Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 382: The Same River

Wukong gradually understood Xuan Nu’s meaning. After creating the Elixir of Eternal Youth, Tathagata also devised this scripture. It resembled brainwashing but was fundamentally different from ordinary methods. Its brilliance lay in the fact that people would not resist their own memories. With such teachings, if imposed from the outside, some would believe while others would not. But if they arose silently from within, people would regard them as self-evident and resist them at all.
What was the content of such a memory? Wukong thought for a moment. Since it was meant for Buddhists, it probably dealt with ideas like the possibility of attaining Buddhahood through cultivation.
Recalling something, Wukong said, “Since this scripture was passed on to Nagarjuna, he must know its contents.”
Xuan Nu replied, “Of course.”
Wukong said, “But I still can’t remember it now. Do you know how I can wake up faster?”
Xuan Nu smiled and said, “I really dare not speak rashly about the matters related to the Divine Ape of Fate. By ordinary logic, the higher one’s cultivation, the better.”
Wukong said, “In the three realms, my left pupil glowed, and now my right pupil does too. But aside from that, nothing else seems unusual. I wonder what will happen when I wake up.”
Xuan Nu said, “Who has ever seen the Divine Ape of Clarity truly awaken? I’m afraid even the other six divine apes can’t remember either.”
Wukong remembered Ran Deng saying, “Xuan Nu once said that the eyes of clarity can see great destinies.” So he asked, “If you knew, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Otherwise, I’d keep speculating uselessly.”
Xuan Nu replied, “If you can see great destinies, so what?”
Wukong said, “You possess the eyes of fate and have also created the secrets of the Mysterious Sky Technique. In terms of vision, is there anyone in the world who can surpass you?”
Xuan Nu said, “The secrets of the Mysterious Sky Technique evolved from the eyes of fate. Though I have mastered this art to its peak, due to innate limitations, I can only see the flow of destinies but not penetrate the mysteries of the universe.”
Wukong asked, “If even you can’t see it, how can I?”
Xuan Nu quietly took a sip of green tea and looked straight at Wukong, saying, “The universe was born from chaos. To others, it’s impossible to see the whole picture. Only those with clarity can rise above chaos and see through these layers of mist!”
Wukong seemed to understand. So even though Xuan Nu had the eyes of fate, she lacked the innate powers of clarity. His own eyes were truly unique in the world—he really should cherish them.

Xuan Nu said again, “I inferred from the words and deeds of Tathagata that these two cosmic eras share the same world. The shape of the earth in the previous era remains unchanged in this era. Therefore, I guess Tathagata regards me as Ran Deng simply because there was also a Tongtian River in the previous era.”
“Is that really the case?” Wukong became excited—this was a significant discovery. As Xuan Nu said, it made sense that the two worlds were similar, but it was strange that the river still had the same name. Although the worlds were the same, the people were different; the coincidence of the river’s name being identical was practically negligible. There was only one possibility: the river was named by someone, and that person must be Tathagata.
Tathagata would never waste his time naming an ordinary river. Remembering the formations in the Tongtian River, Wukong knew this river was definitely extraordinary.
If there was a Tongtian River in the previous era, could there also be a figure born from it, just like Ran Deng? From Xuan Nu’s words, it seemed she believed such a person existed. So where was this person? Had they survived the trials of the era and remained hidden in the background, or had they vanished completely?
Wukong asked, “Are there any other regions outside the Tongtian River that share the same name as this era?”
Xuan Nu was quite satisfied with Wukong’s question and smiled, “Only the Tongtian River; everything else is different.”
This further confirmed Wukong’s thoughts. He asked, “Has Xuan Nu ever been to the Tongtian River?”
Xuan Nu replied, “Of course I have. But I couldn’t see anything special—it was just like any ordinary river.”
Wukong thought for a moment and recounted his own experiences in the Tongtian River. Xuan Nu sighed, “It seems that the Tianji Stick has already shown its power before it’s even fully refined.”
Wukong asked, “Has Xuan Nu ever seen this Tianji Stick?”
Xuan Nu shook her head and said, “I only know a little about it from the ‘Instrument Canon.’ Beyond the mysteries of fate, there is nothing more profound. Once you refine it, you’ll naturally understand its great usefulness.”
Wukong asked, “Who wrote the ‘Instrument Canon’? Could it be Tathagata?”
Xuan Nu replied, “Not necessarily.”
“Ah!” Wukong exclaimed. The ‘Instrument Canon’ seemed ordinary, merely listing all the magical treasures in the world. Yet its powerful, mysterious ability to foresee the future made Wukong believe that the person who created it must be beyond the bounds of heaven and earth. Could there be another even more powerful and mysterious figure besides Tathagata?
Xuan Nu said, “Don’t overthink it. All the key issues lie with Tathagata. We still need to focus on completing the pilgrimage.”
Hearing this, Wukong said, “So you don’t know what Tathagata plans to do either.”

Xuan Nu said, “I’ve also been thinking all along—since he’s able to overcome the calamity of the primordial era, he already holds a position unmatched in the world. What more could he possibly desire?”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “Has Xuan Nu ever wondered what lies beyond the heavens and earth?”
Xuan Nu’s body trembled suddenly as she said to Wukong, “What did you say? How could you have such strange thoughts?”
Wukong was speechless. On Earth, where he once lived, such ideas were entirely ordinary—exploring the unknown was human instinct. Yet in this world, though Xuan Nu was among the greatest, she found it hard to accept such ideas.
Xuan Nu continued, “The depths of the earth are unfathomable, and though the sky is vast, the winds there are extremely fierce. Even with my cultivation, it’s difficult to reach the edges of the sky.” She thought again and said, “Are you guessing that Buddha wants to leave this world?”
Wukong nodded. That was indeed what he thought. No matter how vast this world was, for Buddha, who already possessed omnipotence, it probably held little appeal at this stage. Wukong said, “If that weren’t his intention, why go to such lengths and orchestrate such a grand plan?”
Xuan Nu replied, “I’ve never thought of it that way. I guess Buddha has refined the essence of creation, perhaps aiming to replace Pangu and become the one who creates the world.”
Wukong’s mouth dropped open. He hadn’t expected Xuan Nu to have such imaginative ideas. After thinking for a while, he shook his head repeatedly and said, “Buddha doesn’t have Pangu’s breadth of mind. I don’t believe it.”
Xuan Nu said, “With the power to create the world, one can naturally do as they please.”
Wukong remained silent. What Xuan Nu said made some sense. Though Buddha was powerful, he was still not as strong as Pangu. Although Buddha had few rivals in the world, Pangu and Kunpeng remained supremely powerful. Perhaps Buddha harbored deep resentment toward them. No one knew what he truly thought.
Wukong said, “Enough. It’s useless to overthink things now. We’ll just take it one step at a time.”
Xuan Nu agreed, “That’s true.” She reached into her bosom and took out a pill. It was as big as a chicken egg, covered with a black shell, seemingly sealed with some unknown substance. After handing it to Wukong, she said, “After reaching sainthood, taking this pill will be of great benefit to you.”
Wukong felt excited. What could Xuan Nu give him that wouldn’t be useful? He took it and tentatively tried to sense it with his divine mind, but was blocked by the outer black shell. Not knowing what kind of pill it was, he carefully stored it away.
Xuan Nu asked, “Have you figured out something about the origin of this centipede spirit?”
Wukong replied, “As I guessed, it must be Buddha who sent him.”

Xuan Nu said, “You’re truly clever. Tathagata gave him the Hunyuan Golden Seal out of fear that your cultivation would be too high and you’d awaken too soon, which would be disadvantageous to him.”
Wukong replied, “The star-like spots in my eyes are becoming harder to hide. If Tathagata sees me, he’ll surely notice.”
Xuan Nu said, “Even if he does, he won’t act rashly. As long as you continue to head west calmly, Tathagata won’t trouble you.” In fact, Wukong thought the same way—Tathagata regarded the quest for the scriptures as the top priority and would never act impulsively.
The more Tathagata acted this way, the more uneasy Wukong became. He suddenly thought that if he and Tang Seng stopped moving suddenly, how furious and embarrassed Tathagata would be. If he really tried this, maybe he could expose Tathagata’s weaknesses.
Wukong shared this idea with Xuan Nu, who said, “It’s up to you to decide. I really can’t tell which is better.” Wukong replied, “Alright, then I’ll find an excuse to see how Tathagata reacts.”
Xuan Nu said, “Go ahead. If you encounter difficulties, come to me.”
Wukong nodded, didn’t bother to be polite with Xuan Nu, and left the Thousand Flowers Cave. Outside the cave, he saw the centipede demon swimming in front of the door. Wukong smiled and said, “It’s your good fortune to have received teachings from Bodhisattva Virupa.”
Back at the Yellow Flower Temple, which had long become ruins, Tang Seng was overjoyed to see Wukong return. “It’s good that Wukong is safe. Did you subdue that monster?”
Wukong replied, “It wasn’t me who subdued him. It was Bodhisattva Virupa in the south who helped capture the monster. Since we no longer have a temple, let’s head west.”
Tang Seng said with a worried face, “Wukong, I’m so hungry I can’t walk anymore.”
Wukong laughed and asked, “If you’re hungry, why not find some ingredients to cook?”
Tang Seng replied, “The tea of that temple master was poisonous. We can’t just eat anything here.”
Wukong said, “Hey, Master, how could you be so confused? That tea was meant for us, so of course it was poisonous. They must cook meals by lighting a fire in their temple every day—do you think they’d poison themselves?”
Wukong cleared the debris and found the kitchen. He took out a few bags of rice, found some cooking utensils, lit a fire, and started cooking rice.
Before long, the fragrant rice was ready. He served it to Tang Seng. While Tang Seng ate, Wukong got up and looked around. Hearing from Xuan Nu that his eyes were even more powerful than those of a being born of fate, he was very pleased. So he used the secret techniques of Xuan Kong Fa. When he looked east, he saw an extraordinary flame of the five elements on the ground.
Wukong landed and happily said to Wuhui, “Younger brother, I’ve found a place of fate. Shall we go take a look?” Then Wukong asked Wu Ping to watch over Tang Seng, and the two flew eastward.

The place was very close, and the two arrived in no time. In a courtyard, they saw a large pond from which steam was rising—it was a natural hot spring. Wukong saw the words “Spring for Washing Off Dirt” written beside the door and realized that this was the place where the seven spider spirits often went to bathe.