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

Chapter 352 Plague God, the Fool is Still in the Steamer

The story goes that Sun Wukong bid farewell to the four marshals at the South Heavenly Gate, entered the South Heavenly Gate, and went to the Tongming Hall, intending to pay homage to the Jade Emperor.

However, the Four Celestial Masters stopped him in front of the Hall of Enlightenment and asked him his purpose so that they could report to the Great Celestial Venerable.

Sun Wukong then told the Four Heavenly Masters about the matter, and after they finished speaking, he also mentioned that he had received the True Man's decree.

When the Four Celestial Masters heard what Sun Wukong had said, Ge Xianweng said, "But I have not heard of any immortals descending to the mortal realm recently, nor have I heard of any immortals being demoted."

Master Xu said, "I have never heard of this before; it is truly a strange thing."

Zhang Tianshi waved his hand and said, "There's no need to say more here. Let's go inside and report to the Great Heavenly Venerable. The Great Sage has come to pay his respects, and we must report this."

The Four Celestial Masters said no more and went into the Lingxiao Palace to report to the Jade Emperor. Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor personally went to the Lingxiao Palace and issued decrees, saying, "Since Wukong has reported, investigate all the stars and constellations, and all the divine kings, to see if any of them have longed to descend to the mortal realm. Also investigate the crimes of all the heavens, and see if any officials have been demoted."

The Four Celestial Masters received the decree and went to investigate the divine kings and officials at the Four Heavenly Gates, then checked the various immortals in the Three Minor Enclosures, and then investigated several Thunder Officials and Generals. Finally, they found that there were no gods in the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, or the starry sky that wished to descend to the mortal realm.

After investigating this matter, the Four Celestial Masters ordered the investigation of the crimes committed by the gods, resulting in the demotion of officials.

Before long, the Four Celestial Masters reported back to the Great Celestial Venerable, saying, "Your Majesty, we first investigated the stars in the heavens and found that each of the constellation gods was performing their duties and none of them had any desire to descend to the mortal realm. Therefore, we then investigated the crimes of the heavens and summoned the Inspector Spirit Officials for assistance. Thus, we learned that the demon of the Nine Calamities Mountain in the Western Continent of Hezhou in the mortal realm was indeed a banished god."

The Jade Emperor then asked, "What is your origin?"

The Four Celestial Masters bowed and said, “He was a righteous god of the Plague Department thousands of years ago. Because he privately allowed the Plague God to descend to the mortal world and spread evil diseases, His Majesty punished him by beating him more than a thousand times and sending him to Fengdu to suffer punishment for three thousand years. When his punishment was completed, he was released and no longer a god. In recent years, after his punishment was completed, he was reincarnated as a snake and drifted to Xiniu Hezhou. He harbored resentment, so he haunted the mountains and called himself the King of Nine Calamities.”

The Jade Emperor said, "Since this is a predestined fate, and Sun Wukong has come to inquire about it, once the facts are clear, I will dispatch three thousand heavenly soldiers and have them select several divine generals to descend to the mortal realm and subdue him."

Upon hearing the imperial decree, Sun Wukong bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your leniency, Your Majesty."

They bowed and left the Lingxiao Palace.

Upon reaching the outside of the hall, Master Xu bowed with a smile and said, "Great Sage, you have truly won the favor of the Jade Emperor, who has granted you the power to mobilize troops. In the past, you, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, had an official position but no real power, but now things are quite different."

Sun Wukong returned the bow and said, "I am deeply grateful for the great Heavenly Venerable's high regard. Once the Nine Calamities King is subdued, the Heavenly Army will be sent back. I would never dare to let the Heavenly Army suffer any harm."

Zhang Daoling said, "The Jade Emperor has ordered the Great Sage to select generals, but we do not know which generals the Great Sage needs to assist him. Please give us your opinion, and we will issue the decree soon."

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment and said, "I trouble the four Celestial Masters to request permission for Prince Nezha to accompany me, and also to invite two or three Fire Generals. Prince Nezha has a demon-subduing weapon, and he also has the Wind-Fire Wheels and the Fire-Tipped Spear, which might be able to subdue that demon. The same applies to the Fire Generals. Just now I heard you say that the demon is the Plague God of the past. Plague can be overcome by fire, so Prince Nezha might be able to perform a great feat."

Master Xu smiled and nodded, then stood up and conveyed the decree, ordering Nezha to come and await Sun Wukong's command.

Zhang Daoling stepped forward and said, “I do not know what kind of plague god this is, because it is a long time ago. But if the plague is controlled by fire, such an idea is somewhat unacceptable.”

Sun Wukong asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Daoling said, "The Plague Department has five Plague Envoys: Spring Plague, Summer Plague, Autumn Plague, Winter Plague, and Mid-Autumn Plague, corresponding to the Five Elements. Fire is used to control plagues, which is the norm. However, if some different plagues are encountered, they are difficult to control, and the Great Sage should know this."

Sun Wukong bowed and said, "I never imagined there was such a rule; I was ignorant. Thank you, Celestial Master, for enlightening me."

Zhang Daoling smiled and shook his head.

He waited there for a while, and then the Third Prince Nezha received the imperial decree and led three thousand heavenly soldiers and fire generals to come. He instructed the heavenly soldiers and fire generals to wait outside the South Heavenly Gate, while he went to the Tongming Hall to meet the Great Sage.

When Sun Wukong saw Nezha, he said, “Your Highness, I am sorry to trouble you to go. I have been granted permission by the Emperor to dispatch divine generals to accompany me to the mortal realm to subdue demons. I do not know which generals to send, but I do know of Your Highness’s martial arts skills. Therefore, I request that Your Highness go with me.”

Nezha laughed and said, "It is my good fortune that you, Great Sage, would allow me to go with you. But going down to the mortal realm with you to subdue demons is quite interesting. You don't need to be so formal. Just take me there."

Sun Wukong nodded and asked the Four Heavenly Masters to thank the Great Heavenly Venerable on his behalf. He knew that the matter in the mortal realm was urgent. Although he had a protective magic to protect Zhu Bajie, mistakes were inevitable. Therefore, he dared not stay any longer. He bid farewell to the Four Heavenly Masters and, with Nezha, went to the South Heavenly Gate. He then led three thousand heavenly soldiers and fire generals down to the Nine Calamities Mountain in the mortal realm.

The two led their troops down to the mortal realm, and in less than half an hour, they arrived above Mount Jiu'e.

Nezha, riding on his Wind-Fire Wheels, looked into the mountains and saw black mist rising into the sky. Pointing to that spot, he said, "This mountain is indeed haunted by demons, with such a malevolent aura. I wonder what kind of power that plague god has to cause trouble here. Great Sage, wait in the clouds and watch me subdue him!"

Sun Wukong stopped himself and said, “Your Highness, don’t be anxious. That fellow has a very powerful plague. If you are hit by it, your limbs will weaken in a short while, and you will be unable to continue. My junior brother, Pigsy, was defeated by it. I invited Your Highness here and asked you to use all your treasures, along with the Fire General, to defeat him with fire. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Highness to wait in mid-air for a while while I go to fight him. If he uses the plague, I will be unable to do anything about it. Then Your Highness and the Fire General can reappear and use fire to break the plague, and I will subdue him.”

Nezha said, "Great Sage, why should you go in person?"

Sun Wukong said, “Why do you say that, Your Highness? I was the one who invited you here. If I don’t do my part, how can I face you? Enough said, I will go. Please ask Your Highness to keep watch. If that fellow uses his evil spirits, please ask Your Highness and the Fire General to use fire to destroy him.”

Nezha accepted the order and said, "Since the Great Sage says so, I will naturally comply. But after this demon is subdued, the Great Sage should not leave. I want to catch up with the Great Sage and have some fun."

Sun Wukong responded with a smile. After finishing his conversation with Nezha and the others, he leaped down and arrived in front of the demon's cave.

Sun Wukong pulled the golden cudgel from his ear and, without distinguishing right from wrong, struck it down, killing two or three minor demons who were using human flesh in front of the mansion.

Behind the gate, three or four lesser demons, seeing Sun Wukong's unfathomable power, were trembling with fear and completely lost, unable to move for a moment.

Sun Wukong shouted, "I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong! Go inside and announce my arrival, and tell your king to come out and surrender! Otherwise, I will storm into the mansion and kill him!"

The three or four lesser demons, upon hearing the Great Sage's shout, seemed to awaken from a dream, panicked, and rushed towards the mansion.

……

Meanwhile, inside the cave, King Jiu'e was playing around on the high platform when he suddenly remembered that Pigsy was being steamed in the steamer.

King Jiu'e then asked, "How is the pig demon? Is it cooked until tender and ready to be eaten?"

The little demon replied, "But cooking takes time; it's mostly done by boiling. I'll go and take a look to see if it's edible."

King Jiu'e said, "Don't let it overcook. If that pig demon overcooks, it will be unpalatable. You must be careful. Once it boils, bring it to me to enjoy."

The little demon hurriedly went to check on Pigsy's situation, but before he could take two steps, he suddenly saw three or four little demons running towards him in a panic.

Upon seeing this, the Great Sage of Nine Calamities descended from the high platform, grabbed a minor demon, and intended to question him. However, the minor demon was so panicked that he had no intention of answering and kept trying to escape inside.

King Jiu'e was furious and immediately killed the little demon on the spot.

The remaining two or three lesser demons trembled and knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. There is a man outside called the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, who is telling Your Majesty to go out and die. He is extremely arrogant, but he has divine power and killed two or three of my brothers in the manor with one blow."

Upon hearing this, King Jiu'e was greatly alarmed and said, "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, must be the same Sun Wukong who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace in the past! I have heard that he later taught the Buddha of the West to be trapped under the Five Elements Mountain, and then protected Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West, which was the same road he took. But he has long since become a Buddha and has retired to the mountains to cultivate. Why is he here to cause me trouble now!"

A little demon beside him said, "Your Majesty, is this trouble caused by that pig demon?"

King Jiu'e suddenly realized and said, "That's it, that's it. It must be that pig demon who caused this trouble. That pig demon was once the Water God Tianpeng, and later protected Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West. He was a fellow disciple of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Perhaps he knew that I had captured him, so he came to seek revenge."

The little demon panicked and said, "Your Majesty, what should we do now?"

King Jiu'e said, "That Great Sage Equaling Heaven is formidable, but I am no ordinary person either. Bring me my armor and sword, and I shall go and meet that Great Sage Equaling Heaven."

The group of lesser demons obeyed the order and immediately dressed King Jiu'e in armor and handed him two precious swords.

King Jiu'e mustered his troops, numbering over a hundred, and they all charged out of the mansion.

But Sun Wukong, seeing that the Nine Calamities King had sent men to surround him, showed no fear whatsoever. He looked at the Nine Calamities King at the very back and shouted, "You demon, now that you've seen me, why don't you quickly surrender? How dare you flaunt your weapons in front of me!"

King Jiu'e, brandishing his twin swords, said, "Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong! But I have no past grudges or recent conflicts with you, so why have you come to invade my residence!"

Sun Wukong cursed, "How can you say there's no past grudge or present animosity? But putting aside the fact that you captured my junior brother Zhu Bajie, my senior brother Guangxin Zhenren's opening of his own abode is approaching. This westward journey is a necessary route for many of my senior brother's disciples. You've caused trouble here, injuring countless people, perhaps even some of my own disciples. Furthermore, putting all that aside, your evil deeds deserve my subjugation!"

Upon hearing this, King Jiu'e was startled and said, "The Guangxin Zhenren you speak of, is that the Guangxin Zhenren who recently fought with the Tathagata of Mount Ling?"

Sun Wukong asked, "How many Guangxin Zhenren are there, both within and outside the Three Realms?"

How could the Nine Calamities King not know that this Guangxin Zhenren was the Guangxin Zhenren he was thinking of? This greatly alarmed him, and he thought that after driving Sun Wukong away, he would definitely leave and go far away.

He said sternly, "But I don't care what you say. If you want to subdue me, then show me some real skills. Otherwise, leave quickly and don't disturb my peace!"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Since you want to see my skills, I will certainly show you!"

Say it.

Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel, drew a circle on the ground, and struck down. All the little demons surrounding him were driven back by him; those closer were killed, and those farther away were severely injured.

With a single blow, Sun Wukong killed over a hundred lesser demons. He then swung his golden cudgel at the Nine Calamities King.

Seeing Sun Wukong's divine power, King Jiu'e was somewhat frightened and held his twin swords, ready to fight him.

The moment the two clashed, King Jiu'e was nearly killed by Sun Wukong with a single blow.

King Jiu'e exclaimed, "You have incredible strength!"

Sun Wukong remained silent, then swung his staff again, striking with a force that startled even gods and ghosts. In the past, his martial arts skills had enabled him to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace and traverse the Western Journey. Now, his martial arts had greatly improved, far surpassing what he had achieved in the past.

After three exchanges, the Nine Calamities King's sword was knocked to the ground, and the situation became extremely dangerous.

King Jiu'e was terrified. He had no idea that the Great Sage's divine power had nearly killed him in just three moves. How could he dare to fight him again? He immediately retreated and tried to hide in his cave.

Sun Wukong cursed, "You demon, don't run! Take this!"

He swung his golden cudgel, ready to strike.

Seeing that Sun Wukong was coming on strong and unwilling to let him go, King Jiu'e was anxious and opened his mouth to spew out black smoke in an attempt to force Sun Wukong to retreat.

Seeing the formidable black smoke, Sun Wukong feared being touched and had no choice but to withdraw his staff and retreat.

When King Jiu'e saw that Sun Wukong was afraid of his plague, he was overjoyed and instead of retreating, he continued to drive black smoke forward, trying to hit Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong retreated repeatedly, avoiding a fight with the black smoke, but he saw that the Nine Calamities King had already left his cave and was still controlling the black smoke.

He immediately shouted to the heavens, "Third Prince! Why don't you hurry and help us? What are you waiting for?"

But as he just said, Nezha, riding on his Wind and Fire Wheels and holding his Fire-Tipped Spear, descended from the clouds, followed by two Fire Generals, one holding a fire dragon and the other leading a fire horse.

Nezha shouted, "Nezha, the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, is here! Plague God, we have now learned your ways. The Jade Emperor has decreed that we shall submit to you. Why do you not surrender at once?!"

When King Jiu'e heard Nezha reveal his identity as a "plague god" and saw the large number of heavenly soldiers, who looked menacing, he dared not have any intention of fighting. He turned around and fled, using black smoke to protect him as he escaped.

How could Nezha let it escape? He ordered the fire general to break the plague, and he also used his Wind and Fire Wheels to help.

But when fire was used to attack the plague, the plague was quickly destroyed by the raging fire.

Nezha stepped forward to fight him, and within three or four rounds, he subdued him. Soon, heavenly soldiers came forward to capture the Nine Calamities King.

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

Nezha said, “I dare not accept such praise. But that plague is truly formidable. If it were not afraid of fire, I fear we would not have been able to subdue it. Now that it has been subdued, I can reminisce with the Great Sage. You two fire generals should lead the heavenly army back to heaven.”

Fire General immediately accepted the order and led three thousand heavenly soldiers, along with the Nine Calamities King, back to heaven.

Nezha was about to catch up with Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong suddenly exclaimed, "That fool is still in the steamer; he should be saved!"

(End of this chapter)