Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 375: Understanding the Intent to Return
Wukong could almost be certain that much of what Guanyin said was exaggerated. Others might think that the Bodhisattva Peacock Great Bright King, having been made the Queen Mother, held a supreme status in the Western Heaven. But Dapeng had told him personally that the Bodhisattva Peacock Great Bright King, the Buddha’s mother, had long been under Buddha’s house arrest—how could this be false?
The peacock is the eldest son of the phoenix. Few in the world knew that Buddha wanted to control the kings of the five realms. If the peacock could still move and speak freely, how could Buddha feel at ease?
Therefore, Guanyin’s claim that the Buddha’s mother had imposed a punishment was almost certainly false. If the male and female peacocks were truly the Buddha’s children, how could they be so weak? The king of the Zhu Zi Kingdom was just an ordinary mortal; even with a precious bow, he couldn’t hurt the Buddha’s children. Moreover, why would the Buddha’s children leave the Spiritual Mountain and go to a mortal kingdom?
But since Guanyin had said so, Wukong naturally couldn’t refute her. Instead, he tried to probe Guanyin’s attitude toward the Golden Fur Wolf. Sure enough, she still protected it. If so, this clearly wasn’t a coincidence—it was likely Buddhism’s hidden displeasure at Taoism’s actions.
Although Yang Chan was also a deity, her special status meant she wasn’t as cunning as the celestial officials in heaven. They saw the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism as a zero-sum game, not realizing that her uncle, the Jade Emperor, had secretly made an agreement with Buddha.
After speaking, Guanyin took the Golden Fur Wolf and left. Yang Jian was naturally dissatisfied, but knowing he wouldn’t gain anything, he didn’t dare act recklessly in front of Guanyin. Just then, an old deity descended from the sky. Upon seeing him, Yang Jian hurried forward and said, “Ziyang Zhenren has arrived. Yang Jian thanks you.”
It was indeed Ziyang Zhenren, Zhang Boduan. He smiled as he descended, first paying respects to Guanyin, then greeting Wukong, and finally Yang Jian. Seeing Zhang Ziyang arrive, Wukong knew he must be aware of the whole situation, so he asked, “Where are you coming from, Ziyang Zhenren?”
Zhang Boduan replied, “A few years ago, I went to the Longhua Assembly and happened to pass by here. I saw Guanyin’s mount, the Golden Fur Wolf, settling accounts here. Fearing that the Goddess of the Golden Holy Palace would be defiled and lose her dignity, I gave her my precious five-colored robe. Once she wore it, poisonous thorns appeared on her body, making it difficult for immortals and Buddhas to approach her.”
After speaking, Zhang Boduan waved his hand, and a strand of gauze from Yang Chan’s body floated up and landed in his arms. Other than that robe, Yang Chan looked no different from before.
Guanyin remained slightly smiling, but was deeply shaken inside. This Zhang Boduan was truly remarkable! It wasn’t surprising that he knew the Golden Fur Wolf was causing trouble here—perhaps someone in the Heavenly Court had tipped him off. The fact that he could attend the Longhua Assembly was a qualification beyond that of ordinary immortals. Even more astonishing was this precious robe, whose origins even she couldn’t discern. Still, the Golden Fur Wolf obviously hadn’t done anything to Yang Chan. The most thought-provoking part was the last sentence, “It’s hard to approach immortals or Buddhas.” Few in the Heavenly Court would dare speak so confidently in front of her.
Most Taoists had a calm and patient temperament, but Zhang Boduan had shown great determination in front of her. Could it be they knew that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the people from Qitianling had caused a disturbance on Ling Mountain and were trying to take advantage of the situation?
Guanyin said to Zhang Boduan, “Even so, thank you, Ziyang Zhenren.” Then she turned to Wukong and said, “Wukong, you’ve wronged that wretched beast this time.”
When Wukong saw Zhang Boduan arrive, he knew this would be the outcome, so he properly apologized to Guanyin, who then took the Golden Fur Wolf away.
Yang Jian thanked Zhang Boduan along with Yang Chan. Naturally, Yang Jian wasn’t foolish—he could see Zhang Boduan’s abilities, so his attitude was different from before. Zhang Boduan said, “Don’t thank me, Xiansheng Zhenjun. It was all the Jade Emperor’s strategy.” After saying this, he glanced at Wukong, laughed loudly, and left on the clouds.
Yang Jian glared at Yang Chan and ordered, “Return to the Heavenly Palace immediately!” Although Yang Chan had caused trouble this time, she was lucky to have escaped unharmed, so Yang Jian’s mood improved greatly. Yang Chan pouted and also flew away on the clouds. Wukong called out from behind, “There are two more fairies in the Kingdom of Zhu Zi!” Yang Chan didn’t look back and soon disappeared.
Yang Jian said, “Those two palace maids were defiled by mortals, so it’s natural they can no longer return to the Heavenly Palace.”
Wukong was stunned. It seemed that after all this chaos, it was still the mortals and servants who suffered. Those involved all had powerful backers who could ensure their safety. Yang Chan returned to the Heavenly Palace unharmed, while the Golden Fur Wolf, though beaten a few times, what did that matter? The king of the Kingdom of Zhu Zi had been ill for years, and if no one saved him, he likely wouldn’t live much longer. Several mortal palace maids were dead, and the Silver and Jade Palace Ladies could never return to the Heavenly Palace—all their years of cultivation had been in vain.
Wukong sighed, “When immortals fight, mortals suffer. That’s truly true.”
Yang Jian said, “Wukong is being overly sentimental again.”
Wukong looked at Yang Jian and asked, “Don’t you find this strange?”
Yang Jian replied, “It was my sister who caused the trouble. What’s strange about that?”
Wukong laughed and said, “Since Ziyang Zhenren said it was the Jade Emperor who sent him, he naturally wouldn’t dare speak rashly. But if the Jade Emperor knew his own niece was trapped in a cave by a demon, why didn’t he come to rescue her in previous years? Why wait until the Bodhisattva showed up to happen upon it by chance?”
Yang Jian thought for a moment and looked at Wukong, saying, “Were they waiting for the Bodhisattva, or for you?”
Huh? Yang Jian was right. In “Journey to the West,” Yang Jian isn’t involved at all; it’s all Wukong doing on his own. Could it really be that they were waiting for him? If they insisted on his involvement, what was the purpose?
Wukong racked his brains but couldn’t figure it out. He only remembered that in “Journey to the West,” the Goddess of the Golden Holy Palace eventually returned to the Kingdom of Zhu Zi… while this Yang Chan returned to the Heavenly Palace. What was the difference between these two cases? With no solution, Wukong blamed it on Yang Jian. If not for him revealing Yang Chan’s identity, neither Ziyang Zhenren nor Guanyin Bodhisattva would have spoken openly to him. Yang Chan might still have returned to the Kingdom of Zhu Zi to continue her “mission of spreading teachings.” Could it be that Taoism had the upper hand this time?
Well, Ziyang Zhenren’s words earlier probably made even Guanyin feel a sense of resonance, and who knows—she might start to take Taoist deities seriously from now on. Thinking of Guanyin, Wukong remained puzzled about the matter of the Buddha’s mother, the peacock. What was Guanyin trying to imply by mentioning this figure who should have long disappeared from the world? When Zhang Boduan left, he said it was all the Jade Emperor’s doing, involving secrets of the Jade Emperor himself—something he hadn’t kept from Wukong… The more Wukong thought about it, the more headaches he got. Guanyin must surely know about this. He resolved to take action.
Wukong said to Yang Jian, “Brother Yang, I have a favor to ask of you.”
Yang Jian replied, “Go ahead and speak. There’s no need for formalities.”
Wukong picked up a flat stone from the ground, used his mystical powers to draw a Taiji symbol on its front, and carved the words “Guanyin” on the back. After finishing, he handed the stone to Yang Jian and said, “Please take this to the Pure Land Palace on my behalf and give it to Laojun.”
Yang Jian was slightly surprised, but since Wukong had said nothing more, he didn’t ask further and simply said, “I’ll go right away.” Wukong bowed to Yang Jian, and the two parted.
Strangely enough, Wukong had an indescribable trust in Yang Jian. Among the gods he knew in this world, perhaps only Yang Jian could enjoy peace alone, so there was no need to worry that he would side with one faction or another. Moreover, with just a Taiji symbol and the words “Guanyin,” Yang Jian might not be able to figure anything out.
Watching Yang Jian’s figure fade away, Wukong entered the demon cave. After driving the demons away, he found several palace maids inside, their expressions already somewhat dazed. Wukong cursed under his breath at the Golden Fur Wolf, then took the maids with him and headed toward the Kingdom of Zhu Zi.
※ ※ ※
In the Thirty-Six Heavens of the Heavenly Court, in the Jade Pool of the Queen Mother, the Jade Emperor hurried over and sat down to talk with her.
The Queen Mother smiled and poured a full cup of immortal wine for the Jade Emperor. He drank it all at once and then laughed heartily. The Queen Mother also smiled and said, “You’re truly so happy.”
The Jade Emperor said, “Why not be happy? Buddha was utterly defeated this time, haha.”
The Queen Mother replied, “I’m not particularly happy. Ksitigarbha hid so deeply—it’s truly astonishing.”
The Jade Emperor said, “I was also shocked when the news came. We really underestimated him.”
The Queen Mother said, “It’s only natural for Hou Tu to return to Qitianling. I didn’t expect that Hou Tu and Ksitigarbha were so close, to the point where she used the power of Qitianling to defend him.”
The Jade Emperor said, “The actions in the Western Heaven have become too rampant. As I predicted, the successive destructions of kingdoms must be due to insufficient fate energy—the Fate Furnace can no longer function properly. It seems Taoism’s expansion to the west has indeed borne fruit.”
The Queen Mother nodded and said, “That’s natural. But I’m worried that the Western Heaven might retaliate in anger.”
The Jade Emperor said, “The people of Qitianling caused a huge disturbance on Ling Mountain. I’m afraid Buddha won’t have the heart to fight with Taoism for now.”
The Queen Mother said, “They can’t advance eastward in such a hurry, but we still can’t interfere in the West either. This is evident from what happened with Chan Er.”
The Jade Emperor smiled slightly and said, “Though Chan Er is reckless, her actions suit my plans perfectly. It’s ideal to let her test things out. Don’t you know she’s already returned to the palace?”
The Queen Mother became serious and said, “So quickly? Didn’t Guanyin stop her?”
The Jade Emperor said, “Guanyin sent her mount to cause trouble in the mortal world—she was already at a disadvantage. With Yang Erlang and Sun Wukong present, how could she possibly stop her?”
The Queen Mother said, “Zhang Boduan handled things well, which is reassuring. But if it weren’t for Ksitigarbha causing chaos on Ling Mountain, would you really abandon Chan Er?”
The Jade Emperor thought for a moment and said, “If that’s the case, let Sun Wukong deal with it. If he wants to interfere, let him; if not… what can I do?”
The Queen Mother scolded, “It’s rare to see such a heartless uncle.”
The Jade Emperor suddenly looked melancholic and said, “In this world, who is truly a relative?” As he spoke with emotion, the Queen Mother also grew sad and murmured, “Don’t worry. Let’s go back quickly…”
The two pondered for a long time. Then the Queen Mother said, “You’re wrong. Everyone in heaven and earth knows that Chan Er is your niece. If something really happens to her, how can you maintain your face?”
The Jade Emperor’s face was as cold as frost. He said, “If something really happens to Chan’er, I’d actually be glad. I’ve been struggling to find an excuse to head west. Hehe.” Though he chuckled twice, there wasn’t the slightest trace of laughter on his face. His face, as pure and noble as jade, showed a strange expression—full of resentment and fury.