Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 60, Encountering Demons in the Black Pine Forest (Part 4)
Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang was struck by a headache-inducing spell, and the unbearable headache prevented him from continuing his journey. He had no choice but to stay at the White Bone Demon's house.

The White Bone Demon then fabricated many bad things about the King of Baoxiang Kingdom, and Tang Sanzang and his disciples believed them without verifying them.

Sha Wujing invited a doctor to examine Tang Sanzang.

After examining him, the doctor diagnosed him with headache and prescribed medicine for Tang Sanzang to decoct and take daily.

After eating the ginseng fruit, Tang Sanzang's body became strong, and after half a month, the plague dissipated on its own.

The group set off again and traveled for another five or six days before they came to a city.

As the saying goes: The clouds are vast and the road is long; though the land is thousands of miles away, the scenery is just as beautiful.

The city was shrouded in auspicious smoke, and a gentle breeze wafted through it. Distant mountains served as a natural barrier, flowing water as its defenses, and the land stretched out in rows, a golden expanse of wheat exuding fragrance.

The city walls, the town walls, are impregnable; the houses, the households, are orderly and well-organized. Nine-story palaces stand tall, with bells and drums resounding in the forbidden gardens, jade steps and golden staircases. The willow-lined lanes are filled with the sounds of pipes and strings, and the beautiful women are all around.

Upon seeing the auspicious smoke, Ao Tu declared it demonic mist; upon seeing the gentle breeze, Ao Tu declared it evil wind; upon seeing the land stretching out in rows, Ao Tu declared it land seized by demons; upon seeing the golden palaces, Ao Tu declared it the extravagance and debauchery of demons.

Tang Sanzang trusted Ao Tu completely, and no matter what Ao Tu said, he had no doubts whatsoever. He only hated the demon who had usurped the throne and caused the people to suffer.

After entering the city, the group packed their luggage and horses and settled in the Baoxiang Kingdom Inn, where they asked the innkeeper to announce their arrival.

The next day, Tang Sanzang and Ao Tu went to the palace.

Tang Sanzang walked to the outside of the main gate and said to the gatekeeper:
“A Tang Dynasty monk came specifically to meet me and exchange the official documents.”

The eunuch immediately went to the white jade steps and reported:
"Your Majesty, a high-ranking monk from the Tang Dynasty wishes to have an audience with you and requests an exchange of official documents."

King Baoxiang had already received a report from the post station yesterday that a holy monk from the great Tang Dynasty was visiting. Therefore, he specially opened a court assembly today to receive him. Upon hearing this, he was very pleased and immediately granted permission, saying, "Summon him in."

When Tang Sanzang entered the palace, Ao Tu disguised himself as a disciple and followed beside him.

The two stood in the hall without exchanging greetings.

The civil and military officials whispered among themselves:
"This monk from the Tang Dynasty is indeed a figure from a superior nation; he didn't even bother to greet my king!"

King Baoxiang was somewhat angered by this and wanted to capture and behead the monk, but because he came from the Tang Dynasty, he dared not act rashly.

Because Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, had declared himself king and unified the country, his ambitions were still not satisfied, and he frequently launched military campaigns across the sea. If this monk were killed, Li Shimin might use it as an excuse to raise an army. Baoxiang Kingdom was small and weak, with few soldiers and generals; by then, it would be too late to regret it.

Therefore, King Baoxiang patiently asked, "Elder, what brings you to my country?"

Tang Sanzang said, "This humble monk is a subject of the Tang Emperor of the East. I have been ordered by the Emperor to travel to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures; I have a travel document and have come here to exchange it."

King Baoxiang said, "Since we have the imperial edict from the Tang Dynasty, bring it up and let us see it."

Tang Sanzang took out the official document and placed it on the imperial desk. The document read:
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Great Tang Dynasty of the Southern Continent issues this decree to the Tang Emperor:"
I, with my meager virtue, have succeeded to this great foundation, serving the gods and governing the people, walking on thin ice, always filled with trepidation.

The former, having failed to save the old dragon of the Jing River, was punished by my Empress and Emperor. His three souls and seven spirits vanished in an instant, becoming a guest of the Impermanent Realm.

Because their lifespan had not yet ended, they were granted a second chance by the King of the Underworld to return to life. They held numerous charitable gatherings and built a Buddhist temple to deliver the dead.

In gratitude to Guanyin Bodhisattva, who saves us from suffering, a golden body appeared and pointed out that there is a Buddha and scriptures in the West, which can deliver the dead and liberate lonely souls.

The Venerable Xuanzang was specially commissioned to travel across thousands of mountains in search of scriptures and verses. If he were to reach any of the Western countries, and if his good karma were not severed, he would be allowed to travel according to the permit. Only those with the permit are permitted to proceed.

On an auspicious autumn day in the thirteenth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, an imperial edict was issued.

There are nine precious seals on it.

Upon seeing this, the King of Baoxiang dared not be negligent. He took out his own jade treasure, affixed his monogram, and handed it to Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang accepted the official documents. He then said:
"This humble monk has come firstly to exchange the official documents, and secondly to request Your Majesty to distinguish the genuine from the fake." King Baoxiang asked, "What do you mean by distinguishing the genuine from the fake?"

Tang Sanzang asked, "Thirteen years ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival when we were admiring the moon, demons caused chaos, kidnapped the princess, and a usurper brought disaster to the country. Is the current emperor a genuine or fake one?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole hall was shocked.

King Baoxiang exclaimed in surprise, "It is true that the princess went missing thirteen years ago, but where does this talk of a usurper bringing disaster to the country come from?"

Before King Baoxiang could explain, Pigsy and Sandy flew into the court and surrounded him from the left and right.

Pigsy said, “Demon, you ate the king and took the throne. Now that the prince of the Kingdom of Baoxiang has grown up and exposed you, how dare you deny it?”

The king, startled by the two men, fell off his throne and said:

"I have only fathered three daughters; when have I ever had a prince?"

Ao Tu stepped forward, took out the Dragon Ball, and said:
"I am the prince of the Kingdom of Baoxiang. I have the national treasure here. All my officials, seize the demon!"

The dragon ball shone brightly, instantly captivating the hearts of the civil and military officials present, and everyone believed Ao Tu's words without a doubt.

Ao Tu then used a transformation technique to turn the king into a vicious tiger.

Pigsy stepped forward, brandished his rake, and killed the king with a single blow.

Ao Tu used divine light to secretly capture the king's soul.

All the civil and military officials cheered, "Well done! Well done! The evil spirit has been eliminated. We beseech Your Highness to ascend the throne!"

Thus, King Ao Tu ascended the throne, restored order, granted a general amnesty, and held a grand banquet for Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

The one-day celebratory banquet is not mentioned.

At night, when no one was around, Ao Tu dipped a little of the Three Lights Divine Water in his mouth and applied it to the corpse of the King of Baoxiang.

In an instant, King Baoxiang's body was completely restored.

Ao Tu then stuffed the soul back in and fed it a Three-Turn Resurrection Pill, and King Baoxiang was immediately resurrected.

The king, now fully aware of Ao Tu's methods, immediately knelt down and said:
"Immortal, I do not know when I offended your divine power and have asked you to descend to the mortal realm to punish me."

Ao Tu said, "I am not a deity, I am a monk from the West."

Upon hearing this, the king hurriedly replied:

“I do not know which Buddha or Bodhisattva you are. Since I ascended the throne, I have never dared to be negligent in the slightest towards the monks. I have never collected taxes on the land occupied by the temples. All prisoners sentenced to death have been pardoned and released as long as they are brought to the temple. If there is any violation of the Buddha's will, I humbly request your clear instructions and immediate order to make changes.”

Ao Tu said, "This humble monk has come here for two reasons. First, because you have tarnished the reputation of my Buddhist sect, I am giving you a small punishment as a warning. Second, Tang Sanzang is the reincarnation of the second disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni. I have come here to test him by borrowing your throne."

The king hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, whatever you desire, I will certainly grant it. But what do you mean by 'ruining one's reputation'?"

Ao Tu said, “We Buddhist disciples are honest and upright. How could we covet land? From this day forward, all land that temples have illegally occupied will be reclaimed and distributed to the poor. This temple’s land will be subject to taxes in accordance with the law.”

The king hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Ao Tu continued, “We Buddhist disciples are gentle and mild-mannered. We sweep the floor with care, even if it means harming an ant, and we cherish moths and cover lamps with gauze. How can such wicked and criminal individuals tarnish the pure name of our Buddhist community? From this day forward, anyone who commits a crime shall be arrested and brought to justice without exception!”

The king hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes!"

(End of this chapter)