Chapter 11: Sister Guanyin and Senior Brother

"Sister Guanyin, you called for me?" Hu Rong leapt into the sky, bowed respectfully to Guanyin with lowered eyes, and asked with a mischievous smile.

"You brazen monkey, a few days apart and you grow unruly again, daring to jest even before me—do you seek a beating?" Guanyin was startled when Hu Rong addressed her as 'Sister Guanyin.' It struck her as odd, yet for reasons unknown, she found the title pleasing and comfortable. Still, as a revered deity of the Western Paradise, she suppressed the unfamiliar sensation and reprimanded coldly.

Hu Rong chuckled, rubbing the golden hairs on the back of his hand. "Ever since you released me from beneath the Five Elements Mountain, I've regarded you as my kin reborn! Now that you have entrusted me with the task of escorting Master Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West for the scriptures, I am willing to bear this duty alone. From this day forward, I shall never slack, but remain by Master’s side day and night!"

"You monkey, don’t think I’m as naïve as those fairy maidens you’ve tricked and deceived!" Though Guanyin spoke sternly, her face was clearly touched with amusement. "You smooth-talking rascal, let me ask you: if you ignore my teachings, break the rules, and cause chaos as you did five hundred years ago, how should I punish you?"

Hu Rong pondered and replied, "Sister Guanyin, I was pressed beneath the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha for five hundred years, and I have repented for five centuries. I have long since awakened to the Buddha’s great vow of compassion and salvation for all beings. I will never repeat the reckless mistakes of my youth. I implore you to see this clearly!"

Guanyin said nothing but turned her gaze to Tang Sanzang and the White Dragon Horse beside him. She recalled the many times Tang Sanzang had interceded for Hu Rong, feeling that in just a few days, the bond between master and disciple had grown deep and sincere. Perhaps this was destiny. Thus, she refrained from discussing the golden circlet for Hu Rong.

Instead, she pointed to the White Dragon Horse and explained, "The journey to Spirit Mountain is one hundred and eight thousand li. Ordinary horses could never endure such a journey, so I specially requested the Jade Emperor to grant me this Little White Dragon, transformed into the White Dragon Horse to serve as Tang Sanzang’s steed."

"Thank you, Sister Guanyin, for your thoughtful care! From now on, I will protect Master alongside Little White Dragon, ensuring he suffers neither sun nor rain!" Hu Rong swore earnestly, beating his chest in promise.

"Enough! The matter here is settled. I shall return to the Southern Sea!" Guanyin waved her hand, sending Hu Rong back to Tang Sanzang’s side. She herself prepared to depart, gathering clouds beneath her sleeves, when Hu Rong suddenly grabbed her in alarm.

"Sister Guanyin, the road west is perilous and rough, full of demons and monsters. I fear I lack the strength to defend Master’s life!"

Guanyin, holding her willow branch, regarded him with mild surprise. "When you were born, you feared neither heaven nor earth. Why now, when tasked to protect the scripture seeker, do you shrink from the challenge?"

"Sister Guanyin, it’s not like that!" Hu Rong scratched his furry head. "I was trapped beneath the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, and my cultivation has languished. I fear that if we encounter a great demon on the road to the West, I will be powerless to help!"

"You sly monkey, after all your words, you just want me to grant you some benefits, don’t you?" Guanyin spoke with a playful sternness. "Wukong, if you ever reach a place of true suffering, you may call upon heaven and earth and they will answer you. Should you find yourself in an inescapable abyss, I will come myself to save you. Now, come closer, and I shall bestow you another skill."

With that, Guanyin plucked three leaves from her willow branch and placed them behind Hu Rong’s head, transforming them with her magic into three golden, luminous hairs.

When she had finished, Guanyin said, "These three lifesaving hairs I bestow upon you can be used in moments of dire peril, adapting to the situation and rescuing you from hardship."

"Thank you, Sister Guanyin! Thank you!" Hu Rong expressed his gratitude repeatedly, then greedily eyed the willow branch in her hand and whispered, "By the way, Sister Guanyin, might you grant me a few handy magical treasures as well?"

But Guanyin ignored this request. Fragrant winds and colorful mists circled her; with a swift rise, she ascended into the clouds, flying straight toward Mount Putuo in the Southern Sea, vanishing without a trace.

"Sister Guanyin is rather stingy," Hu Rong muttered as he watched her depart, then descended from the clouds, dismissed Jie Di and Gong Cao, and grabbed the mane of the White Dragon Horse, saying to Tang Sanzang, "Master, please mount!"

Tang Sanzang looked at the White Dragon Horse hesitantly. "Wukong, this horse is indeed majestic and powerful, but without saddle or bridle, how am I to ride it? Perhaps it’s best to find a boat to cross the stream first, then decide."

"Very well, Master. I’ll follow your lead!" Unlike the original Journey to the West, Hu Rong did not contradict Tang Sanzang. He patted the White Dragon Horse to follow the master, then leaped to the stream’s edge to peer into its depths.

As the appointed scripture seeker, Tang Sanzang’s journey west had long been arranged by the Buddha. Thus, Hu Rong wisely refrained from causing trouble, knowing that apart from uninvited demons, the pilgrimage team lacked nothing.

Sure enough, in the distance, upstream of the Eagle Sorrow Gorge, there was a fisherman, steering a raft made of deadwood down the current.

Hu Rong recognized the fisherman as a "plant" sent by Guanyin and said nothing, merely waving his furry arm to call out:

"Boatman, I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, and beside me stands the eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty, my master Tang Sanzang. Please come over and ferry the master across!"

"This damned monkey, does he speak like a human..." the water deity disguised as the fisherman muttered inwardly, but his hands did not slacken; he quickly brought the raft to shore and respectfully helped Tang Sanzang aboard.

Hu Rong placed the luggage on the White Dragon Horse’s back, then jumped onto the raft, steadying Tang Sanzang as he sat.

The old fisherman took up his bamboo pole, propelling the raft swiftly over the turbulent Eagle Sorrow Gorge, soon reaching the western bank.

"Wukong, there are some copper coins in my bundle. Take them and pay him for the crossing," Tang Sanzang nodded slightly in suggestion.

"Hmm?" Hu Rong’s eyes widened. "You want to pay him?"

The old fisherman hurriedly pushed the raft away from the shore, calling out, "No need for payment, no need!" As he spoke, the raft drifted off, becoming a black shadow in the gorge.

"Amitabha, this benefactor is simple and kind. May the Buddha bless him!" Tang Sanzang felt embarrassed and pressed his palms together in gratitude.

"Amitabha!" Hu Rong mimicked a monk’s gesture, then pushed the luggage further onto the White Dragon Horse, laid a few blankets over its back, and helped Tang Sanzang mount, gripping the horse’s mane.

"Wukong, isn’t this rather improper..." Tang Sanzang, riding the White Dragon Horse and following Hu Rong, glanced at the two bundles on the horse’s back and asked hesitantly.

"It’s nothing, Master! Little White Dragon is a dragon; he can swallow clouds and breathe mist, overturn rivers and seas. The weight of this luggage is nothing to him!" Hu Rong said, striding onto the western road.

"Big Brother... what you say makes sense! But right now, I’m just a horse!" Little White Dragon looked at Hu Rong’s dashing figure, whimpered softly, and carried Tang Sanzang closely behind...