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

Chapter 398 Chongyang Enters Zhongnan Mountain, Pigsy Finally Awakens

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

Wang Chongyang traveled at a leisurely pace, and after more than a year of this, he finally arrived at Zhongnan Mountain in Yongzhou.

He spurred his horse forward and, from the hillside, gazed into the distance at the Zhongnan Mountains. He saw that the Zhongnan Mountains presented a magnificent sight: 'The Zhongnan Mountains stand majestically in the world, rising from the towering peaks of Mount Taibai in the west to the lofty summit of Mount Taiyi in the east. Their imposing presence swallows clouds and spews mist, dividing the Qin and Long regions; their form is a continuous chain of peaks and ridges, stretching straight to the sea.'

Again, I see: "The Zhongnan Mountains boast a ten-thousand-foot-high cloud ladder, as if leading to the Jade Terrace of the Emperor; its thousand winding stone paths resemble a jade ribbon hanging from the Milky Way. Every morning at sunrise, as the golden sun bathes the waves, a thousand cliffs vie in beauty; and as dusk settles, the moon's radiance shines, and ten thousand valleys conceal their seclusion. The central peak divides the landscape, separating day and night; mist and clouds shroud the myriad peaks, creating illusions of dawn and dusk."

Upon seeing it, Wang Chongyang exclaimed, "What a magnificent Zhongnan Mountain! The scenery here doesn't seem to belong to Xiyi Mountain. However, Xiyi Mountain is home to immortals, hence its extraordinary nature. But Zhongnan Mountain is the epitome of the beauty of heaven and earth."

Upon seeing this mountain, he was suddenly filled with joy, thinking that it would be wonderful to cultivate oneself in this mountain.

However, in that city of Jizhou, there is a saying that there is treasure in the mountains. Whether it is true or not, he should go to the mountains to find out.

Wang Chongyang spurred his horse forward, and before long he reached the entrance to the mountain path. He thought that the horse would be as hesitant to go forward as it was at Mount Xiyi.

Unexpectedly, the horse trotted up the mountain path without stopping at all.

Wang Chongyang smiled helplessly. He was overthinking it. This mountain was not like Xiyi Mountain. Xiyi Mountain had the Immortal Guangxin, so the horse was in awe and dared not go forward.

Although Zhongnan Mountain is blessed with natural beauty, I imagine there are no immortals living there, so the horse strode forward.

As the saying goes, "A mountain becomes famous because it has mountains," and this is certainly true.

Wang Chongyang gently patted the horse, guiding it onto the mountain path.

……

Meanwhile, amidst the clouds and mist, Pigsy rode on a cloud, wielding his nine-toothed rake. Since the Immortal's departure, he had never slackened in his efforts to protect Wang Chongyang. If any demons or evil spirits dared to approach, he would secretly intervene to protect Wang Chongyang and ensure that he was not harmed.

When Pigsy saw Wang Chongyang go up Zhongnan Mountain, he shouted, "I was just about to return to the mountain. I heard Brother Monkey say that I was being lazy. But I haven't left his side for a moment, nor have I dozed off. Even when I felt sleepy, I would rather be hit by a rake to wake myself up than be distracted and doze off. I will definitely teach Brother Monkey and Master Wang what it means to be 'distracted for three days'."

Pigsy stared intently at the spot where Wang Chongyang was going up the mountain. Suddenly, his eyes sharpened as he saw a large tiger by the mountain path. It seemed to have noticed Wang Chongyang's arrival and was about to ambush him.

Pigsy laughed loudly, "You little tiger demon, you have a little intelligence, but instead of cultivating properly, you actually have the ambition to devour Zhengwei. Zhengwei is a disciple of a true man, and he has knowledge here. If you were to devour him, you might really become a force to be reckoned with. Fortunately, I, Pigsy, am here."

Say it.

Pigsy landed on the cloud and traveled to the mountain path.

He had just landed on the mountain path when he suddenly saw a fierce tiger roaring and lunging at Pigsy with its tail slashing.

Pigsy remained calm and fearless, wielding his nine-toothed rake towards the tiger. With each swing of the rake, he displayed immense power.

Seeing that Pigsy was so powerful, the tiger stopped and fled, trying to escape.

Pigsy slammed his nine-toothed rake down, startling the tiger so much that it stopped and dared not flee any further.

Seeing that escape was impossible and that Pigsy was incredibly powerful, the tiger dared not cause any more trouble and instead prostrated itself on the ground, as if it wanted to kowtow and beg for mercy.

Pigsy laughed, "You're thinking of running away now? I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

The tiger suddenly spoke, uttering human language, saying, "Great Immortal, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong. Please spare my life, Great Immortal. I will never dare to cause trouble again. I have never done anything evil before. It was only recently that I was bewitched by a demon that I started causing trouble, but I have not harmed anyone yet. Please forgive me, Great Immortal!"

Pigsy said, "When you came to catch me earlier, why didn't you beg for mercy? Now you know how to beg for mercy."

The tiger said, "It was out of ignorance that I offended you."

Pigsy said, "I won't say much to you, but I saw that you had evil intentions toward that scholar from the road. I am his protector, so I have shown myself to deal with you."

The tiger lay prostrate on the ground, trembling with fear, and said, "But this time it was just a mischievous act. Seeing that the scholar had a righteous air, I had evil intentions. Great Immortal, I have never done anything evil before. This is the first time. Please forgive me."

Pigsy laughed and said, "You rascal, you're trying to fool me. You say you caused trouble at first, but I don't believe you. I see you have some ability. You were born a tiger, but I don't believe you have the patience to cultivate diligently."

The tiger said, “Great Immortal, you are wise! But Zhongnan Mountain has always been a place where heaven and earth gather beauty and talent, and it has its own spiritual energy. Therefore, I focused my mind here and achieved twice the result with half the effort. I have indeed not done anything evil.”

Upon hearing this, Pigsy gazed at Zhongnan Mountain for a long time. Indeed, this place was a rare and excellent spot. He nodded and said, "So you have never done anything evil, why are you now harboring evil thoughts and wanting to do evil?"

The tiger said, "Great Immortal, please forgive me. There is a fox demon in the mountains who flaunts its radiant light to lure people to him and then devour them. It was that fox demon who told me that devouring living people is much faster than cultivating in seclusion, so I had an evil thought and wanted to cause trouble."

Pigsy cursed, "Nonsense! What did that demon tell you? That devouring living people can help one's cultivation?"

Seeing that Pigsy was angry, the tiger hesitated and replied, "Great Immortal, please don't be angry. The fox demon told me that there is a saying in the human world that 'like cures like,' which means that things complement each other. Sheep liver can improve eyesight, pig heart can calm the mind, and walnuts have patterns like brain tissue, which can improve the intelligence of children. Therefore, it is also reasonable for demons to eat humans to complement each other."

Pigsy, not understanding, said, "I have heard of the saying 'like cures like,' but how can there be such a thing as a demon eating humans?"

The tiger whispered, "That fox demon said that a human body is complete and in harmony with heaven and earth, while a demon body is incomplete, so cultivation is not as fast as in a human body. If one can devour a human body, one can complete the incompleteness of the demon body."

Pigsy cursed and said, "Nonsense! How can you spout such twisted and heretical doctrines? You are so foolish to believe such words, you almost ruined your own cultivation in one fell swoop."

The tiger said, “Great Immortal, it was only because the fox demon’s words were so moving, and he even cited examples of people who attained enlightenment by eating humans, that I believed him.”

Pigsy asked, "What examples are there? Tell me about them so that I can hear them."

The tiger replied, "I once heard that fox demon say that the golden-bodied Arhats and Bodhisattvas of Mount Ling, as well as the legendary Great Sage Equal to Heaven, all attained enlightenment by eating people."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy was greatly alarmed and said, "You tiger, you're spouting nonsense! How can you say that the Golden-bodied Arhat Bodhisattva and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven attained enlightenment by eating people?"

The golden-bodied Arhat Bodhisattva is none other than Sha Wujing, his junior brother.

Needless to say, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven is none other than Sun Wukong. Fortunately, Sun Wukong did not learn of this conversation, otherwise, the monkey would have been furious and attacked him.

The tiger said, “Great Immortal, the fox demon said that in the past, the Golden Arhat Bodhisattva ate many people in a river, and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven ate people in various places. He ate countless people to replenish himself and become a Buddha and a saint.”

Pigsy said, “These are all empty words. You should not believe them. If you eat people, you will have no chance of attaining enlightenment. Only by cultivating diligently can you have a chance of attaining enlightenment.”

The tiger said, "Great Immortal, are you really not lying to me?"

Pigsy said, "I am the Clean Altar Messenger Bodhisattva, how could I lie to you?" The tiger said in a low voice, "I have never heard of the Clean Altar Messenger Bodhisattva."

Pigsy got a little impatient and said, "You've heard of the Golden-bodied Arhat Bodhisattva and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, but how come you've never heard of the Clean Altar Messenger Bodhisattva? What do you mean by that?"

The tiger said, “Bodhisattva, now that you speak to me, I know that you are a Bodhisattva. I grew up in Zhongnan Mountain since I was a child and have never gone out, so I did not know that there were golden-bodied Arhats and Bodhisattvas, and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. I only knew about them after hearing what that fox demon said.”

Pigsy said, “Enough, enough, enough. Why should I say anything more to you? Go find that fox demon. I must have a heart-to-heart talk with him and ask him why he doesn’t know my name. You lead the way, and I want to have a go at that fellow.”

The tiger then said, "Bodhisattva, I will now guide you on the path, but please spare my life. I will never do evil again, but will wholeheartedly do good and diligently cultivate myself."

Pigsy said, “Tell me the way. If you are willing to do good, I will not hold it against you and will spare your life so that I can teach you to cultivate yourself.”

The tiger readily agreed and then walked forward toward the mountain peak.

Pigsy followed closely behind. Before leaving, he glanced down the mountain and vaguely saw Wang Chongyang riding up. He quickly went to deal with the troublesome fox demon before Wang Chongyang reached the top.

……

A short while later, the tiger led Pigsy to a cave on the mountaintop.

The tiger said, "This is where the fox demon is. This fox demon is good at bewitching people and persuading the demons in Zhongnan Mountain to work for her and harm people. She also flaunts her glow in the mountains every day to lead passersby to her, calling herself the White Fox Lady."

Pigsy snorted, "I don't know what kind of skills she has that she dares to call herself 'Empress'."

Say it.

Pigsy was about to wield his nine-toothed rake to deal with the fox demon.

But then he suddenly thought of something and stopped.

The tiger asked, puzzled, "Bodhisattva, is there something important?"

Pigsy asked, "Are there any mountain gods or local deities in Zhongnan Mountain?"

The tiger replied, "Of course there is, but the fox demon lures people here, and the mountain god often advises people to leave. Only when the advice fails does he let them go."

Pigsy said, “If that’s the case, you wait here. If I go inside and fight that demon for a long time without coming out, then go and tell the mountain god that the Daoist Protector of the Cauldron under the Guangxin Master’s sect at the Xieyue Sanxing Cave on the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou has taught the demon to capture it. Ask him to go to the Xieyue Sanxing Cave to ask for reinforcements, or go to Mingshan in Jingzhou to ask the Celestial Master for help, or go to Lingshan or the Heavenly Court.”

The tiger was greatly surprised when it heard Pigsy say such things. It had never imagined that this Bodhisattva had such a great background. Although it did not know the meaning or origin of some of the things, it made it fearful and dared not underestimate him.

The tiger remembered everything and said, "Bodhisattva, I have noted it down. If you do not return, I will go to tell the mountain god. But I do not know how long you have been gone before I have to go to tell the mountain god."

Pigsy said, “But there was no sound of fighting inside. Since I haven’t come out yet, I should find the mountain god.”

The tiger replied, "I will obey the Bodhisattva's instructions."

After seeing the tiger respond, Pigsy swung his nine-toothed rake and went inside.

He entered the cave, and as soon as he stepped inside, he saw a radiant glow emanating from within.

Pigsy cursed, "This glow looks real! No wonder it can lure others here. Such deception deserves to die."

The thought of how many people had been deceived by this radiant light and lost their lives filled him with anger; this demon truly deserved to die.

He quickened his pace and entered the cave.

Before long, Pigsy entered the cave. Inside, he saw chests of jewels and a white fox standing upright, its hands about to emit a radiant glow.

Upon seeing this, Pigsy immediately scolded, "You demon, how dare you harm people here! Come and die!"

Say it.

Pigsy swung his nine-toothed rake and struck the white fox.

The white fox was terrified when it saw Pigsy approaching. It turned to flee, unaware of Pigsy's abilities. Although Pigsy's skills were not great, he had traveled the Journey to the West and subdued countless demons.

Pigsy, having anticipated the white fox's escape route, swung his nine-toothed rake wildly, striking the white fox.

The white fox, having learned to hit him, bared its teeth and turned to attack Pigsy.

Pigsy wielded his nine-toothed rake and fought with him. After two rounds, Pigsy seized the opportunity and killed the white fox on the spot with a single blow.

The white fox collapsed to the ground and reverted to its original form.

Pigsy cursed, "You little demon, how dare you fight with me! You have no idea how powerful I am!"

He killed the white fox and then went to investigate the mansion, only to find piles of white bones and no living people. This made him even angrier at the white fox. Now that he had gotten rid of it, his mind was at peace, and a few flashes of inspiration crossed his mind.

The punishment of evil and promotion of good here made him quite happy. He said that he had never felt this way when he traveled west in the past. Now, when he was eliminating demons, he felt that this was different from the past.

Pigsy seemed to have vaguely found the way he wanted.

But he didn't think much of it, turned around and walked out of the cave to meet the tiger.

Upon seeing Pigsy, the tiger asked, "Bodhisattva, are you injured?"

Pigsy shouted, "Even if I have no great skills, dealing with a little demon is a piece of cake."

The tiger exclaimed in surprise, "That white fox is extremely powerful! The Bodhisattva subdued it so easily!"

Pigsy said, “I told you long ago that the path of eating people is an evil path and you must never enter it. If you do, your abilities will be like this white fox, easily killed by people. You should cultivate in seclusion, do good with your heart, and be compassionate.”

The tiger pondered for a long time before asking, "Bodhisattva, but I do not know what compassion is. I hope you will explain it to me."

Upon seeing this, Pigsy pondered the things the immortal had told him years ago.

(End of this chapter)