The Mastermind

"And the monks were chanting sutras there, but I don't know who defiled my temple's golden pagoda. In recent years, foreign countries haven't been sending us gifts anymore."

"In the end, some ministers couldn't stand it anymore, so they accused our monks of stealing the treasures from the tower."

"Elder, how could we possibly have the heart to deceive you and dare to steal the treasures from the pagoda? We hope you can help us and rescue us."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang nodded, sighed, and said:

"This incident clearly shows that the Emperor has failed, and secondly, you are facing disaster. Since the sky has rained blood and stained the pagoda, why didn't you report this directly to the Emperor then? Instead, you are suffering so much here now."

Upon hearing this, the monks quickly explained to Tang Xuanzang:

"We are just ordinary mortals, how could we possibly understand the will of Heaven? Besides, even our predecessors didn't know, so how could we possibly know?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang sighed, and then continued:

What time is it for Sun Wukong now?

Sun Wukong looked at the sun in the sky, pondered for a long time, and then said to Tang Xuanzang, "Master, it is now noon."

After hearing what Sun Wukong said, Tang Xuanzang pondered for a long time before continuing:

"Very well, now we should go to the King to exchange for the travel permit. As for your matter, I really can't help you, because we don't know who the real culprit is."

"Ever since I left Chang'an, I have sworn before temples that I would burn incense and worship Buddha whenever I encountered a temple, and sweep pagodas whenever I saw one. Yet now there are monks who have suffered humiliation at the hands of pagodas."

"Buy me a new broom. After I wash it, I'll go upstairs and sweep, and then see if there's any way to resolve this situation so I can speak to His Majesty and help them."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong nodded and immediately did as Tang Xuanzang instructed.

Upon hearing this, the monks in shackles quickly retrieved a knife from the kitchen and handed it to Zhu Bajie, saying:

"Then have your senior brother unlock these shackles for me first."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie smiled at the monks and said:

"Don't worry about this. My senior brother will find it incredibly easy to remove the shackles from your hands."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately stepped forward and wiped away the shackles with his hand. The little monk hurriedly ran to the kitchen to prepare some food. After the four of them finished eating, the sky gradually darkened.

The monk, who was wearing shackles, walked in carrying two brooms. Tang Xuanzang was overjoyed to see this.

A little while later, the young monk lit a lamp and invited Tang Xuanzang to take a bath, while at the same time, starlight gradually fell on the ground.

After washing himself clean, Tang Xuanzang put on his clothes and, after a short while, changed into soft shoes, picked up the broom and said to the monks:

"Wait here for me a moment, I'm going to sweep your pagoda now."

After Tang Xuanzang finished speaking, he arrived at the top of the pagoda. A short while later, Sun Wukong said to Tang Xuanzang:

"Master, please be careful. It's already night, and the tower seems to have been polluted by that blood rain and is now shrouded in darkness. It might spawn some monsters, so I'd better stay with you for now."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang smiled and nodded to Sun Wukong. Then, the two of them each took one and went to the main hall to light the glass lamps.

Tang Xuanzang bowed before the Buddha statue in front of him and said:

"I am a disciple of Tang Xuanzang, who came from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands to travel to the Western Heaven to obtain the true scriptures. Now I am passing through this place and I want to ask those monks why they were falsely accused."

As soon as Tang Xuanzang finished speaking, he and Pilgrim Sun opened the door of the pagoda and began to climb from the bottom up. The pagoda was incredibly steep, and every step was fraught with danger.

Tang Xuanzang swept one floor, then another, and swept up to the seventh floor. It was already past midnight, and Tang Xuanzang starting to feel sleepy. Seeing this, Sun Wukong said to him:

"Master, if you're sleepy, please sit down and I'll clean up for you."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang asked Sun Wukong with a puzzled look, "Just how many stories does this pagoda have?"

After pondering this for a long time, Sun Wukong said to Tang Xuanzang, "I don't know about that, but there are probably thirteen levels."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang said to Sun Wukong, "We must finish sweeping him away before I can put my mind at ease."

After speaking for a short while, Tang Xuanzang stood up and scanned several more floors. His back and waist ached, so he sat down on the tenth floor to rest and said to Sun Wukong:

"Wukong, you can help me sweep through the remaining floors."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately roused himself and went to the next floor. While he was cleaning, he suddenly heard someone speaking at the top of the tower. Sun Wukong was very puzzled, so he raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang and quietly went to the thirteenth floor.

Sun Wukong looked closely and saw two demons sitting inside, with a bowl of rice in front of them and several cups of wine beside them. Sun Wukong immediately rushed out and shouted:

"Good heavens, so it was you two who stole the treasures here."

Upon hearing Sun Wukong's words, the two demons were immediately shocked and panicked. They hurriedly stood up, grabbed their pots and pans, and prepared to run away.

Sun Wukong raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang) to stop them, saying, "If I were to kill you both with this one blow, then no one would dare to speak again."

After Sun Wukong finished speaking, he took all the staffs in his hands. The monster pressed itself against the wall, not moving an inch, and groaned:

"Brother Monkey, spare us! This has nothing to do with me at all! We didn't steal anything from you!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong brought the two demons to Tang Xuanzang. At the same time, Tang Xuanzang, who was sleeping, was awakened by the commotion. Seeing the two demons in Sun Wukong's hands, Tang Xuanzang was both surprised and delighted, and exclaimed:

"Wukong, where did you catch these two monsters?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong smiled and said to Tang Xuanzang:

"These two monsters were eating and drinking at the top of the tower. After I heard the noise, I went up and captured them both. But I didn't use force because I was afraid that if I killed them with one blow, no one would dare to tell the truth."

"Then I brought them both here and had you question them thoroughly to find out where that treasure is."