It is said that the Bodhi Patriarch received an invitation from the Western Saint Old Tathagata to participate in a Dharma assembly, and entrusted all matters of the cave dwelling to Jiang Tong'er.
Jiang Yuan responded, "Disciple will definitely guard the cave dwelling and will not allow demons and monsters to disturb the home. Master, please rest assured."
The Patriarch smiled and nodded.
How could he not be at ease with this disciple? He knew that among the many disciples, only Tong'er received his true teachings.
If he were not present, Tong'er would surely keep watch and prevent any chaos from arising in the cave.
In the assembly, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea heard this and, using his Dharma eye to observe Tong'er, saw that among the five, three had returned.
He was slightly startled and said, "Dao brother, when I last saw Guangxin, his heart monkey was unsettled. It has been nearly five hundred years since then; how could he have achieved such progress? It seems he is indeed a rare talent."
The Patriarch shook his head and said, "Tong'er is unruly and should not be evaluated by the Bodhisattva in this manner. His alchemical path has not yet been completed, and as for attaining the Dao, he is still far from it. Let us not speak of it!"
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva shook his head and said, "Dao brother, why do you say such things? The beings of the Southern Zhanbu Continent are greedy for power, their primordial spirits half-hidden. Guangxin, as a being of the Southern Zhanbu Continent, has cultivated to this level despite the leakage of his qi and the failure of his efforts. If he were to seize the right opportunity, he would achieve great fortune!"
Jiang Tong'er repeatedly said, "I dare not."
The Patriarch smiled silently and, after a while, called for the Bodhisattva to depart with him, leaving Tong'er to watch over the cave.
Jiang Yuan saw the Patriarch off from the Three Stars Immortal Cave and then watched as the Bodhisattva stepped onto the clouds and mist, heading westward alongside the Patriarch.
Once the Patriarch had departed, Jiang Yuan returned to the cave dwelling.
He recounted the Patriarch's departure to the disciples of the Three Stars Immortal Cave before returning to his quiet chamber, calming his mind to seek the Wood Mother.
...
In the quiet chamber.
One day, Jiang Yuan diligently cultivated, settling his mind, and focused on summoning the Wood Mother to reveal herself.
The five corresponded to the five organs: the heart monkey represented the heart, the intention horse represented the kidneys, the golden public represented the lungs, the Wood Mother represented the liver, and the yellow grandmother represented the spleen.
The Patriarch had said that the Wood Mother was easy to find, and he would take a look to see where she was located.
Jiang Tong'er entered a meditative state and saw that the qi in his liver was murky and dark.
He instructed the heart monkey to break through, and as he entered, he faintly perceived something emerging from within the liver.
"Liver gate..."
"The heart monkey resides in the heart palace, the golden public manifests in the lung abode, the intention horse creates the water pavilion, and now I see the Wood Mother dwelling in the liver gate. Could it be that I cannot break through this gate?"
"The Master has said that the Wood Mother relies on persuasion; how can I see the Wood Mother if I do not speak to her?"
Jiang Yuan focused his mind on entering the gate to see where the Wood Mother was, so he could invite her.
As he entered the gate, a black wind rose, darkening the sun and moon, causing ghosts and spirits to weep, and there were hints of poisonous demons and evil creatures hiding within.
Jiang Yuan felt uneasy; how could such a scene appear in his liver gate?
Tong'er was perplexed, and the mud palace trembled greatly.
A primordial spirit came to report that this was the place where the Wood Mother desired to hide.
During the day, he often maintained a mind as calm as water, due to the Wood Mother's desire for him, which led him not to seek desires.
Now, to attain the righteous path, he needed to invite the Wood Mother, and he was determined to resolve this desire, so he could teach the Wood Mother to uphold her precepts and ask her to assist him.
Jiang Tong'er silently said to himself, "The Master has said that the Wood Mother relies on persuasion; indeed, it is like this. To persuade the Wood Mother to uphold her precepts is the way to achieve the Dao."
Leaving the five he had invited, he was left with two others, and he would naturally gather his strength.
Jiang Yuan entered the gate with his mind to seek the Wood Mother.
Before long, he saw a person sitting cross-legged within the gate.
As he looked closely, this person resembled him, but their appearance constantly changed—sometimes a tiger face, sometimes a pig face, sometimes a dragon face, and sometimes a wolf face, totaling eight faces.
The transformations were unpredictable, as if he were seeing a true demon.
The Wood Mother sensed Tong'er's mind approaching but did not make a sound, merely sitting within the gate.
Jiang Yuan then directed his mind to bow before the Wood Mother.
The Wood Mother transformed into a tiger face, baring her teeth and claws, and said, "What brings you here?"
Jiang Yuan performed a bow and said, "I have come to invite the Wood Mother. Today, the five of us shall return to protect our primordial spirits and cultivate the alchemical path together."
The Wood Mother also took on his form, not needing to speak secretly; she was aware that he needed to persuade her in order to gain her assistance.
The Wood Mother bared her teeth and took on a wolf-like appearance, saying, "What is so good about the alchemical path? Why not descend the mountain to seek a good partner, to carry on the family line? You could become an ancestor, achieving half of immortality. Descending the mountain would bring you great leisure; why endure this bitter cultivation?"
Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Without the alchemical path, cultivation is in vain. Regardless of the myriad pleasures and wonders, in the end, it is all empty. This bitterness is merely the beginning of sweetness."
The Wood Mother then transformed into a pig-like form and said, "Cultivation is exhausting. With your abilities, you could descend the mountain to become a family head, enjoying countless beauties and reveling in song every night. You must know to seize the moment and enjoy life."
Jiang Tong'er replied, "Cultivation can also be a form of enjoyment."
The Wood Mother transformed into a dragon-like form and said, "You cultivate the alchemical path, enduring such hardships for hundreds of years without success. The essence of heaven and earth in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent can be easily obtained; how can you cultivate?"
Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "I have my own path; why should I care about others? Immortality is for me; there is no need to compare."
His resolve was firm; how could mere words sway him?
The Wood Mother saw that she could not persuade Tong'er and suddenly changed her expression, taking on the fierce visage of 'Ladi' from their journey westward, saying harshly, "You cultivate the path of immortality; how do you know the suffering we endure in the sea of bitterness? Why can you cultivate for immortality while we struggle in the sea of suffering?"
Jiang Yuan replied, "All beings suffer in the sea of bitterness; only self-liberation is possible. The Dao is always present."
Tong'er was no longer the same as he was in the past, easily deceived by the 'appearance of all beings' during his journey along the Golden Road to the West.
Seeing that Jiang Yuan was like water that could not be poured in or pierced by needles, the Wood Mother simply ceased to speak, closing her eyes and blocking her ears, ignoring Tong'er.
Jiang Yuan said, "Wood Mother, why must you act this way?"
The Wood Mother remained unresponsive.
Jiang Yuan fell silent, knowing that the Wood Mother would not speak to him, and he could only withdraw his mind.
In the chamber.
Jiang Tong'er opened his eyes and walked out of the Three Stars Immortal Cave, noticing that "the eastern sky was slightly brightening," realizing that a night had passed without him noticing.
He was astonished, not expecting that the conversation with the Wood Mother had lasted an entire night.
The Wood Mother was impervious to reason, making her difficult to deal with, yet inviting her required a 'persuasion.'
"The Wood Mother has no precepts and possesses eight forms, revealing eight natures. Even if I have a silver tongue, how can I persuade these eight natures to make the Wood Mother willingly submit and assist me?"
"The Wood Mother I seek is indeed different from the heart monkey, golden public, and intention horse."
Jiang Yuan would rather engage in a battle than rely on mere 'persuasion' like this.
He stood outside the immortal cave for a short while before returning to the quiet chamber, where he encountered a junior brother named Ru Hai on the way.
This junior brother was a being from the Western Niu Hezhou, cultivating the path of the 'movement' character, engaging in practices such as refining red lead and supplementing yin with yang.
Ru Hai approached, bowed, and said, "Elder brother, please walk slowly!"
Jiang Yuan paused and asked, "Is there something you need?"
Ru Hai replied, "Elder brother, I wish to descend the mountain, and I specifically want to take my leave from you. I cultivate the path of the 'movement' character, and I cannot practice it well on the mountain."
Jiang Yuan pointed to the cave's main entrance and said, "The path lies beneath your feet. The Master is not in the cave, and no one will stop you."
Ru Hai was overjoyed to hear this and immediately went outside the cave, not bothering to bid farewell.
Jiang Yuan watched Ru Hai leave without commenting, just as he had spoken with the Wood Mother; the Dao is always present.
However, now that the Patriarch had just departed, the disciples in the immortal cave could not contain themselves and all wished to leave.
Little did they know, once they exited the Three Stars Immortal Cave, they would be far from the Dao.
Just like in the past, when Da Hui, in his laziness, deceived others, thinking he had attained true cultivation, only to later become fodder for the mountain tiger.
The Patriarch had instructed him to watch over the cave, and with the disciples wanting to leave, how could he stop them? He could only guard the dwelling and prevent demons and monsters from invading.
Though he did not possess the great power of the Patriarch, he still had some small abilities.
If true demons and monsters came, he would not fear them.
Jiang Tong'er headed to the quiet chamber, contemplating a method to persuade the Wood Mother.
At this moment, he truly needed to gather his strength, so that when the five returned to their positions, they could cultivate the Golden Elixir together, and he would not dare to lose heart...
New book period seeking readers~
(End of chapter)