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

Chapter 435 Where Yang Ding is, Pigsy suffers misfortune
Time flies, and more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Sun Wukong and Zuo Liang traveled through Danyang County for a long time. Whenever they encountered demons or monsters, they would eliminate them. During the day, they encountered merchants, common people, and people from all walks of life. At night, they encountered ghosts and spirits.

However, after the two traveled through the entire territory of Danyang County, there were no more demons or evil spirits in Danyang County, nor could they find any trace of Yang Ding.

Sun Wukong stood in a long pavilion in the mountains, picking a peach from somewhere and eating it with relish.

Zuo Liang, standing beside him, looked somewhat helpless.

After Sun Wukong finished the peaches, he asked, "Nephew, these days we have killed many demons, but we have not found the Yangding Cauldron. However, we have found many ordinary treasures."

As he spoke, Sun Wukong raised the cassock on his body. It was a cassock made of silk, smooth and delicate, and it could avoid water, but it had the magical effect of keeping out the rain.

Zuo Liang also took out a treasure, which was two pebble-like stones. These were flints, which could be used to warm oneself and prevent one from being affected by wind and cold.

These are all ordinary treasures, of little use.

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "Uncle-Master, I'm afraid there are no divine cauldrons in Danyang County. We should go elsewhere."

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "Since there is no divine cauldron here, let's leave. There are only four prefectures south of Yangzhou. Since there is no divine cauldron in Danyang Prefecture, it must be in the other three prefectures. Although we have not found the divine cauldron, firstly, we have obtained some ordinary treasures, and secondly, eliminating one of the four prefectures is also a good thing."

Zuo Liang smiled and said, "What my uncle says makes sense. But the remaining three prefectures are Wu Prefecture, Kuaiji Prefecture, and Yuzhang Prefecture. Where should we go?"

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment, then said, "Nephew, do you have an opinion?"

Zuo Liang said, "Uncle-Master, in my opinion, it would be better if we first summoned the local land and mountain gods within Yangzhou, gathered them together, and then asked them about our origins. After that, we can decide where to go. After all, the three prefectures are quite large. If we continue to search in these places, it will be a waste of time and effort, and we might not even find anything."

Sun Wukong said, "In that case, we will have to rely on your skills, my nephew, to summon the local land and mountain gods of Yangzhou."

Zuo Liang said, "Please wait here a moment, Uncle Master. I will go to the place ahead and summon the local earth gods and mountain gods of Yangzhou before I leave. Uncle Master has immense divine power and the name of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. If the local earth gods and mountain gods see this, they will not be able to let go. Therefore, please forgive my rudeness."

Sun Wukong said, "There has been no rudeness on my part. As long as I can get what I want, that's fine. My nephew, you go and do it. I'll wait here for you."

Zuo Liang bowed to Sun Wukong before moving on.

Sun Wukong waited in place. He saw Zuo Liang in the distance, using the Five Thunder Orthodox Method to summon the land and mountain gods within Yangzhou. Those who obeyed his command all rushed over quickly to respond to Zuo Liang's decree.

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong was deeply moved and thought to himself, "Zheng Yuan's Five Thunder Orthodox Method has certainly been cultivated for a long time and is extremely skillful, already at a state of perfection. However, to be able to command the land gods and mountain spirits of an entire state with a single decree is not something that can be achieved simply by having a decree; it is because he has won the hearts of the land gods and mountain spirits that he has such power. No matter how skilled an ordinary person is in the Five Thunder Orthodox Method, they cannot have such power. Zheng Yuan, with this kind of heart, you are already qualified to graduate."

He knew that in terms of 'benevolence and righteousness,' he was no match for Zhengyuan.

Sun Wukong gazed at Zuo Liang from afar.

After a long time, Zuo Liang returned with a piece of land.

Upon seeing Sun Wukong, the local earth deity bowed deeply and said, "The earth deity of Donglai Village, Yuzhang Prefecture, pays respects to the Great Sage!"

Sun Wukong waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities."

As he spoke, he looked at Zuo Liang and asked, "Nephew, have you gained anything here?"

Zuo Liang bowed and replied, "Uncle-Master, I have gained some insights. I have learned from the local land and mountain gods in Yangzhou that, as you say, there are many places in Yangzhou where five-colored lights and evil spirits are at work. However, based on my observation, most of them are not where the Divine Cauldron is located. But what this land god told me makes me feel that it might be where the Divine Cauldron is located, so I asked him to come with me to tell you, Uncle-Master."

Sun Wukong's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Lord, please tell me, where is that divine cauldron?"

The local deity said, “Great Sage, please forgive me, this old man does not know where such a divine object is. However, according to what the Master said, this old man believes that outside Donglai Village in Yuzhang County, there is a mountain called ‘Hainan Mountain’. Legend has it that when King Yu was controlling the floods, he saw that the waterways were blocked from reaching the sea, so he split the mountain with his axe, allowing the river water to flow into the sea, hence the name. The divine cauldron may be there.”

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "I'm not telling you where this mountain's name comes from, but you asked why the Divine Cauldron might be in that mountain."

The local deity replied, “Great Sage, recently a demon has appeared in the mountains of Haiguan. He has become a local tyrant, claiming that everything south of Yangzhou and the East Sea belongs to him. He calls himself the ‘Great Sage of Axe and Halberd,’ and his abilities are quite formidable. He once slaughtered a dragon from the Dragon Palace and wanted to force the Dragon Palace to submit. Recently, he has been fighting fiercely with the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, but the Dragon Palace is suffering defeat after defeat. I fear that he will soon face a fatal disaster.”

Sun Wukong laughed, "How can the Dragon King of the East Sea be so cowardly, unable to even defeat a mountain monster? Fine, fine, fine. I am his neighbor. If he is truly no match for him, I will go and help him. But as you said, old local deity, is Yang Ding hiding in this monster's den?"

The Earth God said, “That’s right, that’s right. I dare not hide anything from the Great Sage. I have heard that the Dragon Palace is suffering repeated defeats because the Great Sage of Axe and Halberd is holding a cauldron with immense divine power. As the Master said, the cauldron in his hand is very likely a divine cauldron.”

Sun Wukong waved his hand and said, "That's absolutely impossible. The Nine Cauldrons are no ordinary objects. How could a demon possibly control them? Nephew, you should know that the Nine Cauldrons are a magic that our eldest brother has a special connection with. It would be extremely difficult for anyone else to use them, not even for me."

Zuo Liang smiled and said, "Uncle-Master, I know that, but as I see it, the most likely place for Yang Ding is here. If it is not here, it is unlikely to be found anywhere else in Yangzhou."

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment and replied, "In that case, let's go there and take a look, and see if Yang Ding is there. Even if he isn't, we can still eliminate the demon, which will not only protect the peace of this area but also help the old Dragon King."

Zuo Liang said, "What my martial uncle says makes sense."

Say it.

Zuo Liang bid farewell to the local earth god and talked with him for a long time before leaving. The two headed towards Haiguan Mountain.

……

On a small path leading from Xiniu Hezhou to the human world, Pigsy looked around and saw countless wolf demons surrounding him and Chenxiang, poised to pounce and kill them at any moment.

Pigsy, wielding his nine-toothed rake, stood ready, not daring to be careless. He inwardly groaned, "Oh no! I wanted to buy some clothes for Chenxiang, but I heard from others that there's a shop selling luxurious clothes up ahead. I was going to buy two pieces for Chenxiang. But who would have thought that this clothes shop is actually a demon's den, where they eat human flesh? What am I supposed to do? If I were alone, I could leave, but now that Chenxiang is behind me, how can I possibly escape?"

Just as Pigsy was pondering a plan, he suddenly remembered that the immortal had told him to take good care of the sandalwood. Could it be that the immortal knew all along that he would encounter difficulties on his journey?

This was due to his carelessness. If he hadn't taken Chenxiang away from the main road to the west, no demon would have dared to invade. This was his fault. Now, no matter what, he must protect Chenxiang. If he couldn't protect Chenxiang, he would have no face to see the real person or Brother Monkey. Pigsy was already prepared in his heart to fight fiercely.

Chenxiang, standing beside him, remained calm, wielding his axe in preparation for battle. He said, "Sir, let's head together towards the main road to the west. The demons and monsters here are ultimately insignificant, but once we break into the main road to the west, these demons and monsters will certainly not dare to pursue us."

Pigsy shook his head and said, “We must not be reckless. Although the demons here are weak and not a threat, they still have the advantage of numbers. If we charge out and hurt you, it would be unwise.”

Chenxiang shook his head and said, "Sir, we should not stay here any longer. Look behind them. They are still gathering. If we cannot break out quickly, we will have no chance to escape later."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Chenxiang made a quick decision and said, "Sir, come with me and let's fight our way out. Don't hesitate, or you will suffer."

After hearing him speak again, Pigsy finally made up his mind and said, "In that case, I, Pigsy, will fight my way out with you!"

Chenxiang smiled and said, "That's right."

The two of them were about to exert their strength simultaneously and charge out.

Just as the two were about to make a move, a gust of evil wind suddenly came and landed not far away.

Pigsy and Pigsy looked closely and saw a wolf demon with dark fur walk out. Its aura was impressive, and it was no ordinary creature.

The wolf demon stepped forward, staring at Pigsy and Chenxiang for a long time, focusing on Pigsy. He laughed and said, "I expected a little demon to report that a pig had come to our door today, enough to eat for several days. I didn't believe it at first, but now that I see it, I'm convinced. How can you leave so soon after such an honored guest? Why don't you come with me and rest at my mansion for a while?"

Pigsy spat and said, "You wretched wolf monster! Do you even know who we are, yet you dare to intercept us! If you knew my name and background, you'd be scared out of your wits!"

The wolf demon said, "Tell me your name, and I will listen to you. How could you scare me so badly that my soul flew away?"

Pigsy said, “Listen carefully, I am the former Water God Tianpeng, now the Cleansing Altar Messenger of Mount Ling, and the Guardian Daoist of the Cauldron of the Guangxin True Man of Mount Lingtai. If you dare to touch us, no matter what you do in the Three Realms, you will have nowhere to escape!”

Say it.

Pigsy wielded his nine-toothed rake, showing off and displaying his power to bolster his prestige.

Upon hearing this, the wolf demon jumped up in surprise and asked, "Are you the Water God Tianpeng?"

Pigsy said, "Back then, I was the Water God Tianpeng!"

The wolf demon stared at Pigsy for a long time, then shook his head and said, "You're just trying to fool me. You are definitely not the Heavenly Water God."

Pigsy got a little impatient and said, "How can I not be the Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng, the one who commands 100,000 Heavenly River soldiers? Explain yourself!"

The wolf demon said, "I once saw the Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng! He was handsome and powerful. You, you pig demon, are too fat for me to eat. I have to eat you with the lean ones. How could you be the Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng?"

Pigsy said, “I was handsome in my younger days, but you only know one thing about that fellow. Let me tell you the story. I was once Marshal Tianpeng, without a doubt. I made a mistake in my cultivation in Heaven, and His Majesty the Jade Emperor asked me to descend to the mortal world to cultivate. But I mistakenly reincarnated as a pig, which is why I am what I am today.”

Upon hearing this, the wolf demon asked again, "Are you really Marshal Tianpeng?"

Pigsy patted his chest and said, "It's the real deal!"

Upon hearing this, the wolf demon's eyes turned bloodshot, and it said, "If that's the case, do you remember that in the past, the Water God Tianpeng led his army down to the mortal realm to eliminate demons, and in the Xiniu Hezhou area, he eliminated some wolf demons?"

After pondering for a long time, Pigsy said, "I don't remember, but I once led an army to attack Xiniu Hezhou, which is true. But that was to attack some tiger demons, not wolf demons."

The wolf demon pointed at Pigsy and said, "You really are Marshal Tianpeng! But do you know that when you were fighting the tiger demon and on your way back, you saw more than a dozen wolf demons? Those wolf demons had not offended you, but you saw them and thought we were an eyesore, so you killed them all!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy sensed something was wrong and said, "Why do you say such things?"

The wolf demon said, "My people, my parents, are the wolf demons you were taught to kill back then. I taught them to hide in the cave and didn't teach them to kill you. After years of hard training, I have finally become powerful. I was just thinking about when I could seek revenge on you, but I never expected you to appear before me. Now you should avenge me."

Pigsy panicked, never expecting that it was something from years ago, and now the wolf demon had come looking for him. He was about to say something to brush it off when the wolf demon ignored him and suddenly lunged at him with a large knife in his hand.

Pigsy had no choice but to swing his nine-toothed rake and attack.

The two fought fiercely, their nine-toothed rakes whistling through the wind, their metal and steel blades gleaming like frost. Though they were not meant to be, their feud stemmed from past events. One was more skilled than before, the other had diligently cultivated his skills. They fought fiercely, neither willing to give up easily.

The two fought for more than twenty rounds without a clear winner. If one had to determine who was superior, Pigsy had a slight advantage because he often practiced martial arts with Sun Wukong and the others. However, defeating the wolf demon would be extremely difficult.

Chenxiang immediately saw this and stepped forward, saying, "Sir, I'm here to help you!"

Say it.

Chenxiang swung his axe and chopped at the wolf demon, intending to help Zhu Bajie defeat him.

The wolf demon was terrified when it saw the powerful divine axe in Chenxiang's hand and retreated.

Pigsy saw this and gave chase, joining forces with Chenxiang to attack the wolf demon.

Seeing the two attacking each other, the wolf demon summoned a group of lesser demons to join the attack on Pigsy and Chenxiang.

When Pigsy saw the horde of demons rushing towards him, he was terrified and lost all his bravado. But seeing that Chenxiang was still fighting the wolf demon, he had no choice but to pick up his nine-toothed rake and go forward to help, hoping to find an opportunity to leave with Chenxiang. He knew that with the help of the demons, he would have a hard time defeating the wolf demon, and if he did not escape, he would be captured.

(End of this chapter)