Now, Sun Wukong had been ambushed by Ao Tu and was knocked staggering.
Ao Tu pressed his advantage, raising the seal to strike again.
In the water, bolstered by his innate divine abilities, Ao Tu’s advantage was greatly increased.
Seeing this, Sun Wukong retreated outward.
Ao Tu hurled out the Fushui Seal to strike him. Sun Wukong took a glazed alms bowl from his robes; it collided with the Fushui Seal and canceled out its attack.
Sun Wukong recalled the glazed alms bowl and looked with some distress at the new cracks upon it, then hurriedly withdrew from the water.
Back on shore, Wukong thought, “That demon dragon has far too many treasures, and he hides beneath the water. I’ll be hard-pressed to defeat him. Better go seek the Bodhisattva’s aid.”
Thus he mounted his somersault cloud and headed straight for the South Sea.
Flying over the vast ocean, Wukong looked down at the waters below and suddenly recalled how he had gone to find Ao Guang back at Yellow Wind Ridge.
“Black Water River—I remember now!”
Wukong remembered that when he had sought help from Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, the old dragon had immediately asked upon hearing he had encountered a demon dragon, “Have you reached Black Water River?”
That river demon surely had some connection to that old dragon!
Wukong halted his cloud, changed direction, and went to find that old dragon to settle accounts.
In but a moment, he arrived at the Eastern Sea.
Sun Wukong entered the Crystal Palace, found Ao Guang, seized him by the beard, and recounted the whole affair.
Ao Guang said, “Great Sage, that Sha Tuolong should be an assumed name. He was originally a nephew of mine, called Xiao Tuolong, the youngest son of my brother-in-law, the Dragon King of Jing River.”
Hearing this, Wukong said angrily, “How many nephews do you have, and why do they all come looking to trouble my master? That old dragon of Jing River violated the laws of Heaven; his crime was unforgivable, and it was only right that he be executed. What has that to do with my master?”
Ao Guang said, “Great Sage, you do not know—there are in truth some hidden circumstances behind this.”
Wukong said, “What hidden circumstances?”
Ao Guang said, “This little dragon cannot rightly explain it. After my brother-in-law died, my younger sister took her nine children and sought refuge with my third brother, the Dragon King of the Western Sea. I shall summon him here at once and have him explain the cause clearly to the Great Sage.”
In the Dragon Palace, there were golden bells and iron drums. Whenever there was an urgent matter, the drums would be beaten and the bells struck, and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas would arrive in an instant.
Ao Guang sounded the bells and drums on the western side of the Dragon Palace. Before long, Ao Run, the Dragon King of the Western Sea, arrived upon hearing them.
Ao Run asked, “Elder Brother, what urgent matter is this, that you beat the drums and strike the bells?”
Ao Guang explained the cause of the matter to Ao Run, and Ao Run said in surprise:
“The Great Sage travels swiftly indeed—to have reached Black Water River so soon!”
Wukong was vexed and did not think too much on it. He said, “Enough chatter. Quickly explain the cause of all this. How many sons does the Dragon King of Jing River still have, and why do they keep obstructing my master again and again?”
Ao Run said, “Great Sage, forgive me. My sister has nine sons in all. The first, Xiao Huanglong, now resides at the Huai River; the second, Xiao Lilong, now lives at the Ji River; the third, Qingbei Long, occupies the Jiang River; the fourth, Chiran Long, guards the He River; the fifth, Tulao Long, serves the Buddha in charge of the bells; the sixth, Wenshou Long, guards the ridge of the divine palace; the seventh, Jingzhong Long, guards the Heaven-Propping Ornamental Pillars for the Jade Emperor; the eighth, Shen Long, holds fast at Mount Taiyue. The ninth, Xiao Tuolong, is the youngest and dwells in Black Water River to cultivate his nature.”
Hearing this, Wukong was startled. The Dragon King of Jing River actually had nine sons. Ao Tu and Xiao Tuolong alone were already this troublesome; if the other seven descended to the mortal realm as well, how could they ever complete the journey to obtain the scriptures?
As the saying goes, only by digging to the roots and tracing the source can a matter be resolved.
Wukong asked, “Just what hidden circumstances were there in the death of the Dragon King of Jing River, that made these nephews of yours chase after my master and refuse to let him be?”
Ao Run replied:
“To answer the Great Sage, I dare not call them hidden circumstances. It was only that my brother-in-law was headstrong and bent on victory, while my nephews are fiercely competitive and insisted on going their own way, which led to this affair. For offending the Great Sage and your master, this little dragon bears ten thousand sins.”
Wukong said, “Spare me the official platitudes. Speak, speak!”
Only then did Ao Run recount the events of that year.
“In the past, in Chang’an City, there was a fortune-teller named Yuan Shoucheng. Each day, he would cast a divination for a fisherman, telling him where to cast his net and when to fish. Every cast would strike true, and every day he could catch a golden carp.”
Ao Run explained to Sun Wukong:
“These golden carp are what members of my dragon race transform into while undergoing tribulations. Before cultivators become Golden Immortals, they face the Three Calamities and other perils; the dragon race has corresponding tribulations as well, and during them we may transform into golden carp, our primordial spirits obscured. If someone fishes us up and eats us, our lives end there and then, and a thousand years of bitter cultivation all becomes illusion. That fisherman never missed a cast. If things went on like that, would not the dragon sons and dragon grandsons of Jing River all be fished clean?”
Hearing this, Wukong nodded and said, “That is true enough!”
Ao Run continued:
“After my brother-in-law learned of it, he went to settle accounts with Yuan Shoucheng. The two made a wager. Yuan Shoucheng divined the hour and exact measure of the next day’s rainfall. If he was correct, my brother-in-law would present him with gold; if he was wrong, Yuan Shoucheng would have to leave Chang’an.”
Hearing this, Wukong laughed. “A fortune-teller competing with a Dragon King over the measure of rainfall—how could he possibly win?”
Ao Run shook his head and said:
“Great Sage, there is something you do not know. In ordinary times, my brother-in-law was in charge of dispensing rain; whether he gave a little more or a little less, as long as there was no great discrepancy, it would naturally be fine. But on that very day, the Jade Emperor suddenly issued an edict, commanding when my brother-in-law was to spread the clouds, when he was to send down rain, how many feet, inches, and drops were to fall, and when the rain was to stop—and it matched Yuan Shoucheng’s divination exactly!”
Wukong exclaimed, “There was actually such a thing? It seems this Yuan Shoucheng has no small background!”
Ao Run hurriedly said, “I dare not say so. Perhaps his divination arts were simply profound.”
Wukong smiled and said nothing.
Ao Run continued, “Afterward, my brother-in-law, stubborn and bent on victory, privately altered some of the measurements in order to win. Unexpectedly, the Jade Emperor learned of it, and he was taken to the Dragon-Flaying Platform.”
Wukong said, “I know what happened afterward. He went to beg the Tang King for mercy. The Tang King promised to save him but ended up killing him instead. His dragon soul would not disperse, and he brought a complaint in the underworld, frightening the Tang King. That was why my master was dispatched to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures and obtain the Mahayana Dharma to deliver the dead.”
Ao Run said, “Precisely. How did the Great Sage come to know these things?”
Wukong said, “Guanyin Bodhisattva told me. But she did not speak of what came before. She only said that your brother-in-law violated the laws of Heaven and was executed by the Jade Emperor, and that Ao Tu was unwilling to accept it, which was why he obstructed us master and disciples.”
Hearing this, Ao Run hurriedly knelt and said, “This little dragon did not know, did not know! Great Sage, I have heard that as early as my brother-in-law’s birth, the Book of Life and Death had already destined him for a violent end. What I have said today is nothing more than idle talk. I hope the Great Sage will not spread it outside.”
Wukong looked at the kneeling Dragon King of the Western Sea and shook his head, finding it somewhat laughable that this old dragon, though Dragon King of the Western Sea, was so overly timid.
But when he recalled the golden fillet upon his own head, the words he had just been about to say were stifled back.
After a long silence, he said:
“Old dragon, I had intended to go to the South Sea to seek the Bodhisattva’s help in subduing those two demon dragons. Since things are as they are, come with me to Black Water River and try to persuade them to surrender. If you can make those two demon dragons send my master out, there will be no need to trouble the Bodhisattva.”
Hearing this, the Dragon King of the Western Sea said:
“Great Sage, I have some confidence when it comes to my youngest nephew. But as for my nephew Ao Tu, he came to my Dragon Palace not long ago and stole many weapons and magic treasures from it. I fear he will not be willing to surrender.”
Wukong said, “He is your nephew. What of it if he took a few treasures from you? I can see there is some sense of loyalty in his breast. Though he obstructs my master’s journey west, he has never harmed him. Presumably, he also knows that grievances have their source and debts have their debtor. Go and persuade him first; if it fails, then we will speak of other measures.”