Chapter 31: Chapter 31: I am The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong [Request for Collection, Request for Recommendation Ticket]_1
Aparagodaniya, China.
From a temple, a young monk walked out. He turned back with a smile and said, "Master, the Bodhisattva appeared in my dreams. I must go on the Journey to the West."
The old monk in the temple replied, "Go then. But the mountains are high and the paths far; can you manage it?"
The young monk said, "The Bodhisattva told me that as long as one’s determination is firm, sincerity will be met with a spiritual response."
The old monk replied, "You have a connection with Buddhism. Since you wish to go, then go."
The young monk descended the mountain and then headed west. The journey to the West was far and fraught with constant difficulties and dangers. However, as the young monk traveled, fortune often turned mishaps into blessings. A woodcutter followed him along the way, willing to protect him on his Journey to the West.
「That day.」
As they passed by a mountain, the woodcutter said, "Young Master, this mountain is called Five Finger Mountain. Beneath it is trapped an old demon monkey who eats those who pass by. We should take a detour."
The Monk replied, "Taking a detour would add a hundred li to our journey, delaying us. Let’s just go this way."
The woodcutter frowned, troubled, but still followed the Monk past Five Finger Mountain.
Under Five Finger Mountain, at that moment, there was a demon monkey eating iron balls and drinking molten copper. An ordinary person would have died doing this. But he was doing it with relish, and his ferocity meant that no one passed within a hundred li of Five Finger Mountain. Yet the Monk and woodcutter were passing by today.
The demon monkey noticed the two and sneered with a menacing smile. "You two, release Old Sun, and I’ll grant you a great fortune."
The woodcutter was always on guard against the demon monkey, pulling the Monk away to prevent him from getting close.
The Monk asked, "Buddha is compassionate. How should I release you?"
The woodcutter said, "Young Master, this demon monkey’s nature is wicked and hard to change. He’s fond of eating humans. If you release him, he will eat you, and you won’t be able to go on the Journey to the West."
The demon monkey said, "Old Sun eats bananas, not you."
The Monk replied, "Buddha is compassionate. This demon monkey also has a life; I can’t bear to see him so pitiable."
Seeing the Monk about to climb the mountain to lift the Buddha Verse and release him, the woodcutter grew anxious.
Now we are in trouble. Sun Wukong’s wild nature hasn’t changed. If he’s released now, he won’t listen to discipline.
His eyes darting around, he said, "Young Master, this demon monkey was personally suppressed here by Buddha. What Buddha did surely wasn’t wrong. If you release him, wouldn’t that go against Buddha’s will?"
Upon hearing this, the Monk truly paused. He looked at the demon monkey, the notorious Sun Wukong, and asked, "Were you really personally suppressed by Buddha?"
Sun Wukong replied, "Old Tathagata? So what if he did? Release me! I’ve already forgiven him."
The Monk then descended the mountain and, without a backward glance, said, "If it was done by Buddha Himself, then you certainly have unforgivable faults. Continue your reflection."
Seeing this, Sun Wukong was furious, bellowing, "You bald, stinking monk! How dare you trick Old Sun?"
"Release me, and your Grandpa Sun will surely beat you, you bald-headed corpse, to death!"
The woodcutter followed. As they passed by Sun Wukong, he turned back with a grin and said, "Great Saint, it seems you hold a deep resentment towards Buddhism. Listen to the Young Master and reflect well."
Sun Wukong was stunned for a moment, watching the retreating woodcutter. He shouted, "Who are you? How do you recognize Old Sun?"
His eyes shone with golden light, his Fiery Golden Eyes flaring as he attempted to discern the woodcutter’s identity. Suddenly, a beam of golden light shone over, obscuring his vision. When he looked again, the man was already far away.
Sun Wukong furrowed his brow, bashing his head against the ground and roaring, "Old Sun has done nothing wrong! What reflection am I supposed to seek?"
「Perhaps two or three years passed.」
The Monk and the woodcutter arrived at a mountain. It was vast and immense, with towering trees clothed in dense foliage. Along the way, the woodcutter vanquished demons and monsters, and while the Monk had his share of frights, he ultimately encountered no true peril. But the Monk had also gained experience. Upon seeing this mountain, he felt fear.
He asked, "Disciple, do you think there are demons atop this mountain?"
The woodcutter looked at the mountain before him with a complex expression and said, "This mountain is called Fuling Mountain. There should be demons here, but there are none at present."
The Monk said, "What do you mean by that? If there are, there are; if there aren’t, there aren’t. What’s this ’should be’?"
The woodcutter didn’t answer, but instead suggested, "Master, why don’t we go up the mountain and take a look?"
The Monk nodded and replied, "Alright, let’s go take a look, since we’re passing by anyway."
As the two of them ascended, they did not encounter any mountain spirits or tree fiends. It seemed like an ordinary, large mountain. However, the strange thing was that the birds and beasts on the mountain seemed to radiate their own light, as if full of spirit and vitality.
The Monk said with delight, "It seems there must be an enlightened master on the mountain. Let us go and pay a visit."
The woodcutter thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
Soon, they came to the entrance of a cave dwelling. It was rather stately, more like a palace than a temple, and named Yunzhan Cave.
The Monk knocked on the door, and an attendant boy came to open it. The Monk expressed his wish to stay the night and pay a visit. The boy was very enthusiastic and agreed. Then, he invited them to meet the master of the cave.
The Monk and the woodcutter entered deep into the cave dwelling and saw that Yunzhan Cave was indeed a palace, complete with pavilions, towers, and beautifully carved dragons and painted phoenixes. If the two of them had been to Flowing Sand River, they would have discovered that this cave dwelling was very similar to Sha Chen’s Daoist sanctuary. A piece of land in the backyard was even dedicated to growing Immortal Rice. However, the Immortal Rice was not thriving, and the field was not an Immortal Field.
The master of the cave emerged. He was a tall, imposing, and handsome middle-aged man. On horseback, he resembled a general; dismounted, he looked like a top scholar. He possessed the ethereal bearing of a Daoist Immortal, radiant and dazzling.
The Monk’s eyes sparkled, and he said, "This humble monk is Xuanzang, a monk on the Journey to the West. Dare I ask which immortal deity the master of this cave might be?"
For some reason, all ten reincarnations of Jin Chanzi as a monk were named Xuanzang.
Upon seeing the Monk, the master of the cave was startled and said, "You are on the Journey to the West? You are Xuanzang?"
The Monk replied, "Does the Immortal know of this humble monk?"
The master replied, "It’s rumored everywhere that eating your flesh grants immortality and boundless Mana."
The Monk was greatly alarmed and somewhat terrified.
The master of the cave frowned and said, "You are a walking disaster. I won’t keep you here. I’ll give you some travel money and provisions, and you can proceed on your Journey to the West on your own."
Then he summoned the attendant boy, took some gold, silver, and dry rations, packed them into a bundle, and promptly drove the Monk and the woodcutter out of the cave dwelling.
The Monk was dumbfounded. He wanted to return, but found that the cave dwelling had disappeared. Yet, when he reached out, he could still touch something solid.
His eyes shining, he said, "Truly an Immortal with the bearing of a Daoist. Daoists do not typically host monks; it was this humble monk who was presumptuous."
"This humble monk is even beginning to wish to cultivate immortality with him."
The woodcutter’s heart pounded. He said, "Master, you must not betray Buddha’s expectations."
The Monk laughed and said, "It was just a passing thought. My heart is devoted to Buddhism and will never change."
The woodcutter breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the nervous sweat from his brow, and muttered, Always so troublesome.
The Monk descended the mountain. Seeing the woodcutter lost in thought, he asked in puzzlement, "Disciple, why are you dazed?"
The woodcutter hastily replied, "It’s nothing." Then he followed.
What the Monk did not see was the complex look in the woodcutter’s eyes.
The woodcutter muttered to himself, Wasn’t he mistakenly reincarnated into a pig’s body, destined to endure countless hardships? How did he find a cave dwelling so quickly, restore his Mana, and show complete disinterest in Xuanzang’s flesh?
Never mind. His cave dwelling is magnificent, its walls adorned with paintings of beautiful women. He might resist immortality and boundless Mana, but can he truly resist the allure of wine, women, riches, and wrath?