Chapter 5: The White Dragon Becomes a Horse
613 Words
Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong continued their journey westward. One day, they reached Snake Coiled Mountain and Eagle Sorrow Gorge. Suddenly, a white dragon emerged from the gorge, its claws extended menacingly as it lunged at Tang Sanzang. Sun Wukong, alarmed, quickly hoisted Tang Sanzang onto his back and flew away on his cloud. Unable to catch up, the dragon turned its attention to the white horse, swallowing it whole before retreating back into the depths of the gorge.
After ensuring his master was safe in a secure spot, Sun Wukong returned to the gorge to fetch the horse and their luggage, only to find the horse missing. Realizing the white dragon must have devoured it, he began shouting angrily at the gorge, "You slimy eel, spit out my horse!" Hearing Wukong’s insults, the white dragon's eyes flared with anger as it leaped out of the water, baring its fangs and claws, and charged at Wukong.
However, the dragon was no match for the Monkey King. After just a few rounds, the dragon was drenched in sweat and fled back into the water. Wukong cursed the dragon for a while longer, but when it didn’t reemerge, he decided to use his “River-Raising Technique,” churning up the clear waters of the gorge into a murky, swirling mess.
Unable to remain in the turbulent water, the dragon reluctantly surfaced again and resumed its fight with Wukong. They battled for dozens of rounds, but the white dragon, realizing it was outmatched, transformed into a water snake and slithered into the nearby grass. Wukong hurried to chase after it but found no trace of the snake, gnashing his teeth in frustration.
Determined to get to the bottom of this, Wukong chanted an incantation, summoning the mountain god and the local earth deities. He demanded to know where the white dragon had come from. The mountain god and earth deities, trembling with fear, carefully explained, "This white dragon was placed here by Bodhisattva Guanyin, waiting to join you on your journey to fetch the scriptures."
Upon hearing this, Wukong grew even more furious and insisted on confronting Guanyin to demand an explanation.
Anticipating this, Guanyin descended gracefully to Eagle Sorrow Gorge on her cloud and explained to Wukong, "This white dragon is the son of the Dragon King of the West Sea. He committed a capital crime, but I intervened on his behalf, arranging for him to serve as Tang Sanzang’s steed on the pilgrimage to the West. Without this dragon horse, your journey to the Western Heaven would be impossible."
Wukong, still concerned, asked urgently, "But he's hiding in the water and refuses to come out. What should we do?"
With a gentle smile, Guanyin called out towards the gorge. Immediately, the white dragon transformed into a handsome young man and approached the Bodhisattva. She spoke kindly, "Little White Dragon, your master has arrived!" As she spoke, Guanyin removed the luminous pearl from the dragon's neck, dipped a willow branch in sweet dew, and with a wave of her hand, sprinkled the dragon with it. She then blew a breath of celestial air and uttered the word "Transform!" Instantly, the white dragon turned into a majestic white horse.
Guanyin instructed Wukong to lead the white horse back to Tang Sanzang, then ascended on her cloud and returned to Mount Potalaka in the Southern Sea. Wukong, delighted, led the horse to Tang Sanzang. The monk, stroking the horse's head, exclaimed, "What a fine horse! Where did you find it?"
Wukong recounted the entire incident, and upon hearing it, Tang Sanzang immediately knelt and bowed towards the south, offering thanks to Bodhisattva Guanyin for her divine intervention.
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