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

Chapter 179: The Birthday Star Walks Away, Monk State Affairs

High in the mountains, Jiang Yuan watched two people playing chess in the distance without disturbing them.

The Bull Demon King asked, "Master, what should we do?"

When Zuo Liang saw the two people playing chess in front of him, he knew they were gods. He said nothing but became very nervous, with sweat on his hands and feet.

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Don't make it public. Wait here until the game is over, then go and pay a visit."

The Bull Demon King bowed deeply and waited in the forest for a while. Suddenly, he saw the man playing chess looked up, saw Jiang Yuan, and stood up to call him.

The man said, "Since your friend is here, why don't you come closer?"

The man's words awakened the old man, and he looked towards Jiang Yuan.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan dismounted his white deer, approached and bowed, saying, "I am Guangxin, the great disciple of Bodhi Patriarch from the Three Stars Cave of the Slanting Moon on the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain in Hezhou, Xiniu. I am here to greet you two. I traveled here and saw a divine light hidden here, so I came up the mountain to pay my respects. But if I have disturbed you two, please forgive me."

Upon hearing this, the old man hurriedly returned the greeting and said, "I didn't disturb you. I am the birthday star, and this is Emperor Donghua. I have heard of your name for a long time, but I have never seen you in person. It is a bit rude of me to meet you today."

Emperor Donghua responded by saying, "I have heard of your great name a long time ago."

Jiang Yuan said, "I never thought that it was Emperor Donghua and the God of Longevity who were here. Did I really not disturb your elegant chess game?"

The birthday star shook his head and said, "I didn't disturb you. We have wanted to meet the real person for a long time, but we never had the chance. Now we have the chance to meet the real person, and I am very happy."

Emperor Donghua also said: "We met by chance. The birthday star asked me to play a game of chess with him. I just went to the mountain to set up the formation. How could I say that I disturbed him? Now that I can see the real person here, I should thank the birthday star for giving me this fate."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said he dared not.

After the three of them had greeted each other, they gathered around the chessboard and talked happily. Niu Mowang and Zuo Liang were in the distance, leading the white deer, and did not come closer, for fear of being impolite.

After talking for a long time, the God of Longevity saw the white deer led by the Bull Demon King. He took a closer look and said, "The deer of yours has spirit in its eyes. It is truly a spirit animal. To be honest with you, I also have a white deer, but it is not as spirited as yours. It is always stubborn and vicious."

Emperor Donghua heard this and laughed, "The white deer of your birthday star is far inferior to the white deer of a real person. If it is a battle of martial arts and magical powers, the winner is still uncertain. But if it is a battle of Taoism, even if there are ten white deer, they cannot defeat the deer of a real person."

The God of Longevity agreed with him and said, "What the Emperor said is very true. I wonder how the Master raised the magical deer. Could the Master help me look after the white deer?"

Jiang Yuan said, "Everyone has his own destiny. If the birthday star does not think my method is too low, please come with me to see the birthday star's deer."

The God of Longevity smiled and said, "If the True Man's Dharma is low, how can there be a high and profound Dharma in the world? Wait a moment, my deer is right next to me, I will call it over."

Say it.

The birthday star called out "deer" several times in the forest towards the mountains.

Unexpectedly, the birthday boy called out several times but received no response.

The birthday star stood up and looked carefully, but he saw a white deer in the forest. He was annoyed and said, "The deer is not in the mountain. I thought it was a bit stubborn and might have escaped. I put my walking stick next to it and asked him to take it away, fearing that it might cause trouble."

Emperor Donghua said, "Shou Xing, do you know when he will escape? This game between us has never come to an end, and I don't know how much time has passed. If your deer escapes, it may harm the world."

The God of Longevity said, "That's right. My walking stick has some tricks. It's impossible for ordinary people to defeat it. Emperor, this game cannot end. I should go find the deer to prevent it from getting into trouble."

Emperor Donghua said, "Go away, birthday star."

The birthday star bowed to Emperor Donghua and made an appointment to finish the chess game another day. Emperor Donghua naturally agreed.

The birthday star bowed to Jiang Yuan again and said, "It is difficult for me to meet you, Master. I should have a good chat with you, but I have difficulties. I must go find the deer. I am afraid that you will forgive me for being rude."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I have never been rude. If the birthday star wants to meet me, you can go to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. I will come out of the mountain to meet you. It will not be too late to talk then."

The birthday star smiled and said, "In that case, then let's make it like this. When I have free time in the future, I will definitely go to Fangcun Mountain to meet the real person."

Jiang Yuan naturally agreed.

The birthday star no longer hesitated and rode away from the mountain on a cloud.

Emperor Donghua and the immortal watched the birthday star leave. After the birthday star left, Emperor Donghua invited the immortal to take a seat.

Jiang Yuan happily sat down beside the chessboard and said, "It's a pity that the game between the Emperor and the Birthday Star has not yet come to an end."

Emperor Donghua smiled and said, "I've heard that you are good at chess. I wonder if I can play a game with you?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Since the Emperor has invited me, I dare not refuse."

While the two were talking, they cleaned up the chessboard and were about to place their pieces on the board again. The Immortal held the white pieces and the Emperor held the black pieces.

The Emperor did not make any move, but took three or four red dates and presented them to the Immortal, saying, "I played a game of chess with the Birthday Star, and taught him to eat some. There are only three or four red dates left, but please do not blame the Immortal, I took them and gave them to him to satisfy his craving."

Jiang Yuan said: "It is too late to thank the Emperor, how can you blame him?"

The Emperor smiled and said, "Master, let's play this chess game together. What do you think of it?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I can't say I have any experience, but if I have some superficial knowledge, I do have some."

The Emperor asked, "Can the Master tell me?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Of course it's okay. Go is nothing more than a game of chess. The way to play a game is to be rigorous. The high points are in the belly, the low points are on the edges, and the middle points are in the corners. This is the common rule of chess players."

The Emperor asked again: "Can you explain the common law in detail?"

Jiang Yuan took the red dates and ate them, saying, "The common method is very easy. That is why I would rather lose a piece than lose the initiative. When attacking the left, I look to the right. When attacking from behind, I look to the front. There are those who are ahead and then behind, and those who are behind and then ahead. This is called the common method."

The Emperor pondered for a long time, then said with a smile: "If you are really good at chess, please make your move."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan took up the white piece and moved. The two of them played chess in the forest, passing their moves back and forth, setting up their battle formations and engaging in a fierce fight.

Niu Mowang and Zuo Liang watched from afar.

The Bull Demon King asked in a low voice: "Old Zuo, can you play chess?"

Zuo Liang said, "Master Niu, how could I not know how to play chess?"

The Bull Demon King nodded and said, "Then have you ever understood the chess moves between the master and Emperor Donghua?"

Zuo Liang took a closer look, shook his head after a long while, and said, "It's hard to understand. Sir and the Emperor are both very skilled in chess. I can't understand it."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "Since you don't understand, just watch carefully and learn it thoroughly. Then you will understand it."

Zuo Liang nodded and said, "What Master Niu said makes a lot of sense."

Say it.

Zuo Liang said no more and focused on watching the chess game.

The Bull Demon King was not good at chess, so he found it boring. He was just looking for a place to rest when he suddenly saw a woodcutter coming in the distance. He changed into a human form, walked up to him and asked, "Woodcutter, what are you doing here?"

The woodcutter saw the Bull King and said, "I saw people playing chess here and I was a little tempted, so I came to take a look. But there is a nobleman playing chess here, so why can't I go over?"

The Bull King nodded and said, "There is a noble person playing chess. You can go and watch. But you must remember not to talk while watching a game."

The woodcutter smiled and said, "I know what I am doing when I watch chess without saying anything." The Bull King asked the woodcutter to go inside and said, "Your Excellency has a lot of time, so you can play chess at ease. But you must not forget the time, or you will mess up things."

The woodcutter replied, "I learned it through my own reflection."

Say it.

The woodcutter walked towards the chessboard and watched from afar as the Immortal and the Emperor made their moves.

The Bull King found a place to take a nap.

……

But the group of pilgrims were very close to Mount Lingshan. After walking for a long time, they saw a city in the cold winter. It was in a dilapidated state and could not compare to the beauty of the sky.

Tang Seng stopped his horse and said, "Disciple, what country is ahead?"

Sun Xingzhe went forward to take a closer look, but saw some human presence in the country, mixed with black air, but it was a little far away, so he couldn't see it clearly. He said, "Master, just walk forward, and you will know when you get closer. I have a flaming eye, but it's too far from here, so I can't see it clearly."

Tang Seng clasped his hands and said, "According to what you said, we also need to go and exchange the pass, so we should go there."

The traveler said, "Master, please walk slowly. It's very cold here. Don't hurt yourself."

Sha Wujing said, "Master, what Senior Brother said is right. You are weak, be careful not to catch a cold."

Tang Seng shook his head and said, "My disciples, it's cold here, please hurry up. I'm cold and you're cold too, don't tire yourself out because of me, just hurry up and get over it."

The four of them were very happy and braved the cold weather to go towards the city. After a while, they arrived at the city and saw a soldier taking a nap against the wall at the city gate.

The traveler stopped the group and said, "Master, please stay here for a while. I will go and ask for directions to find out what country this is."

Tang Monk said, "Go now, my good disciple."

Zhu Bajie yelled, "Brother, please walk faster. It's very cold here."

The traveler walked forward, patted the soldier, and said, "Brother."

The soldier woke up with a start, took a closer look at the traveler, and exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa Thunder God!"

After the soldier said this, he came to pay his respects.

The Monkey King helped the soldier up and said, "Why are you calling me that? I am not the Thunder God, but a monk from the Eastern Tang Dynasty who is traveling to the Western Heaven to seek Buddhist scriptures. I just arrived here, so I came to ask you what country this is."

The soldier was relieved and stood up and said, "It's my fault, it's my fault. I mistook the elder for Thunder God. The elder is quite majestic and looks like Thunder God, so I said that."

The traveler said, "I don't blame you. Tell me, what country is this?"

The soldier said, "Elder, this is my country's policy."

The traveler asked, "Xiaozi Country? What kind of country is this? I am also an expert on geography, so how could I not know that there is a Xiaozi Country on the road to the west?"

The soldier replied, "You don't know, elder. My country was not originally called Little Son Country. It was originally called Bhikkhu Country. It was later changed to Little Son Country, also known as Little Son City."

The traveler pointed to a city and said, "Is there an emperor in this city?"

The soldiers claimed to have it.

After Monkey completed his investigation, he went back and told Tang Monk what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Tang Monk said, "What kind of country is Xiaozi Country? The country was previously called Bhikkhu Country, which I have heard of, but I have never heard of Xiaozi Country."

The traveler said, "Master, you are right. I just don't know why the name was changed."

Zhu Bajie laughed and said, "What's so confusing about this? I, the old pig, know the answer."

The traveler asked, "Brother, you are well-educated. Do you know the origin of this country?"

Zhu Bajie said: "I am not well-educated, but I know the origin of this country."

The traveler said, "Tell me about it."

Zhu Bajie said: "This country was originally called the Kingdom of Monks, which is a good name because the king passed away and the new king was a boy, so it was named the Kingdom of Boys."

The Monkey King grabbed Zhu Bajie's palm-leaf fan and said with a smile, "I shouldn't have asked you that."

Tang Seng said, "Disciple, spare Bajie. We will go into the city to ask."

The traveler agreed.

Tang Seng and his companions walked towards the city. When they entered the city, they saw the dilapidated streets. However, there was a goose cage at the door of every house, and there was a little boy sitting in the cage, all boys, no girls. The oldest of these boys was less than seven years old, and the youngest was only four or five years old. Some were playing, some were crying, all looked different.

Tang Seng was puzzled and asked, "It's so cold here, why do you put these children at the door?"

The traveler shook his head and said, "Master, I have never visited this country."

Tang Seng was surprised and confused and walked forward. He didn't know this place, so he couldn't ask for answers.

When the group was traveling for a long time, they suddenly saw an inn in front of them. Tang Seng led them in and met the innkeeper.

When the postmaster heard that the person came from the East, he did not dare to be rude, so he met him in person and welcomed him into the hall.

When the postmaster saw the face of Tang Monk, he exclaimed: "I have long heard that China is a great country with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Now that I have seen the elder, I know that what you said is true."

Tang Monk clasped his hands together and said, "I dare not. There are countless people in the East who are better than me. People like me are insignificant."

The postmaster was greatly shocked and bowed towards the east in awe. He then asked Tang Seng to come to the court the next day to exchange the pass.

Tang Seng agreed and asked, "There is one thing I don't understand. Why do every household in your country have a goose cage with a child in it?"

After hearing this, the postmaster sighed and shook his head, saying, "Elder, don't worry about it, don't worry about it. Just exchange the pass and go west tomorrow. Our two countries have established good relations with each other, so don't let this ruin the friendship between the two countries."

Tang Monk grabbed the postmaster and said, "I am a monk who has devoted my life to obtaining Buddhist scriptures. If there is any difficulty here, I must know the reason."

The postmaster asked, "What does the elder's quest for scriptures have to do with this?"

Tang Monk said: "I went to the Scriptures to save others. If I see that I don't save others but only save myself, why would I go to the Scriptures?"

The postmaster bowed and said, "Elder, you are so righteous."

Tang Seng replied: "But please tell me."

The postmaster said, "Since the elder said so, I will tell you. The children in the goose cage are all medicinal materials. We need to dig out the children's hearts and livers to give to the king as medicine. There are a total of 1,111 children."

When Tang Seng heard this, he was shocked and angry. He asked, "What kind of medicine does the king need to use a child like this as medicine?"

The postmaster said, "This is a long story. Three years ago, an old Taoist brought a girl into the palace. The girl looked like Guanyin, and she was beautiful. The old Taoist presented the girl to the king. The king loved her very much and named her the Queen of Beauty. He also named the old Taoist the father-in-law. He and the Queen of Beauty had sex day and night, and now she is weak and eats little. She is dying. The king is afraid. He also heard that the father-in-law has a secret recipe from overseas that can prolong life. He has prepared enough medicinal materials, but lacks a medicine. This medicine is the livers and hearts of 1,111 children. Therefore, my king ignored the people and forcibly took the children. If anyone disobeyed, he would kill the whole family. Therefore, the people complained and spread rumors that the country of monks is the country of children."

Upon hearing this, Tang Seng and Monkey were both very angry.

(End of this chapter)