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

Chapter 303 Agarwood Cultivates the Path of Military Strategy, Achieves Success in the Path of External Alchemy

In the quiet chamber of the immortal abode, Wukong preached, asking Chenxiang if he was willing to cultivate the righteous path of the Golden Elixir. However, Chenxiang refused, unwilling to learn this path.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong had no choice but to follow his words. Just as his elder brother had said years ago, the path lies beneath one's feet. Now that Chenxiang was speaking as he had chosen, he could not force him to.

Sun Wukong sat cross-legged on a futon, wearing a cassock, and said with his hands clasped together, "Chenxiang, since you are unwilling to cultivate the Golden Elixir Path, then cultivate other paths."

Chenxiang said happily, "But please teach me other skills, Master. I really can't learn these skills. I hope you will understand my situation."

Sun Wukong said, "Whether you are willing to cultivate or not is up to you. Since you have said so, I will naturally teach you other methods. But if we are talking about other methods, what kind of cultivation do you want to pursue? Tell me so that I can teach you the methods."

Chenxiang said, "Master, I am not very familiar with these kinds of things, but please tell me about them so that I can understand the ways of cultivation."

Sun Wukong said, "Since you don't know, let me explain the ins and outs before you make a decision."

Chenxiang said, "Please speak, Master. I am all ears."

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment and said, "How about I teach you a branch of Confucianism?"

Chenxiang asked, "Master, how do you explain this method?"

Sun Wukong said, “Confucianism is the gate of propriety. You have read a lot and should know what Confucianism is. Just cultivate virtue, abide by propriety, and you will become a great sage. If you become a great sage, people will respect you, just like the Confucius family in Jambudvipa in the past. If that happens, you can ask the Great Heavenly Venerable to spare your parents’ lives. I believe the Great Heavenly Venerable is compassionate and will surely grant your request.”

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang shook his head and said, "According to this, one must beg and plead, humbly refuse to learn, refuse to learn!"

Sun Wukong said, "In that case, how about I teach you a medical skill? Medicine is the path of benevolence. By practicing medicine and saving lives, you will accumulate merit and virtue. When your reputation rises, saving your parents will be very easy."

Chenxiang shook his head and said, "How can someone as weak as me defeat Erlang Shen? I won't learn, I won't learn!"

Sun Wukong pointed at Chenxiang and said, "As you say, Confucianism and medicine all originate from the 'Liu' category, one of the 360 ​​sub-categories under the character 'Dao'. Among them are Yin-Yang theory, Mohism, and so on, none of which meet your expectations. Furthermore, the 'Shu' category, the 'Jing' category, and so on, also do not satisfy your desires. What do you intend to do?"

Chenxiang knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said, "Master, this disciple wishes to learn a fighting skill."

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment and said, "If it comes to fighting, we should learn 'military science,' which contains a lot of martial intent."

Chenxiang said happily, "Please explain in detail, Master."

Sun Wukong replied, "Warfare is based on deception, a path that combines the orthodox and the unorthodox, a way of governing the universe and corresponding to the Big Dipper. Therefore, Tanlang governs offense, Pojun governs plunder, and Wenqu assists in the brilliance of the stars."

Chenxiang asked, "If what Master said is true, then aren't soldiers generals who command troops in the human world? How can they fight against others?"

Sun Wukong said, "You do not know that there are three kinds of wisdom in warfare, which is why the benevolent are invincible, the wise are not confused, and the brave are not afraid. These three kinds of wisdom contain the principles of struggle."

Chenxiang said, "If one learns this skill, is it possible to defeat Erlang Shen?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong shook his head helplessly and said, "You don't even know Erlang Shen's abilities, so how can you talk about defeating him? Besides, the method is there, whether you can defeat him depends on yourself, not on the method."

Chenxiang said, "As Master said, that means I can defeat Erlang Shen, but I must cultivate diligently. In that case, I am willing to learn this, I am willing to learn this!"

Sun Wukong said, "Once you choose a path to cultivate, there is no turning back. Chenxiang, you should think this through carefully."

Chenxiang replied, "Master, I have made up my mind to cultivate in this way."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong could only nod and told Chenxiang to go to the library to study for the time being, and that he would teach him the secrets the next day.

Chenxiang readily agreed and turned to leave.

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "This fellow really knows how to cause trouble for me. I have learned many techniques from my master, but I have never learned the art of military strategy. Yet this fellow insists on learning all the art of military strategy, making things difficult for me. Fine, fine, fine. I will go and ask my master for guidance."

Sun Wukong had just stepped out of the quiet room to ask his patriarch about the intricacies of the matter, but before he could even begin, he saw Red Boy suddenly approaching.

Red Boy blocked the road and said, "Uncle, please wait."

When Sun Wukong saw Red Boy, he laughed and said, "Nephew, why are you not cultivating in your home or taking care of your mother? Why are you blocking my way? Could it be that you are worried about me and have come to visit me?"

Red Boy shook his head and said, "Uncle, it's not like that. I was practicing martial arts outside the mountain when I saw Erlang Shen, the True Lord of Manifestation, outside the mountain. He met with me and said that he had come to find you, so I acted as a messenger to explain to you."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong understood the meaning. He thanked Red Boy and headed out of the mansion.

Before long, Sun Wukong walked out of the mansion, leaped up, and rode the clouds out. When he arrived at the foot of the mountain, he saw Erlang Shen in the clouds.

Upon meeting, the two exchanged pleasantries and then went to meet in a small cave behind Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

After talking for a long time, Sun Wukong finally asked, "True Lord, have you come here because you have something to ask me? If so, please speak."

Erlang Shen shook his head and said, "I was just passing through this place, so I descended from the clouds to pay my respects to the Great Sage. But while I'm at it, I'd like to ask how Chenxiang's cultivation is going lately."

Sun Wukong saw through it but didn't say anything, and laughed, "Chenxiang has been studying for more than ten years. Today I am about to teach him the way of cultivation. There is no problem."

Upon hearing this, Erlang Shen asked, "What kind of skills does the Great Sage wish to teach him?"

Sun Wukong said, "This choice should be made by Chenxiang, not by me. But when I talked to him, he was unwilling to cultivate the righteous path of the Golden Elixir. After picking and choosing, he chose to cultivate the path of military strategy."

Erlang Shen pondered for a moment and said, "It is fine if he does not wish to cultivate the Golden Elixir Path. This path is difficult. When I cultivated it in the past, I also encountered great difficulties and almost died. But if Chenxiang does not cultivate this path, it is a good thing. However, I would like to ask the Great Sage to put in some effort to teach him other paths."

Sun Wukong said, "Since I have accepted him as my disciple, I will certainly do my best. You can rest assured, True Lord. However, there is one thing that you must be careful about and not underestimate."

Erlang Shen asked, "What is the matter?"

Sun Wukong said, "I have observed that Chenxiang seems to have great dissatisfaction with you, True Lord. He is single-mindedly focused on cultivation in order to defeat you. You must be careful about this, True Lord."

Erlang Shen shook his head and laughed, "There's no need to worry about this."

Sun Wukong said, “True Lord’s cultivation is profound, which goes without saying. Even if Chenxiang has cultivated for ten thousand years, he is still no match for True Lord. I know this. But I fear that if Chenxiang realizes that True Lord’s cultivation is difficult to match, his Dao heart will be frustrated, and then he will be unable to cultivate.”

Erlang Shen laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that? If he comes looking for me, I'll just be defeated by him."

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it would damage the True Lord's reputation."

Erlang Shen said, "It's alright, it's alright."

The two talked for a long time about the matter of agarwood in the mansion.

Erlang Shen suddenly asked, "Great Sage, in your opinion, how long will it take for Chenxiang to cultivate before he can master the Dao?" Sun Wukong pondered for a long time before replying, "In my opinion, it will take Chenxiang several decades to enter the stage of cultivation, but if he wants to achieve great success, it will take several hundred years. I don't mean to belittle him, but it's just that his mind is not at peace."

Erlang Shen laughed and said, "It would take hundreds of years to achieve great success, and thousands of years to attain a proper result through unorthodox means. That would be enough. I am very reassured by your teachings, Great Sage. I am grateful for your help. If you encounter any difficulties in the future and need my assistance, just tell me, and I will do my best to help you without fail."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Of course, of course."

Erlang Shen said, "Since that's the case, I now know about the matter of agarwood, so I won't bother you any longer, Great Sage. I shall take my leave."

Sun Wukong stopped Erlang Shen and said, "No need to rush, no need to rush. Now that you have come, why not stay a few more days before you leave?"

Erlang Shen politely declined, saying, "I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. I will come to visit you again when I have some free time in the future, Great Sage."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong wanted to offer some advice to Erlang Shen, but then he remembered that he still needed to pass on his knowledge to Chenxiang the next day, so he had no choice but to agree to Erlang Shen's request, and the two then took their leave.

Erlang Shen departed from Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

Sun Wukong then entered the celestial palace to pay respects to the Patriarch and request the Patriarch to impart the secrets of cultivation. The next day, the Patriarch passed the knowledge on to Chenxiang. It would take many years for Chenxiang to master the secrets and complete his cultivation, but we will not go into details here.

……

Time flies, summer comes and winter goes, and the tides of life rise and fall; more than thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the alchemy room of the Tushita Palace in Heaven, the True Man finally took the final step one day, which was to "withdraw the fire and complete the work." The golden elixir he had prepared would finally be completed.

Lao Jun was watching over the alchemy room. Seeing the state of the furnace, he said, "Guang Xin, we must not rush this. We must proceed slowly. The step of removing the fire is the most mentally taxing. We must be steady in this step. If we rush and make a mess, all our previous efforts will be wasted. Guang Xin, you must be careful."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Laojun, don't worry."

He appeared calm, but his eyes were fixed on the alchemy furnace. His Niwan Palace trembled, and with the help of the sacred embryo, he focused intently on controlling the heat within the furnace. Once the task was completed, he would remove the fire.

Flames rose from the alchemy furnace, but were slowly receding. Within the flames lay a perfectly round pill, flawless and without any defects.

The two celestial attendants, Golden Horn and Silver Horn, stood beside the alchemy furnace, tending the fire with great flair, following the rules without daring to make any mistakes.

Time passed slowly, and I don't know how much time has gone by.

The immortal suddenly opened his eyes wide and said "Stop!" Then he saw that the flames were suppressed by magic. The two immortal boys, Golden Horn and Silver Horn, assisted him. Before long, the flames in the furnace were gone, and a golden pill was inside.

External alchemy, practiced until completion.

When Jiang Yuan saw the Golden Core formed, he felt a sense of enlightenment. There was no congratulation from heaven and earth or worship from ancient immortals when he completed the external alchemy. It was all very ordinary. But in this ordinariness, he felt extremely comfortable. It was as if some shackles had been removed and his magical power changed naturally.

Various thoughts arose in his mind, and many supernatural abilities that he had never understood before became clear in an instant.

He gathered his thoughts, stood up and was about to bow to Laozi when he saw Laozi looking at him with a smile, as if he knew about the changes in his body.

Jiang Yuan performed a deep bow and said, "Guangxin thanks Laozi for his guidance! I will never forget this great kindness!"

Lao Jun shook his head and said, "This time it was all due to your own hard work. Although I have taught you, it was mostly due to your own cultivation. Now you have achieved success in the external alchemy and are proficient in both internal and external cultivation. Your great magical power is about to be achieved. There are very few in the world who can subdue you. Even the Western Buddha is now in front of you, and he dares not say that he can easily capture you."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Laojun, although my cultivation has been arduous, without your guidance, I would not even be able to cultivate. Your kindness is immense."

Lao Jun waved his hand and said, "Don't talk about such things. Let's go and see the golden pills you've concocted."

As he spoke, a smile spread across his face. He was very satisfied with Jiang Yuan's words and actions. He sighed inwardly, thinking, "How could such a disciple be taken in by Bodhi? Given his Dao heart and talent, he should have been a disciple of the Great Luo Sect."

Upon hearing Laozi's words, Jiang Yuan quickly walked to the alchemy furnace.

The two celestial attendants made way, please allow the real person to observe.

The master looked down and saw a golden pill floating in the alchemy furnace. He reached out and pointed, and the golden pill floated up and landed in the master's palm.

Upon closer inspection, the real person found that this golden pill was exactly the same as the golden pill refined by Laozi.

Lao Jun came over, saw the golden pill, and laughed, "Guang Xin has indeed received my true teachings. The golden pill he made is no less than mine."

Jiang Yuan shook her head and said, "I dare not accept such praise."

Lao Jun said, "What's there to be ashamed of? Your golden elixir is truly no less than mine."

Say it.

Laozi took out a white jade gourd from his sleeve and said, "This gourd is for storing pills. Keep it. Place the pills you have made in the gourd to ensure that their magical power is not lost."

Jiang Yuan bowed to Laozi again, took the gourd, put the golden pill into the gourd, and hung it on her waist.

Lao Jun said, "Now that you have succeeded, come with me to the main hall. I will summon my disciple and impart the Dao of Alchemy to you two."

Jiang Yuan said, "Yes, Laozi."

Lao Jun then led Jiang Yuan towards the central hall.

Before long, the two entered the central hall. Laozi had the immortals take their seats and then sent a Taoist to summon the Heavenly Venerable of Wonderful Joy.

Lao Jun took out some pills and said, "Guang Xin, you can use these pills."

Upon seeing these pills, Jiang Yuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Laojun, do you know the efficacy of these pills?"

Lao Jun chuckled irritably, “These are all pills for nourishing the primordial spirit. You can use them. There are a thousand pills here. Eat them all.”

Jiang Yuan stared in disbelief and asked, "A thousand pills, are you telling me to eat them as food?"

Lao Jun said, "It's difficult for an ordinary person to obtain even one pill, so you should be secretly laughing at how many pills I can give you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan knew that Laozi's words were true. He stood up, bowed to Laozi, and expressed his gratitude for Laozi's kindness.

Laozi waved his hand, gesturing for the True Man to sit down, where he could enjoy the pills while listening to him explain the Dao of Alchemy.

Upon hearing that Laozi was about to speak about alchemy, Jiang Yuan dared not underestimate him. He immediately sat cross-legged on a futon, listened attentively, and calmed his mind, waiting for Laozi's profound words.

(End of this chapter)