Honghuang: Creation of the Green Lotus, the beginning of the Three Pure Ones

The robe was neither gold nor red, but a deep, understated dark gold, as if boundless Buddhist light flowed within the fabric.

On the robe, countless intricate and elaborate depictions of the Buddha preaching, Bodhisattvas teaching, and Arhats performing martial arts are woven with extremely fine gold and seven-jeweled silk threads...

It lacks dazzling brilliance, but the profound Buddhist meaning and radiant merit contained within it, as vast as the sea, deeply moves all who witness it, inspiring an impulse to prostrate themselves in worship.

“A brocade cassock.”

Elder Jinchi cried out in alarm, as if struck by an invisible hammer, and sprang up from his seat.

His eyes were wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets, fixed on the robe. His chest heaved violently, and the sandalwood prayer beads in his hands creaked as he gripped them tightly.

Elder Jinchi's voice trembled with extreme excitement, almost mournfully, "This treasure is truly a sacred object of Buddhism. Its inner radiance is boundless and its true meaning is immense."

"No wonder the holy monk dared not wear such a precious treasure. If it were seen by an evil person, he would inevitably be tempted to steal it."

He said it well, but his hands had already reached out unconsciously, as if he wanted to touch the robe, but he didn't dare.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, saying, "I humbly request the Holy Monk to have mercy and temporarily store this treasure in our temple. Although our temple is small, it is protected by a Buddhist array blessed by generations of patriarchs. We will ensure that this treasure is safe and sound."

"When the holy monk completes his pilgrimage and returns east, this humble monk will surely return the treasure intact. This would be an act of immeasurable merit."

Sun Wukong crossed his arms, leaned close to Tang Sanzang's ear, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Elder Jinchi to hear.

"See that? The old monk's eyes are practically popping out of his robe. And the drool he's spewing is enough to flood this Guanyin Temple."

Tang Sanzang frowned slightly, about to politely decline. But Sun Wukong preemptively snatched the brocade cassock away.

"No, no, absolutely not. Old monk, this temple doesn't look sturdy at all. With all the wind and sun, what if the roof beams collapse and damage our precious treasures?"

"What if your bald disciples are dishonest? What if they're haunted by monsters? This mountain is full of eerie spirits, and I, Old Sun, have a keen sense of smell."

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced sideways, provocatively surveying the monks standing to his side, their faces ashen.

"You monkey, stop talking nonsense."

Elder Jinchi trembled with rage, pointing at Sun Wukong, his kind expression vanished, replaced by shame and anger at his disguise being exposed.

“This humble monk has only a sincere heart, dedicated to protecting the Buddha’s treasures. How dare you slander my pure Buddhist sanctuary and my disciples? This is outrageous!”

He turned to Tang Sanzang, his tone hardening, "Holy Monk, your disciple is so unruly, spouting wild words. If you do not discipline him strictly, it may damage your reputation."

"This robe is something the holy monk has to lend whether he wants to or not. This old monk is doing this for the safety of the Buddha."

Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "Elder, you must be mistaken. This humble monk is not qualified to be the Great Sage's master. We are merely traveling together; how could I possibly restrain the Great Sage?"

Upon hearing that Tang Sanzang had refused to accept Sun Wukong as his disciple, Elder Jinchi frowned slightly. However, he quickly regained his composure.

“That’s your own business, and I can’t interfere. But such a precious Buddhist treasure must not be allowed to be paraded around in public. It must remain in my Guanyin Temple.”

Sun Wukong's eyes darted around, and a smile suddenly spread across his face. His expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book: "Hehe, old monk, don't be in such a hurry. Staying here isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"However, this treasure is too valuable, you should at least give Old Sun an IOU. Otherwise, you might deny it when we come back to collect it." Elder Jinchi's cloudy old eyes suddenly flashed with a hint of surprise and wariness. But then he thought, there's nothing wrong with giving an IOU.

He immediately ordered someone to bring him pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, wrote out an IOU, and handed it to Tang Sanzang. At the same time, he also ordered someone to take away the brocade cassock.

He then ordered people to arrange meditation rooms for Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong. At the same time, he also made sure to have a vegetarian dinner prepared for them.

……

The night, like thick ink, poured down silently, completely engulfing the Guanyin Temple.

Elder Jinchi's meditation room was still brightly lit. He was looking at the brocade robe in front of him and talking to himself.

"We must not provoke that monkey. We should quickly send Venerable Black Bear to steal the cassock. Then we should send them on their way as soon as possible, and my mission will be complete."

Then Elder Jinchi was seen chanting incantations and gently pointing towards the deep mountains not far away.

A short while later, an enormous black shadow smashed through the heavy lattice window on the top floor of the library. Wood chips flew like rain, and the ear-piercing sound of shattering glass echoed through the night sky.

Under the cold moonlight, the dark shadow revealed its ferocious outline. Twelve feet tall, its body covered in jet-black fur like steel needles, it was clearly a giant bear standing upright.

Its eyes were bloodshot, flashing with a ferocious light, and its arms, as thick as pillars, were tightly gripping a sandalwood box. It was the very box that contained the brocade cassock.

The black bear demon smashed through the window, its massive body surprisingly agile. It pushed off the window frame with its feet, using the momentum to escape into the dense forest of Black Wind Mountain behind the temple. Its speed was immense, creating a stench in the air.

Only after the black bear demon disappeared did Elder Jinchi shout loudly, "Help! Help! A demon has stolen the brocade cassock!"

In the blink of an eye, the entire Guanyin Temple was thrown into chaos. The search for the thief of the robe intensified the tense atmosphere.

This made Sun Wukong chuckle inwardly. He'd heard this old monk was quite the actor. Why take something so formal for granted?

"Since you want to have a serious time, then I, Old Sun, will keep you company today. I hope you won't regret it later."

Just then, Elder Jinchi arrived with his men. He ordered one of them to kick open Tang Sanzang's door and coldly snorted as he spoke.

"Tang Sanzang, you allowed your disciple to commit violence, lured demons into the temple, and caused the Buddhist treasures to be stolen. What is your punishment?"

Tang Sanzang slowly opened his eyes. Facing Elder Jinchi's frantic accusations, his face remained calm and composed, and he turned his gaze to the side.

Sun Wukong, who had somehow sat up straight in the armchair, was slowly picking his ear with his little finger.

He glanced lazily at the furious Elder Jinchi, a nonchalant smile on his face that was sure to infuriate anyone.

"Old monk, why are you so angry in the middle of the night? What's wrong, was your temple robbed?"

"I told you this temple wasn't safe, but you wouldn't believe me. Now that you've lost the brocade robe, have you thought about how you're going to compensate us?"

Seeing that Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang didn't respond to his words at all, and instead asked him to pay compensation.

Elder Jinchi's disciples, however, were outraged and immediately stormed into the room, brandishing wooden sticks. (End of Chapter)