From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Jiang Liu waved his hand and said, "We are people who travel all over the world, what can't we hear? It's no harm to say a few words."

So the proprietress said, "For those who order, there are no dishes or meat, only rice from the stove and pot. Anyone can eat as much as they want, and if they are full, they can stay in the house. However, no rooms will be provided. Just find a place to nap and leave when it gets light. Just give them a few coins, and they will not complain."

"Okay, okay! We'll make the sample!"

Liang Luzhen knew there wasn't much money in his luggage, so he spoke up.

"Why do you need to order samples? We are people who travel east and west to trade goods, we have plenty of money, let's order the dishes."

Jiang Liu chuckled.

"Please wait a moment, esteemed guest, I'll go prepare right away!"

The proprietress was overjoyed and was about to go to the kitchen to give instructions when Jiang Liu stopped her, saying, "Wait a minute, there's something else I need to ask..."

Chapter 1486 Changing a Cow into a Tiger by Entering a Side Door

"what's up?"

The proprietress stopped and turned around to ask.

"May I ask what you mean by housing?"

Jiang Liu asked, "We plan to stay here for one night and set off westward tomorrow."

The proprietress suddenly realized that these people were outsiders, hence the headscarves, but she didn't point it out. She just wanted to make money, so she replied, "We also have three kinds: superior, medium, and inferior."

As previously stated, those who submit samples can simply find a place to sleep, and tomorrow they only need to pay a few coins; they will not complain.

The middle-class room is for two people, with a tea table and a chamber pot. They can call a servant to serve them food, and each person pays five taels of silver.

Those who choose the best rooms will each have their own, with pear wood tables, young ladies to sleep with, and servants at their beck and call to attend to the masters. The only cost is ten taels of silver per person.

“We’re not short of money, show us the model apartment.”

Jiang Liu did not hesitate.

"okay!"

The proprietress beamed with joy, thinking she had encountered a very attractive prospect.

Before they could leave, Jiang Liu said, "But we only need one room. We brothers and sisters are in the horse trading business, and we have a lot of money in our luggage. It will be difficult to sleep peacefully if we sleep separately."

"to make!"

Although the proprietress had her doubts, she agreed.

Jiang Liu then said, "There's no need for the young lady to sleep with us. Bringing a girl along will only make her disgusted."

"This... will do."

Thinking that she could make a good profit from the food and drinks, the proprietress agreed.

"Also, we have traveled thousands of miles on this journey, and we just ate a fish, so we have worms in our stomachs. We can't eat meat anymore, so just give us some fruits and vegetables."

Jiang Liu continued.

Upon hearing this, the proprietress considered it and felt that she hadn't earned enough, but she couldn't find fault with it.

The reason why Chechi Kingdom is a devout Buddhist is that everyone must shave their heads and most households eat vegetarian food. Her inn is able to sell meat because she has a distant brother-in-law who is a monk in the Sanfo Temple and is highly regarded by the three monks. She also makes connections everywhere, which is why she is able to sell beef, mutton, pork and dog meat.

However, she couldn't force guests to eat meat.

If the people do not report it, the officials will not investigate.

But if things escalate, she'll be the one who suffers, so she had no choice but to agree.

"But the showroom only has one bed. There are six guests, plus a horse. Even if you're all crammed together, the horse still needs to be put in the manor, right?" The proprietress was calculating how to make a little more money.

Jiang Liu didn't care and just said, "It's fine. We can all sleep in one room. We can lay a large bed board on the ground, put straw on it, cover it with a blanket, and there are horses to keep us warm. We can spend the night without any problems."

Upon hearing this, the proprietress was shocked—

She said she had met a god of wealth, but it turned out to be a bunch of stingy misers!

What we need is a model room!

We ordered the top-quality dishes!

But when you add the extra cost, it's only slightly better than a sample room or sample meal.

What bad luck!

Fortunately, the customer was a guest, and the proprietress wasn't some Sun Erniang who sold human flesh buns, so she had no choice but to agree.

However, the inn's waiter overheard Jiang Liu's conversation with the landlady.

The waiter had connections with bandits outside the city. Hearing that Jiang Liu and his companions were foreign merchants trading horses and that their luggage contained a great deal of silver, he was tempted by greed.

That night.

He gathered a band of robbers, disturbed the guests, broke into the room where Jiang Liu and the others were, tied them up along with the large bed board, and carried them out of the city along with the white horse that Ba Jing had transformed into.

Just as Bajie was about to get angry, Jiang Liu secretly pulled him back and persuaded Hu Yuan, Hu Jue, Liang Luzhen, Pingping, and the hot-tempered Bajing to stay calm. He then transmitted his voice and said, "Spare their lives for now. I have my own plans."

Everyone was relieved.

thereafter.

Jiang Liu's primordial spirit departed and went to the Three Buddha Temple. He saw the three Buddha statues representing the past, present, and future, surrounded by incense. He couldn't help but chuckle: "You Buddhas have cultivated golden bodies, yet you still cause so much strife, killing, greed, lust, and misery in this world. You cannot bear the incense offerings of this world!"

Then I saw the three "divine monks" chanting sutras and mantras in front of the Buddha statue, bowing and praying to the three Buddhas for longevity and immortality, and I was amazed.

It was because his discerning eyes had already seen through the true nature of these three monks.

They are the reincarnations of the Tiger Power Immortal, Deer Power Immortal, and Sheep Power Immortal from five hundred years ago!

among them.

The Tiger Power Immortal's obsession was the strongest, so much so that after reincarnation, he vaguely remembered his past lives. Drawn by the pull of these obsessions, he found the reincarnations of the Deer Power Immortal and the Sheep Power Immortal, helping them awaken their spiritual intelligence and regain human form. Then—

Abandoning Taoism for Buddhism...

···

In Journey to the West, the cultivation principles represented by Chechi Kingdom and the Tiger Power, Deer Power, and Sheep Power are very clear; they refer to the cultivation methods of the "Three Powers".

In the Chinese zodiac, the tiger comes after the ox, signifying delay. This implies that Tang Sanzang's spiritual practice was lax, a year late, and his desire for speed led him astray. Instead of seeking the steady and steadfast qualities of an ox plowing the field, he relentlessly pursued the tiger's strength and ferocity.

This also confirms that the difference between the orthodox and unorthodox teachings is actually very small.

The ox, deer, and sheep are the right path, but if you replace the ox with the tiger, you have entered a side path. Even if you succeed temporarily, you will have tasted the sweetness of the tiger's ferocity and will not know how to be steady. You will only have more and more "lucky" mentality until you are doomed.

But why can the power of the monkey mind replace the power of the ox cart?

The reason is simple.

The ordeal at Flaming Mountain has already revealed the main theme:

The Bull Demon King was originally the Monkey King in disguise!

In the metaphor of cultivation, the ox also represents the mind. Although Wukong is a monkey, he represents the mind-monkey. Therefore, in the cultivation of the three cart powers, the power of the mind-monkey is equivalent to the power of the ox cart. Moreover, the original text has already pointed out again through narration that Wukong and the Bull Demon King's supernatural powers, magic power, and strength are almost identical, only Wukong is more flexible.

Without a doubt, when it comes to breaking through the three barriers, the "mind-monkey force" equivalent to the "ox-cart force" is more suitable than the "ox-cart force" itself. It is not only stable but also more flexible. If a mistake is made during the ascent, it can be adjusted at any time to prevent going astray.

It cannot be simply summarized as "a restless mind".

His composure is evident in how Wukong helped the monks pull the cart through the checkpoint.

His flexibility is evident in his maneuvering and cleverness in the bet with the three demons of Chechi Kingdom.

If one is resolute but goes in the wrong direction, then that resoluteness will instead push one gradually toward the abyss, until utter ruin.

If Sun Wukong had honestly fought the three demons of Chechi Kingdom, he would have had no chance of winning. He would have had to use his supernatural powers to overthrow Chechi Kingdom at the last moment.

But what kind of physical training would that be?

In the end, he's still a demon who uses magic!

There are two main reasons why the original book only made this point during the ordeal at Flaming Mountain.

One reason is that Tang Sanzang in the story was not up to par. It was only when he reached the Flaming Mountain that he truly mastered the control of the three powers and began to accumulate the five elements and cultivate his mind and body.

As for evidence, it is that after crossing the Flaming Mountains, the four members of the pilgrimage group truly became more and more harmonious. Even when they quarreled and bickered, it was mostly just teasing each other, and they seemed to have developed the appearance of cultivating together as a whole.

And another reason?

Although "Journey to the West" does not deviate from the fundamental principle of the unity of master and disciple, the true protagonist has never been the monk who went to fetch the scriptures, but rather the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, who travels to the Water Curtain Cave on Flower and Fruit Mountain!

Chapter 1487 The Three Vehicles Return to One Buddha Vehicle

Who is the main character in "Journey to the West"?

In childhood, one would inevitably and firmly believe that it is Sun Wukong.

As people grow up, they tend to think of Tang Sanzang as the main character, and most people continue to think so even into old age.

However, if one embarks on the path of cultivation, one will understand that, whether viewed from the perspective of the story or from the perspective of cultivation, Sun Wukong is the true protagonist.

In Jiang Liu's opinion, the principles of Daoist alchemy contained in Journey to the West are twofold, forming a system of its own, similar to Zhengyi and Quanzhen, but with some differences.

From Tang Sanzang's perspective, he followed the cultivation method of the Golden Elixir and Holy Embryo, gathering the five elements (accepting three disciples and a dragon horse), understanding the Samadhi (Flat Top Mountain, Hao Mountain, Black Water River), passing the three passes (Wuji Kingdom, Chechi Kingdom, Xiliang Women's Kingdom), abandoning the two minds (the Six-Eared Macaque), and obtaining coolness (destroying the Flaming Mountain), before truly beginning to cultivate the inner elixir.

It especially needs to be cool!

Only with a pure and tranquil mind can one truly cultivate Qi and practice spiritual cultivation; otherwise, one is bound to suffer from qi deviation and demonic possession!

However, from Sun Wukong's perspective, having already attained the Golden Elixir, he cultivated the "Returning Elixir" on his journey to the West, thus attaining the return to one's original nature.

While at Wuzhuang Temple, Sun Wukong and Zhen Yuanzi became sworn brothers.

The instruction given to Tang Sanzang was to harmonize the elements of metal and wood, and to regulate his temperament. This meant that externally, he should maintain a good relationship with Wukong and Bajie, preventing them from teasing or disliking each other, and internally, he should harmonize the circulation of the metal energy in his lungs and the wood energy in his liver.

But Tang Sanzang chose to cut off his own arm.

pick one of two.

They drove away the Golden Duke, but kept the Wooden Mother.

But for Sun Wukong, becoming sworn brothers with Zhen Yuanzi was about cultivating his mind and understanding the principles of elixir cultivation through the cycle of the Heavenly Zhou.

in this way.

Then you can understand why it was only during the ordeal at Flaming Mountain that it was revealed that "the Bull Demon King is actually a transformed Monkey King"!