Praying for Rain in Fengxian County (IV)

Meanwhile, the Water Virtue Star Lord was coerced and lured by Alu into taking away the Water Lords 'Precious Seal.

His divine power was weak; if he didn't give it to them, he wouldn't be able to defeat Alu, who had cultivated Golden Body.

If he were to appeal to the Heavenly Court, he himself would be impure, having accepted Alu's Merit and spent years bribing officials to seek forgiveness, hence he dared not appeal.

When they saw that Wukong and his disciples had arrived, they wanted to ask Wukong for help, but Wukong saw through their scheme again.

Helpless, the Water Virtue Star Lord had no choice but to give up.

The next morning, countless people eagerly awaited the arrival of the newcomer.

The sky was bright Great Sun clear, without a single cloud.

Every household had hundreds of earthenware jars, water vats, and large jars arranged along the eaves and walls. The insides of the jars had been wiped clean, without a speck of dust, just waiting for the Rain Water to fall.

Alu cast the Water Seal into the air, activating the Fengxian County Water Veins.

Fengxian County itself has abundant Water Veins, but the Heavenly Realm have decreed that neither the Dragon King the Water Lords are allowed to send rain, not even a wisp of mist. As a result, Fengxian County is often arid, and the land is cracked.

Alu activated the Water Lords Precious Seal, and immediately water vapor rose and gathered into clouds.

The people of the county cheered, and many took off their clothes and stood in the courtyard, waiting for the Sweet Rain to arrive.

Some even ran out of their homes and danced and reveled in the streets.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples opened the window and looked outside. They were also caught up in the atmosphere and felt joy in their hearts.

Bajie pointed at someone and laughed, "Look at that guy, it hasn't even rained yet, and he's so excited he's lost his shoes running around. It's not that serious, it's just a little rain."

Sha Wujing laughed and said, "Second Senior Brother, I heard it only rains once a year here, so your outburst is understandable!"

Tang Sanzang exclaimed happily, "Yes! Yes!"

The Water Virtue Star Lord, standing to the side, was far from happy. He sighed, "If the Jade Emperor finds out, won't he strip me of my Immortal Register? I'll never be able to return to heaven again!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong laughed and said, "Water Virtue Star Lord, you've held such a high position, yet you don't know that 'a single thought arises in the heart, and Heaven and Earth know it all'? If you hadn't wasted your time and effort bribing those above and below, you would have earned a Golden Body of Merit like that Alu, and you would probably have been reinstated long ago!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong is absolutely right! The Jade Emperor cannot be unaware of the great Merit the Star Lords has performed!"

Water Virtue Star Lord shook his head and said, "It's not that easy! The Jade Emperor rules the Three Realms; why would he care about such trivial matters of the mortal world? If no one in the Imperial Court speaks up, I'm afraid we won't be able to return to the Heavenly Realm for ten thousand years!"

As they were talking, a muffled boom was heard, the clouds surged, and a torrential downpour began. The Rain Water slammed onto the ground, stirring up dust and smoke, which hit people's faces and caused bursts of cheers and laughter. The rain also fell on the livestock and crops, which all rejoiced.

Some people used ladles to catch Rain Water, waiting to drink the first drop of Rain Water of the year.

Actually, the first sip of Rain Water isn't good. To drink good water, you should wait for the rain to stop and let the Rain Water settle in the container before taking the clean water from it.

But the common people didn't care about any of that at the time.

People only want to drink the first sip of water, hoping for good luck.

Even if the first sip of water is bitter, no one will say it's bitter; they'll only say it's sweet and delicious.

The heavy rain lasted for Seven Days and five hours, filling river channels, cracks in the ground, wells, and the earthen jars in every household, before finally stopping.

Alu returned the Water Lords Precious Seal and then went back to Sweet Rain Mountain.

All the people in the county knelt and prayed, facing west.

Strands of Incense Offerings Merit gathered and went away, some for Alu and some for the Water Virtue Star Lord.

Of course, the former is more common, while the latter is less so.

The Water Virtue Star Lord collected these Merit, not daring to keep them for himself. He feared that if he kept them, people would accuse him of colluding with the monks to steal Merit. By distributing these Merit now, he could shift the blame onto the monks if things went wrong, and people would speak up for him.

The people knelt and prayed for a day, and dispersed the next day.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples finally set off, bid farewell to the prefect, left the city, and headed west.

They hadn't gone far when they came to a Little Mountain, about two hundred feet high. From the mountain came a voice calling out, "Great Sage! Wait a moment! Come and sit in my mountain!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong recognized Alu's voice and said to Tang Sanzang, "Master, we must have arrived at Sweet Rain Mountain. Let's go in and take a look!"

Tang Sanzang nodded.

The four travelers entered the mountains and saw a cave at the foot of the mountain. There was no Cave Gate to keep out the rain, but it was sheltered from the wind by weeds. They pushed aside the weeds at the cave entrance and found a monk inside, who had been pierced through the Pipa Bones by Divine Chains and was hanging in the cave.

Wukong exclaimed in surprise, "Alu, what's wrong with you like this?"

Alu said, "Great Sage, this was set up by Heavenly King Li. What went out earlier was my Incense Offerings Golden Body. What's in the cave now is my Original Body. The people offered many tributes, and if I didn't take any, it would be a breach of human relationships. So I took a little of everything. Now that it's in the cave, I can't eat it, and if I leave it any longer, it will spoil. That's why I called Great Sage and his disciples here to take these things, so they won't be wasted."

Upon hearing this, Wukong lost all interest in taking the offerings, and even Bajie didn't lift a finger.

Wukong said, "Old Sun, will go find Heavenly King Li and tell him to remove the chains!"

Alu said, "Thank you for your kindness Great Sage! I have violated the Heavenly Laws and deserve this punishment. Heavenly King Li was only acting under orders, so it's no wonder he's being blamed!"

Wukong said, "Then Old Sun, will go and plead with the Jade Emperor!"

Alu said, "I bribed the Water Virtue Star Lord with Golden Elixir elixir, deceiving Heaven and Earth by issuing Rain-Request Writ. The evidence is conclusive and irrefutable. Not only did this cause the Water Virtue Star Lord to be banished to the Lower Realm, but it also implicated my master. How can the Great Sage possibly plead for him? I'm afraid that pleading won't work, and it will only implicate many more people, making things difficult for my master in Heavenly Court as well."

Wukong asked, "What should we do then?"

Alu said, "Great Sage, you need not worry about me. Although I am suffering somewhat in this cave, my life is not in danger, nor are the people of Fengxian County. My master is still highly regarded in the Heavenly Realm. After some time, when the Jade Emperor's anger subsides, he can have my master plead for leniency, and I will be pardoned and released."

Wukong had no choice but to agree.

Tang Sanzang sighed, "Master Alu is truly a virtuous monk; this humble monk is ashamed to admit his inferiority!"

Alu laughed and said, "Elder, please don't say such things. I have already attained the Golden Body. On the day of the pardon, I will go to Spirit Mountain to worship Buddha. Perhaps I can be granted the title of Arhat and listen to the lectures in the same hall as you!"

Tang Sanzang exclaimed joyfully, "Excellent! Excellent!"

Bajie said, "You monk, you're quite magnanimous. My senior brother was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, and he still managed to stick out one hand and get to eat iron pellets. You're hanging here, unable to even free up one hand, yet you're not even anxious."

Wukong glared at Bajie and said, "You idiot, what nonsense are you talking about? When did you see it?"

Bajie said, "How come I didn't see that? When you were imprisoned, the Jade Emperor held Heaven-Pacifying Assembly, which all the Immortal with names and titles attended. Buddha Tathagata pity on you and said that when you were hungry, he would give you iron pellets to eat; when you were thirsty, he would give you molten copper to drink."

Wukong was furious when he heard this and went to beat Bajie.

Bajie hid inside the cave.

Tang Sanzang had no choice but to stop the two.

After the commotion, Bajie took some offerings to keep for the journey, lest they spoil and be wasted.

Just as the four travelers were about to take their leave, they suddenly heard loud shouts outside the cave.

"Nephew, your uncle has come to save you!"