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

Chapter 111: Setting up the furnace and tripod, the blue ox can easily escape
It is said that Jiang Yuan and Taibai Jinxing rode on a cloud and left the Tushita Palace, heading for the Lingxiao Palace. On the way, they saw "a palace with golden beasts on its ridges and jade unicorn scales on its pillars", a dazzling sight.

Taibai Jinxing rode on a cloud and looked around, and asked, "Master, how is the heaven?"

Jiang Yuan followed closely behind and said with a smile: "It is so magical that words cannot describe it all."

Taibai Jinxing said: "In the past, the Jade Emperor summoned you and asked you to be a true monarch. Why didn't you enter the heaven? If you enter the heaven, you will have a rank and salary, and the power to command troops, which will be very impressive."

Jiang Yuan said: "Xingjun, my Taoism is shallow and not worthy of ascending to heaven."

Taibai Jinxing said with a smile: "Your Taoism is shallow, how can you have a deep Taoism? Immortal, just go forward and follow me."

After Lao Xing finished speaking, he pressed down the clouds.

Jiang Yuan followed closely behind, not daring to make any mistakes. When they reached the Lingxiao Palace, they heard the sound of the golden bell and the celestial drum. They looked up and saw the "golden nails gathered in the jade door, and the colorful phoenixes danced in the red door" in front of them. They also saw a corridor in front of them, which was exquisite and translucent. A little further ahead, there was a purple towering golden gourd roof with a bright light. The Tianding strongmen guarded every place, looking majestic and proud, shocking all directions.

Taibai Jinxing stepped forward and said, "That person in front is the Immortal Guangxin from the lower world. The Jade Emperor has specially ordered a meeting with him. Please clear the way for the Immortal to come in."

When the Ding Lishi heard this that day, they all bowed to each other and then cleared the way for the immortal to enter.

Taibai Jinxing said: "Master Guangxin, follow me."

Jiang Yuan thanked him and said, "Yes."

Taibai Jinxing and Jiang Yuan walked into the Lingxiao Palace.

When Jiang Yuan entered, he did not look away, but bowed with great respect, not daring to be disrespectful.

Taibai Jinxing stepped forward and said, "I have received the imperial decree to invite the Immortal Master to come. Now the Immortal Master has arrived."

The Jade Emperor asked behind the curtain: "Is this the real person?"

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the lower world Taiyi Sanshu Guangxin is here."

The Jade Emperor said, "I have heard of your name a long time ago. A few years ago, a monkey demon was causing chaos in the lower world. One hundred thousand heavenly soldiers could not stop him. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva recommended you to me, and I was able to capture the monkey demon. At that time, you had not yet ascended to heaven, so I could not see you. Now I see you, and you are indeed an immortal."

Jiang Yuan said: "I don't deserve such praise from your majesty."

The Jade Emperor said, "In the past, I sent the celestial beings to invite the Immortal Master. At that time, the Immortal Master devoted himself to cultivation, so I reserved the Immortal Master's position for him to return to. Now that the Immortal Master has gone to heaven to cultivate with Laojun, has he completed his mission and returned to his position?"

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "I dare not deceive your majesty. My ability is low and I have not yet achieved success. I dare not steal the position of the True Lord. I will wait until I achieve success in the future and then serve your majesty."

The Jade Emperor asked, "When will the Immortal be successful?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I dare not say anything, for fear of speaking nonsense in front of you."

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor laughed and said, "I heard that the demon monkey is the Immortal's junior fellow apprentice. Is this true?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "That's right. Wukong was so restless that my master expelled him from the sect. I am sure he and I are from the same sect."

The Jade Emperor said, "In the past, I saw that his mind was restless and his will was unbridled. I thought it was not easy for him to cultivate and was moved by his creation. I appointed him as the Horse Guard, hoping that he could tame his mind and will and achieve the true way as soon as possible. I didn't expect that he would take my weakness and become even more aggressive. Today, I see that the True Man is humble, which is completely different from him."

Jiang Yuan said: "Your Majesty, Wukong was also like me in the past, because he was restless and could not escape his fate. When he succeeds in the future, Wukong will be a fairy."

The Jade Emperor said, "Master, I have sent Taibai Jinxing to invite you here. First, I want to see you, and second, I want you to return to your position. Since you said that you have not yet accomplished your mission, I will not force you."

Jiang Yuan bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Jade Emperor then let Jiang Yuan leave. Before he left, he rewarded him with golden flowers and royal wine, and promised that when his mission was accomplished, he should report it to the heaven, and pairs of celestial beings would come to welcome him back to his throne.

Jiang Yuan was deeply grateful and bowed three times to the Jade Emperor before leaving.

……

Taibai Jinxing escorted Jiang Yuan back to Tushita Palace.

Jiang Yuan entered the central hall of Tushita Palace and met Laojun again.

Laojun smiled and called Jiang Yuan to the alchemy room without asking any further questions.

Passing through the palaces, Laojun stopped in front of the alchemy rooms, pointed to the front, and said, "There are many alchemy rooms here, each one is different."

Jiang Yuan looked around and asked, "Laojun, the effects of external elixirs are different, so there are so many elixir rooms?"

Laojun nodded and smiled, "Yes. There are similarities between external alchemy and internal alchemy, but the key points are different. Guangxin, what are the seven steps of internal alchemy?"

Jiang Yuan stood still and answered, "It is to set up the tripod, collect herbs, control the fire, cook, warm and nourish, and have sex, and it will become a pill after nine transformations."

Laojun said: "The same is true for external elixirs, but there are certain rules to follow. Just follow me."

Say it.

Laojun walked towards the alchemy room, and Jiang Yuan followed closely behind him.

Walking into the alchemy room, I saw that it was busy. The boy who was lighting the fire was fanning the fire to practice, the Taoist who was watching the furnace was staring at the furnace, and the immortal official who was pulling the wind valve did not stop for a moment.

Laojun asked Jiang Yuan to look around, and when he finished looking, he asked the immortal to go to the next alchemy room. He repeated this process after going through five or six alchemy rooms, and then left the alchemy room and walked to the central hall.

Laojun asked Jiang Yuan to sit down, and then asked, "Guangxin, did you get anything?"

Jiang Yuan pondered for a long time and said, "Laojun, external alchemy is similar to internal alchemy. Internal alchemy focuses on three points, which are setting up the tripod, collecting herbs, and controlling the fire. We observe the same principles for external alchemy."

Laojun asked, "What do you mean?"

Jiang Yuan replied, "We have seen that the furnaces in every alchemy room are different. Some are made of gold, some are made of silver, and some are made of steel. Their heights and sizes are also different. In addition, there are fire-setting furnaces and wind-drawing furnaces. They are all in full swing, all for the purpose of fire control. Collecting herbs is the most important part of the elixir, needless to say."

Laojun smiled and said, "Guangxin is amazing. Just as you said, the external elixir is also important in these three aspects. The cauldrons have different heights and materials, and there are subdivisions in refining external elixirs. If used incorrectly, it will be highly toxic. For example, when preparing the golden elixir, you must use a steel cauldron. The cauldron is used in the number of three and six. For a high-level cauldron, use three feet and six, and for a low-level cauldron, use three feet and six. Only with such a cauldron can you refine the golden elixir. In addition, the cauldron must have eight holes to let air out and in."

Jiang Yuan took note of it and bowed, saying, "Thank you very much, Laojun, for teaching me."

Laojun said: "Don't thank me too early. The cauldron is the most important thing. I haven't explained it in detail. How can you set up the cauldron?"

Jiang Yuan replied: "Laojun, it is to draw the energy of heaven and earth, and set up a golden tripod and jade furnace one inch and three points below the navel."

Laojun smiled and said, "The external alchemy method of setting up the cauldron is different from the internal alchemy method. The furnace cauldron needs to be placed on the furnace, and it needs to be placed steadily. The lid of the cauldron should be raised from the ground to draw in the earth's energy, and the top of the cauldron should be in line with the sky to draw in the weather. This step is called 'setting up the furnace and the cauldron'."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he knew that this was similar to inner alchemy, but definitely not the same. Besides, the setting up of the furnace for alchemy and the golden cauldron and jade furnace for inner alchemy each had their own difficulties.

Laojun said, "I will call one or two boys to set up the furnace and the tripod for you to watch."

After saying that, Laojun gave an order and sent two or three fairy children into the central hall to fetch the furnace and the tripod. The fairy children received the order to fetch the furnace and the tripod, and they skillfully set up the furnace and the tripod, but they found that the furnace was unstable and the tripod stood on it, swaying and bumping around.

Laojun pointed at the tripod and said with a smile, "Guangxin, when you look at this tripod, you can imagine that the drunk monkey must have been in this posture when he entered my palace and did that thing."

Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "Laojun, one day I will definitely send Wukong to apologize to you."

Lao Jun said, "No need. If that fellow comes, there will be no peace. You wait, keep the cauldron stable."

Upon hearing this, the two or three fairy boys worked hard to set up the furnace and the cauldron, and placed the furnace and the cauldron in a stable position.

Jiang Yuan looked at the cauldron and saw two kinds of air, clear and turbid, which made the cauldron as stable as a mountain and no longer swayed.

Laojun said: "After the furnace is set up, the alchemist's mind will not be disturbed, and the furnace will not move. It cannot be moved by force. Guangxin, go forward and try to push it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan walked to the cauldron and pushed it gently. Sure enough, he saw that the cauldron did not move at all, like a mountain, and it could not be moved by any magic power.

Laojun asked, "How?"

Jiang Yuan said: "It is indeed amazing. Besides, the way of alchemy has its subtleties."

Laojun called out to the two fairy boys, and the two fairy boys' hearts were confused. They saw the cauldron collapse in an instant and were no longer stable. Therefore, the cauldron is like the heart, if the heart is calm, the cauldron is stable, and if the heart is confused, the cauldron collapses.

Laojun said: "Guangxin might as well give it a try."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he recalled what the two immortal children had done, so he placed the furnace in place, stood up the tripod, and then made the tripod lid level with the ground and the lid face the sky. It didn't take long before the furnace and tripod were set up.

This immortal has completed the setting up of the furnace and the tripod, and the two energies of heaven and earth are attached to it, making it stable and steady.

Laojun said: "I often teach children like this. This step takes several years to master, but Guangxin can do it in just a moment."

Jiang Yuan put down the cauldron, shook his head and said: "It's not that I'm amazing, but my golden elixir has been completed. The inner elixir and the outer elixir are similar, so it's easy for me to learn."

Laojun said: "Even so, you can accomplish it in an instant, which is quite capable. You two, carry the cauldron away."

The two fairy boys received the order and carried the cauldron down.

Lao Jun said: "Guang Xin's wisdom, I will not teach you step by step, so I will tell you about the external elixir, Guangxin, please remember it and then learn it in full."

Jiang Yuan bowed and said, "Please teach me, Laojun."

Laojun helped the immortal stand up and said, "There are seven steps to achieve inner alchemy, and the same is true for outer alchemy. There are also seven steps, which are to set up the furnace and the cauldron, clean the furnace and sweep the cauldron, warm the furnace and nurture the cauldron, collect and load the medicine, light the fire and temper, turn the nine times to form the elixir, and remove the fire to achieve success. After these seven steps, the golden elixir will be achieved, and no step can be wrong. If you make a mistake, the golden elixir will fail."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan wrote down the seven steps, thinking that this was similar to the inner golden elixir, but if it was to make an elixir, it would be very different.

He learned very quickly, because he had achieved success in inner alchemy and his sacred fetus resided in the Niwan, so he was able to learn the entire outer alchemy very quickly.

Jiang Yuan asked, "Laojun, may I ask, what do you mean by cleaning the furnace and sweeping the cauldron, and warming the furnace and nurturing the cauldron?"

Laojun said: "Cleaning the furnace and sweeping the cauldron means sweeping away everything in the furnace and cauldron, and also sweeping your heart to make it dust-free. Warming the furnace and nurturing the cauldron involves the theory of the temperature of the fire, which is difficult to explain. Guangxin, did Bodhi teach you the temperature of the fire?"

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "My master once taught me the secret of the best fire."

Laojun said: "Bodhi regards you as his legacy, and I will pass on this to you. But you are not a disciple of Daluo, so I cannot pass on the secret of the fire to you. This warming the furnace and nurturing the cauldron is to teach you the fire to produce the true yang energy, so that you can make the elixir. I cannot teach you, but I will make the elixir soon, and you can watch from the side. If you are smart, you can learn it all. If you can't learn it, you can only use your own fire to warm the cauldron and produce the true yang energy."

When Jiang Yuan heard this, he bowed deeply to Laojun and was deeply grateful for his kindness.

Laojun said, "I will make the elixir in two or three days. You can go to the Taoist room and rest. When I am ready, I will send someone to invite you."

Jiang Yuan bowed deeply and left the main hall. There was a fairy boy outside the hall who took him to the Taoist room.

When they reached the Taoist temple, the fairy boy served him fragrant tea and fruits. After that, the fairy boy bowed repeatedly and asked Jiang Yuan what he needed.

Jiang Yuan returned the greeting and said, "Nothing is needed, don't worry, Junior Brother."

The fairy boy said, "Brother, you are really amazing. Today, you even asked Taibai Jinxing to come and invite us. When the Jade Emperor summons us, it is usually the Heavenly Warriors who come, but it is rare to see Taibai Jinxing come and invite us. Speaking of which, this is the second time that Taibai Jinxing has entered the Tushita Palace in recent days."

Jiang Yuan said: "Junior brother, how could you know there are so many."

The Immortal, however, did not understand what this meant. If he did not know how much time had passed when he was practicing in the Sanxing Immortal Cave, how could he know what was going on in the mansion, and how could this fairy boy know so much.

The fairy boy said, "Because Taibai Jinxing came that time for a great cause, have you ever heard of Marshal Tianpeng?"

Jiang Yuan asked, "But is he the marshal who supervises the Tianhe sailors?"

The fairy boy said, "That's right! A few days ago, at the meeting, the marshal committed a serious crime, which caused Taibai Jinxing to come to the Tushita Palace. The marshal was drunk at the meeting and staggered to the Guanghan Palace. A fairy came to pick him up and told the marshal to catch her and ask her to stay with him. The fairy refused, so the marshal made a scene, knocked down the Douniu Palace, and ate the Queen Mother's Lingzhi grass. All these things alarmed the Jade Emperor."

Jiang Yuan heard this and knew that this was most likely Zhu Bajie from Journey to the West. He asked, "What does this have to do with Tushita Palace?"

The fairy boy replied, "The marshal's master was a great Luomen, but he didn't know that his mortal heart was still alive and his mother was unstable, so he committed a serious crime. It was all because of the master. The master was merciful and talked to Taibai Jinxing to spare his life, so the marshal was saved. He was punished with 2,000 hammers and banished to the lower world. Later, it was heard that the marshal took the wrong path in his reincarnation and was reborn as an animal."

Jiang Yuan said: "There is such a thing."

The fairy boy laughed and said, "It is said that the marshal was born from a pig's fetus."

Jiang Yuan said: "Junior brother, since there are people who have failed because of this, you should take this as a warning and cultivate your mind while cultivating."

The fairy boy said, "Brother, what you said is very true. The master has also said something like this before."

Jiang Yuan said: "There are many truths in books and in words. If you listen to them, then they are true. If you don't listen to them, then they are not true."

The fairy boy seemed to be thinking about something. He bowed to Jiang Yuan again, not daring to disturb his peace any longer, and walked out.

Jiang Yuan sat cross-legged in the Taoist room, taking the book given by Laojun to read. He had already finished reading the book, but when he flipped through it again, he felt that the truth was revealed, which made him unable to put the book down and just read.

Most people who practice cultivation do not know how time passes. The Taoist priest studied for a day or two and thought that the Lord of Heaven had not sent anyone to visit him, so he stayed in his room and practiced meditation in silence.

One day, the immortal was reading a book when he heard a knock on the door. He thought it was someone sent by Laojun, so he pushed the door open and saw a green bull entering from outside, walking with the wind.

Jiang Yuan waved his hand to stop the blue ox and asked, "Why are you here, ox?"

Say it.

He looked outside the room, but there was no one there. Could it be that the cow had escaped and sneaked into the palace to look for him?

But this cow is being watched by a cowboy, how can it escape? I think this blue cow would not dare to use its power to harm the cowboy...

(End of this chapter)