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

Chapter 184: The Story of the Western Saint, It's Not Easy to Be the Master

On the outer road of Wei County, Jiang Yuan learned about the "Western Saint" from the Taoist priest. However, he had never thought that he had entered Hangu Pass and accompanied Laojun out of Hangu Pass to the west. He actually asked Yin Xi to record it and pass it on to future generations.

As the Taoist said, there are not many records about him, but according to the records, he was a saint from the West who had the ability to guard the grain without food. He could go without food and drink for several months without any impact. He had the power to subdue dragons and tigers. He was a student of Laozi. They went out of Hangu Pass together and disappeared without a trace.

But Yin Xi once painted a portrait of him, which was passed down to later generations, and even his statue existed.

Jiang Yuan knew about it and pondered for a long time. He had never thought that such a legend would be left behind in later generations. At that time, he had already told Yin Xi that he was not a saint, but Yin Xi still remembered him as a saint.

Nowadays, there are people who believe in him, erect statues for him, and build a Taoist temple in his honor, named "Xisheng Temple". The old Taoist in front of us is the abbot of Xisheng Temple.

The old Taoist bowed before Jiang Yuan, performed a great ceremony, and said, "Sir, your appearance is exactly the same as the statue of the Western Saint. Sir, you have a dignified appearance and a full spirit. You must be the Western Saint. Please accept my bow."

Jiang Yuan accepted the greeting calmly and said, "Are you so sure that I am the Western Saint you mentioned?"

The old Taoist bowed and said, "I have been sweeping the statue of the Western Saint since I was young, and I have been sweeping it for forty-five years. Even when I was the master of the temple, I also swept the statue of the Western Saint myself. How could I not recognize the Western Saint? When I saw your face, I knew in my heart that you must be the Western Saint."

Jiang Yuan helped him up and said, "Since you said so and sincerely worship me, can you take me to visit the Xisheng Temple?"

The old Taoist was overjoyed and knelt on the ground, saying: "It is an honor for the Western Saint to come. But please follow me. I will clear the way for you to welcome your arrival."

Say it.

The old Taoist walked to the road under Jiang Yuan's feet and swept away the dust for Jiang Yuan with his sleeves, showing his utmost piety.

Jiang Yuan wanted to help him up, but the old Taoist refused. After discussion, he asked Zuo Liang to get some branches and leaves, make a broom, and asked the old Taoist to clear the way for Jiang Yuan to go to Xisheng Temple.

Halfway through the journey, the Bull Demon King returned on a cloud and said that he had spoken with the City God.

The group then headed towards Xisheng Temple. After walking for half an hour, they saw a small Taoist temple in front of them. It was made up of several houses piled together and looked a bit dilapidated. There were three words "Xisheng Temple" next to the door.

The old Taoist pointed to the place and said, "Master Xisheng, that is Xisheng Temple. We don't have much ability. We only practice a little bit of magic. We can't bring honor to our family. That's why Xisheng Temple is a little insignificant."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "There is a saying in the world of Yama, 'A sparrow may be small, but it has all the organs.' The Taoist temple may be small, but the front of the temple is spotless, which is enough to show that you work hard to clean it every day."

The old Taoist said: "I sincerely worship you and dare not make any mistakes."

Jiang Yuan said: "Let's go inside and take a look."

The old Taoist priest swept the road with sincerity to welcome the arrival of the immortal.

After a while, the group arrived in front of the Western Holy Temple, and the old Taoist priest welcomed the immortal inside.

The Bull Demon King looked around and knew that this Taoist temple was very small, and there might not even be twenty people inside.

The old Taoist walked in, and more than a dozen Taoist children came out of the temple, bowed and paid homage to the old Taoist. This was also what Bull Demon King had expected, as this Taoist temple was very small.

The old Taoist priest led the Taoist boy to see the Immortal and said, "This is the Western Saint, the immortal we all worship every day. Please don't be rude and pay your respects quickly."

The youngest of those Taoist children was only five or six years old, the oldest was twelve or thirteen years old, and the oldest was no more than eighteen or nineteen years old.

The Taoist boy, who was about five or six years old, was at a loss and just kowtowed.

Upon hearing this, the twelve or thirteen-year-old Taoist boy asked, "Master, isn't the Western Saint our ancestor? Should we pay homage to him?"

The old Taoist was a little hesitant when he heard this. He talked to the Immortal and learned that the Immortal did not know that he had any offerings, let alone the title of "Western Saint". So he did not know what to do.

Jiang Yuan walked up to the Taoist boy, stroked his head, and said, "If you don't mind, you can call me sir."

When the Taoist children heard this, they all bowed and called him "Sir".

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, and asked the old Taoist to call the Taoist children to leave. The old Taoist gave an order, and the older Taoist children led everyone to the central hall to do their homework. The Taoist then asked, "What is your Dharma name?"

The old Taoist replied: "My disciple's Dharma name is Qingxu."

Jiang Yuan asked: "Are these the only disciples in the temple?"

The old Taoist said: "The disciples are incompetent, there are only these disciples."

Jiang Yuan pondered for a long time and said nothing.

The Bull Demon King stepped forward and asked, "These disciples are young and have not yet achieved success in their practice. Your temple has little property and you are the only elder. How do you support these disciples?"

The old Taoist replied, "Brother, you don't know that my disciples are young, so they don't have much magical power. But I have some magical power. When the villagers encounter some evil things or demons, they will call me over to take a look. If I can solve the problem, I will have some money. With this money, I can support these disciples."

The Bull Demon King asked, "You, you and that scholar are going to subdue the dragon, but you want to earn some money to support these disciples?"

Qingxu said, "That's right, that's right. But I didn't know he wanted to teach me how to subdue a dragon. How could I have the ability to subdue a dragon? It was because I was obsessed with money that I went over without asking any questions just for a gold horse hoof. I almost lost my life."

The Bull Demon King said: "If it is a horse hoof gold, I can teach you to support the disciples in the temple for several years. It is normal that you have never asked more questions."

Qingxu shook his head and said, "Brother, one horse hoof gold is a lot, but it can't support my disciples for several years. You don't know that my eldest disciple has no intention of practicing. He is nearly twenty years old this year and should get married. But he has no father or mother, so I should prepare everything he needs."

The Bull Demon King praised: "You are a good master."

Qingxu bowed and said, "Not worthy of this, not worthy of this."

Jiang Yuan said: "Maybe you can take me into the hall?"

Qingxu said: "Master Xisheng, this place is for worshipping you, so it's fine."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "I have never been called 'Western Saint'. My Buddhist name is Guangxin. If you still want to worship me, why not change the name of the temple? But if you don't want to, it's fine."

Qingxu just said he would obey the order and he would go to change it later. Qingxu took the immortal into the central hall. When they entered the central hall, they saw a dozen Taoist children sitting cross-legged in front of the statue, chanting scriptures. Although the Taoist children did not have much magical power, they were sincere and they chanted the scriptures in unison, and the sound was pleasant to the ears.

Jiang Yuan looked towards the statue and saw that it was indeed 50% similar to him, but it was a clay statue after all and did not have his immortal appearance.

Qingxu whispered, "Master Guangxin, I am incompetent and cannot build a golden statue for you. When I become wealthy in the future, I will definitely complete it."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "But if you are sincere, I will protect you. You don't need a golden body, just a clay statue will do."

He looked around the hall for a long time, then said, "Take out the book that records me and show it to me."

Upon hearing this, Qingxu went into the back room and took out a few books.

Jiang Yuan took it and looked through it. Sure enough, he saw some texts recording him, but there were not many records, just a few. Most of them were recorded by Yin Xi. There were also some later generations who imagined him based on Yin Xi's records and wrote down some stories.

For example, one of the books tells a story: "In the third year of Tianhan reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the emperor toured the East China Sea to seek immortals and ask for the way. The Western Saint was moved by the emperor's sincerity and gave him a magical medicine. Emperor Wu did not know its wonders, so he gave it to the outer treasury."

In this simple story, the Saint of the West appears.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan smiled helplessly. When had he ever met Emperor Wu of Han? He had never heard anyone call him the Western Saint.

Qingxu asked, "Master, is there anything wrong?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Most of what is recorded in these books is false, so read less." Qingxu scratched his head and said, "False?"

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "It's okay to tell you. In the past, when I entered Hangu Pass from the west, I was Laozi Qianniu's guardian, not some Western saint. I once told Yin Xi, the commander of the pass at that time, but he refused to believe it. Write down these words."

Qingxu said: "Please correct me, Master. We are devoted to serving you and do not know your real name."

Jiang Yuan said: "Just remember the two words 'Guangxin'. You just need to know the words in the book. You don't need to publicize them. But if you are three-tenths sincere, I will be seven-tenths sensitive. If you are in danger, sincerely chant my name, and the danger will be resolved."

Upon hearing this, Qingxu bowed down before the Immortal.

Jiang Yuan taught Qingxu to prepare a room for him. He would stay in the temple for seven days. During this time, Qingxu could come to ask him about cultivation, and he would answer Qingxu's questions.

Qingxu was overjoyed when he heard this. After thinking it over again and again, he asked the immortal if he could bring some Taoist children with him.

Jiang Yuan naturally agreed.

Qingxu then prepared a house and invited the immortal to move in. After Jiang Yuan moved in, he prepared two more rooms for Niu Mowang and Zuo Liang.

Jiang Yuan moved into the dormitory. He thought Qingxu would be eager to enter the room to ask about cultivation, but he never expected that Qingxu did not come in, but left enough time for him to rest.

When the immortal learned about this, he was satisfied with the character of this believer.

……

Before they knew it, it was already midnight, and they were talking about the city of Weijun.

The City God personally "invited" the scholar to come, and while the scholar was in a daze, his soul was brought into the City God's Palace.

When they entered the main hall of the City God's Palace, the City God slammed the gavel with a bang. The scholar woke up as if from a dream. He was panicked and looked around, not knowing where he was.

The City God scolded: "Bold Chen Qingyuan, do you know your crime?"

The scholar Chen Qingyuan was trembling with fear and asked in panic: "What crime have I committed? Where is this?"

The ghost judges shouted, "This is the City God's Mansion. The City God is in front of you, why don't you bow down quickly!"

The scholar knelt down in panic and kowtowed to the City God countless times.

The City God asked, "Do you admit your guilt now?"

The scholar said, "My Lord, I have been alone all my life, and I have studied sincerely, hoping to pass the imperial examination. What crime have I committed?"

The City God shouted, "You are still making trouble here? You received the kindness of the River Dragon King who raised you and taught you the way, but you did not think of repaying him and making progress. Instead, you harmed the Dragon King and tried to take his tendons, which made the Dragon King furious. He almost flooded the county town and killed countless people. Fortunately, the immortals advised him to calm down. But you still do not repent and go out to look for someone, intending to harm the Dragon King again. Don't think that no one knows about this."

The scholar seemed to have his secrets revealed, and he was so frightened that he stumbled and said, "You are talking nonsense. Do you have any evidence to prove that I did it?"

The City God said: "If you don't want others to know, then don't do it. Good and evil will be rewarded in the end. You have committed many evil deeds. Now I have found out and will sentence you to punishment!"

The scholar seemed to know that what he had done had been discovered. He asked tremblingly, "The immortal gave guidance to the Dragon King? Where did the immortal come from? Why didn't he give guidance to me?"

The City God said: "You have already seen the immortal, but you are not blessed!"

The scholar asked, "When have I ever seen an immortal?"

The City God said, "You saw it when you asked someone to subdue the dragon outside the city."

When the scholar heard that the man riding the deer was actually an immortal, he was terrified and tried to flee outside the City God's Palace. He faintly heard the City God's angry voice scolding him, and his constables came forward to capture the scholar.

The scholar immediately put into practice what he had learned and caught three or four constables off guard. The City God ordered the ghost judges to attack together.

As the saying goes, 'two fists cannot beat four hands', the scholar was caught soon. The City God was furious and punished him for multiple crimes.

……

Nothing happened that night. At dawn the next day, Jiang Yuan heard the Taoist boy in the temple chanting scriptures, and he waited for the chanting to be completed.

Qingxu just knocked on the door cautiously and asked Jiang Yuan if he needed tea or food.

Jiang Yuan shook his head and declined. Qingxu just recalled that when the Western Saint was recorded in the book, he had not eaten or drunk for several months.

It was not until the afternoon that Qingxu came to ask the Immortal about cultivation.

What Qingxu asked about were some Taoist scriptures.

Jiang Yuan was well versed in the theories of the three schools, so he could easily answer their questions. He would often explain the essence of Taoist scriptures to Qingxu in an easy-to-understand way.

Qingxu listened to it and suddenly understood.

After Jiang Yuan finished talking to him, he asked, "I thought you would ask about the method of cultivation, but you asked about the scriptures first."

Qingxu shook his head and said, "Master, there has never been anyone in my Taoist temple who is very proficient in the scriptures. Most of them have figured it out on their own, so even when it was passed down to my generation, I still don't know much about the meaning of the scriptures. Although I have some meager magical powers, I don't understand the meaning of the scriptures, and my foundation is not stable. Now that I have met you, I will ask you to improve my foundation and not make any mistakes."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "What do you think is the most valuable thing in cultivation?"

Qingxu said: "Sincerity is the most precious thing. Sincerity is the key to success. I treated you with sincerity, so I was able to see you, Master."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Let me ask you again, do you think it is more important to cultivate your mind or to cultivate the Dharma?"

Upon hearing this, Qingxu pondered for a long time and shook his head in confusion. He thought that his knowledge was very shallow, so how could he know such questions?

Jiang Yuan said, "Please bring some paper and pen."

Qingxu heard it and said "yes".

After a while, Qingxu fetched paper and pen.

Jiang Yuan looked at the paper of about twenty inches in his hand. He smiled and nodded, then took a pen and wrote on the paper. What he wrote was the theory of host and guest, and there were some simple methods of cultivation at the back. All the methods he cultivated were side door methods.

He was not very familiar with unorthodox methods, but the little he knew was enough to teach this Taoist temple.

Jiang Yuan was writing a side door method, and when he was halfway through, he realized that he had reached the end of the paper.

Seeing this, Qingxu said, "Please wait a moment, sir. I will go get some new paper."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "No need. Since fate has come to this, you should keep this thing and read it carefully. Don't forget it."

Qingxu took the order, held the paper in both hands, and thanked the immortal again and again. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw someone coming from outside and bumped into him.

Qingxu held the paper tightly, fearing that it would be knocked over and soiled. He took a closer look and found that it was his eldest disciple.

Qingxu was about to say something, but remembering that his master was behind him, he quickly closed the door and left with the Taoist boy.

(End of this chapter)