Dong, dong, dong, dong...
The melodious sound of a bell rose throughout the whole Magic Square Mountain.
Inside the Grand Hall of the Daoist Palace, the Patriarch Bodhi sat with closed eyes at a higher place, while below him, on the mats, sat a group of disciples who had hurried over upon hearing the news, including Sun Wukong.
He couldn't sit still, shifting left and right, now and then peering around, now and then scratching his face. Seeing that his fellow disciples were silent, he didn't dare to make a fuss.
Yet a voice arose in his mind.
[Congratulations on completing the recommendation—'Just wait a bit longer,' and receiving a First-Rank Treasure Box]
That foolish netizen from Zhihu advised him to wait a little longer, and now, waiting for the Patriarch to begin his lecture, the recommendation naturally was fulfilled.
"Oh? There really is a treasure box?" Sun Wukong began to believe that the persuasion system hadn't deceived him.
For an ancient treasure box with mysterious patterns was indeed suspended in his mind.
Though curious about what was inside the box, Sun Wukong, amidst the many watching eyes, could only suppress his curiosity.
At the same time, he hadn't forgotten that, later, when the Patriarch started his lecture, he needed to cause trouble in the class and then refuse the Patriarch's teachings.
Now he could be certain the Persuasion System was likely real, and next, he needed to verify if those replies predicting his future were true.
Of course, if the Patriarch offered the path to immortality, he wouldn't miss it.
After another short wait, once all the disciples had arrived, Patriarch Bodhi opened his eyes. His calm gaze swept over his disciples as he slowly said, "Today, I will first speak about predestination. You shall comprehend as much as you can, without forcing it."
"Thank you, Patriarch," all the disciples said in unison.
"Heaven has its Heavenly Dao, Earth has its Earth Dao, and man has his Human Dao, hence, everything in the world has its destiny," Patriarch Bodhi continued. "We, the cultivators, find our path of immortality within this destiny. If you follow it, you remain mortal; if you defy it, you can become an immortal. Yet the difference between immortality and demonhood is but a single thought."
All the disciples listened intently.
"Destiny? Path of immortality?" Sun Wukong was overjoyed and quickly immersed himself in the Patriarch's voice.
After the Patriarch spoke a few words about fate, he began to discuss other things, his voice rising and falling.
"Embracing the esoteric and the exoteric, contemplating Dao through meditation, free from birth and destruction, with complete qi and spirit."
Each word that emanated from his mouth seemed to come alive, playing and laughing within the Daoist Palace. The place was filled with magical phenomena such as flowers raining down from the sky and golden lotuses erupting from the earth—it was extraordinary.
Sun Wukong watched in amazement and listened in rapture.
He was naturally intelligent and had always discussed scriptures and Dao with his fellow disciples, and had perused the texts of the Scripture Pavilion. His comprehension abilities were indeed exceptional.
What others couldn't grasp, he understood deeply, thoroughly enjoying himself—and he had forgotten about his task to create trouble in the class.
"Longevity as vast as the heavens, devout clarity, enlightening the stubborn and the barbaric, neither Buddha nor immortal…" The voice of Patriarch Bodhi was rhythmical, resonating like chimes and bells, profound and filled with truth.
"Hehe, hehehe!" Sun Wukong suddenly started jumping on his mat, delighted by the wonderful truths. He couldn't help smiling and dancing with joy, scratching his ears and cheeks in excitement.
Patriarch Bodhi stopped and asked with a smile, "Wukong, why do you dance wildly in the class without listening to my lecture?"
Sun Wukong hurriedly said, "Disciple listens with sincere heart. Just now, upon hearing the Patriarch's profound teachings, joy overwhelmed me. I hope the Patriarch can forgive me!"
"Hmm," Patriarch Bodhi nodded slowly and then asked, "You recognize the profound teachings, but tell me, how long have you been in the cave now?"
"Disciple was originally ignorant of the passage of time," Sun Wukong said. "I can only recall that without a fire under the stove, I regularly went to the back mountain to collect firewood. There, I found a mountain with excellent peach trees where I feasted to my heart's content seven times, which I guess makes it seven years."
"Seven years it has been," Patriarch Bodhi said with a smile while stroking his beard. His tone shifted as he asked, "What Divine Skills do you wish to learn now?"
"Hehe." Sun Wukong grew even happier, quickly approaching the Patriarch and scratching his hand with a laugh, "I rely on the Patriarch's instruction. Just teach me some Divine Skills, and I will learn them."
Although he had made up his mind to refuse the Patriarch's teaching this time, he felt he still had to show his eagerness to learn.
Otherwise, if the Patriarch mistakenly thought he didn't want to learn Divine Skills, he would truly die of regret.
Patriarch Bodhi was indeed very pleased with Sun Wukong's attitude and nodded, saying, "Daoism has three hundred and sixty subsidiary paths, and each path can lead to true realization. Which one do you wish to learn?"
Sun Wukong said, "I will heed the Patriarch's wishes and follow wholeheartedly."
Patriarch Bodhi, even more satisfied, smiled and said, "I shall teach you the arts of divination and exorcising evil from the sect of seeking immortality through incantations. Do you wish to learn them?"
Sun Wukong raised his hand in the gesture of seeking immortality and divination, and asked, "Master, can one achieve immortality in this way?"
Bodhi Patriarch replied, "No, no."
Sun Wukong shook his head and waved his hand, "Seeking immortality and divination is not as good as being in charge of oneself. Disciple will not learn, not learn."
"Then shall I teach you the Still Character Sect's method of chanting Buddha and scriptures, and invoking the true saints," Bodhi Patriarch asked with a smile again.
"Can it lead to immortality?" Sun Wukong pressed on.
"To seek immortality is like setting a pillar within the wall," Bodhi Patriarch said.
"Hmm?" Sun Wukong scratched his head and flapped his hand, "Master, you are not speaking plainly, I am an honest man and don't speak in riddles, what is 'setting a pillar within the wall'?"
"When people build houses, seeking durability, they set a pillar between the walls. If one day the building collapses, it too will rot."
"So it seems it's not lasting, chanting Buddha and scriptures is not as good as having skills of one's own, not learning, not learning at all."
"How about I teach you the Still Character Sect's method of Zen meditation, circumspection in speech, and fasting?"
"Can this lead to immortality too?" he inquired.
"It's also like looking at flowers in the mirror, wishing to pluck them but unable to do so," Bodhi Patriarch responded.
Sun Wukong, as if struck by a thought, began to wave his arms and feet, "Not learning, not learning, meditating and practicing Zen is not as good as wielding a staff and practicing boxing."
By now, the smile had left Bodhi Patriarch's face, and with a serious expression, he said, "Then shall I teach you the Dynamic Character Sect's methods of 'Absorb Yin and Supplement Yang,' consuming red lead, refining mercury, and the technique involving women's essence, how's that?"
"Can such methods also lead to immortality?" Sun Wukong asked again.
"Seeking immortality this way is also like scooping the moon out of the water," said the Patriarch.
"Master, here you go again, what do you mean by 'scooping the moon out of the water'?"
"The moon is in the sky while its reflection is in the water. Although you can see it, you can never scoop it out, and in the end, you receive nothing."
"Not learning, not learning, Master, please suggest something else," Sun Wukong persisted.
Upon hearing this, Bodhi Patriarch came down from his high place, held a disciplinary ruler in his hand, pointed at Sun Wukong, and said, "You monkey, you do not want to learn this, nor that, let me show you the severity of the disciplinary ruler."
He stepped forward, tapped Sun Wukong's head three times, then turned his back, shut the middle door, and left, leaving a group of frightened disciples behind.
They all blamed Wukong, "You irreverent monkey, utterly without respect. The Master was imparting the Tao to you, how could you refuse to learn and even talk back to him? Having offended him this much, who knows when he'll come out again!"
The Patriarch's sermon is an incredible opportunity.
Not the least bit annoyed, Sun Wukong simply wore a grin of apology on his face.
At the same time, a voice in his mind began to resonate:
[Congratulations on completing the suggestion—causing trouble in the class, and obtaining a Third-Rank Treasure Box.]
But the senior brothers' momentary fear and complaints were just impulsive words, as the anger dissipated shortly after, for the Patriarch had already explained that all things in the world have their destiny, and should not be forced.
Afterward, the disciples left the grand hall of Dao Palace joyfully, and it was only back in his own space that Sun Wukong began to scratch his head in contemplation.
If the previous suggestion that waiting a bit longer would bring about a sermon by the Patriarch could be attributed to coincidence,
Then this sermon experience truly was just like what the sixth-year netizen said, without any difference.
Especially the part where the Patriarch knocked on his head three times and then left with hands behind his back was exactly the same.
"It seems like the Patriarch's action implied that he wants me to seek him out through the back door in the third watch," Sun Wukong thought to himself.
He believed that even without the advice from the sixth-year netizen, he would have been able to infer such a hint.
Moreover, he would certainly have refused the Patriarch's teachings previously because none of the arts of the sects of Technique, Stillness, Movement, and Dynamic could grant immortality.
"Old Sun seeks only immortality!" Sun Wukong's thought was resolute, and then he smiled again, thinking, "This 'Listen to Advice' system really is a treasure!"
At this moment, he no longer doubted the 'Listen to Advice' system and began to believe that the netizens from Wisdom were indeed seniors with profound Divine Skills.
"Well, in the future, I must often seek advice from those Wisdom seniors," Sun Wukong mused, scratching his head.