan said, "Your Majesty, could you please bring the original copy of the scripture to me?"

Taizong said, "Of course it is possible."

Taizong then sent people to the palace to fetch the true scriptures.

Taizong said again: "It will take some time to get the scriptures. Please wait for a while, sir."

Jiang Yuan responded.

Taizong said, "I have often heard that you, a god-like person, have the ability to predict the future. Is that true?"

The real person said, "I know a thing or two."

Taizong smiled and said, "Sir, can you tell fortunes for me?"

The immortal said, "Please tell me, Your Majesty, what do you want me to divine?"

Taizong asked: "Sir, how long will the Tang Dynasty last?"

The Immortal laughed and said, "Your Majesty is the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. You should not think that the Tang Dynasty will last forever. Why do you ask about the life span of the country?"

Taizong shook his head and said, "How can there be a country that lasts forever?"

The Immortal pondered for a long time and said, "Your Majesty is more than halfway through his five hundred years of life."

When Taizong heard this, he was overjoyed and thought that half of the five hundred was enough.

While the two were talking, an official brought the scriptures, delivered them to Changting, and handed them to Taizong.

Taizong took the true scripture and presented it to the Taoist priest, saying, "Sir, the true scripture is here."

Jiang Yuan took the scripture, opened it and saw that there was no writing inside, and it was spotless. It was exactly the copy he had left behind when he had made a bet with the Buddha.

When Sun Wukong saw this, he was about to say something, but Taizong didn't know the origin of the scriptures, so how could he not know it? Before he could open his mouth, Taizong told Zhenjian to tell him.

Wukong turned around and looked.

Zhenjian smiled and shook his head at him, signaling him not to say anything.

Sun Wukong understood what he meant and stood by, not daring to say anything.

When Emperor Taizong saw Jiang Yuan flipping through the scriptures, he asked, "Sir, can this scripture bring me immortality?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, yes."

Taizong was overjoyed and asked again, "How did you get it?"

Jiang Yuan said: "In this way, I can live forever with Your Majesty, but this longevity is a method of borrowing life. If the mission is successful, you can borrow life. If the mission fails, then it is your fate. I can teach Your Majesty the method, but I must take the true scriptures."

Taizong said: "You may take the true scripture, but please teach me the secret of longevity."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, do you really want to exchange it?"

Taizong said, "Yes, yes."

Jiang Yuan said: "Your Majesty, this true scripture has the ability to save the world. If you exchange it, Your Majesty will no longer have the true scripture. Your Majesty, have you thought about it?"

Taizong heard this, hesitated for a long time, and said: "Exchange it!"

Eventually the hero grows old, how can he regain his youthful resolve? He is obsessed with immortality, and the two gods deceive his true master.

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "In that case, I will trade with you, but I will exchange the true scripture for a method to borrow my life."

Taizong agreed.

Jiang Yuan took back the sutra and said, "I have a side method called 'Exorcism'. This is what I learned naturally when my own master was teaching. I will tell you about it now, Your Majesty, please listen carefully."

Taizong listened attentively and said, "Please tell me, sir."

Jiang Yuan said, "The so-called 'exorcism' is to hold a ceremony to pray to the Big Dipper, asking the Big Dipper to lend life and prolong life. There is a saying that 'the East Dipper is responsible for calculation, the West Dipper records names, the Big Dipper falls to death, the South Dipper is reborn, the Central Dipper is the chief, and the director of all spirits'. Life spans change, and only the Big Dipper changes. The Big Dipper has seven stars, Tanlang prolongs life, Ju Men overcomes disasters, Lu Cun protects life, Wen Qu improves fortune, Lian Zhen eliminates disasters, Wu Qu disperses misfortunes, and Po Jun helps the weak. To use this method, bathe and cleanse the body, invite the gods to chant scriptures, light the seven main lights and forty-nine small lights in the altar, burn the petition, and tell them sincerely that you can borrow ten years of life. Remember, you can only borrow life within ten years. Do this for seven days, and then you will succeed. I will pass on the spell to you later."

Taizong asked, "Sir, can you only extend your life by ten years?"

Jiang Yuan said: "This method has no limit, but you can borrow it. Borrow it once every ten years and it can extend your life as much as possible."

Taizong panted and said, "In this way, immortality can be expected."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "But you must know that it is not easy to borrow life. If the Seven Stars Main Lamp and the forty-nine small lamps go out within seven days, then life and death are determined by fate."

Taizong asked: "How do you light this lamp and how do you extinguish it?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "Use fragrant oil to light it. If it goes out, it may be a natural disaster or a man-made disaster. You should consider it."

Taizong said: "I will have the imperial guards guarding in a quiet room, and we will be able to prevent it."

Jiang Yuan smiled without saying anything, and then taught Taizong the magic spells for warding off evil spirits.

Taizong was overjoyed when he obtained the magic spell. It was a hope for immortality, and he was so greedy for the beauty of his country that he was unwilling to give it up.

After Jiang Yuan finished teaching Taizong the art of warding off evil spirits, he said farewell to him and set off on his journey westward to return home.

Taizong tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Now that I have found the secret of immortality, I would like to express my gratitude to you. Please follow me back to the palace, and I will prepare a feast for you."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I will be returning home today and have no intention of staying here for long. I would like to congratulate Your Majesty on your success. If Your Majesty succeeds when I come here again in the future, I will enter the palace to meet Your Majesty again."

Taizong had no choice but to agree.

The Immortal then bid farewell to Taizong, and went west again with Sun Wukong and others, intending to leave Jambudvīpa.

Taizong watched the immortal leave, and when he was far away, he sent someone to come.

A court official was already serving beside him and asked, "Your Majesty, what do you want?"

Taizong said, "Bring me some paper and pen."

The court officials immediately took paper and pen and ground ink for Taizong themselves.

Taizong wrote down all the methods of warding off evil spirits on paper, and when he finished writing the chapter on spells, he heaved a sigh of relief. Taizong said, "I am now sixty-one years old, and my memory is not as good as before. I must write it down to be safe."

Say it.

Taizong was just about to hand the paper to his entourage when the weather was sunny and fine, but suddenly a gust of wind swept away the clouds, the sky became dark, and heavy rain poured down. A few drops of rain fell on the paper, wetting a few words on it.

Taizong was extremely anxious. He looked carefully and found that the words were already blurred. He wanted to recall a few words, but for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of any. He could only think of a vague outline.

Taizong, with the idea of ​​"try everything possible", just wanted to use vague words to replace one or two.

……

On the road, the Immortal and his group were heading west. The Immortal was riding on the road, while Sun Wukong and his group were either leading the way, or chatting with the Immortal, or following closely behind the deer.

The Immortal walked forward, but suddenly he saw a sudden change in the weather, so he stopped the white deer.

The Bull Demon King looked up at the sky and shouted, "Master, how can the sky change so quickly?"

Jiang Yuan said nothing, looking at the sky.

Zhenjian said, "Ox King, this is not a sign of a change in the weather, but a sign that King Tang is about to die. Senior Brother just taught me how to pray for the gods. The weather has changed, so King Tang must have a change, either a natural disaster or a man-made disaster. If you fail to borrow his life, he will die."

Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel and sighed, "Big Brother, I guess life and death are determined by fate."

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "Life and death are determined by fate, and no side door can stop it. The King of Tang should have died more than ten years ago. It is rare that he has lived until now."

Say it.

The immortal threw the scriptures in his hand, and fire appeared, burning the scriptures asunder.

As the scriptures were burning, heavy rain poured down.

The immortals took the straw raincoats and put them on.

Zhen Jian approached the white deer and said, "Big Brother, if an ordinary person practices the method of warding off evil spirits, is it possible to succeed?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Brother, why do you say that? Whether it's the method of praying for the stars or other side doors, they all have the saying of achieving the right result. The key is the heart. But if one's heart of Taoism is not changed, then if one prays for the stars a hundred times, then he will succeed. How difficult is it to achieve immortality?"

Zhenjian said: "The fruit of cultivation is to cultivate the mind."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Don't say anything more, just follow me."

Everyone responded without saying anything more, and walked forward into the rain, unwavering despite the wind and rain.

……

Time flies, and before I knew it, another month has gone by.

Jiang Yuan and his group were approaching Hangu Pass and were about to leave Nanzhanbuzhou.

The Bull Demon King was leading the way with his iron rod. Suddenly, he saw a city in front of him that looked familiar. He said, "Master, that city in front looks familiar. Have we been here before?"

Jiang Yuan heard this, took a closer look, and said with a smile: "Is this the city we visited when we first entered the Southern Continent?"

The Bull Demon King just remembered and said, "Isn't this Zuo Liang's hometown?"

Zuo Liang heard this and looked into the distance. He saw a city in front of him. He was startled and said, "Sir, this is my hometown."

The Bull Demon King smiled and said, "Master, do you want to go into the city and meet Old Man Zuo and his descendants?"

Jiang Yuan smiled without saying anything, looked at Zuo Liang, and said, "Zuo Liang, do you want to go into the city and meet your descendants?"

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "Sir, I don't want to see you again."

Jiang Yuan asked, "Do you really not want to see your descendants again? You must know that people who practice cultivation often practice in silence for decades or even hundreds of years. If you pass by my house without seeing them, you may never have the chance again in the future."

Zuo Liang bowed and said, "Master, since I followed you in cultivation, I have had no ties with the secular world. I only wish to seek freedom. The life span of Zuo Liang in the secular world has come to an end, so I do not want to see my descendants in the secular world again. If we meet, I am afraid it will be embarrassing if you try to keep me."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "In that case, we don't need to go into the city. We can just go forward and return home early."

Zuo Liang responded.

The group followed forward. When they passed through the city, Zuo Liang looked around but did not waver. He wholeheartedly followed the immortal.

Before I knew it, the night had deepened and it was already three o'clock in the morning.

Jiang Yuan and his companions came to a deserted temple, and went inside to rest for a night, waiting to set out again tomorrow and return to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

They entered a deserted temple to rest, and the immortal whispered something to Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong left the temple and came back after a while, handing a bamboo stick of incense to the immortal.

The real person holds a bamboo stick of incense.

Seeing this, the Bull Demon King asked, "Master, this temple has no owner. We have already informed the heaven and earth when we entered the temple. Why did you take the incense? Who do you want to offer sacrifice to?"

The immortal replied, "It is not for sacrificial offerings. This is made from agarwood, which has the effect of calming the mind and soothing the spirit. I saw that you were a little tired, so I took this incense and lit it to help you."

The Bull Demon King and the Green Ox looked at each other. They were people with magical powers, so how could they feel tired?

The immortal lit the agarwood and placed it in the temple. The smoke rose up and lingered in the air.

Sun Wukong and others smelled the green smoke but remained unmoved.

Zuo Liang smelled cigarette smoke and felt dazed. He seemed to see a door and window in the smoke. He pushed the door and window open and walked in. Suddenly, he tripped over a straw and fell. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in front of his own door.

Zuo Liang was surprised and walked inside under the cover of night. He saw that everything in the house was the same as before. He walked to the door of the eldest son's room, pushed it open, and saw the eldest son sitting at the table, checking the account book.

The eldest son saw someone coming in and was about to scold him, but suddenly he saw Zuo Liang. He was startled, then he showed joy and stepped forward and said, "Father! Why is it you? You are back now!"

Zuo Liang didn't understand, but when he saw his eldest son, he smiled and said, "Come back to see you."

The eldest son supported Zuo Liang with his hand and said, "Father, now that you are back, you should not go out again. I will take good care of you in your old age."

Zuo Liang heard this, but shook his head and said, "I just came to see you and won't stay long. To be honest, I don't know why I came here, but I have to follow the master to practice. After visiting you, I will go to find the master."

The eldest son asked, "Father, is it really so important to practice and be at ease like that?"

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "You don't understand."

The eldest son said again: "Since I don't understand, father, please explain it to me."

Zuo Liang smiled and did not argue, so he asked his eldest son to take him to visit Sun Tong.

Upon hearing this, the eldest son had no choice but to take Zuo Liang for a walk in the mansion to meet the sleeping Sun Tong, and then took Zuo Liang to the ancestral hall to pay his respects.

After Zuo Liang met his grandchildren and paid homage to his ancestors, expressing his gratitude for their kindness and protection, he was about to leave.

The eldest son said, "Father, are you really willing to give up this family business? Are you willing to give up your grandchildren?"

Zuo Liang smiled and said, "I feel at ease with you at home. I am leaving now, and we will never meet again in this life. Please take good care of the house. If you have free time, read more books and don't make trouble."

Say it.

Zuo Liang walked out of the mansion without even turning his head.

The eldest son wanted to say something more to try to persuade Zuo Liang to stay, but when he saw Zuo Liang leaving, he hurriedly chased after him.

"Father!"

The eldest son chased out of the house, but saw no sign of Zuo Liang outside the house, only a deserted street. This made him feel as if he was in a dream, but he didn't know whether it was a dream or his father had really returned.

(End of this chapter)