It's Yours

Time flew like an arrow. After leaving Eagle Sorrow Ravine, the master and his disciples traveled west for over a month.

Along the way, Sun Wukong's sharp tongue never spared Little White Dragon.

That day, dusk was approaching.

"Hey! You little loach!"

Sun Wukong hung upside down from a treetop, munching on a wild peach as he teased with a cheeky grin:

"You're slowing down! If you can't carry the load, turn back into a horse and let Master ride you. I'll tell the Bodhisattva-that'll save you some effort!"

Ao Lie gave him a cold glance and ignored him.

Xuanzang sat on A-Hu's back, utterly at ease.

"Wukong, don't bully him. There seems to be something ahead. Go take a look."

Sun Wukong nodded in assent. Seeing tiers of towers and imposing halls in the distance, he leaped into the air.

Before long, Sun Wukong returned from scouting and said with a grin, "Master, up ahead is Guanyin Monastery. It's the Bodhisattva's sanctuary. We can spend the night there."

Sitting on A-Hu's back, Xuanzang gazed at the gilded, resplendent monastery gates, extravagant to the utmost, and frowned slightly.

A place of Buddhist purity, yet it had been built more lavishly than an imperial palace.

"Let's go."

They entered the monastery and came to the abbot's quarters.

A throng of monks escorted Elder Jinchi, aged two hundred and seventy, out to greet them.

Though the old monk was bent and decrepit, he wore gold and silver, and a night-shining pearl adorned his walking stick. Even the incense filling the room seemed steeped in ostentatious wealth.

Hosts and guests took their respective seats, and fragrant tea was served.

The teacups were made of mutton-fat jade, and the tray was gilded enamel.

Elder Jinchi appeared courteous, but was really showing off:

"I have just heard that you come from the exalted Eastern Land, sir. The Great Tang is far away, a land rich in splendid goods and heavenly treasures. Might you have brought some treasure that you could let this old monk behold?"

Xuanzang set down his teacup, his expression calm:

"I am merely a wandering monk. The road is long, and even my food and clothing depend on what fortune provides. What treasures could I possibly have?"

A trace of contempt flashed through Elder Jinchi's eyes. He smiled. "You are too modest, sir. Even in this humble place among barren mountains, I have a modest collection. Surely someone from such an exalted land must have more? Or are you hiding them for fear that I might borrow them and never give them back?"

"Old monk! Don't look down on us!"

Sun Wukong could never stand such barbed insinuations. The sight of the old monk glittering with jewels had already made him itch to act.

"Master! I'll bring out the kasaya and open his eyes!"

Xuanzang glanced at his disciple without stopping him, merely saying calmly, "Wukong, don't be so eager to outdo others."

Sun Wukong would hear none of it. He snatched the baggage beside Ao Lie, untied the bundle, and shook out the Brocade Kasaya.

"Old man! Open your eyes and look closely! Guanyin Bodhisattva herself bestowed this on my master!"

Whoosh!

In an instant, red light filled the room, and radiant colors flooded the courtyard.

The kasaya was adorned with floral designs in the seven treasures and strings of pearls. A faint Buddhist radiance shone from it, with a thousand streams of auspicious light.

Beneath that radiance, the brocade-and-velvet robe Elder Jinchi was so proud of instantly looked as dull and drab as a rag.

"This... this..."

The teacup in Elder Jinchi's hand fell to the floor with a clatter, shattering to pieces.

But he did not even notice.

He rose shakily and approached the kasaya step by step. His aged, clouded eyes now blazed with an unnerving green light.

"What a treasure... what a magnificent treasure..."

Elder Jinchi reached out a hand like withered tree bark, wanting to touch it but not daring to profane it. He was nearly drooling.

"In my two hundred and seventy years, I have collected seven or eight hundred kasayas in vain. Not one can compare to even a corner of this one..."

As he spoke, the old monk burst into bitter tears, beating his chest and stamping his feet.

Xuanzang watched calmly.

"Venerable abbot, why do you weep?"

Jin Chi wiped his tears and choked out:

"This old monk has too little karmic fortune to do more than glimpse it once. If you could lend me this kasaya for one night, let me take it to my room, light a bright lamp, and admire it closely until dawn, I could die with my eyes closed in peace!"

With that, he gazed pleadingly at Xuanzang, almost ready to kneel and kowtow.

Sun Wukong was about to mock him and refuse when Xuanzang spoke.

"There's no need to borrow it."

Elder Jinchi froze, thinking Xuanzang had refused. His face turned ashen, and venom crept into his eyes.

"Since you like it, venerable abbot..."

Xuanzang raised his teacup and took a small sip, his tone as casual as if he were giving away an old garment:

"Then it's yours."

At those words, it was as though everything had been paused.

Even the air seemed to freeze.

Sun Wukong's Fiery Golden Eyes widened, and his jaw nearly hit the floor:

"M-Master?! What did you say?! Give it to him? But Guanyin Bodhisattva gave you that..."

Ao Lie was so startled that he nearly dropped his carrying pole, staring at Xuanzang in disbelief.

Elder Jinchi stood like a wooden chicken, convinced he had misheard. "S-Sir? What did you say? G-Give it to me?"

Xuanzang set down his teacup, rose, and walked over to the kasaya.

He ran a hand over its shimmering fabric, without the slightest attachment in his eyes.

"I said it back in Chang'an: if putting on a garment could make one a Buddha, cultivation would be a joke."

"This kasaya may be a treasure, but in my eyes, it is merely an external possession."

Xuanzang looked at the old monk, his gaze clear to its depths:

"Elder, your cultivation is profound, yet you have fallen into obsession, and it has become a demonic barrier. Today I give this to you. If it can fulfill your wish and help you relinquish your attachment, that will be its merit."

"Take it."

With that, Xuanzang casually folded the priceless Brocade Kasaya and pushed it into Elder Jinchi's arms.

Jin Chi clutched the kasaya, trembling all over.

Seeing the old monk's expression, Xuanzang silently shook his head and said no more. He offered a quiet bow, called Wukong and Ao Lie to return to the guest room to rest, and left without so much as looking back.

Jin Chi was trembling not with joy, but with fear.

It had been too easy.

So easy that it felt like a trap, a monstrous conspiracy.

How could anyone in this world simply give away such a supreme treasure? Unless... unless this monk means to use it as an excuse to extort my monastery?

Even after the three figures disappeared through the doorway, Jin Chi remained rooted to the spot, clutching the kasaya. The wild joy in his eyes slowly turned to suspicion, then finally to a deep, ferocious malice.

"No... this isn't right..."

Jin Chi gripped the kasaya tightly and muttered to himself:

"How could he possibly give it to me? He must be using it as bait to take my life..."

"He's an imperial envoy of the Great Tang. If he changes his mind tomorrow and reports to the authorities that I stole his precious treasure, won't everything I've built be destroyed in a single stroke?"

"This kasaya... it will only be truly safe if I found it."

Inside the guest room.

Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks in agitation. "Master! Have you lost your senses? That treasure was bestowed by Guanyin Bodhisattva! It was handed down by the Buddha himself! And you just gave it to that greedy old wretch?!"

"It's given, and that's that."

Xuanzang sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes closed as he rested:

"An external possession is hardly worth mentioning. If it truly helps him see his nature and illuminate his heart, that too will be a good deed."

"Illuminate his heart, my ass!" Sun Wukong cursed. "That old crook had a shifty look in his eyes. I'm afraid your generosity has only made him suspicious."

Xuanzang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep:

"If so, that is fine as well. May this trial help him see through his demonic barrier and awaken to his true heart."

"Go to sleep."