Chapter 8: Exorcism In Gao Lao Village
Now, Zhu Bajie came out to investigate, and with a quick glance, he spotted Ao Tu standing out like a crane among chickens in the crowd.
He saw Ao Tu wearing a brocade monk’s robe, holding a nine-ringed monk’s staff, with a dignified appearance and a compassionate expression, surrounded by what seemed like Buddha’s light, truly like a Buddha’s child in the mortal world.
At that moment, Zhu Bajie was already mostly convinced in his heart, thinking this must be the pilgrim that Guanyin Bodhisattva told him to wait for here. But to avoid any mistake, he still prepared to confirm, bowed respectfully and asked:
“May I ask, Elder, who are you, from where have you come, where are you going, and how do you know my law name, old pig?”
Ao Tu said:
“This poor monk comes from the Eastern Land Great Tang, intending to go to the Western Heaven to pay respects to the Buddha and seek sutras as a monk. Passing by this place, guided by Guanyin Bodhisattva, she told me there is a Marshal Tian Peng who descended to earth here, with the law name Wu Neng, willing to be my disciple and go together to the Western Heaven for the journey for sutras to attain enlightenment. You pig spirit, do you know where this Marshal Tian Peng is now?”
Hearing this, Zhu Bajie walked forward, knelt on both knees, kowtowed and said:
“Master, as the saying goes: Monks do not speak harshly. Why do you insult me so? I, old pig, am precisely that Marshal Tian Peng who descended to earth, only because I was reborn in the wrong body did I become like this; fortunately, Guanyin Bodhisattva persuaded me to do good, I received the precepts, gave up the five meats and three pungent foods, and have been waiting here especially for Master.”
Ao Tu said: “So that’s how it is, no wonder your master judged by appearance; it’s just that your looks are extraordinarily strange and uncommon.” Then he ordered Gao Tai Gong to fetch an incense table.
Gao Tai Gong saw that the monster had instantly become Ao Tu’s disciple, not daring to disobey, ordered the servants to fetch the incense table.
Ao Tu washed his hands, lit incense, received Zhu Bajie’s obeisance, and said:
“Wu Neng, since you have given up the five meats and three pungent foods, your master will give you a separate name, call you Ba Jie, convenient for morning and evening address.”
Zhu Bajie happily said: “I shall obey master’s command.”
Afterward, at Ao Tu’s request, Zhu Bajie released Gao Cui Lan, letting Gao Tai Gong’s family reunite, not to mention.
That night, Ao Tu brought Zhu Bajie to stay temporarily one night in Gao Tai Gong’s home, and the next day, Gao Tai Gong set out a vegetarian meal to see off the two.
After the meal, Gao Tai Gong ordered someone to bring out a red lacquer medicine plate with two hundred taels of loose gold and silver, presented as fee for Ao Tu subduing the demon.
Ao Tu firmly refused to accept, saying:
“Ba Jie is my disciple, subduing him is a duty I should fulfill, how dare I accept gold, silver, and money? If I accept this gold and silver, this poor monk could not attain enlightenment even after a thousand kalpas.”
Hearing this, Gao Tai Gong dared not offer it again.
Ba Jie muttered on the side: “Master, you are too rigid; on this journey we will endure wind and dew, who knows when we will arrive at the Western Heaven, even accepting some travel silver would be good.”
Ao Tu raised his hand and knocked Ba Jie on the head once.
Ba Jie immediately clutched his head and cried out in pain: “Master, your strength is really great!”
Ao Tu said: “You idiot, we Buddhism disciples travel the four directions, we have our own means to earn silver taels, how can we accept silver for nothing?”
Ba Jie said: “Master, this monk’s livelihood is nothing more than performing Buddhist masses, ritual for hungry ghosts, and delivering the dead; how much silver can that earn, not even enough for one meal for me, old pig?”
Ao Tu said: “No need to say more, at least a thousand or hundred taels of silver!”
Ba Jie exclaimed in surprise:
“So much! As the saying goes, traveling monks are: ‘One bowl from a thousand homes, lone body wandering ten thousand miles.’ Master, how can you get so much silver?
Don’t tell me it’s stolen or robbed from somewhere! If so, we must clean up properly, can’t let Guanyin Bodhisattva find out, otherwise this sutra journey won’t succeed!”
Hearing this, Ao Tu raised his hand and knocked Ba Jie once more.
“You blockhead, we Buddhism disciples, how can we do stealing and robbing?”
Ba Jie clutched his head and said: “Then how is it obtained?”
Ao Tu said: “Your master’s silver doesn’t need stealing or robbing, every family rushes to give it; not only that, it also increases merit!”
Ba Jie said: “Such a good thing exists? Master, teach me quickly!”
Ao Tu said: “Simple, go tell Gao Tai Gong to invite the elders and folks of Gao Lao Village to gather together in the wilderness west of the village.”
Ba Jie said: “That’s barren mountains and wild ridges, what to do there?”
Ao Tu raised his hand and knocked him once, saying: “You idiot, just go quickly as told, you’ll know when the time comes!”
Ba Jie had no choice but to find Gao Tai Gong and relay Ao Tu’s instructions.
Gao Tai Gong listened, though puzzled in his heart, but fearing Ba Jie would linger and not leave, did not dare disobey.
Soon, Gao Tai Gong gathered all the elders and folks of Gao Lao Village and went to the location Ao Tu mentioned.
It was a wilderness, full of weeds, bushes everywhere, and the ground full of stones.
Ao Tu asked Ba Jie:
“Ba Jie, how long would it take you to plow one mu of land from here?”
Ba Jie patted his chest and said:
“Master, this ground is full of tree roots and stones; for ordinary people, they could work to death and not plow one mu of land, but I, old pig, am Marshal Tian Peng descended to earth, with a casual strike, I can plow one mu of good land!”
Suddenly, Ba Jie thought of something and asked:
“Master, you’re not asking me to plow land and do hard labor for them, are you?”
Ao Tu waved his hand: “No, no, how could your master bear to let you do hard labor? Your master only needs you to plow one mu of land; use some magic power, plow it in an instant, just to show off your skills for your master; when we earn money, your master will give you an extra twenty percent.”
Ba Jie heard this, calculated a bit, felt it worthwhile, and said: “Alright, Master, watch me!”
With that, Ba Jie reached out and conjured a precious gold-infused rake, shook it, and the rake became over twenty zhang long with a head over ten zhang wide; flipping it into the ground, all wild grass, tree roots, stones turned to powder, and in an instant, a good field was plowed.
The watching villagers all exclaimed in admiration.
Ao Tu praised: “Good disciple, good skill!”
Saying this, he called Ba Jie to his side and whispered: “Ba Jie, in a bit, no matter what your master says, do not speak, just nod; afterward your master will explain clearly to you, understand?”
Ba Jie said: “Master, I, old pig, understand.”
Ao Tu called to the crowd of villagers:
“Folks, how about my disciple’s skill?”
The villagers all said:
“Good skill, good skill!”
“Congratulations to the holy monk on gaining such a fine disciple!”
“Hey, at this rate, in one day we could get a thousand mu of good fields!”
“Yes, yes!”
Ao Tu said: “This poor monk is a traveling monk, inconvenient to manage property, no use for this land. Today seeing your village with simple folkways and kind families, I wish to do a merit, sell this land cheaply to you, alright?”
The villagers hearing this said:
“The holy monk has such a bodhisattva heart, naturally it’s good, but we farming families have little silver money, don’t know how much the holy monk prices this land?”
Ao Tu said: “This poor monk is not for money, only for doing good, so price it at one qian of silver per mu!”
The villagers hearing this were all overjoyed.
Outside, one mu of good land is worth at least ten taels of silver, even one mu of poor land worth several taels, now priced at only one qian of silver—what difference from giving it away?
Truly a holy monk of perfect virtue!
