Volume 3: A Long Journey – Chapter 340: The Semi-Pine Forest

After hearing what Wukong said, Laojun remained silent for a long time before finally exclaiming, “Well said!” With that, he vanished in a flash from within the gourd.
Wukong called out “Laojun” a few times, but received no reply.
Laojun had left—how could he get out now? Wukong searched the space around him. Every time he entered, it was Laojun who invited him, so he hadn’t paid much attention before. Now, as he tried to find an exit, he found obstacles everywhere, yet he couldn’t see anything clearly.
Wukong employed the secrets of the Xuan Kong technique and finally saw the truth: the space was filled with countless arrays that surrounded him. He smiled bitterly. Had he offended Laojun by refusing his offer, causing him to punish him? With his limited skills, how could he possibly break these arrays?
At that moment, Laojun’s voice was heard: “With all seven divine apes appearing, the world will never be at peace again. If you can’t use your skills to save your life, everything else is pointless! Eat the peaches; I’ll protect you!”
So that was Laojun’s plan. It seemed he had misunderstood him. Wukong thought to himself that he merely wanted to complete the journey of obtaining the scriptures step by step. The gathering of the seven divine apes could wait—had he ever said he wouldn’t eat the peaches?
In Wukong’s mind, there was always one obsession: Since *Journey to the West* was called a “Journey to the West,” the core should be obtaining the scriptures. Along the way, he subjugated demons and unraveled many mysteries. All these long-held doubts were somehow related to the quest for the scriptures. Thus, Wukong felt that he still hadn’t found the true reason behind it. Capturing the divine apes, controlling fate, and eliminating obstacles—all seemed like disguises of the Tathagata. Without completing the journey, he would never feel at peace.
Besides, more than half of the journey was already done. It would only be a few more years before reaching the Spirit Mountain. The seven divine apes had been separated for thousands or even tens of thousands of years—was there any need to rush now?
Wukong called out again, but Laojun still didn’t appear. Silence spoke volumes. Wukong realized Laojun was worried that he wouldn’t eat the peaches, so he trapped him here, but actually, Laojun was overthinking things.
Time passed very slowly inside Laojun’s gourd—truly a great place for cultivation. Wukong calmed himself down, steadied his thoughts, took out the jade box from his bosom, and slowly opened it.
Inside were three glistening immortal peaches, identical to the one he had obtained in the realm of good and evil. The temptation of fate was irresistible. Wukong swallowed hard, took out one peach, closed the box lid, and put the peach in his mouth.
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Inside the Stupa Tower on the Sacred Mountain in the West, Anuo and Kasyapa returned defeated, along with two monks in gray robes and the Arhat, and nervously recounted how the Buddha of Guests was captured and lost a fight to the Indestructible Buddha against the Qilin.

Hearing this, the Tathagata naturally became displeased and asked, “How was the Buddha of Guests captured?”

Anuo replied, “There is an ancient figure named Zhuanxu on Qi Tian Ling. He used a Golden Rope to capture him.”

“A Golden Rope?” The Tathagata was shocked. “Could you see it clearly?”

Anuo said, “It was indeed a Golden Rope. Zhuanxu didn’t even know what it was called. Only after I told him did he realize it.”

The Tathagata thought to himself, “There is only one Golden Rope in the world, and I already gave it to Wukong. How did it end up in Zhuanxu’s hands?” He then said to Anuo, “Go quickly and find Guanyin. Ask her to inquire with Sun Wukong where the Golden Rope has gone.”

Anuo left at once. The Tathagata then asked Kasyapa, “What supernatural power did that man in red use to defeat the Indestructible Buddha?”

Kasyapa replied, “The two fought fiercely in the strong winds high in the heavens. I saw that man break the Indestructible Buddha’s hand seals and grow horns on his head, piercing through the Buddha’s palm. After that, they flew higher into the sky. I don’t know how they fought further. When they came back down, the Indestructible Buddha admitted defeat.”

The Tathagata frowned and said, “Too stubborn!” He waved his hand at Kasyapa, telling him to leave, and fell into deep thought. Though the Indestructible Buddha was utterly loyal to Buddhism, he was extremely stubborn. Once he said he would let the Qilin deal with things, it would be impossible to change his mind. As for the Buddha of Guests, he was a crucial figure—how could he fall into Zhuanxu’s hands? The Tathagata thought that no one could uncover the secrets hidden within the three thousand Buddhas, but without the Buddha of Guests, only two people in the Stupa Tower would be free. This matter needed to be dealt with urgently.

These two incidents filled the Tathagata with displeasure. His meditation that day had shown signs of disturbance. It was precisely the time when he needed a clear mind—how could he be distracted by other matters?

As he was pondering, Anuo came in from outside and said, “Your Holiness, I have met Guanyin Bodhisattva and also asked Sun Wukong. He said the Golden Rope was already taken back by Laozi.”

The Tathagata was slightly surprised. This turned out to be very different from what he had thought. He had assumed Wukong still had some connection to Qi Tian Ling, which was why he had given the treasure to Zhuanxu. But it seemed Laozi had intervened as well. It appeared he had wronged the monkey.

What was Laozi trying to do? Could the Three Pure Ones of Taoism and Qi Tian Ling really be so closely allied? The Tathagata thought further about Zhenwu and the Qilin joining forces against the Phoenix and Xiangliu, and became even more convinced of this.

Trouble ahead—although the Taoists and Qi Tian Ling might not attack the Sacred Mountain, Tang Seng’s journey to the West would become even more difficult.

The Tathagata thought to himself, “Send two monks to guard Tang Seng during this year’s celebration—do not be negligent for even a moment!”
Anuo replied, “I shall accept the order.”
The Tathagata added, “From now on, all the bodhisattvas and arhats in the Western Heaven must fulfill their duties. Without my permission, none may set foot off Mount Lingshan!”
Anuo was slightly alarmed. He guessed that this had something to do with Laojun demanding back the Golden Rope, but he hadn’t expected the Tathagata to make such arrangements. With people like Dayu advancing westward step by step, how much land would be left in Western Ox and Joy Continent?
Seeing Anuo’s hesitation, the Tathagata shouted, “Go quickly!”
Anuo hurriedly left the courtyard. At that moment, a faint smile appeared on the Tathagata’s lips. Anuo naturally understood his concern, but there was nothing to worry about.
Although Dayu and the others were advancing westward in a seemingly aggressive manner, occupying much of the land originally meant for the cultivation of the Western Heaven, due to Avici Hell, the resources needed for cultivation there were inexhaustible. Even if all the prayers and offerings on earth were gone, it would only cause a minor setback, with no impact on the overall situation.
Moreover, as the Tathagata’s faction was retreating internally at this time, the factions led by Randeng and Maitreya would surely become rampant. As the current Buddha, the Tathagata held the highest status in Buddhism. If Randeng wanted to establish Maitreya’s authority, he would first have to deal with external threats. So, Dayu and the others need not worry! Once Qi Tian Ling clashed with Randeng’s faction, no one would interfere with Tang Seng’s quest for scriptures. As for the Taoist sect… just with Guanyin’s skills and connections, they could already counter most Taoists.
The Tathagata was at a critical stage of cultivation and dared not leave the Stupa for even a moment. After arranging these two matters, he entered the stupa to meditate and contemplate.
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With Guanyin’s guidance, Tang Seng and his companions slowly headed eastward. Knowing that the main road to the east had just been passed and was safe, Guanyin hurriedly left to return to the South Sea.
After traveling nearly a thousand li, Tang Seng and his group turned northwest to avoid Qi Tian Ling. Now that they were far away from Qi Tian Ling, he felt much more at ease and in the mood to chat. He said, “Wukong, why have you been silent these past few days?”
The fake Wukong was actually the Six-Eared Macaque. Unlike Wukong, he was naturally reticent. But when asked by Tang Seng, he had no choice but to answer, saying, “We have to take many detours. I’m depressed and have nothing to say.”
Tang Seng replied, “I see this area is clear and peaceful. Where could there be any monsters?”
Wuhui smiled and said, “Master, even if a monster stands right in front of you, you might not recognize it!”
Tang Seng said, “That’s true. Though I only have ordinary eyes, having seen so much, I do have some insights.”
Wuhui asked, “What insights? Teach them to me, Master.”

Tang Seng said, “Those who are ugly in appearance and have fierce eyes are mostly not good people; any place shrouded in dark clouds and gloom is surely not a good mountain.” At that time, the roads all ran in the east-west and north-south directions. Since they wanted to head northwest and avoid detours, they traveled through the wilderness, where the paths were extremely difficult to navigate. Suddenly, they saw a pine forest ahead. Wu Hui asked, “Master, do you think that forest over there is a good one?” Tang Seng shaded his eyes and looked, then said, “That pine forest is filled with fresh air, its trees lush with leaves and fragrant branches—surely it’s a good forest.” Wu Ping said, “Whether it’s good or bad, we’ll know once we go and take a look.” As they approached the forest, a short-old man suddenly appeared on the ground, followed by a ghost with a green face and sharp fangs. Wu Hui said, “Master, you just said there were no demons, yet here they are!” The fake Wukong, seeing strangers, stood in front of his horse with an iron rod and shouted, “Who are you two? How dare you block our path?” The old man held a plate with several baked cakes in it. He said, “This place is called Half-Pine Forest. I am the local deity of Half-Pine Forest. Since there are no villages around here, I’ve been ordered by the Bodhisattva to bring food to the holy monk of the Great Tang Dynasty.” Hearing this, Tang Seng laughed and said, “I said there were no demons, and indeed there aren’t any.” Upon hearing this, the fake Wukong put down his iron rod. Tang Seng dismounted and stepped closer to the deity, asking, “Why is it called Half-Pine Forest? That name is quite strange.” The deity replied, “Elder, take a closer look. The pine trees in this forest only have branches on the northeast side; the southwest side is bare—doesn’t that mean it’s half pine?” Tang Seng looked carefully and indeed found it as the deity said. He was surprised and asked, “All pine trees in the world have full branches and leaves—why is it different here?” The deity explained, “It used to be full too, but one day, two immortals fought in the south, bringing a gust of strong wind that stripped all the branches and leaves from the south side.” As he spoke, he handed the plate to Tang Seng. The fake Wukong warned, “Master, be careful!” and stepped in front of Tang Seng to catch it. The deity laughed, stepped back two steps, and said, “The holy monk is of great value; you should be more cautious. I’ll stay back.” Tang Seng felt something was amiss and said to the fake Wukong, “Wukong, don’t let any demons escape, but also don’t wrong good people.” The deity apologized, “Holy monk, please don’t blame me. I was rude.” Impressed by the deity’s courtesy, Tang Seng stepped forward to take the baked cakes and said, “Thank you, dear deity.” The deity replied, “I’ll take my leave now.” As Tang Seng put down the cakes and bowed, the old man suddenly turned, and a gust of dark wind swept up, lifting Tang Seng away into thin air, taking him to unknown whereabouts.

Being new to facing demons, the fake Wukong naturally had no experience at all. It wasn’t intentional negligence on his part, but he lacked the mystical powers of Wukong’s Xuan Kong techniques. Seeing that the local official politely offered to withdraw, he became careless for a moment, allowing the demon to take advantage of him. Wu Ping was the first to react, shouting, “Quick! Save the holy monk!”