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

Chapter 226 Farewell to the Aquatic Ape Sage
Time flies, and before I knew it, two or three months have gone by.

A group of people went eastward from Yuzhou, intending to go to Qingzhou. They passed through many places along the way, but no one was worthy of the Taoist priest's permission to stop. Sometimes the Taoist priest would invite passers-by to stay for a night, but many people were unwilling. The Taoist priest never got angry and just kept going eastward.

On the mountain road, Sun Wukong was a little indignant and said, "Big Brother, many people along the way have bad intentions. When I was traveling on the road to the west in the past, if I wanted to stay overnight, most of the people along the way would agree to let me in. Why is it that when I arrived in the East, something seems wrong?"

Before the Immortal Master could reply, the Bull Demon King smiled and said, "My dear brother, how can we compare? The East has a great country here, but the West has none. However, many people in the West have heard of China, so if someone from China came, they would give them some face, not to mention that the West has always believed in Buddhism. But the East is different. There is a great country in the East, and they have always disliked foreigners."

Sun Wukong said: "They don't know the ability of the eldest brother. If the eldest brother enters their house, even if he doesn't give them any advice, it will bring blessings to the house and ensure safety."

The Bull Demon King said: "If he doesn't want to wait, that's his business, don't pay any attention to him, don't pay any attention to him."

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "Brother, what you said is very true, but it is a bit regrettable."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "The Tao is always there. It is useless to persuade those who hear the Tao but do not move forward."

Sun Wukong was a little surprised and said, "Brother, you can actually say this."

The Bull Demon King said: "I only heard it from the real person, so don't take it seriously."

Jiang Yuan stopped the two from talking, pointed ahead, and asked, "Niu'er, Wukong, is that the Huai River ahead?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong flew up into the sky on a cloud and looked out into the distance. After a while, he landed and said, "Brother, that is indeed the Huai River ahead. The Huai River is powerful and runs through several states. If we want to go to Qingzhou, we must cross the Huai River."

Jiang Yuan heard this and nodded, saying, "Since we have reached the Huai River, we should go see the Water Ape Great Sage and investigate to see how he is practicing and whether he can protect the area."

The Bull Demon King said, "Then let's speed up and head towards the Huai River."

When Sun Wukong heard the words "Water Ape Great Sage", he had heard Bull Demon King talk about this matter in his spare time. That monkey was similar to him, so he was curious and wanted to meet him. He said, "Since I have met the Water Ape Great Sage, I want to compete with him."

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, "In terms of martial arts, I'm afraid my dear brother is no match for the Water Ape Great Sage. His martial arts are very strong."

Sun Wukong said: "We need to fight to find out."

Jiang Yuan did not answer, but hurried towards the Huai River with the others.

Before long, they saw the Huai River. The water was no longer as turbulent as before, but much gentler. Along both sides of the river, there were many people busy working. The scene was peaceful and not as bad as before.

Seeing this, the Bull Demon King laughed and said, "Master, it seems that the Water Ape Great Sage is really following your kindness and protecting the land and guarding the water veins, and has never done evil again."

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, got off the deer, and said, "We will ask the local people about this. Niu, please change your appearance so as not to scare the local people."

The Bull Demon King took the order and transformed himself into a big man.

Zuo Liang was not surprised at all, as he was used to the appearance of the Bull Demon King.

Sun Wukong said: "Big Brother, do I need to change my appearance?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "No need, you have a spiritual appearance and cannot be disturbed."

The Bull Demon King shouted, "Sooner or later, I will have this spiritual appearance, but I will not disturb others at that time."

Jiang Yuan said: "But you should practice hard, sooner or later, you will see a spiritual vision, so don't worry."

The Bull Demon King agreed. Zuo Liang smiled and said, "I don't think Lord Bull is really that vicious. He is kind."

The Bull Demon King stepped forward and embraced Zuo Liang, saying with a smile: "You and I have some good karma."

Jiang Yuan dismounted the white deer and walked towards the farmland.

A farmer saw the real man and stood up and asked, "Who is coming?"

The immortal smiled and bowed, saying, "I came from the West, and have been practicing Buddhism and traveling around the world. Now I have come here and saw you working as farmers, so I came to ask about the scenery of this place."

The farmer saw that the Taoist was so polite, so he asked, "Is he a Taoist priest?"

The real person shook his head and said, "You can call me whatever you want, brother."

The farmer returned the greeting to the Taoist priest and said, "Master, you came to ask about my appearance, but I don't know what you want to ask specifically."

Jiang Yuan smiled and asked, "Ask about the Huai River."

The farmer did not understand what he meant and asked, "What is there to ask about the Huai River?"

Jiang Yuan said, "I have heard in the past that there are many strange things happening along the Huai River. I don't know if the Huai River is stormy or not, and there are always waves hitting it, making it difficult for people to farm in this area. But what I see today is different, so I came here to ask."

The farmer smiled and said, "What you heard is from the past. The Huai River has long been different. In recent years, there have been rumors that the Huai River was flooded many times because of a water monster. But later, an immortal passed by here and captured the water monster seven times, making the water monster submit to him. He made the water guard the Huai River and keep it peaceful to protect us. Therefore, the Huai River has been stable since then, and we can farm here without any problems."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I didn't know there was such a thing."

The farmer said, "I don't know whether it's true or not, but I think it's true. The Huai River has never had any storms. If it's dry, the Huai River will bring rain to relieve us from the disaster. We will also burn incense and offer sacrifices on the shore during festivals."

Jiang Yuan felt at peace upon hearing this, for he knew that the Water Ape Sage had not broken his promise, but had kept his word, and was wholeheartedly devoted to returning to the right path and protecting the peace of the Huai River.

He then bid farewell to the farmer, turned around and walked back with Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong and others.

The Bull Demon King walked away and said, "Master, this Aquatic Ape Sage is a man who keeps his promises and never breaks his word."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "I heard that the Great Water Ape taught our eldest brother seven defeats, and even alarmed the three realms. If he still refuses to keep his word, then there is really no hope for him."

Jiang Yuan said, "Let's go to the Huai River and ask the Great Sage the Water Ape to come out and meet him."

After listening to the immortal's instructions, they moved forward again and walked to the bank of the Huai River.

The Bull Demon King received the order from the Immortal and walked forward towards the Huai River, shouting, "Where is the Great Sage of the Water Ape! Now that the Immortal Guangxin has arrived, why don't you show up quickly and pay your respects to the Immortal!"

Not long after Bull Demon King shouted, the Huai River parted in the middle of the river, and the figure of the Water Ape Great Sage emerged from it. When he came out of the water and saw the real person, he was overjoyed. He left the water and went to the shore, knelt on the ground, and said, "Greetings to the real person, greetings to the real person! I didn't know you were coming, and I didn't come to greet you. I hope you will forgive me!"

Jiang Yuan saw the face of the Water Ape Great Sage, and found that the demonic features on his face had faded a lot, and he looked a little spiritual. He felt very relieved, and stepped forward to help him up, saying, "I'm passing by here today, so I came to see you. How can you say that you have committed a crime? Get up now."

Upon hearing this, the Water Ape Great Sage hurriedly invited all the immortals to enter the Water Palace and treat them with courtesy.

The Immortals naturally agreed.

(End of this chapter)