Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 215 Reunion with the Old Zen Master

Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, in front of the palace of the Eastern Emperor.

Niu Yi, Donghua Dijun, and many of Dijun's disciples were standing here. Niu Yi buried the roots that had been transformed from the branches of the Jianmu tree in front of the palace. The roots were buried in the ground, with only the cut surface showing.

Niu Yi flipped his hand, and the Heavenly Treasure Bottle immediately appeared in his hand. With a tilt of his hand, he poured a stream of crystal-clear nectar from the mouth of the Heavenly Treasure Bottle onto the branch of the Jianmu tree.

After the dew fell, it flowed over the tree root just like ordinary water droplets, eventually flowing down the root and into the soil, without any sign of miracles.

When Donghua Dijun saw this scene, his smile remained unchanged, but the surrounding disciples of the emperor looked at each other in bewilderment as they saw the sweet dew flow over, but the wooden root still did not move.

Although everyone had their doubts, they dared not whisper among themselves because the Emperor was present, lest they become a laughingstock.

Seeing this, Niu Yi remained unfazed, simply letting all the nectar from the Heavenly Treasure Bottle in his hand pour onto the tree root. After pouring out the last drop, he put away the Heavenly Treasure Bottle and looked at the tree root with a smile.

He could feel that as the nectar flowed through the roots of the tree, a trace of it had already penetrated deep into the roots, and the changes in the tree roots had already begun imperceptibly.

Sure enough, after only a short while, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble slightly, and bursts of green energy erupted from the tree root, spreading outwards.

Sensing the boundless vitality contained within the verdant atmosphere, the smile on Donghua Dijun's face grew even wider.

After a while, a tender green shoot sprouted from the cut surface of the tree root and grew to a foot tall in just half an hour, full of vitality.

Emperor Donghua laughed and nodded, then flipped his hand to take out the Wood Spirit Pearl and stepped forward, saying:

"Hahaha~ Young friend, you truly have wondrous methods to revive my spirit root tree. I am truly grateful to you this time. Please accept this Wood Spirit Pearl."

"Senior, you're welcome."

Niu Yi looked at the vibrant emerald pearl that floated in front of him, exchanged a few polite words with a smile, and accepted the Wood Spirit Pearl.

"If you have no urgent business, young friend, please stay at Fangzhang Immortal Mountain for a few days. Now that the precious tree has come back to life and is full of vitality again, the peaches and plums on the mountain have also borne much fruit. I would like to host a banquet for you to express my gratitude."

"How could I refuse such a kind invitation from a senior?"

"Hahaha~ My disciple, open the treasure pavilion! Today, your master will drink fine wine with Daoist Guangyi until we're both drunk!"

"Yes, Master!"

A few days later, Niu Yi declined the Emperor's offer to stay, left Fangzhang Immortal Mountain, turned back west, and used his Golden Light Divine Power to fly towards Futu Mountain.

Hundreds of years had passed since his last visit to the old Zen master Wuchao. He had not seen the old Zen master for a long time, and it was time to pay him a visit again. And so he did.

Half an hour later, Niu Yi, who had transformed into golden light, appeared not far from Mount Futu. Looking at the huge black bird nest on Mount Futu, a smile appeared on his face.

Niu Yi appeared at the foot of Mount Futu in a flash of golden light, where he saw the old Zen master, who had appeared before him at some point and was looking at him with a smile.

Niu Yi, holding a whisk, stepped forward to pay his respects and said:
"Old Zen Master, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

The old Zen master nodded, said "Amitabha," and smiled:

"This old monk remains the same as before, but you, Ox, your current aura and abilities are truly astonishing even to me."

"It is truly remarkable that you have reached such a level in just a few hundred years."

Niu Yi shook his head and said:

"I am where I am today entirely because of my master's teachings and the guidance of my seniors."

That's exactly what Niu Yi thought.

Just as his master once said, "Difficult, difficult, difficult, the Dao is most mysterious, do not take the Golden Elixir lightly. Without encountering a sage to impart the secret, empty words will only leave your mouth weary and your tongue dry."

Without a master to guide him, even if this wondrous method of elixirs were placed before him and he were allowed to learn it, when would he ever be able to comprehend its profound mysteries?

Zen Master Wuchao shook his head slightly and said:

"Never belittle yourself. If you are not ambitious enough, give up halfway, lose your heart for the Tao, or become arrogant and conceited, like that monkey who insists on sitting on the dragon bed in the sky, then no one can help you."

Niu Yi was speechless for a moment, but then he saw Zen Master Wuchao beckon to him and turn to fly towards Wuchao.

"Since you've come all this way, I've gathered some spiritual fruits from the mountains, brewed them into tea, and placed them at the crow's nest, just in time for you to come and taste them."

"Thank you very much, Venerable Zen Master."

Niu Yi smiled, nodded, and his figure transformed into a golden light, following behind Zen Master Wuchao to Wuchao. The two of them arrived together at the wooden table in the center of Wuchao, where they saw that the table was full of spiritual fruits and two cups of steaming spiritual tea.

The two sat facing each other. Zen Master Wuchao picked up his cup of spiritual tea and took a small sip. Niu Yi did the same, taking a sip before setting down his cup, nodding, and praising it:

"Hundreds of years have passed, but the spiritual tea from this mountain still tastes the same; it's truly unforgettable!"

Zen Master Wuchao nodded and chatted with Niu Yi about the interesting things that had happened around them over the years. Most of the time, Niu Yi did the talking, while the old Zen Master just listened with a smile, occasionally interjecting a word or two.

Time flowed by, and before they knew it, the two had been talking from day to night. Fortunately, the bright moon hung high and the stars filled the sky, so it did not affect them.

After Niu Yi had recounted the events of the past few years in detail, he stopped talking. By then, the tea in the teacup on the table had been emptied.

Zen Master Wuchao looked up at the starry sky, a look of emotion flashing across his eyes. He then looked at Niu Yi and smiled:

"What are your thoughts on the eastward transmission of Buddhism, and what doubts do you have?"

Niu Yi shook his head, looked calmly at Zen Master Wuchao, and said:

"This matter has been decided by His Majesty the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Dao Ancestor, and the Buddha. In truth, although I now possess some abilities, how can I possibly offer any opinion on such a momentous matter?"

"Since these gentlemen all want me to assist Venus and Guanyin in handling this matter, then I will do it."

To put it bluntly, despite his extensive network and the high regard these bigwigs have for him, he has absolutely no say in matters as important as the eastward spread of Buddhism.

For him, participating in this matter, doing it well, and settling the karmic debt with the Buddhist sect were all that mattered. As for the rest, it was neither something he should worry about nor something he could worry about.

Zen Master Wuchao clasped his hands together and slowly nodded.

"That's right. When Guanyin Bodhisattva came here to find me, I knew your character, so I recommended you to her to help Buddhism complete the eastward transmission of the Dharma."

"If this succeeds, establishing good relations with Buddhism will be entirely beneficial."

Niu Yi nodded upon hearing this, but his expression showed a slight hesitation as he looked at Zen Master Wuchao.

He didn't have any ill feelings towards Mount Ling. Back then, he cultivated Buddhist scriptures and studied them quite deeply. How could he not know that the path of Buddhism was also extremely mysterious?

However, compared to the Zen Buddhism that saves people and leads to Buddhahood, he still prefers the Taoist school that seeks enlightenment within oneself.

Even if he were to practice Buddhism, he would probably only practice the Hinayana Buddhism, which focuses on self-cultivation.

What made him hesitate was not the matter of Buddhism, but the Golden-Winged Roc.

After all, that guy was the Buddha's mother's younger brother and the Buddha's maternal uncle, even though his master had already given him a solution.

That is, in the end, this matter will likely fall on His Majesty the Jade Emperor.

But in the end, that guy's relationship with Lingshan was too deep, which made him have reservations.

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't understand his concerns, but if it were an old Zen master...
The old Zen master looked at Niu Yi, shook his head, picked up the teapot beside him, filled the cup with tea, then tapped the tea with his finger and wrote a few words on the table.

If the Jade Emperor intervenes, Mount Ling will not pursue the matter.

Upon seeing this line of text, Niu Yi's eyes gleamed, and he nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.

It seems that in the end, this matter will indeed fall to His Majesty the Jade Emperor.
However, in retrospect, when Tang Sanzang and his disciples went on their journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, it seemed that many gods and immortals from Mount Ling and the heavens descended to the mortal realm, but in reality, this matter was ultimately led by Mount Ling.

If there were any entities that could make Mount Ling yield, it would probably only be the Supreme Dao Ancestor and His Majesty the Jade Emperor.

Of these two, although the Dao Ancestor had always treated him well, the Dao Ancestor cultivated the supreme state of purity and non-action, and he wouldn't seek the Dao Ancestor's involvement in this matter. In the end, it could only fall to His Majesty the Jade Emperor.
Just then, Zen Master Wuchao slowly spoke:

"Speaking of the future transmission of Buddhism to the East, you must know that Mahayana Buddhism is precious and cannot be easily transmitted. In the future, we must find a wise and profound monk from the East and travel with utmost devotion to Mount Ling to seek the true scriptures."

"Only by overcoming eighty-one tribulations along the way can one achieve enlightenment, retrieve the true scriptures, and pass them on to the people of the East, thus gaining immeasurable merit."

"Of all these, only these eighty-one tribulations constitute a perfect ending; none can be omitted."

“Niu Yi understands, thank you Zen Master.”

Niu Yi nodded, knowing the same thing in his heart.

The old Zen master's meaning was actually quite clear: as long as the master and his disciples could overcome the eighty-one tribulations, it would be fine. Regardless of the type of difficulty, it wasn't the specific challenges that were fixed, but rather these eighty-one tribulations.

The old Zen master nodded with satisfaction.

Although he has the ability to know the past and future, he cannot predict everything. As people live in the present, the future can also be changed.

For the next few days, Niu Yi spent his time on Mount Futu, sitting and discussing the Dao with Zen Master Wuchao every day, listening to the Zen Master talk about his insights into the Dao of cause and effect. His days were fulfilling and carefree.

Niu Yi then learned that the old Zen master had entered the Great Luo realm through the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, and that his ability to know the past and future had been with him since that time.

As for now, with the old Zen master's abilities, he certainly has not stopped at the Great Luo Realm; now, he is also a great being in the world.

Niu Yi listened to the old Zen master's teachings for more than ten days and gained a lot. Then he bid farewell to the old Zen master and flew towards the direction of Daojun Temple in the Southern Continent.

(End of this chapter)