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

Chapter 380 Chang'an in Bygone Days, Meeting Zheng Yuan

The story goes that the True Man and his companions crossed the Western Continent and traveled the main road westward, subduing countless demons and monsters. However, as they traveled further, the demons and monsters trembled at the mere mention of the True Man's name, and were utterly terrified. As a result, the group traveled swiftly through the latter half of the journey without any obstacles.

The immortals and their entourage returned to their old haunts and traveled to the outskirts of Chang'an.

The crowd was shocked by the sight of Chang'an. The once magnificent carriages and embroidered palanquins were gone, and half of the grand mansions and vermilion gates were gone. Looking inside, they saw only desolation in the markets and the corpses of the starving. The Wei River flowed on, but no more cargo ships traveled there. The Zhongnan Mountains were desolate, and only wild foxes could be heard weeping at night. The former grandeur of "all nations paying homage to the emperor" had vanished with the eastward flow of the Wei River.

All the real people had some feelings about it.

Pigsy stepped forward, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Master, Monkey King, Bull King, am I mistaken? This place has turned out like this?"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Is it because the Wood Mother has bewitched your mind, causing you to be confused and unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood? If that's the case, I have a way to help you clear your mind a bit."

Pigsy was startled and said, "Brother, don't talk nonsense, don't talk nonsense. Your method is just for beating me, how can you call it a method?"

Sun Wukong said, "But your waking up is a solution."

Pigsy hurriedly looked at Jiang Yuan and said, "Master, I don't need this method."

Jiang Yuan watched the two bickering with a smile, lightly waved her whisk, and said, "Wukong, Bajie, don't be silly."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong stopped and ceased frightening Zhu Bajie.

Jiang Yuan said, "This Chang'an city is even more desolate than when the Ziwei Emperor was alive. No wonder Bajie asked this question."

Pigsy replied, “What you say makes sense, Master! What you say makes sense! When we returned from our journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, the Tang Emperor hosted a banquet in our honor. How glorious the Tang Dynasty was then! The Tang Emperor was extraordinary and valiant, unlike any ordinary man. Chang'an was a place of unending prosperity. When his decrees were issued, no one in the world dared to disobey. Not to mention in the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Emperor’s decrees were also extremely effective when they reached Xiniu Hezhou. When Master led us on our journey to the West, the travel document given to us by the Tang Emperor saved us so much trouble.”

"However, the former glory has vanished, and it has fallen into such a desolate state. How can this not cause me, Old Pig, such confusion?"

Pigsy was deeply moved.

The Bull Demon King, carrying the Black Dragon Spear, stood guard beside him and said, "Pigsy's words do have some merit. But without cultivation, this is all there is. Emperor Taizong of Tang was once a valiant and extraordinary man, but now he is nothing but a handful of dust."

Sun Wukong said, "Indeed, the human world is a sea of ​​suffering, otherwise this place should not be like this."

Pigsy shouted, "Brother, there's no need to say that."

Sun Wukong asked, "Why do you say that?"

Pigsy said, “We have no power to save all living beings or the human world. It’s better to say nothing than to speak. So I told Brother Monkey not to say anything more.”

Sun Wukong said, "You idiot, you need to be taught a lesson."

Pigsy, after being shouted at, dared not say another word.

Jiang Yuan smiled and shook her head, saying, "You two shouldn't argue."

Say it.

The immortal ignored their argument, dismounted from the white deer, and walked forward.

The Bull Demon King followed closely behind and asked, "Where does the master intend to go?"

The master pointed ahead and said, "Go ahead and find someone to ask who is in charge of Chang'an City now."

The Bull Demon King responded and followed closely behind, going together with him.

The two walked a little further and saw an old man stumbling and staggering, trying to make his way into Chang'an City.

The man walked forward, helped the old man up, and said, "Sir, why do you seem unsteady?"

The old man trembled and could not speak.

The true man has the discerning eye; looking at him closely, he can immediately see that the old man has not eaten for a long time, hence his weakness.

He then sent the Bull King to the city to buy some grain.

The Bull King accepted the order and entered the city.

A short while later, the Ox King returned, bringing some dry food and tea.

Jiang Yuan accepted the tea and dry rations and fed them to him.

The old man swallowed some dry food before he stopped trembling, stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for saving me. Without you, I would not have been able to get home. I am extremely grateful."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and smiled, "No need for thanks, but seeing that you were unwell, it was only right that I help you. But I have come here to ask you something, and I wonder if you could enlighten me?"

The old man said, “My benefactor saved my life and gave me such precious food. How could I not repay him? Please tell me, my benefactor, and I will tell you.”

Jiang Yuan smiled and asked, "May I ask, sir, who is in charge of this Chang'an City now? I am an outsider cultivator, so I do not know the details. Please tell me, sir."

Upon hearing this, the old man pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "My benefactor, but I truly do not know who is in charge of Chang'an City now."

The Bull Demon King was somewhat indignant and said, "You scoundrel, you are quite rude. Today you are stumbling and starving, unable to walk home. My master saw this and gave you food. You live in Chang'an City, how could you not know who is in charge here? I can see that you are clearly unwilling to talk to us, so you said this as an excuse, but you are ungrateful."

The old man hurriedly said, "No, no. Nowadays, food is more precious than people. My benefactor is willing to give me food, which is an immense kindness. If I eat my benefactor's food, even if my benefactor tells me to die, I will obey. I will never forget this kindness."

The Bull Demon King said, "If that's the case, why don't you tell your master?"

The old man said, “My benefactor, please understand! Although I live in Chang’an, I am a lowly man. The rulers of Chang’an change frequently. At that time, Zhu Wen invaded and said that we were no longer the capital. He burned most of Chang’an. After a while, another king named Li came and said that Chang’an was under his control. Later, people came and occupied Chang’an intermittently. Recently, a king named Shi occupied it. I don’t know if there has been any change. That’s why I am speaking out. I don’t know who is in charge of Chang’an now. I hope my benefactor will forgive me.”

Jiang Yuan said, "Since that's the case, I won't say anything more. Let me go into the city and take a look."

The Bull Demon King said, "Master, sir, I went into the city to buy grain, but I found it to be quite expensive. Sir, is it because you have no money to buy grain that you are so hungry?"

The old man shook his head and said, "Although my family is poor, we still have some gold and silver passed down from our ancestors, which can buy some grain."

The Bull Demon King asked, "If you had money to buy grain, how could you have almost fainted?"

The old man said, “My benefactor, you do not know this. I have some gold and silver at home, but I have two sons, an old wife, and seven grandsons. There are many people in my family. Even if I have gold and silver, it is not enough to feed the whole family. Therefore, I have to share the food with my children and grandchildren. My wife and I have discussed it and decided that we will only eat tea and rice once a day and try to fill our stomachs with tree roots and bark. This is how we can support our children and grandchildren. That is why I am so weak and unable to walk.”

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King said, "I never expected you to be such a sentimental person."

Jiang Yuan nodded, also showing her approval.

The old man shook his head and said, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. It was only because of poverty that I did it, and I don't deserve what my benefactor says." Jiang Yuan looked at the few grains left in his hand, took them out, and handed them to the old man, saying, "There are still some grains here. I have no use for them. Please take them home and enjoy them."

The old man hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I am already deeply grateful for your life-saving grace. How could I dare to accept your food? Please ask your benefactor to take it back."

Jiang Yuan smiled without saying a word, placed the grain in front of her, and turned to leave.

The Bull Demon King followed closely behind.

The white deer possesses a spirit and follows the real person.

Seeing the real person leave, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie dared not delay and hurriedly followed.

The old man looked at the grain in his hand, tears of gratitude streaming down his face. He bowed deeply in the direction the immortal had left, expressing his deepest gratitude. As he watched the immortal and his entourage depart, he suddenly had a thought: he wanted to go with the immortal and his companions to fulfill their kindness and repay their debt of gratitude. However, he also thought of his family. If he left, he feared that his family would be left without a pillar of support, and his children and grandchildren would be heartbroken at the thought of not seeing him. Therefore, he could not leave.

On one side is gratitude and righteousness, on the other is kinship.

How should he make a choice?
The old man pondered for a long time but could not make a decision. Suddenly, he looked up and realized that the master and his entourage had been gone for a long time. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. Now there was no need to make a decision, because the master had already left.

He took the grain, stood up unsteadily, and headed home.

……

Inside Chang'an City, the True Man and his entourage entered and found the city desolate and in ruins, bearing no resemblance to its former glory.

Sun Wukong pointed ahead and said, "Eldest brother, you fool, elder brother. I remember there used to be thousands of palaces ahead, but now they are all gone. I guess they were burned to the ground by that great fire."

Pigsy said, “These kings have occupied Chang’an and made it their capital. Isn’t that wonderful? How could they let such a prosperous and bustling city of Chang’an burn down? If you really don’t want it, you can give Chang’an to me. I will definitely take it over, manage it well, and enjoy it endlessly.”

The Bull Demon King shook his head and said, "But in that chaotic time, if the enemy soldiers enter the city and the general does not use methods to let the enemy soldiers plunder in order to boost morale, there is a risk of defeat. Furthermore, if we lead troops into battle, the victor will also eat the loser, which is the same principle."

The three men talked like this, looking at the real man in silence, gazing into the distance, all asking for the reason.

The master said, "But I feel a bit sad. Chang'an City today does not have the grandeur of a royal capital. I fear that even if a great hero were to unify the Southern Continent in the future, this place would not be a royal capital, but rather an ancient capital for a military garrison."

Pigsy asked, "Master, if this place is not the capital, then where will it be in the future?"

The immortal smiled and pointed north and south, saying, "The aura of royalty is in the south and the north. It may be in Jizhou or Yangzhou; these two places have a great deal of royal aura."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy was somewhat skeptical and said, "Master, but I know quite a bit about the history of the Southern Continent. Most of the capital cities were located in the east and west. The east capital is Luoyang, and the west capital is Chang'an. How could there be a capital city that leads to the north or south?"

The master shook his head and said, "It doesn't exist now, but we can't say it didn't exist when we came here."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Fool, don't talk nonsense. Since my elder brother is speaking, he must have something to hide, hence his words."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy said nothing more.

The master said, "There's no need for further words. Let's rest in the city for a while, and then we'll leave. It's still early morning, and we should be in Jingzhou. Let's head there."

Sun Wukong said, "Elder brother, shall we go on foot, or shall we ride the clouds?"

The master said, "After leaving Chang'an, I will ride the clouds to Jingzhou."

Sun Wukong responded.

As the group walked through Chang'an, they saw the city's current state and lost all interest in continuing, so they hurriedly left.

After leaving Chang'an, the group rode on clouds and headed towards Jingzhou.

……

An hour or two later, the True Man and his entourage leisurely arrived at Jingzhou.

The real man did not rush to see Zhengwei immediately, but followed Sun Wukong to the outside of Zuo Liang's residence.

Sun Wukong received the Immortal's decree and went outside the mansion, intending to have Zuo Liang come out to welcome the Immortal.

When Sun Wukong reached the outside of the mansion, he ordered two or three of his followers to stop him.

Two or three attendants asked, "Who is it? State your name."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Don't ask who I am. Go to your mansion and tell your Heavenly Master that the head of the household has come to visit. When your Heavenly Master hears this, he will surely come to pay his respects."

The two or three attendants were somewhat skeptical. Who was their Celestial Master? Why would he come out to visit someone else? But seeing Sun Wukong's earnest promise and remembering how the Celestial Master had always taught them to be polite, they dared not say much. They sent one of their attendants inside to report to the Celestial Master.

The other followers looked at Sun Wukong and said, "Don't try to fool us. If we find out you're lying, we'll make you pay."

Sun Wukong remained silent, chuckling to himself, ignoring him.

These attendants could only wait for news, watching closely to prevent Sun Wukong from suddenly barging into the mansion.

Meanwhile, in the central hall of the mansion, Zuo Liang was reading, enjoying the books he had collected from the human world.

Suddenly, a servant came and disturbed Zuo Liang's reading.

Zuo Liang turned his head and asked, "What's the matter that you're so panicked? Is there some trouble outside the mansion again?"

The attendant shook his head and said, "Sir, no one is causing trouble, but there is a man outside the mansion who is talking nonsense and saying that you should come out of the mansion to pay him a visit."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang found it amusing and said, "What is that person's name? Has he told me? It's rather impolite of me to come out of my residence to pay him a visit."

The attendant said, “Sir, the man did not speak, but he said that the head of the household had come to visit. If you heard this, you would surely come out of the mansion to pay your respects. If what this man said is false, you need not worry about it. I will have someone drive him away so as not to disturb the peace.”

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang immediately stood up and said, "Is that really what that person said? Is it the head of my household who has come to visit?"

The attendant said, "That is indeed what they say, but we do not know whether it is true or not."

Zuo Liang said, “My home is a supreme immortal abode, and the head of the household is my master. No one dares to offend such a person. Since there is talk of this, it must be my master’s arrival. Go and give the order to the mansion, and then come with me to the outside of the mansion to welcome my master.”

Upon hearing this, the attendants were greatly surprised, never expecting that it was the Celestial Master who had arrived. Not daring to disobey his wishes, they hurriedly went out to report to various places, asking them to come out of the mansion and greet the visitors from outside the mansion together with Zuo Liang.

Zuo Liang also ordered his attendants to fetch his robes and tidy them up before daring to leave the mansion.

(End of this chapter)