The Ginseng Fruit Tree does not need saving; is it possible? Yes, absolutely! The journey to obtain the scriptures in “Journey to the West” was a play orchestrated by the Buddha and the Jade Emperor, with various deities and demons participating either actively or passively. Zhenyuan Daxian is one of the many actors, allowing a tree in his garden to play a supporting role, which makes sense.
The Ginseng Fruit Tree is a “spiritual root born at the time when chaos was first divided, and the universe was not yet opened.” Additionally, when the Buddha gathered the Monkey King, he mentioned that the Jade Emperor had cultivated since childhood, enduring 1,750 calamities, each lasting 129,600 years, 1750X129600=22680000, which is 226,800,000 years. Even if the Ginseng Fruit Tree is as old as the Jade Emperor, it has also existed for two hundred million years. Over such a long time, the world has changed dramatically. Bodhi Patriarch said that Sun Wukong would face three disasters, with a thunder disaster falling from the sky after five hundred years; another five hundred years later, a fire disaster would burn him; and another five hundred years later, a wind disaster would blow him away. With at least one major disaster every five hundred years, the Ginseng Fruit Tree has certainly experienced numerous calamities, and it must have been knocked down many times. Surviving so many tribulations, the damage caused by Sun Wukong knocking it down is merely a drizzle, negligible.
In reality, every Arbor Day, every market sells saplings, such as poplar, willow, and grape trees, all with exposed roots. If properly cared for, they can thrive. Even in urban landscaping, many large trees are uprooted and transplanted elsewhere and still survive. Even if people completely neglect them, a willow tree can still thrive from a casual planting. In 1933, when the Red Fourth Front Army was stationed at Longjiao Mountain in Peng’an County, the soldiers broke off a branch of a yellow jujube tree to use as a carrying pole for rice. After carrying the rice up the mountain, they casually stuck the branch into the ground. Surprisingly, this branch exhibited remarkable vitality, and decades later, it has grown into a towering tree. The local people affectionately call it the “Red Army Tree.” The Ginseng Fruit Tree grows in the wild, and even if it has never enjoyed a day in a greenhouse, it is not more delicate than the trees commonly seen in our world, and can withstand disturbances, so being knocked down does not easily kill it and does not affect its growth.
Furthermore, the Ginseng Fruit Tree may have also become a spirit. The tree spirit that discussed poetry with Tang Seng at the Eight Hundred Li of Thorny Ridge, “Eighteen Lords are pine trees, the solitary lord is a cypress tree, the Ling Kongzi is a cypress tree, the Fu Yun Old Man is a bamboo pole, the naked ghost is a maple tree, the apricot fairy is an apricot tree, and the girl is a sweet osmanthus or a wintersweet.” They may not have the longevity of the Ginseng Fruit Tree, yet they can still transform into human forms and possess considerable literary talent, so it is reasonable to believe that the Ginseng Fruit Tree can also become a spirit. In biology, the first consideration is survival. Since the Ginseng Fruit Tree has become a spirit, living is not a problem; the issue is how to live better. To live better, it must adapt to or create a better living environment. In this sense, the Ginseng Fruit Tree must be very skilled at “being a tree,” “understanding the world is knowledge, and understanding human feelings is literature,” cooperating with its master Zhenyuan Daxian in acting, it is well aware, and this should not be the first time; it is already quite experienced.
Additionally, cooperating in the act of being knocked down, which is quite painful, the Ginseng Fruit Tree has practical benefits, as it receives the nectar from Guanyin Bodhisattva’s jade bottle. The miraculous effects of the nectar come from Guanyin Bodhisattva’s cultivation level, having once restored a scorched willow branch overnight and extinguished the true fire of the Red Boy. The nectar, under the blessing of Guanyin Bodhisattva’s magical powers, has effects equivalent to the Nine-turn Resurrection Pill that brought the King of the Black Chicken back to life. Such a rare treasure in the world, and with Guanyin Bodhisattva personally delivering it, the Ginseng Fruit Tree must be dreaming with joy.
In the story of saving the Ginseng Fruit Tree in “Journey to the West,” the role of the Ginseng Fruit Tree is merely to play a supporting role, lying there for a few days, watching Zhenyuan Daxian, Sun Wukong, and the others busily displaying their powers and flaunting their connections, then happily drinking some nectar, thinking to himself, “Sun Wukong, you push me, I am three-seven; if you don’t push me, I am still twenty-one. With two hundred million years of age, what have I not experienced? I don’t care!”
