The King's Difficulties

The king entered the palace and suddenly noticed that all the civil and military officials were bald. However, before the king could speak, the officials said to him:

"Your Majesty, we have committed a very rude act; please forgive our sin."

Upon hearing this, the king looked at his ministers with a puzzled expression and said, "What has happened to make you say such things? I don't see any change in you at all!"

The officials hurriedly said to the king, "Your Majesty, do you know what happened? We've all lost our hair overnight!"

After speaking, the king removed his hat, stepped down from the throne, and said to his ministers:

"Actually, I'm just like you all. I don't know what happened either. Everyone in my palace, high and low, lost their hair overnight."

The king and his ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, then wept bitterly, finally concluding, "We must never kill monks again."

After summarizing, the king ascended the throne, and everyone returned to their posts. The king then said, "Now that we've reached an agreement, please speak freely. If there's nothing else, then we may dismiss you."

The soldiers immediately knelt before the king and said:

"Actually, there's something I need to tell you. When I was patrolling there, I saw some robbers stealing a cabinet and a herd of white horses. I don't dare make a decision on my own, and I hope you can decide."

The king was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly said, "Bring that cabinet over immediately."

The officials left and immediately brought out the cabinet. Tang Xuanzang, completely disoriented, said to Sun Wukong, "Wukong, what should we say to the king when we get there?"

However, Sun Wukong said disdainfully:

"You all must remain silent. I've already made up my mind. When he opens the cabinet, he'll definitely become our disciple. At that time, all you need to do is tell Zhu Bajie not to be so unreasonable."

"I won't even be able to take care of my own life by then, and you still want to make trouble unreasonably?"

After speaking, he went to the king. When the soldiers opened the cabinet, Zhu Bajie couldn't help but jump out, startling all the officials who were speechless.

Sun Wukong helped Tang Xuanzang out, while Sha Wujing carried the luggage. When Zhu Bajie saw the soldier leading the White Dragon Horse, he immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Give me back my horse!"

These words startled the official so much that he immediately fell to the ground. The four men rushed to the king's side, and upon seeing that they were four monks, the king quickly descended from his throne and addressed his ministers:

"Elders, where did you come from? Where are you going? Why did you come here? And I have one more crucial question: why are you sleeping in this cabinet?"

After hearing the king's many questions, Tang Xuanzang patiently answered them, saying, "This humble monk has traveled from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands to the Great Thunderclap Monastery in the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and seek scriptures."

"But why do you insist on living in this closet? You have a room outside, is there some unspeakable reason for you not to use it?"

Upon hearing this, the king looked puzzled and asked Tang Xuanzang:

"I knew all along that you were going to kill the monk, but I didn't dare to go forward. I could only pretend to be a passerby and rest in the hotel next door. But I was afraid that others would see through the truth at a glance, so I rested in the closet."

"But unfortunately, it was stolen by thieves and then captured by your servants. Seeing your face today, it's like spring has arrived and flowers are blooming. I hope you can release me."

Upon hearing the king's words, Tang Xuanzang immediately began to explain to him without hesitation.

Upon hearing Tang Xuanzang's words, the king immediately said to Tang Xuanzang:

"I knew you were a high-ranking monk from the Celestial Empire. I apologize for not welcoming you properly. The monks I killed before were there because they insulted me, so I made a vow to Heaven that I would not rest until I had killed ten thousand monks."

"Unexpectedly, tonight we've become monks. Now all our hair has fallen out, and we hope you'll accept us as your disciples."

Just then, Zhu Bajie laughter and said, "Since you want to be our disciple, why do you keep talking? You need to show us some real actions to prove it."

However, the king said to Zhu Bajie without hesitation, "If you are willing to take me as your disciple, I am willing to give you all the treasures in our country."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong knew that Zhu Bajie had made a big fuss, and immediately stepped forward to speak to the king:

"Since you really want to come with us, don't even mention the treasure. Just organize this travel document and send us out of the city, and we can bless your country with peace and prosperity."

Upon hearing this, the king immediately arranged a grand banquet and then summoned Tang Xuanzang. The travel document was intended to persuade Tang Xuanzang to accept the kingdom as his own. A short while later, the king instructed Tang Xuanzang to change the kingdom's name. Sun Wukong then said to the king:

"In my opinion, you might as well change 'Dharma-Exterminating Kingdom' to 'Buddha-Revering Kingdom'."

"Because I feel that changing this name to anything else would be a bit inappropriate, it's better to change it to what I just mentioned, so that it can bless your country to prosper for a long time."

Upon hearing this, the king was overjoyed and escorted Tang Xuanzang and his disciples outside the city.

After Tang Xuanzang had left the Buddha-Revering Kingdom, he immediately said happily to Sun Wukong:

"Wukong, your action is very kind; you'll definitely be credited for it."

Just then, Zhu Bajie asked Sun Wukong, "Brother Monkey, where did you find this barber? He shaved off so many heads overnight!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong recounted the events of that night to his master and disciples, and the four of them burst into laughter.

Just as he was having a good time, he suddenly saw a tall mountain blocking his way Tang Xuanzang reined in his horse and said to Sun Wukong:

"Wukong, look ahead! The mountain is high and the road is steep and very dangerous. You must be careful!"

However, Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Master, have you already forgotten the Heart Sutra that you've been reciting for so many years?"

Sun Wukong's words only fueled Tang Xuanzang's competitive spirit, prompting Sun Wukong to retort, "Of course I remember all the nonsense you've been spouting."

"If you already knew all that, then why did you say what you just said?"

After speaking, Sun Wukong glanced at Tang Xuanzang, but Tang Xuanzang said helplessly to Sun Wukong, "You don't know this matter. No matter how long I prepared, it was only for self-cultivation."