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

Chapter 38: The Return of the Desire Horse
Time really flies, and before I knew it, ten years had passed, and Jiang Tong'er finally reached the critical moment of taming his wild horse.

Three years ago, he had a feeling in his heart that his mind would soon be perfected, so he practiced in silence for three years, and now he is determined to bring his mind back to its place.

Jiang Yuan calmed his mind and saw a pavilion hidden in the kidney water. A Teng Snake was lurking in the pavilion, waiting for his arrival.

When he entered the pavilion, the black and white fish and the golden man guarded him.

When the viciousness of the Teng Snake is gone and the eyes see the clearness and brightness, when it truly returns to the right path, it will rein in its will.

"Now the Yuanshen resides high in the Mud Palace, with the Heart Monkey on the left and the Golden Lord on the right. We should return to the right path, protect the Yuanshen, and protect the Yuanshen from being bullied, so that the two gods will not hide anything. Yi Ma! If you don't return now, when will you return?"

Jiang Yuan's Ni Palace was shaken greatly, and his Yuanshen came to help, trying to teach his mind how to use it.

The Teng Snake in the pavilion bowed down before Jiang Yuan, willing to be a helper and help his soul to achieve the golden elixir as soon as possible.

The black and white fish stepped forward and formed the Tai Chi shape with Jin Gong. The Teng Snake entered the Tai Chi and crawled in front of Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan collected the Teng Snake for use, and suddenly he felt the Mud Palace become lighter. In his mind, he vaguely saw his soul riding on the Teng Snake, and he indeed felt a sense of relief.

In a quiet room.

Jiang Yuan was sitting cross-legged on a cushion. He suddenly opened his eyes and felt that he was much lighter than before. He went out of the Sanxing Immortal Cave and came to the mossy stone. He jumped up and leaped a hundred feet. He used the Teng Snake and a snake shape was visible under his feet. He walked away on the clouds.

There is a saying that goes 'The two gods can no longer block their way, the Teng Snake returns to the right path and turns into clouds'.

The will has returned to its place, and his spirit will advance by leaps and bounds without slowing down. Mu Mu and Huang Po are easy to find, and the five of them can be invited soon.

"My teaching will be accomplished!"

Jiang Tong'er was in a good mood, walking on the clouds and wandering freely between heaven and earth.

At meal time, he returned to the Slanting Moon and Three Stars Cave, and got the Teng Snake Clouds. He was not fast in flying, and was a real cloud-soaring person, traveling to the North Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening. He was slower than them.

However, when Jiang Tong'er first saw flying, he was very excited.

He returned to Sanxing Immortal Cave and saw the master standing in front of the cave gate waiting for him.

Jiang Yuan walked forward and knelt on the ground: "Master, why did you bother waiting? It's my fault."

The master helped the boy up and said with a smile, "Have you returned to the right path?"

Jiang Yuan mentioned this, nodded and smiled, "Let's get back to the right path!"

The master laughed loudly: "This boy is amazing!"

Three out of five people will obtain it, and when the remaining two are converted, the Taoist secrets will be known to the child. By then, the child will definitely acquire great magical powers.

It is absolutely difficult for people from the Southern Continent to succeed in practicing the Golden Elixir. Since their energy has been lost, no one can succeed. But the boy under his tutelage is about to succeed. It is so great that he has overcome all difficulties and achieved success.

Jiang Yuan said: "Thank God, Master is wise!"

The master shook his head and said, "Without your hard work, how can you achieve enlightenment? If I teach my disciples the right way, how many of them would be willing to be like you, practicing hard for hundreds of years just to get a glimpse of the wonders of immortality."

Jiang Yuan said: "If you don't know the secret of immortality, how can you escape from the cycle of birth, old age, sickness and death? In the end, all your hard work is in vain. Master, have you heard of 'a dream of yellow millet'?"

The master said, "How do you say that?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I have heard of a man who lamented his poverty and slept on a pillow in a mansion. At that time, the host was going to steam millet. The man fell asleep with the pillow and dreamed of a lifetime of wealth and honor, and becoming a king, a prince, a general, and a minister. When he woke up in his old age, he found that the millet was not yet cooked, and it was nothing. Cultivation also teaches this principle. If you don't correct the way, you will end up having a big dream. If you cultivate the right way, why don't your dreams come true?"

The master praised: "Good!"

Say it.

The master took Jiang Yuan back to the fairy cave. On the way, under an old cypress tree, two or three new disciples were giving a lecture. When the disciples saw the master, they hurriedly dressed themselves up and bowed to him.

The master nodded and took Jiang Tong'er to the Yaotai.

When Jiang Yuanyin heard that two or three disciples had left him, he sighed that it was because of the good fortune he had cultivated in his previous life that he was favored by the master.

He smiled and said nothing when he heard the voice, not wanting to argue.

When they arrived at the Yaotai, the master ascended the altar and sat high, and Jiang Yuan sat in the middle.

The master looked around with a smile and said, "Boy, now you have to teach the Heart Monkey, the Golden Lord, and the Will Horse to return to their positions. You have got three of the five. You only need to invite the Wood Mother and the Yellow Lady to come together before you can cultivate the Golden Elixir."

Jiang Yuan knelt down and said, "Master, teach me!"

Before the Golden Elixir was completed, no matter how he practiced, he could only gain minor magical powers. Even if he invited the five people to return, he would not make much progress. He needed to complete the Golden Elixir before he could gain great magical powers.

The master nodded and said, "Tong'er, Yu Mu's mother, Huang Po, who do you want to invite?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I will rely on Master's teachings."

The master appointed Jiang Yuan. Knowing that the boy was a difficult person, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Wood Mother and Yellow Lady. Of the two, Wood Mother is harder to invite. She has to do the work of carrying the load and burning the fire. She has to do all the dirty and tiring work. Yellow Lady is easier to invite. She has to do the work of reconciliation. If you ask five people to stir up trouble, it's not that Yellow Lady is difficult to reconcile."

Say it.

The master pondered in silence, as if he was thinking about something.

Jiang Tong'er said nothing.

After a long while, the ancestor said, "Please ask Mu Mu."

Jiang Yuan stood up and nodded in agreement. He thought that what the master said must be reasonable.

The master smiled and said, "Don't be in a hurry. Inviting the Wood Mother is very different from inviting the Monkey King, the Golden Father, and the Will Horse. You should listen to me first, and then you will understand the truth."

Jiang Yuan bowed again: "Grandmaster, please teach me! I will listen carefully to what you say."

The master nodded, lowered his eyebrows and looked at the boy, and said with a smile: "Tong'er, tell me, how did you invite those three people?"

Jiang Yuan replied: "Master, I can calm my monkey mind by taming it, burn my golden mana by burning it, and beat my willpower by beating it."

The ancestor said: "What the three of you have requested is different, and Mu Mu will rely on your words."

Jiang Yuan was shocked when he heard this, and he took note of it carefully before asking, "Master, Master once said that the five people needed my invitation, so he didn't tell me about it. Why are you telling me about it now?"

The master smiled and said, "My boy, it's because the Wood Mother is different. It's easy for you to find her, but difficult to ask her. You are different from the other four. It's okay to talk about it."

Jiang Yuan asked again: "Master, what does Mu Mu say?"

The master shook his head and said nothing.

This cannot be explained; children need to be taught to understand it themselves.

Jiang Yuan suddenly realized and bowed, saying, "Disciple understands. Thank you, Master."

The master waved his hand and said, "Go away, boy. Practice well. I will teach you five people as soon as possible and pass on the secrets of Taoism. When you understand one secret, you will understand all the secrets and you can learn all kinds of skills."

Jiang Yuan bowed and went to the quiet room. After returning to the quiet room to rest, he invited Mu Mu again.

……

Jiang Yuan meditated in the room for a long time, going through the hot summer and the frosty autumn.

Jiang Yuan taught Yi Ma Anding to go looking for Mu Mu.

The ancestor said, please ask Mu Mukao to tell you, if the other party wants to see you, how to explain it.

Jiang Yuan sat cross-legged on the cushion, calming his mind and preparing to practice.

Suddenly, the voice of the master was heard.

"Tong'er, come to the class."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he did not dare to disobey. He got up from his cushion and went to the Yaotai.

Before long, the boy reached Yaotai, where he saw the master sitting on the altar. Among them was a Bodhisattva, who was the Bodhisattva of the South Sea.

Jiang Yuan was shocked and wondered why this Bodhisattva was here.

He stepped forward and paid his respects to the ancestor, and then paid his respects to the Bodhisattva.

Jiang Yuan said, "Master, is there anything I can do for you?"

The master nodded and said, "The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara of the South Sea has brought a letter to me, saying that the Western Saint Tathagata has invited me to attend a Dharma Assembly. I will go. Boy, you should stay at home to watch over the house and make sure it is not robbed. If there are any practitioners coming, just ignore them or wait for them to practice in the mountains. If you can wait, then wait. If not, then forget it."

Jiang Yuan heard this and responded...

(End of this chapter)