Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 34, The Four Sages Test the Mind of Zen (Part 1)
The woman laughed and said:
"Good, this is a good idea! Daughters, quickly put on your veils, it's time to meet your future husbands."

The three bodhisattvas then had no choice but to cover their heads with veils and try to capture Ao Tu.

Ao Tu was only trying to outwit these gods, so how could he let them capture him so easily?

Ao Tu used his golden light to dodge, and none of the three Bodhisattvas could catch him. They were panting heavily, but dared not reveal their supernatural powers for fear that Ao Tu would see through their weakness. They were really helpless.

The woman standing nearby smiled and said:

"Good son-in-law, you're incredibly capable; none of them can catch you. Let them have their way!"

Ao Tu stopped and said, "It's not that I don't want to give in to them, but if I do, and one of my sisters catches me, I'm afraid the other two will say I'm being biased."

Just then, the woman pushed Lianlian, sending her flying and grabbing Ao Tu.

"Gotcha!" Guanyin Bodhisattva gritted her teeth, secretly filled with resentment.

The woman laughed and said, "There's no better day than today! The two of you should quickly get married!"

After she finished speaking, the little maidservant came out, carrying two lacquered wooden trays with two formal dresses on them.

The woman said, "Good son-in-law, quickly put on this groom's hat and see if it fits."

Ao Tu picked up the hat, knowing it was most likely a headband; once he put it on, that would be the end of it.

He held up the hat, pretending to put it on.

The woman stared at Ao Tu without blinking, neither urging nor stopping him, seemingly lost in thought.

Ao Tu pretended to put it on, but after holding it for a while, he put the hat down and laughed:

"Don't rush to wear it. If you want to get married, you need to prepare a banquet first. You can't lower your status."

The woman said, “Son-in-law, my family is quite wealthy. Just name your banquet, whether it’s exotic flowers and fruits or divine delicacies, we can prepare it all in one day.”

Ao Tu said, "Our Buddhist sect has many rare flowers and exotic fruits, and we are tired of eating divine delicacies. In my life, I am only proud of one thing."

The woman asked, "What is that?"

Ao Tu said, "Tang Sanzang's flesh! That's the second disciple of Buddha Tathagata, the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, a good person who has cultivated for ten lifetimes. Eating a bite of his flesh will greatly improve one's cultivation. Tang Sanzang will be passing through here soon. Please ask your mother-in-law to capture him and make him into a wedding feast so that the marriage can take place."

The woman said, "Since Tang Sanzang is the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, you should be from the same sect as him. Why do you want to eat him?"

Ao Tu said, "My mother-in-law is confused!"

The woman asked in confusion, "How could I be so confused?"

Ao Tu said, "It is common for members of our Buddhist sect to kill each other. Even Buddha knows about it and tacitly approves of it. Doesn't your mother-in-law know this?"

The woman laughed again.

She found this little guy really interesting; she wondered who had taken him as a disciple. He was truly fascinating.

Guanyin Bodhisattva was furious when she heard Ao Tu slander Buddhism in this way.

The maidservant beside him said, "Don't talk about Tang Monk's flesh yet. Young master, please try on the clothes to see if they fit. If they don't fit, you can change them."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu raised his hand and punched the little maid on the head.

The little maid had a large bump on her head from the beating and sat on the ground, clutching her head.

Ao Tu said, "How do you know my supernatural powers, you little maid? If the clothes are too small, I'll shrink; if the clothes are too big, I'll grow. How dare you interrupt me!"

Seeing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva knew she couldn't do anything to Ao Tu, so she bowed respectfully and took her leave.

The woman said, "My youngest daughter is impatient. She left because she couldn't get married. Son-in-law, what do you think? Should we stop eating Tang Sanzang's flesh for now and try to coax her back?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu stood up, cupped his hands, and said:

"The conditions must not be changed. A woman follows her husband after marriage. Even if a spoiled daughter like this is beautiful, it will be hard for anyone to be moved. I think the mother-in-law should teach her a lesson. Otherwise, the marriage will be difficult to arrange. If you are destined to be apart, then goodbye."

Seeing this, the woman had no choice but to persuade Ao Tu to stay.

There was no other way; if we were to set a trap for Ao Tu, we couldn't let him leave.

It's just catching Tang Sanzang, right? We can just pretend to catch him for now. After noon, the little maid brought Ao Tu some spiritual fruits, immortal wine, and golden pills. Ao Tu was afraid of being tricked, so he didn't use any of them. He just declined, saying that the marriage was not yet settled and he didn't want anything from his future mother-in-law's family, so as not to give them any reason to gossip.

When Guanyin Bodhisattva saw that Ao Tu was unyielding, she was so angry that she gritted her teeth and wished she could reveal her true form and capture him on the spot. However, she was afraid that he had many tricks up his sleeve and would escape. Therefore, she could only swallow her anger.

They had no choice but to first capture Tang Sanzang and his disciples, and then coax him into wearing the headband.

Ao Tu then stayed here.

He would enjoy the flowers and stroll through the garden every day, and he would also tease Guanyin, deliberately ordering her around to serve tea and water and accompany him on his tour of the garden.

If Ao Tu dared not comply, he would pretend to leave, and Guanyin Bodhisattva would have no choice but to give in.

Nearly two months passed, and it was springtime. Ao Tu, watching from the clouds, saw Tang Sanzang and his disciples approaching from afar. He flew down from the clouds, found the woman, and said:

“Mother-in-law, Tang Sanzang and his disciples have arrived. Quickly call out the three sisters and come with me to capture them.”

The woman then summoned the three Bodhisattvas.

Ao Tu said, "Tang Sanzang and his disciples have arrived. Let's go and capture them. Zhenzhen, you deal with Sha Wujing; Ai'ai, you deal with Zhu Bajie; Lianlian, you deal with Sun Wukong."

Upon hearing this, the three looked over and asked, "And what about you?"

Ao Tu replied matter-of-factly, "I'm here to capture Tang Sanzang!"

The three remained silent.

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "I have heard that Tang Sanzang's three disciples are all highly skilled in martial arts. They are virtuous people who have been enlightened by the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea. It would be a bad idea to attack them head-on. It would be better to use a trick to capture them."

Ao Tu scolded, "Lianlian, how could you use deception? Those who change their appearance and use clever words are not good people. If you imitate them, how can I marry you?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was so angry that she gritted her teeth and had no choice but to listen to Ao Tu's advice and launch a strong attack.

Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas each took out a long sword. Guanyin Bodhisattva had no weapon, so Ao Tu lent her his Xuanjin Iron Spear, saying:

"Use it carefully, lest you squander your family fortune and damage this divine weapon."

Guanyin Bodhisattva, no longer wanting to stay, rose on a cloud and charged towards Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

The two Bodhisattvas, Manjushri and Samantabhadra, followed closely behind.

Ao Tu followed behind the three.

The four travelers were trekking over mountains and ridges, struggling to keep up.

Suddenly, a lucky cloud flew in from the sky.

When Wukong saw it, he didn't think much of it, assuming it was some deity passing by.

Suddenly, Guanyin Bodhisattva emerged from the clouds.

Wukong shouted, "Oh no! Protect Master!"

After saying this, he fought with Guanyin Bodhisattva.

In terms of martial arts, Guanyin Bodhisattva is definitely not as proficient as Wukong.

However, Guanyin Bodhisattva possessed greater magical powers and spells, and Wukong was temporarily suppressed.

Wukong used his Fiery Eyes to look at Guanyin Bodhisattva, but he only felt a beam of auspicious light obstructing his view, and he could not see her true form. He could only fight with all his might.

After Pigsy and Sandy protected Tang Sanzang, they saw Monkey King locked in a standoff with a woman and prepared to come out and help.

At this moment, the Bodhisattvas Manjushri and Samantabhadra descended from the sky and faced off against Pigsy and Sandy, respectively.

Ao Tu followed from behind, watching the three fight.

Manjushri Bodhisattva said, "Brother-in-law, why haven't you captured Tang Sanzang yet?"

Ao Tu said, "I act with integrity and uprightness. How could I take advantage of someone in distress? You must defeat these three quickly so that I can capture Tang Sanzang!"

(End of this chapter)