From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

"Those Chen Ming and Chen Xin were quite farsighted; they didn't tell the others in the village about this," Bajie said after the villagers had run far away.

"Why were the eldest and third senior brothers the ones who changed?" Liang Luzhen asked about this.

“This river is turbulent. If the boat capsizes, you, a wolf, two tigers, and a fox, will fall into the water, flailing your limbs and panicking. How will you cast spells then? Even I, Old Pig, would have to panic for a while before I could catch my breath and swim freely in the water.”

At this point, Bajie pointed to the river that had already sailed to the middle of the river and said, "Bajing is a dragon, born to know how to swim."

Although Monkey King is a monkey, he is adaptable and knows how to avoid water...

When the topic of the Water-Avoiding Spell came up, Pigsy changed the subject and muttered, "Back then, my eldest brother also knew the Water-Avoiding Spell, but he insisted that I go underwater to lure the monster out."

Tsk!

Looking back now, I realize he was either lazy or just trying to play a trick on me!

As they were talking.

The water beneath the small boat swirled into a whirlpool, causing the boat to accelerate and soon reach the center of the water.

Jiang Liuqing, having arrived at the location, asked Ba Jing, "Jin'er, what do you think the monster at the bottom of this river is?"

Ba Jing smiled sweetly, her red lips slightly parted, and said in a coquettish voice, "Husband, if you want me to say, I guess it's probably a toad, otherwise how could it make noise?"

Jiang Liu shook his head and offered another perspective: "I have heard that there are also elephants in the water; in the sea they are called sea elephants, and in the river they are called river elephants."

The monster in this river must be a walrus.

"Shouldn't it be a river elephant?"

Ba Jing knew that his senior brother was making things up, but since the names of sea elephant and river elephant had already been decided, the "elephant" in the Tongtian River should be river elephant, not sea elephant.

“This river is 800 li wide, how is it any different from the sea? It must be a sea creature!” Jiang Liu explained with a smile.

That's how it is.

The two chatted idly but made no love, which made the monster, who had his ears pressed to the bottom of the boat, lose patience. With a splash, he jumped out of the water and landed on the deck.

This monster truly looked exactly like Pulao, one of the nine sons of the dragon atop that bell, except that it was small, only four feet long, but had a loud voice like thunder. It said to the two of them, "What are you two chattering about? Hurry up and take off your clothes and start acting out your lovemaking!"

Seeing how "small" he was, Jiang Liu laughed at Ba Jing and said, "Wife, you guessed right, it's not a walrus, it really is a toad! A big toad!"

"Exactly! Exactly!"

Ba Jing laughed so hard he almost fell over.

Mockingly, the "toad" was enraged, yet a hint of doubt arose within him. Instead of attacking, he coldly asked, "Who are you? Aren't you afraid of me? And you dare mock my futile dragon? Are you out of your minds?"

“We came here only to be toyed with to death by you. Since we are going to die anyway, why should we be afraid of you? Let’s just have a quick death before we die.”

After Jiang Liu finished speaking, he added, "However, if you want to eat people, eat him first, don't eat me. I want to see how monsters eat people, so I can be prepared for the next life."

"???"

Fu Laolong looked puzzled and said, "You man probably know you're going to lose your life today, and you've gone mad! If I were to eat you, I'm afraid I'd go mad too!"

"Your Majesty, you eat him first."

Bajing then spoke up, "I also want to see how monsters eat people! Luckily, I'll be prepared for my next life!"

"???"

Fu Laolong, looking utterly displeased, cursed, "You woman are a madwoman too! Fine, I can't break the rules I set myself, otherwise why would the people of Chenjia Village willingly send their young ladies here?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu asked, "Does Your Majesty truly intend to take a wife?"

"nature."

The dragon did not hesitate.

"Then why did you have the people of Chenjiazhuang send both husband and wife here? And why do you want us to perform the art of reversing yin and yang in this water? Do you perhaps want to choose a teacher from among the three and learn from the good?"

Jiang Liu's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Your Majesty, take my advice: this is not the way to promote education!"

"Why would I need to learn? I just want a man to test the waters for me."

However, Fu Laolong made a reasonable point: "The first woman sent was weak and I accidentally killed her!"

Then they demanded that men and women be sacrificed together, and taught me—

See it clearly.

Listen carefully.

Let's clarify the depth.

"If that's the case, then you must have at least a hundred wives and concubines in your household, so why do you still need to get married?" Jiang Liu asked.

"Their souls have already entered the underworld!"

The dragon replied in vain, "It's because the men and women who come to the middle of the river are all like you, unable to perform the work of Yin and Yang creation, which forces me to eat the men and leave the women behind to take back to the water palace to take the blame."

None of them survived a year; they all died.

"You wretched beast!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu flew into a rage, revealing his true form as the Mandate of Heaven. Holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Cudgel), he struck the head of the Futile Dragon without a word.

With a loud "bang," his brain exploded, his headless body fell to the bow of the ship, and another dragon ball rolled off.

Ba Jing also reverted to his original form, picked up the dragon pearl, strung it together with the other five dragon pearls, and said to Jiang Liu, "Senior Brother, this is indeed the fifth son of the Jing River Dragon King, the Fu Lao Dragon, also known as Pulao, one of the nine sons of the dragon. I saw him in the Western Paradise, with the Buddha playing the bell, but I never imagined he would escape from Mount Ling..."

It's probably none of our business; rather, they couldn't bear the rules of Mount Ling and came here to tyrannize and oppress the local people in the Tongtian River.

"The debt has now been settled."

Jiang Liu sheathed his golden cudgel, carrying the headless, futile dragon. Seeing the waters in the middle of the river rippling again, he ordered the Eight Immortals to transform into dragons and push the small boat towards the east bank…

Chapter 1500 The Origin and Development of the Yang Mother-Child Relationship

As the saying goes:

The dragon soars amidst clouds and rain.

The eight dragons, pushing the boat along, were spotted by the people of Chenjiazhuang, who flocked to the riverbank to watch. However, because of their love for dragons, they dared not get too close to the riverbank.

When Chen Ming and Chen Xin arrived and saw Jiang Liu, they rushed to the riverbank and shouted, "Master, did you escape with your lives?"

Jiang Liu went ashore, threw the headless corpse of the Futile Dragon on the ground, and said to the crowd, "This is the monster in the Tongtian River. It is the Futile Dragon, one of the nine sons of the Jing River Dragon King. It was originally a bell-ringer in the Ling Mountain, but it couldn't stand the loneliness, so it came down to the mortal world to cause trouble and harmed countless young girls. Now it has been eliminated by us!"

Upon hearing this, the people were shocked. Looking at the futile dragon corpse, anger rose in their hearts and hatred welled up from their lungs. Every household took sticks, hoes and the like and beat the corpse.

Even if this futile dragon was the son of a true dragon and its body was strong, it could not withstand the blows from hundreds of people wielding clubs together. In no time, it had turned into a puddle of mud, mixing with the sand and soil by the river.

Seeing this brutal scene, Pingping was startled and thought to herself, "What a ruthless person!"

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue were also terrified: "When a person gets fierce, he can be more ferocious than a tiger!"

Liang Luzhen was also still shaken: "Back when I was in Black Wind Mountain, when I went out to steal wine, I was lucky that I was quick-witted and didn't get caught, otherwise I would have been beaten to a pulp!"

Pigsy pursed his lips, remaining silent, for he had witnessed similar situations many times on his previous journey westward.

The common people were powerless and bullied by the demons. Only when the four pilgrims arrived and eliminated the demons were they able to vent their anger and find peace.

After the people of Chenjiazhuang vented their anger, they were extremely grateful to Jiang Liu and Bajing and wanted to escort them to the village for a banquet.

The banquet ended.

Jiang Liu was about to lead his men away when Chen Ming and Chen Xin hurriedly stood up and said, "Master, why are you leaving so soon? Have we failed to entertain you properly?"

"What are you saying, sirs? We are not like the gods in temples who crave offerings from people. We are content with just a cup of tea and a meal, whether it's simple vegetables, radishes, or delicacies. As long as we can fill our stomachs, we are satisfied."

Jiang Liu laughed and said, "But we cultivators are not immortals or Buddhas. We cannot slack off in one place. How can we stay in one place for long?"

"Although the monster in the river has been eliminated, what should we do if another monster comes in the future?" Chen Ming could only tell the truth after hearing what he said, hoping that Jiang Liu would take pity on the villagers and stay to guard them.

Jiang Liu, however, still refused, saying, "Don't worry, once I go, I will ensure that there are no demons on the road to the West!"

With Jiang Liu's assurance, Chen Ming and Chen Xin were somewhat relieved. They escorted them to the shore and then said, "Elder, because of the monster, all the large boats at the ferry crossing have been destroyed, leaving only small boats. They can carry two or three people, but if there are more than three people, I'm afraid they won't be able to cross this 800-li Tongtian River."

Why not let them stay in our Chenjia Village for another year or two? Every family will contribute money and cut down trees to build a large ship to send the monks there!

"No need to build ships! No need to build ships!"

Just then, the river surged, and an old turtle emerged, climbed onto the stone bank where the scriptures had been dried in the sun, and bowed to the river, saying, "Great Sage, you have entered the cycle of reincarnation and are cultivating the Great Dao again. Congratulations! You have once again shown me kindness, and I have come to help you!"

Jiang Liu stopped Hu Yuan, Hu Jue, and Liang Luzhen, who were carrying knives and axes, and asked, "What have I done to deserve your kindness?"

"There is a turtle's house under this Tongtian River, which was passed down from my ancestors. Five hundred years ago, in your previous life, you protected Tang Sanzang and brought him here. Apart from the Great King Linggan, it was I who carried you across the river."

Later, when you returned from your pilgrimage, it was I who carried you back to the east bank. But unexpectedly, a fierce wind arose, with lightning and thunder, stirring up the Tongtian River and causing it to overturn, resulting in the scriptures falling into the river.

Now that the Great Sage has returned, I disguised myself as a fisherman to deliver the news. I am also delighted that the Great Sage helped me rid myself of the evil dragon that stole my mansion, so I have come to repay his kindness!

The white turtle explained the cause and effect.

Pigsy laughed, "It really is you, you old tortoise! ​​I thought I had mistaken you for someone else. But why did you transform into a fisherman? Just tell us directly, and we could have helped you get rid of that demon!"

“What the Marshal says is true. It’s just that we haven’t seen each other for five hundred years. I was afraid that the Marshal would not recognize me, so I borrowed the spirit of the Great King of Inspiration to transform into human form and come to deliver the message.”

The goldfish returned to the South China Sea years ago, but recently, because Hu Yuan and Hu Jue blew a gust of wind at Huangfeng Ridge, the goldfish came to Tongtian River again.

It was just bad luck that it was killed by the old turtle that had been cultivating for over five hundred years.

With the power of the goldfish's spirit, the white turtle can transform into a human even without attaining human form.

Upon hearing this, the people of Chenjiazhuang realized that Jiang Liu was the Monkey King descended from the Salvation Temple, and that the man who looked like a wild boar was Marshal Tianpeng. In a moment of sudden realization, they all kowtowed and bowed in worship.

Jiang Liu did not stop them, but said to them, "After this trip, you can live as usual. If you go to the Salvation Temple to offer sacrifices, take back the fruits, vegetables and meats you offered to feed your own stomachs, because we will surely become immortals and Buddhas after this trip."

The five people on the journey to the West were: the Monkey King and the Golden Monkey King (Sun Wukong), the Dragon Horse (Dragon Horse), the Wooden Mother (Zhu Bajie), the Sand Monk (Huang Po), and the Tang Monk (Tang Sanzang), who was the primordial spirit, which is you and yourselves.

We do not need the incense and fire you offer, nor do we eat the blood and food you sacrifice. In other words, as long as you offer food to your own bodies and minds, you are eating with us, the Five Saints.

Regardless of whether the people of Chenjiazhuang listened, Jiang Liu bowed slightly to Tang Sanzang at the distant Jiusheng Temple, then led everyone onto the white turtle shell, entered the water, and rowed towards the opposite bank...

···

Meanwhile, on the west bank, Chen Ming and Chen Xin gathered the villagers and went to the Salvation Temple to discuss with the temple keeper, Sanzang. They added an Eight Pure Ones statue next to the Four Gods statues, thus completely completing the Five Gods of Body, Mind, and Soul, as well as the Primordial Spirit.

Afterwards, every household offered vegetables and fruits, and then took the offered fruits and vegetables back to their homes to satisfy their hunger, either for psychological comfort or because the five gods truly resided in their hearts. Farmers were more energetic in their fields, and fishermen caught more fish.

Everyone says it's all thanks to the blessings and protection of Sun Wukong and Guyue Yuanjue!

Only the monk Sanzang in the Salvation Temple knew that this was not due to Wukong's protection, but rather because they had grown their own food and no longer sought anything from outside, thus finding peace of mind and body.

in this way--