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

Chapter 385 Father and Son Meet, Was It Because He Had Dropped Out of School?
As the saying goes, "One must knock on the gate of mystery a thousand times, cultivate the fire for a hundred years, tame the restless mind from the sea of ​​consciousness, and then one can see the Buddha's heart."

The next day at dawn, Wang Chongyang rested for the night in the local temple before setting off again to travel to other places and find temples or great scholars to learn from.

He walked out of the temple, hung his bundle on the horse outside, mounted the horse, and rode off.

As he rode, he opened a map and looked around.

Wang Chongyang muttered to himself, "Now I have been to all places, and I should go to more distant places, but I have heard that there is war and man-made disaster in those more distant places. If I go there, I am afraid I should be careful."

He knew that if he went to a war-torn area in his current state, he would surely be harmed.

Putting aside the burden he was carrying, the horse he rode alone was enough to tempt people to harm him. Warhorses are scarce in the south, and his horse was a true northern steed, which was extremely expensive and could easily arouse greed in people.

But he cannot acquire knowledge unless he goes to more distant places.

After some thought, Wang Chongyang made a decision: he was determined to take this journey to a more distant place. If he were to avoid learning everything because he was afraid of danger, he would have been better off never having come out at all.

Once Wang Chongyang made up his mind, he headed forward and walked straight along the path.

But after traveling for a short while, he suddenly heard cries for help ahead. Hearing this, he became somewhat wary and took out the Heavenly Ruler from his bundle, thinking that it was some kind of demon or monster causing trouble.

Along his journey, he had encountered many demons and monsters, but whenever he took out the Heavenly Ruler, they would inevitably retreat. He knew that the Heavenly Ruler in his hand was a celestial treasure, so when he took it out, it could scare away demons and monsters.

If he takes out the Heavenly Ruler and does not retreat, then he is certainly not a demon or monster.

Wang Chongyang took out the Heavenly Canopy Ruler, but the cries for help continued unabated, which made him realize that they were not demons or monsters.

He looked ahead and saw a donkey by the old forest road. Beside the donkey was an old man who seemed to have fallen down and was unable to get up, so he was calling for help.

Without hesitation, Wang Chongyang spurred his horse forward. As he approached, he dismounted, helped the old man up, and asked, "Sir, what's wrong? Are you unwell?"

After he helped the old man up, he took a closer look and was stunned. He felt that the old man looked very familiar.

The old man rose shakily and said, “Thank you for saving me, thank you for saving me! I was on my way to the city to make a living, but I accidentally fell off my donkey while passing through this place. I am too weak to get up, so I called out here. Fortunately, my benefactor came. Otherwise, if it had been any later, tigers and wolves might have come, and I might have been stuck here.”

Wang Chongyang did not answer, but stared at the old man for a long time before speaking, saying only, "Old sir, do I recognize you? Why does your face seem so familiar?"

Upon hearing this, the old man looked up and examined him closely. He said, "I don't recognize you, but you look somewhat like my child who was separated from me many years ago. However, you are much older than him. No, that's not right. If my child had grown up to be this age, he would be about your size."

Wang Chongyang was in a daze for a moment, and the scene deep in his memory emerged. He always felt that this old man was very similar to his father who had passed away years ago.

However, his father had passed away when he was ten years old. Now, so many years later, he encountered someone who resembled his father, which left him feeling confused and disoriented.

Wang Chongyang said, "Old sir, may I ask your surname?"

The old man shook his head and said, "No need for formalities, my surname is Wang."

Wang Chongyang was somewhat surprised.

The old man seemed to recognize many things as well. Looking at Wang Chongyang, he said, "My benefactor, but I don't know your name. You really do look like my lost child."

Wang Chongyang pondered for a long time before saying, "My surname is Wang, and I am of the same clan as you. My name is Chongyang."

Upon hearing this, the old man was shocked, but overjoyed. He rushed to Wang Chongyang, grabbed him, and said, "You must be my child! You must be my child! But you look just like my child, and you even share the same name. You must be my lost child."

Wang Chongyang was startled, but somewhat disbelieving, and said, "My father died when I was ten years old. How can I be your lost child? Please tell me your name, sir."

The old man said, “My surname is Wang and my given name is Yu. But my child and I were separated when he was ten years old. Look at me carefully, but I feel that you are my lost son.”

Upon hearing this name, Wang Chongyang trembled, for it was indeed his father's name.

The old man said, "My child, you must be my long-lost son!"

Wang Chongyang helped the old man up and said, "To tell you the truth, my father died when I was ten years old. My father's name was Wang Yu, and he looked similar to you. However, my father has long since passed away. How can you and I be father and son?"

Upon hearing this, the old man said, "When I was ten years old, I did indeed fall into a coma due to illness. I don't know how, but when I woke up, I was in a grave. Fortunately, someone rescued me, and that's how I was able to wake up. After I woke up, I returned to the village, but everything had changed. No one was there anymore. I heard that my wife died in the war, and my child was nowhere to be found. So I often traveled outside, partly to make a living, and partly to search for my lost child. Over the years, I have never changed. I have been searching with all my heart. Chongyang, you must be my child!"

Upon hearing this, how could Wang Chongyang not believe it? He immediately knelt down, kowtowed to him, and said, "Father!"

Overjoyed, the head of the Wang family wept as he helped Wang Chongyang up, saying, "Chongyang, my son, I have finally found you!"

Wang Chongyang was unaware of the reason, but he felt that something was wrong. However, he dared not say anything. Instead, he hugged his parents and bowed repeatedly to express his affection for them.

……

Amidst the clouds and mist, the True Man led a group of immortals and gods to observe the scene below.

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "Eldest brother, this God of Longevity is really good at disguising himself, and he is really hateful. How can one not believe him when he is so disguising himself? If Chongyang believes him, he will surely be doomed."

Pigsy said, “Master, Monkey is right. This old man is so good at disguising himself that even I, Pigsy, would not be able to tell the difference.”

The Bull Demon King, standing to the side, laughed and said, "I've heard that when you were born, you bit your mother to death. If the God of Longevity is impersonating you, wouldn't you succeed and bite him to death in one bite?"

Upon hearing this, many immortals and gods burst into laughter. Pigsy was somewhat indignant, but he couldn't say anything, so he had to keep quiet.

Jiang Yuan shook his head and smiled, "It's a good thing that the birthday celebrant can pass for the real thing. If he could be seen through so easily, it wouldn't be a test. Only by passing for the real thing can his heart be truly tested."

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled slightly and asked, "If your disciple were to truly fall into this predicament, what would you do?"

Jiang Yuan said, "If one is truly trapped in this situation, it is enough to show that one's cultivation is insufficient. One should continue to cultivate in order to await the opportunity to return to one's rightful place in the next life."

Guanyin Bodhisattva bowed to the True Man once, and said nothing more.

Sun Wukong said, “Elder brother, don’t say any more. It seems that the God of Longevity wants to take Zhengwei to settle in the city and use the suffering of the human world to wear down his heart for cultivation. This move is very ingenious. Zhengwei is already struggling in the sea of ​​suffering. If he uses this to deal with him, it will be twice as effective with half the effort.”

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Wukong, don't worry."

The man remained calm and composed, seemingly confident in Wang Chongyang.

Seeing this, Sun Wukong said no more and stared down at the ground. ...

Meanwhile, Wang Chongyang reunited with the head of the Wang family, rekindling their father-son bond. Both were overjoyed and wept, talking for a long time about the past.

When the sun is high in the sky.

The head of the Wang family then grabbed Wang Chongyang and said that he should teach Wang Chongyang to settle down at home and not go out again. He said that in this time of war and chaos, going out would easily lead to harm. As his father, he should protect Wang Chongyang.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang struggled for a moment, unsure of what to do.

The head of the Wang family grabbed Wang Chongyang and tried to leave, saying, "Child, don't be silly. Come with me quickly. This place is in chaos. We should find a place to settle down. I failed to protect you in the past, and I must protect you now. Otherwise, if anything happens to you, how can I face your mother after I die?"

Wang Chongyang said, “Father, I have been traveling around and visiting various places to learn, and I am still unable to settle down. I hope you will understand.”

The parent was taken aback, and then said, “Chongyang, my son, if it were before, I would definitely have taught you to study. But now there are bandits everywhere, how can you run around? You should stay put to save your life. If you can’t save your life, how can you talk about learning? You should stay with me for now, and when there is no more war, it will not be too late for you to learn.”

Wang Chongyang said, “As the ancients said, ‘One should strike while the iron is hot, but one’s energy will wane and be exhausted.’ Therefore, I must not stop learning. If I stop, I will never have another chance. I must do my best to learn everything. Father, I must not be complacent.”

The parent said, "You child, have you grown up and stopped listening to me? How can you be so unreasonable?"

Wang Chongyang said, "It is not that I do not listen to my father, but this is my way."

The parent remained silent, then looked at Wang Chongyang and said, "Now that we, father and son, have finally reunited, we should settle down together and cultivate our father-son relationship. How can you leave? If you leave, what will your father do?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang felt heavy-hearted and immediately knelt down, saying, "Father, I was speaking nonsense. I wish to leave with you and live together in peace."

The parent said, "You and I, father and son, should live together in peace."

As they spoke, the parents began packing up the luggage.

Wang Chongyang remained silent for a long time without saying a word. After a while, he sighed and stepped forward to help the parents pack their things.

A short while later, the two set off on their journey, heading towards the destination.

Upon seeing this, the immortal among the clouds immediately asked the eighteen Arhats to assist the God of Longevity, lest he be exposed after entering the city.

The eighteen Arhats accepted the order and left.

Looking down, Pigsy shouted, "Master, Monkey King, this is truly unfair! By using the father's command as leverage, how can Zhengwei possibly break this situation? Not to mention Zhengwei, even if I, Pigsy, were to go, I would still find it difficult to break this situation. From the moment he acknowledged his father, he was doomed to fail."

Jiang Yuan shook her head and smiled, saying, "Bajie, don't be impatient, just wait."

Pigsy said, “There is nowhere to wait in this situation. My father’s command is still in effect. If Zhengwei’s state of mind changes, it will be difficult for him to cultivate.”

Sun Wukong said, "You fool, since your elder brother has said so, just wait patiently. We are still in the early stages and have not yet failed, so don't be impatient."

Pigsy exclaimed, “Brother, you don’t worry about this because you have no father. You were born of heaven and earth, without any worldly ties. You are blessed with unique advantages, but you don’t know the harm in it. In fact, there is a great crisis here, and you must be careful.”

Sun Wukong grabbed Zhu Bajie's fan-shaped ear and said, "Fool, what are you saying?"

Pigsy could only beg for mercy.

The True Man and Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at the two arguing, smiled at each other, and both felt somewhat helpless.

……

Two or three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

After walking for a long time, Wang Chongyang and the head of the Wang family finally arrived at a secluded thatched hut on the outskirts of the city.

Wang Chongyang asked, "Does Father usually live here?"

The head of the Wang family nodded and said, "We live here, but during the day you can go south. There's a city there where you can find some work and buy things at the market."

Wang Chongyang looked around and asked, "Father, if we live here, there may be dangers. If a wild beast attacks, you will not be able to defend yourself."

The parent chuckled and said, “My child, don’t worry. There are people living around here. If we encounter any wild animals, they will come to our aid and drive them away, ensuring our safety. Besides, I am not afraid of wild animals now, because my son has returned home. Why would I be afraid of wild animals?”

Wang Chongyang smiled and said that with him there, he would definitely not let the parents suffer.

The parents then went to the rice jar to get some rice, intending to make some porridge for Wang Chongyang.

Wang Chongyang wanted to help, but the parents chased him out, not allowing him to enter. He could only stand outside and look at the thatched hut, feeling as if everything was a dream, making him feel dazed.

His father was not dead, but still alive and had met him again, and the two rekindled their father-son relationship.

Wang Chongyang always felt that something was wrong, but everything seemed normal, which he couldn't figure out. This person was his patriarch, not some demon or monster. If he were a demon or monster, he would have the Heavenly Ruler to scare it away.

But deep down he still sensed that something was amiss.

Wang Chongyang said in a low voice, "My father... he's actually still alive?"

He pondered for a long time, when his father suddenly came and taught him how to eat tea and rice.

Wang Chongyang then entered the room, had tea and a meal, and his father laid out the bedding and told him to go to sleep later.

Wang Chongyang agreed, then went outside and sat cross-legged under the moonlight, reflecting on what he had learned in the past.

He dared not say that he would never forget what he had learned, so he would review it every day to remember what he had learned and to strengthen his resolve to study the three schools of thought.

Wang Chongyang was just reflecting on the Analects today when he suddenly thought of his father. He had originally intended to study the doctrines of the three schools of thought, but now that his father was alive, he could not study them. With his father alive, he should be there to fulfill his filial duty, so how could he go out?

Wang Chongyang sighed deeply, not knowing what to do. He shook his head. If his father were still alive, he should not go out. Over the years, his father had suffered so much. Now that he had met his father, he should protect him and prevent him from suffering again. Only in this way could he be a true son.

The doctrines of the three schools of thought must be temporarily set aside and discussed another day.

(End of this chapter)