Tang Sanzang and Wukong had fallen into an argument over the bandits.
Master and disciple each held to his own view, and neither could persuade the other.
But Wukong was the disciple, after all. In the end, he had no choice but to yield.
Suppressing his discontent, Wukong said, "Fine! Fine! For your sake, Master, I won't kill them! Bajie, go report them to the authorities!"
Bajie could see that Wukong was seething with resentment. Rather than lazily making excuses as he usually did, he answered and headed outside.
Seeing this, the bandits thought, Won't we still face more danger than hope if they report us? They hurriedly knelt before Tang Sanzang and begged for mercy.
They could tell that the monkey-faced one could not stand them. No amount of talking would help; they were better off pleading with Tang Sanzang a little more.
Most importantly, the bandits could see clearly that Tang Sanzang was the leader of this group, and his word carried weight.
The bandits said:
"Holy Monk! Please spare us!"
"We just lost our heads for a moment!"
"Yes! Yes!"
"We'll never dare do it again!"
The bandits pleaded with tears and snot streaming down their faces.
This time, however, even Tang Sanzang would not listen to their pleas.
Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha Buddha. Benefactors, I am only a monk. I cannot help you. Whichever kingdom's laws you have broken, its officers will judge your crimes. How could I interfere?"
Hearing this, the bandits hurriedly kowtowed and said:
"Holy Monk, we truly won't dare do it again!"
"We didn't kill anyone!"
"Please show us some mercy!"
Their earnest pleas did stir some compassion in Tang Sanzang's heart, but after thinking it over, he ultimately said nothing.
They begged bitterly, but Tang Sanzang remained unmoved.
Instead, Yang Meng