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

Chapter 439 Waiting Patiently, Planning to Subdue the Demon

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong, having been defeated, returned to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, intending to retrieve the Yu Ding with Zuo Liang and then fight the Great Sage with the Axe and Halberd.

Zuo Liang, however, managed to dissuade Sun Wukong from doing so.

Sun Wukong was puzzled and asked Zuo Liang why he had stopped him.

Zuo Liang said, “Uncle-Master, please calm down. As you said, this Great Sage with Axe and Halberd can wield the Nine Cauldrons and also your Golden Cudgel. There is something fishy about this. We must investigate! As the saying goes, ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.’ If we do not know how to subdue this demon, it will be difficult to subdue him.”

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "I know that too, but how can we know where this Great Sage with Axe and Halberd came from? We don't know the Four Seas Dragon Kings, the Mountain Gods and the Earth Gods. If we don't know them, how can we subdue them?"

Zuo Liang pondered for a moment and said, "Although I have no way of knowing, I have some guesses."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong stepped forward and asked, "What are your guesses, nephew? Could you tell me?"

Zuo Liang said, "I have some guesses, but I don't know if they are true or false, so I asked my uncle to listen and see if he could figure it out."

Sun Wukong responded and simply told him to hurry up and tell the story.

Zuo Liang said, "Uncle-Master, I think it must have some connection with King Yu. It is because it is a demon, yet it can wield the Nine Cauldrons and the Ruyi Jingu Bang. The Nine Cauldrons were forged by King Yu in the past, and the Ruyi Jingu Bang is also a treasure left by King Yu when he controlled the floods. Both of these are related to King Yu. If this demon has some connection with King Yu, then everything makes sense."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong felt that Zuo Liang's words made sense. He became somewhat impatient and said, "Could it be that this demon was raised by King Yu in the past? If so, I should go and ask him. King Yu is now the Water Official Emperor. I will be able to find out when I go."

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "No need for that, Uncle-Master. Don't forget, I have a Five Thunder Orthodox Method. You can ask about it. If you allow me, Uncle-Master, I can set up an altar here and ask the Water Official Emperor to bestow his grace and answer our questions."

Sun Wukong said, "If that's the case, then you may set up an altar and ask."

Zuo Liang stepped forward and asked the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas for help in setting up an altar for him in the Dragon Palace.

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas readily agreed and summoned their aquatic creatures to set up an altar for Zuo Liang. In a short while, the altar was completed.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Liang hurriedly bathed and purified himself, and wrote down a document in preparation for opening the altar and presenting it to the Emperor.

But on the document he wrote, "I burn incense and bow my head, and petition the Water Official and the Great Emperor who relieves calamities."

Before the throne of the Three Primal, Three Rank, Three Officials Great Emperor, Zheng Yuan, a disciple of the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Xieyue Sanxing Cave, washed his hands, burned incense, and bowed a hundred times:
We humbly submit that the celestial sphere displays its signs, and the virtue of water governs its balance. The Great Emperor holds the reins of the Nine Netherworlds, records the merits and demerits of all spirits; he cleanses the mortal realm of calamities and oversees the clarity of rivers and streams. All beings of blood and breath are nurtured by his transformation; how dare they not be reverent and respectful?
Now there is a perplexing matter, which I request Your Majesty's attention:
Recently, I have heard of a legendary demon, known as the "Great Sage of the Axe and Halberd," born in Yangzhou, a mortal realm. He roams the mountains and forests, his power clashing with the stars of the Dipper and the Ox, causing countless deaths and polluting the pure and impure streams, oppressing the East Sea. Now, I have witnessed this demon wielding a cauldron and commanding the Sea-Stabilizing Treasure. Therefore, I dare to speculate that the demon's fate is unfathomable, and I humbly request the Great Emperor to reveal the truth…

Zuo Liang wrote down a lot of words, put the document away, and walked to the altar to perform the ritual.

The Four Dragon Kings and Sun Wukong were both standing by the altar, observing Zuo Liang.

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas said tremblingly, "Great Sage, perhaps we should report to the Jade Emperor and ask him to send troops to subdue that Axe-wielding Great Sage."

Sun Wukong sneered, "If you want to go, then go ahead. I want to see what kind of reinforcements you can bring. Even I can't defeat the Heavenly Generals of the Heavenly Palace. Who can you bring? If you can bring someone like the Xuan Emperor, then I'll pretend I never said anything. You can go now. I won't bother with this place anymore. Let that Great Sage with Axe and Halberd attack your East Sea Dragon Palace."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas hurriedly said, "Great Sage, we know we were wrong and will not go to the Heavenly Palace again. We beg the Great Sage to help us overcome this difficulty. We will always remember the Great Sage's kindness!"

Sun Wukong waved his hand, instructing the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to stand aside and not say anything, as he would wait for an opportunity to subdue the Great Sage with Axe and Halberd.

Upon hearing this, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas had no choice but to agree and said no more.

Meanwhile, Zuo Liang finished his spell and waited at the altar for a long time, but no heavenly soldiers arrived.

When Sun Wukong saw this, he was about to go forward when Zuo Liang gently waved his hand, telling him to stop. Sun Wukong was a little puzzled when he suddenly saw a piece of white paper appear in front of Zuo Liang, with writing on it.

Zuo Liangchao stared at the blank sheet of paper for a long time before instructing Sun Wukong to ascend the altar.

Sun Wukong responded and walked to the altar. He looked at the white paper and saw words on it: "Do not ask when the fleeting light will return, for there is a mountain deep in the clouds. Half a bowl of spring snow floats slowly, and suddenly the moonlight fills the cup."

Sun Wukong pondered for a moment, then said, "Nephew, what do you mean by that?"

Zuo Liang said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Water Official Emperor must have received my letter. This is his reply, instructing us to wait patiently. The things we need to know will reveal themselves when the time is right."

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "How can this be explained? This Water Official Emperor is always posing these kinds of riddles, which is making me a little impatient."

Zuo Liang laughed and said, "Uncle-Master, since it is the Water Official Emperor who instructed us to wait, we will wait in the Dragon Palace."

Sun Wukong said, "How long must we wait? If that Great Sage with the Axe and Halberd strikes, I, Sun Wukong, will not even have my Golden Cudgel in hand. How can I possibly block it?"

Zuo Liang said, "Uncle-Master, if that Great Sage with Axe and Halberd truly comes here unaware of his own mortality, I will be there. Besides, with the Yu Ding, it can be used by you, Uncle-Master."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong had no choice but to agree. He instructed the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to gather their water soldiers and cease any further resistance. He assured them that if the Great Sage with Axe and Halberd came, he would personally go forward to fight him.

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas had no choice but to follow Sun Wukong's advice and hastily gathered their water soldiers. They then set up a banquet to treat Sun Wukong and Zuo Liang with courtesy.

Sun Wukong and Zuo Liang stayed in the Dragon Palace for several days.

One day, when Sun Wukong was getting impatient, someone suddenly reported to the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas that someone was requesting an audience with them.

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were receiving guests in the main hall. Sun Wukong and Zuo Liang dared not leave to greet the other person, so they instructed their sailors to send the man away.

Upon hearing this, the sailor was in a very difficult position and for a moment did not know how to respond.

The Dragon King of the East Sea rebuked him, "I have already given my order, why are you hesitating here? Do you not want to be punished?"

The sailor was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground, unsure of how to respond.

Zuo Liang stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Dragon King, please calm down. Seeing the sailors hesitate, they must have something important to tell you. For a moment, they did not know how to say it, and they were intimidated by the Dragon King's majesty, so they could not speak. Why don't you wait a while and allow me to govern them?"

Say it.

Zuo Liang walked up to the sailor and lightly touched him. After he touched him several times, the sailor calmed down and bowed deeply to him.

Zuo Liang smiled and nodded, then walked back to his seat.

Sun Wukong stepped forward and said, "Nephew, when did you acquire such supernatural power, capable of instantly calming a person's mind?" Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "It's just a minor skill."

Upon seeing this, the Dragon King of the East Sea had no choice but to ask the sailors what was going on.

The sailor replied, "Your Majesty, outside the Dragon Palace, the Buddha of Wisdom and Meditation of Mount Ling, the Messenger of the Altar, and Liu Chenxiang, the Great Sage's disciple, have come together."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King of the East Sea was greatly alarmed and said, "Since such a person has come, why won't you let him pass? What are you hesitating for?"

The sailor whispered, "It was the Dragon King who instructed me to send the man away, which is why I hesitated."

The Dragon King of the East Sea appointed a sailor, who, for a moment, was at a loss for words.

Sun Wukong heard this and saw it for real. When Zhu Bajie and the others arrived, they were overjoyed. They were now struggling against the Great Sage with his axe and halberd, but with such help, they had no fear of defeating that scoundrel.

Sun Wukong stepped forward and said, "These are my second senior brothers and the others. Dragon King, please go and greet them. No, I will go myself."

Say it.

Sun Wukong then went outside the Dragon Palace.

Zuo Liang followed closely behind.

Upon seeing this, how could the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas dare not go along?

As soon as they left the Dragon Palace, they saw Zhenjian and the other two.

Sun Wukong strode forward, bowed to him, and said joyfully, "Second Senior Brother! Your junior brother greets you. Your arrival today is truly wonderful, truly wonderful! I have recently encountered a monster that I cannot defeat, and even my staff has been taken away by him. If I could get your help, Second Senior Brother, I could defeat that fellow! Please, Second Senior Brother, help me!"

Zuo Liang smiled and bowed to Zhen Jian, then greeted Zhu Bajie and Liu Chenxiang.

All three of them returned Zuo Liang's greeting first.

After the formalities were completed, Zhenjian smiled and said, "Junior Brother Wukong, don't be anxious. I know everything that has happened here. We came here on the orders of our eldest brother to help you subdue that monster."

Sun Wukong was startled upon hearing this and was about to ask something else.

Zhenjian interrupted, saying, "Junior Brother Wukong, there's no need to rush to ask. We've come here today to tell you the whole story."

Sun Wukong then stopped talking and said, "It is I who am anxious."

Pigsy laughed and said, "As the saying goes, 'The monkey is impatient, the monkey is impatient,' so it's understandable that Brother Monkey is a bit impatient."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong said, "You fool, I haven't hit you in a long time, yet you've become much more arrogant."

Pigsy taught him a trick, and he jumped up, pretending to dodge.

Zuo Liang and Liu Chenxiang rushed over and stopped Sun Wukong, and then the group headed into the Dragon Palace.

Before long, everyone entered the Dragon Palace. Seeing that there was nothing to hide, they told Sun Wukong everything the real person had told them. They also said that whether it was Zhu Bajie, Chenxiang, or even himself, they were all sent by the real person to help Sun Wukong subdue the Great Sage with Axe and Halberd.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong learned the origin of the Great Sage with the Axe and Halberd, and everything became clear. He exclaimed in sudden realization, "This monster is actually the transformed piece of the axe that Yu the Great used to split the mountain. It used to accompany Yu the Great. No wonder the Dragon King said that it was transformed from Geng metal and could even wield the Nine Cauldrons and the Golden Cudgel. Such a source is truly formidable. It would be very difficult for me to defeat it."

Pigsy laughed and said, "It's hard to defeat him in a conversation. Brother Monkey, you even let him take away your staff. This is a great defeat."

Sun Wukong scolded, "You idiot, if you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for dealing with you."

Pigsy said, "Brother, you have no more staffs left, so don't say anything more."

Sun Wukong said, "Even without my staff, I can still take you down."

Pigsy laughed and said, "I know that Brother Monkey is very capable, but right now we should focus on subduing the demon. It's not too late to talk about such things after we get the staff back."

Sun Wukong said no more.

Zhenjian stepped forward and said, “Junior brother, we have come here today to subdue this demon. You can tell us how to subdue this demon. However, in terms of fighting ability, none of us are as good as you, so you shall be our leader.”

Sun Wukong said, "As you wish, Senior Brother, I will not be modest. I have fought with that Axe-wielding Great Sage. He is incredibly powerful, possessing immense strength, but his martial arts have flaws. He doesn't understand the principle of holding back three parts of his attack while launching seven. In a one-on-one fight, I could defeat him. However, that Axe-wielding Great Sage has the Yangzhou Cauldron in his hand, which is what made him difficult to deal with. The Yangzhou Cauldron carries the energy of an entire province, which we cannot withstand. If we had a way to deal with the Yangzhou Cauldron, we could all attack together, and how could that fellow possibly stand against us?"

Zhenjian said, "As Junior Brother Wukong said, the thing we need to consider is the Yangzhou Cauldron."

Sun Wukong responded.

Zuo Liang said, "With our master Yu Ding here, and Yu Ding being the central cauldron, why would we fear Yang Ding?"

After pondering for a moment, Zhenjian said, "A head-on confrontation is the worst option. If we can subdue it quickly without having to use the Divine Cauldron to fight it head-on, that would be the best."

Chenxiang also stepped forward, took out his mountain-splitting axe, pointed to the notch, and said, “Master, Second Uncle, everyone. That Great Sage of Axe and Halberd was transformed from the notch of this axe. His origin is very secretive. We only know about him because our eldest uncle reminded us, and also because the Dragon King, the Earth God, and the Mountain God told us. If we use the mountain-splitting axe to fight him, expose his weakness, make him lose his mind, and then attack him as a group, is it possible to defeat him in one battle?”

Upon hearing his words, the group pondered for a moment and then nodded in agreement. Chenxiang's method was feasible. If the Great Sage of Axe and Halberd had any weaknesses, they would all be here now and attack him together. How could the Great Sage of Axe and Halberd possibly withstand it?

He devised a plan to deal with the Great Sage of Axe and Halberd.

Sun Wukong looked at the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas and asked, "Old Dragon Kings, do you know where the Great Sage with Axe and Halberd is now?"

The four Dragon Kings looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, the Dragon King of the East Sea stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Great Sage, since you fought against that Axe-wielding Great Sage, that fellow seems to have been injured and retreated to the mountains of Yangzhou Customs. He has not reappeared since."

Sun Wukong said, “In that case, let’s go to the mountain of Yangzhou to find him. You all stay in the clouds while I challenge him. He must be furious after I injure him. Once he shows himself, I will lure him out, and then we can all rush in and subdue him.”

Pigsy said, "Brother, can you really lure it out? If you can't, then it will be difficult to deal with."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Fool, don't worry. But if that fellow dares to come out and meet me, even without my staff, I have the ability to make him leave the Pass Mountain. So you should all be prepared and wait for him to come out so that we can cut off his escape route and prevent him from leaving."

(End of this chapter)