The group arrived at the entrance to Wuzhuang Temple in an orderly fashion.
Zhu Bajie rushed forward full of anticipation, but when he saw that it was a Taoist temple, his ears drooped at once.
"Hey, Master, this is a Taoist temple, not a Buddhist one. I think we'd better head back early." Zhu Bajie clapped his hands, feeling that they'd be sleeping out on the street again tonight.
This was the Celestial Empire, where Daoist culture had been passed down. Buddhist ideas from the West had yet to make much headway in the heartland, and most people believed in Daoism. Where there was belief, there was bound to be disagreement, so Daoism and Buddhism had no connection at all. They kept entirely to their own spheres. The temple's gates probably wouldn't open for them if they heard that Tang Sanzang and his companions were monks.
"Let me see." Tang Sanzang stepped forward to give it a try. Those who cultivated the Dao all had kind hearts; even though they were monks, the people here ought to make an exception for them.
"Wuzhuang Temple." He murmured as he studied the plaque above the gate.
Tang Sanzang stepped forward and gently knocked on the ring.
"Knock, knock, knock!" Was anyone inside?
Before long, there was a stir inside, and a young man who looked like a Daoist boy opened the gate for Tang Sanzang.
"Master, what can I do for you?"
The little Daoist boy was exceedingly polite as he asked Tang Sanzang in a clear, bright voice.
"Oh, greetings, benefactor. I'm a monk who came from the Eastern Tang Lands and is journeying west to obtain the scriptures. We're passing through your fine land, and night is falling. We'd like to ask if we might stay here for the night.