Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Chapter 58 Testing the Mind of Zen: Guanyin Seeks the Two Saints

Poetry:

When you look closely, it appears false; when you try to calculate it, you become foolish.

People vie to enter the bewildering maze, but few ever visit the gate of liberation.

Worldly affairs are often erroneous in haste; the secrets of heaven must be discerned in stillness.

The hermit does not understand its meaning, but the clear breeze and bright moon know it for themselves.

Meanwhile, Muzha, having been injured in his primordial spirit by Li Fa, knew that if he continued to fight, he would not only fail to capture his opponent but also lose his life in the Flowing Sand River. He immediately gritted his teeth and activated his magic power, using the dense fog to conceal his figure. He rode the raging wind and fled rapidly towards Mount Putuo.

Before long, Mount Putuo came into view.

White clouds swirled among the mountains, purple mist swirled, exotic flowers and rare herbs bloomed everywhere, and mythical birds and beasts roamed about, truly a scene of a serene Buddhist paradise.

Twenty-four celestial beings were already patrolling outside the mountain gate. Seeing Moksha approaching with a pale face and weak breath, they quickly stepped forward to stop him, greeting him and asking, "Where does Huian the Pilgrim come from? Why are you in such a sorry state?"

Moksha, having no time for further words, urgently asked, "Venerable ones, where is the Bodhisattva now?"

The gods said, "The Bodhisattva just rode a cloud to Mount Ling to listen to the World-Honored One expound the wondrous Dharma of Mahayana. He has not yet returned, and we do not know when he will return either."

Upon hearing this, Mokcha felt a surge of anger.

Just as they were feeling troubled, they suddenly saw thousands of auspicious wisps of air and bursts of strange light, with auspicious clouds drifting in the sky and a fragrant aroma wafting through the air.

Indeed, it is the Bodhisattva who has returned.

But then they saw Guanyin Bodhisattva sitting on a lotus throne, holding a willow branch and a vase, followed by Sudhana and the Dragon Girl, descending slowly from the direction of Mount Ling.

Moksha immediately stepped forward and prostrated himself, saying, "Disciple Moksha greets the Bodhisattva."

Seeing his pale face and fluctuating spirit, the Bodhisattva hurriedly asked, "Mukcha, I clearly ordered you to guard Sha Wujing at the Flowing Sand River and wait for Tang Sanzang. Why are you not on duty and instead returned to the mountain injured? Could it be that Sha Wujing is unruly and disobeys the Buddha's orders, and has rebelled against the Flowing Sand River?"

Moksha prostrated himself and said, "This disciple is incompetent and has failed in his mission. Please punish me, Bodhisattva."

The Bodhisattva said, "Rise and speak, and explain the reason in detail."

Mucha then rose tremblingly and bowed his head to report the whole story of the Flowing Sand River: "This disciple was ordered to guard the Flowing Sand River and await the pilgrims. Unexpectedly, a demon appeared, who was extremely skilled in transformation."

He disguised himself as Tang Sanzang and tricked Sha Wujing into shaving his head as a monk. The disciple couldn't stand it and fought with him. He was quite skilled, wielding a steel spear and being proficient in spear fighting, though only slightly inferior to me.

His magical abilities were countless, but he possessed an indestructible body, impervious to swords and spears. So the disciple tried to capture him using the Five Elements Escape Technique, which he indeed mastered, and thus broke through my magic.

Fortunately, I caught him off guard and used the Rainbow Rope to lock his magic power. I intended to escort him back to the Bodhisattva for punishment, but unexpectedly, he had a flying sword technique that could pierce my heart. It struck my primordial spirit, and I was injured as a result.

Then the disciple unleashed his Samadhi True Fire, but the man produced a bowl from which he spewed water. The water and fire clashed, creating a dense fog that blotted out the sun, making it impossible to see even a few feet away. Fearing further harm, the disciple could only use the fog to escape and rush back to the mountain to apologize to the Bodhisattva.

Guanyin understood three parts of the story when she heard Muksha say that he was extremely skilled in transformation techniques and knew the Five Elements Escape Technique. When she heard Muksha say that the man had a bowl-shaped magic treasure, she knew that it was Li Fa without a doubt.

However, Guanyin did not know Li Fa's real name, so she could only say: "That fellow is the one I killed with the Three Lights Divine Water in the past. At that time, he did not have the Vajra Indestructible Body. I don't know where he cultivated this body."

At that time, I had seen him in Eagle's Sorrow Gorge and Black Wind Mountain, and I had long intended to subdue him.

Upon hearing this, Moksha repeatedly kowtowed, saying, "This disciple is incompetent; please punish me, Bodhisattva."

Guanyin Bodhisattva waved her hand: "This matter is not your fault. That fellow is full of tricks and strange methods. He has many magical treasures and protective supernatural powers. Not to mention you, even if I went to Black Wind Mountain myself that day, I would not have been able to capture him. It is already remarkable that you were able to escape unscathed."

After a moment of contemplation, she suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "You said he used a gun. Coincidentally, I went to Mount Ling to listen to the sutras today and heard Venerable Lingji say that the yellow-haired weasel was killed by a Taoist priest with a single spear thrust. It was probably this person who did it."

Upon hearing this, Moksha said, "It seems that this Taoist priest is his true form. But wasn't that weasel a protector appointed by Venerable Lingji? How come he is... Bodhisattva, if we let this continue, this person may become a disaster."

Guanyin nodded and said, "That's what I think too."

Moksha looked up and said, "What the Bodhisattva means is..."

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Go and rest. I have my own plan."

Mokcha dared not say more and immediately kowtowed, preparing to retreat to heal his wounds.

Unexpectedly, Guanyin suddenly spoke up and called out to him, "Wait a moment."

Moksha quickly stopped: "Does the Bodhisattva have any further instructions?"

Then Guanyin Bodhisattva used a willow branch to put a drop of the Three Lights Divine Water into the jade bottle, flicked it to Moksha, and said, "This drop of my divine water can strengthen the spirit, heal injuries, and rebuild the foundation of the Dao. Take it and refine it, and you will be cured in a short while."

Moksha received the divine water and was overjoyed. He repeatedly bowed and said, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your blessing! I am deeply grateful!"

Guanyin then said, "After you recover from your injuries, go immediately to Mount Wutai and Mount Emei to invite the Bodhisattvas Manjushri and Samantabhadra to Mount Putuo. Tell them that I have important matters to discuss with them."

Moksha accepted the order and went to heal his wounds.

It is said that when Mucha used the Three Lights Divine Water, it was indeed miraculously effective. In less than half an hour, his primordial spirit injury was healed and his magical power was fully restored.

He dared not delay and immediately rode the clouds to Mount Wutai.

On Mount Wutai, there lived his elder brother, Jinzha.

Seeing Mucha rushing over with a worried expression, Jinzha quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, asking in surprise, "Brother, why are you here? Didn't you have important business to attend to on the journey to the West?"

Moksha said, "Stop talking about that, brother! Where is Venerable Manjushri now?"

Seeing his hurried expression, Jinzha said no more: "The Venerable One is giving a sermon in the back mountain. Please wait a moment while I go and inform him."

Before long, Jinzha led Muzha to the Manjushri Bodhisattva Temple on the back mountain.

Manjushri Bodhisattva, seated on his lotus throne, saw Moksha arrive and asked, "Huian, the pilgrim, are not guarding the Flowing Sand River. What brings you here?"

Mucha bowed and said, "Disciple Mucha, by the decree of Venerable Guanyin, has come to respectfully invite Venerable Manjushri to visit Mount Putuo. Venerable Guanyin has important matters to discuss with you, and these are of great importance. Please depart immediately."

Upon hearing this, Manjushri nodded and said, "Since it is Venerable Guanyin who has summoned you, there must be a reason. You should return to Mount Putuo to report first, and I will arrive shortly after."

Mokcha accepted the order without hesitation, bowed respectfully, and hurriedly walked out.

Seeing his younger brother in such a hurry, Jinzha became curious and quickly chased after him outside the mountain gate, grabbing him and asking, "Brother, what urgent matter has made you so flustered? Has something gone wrong?"

When Mucha looked around and saw no one, he lowered his voice and told Jinzha everything about the Flowing Sand River.

Upon hearing this, Jin Zha's expression changed: "How dare someone be so audacious? Daring to obstruct my great cause and even injure my brothers! In that case, my brother, go ahead. I will accompany you and lend you a hand in capturing this scoundrel!"

Moksha was overjoyed: "Thank you so much, brother! With your help, our great undertaking is assured! I must hurry to Mount Emei to invite Master Samantabhadra, so I must take my leave now!"

Jinzha nodded: "Go quickly, I will meet you at Mount Putuo shortly."