Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 372: The Dissipation of Fate
When the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage fell into the medicine pot, its lid immediately closed.
With a father and son connected by deep bonds, the capture of the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage was first known to the Qilin. With a roar, it flew toward the medicine pot, but the Great Peng was even faster—swiftly grabbing the pot with its sharp claws.
Yet, with a mere gesture from the Medicine Buddha, the pot slowly drifted back, pulling the Great Peng down among the Eight Medicine Buddhas. Once near these eight figures, it would be extremely difficult to reclaim the pot.
The Great Peng flapped its wings with all its strength to generate wind and thunder, but the pot’s momentum didn’t slow at all. In desperation, the Qilin threw a punch at the pot from afar. With a “bang,” the pot paused mid-air, but the Great Peng hanging on it suffered greatly—the punch was as if it had hit it directly, nearly making it vomit.
The Great Peng cursed inwardly, “Old bastard, only caring about your own son!” Before its thoughts could settle, another “bang” echoed as the pot was knocked several feet to the side. It turned out that Hou Yi, seeing the crisis, shot an arrow to resolve it.
Before the first arrow landed, Hou Yi drew another arrow of time and fired it. This arrow missed the pot by a narrow margin, almost hitting the Great Peng. The Great Peng, still hanging on the pot, froze mid-air, not even its feathers trembling. Seizing this opportunity, the Qilin finally reached the pot and grabbed its handle. Suddenly, it felt a strong wind behind it. Without turning, it kicked backward. This powerful strike came from all seven Medicine Buddhas combined. The Qilin let out a loud cry as its leg bones twisted—apparently broken. Yet, as luck would have it, despite its injury, it was flung far away along with the pot and the Great Peng.
The Tathagata also acted on a sudden inspiration. He knew the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage was a descendant of the Qilin, but since both the nine-headed creature and the king of the five categories were his targets, he ordered the Medicine Buddha to capture the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage first and use it as bait to lure the Qilin to rescue it—thus gaining a significant advantage!
As for the Medicine Buddha’s medicine pot, no one else could take it, so the Qilin’s effort was in vain. The Great Peng, having taken a severe hit and lacking the Qilin’s profound cultivation, fainted and fell, luckily caught by the Bull Demon King below.
The Qilin had never suffered such a great loss before. Desperate to save his son, it didn’t care about anything else and tried to lift the pot’s lid mid-air. Unbeknownst to it, only the Medicine Buddha’s incantations could move the lid, and no one else could open it. Focused solely on the lid, the Qilin unknowingly flew even closer to the Medicine Buddha.
Hou Tu and the others were extremely anxious. All their spells were directed at the Medicine Buddha, who neither dodged nor avoided them. With the other seven Buddhas helping to block the attacks, he simply chanted silently and retrieved the medicine pot.
Seeing the medicine pot about to be taken back by the Medicine Buddha, Ksitigarbha shouted, “Qilin, let go!”
Qilin froze for a moment but still clung tightly to the pot. Ksitigarbha, without hesitation, pointed his Staff of Good and Evil from afar, sending a beam of white light at the pot. Just as Qilin was lifting the lid, the white light flashed, causing the lid to loosen and open. He himself felt as if struck hard and lost consciousness.
The Medicine Buddha was shocked. He had used this medicine pot for tens of thousands of years—it was an invincible magical artifact. Now, it suddenly lost connection with his mind. As the lid opened, Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng leaped out. Seeing his father falling downward with the pot, he quickly hugged Qilin and fled far away.
Ksitigarbha approached the Medicine Buddha and said, “I had no choice but to take one of your magical artifacts.” With his Staff of Good and Evil, wherever he pointed, all fate was reset, eliminating any distinction between master and outsider.
Previously, he had tried to save the Buddha of Truth by pointing at the Arhat Subduing the Tiger, who since then lost all sense of good and evil. All his fate reverted to its original state, belonging neither to anyone nor to himself, leaving him in a confused state like a newborn infant.
In truth, the origin of any magical artifact lies in its connection to its master’s fate, which allows it to be controlled. Ksitigarbha’s staff, when pointed at the medicine pot, shared a similar principle to Wang Yu’s Divine Slicing Circle. From then on, the medicine pot was no longer exclusive to the Medicine Buddha. It now depended on who could obtain it and refine it.
Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng, freed from this peril, was both shocked and angry. Though he desired revenge, Qilin was still severely injured under the combined attacks of the seven Buddhas. How could he dare to advance? So he hugged Qilin and retreated to Hou Tu’s side.
Although the battle earlier had been intense, most of the attention had been focused on the medicine pot. Seeing the turmoil dissipate, everyone stopped fighting. Dayu said, “Tathagata, do you really want everything to end in destruction?”
The Tathagata observed the situation. Although Qilin was badly injured, Ksitigarbha, Hou Tu, Dayu, Yi, and the three ancient gods of metal, fire, and wood remained unharmed. Though his side had more people, it was impossible to keep these few at bay.
The Tathagata stepped out of the formation of the Seven Medicine Buddhas and said, “How can we just let this matter go like this?”
Dayu asked, “What do you plan to do?”
The Tathagata replied, “Return the Buddha of Indestructible Strength and the Buddha Who Knows Guests to Ling Mountain, and I will stop pursuing this matter.”
Dayu glanced at Qilin and nodded. “That’s easy. I’ll release them as soon as I return to Qitianling.”
The Tathagata added, “You’re already near the Zhu Zi Kingdom. Stop being greedy and move west any further!”
Dayu said, “This isn’t difficult. From now on, Qitianling and the Western Heaven shall be separated by the Zhu Zi Kingdom!”
Tathagata nodded and said, “Bring the medicine pot!”
Jiuling Yuansheng glared at Tathagata resentfully, but Tathagata ignored him and simply stretched his hand toward Dayu. Dayu took the medicine pot and threw it to Tathagata. Tathagata said, “If you venture further west, don’t blame my Buddha’s merciless power!”
Dayu said nothing, waved his hand to gather everyone together, and left Ling Mountain on a cloud. Tathagata saw the chaos on Ling Mountain and was extremely angry, but under the circumstances, with the most powerful Ran Deng refusing to act, what could he do?
Fortunately, though the Golden Summit was destroyed, it was restored to its original state in just a moment thanks to the power of the Buddhas. The Mahavira Hall was as fresh as ever, but this battle cast a shadow over the hearts of the Buddhas, Arhats, and Vajras on Ling Mountain.
After all repairs were completed, Tathagata went to the Medicine Buddha Hall. The Medicine Buddha was sitting on the lotus platform, staring blankly at the medicine pot before him. Tathagata entered and said, “The Staff of Good and Evil possesses creative power; this medicine pot will require some effort to refine.”
When the Medicine Buddha saw Tathagata enter, he stood up to greet him, then sat down again and asked, “Why not summon Vairocana?” Tathagata replied, “Today’s battle may well end in a draw, with no winner or loser.”
The Medicine Buddha thought for a moment and said, “Are you referring to… Ran Deng?”
Tathagata nodded. “If he wanted the Buddhist sect to win, he would have acted long ago. Since he hasn’t, he must intend to reach a compromise.”
The Medicine Buddha said, “Rather than letting him act as a peacemaker, it’s better for the Buddha to resolve things himself.”
Tathagata said, “Ksitigarbha truly surprised me.”
The Medicine Buddha replied, “After this, he won’t trouble us again.”
Tathagata shook his head slowly and murmured to himself, “How can I take back the Staff of Good and Evil?”
※ ※ ※
Wukong returned to the pilgrimage group and traveled safely westward. Before he knew it, summer and winter passed, and they had long crossed the boundaries of Qitianling. When they reached Benbo Country, Wukong couldn’t help but think of the destruction of the Buddhist kingdom and sighed deeply.
Tang Seng asked, “Why are you sighing, Wukong?”
Wukong replied, “Year after year, day after day, yet we still don’t know what the outcome will be.”
Tang Seng said, “Once we obtain the true scriptures, we’ll naturally know the outcome.”
Seeing that Tang Seng had crossed Qitianling and resumed his usual devotion, unsure whether he truly aimed to obtain the scriptures or was pretending, Wukong said, “I wonder how much of the true scriptures is genuine and how much is fake.”
Tang Seng was surprised and said, “What are you talking about? The true scriptures are obviously genuine—how could there be any falsehoods?”
Wukong replied, “Master, I’ve always had a doubt: if the Buddha simply gave you a few scrolls of scriptures, how could you tell?”
Tang Seng was stunned and said, “The Buddha surely won’t deceive us if he sees our firm belief and dedication to practicing the true Dharma.”
Wukong laughed and said, “I hope it’s as the master says.” But in his heart he thought, “I wonder whether the Buddha wants the outcome or the process of this journey, or maybe both?”
Before they knew it, spring had arrived and flowers were in bloom. The group reached Xishi Gou. Tang Seng sighed, “What a wonderful sight! Look at the persimmon flowers by the road—they’re as dense as frost and snow.” Wukong thought to himself, “It wasn’t like this even before the New Year. That red-scaled giant python did a good deed by sparing us from the stench.”
They traveled through Xishi Gou for a long time. Fortunately, there was a flat road to follow. After leaving Xishi Gou, they continued for a few more days into the scorching heat. Green poplars lined both sides of the road, with swallows nesting in them; travelers fanned themselves to escape the heat.
Wukong got up to scout the way and soon returned, saying, “Master, there’s a large city ahead.”
Tang Seng was delighted. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen a city. I suppose we’re much closer to the Western Heaven now.”
Wukong replied, “We get closer with each step. In any case, it’s 108,000 li—no step can be skipped.”
Tang Seng asked, “The further you go, the more you hesitate. Where exactly is that city?”
Wukong said, “There’s a apricot-yellow flag on the city wall, with the words ‘Kingdom of Zhu Zi’ written in red and purple.”
Tang Seng was pleased again. “Good! Since it’s a kingdom, we should exchange customs documents.”
Before long, they reached the city gates. They dismounted, crossed the bridge, and entered through three layers of gates. The gate towers were tall, with battlements aligned neatly. Six streets and three markets bustled with trade, truly resembling a capital city.
After a while, they found an inn called “Huitong Suo.” Once inside, Wukong led Tang Seng to see the emperor, hoping to exchange the customs documents and set off westward sooner.
As they walked through the market, Wukong’s sharp eyes noticed a crowd of people gathered around an imperial edict, pointing and discussing it. He went over to take a look. The edict read, “I, the king of the Kingdom of Zhu Zi in Xiniuhe Continent, have maintained peace throughout the land and ensured the safety of my people since I ascended the throne. Recently, due to ominous signs in the kingdom and a serious illness, I am bedridden…”
Wukong skimmed the rest of the edict and was greatly puzzled. He remembered clearly that in the Kingdom of Zhu Zi, there was a goddess named Golden Holy Palace Lady who had been captured by Avalokiteshvara’s mount, the Golden Fur Wolf, and made its wife. Since Avalokiteshvara would no longer hinder their journey, why was the king still sick?
This incident held many intriguing aspects. In “Journey to the West,” Wukong later met Avalokiteshvara and learned that the cause of the problem was the king of Zhu Zi’s kingdom having shot a male and female peacock, angering the Peacock Great Bright King Bodhisattva of the Western Heaven, who thus punished him by forcing him to live apart from his wife for three years. As for the Golden Holy Palace Lady, though just a concubine in an ordinary kingdom, she received help from the Immortal Zi Yang, who dressed her in a precious robe.
The Bodhisattva Peacock Great Bright King is the elder brother of the Great Roc and the eldest son of the Phoenix. Leaving aside whether the king of the Zhu Zi Kingdom has the ability to shoot the peacock, and regardless of why the Peacock Great Bright King is so narrow-minded, the fact is that so many characters are involved in this matter—even the Peacock Great Bright King, who is under Buddha’s house arrest, is drawn into it. What secrets lie hidden?