Celebration

After speaking, everyone continued drinking and eating. The king had the musicians play songs while he offered wine to everyone in turn. However, only Tang Xuanzang did not drink.

Zhu Bajie said to Sun Wukong, "Brother Monkey, I'll give you all this food now, and let me have a little of your wine."

Zhu Bajie couldn't tell good from bad at all. When the meal started, he ate all the food and could only ask Sun Wukong for wine.

After the banquet, the Immortal Elder of the South Pole took his leave. The king then came before the Immortal Elder of the South Pole, bowed to him, and hoped that the Immortal Elder of the South Pole would grant him a way to prolong his life.

Seeing this, the Immortal Elder of the South Pole smiled and said to the king, "I didn't bring any elixirs because I was looking for a way here, but I can tell you that with your current method of recuperation, your nerves are already damaged, and you can't take any elixirs."

"I still have three red dates inside my clothes. They were given to me by Emperor Donghua. I haven't eaten them yet, so I'll give them to you now."

After the king ate the dates, he immediately felt refreshed and all his worries disappeared. Seeing this, Zhu Bajie quickly said, "Since you have red dates, why don't you give me a few?"

Upon hearing this, the Immortal Elder of the South Pole smiled and said to Zhu Bajie, "I came too suddenly today and didn't bring that much. I'll give you a few pounds another day."

After speaking, he walked out of the house to express his gratitude, then rode on the white deer, gave a shout, and soared into the sky.

Tang Xuanzang then said to Sun Wukong, "Now we should hurry on our way. Go and say goodbye to the king."

The king pleaded with him to stay, wanting Tang Xuanzang to spread Buddhism. Seeing this, Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Your Majesty, from now on, reduce your lustful desires and do more things that will benefit you. In everything you do, you should learn from your strengths and make up for your weaknesses, and you will naturally prolong your life."

Upon hearing this, the king took out some loose silver and offered it to Tang Xuanzang for travel expenses. Tang Xuanzang resolutely refused to accept it. Helpless, the king could only ask Tang Xuanzang to ride in a carriage and send him out of the city.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound was heard in mid-air, and large and small goose cages fell to the ground by the roadside. The cries of babies could be heard coming from inside. It turned out that the gods who had been secretly guarding the babies had also arrived.

The deities loudly proclaimed to Sun Wukong, "Great Sage, we have taken these children away as you commanded. We returned them all to you now that we heard you had succeeded."

The king and queen continued to kneel and worship, while Sun Wukong smiled and said, "If you really want to express your gratitude, then you should set up some better incense offerings for them."

After he finished speaking, a cold wind rose and fell. Sun Wukong called the people in the city to come and claim their children. Some people recognized them instantly and were overjoyed. The residents sang and danced, all holding Sun Wukong 'Sun Wukong hands and saying:

"A holy monk from the Tang Dynasty, thank you for saving my child's life."

Regardless of age or gender, no one was afraid of Sun Wukong's ugly appearance. They carried Zhu Bajie, shouldered Sha Wujing Sun Wukong, and even dragged Tang Xuanzang back to the city. The king could not stop these people from cooking or paying money.

The four of them changed all their clothes, inside and out, and continued like this for a month before leaving the city.

After bidding farewell to the Bhikkhu Kingdom, Tang Xuanzang traveled for another twenty miles. With no other choice, he dismounted from the carriage and said goodbye to them one by one. Then he mounted his White Dragon Horse, and the residents watched Tang Xuanzang go until he disappeared from sight.

The four traveled for some time, through countless springs, summers, autumns, and winters. The wildflowers and trees, though beautiful, no longer seemed to bloom. Suddenly, they saw another towering mountain range before them. Tang Xuanzang was greatly surprised and asked Sun Wukong:

"Wukong, I see a high mountain ahead that seems to have no path. We need to be careful."

However, Sun Wukong smiled dismissively and said, "Master, you can rest assured about this matter, but I must say something about what you just said."

Tang Xuanzang looked at Sun Wukong with a puzzled expression, but Sun Wukong continued:

"Your words don't sound like someone who's traveled this far; they sound like a spoiled brat with a narrow view of the world. Didn't I tell you before? There's always a way out."

However, Tang Xuanzang interrupted Sun Wukong, saying, "Although mountains don't prevent guests from coming, these remote and rugged mountains are sure to breed some demons and monsters in the forests."

Zhu Bajie patted the White Dragon Horse and said to Tang Xuanzang, "Master, don't worry about this. It shouldn't be long before we reach the Great Thunderclap Monastery. Things will definitely be peaceful soon, so there's nothing to worry about."

As the four of them were talking, they unknowingly reached the foot of the mountain. Sun Wukong took out his Ruyi Jingu Bang), walked to the large rock, and said to Tang Xuanzang, "Master, this place has a road, and it's quite easy to walk on. Please hurry up."

Tang Xuanzang immediately spurred his horse forward, but Sha Wujing said, "Second Brother, why don't you carry this load for a little while? I'll lead the horse, Master."

Zhu Bajie indeed picked up the load, while Sha Wujing held the reins, and Tang Xuanzang sat firmly in the saddle, following Sun Wukong to the main road on the cliff.

That mountain forest was indeed a wonderful place. The mountains were shrouded in mist, with streams flowing gently through them, wildflowers carpeting the roads, and trees growing densely.

There were countless scenic views beside the cliff. Just as Tang Xuanzang was admiring the beautiful mountain scenery, he suddenly heard birds chirping. He immediately thought of his hometown and said to Sun Wukong:

"When Wukong saw this beautiful scenery, he couldn't help but think of our Great Tang."

However, Sun Wukong smiled and said to Tang Xuanzang, "Master, if you are constantly preoccupied with homesickness, you are not like a monk at all. Just go with peace of mind and don't have so many worries."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xuanzang agreed with Sun Wukong's words, and then said to Sun Wukong, "What you said makes a lot of sense, but I don't know how far the journey to the Western Heaven is."

At this moment, Zhu Bajie's words suddenly interrupted this beautiful scene.

"My master told me that the Buddha Tathagata couldn't bear to part with the Sanzang True Scriptures. Since he knew we were going to retrieve them, he would definitely deliver them to us."

"Otherwise, we've been traveling for so long and encountered so many monsters, yet we still haven't seen what the true scripture looks like."

Sha Wujing finally lost his temper and scolded Zhu Bajie, "Second Brother, don't say such things. We should just follow our eldest brother, and one day we'll reach Thunderclap Monastery."

As the four travelers were chatting, they suddenly found themselves in a large forest. Tang Xuanzang was terrified and said to Sun Wukong: