From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

The king hesitated, unsure how to speak.

The princess, however, was intelligent and understood Jiang Liu's unspoken meaning—that there is conflict in the world only because there is an emperor… or perhaps he was saying that the throne is the root of all conflict in the world!

Then Jiang Liu said, "I released the five hundred Taoists outside the pass, I smashed the three Buddha statues in the temple, and I also used a method called 'Good Man' to teach you the principles of cultivation, so that you can cultivate the Buddha in your heart instead of cutting your hair."

If short hair or a bald head makes someone a Buddha, then the most revered Buddhas in the world must be those bald people who are born without hair.

The king, queen, and all the officials bowed and said, "Master Sun Wukong is incredibly powerful and his magic is boundless!"

"I'm not Sun Wukong."

Jiang Liu smiled, and seeing their astonishment, he explained, "Although I am not him, I am also from Huaguo Mountain. I am his descendant, named Guyue Yuanjue, and I wish to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors and retrace the Journey to the West."

"If Your Majesty truly desires immortality, you must first renounce the throne and undergo ascetic practices. Otherwise, even if a true Buddha or immortal were to come to your country, you could only gain longevity by kowtowing a thousand times and offering incense."

The king opened his mouth, but no sound came out; he stood there stunned.

By the time he came to his senses, Jiang Liu and his group had already left with the princess, disappearing without a trace...

···

The west gate of Chechi Kingdom.

Jiang Liu handed the sheep and deer to the princess, saying, "These sheep and deer are not bad, but they are muddle-headed. I hope you will lead them to cultivate together with the blue ox."

The Qi Refining Method relies on the power of the Three Vehicles: the sheep walks along the tailbone, the deer leaps along the spine, and the ox walks along the jade pillow. Once these three barriers are passed, the Great Dao of the Circulation will be fully opened.

Cultivating the mind requires mastering three vehicles: the Śrāvaka cultivates self-cultivation, the Pratyekabuddha cares for others, and the Bodhisattva liberates all sentient beings. When the three vehicles converge into the Buddha vehicle, one can become either an immortal or a Buddha.

Overwhelmed with gratitude for Jiang Liu's instruction, the princess knelt down and pleaded, "Master, I am willing to accompany you on your westward journey! I will serve you at all times and never forget your kindness!"

"No, not like that."

Jiang Liu helped the princess up and handed her another chart, the Chechi Talisman Chart. It was both a guide to completing the Chechi Kingdom's energy structure and a cultivation method. He encouraged her, saying, "Going west to cultivate is our path, but your path is in Chechi. When you achieve enlightenment, you can always listen to my lectures."

The princess accepted the map and asked Jiang Liu, "Master, should the Kingdom of Chechi pay homage to monks or Taoists?"

"What do you say?"

Jiang Liu asked in return.

The princess replied, "We should not respect Taoists or monks, but rather nurture talent and treat everyone equally... Master, do you agree?"

"This is difficult! This is difficult!"

That's what he said, but Jiang Liu was laughing out loud.

The princess already knew her master's attitude...

···

After bidding farewell to the princess, Jiang Liu continued westward. Not far along the way, he asked Pingping, "Having traveled through Chechi Kingdom, have you gained anything?"

Pingping was innocent yet intelligent. She said, “I have indeed gained some insights. When exploring a route or asking for information, you should not ask just one person. You need to ask many people and verify their information in order to find out the truth or understand the details.”

Besides, there is much strife in the world.

The disputes among the city's residents mostly revolve around the word "money".

The struggle among civil and military officials mainly revolved around the word 'power'.

As for the conflict between Taoism and Buddhism, I still don't see what they're fighting over...

"Incense, of course!"

Bajie explained the fundamental interests behind the conflict between Taoism and Buddhism.

But Pingping didn't understand: "How could it be incense? Those monks and Taoist priests aren't gods or bodhisattvas, why would they need incense?"

"So what are your thoughts? Tell me," Jiang Liu asked with a smile.

Recalling the scene of the two monks whipping the Taoist priest when she first arrived in Chechi Kingdom, Pingping said without hesitation: "I think it's just that one side wants to ride on the other's head and act arrogantly, just like... my father training troops and commanding servants."

At this point, Pingping suddenly fell silent, because at this moment she suddenly realized that the peaceful life she had enjoyed in the past was based on her father’s struggles with other monsters, gods, bodhisattvas and so on.

"The fact that you could think of this proves that you are indeed a person with wisdom."

Seeing her distress, Jiang Liu laughed heartily, “Only by understanding the root of all kinds of conflicts in the world can you truly understand how to live without strife.”

Or avoid all conflict.

Or perhaps it will change the world of conflict.

These are the only two methods.

But no matter which one it is, it is by no means that you can rest easy by hiding in the deep mountains and forests to cultivate yourself. It is because people's hearts are treacherous. Even if you do not bother others, they will think of all sorts of ways to ride on your head and bully you, or they will set up one trap after another for you to fall into.

Just like guessing an object through a partition, if I hadn't possessed some skill, I would have truly gotten what those three imperial advisors wanted.

Pingping suddenly realized, but still didn't quite understand. Just as she was about to ask again, she saw Jiang Liu take out a ring.

Bajie's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, "This is Laozi's Vajra Bracelet?"

“Strictly speaking, this is my Vajra Bracelet.”

After the primordial spirit slept since the creation of the world, the information about the "Diamond Bracelet" combined with a piece of Kun steel from the primordial world. It was discovered by Taishang and then made using the principle of refining tangible pills. It formed its own cycle and could encompass all things.

Looking back now—

The only solution is to return it to its rightful owner.

He refined the Vajra Bracelet internally with the primordial energy and handed it to Pingping.

"Give me?"

Although Pingping didn't understand how precious the Vajra Bracelet was, she knew the name of Laozi and could guess that it was a treasure, at least a divine treasure. She waved her hands repeatedly, "I can't accept it."

"Take it, it's just a bull's nose ring. That blue bull has already settled down, having received my teachings. With sheep and deer as companions, and being a bull itself, it is strong and powerful. The princess is also wise, adding to its dexterity. It has already embarked on the right path and no longer needs the nose ring. But there is still a great white bull in this world that needs this nose ring to guide it onto the true path!"

Jiang Liu said with a smile.

Pingping: "..."

She seemed to know who Jiang Liu was talking about!

Tongtian River

Chapter 1496 The Path to Heaven is Blocked

Pingping took the Vajra Bracelet and wore it on her wrist as a bracelet, but she made a vow in her heart—

She would never put that bull nose ring on her father's nose!

Um···

At least she's pretty firm on this idea right now.

"Master!"

After walking a while longer, a Taoist priest suddenly emerged from the woods. One after another, Taoist priests came out of the woods and returned the hairs to Jiang Liu.

“You are honest.”

After collecting the hair, Jiang Liu exclaimed, "In the future, don't just focus on your own quiet cultivation in the temple on the mountain, otherwise you'll have no one to help you if you encounter difficulties."

"We will remember the Dharma Master's teachings!"

Although these five hundred Taoists have not yet truly attained enlightenment, they have made considerable progress. They understand that the path of cultivation requires not only cultivating the three powers but also understanding the three vehicles, helping others and oneself, only then can they be called practitioners. Otherwise, they are ultimately just mortals, possessing only power.

After bidding farewell to the five hundred Taoist priests, Jiang Liu and his group continued westward, cultivating samadhi, understanding the three vehicles, and comprehending the three vehicles. They were unaware that spring had passed and summer had gone by until they saw the leaves turning yellow and falling with the wind, only then realizing that autumn had arrived.

As they were walking, Pingping heard the sound of the rushing river and said, "Is there a great river ahead? I can hear the rushing water even before I can smell the mist."

Pigsy calculated the distance in his mind and said to the fox, "I have traveled the westward route before. After Chechi Kingdom is the Women's Kingdom of Xiliang."

Before reaching the Kingdom of Women, however, lies the Tongtian River and Jindu Mountain; the Tongtian River lies just ahead.

Ba Jing, who had also traveled the Journey to the West, chimed in, "Second Brother is right!"

Hu Yuan, Hu Jue, Liang Luzhen, and Pingping were all traveling this route for the first time, and they were skeptical. When they arrived at the riverbank, they became more convinced. They then saw a stone tablet erected by the river with the three large characters "Tongtian River" on it and the inscription "A path of eight hundred li, rarely traveled since ancient times" below. Only then did they truly believe Bajie.

The river, stretching for eight hundred li, is surely a gateway to heaven.

And look at that river—

The moon shines brightly, its shadow stretches across the sky. The spirit of the mountains swallows Mount Hua, its long flow connects all the rivers.

A thousand layers of surging waves roll, ten thousand layers of towering billows crash. No fishing lights flicker on the shore, only egrets sleep on the sandbar.

Vast and boundless as the sea, stretching as far as the eye can see.

"If we don't fly, how will we get there?"

Pingping was in a dilemma.

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue, however, recalled the experience of crossing the Liusha River and said, "If we could ride in a gourd, that would be perfect."

"Where did this gourd come from?"

Bajie scoffed, "This place is already 54,000 li away from the Southern Continent. Are we going to go back and borrow the gourd from that Brother Sha again?"

"So, senior brother, how do we cross the river?"

Liang Luzhen asked.

"Back then, a white turtle carried him across the river. His master had to ask Buddha when he would shed his old body and attain a human form. But his master forgot to ask when he returned."

Despite our forgetfulness, the white turtle wasn't annoyed and willingly carried us across again. Unfortunately, halfway across, suddenly sand and stones flew, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and fog thickened, churning the Tongtian River into a raging torrent. Even though the old turtle was large, compared to the entire Tongtian River, it was but a tiny boat, causing us all to fall into the river…”

Pigsy recounted a past event that differed from the description in "Journey to the West".

In Journey to the West, it was the old white turtle that was angry that Tang Sanzang forgot to ask and that they had gotten the scriptures for free, so it threw the group of master and disciples into the river. After that, it went ashore and summoned evil demons to steal the scriptures, which caused the lightning and thunder.

In this desolate wilderness, the white turtle had already let go of its obsession. Seeing that Tang Sanzang had forgotten, it was not angry and was willing to do a good deed by carrying them across. However, fate was unkind—

It wasn't that demons came to steal the scriptures, but rather that the Heavenly Court didn't want the Buddha's scriptures in this world to be complete, lest the people of Jambudvipa truly learn the Buddhist teachings and thus respect the Buddha instead of the Tao and Heaven, causing the Heavenly Court to lose its incense offerings. Therefore, they wanted to destroy some of the scriptures.

"Is the old turtle still there?"

Pingping was curious.

"Five hundred years have passed, who knows if that old turtle has died of old age?"

Bajie grumbled and didn't pay much attention to the old turtle. He then said to Jiang Liu, "Brother Monkey, speaking of which, there is a Lifesaving Temple by the Tongtian River with statues of the four pilgrims. It's also my temple. Why don't we go there to rest for the night, eat some offerings, and ask the locals about ferry arrangements?"