An Ill-Fated Fall into Pansi Cave (18)

Meanwhile, the fact that Bajie was to marry into the family was revealed.

Tang Sanzang was furious. Coupled with the hardship of his journey during the day and his hunger, his anger caused him to sway unsteadily.

Bajie quickly helped him up, saying, "Master, please go inside and rest!"

Tang Sanzang pushed Bajie away and said, "I don't need your help!"

Seeing this, Sha Wujing helped Tang Sanzang inside to sit down and rest.

Bajie pours water for Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang also refused to drink.

Wukong poured the water before Tang Sanzang drank it.

Just then, a Little Demon brought over Buddhist vegetarian meal.

It consists of steamed white rice, yellow steamed cake, four kinds of stir-fried vegetarian delicacies, a pot of hot tea, and a few mountain fruits.

The meal wasn't lavish, but it was still excellent Buddhist vegetarian meal.

The Little Demon arranged the Buddhist vegetarian meal and then left.

Seeing this, Bajie said, "Master, please have some Buddhist vegetarian meal."

Tang Sanzang did not answer, but simply lowered his head and chanted scriptures.

Bajie wanted to eat it, but seeing that Tang Sanzang was angry, he held back. He took a steaming hot cake and offered it to Tang Sanzang, saying, "Master, have some!"

Tang Sanzang turned away, ignoring him completely.

Bajie looked helplessly at Wukong and said, "Brother! Look, Master isn't eating. What are we going to do?"

Wukong took the cake and handed it to Tang Sanzang, saying, "Master, have some; you haven't eaten all day."

Tang Sanzang angrily said, "That fool married into Demon; I cannot eat his food!"

Sha Wujing stepped forward and advised, "Master, please eat less, otherwise how can you bear it?"

Tang Sanzang said angrily, "I can't eat anymore, you all eat!"

Sha Wujing was helpless.

Wukong winked at Sha Wujing and said, "Junior Brother Sha, let's eat."

Although Sha Wujing did not understand Wukong's meaning, he still agreed.

The two went to the table to eat.

When Bajie saw it, he also wanted to eat, but after looking at Tang Sanzang, he refrained from doing so and instead spoke kind words to persuade Tang Sanzang to leave.

Tang Sanzang simply kept his head down and chanted the scriptures, ignoring everything else.

On the other side, Sha Wujing ate a bowl of rice and a lot of vegetables. He was tall and big, and he finished the bowl of white rice in a few bites. He looked up at Wukong and saw that Wukong had not eaten, but had crushed the steamed cake and put it in his bowl.

Sha Wujing asked in confusion, "Elder Brother, what are you doing?"

Wukong made a gesture, signaling Sha Wujing to speak softly.

Seeing this, Sha Wujing dared not utter a sound.

Wukong broke a bowl of steamed cake into pieces, scooped out two bowls of rice, poured them all into the Alms Bowl, and then poured in the vegetable broth from the dish, stirring it all together.

At this moment, Bajie came over. He had been rebuffed by Tang Sanzang, so he had no choice but to come over. Seeing Wukong carrying the plate, he couldn't help but complain:

"You're something else, not showing any courtesy at all. If it weren't for me, Old Pig, we wouldn't even have this meal! I haven't eaten a single bite, and you've already picked up the plate."

Wukong, too lazy to pay attention to Bajie, stirred the food in the Alms Bowl Alms Bowl until it was unrecognizable, then went outside to let it cool down before returning to give it to Tang Sanzang, saying:

"Master, please eat some. This is something I got from a kind person outside. It's not good food, so please don't be picky."

Tang Sanzang glanced at the somewhat tattered food in his Alms Bowl and said happily, "Wukong, you've worked hard! For a monk, having grains to eat is already a great blessing; how could I dare to be picky?"

Wukong smiled and took a pair of chopsticks.

Tang Sanzang ate all the food.

The four of them then went to sleep peacefully.

On the other side, Ao Tu was also meditating and sleeping peacefully.

The Little Spider Demon lingered outside the door, peeking in.

Upon seeing this, Ao Tu called her in and said, "Call all your sisters here."

The Little Spider Demon bit her lip and agreed.

Before long, all seven Spider Demon arrived.

Some are flamboyant, some are charming, some are aloof, and some are naive.

Ao Tu opened his eyes and looked at the seven Spider Demon. He noticed that their clothes were all improper, except for the eldest sister, who was dignified and somewhat decent.

Ao Tu shook his head and said, "I called you here to pass on a cultivation Dharma Method to you, so that you won't be too restless and impatient."

The Spider Demon were both delighted and disappointed upon hearing this.

Ao Tu recites the Dharma Method.

The Spider Demon demons quickly took note.

The next day, Tang Sanzang got up early and woke up Wukong and Sha Wujing, telling Sha Wujing to pack their luggage and prepare for their Journey to the West.

Seeing that the fool was still fast asleep, Wukong plucked a hair from his body, transformed it into a rat the size of a shoe sole, jumped onto the bed, climbed onto Bajie's face, and took a bite out of his nose.

Bajie was jolted awake by the pain. He touched his nose and saw that it was bleeding from the bite. Enraged, he cursed the rat, "You wretched rat, are you trying to eat my Old Pig's nose as an offering?!"

Just then, Bajie heard a commotion outside and went out to see what was happening. He saw Sha Wujing had already packed his luggage, Wukong had brought the White Horse, and Tang Sanzang was about to leave.

Bajie hurriedly asked, "Master, where are we going?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Let's go Journey to the West."

Bajie said, "Why didn't you wait for me?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Didn't you marry into another family? What are you waiting for?"

Bajie thought to himself, if he really did marry into the family, that would be fine; but he hadn't married into the family yet, and there was no definite news. As the saying goes, one should be eating what's in the bowl while eyeing what's in the pot, but if one throws away what's in the bowl before even getting to what's in the pot, then one will have nothing left.

So Bajie hurriedly said, "Master, don't rush off. We've been master and disciple for a time. Even though I've made mistakes, I shouldn't be so heartless as to leave without a word. Please wait a little longer, Master, so I can go and discuss with them whether we should go on the Journey to the West or stay. I'll come back and report to you once we've decided."

Tang Sanzang was annoyed by Bajie's indecisiveness, but after all, they had spent twenty years together, and the talk of leaving was just an angry outburst. Seeing that Bajie had said so, Tang Sanzang thought about it and agreed.

Bajie then went to the Spider Demon to inquire about the situation.

Tang Sanzang then returned to his room to wait.

Bajie went to find the Spider Demon.

The Eldest Sister Spider Demon came out and asked, "Elder, what business do you have with me?"

Bajie said, "Sister, you've been watching my Rake all night. I wonder what the result was? Are you interested in recruiting me?"

The eldest sister said, "This matter is not urgent; let's observe for a few more days before making a decision."

Bajie said urgently, "Good sister, it's best to settle this as soon as possible; this matter shouldn't be delayed."

The elder sister asked, "What's the elder's hurry? Taking a son-in-law is a major matter; how can it be decided so easily? You and your disciples live here, and I haven't neglected your food and clothing. What's the rush?"

Bajie sighed, "Sister, you have no idea. My master is a Holy Monk is single-mindedly devoted to the journey to the Journey to the West. Yesterday, our affair was exposed and he found out. Today, he wants to abandon me Journey Westward. I begged him to let me stay, but he definitely won't stay until the next day. Whether it works out or not, please give me a definite answer, sister. If you are willing to take me in, I will stay; if not, let's go our separate ways and not delay me."

The eldest sister was at a loss for words. Fortunately, Ao Tu secretly taught her how to respond from the room behind her.

After listening, the older sister replied:

"Elder, it's not that I meant to mislead you. It's just that the seven of us sisters have never had any relatives, only our Elder Brother. We wrote to him, inviting him to come over, firstly to examine the treasure, and secondly to assess his character. If he doesn't come, we dare not make this marriage decision on our own."

Upon hearing this, Bajie said with worry, "What should we do? I can't wait that long."

The eldest sister said, "Elder, don't worry, I have a plan, but it will require you to suffer some pain."

Bajie asked, "Suffering a little is fine, but what is the method?"

Inside the room, Tang Sanzang waited silently.

After waiting for a long time, Bajie still didn't return.

Tang Sanzang was somewhat annoyed and sent Wukong out to search.

Wukong walked out and, not far away, saw Bajie lying on the ground by a pillar next to the main hall.

Wukong rushed over and patted Bajie, saying, "Bajie! Bajie! What's wrong?"

Bajie Netherworld awoke and weakly Earthly Way, "Elder Brother, I think I've caught Wind-Cold."