Tears Shed on Hidden Mist Mountain (XI)

Meanwhile, Ao Tu deliberately showed off the Bodhi Tree, which aroused Wukong's interest.

Wukong said he was from the Buddhist Sect.

Ao Tu said he was from the Daoist School.

Wukong said that this tree was the precious tree under Shakyamuni Attainment of the Dao enlightenment in the Saha world, and therefore it is a treasure of the Buddhist Sect.

Ao Tu said that the Taiqing Sage created a divine seed from the primordial chaos, planted it beforehand, and guided Shakyamuni to Attaining Buddhahood, hence it is a treasure of Daoist School.

Bajie and Sha Wujing were not very knowledgeable and did not know which of the two was real and which was fake, but they both sided with their relatives and spoke up for Wukong.

After arguing for a while, Ao Tu, being outnumbered, Wukong, being more Ao Tu, lost the argument and started cursing the bald donkey.

Upon hearing this, Wukong cursed him as a thief.

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu feigned great anger and was about to blast the four of them out of the cave.

It was Tang Sanzang who stopped Wukong and reprimanded him:

"Wukong, the Daoist priest brought us here to view the treasures out of his hospitality. How dare you utter such slanderous words? Quickly apologize to the Daoist priest!"

Wukong said, "Master, I, Old Sun, have been to Spirit Mountain and seen the Bodhi Tree. I even slept under it, and it truly has the same branches and leaves as this tree! Coincidentally, these days the Tathagata Buddha Venerable Kasyapa to move the tree. I suppose this Taoist priest seized the opportunity to steal a branch and transplant it here!"

Tang Sanzang shook his head and scolded:

"Wukong, how can you speak ill of us without knowing the whole story? Even if this tree is real, perhaps the Daoist priest bought it, or perhaps it was a gift from the Venerable. The Daoist priest has obtained this, there must be a reason for it. A branch of this precious tree has been distributed to the masses; this must be a divine favor. We, as monks, should not treasure external things; we should congratulate the Daoist priest on obtaining this precious tree."

Upon hearing this, Wukong pondered for a moment, then hesitated.

Ao Tu chuckled as he watched from the sidelines.

And what are you looking at?

It all depends on whether Wukong listens to Tang Sanzang's teachings. If he doesn't, Tang Sanzang will later accuse Wukong of being unruly and disobedient to his master.

But Wukong had actually improved.

Having been provoked by Ao Tu's many words before, and having called out to countless bald monks, after listening to Tang Sanzang's words and reflecting on them, he truly decided not to argue with Ao Tu.

Tang Sanzang, on behalf of Ao Tu, Wukong and apologized to Ao Tu.

Seeing this, Ao Tu didn't want to make things difficult, so when one plan failed, he devised another, saying:

"You old monk do have some manners. Very well, it's getting late, so I won't let you stay outside. You can stay in my cave for the night!"

Tang Sanzang thanked him repeatedly.

Ao Tu then led the four of them to a side where there were two rooms, one in front and one in back; the front room was a large house, and the back room was a small house.

Ao Tu said, "You all stay in the big house, I'll stay in the small house."

Bajie exclaimed happily, "Although this old Daoist's words are unpleasant, he really does seem to care about his guests. He told us to stay in the large room, and he'll stay in the small one."

Wukong laughed and said, "That's right! That's right! Master is right. I was a bit rude and offensive earlier!"

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Daoist Master. Our humble monks and I dare not occupy your house; please allow us to stay in your small hut for the night."

Ao Tu replied, "Who has shown you any kindness? I made you live in the big house to keep an eye on you! This big house is far from my precious tree, while the small house is close to it. If I made you live in the small house, I wouldn't feel at ease!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong shouted, "We are all good monks, what is there to worry about?"

Ao Tu said, "Look at you lot, one has a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, a thieving and rat-like face; another has greedy eyes and a greedy heart; and the last one has a gloomy face, hard to tell at night. Are you all good thieves, the Foreman of the thieves? Do you think I'd trust you to live in this little house so close to my precious tree?"

Wukong, Bajie, and Sha Wujing were furious upon hearing this and all wanted to step forward to argue.

Seeing this, Tang Sanzang quickly pulled his three disciples into the main room.

Wukong said angrily from inside the house:

"Master, you're such a coward! That Daoist was clearly bullying us monks, treating us like thieves, and you didn't dare to say a word in his defense?"

Bajie and Sha Wujing also chimed in with their opinions.

Tang Sanzang said, "We've come from afar, traveling through the mountains and fields, so it's understandable that people are a little wary. Although the Daoist priest's words were somewhat impolite, his invitation for us to stay in his house shows his hospitality."

Upon hearing this, Wukong exclaimed, "How cowardly! How cowardly! Staying here for one night will only make us feel inferior; we might as well sleep on the Main Road!"

Bajie said, "That's right! What talk of hospitality! They didn't even prepare any vegetarian food for us!"

Sha Wujing said, "Second Senior Brother, didn't you eat half a sesame seed cake?"

Bajie said, "What good is that? It's not even enough to fill my Old Pig!"

Night fell.

Tang Sanzang was fast asleep.

Wukong quietly woke up and called to Bajie, "Bajie! Bajie! Are you asleep?"

Bajie said, "My stomach is growling with hunger, I can't sleep!"

Wukong said, "If I can't sleep, I'll go out and take a look."

Bajie asked, "What are you looking at?"

Wukong said, "Let's see if that Daoist is guarding the tree! If he isn't, then so be it; it means he truly has some hospitality, just as Master said, even if his language is crude. But if he is guarding it, and he really treats us like thieves, then Old Sun, will take the tree and show him what I'm capable of! You go and get the horse; we'll leave at the fourth watch and be down the mountain by dawn. Where will he find it then? We'll take the tree to Spirit Mountain and ask Tathagata to examine it! That tree is clearly broken off from the Bodhi Tree; the branches and leaves are exactly the same. How could I, Old Sun, be mistaken?"

Bajie said, "Alright! Alright! Go and check!"

Wukong quietly opened a crack in the door, transformed into an ant, and crawled out. Sure enough, he saw the old Daoist priest sitting cross-legged outside the hut, fast asleep against the door, with the golden key lying gleaming outside.

Wukong was overjoyed at the sight, returned to his Original Form, and said to Bajie:

"They really did guard it! That Daoist is useless; he doesn't know the methods of cultivating qi and preserving spirit. He's fallen asleep leaning against the door, and he even left the key on the ground. That's exactly what Old Sun, do! Bajie, go outside and fetch the horse! I Old Sun, will go and get the tree!"

Upon hearing this, Bajie was overjoyed. He scrambled up from the bed, put on his monk's shoes, and exchanged a sly grin with Wukong, saying:

"Brother! You go! You go! I'll fetch the horse!"

The rustling and slightly mischievous laughter from the two men woke Tang Sanzang, who hadn't eaten that evening and was hungry. He was a light sleeper and, hearing the noise, he saw their movements and quickly asked:

"Wukong, Bajie, where are we going?"

Wukong tried to cover for him, saying, "Master, Bajie needs to relieve himself!"

Tang Sanzang asked, "Can two people go to the toilet together? Could it be that you were all born of the same mother and both woke up at night to relieve yourselves?"

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Wukong had no choice but to tell the truth.

After learning of this, Tang Sanzang instructed:

"That Daoist priest spoke crudely and was wary of us monks because he didn't know our background. The more he was like that, the more we should treat him with courtesy. That way, after we left, the priest would know that we were not Evil Person and would feel indebted to us. This is how good deeds bring good results."

If you steal the Daoist priest's precious tree, it proves that we are thieves. Even if we leave at the fourth watch of the night, it cannot change our thieving behavior. The Daoist priest cannot catch us, so he will hold a grudge in his heart and curse us in secret. This is reaping evil consequences for evil deeds.

Once you reach Spirit Mountain, how will you have the face to present the stolen items to Buddha for identification?