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

Chapter 330 Master Zuo Liang, Compassionate in His Heart (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Meanwhile, in the Jingzhou area, Zuo Liang traveled at a leisurely pace and finally arrived in the Jingzhou area of ​​the Southern Continent. He came from the Western Continent of Niuhe. Along the way, he saw the people around him suffering and felt pity for them. Therefore, whenever he encountered someone in danger of losing their life, he would do his best to help them.

Over time, Zuo Liang gained some fame among the people, who called him "Celestial Master," meaning a teacher bestowed by Heaven to save the world.

Zuo Liang didn't care about such a reputation; he was focused on meeting the Bull Demon King and helping him overcome his tribulation.

He rode his white deer and came to the city of Jingzhou. He saw that on both sides of the street, there were poor and destitute refugees lying everywhere. For a moment, he did not know what to do.

Zuo Liang sighed, dismounted from the white deer, and prepared to treat the refugees.

Upon seeing this, the white deer spoke in human language, saying, "The sea of ​​suffering is boundless, you cannot save it all, Zheng Yuan. The important matter should take precedence, do not try to save it any further."

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "Even if we can't save them all, we still have to. How can you expect me to turn a blind eye and leave without a care?"

The white deer said, “You will encounter countless refugees like these wherever you go. In this chaotic world, this is an unavoidable journey. You may save people in this place, but how will you save those in other places?”

Zuo Liang said, "I can't worry about that, but what I see is what I must do to save them."

Bai Lu sighed and said, "You and Master are very similar."

Zuo Liang asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Bai Lu said, “Master, you also leave some time for people to save themselves. If they are willing to save themselves, they can escape the sea of ​​suffering. If they are not willing, you will no longer care. You also leave time for people, but when you pass by and see people suffering, you will try your best to help one or two. You have compassion in your heart.”

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "You cannot be compared to Master, yet you speak of faults."

Bai Lu said, “Look at this humility, it’s just like yours, Master. But you have done nothing wrong in saving the refugees. Be careful not to miss the opportune time and cause the Bull King to fall into disaster. Then it will be too late for you to regret it.”

Zuo Liang said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Say it.

Zuo Liang stopped talking to Bai Lu and got up to look after the refugees.

He asked each of the refugees what pain they were experiencing. If they were afflicted with illness, he would use magic to cure them. If they were homeless, he would give them some silver to help them find a way out.

In an instant, Zuo Liang entered and taught all the refugees in the city to leave. Countless refugees were grateful for his kindness. After learning that he was the "Celestial Master", they all followed him spontaneously to prevent any villains from harming the Celestial Master.

When Zuo Liangxing saw hundreds of people following him in the city, he had no choice but to turn around and bow, saying, "Gentlemen, please stop following me. If you follow me, there will be too many of you and it will cause a crowd. Please disperse quickly and go your own way."

The refugees all knelt down and said, "We are afraid that villains will disturb us. We will definitely protect the Heavenly Master who saved our lives. We beg the Heavenly Master to allow us to protect you. We will disperse after the Heavenly Master has gone far away."

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "There's no need for that. But your gathering of people could easily lead to trouble. Just leave in peace and don't stand on ceremony."

The refugees said, "Please, Celestial Master, allow us to be protected; we do not wish to leave."

Zuo Liang was quite helpless, but after repeatedly dissuading them, the refugees finally had no choice but to obey his orders and disperse. However, before they dispersed, they left behind dozens of burly young guards.

When Zuo Liang saw that there were dozens of young men there, he wanted to persuade them to leave. He didn't need to protect them. He had magical powers and was not afraid of ordinary people. However, the young men were unwilling and insisted on protecting him.

Left with no other choice, Zuo Liang had to let it be.

The young man said, “Master, it is our fault. We do not have superb martial arts skills and can only protect you with numbers. If we had superb martial arts skills, we could leave one or two people to protect you, and then you would not have this trouble.”

Another young man said, “I have heard that there is a mountain nearby, and in the mountain there is a village called Lishan Village. There is a man in the village who once used his martial arts to drive away evil spirits, so that the demons and monsters in the mountain dared not invade. He is very powerful and can be called a match for ten thousand men. If we had that kind of martial arts, we would not need so many people to protect us. One person would be enough.”

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang became curious and asked, "But what you've said is that someone can use martial arts to repel evil spirits? Is it really that amazing?"

The young man said, “Master, you may not know this, but this is a recent rumor in this area. It is said that a demon has appeared in the mountains. The demon is very evil and wants to make all three villages in the mountains pay tribute to it. If they do not pay tribute, it will slaughter the villages. Under this threat, one of the three villages was slaughtered, one chose to pay tribute, and the other produced an extraordinary person.”

Zuo Liang asked, "Is this extraordinary person someone who can defeat evil spirits with martial arts?"

The young man nodded and said, “Exactly, exactly. Celestial Master, that man is truly remarkable. It is said that he is surnamed Niu, born with superhuman strength, and possesses unparalleled martial arts skills. The mountain demons, it is said, were entangled with a group of evil spirits, intending to invade Lishan Village. At that time, Lishan Village was in chaos, and everyone chose to make offerings to save their lives. But that strong man Niu did not care. He only said that as long as he guarded the village, the demons would not attack, and there was no need for offerings. In this way, the villagers were united in resisting the demons. In the end, that strong man Niu really did drive away the demons, and his martial arts deeds became known to others. If there were someone as capable as the strong man Niu to protect the Celestial Master, then that would be truly reassuring.”

Zuo Liang said, "I am very curious to find such a person."

A young man said, "Why don't we go and invite Strongman Niu? Perhaps when he hears that he is protected by the Celestial Master, he will gladly come."

Another young man spoke up, saying, "It's very difficult, very difficult. I heard that he has a wife who is about to give birth, so the Li family's son went to invite her, but they couldn't get her to come out. It is said that his wife also has some strange things about her."

Many young men expressed their confusion and inquired about the strangeness of Niu Zhuangshi's wife.

Zuo Liang also had questions and wished to hear them.

The young man replied, “When a normal person gives birth, they carry the child for ten months until it is ripe and falls off the stem. That is how it is for all of us. But the wife of that strong man is different. It is said that she has been pregnant for twelve months, but she has not yet given birth to a child. Tell me, isn’t this strange?”

A young man said, "This is strange. Could it be a monster? How can an ordinary person carry a child for twelve months without giving birth?"

A thin, strong young man stepped forward and said, "When I was young, I heard the storyteller talk about the legendary immortal, the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas. He was born after being pregnant for three years and six months. Later, he was enthroned as an immortal. Could it be that the child in the womb of that strong man Niu's wife is also an immortal?"

The young man shook his head and said, "It's impossible for immortals to be so common."

Zuo Liang shook his head. Hearing what these young men said, he had a vague guess in his heart. When he asked the young men to find a way to rest, he summoned the white deer and spoke to it. He guessed that this strong bull was the Bull Demon King.

Upon hearing this, Bai Lu immediately said, "Zheng Yuan, you have been cultivating. Master once said that you are about to achieve enlightenment and your magical power is not shallow. Furthermore, you have come out today on Master's orders and are protected by Master's great magical power. There is something different about you in the dark. You have a connection with the Bull King and feel something in your heart. Your guess is enough to say that it must be the Bull King."

Zuo Liang said, "Although I possess magical power, I am still a person with shallow cultivation. To have this feeling must be due to my master's decree. This is the first time I have had such a feeling. My master's magical power is truly unfathomable now." Bai Lu said, "Master's magical power is indeed remarkable now. When I first followed Master, I knew that Master would definitely achieve something extraordinary in the future. Now it is indeed true. Master has already reached the level of great magical power."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang laughed and asked, "Immortal Deer, how many years have you been following your master?"

The white deer lowered its head and pondered for a long time before saying, "I can't count them all. But more than a thousand years ago, before Master attained enlightenment, I followed Master and served as his mount. At that time, Master and Ancestor first arrived in the mountains and established their cave dwellings. We spirit beasts often gathered outside the immortal dwellings to hear the Daoist teachings. Master settled us there. Later, when Master went down the mountain to subdue demons, I served as his mount, carrying him to subdue demons. This went on for a long time, and that's how I followed Master. Now, more than a thousand years later, thinking about it now, I am filled with emotion."

Zuo Liang said, "I never imagined that the immortal deer has been following my master for over a thousand years; that is truly rare."

The white deer replied, "But I have cultivated for over a thousand years, and my cultivation power is inferior to yours. Your Five Thunder Orthodox Method is truly remarkable."

Zuo Liang suddenly asked, "Immortal Deer, may I ask if you could tell me about the time before Master attained enlightenment?"

The white deer, puzzled, asked, "What do you wish to know?"

Zuo Liang asked, "How did you cultivate before you attained enlightenment, Master?"

Bai Lu pondered for a long time before saying, "I do not know this. It is not that I am unwilling to tell you, but that I truly do not know. Before you attained enlightenment, you spent most of your time cultivating in the mansion. You would often meditate for decades, even nearly a hundred years. You almost never went down the mountain. You were single-minded in your cultivation and did not have any other thoughts. You did this repeatedly for a thousand years before you attained enlightenment. Even after you attained enlightenment, you would not go down the mountain unless there was a major event."

Zuo Liang sighed, "Master's resolve in cultivating his mind is unparalleled. If you were to teach me to cultivate with a single-minded focus for a thousand years, I fear I would find it difficult to do so."

The white deer said, "Don't compare yourself to the master. There are very few who can compare to the master, both within and outside the Three Realms. Besides, your cultivation is not weak now, and you are also a rare cultivator."

Zuo Liang nodded and said, "I will not say any more. I should go and meet the Bull King to prevent him from falling into a calamity."

The white deer said, "That is indeed the case."

After finishing his conversation with Bai Lu, Zuo Liang turned around and found a group of young men to tell them that he was going to find the strongman Niu.

Upon hearing this, a young man asked, "Does the Celestial Master intend to find the strong man Niu and teach him to protect him?"

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "That's not the case. I heard that there was something strange about the child in the womb of Niu Zhuangshi's wife, so I went to take a look. If it is an illness, I can cure it."

The young man said, "If the strong man Niu knew that the Celestial Master was like this, he would be grateful and sincerely protect the Celestial Master."

Zuo Liang said, "I cannot take advantage of his kindness, but since he is afflicted with illness, I should take care of him."

Upon hearing this, all the young men were filled with admiration and were willing to follow Zuo Liang and protect him along the way.

Zuo Liang knew that even if he persuaded them to leave, these young men would not leave, so he had no choice but to agree and instructed them to go with him.

Zuo Liang rode on a white deer, with a group of strong young men protecting him, and some even leading the deer for him.

The large group headed outwards, towards the mountains outside the city.

……

After walking for a long time, the group finally entered the mountains and began to walk on the mountain path. Upon entering the path, they saw that the sides of the path were shrouded in gloomy mist and the wind was howling. The group of young men were very afraid to walk up, as they knew that there were monsters in this mountain. They were now "knowing that there are tigers in the mountains, yet they still went into the tiger's den".

Although the group of young men were timid, seeing that Zuo Liang was still there, they had no choice but to muster their courage and protect him. If there were any monsters, they would not run away, because Zuo Liang had saved their lives and they could not fail to repay this kindness.

Seeing the group of young and strong men, Zuo Liang laughed and said, "If you are afraid, there is no need to protect you. You can go back. This mountain path is not far from the city. If you walk back, you will be able to get back in no time."

The group of young men shook their heads and said, "No, no. We must protect the Celestial Master and cannot leave."

Zuo Liang laughed and said, "If you're so afraid, why don't you leave?"

The group of young men said, "We have received the grace of the Celestial Master. How can we leave out of fear? Now that the Celestial Master is protecting us, we are not afraid of life or death. It would be an honor for us to die for the Celestial Master."

Zuo Liang said, "You don't need to do this."

The group of young men knelt on the ground and said, “Celestial Master, we are truly not afraid of death. We beg you not to say such things that tell us to leave. If we leave halfway, we will surely die, not run away in fear.”

Zuo Liang sighed and said, "Alright, alright, alright. Since that's how it is, you can all follow along. If you encounter anything strange in the mountains, tell me, and I will definitely protect you."

Upon hearing this, the group of young men all smiled and said that they could provide protection, but Zuo Liang did not need to. They told Zuo Liang to just sit quietly.

Zuo Liang nodded but didn't say anything more. He looked up and gazed ahead. He had the Five Thunder Orthodox Method in his body and knew that there were indeed demons in this mountain, but those demons were nothing special and were just minor monsters.

However, even for the young and strong, the little demon was a formidable foe.

Zuo Liang gently patted the white deer, instructing it to guard the four directions and prevent evil spirits from harming these young men.

The white deer cried out, indicating that it had already understood.

Zuo Liang was relieved and continued on his way with the group of young men.

Halfway there, Zuo Liang asked the young man beside him, "How far is it from here to Lishan Village?"

The young man said, “Master, there is still half a day’s journey ahead. We are not far from Lishan Village, but the road is all mountainous, so it will take half a day. Are you tired, Master? If you are, please stop and rest for a while before continuing your journey. There is no rush then.”

Zuo Liang shook his head, saying that they should just continue on their way.

(End of this chapter)