I have chosen two disciples for the scriptures taker. As we continue our trip in the mortal world, we are going to pick him a mount.

There is more behind this mount.

The first two yokais are convicted by Jade Emperor with severe punishments, but their guilt isn’t enough to sentence them to death. This later one, is not a yokai, but it is a dragon.

It is a dying dragon.

This child is the third son in the family of Dragon King of the West Sea. To be honest, if anything happened to this family, it must be caused by this third prince. This third prince is a dragon character. He doesn’t want to behave like a prince and he burned the shinny pearl in his dad’s palace when he was bored.

From my perspective, he is just a teenager in his rebellious phase.

However, his dad is even more of a dragon character. His son doesn’t obey his words and sets a fire. He, as the father didn’t educate his son; he didn’t beat him or abuse him. He went straight to Jade Emperor and accused his son of being disobedient.

To be honest, he has not understood why his son is disobedient?

Who has taught him to be disobedient?

Then, Jade Emperor swings his brush pen and beats this child in the air three-hundred times and gives him a death penalty.

This Dragon King of the West Sea is carefree for sure. On that day when Sun Wukong was making troubles in Dragon King of the East Sea, countless treasures were taken away by Sun Wukong from these Dragon Kings of Four Seas. I didn’t find them feeling uncomfortable enough to want to kill Sun Wukong. Well, one of the princes burned one treasure and now the Dragon King of the West Sea wants to kill his son?

Humans aren’t plants and they have love. Did this Dragon King of the West Sea just kill his son?

No, this old Dragon King is too smart.

If he went to Buddha and said before this thing happened: my third son is good for nothing; if I wait till he is grown-up, the highest position I can give him is just a Dragon King in a river; he will guard a river and be unaccomplished all his life; I beg you Buddha. Please enlighten him and give him a position in Buddhism.

This will not do at all. Our Western Paradise doesn’t want this kind of being. We cannot let someone who is worthless in Jade Emperor’s eyes to be a buddha here. What is our Western Paradise? A trash can?

But now his son is accused by him in the Heaven Court and is promised a death penalty which will be carried out soon. He comes and talks to Buddha with his snots and tears that he begs Buddha to take his little dragon to be a horse and let the scriptures taker to ride on his son in order to correct his mind. This will be Buddhism moralizing a guilty dragon. Can Buddha say no to this?

No matter how disobedient his son is, it is a dragon! How much face the scriptures taker will have if he rides on a dragon to India!?

What’s more, if Buddha rejects him, it will be Buddha watching this little dragon dying and doing nothing to help. Buddha will not accomplish a good deed and will be hated by the Dragon King of the West Sea.

I have said it before: our buddhas in Western Paradise are pure and naïve; we just want to cultivate and teach people to be good. The East doesn’t have a single good deity. Their body is full of thoughts and they scheme our Western Paradise all day long.

I tell Huian that this little white dragon has a powerful background and connections. It should be communicable. We just need to go through the procedure and we can go to the Five Element Mountain next.

Huian makes that weird smile. He seems to be smiling and not smiling. He looks at me, and says to me: ‘This little white dragon Aolie. I have met him before.’

Even better, they know each other. When we are going through the procedure, we can have less embarrassment.

We ride on the cloud for a while, looking for that little white dragon which is being hung in the air by Jade Emperor. We look into these clouds and fogs. This dragon is beautiful for real. It has white scales shining like snowflakes. If it doesn’t have the bloodiness on its body, it will look even prettier than a dragon on a scroll.

I even have to pretend I didn’t know him and fake to ask him: ‘Where is your home, little dragon? Why are you wounded here?’

Aolie glances at me and speaks feebly: ‘I am the son of that Dragon King of the West Sea Aorun. I was beaten three-hundred times in the air by Jade Emperor and I will soon be put to death because I burned the shiny pearl in my father’s palace and he accused me in the Heavenly Court with the guilt of disobedience.’

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Then, I kindly say: ‘I have looked at your bones. Do you want to join our Buddhism and be enlightened? You can wait here, and I will plead Jade Emperor to pardon you.’

I thought we could leave now, but things have gotten out of our expectation. Not even before we turn around, the little white dragon’s eyes light up suddenly and shouts: ‘I DO NOT!’

……What?

Didn’t your dad come beg us?

I thought your burning that shiny pearl as a part of the plan!

The little white dragon says in a huff: ‘Thanks for bodhisattva’s kindness, but since I have burned the shiny pearl, I have expected to have a dead end. So what? There is not even one single good person in Heaven! I do not need them to pardon me! I am not wrong!’

……

He says again: ‘That Jade Emperor beat me three-hundred times. He thought I will apologize to my father after these beatings. I am NOT APOLOGIZING! I even said that Sun Wukong is the big hero of the world who has beaten all these useless deities! Those in the Lingxiao Palace are all hypocrites. Every registered deity in Heaven is bad! Am I going to be associated with them? I would rather die and reincarnate to be a cow, a horse, or grass instead of being a deity!’

……

This child is incredibly chunibyou.

Being young is so good.

For a being like me who has lived for many years, I have become lazy to talk when I see something. Now I see someone being mad and shouting. I really miss this kind of vitality.

The little white dragon is covered in bloodiness. His eyes are shiny with hero spirit. He stares at me and says: ‘Bodhisattva wants to save me today. I have remembered your kindness, but I will not have a chance to pay you back in this life. I shall be a cow or a horse in my next life and pay you back in Nanhai!’

……Please don’t. You probably will not remember me in your next life.

Now I understand what Huian was smiling for. He has met this little white dragon and he knows this child is a chunibyou who is extremely difficult to educate.

If a person is evil, he can be educated; if a person is a chunibyou, he will probably be a chunibyou to his grave.

His being a chunibyou has nothing with me, but if he dies here today, it will have something to do with me.

What can I do? Do I persuade him? Does a chunibyou listen to my words?

Huian says to me: ‘Shifu, why don’t we find another guy? I think Aolie brother is too wild that he doesn’t want to lower his head to that Heaven.’

It was still good before he talks. After he said these, Aolie raises his head more and it seems that even death will not make him yield.

I hate myself for not being able to beat Huian to death right here.

I say to Huian: ‘If he doesn’t go, you shall transform into a horse and be ridden by that scriptures taker to India!’

Huian says: ‘This can’t do. I have become a disciple of Guanyin bodhisattva in Nanhai. If I call that scriptures taker shifu, things will be muddled. If shifu you need a horse, I can be your mount for thousands of years. I will not be a mount for that scriptures taker.’

He seldom talks so many words, and this time he talks to annoy me. I doubt that he really wants me to kick him out from Nanhai.

On this side, we are chatting. That little white dragon listens and asks with curiosity: ‘I know I shouldn’t ask bodhisattva’s personal things, but I have never heard about the scriptures taker. I am going to die soon. This is my last wish. Bodhisattva, please tell me about it.’

I say: ‘I was kind that I wanted you to be a white horse to send that scriptures taker to India to receive scriptures since you are going to be killed by Jade Emperor now. That Sun Wukong is also being imprisoned under the Five Element Mountain and Buddha also pardoned him and asked him to guard that scriptures taker to receive scriptures. He will be enlightened.’

The little white dragon suddenly shines his eyes: ‘Great Sage also goes to receive scriptures!?’

I say: ‘Indeed. I heard that you said he was the big hero of the world. I was thinking that if you both go, you can meet each other……’

Before I finish my words, the little white dragon immediately cries out: ‘I go! I go! Please save me, bodhisattva! I am willing to be a horse for that scriptures taker and send him to India to receive scriptures! Ask me to do anything!’

*Sigh*. Now this troublesome monkey is more famous than me among the kids.

I ask him half doubted and half believed: ‘Do you admit your mistake now?’

I doubt the little dragon didn’t hear what I said at all. He says with his shiny eyes: ‘I know I know! I will repent and mend my ways!’

I: ‘Will you apologize to your father and to Jade Emperor?’

The little white dragon says happily: ‘I will! I will apologize in any pose that bodhisattva asks me to! You are the kind Guanyin bodhisattva. You look so pretty. All your words are right.’

……

Huian stands aside and stares at him. He seems to be looking at his past with a deep feeling.

I say to Huian: ‘I didn’t lie to you at that time, really.’

My weird disciple who has talked for a while since the trip has become back to that incommunicative disciple again. He is not going to speak with me.

Ayyy, being a shifu is not easy.

I go to plead for the little white dragon and take him to a deep stream to rest. I enjoin him to be a good dragon and cause no more troubles. If he does, he will lose his Great Sage’s face. I am finally relieved until he promises me.

I have chosen two disciples and one mount. Now we only have one last left.

The most difficult one.

I take Huian and fly to Five Element Mountain. That Five Element Mountain has a sticker pasted by Buddha. I can see it is radiating golden lights as if it is broadcasting that: Did you see this? This yokai which Jade Emperor failed to defeat with all deities in Heaven was smashed here with one slap by me.’

I say to Huian with sincere words and earnest wishes: ‘You are a good kid. Don’t learn how impulsive the little white dragon is. See that Sun Wukong acting like a hero and making havoc in Heaven. Although all these soldiers in Heaven were not able to defeat him and yes he acted like a lord once in Heaven, what did he get? There is always a taller building after a building. There is always a higher mountain after a mountain. He is subdued at the end, so don’t always fight against those yokais. Fighting is useless.’

My weird disciple doesn’t talk. Another’s disciple shouts.

That Sun Wukong imprisoned under Five Element Mountain shouts sulked: ‘Who is so mean up on the mountain raking up my past?!’

Pshhh, did this audacious troublesome monkey just accuse the Mercy Goddess Guanyin bodhisattva with “mean”?