Meanwhile, at White Tiger Ridge.
Ao Tu had been gone for several days, and life in Qiao'er's household had returned to its old routine.
Every day, Qiao'er gazed into the distance, but the person she longed to see never appeared.
She secretly went to the river from before and called out, but received no answer.
Her parents saw what was on their daughter's mind and said, "Daughter, that young gentleman came from a wealthy family. He must have gone home by now. He won't be coming back."
Qiao'er said nothing. She simply worked diligently at turning the soil and planting, her face flushed with exertion as beads of sweat slid down her cheeks and dripped into the earth.
As the sun sank westward, she headed home. Looking at the empty wooden hut, she swept away the dust blown inside by the mountain wind, then returned to her own house.
He would come back. Lord Dragon God had even said he needed her to play along with his act!
At that moment, Ao Tu followed Mingyue into Wuzhuang Temple.
The sky was growing dim. Qingfeng stood at the entrance to the main hall, hurling abuse at Tang Sanzang and his disciples inside.
"Bald asses" this and "thieving monks" that-his curses never stopped.
Seeing this, Mingyue feared it might displease Ao Tu and hurriedly said:
"Senior brother, the Heavenly Venerable is here!"
Qingfeng turned, saw Ao Tu, and hastily bowed in respect, saying:
"This young attendant failed to recognize your divine arts earlier and offended you with his words. Please forgive me, Heavenly Venerable!"
"Enough," Ao Tu said. "I won't hold it against you. What are you doing here?"
Qingfeng answered, "Heavenly Venerable, these are the four thieving monks. They stole our temple's immortal fruit, then toppled the fruit tree. I caught them and locked them in here to await our master's return and judgment!"
"Let me see who dared to be so bold," Ao Tu said.
"These four bald asses are hideous," Qingfeng said. "I fear their appearance might disturb you."
"No matter," Ao Tu said.
Qingfeng opened the first set of doors.
Ao Tu looked inside. Sure enough, Tang Sanzang and his three disciples were locked in the room beyond the second set of doors.
With his Fiery Golden Eyes, Wukong had already spotted Ao Tu and seen his true form. "Ao Tu, what are you doing here?"
"Who is Ao Tu?" Ao Tu said. "I am Vozhu Zhenshi Heavenly Venerable. I heard someone toppled Great Immortal Zhenyuan's Ginseng Fruit Tree. Was it you four?"
Tang Sanzang and the others lowered their heads without a word.
"It was these four!" Qingfeng said.
"Which of them is the leader?" Ao Tu asked.
Qingfeng pointed at Tang Sanzang. "Him! The one surnamed Tang!"
Ao Tu stepped closer. "Oh, so you're the chief thief?"
Tang Sanzang bowed respectfully upon hearing this and said:
"Daoist master, this humble monk has come from the Great Tang in the Eastern Land to seek scriptures and worship the Buddha in the Western Heaven. These disciples of mine were unruly and committed wrongdoing, offending your immortal abode."
"Thieving monks like them still have the nerve to undertake the Journey to the West?" Qingfeng said.
"You are mistaken," Ao Tu said. "You two are young and have never been to the Western Heaven. You don't know what it is like there."
Qingfeng and Mingyue asked, "Heavenly Venerable, may we ask what the Western Heaven is like?"
"I came from the west," Ao Tu said. "I do know a little about it."
"Please enlighten us, Heavenly Venerable," Qingfeng and Mingyue said.
"At Western Spirit Mountain, the rules differ from those of the common world," Ao Tu said. "Those who kill are Buddhas, those who injure are Bodhisattvas, and those who steal are Arhats. These four monks are skilled at theft, so they are perfectly suited to traveling to the Western Heaven."
At these words, Qingfeng exclaimed, "Aha! I knew it! So the Buddhist order is nothing but a pack of bald thieves!"
Tang Sanzang said anxiously, "Daoist master, why do you slander our Buddhism so?"
"When did I slander your Buddhism?" Ao Tu asked.
"Amitabha Buddha!" Tang Sanzang said. "We Buddhist disciples observe our precepts with utmost rigor. Of the Five Precepts of Buddhism, the first forbids killing, and the second forbids theft. Western Spirit Mountain is a pure Buddhist land. How could it be as you describe?"
"I came from the west," Ao Tu said. "I often saw disciples of Spirit Mountain who delighted in eating young boys and girls, usurped thrones and seized kingdoms, or abducted other men's wives. Some went further still and devoured every person in an entire kingdom. All these were sights found at the foot of Spirit Mountain."
Tang Sanzang shook his head incessantly as he listened, reciting scripture before saying:
"Amitabha Buddha! Daoist master, to slander the Three Jewels like this is truly a sin! A sin!"
"You don't believe me?" Ao Tu said. "Then tell me, what should the western world be like?"
With longing, Tang Sanzang said, "The western world is a realm of supreme bliss. The Bodhisattvas are infinitely compassionate, and the Buddhas deliver all living beings. They neither covet nor kill, but nurture their vital energy and cultivate their spirits in tranquility. Though not all attain supreme perfection, everyone enjoys enduring life."
Ao Tu laughed. "If it is as you say, then you, a monk guilty of theft, and your disciple, reeking of murderous energy-he must have killed, and more than once-will the Buddha give you scriptures when you reach the Western Heaven?"
Hearing this, Wukong thought, This is bad.
He had dealt with Ao Tu many times. The moment he heard Ao Tu's tone, he knew the words were aimed at him. Who knew what mischief this demon dragon was plotting now? He hurriedly said:
"Master, this Daoist is a monster in disguise. Don't believe him!"
Tang Sanzang said nothing, merely lowering his head, his expression shifting uncertainly.
Having achieved his aim, Ao Tu said no more on the subject and addressed Qingfeng and Mingyue:
"Take me to see the immortal root!"
Qingfeng and Mingyue hastily agreed and led Ao Tu to the Ginseng Fruit orchard.
Inside the orchard, they saw the tree lying on the ground, the soil torn open and its roots exposed, its leaves fallen and branches broken. Not a single fruit remained on it.
Qingfeng and Mingyue asked nervously, "Heavenly Venerable, can the precious tree be revived?"
"It can," Ao Tu said. "This tree is a spiritual root of heaven and earth. It has fallen but is not dead. I possess Three-Lights Divine Water, which can bring back the dead, overcome every calamity, and dispel all suffering. It can revive this tree."
Overjoyed at these words, Qingfeng and Mingyue knelt together and said:
"Please work your magic, Heavenly Venerable, and revive our immortal tree!"
"Healing the tree is easy," Ao Tu said. "But this divine water is a treasure condensed through ten thousand years of arduous cultivation. It cannot be used lightly!"
Qingfeng and Mingyue hurriedly said, "Whatever you require, Heavenly Venerable, simply tell us. We will obey in all things."
"It isn't difficult," Ao Tu said. "Just bring me two little ones to eat."
Qingfeng and Mingyue exclaimed in shock, "Two little ones!"
"What?" Ao Tu said. "I would revive your precious tree, yet you can't even bring me two little ones?"
Qingfeng and Mingyue hesitated. "Well..."
In terms of value, the Ginseng Fruit Tree was a priceless treasure and naturally worth far more. But Qingfeng and Mingyue could not bring themselves to procure two people for no reason on its account.
After a long while, Qingfeng and Mingyue said, "Heavenly Venerable, this goes against our teachings. Could we wait until our master returns before deciding?"
"What teachings could this possibly violate?" Ao Tu said. "Never mind. I can see that you two young attendants have no authority to decide. We'll discuss it when your master arrives!"
"Thank you for your consideration, Heavenly Venerable," Qingfeng and Mingyue said.
Mingyue then prepared a fine guest room for Ao Tu and invited him to stay.
Qingfeng arranged excellent tea and food for Ao Tu.
That night, the moon rose in the east.
"All is silent now," Wukong said. "Those attendants must have gone to bed. Let's leave."
"The doors are all locked," Bajie said. "How do we get out?"
"Watch what I can do!" Wukong said.
Wukong held the Golden Cudgel in his hand, pointed it at the doors, and cast a spell. With a clatter, the locks fell off, and every set of doors swung open.
Bajie laughed. "What skill! Senior brother, your locksmithing is better than that of a veteran locksmith! Once we return with the scriptures, if you have nothing else to do, you could earn your living opening locks."
"What's so special about these doors?" Wukong said. "Even the South Heaven Gate and Tushita Palace would open with a point of Old Sun's finger."
Before you continue