Recaps

After Monk Buzheng’s insults prompted the King of Jisai Kingdom to dismiss the court, the King later regretted his anger and renewed his efforts to enlist Tang Sanzang’s group to recover the National Treasure. When Nine-Headed Bug returned to Jade Wave Pool, Wukong, Bajie, and Monk Buzheng went to confront him.

• Ao Tu cursed the King of Jisai Kingdom, who dismissed court and sent Tang Sanzang and his disciples away without the promised banquet.
• At Golden Light Temple, Ao Tu explained that his scolding was part of his plan, while the monks worried about being forced back into cangues.
• The King regretted alienating Tang Sanzang’s group and held another banquet, where Ao Tu took a seat at the meat table and Bajie devoured the food.
• Over the next few days, the King repeatedly summoned Tang Sanzang to ask about the National Treasure, and Ao Tu told him to wait.
• Ao Tu spotted Nine-Headed Bug returning, and Wukong and Bajie rode with him to Jade Wave Pool to confront the monster.
• Nine-Headed Bug told the Myriad-Sages Old Dragon King and Princess that Bull Demon King had barred him from his palace.

Princess Wansheng lured Nine-Headed Bug out of the Dragon Palace, where Bajie and Wukong confronted him over the stolen National Treasure. After Erlang helped bring the demon down, Ao Tu claimed the thieves and both stolen treasures for Heaven, but Wukong snatched the National Treasure and tried to flee before Ao Tu stopped him with sword intent.

• Princess Wansheng tricked Nine-Headed Bug into leaving the Dragon Palace without his weapon and led him to Ao Tu, Wukong, and Bajie.
• Bajie struck Nine-Headed Bug, who revealed his true form and fought Wukong and Bajie before fleeing into the sky.
• Erlang shot Nine-Headed Bug out of the air, and Ao Tu pinned him down with ancient Buddha's vow power.
• Nine-Headed Bug revealed that Princess Wansheng had the National Treasure, and Ao Tu said he held both it and the Immortal Herb for delivery to Heaven.
• Wukong snatched the National Treasure from Ao Tu and tried to escape, but Ao Tu cut off his path with a strand of sword intent.

Ao Tu defeated Wukong with Buddhist Vow Power and recovered the stolen treasures, then revealed that he would deliver them to Perfected Lord Taixi. Wukong agreed to accompany Ao Tu and Erlang to Heaven, while Bajie returned to inform Tang Sanzang.

• Wukong tried to escape Jade Wave Pool with the treasures, but Ao Tu's Buddhist method kept him trapped there.
• Wukong attacked Ao Tu with the Golden Cudgel, but Ao Tu remained unharmed and crushed him beneath Ancient Buddha Vow Power.
• Wukong conceded the wager and returned the treasures to Ao Tu.
• Ao Tu explained that he had come at Perfected Lord Taixi's request, and Wukong agreed to accompany him to deliver the treasures.
• Ao Tu bound Nine-Headed Bug and Princess Wansheng and rode to Heaven with Wukong and Erlang, while Bajie went back to Tang Sanzang.
• When Wukong asked how a monk and a Daoist had become friends, Ao Tu claimed they had cultivated together before attaining the Dao, and Wukong stopped questioning him.

Wukong recovered the National Treasure Sarira and entrusted it, along with the captured thieves, to Ao Tu, who persuaded him to seek the Queen Mother of the West’s help in returning it. While Wukong prepared to visit her, the King of Jisai Kingdom imprisoned Tang Sanzang and the Golden Light Monastery monks and challenged Tang Sanzang to explain how the kingdom could survive without its treasure.

• Monk Buzheng handed Ao Tu the recovered Nine-Leaf Ganoderma Herb and National Treasure Sarira and entrusted him with Nine-Headed Bug and Princess Wansheng before leaving.
• Wukong asked Ao Tu for the National Treasure, but Ao Tu said the Queen Mother of the West should decide its fate and persuaded Wukong to apologize to her with a gift.
• Bajie returned to Jisai Kingdom and told Tang Sanzang that Wukong had gone to the Heavenly Realm, and Tang Sanzang informed the King.
• After a month without Wukong’s return, the King of Jisai Kingdom believed accusations that Tang Sanzang’s party had taken the treasure, placed them under house arrest, and imprisoned the Golden Light Monastery monks again.
• Tang Sanzang pleaded for the monks and argued that a nation’s true treasures were good governance and a benevolent ruler, but the King produced reports of floods, famine, and displacement and demanded to know how the kingdom could be governed without the National Treasure.

Tang Sanzang urged the King of Jisai Kingdom to address flooding and learned that the court planned relief without controlling the rivers. The King dismissed the court and rejected Tang Sanzang’s suggestion to invite water-management experts from neighboring kingdoms.

• Tang Sanzang read disaster reports and asked the King of Jisai Kingdom how he planned to help the flood victims.
• The King invited Tang Sanzang to observe a court assembly three days later, where Bajie and Sha Wujing urged Tang Sanzang to eat and rest.
• At the assembly, the ministers proposed suppressing unrest, relocating survivors, burying the dead, and restoring farmland, but made no plans to control the water.
• Tang Sanzang asked why the kingdom did not control its rivers, and the ministers explained that Western Liang Kingdom and Gaochang Kingdom had expertise.
• The King of Jisai Kingdom dismissed the court and insisted that recovering the National Treasure mattered more than water control.
• Tang Sanzang privately suggested inviting experts from Western Liang Kingdom or Gaochang Kingdom, but the King objected to asking foreign countries for help.

Tang Sanzang persuaded the King of Jisai Kingdom to let him seek flood-control help from Gaochang Kingdom, then helped oversee relief efforts after the floods were brought under control. When funds ran short, the King refused trade with Gaochang Kingdom and offered Tang Sanzang the position of State Preceptor so he could arrange it himself.

• Tang Sanzang volunteered to seek a flood-control expert from a neighboring kingdom, and Bajie and Sha Wujing accompanied him to Gaochang Kingdom.
• The King of Gaochang Kingdom agreed to send a minister skilled in flood control to Jisai Kingdom and gave Tang Sanzang a letter for its King.
• The minister, Tang Sanzang, Bajie, and Sha Wujing helped control the floods and organize relief, but the work stalled when Jisai Kingdom ran out of silver.
• Tang Sanzang delivered Gaochang Kingdom’s letter proposing trade, but the King of Jisai Kingdom refused because he considered his kingdom superior.
• The King offered to appoint Tang Sanzang State Preceptor, giving him authority to arrange trade, and Tang Sanzang accepted.

Tang Sanzang’s trade and flood-control efforts improved life in Jisai Kingdom, but officials and nobles turned against him, leaving him exhausted and ready to resign. Before he could do so, a request to cultivate newly exposed riverbank land drew him back into a court dispute, which remained unresolved.

• Trade between Jisai Kingdom and Gaochang Kingdom flourished, lowering prices, bringing customs revenue into the treasury, and funding flood-control work.
• Officials, nobles, and some common people accused Tang Sanzang of harming the kingdom, while the King of Jisai Kingdom neither supported nor opposed him; Bajie’s attempt to disrupt the officials’ impeachment did not prevent it.
• After weeks of accusations and counterarguments, Bajie advised Tang Sanzang to avoid taking an active role at court, but Tang Sanzang decided to resign and return to fetching the scriptures.
• A Gaochang official wrote that flood-control work was proceeding smoothly but asked whether to spend money and grain clearing newly exposed riverbank farmland before the planting season passed.
• Tang Sanzang asked the King of Jisai Kingdom to approve clearing the land, but the ministers argued against it, and Tang Sanzang challenged their claims by pointing out the work needed to make the ground farmable.

Tang Sanzang persuaded the King of Jisai Kingdom to let him guarantee grain loans and trade with three neighboring kingdoms, despite the ministers’ denunciations. Ao Tu refined a Sixth-Turn Golden Elixir as a gift for the Queen Mother of the West and arrived at Yaochi with Wukong, where they found Erlang still present.

• Tang Sanzang proposed borrowing grain and opening trade with the other three kingdoms, then offered to guarantee the arrangement, and the King of Jisai Kingdom agreed despite the ministers’ protests.
• Ao Tu failed to refine a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, and Wukong recognized the failed attempt by its smell.
• Xiao Zhenying visited Ao Tu and explained that her father was recovering from internal injuries; Ao Tu promised to give her pills for her brother and father.
• Ao Tu refined a Sixth-Turn Golden Elixir with Xiao Zhenying helping tend the fire, then set out for Yaochi with Wukong, Nine-Headed Bug, and Princess Wansheng.
• The Queen Mother of the West invited Ao Tu and Wukong into her hall, where they saw Erlang was still there.

Ao Tu and Wukong brought the stolen treasures before the Queen Mother of the West, who punished Princess Wansheng, allowed the Nine-Headed Bug to escape, and returned the purified National Treasure Sarira to Wukong. After delivering Peach of Immortality Banquet invitations across the Three Realms, Wukong returned to Jisai Kingdom and found Tang Monk resigning as state preceptor, while the king appeared stunned by the Sarira.

• The Queen Mother of the West sentenced the Nine-Headed Bug to beheading and banished Princess Wansheng to the Flower Realm with her dragon bones shackled.
• The Queen Mother of the West purified the National Treasure Sarira and gave it to Wukong, then asked him to deliver invitations to the Peach of Immortality Banquet.
• Wukong traveled across the Three Realms delivering invitations, and Guanyin asked whether he had recently encountered the Demon Dragon.
• Ao Tu took Princess Wansheng to the Flower Realm, where he assigned her to tend the flowers and welcomed Xiao Zhenying and Jiangzhu.
• After more than half a year away, Wukong returned to Jisai Kingdom with the Sarira and found Tang Monk resigning as state preceptor; the king stared at the restored treasure in surprise.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples left Jisai Kingdom, unaware that Old Dragon King Wansheng had seized the National Treasure and attacked the capital. Ao Tu suppressed Wansheng, rescued the old monk’s soul, and discovered that the monk’s white lotus fragment could help restore the Third-Grade White Lotus.

• The King of Jisai Kingdom freed the imprisoned monks, and Tang Sanzang’s group departed after Wukong told them about his trip to heaven.
• Tang Sanzang and his disciples found a dam and statue honoring the State Preceptor, and they left it standing despite its resemblance to Bajie.
• Old Dragon King Wansheng emerged from Emerald Wave Pool, swallowed the Sarira, destroyed the pagoda, and attacked the people of Jisai Kingdom.
• The old monk’s soul appeared to confront Wansheng, but Wansheng shattered it; Ao Tu caught the soul in a fragment of the Third-Grade White Lotus and pinned Wansheng beneath the restored pagoda.
• Ao Tu returned the Sarira to the pagoda, then took the old monk and lotus fragment to his true body as Tang Sanzang’s group left Jisai Kingdom.
• The fragment merged with the Third-Grade White Lotus and repaired part of its damage, and Ao Tu restored the old monk’s soul with Three Lights Divine Water.

Ao Tu learned that the white lotus fragments gathered through virtue and that the old monk had served an ancient immortal awaiting his lord’s return. After sheltering the monk in the Flower Realm, Ao Tu resolved to seek Lord Lao’s advice on gathering the Twelfth-Grade White Lotus and examined his latest rewards before obstructing Monk Tang.

• The old monk thanked Ao Tu for restoring his soul and explained that he worshipped an ancient supernatural wielder who had died in a cosmic tribulation.
• The old monk said white lotus fragments gathered around virtuous people, prompting Ao Tu to realize that collecting the Twelfth-Grade White Lotus would require great virtue.
• The old monk asked for shelter, and Ao Tu settled him in the Flower Realm as an elderly Divine Ying Attendant.
• Ao Tu decided to consult Lord Lao at Tushita Palace about the white lotus and prepared to obstruct Monk Tang.
• Ao Tu examined six rewards, including Buddhist fragrant oil, primal gold, a Nine-Revolution Soul-Restoring Pill, Curse-Subduing Arts, and Six-Ding Divine Fire.

After receiving the Incense-Burning Golden Furnace, Ao Tu prepared for the Thorn Ridge ordeal and sought Taishang Laojun’s guidance about the Twelfth-Grade White Lotus. The Jade Emperor approved Ao Tu’s plan to establish a western realm for the virtuous and advised him to open it together with a corresponding place below, using a primordial artifact.

• Ao Tu received the Incense-Burning Golden Furnace and sent an incarnation to prepare for the Entangling Thorn Ridge ordeal before visiting Tushita Palace with the Third-Grade White Lotus.
• Taishang Laojun explained that the path of utmost goodness meant advancing good and restraining evil, and told Ao Tu to consult the Jade Emperor and the nether realm before acting.
• Ao Tu arranged for the Water Virtue Star Lord to be demoted and accepted a three-day confinement as part of a plan agreed upon with the Jade Emperor.
• Ao Tu asked the Jade Emperor about establishing a place for the virtuous, and the Jade Emperor directed him to create it in the west under his own authority.
• The Jade Emperor advised Ao Tu to use a primordial artifact to open the realms above and below together so they would remain stable and Ao Tu would avoid future harm.

Ao Tu reached Thorn Ridge to prepare for Tang Sanzang’s arrival, then went to Lesser Thunderclap Temple to propose an alliance with Yellow-Brow. Yellow-Brow accepted Ao Tu’s fragrant oil but had not yet answered his offer to join forces against Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

• Ao Tu entered Thorn Ridge, assessed its brambles and resident tree spirits, and continued west to seek Yellow-Brow.
• Ao Tu arrived at Lesser Thunderclap Temple with a pot of Buddhist Sect fragrant oil as a gift.
• Yellow-Brow recognized Ao Tu, had his demons escort him into the treasure hall, and accused him of rebelling against Spirit Mountain.
• Ao Tu reminded Yellow-Brow that they had served under the Tathagata Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, and Yellow-Brow eagerly drank the fragrant oil.
• Ao Tu proposed that he and Yellow-Brow unite against Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Ao Tu failed to recruit the Yellow-Browed Old Demon, so he established his own Thunderclap Monastery on Thorn Ridge to mislead Tang Sanzang and prepare him for Yellow-Brow’s tricks. With the monastery, fabricated scriptures, and trial formations ready, Ao Tu waited for the travelers and rebuked the spirits who tried to seduce him.

• The Yellow-Browed Old Demon refused to ally with Ao Tu and claimed he could subdue Sun Wukong himself, so Ao Tu left vowing to make him regret the insult.
• Ao Tu bestowed dragon qi on Thorn Ridge’s mountain spirits and tree demons, then ordered them to build a monastery called Thunderclap Monastery.
• Ao Tu disguised himself as the Tathagata, transformed the spirits into figures of Spirit Mountain, and assembled ninety-six fabricated scripture texts.
• Ao Tu arranged trial formations in the thorn thickets so Tang Sanzang and his disciples would accept the monastery and its scriptures as genuine.
• That night, Apricot Immortal and four young spirits asked Ao Tu for primordial essence, but he threatened to revoke their dragon qi and sent them away.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples reached a vast ridge of thorns, and Bajie cleared a path through it with his rake. After Wukong left to seek food, Sha Wujing went to gather firewood and became lost among the brambles.

• Tang Sanzang worried that the thousand-mile thorn ridge would be impossible to cross, while Wukong offered to move it and Sha Wujing and Bajie suggested ways to burn it; Tang Sanzang rejected both plans.
• Bajie enlarged his rake and cleared a path through the thorns without harming the creatures in the undergrowth.
• The four disciples traveled several dozen miles, then stopped at dusk, and Wukong left on his cloud to seek vegetarian food.
• As Wukong failed to return, Bajie asked Sha Wujing to gather firewood, and Sha Wujing soon found himself surrounded by thorns and unable to find the way back.

Sha Wujing became trapped in Ao Tu’s Congenital Eight Trigrams formation, while Tang Sanzang and Bajie struggled through the thorny ridge and mist. They eventually reached Ao Tu’s secluded village, where Bajie became infatuated with the Apricot Immortal.

• Sha Wujing wandered through the thorns and clouds of Ao Tu’s formation but could not escape.
• When Wukong and Wujing failed to return overnight, Tang Sanzang and Bajie tried to retreat, only to become trapped in mist and thorns.
• Tang Sanzang and Bajie spent seven or eight days struggling through the ridge, surviving on dew and a few wild plants.
• Tang Sanzang and Bajie emerged into a prosperous village, where village head Ao Tu welcomed them into his home.
• Bajie was captivated by the Apricot Immortal, and his eagerness to greet her caused Tang Sanzang to fall to the ground.

Tang Sanzang and Bajie reached Ao Tu’s seemingly peaceful village, where Ao Tu claimed an enormous monster formed all of Thorn Ridge and had trapped the villagers for centuries. After the Apricot Immortal served them a lavish meal, Ao Tu asked whether either traveler would stay and become his son-in-law.

• Tang Sanzang and Bajie learned from Ao Tu that Thorn Village had been surrounded for generations by a monster as large as the entire ridge, and Ao Tu said their missing companions had likely been eaten.
• The Apricot Immortal served Tang Sanzang and Bajie a plentiful vegetarian feast, while Bajie flirted with her and Tang Sanzang scolded him.
• Ao Tu explained that the fertile village prospered despite its isolation, then hinted that he wanted a strong, honest man to help his household and cultivate the fields.
• After the meal, Ao Tu asked Tang Sanzang and Bajie whether either would marry the Apricot Immortal, who protested that she wanted to remain with her father.

Bajie succumbed to the Apricot Immortal’s charms and agreed to become Ao Tu’s son-in-law, while Tang Sanzang remained determined to continue westward. The chapter ended with Bajie boasting to Ao Tu about the many household tasks he could perform.

• The Apricot Immortal and Ao Tu tried to persuade Tang Sanzang and Bajie to stay, but Tang Sanzang rejected marriage and insisted on continuing his pilgrimage.
• Ao Tu drove Tang Sanzang and Bajie into a woodshed, where Tang Sanzang recited sutras while Bajie complained about his refusal.
• That night, Ao Tu punished the Apricot Immortal by squeezing her roots when she tried to hide beneath his quilt.
• Bajie visited Ao Tu, apologized for Tang Sanzang’s harsh words, and offered to marry the Apricot Immortal.
• Bajie told Ao Tu he could handle farming, summoning wind and rain, repairing the house, and other household work.

Bajie secretly agreed to marry Ao Tu’s daughter Xing'er, then tried to persuade Tang Sanzang to stay at the village. Tang Sanzang refused and prepared to continue west, but Wukong arrived and attacked Ao Tu, whom he identified as a demon.

• Bajie promised Ao Tu he would marry Xing'er and left his Rake as a pledge.
• Tang Sanzang remained unaware of Bajie’s plan as they attended a farewell feast arranged by Ao Tu.
• When the feast was revealed as a betrothal banquet, Tang Sanzang refused to stay and offered to repay the food with flesh rather than abandon his pilgrimage.
• Bajie gave up the marriage, retrieved his Rake, and chose to leave with Tang Sanzang.
• Wukong suddenly arrived and swung his staff at Ao Tu, accusing him of threatening Tang Sanzang.

Wukong escaped Ao Tu’s Congenital Eight Trigrams formation and found Sha Wujing, then reached Tang Sanzang and Bajie as Ao Tu revealed the village was a transformed Thunderclap Monastery. Ao Tu pinned Wukong and convinced Tang Sanzang and his companions to accept him as the Buddha, but Wukong pleaded for mercy and Ao Tu released him.

• Wukong saw through the illusory Heavenly Court, escaped the formation, and searched Thorn Ridge until he found Sha Wujing.
• Ao Tu revealed that the village was a trial and transformed it into Thunderclap Monastery as Wukong arrived and attacked him.
• Ao Tu manifested his Sixteen-Foot Golden Body and pinned Wukong, while Tang Sanzang, Bajie, and Sha Wujing believed Ao Tu was the Buddha and bowed.
• Ao Tu promised the scriptures and true fruition to Tang Sanzang and his disciples, then addressed the trapped Wukong.
• Wukong pleaded that his service protecting Tang Sanzang should count in his favor, and Ao Tu released him after the others asked for mercy.

Wukong suspected that Ao Tu had disguised himself as Buddha and that Spirit Mountain was a counterfeit, but Tang Sanzang refused to believe him. The pilgrims bathed inside the monastery while Wukong planned to wait until night to lead them away.

• Wukong used his Golden Eyes to inspect Ao Tu and recognized the genuine Buddha-Light, concluding that the Demon Dragon was probably behind the disguise.
• Ao Tu declared Wukong’s merits and summoned Ananda and Kasyapa to escort Tang Sanzang and his disciples into the monastery.
• Tang Sanzang and his disciples entered Spirit Mountain, admired its holy grounds, and bowed before the Bodhi Tree.
• Ananda and Kasyapa led the pilgrims to a side chamber and prepared fragrant bathwater for them.
• Wukong warned Tang Sanzang that Spirit Mountain and its holy figures were fake, but Tang Sanzang and Bajie dismissed his claims.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived at a Spirit Mountain that Wukong suspected was an illusion, but they accepted Ao Tu’s welcome and were led to the Scripture Pavilion. Wukong examined a scroll and found genuine scriptures, leaving the group inside the pavilion as Ananda reassured Tang Sanzang that reading them was harmless.

• Wukong failed to convince Tang Sanzang and the others that Spirit Mountain was false, so he joined them in bathing and then followed them through the halls.
• Tang Sanzang presented the Passbook to Ao Tu, who reviewed the pilgrims’ deeds and sent Ananda and Kasyapa to guide them to a meal and the scriptures.
• In the Jewel Tower, Bajie reached for a giant clam shell, but Tang Sanzang stopped him; the pilgrims then ate the plentiful immortal food while their guardians debated whether the place was real.
• Ananda and Kasyapa led the pilgrims into the Scripture Scroll Pavilion, where Tang Sanzang worshipped the scrolls and Wukong used his Golden Eyes to inspect them.
• Wukong opened a scroll despite Tang Sanzang’s protests, found genuine scriptures within, and began reading as Ananda said the scriptures could be read without harm.

Wukong and the others read Ao Tu’s scriptures and received thirty works, but Ao Tu withheld the rest until Tang Sanzang listened to his Dharma. As Ao Tu preached, the group listened while Wukong began challenging him with questions.

• Wukong, Tang Sanzang, Bajie, Sha Wujing, Ananda, Kasyapa, and the hidden guardians became absorbed in Ao Tu’s scriptures, and Wukong urged Tang Sanzang to pack them away.
• Ananda and Kasyapa showed Tang Sanzang all ninety-six works, then handed over thirty works comprising one thousand nine hundred sixty scrolls before refusing to transmit the rest.
• Tang Sanzang appealed to Ao Tu, who explained that he feared people in the Eastern Land would misunderstand and slander the scriptures.
• Ao Tu agreed to bestow further scriptures after Tang Sanzang listened to his Dharma, and Wukong, Bajie, and Sha Wujing joined the audience.
• As Ao Tu preached, the demons and plant spirits restrained their harmful natures, while Wukong listened and began posing difficult questions.

Ao Tu kept Tang Sanzang’s pilgrimage delayed by preaching profound Buddhist Dharma, while Wukong tried to alert the guardians and reach the Buddha. After the guardians reported the false Thunderclap Monastery, the Buddha sent eighteen arhats to Thorn Ridge, where they arrived for Ao Tu’s second sermon.

• Ao Tu preached for twenty-eight days, absorbing Wukong, the guardians, and many creatures while Tang Sanzang struggled to understand.
• Tang Sanzang copied Ao Tu’s teachings to share in the Eastern Land, and Wukong realized he could not persuade his master to leave.
• Wukong summoned the guardians, who admitted they could not tell whether Ao Tu was genuine, and asked them to report to Spirit Mountain.
• Wukong distracted Ao Tu with questions while the guardians slipped away and told the Buddha about the false Thunderclap Monastery.
• The Buddha sent eighteen arhats with the guardians to Thorn Ridge, and they arrived at Thunderclap Monastery as Ao Tu began his second sermon.

Ao Tu answered the Eighteen Arhats’ challenge to his teaching by expounding the Bodhisattva Great Path, drawing the assembly into his sermon. Wukong tried to escape to Spirit Mountain for help, but Ao Tu trapped him in a cauldron and sentenced him to remain there for ten days.

• The Eighteen Arhats challenged Ao Tu’s teaching of the Arhats Path, citing its limits and the Arhats’ duty to protect the Dharma.
• Ao Tu began expounding the Bodhisattva Great Path, and the Eighteen Arhats, Kirtimukhas, and Sangharamas descended to listen despite their initial resistance.
• Wukong saw the others absorbed in Ao Tu’s sermon and tried to leave secretly to seek help at Spirit Mountain.
• Ao Tu exposed Wukong’s escape attempt and trapped him inside a dark cauldron.
• Tang Sanzang, Bajie, and Sha Wujing pleaded for Wukong, but Ao Tu said he had to remain in the cauldron for ten days while the sermon continued.