Now, when Wukong spoke about Guanyin Bodhisattva behind her back, he used a spell so that only he could hear himself.
Yet this spell failed to escape Ao Tu's notice.
Ao Tu, standing beside him, heard every word and could not help laughing. "Monkey, aren't you afraid she'll find out you've been speaking of her like this behind her back and recite the Tight-Fillet Spell to torment you?"
Wukong tensed and hurriedly said, "True Lord, you heard me! You're a good Daoist-you mustn't tell her!"
Ao Tu laughed. "It's true I'm a good Daoist, but she's a good Bodhisattva too. It isn't right for you to speak of her like this behind her back."
"You old Daoist," Wukong said, "why are you taking her side like this?"
"I'm not taking her side," Ao Tu said. "I'm merely judging the matter on its merits."
"Judging the matter on its merits?" Wukong said. "Let me ask you: her goldfish became a demon and committed evil, yet she shielded that demon. Is that true or not?"
"It is," Ao Tu said.
"Then does she still count as a good Bodhisattva?" Wukong asked.
"Though this goldfish committed evil, he was already better than many," Ao Tu said. "You don't know it, but some demons devour an entire village's people just for an everyday snack."
"But this is the Bodhisattva's goldfish," Wukong said. "How can he be compared to those demons? Besides, even that demon, the Blood Sea Old Monster, hadn't eaten as many people as this goldfish! Old Sun ran all over the place and went to such trouble, only for the man-eating demon to turn out to be one of our own. If word of this gets out, it'll truly be a disgrace!"
Ao Tu laughed. "So, monkey, it turns out you feel