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

Chapter 285: Meeting Tang Monk Again, Empress Wu Seeks Immortality
In the city of Chang'an, a group of immortals are discussing the reincarnation of Emperor Ziwei. Everyone has their own opinion as to whether the third son of Li Dan, the current emperor of the Tang Dynasty, is the reincarnation of Emperor Ziwei.

Everyone finally turned their gaze to the Immortal, wanting to ask him for advice.

After hearing what everyone was saying, the Immortal smiled and said, "Li Longji is the reincarnation of Emperor Ziwei. There is no doubt about this, no need to say more."

Qingniu said: "I will tell you, there is no need to argue, he must be the reincarnation of Emperor Ziwei."

The immortal said with a smile: "Now we know that he is the reincarnation of Emperor Ziwei, but we cannot meet him. First, he is in the palace and we cannot enter. Second, he is still young, so even if we meet him, he will not be able to recognize us."

Qingniu said, "Master, you can't speak like that."

The immortal asked, "What do you think, King Si?"

Qingniu said, "Master, although the Purple Star Emperor is in the palace now, the palace on earth is nothing to you, so why should you care about it? Besides, the Purple Star Emperor is reincarnated. Although he is young now, his true master has not been deceived by the two gods, so how could he not recognize you?"

Jiang Yuan pointed at Qingniu and said, "You, the Si King, even if the Purple Star Emperor knows me, how can you barge into the human palace without permission? You must know that there are rules in the human world. If you barge in like this, it would be disrespectful."

Qingniu said, "I, Old Niu, have even broken into the Heavenly Palace, so why can't I break into the human palace?"

Jiang Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "King Si, you are practicing with me now, but you must not be rude. But if you are rude, I will definitely have a talk with Laojun."

When Qingniu heard that the immortal was going to complain to Laojun, he was frightened and dared not say anything, for fear that the immortal would really complain.

Jiang Yuan felt relieved only when he saw that the green ox had calmed down.

The Bull Demon King said, "Since that is what you said, sir, do we still need to go and pay respect to the Purple Star Emperor?"

Jiang Yuan listened to this and pondered for a long time without saying a word.

If it were an ordinary time, if he knew that Emperor Ziwei was here, he would come to pay his respects. But now it is different. Emperor Ziwei has reincarnated into the human palace, so how can he easily enter the palace?

The immortal thought for a long time and was about to answer.

Suddenly, Zhu Bajie exclaimed, "Master, Master! That person in front is my master!"

Upon hearing this, the Immortal asked, "Where is your master?"

Say it.

The immortal used his Dharma Eye to look forward, but he saw no divine light in front of him, only bursts of Buddha light, which meant that there must be a Buddha in front of him. However, Zhu Bajie was a disciple of a Daluo, and his master could not be a Buddha, so he did not know what Zhu Bajie was talking about.

Zhu Bajie pointed to the front and said, "Master, look over there. Isn't that the Sandalwood Merit Buddha?"

The Immortal didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "What you are talking about is the Meritorious Buddha. I thought you were talking about the master of our family."

The Bull Demon King shouted, "If it is the Sandalwood Merit Buddha, please let him come to pay a visit to me. I shouldn't have asked me to pay a visit to him. You must know that when he was traveling west, when he was Tang Monk, I could have helped him a lot."

Zhu Bajie nodded and said, "Of course, of course. If the real person really helped my master a lot, he would have asked my master to come and pay a visit. Master, please stay here for a while. I will go and talk to my master and ask him to come and pay a visit."

Zhu Bajie stood up and was about to go forward to invite him.

Jiang Yuan grabbed Zhu Bajie and said, "Zhu Bajie, you can't do this. The Sandalwood Merit Buddha was originally the Elder Jinchan. I have a long history with him. Why did you ask him to come here? I should go there."

Zhu Bajie said, "Master, what the Bull King said just now is very reasonable. When my master went west, we all protected him. The one who made the greatest contribution was our eldest brother Wukong. However, he has received a lot of help from you. If we meet now, you should let him come to pay respect to you. This is a favor, not a friendship between old and new friends. Moreover, if my master heard that you are here, he would not let you go in person. So please wait here for a while, I will go and let him come."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "That's not the point. Forget it, forget it, forget it. Since you say so, you can ask him to come, but we will meet him in front, which is not impolite."

Zhu Bajie had no choice but to agree and go outside.

The group of immortals moved forward, intending to wait for Jin Chanzi to arrive.

But Zhu Bajie went outside, and in a few moments he arrived at a street, where he saw Jin Chanzi, who was treating the illnesses of two or three refugees in the corner of the alley.

Jin Chanzi picked some herbs from somewhere and boiled them into a medicinal soup. He was giving it to the refugees to drink. He said, "This is Mahuang soup. It is made from Mahuang, cinnamon twigs, almonds, licorice and other herbs. It can cure you. You should support each other and use up the soup."

The two or three refugees were all sincerely convinced and kowtowed to Jin Chanzi, saying with tears of gratitude: "Thank you very much, thank you very much! Sir, you are truly a living Buddha!"

Jin Chanzi smiled and shook his head without saying much. He only told the two or three refugees to drink the medicine quickly, find a place to rest, and let the disease go away.

When Jin Chanzi saw that two or three refugees had finished drinking the medicine, he left with peace of mind and was about to go out to find people suffering from the disease to treat them.

Before he had taken two steps, he heard a sound.

"Master, Master!"

Jin Chanzi turned his head and took a closer look, only to see Zhu Bajie walking towards him quickly.

Jin Chanzi recognized Zhu Bajie and was overjoyed. He stepped forward to greet him and said, "Bajie, why is it you?"

Zhu Bajie stepped forward, bowed deeply to Jin Chanzi, and said, "Master, I haven't seen you for a long time since I achieved my goal. How are you doing?"

Jin Chanzi helped Zhu Bajie up and said with a smile, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Bajie, I haven't seen you for a long time, and I missed you so much. Now I can meet you and put my mind at ease."

Zhu Bajie said, "It is an honor for me to have Master care about me."

Jin Chanzi was very surprised to hear Zhu Bajie say this. He looked at Zhu Bajie carefully and said, "Bajie, your practice now is much better than before. If it were you before, you would never say such words, but now you are amazing and can say such words. In the past, we succeeded and obtained the true scriptures. Wukong returned to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and you returned to Fuling Mountain. When you entered Fuling Mountain, I was afraid that you would practice incorrectly, but there was nothing I could do and I could only let it go. Now seeing you like this, I know that you have actually succeeded in practice, but I underestimated you."

When Zhu Bajie heard this, he felt a little ashamed and annoyed, and said, "Master, how can you say such things to us when we meet today?"

Seeing Zhu Bajie like this, Jin Chanzi laughed and said, "Bajie, I am not teasing you today, I am praising you."

Zhu Bajie said: "Master, you don't know that I really did practice in Fuling Mountain in the past, but the more I practiced, the more chaotic I became. Later, I received the grace of the immortal and was able to practice with him, which is why I am like this."

Jin Chanzi smiled and said, "I thought you, Bajie, could practice so hard, but I never thought you were following Master Guangxin. If you are lucky enough to follow Master Guangxin, it is reasonable for you to practice so hard." Zhu Bajie said, "I am lucky, I am lucky! But I don't know why you are in Chang'an City, Master. Is it because of the position of the Imperial Brother that you are reluctant to leave, so you come back here to be the Imperial Brother? But this is not the time when Emperor Taizong ascends the throne, so the position of the Imperial Brother does not count."

Jin Chanzi shook his head and said, "Bajie, don't talk nonsense. I travel the world to save sentient beings, but my magic power is too low to save them. So I can only do my best to save one or two sentient beings."

Zhu Bajie said: "Master, you are destined to be busy."

Jin Chanzi was a little puzzled and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Zhu Bajie replied: "Master, not long after we achieved our goal, you left and were busy. Today, we are still busy. If you think about how busy we were when we were seeking scriptures, even if you have never heard of it, you are destined to be busy."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chanzi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Bajie, let's not talk about that. I am in Chang'an City to save sentient beings, but why are you in Chang'an City? You said you wanted to practice with Master Guangxin, so could it be that Master Guangxin is here now?"

Zhu Bajie nodded and said, "That's right, that's right. The Master is here right now. I came here to meet you on his orders and asked you to go and pay respect to him. But he said that it would be rude for you to go and pay respect to him, so he will wait for you not far ahead and ask you to go with him, to show respect to you, Master."

After hearing what Zhu Bajie said, Jin Chanzi put his hands together and said, "I am flattered by the kindness of the Immortal! Bajie, please lead the way quickly. We will go there to visit the Immortal!"

Zhu Bajie heard the urgency in Jin Chanzi's words and said, "Master, don't be anxious. Just follow me and I will lead the way for you."

Say it.

Zhu Bajie wanted to walk forward and make a way.

Jin Chanzi said, "Bajie, just be calm and don't mess up other people's livelihoods."

Zhu Bajie shouted, "Master, don't worry. I know what's going on and I won't harm anyone's livelihood. Just follow me."

Jin Chanzi had no choice but to agree and follow Zhu Bajie.

After walking through the streets and alleys for a while, the two of them saw a deserted place where a group of real people were waiting.

When Jin Chanzi saw the Immortal, he hurried forward and bowed, saying, "Jin Chan greets Immortal Guangxin!"

Jiang Yuan got off the white deer, helped Jin Chanzi up, and said, "Why is Sandalwood Merit Buddha performing such a great ceremony? It is not necessary. Please stand up quickly."

Jin Chanzi smiled and said, "You helped me a lot in the past. Now that I see you, how can I not bow? But please don't be polite to me. You should accept this courtesy. If there were no you, there would be no me today. I don't know if my journey to the west could have been successful."

Jiang Yuan said: "The help I provided at that time was minor, but most of it was due to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. If Sandalwood Merit Buddha wants to express his gratitude, he should thank Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, but I cannot accept it."

Jin Chanzi said: "Master, you can't say that. Although Guanyin Bodhisattva has done me a great favor, Master's kindness is also not small."

Jiang Yuan was helpless to hear what Jin Chanzi said, but he did not stop him. He accepted Jin Chanzi's greeting and said no more. The Immortal asked, "You don't even know the Sandalwood Merit Buddha, why are you here?"

Jin Chanzi then responded to the Immortal, telling him how he saved sentient beings in the world.

When the Immortal heard this, he bowed to Jin Chanzi and said, "Sandalwood Merit Buddha is so compassionate, please teach me how to bow."

Jin Chanzi shook his head and said, "I have compassion in vain, but I have no power. What's the use? Well, let's not talk about this. But I don't know why the real person is here?"

Jiang Yuan then explained to Jin Chanzi how he walked around the world to repair the laws, and how he walked to Chang'an City and learned that Emperor Ziwei was reincarnated as Emperor Dan's third son, Li Longji.

Jin Chanzi listened to the immortal's explanation and nodded, saying, "The immortal wants to enter the palace to pay a visit to the reincarnation of Emperor Ziwei, but has no way to enter the palace. If I enter without permission, I'm afraid it would be rude, right?"

Jiang Yuan laughed and said, "How can the Meritorious Buddha know what I am thinking?"

Jin Chanzi shook his head and said, "I know that the Immortal is very polite, so I think what the Immortal thinks is probably true, and it is not difficult to guess."

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "What the Buddha of Merit said is very true. Just as the Buddha of Merit said, I cannot pay a visit to the Emperor of Purple Star."

Jin Chanzi said: "If that's the case, I can bring you into the palace."

Jiang Yuan asked, "Gongde Buddha, what do you mean by this?"

Jin Chanzi said, "You don't know, Immortal, that Empress Wu is in power now. She is old and in order to seek immortality, she has invited talented people from all over the world to come to the palace to plan for her immortality. She has heard of my medicinal soup for curing diseases and sent two people to ask me for help. Now I will go to her palace, Immortal, you can go with me."

Jiang Yuan said: "If so, thank you for your kindness."

Jin Chanzi smiled and nodded.

The Bull Demon King stepped forward and asked, "How come the Queen Mother who is in power is also greedy for immortality?"

The green ox replied, "You old ox, how can you be so ignorant? He is already old and has not much time left to live, but he is greedy for wealth and power and is unwilling to give it up. So he should seek immortality and regain such power."

The Bull Demon King said: "Emperor Taizong also prayed in the past, but it was all in vain. Now the Queen Mother is also doing the same thing, and she is inviting people from all over the world. Does she really think that she can gain immortality?"

Qingniu said: "How can you achieve immortality if the two gods are not extinct? But when you are young, you can get the help of the primordial spirit. Then you can start practicing and maybe achieve immortality. But as you get older and enter your sixties, the two gods will get the help of the six thieves. The real master has no hope of making a breakthrough. It is impossible to practice, let alone achieve immortality."

The Bull Demon King nodded and said, "It's just like the flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water."

Qingniu pointed to Zuo Liang and said, "It is very rare to find someone like Zhengyuan who practices at the age of sixty. If I hadn't met Zhengyuan, I wouldn't have known that it is really possible to practice at the age of sixty."

When Zuo Liang heard what Qingniu said, he smiled but said nothing.

The Immortal and Jin Chanzi ignored Erniu's conversation. They talked about the old days. At that time, the Immortal and Jin Chanzi first met many years ago, not long after the Immortal attained enlightenment, and Jin Chanzi had not yet reincarnated to obtain the scriptures. But when they met now, there was a difference.

But the two of them didn't talk for long before they set off for the palace, intending to enter and pay a visit to the Purple Star Emperor. On the way, the Immortal Master made Zhu Bajie, the Bull Demon King and others use a method of transformation to become human bodies, for fear of scaring strangers along the way.

It didn't take long before they arrived at the palace. Jin Chanzi stepped forward and took out a document, handing it to the soldiers guarding the gate. Then someone came forward and wanted to take Zhenren and Jin Chanzi and his group into the palace.

(End of this chapter)