Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 147 The Battle of Wits in Chechi Kingdom (Seventeen)
Meanwhile, Ao Tu and the others offered prayers to the Three Pure Ones.

Wukong stood in the air, looking closely.

The Taoist priests were gathered together, reciting scriptures, specifically the "Precious Proclamation Scripture" and the "Tao Te Ching".

There was a couplet on it, with twenty-two large characters embroidered on yellow brocade.

"The fire in the alchemical furnace burns brightly, a testament to the miraculous arts of the Three Pure Ones; spring returns to the Jade Palace, a joyful sight as the Emperor's long-standing illness is cured."

There were seven or eight hundred Taoist priests gathered there, and in front of them were three old Taoist priests, who must be the so-called three "immortal masters". Wukong used his Fiery Eyes of Truth to see them and immediately recognized that they were tigers, deer and sheep in human form. He thought to himself that they were indeed monsters.

Looking further ahead, there was another Taoist priest standing before the three old demons. He was elegant and otherworldly, unlike any ordinary person, but it was unknown what kind of demon he was in disguise.

Wukong used his Fiery Eyes of Truth to observe, but the view was obscured by a burst of purple light, making it impossible to see clearly.

Wukong thought to himself, "I wonder where this treasure robe came from, and this old demon stole it and is now pretending to be a Taoist master. I'll go down and play a trick on them. But alas, 'a single thread cannot make a line, and one hand cannot clap.' There are many of them, so I'll call Bajie and Sha Wujing to come along."

Wukong returned to the meditation room, where Bajie, Sha Wujing, and Tang Sanzang were all fast asleep. Wukong called to Bajie, but the simpleton just whimpered and wouldn't wake up. Wukong then called to Sha Wujing, who woke up and said to Wukong, "Brother, you're still awake? What do you need?"

Wukong said, "Come on, let me treat you to some snacks!"

Sha Wujing said, "It's the middle of the night, what snacks could we possibly have?"

Wukong said, "The Taoist priests at the Sanqing Temple in this city are worshipping the Three Pure Ones. I went to see, and sure enough, it was three demons causing trouble. There are many offerings in the Sanqing Hall, with steamed buns as big as a bushel and roasted fruit weighing fifty or sixty catties each. Let's go and enjoy some."

Sha Wujing exclaimed happily, "Good!"

The simpleton hadn't eaten in a long time, and when he heard there was something delicious, he woke up from his dream and said, "Brother, there's something good, can I have some too?"

Wukong said, "Don't make a fuss, come with me."

The three of them went out the door and rode the clouds to the Sanqing Temple.

Bajie looked up and saw that the offerings were indeed as Wukong had said, extremely abundant. In addition to large steamed buns and baked fruit, there were all kinds of snacks, fragrant cakes, crispy fruits, fried cakes, oven-baked cakes, sesame cakes, candied fruits, and all kinds of seasonal fresh fruits, all neatly arranged and exuding a wonderful aroma.

Bajie was getting anxious. Looking at the Taoist priests who were preaching, he said to Wukong, "Brother, quickly perform a spell to make them disperse."

Wukong said, "Don't rush, watch me do it."

Wukong made a hand seal, took a breath on the Xun direction, turned around and exhaled, releasing a gust of wind.

Suddenly, a fierce wind howled, causing the Taoist priests' robes to flutter wildly. It extinguished all the candlelight in the Sanqing Hall, leaving the area dark and devoid of light.

Tiger Power Immortal asked, "Master, why did this divine wind suddenly arise?"

Ao Tu said, "I don't know either. The candles are all out today, so it's not good to chant scriptures. It would be better to go back first and chant a few more scrolls of scriptures tomorrow to make up for it."

Tiger Power Immortal said, "What the True Man says is true."

So the three Tiger Immortals told their disciples to go back for the time being.

Ao Tu also bid farewell to the three and returned to the alchemy room.

Seeing that the Taoist priests had all left, Wukong and his two companions jumped down and rushed into the Sanqing Hall.

Pigsy snatched a large steamed bun and started eating it, but Monkey stopped him, saying:
"Fool, let's exchange pleasantries before we eat."

Pigsy said, "You have no shame! Stealing food, what's the point of showing courtesy?"

After exchanging greetings with Bajie and Sha Wujing, Wukong asked:
"Bajie, do you know which three Bodhisattvas are sitting up there?"

Bajie said, "Brother, you're teasing me again; you don't even recognize the Three Pure Ones, yet you call yourself a Bodhisattva."

Wukong asked, "Tell me, which Three Pure Ones are they?"

Bajie said, "In the middle is Yuanshi Tianzun, on the left is Lingbao Daojun, and on the right is Taishang Laojun." Wukong said, "We all need to transform into these forms to eat in peace."

After saying this, Wukong jumped up, pushed the statue of Yuanshi Tianzun down, and transformed himself into Yuanshi Tianzun.

Sha Wujing jumped up, pushed the statue of Lingbao Daojun down, and transformed himself into Lingbao Daojun.

Bajie also jumped up and tried to push the statue of Laozi. Just as he was about to do so, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

It turns out that Bajie's precious Heart-Piercing Rake was forged in Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace. Normally, Bajie would shrink it and carry it in his bosom, placing it on his chest. Now, the rake sensed something, which is why Bajie felt his heart pounding.

Wukong said, "Fool, what are you waiting for?"

Bajie said, "Brother, I'm a little hesitant to push it. Do you think this statue might have been descended upon by the Three Pure Ones?"

Wukong laughed and said, "You fool, when did you become so cowardly? Which of the Three Pure Ones would be willing to descend to this mortal realm? Rather than hoping that the Three Pure Ones will descend, you might as well hope that the scriptures will fall from the sky tomorrow, so that we can avoid the hardship of going on the journey to obtain the scriptures."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy thought that Monkey was right, but he was still terrified. So he held the statue of Laozi and respectfully invited it down.

When Wukong and Sha Wujing saw this, they both laughed at Bajie for being cowardly.

Wukong said, "Bajie, there's a small door over there. It must be the place where the five grains are recycled. Hide these statues over there."

How could Pigsy dare to go? He said:

"Brother, my heart is pounding so hard, I really don't dare to go. If I really move there, I won't be able to eat. I think this might not be without reason. Why don't we find another place?"

Wukong said, "You fool, I thought you were so capable, but you're not even as good as Brother Sha. Fine, I'll use my magic to get rid of him."

Wukong used his magic to sweep away the statues of the Three Pure Ones.

The three of them then sat down and began to eat.

Bajie peeled the good banana, removed the strings, and offered it to Wukong, saying, "Brother, here you go."

Wukong laughed and said, "Alright, alright, hurry up and eat!"

Bajie then opened his mouth wide and swallowed it whole.

Because Pigsy had been carrying the load all the way, it was really hard work, and he had a big appetite. Every time Monkey returned from begging for alms, there wasn't enough for him to eat. They thought that once they got to the city, they could eat their fill, but then they encountered the Chechi Kingdom incident again, so they could only continue to endure it. Now they could finally eat to their heart's content.

Before long, they had finished all the dishes.

A Taoist priest on night patrol heard the commotion inside and hurriedly reported to Tiger Power Immortal, saying, "Master, Master, I heard a noise coming from the Sanqing Hall!"

Upon hearing this, Tiger Power Immortal called Deer Power Immortal, Sheep Power Immortal, and a group of disciples to go and investigate.

Upon hearing the arrival of the newcomer, Wukong quickly instructed Bajie and Sha Wujing to sit up straight.

Tiger Power Immortal and his two companions pushed open the temple door and came in to check. They saw that all the offerings had been eaten clean. Judging from their appearance, they looked like food for humans. The skins of the offerings had been peeled off, and the pits of the offerings had been spat out.

The Sheep Power Immortal was walking at the very back. Because he was a little short, he was blocked by the Tiger Power Immortal and the Deer Power Immortal and couldn't see what was in front of him. So he tried to go around to check from the side, but he didn't pay attention to his footing. He accidentally stepped on a banana peel and slipped and fell.

Tiger Power Immortal and Deer Power Immortal saw this and rushed to help him up.

"Junior brother, what's wrong with you?"

Sheep Power Immortal exclaimed, "Ouch, a banana peel!"

Seeing this, Wukong on his head couldn't help but laugh.

(End of this chapter)