Ye Chen, Tang Sanzang, and his disciples traveled for several more months. Nothing unusual happened along the way, and at last, one day, they arrived in a country called Bichu Nation.
The people in the city were neatly dressed, and many street vendors called out their wares along the roads. The place was bustling. But after walking for a while, they realized something was wrong.
Though everyone was well dressed, their faces were filled with worry. And outside every home stood a goose cage covered with colorful silk.
Sun Wukong found it very strange, so he transformed into a little bee and flew inside one. He discovered a seven-year-old boy asleep within.
He checked more than a dozen homes and found the same thing at each one. Then he changed back to his original form and went to report to Tang Sanzang.
After Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived at the post station, they asked the innkeeper what was going on. The innkeeper had not wanted to say much, but he could not withstand Tang Sanzang and the others' questions.
So he said, "Three years ago, an old Daoist gave the king a sixteen-year-old girl. After that, the king spent every day with her, and his health grew worse and worse."
"The imperial physicians tried every remedy they could think of, but none cured him. Then the old Daoist gave the king an unusual prescription: use the livers of 1,111 boys as the medicinal catalyst, and the medicine would cure him at once—and even grant him eternal life."
"So the boys in those goose cages were all chosen from the common people's homes to serve as the medicinal catalyst."
After hearing this, Tang Sanzang thought it was far too cruel and could not bear to listen any longer. Sand Monk