An ill-fated fall into Pansi Cave (23)

Meanwhile, Wukong and his two companions stole the treasure.

There were three treasures on the shelf: a whip, a sword, and a pearl.

If we only look at the surface, the sword is the best, followed by the whip, and the pearl is the worst.

Sha Wujing had long coveted the Precious Sword, but as the third disciple, and with his Big Brother Second Brother not having chosen one yet, he couldn't choose first. So he simply stood in front of the Precious Sword and looked at it.

Wukong did not make a choice first.

Seeing that both of them were showing deference, Bajie thought for a moment, then laughed and said, "If neither of you chooses, I, Old Pig, will choose first." With that, he picked up the Jewel and stuffed it into his robes.

The Jewel is the lowest grade of the three treasures.

Bajie chose this item for two reasons. First, he was greedy for wealth; while the whip and sword were good, they were Baleful Qi treasures without Jewel Light. Second, the whole affair started because of him; Wukong and Sha Wujing came to help him retrieve his Rake, and now that the Rake was back, how could he possibly accept a share of such a fine treasure?

Seeing that Bajie had taken the Jewel, Wukong thought for a moment and knew what the fool was thinking. He pointed at him and laughed, "You fool, you sure know how to 'compete'!" Then he said to Sha Wujing, "Junior Brother Sha, how about I take the whip and you take the sword for the remaining two treasures?"

Sha Wujing had long coveted the Precious Sword, so he naturally agreed and reached out to take Precious Sword. However, the Precious Sword did not recognize him as its master, and its murderous aura surged, cutting a gash in Sha Wujing's palm.

Bajie exclaimed in surprise, "This treasure is fierce!"

Despite his wounds, Sha Wujing picked up the Precious Sword and exclaimed with delight, "Only a fine treasure can do this!"

Wukong also picked up the Precious Whip.

The Precious Whip was understated, unlike the Precious Sword which gleamed fiercely. However, when Wukong looked at it with his Golden Eyes, he could tell that the Precious Whip was in no way inferior to the Precious Sword, and might even be slightly better.

Having obtained the treasure, the three did not linger any longer. They quickly turned back, called Tang Sanzang, and fled that very night.

The Little Demon on night patrol and the Little Demon guarding the gate, upon discovering that the four were about to leave, were all put to sleep by Wukong's Sleepy Bug.

It wasn't until dawn the next day that the other Little Demon discovered that Tang Sanzang and his disciples had escaped, and they quickly reported it to their superiors.

Upon learning this, the seven Spider Demon all came to Ao Tu and said:

"Your Great King, Tang Sanzang disciples have stolen our treasure and escaped!"

Ao Tu said, "I already knew about this. Last night, I was standing next to them, watching the three of them plotting theft. Sun Wukong stole my Saintly Whip, Sha Monk stole my Saintly Sword, Zhu Bajie stole my Mani Pearl."

The eldest sister said, "These monks are so rude, what should we do?"

The other women also asked, "Yes! What should we do?"

Ao Tu said, "Don't rush! Tang Sanzang disciples are fleeing westward, and they will inevitably pass through Yellow Flower Temple. You and I will go to the temple together and wait for them. When they arrive, we will accuse them of using the pretense of marrying into the family to steal treasures! Sun Wukong stole my Saintly Whip, so he should be whipped! Sha Wujing stole my Saintly Sword, so he should be punished with the sword!"

Upon hearing this, the Spider Demon rolled up their sleeves and skirts, rubbing their hands together in anticipation, and asked, "What kind of torture did Zhu Bajie suffer?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "That Mani Pearl isn't worth much. Considering his honest and straightforward nature, let's just consider it a gift to him."

When the Spider Demon heard that Ao Tu was going to give the Jewel to Zhu Bajie, they felt a little heartbroken about Belongings, but they dared not disobey and all agreed.

Ao Tu then led them, riding the clouds and mist, and soon arrived at Yellow Flower Temple.

The Yellow Flower Temple also underwent extensive Earthworks, but unlike the sprawling and extravagant Pansi Ridge, it was more tranquil and elegant. The Palace Hall were nestled among the green pines, cypresses, willows, and exotic flowers in the mountains, and from a distance, it looked like a Immortal.

Ao Tu led the Spider Demon demons into the temple, where a young Daoist priest had already gone in to report.

Upon hearing this, the Many-Eyed Monster hurriedly came out to greet him, saying, "Your Great King has arrived! Please come in!"

The Spider Demon demons chuckled, "Why does our Elder Brother only welcome the Great King and not us? Have you forgotten us after just a few days?"

The Many-Eyed Monster said, "Junior sisters, please come in. Fragrant tea has already been prepared."

The group then entered the temple.

The young Daoist boy served fragrant tea.

Ao Tu took a few sips, but the Spider Demon, who didn't like tea, sat around it instead.

The eldest sister asked, "Elder Brother, have you seen Tang Sanzang?"

The Many-Eyed Monster, "I haven't seen him before, has something happened?"

The eldest sister said, "It's infuriating! Those Tang Sanzang disciples claimed to be Reverend Monk of the Great Tang, but they were actually a gang of Thieves! We sisters treated them kindly for two months, but they repaid kindness with enmity, stole the Great King's treasure, and fled in the dead of night! The Great King knew that they were Journey Westward and would pass by the Elder Brother's Yellow Flower Temple, so he brought us here!"

Upon hearing this, the Many-Eyed Monster slammed his hand on the table and said:

"Tang Sanzang and his disciples have gone too far! Wait until they arrive, and I will avenge you!"

All the Spider Demon were delighted.

Ao Tu warned, "Be careful of Sun Wukong. That Monkey is getting increasingly cunning these days. Don't be careless."

The Many-Eyed Monster said, "Your Great King, rest assured, if Sun Wukong dares to come, I'll teach him a lesson in the power of my Golden Light!"

Ao Tu thought for a moment, worried that the Many-Eyed Monster might make a mistake, and looked at the seven Spider Demon, asking, "Who among you knows a sword? Who knows a whip?"

The eldest sister said, "I know how to use a whip."

The Fourth Sister, fifth sister, sixth sister, and the youngest Little Spider Demon all said, "I can wield a sword."

Ao Tu asked, "Who wields the sword best?"

The four looked at each other, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh sisters all truthfully said, "Fourth Sister did the best."

Ao Tu then called to his eldest and Fourth Sister sisters:

"Come closer, each of you. I will teach you a spell. If the abbot cannot subdue Sun Wukong, then recite the spell to activate the Saintly Whip and Saintly Sword, and capture Tang Sanzang and his disciples."

Upon hearing this, the eldest sister leaned closer, and Ao Tu whispered the incantation into her ear.

The Fourth Sister also stepped forward, but hesitated and said, "Your Great King, although I have practiced some Swordsmanship, they are all insidious moves from Demon. I'm afraid I cannot use Your Great King's Saintly Sword."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "It's alright. That sword is called the Saintly Sword, but it's a Baleful Qi treasure, and its insidious moves are perfect for it."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Sister happily stepped forward.

Ao Tu also secretly passed on the incantation to her.

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang and his disciples fled Pansi Ridge overnight. After a night of fleeing, they arrived in the daytime and, seeing that there were no pursuers, Wukong and the others were slightly relieved.

Since none of Wukong three mentioned stealing the treasure, Tang Sanzang assumed that Bajie had retrieved his Rake, so he wasn't too afraid. After walking all night, he was exhausted Tang Sanzang said he wanted to rest for a while.

Wukong then helped Tang Sanzang dismount to rest and fetched water for Tang Sanzang to drink.

After resting for half an hour, the four of them set off again, encountering no obstacles or pursuers along the way.

The four of them thought they had passed Pansi Ridge and relaxed.

Traveling Journey to the West, crossing the Main Road, a mountain appeared ahead, with numerous pavilions and magnificent palaces within.

Tang Sanzang pointed and asked, "Disciples, what kind of place is that?"

Wukong shaded his eyes with his hand, looked around carefully, and reported back to Tang Sanzang:

"Master, that's a Daoist temple in the mountains! From what I can see, there are many houses and palaces, no less than a hundred rooms. It must be the home of a wealthy Daoist."

Upon hearing this, Bajie exclaimed happily, "What a wonderful rich Daoist! Let's go in and ask for lodging for the night and some Buddhist vegetarian meal food!"

Sha Wujing said, "Second Senior Brother is right, Master, let's go."

Tang Sanzang nodded in agreement, and the four of them headed up the mountain.