Now, Sun Wukong had been caught in Ao Tu's ambush and knocked stumbling.
Ao Tu pressed his advantage, striking at him again with the seal.
With his innate supernatural ability bolstering him underwater, Ao Tu's advantage grew enormously.
Seeing this, Sun Wukong retreated toward the surface.
Ao Tu hurled the Water-Reversing Seal at him. Sun Wukong pulled a Glazed Bowl from inside his robes and struck it against the seal, nullifying its attack.
Sun Wukong retrieved the Glazed Bowl and looked with some heartache at the new cracks on it, then hurried out of the water.
Back on shore, Wukong thought, This demon dragon has so many treasures, and he's hiding underwater. I can hardly match him. I'd better ask the Bodhisattva for help.
He mounted his Somersault Cloud and headed straight for the Southern Sea.
Flying over the vast ocean, Wukong glanced down. The sight of the sea suddenly reminded him of going to seek Ao Guang back at Yellow Wind Ridge.
"Black Water River! Now I remember!"
Wukong remembered that when he had gone to ask Dragon King Ao Guang of the East Sea for help, the old dragon had immediately asked upon hearing that he had encountered a demon dragon, "Have you reached Black Water River?"
Surely the demon in that river had something to do with the old dragon!
Wukong halted his cloud, changed direction, and went to settle accounts with him.
In a moment, he reached the East Sea.
Sun Wukong entered the Crystal Palace, found Ao Guang, seized him by the beard, and told him what had happened.
Ao Guang said, "Great Sage, Sha Tuolong must be an assumed name. He is actually one of my nephews, called Little Alligator Dragon, the youngest son of my brother-in-law, the Jing River Dragon King."
Hearing this, Wukong said angrily, "How many nephews do you have? Why do they all come looking for trouble with my master? That old Jing River dragon broke Heaven's laws. His crime was beyond pardon, and he deserved to be executed. What did any of that have to do with my master?"
Ao Guang said, "You do not know, Great Sage, but there is more to this than meets the eye."
Wukong said, "What more?"
Ao Guang said, "It is difficult for this humble dragon to explain. After my brother-in-law died, my sister took her nine children to seek refuge with my third brother, the West Sea Dragon King. I will summon him here to explain the reasons to you."
There were golden bells and iron drums in the Dragon Palace. Whenever an urgent matter arose, the drums were 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, Dragon King Ao Run of the West Sea came hurrying at their call.
Ao Run asked, "Elder Brother, what urgent matter made you beat the drums and ring the bells?"
Ao Guang explained what had happened to Ao Run, who said in surprise:
"You travel swiftly, Great Sage! You have already reached Black Water River!"
Irritated, Wukong gave this no further thought and said, "Enough chatter. Tell me the whole story at once. How many other sons does the Jing River Dragon King have, and why do they keep obstructing my master again and again?"
Ao Run said, "Forgive me, Great Sage. My sister has nine sons in all. The first, Little Yellow Dragon, now lives in the Huai River; the second, Little Li Dragon, now resides in the Ji River; the third, Greenback Dragon, occupies the River of the Yangtze; the fourth, Red-Bearded Dragon, guards the River of the Yellow River; the fifth, Tu Lao Dragon, serves as the Buddha's Bell Keeper; the sixth, Steady Beast Dragon, guards the roof ridge of the Divine Palace; the seventh, Jing Zhong Dragon, guards the Jade Emperor's Sky-Supporting Huabiao; the eighth, Mirage Dragon, holds fast upon Great Mountain. The ninth, Little Alligator Dragon, is the youngest and lives in Black Water River, cultivating his nature."
Wukong was alarmed to hear that the Jing River Dragon King actually had nine sons. Ao Tu and Little Alligator Dragon alone were already so troublesome. If the other seven descended to the mortal realm as well, how could the quest for scriptures ever succeed?
As the saying went, only by digging to the bottom and tracing the stream to its source could a matter be resolved.
Wukong asked, "What exactly lay behind the Jing River Dragon King's death that made these nephews of yours pursue my master so relentlessly?"
At this, Ao Run said:
"In answer to you, Great Sage, I would not dare speak of hidden circumstances. It was merely that my brother-in-law was bent on winning and my nephews were stubbornly competitive. Their insistence on having their own way brought this about. For the offense they have given you and your master, this humble dragon bears a thousand, ten thousand sins."
Wukong said, "Enough official platitudes. Speak, speak!"
Only then did Ao Run relate what had happened years before.
"In those days, there was a fortune-teller in Chang'an City named Yuan Shoucheng. Each day, he cast a divination for a fisherman, telling him where to spread his net and when to fish. Every cast brought a catch, and every day he caught a Golden Carp."
Ao Run explained to Sun Wukong:
"These Golden Carp are members of our Dragon Race transformed while undergoing their tribulations. Before reaching the rank of Golden Immortal, cultivators face the three calamities and hardships. The Dragon Race has corresponding tribulations: we turn into these Golden Carp, with our primordial spirits clouded. If someone catches and eats us, our lives end then and there, and a thousand years of arduous cultivation dissolve into illusion. That fisherman never missed a catch. If this continued, would he not fish out every dragon child and grandchild in the Jing River?"
Wukong nodded at this and said, "That is true enough!"
Ao Run continued:
"When my brother-in-law learned of this, he went to settle accounts with Yuan Shoucheng. The two made a wager. Yuan Shoucheng predicted the timing and exact amount of the next day's rain. If he was right, my brother-in-law would present him with gold; if he was wrong, Yuan Shoucheng would have to leave Chang'an."
Wukong laughed when he heard this. "How could a fortune-teller win against a dragon king at predicting the amount of rain?"
Ao Run shook his head and said:
"There is something you do not know, Great Sage. Ordinarily, my brother-in-law was in charge as Rain Administrator. He could make it rain more or less as he pleased, provided he made no grave error. But on that very day, the Jade Emperor suddenly issued a decree specifying when he was to spread the clouds, when the rain was to fall, how many feet, inches, and drops should fall, and when it was to stop. It matched Yuan Shoucheng's prediction without the slightest discrepancy!"
Wukong said in astonishment, "So that was what happened! It seems this Yuan Shoucheng has quite a powerful background!"
Ao Run hastily replied, "I would not dare say that. Perhaps his divination arts were simply exceptional."
Wukong smiled and said nothing.
Ao Run continued, "Afterward, my brother-in-law stubbornly insisted on winning. To secure his victory, he altered the amount of rain without authorization. Unexpectedly, the Jade Emperor learned of it, and he was taken to the Dragon Execution Platform."
Wukong said, "Old Sun knows what happened next. He went to plead with King Tang, who promised to save him but instead brought about his death. His dragon soul refused to disperse and lodged a complaint in the underworld, giving King Tang a terrible fright. That was why the king sent my master on the Journey to the West, to obtain the Mahayana Buddhist Dharma and deliver the souls of the dead."
Ao Run said, "Exactly. How did you learn of all this, Great Sage?"
Wukong said, "Guanyin Bodhisattva told me. But she said nothing of what came before. She only said your brother-in-law had broken Heaven's laws and been executed by the Jade Emperor, and that Ao Tu could not accept it, which was why he obstructed my master and me."
At this, Ao Run hurriedly fell to his knees. "This humble dragon knows nothing, nothing at all! Great Sage, I have heard that my brother-in-law was destined for a violent death in the Book of Life and Death from the moment he was born. What I said today was nothing but idle talk. I beg you not to repeat it to anyone."
Wukong looked at the kneeling West Sea Dragon King and shook his head, almost wanting to laugh at how timid the old dragon was despite being the ruler of the West Sea.
But when he remembered the Golden Fillet on his own head, he swallowed the words he had been about to say.
After a long silence, he said:
"Old dragon, I was going to the Southern Sea to ask the Bodhisattva to subdue those two demon dragons. But since matters stand this way, come with me to Black Water River and try to persuade them to surrender. If you can get those two demon dragons to release my master, there will be no need to trouble the Bodhisattva
"after all."
At this, the West Sea Dragon King said:
"Great Sage, I have some confidence when it comes to my youngest nephew. But my nephew Ao Tu came to my Dragon Palace not long ago and seized many of its weapons and magical treasures. I fear he will not agree to surrender."
Wukong said, "He is your nephew. What does it matter if he takes a few of your treasures? I think he has some sense of honor in his heart. Though he has stopped my master from traveling west, he has never harmed him. Presumably he knows that every grievance has its source and every debt its debtor. Go and try to persuade him first. If that fails, we can discuss other measures."
Before you continue