The sun sank westward, and the evening clouds set half the sky ablaze.
Xuanzang rode on the tiger's back, lost in thoughts no one could guess.
Sun Wukong walked ahead with the luggage over his shoulder, swaying from side to side in a rather comical fashion.
"Master, there's a household up ahead. Let's ask to stay the night."
Xuanzang nodded, swung down from the tiger, and patted its head.
"Go find yourself something to eat. Remember: do not attack people, steal food, or kill wantonly. Once you're full, wash yourself clean, then return here and wait in hiding. Do not frighten passersby."
Only then did master and disciple approach the house.
Up close, it proved to be a fairly neat and tidy homestead.
The courtyard gate stood ajar, and the sounds of crowing chickens and barking dogs drifted from within.
Sun Wukong strode forward, slapped the gate, and shouted:
"Open up! Open up!"
After a long moment, the gate creaked open.
An old man emerged, leaning on a cane. His beard was grizzled, his face covered in wrinkles; he looked at least a hundred years old.
The instant he looked up and saw Sun Wukong, his legs went weak with fright, and even his cane fell to the ground.
"A... a monster!"
Xuanzang hurried forward and supported the old man by the arm.
"Do not be afraid, elder benefactor. He is my disciple, not some demon or ghost."
Hearing the newcomer speak, the old man warmed to him at once and took a clear look at Xuanzang.
His cassock was dignified, his face handsome and refined, and an air of otherworldly grace rested between his brows.
"Y-you... where have you come from, monk? Why have you brought such a villain to my door?"
Xuanzang pressed his palms together. "I am a monk from the Great Tang in the Eastern Land, traveling to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures. We were passing through, and it has grown late. We hoped to rest at your home for one night and leave tomorrow morning."
The old man looked him up and down, then glanced at Sun Wukong's hairy face, unable to decide.
Sun Wukong said in a muffled, booming voice:
"Little old fellow, have your eyes grown dim with age? Didn't you herd cattle and gather firewood in front of Old Sun when you were a boy? Didn't you feed Old Sun peaches, too?"
The old man blinked. "What nonsense are you talking? Where did I live, and where did you live? Why would I have herded cattle and gathered firewood in front of you?"
Sun Wukong planted his hands on his hips and declared loudly, "Take another good look! Old Sun is the Great Sage who was inside that stone prison on Two Realms Mountain!"
The old man shuddered all over, narrowed his eyes, and studied Sun Wukong's face with utmost care.
After a long moment, he suddenly slapped his thigh.
"G-Great Sage?"
"Back then, you had grass on your head and mud on your face. I truly didn't recognize you!"
The old man was so excited that his voice trembled.
"H-how did you get out?"
Sun Wukong chuckled. "Thanks to Guanyin Bodhisattva's blessing, my master removed the seal at the summit, and Old Sun finally escaped."
Hearing this, the old man hurriedly bowed to Xuanzang with his hands clasped.
"So you're the benefactor who rescued the Great Sage! Please, come in! Come in!"
He turned and called into the courtyard.
"Son! Daughter-in-law! Come out, all of you! We have honored guests!"
In a moment, seven or eight family members, young and old, poured into the courtyard and crowded around Sun Wukong, chattering away.
"Father, is he the Great Sage Equal to Heaven you told us about, the one trapped beneath the mountain?"
"Of course he is!"
Surrounded by them, Sun Wukong found himself at a rare loss over what to do with his hands and feet.
Xuanzang stood to one side, watching the scene, something stirring faintly in his heart.
The old man's surname was Chen-the very same as Xuanzang's.
When he learned this, he became even more welcoming.
"Master, your surname is Chen too, so we share an honored lineage. What a fateful meeting! Just call me Old Chen."
Xuanzang agreed with a smile.
Old Chen instructed his family to prepare a meal and heat some water so master and disciple could bathe.
Sun Wukong soaked in a wooden tub, humming with pleasure.
"Five hundred years without a bath. At last, I've had a proper good soak."
Xuanzang was drying his head nearby and could not help laughing when he heard that.
"Five hundred years without bathing, and you could bear it?"
Sun Wukong rolled his eyes.
"Even if I couldn't, I had to. I couldn't run away."
"Then wash yourself thoroughly. Come, let your master scrub your back."
A little while later, Xuanzang finished washing first. Sitting beside the lamp, he said to Old Chen:
"Elder benefactor Chen, do you have a needle and thread? I'd like to sew my disciple some clothes to cover himself."
Old Chen gladly agreed.
Xuanzang took the needle and thread, then joined the pale yellow cloth bestowed by King Tang to a short white cloth robe he no longer wore.
When Sun Wukong finished bathing and came out, Xuanzang had him try it on.
He stood up and turned a circle before Xuanzang.
"Master, look! How does Old Sun look in this outfit?"
Xuanzang studied him, then nodded. "Now you look like a pilgrim."
Sun Wukong grinned and said to Old Chen:
"Old Chen, Master has given me this coat. From now on, Old Sun will travel the world in this outfit!"
Seeing Sun Wukong like this, Xuanzang and Old Chen's entire family laughed.
The meal was brought out: steaming millet porridge, a few mixed-grain flatbreads, and a plate of pickled radish.
A country household had little in the way of fine food, but their sincerity more than made up for it.
Sun Wukong stood on no ceremony. He lifted his bowl and shoveled food into his mouth, wolfing it down.
Xuanzang sipped his porridge at a leisurely pace and shook his head at Wukong's table manners.
Old Chen's little grandson was only seven or eight. He squatted beside Sun Wukong, staring at him without blinking.
"Great Sage, did you really wreak havoc in Heaven?"
With his mouth stuffed full of flatbread, Sun Wukong mumbled, "Of course I did! A hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals were no match for Old Sun!"
"Then how did you end up trapped beneath the mountain?"
Sun Wukong paused, swallowed the flatbread in his mouth, and rubbed his monkey head.
"Well, afterward... afterward, Old Sun ran into Tathagata Buddha. I couldn't beat him, so he trapped me."
The little grandson tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Then Tathagata Buddha must be really powerful?"
"He is."
Sun Wukong nodded with rare seriousness.
"Then will you be able to beat him someday, Great Sage?"
Sun Wukong froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Little rascal, why so many questions? Eat your food!"
He reached out with one large hand, lifted the little grandson onto his lap, and popped a chopstickful of pickled radish into his mouth.
The little grandson chewed the radish and giggled.
Watching them, Xuanzang felt a gentle warmth in his heart.
The monkey was defiant on the outside, but softhearted within.
After the meal, Xuanzang went to bed, while Old Chen and Sun Wukong sat chatting in the courtyard.
Moonlight spilled across the courtyard like water.
"Great Sage, you must have suffered a great deal beneath that mountain?"
Sun Wukong leaned against a stone stool and gazed up at the moon.
"It wasn't so much suffering. It was the boredom."
"Five hundred years-neither long nor short. Old Sun just watched the sun rise and set, watched the grass on the mountain turn green, then yellow, then green again."
"Sometimes you'd come to herd cattle or gather firewood, and Old Sun would watch you. Every so often, someone would chat with me. That wasn't bad."
Old Chen fell silent.
He remembered going up the mountain to herd cattle as a child, and being called over by him.
Back then, when he saw the face peeking out from the crack in the stone, he thought the mountain god had appeared. He was so frightened that he took to his heels, only to be called back again.
Later, once they became familiar, he would bring a few peaches and sit there listening to him tell stories of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and his Havoc in Heaven.
Later still, the old ox died, and he started a family. He never went back, though he still loved telling the children the story of Havoc in Heaven.
"Great Sage..."
Old Chen's throat tightened a little. "You've had a hard time."
Sun Wukong waved a hand, his tone light. "What's the point of saying that now? Old Sun is free, and I'm following Master on the Journey to the West to fetch the scriptures. There are plenty of days ahead!"
He hopped down from the stone stool and stretched.
"Old Chen, you should get some rest too. We have to be on our way first thing tomorrow."
Old Chen nodded, rose, and headed inside.
At the doorway, he turned back.
"Great Sage, I hope you obtain the true scriptures soon. Don't let yourself be imprisoned again."
"I know, I know. Such a nag!"
Early the next morning.
Old Chen's family rose early, prepared breakfast for master and disciple, and packed some dry provisions for them.
Before they left, the little grandson tugged at the hem of Sun Wukong's clothes, his eyes rimmed red.
"Great Sage, will you come back?"
Sun Wukong crouched down and ruffled his hair.
"Little rascal, what are you crying for? A true man sheds blood, not tears!"
"I'm not crying!" The little grandson sniffled. "I got sand in my eyes!"
Sun Wukong laughed, plucked a hair from the back of his head, and tucked it into the little grandson's hand.
"Take this. It's one of Old Sun's hairs. If any bad person bullies you, just blow on it, and Old Sun will come help you!"
The little grandson clutched the hair tightly and nodded hard.
"I'll remember!"
Xuanzang stood nearby, watching, his heart softening.
He stepped forward and pressed his palms together, bowing to Old Chen.
"Thank you for your hospitality, benefactor. I am deeply grateful."
Old Chen waved his hands again and again. "You're far too kind, Master. It is a blessing for our family to host you and the Great Sage."
Xuanzang smiled faintly and said no more.
Sun Wukong hoisted the luggage onto his shoulder and waved to Old Chen's family.
"We're off! Old Sun will come see you again once we've fetched the scriptures!"
"Safe travels!"
"Take care, Great Sage!"
Master and disciple headed west along the mountain path.
Behind them, Old Chen's family stood at the gate, watching them recede into the distance.
The little grandson stood on tiptoe, waving with all his might.
"Great Sage-you have to keep your word-"
Sun Wukong did not look back.
But his steps faltered for a moment, and with his back still turned, he waved.
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