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

Chapter 386 You are not my father, the second test of 'sacrifice'

Time flies, and more than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Now, Wang Chongyang met with his father and lived in a thatched hut. During the day, he and his father made a living in the city, and at night they rested in the hut. Half a month passed in this way, and for a while, Wang Chongyang forgot about practicing the three schools of thought.

One day, after Wang Chongyang finished helping his father with his work, it was nighttime, and he sat on the threshold, gazing at the moon in deep thought.

Although he did not have time to study the three schools of thought for the time being, he never forgot them. He was puzzled as to why his father had appeared. However, he had already thought that if his father did reappear, he would serve his father until his death, and then it would not be too late to study the three schools of thought.

He did not know how long his father would live. Perhaps by the time he had fulfilled his filial duties, his father would also be very old. Even if he was over sixty or seventy, he would still embark on the path of learning.

A true scholar's heart is not shaken by age; even in old age, one can still move forward, and even if one can no longer walk, one should still climb forward.

Wang Chongyang remained steadfast in his Daoist convictions and unmoved.

However, he still had doubts in his heart.

Is his father really still alive?

When he was ten years old, his father passed away, and he witnessed it with his own eyes, and even more so, he witnessed his father being buried.

Can a dead person be brought back to life?
But his father is still alive, and everything looks the same as before, so even though he is confused, he cannot find the answer.

Wang Chongyang pondered for a long time before whispering, "Is my father really my father?"

Just as he was deep in thought, puzzled.

The patriarch of the Wang family suddenly came out and said, "Chongyang, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Wang Chongyang looked up and replied, "Father, I understand. I'll go to sleep now."

When the patriarch of the Wang family saw Wang Chongyang get up to leave, he suddenly reached out and stopped him, saying, "Chongyang, wait a moment."

Wang Chongyang rose and bowed, saying, "Father, is there anything else you need to tell me? Is it about going to the city tomorrow to do chores for Old Man Chen's family?"

The patriarch of the Wang family shook his head and said earnestly, "My son Chongyang, are you still concerned about any doctrines?"

Wang Chongyang hesitated for a long time before nodding and saying, "I dare not hide it from you, Father. I do indeed still care for you. But please rest assured, Father. As long as you are alive, I will never travel far. I will do my best to be filial to you, and this is my priority."

The head of the Wang family said, “I know what you are thinking, but in the current environment, knowledge and learning are truly useless. In this time of war and chaos, how can knowledge be of any use? I once saw a highly respected teacher in the city teaching soldiers how to kill. This knowledge is truly useless. It would be better to put in more effort to do some work and eat more. Chongyang, you should know what I mean.”

Wang Chongyang did not refute, but bowed deeply and said, "Father, I have remembered it."

The patriarch of the Wang family pointed at Wang Chongyang and said, "But I see that although you have written it down, you have not taken my words seriously. I knew you would not obey, is that right?"

For a moment, Wang Chongyang was at a loss for words.

The patriarch of the Wang family sighed and said, "I understand your intention. Since I cannot persuade you, I will have to try another method. Chongyang, I will find you a marriage partner in a few days. Just wait patiently."

Wang Chongyang exclaimed in surprise, "Father, how can you search for my relatives? This is impossible, this is impossible. I beg you to abandon this idea. I have never even considered searching for relatives."

The head of the Wang family said, "You're getting on in years; it's time for you to get married. Listen to me, stay home and prepare for your wedding."

Say it.

The head of the Wang family, not wanting to say more to Wang Chongyang, got up and walked into the house.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, getting up, and walking into the house.

A night of silence.

The next day, Wang Chongyang studied what he had learned in the past in the morning. After he finished, he rode his horse to the city to find some work.

But before he could set off, he suddenly saw his father leading a woman towards him.

The parent said, "Chongyang, come here. I've found a matchmaker for you. You can meet her and ask her to arrange a marriage for you so you can get married."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang was greatly surprised and said, "Father, there is no need for this. I have no intention of starting a family yet. This is indeed true. Therefore, please do not worry about me starting a family."

The head of the Wang family angrily said, "Since ancient times, marriage has been arranged by parents and matchmakers. How dare you refuse? Come here and meet the matchmaker!"

Wang Chongyang had no choice but to agree and walked over to the matchmaker.

The matchmaker looked closely at Wang Chongyang, and after a long while, she smiled and nodded, saying only that he was handsome and extraordinary.

The head of the Wang family then discussed the matter with the matchmaker.

Wang Chongyang listened from the sidelines, unable to utter a single word, and could only let the two speak. Despite his deep reluctance, he was powerless to do anything about it. As he watched the two leave, he suddenly recalled the events of the past. His father had once doted on him greatly, often telling him to prioritize learning and never forget to acquire knowledge in the future. His father had also told him that he was born with extraordinary signs, making him no ordinary person.

But my father today is not the same as before.

A warm current suddenly flowed between Wang Chongyang's brows, causing his heart to tremble, and a word came from the bottom of his heart.

Can the dead be brought back to life? No, the dead cannot be brought back to life!
Wang Chongyang suddenly looked up, faced forward, and asked, "Father, please wait a moment!"

The head of the Wang family turned his head and asked, "What does my son have to say?"

Wang Chongyang asked, "Father, do you still remember the scene of my birth?"

The head of the Wang family said, "I am your father, how could I not remember it?"

Wang Chongyang said, "Father, do you remember that when I was born, there were extraordinary phenomena at the time, such as a blue dragon soaring into the sky? Do you remember that, Father?"

Upon hearing this, the head of the Wang family was somewhat surprised, but he calmed down and said, "Chongyang, how could I not know that you were born with extraordinary signs? When the Azure Dragon soared into the sky, I was quite astonished."

Wang Chongyang was taken aback for a moment, and said, "Father, to be honest, I am mistaken. It was a strange phenomenon of two dragons playing with a pearl. How could I be mistaken, and Father be mistaken as well?"

The head of the Wang family said, "It really is a mistake. It has been some time, so I have misremembered many things. It is actually two dragons playing with a pearl."

Wang Chongyang sighed inwardly. Although he did not know why this person was exactly like his father, making it impossible for him to distinguish them, and even if he had doubts, he could not find the answers, he could see today that this person was not his father, but some unknown entity that had transformed into him. However, he did not know why this person had come to deceive him, which was a great sin.

He rose and bowed to the head of the Wang family, then said, "Now I must depart to study the doctrines of the three schools. Farewell."

Say it.

Wang Chongyang got up to pack his luggage and rode away on horseback.

The head of the Wang family exclaimed in surprise, "Child, why are you leaving? Do you not wish to acknowledge me and want to sever our father-son relationship?"

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "You are not my father. But my father died early, and you are not my father, so I should leave." The head of the Wang family exclaimed, "How can I not be your father? Tell me your story carefully. How can you say such a thing?"

Wang Chongyang said, “When I was born, there was a constant fragrance and a hundred birds paid homage to the phoenix. This was considered an auspicious sign, and my father was proud of it. He taught me about it every day, and he could never forget it. Therefore, your two erroneous statements are enough to prove that you are an imposter. Furthermore, I have long suspected that the dead cannot be brought back to life, but I have never been sure. Now, your actions and words have convinced me that you are not my father. Although I do not know who you are, my Heavenly Canopy Ruler cannot harm you. You are not a demon. I do not know why you would pretend to be my father, but I see that you have no ill intentions. Now I understand, so I will not hold it against you. I hope you will behave yourself in the future.”

Wang Chongyang's eyes shone with a divine light, as if he could see through everything.

Upon hearing this, the patriarch of the Wang family remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Are you truly certain that I am not your father?"

Wang Chongyang said, "Everything is as I see it, so how can I be certain or uncertain?"

The patriarch of the Wang family suddenly burst into laughter, not daring to utter a word. With a sway, he transformed into a wisp of green smoke and vanished before them. The matchmaker also turned into wisps of smoke and disappeared.

The surroundings suddenly changed, becoming completely desolate.

Wang Chongyang was surprised by the changes around him. He hurriedly went to get the Heavenly Canopy Ruler and his luggage, and looked around warily. Seeing that nothing had changed, he felt a little relieved.

He didn't understand what that thing was, why it was disguised as his father, and why its appearance and habits were exactly the same as his father's. Even the Heavenly Ruler couldn't do anything about it, which was quite remarkable.

Fortunately, he had a sudden inspiration, which led to his awakening and enlightenment, allowing him to see through the changes.

Wang Chongyang dared not linger there, fearing that the unknown thing might transform into something else. He mounted his horse and hurriedly spurred it away.

……

Amidst the clouds and mist, the immortals and their entourage stood guard over Wang Chongyang below. The patriarch of the Wang family transformed into wisps of green smoke and descended into the clouds, revealing himself to be the God of Longevity.

The immortal rode on a cloud to greet him, and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, God of Longevity. It must have been a tiring journey."

The birthday celebrant returned the greeting with a smile and said, "It's nothing to boast about, nothing to boast about! It is my honor to serve a true master. Moreover, witnessing Chongyang's Daoist heart today has astonished me and broadened my horizons. I thought this disciple was already deeply convinced, but I never expected that he would always have doubts and take advantage of my unpreparedness to find my flaws. Furthermore, he never forgets to cultivate. Life and death are illusions and cannot hinder his path."

The immortal smiled, offering no comment on Wang Chongyang, and welcomed the birthday celebrant into the cloud-like entourage to meet with the others.

Sun Wukong stepped forward and said, "Old God, your way of mixing truth and falsehood is truly formidable, making it impossible to guard against. I truly believe that my nephew Zhengwei is deeply entangled in it and cannot extricate himself."

The God of Longevity shook his head and said, "I have used many of my skills. But I never expected to be outmaneuvered by one move, which made him realize the truth. It is not that my skills are superior or that I am particularly skilled, but rather that Chongyang is no ordinary person."

Pigsy said, "The old man of longevity has some ability. If it were me, I'm afraid I really wouldn't be able to wake him up on my own. You'll have to coax him."

The God of Longevity laughed and said, "Envoy of the Clean Altar, you really should start cultivating. Stop fooling around like this. I have seen many promising young talents who are better than you. If you don't cultivate, you may become a junior in the future."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy began to curse and swear.

Jiang Yuan saw this and smiled without saying a word.

Then Guanyin Bodhisattva came forward and asked, "True Man, should we prepare for the second test?"

Jiang Yuan said, "These two tests should be called 'Discarding'. Does anyone here have the ability to go and try?"

Say it.

The immortal looked at the many immortals and gods behind him.

Two Arhats then appeared.

Then came the Arhat who held up his alms bowl and the Arhat who carried a cloth bag.

The two Arhats said, “True Master, we two wish to go forward, even at the cost of our lives. We beg your permission, True Master, to allow us to proceed.”

The master bowed and said, "In that case, I trouble you two to go."

The two Arhats returned the greeting and said, "We dare not accept such a greeting from the Immortal. We will go and give it a try."

The two Arhats said no more, rode the clouds downwards, followed Wang Chongyang, and sought a good opportunity to test him.

Sun Wukong looked down and said, "I wonder how these two Arhats tested Zhengwei."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "There's no need to rush. The two Arhats surely have their own methods. We'll just have to wait and see."

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "Let's see what the two Arhats intend to do."

All the immortals and gods were watching Wang Chongyang below.

Wang Chongyang was completely unaware of this and was focused on urging his horse onward to find a temple or a great scholar.

……

Before we knew it, another half month had passed.

Wang Chongyang had been traveling for a long time without any success. During this half-month, he passed by two temples, but neither temple offered him any opportunities to gain anything. In fact, a wicked monk tried to steal his horse, but fortunately, he noticed and escaped, thus preventing the monk from succeeding.

One day, Wang Chongyang entered a city that was near Yangzhou in Jingzhou. If he continued onward, he would be able to enter Yangzhou.

Wang Chongyang was not in a hurry to enter Yangzhou. He wanted to go into the city and wander around the market. Recently, he had discovered that many markets in the city sold some fragmented books, some of which contained some information that he could use. Therefore, he often wandered around the city markets in order to obtain books.

This was a last resort; he had no great Confucian scholars to guide him, so he had no choice but to resort to this method.

Wang Chongyang walked into the city and saw its desolation. He sighed helplessly. He had traveled all this way and knew all too well the suffering of the people, but he was powerless to do anything about it. In the face of this war, it was already a miracle that he could protect himself.

Wang Chongyang walked into the market and suddenly saw two people selling a lot of miscellaneous items. There were many onlookers around, but no one was buying anything.

Upon seeing them, he entered the crowd and observed carefully. He then discovered that the items the two men were selling were truly strange, including glass cups, jewels and jade, unusual herbs, and countless books.

Upon closer inspection, Wang Chongyang discovered that among the books was a complete Confucian text, namely the "Mencius." He believed that such a complete book would be of great benefit to him, and he could purchase it.

Wang Chongyang was overjoyed, feeling extremely lucky to have found such complete books here. He immediately asked, "Peddler, how much are these books?"

Upon hearing this, the vendor turned around, pointed to the books on the ground, and said, "Which one are you talking about? Show it to me, and I'll give you a price."

Wang Chongyang pointed to Mencius and asked, "What is the price of this book?"

The vendor looked around for a moment and said, "Twenty strings of cash, no bargaining."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang immediately opened his bundle and carefully calculated that twenty strings of cash, or twenty taels of silver, was something he could barely scrape together. He then said, "In that case, give me the books, and I will give you twenty strings of cash in return."

Knowledge is priceless, but gold and silver have a price; this purchase is certainly worthwhile.

(End of this chapter)