Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 293 - 71 Each One’s Story
Tang Monk and his disciples traveled westward, not knowing how many hardships and dangers they encountered. They passed Flat Top Mountain, traversed through the Kingdom of Black Rooster and even captured the Red Child in the Fire Cloud Cave of the withered pine valley before finally reaching the banks of the Black Water River.
The Dragon Son had long since transformed into a boatman, steadying a small boat, quietly waiting on the black waters.
The master and disciples were discussing how to cross the river on the shore.
Tang Monk said, "How shall we cross this river? Which one of you three disciples will carry me across?"
Upon hearing these words, the three disciples shook their heads one after another. Tang Monk was not an ordinary mortal man; his body housed endless human fortune and destiny. To carry Tang Monk was to bear the endless fortune and destiny of the human path and all its causalities. Under such circumstances, which of the immortal gods would dare to carry him?
Just when they were at their wits’ end, they saw a small boat crossing the river and joyfully called out, "Boatman, come ferry us across! Come ferry us across!"
Xiao Qi had already transformed into an old man with white whiskers, wearing a straw raincoat, his face covered with deep wrinkles. He rowed the boat slowly toward the master and disciples.
As he walked forward, he said, "This boat is small and may not ferry all of you at once."
The Monkey had fiery brass eyes. At first, from a distance, he did not see clearly, but upon closer inspection, he naturally saw through the Dragon Son’s disguise. Given his temper, he would have liked to lift his Jingu Bang and strike, but just then, he noticed the mark left on Xiao Qi by Lu Yu.
"I heard that the Scholar took the Seventh Son of the Jing River Dragon King as his disciple. Last time I heard him mention that my nephew had a stroke of luck to cultivate in the west by becoming an ordeal. I did not expect to encounter him so soon," the Monkey thought to himself.
Ever since he figured out the true nature of the Journey to the West, the Monkey had been taking the easy way whenever he could, seeking help wherever possible. He knew that at that very moment, his own reputation was great, and anyone he asked for help was undoubtedly happy to come to his aid. This delighted the Monkey, who always cared about appearances.
Now that he had recognized the identity of the Dragon Son, he naturally would not expose him and merely smiled, "That’s not a problem, we brothers all possess divine skills. You just need to ferry my master across the river, and that will be fine."
The Dragon Son gently adjusted the conical hat on his head and said with a smile, "That could work."
Meanwhile, he cast stealthy glances at the Monkey. He had only heard of this famous great uncle from others and had never seen his true face. The last time the Monkey visited Lu Yu, he was not present, so he had no chance to meet him.
After sneaking a few glances, the Dragon Son found that his famous great uncle indeed did not look like the Great Sage Equalling Heaven as described by his elder brother—the short stature and frail body made it difficult for him to connect this image with the mighty and imposing great uncle.
So, the Dragon Son ferried Tang Monk on the river, while the three brothers followed through the air. Reaching the middle of the river, the Dragon Son used a spell, manipulated the waters, and instantly submerged the little boat, abducting Tang Monk back to the Water Mansion.
Bajie said, "Here we go again, the old monk’s ordeal has come." His expression, however, was very relaxed, seemingly not worried at all.
"Brother Bajie, the master has been captured by a demon, but you aren’t worried at all," the honest Sand Monk asked hastily.
Bajie chuckled, "I’m not worried about Master’s safety. If you don’t believe me, ask him." He then pointed at Monkey.
Sand Monk looked at Monkey with a perplexed expression, hoping to get an answer.
But Monkey just grinned and said, "You fool, you’re the best at being sneaky. When did you notice?"
Instead of directly answering Sand Monk’s question, Monkey turned the question back to Bajie, still with a smile.
"My dear brother, your searing eyes are not just for show. How could this fellow’s disguise ever fool your sight? Moreover, given your nature, if he were truly a stranger with no clear background, would you be at ease letting the old monk board the boat alone?"
"It’s you, the simpleton, who is most alert. Truth be told, this boatman is none other than the seventh son of the Jing River Dragon King. He is Lu Yu’s disciple, naturally my nephew in the ways of teaching, and he bears the marks left by Lu Yu, so I’m not worried at all," Monkey explained with a laugh.
Upon hearing this, Bajie immediately burst into laughter, "Since he is Lu Yu’s disciple, that makes him our nephew. Why not have our nephew set up a feast for us? We brothers can have a good meal, and when the time comes, we can present the Master, wouldn’t that be splendid?"
"That won’t do. Although we all know what’s going on, we can’t make it too obvious. Besides, Lu Yu once got rid of me to put his own disciple through trials. Both of you are skilled in water battles, so take this opportunity to practice," Monkey suggested.
As soon as Monkey said this, the eyes of Bajie and Sand Monk lit up. Since their Journey to the West had begun, most of the demons they encountered were on land, some with special divine skills, others with powerful magical treasures. The two of them used to be warriors in the Heavenly Court but had never had a chance to show their martial prowess. Now this great opportunity was before them, and they were itching to give it a try.
Seeing their eagerness, Monkey clapped his hands and laughed, "Good, then your brother will wait on the shore for my two junior brothers’ victorious news."
Meanwhile, Dragon Son had kidnapped Tang Monk to the Water Mansion but did not dare to show any disrespect; after all, Tang Monk was a good friend of his master. Neglecting him would bring dishonor to his master.
He had no choice but to confine Tang Monk in a quite elegant room within the Water Mansion and don his armor, ready to face Bajie and Sand Monk at any moment. He was eager to test his skills against his seniors, knowing that such opportunities were rare, not every day do warriors with reputations from the Heavenly Court come down for sparring.
Soon he heard some noise outside. He grabbed his weapon and hurriedly went out the door, ready for a proper meeting with these ’junior uncles.’
Back in the Great Tang Imperial Palace, Wu Meiniang was biting her pen with a frown, staring at the problem left by her teacher. She had come to detest this person named Xiao Ming. Why was he so annoying, appearing everywhere and always doing the most incomprehensible things?
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She swore inwardly that if she ever encountered this Xiao Ming, she would make him pay and put an end to his foolishness.
Looking up at the clear sky, with the sun shining and the breeze gentle, it was a perfect day to go out. Today, many foreign envoys were supposed to visit the Celestial Khan of Great Tang, a splendid sight to behold. There would be the dark-skinned, strong-as-an-ox Kunlun Slaves and fair-haired, blue-eyed foreigners.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t go and watch, but her teacher had promised to use a spell to let her view it, calling it a ’live broadcast.’ However, the precondition was that she had to complete her schoolwork for the day. Thinking of this, the once daunting schoolwork suddenly seemed less overwhelming.
So the future empress, with a grimace and furrowed brows, continued to immerse herself in the ocean of knowledge.
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