Tears Shed on Hidden Mist Mountain (10)

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived at Hidden Mist Mountain.

The four travelers walked carefully and moved cautiously.

They had sensed some demonic energy in the mountains when they arrived, but that energy had now vanished. The four travelers, not knowing where the Demon was hiding, dared not be careless.

As they were walking, Bajie stepped on a trap, which hit his foot. He cried out and fell to the ground.

Wukong hurriedly asked, "Bajie, what's wrong?"

Bajie was also Every Plant and Tree a Soldier, thinking that Demon had come. He sat on the ground, holding his Rake, and looked around. After a long time, seeing that there was no Demon, he finally checked his feet and found that it was a hunting trap that had caught on his foot.

Bajie tore the clip off, and the monk's shoes were broken.

Upon seeing this, Wukong couldn't help but laugh, "Bajie, this must have been used by the Hunter down the mountain to catch Wild Boar, but I never expected it to hit you!"

Bajie Bimawen and puffed, "You just wait! You'll be so happy you'll fall into a trap, and while the three of us go to the Western Heaven, you'll be led Western Heaven and sold!"

Wukong was not annoyed by this, but just pointed at Bajie and laughed wildly.

Bajie walked forward and suddenly saw half a sesame seed cake on the ground. He couldn't help but wonder, "How come there's half a sesame seed cake here?"

He reached out to grab it, and with a whoosh, he was caught in the trap.

Fortunately, Bajie was heavy. The snare could only catch foxes and monkeys, but when it was on Bajie's hands, Bajie only swayed a little before regaining his balance and tearing the snare off.

Seeing this, Wukong couldn't help but laugh even more.

Bajie, holding the sesame seed cake, laughed and said, "At least this time I still have half a sesame seed cake to eat!"

Seeing this, Tang Sanzang could only smile helplessly.

The four continued on their way, entering the depths of the mountains and forests.

The forest was quiet, and the four of them became even more wary, no longer daring to laugh and joke around freely.

As they walked, they came to a flat area with a Cave Abode inside.

Tang Sanzang asked, "Wukong, what kind of Cave Abode is that?"

Sha Wujing said, "This deep mountain forest must be Demon's Cave Abode!"

Wukong shook his head and said, "No! No! It's a place people live in; there's a couplet on it!"

The four people stepped forward to watch.

A couplet was written on the door.

The Dao judged the primordial chaos, and I once saw the Supreme Ultimate, Yin and Yang, give rise to the Four Symbols.

The Primordial Chaos School of Buddhism spread its teachings and brought the Hu people eastward into the Hangu Pass.

Wukong said, "What arrogance! Which Daoist is this, so presumptuous, thinking he's Taishang Laojun?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu asked from inside, "Who's making such a racket outside?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong recognized the voice as that of the Daoist from before and laughed from outside the door, "Who do we have here? It's you, you arrogant Daoist Daoist!"

Ao Tu opened the Cave Gate, looked at Tang Sanzang and his disciples, and said:

"This is Mystic Sect Immortal Altar; we do not accept wandering monks!"

Bajie said, "This place is a dilapidated mountain and Shitou cave. We wouldn't even want to come in!"

Wukong said, "That's right, I don't care!"

Ao Tu feigned anger and said, "How could you bunch of wild monks know about the treasures of my Daoism Immortal Mountain?"

Wukong asked, "What treasures do you have?"

Bajie said, "He's probably treating some broken Shitou or rotten wood he picked up in the mountains like a treasure!"

Wukong and Sha Wujing laughed loudly.

Tang Sanzang sternly rebuked, "Wukong, Bajie, Wujing, how dare you be so rude!"

Ao Tu snorted coldly and said, "As expected of a hermit monk. Today, I'll show you what real treasure is!"

After speaking, Ao Tu opened the Cave Gate and let the group go inside.

Wukong and the others chuckled and walked inside.

Ao Tu said, "Wait a minute!"

Wukong said, "What's wrong, old Daoist? There's no treasure in the cave, and you've changed your mind? You're afraid to let us in?"

Ao Tu said, "People may enter, but horses cannot! Tie them outside the cave!"

Bajie said, "This Daoist has a small cave, but he's got a lot of trouble!"

So he led the White Dragon Horse and tied it to a big tree outside the cave.

The White Dragon Horse exhaled a puff of White Qi in dissatisfaction.

Wukong laughed and said to Bajie, "Bajie, this old Daoist doesn't even recognize Dragon Horse. He must be a down-on-his-luck Taoist, just putting on airs. When he can't produce any treasures, we'll see how much face he'll lose!"

Bajie laughed and said, "That's right! That's right!"

The four entered the Cave Abode, which was indeed a simple, quiet, and secluded stone chamber. There were Shitou beds and Shitou benches, without any bedding or cushions; wooden cabinets and wooden tables, without any paint or wax.

Wukong laughed and said, "Old Daoist, whose old cave have you occupied?"

Ao Tu said, "What do you know! This is a pure land of Immortal Household, where we do not accept extravagant offerings from the mortal world. We eat mountain vegetables and lie on stone beds, naturally finding peace and tranquility. Why would we need worldly things to complement this?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang praised:

"The old Daoist priest truly embodies the saying: 'The luxuries and gains of the mortal world are but dust and grime; the tranquility of the mountains is the true essence of life!'"

Ao Tu sneered, "Monk, you want to be my vassal? I doubt you bald monks could possibly know the wonders of this place. Come and see my treasures, and I'll show you what Immortal Household treasures are!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and said, "Old Daoist priest, you seem to have some misunderstandings about us Buddhists!"

Ao Tu ignored him and walked straight to the back of the cave.

Wukong said, "Let's go see what treasures he has."

The group arrived at the back of the cave, where there was a pavilion surrounded by railings on all sides.

Ao Tu took out a golden key from his pocket and said to the four people:

"This is Restriction I set up to prevent thieves from stealing it; only this golden key can open it."

Wukong listened and wrote it down.

Ao Tu used the key to open the gate and led the four people inside.

There was a small tree inside, a truly precious tree!

Branches sprout jewels and jade, leaves bloom in splendor. Buddha-Light's light shines, Auspicious Clouds wondrous path unfolds. Auspicious Mist drift and linger. Subtle yet extraordinary, pure and true Bodhi.

A verse testifies to this:

Bodhi is found only within one's own heart; why bother seeking its mysteries externally?

I've heard that by practicing this method, the Western Heaven is right before your eyes.

Later generations said:

Who brought this branch from the Five Indies?

It stands out beyond the towering buildings, dedicated to ridding the world of its dust.

When Tang Sanzang saw this tree, he truly understood the profound meaning of Buddha Nature. He knelt before the tree and looked at its swaying shadows, as if he were looking at the Three Thousand worlds, seeing through the many days and nights, the endless clouds and mists along the way, and comprehending the affairs of the world.

In a daze, through the swaying shadows of the trees, Tang Sanzang seemed to see the Bodhi Ancient Tree again, having endured calamities, its True Body broken, but its roots reborn in China, as verdant as ever, even more so than before.

Isn't this precisely the result of his attainment of True Scriptures and the flourishing of China?

Along the way, the Buddhist Dharma has some imperfections, just like this sapling, which needs to be pruned and renewed in order to surpass its former glory.

A Buddha-Light arises from the center of the brow, and myriad golden rays spread throughout the body. This is: having endured true tribulations, one has attained enlightenment and realized the Great Light.

Upon seeing this, Ao Tu thought to himself, "Oh no! I should have chosen a different Spiritual Root. Now that Tang Sanzang has seen this Bodhi Tree, this old monk will Attaining Buddhahood Tathagata receiving the Buddha's investiture."

How can this be allowed?

Ao Tu quickly pulled Tang Sanzang, causing Tang Sanzang to stumble, and then used the Bodhi Tree to block the way.

Tang Sanzang stood there stunned for a long time before he came to his senses. He felt his mind was in turmoil, and the Sudden Enlightenment he had just experienced had been interrupted and was difficult to recover.

Wukong, Bajie, and Sha Wujing also knelt before the tree, but Ao Tu pulled them back one by one.

Wukong asked, "Old Daoist, what are you doing?"

Ao Tu said, "This is my Daoism treasure tree; you bald monk are not allowed to comprehend it!"

Wukong retorted angrily, "Old Daoist! Do you think Old Sun, don't recognize this? This is the Bodhi Tree! You must have secretly broken it off from Spirit Mountain!"

Ao Tu said, "Nonsense! This is the Taiqing Ancient Tree of my Daoism, an heirloom of our Daoist School!"