Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 63, Encountering a Demon in the Black Pine Forest (Part 7)
Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang rushed to the palace.

When Ao Tu saw him arrive, he knew that the matter had been exposed, so he dismissed the guards in advance.

Tang Sanzang stepped onto the jade steps, recalling his experiences over the past six months.

From initially driving away Wukong, receiving teachings at White Bone Ridge, committing a grave mistake in Baoxiang Kingdom, to discovering the truth today.

Tang Sanzang entered the Golden Palace.

Ao Tu was sitting on it.

"You already know, right?" Ao Tu asked.

Tang Sanzang knelt on the ground and respectfully said, "Disciple Tang Sanzang pays respects to the Buddha of Mount Ling."

Ao Tu: "What??"

Tang Sanzang said, "This disciple has received the Buddha's guidance, therefore I bow in reverence."

Ao Tu asked, "What did I teach you?"

Tang Sanzang said, "I am but a mortal with limited vision, and I am prone to believing what I hear. Only today do I realize that the woman who delivered the food, the hunter, the prince, the old woman, the soldier, and the abbot were all manifestations of the Buddha, intended to enlighten me and teach me to deeply understand Buddhist principles."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu smiled and shook his head, saying:
"Tang Sanzang, you are wrong. There is no such thing as the Buddha King of Mount Ling. This title is something I made up. From beginning to end, I never intended to enlighten you, but rather to use you to seize the throne of the Kingdom of Baoxiang!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Whether or not there is a Vulture King Buddha, he is already in my heart. Today, I am willing to sacrifice myself to make up for my past mistakes."

Ao Tu shook his head and said:
"Now that the King of Baoxiang Kingdom is dead, I have become the new ruler of Baoxiang Kingdom. All the civil and military officials are loyal to me. No matter what you do, you can't change anything. If you know what's good for you, pretend you don't know, and I will still treat you with the courtesy due to a minister of a superior kingdom. You can still go to the Western Paradise to obtain your true scriptures. Otherwise, don't blame me for turning my back on you without mercy."

Tang Sanzang said, "The matter of Baoxiang Kingdom was all due to my biased listening. How can I sit idly by and do nothing? If I cannot make amends for my mistakes, what use will it be even if I reach the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures?"

Ao Tu said, "It seems you're determined to remain stubbornly unrepentant?"

Ao Tu took out the headache chime and tapped it lightly.

Tang Sanzang immediately collapsed to the ground, his head throbbing with pain.

Ao Tu said, "Tang Sanzang, if you turn a blind eye and consider me, the King of Baoxiang Kingdom, to be the real king, I will spare you. Otherwise, I will strike this chime thirty times, making your head ache so badly that you wish you were alive but cannot die."

Tang Sanzang, trembling all over, forced himself to get up from the ground, clasped his hands together, and said:
"Please forgive me for not being able to comply."

Ao Tu struck him a few more times, causing Tang Sanzang to nearly faint from the pain, but still failed to change his will.

Ao Tu couldn't help but think to himself: Although Tang Sanzang is pedantic, he does have some redeeming qualities.

After accepting the headache-inducing bell, Ao Tu said:
"Tang Sanzang, why are you so stubborn? I now sit on the throne, the world is at peace, and the people live in prosperity. What's wrong with that? If you insist on going your own way, I will use magic to turn you into a monster. But the people are all mortals; who will believe you then?"

Tang Sanzang covered his forehead and said, "In the past, I couldn't distinguish right from wrong, so I drove away Wukong and unjustly killed the king. The common people are just ordinary people who don't know the truth. How am I any different from them? It is the cycle of cause and effect. I am now willing to accept the punishment."

Seeing this, Ao Tu used magic to transform Tang Sanzang into a fierce tiger, imprisoned him in the palace, and claimed to the outside world that the Tang Dynasty monk was a tiger demon in disguise. He also sent people to collect Tang Sanzang's luggage.

The officers and soldiers rushed to the inn to retrieve the luggage of Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

The white dragon horse was grazing and eating in the trough of the inn.

He was originally the third prince of the West Sea Dragon Palace. Because he violated the heavenly rules, he was enlightened by Guanyin, who took away the dragon pearl, transformed him into a white horse, and carried Tang Sanzang to the West to obtain the scriptures.

Seeing that someone had taken Tang Sanzang's luggage, and hearing that Tang Sanzang was actually a tiger demon in disguise, this man thought to himself:

“My master is a good man. How could he be turned into a tiger demon? He must have been harmed by a demon.”

As night fell, seeing that Pigsy and Sandy had not yet returned, the White Dragon couldn't help but say:

"My eldest brother has been banished; and there's no news of Pigsy or Sandy! If I don't rescue Tang Sanzang now, all this merit will be for naught! For naught!"

Then the white horse suddenly broke free of its reins, loosened its saddle and bridle, and leaped into the air, transforming into a white dragon. It rode on a cloud and soared straight into the heavens. In mid-air, the little white dragon saw that in the golden palace, the lights and candles shone brightly, and a fierce tiger was chained inside.

Seeing that no one was around, he transformed into human form and went down to say:

"Master, Master, how did you become like this?"

When Tang Sanzang saw the White Dragon, he asked, "Who are you, and why do you call me Master?"

The little white dragon said, "Master, I am the third prince of the West Sea Dragon Palace, the white horse you ride. Today, my two senior brothers Wuneng and Wujing have not returned. The soldiers took away your luggage and said that you were a tiger demon in disguise. I knew you were in trouble, so I came to rescue you."

Tang Sanzang said, "As a mortal with limited vision, I was misled and believed the wrongful accusations, which led to the expulsion of Wukong and the wrongful execution of the king, resulting in this predicament. Please go and invite your eldest brother back, and tell him that I was wrong and that I have wronged him."

The little white dragon said, "Master, don't worry, I will definitely go and invite my eldest brother back. But now that demons are causing trouble, none of us are by your side to protect you, so it's hard to guarantee your safety. Let me get rid of these demons first, then it won't be too late to invite my eldest brother back!"

After saying this, the White Dragon ignored Tang Sanzang's objections and, overestimating his abilities, went to the palace where Ao Tu was.

Ao Tu rested alone in the Yin'an Palace, without any palace maids by his side, because he did not want to tarnish the palace's reputation.

Upon seeing this, the little white dragon transformed into a palace maid. Her body was light and graceful, and her appearance was charming.

He stepped inside and said to Ao Tu:
"Your Majesty, why are you resting alone in the palace? Isn't it boring? Let me pour you a cup."

Ao Tu glanced at the little white dragon and said, "Pour some wine."

The White Dragon picked up the wine pot and poured the wine into the cup, making sure the wine level was three to five centimeters higher than the cup, without overflowing.

Ao Tu wasn't surprised. He asked, "What else can you do?"

The little white dragon said, "They can also sing and dance!"

Ao Tu said, "Then sing!"

The little white dragon began to sing a little tune.

Ao Tu shook his head and said, "No, no."

The white dragon asked, "Why isn't it good?"

Ao Tu sneered, "When Guanyin and I strolled hand in hand in the garden, she opened her red lips, revealed her jade teeth, and sang 'The Song of Xizhou.' She never lied to me. You wretched creature, how dare you overestimate yourself and come here to show off?"

Upon hearing this, the White Dragon realized his identity had been exposed and drew his sword to attack Ao Tu. He roared, "Monster, how dare you insult a Bodhisattva!"

Ao Tu raised his hand, revealing his dragon claw, and grabbed the little white dragon's sword.

The white dragon exclaimed in surprise, "You monster, are you also a dragon?"

Ao Tu said, "You wicked dragon, you are willing to be a white horse for people to ride, disgracing my dragon clan."

The white dragon, embarrassed and enraged, shouted, "Monster, prepare to be killed!"

After the two left the Silver Peace Palace, the little white dragon let out a dragon roar, revealed its true form, and rode on a cloud.

Ao Tu also revealed his true form and fought with the little white dragon in the air.

Actually, the two are related. The White Dragon is the third son of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, while Ao Tu is Ao Run's nephew. In terms of relationship, the White Dragon is Ao Tu's cousin.

However, at this time, Ao Tu's bloodline evolved, turning him into a five-clawed golden dragon, so the little white dragon could no longer recognize him.

Ao Tu was unwilling to acknowledge the White Dragon, as their current status made such an encounter pointless for both of them. Therefore, Ao Tu remained silent and focused all his energy on attacking.

The two dragons fought fiercely in the air. Although Ao Tu could only last for about thirty rounds when fighting Sun Wukong, it was more than enough to defeat the White Dragon.

(End of this chapter)