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

Chapter 390 Ten Trials, Mount Xiyi

The story goes that after the Arhat Subduing Dragon descended to earth to test Wang Chongyang with the eighth trial, more than three months passed in the blink of an eye. During these three months, Wang Chongyang finally passed the ninth and tenth trials.

The ninth test is "stillness". When Wang Chongyang was crossing the sea, he suddenly encountered a storm and huge waves, which almost capsized the boat. While others were terrified, Wang Chongyang was calm and fearless, disregarding life and death, and his mind was as still as water.

The tenth test is "repayment." Those with whom Wang Chongyang had karmic ties across three lifetimes all appear as vengeful ghosts to demand repayment, recounting their injustices and angrily denouncing Wang Chongyang's sins.

Upon learning this, Wang Chongyang questioned them carefully and discovered that what they said was true. He calmly faced the karma of his past life, took out a knife, and intended to commit suicide to atone for his sins. However, just as Wang Chongyang was about to take his own life, all the vengeful ghosts were moved by his composure and impressed by the righteous energy within him, and they all retreated.

From this point on, Wang Chongyang had passed all ten tests.

Amidst the clouds and mist, the group of immortals watched as Wang Chongyang walked along the mountain path, still pursuing his studies.

The true man knew that the ten tests had been passed and was willing to go, so he helped Wang Chongyang cross over.

All the immortals, gods, and arhats understood the true man's intention, and they all bowed in farewell, wishing to take their leave and return to their respective places.

The True Man, having discerned the intentions of the crowd, bowed to the assembled immortals, gods, and arhats, saying, “I will remember your assistance here. If you ever need anything in the future, please come to me. I will certainly help you in your time of need. I thank you again and again, and am deeply grateful.”

The assembled immortals, gods, and arhats returned the greeting to the True Man, all exchanging pleasantries with him while smiling.

After a long time, the immortals, gods, and arhats gradually left. Before long, there were not many immortals, gods, and arhats left by the True Man's side. Even the Ox King sent his men back to the mountains to look after the mansion.

The master looked around and suddenly saw that the Arhat Subduing Dragon was still there, not having left, and was lost in thought, not knowing what he was thinking. He went up to him and exchanged pleasantries.

Upon seeing the arrival of the True Man, the Arhat Subduing Dragon hurriedly bowed and said, "True Man, I did not notice your arrival. I will now depart. Please do not disturb me."

Jiang Yuan stopped him and said, "Arhat Subduing Dragon, there is nothing to disturb you, but I noticed that you seem distracted, so I came to ask why you are like this, Arhat."

The Arhat Subduing Dragon shook his head and said, "There may be a mistake in your cultivation, but it's nothing serious. Master, I'll be leaving now."

Jiang Yuan said, "Arhat, don't be anxious. But what I see is that your mistake in cultivation lies in worldly ties. I wonder where your worldly ties lie? Could you tell me?"

The Arhat who subdues dragons said, "The karmic connections should be found in the human realm, and I know their specifics."

Jiang Yuan asked, "Now that you know the details, why doesn't the Arhat go there? Why is that?"

After pondering for a long time, the Arhat Subduing Dragon said, "Master, I do not know how to deal with this, hence the delay. But please rest assured, Master, once I have finished thinking, I will definitely go and resolve it."

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded. Since the Arhat Subduing Dragon had said so, he would not say anything more.

After speaking with the Arhat Subduing Dragon for a while, the True Man departed.

Jiang Yuan watched as the Arhat Subduing Dragon departed.

Sun Wukong, standing nearby, asked, "Elder Brother, what do you think of the Arhat who Subdues Dragons?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "The Arhat Subduing Dragon has made a mistake in his cultivation, which he already knows in his heart, but I expect he will only truly deal with it when he has no other choice."

Sun Wukong said, "Why is it like this, Senior Brother? Why don't I go and try to persuade him again?"

Jiang Yuan said, "No, there's no point in trying to persuade him. Just wait patiently. If the Arhat who subdues dragons truly cannot cultivate in the future, I will definitely help him."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong said, "With my elder brother's help, we can surely keep him safe."

Jiang Yuan laughed and scolded, "You think so highly of me."

Sun Wukong said, "My eldest brother is about to attain great magical power, which is quite remarkable."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Don't say any more here. I should go now. Xiangdu is still in the dark. You all wait for me here."

Sun Wukong said, "Eldest brother, we can go with you, but you must not go alone."

Pigsy also stepped forward and said, “Brother Monkey is right. We cannot let Master go alone. Both Brother Monkey and I can go with Master. Please grant us permission.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Since you two say so, I'll trouble you two to come with me."

Pigsy said, "Master, please instruct us on what to do."

Sun Wukong was also listening nearby, waiting quietly for the immortal's instructions.

Jiang Yuan said, "Since you two are helping me, I will allow you to lead the way and bring Zhengwei to me. Then we can cross over together. What do you two think?"

Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie looked at each other and said, "We will obey your command."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "In that case, you will all come with me."

Say it.

The immortal rode the clouds downwards, heading towards a mountain to await Zhengwei's arrival.

Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie both rode on clouds, closely following the immortal.

The group descended from the clouds and searched for a while, finally finding a mountain imbued with spirit. They entered the mountain and saw a beautiful scene: "Nine-tiered screens stand against the azure sky, thirty-six winding streams murmur. Stone walls are carved like jade, their five colors shimmering, ancient trees twist and turn, casting shade in all four seasons. Flying springs hang from the eaves, and red buds adorn the secluded courtyard."

The immortal entered the mountain and turned to say, "Wukong, Bajie, I'll trouble you two. No matter what skills you have, bring Zhengwei to this mountain. I will wait for him at the top of the mountain."

Both Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie obeyed the order.

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "Eldest brother, since we are going to bring Zhengwei to this mountain, we should give this mountain a name so that others will know about it."

Upon hearing this, the Master smiled and said, “Let it be ‘Mount Xiyi’. There is a saying that ‘what cannot be seen is called Yi, what cannot be heard is called Xi’. This is the meaning of formlessness and intangibility.”

Sun Wukong said, "The name you chose, Senior Brother, has a very Taoist feel to it."

Pigsy also said, "Master's name is indeed imbued with Taoist spirit. Now that you are here, it truly embodies the saying 'a name is born from the presence of immortals.' When you depart in the future, this mountain will also become famous throughout the world."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "No need for further words. Let's go and bring Zhengwei here. That's the important matter."

Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie responded and rode away on a cloud.

Jiang Yuan gazed into the mountains for a long time before heading there. As he entered the mountains, mountain spirits would come to pay homage from time to time: apes offered fruit, deer carried lingzhi mushrooms, phoenixes bowed, and blue luan birds accompanied him.

The immortal smiled and stroked each of them. Accompanied by a group of spirit beasts, he entered the mountain. After walking a short distance, he suddenly saw a natural cave at the top of the mountain, and he moved in there.

All the spirit beasts paid their respects outside the mansion and lingered for a long time.

Upon seeing this, the immortal felt deeply helpless, yet moved by the spirit beasts' earnest desire to seek the Dao. Therefore, he left his residence and spoke to the spirit beasts about some of the principles of cultivation. ...

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie left Mount Xiyi and soon found Wang Chongyang, who was in Yangzhou, searching for books to read.

Pigsy, wielding his nine-toothed rake, said, "Brother, is there any way to send Zhengwei to Mount Xiyi?"

Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks and said, "Fool, don't be in such a hurry. Give me some time so that I can think it over."

Pigsy said, "Brother Monkey, since you don't have any ideas, why don't I think of one? What do you think?"

Sun Wukong was somewhat surprised and asked, "You fool, what method do you have? Tell me."

Pigsy said, “Brother, let me tell you in detail. I will show off my fierce appearance in the city, swing my nine-toothed rake, and use my ability to summon wind and rain to frighten the people of the city. At that time, Zhengwei will definitely flee with the people of the city. I will ignore everyone else and chase after Zhengwei, making him afraid. Then you will reappear and lead the way for Zhengwei. Zhengwei will be at a loss and will definitely follow you.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "That is not possible, that is not possible."

Pigsy shouted, "Brother, why not?"

Sun Wukong said, “Look at that city. It is full of suffering people. There are also the City God Temple and the Earth God Temple hidden in the shadows, each with its own duties. If you show yourself and cause trouble, you will surely disturb the whole city. That would be bad.”

Pigsy said, "If that's the case, I have no idea. Brother Monkey, you should think of a way yourself."

Sun Wukong said, "Let's calm down for now and wait for my nephew Zhengwei to leave the city before we lead the way and invite him to come."

Pigsy said, "Brother, don't wait until Zhengwei leaves the city to think of a way. If you have a way, think of it quickly."

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, we use magic to prevent the Master from studying, and then tell him that there is an immortal in Mount Xiyi who is proficient in the three schools of thought, and allow him to go there. What do you think of this?"

Pigsy said, “This method is acceptable. I am currently eager to learn. If I knew that there was knowledge in the mountains, I would definitely go there.”

Sun Wukong said, "If that's the case, then it's settled. Fool, I'll send you there to make it difficult for Zhengwei to study. Then I'll show myself and explain the matter of Mount Xiyi to him."

Pigsy said, "In that case, I'll head over there now."

Say it.

Pigsy then rode a cloud forward, intending to secretly cast a spell.

Sun Wukong watched Zhu Bajie leave, nodded to himself, and said, "This fool is a bit lazy. He needs to be constantly reminded to wake him up. But in the end, I cannot help him to succeed in his cultivation. He must wake up on his own."

He knew very well that the reason why Zhu Bajie's cultivation was delayed was because "it is easy for Zhu Bajie to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality." He knew that only when Zhu Bajie realized this would his cultivation begin.

……

Time flies, and more than two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Wang Chongyang left the city and traveled around Yangzhou for more than two months, but gained nothing. Neither temples nor markets could teach him any knowledge, which made him very frustrated. He was thinking that since there was no knowledge left in Yangzhou, he should go somewhere else.

However, after careful consideration, Wang Chongyang decided to linger in Yangzhou for a while, until he had truly explored the entire city, before leaving.

One day, Wang Chongyang was exploring an old forest. The map had recorded that there was a temple hidden in this deep forest, and he wanted to go in and see it.

This old forest was overgrown with thorns, making it difficult for horses to travel, so he deliberately tied his horses outside before entering the forest.

Wang Chongyang tried his best to avoid the thorns, feeling somewhat helpless. If he had known this would happen, he should have brought a sword or saber to clear a path.

Now that he had found his way, he could not leave and had no choice but to move forward.

Wang Chongyang walked for an unknown amount of time, when suddenly he saw a path ahead. He strode forward, walked onto the path, and entered the narrow lane, where he finally felt comfortable.

As he walked, he realized that he seemed to have lost his way and did not know where to go.

Wang Chongyang said in a low voice, "Now we don't know what to do, we don't know the direction, this is a deep mountain forest, and if it gets dark, there is some miasma."

Just as Wang Chongyang was wondering what to do, he suddenly heard voices in his ear. He listened carefully and found that it was the sound of singing.

"Purple aura rises from the east, encircling the verdant peaks, where an immortal reclines atop Mount Xiyi. With eyes closed, he can hear the thunderous sounds of magic; with a whisk, he can trace the Big Dipper. He was bestowed the art of hibernation by five dragons, and a hundred years of fleeting life vanish in a dream. He holds the Confucian classics in his heart like jade, and embodies both the Buddha's lotus and the Daoist crane with ease."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang felt that the content of the folk song was somewhat exaggerated. The folk song should say that there was an immortal in a mountain with great supernatural powers, who was knowledgeable in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

He wandered among mortals, knowing himself to be no different from an immortal, but Taoism has its immortals, Buddhism has its Buddha, and Confucianism has its sages.

This folk song even claims that there was an immortal who was proficient in three schools of thought, but this is an exaggeration.

Wang Chongyang looked closely and suddenly saw a cowherd riding an ox not far from him. He strode forward and said, "Cowherd, wait a moment."

Upon hearing this, the shepherd boy stopped, turned around, looked at Wang Chongyang, and said, "Did you call me?"

Wang Chongyang said, "That's right, that's right. Please wait a moment, shepherd boy."

The shepherd boy said, "Judging from your appearance, you are a scholar. Why are you here? This is a deep mountain forest, and few people come here. What are you doing here?"

Wang Chongyang was quite helpless and said, "To be honest, shepherd boy, I am a student. I heard that there is a temple here, so I traveled over mountains and rivers to get here. I did not expect to lose my way, so please show me the way."

The shepherd boy laughed and said, "Temple? How could there be a temple on this mountain? You've come to the wrong place. But if you're seeking knowledge, why don't you go to Mount Xiyi? There are immortals there. If you're truly seeking knowledge, they will surely teach you something."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang asked in surprise, "The immortal of Mount Xiyi? Is that the song you sang earlier? Could it not have been fabricated?"

The shepherd boy said, "That is not a fabrication, but a real immortal from Mount Xiyi. I have personally seen him, and the songs he sings are not false, but true. Moreover, the places where these songs are sung describe even a fraction of the immortal's appearance."

Wang Chongyang asked, "Does the immortal truly know the doctrines of the three schools?"

The shepherd boy laughed and said, "That immortal really knows the doctrines of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang was filled with excitement. He had never met anyone who was proficient in all three schools of thought, and now that he heard of someone who was proficient in them, and even a celestial being, how could he not be excited? He asked again, "May I ask, shepherd boy, where is that Xiyi Immortal Mountain?"

The shepherd pointed eastward and said, "Go eastward, and after three days you will see Mount Xiyi."

Wang Chongyang bowed to the shepherd boy and said, "That place is inhabited by immortals. Since you know this place, why are you still herding cattle? Why don't you come with me to that immortal mountain?"

The shepherd boy laughed and said, "I'm quite content herding cattle now, so I don't want to go. If you want to go, then you can. But if you go too late, the immortal might have already left."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang had no choice but to bid farewell to the shepherd boy, turn around to find a horse, and then head to Mount Xiyi.

(End of this chapter)