From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

To learn from the aspirations of our predecessors, we must embark on the journey to the West once more.

How many sentient beings are there?

To look after someone one by one only makes oneself a servant, unable to be free.

Only by enabling all beings to awaken themselves and dare to take risks and fight can we achieve enlightenment.

The Eight Pure Horses and the Old Virtue were both knowledgeable and incredulous at Jiang Liu's wisdom, even showing a hint of admiration.

The wolf warrior, somewhat puzzled, simply asked, "Senior Brother, could you give me a name too?"

"You little wolf, you don't know what's good for you."

Old Ford cursed.

"It's alright."

Jiang Liu chuckled, "With six thieves on his side, it's perfectly normal for him to have such thoughts; it's just a matter of controlling them..."

Having said that, he looked at the wolf warrior and said, "If you want to cultivate, you must first become a human. I will remove the beast radical from the character 'wolf' and take the character 'good' to be your surname. I also hope that you will see through the six thieves and practice what you preach at all times, seeking the truth. So I will call you Good and True, is that alright?"

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Wolf Warrior was overjoyed, "From now on, I'll be called Liang Luzhen!"

Chapter 1397 Mao Erzhuang, U-Tsang Kingdom

Only with a name and surname can one be considered a human being.

Cultivating one's nature and life, the essence lies in benevolence.

Since acquiring a name, Liang Luzhen has lost some of the fierceness he had in the forest and gained more clarity and spirit in his eyes. He followed Jiang Liu, Ba Jing, Fu De, and others to protect Kui Lang, Bai Hua Ai, and others as they headed west. His back became straighter and straighter, and he also gained the benefit of circulating Qi throughout the body. His protruding wolf mouth also flattened a little.

Seeing that he was indeed a promising candidate for cultivation, Jiang Liu nodded secretly and instructed Lao Fude to place Huang Po into his body and mind so as to achieve "unified cultivation".

Why not let Old Fude save Huang Po?

This is because he is originally the god of the land, so there is no need to add soil on top of soil. Moreover, he is a radish spirit, belonging to the wood element. Earth and wood combine to form the root of the earth. Only with the assistance of "Zhen Yuanzi" can the Great Dao be achieved.

As for the mother wood—

He already has someone in mind.

As for the Mind Monkey and the Golden Lord, they are both within this Heavenly Man, and are originally one!

After traveling for three to five days, the old man, who was the local earth god, sensed the tremors ahead and smelled the smoke of cooking fires. He said to Jiang Liu, "Senior Brother, there is a village ahead."

Upon hearing this, Bajingma seemed to understand and slowed down, bringing Jiang Liu to the same level as Kuilang, who was also riding a horse behind him.

“Brother Kui, it’s getting late, and there’s a village ahead. Why don’t we go in and find an inn to rest?” Jiang Liu asked.

"Phew~ At least I don't have to sleep in the open anymore."

Quillang breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the convoy behind him to quicken its pace.

Entering the town.

But we see:

Dense bamboo fences, rows of thatched cottages. Willows sway greenly by the roadside, and fragrant flowers bloom in the garden. Birds chirp everywhere in the woods, and cattle and sheep graze along the paths.

Then I saw the well-fed chickens and pigs sleeping in the corner of the house, and the drunken old neighbor singing.

It really is a great place!

Jiang Liu caught a glimpse of a strange aura but remained silent. He then saw a boy dressed in hemp clothing, carrying a paper umbrella, a bundle on his back, and straw sandals walking out of the town. He seemed to be in a hurry and had something on his mind.

"Take care, young man!"

Na Kui Lang dismounted, grabbed the young man, wiped the sweat from his brow, and asked with a smile, "Young brother, what place is this? Is there an inn in the village?"

"You are so rude."

The boy was indeed preoccupied. After being pulled back, he was not happy and shouted, "There are so many people in this village, why do you only ask me and not others? Go ask others!"

Quillang remained silent, but simply took out a few pieces of silver.

The boy instantly lost all his worries, and calmly said, "This place is the territory of the Kingdom of U-Tsang, called Mao Er Village."

There were no inns in the village, so we had to ask for lodging.

Kui Lang gave him the loose silver, sighed, and turned to Jiang Liu, saying, "Master Yuanjue, there is no inn in this manor. If we ask someone for lodging, it might cause trouble."

The world is a difficult place, and people's hearts are treacherous.

Merchants like him, traveling far from home, would rather spend more money to stay at an inn than seek out local families in the village, lest they be ripped off.

Without him.

Towns are fine, but in villages, most people share the same surname, and everyone on the street is related. Getting involved with one household can lead to getting involved with hundreds of others. Therefore, apart from traveling merchants from the mountains, few large merchants who travel far are willing to stay in a village for long.

“We cultivators have had no choice but to endure wind and rain these past few days, but you are not cultivating Qi. If you continue to travel at night, it may cause resentment among the laborers you have hired.”

Jiang Liu explained the situation, and seeing Kui Lang pondering, he reassured him, "But don't worry too much. I see that this young man looks worried and is about to travel far away. It seems that he has encountered trouble. Why don't I ask him? If I can help him out of his troubles, I can stay at his house for the night. I don't think he will repay kindness with enmity."

"How can this be done?"

Kui Lang was only responsible for feeding Jiang Liu and his group, but Jiang Liu was thinking about his family, which made Kui Lang feel ashamed.

"Don't take it to heart. We are practitioners, and protecting you is also a form of practice."

After saying that, Jiang Liu walked up to the boy and asked, "Young man, I see that you are troubled and restless. Have you encountered any trouble?"

We, who are traveling westward to cultivate ourselves, will protect and support them along the way, since we are on the same route as them...

It's getting late, and I know there are no inns or lodgings in the village. How about we make a deal? I'll ease your worries, and you can let us stay the night.

There's no need for you to prepare food or drink; just lend us your cooking pots and pans so we can start a fire and cook."

Upon hearing this, the young man looked Jiang Liu up and down, and Old Fude shook his head, saying, "You're all useless, and there's him... a monster!"

When his gaze fell on Liang Luzhen, the boy was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground and screamed.

"Young man, he is not a monster, he is a human."

Jiang Liu laughed.

"Don't lie to me, he clearly has a wolf's head! By the way, you look like a monkey too!" Only then did the boy notice Jiang Liu's appearance.

“We are different from other people in appearance, but there are people who are uglier than us.”

These words startled the boy, who then thought about them carefully—

That actually makes a damn good point!

And so.

He got up, patted his bottom, and muttered, "Outsiders are just trying to scare people."

"Don't be upset, young man. After this sudden fright, are you still troubled?"

Jiang Liu asked with a chuckle.

The boy was speechless and could only ask, "Are you really cultivators?"

"Exactly."

"Then let me tell you. I originally—"

The boy sang loudly, "I was originally a member of the Mao family, with relatives and friends, yet I became their servant. I worked diligently and faithfully, but I also managed to steal a few days of leisure."

The manor worships the Second Sister Mao, ensuring favorable weather and bountiful harvests year after year. Unexpectedly, a wild boar arrives, wanting to marry a woman to form a male-female pair. How can a demon god disrupt the natural order? It would ruin the feng shui and unsettle the people. In vain, I, a servant, have to hire a Taoist priest and a Buddhist monk. The Taoist's rituals are useless, and the monk's chanting is even more ineffective.

"If the boil isn't good, it's bad; it made me get scolded by the old man. He even gave me three or four taels of silver, telling me to go and invite the monk again!"

After listening to this long passage, Jiang Liu was slightly speechless, but he also admired the young man's talent. He could easily compose a limerick and said with a smile, "In that case, you are a young man who finds joy in hardship. May I ask your name?"

"My surname is Mao, and my name is Maocai."

The boy introduces himself.

"What a coincidence."

Jiang Liu chuckled, “I remember five hundred years ago, this place was Gao Village. When the pilgrim monks passed through your area, his eldest disciple, Sun Wukong, met a ‘talented’ man at the village entrance.”

I am a descendant of Sun Wukong from Huaguo Mountain, and I changed my surname to Sun and am now called Guyue, while you are called Maocai.

Isn't that fate?

You don't need to hire any sorcerers, just hire us.

In ancient times, entertainment was scarce, but stories endured for thousands of years. Even though Gao Village became Mao Er Village, the story of Sun Wukong subduing Zhu Bajie and going west to obtain Buddhist scriptures five hundred years ago has been passed down to this day.

The boy asked suspiciously, "Are you really a descendant of the Monkey King?"

Is Sun Wukong a monkey?

"Yes."

Am I a monkey?

"Yes."

"Then I am a descendant of Sun Wukong."

Such illogical words might not fool a three-year-old, but they could fool a dim-witted young man. He immediately believed them and, knowing they were going west, happily led the pilgrims from five hundred years in the future to the home of Master Mao in the village.

"Grandpa! Open the door! Open the door! I've brought the sorcerer back!"

The knocking echoed through the alley.

"That scoundrel Mao Cai, he dared to come back before I even finished a cup of tea. He must have been slacking off and lost the money. I'll dock your wages this month!"

Before the door was even opened, a hoarse and angry voice came from inside the courtyard.

Chapter 1398 Offering Demons as Ancestors and Changing Surname to Mao

The courtyard gate opened, and Old Man Mao was about to unleash a torrent of abuse on Mao Cai when he caught sight of a dozen or so people standing outside. His heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "Oh no!"

That beast Mao Cai, whom I used to beat and scold so badly, has now been robbed by outsiders. He betrayed me, joined their gang, and wants to seize my family property!

"My life is over!"

Seeing the trembling in Mao Taigong's eyes, Jiang Liu, being the shrewd man he was, could guess most of his thoughts even without using his discerning eye. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I hope you know, sir, that we are not the kind of people who rob and plunder, but rather cultivators traveling westward."