Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 150 The Battle of Wits in Chechi Kingdom (Part 20)
However, Ao Tu used Wukong's previous sophistry to refute him.

Wukong laughed, "You demon, you are truly cunning. If you want proof, let me ask you: did you harm the monks of Zhiyuan Temple? The five hundred monks of Zhiyuan Temple are proof! You demons used unorthodox tricks to deceive the king and make the monks of Zhiyuan Temple work for you. More than half of the two thousand monks died, leaving only five hundred or so. This is an injustice that cannot be tolerated by Heaven. How can you deny it?"

Ao Tu said, "This is indeed true, but it cannot be called an outrage against Heaven. The blame can only be placed on you Buddhists, not on us Taoists."

Wukong said, "Fine, you hurt my monks, and now you're blaming the Buddhist sect?"

Tiger Power Immortal said, "Ha, those monks' magic is ineffective, and they can't get rain. If they don't blame your Buddhist sect, who else can they blame? What's wrong with the king giving them to us to do the work?"

The Great Immortal Lu Li said, "Those monks are used to a life of luxury and cannot endure hardship or fatigue. We provide them with food every day, yet they commit suicide. Who can we blame?"

The Great Immortal Yangli said, "In that case, he deserves to die!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong flew into a rage.

Bajie said, "Well done! You bunch of Taoist priests with sores on your heads and pus oozing from your backs, how dare you! You harm people behind their backs, collude with craftsmen, and embezzle the money His Majesty gave to the monks for their resettlement. Instead of secretly taking the money and leaving, you dare to bark here!"

Sha Wujing said, "Your Majesty, these evil Taoist priests bribed officials to embezzle the property of Zhiyuan Temple. Why don't you investigate?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Your Majesty, alchemy for immortality is absolutely not the way of an emperor. Do not believe in it!"

The King of Chechi looked puzzled and asked, "What... what are you talking about?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang's heart changed slightly.

However, the King of Chechi Kingdom's voice was drowned out by the noise of the crowd arguing.

Tiger Power Immortal cursed the bald monk.

Wukong called the Taoist priest an old dog.

The Deer Immortal scolded the monk for breaking the law and being shameless.

Bajie cursed the Taoist priest for being cruel and harming people behind their backs.

Sha Wujing cursed the Taoist priest for using evil magic to bring disaster to the country.

The Great Immortal Sheep scolded the monks for chanting scriptures as useless.

Wukong cursed the Taoist priest for using sorcery to cause chaos.

Tiger Power Immortal scolded the monk, saying he was more like a monster.

Pigsy cursed the Taoist priest and contracted a plague.

The Deer Immortal scolded the monk for causing bald sores.

When both sides are arguing, they don't care about right or wrong anymore.

Tiger Power Immortal said, "Your Majesty, quickly issue an edict to execute these disrespectful monks."

Enraged, Wukong took out his golden cudgel and slammed it into the ground, creating a large hole. He said, "Your Majesty, why are you still not enlightened? Quickly issue an edict to execute these evil Taoists!"

The entire court was terrified, and the King of Chechi was too frightened to make a decision.

Ao Tu Hu stood before the king and laughed:
"You monk, you have no manners whatsoever. How dare you resort to violence in the Golden Hall and disturb His Majesty?"

Wukong said, "You demon, stop with your sweet talk! If you hadn't used your demonic magic to deceive His Majesty, why would I have acted this way?"

Ao Tu said, "How can I be the one deceiving His Majesty? If your monks possessed miraculous powers and supernatural abilities, His Majesty would naturally trust you. If you are incompetent, then who can you blame?"

Wukong said, "You demonic Taoist, how could you know the wondrous methods of my Buddhist sect? Do you dare to compare yourselves with me?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Why wouldn't I dare? Tell me what we're going to compete in?"

Wukong said, "Let's compete in magic!"

Ao Tu asked, "What if you lose?"

Wukong said, "If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "I don't want anything else from you. If you lose, you will kneel in front of the statues of the Three Pure Ones for 1,111 days and admit that your Buddhist teachings are inferior to my Taoist teachings."

Wukong said, "Why not?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, you mustn't be reckless!"

Tang Sanzang noticed that the King of Chechi Kingdom was acting strangely and sensed that something was wrong.

However, Wukong was no longer listening.

Having said that, how could he easily back down?
Besides, the other party has already admitted to killing 1,500 monks, so what else is there to say?

Wukong said, "If you lose, the same will happen to you!"

Ao Tu said, "Of course."

Tang Sanzang wanted to persuade him again.

Pigsy asked, "Master, what are you afraid of?"

Sha Wujing said, "Yes, Master, my eldest brother's skills are no less than those of that monster."

Tang Sanzang said, "You two, do you think I don't know Wukong's abilities? I'm just afraid that if things aren't clear, we might win the bet but lose the moral high ground."

Pigsy asked, "Is there anything else you don't understand?"

Tang Sanzang said, "I noticed something was off about the king's reaction just now!"

Sha Wujing said, "Master, even if there are any twists and turns, let's win the bet first. Then we can talk things over regardless of who is right or wrong."

Tang Sanzang said helplessly, "This is the only way."

Wukong and Aotu began their magical duel in front of everyone.

Ao Tu said, "Why bother with magic? You can go first."

Wukong said, "You demons use the art of summoning wind and rain to gain the king's trust, so we will compete with you in making it rain."

Ao Tu asked, "Who wants to go first?"

Wukong said, "You guys go first."

The King of Chechi said, "This spring there has been little rain, and I was just about to ask the Imperial Advisor to bring rain. Now it's just in time."

Tiger Power Immortal stood up confidently and said, "Your Majesty, watch me!"

Tiger Power Immortal ascended the high platform, used the Five Thunder Technique, issued a document, burned the talisman, and sensed the presence of the Heavenly Venerable. A wind blew, clouds followed, lightning descended, and the Dragon King arrived.

Upon seeing this, Wukong released his primordial spirit and stopped the gods, rendering Tiger Power Immortal's efforts futile.

Tiger Power Immortal had no choice but to step down.

Wukong went up on the stage and commanded the gods, and a torrential rain fell instantly.

Seeing that the Tang Dynasty monk truly possessed magical powers, the King of Chechi Kingdom dared not be negligent and hurriedly ordered him to be offered a seat, saying:
"Tang Dynasty monks, just now my national teacher was furious because you made a scene at the Sanqing Taoist Temple and insulted the gods. Now that I see you also have magical powers and are not just charlatans, let's not hurt our harmony. Put aside the bet for now, I will forgive your crimes, exchange your travel documents, and let you go west."

Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha, Your Majesty is wise!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong leaped down from the high platform outside and said, "Your Majesty, there's no going back now!"

Bajie said, "You're right, we can't go back on our word now!"

Wukong laughed and stepped forward to grab Ao Tu's arm, saying, "Great Master, what do you mean? Can you take back what you've said? Whose magic is ineffective after all?"

Seeing this, Tiger Power Immortal wanted to step forward and explain.

Ao Tu stopped him and said to Wukong:

“Sun Wukong, do you think I can’t see that this rain is not because my Taoist magic is ineffective, but because you secretly used tricks.”

Wukong didn't believe that this demon could see through his methods, and laughed:
"What methods did I use?"

Ao Tu said, "Our Taoist magic has alarmed Heaven, which has ordered the Thunder Department to assist in bringing rain. It was you who forced the gods to change the rain count, diverting the rain meant for our Taoist sect to your Buddhist sect. In the past, the Dragon King of the Jing River in Chang'an was sentenced to death for privately altering the rain count by three inches. What crime have you committed now?"

Wukong was surprised that Ao Tu could actually see through it, and said, "So what if it is? I can change the rain, that's my skill."

Ao Tu laughed loudly upon hearing this, and said:

“Your skill is your own, not the skill of your Buddhist sect. Can those monks learn your skill? If we’re talking about such skills, I also have them.”

After saying this, Ao Tu went outside.

The Wind Goddess and Xun Erlang are helping to create wind in the sky; the Cloud-Pushing Boy and the Mist-Spreading Gentleman are spreading mist; the Thunder God and the Lightning Goddess are making thunder and generating electricity; and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, Ao Guang, Ao Qin, Ao Run, and Ao Shun, are bringing rain.

Ao Tu faced the sky and said, "Stop!"

The power of the ancestral dragon bloodline within Ao Tu instantly seized the laws of the gods, causing the wind to remain still, the clouds to cease, the thunder and lightning to be detonated, and the rain to fall.

In the beginning of time, there was no Wind Goddess or Mist Lord. All matters of clouds and rain were under the jurisdiction of the First Dragon. Later, the laws were distributed to the gods, so Ao Tu held the highest authority over the laws.

Upon seeing this scene, the three Tiger Immortals laughed loudly, "The rain has stopped! The rain has stopped! The monk's magic is not working! His magic is not working!"

Wukong was greatly alarmed. He quickly sent his spirit into the sky and questioned the gods, "Why don't you send clouds? Why don't you send rain?"

The gods said, "We don't know what magic that Taoist priest used, but we can no longer summon clouds and rain!"

Below, Ao Tu stretched out his hand, reaching into the sky. With a grab, one finger gripped his eldest uncle Ao Guang, one finger gripped his second uncle Ao Qin, one finger gripped his third uncle Ao Run, one finger gripped his fourth uncle Ao Shun, and the fifth finger gripped Wukong. Upon seeing this, Wukong quickly shook his primordial spirit and returned to his physical body.

Ao Tu grabbed the four dragons from the clouds and threw them onto the field, startling all the civil and military officials, guards, and palace maids into running away. Pigsy and Sandy were terrified.

Bajie said, "Oh no, Senior Brother has run into a tough opponent again!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha."

The King of Chechi Kingdom stammered, "Master, what...what is this?"

Ao Tu said, "These are the Dragon Gods of the Four Seas. I would like to ask them to come down and ask them some questions."

The Four Dragon Kings looked at Ao Tu in fear, not recognizing him as their nephew. They all asked, "Which immortal has summoned us here and what are your orders?"

Ao Tu said, "I am the True Man of the Western Paradise. I ask you, why did you alter the rainfall forecast?"

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas replied, "Reporting to the Immortal, it is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who is protecting Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, and he has asked us to assist him."

Ao Tu asked, "Who is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?" The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas replied, "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven is Sun Wukong."

Ao Tu asked, "Which one is Sun Wukong?"

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas looked at Wukong, but dared not speak.

Neither side is easy to mess with.

Ao Tu said, "You must have mistaken him for someone else. This person is not called Sun Wukong, he is called Sun Xingzhe."

Wukong couldn't help but say, "You demonic Taoist, stop with your words! I am none other than the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong! It was you demonic Taoists who harmed my monks, which is why I caused such a ruckus in your Sanqing Hall to avenge them. Now, at worst, it's a draw. Let's gamble again!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, stop gambling!"

Wukong said, "Master, summoning wind and rain is just a minor skill, don't be afraid of it!"

Ao Tu laughed and asked, "What should we bet on next?"

Wukong said, "Do you dare to bet with me on the art of transformation?"

Ao Tu said, "What is there to be afraid of?"

Seeing this, Pigsy said, "Master, we've won this time!"

Tang Sanzang asked, "How did you win?"

Bajie said, "My senior brother has seventy-two transformations; no one can compare to him."

Sha Wujing said, "Back when our eldest brother made havoc in the Heavenly Palace, among all the gods in the sky, only Erlang Shen, the True Lord of Guanjiangkou, could compete with our eldest brother in transformations. He will surely win now."

Wukong said, "You irrelevant people, please disperse and let me gamble with him."

Ao Tu said, "Disperse!"

Everyone dispersed.

Ao Tu released the Four Dragon Kings of the Seas, and did not forget to say:

"When you four get back, remember to write a document and submit it, saying that Sun Wukong told you to change the rain water, otherwise you might be forced to walk on the Dragon-Slaying Platform."

The Four Dragon Kings dared not respond and hurriedly left.

The King of Chechi Kingdom and his officials gathered on the white jade steps outside the palace to watch the two men's duel. Tiger Power Immortal and his two companions accompanied them, as did Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Below, the two began to wager on the changes.

Wukong transformed into a flying bird.

Pigsy and Sandy exclaimed, "Excellent!"

Ao Tu transformed into a beast.

Tiger Power Immortal and the other two exclaimed, "Brilliant!"

The two transformed into each other, becoming birds and beasts, insects and flowers, trees and plants, metal and stone utensils—nothing could be changed, and it was difficult to determine a winner.

Seeing that the two were still evenly matched, Tang Sanzang addressed the King of Chechi Kingdom:

"Your Majesty, this humble monk has some questions to ask you."

The King of Chechi asked, "What do you have to ask, monk?"

Tang Sanzang then recounted to the King of Chechi what Wukong had told him about the old monk's words.

The King of Chechi said, “What that monk said is not entirely true. In the past, there was a great drought in the country, and the people starved to death. There were many monks who received grain as compensation, but they could not pray for rain. I was angry because of this, so after the three national teachers prayed for the rain, I ordered them to build the Sanqing Taoist Temple for the national teachers and took away their land.”

Tang Sanzang said, "So that's how it is."

Tang Sanzang then asked about "money for settling down" and "the matter of refining elixirs for immortality".

The King of Chechi Kingdom said:

"What kind of money is there to settle down? I know nothing about it. The so-called alchemy for immortality is just a folk rumor. I am old and sick and unable to manage state affairs. The Great Master made elixirs to cure my illness, and he never mentioned immortality. The medicines he used were just ordinary herbs, and he made them without consuming much of the country's resources. That is why I have such great faith in the Great Master."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang's heart sank to the bottom.

Tiger Power Immortal beside him sneered:

"Tang Dynasty monks, you probably don't know this, but it was we who petitioned His Majesty to kindly release those monks back to their temple; the so-called 'settlement money' was also given by the three of us out of kindness, hoping to give those monks some livelihood. But we never expected that those monks would repay kindness with enmity and instead frame us!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang sighed and said, "Amitabha."

At this point, the competition on the field was coming to an end.

Ao Tu and Wukong transformed everything that flew in the sky, walked on the ground, and swam in the water, and the battle remained undecided.

Ao Tu said, "If this continues, we won't be able to determine a winner. Do you dare to transform into your true form with me?"

Wukong said, "What is there to be afraid of?"

Ao Tu transformed himself into the likeness of Sun Wukong.

Wukong stepped closer to examine it; his golden eyes shone brightly, and every hair on his body was perfectly identical.

The only flaw was the headband; it wasn't real. Although Wukong knew this was a flaw, he was unwilling to point it out.

Wukong said, "Watch me transform!"

Wukong turned to the side, transforming into the appearance of Tai Xi Zhenren, pursing his lips and adopting a dignified posture.

Ao Tu went up to look and found that he was exactly the same as him.

Ao Tu circled around Wukong, then walked behind him and suddenly reached out to grab Wukong's ribs.

Caught off guard, Wukong couldn't help but laugh, thus breaking his composure. But that smiling face didn't look like a monkey at all.

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Sun Wukong, you've lost!"

Wukong jumped up and said, "That doesn't count! When you transformed just now, I didn't make a move; now that you've grabbed my ribs, I wasn't on guard, and that's why my power was broken. It doesn't count as me losing!"

Ao Tu laughed and said to the three Tiger Immortals, "This monkey is cheating!"

Tiger Power Immortal laughed loudly: "You shameless monkey!"

Deer Power Immortal said, "All monks are like this; they lose but refuse to admit it!"

The Great Immortal Yangli said, “Master, have you forgotten? This monkey’s skin is as thick as a city wall!”

Upon hearing this, Pigsy forcefully rallied to Monkey's defense, shouting, "My senior brother didn't lose! He didn't lose!"

Sha Wujing said, "You're right, my senior brother didn't lose, it's you Taoists who don't follow the rules!"

Wukong said, "You're cheating!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Very well, I'll make you admit defeat wholeheartedly. But the first two times you monks set the questions, now it's our turn, the Taoists, to set the questions for the third time!"

Wukong said, "Alright, what do you want to bet on?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, stop gambling!"

Wukong said, "We must gamble! We must gamble! We must settle this with him!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, what those monks say is not entirely true, so don't believe them!"

Wukong said, "Master, I knew it when he prayed for rain! His Five Thunder Technique is orthodox Taoist magic. But now, it's no longer a matter for those monks, but a contest between our Buddhist sect and his Taoist sect! Now that I've entered the Buddhist order, I can't lose face! Let's see if his Taoist magic is superior, or if our Buddhist magic is stronger! We have to compete!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "That's right!"

Tang Sanzang said, "This..."

Wukong asked, "Old Taoist, tell me, what's the bet this time?"

Ao Tu said, "This time, let's gamble on a treasure!"

Wukong asked, "How do we gamble for the treasure?"

Ao Tu asked, "My Taoist sect has treasures, does your Buddhist sect have any treasures?"

Wukong said, "Of course our Buddhist sect has treasures!"

Ao Tu shook his purple immortal robe and said:
"This is the purple celestial robe I wear. Wearing this robe, one is not afraid of swords or spears, nor of water or fire. What treasure does your Buddhist sect have that can compare?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong took the golden cudgel out of his ear and said:

"This is the Ruyi Jingu Bang, weighing 13,500 jin. It can grow big or small, long or short, and its transformations are endless! Can your tattered clothes compare to my Ruyi Jingu Bang?"

Ao Tu laughed upon hearing this:

"Sun Wukong, do you think I don't know your true nature? Your golden cudgel is also called the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Iron; it was a treasure used by Yu the Great to measure the depth of rivers, lakes, and seas when he was controlling the floods. You stole it, how can it be a treasure of your Buddhist sect?"

When Ao Tu exposed the origin of the treasure, Wukong could no longer maintain his composure and shouted, "What do you mean by stolen? This was given to me by the Dragon King of the East Sea!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Regardless of whether it was stolen or given away, it's not a treasure of your Buddhist sect."

Wukong was speechless.

Pigsy stepped forward, took out his precious Golden Rake, and said:

“My Supreme Treasure Golden Rake weighs 5,048 catties and is forged from divine iron. It can be large or small, long or short. It can suppress the heavens above and the ghost abyss below. Do you dare to take a hit from my rake with your tattered clothes?”

Ao Tu asked, "Where did you get that rake from?"

Pigsy lied and said, "It was given to me by Guanyin Bodhisattva!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Hahaha, next time I see Guanyin, I'll have to ask her when she became so virtuous, even going to the fields to hoe the land. Otherwise, how could she have given you this rake?"

Bajie stammered, "Ask away, just ask..."

Ao Tu said, "Marshal Tianpeng, don't try to hide it from me! How could I not know that this rake was forged by Laozi, the Five Emperors of the Five Directions, and the Six Ding and Six Jia, and was presented to the Jade Emperor as a treasure to guard the palace. Later, when you were appointed marshal, His Majesty bestowed this rake upon you. You got drunk and harassed a fairy maiden, and were banished to the mortal realm. Guanyin advised you, and that's how you entered the Buddhist order. This rake of yours is a treasure of my Daoist sect. How dare you have the nerve to challenge me to a duel?"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy looked ashamed and dared not reply, thus admitting defeat.

(End of this chapter)