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

Chapter 397 Knowledge to be passed down to future generations; Chongyang Festival is the time to establish a sect.

Time flies, and two or three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the southern continent of Jambudvipa, in the region of Jizhou, Wang Chongyang had been traveling for a long time. His face showed a great deal of helplessness. Now there was a wise ruler in the world who called himself the ruler of a country, and this country was called 'Song'.

The Song Dynasty acquired many places in the country, including seven or eight out of nine provinces, but there were still many places that the Song Dynasty had not yet explored.

His current location is in Jizhou, and the vast land of Jizhou is mostly occupied by foreign tribes. The Song Dynasty has no intention of sending troops, allowing this land to be lost.

Wang Chongyang did not understand this. Of the nine provinces, Ji Province was the "central land". Ji Province had not yet been occupied, so how could a country be established?

Wang Chongyang sighed and said, “Enough, enough, enough. I am but a mortal, and I cannot concern myself with these matters. I will just keep moving forward and focus on cultivating my knowledge before discussing other things. However, I am getting old now. Although I do not know why my appearance has not changed, the weariness in my body is gradually settling down. I do not know how many more years of learning I can accumulate.”

Wang Chongyang was unwilling to accept this; how could a person's life be so short?

He was not afraid of death, but of never having the chance to learn profound knowledge again. If he had acquired the knowledge he has now in the past, he would have been content. But now he knows that knowledge is endless, so how could he willingly die?

Life is short, but learning is endless. What should we do?

Wang Chongyang was somewhat bewildered. He rode his horse along the road, not knowing where to go. It would be easy to find great scholars and eminent monks here, but he wanted to find someone who could answer the questions in his heart about life and death.

Wang Chongyang was in a daze when he suddenly saw an old man in front of him. His horse almost crashed into the old man, which startled him so much that he reined in his horse and quickly dismounted. He went up to the old man and said, "Old sir, did you bump into him?"

The old man was terrified and only calmed down after a long while, saying, "I didn't bump into anything, I didn't bump into anything. It's just that I'm on my way and haven't seen any important people, so I blocked the road. This road is not for an old man to walk on."

Wang Chongyang said, "Why do you say that, sir? Since the Dao is here, I would allow you to travel. It was just that I was distracted and did not see you."

Wang Chongyang apologized repeatedly and offered some gold and silver as compensation.

The old man was so flustered that he dared not accept the gold and silver.

After Wang Chongyang persuaded him for a long time, the old man finally accepted the gold and silver with tears of gratitude. If Wang Chongyang hadn't stopped him, the old man would have kowtowed to Wang Chongyang.

Wang Chongyang repeatedly advised him, and then offered to personally escort the old man home.

The old man bowed deeply to Wang Chongyang, expressing his profound gratitude. He said, "You are such a noble person, yet you think so highly of an old man like me. I am truly grateful. I have never met such a noble person before."

Wang Chongyang asked, "Why do you say that? There are more good people in the world, so how could you not encounter someone who treats you kindly?"

The old man smiled bitterly and said, “Sir, how could I not know whether there are many good people or not? But in this world, many people talk a good game, but in reality, there are countless evildoers. There may be good people, but they are often harmed by evildoers. A good person like you, sir, is truly nowhere to be found.”

Wang Chongyang wanted to say something more, but after carefully considering the old man's words, he couldn't bring himself to speak. He sighed, helped the old man onto his horse, and offered to take him home.

The old man, trembling with fear, said in a flustered manner, "Your horse is precious, and I dare not mount it for fear of soiling it. Now that you are so kind, I dare not refuse, but if I truly dare not mount it, please mount it, and I will walk."

Wang Chongyang said, "This horse is not a particularly valuable treasure, so please rest assured, sir. Please mount the horse."

The old man said, “My lord, please don’t say such things. I have seen the horses of the Liao army. Although they are magnificent, none are as intelligent as your horse. Its coat is shiny and bright. In comparison, the army’s horses are far inferior to yours. I have lived a long life and seen a lot. Please don’t try to fool me. I really dare not ride a horse. I can walk.”

Wang Chongyang felt helpless, but he had no choice but to comply with the old man's wishes. He simply stopped mounting his horse and walked with the old man.

The horse, though not led by anyone, followed Wang Chongyang on its own, demonstrating remarkable intelligence.

The old man was filled with trepidation upon seeing Wang Chongyang personally accompany him on his walk.

Wang Chongyang smiled helplessly and helped the old man walk forward.

After a long while, Wang Chongyang helped the old man to a secluded thatched hut. He led the old man inside and, seeing the simple house, asked, "Old sir, is this your home?"

The old man said, "This is my home, but it is rather simple. Please forgive me for offending your eyes."

Wang Chongyang said, “It’s alright, it’s alright! But I wonder why you live here alone, sir? Do you have no children?”

The old man said, “My lord, you may not know this, but I originally had a wife, three sons, and four grandsons. But in recent years, due to the chaos of war, my wife died of illness, my three sons were captured to fight, and I don’t know who they were fighting. Of my four grandsons, three died of illness, and one was taken in by a high-ranking official. A few days ago, that official was killed by Liao soldiers, and his whole family perished, including my grandson. So now I am the only one left in my family.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang felt both angry and helpless. The chaos of war was truly beyond his ability to withstand.

The old man smiled and said, "My lord, there is no need to be angry. But birth, old age, sickness, and death, and the heartless separation, are things I have long seen through at my age. I will not think about them anymore."

Wang Chongyang said, "The old gentleman has a magnanimous mind, which I cannot match."

The old man said, "There's no such thing as being open-minded; it's just a helpless situation. I'm getting old, so this is all I can do."

Wang Chongyang suddenly recalled his own confusion and said, "Old sir, you are very knowledgeable and experienced. I have a question that I wonder if you could answer for me?"

The old man said, "If you have any questions, please feel free to speak. I will answer them for you without reservation."

Wang Chongyang said, "To be honest, sir, I am a scholar who has traveled far and wide in pursuit of knowledge. But lately, I have felt that I am getting older and that knowledge is endless. I am unwilling to accept this, and I am afraid that I will not be able to learn all the knowledge in my lifetime."

The old man said, “There is a problem, but you should not be confused, sir.”

Wang Chongyang asked, "Old sir, do you have any way to resolve my doubts?"

The old man laughed and said, “Of course, of course. Noble person, but you feel that your lifespan is not long enough to learn all your knowledge. Isn’t this just like a wealthy family with vast wealth? One generation may not be able to spend all their money in their lifetime, so they are unwilling. But when they have children, they pass on their wealth to their children, letting them spend it all. If the children can’t spend it all, they pass it on to the next generation, letting them spend it all. This is what is meant by passing on knowledge from generation to generation. Now, noble person, you can’t learn all your knowledge in one generation, so why not pass it on to your descendants, so that they can continue to move forward and learn all your knowledge? In this way, the one who receives your knowledge is you, and you will not perish.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang pondered for a long time and found that what the old man said made a lot of sense. However, he smiled bitterly and said, "I have never been interested in women in my life, so I have never married. How can I have descendants to pass on my knowledge?"

The old man laughed and said, "Sir, since you have no descendants, why not take on a disciple? A disciple is also a son, and also a descendant. Who knows, if you take on a disciple, you might even establish your own school in the future."

Wang Chongyang suddenly realized something and his heart stirred. What the old man said made a lot of sense. He might be able to establish a school of thought and pass on his knowledge to future generations. In this way, even if his lifespan was coming to an end, his knowledge would not perish, and he would not be considered dead.

He bowed deeply to the old man and said, "Sir, your words have cleared up all my confusion. Thank you." The old man waved his hand and said, "It is not my doing. Even without my reminder, you may still think of this later."

Wang Chongyang bowed to the old man repeatedly and then talked with him there.

After talking for a long time, Wang Chongyang bid farewell to the old man, mounted his horse, and continued on his way. Compared to before, all the doubts in his heart were now resolved.

He was unable to acquire all the knowledge in his lifetime, so he should pass it on to future generations. As long as his knowledge exists, he will not perish, and someone will eventually acquire all the knowledge.

With many thoughts in mind, Wang Chongyang set off to establish his own school of thought.

……

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

Wang Chongyang traveled extensively throughout Jizhou. If he encountered a great Confucian scholar, he would enter a temple or Taoist monastery to pay his respects and discuss knowledge. However, with his current level of knowledge, he could hardly gain anything in the human world.

But Wang Chongyang didn't care much; he was focused on finding descendants to pass on his knowledge.

However, during these two years, there were no outstanding juniors who could teach him knowledge, so he had no choice but to keep traveling.

Wang Chongyang urged his horse forward, sighing as he said, "In these chaotic times, those who were originally focused on cultivation and have the opportunity to learn are few and far between. If I were to find a suitable successor, I fear it would be extremely difficult. But even if it is extremely difficult, I must do it, and all my knowledge must be passed down."

After traveling for a long time, Wang Chongyang entered a city. Suddenly, he noticed a commotion in the city. Puzzled, he stopped a passerby and asked, "Brother, why is there such a commotion in the city? It seems different from other places."

He traveled through many cities, but most of them were deserted. Every household kept their doors tightly shut, fearing that the Liao soldiers would break in and harm their homes. Every household hoped that the royal army would be able to recover Jizhou and did not want to become subjects of the Liao Kingdom. How could there be any liveliness in such a place?

This city, however, was quite different; it was bustling and unusual.

The passerby, seeing Wang Chongyang's extraordinary abilities, was initially impatient, but eventually answered, saying, "There are people coming from Zhongnan Mountain ahead. They say that there is a radiant light on Zhongnan Mountain, as if a rare treasure has been born there. They are calling on us to go to Zhongnan Mountain together to find the treasure. If we can find the treasure, our families will have no worries."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang suddenly realized what was happening and thanked the passerby.

The passerby left impatiently.

When Wang Chongyang learned of what was happening, he went forward, entered an inn, stored his horse there, and then squeezed into the crowd. Sure enough, he saw many people calling on others to go to Zhongnan Mountain to search for treasure. If they found treasure, everyone could get a share.

Wang Chongyang stepped forward and asked, "Is there really a treasure on Zhongnan Mountain?"

The man said, "We have seen with our own eyes that on Zhongnan Mountain, day and night, countless rays of light shine forth. There must be an extraordinary treasure there. Would you like to join us in searching for it?"

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "I don't want to go, but I've heard there are treasures on Zhongnan Mountain, which surprised me, so I'll ask a few more questions."

The man waved his hand and said, "There are many gods in the world. Perhaps it was a great god from heaven who accidentally knocked down some crystal and it fell into Zhongnan Mountain. There's nothing surprising about it."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang was at a loss for words. However, recalling his past experiences at Mount Xiyi, he couldn't help but believe it, thinking it might truly be a message left by the immortals.

The man said, "Since you do not wish to come with us, go somewhere else and do not block our way."

Wang Chongyang did not leave, but asked, "But Zhongnan Mountain is in Yongzhou, and we are in Jizhou. How should we get there?"

The man replied, "How else can we get there? We just walk. We prepare enough provisions and walk there. What's there to ask?"

Wang Chongyang said, "In that case, I will go with you to Zhongnan Mountain to find out what's going on."

Upon hearing this, the man was overjoyed. He took out paper and pen, asked Wang Chongyang's name, and was about to write it down for him.

Wang Chongyang then reported his name and the inn where he was currently staying.

The man said, "You may leave first. When we are about to go, we will call you. You should prepare enough dry food. If you have spare money, it would be best to buy horses."

Wang Chongyang responded to each of their requests and then turned and left.

As soon as he returned to the inn, the innkeeper came up to him and said, “Sir, don’t listen to those people’s nonsense. Those who are teaching people to go to Zhongnan Mountain are just some scoundrels from the city. They are not good people. They may even be trying to sell you. If you can ignore them, then don’t bother with them.”

Wang Chongyang asked with a smile, "What do you mean by 'sell'?"

The innkeeper said, "The Liao Kingdom is currently conscripting soldiers, and the day when the royal army will launch its northern expedition is far off. Those scoundrels in the market will naturally sell you all to the Liao Kingdom in exchange for money."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang remained silent for a long time before nodding and saying, "Thank you, shopkeeper. I will not go with them, but will go to Zhongnan Mountain alone to take a look."

The innkeeper said, "It would be good if you didn't associate with those scoundrels in the city. If you do find any traces of immortals in Zhongnan Mountain, please come back and show them to me so I can broaden my horizons."

Wang Chongyang laughed and said, "If there really is some kind of divine sign, I will bring it to you and show it to you. You can rest assured."

The shopkeeper smiled and agreed, saying, "In that case, I can't help but support you. Here, I'll get you some dried meat and provisions, which you can take with you when you go to Zhongnan Mountain."

Wang Chongyang bowed to the shopkeeper and said, "In that case, I'll trouble you, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper waved his hand and said, "No need to be so polite."

Wang Chongyang suddenly looked outside and said, "Speaking of which, since the shopkeeper knows that those scoundrels in the market are not good people, why don't you talk to them and let them be deceived? That would not be good."

The shopkeeper sighed and waved his hand, saying, "They've been blinded by money. Even if we talk to them, they won't believe us. Instead, they'll think I'm hindering their wealth and offend those scoundrels in the marketplace. How can this be allowed?"

Wang Chongyang suddenly understood, bowed to the shopkeeper, and said he had learned a lot.

(End of this chapter)