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

Chapter 388 This is not my way, but its momentum has already been formed.

The story goes that in the mountain road of Yangzhou, Wang Chongyang rode a tall horse and traveled along it. He took out some dry food from his bundle and ate it as he continued on his way.

It is late autumn here, a time when "maple leaves turn the mountains red, yellow flowers withstand the evening breeze, cicadas sing lazily, and crickets are filled with endless sorrow."

Seeing that it was getting late, Wang Chongyang intended to find a place to rest and continue his journey the next day. He wondered if he could find a map in the surrounding area, otherwise he wouldn't know where to go.

He looked ahead and suddenly saw a magnificent mansion by the roadside, which was quite impressive and must belong to a high-ranking official or nobleman.

Wang Chongyang glanced at it, but had no intention of disturbing anyone. He planned to find a place to rest in the front. It was nighttime, and unless absolutely necessary, he would not seek out someone's house to stay in, as this would disturb others.

He planned to walk around the house.

But he had only spurred his horse forward a few steps when a torrential downpour, lightning, thunder, and strong winds forced him to retreat, preventing him from going any further.

Wang Chongyang said in a low voice, "What's going on? There was no sign of rain in the sky just now, so why is there a sudden gale and heavy rain?"

He was puzzled, but he had no other choice but to head towards that house. If he couldn't stay there overnight, he feared he would get soaked by the wind and rain.

Wang Chongyang was not afraid of being wet from the wind and rain, but what he feared was that his body was weak and that if he were to get wet from the wind and rain, he might catch a cold, which would affect his studies.

Wang Chongyang's eyes were full of determination. He needed to focus on his studies, so he spurred his horse to the front of the mansion, dismounted, and knocked on the door.

Before long, a charming and wealthy-looking woman opened the door and asked, "Who are you? Why are you knocking on my door in the middle of the night and disturbing my family's peace?"

Wang Chongyang immediately bowed and said repeatedly, "I am a humble citizen from Jingzhou. I have been traveling around seeking knowledge, and now that I have come to your residence, I am caught in a sudden downpour and cannot proceed. I have come here specifically to ask for permission to stay the night. I hope you will grant me this request."

Upon hearing this, the woman said, "I should have agreed to your request, but my head of household has passed away long ago. My mother is the head of the household now, and there are no men in the family. It would be inappropriate to let you in so rashly. Please wait here for a while, and I will go and ask my mother for permission."

Wang Chongyang said, "That is the way it should be."

As he spoke, he took out some silver from his bundle and said, "Please tell the family that I only need to stay for one night to avoid the wind and rain. I will give you the money."

The woman smiled and said, "My family is very wealthy, and we don't need your little bit. You wait here while I go and report to them."

Wang Chongyang's way is "laborious".

The woman left with a smile.

Wang Chongyang stood at the door waiting, but a cold wind was blowing and a torrential rain was pouring down. He did not rush in. His gaze was calm, like the highest good being as still as water.

But he waited at the door for a short while before seeing the woman lead another woman out.

The woman said, “Young sir, please come in quickly. My daughter was rude and made you wait outside. It was really wrong of her. Please come in with me.”

The woman greeted Wang Chongyang as he entered, and a young maidservant stepped forward to lead the horse inside.

Wang Chongyang followed the woman in, and then a little girl came. At the woman's instruction, she led Wang Chongyang into a side room and found some clean clothes for him to change into.

Seeing that his clothes were soaked by the heavy rain, Wang Chongyang had no choice but to go into a side room to change.

The maid led Wang Chongyang into a side room and taught him his clothes.

Wang Chongyang entered the side room, took off his clothes, and was about to put them on when he reached out and touched them. He suddenly felt something soft, and upon closer inspection, he realized that the material of the clothes was not ordinary; it was not coarse linen, but rather a fine garment.

He remained silent for a moment, then changed into the clothes.

After he changed into these clothes, he came out of the side room.

A maidservant led the way, inviting Wang Chongyang to the main hall.

Wang Chongyang readily agreed.

A short while later, Wang Chongyang entered the main hall. The woman was already sitting in the high hall. Upon seeing Wang Chongyang arrive, she invited him to take a seat of honor and served him tea.

Wang Chongyang accepted it, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Madam."

The woman smiled and looked at Wang Chongyang, saying, "I've heard my daughter say that you are a scholar seeking knowledge, but I wonder what kind of knowledge you seek and what books you read?"

Wang Chongyang said, "What I seek is the learning of the three schools, and what I read is the books of the three schools."

The woman asked, "What do the three families say?"

Wang Chongyang replied, "The three schools are Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism."

The woman said, "If what you say is true, young master, then you are indeed very knowledgeable. But I wonder if you have a suitable match?"

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "My parents died early, and after that, I have been studying and have never had a good match."

The woman smiled and said, "To be honest, young sir, my maiden name is Jia, and my husband's surname is Mo. I was unfortunate in my early years; my husband died young, leaving me only two daughters. He left me a vast fortune and thousands of books. But now my daughters are of marriageable age, and I wish to find them a son-in-law. Firstly, to provide my daughters with someone to rely on; secondly, because there is no head of the household in my family, I fear they may be harmed by bandits. Seeing your elegant bearing and extraordinary demeanor, young sir, I wish to take you as my son-in-law. What do you think, young sir?"

Wang Chongyang said, “I appreciate your kindness, Madam, but I am focused on my studies and have no other thoughts. Please forgive my rudeness, Madam, I cannot accept it.”

The woman said, "Don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry. Let's see my daughter first."

Say it.

They instructed the maids and girls to lure the people out.

Before long, two women with different appearances, both stunningly beautiful, walked out.

Upon closer inspection, Wang Chongyang recognized the two women as charming and alluring, but he found it strange that one of them seemed to have a swaying motion behind her, as if she were hiding a tail underneath.

The woman asked, "How is my daughter?"

Wang Chongyang said, "A beauty that rivals the heavens."

The woman said, “I will give one of my daughters to you in marriage, and you will become my son-in-law. If you feel that is not enough, you can have both of the daughters.”

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "Madam, I am focused on my studies and have no intention of getting married at the moment. Please understand."

Upon hearing this, the woman stared intently at Wang Chongyang. Seeing no trace of greed or desire in his eyes, and his calm demeanor, she knew he was not moved in the slightest.

The woman shook her head and said, "Alright, alright, alright. Since that's how it is, I won't force it. If it's not meant to be, then so be it. But you can rest in my house for the night, and we can talk about other things tomorrow, how about that?"

Wang Chongyang bowed and said, "Thank you for taking me in, Madam."

The woman said, "No need for further words, go and rest."

A young girl came forward and offered to guide Wang Chongyang.

Wang Chongyang departed with pleasure.

The girl led Wang Chongyang away, into a house, and told him to rest.

Wang Chongyang went to his room to rest, and nothing more was said that night.

The next day at dawn, Wang Chongyang was about to leave, but seeing that the heavy rain was still pouring down, he had no choice but to stay in the mansion a little longer.

Just as he was having this thought, a little girl came to report that the lady had invited him to dinner.

Wang Chongyang instructed the girl to lead him into the main hall.

Even when the woman brought food for Wang Chongyang to enjoy, the simple meals were all exquisite delicacies, things that were hard to find in the world.

After Wang Chongyang bowed and expressed his gratitude, he was able to eat. After he finished eating...

The woman said, “The rain is still pouring down today. The mountain roads are so rugged that it would be difficult for the young master to leave. Why don’t you rest here for another half a day and see when the rain stops?”

Wang Chongyang said, "In that case, I thank you, Madam."

The woman smiled and said, "No need for thanks, but you must be bored in your house. You are a scholar, and I have some books in my house that you can go and read carefully."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang immediately responded and repeatedly bowed in gratitude.

Sometimes a young girl would lead Wang Chongyang away, and they would go into the study in the mansion.

As soon as Wang Chongyang entered the study in the mansion, he saw that there were thousands of books in the study. His eyes lit up when he saw them, and he asked, "May I read all the books here?"

The girl said, "Sir, you may read it at your leisure."

Wang Chongyang was overjoyed and immediately took out the books to read them carefully.

Upon seeing this, the girl immediately withdrew and reported back to the woman.

Wang Chongyang was engrossed in reading books in his study.

Time flew by unnoticed, and half an hour passed.

Wang Chongyang hadn't even finished reading a single book when the rain suddenly stopped. He glanced at the book in his hands, remained silent for a moment, then rose and left. He went into the main hall, bid farewell to the woman, and told her he was about to depart.
Upon hearing this, the woman exclaimed in surprise, "But I have a large collection of books in my house, left by my husband. How could they not meet your expectations, so that you would leave so quickly?"

Wang Chongyang said, "I came here to seek shelter from the rain, but now that the rain has stopped, I should leave. Besides, there are many women here, and if I stay, it will damage your reputation. I should leave as soon as possible."

The woman said, "If you are willing to marry my daughter, you will be the head of the household, and all the wealth, beauty, and books in the mansion will be yours. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Why don't you agree?"

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "This is not my way."

The woman said, "What's the point of talking about morality? Just agree, and worldly riches will be right before your eyes."

Wang Chongyang still refused, his mind as still as water, undisturbed.

The woman had no choice but to let Wang Chongyang leave.

Wang Chongyang walked out of the mansion, bowed repeatedly to the mansion's inhabitants to express his gratitude, then mounted his horse and rode away.

As the woman watched Wang Chongyang leave, she suddenly trembled and revealed her true form—it was none other than Guanyin Bodhisattva.

His two daughters behind him also revealed their true forms, namely Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie.

Pigsy said, “Bodhisattva, this test is not difficult at all. Look at that tiny thing, it didn’t move at all, it didn’t even turn its head.”

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "You fool, you still say that this is not difficult? If I had known this would happen, I should have taught you to pose and show off to provoke Zhengwei. Otherwise, how could I have taught you to talk such nonsense?"

Pigsy said, "It is the Bodhisattva who forbids it, otherwise I would have taught Zhengwei what a rare beauty in the human world is and taught him to give up his cultivation."

Sun Wukong said, "Fool, I'm afraid you'll strike a pose and reveal your true form, scaring Zhengwei so much that he loses his soul. That would be bad."

Pigsy, hearing this, was somewhat indignant and was about to say something more.

Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke, saying, "Wukong, Bajie, there is no need to try again. I have profound wisdom and have seen the true nature of my mind. My mind is like water, calm and undisturbed. Our test is in vain. This test is over. There is no need to dwell on it."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Just as the Bodhisattva said, I have also seen this junior brother's abilities, so there is no need to test him further. Bodhisattva, what do you think of Zhengwei?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva pondered for a long time before answering, "His heart is pure and unyielding, as firm as gold and jade, and his will is as firm as a mountain, unyielding even if it is ten thousand fathoms high. When he returns to his rightful place, he will be guided by a true man, and the golden elixir will be formed."

Sun Wukong nodded with a smile. His lineage of the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave, being second-generation disciples, was also full of outstanding individuals. His three eldest disciples were all remarkable people.

As he thought about it, he suddenly remembered his disciple Chenxiang. He wondered how his cultivation was going. He thought that when he returned, he would take care of him.

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Wukong, Bajie, do not linger here. Go and meet the True Man."

The two responded.

Guanyin Bodhisattva then rode on a cloud and went with the two of them into the clouds.

But as soon as the three left, the house turned into wisps of blue smoke and disappeared without a trace.

……

Meanwhile, amidst the clouds and mist, the True Man arrived with a group of immortals and met with Guanyin Bodhisattva and two others.

The True Man bowed and said, "Bodhisattva, Junior Brother, Guardian of the Cauldron, I trouble you to go."

All three said they dared not.

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled and said, "This disciple of the True Man is truly remarkable. I can see the True Man's mark in his heart. Given time, he will surely become famous throughout the Three Realms, no less than the True Man."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "What the Bodhisattva said was somewhat exaggerated. However, what the Bodhisattva said does contain traces of my own thoughts, which is true. When a cultivator looks back, he can see the traces of his own thoughts in eight or nine out of ten cases."

Guanyin Bodhisattva put her hands together in prayer and said, "What the True Man says is reasonable."

Sun Wukong said, "Elder brother, Bodhisattva, we can discuss the Dao another day. Today, we should focus on the 'Ten Trials'."

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "Wukong is right. After passing these five tests, there are still five more to go, which cannot be delayed. This sixth test is called 'integrity'."

Say it.

Immediately, an Arhat appeared, willing to take on this test and go to examine Wang Chongyang.

The real person readily agreed.

Sun Wukong said, "Eldest brother, why not send someone to arrange a seventh and eighth test? This would be more effective in testing Zhengwei's mind, as he would be helpless in an ordinary test. Zhengwei is truly remarkable."

The Master pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Junior Brother Wukong is right. The seventh test is 'sincerity,' and the eighth test is 'trustworthiness.' I wonder if there is anyone who can help me?"

At times, a group of immortals echoed his sentiments, wishing to assist the True Man.

The real person naturally agreed.

……

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

In the past half month, Wang Chongyang has passed the second test. After the fifth test, ordinary tests are no longer a challenge for him, and his momentum has been established.

The sixth test was for "integrity." Wang Chongyang happened to find several Confucian books in a city, but he couldn't understand them quickly enough, so he rented a house to read them. Unexpectedly, he discovered buried gold in the courtyard. He didn't take a single coin, buried it, and left it untouched.

The seventh test is "honesty". When he bought some bronze items, he found that they were actually gold. He returned them to the seller and made it clear to him that he was honest and did not keep his ill-gotten gains.

The immortals and the others, amidst the clouds and mist, were all astonished and full of praise to see Wang Chongyang pass the test so easily.

However, the eighth test is 'faith', which is a test of one's Daoist heart. Therefore, the True Man and the others were all looking forward to seeing how Wang Chongyang would pass this test.

Most of the immortals and gods had already seen Wang Chongyang's potential and knew that he would likely be unable to pass the ten trials. However, being able to witness Wang Chongyang pass the ten trials firsthand was a completely different experience.

(End of this chapter)