31. Majestic and Unmoving—Longevity Mountain

As the saying goes: On Longevity Mountain, the grass before the cliffs flourishes, and the fragrance of plum blossoms lingers on the ridges. Thickets of brambles grow thick and dense, while orchids and mushrooms exude a subtle purity. In the deep forests, eagles and phoenixes gather among a thousand birds, and ancient caves are guarded by unicorns ruling over myriad beasts. The stream winds affectionately, curling and twisting as if reluctant to leave; the mountain peaks stretch endlessly, layer upon layer, circling in perpetual embrace.

Within this Longevity Mountain stands a temple known as Five Villages Temple. Here resides an immortal whose Daoist name is Zhen Yuanzi, also called the Lord of the World. In his Five Villages Temple, he cultivates a primordial spiritual root, called Grass Elixir, commonly known as the Ginseng Fruit:

This fruit blooms once every three thousand years, bears fruit after another three thousand years, and takes yet another three thousand years to ripen; only after ten thousand years can it be eaten. Over these millennia, it produces merely thirty fruits, each resembling a child less than three days old, complete with limbs and features.

If one is so fortunate as to encounter this fruit and merely smell it, one’s lifespan extends by three hundred and sixty years; to eat it grants forty-seven thousand years of life!

One day, Zhen Yuanzi received an invitation from Yuanshi Tianzun of the Three Pure Ones, bidding him to the Mi Luo Palace in the Highest Heaven to attend a lecture on the "Primordial Dao Fruit." He resolved to take his forty-six disciples with him, leaving only two young pupils, Breeze and Bright Moon, to watch over the temple.

Though Breeze appears as a young boy, he has lived for one thousand three hundred and twenty years; Bright Moon, a bit younger, has existed for one thousand two hundred years.

Before departing, Zhen Yuanzi instructed the two, "I have received the invitation from the Grand Heavenly Lord and must go to Mi Luo Palace to hear the teachings. You two shall guard the temple. In a few days, an old friend of mine will pass by; do not slight him. Also, pick two ginseng fruits for him to enjoy."

The two nodded earnestly, and Breeze asked, "Master, what is the name of this friend? Please tell us so we may welcome him properly."

Zhen Yuanzi stroked his long beard and replied, "He is the sage monk from the Great Tang of the East, known as Tripitaka. At this moment, he is journeying west to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures."

Bright Moon smiled, and asked, "As the saying goes: 'If our paths diverge, we cannot work together.' We belong to the Daoist sect—how could we befriend a monk?"

Zhen Yuanzi sighed, "You do not understand. That monk is the reincarnation of Golden Cicada, originally the second disciple of the Western Buddha, Tathagata! About five hundred years ago, we met at the Orchid Bowl Assembly. He personally served me tea and honored me as a guest, which is why I consider him an old friend."

"Understood, Master! We shall remember!" Breeze and Bright Moon responded with solemn nods, promising to obey.

Zhen Yuanzi prepared to ascend on his cloud, but suddenly remembered something and landed again to remind them, "The fruits are few; you may give him only two, no more!"

Breeze replied, "When the orchard opened, all the disciples ate two; a thousand years ago, General Yuan stole eight; five hundred years ago, the Spider Fairy took two; now eighteen remain on the tree—we dare not waste any!"

Whenever Zhen Yuanzi heard this number, his heart would ache, so much so that he would tug out his own beard without noticing and only after some time regain his composed, virtuous demeanor.

He pondered for a moment before saying, "One more thing: though Tripitaka is my old friend, beware of his cunning disciples. The matter of the ginseng fruit must be kept secret from them!"

With these words, Zhen Yuanzi led his disciples up into the clouds, heading straight to the Heavenly Realm, quickly vanishing into a streak of light.

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong—the very one Zhen Yuanzi had labeled 'tricky'—was guiding Tripitaka along the main road. Soon, they encountered a lofty mountain barring their path.

"Wukong," Tripitaka reined in his horse and gazed at the towering mountain, "yet another mountain ahead. We must be cautious and not fall prey to demons!"

"Do not worry, Master. With the four of us, what demon would dare approach?" Sun Wukong surveyed the mountain, sensing a haze of immortality and clouds, yet uncertain where they had arrived.

After all, Sun Wukong had traversed the Journey to the West world for so long that he could only vaguely recall the original plot, so he could merely take things as they came.

"Disciples!" Tripitaka, riding atop his horse, exclaimed with joy, "Along the way west, we have passed many rugged and perilous places, but none possess the immortal scenery of this mountain! Could it be we have reached the Western Paradise, just a step from Thunder Monastery? If so, we must bathe and offer incense to worship the Buddha!"

Sun Wukong smiled, "Master, you’re overthinking it. We are still far away."

Sha Monk asked, "Elder Brother, how far is it to Thunder Monastery in the Western Paradise?"

Sun Wukong replied, "A full one hundred and eight thousand li; we’ve only traveled about one thousand eight hundred so far!"

Pigsy sighed, "My Monkey Brother, how many years will it take us to get there?"

Sun Wukong answered, "With you three, perhaps ten days would suffice; if I were to go alone, I could make the round trip over a hundred times in a day—before the sun sets!"

At this, Bear Gohan could not help but laugh.

"What, you doubt my virtue?" Sun Wukong cast a sharp glance at Bear Gohan.

"I believe, I believe!" Bear Gohan quickly stopped laughing and asked ingratiatingly, "If Master were to travel, how long would it take?"

"Wukong," Tripitaka grew interested, "what do you think?"

Sun Wukong shrugged, "Who knows? Perhaps fourteen or fifteen years, perhaps eighteen or nineteen."

"Amitabha!" Tripitaka recited a Buddhist verse and ceased to dwell on the matter, instead leading his disciples to wander among the mountains. Suddenly, he looked up and glimpsed, high among the pine forests, countless multi-tiered pavilions.

Tripitaka quickly asked, "Wukong, what is that place?"

Sun Wukong soared on clouds to investigate and returned visibly excited, "Master, this is Longevity Mountain—we’ve reached Five Villages Temple!"

"Five Villages Temple is Five Villages Temple—why are you so excited, Monkey Brother?" Pigsy helped Tripitaka off his horse and up the many stairs to the temple gate.

There, beside the entrance, stood a large stone tablet inscribed with ten bold characters: "Longevity Mountain, Blessed Land; Five Villages Temple, Celestial Domain."

Tripitaka offered a Buddhist salute and sighed, "Disciples, look at this temple—it radiates immortal energy; surely its master is a true sage."

Sha Monk chimed in, "Master, this place is so splendid—surely good people dwell here! Why not go in and see? When our journey is complete and we pass by again, it will be a different experience!"

"Old Sha speaks my mind! Master, let’s go inside—perhaps great fortune awaits us!" Sun Wukong eagerly entered Five Villages Temple, with Tripitaka and the others following close behind.

Upon passing the stairs, they saw a pair of couplets flanking the main gate: "Immortal mansion, everlasting life; Daoist home, longevity equal to heaven."

"Tsk, tsk, this old Daoist can really brag! Even at the gate of the Supreme Lord, I’ve never seen such bold words!" Pigsy marveled.

Sun Wukong eyed Pigsy curiously, "There are many hidden sages in the world—how many do you know?"

"Ah, whatever, let’s go in! My old pig’s stomach is growling—I’ll find the master and beg a meal!" Pigsy hurried ahead.

Arriving at the second gate, they were greeted by two young Daoist acolytes—Bright Moon and Breeze—who bowed deeply, "Honored masters, pardon our tardiness, please come in!"

Tripitaka and his disciples were delighted, and followed Breeze and Bright Moon into the main hall. There they found a south-facing five-chambered hall, its carved latticework bright above and dark below.

Breeze opened the screens and invited Tripitaka into the main hall, where two large characters, "Heaven and Earth," hung in the center, adorned in vibrant colors. A vermilion lacquered incense table stood beneath, bearing a golden censer and a handy arrangement of incense sticks.

Tripitaka stepped forward, took incense in his left hand, placed it in the censer, and paid his respects three times before turning to ask, "Immortal child, why does your Five Villages Temple not honor the Three Pure Ones, Four Emperors, and the Lords of Heaven, but only offer incense to the characters 'Heaven and Earth'?"

Bright Moon smiled, "To be honest, Master, the character above—'Heaven'—we still honor; the character below—'Earth'—cannot accept our incense, but our master commands us to worship both."

Tripitaka grew more curious, "Why is that?"

Breeze explained, "The Three Pure Ones are our master’s friends, the Four Emperors are his acquaintances; the Nine Luminaries are his juniors, and the Fate Stars are his guests."

At that moment, Sun Wukong led the others in, listening without much reaction—for Zhen Yuanzi, known as the ancestor of Earth Immortals, indeed deserved to stand equal with the Three Pure Ones and Four Sovereigns.

Tripitaka assumed it was mere boasting, but refrained from showing it. Instead, he asked, "Where is your master?"

Bright Moon pointed upwards, "Our master received an invitation from Yuanshi Tianzun and has gone to Mi Luo Palace to hear the lecture on 'Primordial Dao Fruit.' He is not in the temple."

Pigsy, unable to contain himself, exclaimed, "Nonsense! Mi Luo Palace is a place of utmost honor—how could your country-bumpkin master be invited to lecture there?"

Tripitaka, fearing an argument between Pigsy and the young acolytes, quickly interjected, "Pigsy, since the master is absent, why do you take offense?"

"Master, I cannot bear to hear this child disrespect the Heavenly Court!" Pigsy pouted.

"Enough, Pigsy! You were dismissed by the Heavenly Court—mind your own business!" Sun Wukong said as he approached.

Tripitaka, seeing the situation, quickly instructed, "Wujing, go to the gate and tend the horses. Gohan, guard the luggage. Wukong, fetch some rice from the bundle and cook a meal with Pigsy! When we depart, leave extra wood money for the master as thanks—do not cause any more trouble, disciples!"