Chapter 51: Thrice Beating The White Bone Spirit
However, Tang Sanzang heard someone crying out in pain from inside the house, the voice full of agony, not knowing the reason why.
Ao Tu heard this, covered his face and sighed sorrowfully, saying: “Holy Monk, this is all because of those damn robbers who injured my brother so badly that he is in unbearable pain!”
Tang Sanzang said: “Amitabha, how can there be such ferocious robbers in these mountains?”
Ao Tu said: “These mountains were originally full of outstanding people and fertile land, but somehow, robbers suddenly appeared.”
Ba Jie heard this and hurriedly pulled Sha Seng outside.
Sha Seng said: “Second Senior Brother, what are you doing?”
Ba Jie said: “Junior Brother Sha, haven’t you figured it out yet?”
Sha Seng asked puzzledly: “Figured out what?”
Ba Jie said in a low voice: “The robbers they are talking about are us!”
Sha Seng exclaimed in shock: “No way!”
Ba Jie looked around, pulled Sha Seng to sit in a corner outside the house, and said in a low voice:
“Look, this family just lost someone, which matches the woman that Eldest Senior Brother killed. There’s still someone inside moaning in pain—isn’t that the hunter that Eldest Senior Brother crippled?”
Sha Seng heard this and said: “This, what are we going to do?”
“What to do?” Ba Jie put down his Plum Blossom Pitchfork and said:
“The person was killed by Eldest Senior Brother, and Master was leading the way, so we are at most accomplices. If government officials come, Eldest Senior Brother will use an Escape Technique to flee, and they will arrest Master to pay with his life. You go back to your Flowing Sand River, I return to my Gao Lao Village; the Kassaya goes to me, the Monk’s Spade to you. Don’t think it’s too little—I’m the Senior Brother, so I should take more.”
Sha Seng heard this and said:
“Second Senior Brother, how can you say that? If Master is really arrested, we as disciples should think about saving Master!”
Ba Jie tucked his hands into his sleeves and said: “Save Master? How? We killed their family member—even in any dynasty, that would be a capital crime!”
Inside the house, Tiger Vanguard was still shouting in bone-cracking pain.
Ao Tu stood up and said: “Holy Monk, excuse me for a moment; I need to go take care of my brother first.”
Tang Sanzang said: “Benefactor, your brother is in unbearable pain. Allow this poor monk to chant a sutra for him to slightly alleviate his suffering.”
Ao Tu said joyfully: “Thank you, Holy Monk!”
Thus, he invited Tang Sanzang into the inner room.
Wukong followed closely behind Tang Sanzang inside.
In the inner room, Tiger Vanguard lay on the bed, wrapped in thick quilts, his face ashen like gold paper, with one wounded leg of torn flesh and skin exposed, crying out in pain.
Tang Sanzang chanted “Amitabha,” walked closer to look, and when he saw Tiger Vanguard’s appearance, he was greatly shocked and pale.
Seeing Tang Sanzang, Tiger Vanguard was instantly terrified, acting with consummate skill, and shouted: “Robbers! Robbers!”
Ao Tu said: “Brother, what robbers? This is the Holy Monk from the Eastern Land, here to chant sutras and pray for blessings for you.”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang felt utterly ashamed.
Tiger Vanguard tremblingly pointed at Tang Sanzang and said: “Big Brother, run! They are the robbers! They robbed on the highway, killed Little Sister, and now want to kill me to silence me, beating me into this state! This monk-looking person is the head of the robbers!”
Ao Tu pretended to be terrified, looked at Tang Sanzang, and asked:
“What? You, you are actually robbers? You killed my little sister?”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang kept retreating, his face deathly pale without a trace of blood.
Ao Tu cried, grabbed Tang Sanzang, and said: “Heavens! I have loved monks and Buddhism all my life, yet my family died by Buddha’s hand! Monk, how will you compensate for my family’s lives!”
Tang Sanzang’s lips trembled, unable to say a word.
Wukong stepped forward, pushed Ao Tu away, placed the Golden Cudgel between them, and said: “Monster, stop your flowery words to deceive my Master—you deserve a beating!”
Seeing this, Tang Sanzang hurriedly said: “Wretched monkey, do not hurt anyone else!”
Wukong said: “Master, with your mortal eyes, you cannot distinguish truth from falsehood. This person is a false body created by an Illusionary Tactic; the one on the bed is a Tiger Demon. If you don’t believe me, watch Old Sun strike with one blow, and you will know the truth!”
With that, he drew his cudgel to strike.
Seeing this, Tang Sanzang immediately recited the incantation without further ado.
Wukong immediately felt his eyes turn blood-red with pain and knelt on the ground, saying:
“Master, this person is truly a demon. As long as we break his false body, the truth will be revealed—why don’t you believe me?”
Tang Sanzang did not speak, only continuing to recite the incantation.
Wukong’s pain intensified; he crashed through the window and rolled outside.
Qiao Er and her parents were all terrified at the sight.
Ao Tu pulled them and knelt before the Buddha Statue, saying:
“My Buddha is merciful. This disciple has loved Buddhism all his life. You told this disciple to wait here for the Holy Monk, and he waited bitterly, who would have thought it was a gang of robbers committing murder and arson for profit. Is this the kind of person You call a Holy Monk? Please, my Buddha, stand up for this disciple!”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang grew even more resentful of that wretched monkey and continued reciting the sutra back and forth.
Wukong’s eyes bulged red with pain, fangs bared, rolling on the ground, repeatedly begging for mercy, but Tang Sanzang pretended not to hear.
Only then did Wukong understand what Ao Tu had meant earlier at Wuzhuang Temple when he said to him: “Compensation for his headache.”
Wukong could no longer bear the pain, forcibly propped himself up to strike Ao Tu. He could tell that Ao Tu’s body was a false one; as long as it was dispersed, the truth would be clear.
Seeing this, Ao Tu hugged the Buddha Statue and said:
“Please, my Buddha, show your divine power!”
As soon as he spoke, the Buddha Statue emitted a great burst of Golden Light, manifesting a figure in the air.
That figure was draped in a Kassaya, sitting cross-legged on a Golden Lotus, with auspicious clouds above his head, Buddha’s Light surrounding him, a compassionate expression on his face, hands forming a Buddha seal, exceedingly dignified.
It was precisely Ao Tu’s true body.
With mortal eyes, how could Tang Sanzang tell? Seeing the true Buddha descend, he hurriedly stopped the Golden Fillet Spell and knelt to pay respects.
Ba Jie and Sha Seng also kowtowed in worship.
Only Wukong saw it was Ao Tu’s Transformation and shouted:
“Ao Tu, how dare you transform into this appearance to deceive my Master!”
Ao Tu did not reply to him, but said to Tang Sanzang:
“Tang Sanzang, do not bow to me.”
Tang Sanzang said: “Amitabha, this disciple once vowed: on the Westward Journey, Burn Incense at Temples, Bow to Buddha when Encountered, Sweep Pagodas when Encountered. Now seeing a true Buddha, how dare I not bow?”
Ao Tu said: “Tang Sanzang, you are surrounded by blood aura, haunted by wronged souls, laden with sin—not a person of Buddhism. How can you bow to me?”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang kowtowed repeatedly and said:
“This disciple deserves ten thousand deaths. It is all because I failed to discipline him strictly, letting that wicked disciple commit murder and violence, thus staining me with sin!”
Ao Tu said: “He is your disciple. If he kills one person, you share half a life’s sin. Now you bear the sin of several lives, which is unforgivable. Go back.”
Tang Sanzang said in fear: “Where do you tell this disciple to go back to?”
Ao Tu said: “Return from whence you came.”
Tang Sanzang said: “But this disciple still has the Journey for Sutras unfinished.”
Ao Tu said: “You indulge your disciple’s violence, repeatedly breaking the precept against killing. Even if you reach the Western Heaven, you cannot obtain the sutras. Go back.”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang’s eyes filled with tears.
Seeing this, Wukong held his Golden Cudgel and said: “Stop this monstrous deception of my Master—take a blow from Old Sun!”
With that, he jumped up to strike.
Seeing Wukong dare to strike the Buddha, Tang Sanzang was frightened and hurriedly recited the incantation.
Wukong had just leaped into mid-air when his head felt like it was splitting; he could not stand steady.
Ao Tu clapped his hands together, activated the Six-Character Mantra, and chanted:
“Om Mani Padme Hum!”
