Chapter 43: Wuzhuang Temple Retains Friends
However, Wukong cast a spell to open the door and invited Tang Sanzang to come out.
Tang Sanzang said: “Wukong, we have committed the crime of theft. If we just leave like this, won’t the Buddha Ancestor blame us?”
Wukong said: “Master, that Taoist Priest during the day was a monster. Don’t listen to his deception. Those fruits grew on the tree; even birds flying by in the air should have a share. We brothers ate a few of his—what big crime is that?”
Ba Jie said: “Master, let’s go quickly. Otherwise, if they catch us and keep us here, we’ll have to do at least ten years of hard labor, and this Journey for Sutras will never be completed!”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang finally came out.
Tang Sanzang mounted the horse, Ba Jie shouldered the burden, Sha Seng led the horse, and they headed straight west.
Wukong said: “You all go slowly first. Wait for Old Sun to cast another spell to make those two boy servants sleep for a month.”
Tang Sanzang said: “Disciple, do not harm their lives; otherwise, it would add another sin of gaining wealth and injuring people—how could we reach the Western Heaven then?”
Wukong said: “I know, I know!”
Wukong went in, cast a spell, making the two boy servants fall into a deep sleep from which they could not wake.
Suddenly, someone patted Wukong on the shoulder, startling him into jumping up.
Ao Tu said: “It’s me.”
Seeing it was Ao Tu, Wukong relaxed and said: “You demon dragon, what trick are you using again to deceive my master?”
Ao Tu said: “How did I deceive him? The Westward Journey road is full of disasters and difficulties, all man-eating demons. I blocked him from going west to save him, letting him live more peaceful days.”
Wukong said: “You sure know how to talk, but you incited that old monk to be suspicious—I’m afraid he’ll recite the incantation again.”
Ao Tu laughed: “I am the Spirit Mountain Great King, wanting to eat Tang Sanzang’s flesh. Sowing discord among you master and disciples is perfectly justified. Now I’ve told you in advance—if you have the ability, break my scheme; otherwise, just wait to suffer!”
Wukong said: “You demon dragon, one day when Old Sun catches you, I’ll make you lead my horse and shoulder my burden every day!”
Ao Tu said: “You monkey, one day when I catch you, I’ll make you be my little whirlwind scouting the ridges and patrolling the mountains!”
The two parted ways,
Wukong pulled open his cloud step, caught up to Tang Sanzang, and hurried straight west along the main road.
As the saying goes, a thief has a guilty conscience. That night, Tang Sanzang and his disciples kept the horse going nonstop until dawn.
Tang Sanzang, utterly exhausted, said: “This monkey head is killing me! He’s made me sleepless all night!”
Wukong said: “Master, don’t complain. The sky is bright now; rest here for a bit to recover your energy before going on.”
Tang Sanzang then dismounted and sat leaning against a pine tree.
Sha Seng set down the burden and dozed off. Ba Jie pillowed his head on a stone and slept.
Wukong, with his restless nature and nothing to do, played with tree branches.
At that time, Great Immortal Zhen Yuan returned from the assembly at the Primordial Palace, led his many disciples down through the jade heavens, descended on auspicious clouds, and arrived at the gate of Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain.
He saw the temple gate wide open and the ground clean.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said: “Qing Feng and Ming Yue are actually useful. Normally, when the sun is three poles high, they don’t even stretch their waists; today when we weren’t here, they got up early instead to open the gate and sweep the ground.”
All the disciples were pleased. They went to the hall, where there was no incense and fire, no sign of people—where were Ming Yue and Qing Feng!
At the door of the two’s room, they saw them in deep sleep inside, unresponsive to calls.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan knew someone had cast a spell, so he cast a spell to dispel the curse.
Qing Feng and Ming Yue awoke, learned that Tang Sanzang and his disciples had fled, knelt down with tears on their cheeks, and told Great Immortal Zhen Yuan the whole story.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said: “Don’t cry! Don’t cry! Do you recognize those monks?”
The two said: “We recognize them all.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said: “Since you recognize them, follow me. Disciples, prepare the instruments of punishment, and wait for me to come back and beat them.”
The disciples obeyed.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan took Qing Feng and Ming Yue, rose on auspicious light, and went to pursue Tang Sanzang.
In an instant, they had gone a thousand li.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan watched from the clouds and did not see Tang Sanzang; turning his head, he said: “We’ve gone more than nine hundred li too far.”
It turned out that Tang Sanzang, with the horse nonstop all night, had only traveled one hundred and twenty li—and that was thanks to the Dragon Horse.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan lifted his cloud head, overtook more than nine hundred li, found Tang Sanzang and his disciples, pressed down the cloud, shook his body, and transformed into an ordinary Daoist Priest.
Holding a fly whisk in hand and lightly tapping a fishing drum, he went straight to the tree and said to Tang Sanzang: “Elder, this poor Daoist pays his respects.”
Tang Sanzang hurriedly said: “Forgive my lack of manners! Forgive my lack of manners! This poor monk returns the courtesy.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan asked: “Elder, from which direction do you come? Why are you meditating by the roadside?”
Tang Sanzang felt ashamed in his heart and did not dare say he had stolen things and fled here overnight, so he said: “This poor monk is sent by the Eastern Land Great Tang to the Western Heaven for sutras. Passing by here, I am resting for a while.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said: “Elder comes from the east—did you pass by my barren mountain?”
Tang Sanzang asked: “What precious mountain is the Daoist Priest from?”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said: “Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain is this poor Daoist’s abode.”
Hearing this, Wukong hurriedly replied: “No! No! We came from another road.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan revealed his true form and laughed:
“You brazen monkey! Who are you fooling? You knocked down my Ginseng Fruit Tree and fled here overnight—confess quickly! Return my tree at once!”
Hearing this, Wukong pulled out his iron rod to strike.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan used his fly whisk to block the Golden Cudgel, stood in the clouds, flung his robe sleeve into the wind, executed the ‘Heaven and Earth in the Sleeve’ technique, and swept forward, enveloping Tang Sanzang, his three disciples, and the horse all together in his sleeve.
Wukong, Ba Jie, and Sha Seng thrashed wildly inside the sleeve but could not damage it in the slightest.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan turned his auspicious cloud and descended straight to Wuzhuang Temple, called his disciples to bring rope, and tied Tang Sanzang and his disciples each to the pillars of the main hall’s eaves. He said:
“Disciples, fetch my dragon skin seven-star whip. First beat these monks a round to vent my Ginseng Fruit Tree!”
The disciples brought out the whip and asked: “Master, whom to beat first?”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said: “Tang Sanzang disrespected his teacher first—beat him.”
Hearing this, Wukong thought to himself: “That old monk can’t take a beating; if a round of the whip damages him, wouldn’t it be my sin?” So he said:
“Mister, you’re wrong. I stole the fruit, I ate the fruit, I knocked down the tree—why not beat me first instead of him?”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan laughed: “This brazen monkey dares to own up. Beat him first!”
After thirty strokes, Great Immortal Zhen Yuan ordered again: “Tang Sanzang should also be beaten for lax discipline, allowing his disciples to commit violence.”
Wukong said: “Mister, you’re wrong again. When we stole the fruit, my master didn’t know—he was in the hall talking with your two boy servants; it was our doing. Even if there’s a sin of lax discipline, as his disciple I should take the beating instead. Beat me again.”
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan laughed: “You brazen monkey, though cunning and stubborn, have some filial piety. Still, beat him!”
After beating for a long time, the sky was nearly dark.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said: “Tomorrow we’ll torture them more.”
The disciples put away the whip and each returned to their rooms.
Qing Feng and Ming Yue had been put to sleep by Wukong’s spell, their heads groggy; they forgot to report Ao Tu’s matter to their master. Remembering now, they hurriedly reported it.
Great Immortal Zhen Yuan said: “You two, there’s such a remarkable person—why didn’t you say so earlier? It’s late today, inconvenient to disturb the guest’s rest; invite him tomorrow to meet.”
At that time, Tang Sanzang was tied to the eave pillar, tears streaming down, complaining:
“Pitiful, you all caused the trouble, yet you’ve dragged me here to suffer!”
Wukong said: “Master, they’ve beaten me; you haven’t been beaten at all—what are you complaining about?”
Tang Sanzang said: “Though I haven’t been hit, being tied up hurts too.”
