Chapter 44: Wuzhuang Temple Retains Friends
Yet Tang Sanzang and his disciples were tied to the eaves pillars.
Tang Sanzang complained endlessly.
At night, Wukong used an escaping technique, slipped out of the ropes, and rescued Tang Sanzang, Ba Jie, and Sha Seng. He quietly retrieved the White Horse and luggage, and escaped through the temple gate.
He then ordered Ba Jie to uproot four willow trees, transform them into four human figures with identical appearances and features, able to answer questions when asked and respond when called, still tied there, indistinguishable from real people.
That night, the master and three disciples continued nonstop on horseback, fleeing Wuzhuang Temple.
By dawn, Tang Sanzang was utterly exhausted, so they hid under the hillside to shelter from the wind and rest.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan rose at dawn, ate his morning meal, and ordered his disciples to fetch Tang Sanzang and the three others. Tang Sanzang and the three had turned into tree roots.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan sneered, rose on a cloud, and in an instant caught up to Tang Sanzang and his disciples, shouting, “Sun Wukong! Where do you think you’re going! Return my Ginseng Fruit Tree!”
Ba Jie heard and said, “Ah, he’s coming again!”
Wukong wielded his Iron Rod and advanced, with Ba Jie and Sha Seng as helpers, surrounding Great Immortal Zhen Yuan in midair, each raising their divine weapons and attacking together.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan only used his Fly Whisk to block, letting the three come and go; after half a hour, he remained unmoved. With a flick of his robe sleeve, he once again swept Tang Sanzang and his disciples along with the White Horse and luggage into his sleeve.
He returned on the cloud to the temple. He hung Tang Sanzang and his disciples up, tying them to trees. He ordered the disciples to bring out a large pot.
Wukong laughed, “Ba Jie, what luck! They’ve brought out the pot, probably to cook rice for us to eat.”
Ba Jie said, “That’s fine; let us eat some rice, it would be better to die as full ghosts.”
The disciples set up the large pot in the courtyard, with a fierce fire boiling the oil.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said, “Throw Sun Wukong into the oil pot and fry him, to avenge my Ginseng Fruit Tree!”
Hearing this, Wukong was not afraid of the oil pot, but feared Great Immortal Zhen Yuan might use some immortal spell, so he dared not truly enter the pot. He cast a spell, sent out his original spirit, and transformed himself into a thousand-jin heavy stone lion, placing it in his original spot.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan’s disciples came to carry him; seven or eight could not lift it, it took twenty people to move it, and they all said, “This monkey has a small body, but solid flesh.”
They hoisted it up and dumped it into the pot with a clang; the fake Wukong turned back into the stone lion, smashing the pot and splashing boiling oil, scalding the young Taoists’ faces with several large blisters!
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan angrily said, “This brazen monkey is so rude! How dare he break my pot? Untie his master Tang Sanzang, get a new pot, and fry him to avenge my Ginseng Fruit Tree.”
Wukong heard this and thought, “Master is frail; if he goes into the oil pot, one roll and he’s dead, two rolls and he’s scorched, by three to five rolls he’ll be a mushy monk! I’d better go rescue him.”
Wukong came down again, saying nice words, “Mister, don’t fry my master, fry me instead! Just now I had an urgent need to relieve myself, afraid of dirtying your oil and making it unfit for cooking; now I’ve cleared it all out, perfect for the pot.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan laughed coldly upon hearing this, walked out of the hall, grabbed Wukong, and said:
“Sun Wukong, don’t show off your supernatural powers here. I know your abilities and have heard of your fame, but no matter how capable you are, you can’t escape my grasp; even if you see your Western Buddha Ancestor, you must return my Ginseng Fruit Tree.”
Wukong laughed, “You, Mister, are so petty! If you want the tree alive, what’s so difficult about it!”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said, “Such big talk! If you have that supernatural power to revive the tree, I will make eight bows with you and become brothers.”
Wukong said, “Release them, and Old Sun guarantees to return a living tree.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan figured they couldn’t escape, so he immediately ordered Tang Sanzang, Ba Jie, and Sha Seng released.
Sha Seng said, “The tree is all dead; how does big brother plan to revive it?”
Ba Jie said, “The tree is dead; how can it be revived? He’s just saying it to seek a cure for the tree as an excuse to escape; I’m afraid he won’t care about us!”
Tang Sanzang said, “He absolutely won’t abandon us. I’ll go ask him how to heal the tree.”
He then called, “Wukong, where are you going to seek the formula to heal the tree?”
Wukong said, “As the ancients said, ‘The formula comes from the sea.’ I’ll go to the Eastern Ocean Sea, visit the three islands and ten continents, seek out immortal elders and sages, and find a method to bring the dead back to life, guaranteed to revive his tree.”
Tang Sanzang said, “How long until you return?”
Wukong said, “Just three days.”
Tang Sanzang said, “In that case, as you say, I’ll give you a three-day limit. If you return within three days, fine; if not by the third day, I’ll recite that scripture.”
Wukong had no choice but to say, “As you command, as you command.”
Wukong wanted to leave, but feared that without him, his master would be mistreated, so he said to Great Immortal Zhen Yuan:
“I’ll go and come right back; don’t mistreat my master, provide tea and rice daily. If his clothes get dirty, wash and starch them. If his face looks a bit yellow, I don’t want that; if he’s a bit thinner, I won’t go.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said, “Go ahead, I’ll certainly take good care of him.”
Only then did Wukong leave.
As soon as Wukong left, Ao Tu came out and said:
“I heard the commotion outside the hall; has your master returned?”
Qing Feng and Ming Yue hurriedly came forward and said, “Heavenly Venerable, this is our master.”
Ao Tu looked up and saw Great Immortal Zhen Yuan.
He wore a purple gold crown on his head, with a carefree crane cloak.
Shoes on his feet, silk sash around his waist.
Three strands of beard floating under his chin, crow-feather hair stacked at his temples.
Fly Whisk in hand, truly a Grand Unity immortal.
Ao Tu gave a greeting, and Zhen Yuanzi returned the courtesy, saying, “I’ve long heard of your arrival, friend, but temple affairs were busy and I couldn’t welcome you; please forgive me.”
Ao Tu said, “I dare not.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said, “I hear you come from the West, specially to heal my treasure tree?”
Ao Tu said, “Exactly.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said, “I wonder what supernatural power you have; may I see it?”
Ao Tu said, “Great Immortal, please look.”
At that, a flash behind Ao Tu revealed green, yellow, red, white, and black Five-Colored Divine Light.
In the radiance, the red light held a Treasure Fan, glowing brightly.
In the white light was a Golden Lotus, emanating sacred energy.
In the black light was a pool of Divine Water, shining with sun, moon, and stars—precisely the Three Lights Divine Water.
Ao Tu said, “This is the Three Lights Divine Water, which can heal immortal tree saplings.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan was slightly startled inside but showed nothing on his face, merely praising:
“Indeed impressive supernatural power! This poor Daoist previously went to Upper Clarity Heaven Miluo Palace for lectures and happened to meet Old Mother Li Shan; she said recently she recognized a son-in-law—do you know of this, friend?”
Ao Tu laughed, “I do not. This poor Daoist has been cultivating diligently in the Western sacred land and has not heard outer world matters.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan laughed, “I see. I observe you have pure energy filling your body; you must have cultivated from youth—why then did Qing Feng and Ming Yue say you wanted two people to eat?”
Ao Tu said, “Probably I didn’t explain clearly; I said I wanted two little ones, meaning two Ginseng Fruits, not real people.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said, “I see, that’s simple.”
Nearby, Ba Jie overheard Ao Tu and Zhen Yuanzi’s conversation and said, “Master, trouble!”
Tang Sanzang said, “What’s wrong?”
Ba Jie said, “Didn’t you hear that Daoist Priest? He can heal the Ginseng Fruit Tree. If he heals it, we won’t be useful anymore, and who knows how he’ll punish us!”
Tang Sanzang heard this and worried endlessly.
Ba Jie said, “Master, watch me disrupt their business.”
Ba Jie shouted, “You Daoist Priest, don’t be fooled; that Ginseng Fruit Tree was pushed down by my senior brother—there’s not a single fruit left on it!”
