Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 199: Bringing Rain

Dayu and the others bid farewell to Wukong and returned to Qitianling.
They avoided talking about the matter of Xiangliu and the phoenix, knowing that even if they delved deeper, they would not find an explanation.
Along the way, Zhurong kept talking nonstop with his eloquent tongue about what he had seen, leaving no chance for the others to interject.
Finally, when there was a moment of silence, Chisongzi asked, “What did you say? Many places in the Four Great Continents have suffered from severe droughts for years?”
Zhurong replied, “Indeed, it’s a severe drought. At the border between Beiju Luzhou and Xiniuhezhou, it has been dry for over three years. Famine reigns everywhere, and countless people have died of hunger—less than one in ten remains. In Xiniuhezhou as well, many areas have not seen a drop of rain, leaving the people in dire straits; even the trees are dying.”
Chisongzi said, “The matter of bringing rain is under the control of the Heavenly Court. Why not ask the Dragon King to send rain?”
Zhurong replied, “I haven’t investigated it in detail. But I heard from the local people that it’s related to local Buddhist practices.”
Chisongzi pondered for a while and said, “Since I’m a rain master, I should go and take a look.”
Dayu said, “If you’re going, ask Shangyang to accompany you.”
Houyi said, “After traveling around, I can’t stay idle either. I’ll go with you!”
So, Qitianling dispatched troops and invited others. The Bull Demon King, Houyi, Zhurong, and Chisongzi all decided to go, along with Shangyang—four people and one bird. Led by Zhurong, they set off for various places in Xiniuhezhou.
Along the way, they indeed saw corpses lying everywhere, the situation far worse than Zhurong had described.
Chisongzi frowned deeply and said to Shangyang, “Hurry up and bring rain!”
Shangyang spread his huge black wings, three or four zhang long, and flew into the distance. Without any sign of wind or clouds gathering, raindrops began to fall from the clear sky in just a moment.
The others didn’t wait for Shangyang and continued on. The scorching sun shone overhead. Though they weren’t affected, the ordinary people on the ground suffered greatly. Not only was food scarce, but even well water was drying up under the intense heat.
Chisongzi cursed, “What crime have these mortals committed to suffer such hardships?” Seeing that the drought-covered area spanned tens of thousands of miles and Shangyang’s powers weren’t sufficient, he stood atop the clouds and began to cast spells.
As the first rain master in the world tens of thousands of years ago, his method of bringing rain was truly extraordinary.
When the Four Sea Dragon Kings brought rain, they carried water to the sky and spat it out. Shangyang turned water vapor in the air into droplets that fell to the ground. Chisongzi, on the other hand, first turned water into clouds and then turned those clouds into rain. As long as the seas remained moist and rivers flowed on the ground, he could bring rain.
Chisongzi soared into the clouds and transformed into a dragon form. Though he wasn’t originally a dragon, the dragon form was the most suitable for bringing rain. A red dragon thousands of zhang long soared through the air, circling as it cast its spells.

No wind arose; the clouds in the sky gradually thickened, and soon dark clouds covered an area stretching for thousands of miles. Moments later, raindrops the size of beans began to fall from the sky. On the ground, ordinary people knelt in the rain, crying out in despair. If only this rain had come a few years earlier, their loved ones would not have been separated by death. Zhu Rong, along with Chi Songzi, traveled to all the drought-stricken regions in the world. Though these rains could not instantly end the drought, at least no one would die from thirst for another two months. After traveling across Xi Niu He Zhou, Chi Songzi had brought about seven or eight rains, which was quite strenuous even for his cultivation level. Zhu Rong said, “This is the last place. After that, it’s Bei Ju Lu Zhou. Brother Chi Songzi, if you’re tired, we can go tomorrow.” Chi Songzi replied, “Saving people is more important. Let’s go!” The Bull Demon King cursed all the way as he walked, sometimes blaming the Heavenly Court for harming living beings, and other times criticizing the Western Heaven for its tyranny. Hou Yi remained silent, his eyes filled with compassion as well as deep hatred.

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Right after Chi Songzi brought about the first rain, both the Heavenly Court and the Western Heaven were in turmoil. Controlling the weather was the authority of the Heavenly Court. Whenever the Jade Emperor issued an order, he would command the Wind God, Cloud Boy, Thunder God, Lightning Goddess, and Dragon King to summon thunder, lightning, and rain to benefit all beings. No one could change the timing of these events. Once, a Dragon King of the Jing River changed the timing in a bet with the sorcerer Yuan Tiangang and was executed on the Dragon Slaying Platform. Now, someone dared to bring about rain without permission, which was a grave violation of the Heavenly Court’s rules. Meanwhile, Xi Niu He Zhou and Bei Ju Lu Zhou suffered from years of drought, and the local people rebelled against Buddhism by worshipping Taoism. It was unclear how the forces of the Western Heaven were involved, but the Jade Emperor had already ordered that no rain fall in those regions. As Chi Songzi cast his spells, the local earth gods and mountain gods were greatly surprised. They dared not delay and immediately reported to the Heavenly Court, saying that someone on earth was bringing about rain privately and asking the Jade Emperor to take action. Sure enough, the Jade Emperor became furious upon hearing this. The common people revered the Heavenly Court and worshipped the Jade Emperor only to ensure favorable weather and avoid disasters. If even this task of controlling the weather was taken over by others, where would the authority of the Heavenly Court lie? The Jade Emperor immediately ordered an investigation. Soon, someone reported that a giant red dragon was using magic to bring about rain everywhere, having already relieved drought in three areas.

The Jade Emperor urgently summoned the dragon kings of the four seas and rivers, ordering them to count all the dragon descendants capable of controlling clouds and bringing rain, and to report any omissions immediately. Upon receiving the Jade Emperor’s command, the dragon kings dared not neglect their task at all, and upon completion of the count, not a single one of the dragon descendants from the four seas was missing. Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, thought to himself that this matter was likely related to that person, but out of deep brotherly affection, he kept his thoughts to himself.

The Jade Emperor demanded, “Could there be other dragon clans in the world beyond the four seas? If you dare to conceal information, you will share the same punishment as that evil dragon!” Seeing the Jade Emperor’s wrath, Ao Guang grew fearful and unsure whether to speak up or not.

Just as he hesitated, Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the Northern Sea, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, controlling clouds and bringing rain is not exclusive to dragon clans. Any creature belonging to the dragon race, once they have reached a certain level of cultivation, can also command wind and rain.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “According to reports from the local officials, that evil dragon controls clouds and brings rain, benefiting vast areas. As far as you know, who else possesses such power?”

Ao Shun replied, “I know that there is a giant serpent at the sea’s core in the Northern Sea, possessing great magical powers. Other than him, I really can’t think of anyone else.”

The Jade Emperor ordered, “Good! Then let the Tower-Bearing Heavenly King lead the troops, with the dragon kings of the four seas as assistants, along with the soldiers of the Heavenly River and generals from the four seas, to capture that evil serpent!”

It goes without saying that everyone rushed to the Northern Sea with their troops as ordered.

On Mount Ling, just as Guanyin had finished reporting to Buddha and Laozi, and everyone was rejoicing, the Eight Vajra Kings entered the hall and reported, “In the region of Xiniu Hezhou in the mortal world, there is a red dragon that controls clouds and brings rain, relieving many droughts.”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was astonished. Everyone was aware of those droughts, but Buddha had ordered that no one could bring rain to relieve them. With Buddha and Laozi speaking, even the Jade Emperor had to show respect. Aside from Buddhism and Taoism, who else would be bold enough to bring rain without permission?

Buddha asked, “Is it just one red dragon?”

The Vajra Kings replied, “There are also three people and a bird with it. I have seen one of the three before—he is the mighty Bull Demon King who caused chaos in the Hall of Brightness back in the day.”

Hearing the name of the Bull Demon King, Lingji Bodhisattva said, “I’ve heard that the Bull Demon King has been lurking in Qitian Ridge for decades. Surely that red dragon is also involved. When a large number of demons migrated westward, two of their leaders had extremely high cultivation levels. My own cultivation is shallow, so I couldn’t determine their true strength.”

Among the four great bodhisattvas, Lingji Bodhisattva had the lowest cultivation level, but he was by no means ordinary. Even if he wasn’t a Hunyuan Golden Immortal, he was very close to it.

Laozi’s expression remained stern as he said, “No matter how big the matters in the world are, nothing can exceed the rules. Since everyone is here, I ask the four bodhisattvas to lead the Eight Vajra Kings and eighteen Arhats to investigate. If anyone breaks the rules in that region, capture them and bring them back.”

Buddha and Laozi were not polite at all; they had long regarded the land of Xiniuhezhou as their own, and even the Heavenly Court would not easily interfere in its affairs, big or small. In his mind, he figured this matter was likely the work of those from Qitianling. Hmph, this demonic force was indeed formidable, but if they wanted to act arrogantly in Xiniuhezhou, they still lacked the necessary strength.

Tathagata had already made up his mind. Since Qitianling was located within Xiniuhezhou, if it became irreconcilable with the Western Heaven, conflict was only a matter of time. Under normal circumstances, Tathagata would likely need to consider things carefully before making such a decision. But now, with the quest for the scriptures underway, it was crucial not to lose momentum; they must suppress Qitianling to establish their authority.

The eighteen Arhats took out eighteen grains of vajra sand from the treasury. The eight Great Vajras each held their ritual staffs and weapons, and under the guidance of the four Bodhisattvas, they set off for Xiniuhezhou to find the one who was causing the rain unauthorizedly.

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Although Chisongzi was the Rain God, bringing rain required immense magical power. He brought down seven or eight heavy rains in a single day, covering vast areas. With his current level of cultivation, he was nearly exhausted. Yet, aware of the suffering of the people during the drought, he ignored Zhu Rong’s objections and decided to bring one last rain to Beiku Luzhou.

Guanyin Bodhisattva was resourceful. She knew Xiniuhezhou was extremely vast, and searching only in the skies would take forever. Since this Red Dragon specialized in ending droughts, they could simply wait in the drought-stricken areas.

Exhausted, Chisongzi lay on Shangyang’s back, letting Zhu Rong lead the way to carry him to Beiku Luzhou. At the border between Beiku Luzhou and Xiniuhezhou, the land was cracked like a turtle’s shell, with withered grass turning completely dry, often catching fire under the scorching sun and spreading into massive blazes.

Almost all able-bodied people had fled the area, but those with families could not leave and could only struggle to survive, which was little different from waiting for death.

Seeing this tragic scene, Chisongzi leaped off Shangyang’s back, ready to cast a spell. Hou Yi, quick-eyed, caught up to Chisongzi and pulled him back, saying, “Wait! Look up at the sky.”

In the distant west, several colorful auspicious clouds appeared, glowing with radiant light, and soon reached their eyes.

At that moment, the Bull Demon King also saw clearly that the one leading them was none other than Guanyin Bodhisattva, who had nearly captured him in front of the Tongming Hall. If not for Wukong sacrificing himself to save him back then, he would likely be a slave now.

As the saying goes, enemies see each other in a different light. The Bull Demon King stepped forward and shouted, “You half-male, half-female creature, what are you doing here?”

According to legends, Guanyin was originally male but transformed into a female form to save sentient beings and put an end to their lustful thoughts. Over time, people spread rumors that she had seduced thousands of men. With time, it became impossible to tell which was true and which was false.

Avalokiteshvara detests it the most when people say she cannot be distinguished as male or female. Moreover, there are the Eight Vajra Warriors and Eighteen Arhats behind her with lower status, but she is extremely cunning and said with a smile, “A defeated foe, how dare you come and ask questions?”