Now, in a quiet chamber of Zhiyuan Monastery were some forty old monks, the only monks in the monastery who had never learned Daoist arts.
Wukong bore these monks a grudge.
When these old monks had told Wukong about Chechi Kingdom earlier, they had embellished their account, mixing nine parts truth with one part falsehood, ultimately causing Wukong to lose all face afterward.
In the past, Wukong would long since have ground these forty old monks into pulp with his Golden Cudgel.
But now, with Tang Sanzang present, Wukong could hardly act.
Now that Kasyapa intended to transmit the true scripture to these old monks, Wukong was deeply unwilling. Unfortunately, the scripture was not in his hands, so he could not stop it.
Led by Alu, Kasyapa came to the quiet chamber.
When the old abbot and the others saw Venerable Kasyapa arrive, their eyes brimmed with excited tears, and they bowed their heads to the ground.
Kasyapa frowned slightly.
Truth be told, these old monks had little aptitude for enlightenment and were rather too old. Had there been anyone else to choose from, he really would not have chosen them.
But there was no helping it. These few old monks were the only ones still practicing Buddhism.
Picking the tallest from a crowd of dwarfs, Kasyapa selected three slightly better old monks from the forty-odd present. They included the old abbot and two other monks in their sixties, and he transmitted the true scripture to them.
Holding the scripture in both hands, the old abbot kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude and said:
"Blessed by Venerable Kasyapa's compassionate transmission of the Dharma and the Buddha's gracious gift, this disciple is grateful to the depths of his being. Henceforth, I shall strictly follow the Buddhist Dharma, fulfill this great trust, and spread