Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Dipankara Buddha ignored him and continued chanting.

A moment later, the blue-faced monk lifted the pot lid and pulled out Pigsy, who was steamed until his whole body was red.

Then the white-faced monk chanted a spell, and the true fire of the precious mirror indeed emitted scorching heat, burning Pigsy's entire body with smoke.

After this was repeated nine times, the fool was so weak and numb that he could no longer move.

Dingguang Huanxi Buddha nodded and said to the short, dark-skinned woman, "Alright, the worldly energy has been purified. You may enter the room for dual cultivation."

The short, dark-skinned woman stepped forward and helped Pigsy up.

At this moment, Bajie was in a daze and could not distinguish east from west. He just followed her to the back hall in a daze.

The Buddha of Dipankara said to Tang Sanzang and his companions, "Holy Monk and your two esteemed disciples, please return to your meditation rooms to rest. Tomorrow morning, Wuneng will have achieved perfect merit and attained enlightenment."

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands in thanks, then led Wukong and Sha Wujing out of the main hall and returned to his meditation room to rest.

Meanwhile, Pigsy was helped by the short, dark-skinned woman to the back hall. Once inside, the woman helped him sit down by the bed and said softly, "Elder, please rest for a moment. I'll be right back."

The idiot nodded in a daze. Only after the woman turned and left did he become a little more awake. Looking around, he saw red candles and silk curtains, which were indeed magnificent.

So he thought to himself, "This place isn't bad, it's just that the woman is a bit dark-skinned and short... Oh well, what can I do? I haven't had any meat in a long time, it all looks the same once the lamp is out!"

Just then, I heard footsteps outside the door.

Pigsy quickly sat up straight, putting on a dignified appearance.

The door creaked open.

Instead of the short, dark-skinned woman, it was a blue-faced monk and a white-faced monk who entered.

Bajie was taken aback and asked, "You two... why are you here, Masters? And... where is that Consort Mingfei?"

The blue-faced monk didn't answer. He swayed and instantly changed his appearance.

His face was ashen, his beard and hair bristled, and he was surrounded by a blue aura. He was no monk at all, but a majestic and awe-inspiring divine general!

The white-faced monk also transformed into a white-faced divine general, his silver armor gleaming, his face filled with murderous intent.

Pigsy was terrified and jumped to his feet, exclaiming, "You... what kind of monsters are you?!"

The blue-faced general said, "I am the Azure Dragon General under the command of the Old Mother of Lishan."

The white-faced deity said, "I am the White Tiger Deity. We have come here on a divine decree to test the Zen minds of you and your disciples."

Pigsy's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered, "Then...where is the Buddha? Where is the Buddha Dingguang Huanxi?"

The white-faced general said, "Look up and see for yourself."

Bajie looked up as instructed and indeed saw the Buddha of Dipankara standing on the roof beam, taking out a golden rope from his sleeve and throwing it into the air.

The rope transformed into a golden light and headed straight for Pigsy.

Bajie was shocked and tried to dodge, but he had just been steamed and dried nine times, and his whole body was sore and weak. How could he possibly dodge?

As soon as the golden light fell, it bound him tightly from head to toe.

The idiot fell to the ground with a thud, yelling, "Ouch! What is this thing! Let go of Old Pig! You damned gods..."

The blue-faced general said, "Gag his pig snout and cover his head."

Upon hearing this, the White-Faced God tore off a piece of cloth and stuffed it into Pigsy's mouth, then found a burlap sack and put it over his head.

Then the two of them worked together to hang the idiot from the roof beam.

At this moment, the Buddha of Dipankara revealed his true form, which was Li Fa in disguise.

He then took off his patchwork robe and handed it to the Azure Dragon General, saying, "Thank you for your help, two venerable gods. I am now returning the treasure. Please inform my mother that this calamity is over, and I will take my leave now."

The Azure Dragon General returned the greeting, saying, "Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. We will do our best to fulfill the instructions given by our Mother."

The White Tiger General said, "Fellow Daoist, take care on your journey. We must wait until tomorrow to retrieve the Immortal Binding Rope, so please excuse us for not seeing you off further."

Li Fa nodded, glanced at Zhu Bajie hanging from the beam, and couldn't help but laugh, "Marshal Tianpeng, take a good rest. We'll meet again."

Having said that, he swayed and transformed into a gentle breeze, disappearing without a trace.

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, and Sha Wujing woke up to find that dawn was breaking in the east.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked up. There were no meditation rooms or temples there, nor were they monasteries or pavilions; they were all sleeping in the pine and cypress forest. Startled, Tang Sanzang hurriedly called for Sun Wukong.

Sha Wujing said, "Brother, that's enough! That's enough! We've encountered a ghost!"

Sun Wukong understood, and smiled slightly, asking, "What do you mean?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Look where we're sleeping!"

Sun Wukong said, "It's so pleasant under these pine trees, but I wonder where that fool is suffering."

Tang Sanzang asked, "Who will suffer?"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Those monks and goddesses from yesterday, I don't know which deities or bodhisattvas they were, appeared here to us. They probably left in the middle of the night. It's just that poor Pigsy suffered."

As he was speaking, he suddenly heard someone calling from mid-air, "Sun Wukong! Sun Wukong!"

Sun Wukong looked up and saw that there was a blue-faced general and a white-faced general on the cloud, and twenty guardians behind them.

The Great Sage hurriedly soared into the clouds, and heard two divine generals say, "Great Sage Sun, we are the Azure Dragon and White Tiger under the command of the Old Mother of Lishan. We have come to set up this challenge on the orders of the Old Mother and the Bodhisattva."

All three of you have remained steadfast in your original intentions, except for Pigsy, who still harbors worldly desires. From now on, you must teach him to calm down and correct his mistakes; if he becomes lazy or negligent…

Sun Wukong laughed upon hearing this, "Easy! Easy! But I wonder where that fool is now?"

The divine general said, "We are currently deep in the forest under the trees. Great Sage, take care. We are on our way!"

He then recited a spell, summoning the bundle of immortal ropes back from the void, and he and his entourage rode away on clouds.

Sun Wukong then descended from the clouds and explained the situation to Tang Sanzang and Sha Wujing.

So the four of them went deep into the forest to look for Pigsy, and sure enough, they found a sack under a tree.

Wukong stepped forward and untied the sack. Sure enough, it was that idiot, his mouth still stuffed with something.

Seeing this, Sha Wujing quickly pulled the cloth out of the boy's mouth, and the fool cried out loudly, "Master, you're suffocating me! Please forgive me this time for the sake of our master-disciple relationship! I won't dare to do it again!"

Wukong said, "Master, ignore him, let's go."

Tang Sanzang said, "Although this fool is stubborn and ignorant, he is also quite strong and can carry the luggage. Let's consider the Bodhisattva's kindness that day and save him to come with us. I'm sure he won't dare to do it again."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy felt relieved and simply kowtowed and bowed to them, though he was actually filled with shame.

Sha Wujing teased, "Second Brother, are you going to practice dual cultivation in the future?"

Pigsy said, "Brother, don't bring this up again. I'm not a human being! From now on, I'll never dare to do anything reckless again. Even if I break my bones, I'll just carry the load on my shoulders and follow Master to the Western Regions."

There is a poem called "Xi Jiang Yue" as proof:

Heaven and earth interact in times of prosperity and adversity; morning and evening reveal the state of obscurity and stagnation. Like spokes converging on a hub, water flows eastward; the wonder lies in the application of addition and subtraction.

Once you gain one thing, all is accomplished; cease distinguishing between north, south, east, and west. Losing it again and again will diminish your previous achievements; do not squander your precious life.