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

Chapter 312 Nezha Subdues the Dragon and Heads to the East Sea
The conversation took place in the middle reaches of the Biaoli River. Lü Yan and the evil dragon couldn't agree on anything, so Lü Yan drew his sword to subdue the demon.

But then Lu Yan slashed out with his longsword, a white light flashing as he went, intending to slay the demon.

When the evil dragon saw that Lü Yan actually dared to draw his sword and kill him, he was startled. But when he saw the white light that Lü Yan had unleashed, he felt bored and let the white light hit him.

However, when the white light struck his enormous dragon body, an indescribable pain shot through him, causing him to roar incessantly.

Lu Yan's swordsmanship was passed down from the True Man, and the method passed down by the True Man was extracted from the supernatural power of "swordsmanship". Therefore, even though Lu Yan had no magical power, his swordsmanship could still slay demons.

The evil dragon roared in shock and anger, "You ignorant old man, how dare you hurt me!"

Lü Yan said, "But you have done evil, so you deserve to die!"

The evil dragon lowered its head to examine the sword wounds on its body. It asked in surprise, "What kind of cultivator are you? Who taught you this sword technique? Is it from a famous mountain like Longhu Mountain or Wudang Mountain?"

Lu Yan stood with his sword in hand and said, "I did not learn from Longhu Mountain or Wudang Mountain. I have been cultivating under the guidance of Master Guangxin!"

The evil dragon asked, "Who is the True Man Guangxin? I have never heard of him!"

Lu Yan said, "You are an ignorant and wicked demon, how could you possibly recognize a virtuous immortal?"

The evil dragon was furious. Without saying a word, it bared its fangs and claws and pounced on Lü Yan, as if it wanted to swallow him whole.

Seeing this, Lü Yan was not afraid at all and raised his sword to slash at the mouth.

The evil dragon was terrified, fearing that the white light would cut into its mouth, and hurriedly dodged away.

The two began to fight on the riverbank. Lü Yan wielded his sword and slashed at the evil dragon, which bared its fangs and claws. Lü Yan was a novice in cultivation and possessed a predestined destiny. Now, he received the decree of the True Man and used his sword to slay the evil dragon in the river. The evil dragon had been causing trouble for a long time and its evil energy was rampant. Now, its evil courage had grown stronger, and it was determined to bring chaos to the living. The two fought on the riverbank, and for a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

Although Lü Yan possessed little magical power, his swordsmanship, personally taught by a master, was extraordinary.

The evil dragon has been committing evil for a long time, and the true master has long been deceived. Moreover, it is currently in the midst of a flood and is at its weakest. Facing Lü Yan's extraordinary swordsmanship, it will be difficult to defeat him in a short time.

Meanwhile, amidst the clouds and mist, Sun Wukong and his entourage, leading three thousand heavenly soldiers, were watching the battle. They were all quite surprised to see that the evil dragon could not capture Lü Yan.

Nezha said, "Great Sage, that Lü Yan is quite capable. His magic power is shallow, but his swordsmanship is superb. He has been able to fight that dragon for so long with his swordsmanship, which is quite remarkable."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "I was personally taught by my eldest brother, so I naturally have some skills."

Nezha said, "I never thought it was taught by Master Guangxin. If it was taught by Master Guangxin, it is normal for it to have such divine power. If Lü Yan had three-tenths of his magic power, he could probably kill that evil dragon in a short while. The reason we have to fight now is because we have no magic power."

Sun Wukong said, "That's right, that's right. But given the situation below, we probably don't need to do much. We can just wait for that dragon to show a weakness, and then we can kill that bastard Lü Yan."

Nezha laughed and said, "Great Sage, how do you know that the evil dragon has any flaws?"

Sun Wukong smiled slightly and said, "But its true master has already been deceived, and it is the appearance of two gods causing confusion. How can it be without flaws?"

Nezha said, "Great Sage, what you say makes sense. Let us watch and see if Lü Yan can defeat the evil dragon."

Pigsy shouted, "Brother, you all must be careful and not get distracted. If Lü Yan is no match for the evil dragon, you must act immediately."

Nezha asked curiously, "Pigsy, why are you so attentive? You weren't this attentive when you were protecting Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West. But you're taking such good care of this person now. It's truly remarkable."

Pigsy said, "What do you, Third Prince, know? This is what Master taught me to do. Now that I have received the decree, I will do it diligently."

Nezha laughed and said, "Pigsy, your cultivation has made progress."

Pigsy just said, "It's alright, it's alright."

As the two were talking, Sun Wukong suddenly spoke up, saying, "This is bad. Lü Yan is exhausted and may be defeated."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately looked down.

But then, in the middle reaches of the Nali River, the battle between Lü Yan and the evil dragon came to an end. Lü Yan was finally at a disadvantage and was about to be defeated. It was not that his swordsmanship was not good, nor that he had any flaws, but rather that Lü Yan was exhausted and his magical power was shallow, so he could not withstand a long battle.

Sun Wukong said, "In this situation, we should take action, otherwise, Lü Yan will be in danger."

Nezha said, "Great Sage, let me go and subdue that evil dragon. It has been a long time since I have subdued such a dragon. You should let me go."

Sun Wukong said, "Since the Crown Prince says so, then the Crown Prince shall go. But please be careful, Crown Prince, and do not let this evil dragon harm you."

Nezha laughed loudly and said, "Great Sage, what are you saying! Before you made a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace, I once fought with you. Although I am not as good as you, I am no ordinary person either. This mere dragon, let's see if I can tear its tendons out!"

Say it.

Nezha, wielding his Fire-Tipped Spear, riding on his Wind-Fire Wheels, and draped in his Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon), charged downwards with overwhelming force.

Beside the river, Lü Yan was exhausted and struggled to lift his sword, making it difficult to continue fighting the evil dragon. He secretly thought that something was wrong. He had never expected that the evil dragon was so strong. He was far inferior to the evil dragon. After fighting for about ten rounds, he was already running out of strength.

Lu Yan was about to retreat, but seeing the vicious dragon baring its fangs and claws and clinging to him, and seeing farmland and houses in the distance behind him, he feared that if he retreated, the vicious dragon would relentlessly pursue him, and if he fell into the houses, many more people would likely die or be injured.

If he does not retreat, his life will be in danger; if he does retreat, many people will also be in danger.

What should we do?

In a moment of mental struggle, Lü Yan found his answer: he could not retreat. But he made up his mind, gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and prepared to fight the evil dragon once more.

Before he could strike again, he suddenly saw golden light in the sky, and Nezha came riding on his Wind and Fire Wheels, with auspicious energy and firelight shining everywhere.

The evil dragon seemed to sense something, and trembled with fear, no longer daring to come forward, and turned to flee.

"The Great God Nezha of the Three Altars and Seas is here!"

"You wretched creature, how dare you escape? No matter where you flee to, I will kill you!"

Nezha, riding on his Wind-Fire Wheels, instantly arrived in front of the evil dragon and blocked its path.

The evil dragon panicked and cried out, "I am the grandson of the Dragon King of the East Sea! I beg you, great god, to spare my life! I have never done anything evil or harmed anyone! Please see the truth!"

Nezha cursed, "You still dare to say you haven't done anything evil or harmed anyone! Your crimes have already been reported to the Heavenly Palace by the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and the Jade Emperor has ordered me to come and subdue you! Why don't you surrender now!"

The evil dragon said, "I am the direct grandson of the Dragon King of the East Sea! The direct grandson of the Dragon King of the East Sea!"

Nezha said, "Let alone you, even if the Dragon King of the East Sea himself came, I would subdue him and take him to the Heavenly Palace! Furthermore, after this matter is settled, I will definitely go to the East Sea to hold the Dragon King of the East Sea accountable for what he said."

Upon hearing Nezha's words, the evil dragon was both shocked and enraged. Without regard for anything else, it bared its fangs and claws and pounced on Nezha.

Upon seeing this, Nezha simply swung his Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon), instantly binding the evil dragon and rendering it unable to move. Then, Nezha flicked his Fire-Tipped Spear and pulled, forcefully extracting the dragon's tendons.

The evil dragon roared in agony, having lost its tendons, and was ultimately powerless to reverse the situation. It collapsed on the riverbank, panting heavily.

Seeing this, Lü Yan knew it was divine assistance, so he stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Lü Yan, a cultivator, thanks the divine assistance!"

Nezha pulled out the dragon tendon, held it in his hand, and rode his Wind Fire Wheels over, saying, "But you don't need to be so polite, I am just following orders."

Say it.

Before he could make a move, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie simultaneously descended from the clouds and arrived beside Lü Yan.

Lu Yan exclaimed in surprise, "What are you two doing here?"

Pigsy said, “I came here to protect you on the orders of my master, but Monkey King went to the Heavenly Palace to report the news. The Heavenly Palace learned of this today and sent troops to subdue this demon.”

Upon hearing this, Lü Yan bowed deeply to Zhu Bajie. He never expected that the immortal would send someone to protect him before he left.

He will always remember such kindness.

Sun Wukong stepped forward and grabbed Lü Yan, examining him for a while before feeling relieved. He said, "Did that evil dragon hurt you? If you were hurt, you can tell me. No matter how badly you are injured, I can heal you."

Pigsy was puzzled and asked, "Brother, when did you learn those medical skills?"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "When did I ever say that my medical skills were self-taught? Don't forget, I know Laozi in the heavens. No matter what kind of illness it is, once the pill arrives, the disease will be swept away. Even if someone loses their life, they can be saved."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy suddenly realized and said, "So that's how it is. Brother Dao, you have no medical skills, so you're looking for Laozi. If it's Laozi, he can surely cure all kinds of ailments. Back then, when we passed through Wuji Kingdom, wasn't it thanks to Laozi's elixir that we cured the king?"

Lu Yan bowed and said, "Great Sage, Bodhisattva, I am not injured. Please rest assured."

The two were relieved after hearing Lü Yan's words.

Nezha stepped forward and said, "We can talk about this another time when we have time. Now we are heading to the East Sea. Great Sage, please come with me."

Sun Wukong said, "That is indeed the case."

As he spoke, he looked at Pigsy and said, “Pigsy, I am going to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea with the Third Prince. Please go and explain this to my senior brother so that he will not worry.”

Pigsy said, "Brother, you can rest assured when I handle things."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong grabbed Zhu Bajie's fan-shaped ear and said, "Your words make me very uneasy. I'm afraid you'll do something foolish."

Pigsy begged for mercy repeatedly, saying he wouldn't do anything foolish.

Sun Wukong released Zhu Bajie, looked at Lü Yan, and said, "Lü Yan, please keep an eye on this fool. If he acts recklessly, you can go and find my senior brother and talk to him. He will surely come and teach this fool a lesson."

Upon hearing this, Lü Yan smiled at Zhu Bajie and agreed.

After receiving Lü Yan's consent, Sun Wukong left with Nezha, leading three thousand heavenly soldiers towards the location of the East Sea Dragon Palace.

Lü Yan and Zhu Bajie then left together with the white deer, heading back towards the long pavilion in the mountains.

……

Before long, the two returned to the pavilion in the mountains and met the real person.

The master sat cross-legged in the pavilion, smiling as he said, "Seeing the two of you in such good spirits, I know your journey has been successful. May I speak with you?"

Pigsy dared not conceal anything and recounted the events in detail.

The real person listened to what was said, nodded, and did not offer any comment.

Lu Yan bowed and said, "But I have gone against your wishes, Master. I beg you to punish me."

The master asked, "How have you gone against my wishes?"

Lü Yan replied, "My teacher taught me to subdue the evil dragon, but I do not have the ability to do so, which goes against my teacher's wishes."

The master shook his head and said, "I have heard about what happened here. It is truly remarkable that you were able to fight against them. You are innocent. But there is one thing I do not know. Could you please enlighten me?"

Lü Yan said, "Please ask me, sir."

The Master said, “I heard Bajie say that you are not strong enough to defeat that evil dragon, but you do not run away. What is the reason for this?”

Lü Yan laughed and said, "Teacher, there are farmland and houses behind me. If I run away, the evil dragon will definitely catch up with me, but I'm afraid it will hurt the surrounding people. So I can't escape and have to fight it."

The master asked, "If no one had saved you, what would you have done?"

After a moment's thought, Lü Yan said, "To be swallowed by the dragon's jaws."

The master then asked, "How so?"

Lu Yan said, “Teacher, if I escape, the houses, farmland and people behind me will suffer. If I don’t escape, I will be the only one to die. The difference between one person and many is very easy to make.”

The master laughed and said, "You have never been afraid of the danger of death?"

Lü Yan said, "If I can save other people's lives, I have nothing to fear."

The master nodded and said, "You have great compassion in your heart, which is truly rare."

Lü Yan shook his head and said, "I have a clear conscience."

The master clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "What a fine statement of having a clear conscience! Just by saying this, you have already cultivated some spiritual power."

Lu Yan said, "Master, how dare I say that I have cultivation within me?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "One can cultivate without necessarily having magical power. Magical power is a byproduct of cultivation, not a necessity."

Lü Yan seemed to understand something.

Jiang Yuan then said, "Bajie, Zhengyuan, let's wait here for a while longer. When Wukong returns, we will leave together."

They all obeyed the order and went into seclusion in the mountains to await Sun Wukong.

……

The story begins in the East Sea, where Nezha and Sun Wukong arrive with three thousand heavenly soldiers.

Nezha looked down and laughed, "Great Sage, it has been a long time since I came to the East Sea. The Dragon King of the East Sea has been unfriendly to me. I wonder how terrified he will be to see me here today."

Sun Wukong asked, "Is it because of something that happened in the past?"

Nezha nodded and said, "That's right, that's right."

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "I've heard that long ago, the Third Prince went to the sea to cleanse himself and extracted the tendons of the East Sea Dragon King's son to make a belt, thus creating enmity with the East Sea. This grudge has lasted for a long time and has not yet been resolved."

Nezha laughed and said, "I haven't been able to get rid of him. It's just that we don't usually interact with each other, and he doesn't interact with me either."

Sun Wukong said, "If that's the case, would you like me to take care of this?"

Nezha shook his head and said, "No need. I just want to see what the Dragon King of the East Sea looks like. Let's just go in as usual."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong had no choice but to follow Nezha's advice and lead three thousand heavenly soldiers into the East Sea together.

(End of this chapter)