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

Chapter 275 Zhu Bajie's Wish

Time flies, and before I knew it, half a year has gone by.

The Immortal went personally to subdue the Mysterious Mother, and after obtaining the Yong Ding, he set out for Jambu Continent and returned. After walking for half a year, they finally left the Northern Continent and entered the Southern Continent.

No evil spirit dared to stop us along the way.

The group of immortals walked into Yongzhou in the southern continent and stopped.

The Bull Demon King put down his weapon, took two steps forward, and said, "Master, the Northern Continent doesn't look like a place for cultivation. The weather is not right, and the north wind is constant. Now that I have returned here, I can feel at ease."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Northern Julu Continent has long been a land of demons. It is not a place for the two gods of Yijiao to get help. It is definitely not a place for cultivation."

After saying this, he turned around and looked at Zhu Bajie who was carrying the load that he had brought out from Xuanming Immortal Palace. He said, "Zhu Bajie, put down the load and come forward to talk."

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Bajie stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master, what do you want from me?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I told you in the past that you only need to carry the load and follow me. When we reach the Southern Continent, I will grant you a wish. But you can tell me what your wish is, but I will do my best to fulfill it for you."

When Zhu Bajie heard this, his eyes sparkled and he asked, "Master, can I really make a wish?"

Jiang Yuan said: "You have never put down your burdens all the way. I promise you a wish, but don't talk nonsense. If you make such a deceitful promise, I will not grant it."

Zhu Bajie was overjoyed and said, "I would never say that, but please rest assured, Master."

Jiang Yuan asked: "In this case, please tell me what your wish is."

Zhu Bajie came forward, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed, saying: "Master, I would like to take you as my master, and hope you will accept me as your disciple."

After hearing this, Jiang Yuan remained silent for a long time, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Zuo Liang looked down at Zhu Bajie and was speechless. He remembered that this man and his uncle Sun Wukong were brothers. What should he do if he worshipped the immortal as his master?

The Bull Demon King said, "Zhu Bajie, what are you doing? You are the altar purifier. You worship me as your master. How should you say that? My child, the Bull Holy Infant, is my third disciple, Zhengci. You worship me as your master and call my child "brother". What should I call you?"

The Bull King made things more confusing.

Jiang Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He helped Zhu Bajie up and said, "Zhu Bajie, why do you have such thoughts?"

Zhu Bajie said: "Since I have been following the Immortal to practice, I don't know why, but my heart is always peaceful. So I know that by following the Immortal, I can get the right way. If I can get the guidance of the Immortal, it would be great."

Jiang Yuan heard this and said, "You are now the Bodhisattva of the Pure Altar, and you are also a disciple of Daluo. I am a Taiyi, so how can you accept me as your master?"

Zhu Bajie pondered for a long time and said, "That's fine, but you just need to follow the real person and take him as your master."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Is that true? I'm fine, but I'm afraid if Laojun finds out, he'll have to beat you a hundred times to vent his anger."

When Zhu Bajie heard this, he said, "But if I can't become a disciple, how can I follow the immortal to practice?"

Jiang Yuan said: "If you are willing to practice with me, I will allow you to be a Taoist priest guarding the four tripods. You can practice with me. If you are in the mansion on weekdays, you will look after the four tripods for me. How do you do it?"

Zhu Bajie responded, "I am willing to be the Taoist who protects the tripod, I am willing to be the Taoist who protects the tripod!"

The Bull Demon King said, "Why aren't you picky? I heard that when you completed your journey to the west, the Buddha personally appointed you as the Purifier of the Altar, but you were still not satisfied and wanted to find a lotus platform to sit on. Why don't you choose a seat now?"

Zhu Bajie said, "Ox King, please don't tease me. I was a little confused then, but I am not confused now."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "Why are you talking so confusingly?"

Zhu Bajie yelled, "I made mistakes in my practice then, so I was confused. Now I have some tips in my practice, so I am not confused anymore."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "No need to say more, Zhu Bajie, it is enough that you are willing to practice with me, and you can follow me from now on."

Zhu Bajie thanked the immortal again and again, then picked up the burden again and followed closely behind the immortal.

When Jiang Yuan saw it, he said nothing.

The green bull embraced Zhu Bajie and praised him repeatedly. The Bull Demon King stepped forward and asked, "Master, where should we go now?"

Jiang Yuan rode on a white deer, looked towards the southern Zhanbu Continent, and said, "Now we are back in the human world, intending to help them revise the laws. We should talk to Emperor Xuan about this, so we will go to Wudang Mountain to meet Emperor Xuan."

Everyone obeyed the order and set off towards Jambudvīpa.

Jiang Yuan had just walked forward when he suddenly felt the four tripods on his waist trembling slightly. He lowered his head and saw that the four tripods were emitting bursts of divine light, as if they were pulling him somewhere.

After a moment's thought, the immortal understood that the four tripods were leading him to find the other five tripods.

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Be patient, there is no need to go. When the time comes, the divine tripod will appear."

Upon hearing the immortal's words, the four tripods on his waist immediately dispersed their divine light and stopped vibrating.

Zuo Liang suddenly pointed in one direction and said, "Master, why is there an auspicious aura over there? Are there any gods there?"

All the way from Uttarakuru, the Immortal taught Zuo Liang the practice of "looking at qi". Now Zuo Liang has made great progress in his practice and has acquired this ability.

Upon hearing the news, Jiang Yuan looked in that direction, nodded with a smile, and said, "Zhengyuan has some talent, and his qi-reading skills have reached a certain level. But what you saw was not wrong. There is some auspicious qi over there, and there are immortals there. Now that we have seen the auspicious qi, we should go and pay our respects. Niu'er, go there."

The Bull Demon King took the order and led the way forward.

Zhu Bajie, carrying two loads on his shoulders, stepped forward and said, "Master, your disciple is so talented. When you taught me the skill of looking at qi, I also heard that it would take a long time to learn it normally, maybe ten years, maybe a hundred years, but your disciple has mastered it so quickly."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Zhengyuan has some understanding, and the talent is in him."

Zhu Bajie asked, "Zhengyuan has such a practice, why don't you let him practice the Golden Elixir Orthodoxy? With such talent, if he practices the Golden Elixir Orthodoxy, he will definitely succeed."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "The Golden Elixir Path is good, but not everyone is suitable for practicing this path."

Zhu Bajie was about to say something else.

Zuo Liang said, "It's not that I don't want to practice the Golden Elixir Way, but I'm sixty years old and my roots are not stable, so it's difficult for me to succeed in the Golden Elixir Way."

When Zhu Bajie heard this, he suddenly realized something and said, "How can you enter the spiritual practice at the age of sixty?"

Zuo Liang was puzzled and asked, "Why can't one practice cultivation at the age of sixty?"

Zhu Bajie said: "How can you still cultivate your mind after spending decades in the mortal world? How can you still cultivate your mind? This surprises me. However, it is difficult to cultivate after just one trip to the mortal world. However, you can cultivate at the age of sixty. This is truly a miracle."

Zuo Liang smiled and said, "Perhaps it is because of the grace of my ancestors that I was able to meet my master and have this opportunity to practice."

Zhu Bajie asked: "How do you explain the kindness of our ancestors?"

Zuo Liang smiled and explained the matter of the Zuo family and the Sanxing Immortal Cave.

When Zhu Bajie heard this, he said, "You are just like me, a blessed person."

Zuo Liang asked: "How come you have met a good teacher?"

Zhu Bajie nodded and said, "I was born with no special abilities and was lazy. Fortunately, my family had some property, so I was able to get by for a while. Then I met a true immortal teacher who told me about the sufferings in the sea and advised me to practice cultivation. I suddenly realized the truth and worshipped him as my teacher to practice the golden elixir. Later, I failed and wasted my teacher's efforts. It was all my fault. You should take this as a warning and don't be lazy. You should practice cultivation with all your heart and never forget."

Zuo Liang nodded in agreement, indicating that he would practice wholeheartedly and never forget his original intention.

Jiang Yuan suddenly asked, "Bajie, who was your former master? Do I know him?"

Zhu Bajie was silent for a long time, then shook his head and said, "Master, I am ashamed to mention this, but I have long since stopped being his disciple. How can I still have the dignity to call myself his disciple after committing such a mistake?"

Jiang Yuan nodded. Since she didn't want to say more, he wouldn't ask more questions. But he vaguely knew who Zhu Bajie's master was.

Anyone who can take Zhu Bajie to the Heaven and is a disciple of Daluo must be a disciple of Taishang Laojun, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Lingbao Daojun. It is easy to guess that he does not have many disciples.

(End of this chapter)