Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 42, Staying with Friends at Wuzhuang Temple (Part 5)
Now, let's talk about White Tiger Ridge.

After Ao Tu had been gone for several days, life at Qiao'er's house returned to normal.

Qiao'er gazed into the distance every day, but never saw the person she longed to see.

I secretly ran to the river and called out to them, but there was no response.

Her parents saw through their daughter's thoughts and said, "Daughter, that young master is from a wealthy family. He must have gone home now and won't be coming back."

Qiao'er remained silent, diligently turning over the soil until her face turned red from exhaustion, and beads of sweat slid down her cheeks and dripped into the soil.

As the sun began to set, she went home. Looking at the empty wooden house, she swept away the dust that the mountain wind had blown in, and then returned home.

She'll be back. The Dragon God even told her to cooperate in the act!
At that time, Ao Tu followed Mingyue into the Wuzhuang Temple.

As dusk settled, Qingfeng stood at the entrance of the main hall, hurling insults at the Tang Monk and his disciples inside.

The bald monk is long, the thieving monk is short, and they keep cursing.

Upon seeing this, Mingyue, fearing Ao Tu's displeasure, quickly said:

"Senior brother, the Celestial Venerable has arrived!"

Qingfeng turned around, saw Ao Tu, and quickly bowed respectfully, saying:

"This humble child was unaware of the Celestial Venerable's divine arts and offended you with his words. I beg the Celestial Venerable's forgiveness!"

Ao Tu said, "Fine, I won't argue with you. What are you doing?"

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng replied, "Reporting to the Heavenly Venerable, these are the four thieving monks. They stole the sacred fruits from my temple and knocked down the fruit trees; I have captured them and locked them up here, awaiting Master's return to deal with them!"

Ao Tu said, "Let me see who is so bold."

Qingfeng said, "These four bald monks are ugly and may disturb Your Excellency."

Ao Tu said, "It's alright."

Qingfeng then opened the first door.

Ao Tu looked inside and saw that Tang Sanzang and his three disciples were locked in the room behind the second gate.

Wukong, with his fiery eyes, spotted Ao Tu long ago and recognized his true form. He asked, "Ao Tu, what brings you here?"

Ao Tu said, "Who is Ao Tu? I am Fuzhu Zhenshi Tianzun. I heard that someone knocked down Zhenyuan Daxian's ginseng fruit tree. Are you four the ones who did it?"

Tang Sanzang and his companions lowered their heads and remained silent.

Qingfeng said, "It's those four!"

Ao Tu asked, "Which of the four is the leader?"

Qingfeng pointed at Tang Sanzang and said, "It's him, this guy surnamed Tang!"

Ao Tu approached and said, "Oh, you're the bandit leader?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang respectfully bowed and said:

"Master, I am a monk from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, traveling to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures; it is my unruly disciples who have committed wrongdoings and offended the celestial abode."

Qingfeng said, "How dare these thieving monks go to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures?"

Ao Tu said, "That is not true. You two are young and have never been to the Western Paradise, so you do not know what the Western Paradise is like."

Qingfeng Mingyue asked, "May I ask the Heavenly Venerable, what is the scene like in the Western Paradise?"

Ao Tu said, "I come from the west, so I know a little about this."

Qingfeng Mingyue said, "We beg the Heavenly Venerable to explain."

Ao Tu said, “The laws of Mount Ling in the Western Paradise are different from those of the general public. Those who kill are Buddhas, those who injure are Bodhisattvas, and those who steal are Arhats; these four monks are skilled at stealing, making them perfect for traveling to the Western Paradise.”

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng exclaimed, "Well, I knew it! So the Buddhist sect is just a bunch of bald thieves!"

Tang Sanzang said anxiously, "Daoist Master, how can you slander my Buddhist sect like this?"

Ao Tu said, "When did I slander your Buddhist sect?"

Tang Sanzang said, “Amitabha! We Buddhist disciples strictly observe the precepts. The first of the five precepts of Buddhism is against killing, and the second is against stealing. The Western Paradise is a pure Buddhist land, how can it be as you say, Daoist?” Ao Tu said, “I came from the west and have often seen disciples of the Western Paradise who either enjoy eating young boys and girls, or usurp kingdoms, or abduct women; and even worse, some have eaten the entire population of an entire country. These are all scenes at the foot of the Western Paradise.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang shook his head repeatedly, chanting scriptures, and said:

"Amitabha Buddha, it is truly a sin for the Daoist Master to slander the Three Jewels in this way! A sin indeed!"

Ao Tu said, "You don't believe me? Then tell me, what should the Western world look like?"

Tang Sanzang dreamt, "The Western Paradise is a place of ultimate bliss. Bodhisattvas are compassionate and merciful, and Buddhas save all sentient beings. There is no greed or killing, and one can cultivate one's inner energy and nurture one's spirit. Although there are no supreme immortals, everyone enjoys a long life."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "If what you say is true, and you, the monk, have committed the crime of theft, and your disciple is full of murderous aura, he must have killed people, and more than one. When you arrive in the Western Paradise, will Buddha give you the scriptures?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong knew something was wrong.

He had dealt with Ao Tu many times, and upon hearing Ao Tu's voice, he knew it was aimed at him. He wondered what mischief this demonic dragon was up to this time, and hurriedly said:

"Master, this Taoist priest is a demon in disguise, don't believe him!"

Tang Sanzang remained silent, only lowering his head with an uncertain expression.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Ao Tu said no more and turned to Qingfeng and Mingyue:
"Take me to see the immortal root!"

Qingfeng and Mingyue readily agreed and took Ao Tu to the ginseng fruit garden.

Upon entering the garden, one could see the tree lying on the ground, its roots exposed, leaves fallen, branches broken, and no fruit remaining on the tree.

Qingfeng and Mingyue asked anxiously, "Heavenly Venerable, is it possible to revive the precious tree?"

Ao Tu said, "It can be healed. This tree is the spiritual root of heaven and earth. It has fallen but is not dead. I have the Three Lights Divine Water, which can bring the dead back to life, overcome all calamities, and eliminate all suffering. It can heal this tree."

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng and Mingyue were overjoyed and knelt down together, saying:

"Please, Heavenly Venerable, use your magic to revive my sacred tree!"

Ao Tu said, "Healing trees is easy, but my divine water is a treasure refined through ten thousand years of arduous cultivation, and it should not be used lightly!"

Qingfeng and Mingyue hurriedly replied, "If the Heavenly Venerable has any needs, please just say the word, and we will comply without hesitation."

Ao Tu said, "It's not difficult. Just give me two little people to eat, and that will do."

Qingfeng and Mingyue exclaimed in shock, "Two villains!"

Ao Tu said, "What? I healed your precious tree, and you're not even going to give me two little people?"

Qingfeng and Mingyue hesitated: "This..."

In terms of rarity, the ginseng fruit tree is priceless, and naturally even more precious. But Qingfeng and Mingyue couldn't bring themselves to bring two people here for no reason.

After a long while, Qingfeng Mingyue said, "Heavenly Venerable, this matter violates the doctrine. Could we wait for my master to return before making a decision?"

Ao Tu said, "What doctrine could this possibly violate? Forget it, you two children can't make the decision on your own. Let's wait for your master to arrive before we talk about it!"

Qingfeng Mingyue said, "Thank you for your mercy, Heavenly Venerable."

At that moment, Mingyue arranged a superior room for Ao Tu and invited him to stay.

Qingfeng arranged a fine meal and tea for Ao Tu.

Night falls, and the moon rises in the east.

Wukong said, "At this moment, all is quiet. The boy must have already fallen asleep. Let's go."

Pigsy said, "The doors are all locked, how can we make a move?"

Wukong said, "Watch my skills!"

Wukong held the golden cudgel in his hand, pointed it at the door, and used a spell. With a sound, the lock fell off, and all the doors opened.

Bajie laughed and said, "What skill! Brother, your lock-picking skills are even better than those locksmiths who have been around for years! After we return from our journey to the West, if you have nothing to do, you can make a living by picking locks."

Wukong said, "What's so special about this gate! Even the South Heavenly Gate and the Tushita Palace could be opened with just a point from me, Old Sun."

(End of this chapter)