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

Chapter 329 The Bull King is worried; calamity is imminent.

Time flies, and before we knew it, another two or three months had passed.

Since the Bull Demon King defeated the King of Kuishan, the villagers have been overjoyed. They feel that with the Bull Demon King in the village, they no longer need to worry about demons. If any demons come to attack, they can ask the Bull Demon King to fight them.

Because the Bull Demon King defeated the evil spirits, another village in the mountains learned of it. From then on, that village dared not oppose Lishan Village anymore, and the past disputes with Lishan Village over water resources no longer occurred.

The Bull Demon King quickly became a highly respected figure in the village.

One day, after finishing his work in the village, the Bull Demon King was walking home. As he passed by, the villagers all bowed and greeted him.

Although the Bull Demon King felt helpless, he still responded to each question and did not act arrogantly.

He walked home, and his wife, Yan, quickly came out to greet the Ox King.

The Bull Demon King said, "You are pregnant now, so there's no need for formalities. Just wait for me at home. It's not like I won't come in on my own."

Madam Yan said, “This is not right, this is not right. Ah Lang, you are the head of the family, and I must abide by these rules. If I do not, and others find out, they will surely point at my back and call me a heartless woman.”

The Bull Demon King said, "Now that we are at home, I am the head of the household. I don't need to teach you anything. No one will dare to say anything to you, so don't panic."

Yan was trembling with fear, but dared not answer.

The Bull Demon King could only sigh and say no more.

Yan then prepared some tea and rice for the Bull Demon King to enjoy.

The Bull Demon King hastily finished his tea and meal, looked at Yan Shi's belly, and said, "In a few more months, our child will be born."

Madam Yan smiled and said, "My son, that's right. I once visited Mr. Liu in the village, and he said that the baby will be born in about six months."

The Bull Demon King said, "How could Mr. Liu have medical skills? He may have read a couple of articles in medical books, but he can't be considered a doctor."

Madam Yan said, "Young man, there is no one else in the village besides Mr. Liu, so we should naturally look for Mr. Liu."

The Bull Demon King said, "Alright, alright, alright. When I have some free time in the future, I will take you down the mountain to find a skilled physician to examine my children."

Upon hearing this, Yan was somewhat alarmed and said, "I dare not leave the mountain, I dare not leave the mountain. I have often heard the village chief say that there is great chaos outside the mountain, and if we leave, we will not be able to return."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "How could there be such danger outside the mountains? Don't listen to the village chief's nonsense."

Madam Yan said, "But we dare not go outside the mountain, my lord. We can stay in the mountain. We have everything in the mountain, why should we go outside?"

The Bull Demon King said, "But you have always said that our children will become high-ranking officials one day. If we do not leave the mountain, how can we become high-ranking officials?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Yan fell into deep thought, unsure how to respond.

The Bull Demon King then said, “Don’t be resistant. The outside world is not as terrible as you think. Although it is a chaotic world now, the world will eventually unite after a long period of division, and it will eventually divide after a long period of unity. The chaotic world will eventually end, so don’t be afraid of the outside world.”

Madam Yan smiled and said, "My son, you often say that, but I feel that you are not a person from the mountains and fields."

The Bull Demon King asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Yan said, “When Alang first came, I thought he was a country bumpkin, a refugee. But after spending more time with him, I realized that he was well-read and a scholar. But in stories, scholars are always portrayed as bookish men, while Alang is nothing like one.”

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "How come I, the old bull, don't look like a scholar anymore?"

Madam Yan covered her mouth and laughed, "My son, you look like a farmer, not a scholar at all."

The Bull Demon King was somewhat indignant, wondering why he no longer resembled a scholar, but he didn't want to argue with Lady Yan, so he gave up and stopped thinking about it.

……

Before we knew it, another three or four months had passed.

The son of the Bull Demon King's new wife, Lady Yan, is finally due to be born within the next month.

Upon learning of this, the village chief came to Niu Wang's house every day to take care of Yan Shi and invited midwives from the village to prepare for Yan Shi's childbirth.

Upon learning this, the Bull Demon King felt increasingly uneasy. However, he could sense that Yan's son was not born in October; he was his own son, and his destiny was incomplete, likely born with unusual signs, which would be difficult to deal with at that time.

However, the Bull Demon King had no way to deal with the situation and could only let it be, hoping that the child would not show any bull-like features when it was born.

One day, the Bull Demon King was working in the field when a villager came and interrupted him.

The villagers said, "Old ox, stop plowing, stop plowing."

The Bull Demon King said, "How dare you stop me from farming? If I can't farm, will you take care of my household?"

The villagers said, "The village chief is looking for you; you should stop farming."

The Bull Demon King, puzzled, put down his hoe and said, "Why is the village chief looking for me, Old Bull? Could it be that another monster has attacked and you want me to go and fight it off?"

The villager replied, “There is no monster, but we heard that someone from outside the mountains has come looking for you and asking for your help. So the village chief told me to come and call you over.”

The Bull Demon King pointed to the land and said, "I still have many tasks to finish, how can I go?"

The villager said, "Go ahead, go ahead. I'll finish these chores for you."

The Bull Demon King beamed with joy and said, "You really did all these chores for me, and you weren't just lying to me?"

The villager said, "Why are you trying to fool me? Go find the village chief. I'll finish the work for you. I'm not lying."

The Bull Demon King handed the hoe and other items to the villagers, then said no more and walked towards the village chief's house.

Before long, the Bull Demon King arrived at the village chief's house.

The village chief grabbed the Bull Demon King and led him forward, so that he could meet a person inside the house. The person was dressed in brocade and looked like a wealthy family.

The Bull Demon King said, "What business does the village chief have summoned me for? I am still working in the fields."

The village chief said, "This person is from the Li family in a city outside the mountains. He came into the mountains to find you. I have seen that he is an important person, so I dare not disobey him. Therefore, I have summoned you here."

The Bull Demon King looked at the man and said, "Old Bull doesn't recognize you. Why have you come here?"

The village chief said, "This is an honored guest, Old Niu, you must not be rude."

The man from outside the mountain smiled and shook his head, saying, "Those with ability naturally have pride; there's no need to be reserved. Mr. Niu, you may not recognize me, but I have heard of your name. To tell you the truth, I am Li Cheng, the second son of the Li family of Xihai County outside the mountain. I have heard of your name; you possess extremely formidable martial arts skills. You once repelled the demons and monsters in this mountain. You are the first among those who can repel demons with martial arts. Therefore, I have come to recruit you to become a retainer of my Li family and serve my family in the future."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "I am a crude and uncouth man, unworthy of your words. How could I dare to be your servant? I only wish to stay in the mountains with my wife."

This was a polite refusal. Li Cheng said, "How can you say that? But we are in a chaotic world now, and there are countless people with superb martial arts skills in the world. Yet I have never heard of anyone who could defeat you with martial arts. Although you live in the mountains, you have extraordinary martial arts skills. If you were to leave the mountains, you would surely achieve great things."

The Bull Demon King shook his head and said, "I do not wish to descend the mountain. Thank you for your kindness, sir."

Li Cheng said, "Don't say that. You should think it over carefully and not refuse so hastily. Do you know what it means to come out of seclusion and become a retainer of the Li family?"

The Bull Demon King said, "I do not know, nor do I wish to know. Thank you for your kindness, sir. I truly have no intention of descending the mountain. My wife is currently in the full term of pregnancy, and I do not wish to leave. I only wish to stay in the mountain with my wife and child."

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng was somewhat disappointed and said, "Why should a great man worry about not having a wife? If you were to come down the mountain and become my retainer, with your martial arts skills, you would surely become a fierce general who would be remembered in history. In the world today, there are very few with your martial arts skills, so you could be one of the top generals in the world."

The Bull Demon King shook his head again and said, "I do not wish to do so, I do not wish to do so."

Li Cheng felt helpless and had no choice but to give up and get up to leave.

The village chief grabbed Li Cheng and said with a forced smile, "Honorable guest, please don't bother us. This country bumpkin doesn't know the truth and that's why he refused. But please give me some time so I can persuade him properly and he will definitely agree to leave with you."

Upon hearing this, Li Cheng nodded and said, "In that case, I will take my leave now, Village Chief."

Li Cheng did not want to stay any longer, so he got up and left.

The village chief finally breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the Bull Demon King, and said, "Old Bull, why didn't you answer this opportunity? If you had, you could have left the mountains and no longer been bothered by the affairs of the fields."

The Bull Demon King sat on the threshold and said, "Village Chief, I truly do not wish to leave the mountains; I only wish to stay here."

The village chief asked, "Why is that? You must have a reason."

The Bull Demon King said, "Village Chief, my child is about to be born, how can I leave?"

The village chief said, "Then take your wife and children with you. If you can become a retainer of the Li family, this will not be difficult."

The Bull Demon King shook his head, still refusing and unwilling to leave.

The village chief, somewhat helplessly, said, "Tell me the reason why you are unwilling."

The Bull Demon King said, "There's nothing good outside the mountains. It's better to stay here. Besides, if I'm not in the village, who can stop King Kui Shan from invading again?"

The village chief said, “How can you say there’s nothing good outside the mountains? If we weren’t unable to go there, we would have gone there long ago. Why would we be settling in the mountains? I often tell others that the outside world is full of dangers, but I know that even if they go, it will be a futile effort and they will hardly survive. So I often deceive them into not leaving the mountains. But you are different. Old Ox, you are talking about the monster, but I cannot delay you because of the affairs of the village.”

The Bull Demon King was deeply moved by what the village chief said, but still politely declined and refused to leave.

Upon hearing what the Bull Demon King said, the village chief had no choice but to give up and say no more, knowing that the Bull Demon King had made up his mind.

……

After the Bull Demon King refused to leave the mountain, the village chief never mentioned the matter again, and the Bull Demon King lived peacefully in the village.

However, this peace lasted less than a month before it was shattered.

The Bull Demon King's wife, Lady Yan, has been pregnant for over eleven months, yet the baby has not been born. The villagers are all astonished when they find out, but out of respect for the Bull Demon King's prestige in the village, they do not gossip about it. However, whispers among the villagers are inevitable.

Upon learning of this, the village chief hurriedly brought Mr. Liu, the village doctor, to take care of Ms. Yan.

Mr. Liu stayed in the room for a long time, and then carefully took Yan's pulse without saying a word.

The village chief, anxiously watching from the side, glanced at the silent Bull Demon King by the gate and couldn't help but say, "Old Bull, these are your wife and children, how come you're not worried?"

The Bull Demon King said, "There's no use in being hasty. We need to calm down before we can come up with a solution."

The village chief asked, "Since you put it this way, have you come up with a solution?"

The Bull Demon King shook his head and said, "I haven't figured it out yet."

The village chief said, "You are quite carefree; you haven't even considered this before, yet you remain so at ease."

The Bull Demon King said, "Village Chief, as you say, is there any way?"

The village chief said, "I have never encountered anything like this before, how can I possibly do anything about it?"

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King fell silent and looked towards Yan Shi. He knew the reason in his heart: he was, after all, a bull, while Yan Shi was a human. The offspring born from such a union would naturally be different. In his view, it would be several months before his offspring was born.

Seeing the Bull Demon King's appearance, the village chief wanted to say something more, but then he saw Mr. Liu walking over, so he had to stop and asked, "Old Liu, what's going on?"

Mr. Liu shook his head and said, "It's nothing."

The village chief, puzzled, asked, "How can you say nothing happened?"

Mr. Liu said, "I see that Madam Niu is in good health, and her pregnancy is stable and has not changed. She does not look like she is about to give birth, but rather like she is in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy."

The village chief said, “I told you that your skills are not good enough, but you kept arguing with me, saying that you are proficient in medicine. Now you are saying such rude things. Niu Yanshi is clearly ten months pregnant, but you say she is only five or six months pregnant.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Liu was also at a loss for words, unsure how to respond. He had indeed felt that pulse when he took her pulse, but to the naked eye, Niu Yanshi was indeed full-term. This made him wonder if he was truly unskilled in his practice.

Although he hadn't learned many advanced skills, he accumulated experience over time, and eventually he developed some medical expertise.

Now he is being taught to question himself.

The village chief said, "You should leave with me. With your medical skills, you shouldn't embarrass yourself here."

Mr. Liu shook his head and said, "Although my skills are not very good, I can see that Niu Yanshi does not seem to be about to give birth. She needs to be taken good care of and given some medicine to nourish the fetus. Just continue to live the way she has lived in the past. Do not rush to teach her to have a child."

The village chief said, "But now that the ten months are up, if we don't give birth now, when will we? Rumors are spreading in the village now, and if we don't give birth soon, I'm afraid Old Niu's reputation will be damaged."

Mr. Liu said, "Don't force it. If you force it, you might lose both the unborn child and the baby. It's better to have your reputation damaged than to lose both the unborn child and the baby."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King hurriedly echoed, saying that he was not worried about his reputation and that if they waited a little longer, Yan Shi might give birth soon.

Upon hearing this, the village chief had no choice but to give up and, as the Bull Demon King had said, grabbed Mr. Liu and headed outside.

The Bull Demon King stood by the door listening. He could hear the village chief walking by, cursing Mr. Liu for his poor skills and haphazard treatment.

Mr. Liu had no choice but to deny what the village chief had said.

The two talked, and gradually drifted apart.

The Bull Demon King glanced around and, seeing that the two had disappeared from sight, turned and went into the house to advise Madam Yan to rest well and that she would give birth to a child when the time was right.

(End of this chapter)