The Monkey King

The sun rises slowly, and the sunlight shines on the earth through the gaps in the clouds, leaving golden flowers on the rolling mountains, like rays of holy light falling from the sky, nourishing all things.

Looking from a distance, it feels like a dream.

On the winding mountain road, the monkey walked at the front holding a golden hoop, always keeping a distance of two to three feet from Xuanzang. Xiao Bailong pulled the horse and walked at the end.

The journey to the west is full of wind and frost, but it turns out that there are also beautiful scenery along the way, which makes people unable to help but stop.

Monkeys have already walked this way eight hundred years ago.

I vaguely remember the monkey half squatting on the tree, holding tightly the unripe wild orange that he finally found with both hands, looking around with wide red eyes in horror, every hair standing on end. In the end, he swallowed the orange peel together.

Even the monkey himself couldn't tell what the look in his eyes was like at that moment. Maybe it's no different from those hungry wolves in the wilderness.

At that time, he only had obsessions in his heart, only the desire to live, and only full fear of the world, and he could no longer hold anything extra. So many years later, when I think back, I only remember endless hunger, endless panic, and boundless coldness.

A thin monkey, but he insists on walking barefoot for thousands of miles, traveling through hell alone, to pursue an unattainable dream... Living is fear, cold, hunger, and... It's suffering.

At that moment, life had long since withered for him, leaving only the desire to move forward. Only the obsession that is burned into the soul is left. That feeling cannot be let go even if a hundred years pass.

Therefore, he can rather die than surrender. He has unparalleled courage because it is in his heart. There is nothing behind but desolation.

Since you have nothing, why should you fear losing it? Gritting his teeth, he could face any hardship.

The road to seeking immortality that started prematurely brought endless hardships, and these hardships gave him an extremely tough heart. Let him defeat one opponent after another along the way. Overcame one difficulty after another.

The moment I saw the vermilion gate on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, I felt so bitter that it was beyond words.

Even after he has gone through such a journey, what else in this world can stump him?

He used to think this way until the moment he faced Tathagata.

It turns out that the most terrifying thing in this world is not having nothing. But after you get it, you lose it again, which is helpless in the face of the moment of loss.

That was the first time that he bowed his head to his most hated enemy. For the first time, he was truly willing to be a dog in order to hold on to what he had.

However, his opponent didn't even give him such a chance, but instead threw him into the abyss of regret.

He was really defeated in that battle six hundred and fifty years ago. He was completely defeated, defeated by himself, and defeated by the fragile heart that he had always ignored.

The hard struggle, in the end, only resulted in an extension of one hundred and fifty years of imprisonment. What kind of despair was that, even the anger was extinguished because of the loss of the remaining fuel.

Six hundred and fifty years. Until the moment he stepped out of Five Elements Mountain, he didn't even know how to face the world again. He could only go to the East China Sea to find Ao Tingxin, because he knew that this wise woman would not dare to offend him.

Standing on the mountainside, the monkey leaned on the golden hoop and looked down at the stretching mountains below with some confusion, and looked at the changing clouds on the horizon.

Xuanzang passed by him, stopped, and asked softly: "What are you thinking about?"

The monkey lowered his head and smiled and said, "I'm just remembering some old things, it's nothing."

"But there is pain in my heart that is hard to express?"

The monkey opened his mouth slightly, but for a long time, it just turned into a sigh and said softly: "If you can't defeat Tathagata, I'm afraid you won't be able to escape from this suffering forever. Let's go, no matter what, I will send you to Lingshan Great Thunder Sound Temple. If the Buddha stands in the way, the Buddha will be killed."

As he spoke, he leaned on the golden hoop and moved forward step by step, leaving Xuanzang standing alone and watching silently.

The little white dragon who was left behind slowly followed up with his white horse.

Looking at the little white dragon lightly, Xuanzang sighed softly: "I heard that the flat peach only has one year, wouldn't Donor Ao take the time to send the flat peach back first?"

"This..." Xiao Bailong looked back at the position of the flat peach in the luggage on the horse, and said with a dry smile: "I have to let the Great Sage allow me to go away. Don't be afraid, you will pass by my house on the way to the west here. It won’t be long before it arrives.”

Xuanzang nodded silently: "That's good. I have wronged Donor Ao along the way."

"Don't." Xiao Bailong waved his hands quickly and said, "Master Xuanzang, please don't say that. If the Great Sage hears it, he might give me a lecture."

Xuanzang smiled faintly, and the two walked side by side, gradually gaining some distance from the monkey.

Behind the rocks at the foot of the mountain, a monk quietly shrank his head and carefully observed the three of them.

The monkey immediately slowed down until he was parallel to Xuanzang. He whispered: "Someone has been following us."

"Oh?" Xuanzang was slightly stunned and asked in a low voice, "Do you know who it is?"

"I'm not sure. His cultivation level is very weak, and he's just a little stronger than a mortal. It feels like he's not a Taoist, nor a monster."

"So, it's Buddhism?" Xuanzang reached out and pulled out a silk map from the shelf on his horse, and unfolded it to look at it as he walked.

After a while, Xuanzang pointed to the high mountain ahead and whispered to the monkey: "There is a famous temple ahead."

"Famous temple? It can't be Guanyin Temple, right?"

Hearing this, Xuanzang frowned slightly and said, "Does the Great Sage know?"

The monkey shook his head and said, "Needless to say, there is a Black Wind Mountain next to it."

Rewinding the map in his hand and putting it back into his bag, Xuanzang asked softly: "Great Sage, have you been here before?"

"I haven't been here, but it's best to take a detour." The monkey took a deep breath and sighed: "There may be an old monk who has lived for hundreds of years in Guanyin Temple. He is very greedy. There may be an old monk in Heifeng Mountain. Just a black bear spirit with decent cultivation. I mean it’s possible.”

Walking slowly, Xuanzang asked casually: "Great Sage, don't you want to meet with your former subordinates?"

"It's not an old man." The monkey shook his head and said: "I don't know that black bear spirit at all, I'm just afraid of causing trouble. Now it's said that eating your meat will make you immortal, and taking your cassock will make you ascend in the daytime. There's no guarantee. They won’t have an idea.”

"What if the poor monk wants to go to Tiger Mountain knowing that there are tigers in the mountain?"

The monkey raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Xuanzang: "You can go, but don't leave me five steps away."

"The poor monk understands."

…

A magnificent Buddhist temple on a high mountain in the distance is filled with incense and the sound of chanting is endless.

A young monk ran across the empty courtyard and headed straight to the meditation room, holding his front skirt in hand.

When he opened the door, he saw a middle-aged monk in the Zen room who looked to be no more than forty or fifty years old, sitting upright, beating wooden fish and chanting sutras. This person was the monk who was with Manjusri that day.

"Master, master." The monk from that year ago said eagerly: "There was a demon monkey, a wandering monk and a layman who went up the mountain together. The wandering monk looked very similar to Xuanzang, whom the master mentioned that day."

The monk's hand that struck the wooden fish paused slightly. Slowly open your eyes. He smiled and said, "Open the door to welcome you."

"Disciple, obey."

…

The ringing of bells spread throughout the mountains and fields.

From a distance, the three of them saw the Guanyin Temple, which was as magnificent as a palace and was located on the mountain peak.

Towering courtyard walls and pagodas more than ten feet high, curling clouds of smoke rise from the gaps in the buildings and float high into the sky.

"Don't leave five steps away from me." The monkey whispered again.

Xuanzang nodded silently, but Ao Lie beside him had a look of astonishment.

"Don't leave five steps? We are just placing an order. Could anything else happen?"

Before Ao Lie could react. The vermilion door opened with a bang, and more than ten monks in blue robes filed out and lined up on both sides. Three people in red cassocks who looked like eminent monks walked out of the center.

The one in the middle is the monk who went with Manjusri to observe Xuanzang that day. I saw him clasping his hands together and saluting Xuanzang from a distance: "I have been waiting for Master Xuanzang for a long time, poor monk Jinchi."

After that, with a smile on his face, he walked towards the three of them step by step with two other men who looked like eminent monks.

Xuanzang returned the greeting with his hands folded and said respectfully: "The poor monk Xuanzang has met the Master Jinchi. The poor monk is just a wandering monk. It is a great honor to bother the Master Jinchi to greet him personally."

"Hey, Master Xuanzang, don't be too polite." The Master Jinchi fluttered his sleeves and walked slowly to Xuanzang. He stretched out his hand to take Xuanzang with a smile, but was stopped by the monkey with a stick. Went back.

Jinchi was startled and looked at the monkey with fear. The pair of eyes widened and said: "This is..."

Xuanzang said softly: "This is a friend of the poor monk, his name is Sun Wukong, and he is not a Buddhist. We walked together along the way, and thanks to his care, the poor monk had a smooth journey. Wherever he offended, he returned the favor. Please don’t blame me.”

The monks on the side watched the monkey warily.

"Oh? Sun Wukong?" Jin Chi calmed down, glanced at the monkey, stretched out his hand and said, "It's better to invite Master Xuanzang to come into the temple and sit down."

As he said that, he raised his head and glanced at Monkey and Ao Lie for a moment, saying, "Since the other two are here, it's cool here, so let's invite them too."

The tone of these words changed immediately, and they were completely different from each other, and the contempt in their eyes was even more vague.

For a moment, the monkey's brows couldn't help but frown slightly. The little white dragon on the side also looked at the monkey in horror. Even Xuanzang couldn't help but glance at the monkey.

How many years has it been since no one dared to talk to him like this?

Wei Wei was stunned, but the monkey just calmed down and did not have an attack.

Only then did Xuanzang and Ao Lie feel a little relieved.

The group walked slowly into the temple. Xuanzang and Jinchi walked side by side. Xuanzang said casually: "Xuanzang's journey to the west was not made with much fanfare. I wonder where Master Jinchi learned that the poor monk was coming?"

"Master Xuanzang went west to seek Dharma in order to save all sentient beings. Even if such a great cause is not made public, how can it be concealed? Of course the poor monk knows this."

Ao Lie leaned next to the monkey and said, "Answering is the same as not answering. There must be something wrong with the old guy."

"Shh, keep your voice down," the monkey replied in a low voice.

Looking around, the monks following the two of them seemed to be all focused on the monkeys and not paying attention to Xuanzang in front of them. Some of them even turned pale with fright, and even their walking postures seemed to be... It's as mechanical as wearing a pair of high clogs.

"Hey, they know who I am and they pretend to look like me."

Xiao Bailong pursed his lips and whispered: "I have to admire them. If it were me, I wouldn't have the guts to pretend in front of you even if I was given huge benefits. This is a job that can lead to death if you're not careful."

Along the way, Jin Chi enthusiastically introduced the surrounding scenery, from the podocarpus in front of the door, to the Bodhi tree in the courtyard, to the towering pagoda, the magnificent temple, and the golden Buddha statues, one by one. , introduced in detail, with a proud look in his words. From beginning to end, Xuanzang just nodded silently, looked at it casually, and didn't comment much.

This Guanyin Temple is not big, it can accommodate hundreds of monks. If you really want to visit it, it will take about half a day. But just a third of the way, perhaps because of Xuanzang's indifferent reaction, Jinchi seemed to be at a loss for words, so he had to wave his hand and lead the three of them to the main hall, and asked his monks to show them their seats. He puffed up his sleeves and sat down on the main seat.

When the tea was served, Jinchi asked softly: "Master Xuanzang also took a general look at the poor monk's Guanyin Temple. I wonder, how does it compare with your Jinshan Temple?"

Xuanzang clasped his hands together and said calmly: "The temple is magnificent and the scenery is pleasant, incomparable to Jinshan Temple."

"Oh?" After hearing this, the smile reappeared on Jin Chi's face. He patted his thigh and said with a smile: "Then, if there are any shortcomings, please ask Master Xuanzang to point out. I'll wait. Good to correct.”

"This is the shortcoming..." Xuanzang hesitated for a moment, lowered his eyes, and said softly: "Everything is fine, except that the word 'Buddha' is missing."

All the monks present were slightly startled and looked at Xuanzang.

Monkey also raised his eyebrows and looked at Xuanzang.

Hearing this, Jin Chi frowned, pursed his lips and thought for a moment, then half-squinted his eyes and said, "I don't understand very well, please ask Master Xuanzang for clarification."

"Amitabha." Xuanzang clasped his hands together, glanced at the monks on both sides, and said, "I'm afraid it will be inconvenient to speak here."

"What's the inconvenience?" Jin Chi lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and said with a faint smile: "The poor monk is already 270 years old. Although his Dharma power is weak, he has never been able to enter the Buddha realm. The more he debates the sutras, the clearer he becomes. , if you have any questions, why don’t we take it out and read it together, so that the poor monks can know why Jin Chanzi lost the Buddha’s golden body that day.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the entire hall became a little colder. It seemed that he had already prepared his words. Everyone's eyes were focused on Xuanzang.

Xuanzang's expression remained unchanged and he said softly: "Since Master Jinchi said this, Xuanzang will be bold." (To be continued ~^~)

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