On their wedding night, Ao Tu was about to leave when Qiao'er caught hold of him.
"What is it?" Ao Tu asked.
At his question, Qiao'er grew nervous, her mouth going dry.
She had meant to make the excuse that someone might discover them if Ao Tu left.
But when Ao Tu asked her, she could not bring herself to utter a single lie.
She could only gaze at Ao Tu expectantly and say with heartfelt sincerity:
"I... I want you to stay."
"All right," Ao Tu said. "Then let's put out the light and sleep."
After blowing out the red candles, Qiao'er lay on the bed, nervous and expectant.
Ao Tu lay beside her with his eyes closed, simply cultivating his qi and nurturing his spirit.
Qiao'er remained silent for a long time before finally gathering her courage and reaching for Ao Tu's hand.
Ao Tu opened his eyes and looked over.
He was no ordinary mortal; even at night, he could see clearly.
The girl had almond-shaped eyes, arched brows, and a pretty face. She said shyly, "My lord, please take me!"
"You want to turn our pretense into reality?" Ao Tu asked.
Qiao'er nodded hastily. "Yes!"
"You are only a mortal," Ao Tu said. "Once this is over, I will abandon you and leave without the slightest hesitation. If you cooperate with the act, I will give you a thousand gold pieces and ensure you live out your life in wealth and comfort. If you crave a moment's pleasure and turn the pretense into reality, I still will not keep you, and you will not receive so much as a scrap of gold or silver. A hundred years may have passed before we meet again, and you will already have become a handful of yellow earth."
Qiao'er froze, then lowered her head.
Ao Tu said nothing more and continued cultivating his qi and nurturing his spirit.
A moment later, a warm, soft body embraced him, her snow-white arms carrying a young maiden's sweet fragrance.
Nothing more was said that night. A mortal woman was, after all, delicate, scarcely able to bear his favors.
At dawn the next day, Qiao'er was still curled in his arms, clinging to their tenderness, not yet awake.
Ao Tu took two fruits out of his divine light, let her smell them, then put them away.
It was not because Ao Tu was stingy.
A mere sniff was already the best thing for her.
Letting her eat them would only harm her.
The days that followed were peaceful and tranquil, and the two lived like an ordinary married couple.
Dawn shone through the sparse fence and low-roofed cottage; husband and wife went together to till the northern ridge.
At noon they rested beneath a tree by the fields; an earthenware jug held water, their affection flowing long.
The wife cooked beans and rice, their fragrance drifting; the husband hurried out to hunt foxes and hares.
At dusk they bade the slanting sun farewell and returned from the fields; deep into the night they sat together, the moonlight white as frost.
Meanwhile, after leaving Longevity Mountain, Tang Sanzang and his disciples traveled along level roads for over a month. That day, they caught sight of a lofty mountain.
"Disciples," Tang Sanzang said, "the mountain ahead is steep and treacherous. We must all take great care."
"Rest easy, Master," Wukong said.
He leaped onto a high cliff, brandished his iron staff, and gave a roar. Wolves and other beasts scrambled away in terror, while tigers and leopards fled.
Tang Sanzang's heart quailed as he sat on his horse.
They entered the mountain and traveled for some time before Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, I have grown hungry today. Go beg some food for us."
"Master," Wukong said, "there isn't a soul on this mountainside. Even with money, there is nowhere to buy anything. Where am I to find food?"
Displeased, Tang Sanzang scolded him. "You monkey! Think of how you lay at Two Realms Mountain, pinned by Tathagata inside a stone prison, unable to move your body or take a single step. It was I who saved your life, laid my hand upon your head, and gave you the precepts, making you my disciple. Why won't you exert yourself? Why do you always harbor such laziness?"
"I serve you diligently every day," Wukong said. "When have I ever been lazy?"
"If you are diligent," Tang Sanzang said, "why don't you beg some food for me? How can I walk with an empty stomach? Don't tell me there is nowhere to beg. You can ride clouds and command the mist-where could you not find food?"
"Please don't blame me, Master," Wukong said. "These mountains are treacherous. I fear that if I go too far, a demon may come to harm you. Dismount and sit somewhere secure. Bajie, Junior Brother Sha, protect Master while I look around."
Wukong sprang into the clouds, shaded his eyes with his hand, and looked around.
The mountain was utterly desolate, with no villages or homes anywhere. There were only a few wooden cottages on its western side, but demonic energy hung about them. It was no good place to visit.
After looking for some time, he spotted a lofty peak directly to the south. On its sunny slope was a patch of bright red.
Wukong lowered his cloud and said, "Master, there's something to eat."
Tang Sanzang asked what it was.
"There are no households in this mountain where I can beg a meal," Wukong said. "But there's a patch of red on the southern mountain. It must be ripe wild peaches. I'll pick a few to ease your hunger."
Tang Sanzang said happily, "For a monk, having peaches to eat is quite good enough. Hurry along."
Wukong rose on his cloud and sped to the southern mountain to pick peaches.
Acting on Ao Tu's instructions, the White Bone Spirit emerged when she saw Wukong leave. She used a false corpse as her incarnation, carried a basket in her left hand and an earthenware pot in her right, and headed straight for Tang Sanzang.
Seeing her, Tang Sanzang said, "Bajie, Sha Wujing, Wukong just said this wilderness was deserted. Look-isn't that someone coming toward us in the distance?"
"Master, you and Sha Wujing stay seated," Bajie said. "Let Old Pig go take a look."
Bajie put down the Rake, straightened his clothes, and ran over to investigate.
Seeing that it was a beautiful woman, he dropped his guard and asked:
"Lady Bodhisattva, where are you going? What are you carrying?"
The White Bone Spirit showed no fear at the sight of Bajie and said:
"Elder, my basket holds white-flour buns, and this pot holds fragrant rice. They were meant for my family, but when I saw you elders here just now, I came especially to offer you a meal."
Overjoyed at her words, Bajie promptly turned and ran back to report to Tang Sanzang:
"Master! Heaven rewards the virtuous! You were hungry and sent Senior Brother to beg for food, but that monkey went off somewhere to pick peaches. Eat too many peaches and won't they turn your stomach sour? Look, a lady Bodhisattva has come to offer us a meal!"
Seeing the woman approach from afar with her basket, Tang Sanzang hurriedly rose and pressed his palms together before his chest.
"Lady Bodhisattva, where do you live? Why have you come here to offer monks a meal?"
The White Bone Spirit replied, "Master, this mountain is called White Tiger Ridge. My home lies below it, due west. My parents have passed away, and I live with my elder brother and his wife. My brother's parents-in-law are still living, and he also has another brother. My brother and his wife are farming on the northern mountain today, and I cooked this midday meal to bring to them. Since I encountered you three elders along the way, I offer this food to you instead. If you do not disdain it, please accept this small token of goodwill."
"Bless you! Bless you!" Tang Sanzang said. "I have already sent my disciple to pick fruit. I dare not eat this meal. If I ate your food and your brother and his wife scolded you, wouldn't that implicate me, a monk?"
"Master, you don't understand," the White Bone Spirit said. "My brother and his wife are devoted Buddhists. They often give alms and have vowed to feed monks. If they knew this meal had been given to you, they would surely be delighted."
Tang Sanzang still refused to eat.
Bajie grumbled, "Master, you really can't make up your mind. You won't eat a meal that's right here before you. If we eat now, we only have to divide it into three portions. Once that monkey gets back, we'll have to divide it into four."
As he spoke, he picked up the basket and was about to start eating.
From the summit of the southern mountain, Wukong picked a few
peaches and rode his cloud back. Seeing the woman, he opened his Fiery Golden Eyes to examine her. Recognizing her as a demon, he drew his iron staff and struck straight at her head.
The White Bone Spirit used the Corpse-Release Technique. As Wukong's blow came down, her true body escaped in advance, leaving the false corpse behind to be smashed to pieces on the ground.
Tang Sanzang trembled with fright. "You wretched monkey! Why did you take a life without cause?"
"Master," Wukong said, "this woman was a demon. She came to deceive you!"
"She was plainly a respectable young woman," Tang Sanzang said, "kindhearted enough to offer us a meal. How could she have been a demon?"
Yet the corpse on the ground was a real corpse, only battered to pieces.
The basket fell to the ground, revealing steaming white buns.
The earthenware pot shattered, revealing fragrant cooked rice.
Now Wukong could find no explanation that would clear his name.
Before you continue