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

Chapter 155 The traveler borrows a fan
We will not mention for now how Master Jiang and the two immortal children, Jinjiao and Yinjiao, were concocting the golden elixir in the Sanxing Immortal Cave.

The pilgrims returned to the main road and traveled westward. Time flies. After walking for several months, they saw many changes compared to the past. The pilgrims practiced well and no demons dared to attack them. If there were tigers, leopards, jackals or wolves that were blind, they would be driven away. Tang Seng no longer scolded the pilgrims, and the pilgrims were in harmony.

As they traveled westward, they gradually felt the heat and began to sweat profusely.

Tang Monk sat on his horse and asked, "Disciple, summer has just passed and we are entering the beginning of autumn. Why is it so hot?"

The Monkey King smiled and said, "Master, I think the weather is not right. There is no need to panic. Just keep going forward. If you can't bear it, tell me and I will find a way then."

Tang Monk said: "It is a bit hot, but I can bear it. However, the journey from the Tang Dynasty is very difficult. I don't know how long it will take. The West is far away from here."

The traveler said, "Master, don't be angry. Just keep the precepts. The time will come. If the scriptures were so easy to obtain, why would it be Master's turn to obtain them now? Master, just think of Lingshan Mountain and keep going forward. The Buddha will ferry you across the way. Don't worry."

Tang Monk clasped his hands and recited Buddhist scriptures.

Zhu Bajie came forward with the load on his shoulder and said, "Brother, please forgive me for a moment. It's getting hot and my hands are sweaty and it's hard to carry the load."

The Monkey King could not help laughing and said, "Bajie, you were once a water god of the Milky Way, but why are you complaining about the pain of carrying a load now?"

Zhu Bajie said: "It's easy to talk without any pain in the waist, this burden is very heavy."

The traveler opened his eyes wide and pointed to the road ahead. He said, "There is a farm ahead. Master, you are tired from walking. This fool is complaining. Master, let's go to the front and rest."

Tang Seng said: "What Wukong said makes sense."

The pilgrims walked forward and soon arrived in front of the manor. They saw that the manor was full of red-tiled houses, red-brick walls, red-painted door panels, etc., all of which looked bright red, which made people feel disgusted when they saw it, especially in such hot weather.

Tang Seng was sweating with anxiety and said, "Disciple, please go up and see the donor and see if he is willing to let us stay for one night."

The Monkey King said, "Master, please stay here for a while. I will be leaving soon."

Say it.

The traveler straightened his clothes, walked to the door and knocked. Not long after, an old man came out. When he saw the traveler's appearance, he shouted, "Where are you from? You look so weird."

The Monkey King was not annoyed. He bowed and said with a smile, "Old donor, I am a monk from the Great Tang in the East. I am a group of four people, and I want to go to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Now I have come here. It is hot and I am a little tired. So I would like to stay at your house for one night. I beg your permission."

The old man said, "It is so. I don't know where the East is. I think it is far away and very difficult. Please forgive me for being rude before."

The traveler laughed and said, "I was not impolite, but I was impolite."

The old man said, "Since you are talking about a group of four people, where are the others? Call them over and bring them into my house. I will prepare rooms for you and provide you with food and tea."

The Monkey King said, "Thank you so much, old donor. Look over there on the road, it's my master and my second junior fellow apprentice."

The old man took a closer look and saw that Tang Seng had a standard appearance. He also saw Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing and said, "I was wrong about you. Your master is handsome, but your second junior brother is so strange. It really opened my eyes."

The traveler covered his mouth and laughed secretly, "Old donor, don't judge people by their appearance."

The old man said, "It's my fault. It's my fault. Please ask the elder to call your master and disciples in."

Upon hearing this, Monkey King thanked him again and again and then invited Tang Monk.

Upon hearing this, Tang Monk rode over on horseback, entered the manor, and thanked the old man.

The old man led him into the hospital and prepared vegetarian meals for him, not daring to make any mistakes.

After the meal, the old man was again amazed at Zhu Bajie's appetite and thought he was a god. He then led everyone into the main hall.

Tang Monk asked: "Old donor, it is very hot here, I wonder why it is so hot?"

Zhu Bajie said: "Master, there is no need to ask more questions. It must be that the weather is not right. There is a saying that 'the land and water nurture the people'. It is common for the weather to be wrong in the south and north of the world."

The old man said, "Young elder, it is not like that. My place is called 'Flame Mountain'. There is no spring or autumn. It is summer all year round. It is not that the weather is not right. My place is still in the corner. If you really go to the Flame Mountain, it will not be so hot. The fire there will turn people into juice. It can be said that no grass can grow. Even if you go there as an iron man, you will die with hatred."

When Tang Monk heard this, he was horrified.

The traveler asked, "Is it really so amazing?"

The old man said, "I dare not hide anything."

The traveler asked again, "Does the road to the west have to pass this mountain?"

The old man said, "If you want to go west, you have to pass this mountain. However, this mountain is eight hundred miles away and you can't go there. If you want to go west, you will have a hard time without a good method."

Bajie said, "Brother, why are you asking so many questions? You have magical powers, so why are you afraid of such fire?"

The Monkey King held onto Bajie and said, "The three of us can get through this, but what about the Master? It's not possible to ignore the Master. We must find a good way to help the Master get through this mountain."

Tang Monk asked, "Do you have any idea, disciple?"

The traveler pondered for a long time but could not come up with a solution.

The old man smiled and said, "The Flame Mountain can only be reached by using the Iron Fan Fairy's fan to fan three times. How can there be any other way?"

The Monkey King asked, "Old donor, what did the Iron Fan Fairy say?"

The old man said, "There are some people living here. They must plant seeds and harvest on weekdays. At that time, we need the help of the Iron Fan Fairy. The Iron Fan Fairy lives in the southwest, called Cuiyun Mountain, more than 1,400 miles away from here. The Iron Fan Fairy has a banana leaf fan. One fan extinguishes the fire, two fans create wind, and three fans cause rain. Only then can we plant seeds and harvest."

The traveler said, "If that's the case, then we need the help of the Iron Fan Fairy to cross the Flaming Mountain."

The old man smiled and said, "In the past, it would have been very easy for you to borrow a palm leaf fan to cross the mountain. It's very easy! But it's different now."

The traveler asked, "How do you say that?"

The old man said: "In the past, the Iron Fan Fairy in Cuiyun Mountain often did good deeds, but the people here are greedy, so the Iron Fan Fairy was angry..."

The old man told the story of the grievances between Cuiyun Mountain and the people of this place. After he finished, he continued, "In recent years, I, the Iron Fan Fairy, said that if you offer sacrifices once a year, it will rain. However, the local people don't want that and just want to get away with it. So they often break into Cuiyun Mountain and provoke the demon soldiers in the mountain to fight. Fortunately, I have some property, so I don't have to plant seeds or harvest, and I haven't been hungry. If you want to ask for the banana fan, you can't do that."

The traveler said, "I am just a passerby. If you can appeal to his emotions and explain things to him, he will lend me the palm leaf fan so that I can cross the mountain. I will return it to him with both hands."

The old man said, "Even if you have the eloquence, this place is very far from Cuiyun Mountain. It will take you more than half a month to get there on horseback."

The traveler smiled and said, "No, no."

He looked at Tang Seng and said, "Master, I am going to get the palm leaf fan to protect you through this mountain. You can rest here and let Bajie and Junior Brother Sha protect you."

Tang Monk said, "My disciple, please go now. The sooner you leave, the sooner you will return."

The traveler smiled and nodded. Fearing to disturb the place, he moved away, rode on a cloud and headed southwest.

When the old man saw the traveler soaring into the sky, he was so panicked that he knelt down, thinking that a god had come. …

The traveler was surrounded by clouds all the way, and soon he arrived at Cuiyun Mountain. He stood on the cloud and looked down, only to see many monsters patrolling the mountain. If they spotted anyone, they would definitely beat the person away with sticks.

The traveler stretched out his fingers and counted them, thinking to himself, "There are thousands of soldiers and horses in the mountains. This Iron Fan Immortal has so many. I have traveled all over the world in the past, how come I have never heard of this man? The old man said that this Iron Fan Immortal has a good character. Let me go down the mountain and ask him."

The Monkey King pressed down the cloud and landed in the mountain. A demon patrolling the mountain noticed him and came up to him, asking, "Who is that person and how did he get into our Green Cloud Mountain?"

The monk said, "I am a monk from outside the country. I have heard of the Iron Fan Immortal's reputation, so I came to visit you in the mountains. Please don't blame me if I am impolite."

The little demon took a closer look and saw that the traveler had a spiritual look on his face and that his majestic aura was not lost. He hurriedly bowed and said, "I never thought you were here to visit me. I am really rude. If you are here to visit me, you can go to the Banana Cave in the mountains. If you are here to visit the Iron Fan Fairy, the Iron Fan Fairy may not see you. But if you are here to visit my king, he is generous and will definitely see you."

The traveler asked, "I still don't know who your king is."

The little demon said: "My king is the Bull Demon King."

When Monkey heard this, he was overjoyed. The Bull Demon King was his eldest brother, and later practiced with his senior brother, so he was his cousin. Moreover, the Bull Demon King's son, Niu Shengying, had a close relationship with him, so they were family. If that was the case, then borrowing the fan would be a piece of cake.

He said, "I didn't expect that it was my elder brother who was here, but I was the only one who was ignorant."

The little demon asked, "What did you say, elder brother?"

The Monkey King replied, "Your Great King, the Bull Demon King, is my eldest brother, and we are brothers from the same family."

The little demon said, "If you are my great king's brother, and indeed a relative of ours, I don't know your name so I can report it to the great king."

The Monkey King said, "I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong."

When the little demon heard this, he took out a clapper and started to knock it rapidly, then shouted outside, "Here comes Sun Wukong! Here comes Sun Wukong!"

Suddenly, the mountains shook and countless monsters swarmed around.

The Monkey King drew out his golden cudgel and asked, "What do you mean by this?"

The little demon shouted, "The king has ordered us to capture Sun Wukong."

Say it.

Hundreds of soldiers came with swords raised, trying to capture the traveler.

When Monkey saw this, he swung his golden cudgel forward and transformed it into hundreds of iron rods, which knocked down hundreds of soldiers and horses to the ground. However, he did not kill them, but simply prevented them from getting up.

The Monkey King caught the little demon and asked, "Your king and I are sworn brothers. How could you harm me? If I tell you clearly, I will send you to the underworld to see the King of Hell."

The little demon said, "This is the order of my great king. If you see anyone named Sun Wukong or a monk from the Tang Dynasty, capture them and bring them into the palace."

The Monkey King didn't understand what he meant and was about to ask again, but the little demon only knew this much and didn't know anything else, so it was useless for the Monkey King to ask again.

……

However, the little demon had already reported what happened in the mountains to the Bull Demon King in the Banana Cave.

Upon hearing this, Bull Demon King, who was sincerely offering incense to the Yu Ding, laughed and said, "Well done, well done! I didn't know when he would come, but now that I have come to this mountain, I must fight with him and give him a challenge. Also, my child told me that the pig in the group of pilgrims insulted him, and I must avenge him."

Say it.

The Bull Demon King took a mixed iron stick, put on his armor, and prepared to go out.

The Rakshasa woman stepped forward to stop him, gave the banana leaf fan to the Bull King, and said, "The Monkey King was once your brother. You know your own abilities. Don't let yourself be taken advantage of. Take this banana leaf fan. If you are defeated, use it to repel the enemy. If you are defeated again, return to the palace to get the Yu Ding."

The Bull Demon King said: "There is no need for the tripod, the banana fan is enough to catch him."

The Rakshasa woman said, "My king, be careful."

The Bull Demon King took the palm-leaf fan, answered with a smile, and went out of the mansion.

After a while, the Bull Demon King came out of the cave and walked to the mountainside. He saw Monkey interrogating the little demon. He shouted, "How dare that monkey enter my mountain and hurt my soldiers and horses?"

The traveler stood up to greet him and said, "Brother, I have come into the mountain to pay my respects to you."

The Bull Demon King said, "When you were violent in the Flower-Fruit Mountain, I was asked to capture you with the Immortal Master. I have heard that you converted to Buddhism and cultivated to attain enlightenment. How could you bully my son?

The traveler said, "Brother, I have a close relationship with my nephew, how could I bully him?"

The Bull Demon King said, "How dare you deny it? My son, the Holy Infant, once said that he originally lived in the Fire Cloud Cave in the Dry Pine Stream of the Hao Mountain, restraining the demons in the area to do good deeds. When he saw the pilgrims passing by in the mountains, he wanted to let them go and didn't dare to stop them. So he taught you to abuse him with words, so he tried to stop him, but you asked the Four Seas Dragon Kings, Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Dragon Girl to help him deal with him."

The Monkey King said, "Brother, I made a mistake. The one who insulted me was Zhu Bajie, not me. My nephew didn't recognize me at the time and tried to arrest my master. I had no choice but to fight him. It was not intentional."

The Bull Demon King said, "I know you are familiar with the matter. If that's the case, I have not sinned against you. Go now and never mention the old times."

The traveler smiled and said, "Brother, to be honest, I came here to reminisce about the past and to get the banana leaf fan. My master and I were passing through the Flaming Mountain and were blocked by the flames. So I came to ask for the banana leaf fan to help us cross the Flaming Mountain. I hope you can lend it to me. I will be very grateful."

The Bull Demon King pointed at Monkey and said, "I didn't expect you to come here to reminisce about the past, but to borrow his fan. No, no."

The Monkey King said, "Brother, if I really need your help, please lend it to me. We are from the same family. Master Guangxin is my senior brother, and you once practiced with him. Now that you are here, I guess you are no longer practicing, but our relationship as a family still exists."

The Bull Demon King said, "Don't say too much. I have never humiliated the Holy Infant with you. I just want to show my affection for you. Please leave quickly."

The traveler asked, "Brother, how can I borrow your palm leaf fan?"

The Bull Demon King sneered and said, "Take my fifty sticks and I will lend them to you."

The traveler asked, "Is that really the case?"

The Bull Demon King said: "I'm afraid you don't have that ability."

The Monkey King said, "If that's the case, I'll practice with you. It just so happens that I haven't fought with you for hundreds of years. Let's see how your martial arts are and whether they have improved compared to the past."

The Bull Demon King swung up the iron rod and said, "You monkey, you have been imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for hundreds of years for your evil deeds. How can you compare with my martial arts? Look at the rod!"

Say it.

The Bull Demon King picked up his stick and started hitting.

The Monkey King held the golden cudgel, raised his hand to meet the enemy and fought with him.

(End of this chapter)