A faint breeze swept by, and under the starlight, Tripitaka's flame-red kasaya fluttered in the air. All around, silence reigned.
In a flash, twenty years of memories vanished; all illusions dissolved, and everything returned to its original state.
Monkey's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he stared at Tripitaka.
"Defying the imperial decree... heading west?"
Tripitaka nodded silently, pressing his palms together. "It's not just defying the decree. Perhaps, it is even defying Heaven itself. No travel documents, no support from the Heavenly Court, no promises from Spirit Mountain, and not even a single scripture waiting for me at Great Thunderclap Temple. We have nothing—only the two of us, and half a heart set on saving all beings."
"I'm the half?" Monkey gave a muted laugh.
"Aren't you?" Tripitaka replied with a gentle smile.
Monkey wiped his face and let out a long sigh, speaking softly: "Saving all beings, saving oneself... Now I get it. No wonder I've never seen a bodhisattva, only Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata. Turns out Mahayana Buddhism has never truly appeared here... So the 'Journey to the West' I thought I knew ended up misleading me instead of helping. No wonder the Buddha I know is nothing like the Buddha of this world..."
Tripitaka paused, slightly puzzled. "Bodhisattva, Mahayana Buddhism? In your memories, you've never seen those. What do you mean? You’ve mentioned 'Journey to the West' a few times, but I’ve never quite understood. Could you explain it in detail?"
Monkey lazily yawned and scratched his ear. "Explain what? Can't be bothered. Like I said, I don't want to leave here. I don't want to go anywhere. You’d best move on—go do whatever you need to do."
With that, Monkey turned his head away, refusing to look at Tripitaka.
After a while, when he glanced back, he found Tripitaka still sitting in the same spot, unmoving, watching him with a faint smile.
"Let’s talk."
"Talk about what?" Monkey said irritably. "You really think I'll go west with you?"
Tripitaka sighed softly. "It’s not what I think. I’ve already said—let’s talk. If we lay everything out and you still refuse to go west with me, I won’t force you. After all, you are immortal, while I’m just a wandering monk. If I waste thirty or fifty years here, by the time you agree, I might not be able to walk anymore. Then a hundred lifetimes of cultivation would vanish like smoke."
Tripitaka paused, then grew serious. "Time is far more precious to me than it is to you."
Monkey snorted with laughter, helplessly shaking his head. "Nice to see you realize that. Fine, how do you want to talk?"
Tripitaka smiled slightly, then became solemn. "I won’t go on about salvation or the wonders of the westward journey—I know you’re not interested. Let’s just discuss why you refuse to leave Five Elements Mountain, why you might leave, and what happens if you do. How about that?"
Monkey propped his head on his arm, watching Tripitaka with amusement. "Fine, go ahead."
Tripitaka cleared his throat, straightened his sleeves, and stared straight ahead. He spoke slowly: "In my view, there are three reasons you refuse to leave Five Elements Mountain. First, you’re afraid I’ll trick you—after all, you have a poor opinion of Buddhism, and I am a Buddhist monk. That’s understandable. Second, centuries have passed and the Buddha's power has fully recovered. If you come out now, it will mean another great war—Heaven and Earth shattered, countless lives lost. And you aren’t sure you can win. Besides, if you stay here, those you care about remain safe; if you leave, you put them in danger. Third, your heart is dead, so..."
"I didn't get the third one," Monkey drawled.
At that, Tripitaka stopped, paused for a moment, then smiled, pursing his lips before continuing: "Since you didn’t understand the third, let’s set it aside for now. The first, I can't resolve for you—you’ll have to judge for yourself. I think once we’ve talked, you’ll know in your heart. So let’s discuss the second, shall we?"
"Go on," Monkey rolled his eyes.
Tripitaka nodded slightly. "First, let’s talk about the Buddha. The Buddha’s Heaven’s Way is 'No-Self.' If he does nothing to overstep, then no matter how powerful you are—even if you destroy Heaven and Earth—you cannot defeat him. You know this better than I do. In all the world, the only one who could defeat 'No-Self' before was Lord Lao in the Thirty-Three Heavens. But the Heavenly Dao Stone is completely destroyed, and even after a thousand years, it’s unlikely to be restored. So now, there is only one person who can break 'No-Self.'"
"Who?" Monkey turned his face slightly.
Seeing this, Tripitaka pressed his palms together, half-smiling as he bowed. "It is I."
"You?" Monkey sneered, turning away with a long sigh. "You must be dreaming. You’ve lost your Buddha radiance—how could you break 'No-Self'? Are you joking with me?"
"You don’t believe me?"
"What do you think?"
Tripitaka smiled again, took a deep breath, and said, "Do you know why you gained and then lost your Heaven’s Way—your Limitless Way?"
"My Dao-heart broke."
"What if the Buddha’s Dao-heart breaks?"
Monkey paused, stunned for a moment before turning back to ask, "What are you getting at?"
"All four aggregates are empty, but the Dharma is real. So, the Dharma is his Dao-heart." Tripitaka spread his hands, speaking calmly: "And I can break his Dao-heart."
Monkey was momentarily speechless, half-squinting as he asked, "How? Go ahead, let’s hear it."
Tripitaka thought for a moment, then turned to gaze at Monkey. "To become a Buddha is to abandon everything; all four aggregates are empty, only the Dharma remains. By this logic, the Buddha is the Dharma, and the Dharma is the Buddha. When Buddhas battle, it’s not about strength, but about ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’—ultimately, it’s a contest of consciousness. If the Law they uphold fails, then the Buddha truly becomes a rootless reed, losing all meaning. Do you know how Golden Cicada lost his Buddha body that day?"
Monkey’s brows furrowed in hesitation. "I remember—it was at Spirit Mountain, a debate of the Dharma, lost in defeat. So you’re saying you want to debate the Buddha again, and you think you can win? If that’s all, it’s simple—I’ll carry you to Spirit Mountain, see the Buddha, it’s no trouble at all, not even the time of a single incense stick. But can you really win? Don’t let me come out only for you to lose, dragging others down with you."
With that, Monkey looked at Tripitaka with deep meaning.
Tripitaka smiled, waved his hand, and replied seriously, "It’s not that easy. To debate the Dharma, you need more than ‘knowing’—you need ‘doing.’ That’s why the westward journey, though called scripture-fetching, is truly a quest to prove a new Dao."
"So after all that, you still don’t have a way to break the Buddha’s Dao-heart," Monkey snorted. "I can protect you from anyone, but if the Buddha comes in person? You saw those memories—if he comes, I can’t save you. If your Dao isn’t proven by then, you’ll be dead before you finish, and who will I mourn for then?"
After all this talk, Tripitaka was unfazed. He raised his head, gazing at the stars, and smiled faintly. "He won’t come."
"How do you know he won’t come? If I were the Buddha and you tried to break my Dao-heart, I’d finish you off in a blink—no need for words."
"If you were the Buddha, things would be much simpler for me." Tripitaka smiled, turning to look at Monkey. "He won’t come, because he cannot come."
"What do you mean?"
"As I said before, the struggle of Dharma is a struggle of consciousness." Tripitaka gazed at Monkey, half-smiling. "Why would he come? As you said, I intend to break his Dao-heart. But if he truly believes his Dharma surpasses mine, then my journey is just self-delusion—he need not care. If he truly fears I might break his Dao-heart and comes for me, then... he’s lost before the battle begins. Even if I die, his Dao-heart would already be broken. Do you agree with this reasoning?"
Every word sounded light, but to Monkey they thundered like a storm.
Westward journey... In the end, fetching scriptures is just a pretext—the real reason is a war of doctrine!
A breeze swept past. After a long time, Monkey slowly lifted his head to look at Tripitaka, his face filled with fear.
Seeing this, Tripitaka slowly raised his head, looking straight ahead.
His gaze was colder than before, like a master strategist planning far ahead.
Facing the wind, he spoke slowly: "But this journey carries its own risks. For one, Yama is easy to meet, but little ghosts are hard to deal with. The Buddha may not wish me dead, but he can set endless obstacles and tribulations. Beneath Spirit Mountain, every arhat and monk whose interests are at stake could strike at me."
"As for the Buddha, I know how to handle him. But with this mortal body, I can't win against the others. Moreover, if I practice universal salvation, it will force Buddhism to abandon its old stagnant ways and truly spread its teachings. Heaven and the Daoist sects will never want me to succeed. If they intervene, even ten lifetimes wouldn't be enough for me to survive. And then there are all the demons along the way... ha ha ha... The dangers are obvious."
You are the king of all demons, and you’ve single-handedly defeated Heaven. You have a blood feud with the Buddha. If I succeed and break the Buddha’s Dao-heart, your greatest revenge will be fulfilled... In all the world, there’s no one but you—Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong—who can protect me on this journey west."
Before he finished speaking, a thunderclap split the sky!
......
At the Great Thunderclap Temple on Spirit Mountain, the Buddha slowly opened his eyes.
A Buddha hurried into the grand hall, dropping to his knees. "Honored One..."
Before he could finish, the Buddha calmly waved his hand, signaling him to withdraw.
Seeing this, the Buddha nodded and withdrew, bowing as he left the hall.
Turning his face, the Buddha glanced sideways at Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata. "Was it you who sent Golden Cicada to find that demon monkey?"
"Indeed," Right-Dharma Radiance Tathāgata replied, bowing. "I have already given Golden Cicada the mantra to break the seal of Five Elements Mountain."
At once, the entire hall fell into endless silence.
......
Amid the thunder, clouds churned at the horizon, heralding an imminent storm.
Monkey smiled slowly, sighing, "Looks like he knows now."
A flash of lightning lit up Tripitaka’s face.
"I won’t just let him know," Tripitaka said. "I’ll let Heaven know, I’ll let all Three Realms know... I’ll let them all see that I have come—step by step, I have come."
At that moment, he stood facing the wind, hands clasped behind his back, utterly fearless.