Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 357: On the “Code of Instruments”

When Ran Deng discussed the cultivation level of Tathagata, Wukong couldn’t help but feel excited—turns out he could already contend with Tathagata, and Tathagata was not so formidable after all.
There was actually a formation laid out by Yuan Shi in the Water Curtain Cave. It seemed the Three Pure Ones were fully involved in this matter, having stood against Tathagata from start to finish without any compromise.
Speaking of the Water Curtain Cave, Wukong remembered something and asked, “Master, when I was first born and entered the Water Curtain Cave, someone taught me the way. Who was that person?”
Ran Deng smiled and said, “Of course, it was me.”
“Why did you do that? Was it to create fate?” Wukong asked.
Ran Deng shook his head. “If you wanted to create fate, it would be as easy as reaching into a bag. But you divine apes have not lost your original aspirations. It’s hard to say whether this is stubbornness or persistence. If you were as unrestrained as the Great Sage, National Advisor Wang Bodhisattva, your cultivation would have reached a higher level by now.”
Wukong felt no regret at all. “If everyone in the world acted solely for profit, there would be no greater sorrow. If divine apes lost their sense of reverence, they could not truly be called divine.”
Ran Deng nodded repeatedly. “Exactly. As the saying goes, there is always a trade-off. Most people see only immediate gains but fail to realize that losing their original aspirations is the greatest disaster. If you ignore fate, you surely won’t have the opportunities you have today.”
Wukong thought carefully. In “Journey to the West,” that magnificent Monkey King went to the Heavenly Palace to eat peaches, stole elixirs, and brought them down to the Monkey Kingdom on Flower and Fruit Mountain. He was also violent, greedy, and vengeful… All these actions were related to fate. Seemingly reaping many benefits, he unknowingly stepped into Tathagata’s trap… Wukong shuddered. While feeling relieved, he also felt a bit scared. Hadn’t he thought about indulging in the peaches in the Peach Garden or stealing elixirs from the Sumeru Palace?
Ran Deng continued, “The teachings I gave you were randomly chosen from the books I kept. At that time, you were inexperienced. I just wanted to see your comprehension and nature, to awaken your wisdom as soon as possible so you wouldn’t be disturbed by the worldly distractions and lose your original aspirations. Looking back, it was really unnecessary.”
Wukong asked, “Why do you say that, Master?”
Ran Deng replied, “During the last time I taught you ‘Han Feizi,’ I realized that your own path had gradually formed within your dantian. Even I couldn’t see it clearly, but it was no less effective than any other path in the world.”
Wukong asked, “Master, I remember after you taught me ‘Han Feizi,’ you said ‘Pityable, unfortunate, sad.’ What did that mean?”

Ran Deng smiled and said, “You have a good memory. At that time, I merely sighed—how tragic it is that such a wise and intelligent ape has to endure so much misfortune and hardship in life, and even be at the mercy of ordinary people like us. Isn’t that lamentable, pitiable, and sad?”
Wukong replied, “If not for Master granting me this fate, I wouldn’t know whether I’m alive or dead, or where I am in this life.”
Ran Deng said, “I did it only for redemption. If you thank me, it truly embarrasses me.”
Originally, Ran Deng was regarded by Wukong as the most supreme figure, but after hearing all this, Wukong realized that Ran Deng was actually very kind and approachable, and seemed to have many hardships—similar to his feelings when first meeting Dayu and the others.
Wukong asked tentatively, “Master, where… where do you come from?”
Ran Deng was taken aback and laughed heartily. “Don’t you think I’m like the Three Pure Ones, coming from a previous era?”
Wukong indeed had such an idea and replied, “Isn’t that the case?”
Ran Deng said, “Of course not! I’m a genuine person from this very era.”
Wukong smiled and asked, “I wonder where Master’s ancestral home is?” He had just joked, but Ran Deng thought for a moment and said, “When I was born, there were no countries on earth. If we go by today’s standards… I should be from Chen’s Family in Yuanhui County, Cheti Country.”
Wukong was shocked and exclaimed, “The River of Heaven!”
Ran Deng was slightly moved. “It’s indeed the River of Heaven. Oh, you’ve just passed through there, so you naturally know. But why are you so surprised?”
Wukong immediately thought of the formation in the River of Heaven that led straight to the heavens. This River of Heaven was truly mysterious! Wukong said, “I guess Master was born in the middle of the river, right?”
Ran Deng couldn’t sit still anymore. He shifted his position and said, “I have no parents. That’s the biggest secret. How could you possibly know?”
Wukong smiled bitterly. “I don’t know either. It’s just that the River of Heaven is somewhat strange, with many unusual phenomena.”
Ran Deng said, “When I was born, everything around me was as bright as a lamp. That must be the biggest anomaly. That’s why I named myself Ran Deng. What anomalies are you referring to?”
Wukong took out the Heavenly Fate Staff and handed it to Ran Deng.
Ran Deng took the staff and examined it carefully for a long time before asking, “Who helped you forge this?”
Wukong’s heart skipped a beat. Could something have gone wrong? He replied, “Dayu and Zhu Rong helped me forge it.”
Ran Deng nodded and said, “It’s impressive that they were able to bring the Heavenly Fate Staff to its initial state.”
“Initial state?” Wukong thought the staff was already the best weapon and treasure—how could it only be at its initial stage?
Ran Deng said, “The Heavenly Fate Staff has the power to connect yin and yang and chaos. Its true strength can only be revealed by forging it with the extremes of the five elements.”

Wukong said, “Last time, it was Dayu who used the Xirang Furnace, Sister Zhurong controlled the fire for forging, and the Blood of Creation was also added—wasn’t that right?”
Ran Deng smiled and said, “Not only is it wrong, but it’s also far from correct!”
“What exactly is the ultimate of the Five Elements?”
Ran Deng replied, “With so many experts in the Five Elements around you, you still come to ask me. Seeing that Qilin, Dayu, and others respect and value you, such trivial matters naturally aren’t worth mentioning.”
Wukong said, “Though they are on good terms with me, they know nothing about the Tianji Stick. Please give me some guidance, Master.”
Ran Deng said, “Earth is the foundation, wood is the catalyst, fire is the medium, water is the conclusion. With the addition of the Blood of Creation, the essence of metal is formed. As for the rest, you should ask them. Right now, the Tianji Stick lacks wood and water, so it’s only half complete.”
Unconsciously, Wukong recounted how he had used the Tianji Stick to pass through an invisible formation in the Tongtian River. Ran Deng pondered for a long time before saying, “I can’t see that formation.”
“Ah!” Wukong thought Ran Deng was omnipotent, but it turned out there were things even he couldn’t do. So he asked, “Why can one only cross this formation when using the Tianji Stick? What’s the reason behind this?”
Ran Deng reached into his robe and took out a book. When Wukong saw it, it was actually the “Codex of Instruments.” Ran Deng said, “This is the original version of the ‘Codex of Instruments.’ The one you have is just a copy. Some characters in the original are not visible in the copy.”
Ran Deng flipped through the pages, and on the page about the Ruyi Tianji Stick, Wukong saw eight bold characters—“Beneath the secrets of heaven, nothing remains mysterious.” Wukong frowned. Who exactly wrote this “Codex of Instruments”? How could he predict events in future generations?
Ran Deng flipped to the page about the Pangu Axe. The massive axe appeared so vivid it seemed about to leap off the page. As Wukong examined it closely, he suddenly had a strange feeling—as if he had seen this axe somewhere before. Had he? Or not? In a past life or this life? He must have seen it! And it was in this life, but he couldn’t remember where.
Below the Pangu Axe were also eight characters—“Born from chaos, it created heaven and earth.” What did this mean? The phrase “Born from chaos” was easy to understand—both Pangu and the Pangu Axe originated from chaos. It was said that after Pangu created the world, the axe shattered into many pieces, each becoming a magical artifact. Created heaven and earth? Could it be that the rumor about the Pangu Axe shattering was false, and it still existed in the world? “Created earth”—did it mean it existed underground?
Ran Deng flipped through the pages casually. Whether by chance or intention, he landed on the page about the Nine-Ring Cane. Wukong quickly held it back and asked, “Master, is this Nine-Ring Cane the one in Tang Seng’s hands?”
Ran Deng replied, “Exactly!”

“This tin staff is quite remarkable, but it’s far inferior to the magical treasures that follow. How can it rank twelfth?” Wukong asked.
Ran Deng shook his head and pointed to the big characters beneath the nine-ring tin staff, saying, “Just the name alone is impressive. As for its actual quality, I’ve never seen it in person, so I dare not make a hasty judgment.”
Under the nine-ring tin staff were the words “Creation Heart Staff,” with no explanation at all. After thinking for a while, Wukong also couldn’t figure out their meaning.
Ran Deng closed the “Treasure Canon” and said, “Wukong, are you trying to ask where this ‘Treasure Canon’ came from?”
Wukong replied, “That’s right. It’s said that in the chaos, only Pangu, the Kunpeng, the Creation Furnace, and the Seven Divine Apes existed—no magical treasures or elixirs at all. Who wrote this ‘Treasure Canon,’ and how could they have known that future generations would be able to create such treasures?”
Ran Deng said, “This ‘Treasure Canon’ truly dates back to the previous era. And according to Laojun, even back then, most of these magical treasures already existed—it’s by no means a lie!”
Wukong was puzzled. Although two eras took place in the same space, it was actually a complete transformation of heaven and earth—what a huge difference! As the saying goes, “There are no two identical situations throughout history,” and this saying fits here perfectly. If those who create magical treasures are compared to craftsmen, how could their thoughts and materials be exactly the same as those in the previous era? That’s simply impossible!
Ran Deng said, “I’ve thought about this for a long time. At first, I thought the ‘Treasure Canon’ was just trying to be mysterious. But as the treasures described in it appeared one after another, I had no choice but to believe that these treasures truly existed.”
Wukong said, “Since Master has thought this through carefully, you must know the answer.”
Ran Deng replied, “Regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, I’ve found that most of the treasures mentioned in the ‘Treasure Canon’ were either created by Laojun or by Tathagata and Nili. It seems that those connected to the previous era simply imitated them, which makes the ‘Treasure Canon’ even more mysterious.”
Wukong said, “People always prefer shortcuts. If predecessors leave ready-made things behind, most assume it’s only natural and instinctively follow suit. But… why is the Heaven’s Secret Staff unrelated to them?”
Ran Deng laughed and said, “Just because you say it’s unrelated doesn’t mean it is. Even if Dayu couldn’t find this underground golden essence back then, someone would still have taught him how to bring it into existence!”
Wukong asked, “So if the Heaven’s Secret Staff is now in my hands, is that also part of someone else’s plan? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Ran Deng shook his head and said, “Back then, Laojun helped Dayu create this staff…”

Wukong suddenly remembered that during the second refinement of the Tianji Stick, Dayu had said, “This golden essence was created by Laojun and then brought together by him—thus completing the cycle of cause and effect.” Back then, when Dayu discovered the golden essence, Zhurong was not around; it was Laojun who used the fire to melt it into four rods. From this, it seems that the Tianji Stick was more closely involved with Laojun’s efforts. If that’s the case, he can use it with greater confidence.