Volume 3: A Long Journey – Chapter 225: Loss of Vitality

As Tang Seng and his three disciples crossed the Sea of Desire and the Flowing Sands without any hindrances, they headed straight west along the main road. Seeing the smooth path ahead, Wukong secretly pulled Red Boy aside. Red Boy understood what he meant and slowed down his pace. Once Zhu Bajie and Tang Seng were far away, Wukong whispered, “What are you doing here?”

Red Boy made a face at Wukong and said, “Just because you can come, does it mean I can’t?”

Wukong thought to himself that although Red Boy appeared small like a child, he was actually hundreds of years old and quite clever. He took a closer look at Red Boy and said, “You seem to have grown taller.”

Hearing this, Red Boy beamed with joy and said, “An inch taller! You really have sharp eyes!”

Since Red Boy addressed him on an equal footing, Wukong deliberately put on a serious face and said, “Since you’ve joined the Buddhist path, you should call me ‘Elder Brother’.”

Red Boy became even happier, bowed to Wukong, and said, “Elder Brother, I bow to you.”

After thinking for a moment, Wukong realized something was wrong—he was the son of the Bull Demon King, so he should be the one to call Wukong “uncle”!

The two joked around for a while before getting down to business.

Since the destruction of the three realms, Red Boy had been with his father at Qitian Ridge. Knowing that the world was not peaceful, the Bull Demon King strictly supervised Red Boy, urging him to practice day and night. Wukong had previously stopped Red Boy from devouring Da Hong and Xiao Hong, and Red Boy was well aware of this. As he was as close to Da Hong and Xiao Hong as brothers, he was naturally extremely grateful to Wukong. Whether he could become a Taiyi Golden Immortal no longer mattered to him.

He had come to the Flowing Sands River to subdue the river demon at the secret instruction of Laozi. Although Red Boy didn’t know the intricacies of the pilgrimage, he was aware of the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism. Laozi had repeatedly told him to follow Wukong’s orders in everything.

Red Boy had long wanted to leave Qitian Ridge and travel the world, so he agreed to Laozi’s request, leading to what happened next.

Wukong asked, “Did your Laozi grandfather say anything else?”

Red Boy thought for a moment and replied, “Hmm, he did, but he wouldn’t let me tell you.”

Wukong was speechless. Seeing Red Boy laugh, he scolded, “Brat, even you dare to deceive your Uncle Sun?”

Red Boy said, “No way. Grandfather said to be careful after crossing the Flowing Sands River, as some important figure is about to appear.”

Wukong recalled clearly this part of the story from *Journey to the West*. After Subhuti was subdued at the Flowing Sands River, it was followed by the Four Saints’ Test of Zen Hearts.

Among these Four Saints, there’s no need to mention the three bodhisattvas—Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, and Samantabhadra—they are the foremost figures in Buddhism, right below the Buddhas. As for Lady Li Shan, she seems to even stand above these three bodhisattvas. One can imagine how exalted the status of bodhisattvas is, yet they are willing to rank below Lady Li Shan and pretend to be her three daughters. When playing tricks on Zhu Bajie, the three bodhisattvas put in great effort, while Lady Li Shan merely watched from the side. It’s obvious that she is undoubtedly the mastermind behind this farce of “The Four Saints Testing Zen Hearts.” Having dealt with her and the bodhisattvas before, Laozi must be aware that when he speaks of a “great figure,” he most likely refers not to the bodhisattvas but to Lady Li Shan.

Thinking back to this most dramatic trial on the Journey to the West, Wukong is still a bit confused. This trial, named “The Four Saints Testing Zen Hearts,” is probably just a cover. Among the pilgrims, Bajie and Sha Seng are merely supporting characters; there’s no need for the bodhisattvas to personally intervene. In other words, whether these two are good or bad, or whether they truly worship Buddha, it doesn’t matter, because Buddha’s goal is focused on Wukong and Tang Seng.

Tang Seng has a firm resolve, and using women to test him is an underestimation of this virtuous monk—the chances of success are almost zero. Wukong, on the other hand, is indifferent to women and has no interest in them at all. The outcome of this “The Four Saints Testing Zen Hearts” was known even before it began.

Therefore, Wukong concludes that Lady Li Shan likely has other motives. To understand what she’s really up to, one must first figure out her identity. Taoism venerates the Three Pure Ones and the Six Imperial Gods, with no women included. Wukong racked his brains but couldn’t recall Lady Li Shan’s origins. Since Laozi knows that she will take action, he most likely knows her background as well. But since Laozi doesn’t speak up, Wukong can’t go to heaven to ask—there’s nothing but to proceed step by step.

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In a side hall of the Great Lightning Sound Temple on Mount Ling in the Western Heaven, Buddha Tathagata sat motionless, his hand resting on the scriptures, like a statue, allowing time to pass in the world.

The battle at Qi Tian Ling against the forces of the Western Heaven seemed like a truce, but in reality, the Western Heaven was already on the verge of defeat. If it weren’t for the ancient Buddha Ran Deng stepping in to turn the tide, they would have been driven out of the Great Hero Hall.

Tathagata, the supreme ruler of the present age, suffered a great loss of face. Recalling Hou Yi’s unpredictable three arrows, Tathagata still felt uneasy. But after all, Tathagata is Tathagata—he remains calm.

With the emergence of these ancient gods, the Three Realms are bound to be destroyed. The Three Pure Ones spent countless efforts trying to uncover the origin of this calamity but returned empty-handed. Thinking of this, Tathagata felt somewhat at ease.

Qi Tianling – at first thought, they seemed just a ragtag bunch, but now it appears they are quite united. What’s puzzling is that Qi Tianling has no religious doctrines; what force could bring them together?
Tathagata has long adhered to the teachings of the great religion and knows well that nothing in this world can unite people more effectively than faith. And whatever people believe in will lead them to success!
Thinking of the affairs within the Western Heaven sect, Tathagata feels greatly relieved. If others think the Spirit Mountain only possesses such limited strength, they are greatly mistaken. The true strength lies in the three thousand Buddhas and countless Bodhisattvas, including numerous Hunyuan Golden Immortals. Even the Supreme Hunyuan exists, which is why they dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Court. Ask anyone else in the world if they can do the same?
Now, although there are undercurrents in the Western Heaven, they are far less severe than the disintegration of the Taoist sect.
Recalling how the Ancient Buddha Ran Deng repelled the Golden God, the Wood God, and the Fire God, Tathagata feels greatly at ease. As a past Buddha, Ran Deng’s cultivation has long surpassed the realm of sainthood. If he is willing to protect the foundation of Buddhism for the greater good, who else could shake the Spirit Mountain?
As the Future Buddha, Maitreya is nowhere to be seen at this moment, which also causes concern in Tathagata’s heart. Everything Maitreya does is under Tathagata’s control. With Maitreya’s methods and schemes, Tathagata need not worry. He can settle matters related to the pilgrimage first and deal with everything else later.
Tracing back to its origins, Buddhism was truly founded by Tathagata. But when the great religion was first established, his Dharma body had not yet appeared. At that time, the Buddhas had no leader, so the ancient Buddha Ran Deng stepped forward to take on the role of the Past Buddha.
Recalling when Tathagata first appeared, he was no different from an ordinary child. But living in a Buddhist realm, surrounded by scriptures and teachings day after day, he gradually developed some Buddhist qualities.
That year, Maitreya had a sudden idea and established the Longhua Assembly, intending to gather five hundred boys as companions. Tathagata was chosen as one of the virtuous and wise boys.
At the Longhua Assembly, the ancient Buddha Ran Deng arrived, his radiant light standing out among everyone else. He slowly stepped down from the lotus platform. It happened to be raining that day, and there was a puddle on the ground beneath his feet.
Seeing Ran Deng walking barefoot, fearing his feet might step in the dirty water, the virtuous and wise boy threw himself onto the puddle, using his body to pave a path for Ran Deng. Seeing the boy’s sudden display of wisdom, Ran Deng examined his origins and realized that he was the third Dharma body of the Buddha. So he marked his head and said, “You shall become a Buddha, and a Buddha who rules the world. Since you are Tathagata, it would be best if your Dharma name were also Tathagata.”
Buddhism has always valued its doctrines. Later, Tathagata further developed Buddhism, eventually becoming the revered ruler of the world. Maitreya, due to his role in the Longhua Assembly, also contributed to spreading the teachings and was designated as the Future Buddha.
As Tathagata was lost in thought, he suddenly sensed that the celestial official You Yi had arrived at the Heavenly Court.

The Tathagata instructed Anuo to bring Youyi Lingguan to a side hall. When Youyi Lingguan entered, he first paid his respects to the Buddha. Seeing Youyi Lingguan’s anxious and impatient expression, the Tathagata felt slight disdain—Yuhuandi’s subordinates were all impetuous people; what great things could they accomplish?

Youyi Lingguan said, “Your Holiness, Yuhuandi sent me to report that a few days ago, someone raided the ten southeastern continents, stealing countless immortal herbs and killing dozens of celestial beings. They also stole six ginseng fruits from Wuzhuang Temple. Yuhuandi ordered Emperor Gouchen to use histhousand-mile eye to find out who this person is—”

The Tathagata, seeing Anuo still nearby, waved his hand to silence Youyi Lingguan and said, “I already know. Please tell Yuhuandi that I will handle this matter myself. It’s best not to make it public for now.”

Youyi Lingguan accepted the order and left to report back.

When Anuo saw Youyi Lingguan’s figure disappear, he hurried forward and said, “Your Holiness is truly mighty—what joyous news!”

The Tathagata asked, “What is there to celebrate?”

Anuo replied, “There’s trouble in the ten continents and three islands. Yuhuandi rushed to report to You immediately, clearly because after the battle at Qitianling, the Heavenly Court was severely weakened, forcing it to accept a lower position.”

The Tathagata said indifferently, “Those in a lower position are not necessarily inferior. If you make such superficial remarks again, stop polluting my ears.”

Anuo failed to flatter the Tathagata properly. Seeing that the Buddha was in a bad mood and unsure of the impact of Youyi Lingguan’s words on the Western Heaven, he quickly apologized and left, pondering who this person could be.

The Tathagata stepped out of the side hall into the courtyard, where flowers bloomed in abundance, dazzlingly beautiful. At that moment, Anuo returned and said, “Your Holiness, Guanyin Bodhisattva has arrived and is waiting in the Mahavira Hall.”

The Tathagata nodded and said, “Ask her to come see me here.”

The white-robed Guanyin was breathtakingly beautiful. She entered the courtyard barefoot, gazing silently at the Tathagata without saying a word.

Seeing Guanyin’s sad expression, the Tathagata asked, “Why are you like this?”

Guanyin stared at the Tathagata but did not answer. The white flowers in the courtyard set off her white robes, creating a serene yet melancholic scene.

The Tathagata pointed to the blooming flowers and said, “These flowers are called tuberose. In the mortal world, when tuberose flowers bloom, it means the flowering season is over, and no more flowers will bloom thereafter.”

Guanyin said, “I’ve also heard that once tuberose fades, spring never returns.”

The Tathagata replied, “Your vitality is fading, which is why you can’t control yourself and make mistakes. I don’t blame you.”

Hearing this, Guanyin became slightly agitated and asked, “I just want to know—who is doing this?”

The Tathagata remained expressionless and shook his head.

Avalokiteshvara knew that although she called herself a disciple of Tathagata, there was no world-ending difference in their cultivation levels. She assumed Tathagata did not possess the ability to silently end her life force. Seeing Tathagata shake his head with a desolate expression, Avalokiteshvara, the revered Bodhisattva worshipped by all people and admired by all immortals, was about to return to dust—a fact that seemed utterly inconceivable. Tathagata then said, “Look, on my Spirit Mountain, there are no seasons; thus, even when the camellia flowers bloom, they remain unharmed.” Hearing this, Avalokiteshvara’s eyes lit up, and she urgently cried, “Buddha, save me!”