Chapter 119: Encountering The Black Water River On The Road
However, Ao Tu’s words left Tang Sanzang speechless and standing there.
After a long while, Tang Sanzang said: “River God, if you want to build the great bridge, with your divine strength, who knows when it could be completed?”
Ao Tu said: “With my divine strength to help, it can be completed in two or three months.”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang felt it was not slow, and said:
“Wukong, then we will stay and help them build the great bridge.”
Wukong said: “If Master wants to stay, the disciples will naturally follow.”
The imperial envoy was overjoyed upon hearing this and bowed: “Thank you, Holy Monk! Thank you, Dragon God! This is truly a blessing for the countless common people of our Huoluo Kingdom!”
Ao Tu said: “Hold on, to build the great bridge, there are still three things that need to be done.”
The imperial envoy hurriedly said: “Dragon God, what are those three things?”
Ao Tu stood with hands behind his back and said: “Building the great bridge is a blessing for your Huoluo Kingdom, but not necessarily for the common people. I want incense and fire from the common people, but if they have no blessing, how can they offer incense and fire to me?”
The imperial envoy hurriedly said: “Dragon God, why say such things? If the kingdom benefits from the bridge, it will surely share that benefit with the common people, repairing official roads, managing floods, reducing taxes—how could the common people not be blessed?”
Ao Tu said: “Empty words are no proof, I do not believe it. Words of immortals and gods are recorded in heaven; words of mortals are recorded on paper and silk. To build the bridge, your king must personally write an imperial edict, affix the national seal, announce it to the world, promising that on the day the great bridge is completed, taxes will be reduced throughout the land—only then will I believe it.”
After a slight hesitation, the imperial envoy said: “I will surely report to the king and make this happen.”
Ao Tu nodded faintly.
Wukong, watching from the side, felt a faint sense of familiarity with Ao Tu’s manner.
These two are truly worthy of being close brothers…
The imperial envoy said: “Dragon God, besides this matter, there are two more things—what are they?”
Ao Tu said: “The remaining two things: first, need two hundred thousand taels of silver for bridge construction costs; second, conscript twenty thousand laborers to fell timber and transport earth.”
The imperial envoy happily said: “Easy enough, two hundred thousand taels of silver is too little, we can add more. Laborers can also be conscripted in greater numbers.”
Ao Tu said: “No need, this is already sufficient.”
Tang Sanzang, puzzled from the side, said: “River God, you have divine strength, so why conscript laborers? You want to do good deeds, yet why demand money?”
Ao Tu laughed: “Holy Monk, this silver is not for my own use. Look at this Black Water River—over sixty li wide front to back. To build a bridge for people to cross, is there any precedent in the world?”
Tang Sanzang shook his head: “No precedent.”
Ao Tu said: “For a bridge this long, let alone two hundred thousand taels—even two million taels or twenty million taels would hardly suffice.”
Tang Sanzang said: “Then what is your intent?”
Ao Tu said: “Has the Holy Monk heard the story of ‘The Zheng Person Who Cherished Tiles’?”
Tang Sanzang thought for a moment, not knowing it, and asked: “Please explain.”
Ao Tu said: “A person from Zheng wanted to sweep snow and spared his own roof tiles, stepping lightly; but when sweeping for a neighbor, he strode heavily, smashing tiles without care. Asked why, he said: ‘My tiles are precious, the neighbor’s tiles are cheap.'”
“If I use divine strength to build the great bridge out of thin air, no one will cherish it. You damage a beam, he steals a brick—over time, the bridge will surely collapse. But if built by human labor, everyone will treasure it, and then it can last long.”
Tang Sanzang listened and, upon careful thought, found Ao Tu’s words reasonable.
Ao Tu said again: “To accomplish this, we still need the Holy Monk’s assistance.”
Tang Sanzang said: “My assistance?”
Ao Tu said: “Not just the Holy Monk alone, but the Holy Monk, Great Sage, Marshal Tian Peng, and Curtain-Rolling General, all to help together.”
Wukong said: “What do you want us to do?”
Ba Jie said: “Is there some feast too big to finish, calling us to clean up?”
Ao Tu said: “No. For the two hundred thousand taels of silver needed to build the great bridge, the little dragon wants the Holy Monk and his three disciples to transport the silver back.”
Wukong laughed: “I thought it was something big—transporting some gold and silver, is it worth calling out Old Sun? Just have that king send more soldiers.”
Ao Tu shook his head: “Great Sage, you do not know—there is a strange rat here, adept at stealing gold and silver, coming and going without trace. Mortals cannot detect it, so please have the Great Sage and disciples make the trip.”
Wukong scratched his cheek: “There’s such a strange rat? Old Sun has traveled the Four Great Continents, yet never seen one—today I want to see it for myself.”
Ao Tu laughed: “Then many thanks to the Great Sage.”
Afterward, Tang Sanzang and his disciples rode in carriages and horses toward the capital city of Huoluo Kingdom.
After some days, the four master and disciples returned to the capital city of Huoluo Kingdom.
Tang Sanzang met the king, explained the purpose, and presented the imperial envoy’s letter.
After reviewing, the king of Huoluo Kingdom ordered two hundred thousand taels of silver taken from the national treasury, arranged officials and soldiers to escort it to Black Water River. He also promised to issue a decree, reducing taxes by ten percent nationwide on the day the great bridge is completed.
The common people all danced with joy.
Tang Sanzang and his disciples were very happy to see things going smoothly.
A few days later, the two hundred thousand taels of silver were loaded onto carts, Huoluo Kingdom officials and soldiers escorted along the way, and Tang Sanzang and his disciples followed closely.
Roadside robbers saw this formation and dared not approach, all fleeing far away.
Wukong sat on the cart escorting the silver, waiting for the silver-stealing strange rat to appear, but from leaving the capital city to arriving at Black Water River, not a trace of the strange rat was seen.
Wukong thought to himself: “That alligator dragon must be fooling me—I’ll settle accounts with him when I get back.”
Soon, the silver-transporting carts entered the city by Black Water River, the silver-transporting officials handed the silver carts to the imperial envoy, and the imperial envoy ordered the silver stored in the warehouse.
At that moment, a dragon roar came from the sky, a huge alligator dragon body swam in the air, and the common people and officials, seeing it, all prostrated themselves.
Wukong, holding his cudgel, shouted: “Wretched dragon, how dare you toy with Old Sun? Come down quick and let Old Sun hit you three times to vent!”
Hearing this, Ao Tu descended from the air, changed back to human form, and smilingly said to Wukong: “Great Sage, why say such things?”
Wukong said: “Old Sun believed your words, escorted the silver cart the whole way without slacking, yet saw no trace at all of the strange rat you mentioned—what do you have to say? Stretch out your leg quick for punishment!”
Ao Tu laughed: “Great Sage, I’m afraid the strange rat has already stolen the silver, and you still don’t know.”
The imperial envoy, hearing this, broke out in cold sweat.
Even though he wasn’t involved in transporting the silver, he knew the silver in the carts couldn’t be full weight. After all, with human transport, there would surely be some loss along the way…
Wukong, unaware of the reason, said:
“Nonsense! Old Sun never left for a moment day or night—let alone a strange rat, even if Erlang the Sage Lord True turned into a rat, he couldn’t escape Old Sun’s fiery golden eyes! Are you not fearing my golden cudgel, so making up this lie?”
Ao Tu laughed: “Since the Great Sage doesn’t believe, dare you bet with me?”
Wukong said: “Bet on what?”
Ao Tu said: “If the silver is not short, I will stretch out my leg for the Great Sage to hit three times; if the silver is short, the Great Sage stands still and lets me strike three blows.”
Wukong said: “Good, I bet with you! If you lose and limp, don’t cry!”
Ao Tu said: “Great Sage, don’t go back on it.”
Wukong said: “I won’t go back on it.”
