Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

Chapter 139 Wuji Kingdom: Tang Sanzang Humiliated

Meanwhile, the five of them continued westward, admiring the mountain scenery in the distance and the colors of the forest up close, until the red sun gradually set.

From his horse, Tang Sanzang observed from afar and saw that there were pavilions and towers stacked upon each other in the mountain hollow.

Tang Sanzang said, "Daoist Master, it is getting late. Fortunately, there is a pavilion not far away over there, which must be a temple or monastery. Why don't we all stay there for the night? What do you think?"

Li Fa said, "This old Taoist has no objection. May I ask about your disciple?"

The traveler then said, "Don't be impatient, let me take a look."

So he jumped into the air and looked closely; it was indeed a mountain gate, and he saw:

The brick walls, paved with mud and plaster, are flanked by stone-carved railings. Layer upon layer of palaces and pavilions rise into the azure sky, while terraces are nestled among green pines. The bell tower soars beyond the clouds, and the scripture pavilion welcomes the sun and moon in the distance. Incense smoke swirls, and candle flames flicker red.

In the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Four Heavenly Kings stand fiercely, their brows furrowed; in the Hall of Great Heroes, the Three Buddhas stand with hands clasped and brows lowered. Before the Hall of the Sangharama, the Dharma Protectors stand imposingly; inside the Hall of the Patriarchs, the lamplight flickers.

This is truly a blessed land in the West!

Sun Wukong descended from the cloud and reported, "It is indeed a temple, but it would be good to stay there. Let's go."

So they spurred their horses forward. Li Fa rode behind on a tiger, Bajie carried the load, and Sha Wujing led the horses. The group headed straight for the mountain gate.

Upon reaching the mountain gate, the traveler suddenly asked, "Taoist priest, aren't you skilled in divination? Why don't you calculate what kind of temple this is?"

Li Fa smiled slightly, pretended to do some calculations, and said, "This is the Baolin Temple built by imperial decree."

Upon hearing this, the traveler bent over and grew to be over two zhang tall. He wiped away the dust with his hand and indeed saw the five large characters "Imperial Construction of Baolin Temple". Only then was he completely convinced.

Tang Sanzang retorted, "You impudent monkey! The Taoist priest kindly helped us, why did you cast a spell to trap him!"

The pilgrim then withdrew his magical form and chuckled, "Old Taoist priest, you are indeed capable. Please forgive me!"

Li Fa said, "It's alright, it's alright! The Great Sage has the heart of a child, and this humble Taoist priest doesn't mind at all."

Pigsy said, "Brother, you're too suspicious. Master, now that we're here at the foot of this mountain temple, let's discuss who will stay the night."

Tang Sanzang said, "I will go in with the Taoist priest. Your faces are ugly, your words are crude, and your natures are arrogant. If you offend the monks here, they will not allow you to stay, which would be unpleasant."

The traveler said, "In that case, please come in, there's no need for further words."

Unable to say anything, Tang Sanzang dismounted, intending to go with Li Fa to ask for lodging.

Li Fa, having thoroughly studied the original text, naturally knew that Tang Sanzang was about to be humiliated. Therefore, he said, "Elder, please wait. In my humble opinion, it would be better for me to seek lodging elsewhere. If you go, it might not be appropriate."

Tang Sanzang asked, "What's wrong with it?"

Li Fa laughed and said, "It's nothing serious. If you don't believe me, Elder, you may go ahead first. I will follow shortly."

Tang Sanzang, not understanding his meaning, thought he was being modest and said, "Since you say so, Daoist, then this humble monk will take his leave first."

So he dropped his staff, took off his cloak, straightened his clothes, clasped his hands together, and went straight into the mountain gate. There he saw a pair of Vajra guardians sitting high inside the red-lacquered railings on both sides, one on the left and one on the right, looking very fierce.

Tang Sanzang praised it and walked further in. After passing the Hall of Heavenly Kings, he entered the second-floor gate and looked up to see the Great Buddha Hall.

Tang Sanzang quickly clasped his hands in reverence and bowed deeply. After bowing, he rose, turned past the Buddha altar, and went to the back door, where he saw an image of Guanyin Bodhisattva seated upside down, offering salvation to all beings in the South China Sea.

Another round of praise ensued. Just then, a Taoist priest emerged from the three gates.

The Taoist priest suddenly noticed that Tang Sanzang had an unusual appearance and extraordinary bearing, so he hurried forward, bowed, and asked, "Master, where did you come from?"

Tang Sanzang said, "This disciple is sent by the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty in the East to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. Now that I have arrived at your place, it is getting late. May I ask to stay the night?"

The Taoist priest said, "Master, please don't be offended. I can't make the decision myself. I'm just a diligent Taoist priest who sweeps the floor and rings the bell here. There's also a senior master who's in charge of the household inside. Let me go in and inform him. If he wants you to stay, I'll come out and invite you; if he doesn't, I dare not delay."

Tang Sanzang said, "I've troubled you."

The Taoist priest hurriedly reported to the abbot, "Master, someone has arrived outside."

The monk immediately rose, changed his clothes, adjusted his Vairocana hat, put on his kasaya, and hurriedly opened the door to greet the person, asking, "Where do you come from?"

The Taoist pointed and said, "Isn't there someone behind the main hall?"

The Tang Monk, with a shaved head, wearing a robe with twenty-five stripes resembling Bodhidharma's robe and muddy Bodhidharma shoes, leaned against the back door.

The monk official, seeing that his monk's robes were simple and that he looked travel-worn, felt a slight displeasure.

It turns out that Baolin Temple has always been wealthy, and many wandering monks have come to stay there. Some of them stay and refuse to leave, some steal money, and some behave improperly, causing unrest in the temple.

The abbot asked impatiently, "Where do you come from? Where are you going? What brings you here?"

Tang Sanzang then recounted the previous story in detail.

Upon hearing the words "need lodging," the abbot's face immediately darkened. He said, "This temple was built by imperial decree. From princes and nobles to commoners, there are established rules for those who come here to offer incense. You are just a wandering monk with no background and no travel expenses. How can I take you in? Go west. There is an inn thirty miles away where you can find lodging."

Tang Sanzang pleaded, "Abbot, please have mercy. It is getting late, and the mountain path is difficult to traverse. I only ask to stay the night and will continue my journey tomorrow. I would not dare to disturb you."

The abbot grew increasingly furious, cursing, "You bald wretch, how utterly ignorant! Is this a charity hall? A few wandering monks came here last time, ate my food, stayed in my lodgings, and even stole my ritual implements before leaving! Are you perhaps plotting the same thing? Get out of here! If you don't leave, I'll have someone throw you out!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang wanted to cry, but fearing that the old monk in the temple would laugh at him, he secretly wiped away his tears, swallowed his anger, and hurriedly walked out.

Upon seeing his three disciples, the pilgrim noticed his master's angry expression and stepped forward to ask, "Master, did the monks in the temple beat you?"

Tang Sanzang said, "I didn't hit him."

Bajie said, "They'll definitely call. Wait, why are there some crying sounds?"

The traveler asked, "Want me to insult you?"

Tang Sanzang said, "I didn't scold him either."

The traveler said, "I neither hit you nor scolded you, so why are you so distressed? Is it because you miss home?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Disciple, Master Bai is right, there is indeed something wrong here."

The traveler laughed and said, "Is this place full of Taoist priests? Then let Master Bai go and ask for lodging."

Tang Sanzang angrily replied, "There are only Taoist priests in the temple, and only Buddhist monks in the monastery."

The traveler asked, "Since they are monks, why won't they let us in?"

Tang Sanzang sighed and repeated what he had just said.

Pigsy said, "That old bald donkey is incredibly rude! You wait here, when I go in, I'll rake him to pieces!"

Sha Wujing also said, "Master, don't be angry. Let me go and ask for a favor."

The pilgrim sneered, "Master, you are too weak! The more you speak kindly to such a snobbish person, the less he will treat you like a human being."

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, don't cause trouble. Let's find another place to go."

The traveler said, "It's getting late, and there's no village or shop in sight. Where are we going to look? You all wait here, I'll go and meet him!"