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

Chapter 384 With the help of the immortals, the God of Longevity takes the lead.

As the ancients said, "They came from the sea."

Many immortals and sages live on the sea, each possessing extraordinary and unique abilities. Miraculous elixirs and herbs can be found here, as can rare and precious medicines. Hence the saying that remedies come from the sea.

Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud into this place. He looked around, wondering who he should ask for help.

Sun Wukong opened his fiery eyes wide and looked around. He saw a lot of immortal energy and said, "These ten trials require some magical power to take. These little immortals might mess things up for our senior brother. We need to go inside and ask for help."

He pondered who inside could go, and who he could invite.

Sun Wukong pondered for a long time before saying, "Why don't we go to Penglai and ask the Three Stars for help? With their abilities, they can definitely lend a hand to our senior brother."

With that, he rode the clouds toward the Penglai Wonderland.

It won't take long.

Sun Wukong then entered Penglai Immortal Island. As he entered, he saw some fruit trees on both sides, including many peach trees. He became interested in the peach trees and decided to go over there to pick one or two peaches to enjoy.

But after taking only two or three steps and reaching out his hand, he suddenly withdrew it, saying, "This place belongs to someone, and I have taken it without asking, which is extremely rude. Fine, fine, fine. I'll go inside and ask that old star for it."

Say it.

Sun Wukong walked forward.

In a short while, Sun Wukong encountered many celestial children who guided him to the Three Stars in the celestial realm.

Samsung looked at Sun Wukong, bowed, and said, "We were unaware of the Great Sage's arrival and failed to greet you properly. Please forgive us, Great Sage."

Sun Wukong helped the three stars up and said, "No guilt, no guilt. There's no need for you three to say such things."

The God of Longevity stepped forward and said, "Great Sage, have you come to see us today because you need our help with something important?"

Sun Wukong smiled and explained the matter of the real person and Wang Chongyang, as well as the 'Ten Trials'.

Upon hearing this, Samsung bowed again and said, "Since this is the decree of the True Man, we will certainly assist you. We are grateful for the invitation from the Great Sage. We will go with the Great Sage and help the True Man achieve his goal."

Just as Sun Wukong was about to agree, he suddenly thought of the peach tree in front of him, grabbed the God of Longevity, and said, "Old God, there are a few peach trees in front of your house. May I pick some peaches to enjoy?"

The God of Longevity was puzzled by this, so he summoned the fairy boy and asked, "Are there any peach trees on the island? Go and find out quickly and report back to me."

The celestial boy accepted the order and left. He returned shortly afterward and said, "Master, there are six peach trees in front of the island. I don't know when they were planted. Perhaps they were planted by some senior brothers in previous years. But since they grow on the celestial island, they have three parts spiritual energy and are spiritual fruits."

The God of Longevity said, "Since the Great Sage knows that these peaches exist, why don't you pick them yourself instead of asking us? It is because we also do not know that there are peach trees here."

Sun Wukong said, "But this is your place of practice, and it is impolite of you to take things without asking."

Upon hearing this, Samsung looked at each other and burst into laughter, saying, "Great Sage's cultivation has become quite remarkable, which we greatly admire. However, Great Sage may take the peach tree himself."

Sun Wukong bowed and said, "Thank you, all three of you."

Upon seeing this, the three stars instructed Sun Wukong not to go in person, but to have the celestial children pick the peaches for him.

The many celestial children obeyed the order and left. Half an hour later, the celestial children and others had picked all the peaches.

Sun Wukong was overjoyed, thanked the three stars, and accepted the peach.

After using the three stars, Sun Wukong rode the clouds and headed towards the Southern Continent.

……

Meanwhile, in Xiniu Hezhou, Zhu Bajie was riding a cloud towards Mount Ling. He traveled along the main road to the west, staring down to see if there were any evil spirits causing trouble.

Pigsy rode the clouds for a long time and saw no evil spirits causing trouble. He laughed and said, "When we came here, you took a trip and it had such a miraculous effect. No evil spirits dared to cause trouble on the westward road. You are indeed worthy of your reputation."

He no longer looked around; he was determined to ride the clouds and head towards Mount Ling.

But then he suddenly saw a dark aura coming from the north and entering the main road to the west. This meant that evil spirits had come from outside and entered the main road to the west.

Pigsy was furious and said, "What kind of demon dares to trespass on the westward journey? How dare it be so bold as to not fear your reputation, sir! I, Pigsy, will surely take up my Nine-Toothed Rake and subdue it, so that you, sir, may know my abilities and protect the westward journey."

Say it.

Pigsy swung his nine-toothed rake and chased after the black mist.

In less than half an hour, Pigsy, riding the whirlwind, caught up with the black mist and swung his rake at it head-on. With a 'thud,' his arm went numb, and he could no longer strike the black mist.
However, the black mist caused Pigsy to thrash around, and when he landed on the ground, he revealed his true form as a monstrous creature.

Ignoring the pain, Pigsy took a closer look and saw a vicious monster with a red face, black tusks, messy mane, a parrot-like nose, wearing golden armor, surrounded by black mist, and looking fierce and menacing, without a trace of its true nature.

The evil monster said angrily, "Where did you come from? How dare you block my way?"

Seeing the monster's imposing and ferocious appearance, Pigsy was momentarily intimidated. However, remembering that the monster was a True Man Protector of the Cauldron, he couldn't disrespect the True Man's authority. So, he mustered his strength again, swung his nine-toothed rake, and said, "You ignorant and wicked monster, listen carefully! Your grandpa Pig is none other than the Heavenly Canopy Water God who once commanded 100,000 Heavenly River soldiers, and now the Bodhisattva of the Pure Altar of Mount Ling, the True Man of the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, Pigsy! The True Man has decreed that demons and evil spirits are not allowed to enter the Western Journey. You dare to disobey the True Man's decree? Are you courting death?"

Seeing Pigsy's imposing appearance and hearing him mention the name "True Man," the evil monster stepped back a little and said, "I did not intend to enter the road to the west, but I was forced to. If you are not happy, I will leave now and will not dare to disturb your journey to the west."

Seeing his fear, Pigsy became even more arrogant and said, "But the True Man's decree has already stated that you have barged in like this. How can you leave? If you leave now, when the demons hear of it in the future, won't everyone come and say they had no intention of leaving? That is not acceptable."

The evil monster was somewhat annoyed and said, "Pigsy, why won't you let me leave?"

Pigsy laughed loudly, "I will teach you to write down your sins and publicly confess them before you leave."

Upon hearing this, the evil monster became extremely angry and said, "I am the Great King of the Nine Mountains of Beiju Luzhou, a man of great prestige and power. But who in Beiju Luzhou dares to insult me? You, Pigsy, dare to speak to me like this! I will not forgive you."

Enraged, the monster disregarded where it was and swung a large stick at Pigsy's head.

Pigsy was not afraid at all. He swung his nine-toothed rake to fight back, and the two of them got into a fierce battle.

Nine-toothed rake and fine iron cudgel, two weapons came to fight at the same time. Both of them showed their supernatural powers, riding on the clouds and using their skills. They fought fiercely in the air, and the air was filled with mist and clouds. Halfway up the mountain, cliffs collapsed and ridges crumbled.

The two fought for more than ten rounds, both realizing the other's skill was not weak. King Jiushan looked puzzled; he had heard of Pigsy's name before, but also that he was extremely weak. What he saw now was different. How could such skill be considered weak? It must be a rumor. Pigsy was also surprised by King Jiushan's ability. He had thought he could quickly subdue this evil monster, but unexpectedly, he couldn't defeat him in such a short time.

Both were alarmed by each other, yet they continued their fight, exchanging blows for over twenty rounds, neither gaining the upper hand.

As the Nine Mountain Kings were fighting, he suddenly remembered something and said urgently, "Pigsy, you're lucky today. I have important matters to attend to and will not fight with you. I will definitely come back to find you another day to settle today's score."

Say it.

King Jiushan then got up to leave.

Pigsy said, "How can I let you escape now? Come and settle this with me."

Pigsy wielded his nine-toothed rake, raking and digging haphazardly, trying to keep the Nine Mountain King from leaving.

King Jiushan was getting anxious and wanted to get rid of Pigsy, but the two fought to a standstill, so how could King Jiushan escape?

The two were locked in a stalemate.

Suddenly, thousands of Buddha lights appeared in the distance, accompanied by auspicious clouds.

Pigsy looked towards the Nine Mountains Great King's location. Then he saw the Eighteen Arhats approaching from afar, arriving in an instant and surrounding the Nine Mountains Great King.

Arhat Subduing Dragon stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and shouted, "King of Nine Mountains, we have chased you all the way from Beiju Luzhou to this place. Now you have trapped us. Why don't you surrender quickly!"

The Arhat Subduing Tiger assumed a fighting stance and cursed, "Demon, you shall die today!"

The remaining Arhats, all exuding a menacing aura, surrounded the Nine Mountain King.

King Jiushan looked at Pigsy and cursed, "You plague-ridden Pigsy, if it weren't for you, I would have run away long ago!"

Pigsy retorted indignantly, "But you did evil, so you deserve this suffering!"

Arhat Subduing Dragon approached Pigsy, clasped his hands together in a bow, and said, “Messenger of the Clean Altar, I trouble you to stop him! We were ordered by the Buddha to enter the Northern Continent to subdue this evil demon, but we did not expect that due to my momentary distraction and negligence, this demon escaped and fled into the Southern Continent. Fortunately, you stopped him.”

Pigsy said, "No need for thanks. My master said that there should be no demons on the westward journey. This is a decree. Therefore, I should stop this demon from entering."

The Arhat Subduing Dragon said, “In any case, we should all be grateful for your kindness. Messenger of the Clean Altar, please wait here for a while and watch us subdue this demon.”

Say it.

The Arhat Subduing Dragon approached the Nine Mountain King, and all eighteen Arhats took action, displaying their supernatural powers.

King Jiushan fought back fiercely, but how could a demon like him possibly stand up to the Eighteen Arhats? The two sides fought for less than five rounds before the Eighteen Arhats used all their supernatural powers to subdue King Jiushan.

After subduing the Nine Mountain Kings, the eighteen Arhats all went to where Pigsy was and bowed to thank him one by one.

Pigsy smiled and agreed, delighted.

After bowing in gratitude, the eighteen Arhats immediately prepared to depart.

Pigsy suddenly remembered what the immortal had told him, asking for help. So he called out to the eighteen Arhats.

Arhat Subduing Dragon stepped forward and asked, "Does the Clean Altar Messenger have any other important matters to attend to?"

Pigsy laughed and said, "Brothers, do you have any other important matters to attend to?"

The eighteen Arhats looked at each other and said, "It's nothing urgent. If the Clean Altar Messenger needs our help, he can just say so. There's no need for this."

Pigsy said, "Brothers, please listen to me in detail."

He then told the story to the eighteen Arhats.

Upon hearing this, the eighteen Arhats realized it was the True Man's decree and immediately agreed to go with Pigsy to assist the True Man.

Pigsy said, "Do you really not need to consult the World-Honored One?"

The eighteen Arhats shook their heads and said, "Purifying Altar Messenger, rest assured, we may proceed."

Pigsy said, "In that case, please follow me."

Say it.

Pigsy rode a cloud back to Jambudvipa in the south.

The eighteen Arhats followed closely behind.

……

The story takes place within the territory of Jingzhou.

The immortal and Guanyin Bodhisattva rode on clouds to this place and met up with the Bull Demon King.

When the Bull Demon King saw that the real person had invited Guanyin Bodhisattva, he immediately paid his respects.

The immortal stopped his cloud-borne journey and asked, "Bull King, have Wukong and Zhu Bajie returned?"

The Bull Demon King shook his head and said, "Master, my brother and Pigsy have not yet returned."

The immortal looked at Guanyin Bodhisattva behind him and said, "Bodhisattva, our assistance is not yet complete. Please forgive us."

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled slightly and said, "We shall wait. True Man, is the person in the temple below your disciple?"

The immortal looked down and saw that it was already late at night. Wang Chongyang had come to a local temple to rest and was eating dry rations.

The Master said, "It is indeed my disciple Zhengwei. What do you think of this, Bodhisattva?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled and nodded, saying, "I do not know his character, but he has spiritual energy within him, so he must be an extraordinary person."

The master said, "Please observe carefully, Bodhisattva. My disciple is of excellent character."

Guanyin Bodhisattva replied, "If that's the case, then I'll wait and see. However, these ten tests are extremely difficult. Do you think this disciple can pass them?"

The master pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile and said, "I don't know if he can pass, but he is my disciple. Regardless of whether he can pass these ten trials, I should have faith in him. Therefore, I say that this disciple can pass."

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled and nodded, asking no further questions.

Just as the two were about to say something more, they suddenly saw Sun Wukong coming from afar.

Sun Wukong was followed by the Three Star Gods of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity.

As Sun Wukong approached, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother; greetings, Bodhisattva."

Upon seeing the two, Samsung hurriedly bowed and said, "True Man, Guanyin Bodhisattva, we pay our respects."

The immortal stepped forward to greet them, helped Sun Wukong up, and then helped the three stars up one by one, saying, "The three of you have come to help me. It is I who should pay my respects to you, not me."

Samsung said, "It is our honor to be able to assist you, Master."

Samsung spoke with each of the real people for a long time.

Before long, Pigsy arrived with the Eighteen Arhats, and the Immortal stepped forward to greet them, expressing his gratitude for their help.

The group gathered together to discuss the 'Ten Trials'. Each of the ten trials was different. Although they were all people with magical powers, they still needed to discuss how to take the trials. Furthermore, they needed to know Wang Chongyang's past in order to carry out their plans.

The God of Longevity stepped forward, bowed with his hands clasped, and said, "Master, this first test is an 'illusion,' which I can undertake. I wonder what the Master thinks?"

The immortal asked, "What should be done for the God of Longevity?"

The God of Longevity then said, “True Man, this is a test. I will test whether he can see through the illusion of life and death. I will manifest as his deceased family member to see if he can see through it. If he can see through it, then he has passed; if he cannot see through it, then he has failed.”

Upon hearing this, the immortal pondered for a moment and then replied, "Very well. In that case, this test will be entrusted to the God of Longevity, and I hope that the God of Longevity will not hesitate to lend a hand."

The birthday celebrant then agreed.

(End of this chapter)