Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 51, The Three Battles with the White Bone Demon (Part 4)
Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang heard someone crying out in pain inside the house, but he didn't know why.

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu covered his face and sighed, saying, "Holy Monk, it's all because of those damned bandits who crippled my brother, causing him unbearable pain!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha, how can there be such vicious bandits in these mountains?"

Ao Tu said, "This mountain was originally a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, but for some reason, bandits suddenly came."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy quickly pulled Sandy out.

Sha Wujing asked, "Second Brother, what are you doing?"

Pigsy said, "Brother Sandy, you still haven't figured it out?"

Sha Wujing asked in confusion, "What did you see?"

Bajie whispered, "The bandits they're talking about are us!"

Sha Wujing exclaimed in surprise, "No way!"

Pigsy looked around, then pulled Sandy to sit down in a corner outside the house and whispered:

"Look, someone just died in this house, right in front of the woman that the eldest brother killed. There's someone inside groaning in pain, isn't that the hunter who was crippled by the eldest brother?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Wujing exclaimed, "What... what should we do?"

"What should we do?" Pigsy put down his rake and asked.

“The eldest brother killed the man, and the leader was Master. We are at most accomplices. If the government officials come, the eldest brother will use magic to escape and arrest Master to pay with his life. You go to your Liusha River, and I will go back to my Gao Village. The cassock is mine, and the staff is yours. Don’t complain that it’s too little. I am the eldest brother, so I should take more.”

Upon hearing this, Sha Wujing said:
"Second Senior Brother, how could you say that? If Master is really captured, we disciples should be thinking about how to save him!"

Bajie put his hands into his sleeves and said, "Save Master? How can we save him? Killing someone's family is a capital offense, no matter what dynasty it is!"

Inside the house, Tiger Vanguard was still screaming in excruciating pain.

Ao Tu stood up and said, "Holy Monk, please excuse me, I need to go and take care of my brother first."

Tang Sanzang said, "Benefactor, your brother is in unbearable pain. Please allow me to recite a passage of scripture for him to alleviate some of his suffering."

Ao Tu Xi said, "Thank you for your trouble, Holy Monk!"

So they invited Tang Sanzang into the inner room.

Wukong followed Tang Sanzang inside.

Inside the room, Tiger Vanguard lay on the bed, wrapped in a thick quilt, his face ashen, revealing a gruesome, bruised leg, screaming in pain.

Tang Sanzang chanted "Amitabha" and went closer to take a look. When he saw what Tiger Vanguard looked like, he was terrified.

When Tiger Vanguard saw Tang Sanzang, he was terrified and, with superb acting skills, shouted, "Robber! Robber!"

Ao Tu said, "Brother, what bandits are you talking about? This is a holy monk from the East, who is here to chant sutras and pray for your well-being."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang felt utterly ashamed.

Tiger Vanguard pointed at Tang Sanzang, trembling, and said, "Brother, run! They are bandits! They robbed travelers, killed my little sister, and tried to kill me to silence me, beating me into this state! This monk-like man is the bandit leader!"

Ao Tu feigned fear and looked at Tang Sanzang, asking:

"What? You...you're bandits? You're the ones who killed my little sister?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang retreated continuously, his face deathly pale, devoid of any color.

Ao Tu cried and grabbed Tang Sanzang, saying, "Heavens! I have been a good monk and a lover of Buddha all my life, yet my family members have died at the hands of Buddha! Monk, how will you repay the lives of my family!"

Tang Sanzang's lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Wukong stepped forward, shoved Ao Tu aside, and held his golden cudgel between the two, saying, "Demon, don't try to deceive my master with sweet words, you deserve a beating!"

Seeing this, Tang Sanzang hurriedly said, "You impudent monkey, stop hurting people!"

Wukong said, “Master, you are only a mortal and cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood. This person is an illusion created by magic; the person in bed is a tiger demon. If you don’t believe me, watch me strike with my staff and you’ll know the truth!”

Having said that, he drew his baton to strike.

Seeing this, Tang Sanzang, without saying a word, began chanting a spell. Wukong immediately felt excruciating pain, his eyes turning bloodshot, and he knelt on the ground, saying:
“Master, this person is truly a demon. As long as we break through his disguise, we will know the truth. Why don’t you believe me?”

Tang Sanzang remained silent, only chanting incantations.

As Wukong's pain intensified, he crashed through the window and tumbled outside.

Qiao'er and her parents were terrified when they saw this.

Ao Tu pulled them down to kneel before the Buddha statue and said:

"May Buddha have mercy! I have been a devout Buddhist all my life. You instructed me to wait here for the holy monk, and I waited patiently, only to find a gang of robbers who committed murder and robbery. Is this the holy monk you spoke of? I beg Buddha to do justice for me!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang felt even more resentful towards the mischievous monkey, so he recited the scripture over and over again.

The pain made Wukong's eyes turn red, his fangs bared, and he rolled on the ground, begging for mercy repeatedly, but Tang Sanzang pretended not to hear him.

Wukong then understood what Ao Tu meant when he told him at Wuzhuang Temple, "Give him compensation for his headache."

Wukong was in unbearable pain and forced himself to sit up, intending to fight Ao Tu. He realized that Ao Tu's body was a fake, and that if he destroyed it, the truth would be revealed.

Seeing this, Ao Tu hugged the Buddha statue and said:
"Please, Buddha, grant my wish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Buddha statue shone with golden light, and a figure appeared in the air.

The figure, draped in a kasaya, sat cross-legged on a golden lotus, with auspicious clouds above his head, surrounded by Buddhist light, his face showing compassion, his hands forming a Buddhist mudra, and he was extremely dignified.

It was Ao Tu's true form.

Tang Sanzang, with his mortal eyes, could not see clearly. Upon seeing the true Buddha descend, he immediately stopped the headband incantation and knelt down to worship.

Pigsy and Sandy also kowtowed and paid their respects.

Only Wukong recognized that it was Ao Tu in disguise and shouted:

"Ao Tu, how did you transform yourself into this to deceive my master!"

Ao Tu didn't answer, but only said to Tang Sanzang:

"Tang Xuanzang, do not worship me."

Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha Buddha, I once made a vow to burn incense at every temple I visit on my journey to the West, to worship Buddha whenever I see one, and to sweep every pagoda whenever I encounter one. Now that I have seen the true Buddha, how dare I not pay my respects?"

Ao Tu said, "Tang Xuanzang, you are surrounded by blood and evil spirits, haunted by vengeful ghosts, and burdened with heavy sins. You are not a member of our Buddhist sect, so how can you worship me?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang repeatedly kowtowed and said:

"I deserve to die a thousand deaths! It's all my fault for not disciplining him properly, allowing that unruly disciple to commit murder and thus incur my sins!"

Ao Tu said, "He is your disciple. If he kills someone, you will also bear the responsibility of half a life. Now you have already committed several lives, and your sins are unforgivable. Go back."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang asked in alarm, "Where do you want me to go?"

Ao Tu said, "Go back to where you came from."

Tang Sanzang said, "But I still have the great task of obtaining the scriptures to complete."

Ao Tu said, "You have allowed your disciples to commit violence and repeatedly violated the precept against killing. Even if you reach the Western Paradise, you will not be able to obtain the scriptures. Go back."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang's eyes filled with tears.

Upon seeing this, Wukong brandished his golden cudgel and said, "Don't try to deceive my master with these heretical tricks! Take this blow from your old Sun!"

Having said that, he jumped up and started hitting.

When Tang Sanzang saw that Wukong dared to hit the Buddha, he was so frightened that he quickly chanted a spell.

As soon as Wukong jumped into the air, he felt a splitting headache and lost his balance.

Ao Tu clasped his hands together, activated the Six-Syllable Mantra, and chanted:
"Om Mani Padme Hum!"

(End of this chapter)