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

Chapter 158 Wukong invites the real person (asking for monthly tickets)
But it was in the Banana Cave in Cuiyun Mountain.

The Bull Demon King sat high up in the middle of the stage, savoring the delicacies, and talking to the Rakshasa woman beside him about how to use his transformation to scare Zhu Bajie so that the evil wind would blow away the luggage. He laughed and said, "Madam, you don't know, Zhu Bajie taught me to push him and he fell to the ground, letting me take the luggage away. He couldn't do anything to me. If I hadn't held a weapon, I would have beaten Zhu Bajie and brought him back to the mansion for Madam to see, so that we could vent our anger for the Holy Infant together."

The Rakshasa woman said, "Your Majesty, don't be arrogant because of this. The pilgrim needs my palm leaf fan to cross the Flaming Mountain. If you take the pilgrim's luggage away, Sun Wukong will definitely come again. You must be careful."

The Bull Demon King said, "Madam, you can rest assured. I know the tricks. I will protect you with the Yu Ding. Even if that monkey calls for reinforcements, I will be able to deal with him. If I cannot defeat him, I will take out the Yu Ding and say that I am following the orders of the master and the Bodhisattva of the Sea. Who would not retreat?"

The Rakshasa woman said, "But the master has already given instructions. It's just that there is no one to obtain the scriptures. When will the master be able to solve this problem?"

The Bull Demon King said, "Don't be in a hurry. The Flaming Mountain is very hot. Let the pilgrim endure the heat there for a month or two, and then give him the banana fan."

The Rakshasa woman said, "It is good that the king has a sense of propriety. The king, the Wansui Fox King of Moyun Cave in Jilei Mountain has died in recent years, leaving behind a daughter called Jade-faced Princess. It is said that she has millions of assets, but no one is in charge. She is seeking a son-in-law to marry her. Please come to visit the king. Are you really not tempted?"

The Bull Demon King shook his head and smiled, "Madam, please don't say that. I have been practicing with the master for a long time. Having the Holy Infant is enough for you. Besides, he has millions of property, how can I have less property? If he comes again, you can tell me. If he comes to bother you again, I will mobilize more than 10,000 soldiers and horses to take away his property. Let's see what he can say."

The Rakshasa woman was about to say something else.

Suddenly, a little demon came to report, shouting, "My king, my king! It's bad, that Sun Wukong is here again."

Upon hearing this, Bull Demon King put on his armor, held a mixed iron stick in his hand, tied a Yu Ding around his waist, and walked out.

The Rakshasa woman advised, "My king, if that monkey comes again, there will be a way to rescue him, so be careful."

The Bull Demon King responded, walked out, opened the door wide, and saw Monkey King standing outside.

When Monkey King saw Bull Demon King, he bowed and said, "Brother, this is a bit rude. Why did you try to steal the luggage while I was away?"

The Bull Demon King pointed at Sun Wukong and said, "You are allowed to steal and destroy my door, but I am not allowed to steal the luggage? You are a monkey, and your words are not like those of a monk."

Sun Wukong smiled and said, "As you said, it was I who was disrespectful first. I really cannot cross the Flaming Mountain. Since you refused to lend me the palm leaf fan, I have resorted to this desperate measure. I hope you can forgive me."

The Bull Demon King said, "Since you are so polite, and we have some old feelings, I will let you go."

Sun Xingzhe said: "In this case, I beg you to be merciful and return my luggage to me. I also need to lend me the palm leaf fan so that I can help my master through the Flaming Mountain and get the jade intact."

The Bull Demon King said, "It is a mercy to let you go. Don't make a fuss. I don't have any luggage and I won't lend you the palm leaf fan."

Sun Xingzhe opened his eyes wide and said, "Brother! I have come to borrow it many times, but since you don't allow me, I have nothing to say. But please return my luggage to me."

The Bull Demon King said, "I won't return it. If you take down my door and build a new one yourself, I will return your luggage."

The Monkey King swung up his golden cudgel and said, "Then don't blame me for being rude."

The Bull Demon King said, "I just want to see what you are capable of before you fight me again."

The two men did not utter a word, but started arguing again and fighting, using sticks to test their strength. One was a strong bull king, the other was born and raised. After fighting for ten rounds, there was no clear winner.

The Monkey King swung his stick and pulled himself apart, shouting to the sky, "Where are the two generals, the turtle and the snake, and the five great dragons, and Zhu Bajie? Come and help us, come and help us."

The walker shouted.

Then one could see the light flowing in the clouds, and the two generals, the tortoise and the snake, and five divine dragons, along with Zhu Bajie and other elite soldiers, appeared.

The two generals, the turtle and the snake, and the five great dragons shouted, "Ox King, we are the two generals, the turtle and the snake, and the five great dragons under the command of the Great Harmony Palace of Wudang Mountain, the Demon-Dangling Heavenly Venerable. We have been invited by the Great Sage to come and defeat you!"

Zhu Bajie swung his nine-toothed rake and said, "How dare you deceive me, you rascal! I will teach you a lesson!"

The Bull Demon King was not afraid when he saw this scene. He swung up his iron rod and said, "I thought this monkey was going to get reinforcements from somewhere, but it turned out to go to Wudang Mountain. What if you can get troops from Wudang Mountain? I have the tripod in my hand, so why should I be afraid of you?"

Sun Wukong said no more, and together with his two generals, the turtle and the snake, the five divine dragons, and Zhu Bajie, they all attacked together to capture the Bull Demon King.

The Monkey King was seen waving his golden hoop, Zhu Bajie was attacking with his nine-toothed rake, the five divine dragons were making clouds and rain, and the two generals, the turtle and the snake, each holding a weapon, surrounded the Bull Demon King in the center of Gai and fought fiercely.

The Bull Demon King swung a mixed iron stick, and was furious. He parried for a few rounds, then took out the Yu Ding and threw it. However, the Yu Ding showed its true form of 18 feet long and smashed towards Zhu Bajie.

How could Zhu Bajie bear it? He stumbled and fell, and the Nine-toothed Rake fell out of his hand. His strength was limp and his muscles were numb. If the Nine-toothed Rake was not a precious treasure, the weapon would have been broken. He shouted, "What a great tripod! What a great tripod!"

When the traveler saw this, he said, "Everyone, be careful!"

The two generals, the turtle and the snake, and the five divine dragons had long heard of Yu Ding's power and did not dare to be careless.

Unexpectedly, the Yu Ding was heavy and came quickly, and it returned to the hands of the Bull King. The Bull King threw it again, and it had already landed in front of the two generals, the Turtle and Snake, and beat them so hard that they fell to the ground helplessly.

The traveler went forward to rescue him, but Yu Ding came again and threw him down so hard that he had no power to fight back and fled in panic.

Fortunately, the five divine dragons saw the power of Yu Ding and did not dare to compete with him, so they retreated with their troops.

The Bull Demon King assembled his troops and captured the two generals, the Turtle and the Snake, as well as Zhu Bajie, and brought them into his palace.

King Niu entered the palace and ordered everyone in the palace to serve the two generals, Turtle and Snake, wholeheartedly and not to be disrespectful or inconsiderate.

Zhu Bajie locked it in a cellar and captured it every day to vent his anger and avenge the insult to Niu Shengying. He would not mention the matter for the time being.

……

The story goes that after Monkey King left Cuiyun Mountain, he met up with the five divine dragons and their elite troops in the clouds. Upon closer inspection, he found that the two generals, the Tortoise and the Snake, were missing, and he realized that they had been captured by the Bull Demon King.

The five great dragons bowed and said, "Great Sage, the Yu Ding is very powerful. We really cannot compete with it. But if we don't fight it, we can't defeat it."

Sun Xingzhe said: "I know that the Yu Ding is very heavy. Even if we resist it together, it will be difficult to resist it."

The five great dragons said, "Please forgive us, Great Sage. We have done nothing."

Sun Xingzhe said: "You came to help me out of kindness, I dare not accuse you of any crime."

The five great dragons asked, "Great Sage, now that you are unable to complete your mission and are being captured by the tortoise and snake, what should you do?"

Sun Wukong was at a loss. The soldiers of Mount Wudang were helpless. Where should he go? Maybe he should go to the sea again.

Just when the traveler didn't know what to do, a voice suddenly arose.

"Great Sage, Great Sage!"

The traveler turned his head and looked, only to see clouds coming in the distance. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Venerable Hui'an.

The traveler went forward to greet him and said, "Venerable, why are you here? Is it the Bodhisattva who has arrived? Please explain to me so that I can welcome the Bodhisattva."

Venerable Hui An said: "The Bodhisattva has never come before you, but he knows that you are in trouble at the Huoyan Mountain, so he asked me to come before you to show you the way forward."

The traveler bowed and said, "Please tell me where the road ahead is." The Venerable Hui'an said, "The Bodhisattva said that if you want to solve this problem, you must go to Fangcun Mountain."

When Monkey heard this, he realized that he must go and ask for help from his eldest senior brother, so he thanked Venerable Hui'an and asked the five great dragons to protect the turtle, snake and Zhu Bajie. Then he rode his somersault cloud and headed for Fangcun Mountain.

……

Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and Sanxing Fairy Cave.

Jiang Yuan was refining the elixir in the alchemy room, waiting for the true yang energy to reach a sufficient amount. This process was long, but it should not be underestimated. If one underestimated it or was distracted, mistakes would be made, and even if the elixir was refined, it would become a poisonous elixir.

Jiang Yuan was very familiar with this. He had learned most of the external alchemy techniques and had memorized the amount of his true yang energy.

The True Man teaches and gives true insight while keeping the True Yang Energy in mind.

While refining the elixir, Zhen Jian asked, "Big Brother, why don't you call Chongyang over to listen to some tips on the timing of the fire?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Chongyang wanted to practice the righteous way, but when he defeated the five people, if he couldn't practice the righteous way, it would be useless to practice other things."

Zhen Jian smiled and said, "Junior Brother Chongyang actually has such aspirations. With time, he will surely succeed."

The difficulty of the righteous path can be seen from the real one. In the beginning, the eldest senior brother practiced hard for hundreds of years, and saw generation after generation of disciples practicing the side paths and leaving. However, his heart of Tao remained unchanged, and he practiced again and again, and finally he succeeded.

Before the eldest brother cultivated the right way, he had no magical powers, and was inferior to those of the side sects. If others saw it, they would be shaken. Therefore, he practiced hard but failed, and turned to the side sects. He could succeed in two or three years. If he was shaken, he would not be able to cultivate the right way.

Therefore, the difficulty of this path is so great that it is impossible to describe it in words.

Jiang Yuan said: "I hope Chongyang can succeed."

Jinjiao and Yinjiao raised their heads and said, "If Brother Nengshi accepts me as his disciple, he must have the ability. With time, he will surely be able to cultivate to the right path."

Jiang Yuan thanked him with a smile.

Everyone was chatting in the alchemy room, feeling quite comfortable.

Jiang Yuan suddenly felt something in his heart and looked outside the mansion, realizing that the monkey had returned.

He came back now, it must be because of the incident in Flaming Mountain, and he was indeed stopped by the Bull Demon King.

Zhenjian asked, "Big Brother, what's wrong?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Brother Wukong is here to ask for help."

Zhen Jian said: "In that case, Senior Brother, I will take care of the cauldron for you, Senior Brother, you can go now."

Jiang Yuan said, "Please trouble you, Junior Brother. I will go and see the monkey and see how the Bull King stopped the monkey."

Say it.

Jiang Yuan went out of the alchemy room. When he came out of the room, he saw Wukong walking in from outside and almost bumped into him.

Wukong recognized the person and bowed deeply, saying, "Big Brother."

Jiang Yuan said with a smile: "You monkey, didn't you go to the West to escort Tang Monk? Why are you back now?"

Wukong bowed and said, "Big Brother, I encountered a difficulty on the road and I can't get through it, so I came to ask for your help."

Jiang Yuan said: "Tell me how difficult it is."

Wukong looked down at Jiang Yuan's waist and found that there was indeed no Yu Ding. He then recounted what had happened and told Jiang Yuan everything.

When Jiang Yuan heard that the monkey had asked for the troops of the Heavenly Lord of Subduing Demons, but was still unable to defeat the Bull Demon King, and that the monkey had instead ordered the Turtle and Snake generals to capture him, and also snatch his luggage, he was puzzled. He had made things difficult for the Bull Demon King, but this was more than just one or two things that could be explained.

He asked, "Why did the Bull Demon King stop you like this?"

Wukong then asked for the fan but was refused, so he started to steal and told him about the broken door.

Jiang Yuan heard this and said with a smile: "You monkey, you are indeed a bit lawless. Why did you hit his gate? If it is like breaking the gate of Sanxing Cave, I will fight with him."

Wukong said, "When he discovered it, he was uneasy, so he beat him out. When he saw the door of the mansion was closed, he broke it down."

Jiang Yuan said, "I see you've done a lot of stealing. As the saying goes, 'a thief's heart is always guilty'. That's it. Stop, stop, stop. I'll go with you. That cow is my guardian deity. It follows me in cultivation. I'll go with you, too."

Wukong asked, "Big Brother, the Bull Demon King and I were sworn brothers in the past, and later followed Big Brother to practice. How could he be in Cuiyun Mountain? Moreover, he has the Yu Ding with him. Could it be that he stole Big Brother's Yu Ding?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I won't hide it from you. In the early years, the Bodhisattva from the sea came to our house to borrow people. There were three people who borrowed people. The first one was my deer, who troubled you in Falin. The second one was my junior brother, Master Tuohua, who helped you. The third one was this Bull King, who troubled you in Cuiyun Mountain."

Upon hearing this, Wukong heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I never thought that the Bodhisattva was still worried about our journey to obtain the scriptures. Since the Bull King was sent by my eldest brother himself, I feel relieved. He will definitely not hurt the Turtle and Snake Generals."

Jiang Yuan said, "I will go with you to persuade the Bull King. Besides, you and your group of pilgrims have some grievances with the Bull King's family. Call Red Boy and let me help you resolve the grievance. As the saying goes, 'It is better to resolve a feud than to create one.'"

Wukong responded naturally and asked Jiang Yuan to wait for a while, then he went into the mansion to look for Red Boy.

Wukong searched for a while in the mansion. He first went to the Yaotai, then to the place outside the mansion where he usually practiced martial arts, and then to the place behind the mountain where Red Boy often ate wind and drank dew, but he did not see Red Boy anywhere.

Wukong couldn't find Red Boy, so under Jiang Yuan's guidance, he went to Red Boy's quiet room, but found the door half open. He took a closer look and discovered that Red Boy was sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Wukong didn't dare to disturb them and waited outside.

Red Boy inhaled and exhaled, as if refining true fire. After a long time, he finally woke up. Seeing the monkey outside the mansion, he said happily, "Uncle, why is it you? Didn't you go to protect Tang Monk to obtain the scriptures? Did you return after your success and want to play tricks on me?"

Say it.

Red Boy stood up and went outside to greet Wukong.

Wukong said, "It's not that I have accomplished my goal. It's not that I have accomplished my goal. How can you be so calm and attentive in your room? I went outside the mansion to look for you, but I didn't expect you to be in your room."

Red Boy said with a smile, "Uncle, I have been practicing with you for many years. I am a little noisy when practicing martial arts, but it is not that I have no desire to sit. If you teach me to sit cross-legged for three or four days, I can do it. But I can't sit for a long time. Since you have not achieved success, why did you come to find me? Are you missing your nephew?"

Wukong then recounted all that had happened and told the immortal how to resolve the grudge.

Upon hearing this, Red Boy said, "Uncle, it was Zhu Bajie who insulted me first, but please help me and we can resolve the grudge ourselves."

Wukong said, "Very easy, very easy. Wait until I rescue him, and then I'll hit him a few times with my club, and then a few more with my back. My club is heavy, and after one or two hits, he'll be in unbearable pain."

Red Boy replied with a smile.

(End of this chapter)