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

Chapter 24 Arson Intended to Kill

Jin Chi, who was sitting in the middle, was breathing heavily. He had lived for over two hundred years and had never seen such a treasure before.

A pair of withered hands gripped the cane tightly, while his glasses were fixed on the precious object.

Only after Li Fa collected the treasure did he order the lamps to be relit.

Jin Chi stepped forward, knelt down, tears welling in his eyes, and said, "This old monk is truly unworthy!"

Li Fa quickly helped him up, saying, "What makes you say that?"

Jin Chi said, "Abbot, this precious item is radiant with Buddhist light and filled with chanting, which has even helped this old monk improve his understanding of Buddhism. But alas, I can only experience it for a short while; is this not a fortunate opportunity?"

Li Fa laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that? If the old abbot likes it, feel free to take it and look at it. Just don't forget to return it to me. This precious pestle of mine was a gift from Bodhisattva Lingji."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chi's eyes burned even brighter, and he said, "It's getting late now, and my old eyes are failing me. I'm afraid I can't see clearly or understand what he's saying."

If the abbot is at ease, allow this old man to take it to the back room for a closer look. I'll observe it for another day, and the day after tomorrow morning, I'll send the abbot off on his journey to the afterlife. How does that sound?"

Li Fa said, "Since the old abbot is so earnest, this humble monk can only agree, but you must not damage this treasure."

The old monk was pleased to learn from him, and then had two young boys help him back, arranging for Li Fa to stay there as well.

They talked about nothing all night until noon the next day.

Meanwhile, the old monk was wiping the Buddhist treasures when he suddenly burst into tears.

Xiao Xingtong didn't know why, so he hurriedly summoned all the monks.

As expected of Elder Jinchi's confidant, Guangmou Guangzhi immediately guessed his master's thoughts.

Guangmou asked, "Is Grandmaster weeping because of this precious pestle?"

Jin Chi said, "That's exactly why."

Guangzhi said, "Master, if you ask me, if you keep Fahai for one day, this precious pestle will stay with you for one day. If you keep him for ten days, this precious pestle will stay with you for ten days. Why cry so bitterly?"

Jin Chi said, "Even if we keep him for a year or two, this treasure will have to go with him; it won't stay long."

Guangzhi rolled his eyes and said, "Grandmaster, if it can last, it's not difficult."

Jin Chi asked, "My son, what's your idea?"

Guangzhi said, "Fahai has a habit of taking a nap at noon, and once he falls asleep, he snores loudly. I just saw him go back to his room for a nap. Why don't we take advantage of his nap, find a few strong men, and kill him with guns and knives? We can bury his body in the backyard and steal his treasures as a plan for our descendants. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Chi was overjoyed: "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! This plan is superb! Superb!"

So they were about to pack up their weapons when Guangmou suddenly spoke up, saying, "Sir, no. That monk Fahai looks fierce; he's probably not someone to be trifled with."

If I were to rashly use weapons, I fear I would frighten him, and we would be no match for him. However, I have a method that avoids weapons; what do you think of it?

Jin Chi asked, "My son, what brilliant idea do you have?"

Guangmou said, "In my opinion, we should immediately disperse the pilgrims."

Then, while Fahai was taking a nap, they ordered the head monks to each take a bundle of firewood and a barrel of kerosene to block up the three meditation halls. Then they set them on fire, leaving him with nowhere to go!

"So what if we abandon those three meditation halls? Even if someone sees us, we'll just say it was an accidental fire that burned down the meditation halls. Wouldn't that also reduce Fahai to ashes? It'll be perfect for covering our tracks, and the treasures will still be ours!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Chi exclaimed with delight, "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! This plan is even more brilliant! Even more brilliant!"

So he instructed people to disperse the pilgrims and close the temple gates.

Then they arranged for all the gatekeepers and monks, young and old, to carry firewood and surround the meditation hall completely. They also sprinkled oil and sealed all the doors and windows, preparing to set it on fire.

Inside the meditation hall, although Li Fa did have the habit of taking a nap, he was quite sensitive about sleeping because he was in Guanyin Temple.

Suddenly, he heard a noise outside the meditation room and knew that they were about to set it on fire. So he performed a fire-sitting incantation and went to sleep.

At noon, a raging fire indeed broke out.

However, thanks to his Fire Sitting Divine Power, Li Fa didn't feel any discomfort at all. On the contrary, he felt as if he were in a sauna and quite enjoyed it.

The fire burned for three or four hours, until dusk turned yellow and the clouds on the horizon darkened, turning all three meditation halls to ashes!

Li Fa was completely unharmed, because the moment the meditation room collapsed, he had already transformed into a gust of wind, quietly flew to the courtyard, and in a flash, transformed into a little novice monk, watching the meditation hall turn to ashes bit by bit.

Only after the fire had burned out did Guangmou and the others go forward to check.

He laughed and said, "Good news! Good news! There's no trace of Fahai in this meditation hall; we've probably burned it to ashes!"

Li Fa chuckled to himself in the courtyard, but his body moved step by step toward the back room where Jin Chi was.

We must go directly there and kill Elder Jinchi!

It was just as if the elder was destined to die, for at that moment, the sound of bells and drums suddenly came from the front courtyard.

After a while, the drumbeats gradually subsided, but the sound of the bells continued unabated.

Upon hearing this, the abbot turned to the guest monk and rebuked him, "What's going on? Didn't I tell you to close the mountain gates? How come someone is coming in and banging the drum and bell?"

The monk in charge of receiving guests dared not speak, and hurriedly ran to see what was happening. Soon enough, he led over a group of people.

But the leader was fair-skinned and had a dignified bearing; who else could he be but Tang Sanzang?

Standing next to him was a hairy-faced monk with a thunder god's mouth, who was none other than Sun Wukong.

Upon seeing this, the abbot said, "Where did you come from? Who rang the bell? How ignorant you are!"

Wukong jumped out with a "thud" and said, "It was your Grandpa Sun who knocked it!"

Upon seeing this, the monks were filled with fear and immediately bowed, saying, "Grandpa Thunder God!"

Wukong said, "The Thunder God is my great-grandson!"

At this moment, Sanzang scolded, "Wukong!"

The monkey then fell silent. Sanzang said, "Please rise, everyone. We are monks from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, on our way to the Great Thunderclap Temple in the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and obtain scriptures. We passed by this temple and saw flames shooting into the sky. We wonder what happened?"

Upon hearing this, the abbot was terrified.

They just killed an entire Tang dynasty, and now another one is coming? What, has the Tang dynasty attacked?

The academy master's eyes widened as he asked, "You're also from the Tang Dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, the monkey exclaimed, "What do you mean, 'what do you mean?' My master is none other than the younger brother of His Majesty the Great Tang Dynasty, the imperial envoy who has been ordered to travel to the Great Thunder Temple in the West to seek the true scriptures. His Dharma name is Tripitaka Master!"

He continued, "I came all the way from a thousand miles away to put out your fire, only to find it engulfed in flames. And you're accusing me of being ignorant?!"

The abbot breathed a slight sigh of relief. Judging from the expression on the face of the hairy man, it seemed that they did not recognize this Fahai.

The abbot then said, "Thank you for your kindness, masters, but the fire at our temple has already been extinguished."

Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha, that's good. But... Abbot, this humble monk has come from afar and is passing by your temple. It's getting late, could you please allow me to stay the night?"

The abbot said, "It is possible to rest here, but the three meditation halls used for guests have been burned down. If you don't mind, Master, the woodshed can still be used."

Sanzang put his palms together and said, "In that case, thank you very much, Abbot."

The abbot said, "Please come to the back room where the abbot will serve you tea."