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

Chapter 359 Demons Finally Descend, Shouyi Xiru
The story begins in the Western Liang Kingdom, where Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, and their entourage arrived on clouds.

Sun Wukong and the others were pleased to see Zhu Bajie below, holding a nine-toothed rake, looking majestically at the appearance of the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang. They all thought that Zhu Bajie would take the opportunity to slack off and pretend to look at the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang for a while.

But it was unexpected that Pigsy would take such good care of the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang, which was quite rare.

Tang Sanzang put his hands together and said, "Bajie's cultivation has indeed made great progress. He is very different from before. He is no longer lazy and adheres to his original intention. This is the sign that his cultivation has been successful."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "It's truly rare that this fool can listen to words. Now, seeing his transformation, I realize that he has attained the Way of cultivation."

The group talked a lot amidst the clouds and mist, preparing to go down.

Guanyin Bodhisattva stopped Sun Wukong and said, "Wukong, if that demon sees me, he will surely try to escape at all costs. I fear that if he escapes, he will harm the people of the country. Therefore, I cannot meet him. You can drive him out of the country, and I will subdue him myself."

Sun Wukong said, "In that case, Guanyin Bodhisattva, please stay here for a while. I will send him away."

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled and said, "I'll trouble you to go."

Sun Wukong bowed and said, "I dare not, I dare not."

Sun Wukong knew the kindness Guanyin Bodhisattva had shown him, so even though he had now achieved great success and made great progress in his cultivation, he dared not be disrespectful in front of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

After reaching an agreement with Guanyin Bodhisattva, the group descended from the clouds and traveled to the Western Liang Kingdom.

Hearing a faint gust of wind behind him, Pigsy was terrified. He thought the demons of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom had managed to escape. He had been watching the Western Liang Women's Kingdom closely without making a move, so how could the demons have escaped?

He quickly swung his nine-toothed rake behind him, intending to unleash a chaotic rake-like attack.

He swung his rake, which collided with the golden cudgel. The cudgel pushed him back several steps, and he was somewhat strained.

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "You fool, why are you so fond of martial arts? As soon as I returned, you wanted to practice martial arts with me?"

Pigsy took a closer look and saw that it was Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang and the others. He breathed a sigh of relief, put down his Nine-Toothed Rake and said, "Brother, how come it's you? You didn't even say hello to me. I thought the demons inside had escaped."

As he spoke, Pigsy turned to Tang Sanzang, bowed, and addressed him as "Master".

Tang Sanzang smiled and helped Zhu Bajie up, praising his remarkable cultivation.

Sun Wukong said, "Fool, have any of the demons in the Western Liang Women's Kingdom escaped?"

Pigsy nodded and said, "That demon did escape, but I, Pigsy, chased it back with my rake."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Fool, I have not underestimated you."

Pigsy said, "Now that Master has arrived, we should be entering the Western Liang Women's Kingdom. The demons there will surely be terrified when they see Master, and that will be their chance to be exposed!"

Sun Wukong said, "Let's go to the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang."

Nezha asked, "What should we do if the demon sends armored soldiers to block our way?"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "That demon is the Queen of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom, so is the Buddha of Merit not a queen?"

Pigsy exclaimed, “Master, if you want to enjoy being a king first, we can wait a while. The demon is just like you, Master. Even the ghosts of the underworld would have a hard time detecting it. You can enjoy your wealth and honor in that country. After you’ve enjoyed yourself, it’s not too late for us to subdue the demon.”

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and laughed, "Bajie, how can you speak such nonsense now that you are a Buddha? Don't say such things. I have come here to subdue demons, and I have no other intentions. Besides, the matter of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom is long past. The Queen of Western Liang has been gone for a long time, and things are very different now. Things have changed, and I have no connection with the Western Liang Women's Kingdom anymore."

Pigsy laughed and said, "Master, did you ever repent in the middle of the night? You shouldn't have left then. You should have had yin and yang union with the King of Xiliang and become his queen?"

Tang Sanzang pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said nothing more.

Sun Wukong grabbed Zhu Bajie's fan-shaped ear and said, "Fool, don't say anything more."

Pigsy begged for mercy repeatedly and kept silent.

The group walked into the Western Liang Women's Kingdom, and soon they were inside.

As they entered the Western Liang Women's Kingdom, they suddenly saw many armored soldiers coming and surrounding them.

A female official stepped forward and shouted, "You audacious assassins! How dare you enter my Western Liang Kingdom! Guards, seize them all!"

The armored soldiers, all armed, surrounded them, intending to capture them.

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong drew his golden cudgel, drew a circle on the ground, and said "Freeze!" He cast a spell to freeze the soldiers in place. Divine light emanated from the spot, freezing all the soldiers in place. They gritted their teeth, opened their eyes, and stood still, unable to speak or move.

The female official was horrified and exclaimed, "A monster!"

Sun Wukong smiled slightly and said, "Old Sun is not a monster."

The female official was terrified and was about to turn and flee.

Tang Sanzang sighed, put his hands together, and said, “Benefactor, there is no need to flee. Wukong will not harm you. He also did not harm these soldiers. You can see that Wukong only immobilized them without harming them in the slightest.”

Upon seeing Tang Sanzang, the female official immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty."

Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "I am not the king of your country."

The female official was puzzled and asked, "Why does Your Majesty not recognize your subjects?"

Seeing the female official's appearance, Tang Sanzang was at a loss for words.

Sun Wukong then stepped forward and explained the intricacies of the matter to the female official.

The female official, upon hearing that their current king was a monster, could not believe it. Looking at Tang Sanzang in front of her, she said, "The king is right here. How could he be a monster? That's nonsense, that's nonsense."

Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "The king of your country today is the remnant of my mortal body from years ago, which was given to a demon. Therefore, he has come in my appearance. He is a demon, not a human."

The female official still didn't understand.

Sun Wukong said, "Meritorious Buddha, there's no need to say more to him. Go and subdue that demon. Once the demon is subdued, they will naturally understand."

Tang Sanzang smiled and nodded, then spoke to the female official, instructing her to follow him. He said that once they arrived at the palace, she would know everything.

Upon hearing this, the female official had no choice but to go with him.

The group had been traveling for a long time and had not yet entered the palace when another female official came. She found it very strange to see Tang Sanzang, saying that she had just seen the king heading towards the city wall, but now she saw him here.

Tang Sanzang stepped forward to inquire, and after hearing everything, he understood.

Sun Wukong said, "That fellow knows that the Buddha of Merit is coming, so he may be trying to escape."

Pigsy was very anxious and said, "Brother, that fellow must be trying to escape. I've been keeping an eye on the country, and he has no way to escape. But now that he knows I've entered the city and that you've come, he must be looking for a way to escape."

Nezha asked, "Great Sage, shall we go and chase after that demon?"

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "There's no need to chase after them."

Pigsy said, "Brother, why don't we chase after him? Although that demon is not very capable, he is extremely fast at escaping. If it weren't for me keeping an eye on him, he would have almost gotten away."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Fool, do you know who's outside the city?"

Pigsy asked, "Who could be outside the city?"

Sun Wukong replied, "The Bodhisattva Guanyin is watching over the city. If that demon escapes, do you think it's possible for him to get away from the Bodhisattva Guanyin's grasp?"

Pigsy exclaimed in surprise, "Guanyin Bodhisattva has actually come here? If Guanyin Bodhisattva is here, that fellow will definitely not be able to escape."

Sun Wukong said, "Let's not linger here any longer, let's go and search."

The group then said no more and headed out of the city.

As they approached the city wall, they saw many women scattering and fleeing, as if they had seen something terrifying outside.

Sun Wukong and his group went forward. As they looked around, they saw a person who looked exactly like Tang Sanzang lying on the ground. A great amount of Buddhist light shone from him, pressing him to the ground so that he could not move.

Guanyin Bodhisattva was in mid-air, and it was she who used her magic to suppress that fellow.

Sun Wukong and the others stepped forward.

Sun Wukong drew his golden cudgel, pointed it at the 'Tang Sanzang' on the ground, and cursed, "You wicked beast, show yourself at once! The real master is here now, what are you still trying to hide!"

Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang stepped forward, clasped his hands together, looked at the mortal body on the ground, sighed, and said nothing more.

The mortal on the ground, upon seeing Tang Sanzang, ignored Sun Wukong and instead rose up, disregarding the Buddha's light, and pounced on Tang Sanzang.

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "The Buddha of Merit is trying to confuse the public and prevent others from recognizing who is the real one."

Pigsy put down his nine-toothed rake and said, "Just like when you, Brother Monkey, were two-faced back then."

Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "But he underestimates me."

Say it.

Tang Sanzang possessed boundless Buddhist light, but when he reached out and pushed the mortal body away, he used immense magical power to send it flying.

But when the mortal body landed on the ground, its skin fell off completely, and a yellow fox emerged from it and fled away.

Sun Wukong shouted, "Demon, where do you think you're going!"

Say it.

He struck the fox with his stick, which struck the fox in the body, causing it to fall to the ground, lifeless.

Guanyin Bodhisattva descended from the clouds and walked to Sun Wukong, saying, "Wukong, how do we kill him?"

Upon seeing Guanyin Bodhisattva, everyone bowed in reverence. Sun Wukong said, "Bodhisattva, it is not that I, Sun Wukong, have a vicious nature. This demon has usurped the throne for a long time, taking the form of the Buddha of Merit, and has brought many karmic connections with the Buddha of Merit. This is unforgivable and he should be killed."

Guanyin Bodhisattva shook her head and said, "Enough, enough, enough. Since you have said so, I cannot say anything more. But how should the affairs of this country be handled?"

Tang Sanzang stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Bodhisattva, this matter concerns me, and I should certainly take care of it. I can go and make a trip to handle the affairs of this country."

Guanyin Bodhisattva was relieved upon hearing this. After exchanging a few words with Sun Wukong and the others, she got up and left for Mount Ling to report back to the emperor.

Sun Wukong and the others bid farewell to Tang Sanzang and set off on their journey to the west to subdue demons and monsters.

Tang Sanzang watched the group leave for a long time, sighing repeatedly, before turning back to the Western Liang Kingdom to handle various matters.

This demon is now exterminated.

……

Time flies, and more than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

One day, outside the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, the Bull Demon King was teaching Niu Shouyi martial arts. He had tried to teach Niu Shouyi cultivation, but Niu Shouyi did not have the ability to cultivate the Golden Elixir, so he could only teach Niu Shouyi martial arts.

However, teaching Niu Shouyi martial arts is also quite difficult.

The Bull Demon King felt helpless. He taught Niu Shouyi a set of spear techniques, but Niu Shouyi couldn't even remember half of the moves after he had mastered them. The Bull Demon King was at a loss and didn't know where to begin teaching him.

After teaching Niu Shouyi half of the moves he needed to learn for the day, the Bull Demon King told him to rest.

Niu Shouyi was somewhat at a loss and asked, "Father, I am useless. I can't even learn half a move."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "How can you say that? Your efforts have been enough. Don't overthink it. Martial arts are inherently difficult to master; what matters is perseverance."

Upon hearing this, Niu Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief, spoke a few words with the Bull Demon King, and then went to his residence to rest.

The Bull Demon King watched Niu Shouyi's departing figure, feeling troubled.

He hesitated for a long time before entering the mansion and arriving at the Master's quiet room, intending to request an audience with the Master.

When the immortal learned that the Ox King requested an audience, he opened the door to the room and let him in.

After the Ox King entered and paid his respects, he was allowed to take a seat.

The immortal smiled and asked, "King of Oxen, what brings you here today?"

The Ox King sighed and told the True Man everything. After he finished speaking, he said, "Master, I have indeed taught Shouyi for a long time, but he has no ability to learn martial arts, let alone cultivate the Golden Core."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan calmly replied, "There's no need to rush. Everyone has their own path, which is neither in the Golden Core nor in martial arts. You can teach me other things instead."

The Ox King said, "I have explained many techniques to him, but he can't seem to learn them. I don't know what to do."

Jiang Yuan smiled slightly and said, "If the time is not right, there is no need to rush. Let's wait a little longer, and perhaps we will know where the path lies."

Just as the Ox King was about to speak, he suddenly thought of something and said, "My lord, my son seems to have recently taken a great liking to Confucian etiquette, but his liking for Confucian etiquette is quite strange."

Jiang Yuan asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The Ox King said, “Recently, I have often seen my son reading Confucian books and learning Confucian etiquette. But his learning of Confucianism is different; he is very picky. He likes ancient etiquette and is most fond of the etiquette of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but he does not learn any of the etiquette of today.”

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "What's wrong with that?"

The Bull King shook his head and said, "There's nothing wrong with it, but it feels strange, so I don't know what to do."

Jiang Yuan said, "There's no need to worry so much. He likes to study Confucianism, so teach him Confucianism. He's not good at martial arts, so don't teach him martial arts. In the end, there will be a way out."

The Ox King said, "But I fear that his study of Confucianism is merely a game, and he has no intention of pursuing this path."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Therefore, the truth is contained within it, so there is no need to say more. Let him learn it on his own. When the time is right, he will come and tell you about it."

After pondering for a long time, the Bull Demon King nodded in agreement.

Jiang Yuan was about to say something when he suddenly felt something and looked outside. He smiled and said, "Niu Wang, Zheng Ci, Zhen Jian is about to return. Go wait for him outside the mansion for a while, and then tell Zhen Jian to come and see me."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King immediately bowed and said, "My lord, I will go there now. Please wait here for a while."

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "You must speak to Zheng Ci about the matter of Shouyi. You must not be vague. If you are, things will definitely change in the future."

The Bull Demon King responded, "Master, I will certainly handle this matter well."

Say it.

The Ox King dared not linger and, as instructed, went to wait at the gate of the palace.

……

The story begins in Xiniuhezhou, in the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

Red Boy and Zhenjian walked along the mountain path, heading back to the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars.
Red Boy asked, "Uncle-Master, do we really not need to go to the main road to the west? And King Rhinoceros is dealing with those two or three demons, so we don't need to go and help him either?"

Zhenjian, fanning himself with a leaf fan, said, “There’s no need to help. On the main road to the west, both Wukong and Zhu Bajie are powerful beings, and Wukong is a martial arts master of unparalleled skill. In the Three Realms and Ten Directions, there are very few who can defeat him. On the main road to the west, the demons cannot stop him, so there’s no need for our help. King Si also possesses considerable magical power and the Vajra Bracelet, so why would he need our assistance? Just come back with me in peace. The demons on the main road to the west cannot stop us; clearing them out is only a matter of time.”

Red Boy said, "Just as my uncle said, the demons we encountered on this trip were mostly not very powerful. They were mostly skilled in martial arts and dared to act fiercely. They were somewhat troublesome, but none of them could harm us."

Zhenjian nodded and said, "That's right. So, even if it takes a lot of time for Wukong and the others to subdue all the demons, it won't be difficult."

Upon hearing this, Red Boy felt relieved, and the two headed up the mountain.

Before long, the two arrived at the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars. Just as they were about to enter the mansion, they saw the Bull Demon King standing by the gate.

Red Boy was overjoyed to see the Bull Demon King and immediately stepped forward to bow, saying, "Your son greets Father. Father, it has been a long time since we last met. Are you well?"

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "Holy Infant, I am fine. But I heard you went to clear the main road to the west for me. Are you alright?"

Red Boy bowed and said, "Father, I am unharmed. The demons on the main road to the west are not particularly powerful, just a bit troublesome. But now, our mission is on some small paths beside the main road to the west. Now that we have succeeded, we are returning."

The Bull Demon King nodded and said, "So that's how it is."

Zhenjian stepped forward and said with a smile, "King of the Ox, it's been a long time. I hope you've been well. I heard years ago that you left the palace to cultivate, and now I see that you must have achieved success in your cultivation and have returned to the palace."

The Bull Demon King shook his head and said, "I dare not claim to have achieved anything in my cultivation."

Zhenjian said, "I still don't know why the Ox King is here. Could it be that he's waiting for us?"

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King exclaimed in surprise, "How could the Wise Buddha know this?"

Zhenjian waved his leaf fan and laughed, "Back when I was in the manor, my master could tell when others were returning and taught me to greet them. But now my eldest brother also has profound magical powers, so he must know when we are returning. Therefore, I believe that the presence of the Ox King is due to my eldest brother's magic."

The Bull Demon King said, "The Buddha of Wisdom truly possesses profound wisdom and can understand the intricacies of the matter. However, sir, please invite the Buddha of Wisdom to go."

Upon hearing this, Zhenjian said, "Since my senior brother has invited me, I will go ahead. I will catch up with the Ox King later."

The Bull Demon King responded.

Zhenjian then took his leave and went into the palace.

Red Boy stepped forward and asked, "Father, why didn't Master summon me?"

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "If you wish to visit the master, you may do so later. As the master's disciple, you need not be invited; you should visit him directly."

Red Boy said, "Father is right. I wonder why Father told me to go later. Is it because Master has something to do and cannot see me today?"

The Bull Demon King said, "It's not that I have something to say, but I do have something to tell you, so please tell me later."

Upon hearing this, Red Boy bowed and said, "Please speak, Father, and I will listen from here."

The Bull Demon King pondered for a long time, unsure how to begin to explain the matter.

Red Boy looked at the Bull Demon King's strange appearance and scratched his head, saying, "Father, what is it that you cannot tell me?"

The Bull Demon King said, "But I truly don't know how to put it."

Red Boy said, "You are my father, King. What is it that you cannot say?"

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King had no choice but to speak, saying, "Holy Infant, your mother and I only have you as our son. Have you ever felt lonely and bored?"

Red Boy asked, "Why would Father ask such a question?"

The Bull Demon King shook his head and said, "Just asking."

Red Boy said, "Father, I have never had any brothers or sisters and have been focused on cultivation. How could I feel lonely and bored? Father, you don't need to say that."

The Bull Demon King remained silent for a long time, unsure how to respond.

Seeing that the Bull Demon King remained silent, Red Boy asked, "Father, is there anything wrong with what I said?"

The Bull Demon King shook his head and said, "There's nothing wrong with it, but if you really had a brother or sister, what would you do?"

Red Boy pondered for a long time and said, "If he has brothers and sisters, I will take good care of them. But the path is under his feet. If he cannot save himself, there is nothing I can do."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King finally felt relieved and told Red Boy about Niu Shouyi.

(End of this chapter)