458 Subhuti Imparting The Dao (2/2)
Sun Wukong replied, ”I will follow master's instructions. As long as those Daos grant longevity upon mastery, your disciple will learn them all.”
The master laughed uproariously. The strands of his long beard fluttered in the wind. ”Hahaha! Monkey, your ambition isn't small. I will tell you guys that there are a total of 360 doors leading to different Daos. Each will eventually lead to the same destination. Which do you want to learn?”
Upon hearing that the Daos were so convenient, Sun Wukong couldn't help but feel joy. He continued, ”I will obey master's will. This disciple will listen carefully.”
Master Subhuti then spoke, ”How about I teach you the '术' (technique) of the door of dao?”
Sun Wukong asked, ”The dao door of technique? What is that?”
”The dao door of technique can allow you to summon some minor immortals to divine the future and aid you to embrace fortune and avoid calamity.”
”Can I gain more longevity from this?”
”You can't, you can't!”
”I won't learn it then!”
”How about I teach you the dao door of '流', (flow)?”
”What doctrine does it contain?”
”The dao door of flow contains doctrines from Confucius, School of Yin-Yang, Daoism, Medical, Mohist, and Buddhism.”
”Can I gain longevity from this?”
”No. If you want to gain longevity, you first have to 'stabilize your inner pillars'.”
”Master, I'm a simple man and don't understand deep words. What do you mean by stabilizing my inner pillars?”
Master Subhuti replied, ”When someone constructs a building, the pillars of the building will serve as the foundation. As long as the foundation is solid and stable enough, it wouldn't be a problem even if one wants to build a skyscraper. However, once the pillars are damaged, everything will collapse.”
”This means that it won't last long either. I don't want to learn it.”
...
And following that, Subhuti shared the two daos of 'movement' and 'stillness' to Sun Wukong. But because he couldn't gain longevity from this, Sun Wukong shook his head and refused to learn.
Earlier, Master Subhuti seemed extremely casual and easy-going. But now, he was completely enraged by this monkey. Although he exuded a celestial air, once he was angered, his temper was like thunder and lightning and he was quick to take action.
Upon hearing that, he leaped down from the platform and pointed an iron ruler at Sun Wukong. ”Bratty monkey, you don't want to learn anything. What are you staying here for?”
He then moved forward and used the ruler to hit Sun Wukong three times on his head. The monkey shivered from fear; it looked somewhat comical.
After that, the master clasped his hand behind his back, directly turned and departed, leaving everyone here, not intending on continuing the lecture.
When the others saw Master Subhuti unprecedentedly revealing his anger, they were extremely frightened and began to blame Sun Wukong.
”Damn monkey, you are too insolent. Master is imparting the Daos to you, why don't you learn them?”
”Arguing with the master? Now that he is angered, no one knows when the next lecture would be.”
”Daring to make trouble and causing my cultivation to be delayed? I won't let matters rest like this!”
...
That monkey wasn't enraged nor embarrassed. It ignored all the ugly words spoken by these people and disregarded them.
So it turned out that the monkey had already solved the riddle here. It kept quiet, not bothering to argue with these people, as it also turned to leave.
This departure lasted an entire day. The monkey closed its eyes and regulated its breathing, focusing on absorbing the spiritual qi of heavens and earth.
After the appointment time arrived, Feng Lin opened his eyes. He wore his robes and opened the door stealthily, avoiding the crowd as he snuck into the depths of the Bodhi Cave.
Master Subhuti was curled up, seemed to be sleeping.
Sun Wukong didn't dare alarm him. He simply knelt before the bed and waited.
After some time, Master Subhuti suddenly mumbled to himself.
”Difficult, difficult, difficult! The Dao is so mysterious. Treating the golden pill as ordinary. All words imparted would only be wasted if I don't meet the correct person to impart the correct Dao!”