Alright, let's continue with this exciting tale. So, the monster was dashing ahead with flames flickering all around, and our great Sun Wukong was flying on colorful clouds, closely following behind. As they were moving along, they suddenly came across a tall mountain. The monster gathered its fiery light and revealed its true form, darting into a cave and grabbing a nine-toothed rake, ready for battle. Wukong shouted, "You wicked monster! Where do you come from, and how do you know the great name of Sun Wukong? Show me your skills, and I might spare your life!"
The monster replied, "You have no idea of my power! Stand firm, and I'll tell you:
Since I was young, I've been clumsy and lazy, living aimlessly. One day, I met a true immortal who advised me to turn over a new leaf and stop committing sins. His words touched me, so I started cultivating and was fortunate enough to find a master who taught me many skills. I refined the Nine Revolutions Elixir, gaining access to the heavens above and the earth below, mastering great powers. Eventually, I ascended to immortality and was appointed by the Jade Emperor as the Marshal of the Heavenly River.
However, during one of the Queen Mother’s peach banquets, I drank too much and drunkenly barged into the Moon Palace, where I saw the fairy Chang'e. Old feelings resurfaced, and I wouldn't let her go. As a result, I was captured by the gods and brought before the Jade Emperor. Thanks to Taibai Jinxing's plea, I was spared from death but banished to the mortal world, reincarnated as Zhu Ganglie."
Wukong realized, "So you're the Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng in human form. No wonder you know me." The monster sneered, "Hmph, you, the Bimawen, caused trouble that got us all involved back then, and now you come to bully me! Take this!" With that, he swung his rake at Wukong. Of course, Wukong wasn't one to back down, so he raised his golden staff to fight back.
They clashed fiercely on the mountainside in the dark of night. Wukong's eyes shone like lightning, while the monster's eyes glowed like silver flowers. One spewed colorful mist, the other exhaled fiery clouds, locked in a stalemate. They fought from midnight until dawn, and the monster gradually grew exhausted, eventually retreating in defeat, transforming into a gust of wind and fleeing back into the cave, shutting the door tight and refusing to come out.
Seeing that the monster wouldn't come out, Wukong thought his master might be waiting for him, so he decided to head back first and deal with the monster later. Riding on a cloud, he quickly returned to Gao's estate.
Meanwhile, Master Tang Sanzang and several elders were having a lively conversation, having stayed up all night. They were just worried about why Wukong hadn't returned yet when suddenly, Wukong descended into the courtyard. He put away his iron staff, tidied his clothes, and announced, "Master, I'm back." The elders quickly bowed in gratitude, "Thank you! Thank you!"
Tang Sanzang asked, "Wukong, where have you been all night? Did you catch the monster?" Wukong replied, "Master, that monster isn't an ordinary demon or a beast from the mountains. He was originally the Marshal Tianpeng, but due to a mistake, he was reborn as a wild boar, though he still retains some spiritual essence. He calls himself Zhu Ganglie. I fought him all night, and he eventually retreated into his cave. I wanted to confront him again, but I was concerned you'd be worried, so I came back to report."
Upon hearing this, Old Gao quickly knelt down, "Master, you've worked so hard! Although you've driven the monster away, will he return? Please help us eliminate him completely to prevent future troubles. I'm willing to offer my land and property to you, just please help us root him out." Wukong laughed, "Old man, you really don't know what's good for you. The monster said he ate your food but also did a lot of good work, earning you quite a fortune. He didn't eat for nothing, so why drive him away? Actually, he's a heavenly being in disguise, and having him as your son-in-law isn't disgraceful." Old Gao replied, "Master, even if he hasn't done anything bad, his reputation isn't good."
Now, continuing with the story, the Gao family was deeply troubled, constantly worried about others gossiping that they had a monster for a son-in-law. How could they live like this? Master Tang Sanzang said to Wukong, "Wukong, since you've already fought him once, you might as well finish the job thoroughly." Wukong patted his chest confidently, "I was just playing around earlier. This time I'll definitely capture him for you to see, don't worry." Then he reminded Old Gao, "Take good care of my master, I'll be off now!"
Wukong, true to his word, set off immediately and arrived at the monster's mountain in no time, standing at the entrance of the cave. He smashed the gate to pieces with his iron staff, shouting, "Hey, you lazy bum, come out and face me, Sun Wukong!" The monster was inside, panting and trying to rest, but the loud crashing and shouting woke him up, and he was furious. Grabbing his rake, he came out full of vigor and yelled, "You, the Bimawen, you're so lazy! What grudge do I have with you that you break down my door? You should check the laws; breaking a door is a capital offense!" Wukong laughed, "You fool! Even if I broke your door, I have my reasons. You forcibly took someone's daughter without a matchmaker or bride price; that's a crime worthy of death!" The monster was enraged, "Enough talk, take this rake!" Wukong blocked it with his staff, "Is that rake for planting vegetables at Gao's house? What's there to fear?" The monster retorted, "You're mistaken! This rake is no ordinary object; let me tell you about it:
It was forged from divine ice iron, personally crafted by Lao Jun, with Mars adding the charcoal. The Five Emperors of the cardinal directions put in great effort, and the Six Ding and Six Jia worked tirelessly. With nine teeth of jade and gold rings hanging like leaves, its craftsmanship is exquisite. Its length and weight determine the heavens and earth, its sides divide the sun and moon. It's called the Supreme Treasure Gold Rake, a treasure of the Jade Emperor's palace. I was granted it when I became the Marshal Tianpeng, a Great Immortal, as a token of my office. It can summon fierce flames and mighty winds, feared by heavenly generals and dreaded by the lords of the underworld. No earthly weapon can compare. This rake has been with me for years, never leaving my side. I even took it to the peach banquet and when paying homage to the Jade Emperor.
But, drunk on power and wine, I acted recklessly and was banished to the mortal realm, becoming a sinful monster. I ate people in the stone cave and got married in Gao Village. This rake can stir dragons in the sea and capture tigers and wolves on land. No weapon is its equal; only my rake is supreme."
Wukong and the monster fought fiercely, neither giving in. The monster defiantly said, "Hmph, who's afraid of whom! Even if you have a head of copper and a body of iron, one swing of my rake and you'll be scattered to the winds!" Wukong chuckled, put away his staff, and said, "Fool, stop boasting! Here, I'll stretch out my head. See if you can make my soul vanish!" The monster, believing him, swung the rake down with all his might, but sparks flew, and Wukong's scalp didn't even move. The monster was so shocked his hands went numb and legs weakened, repeatedly praising, "What a head! What a head!"
Wukong proudly said, "You don't know, back when I caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, I stole immortal pills, ate peaches, and drank royal wine. Later, I was captured by Erlang Shen and brought before the Dou Niu Palace. The heavenly gods tried to chop, hammer, stab, and strike me, but nothing harmed me. Lao Jun even threw me into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, refining me with divine fire for forty-nine days, giving me fiery eyes and a body of steel. If you don't believe me, try hitting me again!"
The monster suddenly realized, "Oh, I remember you! You're the Great Sage who lived in the Water Curtain Cave on Flower Fruit Mountain! It's been so many years, how did you end up here bullying me? Did my father-in-law invite you?" Wukong laughed, "Your father-in-law didn't invite me. I've reformed and now protect a monk from the Tang Dynasty, Master Sanzang, on his journey to the West to fetch scriptures. We stopped at Gao Village for the night, and Old Gao mentioned you, so I came to deal with you, fool!"
Hearing this, the monster immediately dropped his rake and respectfully said, "Where is the scripture seeker? Please introduce me." Wukong asked, "Why do you want to see him?" The monster explained, "I was advised by Guanyin Bodhisattva to mend my ways, and I've been here eating vegetarian meals and chanting Buddha's name, waiting to accompany the scripture seeker to the West to atone for my sins. But I've waited so long without any news. Now that you're his disciple, why didn't you say so earlier? Instead, you came to fight me!"
Wukong, half-skeptical, said, "Are you trying to trick me into letting you go? If you truly wish to protect Tang Sanzang, swear an oath, and I'll take you to meet my master." The monster immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Amitabha, Namo Buddha! If I'm not sincere, let me be punished by heavenly law, torn apart by five horses!"
Wukong, seeing that the monster had sworn an oath, thought for a moment and said, "In that case, burn down this place, and I'll take you with me." The monster indeed gathered reeds and thorns, set them on fire, and burned the cave to the ground. He then turned to Wukong and said, "I have nothing holding me back now, please take me with you." Wukong instructed him to hand over the rake, then plucked a hair and transformed it into three strands of hemp rope, binding the monster's hands and tugging him by the ear. The monster cried out, "Easy! You're hurting my ear!" Wukong replied, "Can't go easy, I'll take you to see my master first." And so, half in cloud and mist, they returned to Gao Village.
Upon reaching the village, Wukong held the rake and tugged the monster by the ear, saying, "Look, the one sitting in the hall is my master." The Gao family and their friends, seeing Wukong return with the monster, excitedly rushed forward, exclaiming, "Elder! Elder! This is our son-in-law!" The monster stepped forward, knelt, and kowtowed, loudly saying, "Master, your disciple was disrespectful! Had I known you were at my father-in-law's house, I would have come to pay respects much sooner, avoiding all this trouble." Master Tang Sanzang asked Wukong, "How did you get him to come and pay his respects?" Wukong released his grip, tapped the rake handle, and commanded, "Fool, speak up!"The monster recounted the story of how Guanyin Bodhisattva persuaded him to mend his ways. Sanzang was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly asked Old Gao to prepare an incense altar. Sanzang washed his hands and burned incense, bowing southward, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your compassion!" The elders also added incense and paid their respects. After the ceremony, Sanzang returned to his seat in the hall and said to Wukong, "Release his bonds."
Wukong shook his body, and the ropes immediately loosened. The monster bowed again to Sanzang, expressing his willingness to follow the master to the West, and also bowed to Wukong, calling him senior brother. Sanzang said, "Since you wish to follow me in practice, I shall give you a Dharma name." The monster replied, "Master, the Bodhisattva already gave me a Dharma name: Zhu Wuneng." Sanzang laughed, "Good, good! Your senior brother is called Wukong, and you are Wuneng, both part of our sect's lineage." Wuneng said, "Master, I have already taken the Bodhisattva's precepts, abstaining from the five pungent spices and three forbidden meats, and have been eating vegetarian and chanting Buddha's name at my father-in-law's house. Now that I've met you, I'll resume my vows." Sanzang quickly said, "No, no! Since you abstain from the five pungent spices and three forbidden meats, I will give you another name: Bajie." Zhu Wuneng happily agreed, "I will follow the master's command." Thus, he gained a new name, Zhu Bajie.
Old Gao, seeing Zhu Bajie reform, was overjoyed and immediately instructed the servants to prepare a feast to properly host the Tang monk and his disciples. Zhu Bajie approached Old Gao and asked, "Father-in-law, could I see my wife to introduce her to everyone?" Wukong laughed from the side, "Brother, you're a monk now, don't mention wives. Monks can't have families like Taoists. Let's have a simple vegetarian meal and continue our journey to the West."
Old Gao set the table, inviting Master Sanzang to the seat of honor, with Wukong and Bajie seated on either side, and the family and friends at the lower seats. Old Gao poured the wine, first offering a toast to heaven and earth, then to Sanzang. Sanzang quickly declined, "To be honest, I've been a vegetarian since childhood and don't consume meat or alcohol." Old Gao said, "I know you live a life of purity, so I've prepared vegetarian wine for you to try." Sanzang replied, "I also dare not drink wine; it's a major taboo for us monks." At this, Bajie interjected, "Master, although I eat vegetarian, I haven't abstained from wine." Wukong added, "I'm not a heavy drinker, but I haven't given up wine either." Sanzang relented, "In that case, you may have some vegetarian wine, but don't drink too much and cause problems." So Wukong and Bajie drank a little wine.
After the feast, Old Gao brought out a red lacquer tray containing two hundred taels of silver and gold, intending to give it to the elders as travel expenses, along with three sets of cotton clothes. Sanzang declined, "We are wandering monks, living off alms, how can we accept gold and silver?" Wukong stepped forward, grabbed a handful of silver and gold, and said to Gao Cai, "Thanks to you for finding my master yesterday, and today I've gained a junior brother. Consider this silver and gold a token of gratitude, use it to buy a pair of straw sandals. If there are more monsters in the future, I might need your help again." Gao Cai accepted the silver and gold, gratefully kowtowing in thanks.
Old Gao then said, "Since you won't accept the silver and gold, please take these clothes as a token of our gratitude." Sanzang declined again, "As monks, we cannot accept any form of bribery. Just let us take the leftover cakes and fruits for our journey as provisions." Bajie interjected, "Master, senior brother, if you don't want them, that's fine, but I've been the son-in-law for several years, and there should be enough provisions for three bushels. Father-in-law, my clothes were torn by my senior brother last night, so please give me a new robe, and my shoes are worn out, so a new pair would be appreciated." Old Gao, hearing this, couldn't refuse and quickly bought him a new pair of shoes and gave him a new outfit.
Bajie swaggered and bowed to Old Gao and the relatives, saying, "Mother-in-law, aunts, uncles, and all dear relatives, today I am becoming a monk and don't have time to say goodbye to each of you, please don't blame me. Father-in-law, take good care of my wife. If we fail in fetching the scriptures, I'll come back to be your son-in-law again." Wukong shouted from the side, "Fool, stop talking nonsense!" Bajie muttered, "Brother, it's not nonsense. What if something goes wrong, and I end up neither being a monk nor having a wife, delaying both sides?" Sanzang quickly said, "Enough idle talk, let's get on the road." So they packed their belongings, with Bajie carrying them.
The white horse carried Sanzang, and Wukong, with his golden staff, led the way. The three of them bid farewell to Old Gao and the relatives, continuing their journey westward. Along the way, the scenery was picturesque, and the Tang monk and his disciples chatted as they walked. Before they knew it, they had crossed the border of Usi-Tsang and suddenly saw a tall mountain ahead. Sanzang reined in his horse and cautioned, "Wukong, Wuneng, the mountains ahead are steep and treacherous, be careful." Bajie nonchalantly said, "No worries, this mountain is called Futu Mountain, and there's a Chan master named Wuchao living there. I know him." Sanzang asked, "What kind of person is he?"
Bajie replied, "He has some cultivation skills and once advised me to practice with him, but I didn't go." As they talked, they soon reached the mountain. The scenery was indeed beautiful, with green pines and cypress trees to the south, and willows and peach blossoms to the north. Birds chirped, cranes danced, flowers filled the air with fragrance, the vegetation was lush, streams babbled, and clouds swirled, making it a truly serene place.
From afar, Sanzang, riding his horse, saw a grass hut in front of a fragrant cypress tree, with a deer carrying flowers on the left and a mountain monkey offering fruit on the right. Azure pheasants and colorful phoenixes sang together on the treetops, while black cranes and brocade chickens gathered. Bajie pointed and said, "Isn't that the Chan master Wuchao?" Sanzang immediately spurred his horse and rode straight to the tree.
Let's continue this interesting story. Upon seeing the Tang monk and his disciples approaching, the Chan master quickly jumped down from the tree to greet them. Sanzang dismounted and respectfully saluted, and the Chan master hurriedly helped him up, saying, "Holy monk, please rise, I apologize for my lack of courtesy." Bajie also stepped forward to greet him, "Hello, old Chan master!" The Chan master, surprised, asked, "Aren't you Zhu Ganglie from Fuling Mountain? How did you come to have the fortune to travel with the holy monk?" Bajie proudly replied, "Thanks to Guanyin Bodhisattva's guidance towards goodness, I became a disciple of Tang Monk." The Chan master was delighted, "Good, good, that's wonderful!" He then pointed to Wukong and asked, "And who is this?"
Wukong laughed and said, "How come the old Chan master only recognizes him and not me?" The Chan master, a bit embarrassed, said, "I have limited knowledge." Sanzang introduced, "He is my senior disciple, Sun Wukong." The Chan master quickly apologized, "Forgive my rudeness." Sanzang bowed again and asked for directions to the Great Thunder Monastery in the West.
The Chan master said, "It's far away! There are many tigers and leopards along the way, making it difficult to traverse." Sanzang quickly asked, "How far is it exactly?" The Chan master replied, "Though the road is long, you will eventually reach it, but the demonic obstacles are hard to overcome. I have a scroll of the 'Heart Sutra,' consisting of fifty-four sentences and two hundred seventy characters. If you encounter demonic obstacles, just recite this sutra, and you will be unharmed." Upon hearing this, Sanzang immediately bowed and requested to be taught, and the Chan master recited the scripture, passing it on to him. This "Maha Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra" speaks of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva practicing deep prajnaparamita, seeing that the five aggregates are empty, thus overcoming all suffering and distress.
After the Chan master finished imparting the sutra, he stepped onto a cloud to return to Wuchao, but Sanzang held him back, asking for more details about the journey westward. The Chan master smiled and said, "The road is not difficult; listen to my guidance: The mountains are high and the waters deep, with many demonic obstacles. If you encounter the Sky-reaching Cliff, don't be afraid, just keep going. Be cautious when you reach Mo'er Rock and walk sideways. In the Black Pine Forest, there are many demon foxes, so be careful. Spirits fill the land, and demons rule the mountains. Tigers sit in court, and gray wolves serve as clerks. Lions and elephants claim kingship, while leopards and tigers act as guards. Wild boars carry loads, and water monsters lie ahead. Don't provoke the old stone monkeys." Wukong, hearing this, sneered, "We don't need to ask him; just ask me, and I'll know." Before Sanzang could grasp what was said, the Chan master transformed into golden light and returned to Wuchao. The elder offered his thanks, but Wukong was upset, swinging his iron staff as if to strike the nest, only to find blooming lotuses and auspicious mist preventing him from getting close.
Seeing this, Sanzang held Wukong back, saying, "Wukong, why are you trying to destroy his nest?" Wukong, displeased, replied, "He was insulting me and Bajie." Sanzang, puzzled, asked, "He was just describing the road to the West; how did he insult you?" Wukong explained, "He said 'wild boar carrying loads,' which insults Bajie; 'old stone monkey' insults me. How can you not see that?" Bajie quickly intervened, "Senior brother, don't be angry. The Chan master can see the past and future. He mentioned encountering a water monster; who knows if it's accurate? Let it go." Seeing the lotus and auspicious mist blocking the way, Wukong had no choice but to help the master back onto the horse, and they continued westward.
This journey can be described as: "Earthly pleasures are few, while mountain obstacles are many." What interesting events will occur next? Let's talk about it next time!
