In "Journey to the West", a well-known classical masterpiece, Sun Wukong has solved problems for his master countless times with his rich contacts and extraordinary skills. However, have you ever wondered why whenever you need to ask for rain for help, Sun Wukong always runs to find the Dragon King of the Four Seas, instead of the little white dragon next to him?
In "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, Sha Seng and Master Tang Seng learned scriptures from the west, and encountered countless difficulties and obstacles on the way. Among them, Xiao Bailong, as a member of the team, although his strength is good, he is always unknown, and most of the time he only appears as a white horse.
The identity of the little white dragon is inherently a bit special. He was originally the third prince of the Dragon King of the West Sea, and was demoted to a white horse for committing the Heavenly Rules, and was later ignited by Guanyin Bodhisattva and joined the team of Tang Seng on his westward journey. Although he is a dragon and theoretically has the ability to mobilize rain, why doesn't Sun Wukong consider him every time he asks for rain?
In fact, the reason behind this is related to the identity and ability of the little white dragon. Although the little white dragon is a dragon, he is only a little prince of the Dragon King of the West Sea after all, and his ability to control the weather and his status are far inferior to the Dragon King of the Four Seas. The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas each rule a side of the sea, and have more powerful power and resources, and their ability to mobilize rain and control the weather is naturally incomparable to the little white dragon.
Moreover, the relationship between Sun Wukong and the Dragon King of the East China Sea is extraordinary. The Dragon King of the East China Sea was very helpful to Sun Wukong after he made trouble in the Heavenly Palace, and even provided him with a lot of treasures, such as the Dinghai God Needle (that is, the Ruyi Golden Hoop Stick). This deep relationship makes Sun Wukong more inclined to seek the assistance of the Dragon King of the East China Sea when he needs help.
In "Journey to the West", almost all of the important scenes of Sun Wukong begging for rain are related to the Dragon King of the Four Seas. For example, in the battle against the Red Child, Sun Wukong was trapped by the Samadhi True Fire and urgently needed water to extinguish the flames. At this time, the first thing he thought of was the Dragon King of the East China Sea, not the little white dragon. Seeing this, the Dragon King of the East China Sea immediately summoned the other Dragon Kings of the Three Seas to help Sun Wukong solve the dilemma.
When Sun Wukong needed help in Huaguo Mountain, he also directly found the Dragon King of the Four Seas. At that time, Huaguo Mountain suffered from drought, and Sun Wukong needed a lot of rain to revive the mountain forest. Asking for rain on this scale is obviously beyond the scope of the little white dragon's ability.
From these plots, we can see that although Xiao Bailong is also a dragon, in "Journey to the West", his role and abilities are positioned in a relatively secondary position. Although he was capable, he was obviously not as authoritative and effective as the Dragon King of the Four Seas when faced with large-scale or important rain-seeking tasks. This kind of internal role setting makes Sun Wukong rely more on the help of those "big-named" characters at critical moments.
Moreover, we have to mention that the main role of Xiao Bailong is as Tang Seng's mount, which also limits his range of activities and ability in the story from the side. In the process of Tang Seng's westward journey, Xiao Bailong played more of a role of protection and service, rather than an active fighter. Although this kind of character setting makes him look a little "marginal", it also meets the needs of the respective roles and story development in the entire learning team.
Further, the little white dragon does not participate in asking for rain, and it may also involve his own fate and identity change. As a degraded dragon, he is going through a kind of redemption process to some extent, and his main task is to protect Tang Seng, not to show his abilities as a dragon. This is obviously very different from the responsibility of the Dragon King of the Four Seas to directly manage the four seas and control the weather.
We can also understand this setting in terms of culture and storytelling. Through such a plot setting, "Journey to the West" not only enriches the level of the story, but also deepens the character portrayal of the characters. The wit of the Monkey King, the generosity of the Dragon King of the East China Sea, and the loyalty and sacrifice of the little white dragon are all highlighted through these story fragments.
From a more practical point of view, asking for help from the Dragon King of the Four Seas is also a manifestation of Monkey King's use of his extensive network of contacts. In the face of difficulties and challenges, he was able to mobilize all available resources, including a heavyweight role like the Dragon King of the Four Seas, which undoubtedly increased the likelihood of success. And Xiao Bailong, although he also has certain abilities, in "Journey to the West", he supports the team more through other means, rather than directly participating in the handling of large-scale events.
Although the little white dragon is also a member of the dragon clan and has certain supernatural powers, in "Journey to the West", his role and abilities are deliberately set to be more suitable for assistance and protection. Every time Sun Wukong begs for rain, he chooses the Dragon King of the Four Seas instead of the Little White Dragon, not only because the Dragon King of the Four Seas is more capable, but also because it conforms to the logic of the story and the relationship between the characters. Such a plot arrangement makes the whole story richer and richer, and also makes each character have its own unique light, even the little white dragon on the edge has its irreplaceable value and significance.