An Encounter and a Misunderstanding
"A short distance ahead of where I'm staying, it's completely deserted; there's not even a bird in sight."
Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang was extremely alarmed. After a short while, he continued to ask:
Why did this change happen there? What exactly happened there?
The old man sighed upon hearing this and continued, "Actually, some parts of that place were created by humans, but some were created by monsters inside."
At this moment, Tang Xuanzang seemed completely out of his mind, and continued to ask the old man:
"Then why is it that man-made disasters are already this bad?"
The old man sighed again and continued, "That valley is very narrow. Every year, the mountains are covered with ripe fruit, but no one picks them, so they fall into that cave and eventually mold."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong finally couldn't hold back any longer and shouted:
"Can't you try to talk to us in a different way? We've come all this way to stay here for one night, and all you've said is to scare us."
"If all else fails, we can just spend the night at the door. Why are you talking so much?"
The old man was terrified when he saw how ugly Sun Wukong was. He exclaimed, "Who are you? How dare you be so ugly and with such a pointed mouth come and offend me?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong instantly understood and said to the old man:
"It seems you still don't know who I am. No wonder you're so blind. Although I'm ugly, I know a bit about law. If you judge a book by its cover, you're way off."
After hearing Sun Wukong's words, the old man looked at Sun Wukong with a puzzled expression and said, "Then tell me, who exactly are you? What's your name? And what abilities do you possess?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong began to boast to the old man. Sun Wukong said:
"If you really want to hear it, then I'll tell you the whole story in detail. I hope you won't be frightened after you hear it."
When the old man was young, he seemed to have some courage, and he said to Sun Wukong, "Just say what I tell you to say. What are you doing, talking nonsense?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately said:
"I used to live on Flower-Fruit Mountain. I once worshipped an immortal, and now I am skilled in both martial arts and superb skills. Moreover, I have a very prestigious title: the Sun Wukong, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, who wreaked Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago."
Sun Wukong looked smug after saying this, but the old man slapped Sun Wukong in the face, saying to Sun Wukong:
"I've never even heard of Sun Wukong. You look like a monkey, so why do you insist you can subdue demons and monsters?"
After the old man finished speaking, he noticed that Sun Wukong's expression was quite unpleasant, and then smiled and said to Sun Wukong:
"Alright, I won't say any more. Just come in with me now. It's not impossible for you to stay here for the night."
After saying this, the old man led Tang Xuanzang and the rest of the group into his house and prepared some food for them.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they were just about to go to sleep when Tang Xuanzang suddenly came to the old man's side and said to him:
"Old man, didn't you just tell us you wouldn't receive us at all? Why did you suddenly not only receive us but also prepare so much food for us? What exactly do you mean by this?"
The old man smiled wryly and said to Tang Xuanzang and Sun Wukong:
"I just overheard your apprentice saying he can capture monsters, and I happen to have one here. We'd be grateful if you could help us capture it; we'll reward you handsomely."
After pondering this for a long time, Tang Xuanzang continued:
"Although my apprentice is Divine Ability powerful, if he can't capture this monster, wouldn't that be just talking nonsense?"
Upon hearing Tang Xuanzang's words, Sun Wukong immediately realized that Tang Xuanzang looked down on him, so Sun Wukong said to Tang Xuanzang:
"Master, please don't worry about this. Let me ask this old man first and see what kind of monster it is."
Upon hearing this, the old man raised an eyebrow and immediately said loudly, "What else is there to ask about such a thing?"
After hearing what the old man said, Sun Wukong immediately lowered his attitude and said to him:
"Your place is quiet and inhabited; it's not a remote area. What kind of demon could possibly come looking for you?"
The old man smiled upon hearing this and said to Sun Wukong:
"It seems your understanding is still too limited. To be honest, although this place is peaceful and harmonious..."
"But then one day, a gust of wind blew by, and a demon appeared, devouring all the cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep of the other people. If it encountered any humans, it would devour them alive."
"He's been here for a long time, and we suffer damage every year. If you can catch him and get rid of him, we'll reward you handsomely. We'll never treat you lightly."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong frowned, and after a short while, he slowly spoke:
"If that's the case, then this monster does indeed possess some skills."
However, at this moment, Zhu Bajie, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke:
"This Brother Monkey demon seems a bit difficult to deal with. We're on our way to the Western Heaven Paradise to retrieve the scriptures and we're leaving tomorrow. Why are we here to capture these demons?"
The old man was furious upon hearing this. He immediately raised his stick and struck Zhu Bajie, saying:
"So you're just monks who came here to freeload, huh? You made such a good show of being able to exorcise demons, but after I mentioned this matter to you, you said this demon is extremely difficult to deal with."
After seeing that the old man was angry, Sun Wukong patted him on the shoulder, took the wooden stick from his hand, and said to him:
"Please don't be angry. That demon is easy to catch, but if you don't cooperate with us, it will be very difficult."
The old man looked puzzled and said:
"Why do you say we won't cooperate with you? If you dare to be that vixen, we'll definitely cooperate with you."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong snorted coldly and gently shook one finger, saying:
"Or perhaps you people have never seen the world, you're so shallow, so incredibly shallow."
However, the old man was even more puzzled at this moment.