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

Chapter 260: The True Lord Invites, Bei Fears Luzhou

It is said that Sun Wukong met the True Lord Xiansheng, and the True Lord Xiansheng asked the Great Sage where the real Lord was.

Sun Wukong supported Zhenjun and said, "Zhenjun, you are late. My eldest brother has gone to the human world and is not in the palace now."

Upon hearing this, Erlang Shen said, "Since the Immortal is not here, I will go find him. I have an important matter and I need his help."

Say it.

Erlang Shen made a gesture to leave.

Sun Wukong stepped forward to stop him and said, "Master, I don't know where my elder brother is going now. Since Master has something important to do, we can't delay. Why don't you tell me? Maybe I can help you."

Erlang Shen shook his head and said, "This matter is of great importance, but I am afraid that the Great Sage is not capable of it."

Sun Wukong said: "Although I am not as good as my elder brother, I also have some magical powers. How can I be incapable? But please tell me clearly, Master, and I will definitely help you."

Erlang Shen said, "The Great Sage does not know my affairs."

Sun Wukong said: "How could I not know? It's about the Three Holy Mothers."

Erlang Shen asked, "Does the Great Sage know about this?"

Sun Wukong said, "Of course I know. I went to the underworld earlier and heard from the Tenth Generation Yama King that Zhenjun's sister violated the heavenly rules and is now imprisoned at the foot of Mount Hua."

Upon hearing this, Erlang Shen grabbed Sun Wukong and asked him to go outside the mountain to chat.

Sun Wukong responded and went with Erlang Shen, and the two of them left on a cloud.

After a while, the two of them walked to a pavilion outside a mountain and sat down.

Sun Wukong said: "Master, can you tell me what this is about?"

Erlang Shen said, "To be honest with you, Great Sage, I am here today because of my sister's matter. My sister has violated the Heavenly Law because of her practice. This is understandable. As a God of Heaven, I must punish her to restore the majesty of Heaven. However, I have already ordered the punishment. As her elder brother, I cannot bear it, so I came to seek help."

Sun Wukong said, "Master, are you going to ask me to tear down the Huashan Mountain and rescue your sister?"

Erlang Shen shook his head and said, "My sister deserves the punishment she received, but she has a son. I feel bad for him. I'm afraid he will follow in my footsteps in the future."

Sun Wukong said, "What do you think of following in the footsteps of Master Bu?"

Erlang Shen said, "Great Sage, don't you know why what I said didn't work?"

Sun Wukong smiled and said, "But what about the rumor that the Jade Emperor's sister came down to earth to have a son with a man and chopped down Peach Mountain with an axe?"

Erlang Shen said, "This is exactly what happened. I have a feeling that my sister's son may also encounter something similar in the future."

Sun Wukong said: "This is very easy. You teach him how to capture him. No matter how capable he is, it will be useless in front of the True Lord."

Erlang Shen shook his head and said, "This is a complicated matter. When I split the mountain to save my mother, I knew that she was very eager to save her. Now I feel that she will split the mountain again, but how can I stop her to save her?"

Sun Wukong said: "Since you won't stop me, then I will help you."

Erlang Shen said: "I was the one who imprisoned him in Huashan. I have a duty to abide by the law. How can I help him?"

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "I can't stop you, I can't help you, what should I do?"

Erlang Shen smiled and said, "So I came here to seek help from the Immortal."

Sun Wukong said: "Tell me how to help."

Erlang Shen said, "I can't help, but you can. I originally intended to wait for him to grow up and ask you to accept him as a disciple. If this Prajna really has the heart to split the mountain to save his mother, he also has magical powers. Even if he doesn't have the heart to split the mountain to save his mother, he can still save himself from the sea of ​​suffering."

Sun Wukong replied: "If you want to be a disciple, I can do that too."

Erlang Shen hesitated for a long time and asked, "I know that the Great Sage is very capable, but he has never taught anyone, so I am afraid I am not up to the task."

Sun Wukong said: "You don't know, Master, I also taught a disciple some martial arts on my journey to the west. I have some experience, Master, you can rest assured."

Erlang Shen said: "Really?"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "How can I coax you?"

Erlang Shen said: "If the Great Sage has the ability to teach disciples, then I can rest assured."

Sun Wukong said: "I don't know the name of the nephew of the True Lord, or where he is from. Tell me, if I meet him in the future, I will definitely accept him as my disciple."

Erlang Shen said: "My surname is Liu, my name is Chenxiang, and I am from Liujia Village, Yongzhou, Nanzhanbuzhou."

Sun Wukong took note of the name and said, "Liu Chenxiang. I have taken note of this name, but please rest assured, Master."

Erlang Shen smiled and said, "Thank you, Great Sage."

Sun Wukong said, "But I don't know where Liu Chenxiang came from?"

Erlang Shen said: "Don't worry, Great Sage. As long as there is destiny, it will come at its own time."

The two of them were talking in the pavilion, so we won’t mention it for now.

……

After traveling east for a long time, Huabiao Zhenren and his companions finally approached Hangu Pass. Once they entered Hangu Pass, they would be considered to have entered the Southern Continent.

The group walked forward for a long time.

The Immortal was riding on a white deer. When he saw Zuo Liang leading the deer, he asked, "Zhengyuan, you have been walking all the way without taking a rest. Are you tired?"

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "I'm not tired. Master has taught me the ways of the sect. If I feel tired after traveling this distance, I would be failing Master's teachings."

The real person shook his head and said nothing.

The Bull Demon King who was leading the way suddenly turned around and said, "Master, there is a village ahead, do you want to go there?"

When a True Man travels, if he encounters a city or village along the way, he will enter it. If there are people who have heard of his teachings, he will give them some advice.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan said, "Let's go inside and take a rest for a night, and then we will go to Jambudvīpa tomorrow."

The Bull Demon King responded and led the way towards the village.

The Green Ox followed behind, holding a few fruits in his hand, including oranges and dates, eating them happily. He said, "Master, how can there be anyone who has heard the Dao in Hezhou, Xiniu? It's all in vain. If there were anyone who had heard the Dao, we would have preached it when we left Hangu Pass in the past."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "But if there is one person who hears the truth among the millions of people, then this trip will not be in vain."

Qingniu said: "You are becoming more and more like the protagonist."

Jiang Yuan said nothing. His eyes were already looking at the village in front of him. However, the village was very strange. Every household hung white silk, and the sound of mourning was endless. Nine out of ten households had no sons.

Seeing this, the Immortal was puzzled and asked, "Why do all the houses here hang white silk?"

The blue ox said, "I heard that the emperors of the human world are ambitious and like to recruit soldiers. Maybe Erlang from this village led the emperor to go to war and died on the battlefield, so every household hangs white silk." The immortal shook his head and said, "Niu'er, go and ask why every household in this village hangs white silk."

The Bull Demon King responded and walked forward.

He walked forward, transformed himself into a big man, and entered the village.

As the Bull Demon King entered the village, an old man sitting under a tree at the entrance of the village saw him coming in and stopped him.

The old man asked, "Where are you from? I have never seen you before, but you are a relative of that family, and you are here to pay your respects."

The Bull Demon King bowed and said, "Old sir, I am not here to offer condolences. I am a practitioner from Hezhou, West Niu. When I came here, I saw that every household in this village was hanging white silk. I don't know what happened, so I came to ask."

The old man took a closer look and said, "You are talking nonsense. You look like a farmer. How can you be a cultivator?"

The Bull Demon King said: "I am not talking nonsense, I am practicing cultivation, but whether I am practicing cultivation or not has nothing to do with my appearance."

The old man said, "Those who practice cultivation have the bearing of immortals and can write articles and scriptures whenever they open their mouths. You are nothing like that at all."

The Bull Demon King said, "I really wasn't kidding you. Those who practice cultivation don't necessarily have to be immortals. True practitioners are mostly simple and honest. Although I haven't achieved success in cultivation, I am indeed a practitioner."

The old man said, "Forget it, forget it. Maybe I am ignorant."

The Bull Demon King said, "I haven't asked yet what happened in your village."

The old man said, "I am talking to you now. I know you are a practitioner, so it is okay to talk to you. All the men in my village are desperate, so every household hangs white silk."

The Bull Demon King asked again: "Your village seems to have hundreds of households. What happened that caused all the men in the village to flee for their lives? Is the emperor of the world recruiting soldiers?"

The old man shook his head and said, "No. I won't hide it from you. Two or three years ago, the villagers heard that there was a herb growing at the Cold Marrow Pond. The herb was precious and could revive the dead and turn bones white. Picking one herb could be exchanged for a hundred gold coins. So the villagers formed a team and went there. They never thought they would never come back. Not long ago, a survivor came back and said that there was a monster haunting that place. The villagers were all eaten by the monster, so they could not come back. Now there is a saying that every household hangs white silk."

The Bull Demon King did not understand what he meant and asked, "Where is the Cold Marrow Pond? I have passed by this place many times but have never heard of it. There is a place called the Cold Marrow Pond nearby."

The old man said, "It is said that the Cold Marrow Pond is in the northern Juluzhou, not nearby."

The Bull Demon King said, "I heard that there are many monsters in Beijuluzhou. How dare you go there?"

The old man shook his head and said, "Our village is located in front of Hangu Pass, but the emperor of the Central Plains doesn't care about us. The small countries ahead say that we are from the Central Plains and they also ignore us. The village is poor, so those guys have no choice but to do this."

The Bull Demon King asked again: "I see many villagers are mourning, how come you are so talkative, old man, and have never been sad?"

The old man said: "My son's legs were not convenient at that time, so he did not go."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King understood everything. He bowed to the old man, thanked him for clearing up his confusion, and then left.

It didn't take long before the Bull Demon King walked back to the real person and told him everything.

After hearing this, the Immortal pondered for a long time and said, "I have heard that there are many demons in Beijuluzhou, but how can the rumors about Beijuluzhou enter the border between Nanzhanbuzhou and Xiniuhezhou and let those people die?"

The Bull Demon King shook his head and said, "Master, I don't know."

The Immortal said, "What does Bei Ju Luzhou say? Does anyone among you know the whole story?"

Qingniu came forward and said, "Master, I know a little bit."

The immortal asked, "Tell me about it."

Qingniu said, "Master, it is said that there has been some chaos in Beijuluzhou since the beginning of the chaos. It is a very cold and gloomy place, but it was not as chaotic as it is now. The chaos started when Gonggong hit Buzhou Mountain with his head, and half of the pillar of heaven fell off. Therefore, there is a lot of evil energy in the ground, which is loved by evil spirits. Therefore, lonely ghosts in the world and banished immortals and sinful gods in the heavens came here voluntarily or were blown down by the strong wind. They gathered here and over time, it became a den of demons."

Jiang Yuan asked again: "Bei Juluzhou is like this, has there been any immortal gods from heaven?"

Qingniu said, "Of course there are some, such as the Emperor Xuan, who once exterminated the demons. However, how can we exterminate all the demons in Beiweiluzhou?"

Jiang Yuan understood what he heard and said, "This village is destroyed by evil spirits. Let's go in and take a look."

Everyone followed the order and walked into the village. When they walked in, the old man sitting at the entrance of the village saw them and was startled. He said, "You cultivator, why did you come back again and bring so many people with you?"

The Bull Demon King said, "I am a follower of the Immortal. This is the Immortal. I was here to gather information on his behalf."

The old man looked at the immortal and said, "What a spiritual immortal! Although I don't know what an immortal is, now that I see you, you will teach me what an immortal is."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for your compliment, old sir."

The old man replied: "It is a blessing for me to see the real person, but I don't know how you will feel when you enter the village."

Jiang Yuan said, "Let's just pass by here."

The old man said, "Master, are you looking for a place to stay? If you want to find one, you can come to my place."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "If the old gentleman is willing to invite me, I will go."

The old man hurriedly cleared the way to welcome the immortals in. Suddenly, he saw the green ox behind him and was startled. He said, "Immortal, is this also a cultivator?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right."

The old man looked around and said, "Master, if you bring a cultivator like this into the village, I'm afraid the villagers will be terrified. Master is a spiritual being, so he is not afraid of this monster following him. But many villagers have been harmed by monsters, and this is exactly why we are afraid of monsters."

Qingniu was a little indignant and said, "I am not a monster, so why should I be afraid of you? You are just a mortal."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "King Si, please change your appearance."

When Qingniu heard what the immortal said, he suddenly changed into the appearance of a man.

When the old man saw it, he was trembling with fear and thought it was just a "divine trick".

The immortal said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, old sir. As a cultivator, you should have some means to protect yourself when you are out in the world."

The old man had just calmed down, but his legs were still shaking, and he staggered forward with the real person and others.

The group walked forward, passing one house after another, and heard faint crying sounds coming from the houses. Finally, they arrived at one of the houses.

The old man stood in front of the house door. Seeing that it was locked, he knocked on it but no one responded. He said, "Master, wait a moment. My child has gone out to play and has not come back yet."

Jiang Yuan asked: "Old sir, nine out of ten households here have no sons, but I wonder what kind of monster killed them?"

The old man said, "There was a boy who escaped and came back alive. He and others traveled through mountains and rivers and came to the Cold Marrow Pond. A water dragon killed him. The boy didn't see clearly, and he only said that when the water dragon came out, they all died. The boy was lucky and went to relieve himself, so he didn't get hurt."

The Bull Demon King said, "How far is the Cold Marrow Pond from here? Do you know?"

The old man shook his head and said, "I don't know. If you want to know these, you have to go to the home of the boy who has returned."

Say it.

The old man told the Taoist priest to wait in front of the door for a while while he went to look for his child.

Jiang Yuan watched the old man leave, and then saw the scenery here, and sighed secretly. He was tempted by money and traveled to another place, but was killed by a monster and died in a foreign land. It was really sad.

(End of this chapter)