Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 310: Man Follows the Earth’s Way

Wukong was lost in thought when he heard the Dragon Maiden say softly, “Why go to such lengths?”
Wukong opened his eyes and leaped up from the water. Seeing the Dragon Maiden’s disappointed expression, he asked, “What lengths? What are you talking about?”
The Dragon Maiden replied, “I’m not hindering you from obtaining the scriptures or worshipping Buddha. Why do you keep avoiding me?”
Wukong was puzzled. How was he avoiding her? Had his failure to answer her question just now caused such a reaction? He said seriously, “You are the Dragon Maiden before Guanyin Bodhisattva, and I am just a monkey going west to seek scriptures and worship Buddha. What connection do we have? Why should I avoid you?”
The Dragon Maiden pursed her lips and said, “Very well. I wonder how long you can pretend.” With that, she turned and prepared to fly back to Mount Luojia.
Seeing her about to leave, Wukong grabbed her and asked, “How am I pretending?” After this dream, eager to uncover the origins of Nagarjuna, he acted impulsively and ended up holding her hand.
The Dragon Maiden didn’t resist. Her pale, delicate fingers stood in sharp contrast to Wukong’s furry monkey hand. She lifted his hand and examined it carefully, saying, “I don’t like you like this.”
Feeling awkward, Wukong pulled his hand back and said, “Dragon Maiden, I don’t understand a word you’re saying. Could you explain more clearly?”
The Dragon Maiden glared at him fiercely before flying back to Mount Luojia.
Wukong noticed that the Dragon Maiden no longer carried that aloof demeanor she once had. She now appeared like an angry young girl. He quickly guessed that his past life must have been Nagarjuna.
Based on the limited information, it seemed Nagarjuna had taken it upon himself to spread Buddhism in his past life, but later… he didn’t know why Nagarjuna died. Ah, he remembered Dayu from the Three Realms once saying he had killed Wukong with his own hands. Dayu surely wouldn’t lie, but Buddhism didn’t exist yet when Dayu entered the Three Realms. This meant that the Spiritual Monkey had been killed again after that!
Who could this person be?
Why did Ratna Buddha place this important scripture with Zhenwu? This quest for treasures in the Dragon Palace was like a major test. Zhenwu himself said he had reviewed thousands of candidates before choosing Nagarjuna. Was it because of Nagarjuna’s mastery of Buddhism or because of the Spiritual Monkey? Since Ratna Buddha, there had been a desire to promote Buddhism, and this desire grew even stronger when the Tathagata became the ruler of the world. Were their goals to unify the world? If so, why did Ratna Buddha ally with the Eastern Buddha and engage in open and secret struggles with the Tathagata?
Unable to find an answer, Wukong kept these thoughts in mind and flew straight to Mount Putuo Luojia.

Guanyin sent Wukong inside to meet her. There was no one beside the lotus throne, and the Dragon Maiden was also nowhere to be seen. Guanyin asked, “Wukong, you’ve only been here for a few months—why have you come again? Could it be for the golden ring on your head?”
Wukong hadn’t come for that reason, but since the Bodhisattva mentioned it, he took the opportunity to say, “Bodhisattva, have you asked the Buddha? Could he help me get rid of this golden ring?”
Guanyin replied, “The Buddha said that when the time comes, it will come; when it’s time to go, it will go. You needn’t worry about it.”
Wukong deliberately said, “So even the Buddha can’t remove it? What should I do then?”
Guanyin snapped, “Stop talking nonsense! The Buddha’s powers are boundless. How could a mere golden ring stop him? When you reach the Western Heaven on your pilgrimage, he will surely help you take it off.”
Wukong rejoiced, “That would be perfect!” He pondered in his heart whether what Guanyin said was true or not. If the Tathagata could truly help him remove the ring, it would prove that the Phoenix and the Willow were undoubtedly under his control, and that the matter of the Five Kings and the pilgrimage was all orchestrated by the Tathagata—allowing all these complicated issues to be attributed to him. But from Guanyin’s words, it didn’t seem like the Buddha had spoken directly; it was likely just his own speculation.
Guanyin asked, “Where has Tang Sanzang gone?”
Wukong replied, “Bodhisattva, my master has reached Jinpao Mountain. There, two groups of demons are blocking the path. With just my two fists, I can’t fight off four of them. I really can’t get through.”
“Two groups of demons? How strange is that?” Guanyin asked.
“Bodhisattva, one of them is a unicorn-like demon. In terms of strength, I could fight him for dozens or hundreds of rounds, but this demon has two magical weapons that are extremely powerful.”
“Tell me, what are these magical weapons?” Guanyin asked.
“I don’t recognize them either. One is a shiny white ring that almost took away my Ruyi Jingu Bang. The other is a small fan that blew me thousands of miles away with just one sweep.”
Guanyin nodded and said, “Hmm. And what about the other group of demons?”
Wukong replied, “That man introduced himself as Jin Shen Rushou from Qitian Ridge.”
Upon hearing this, Guanyin’s expression changed slightly. She thought to herself, How did these two groups end up together?
Wukong continued, “This Rushou is incredibly powerful. I’m no match for him at all. Please help me, Bodhisattva. Otherwise, I really won’t be able to cross Jinpao Mountain.”
“Is Tang Sanzang alright?” Guanyin asked.
“My master is fine, but he’s worried because he can’t cross the mountain.”
Guanyin pondered for a moment and said, “Go back and take care of Tang Sanzang. I’ll arrive shortly.”

Wukong left Mount Luojia, leaving Guanyin deep in thought. That gleaming fan that could blow people thousands of miles away was undoubtedly Laojun’s magical weapon. Laojun and the people from Qitianling were actually working together to hinder the quest for the scriptures—this was truly troublesome.

That unicorn-like monster was easy to deal with; a little trick of his own would suffice to capture it. But behind that monster stood the Three Pure Ones—even when fighting a dog, one must consider its master. If he didn’t get Laojun’s approval, how could he dare act rashly?

The people from Qitianling were even more troublesome; even he couldn’t afford to provoke them. Not to mention Hou Yi’s unpredictable archery skills, there was also that mysterious figure who had once disabled the Eastern Extreme Qinghua God with a single palm strike. Though he had never heard of this Golden God Rushou, Wukong said he was no match for him—likely one of the ancient deities as well.

Guanyin thought for a while, then shook her head with a wry smile. She had initially assumed the quest would take only a couple of years, but there were so many obstacles and hardships. It seemed doubtful whether they could even reach the Western Heaven.

Wukong returned to Golden Horn Mountain and saw that Tang Seng was unharmed. Wu Ping and Wu Hui had built a shelter in a valley, lit a fire, and asked Tang Seng to meditate inside. Wukong joked, “Are we planning to settle down here?”

Wu Hui replied, “The master is afraid of the cold, so we lit a fire.”

When Tang Seng heard Wukong back, he opened his eyes and asked, “Wukong, isn’t that monster trying to capture me? Why hasn’t it come yet?”

Wukong retorted, “Why, master? Do you still hope that monster will come?”

Tang Seng sighed, “That monster isn’t decisive either. Either let us pass or capture me—why waste time here?”

Hearing this, Wukong grew thoughtful. The obstacles on this journey to the West were far greater than those described in *Journey to the West*, and the gods were even more overt in their interference. Clearly, there was an opportunity to seize Tang Seng, yet no one came to do so—the intention was obvious: “I intend to prevent you from going west. How about that?”

As they spoke, dark clouds covered the sky, a bitter wind blew, and soon snowflakes began to fall.

Wu Ping busied himself adding wood, while Wu Hui sat in the snow. With a bit of his mystical power, not a single snowflake touched him; they melted mid-air. Wukong stepped back, letting the snowflakes fall around him. It had been so long since he’d seen snow.

The soft snowflakes falling on his body sparked an idea in Wukong. Golden Horn Mountain was a truly extraordinary place—which god would come here to cast spells and bring snow? He looked south; the southern mountains were still covered in black rocks. It seemed snow only fell on the shaded side. Realizing this, he understood that the snow was likely brought by Chi Songzi. He wanted to go and investigate, but then thought that the Bodhisattva might arrive soon, so it was better not to wander around.

He watched the snowflakes fall one after another; one hadn’t melted yet when another covered it, appearing as if nothing had changed since the beginning, yet layer upon layer, countless new appearances had taken shape. And just as snowflakes grow from small to large, so too do ordinary people in this world. Even immortals who descend from the heavens ultimately die—both live ordinary lives; what’s the difference? Sitting in the mountains for thousands of years, when they reappear, the world has long since changed.

Watching the snowflakes fall, Wukong naturally thought of this scene: Snow falls from the sky, lands on the ground, is warmed by the sun, melts, seeps into the soil to become water that flows, and the water evaporates to form clouds… This is the life cycle of rain, snow, frost, and dew—different yet generally similar.

Wukong couldn’t help but think of a saying: “The earth is receptive; a gentleman should carry all things with great virtue.” What a wonderful land—so willing to embrace everything without discrimination, whether it be wind, frost, rain, snow, kings, or generals—everyone eventually returns to dust. The earth carries all things, endures everything; planting yields grains, digging brings sweet springs. It doesn’t stop you when you come, nor holds you back when you go… Such tranquility, gentleness, breadth, and generosity—who can compare?

If interpreted through the concepts of “Heaven” and “Earth,” the Earth is the fundamental source from which all things arise, following the will of Heaven. The Earth carries all things with boundless virtue. Deep and vast, it bears all things and possesses infinite virtue—inclusive, expansive, bright, grand, and ever constant in its path.

Humans are born between heaven and earth, given life by Heaven and nurtured by the Earth. Who can ever leave the embrace of the Earth? Even those in the heavenly realms, though high above, still rely on the blessings of the Earth to progress in their cultivation; otherwise, they make no progress at all.

Wukong suddenly understood why Houtu held such a special status among the Six Imperial Ministers—it was closely related to the role of the Earth Goddess. Her support must be extremely important to the heavenly realms. Since the heavenly realms received so many blessings, Houtu surely knew about it and wouldn’t ignore it at all. It seemed there were still many secrets about Houtu waiting for him to uncover.

He had never practiced the mantra passed down by Houtu. It read: “Cultivate the virtue of tranquility, refine one’s character, keep the mind free from false thoughts, the body from unnecessary movement, the will from reckless ideas, and actions from foolish deeds. Only by attaining the true essence of the Earth Goddess’s tranquility—supreme goodness and utmost gentleness—can one grasp the essence.”

As Wukong recited this, a strange emotion arose in his heart. From the dantian, which had been in constant motion for so long, a streak of bright yellow energy appeared and began to rotate along with the other energies. Delighted, Wukong thought, “Could it be that I’ve unconsciously grasped the essence of this technique?”

To attain the true essence of the Earth Goddess’s tranquility—wasn’t this exactly “humans following the example of the Earth”?