Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 381: Heaven and Earth United

When Wukong heard Xuan Nu suddenly shift the topic to talk about Tathagata, he realized that none of her previous words had been wasted—there was a greater purpose behind them.
Wukong asked, “Could it be that you suspect me of using an elixir of youth because of your extraordinary appearance?”
Xuan Nu replied, “You’re guessing wrong again. Tathagata took me as his disciple indeed because of my appearance, but at that time he didn’t even know such an elixir existed.”
Wukong seemed to understand a bit and said, “So it’s because of this appearance that Tathagata thought you were born that way, and that’s why he took you as his disciple?”
Xuan Nu nodded, “Exactly. He believed that only in a place blessed with natural elegance could someone as perfect as me be born. Seeing my remarkable cultivation skills, he saw me as a promising disciple. Little did he know I was actually a fake—haha!”
Wukong found her laughter strange and asked, “What did you deceive him about to make you so happy?”
Xuan Nu said, “I only found out later that Tathagata mistook me for someone else. Isn’t that funny?”
“Someone else? Who is that?” Wukong asked.
Xuan Nu replied, “I don’t know who either, but they must have had a remarkable background!”
Wukong asked, “Why do you say that? Did Tathagata ask you anything?”
Xuan Nu said, “He didn’t say it outright, just asked probing questions. But I could sense that he very likely thought I was Ran Deng.”
“What?” Wukong was shocked. Where was Ran Deng in the previous era?
Realizing her mistake, Xuan Nu explained with a laugh, “I mean Ran Deng from the previous era. Do you understand now?”
“Oh?” Ran Deng from the previous era? Wukong was stunned. Did Xuan Nu mean… there was also a Ran Deng in the past era? Ran Deng had said he was born from the Tongtian River. So, was there also a Tongtian River in the past era? Could the shape of heaven and earth be exactly the same in every era?
Wukong looked at Xuan Nu skeptically. She said, “I don’t know either. But Tathagata once asked me, ‘Were you born or created?’ I naturally didn’t understand what he meant at that time. It wasn’t until this era that I met Ran Deng and learned that people could indeed be born from the Tongtian River. Besides Ran Deng, who else could be born naturally? As for the Seven Divine Apes, I know for sure they’re not.”
Wukong asked, “Did you tell him you were born naturally?” He assumed that if Xuan Nu wanted to deceive Tathagata, she would have to lie.
Xuan Nu replied, “I didn’t answer that way.”
Wukong said, “At that time, your cultivation was low, and you were just an ordinary person. If you hadn’t deceived Tathagata, how would he have taught you skills?”

Xuan Nu said, “Of course I wouldn’t deceive him. I merely pretended to be surprised and asked, ‘How did you know?’”
Wukong was speechless. Xuan Nu was truly clever—she didn’t say whether she was born of parents or of heaven and earth, but instead asked a question, leaving it to Buddha to figure it out. But could Buddha really not see her true nature? Someone born in the Tongtian River, being different from ordinary people, should have some special mark.
Wukong asked, “Buddha will eventually see through you, right?”
Xuan Nu replied, “At that time, I didn’t think much about it. I saw that Buddha possessed extraordinary abilities and countless divine powers. For someone like me who regarded cultivation as her life, it was natural to think I had found a good teacher and would never give up.”
“Later, Buddha suddenly had the idea of refining the Elixir of Youth. On the day he succeeded in refining it, he stared at me for a long time. I thought he must have guessed. But after that, Buddha treated me as before, teaching me all the skills he could. Later, he took in three more disciples—”
“The Three Pure Ones,” Wukong said.
Xuan Nu nodded. “Exactly! The Three Pure Ones are actually my junior disciples, but I’ve always remained in seclusion and Buddha never mentioned me to them. They think I’m their senior disciple.”
As she spoke of the past, a hint of melancholy appeared in her eyes, as if recalling those carefree years of cultivation. But soon her expression became serious again. “It wasn’t long after Buddha took in those three that I saw his purpose. The Three Pure Ones are truly talented. Although they learned the essence of Taoism from Buddha, they were able to develop it further, even surpassing him—what a rarity.”
Wukong asked, “What did you think Buddha’s purpose was at that time?”
Xuan Nu replied, “Calling it ‘seeing’ is just a guess. I felt that Buddha was testing, trying to figure out what to do. And now, in this cycle, things are gradually becoming clearer.”
Wukong remembered that the topic had originated from the Elixir of Youth, so he asked, “What’s the meaning of Buddha refining the Elixir of Youth?”
Xuan Nu said, “He doesn’t need it himself, and in the previous cycle, he never gave it to anyone else either.”
Wukong gradually understood the deeper meaning and said, “Are you saying Buddha is preparing for this cycle?”
Xuan Nu nodded. “That’s right. Buddha once said that if everyone who cultivates in the world had an ethereal appearance and beautiful looks, ordinary people would flock to them, and the number of cultivators would soar.”

Wukong thought for 36 days and indeed found that aside from those who became immortals through evil spirits, the rest all had striking appearances. Even among those whose appearances were ordinary, such were a tiny minority. Could it be that they all used the Elixir of Youth? He then said, “Indeed, the Heavenly Court is full of people with beautiful appearances. So this is the reason. I thought only by cultivating immortality could one become more beautiful.”

Xuan Nu replied, “There are countless paths to cultivating immortality. Some cultivation methods can indeed keep one’s appearance youthful, but how many people can find the right path? Most still rely on elixirs.”

Wukong pondered and said, “The Tathagata left behind the method for crafting the Elixir of Youth for the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, aiming to promote Taoism. This is understandable. The more immortals there are in the world, the more talismans can be created, and the Creation Furnace becomes even more powerful, right?”

Xuan Nu nodded and said, “You’re right!”

Wukong asked, “If so, do the Creation Furnaces in the Heavenly Court and the Western Heaven do the same thing?”

Xuan Nu replied, “Not necessarily. But ultimately, it’s all the Tathagata’s plan.”

Wukong said, “The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother have ruled for so many years. How could they be willing to be controlled by others?”

Xuan Nu shook her head and said, “The Tathagata has his own methods. Don’t you believe that?”

Wukong naturally knew the Tathagata was powerful, but now with the Western Heaven and the Heavenly Court seemingly clashing, and Qitianling stirring things up, they were gradually at a disadvantage. Though he didn’t know what the Jade Emperor was thinking, it surely wasn’t that simple.

Xuan Nu said, “Compare the people in the Heavenly Court with those in the Western Heaven. What differences do you see?”

“Oh?” One side was Taoism, the other Buddhism—that was the biggest difference. As for the rest… Wukong suddenly had an idea and said, “On Spirit Mountain, everyone shows their true appearance.”

Xuan Nu smiled and nodded, “You’re observant. They haven’t taken the Elixir of Youth.”

Wukong asked, “Why is that? Does it not have any benefits?”

Xuan Nu replied, “It’s not that it has no benefits, but there’s no need for it. The Tathagata naturally has better ways to make his Buddhist disciples willing to serve him wholeheartedly!”

Wukong felt a chill. Could it be some kind of soul-control spell? No, he had seen many people on Spirit Mountain, all with clear minds, no different from ordinary people. The only difference was… their devotion to Buddhism was extremely firm, far stronger than that of Taoists.

Xuan Nu said, “You probably already realize that Buddhist disciples have devout faith, many times greater than that of Taoists. In contrast, the Three Pure Ones rely solely on voluntariness in reciting scriptures and spreading teachings, so they seem much more lax.”

Wukong said, “If this is also the Tathagata’s doing, then it’s truly incredible.”

Xuan Nu asked, “What is most needed for a person to accomplish something?”
Wukong replied, “Of course, it’s skill. Without skill, nothing can be done.”
Xuan Nu shook her head and said, “That’s completely wrong. Have you read the Heart Sutra for nothing?”
Wukong scratched his head and asked, “Is it the heart?”
Xuan Nu said, “Of course. When it comes to human actions, the most important thing is to see whether they want to do it and how strongly they want to do it. The stronger the will, the easier it is to succeed. I deliberately killed Bodhisattva Nagarjuna in your past life so as to disguise myself and infiltrate the Buddhist sect to see what Buddha really intended to do.” Xuan Nu didn’t explain anything about killing Nagarjuna, clearly knowing that Wukong already understood the truth.
After pondering for a long time, Wukong wanted to uncover Buddha’s ultimate goal, so he asked urgently, “What exactly does he want to do?”
Xuan Nu said, “It’s like being separated by mist—everything is hazy. But I discovered another thing: there’s a great secret about the origin of Buddhism hidden in one of Buddha’s sutras.”
Wukong asked, “A great secret? Is this secret a method to control all Buddhist followers?”
Xuan Nu was surprised and said, “Huh? You have quite the same style as I did back then. How did you guess that?”
Wukong was speechless. What does “quite the same style as you” mean? Since you’ve said so much, it’s not surprising that I guessed it. But there seems to be deeper meaning in Xuan Nu’s words. Wukong asked, “Did you also guess everything accurately back then?”
Xuan Nu smiled and said, “Strangely enough, when it comes to the overall trends of the world, I hardly ever fail. Everything develops as I expect, slowly or quickly, but the direction is never wrong.”
Wukong couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Xuan Nu, Xuan Nu… You keep emphasizing that you’re just an ordinary woman. In my opinion, your background might even be more extraordinary than that of Ran Deng or the Divine Ape of Creation!
Wukong left this topic aside and asked, “Did Nagarjuna obtain this sutra from Zhen Wu?”
Xuan Nu couldn’t sit still anymore. She stood up and asked, “Who told you all this?”
Wukong spread his hands and said, “Many Buddhist sutras are kept on Ling Mountain. Only this one is unusual—it’s kept with Zhen Wu. I knew about Nagarjuna fetching treasures from the Dragon Palace, so by following that clue, I guessed it.”
Xuan Nu said, “It was Ran Deng who first realized the mystery of this sutra. Then he placed it with Zhen Wu. He knew that as soon as Buddha appeared, he would spread this sutra, so he made a bet with Buddha—claiming that none of his disciples could gain Zhen Wu’s trust. If someone could retrieve this sutra, Buddha could spread the Dharma freely.”

Wukong suddenly understood; there was such a reason after all. Ran Deng had once again hindered Tathagata here. It seemed that by choosing Ran Deng as the founder of Buddhism, although a great religion was established, Tathagata also created quite a few troubles for himself.
Wukong asked, “What exactly is in this scripture?”
Xuan Nu replied, “This scripture is truly remarkable. Anyone who reads it, if their cultivation level is low, will have a deep memory implanted in their heart that will accompany them for life.”