Awe-Inspiring Righteousness
The thieves were overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly said:
"That's wonderful! Now, after we've eaten and drunk our fill, we'll turn all those monks into mincemeat and take all their luggage."
Upon hearing this, the old man's son quickly said, "Everyone, don't rush. Go sharpen your knives first, and we'll go together after we've eaten our fill."
Upon hearing this, the old man quietly went to the backyard and woke up Tang Xuanzang and his companions, saying:
"Master, this is terrible! My unfortunate son is back, and they're plotting to settle scores with you."
Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang inwardly sighed in dismay. After a short while, the old man continued speaking to Tang Xuanzang:
"I know you're all panicked, and I'm not much different from you. How about this: hurry up and pack your things, and I'll escort you out the back door."
Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang immediately kowtowed to the old man. He then instructed Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing to carry the luggage. The old man quietly opened the back door and let them out.
Meanwhile, the thieves became even more efficient, sharpening their knives more quickly, and were quite pleased with themselves.
After the thieves had eaten their fill, it was almost dawn. They went to the back door to look, only to find it completely empty. They all exclaimed in unison:
"Oh no! They've all left! Hurry and catch them all!"
They raced like arrows before finally catching up with Tang Xuanzang. Hearing the shouts, Tang Xuanzang turned around and saw a group of people running towards him. He quickly said to Sun Wukong:
"What should we do now? They've already caught up with us."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong smiled and said to Tang Xuanzang, "Master, you don't need to worry about this. I'll be right back."
Tang Xuanzang reined in the White Dragon Horse and said, "Sun Wukong, please don't kill them all. Just scare them a little."
But Sun Wukong wouldn't listen. He immediately raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang and charged at them, saying:
Where exactly are you all headed?
The thieves were furious upon hearing this and immediately said to Sun Wukong, "You dare to be so disrespectful now? Return my king's life at once!"
The thieves surrounded Sun Wukong in the middle, raising their weapons to slash at Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang), spun it around, and then beat the thieves to pieces, some dead and some fleeing.
Upon seeing Sun Wukong's appearance, Tang Xuanzang was immediately astonished and rushed back. At the same time, Sun Wukong shouted loudly at the group, "Who among us is that old man's son?"
The old man's son, a clerk, slowly stepped forward. Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong, carrying a knife, cut off the man's head.
Upon seeing this, Tang Xuanzang was greatly alarmed. In a panic, he fell from his horse and angrily shouted at Sun Wukong, "You monkey, you really don't listen to me! Quickly take this head away!"
Sha Wujing put down his load and said to Tang Xuanzang, "Master, you don't need to panic. Get up quickly."
At the same time, Tang Xuanzang was very angry and could no longer listen to what Sha Wujing was saying, so he said to Sun Wukong:
"You monkey, I've been talking to you for so long. Yesterday at the foot of the hill, you killed those two people, and I already blamed you for being unkind. But tonight, when we arrived at the old man's house, he opened the door and spared our lives."
"Even if his son is unfilial, what does it have to do with me? You shouldn't have cut off his head. Besides, so many people have died, which has affected the heavens and the earth. I've repeatedly advised you, but you're still stubborn. You should leave now, or I'll start reciting that Tightening Incantation."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong felt utterly dejected and left.
At the same time, Sun Wukong was very agitated. He flew into the air, wanting to return to the Water Curtain Cave of Flower-Fruit Mountain, but he was afraid that the monsters in the cave would laugh at him. He also wanted to fly to the Heavenly Palace, but he couldn't stay Heavenly Palace for long.
After thinking for a long time, Sun Wukong wanted to go to the island, but he didn't want to see the shouting immortal. He also wanted to fly to the Dragon Palace, but he didn't want to see the Dragon King. He was all alone and helpless.
After thinking about this, Sun Wukong returned to Tang Xuanzang's Tang Xuanzang and said, "Master, I have already realized my mistakes. Please let me accompany you on your journey to the Western Heaven to retrieve the scriptures."
Tang Xuanzang ignored Sun Wukong's words. Seeing that his attempts to persuade Tang Xuanzang were futile, Sun Wukong angrily went to Bodhisattva Guanyin.
After Sudhana led Sun Wukong to Bodhisattva Guanyin, Sun Wukong burst into tears upon seeing Bodhisattva Guanyin. Bodhisattva Guanyin gently helped Sun Wukong up and said to Sun Wukong:
"Wukong, what happened to you? Why are you so sad? Tell me quickly, and please don't cry."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong wiped away his tears and said to Bodhisattva Guanyin:
"I was free and unrestrained back then, how could I have endured this kind of treatment? It was all thanks to you that I was able to break free and protect Tang Xuanzang on his journey to the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I risked my life to save him from the monsters."
"It's like snatching food from a tiger's mouth, hoping to achieve enlightenment, but now Tang Xuanzang is ungrateful and falsely accuses me without even distinguishing right from wrong."
Upon hearing this, Bodhisattva Guanyin quickly interrupted Sun Wukong and said to Sun Wukong:
"Tell me quickly what exactly Tang Xuanzang did to wrong you, so I can give you some advice."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong slowly recounted what had happened to Bodhisattva Guanyin.
After listening to what Sun Wukong said, Bodhisattva Guanyin carefully analyzed the situation for Sun Wukong:
"Tang Xuanzang was single-mindedly focused on worshipping Buddha and seeking scriptures, and he had already made up his mind not to harm any more lives. Moreover, you possess boundless Divine Ability, so why did you kill so many bandits? Although those bandits were not kind, they were still human beings and should not be killed."
"Unlike demons Yaomo, killing them is your achievement, but killing people is your evil. My analysis just now shows you're not very kind."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong nodded, and after a short while, Sun Wukong said to Bodhisattva Guanyin:
"It seems I'm still the one who's unkind, but I can atone for my sins by banishing me like this. Please, have a kind heart and remove this Tightening Incantation so I can return to my Water Curtain Cave."
Upon Bodhisattva Guanyin smiled and said to Sun Wukong, "So much time has passed, and you still can't forget this matter. Didn't I already tell you before? I don't know any Loosening Incantation, only Tightening Incantation."