Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 91 Exorcising Demons in Wuji Kingdom (Part 4)
Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived in Wuji Kingdom and paid their respects to the king.

The King of Wuji Kingdom, seeing Tang Sanzang's dignified appearance and courteous demeanor, thought to himself, "He truly deserves to be a figure from the great Tang Dynasty." He then asked:
"Why does the holy monk travel such a long distance to the west?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Your Majesty, this humble monk is acting on the orders of the Tang Emperor to travel to the Great Thunder Temple in the West to obtain scriptures, so that the dead may be liberated and all sentient beings may be saved."

The King of Wuji Kingdom said, "The holy monk is willing to endure thousands of miles of wind and frost to obtain the true scriptures. He is truly a first-class virtuous holy monk."

Tang Sanzang said, "Your Majesty flatters us. Please affix your imperial seal to the travel document to facilitate our journey westward."

The King of Wuji Kingdom retrieved the imperial seal and stamped it on Tang Sanzang's travel document.

Tang Sanzang carefully put away the stamped document and said:

"Your Majesty, this humble monk has another matter I would like to ask you."

The King of Wuji Kingdom asked, "Is there anything else, Holy Monk?"

Tang Sanzang said, "Before entering the city, I encountered a group of Taoist priests doing hard labor in the mountains. They were quite pitiful. I heard that this was a decree of His Majesty. I wonder what the reason is? Could His Majesty please explain?"

Upon hearing this, the King of Wuji Kingdom sighed, "I originally did not wish to bring this up again, but since the Holy Monk has inquired, there is no harm in speaking of it. The matter must begin eight years ago..."

The King of Wuji Kingdom began to recount the story in detail.

The story told is not much different from what has been circulated outside, but the details are more authentic.

After listening, Tang Sanzang said, "Excellent, excellent! Your Majesty is fortunate to have been saved from this calamity by the Buddha's mercy. This is truly a cause for celebration."

The King of Wuji Kingdom said, "We must thank the Buddha for saving us."

Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha. Your Majesty, when I was in the Tang Dynasty, I heard someone say: 'The fundamental principles of governing a country are to reward the good and punish the evil, and to clearly distinguish right from wrong.' I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"

The King of Wuji Kingdom said, "These are the most reasonable words."

Tang Sanzang said, "Since that's the case, why doesn't Your Majesty punish the real culprit and release those innocent Taoist priests?"

The King of Wuji Kingdom sighed:
"How could I not want to punish the real culprit? But that evil Taoist has an extremely powerful background, and I don't know which immortal or Buddha is behind him. I am powerless to do anything about it, so I have no choice but to resort to this tactic, hoping to force out the person behind him. If I release those Taoists, wouldn't all the suffering I have endured over the past five years have been for nothing?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong couldn't help but jump out and say:

"Your Majesty, do not worry. If you cannot redress your grievances, I will do so for you; if you cannot submit your petitions, I will submit them for you. Even if it goes to the Jade Emperor, I will win this case for you. I only ask that you release those Taoist priests and not implicate these innocent people."

Upon hearing Wukong's boastful words, the King of Wuji Kingdom hurriedly asked, "Who is this elder?"

Wukong said, "I, Old Sun, am none other than the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago!"

The King of Wuji Kingdom had never heard of this name before and was somewhat bewildered upon hearing it.

Bajie said, "Your Majesty, you don't know, my senior brother was in charge of agriculture and animal husbandry in the Heavenly Court back then, and he was a top-ranking official!"

Wukong said, "Go away, you idiot!"

The King of Wuji Kingdom failed to grasp the hidden meaning in Wukong's words and instead believed that Wukong was truly a great god in the heavens who oversaw agriculture and animal husbandry.

In mortal dynasties, agriculture is the foundation of livelihood, and animal husbandry is the source of military supplies; only the most capable and upright ministers can hold these positions.

The King of Wuji Kingdom said, "Thank you for your help, Elder Sun. However, I dare not act on my own initiative in this matter and must consult the Buddha's instructions."

Upon hearing this, Wukong perked up and asked, "Where is the Buddha now?"

The King of Wuji Kingdom said, "That evil Taoist is also locked at the top of the ninety-nine-story Buddhist pagoda outside the city."

Tang Sanzang said, "Amitabha, this humble monk was just about to go and sweep the pagoda. It is truly a matter of fate. Wukong, Wuneng, Wujing, you should also come with me. Firstly, to pay homage to the Buddha; secondly, to find out the origin of that demonic Taoist, so as to save those innocent Taoists."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy realized that cleaning the ninety-nine-story pagoda was no easy task, and hurriedly said:
“Master, let Senior Brother and Junior Brother Sha go with you. That pagoda is towering into the clouds and cannot be cleaned in a day or two. I, Old Pig, will stay here and bring you some food every morning and evening so that you don’t have to go up and down so much.”

Tang Sanzang thought about it and realized that Bajie's words made some sense, so he looked at Sha Wujing.

Sha Wujing also didn't want to go, saying, "Master, Second Brother is bringing the food, and there's no one to look after the luggage and horses. I'll stay and watch the luggage!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Then Wukong, accompany your master."

Wukong nodded and said, "Alright, Master, I'll go with you."

The next day, Tang Sanzang and Wukong arrived at the bottom of the pagoda outside the city.

Wukong carried a bucket of clean water, an oil lamp, and bedding, while Tang Sanzang carried a broom. The two of them entered the pagoda.

Inside the pagoda, there were not many decorations, but rather stone-carved faceless Buddha statues in various poses.

Tang Sanzang devoutly worshipped each of the offerings, picked up a broom and carefully swept away every speck of dust from the corners.

The space inside each level of the pagoda is about two zhang high. Where Tang Sanzang couldn't reach, he would ask Wukong to do it for him.

The master and apprentice worked all day, but they only managed to clean seven or eight floors.

In the evening, Bajie came up to deliver the meal and change the clean bucket.

It was already night, and only a single oil lamp shone dimly.

The Buddha statues in the pagoda had no faces and their postures were strange. When Pigsy saw them, he felt a little scared. After serving Tang Sanzang his meal, he hurriedly left.

Only Wukong gazed at the Buddha statues, lost in thought.

There are hundreds of Buddha statues here from the first floor, and no two of them have the same pose.

Moreover, Wukong discovered that the postures of these Buddha statues matched the content of the cultivation manual that the Taoist priest had previously passed on to him.

The King of Wuji Kingdom said that this pagoda was built under the supervision of the Buddha, with the purpose of spreading the Dharma.

Therefore, this Buddha and the Fuzhu Zhenshi Tianzun who transmitted the cultivation methods to those Taoist priests are the same person, and they are both his old acquaintances.

This guy, who knows what he's plotting this time. Wukong was getting a little annoyed.

A few more days passed, and when Tang Sanzang reached the thirty-third level, Wukong suddenly became overjoyed.

The reason is that the first thirty-two Buddha statues demonstrated the same techniques as those taught by the Taoist priest, but after reaching the thirty-third level, the subsequent methods began to appear.

That technique isn't an incomplete version!
Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang quickly asked, "Wukong, what's wrong?"

Wukong said, "I have been sweeping the pagoda with my master for the past few days, and I have come to understand some principles in this pagoda."

Tang Sanzang asked, "What is the reason for this?"

Wukong shook his head: "This principle cannot be explained in words; only Master can comprehend it."

Since that guy chose to hide the method inside the stone statue, Wukong naturally couldn't overstep his bounds.

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang did not press the matter further.

Next, Wukong became even more diligent, studying the Dharma contained within the Buddha statue every day.

Several days later, they swept up to the sixty-sixth floor.

Wukong has determined that this method is of the same origin as his Seventy-Two Transformations, and is in no way inferior to his Seventy-Two Transformations; they can complement each other in many ways.

During his cultivation over the past few days, his already indestructible physical body has experienced a slight, almost imperceptible increase.

Although the growth was small, it was of great significance.

A feeling of shock and gratitude welled up in Wukong's heart.

The greatest truths are priceless, yet that guy took them out so easily.

Bajie would bring him food every day, and Wukong would try to give him some pointers, telling the simpleton to look at the Buddha statue more often. It's unknown whether the simpleton gained any insight from it.

Several days later, they swept up to the ninety-ninth floor.

This is the final level, and the Dharma has reached its most crucial stage.

Wukong vaguely sensed something was wrong; he felt he was about to fall into the dragon's trap again.

But he couldn't help but enter the ninety-ninth floor.

As expected, there was not a single Buddha statue on the ninety-ninth floor. The Dharma had reached its most crucial point, but it came to an abrupt end once again.

There were only four cold iron chains in front of him, linked together, locking up a disheveled Taoist priest. This must be the evil Taoist priest.

Beside the demon, there was a golden lotus platform, upon which sat a Buddha.

Wukong recognized at a glance that this Buddha was none other than Ao Tu in disguise.

In fact, Wukong could no longer distinguish the Buddha's true form using his Fiery Eyes of Truth. He could only see a golden light obscuring the Buddha's true form.

The reason Wukong was able to recognize that it was Ao Tu in disguise was because this so-called Buddha was actually the appearance of "Ling Shan Wang Buddha". Ao Tu had changed into this appearance once before at Baihu Ridge, so Wukong could recognize him at a glance.

Upon seeing Ao Tu, Tang Sanzang respectfully bowed and said, "Disciple Tang Sanzang pays homage to the Buddha of Mount Ling!"

Seeing this, Wukong quickly stopped him, saying, "Master, don't bow to him! If you do, I'll be lower in rank!"

Tang Sanzang shook his head, insisting on bowing. He said, "In Buddhism, there is no distinction of rank or seniority. The King Buddha has bestowed upon me the grace of enlightenment, and I cannot refuse to bow."

In the end, Ao Tu finally accepted Tang Sanzang's bow.

Ao Tu smiled and helped Tang Sanzang up, saying:

"Xuanzang, you, with your mortal body, swept through this ninety-nine-story pagoda. Now that you have climbed to the top and look at the view below, what insights do you have?"

Following Ao Tu's gaze, Tang Sanzang saw that below the pagoda, all things were ethereal and indistinct. He was moved and recited:
"A towering pagoda reaches the heavens, leaning on the railing, all worries seem light."

Clouds rise with the sleeves and hem, wind blows and rings in the ears.

The wilderness stretches for thousands of acres, and the long river winds around the city.

Gazing upon the vastness of heaven and earth, I suddenly feel the clarity of my life.

Ao Tu nodded.

Tang Sanzang asked, "I wonder if what I have realized is correct?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Xuanzang, you have traveled thousands of miles to the west, overcoming countless difficulties. The people you have met and the events you have experienced are all boats that have carried you across and mirrors that have awakened you. By understanding cause and effect and realizing your true nature, all your experiences are insights. Why distinguish between right and wrong?"

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together in front of his chest and said, "This disciple has learned a great deal."

Wukong, however, grabbed Ao Tu's arm and said:

"Let's not talk about that now. What kind of conspiracy is this?"

Ao Tu said, "Monkey, how can you wrong an innocent person? This humble monk was passing by when he saw the True King wronged and his lonely soul wandering; a demon was rampaging and usurping the throne. Therefore, I took action to subdue the demon and welcome the True King back. How did it become a conspiracy in your mouth?"

Wukong asked, "Then why did you implicate those innocent Taoist priests?"

Ao Tu said, "How can it be that I am implicating a Taoist priest? If this demon is a Taoist priest, the king will naturally implicate the Taoist priest; if he were a Buddhist monk, the king will naturally implicate the Buddhist monk."

Wukong then said, "Then why did you teach those Taoist priests their methods and even mention my name, asking me to go and save them?"

Ao Tu said, “I saw that those Taoist priests were wronged, so I taught them some basic methods to protect themselves. I also heard that there is a Great Sage Equal to Heaven who hates evil and can distinguish right from wrong, so I told them the name of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and asked him to come and save them. Monkey, if you are afraid that the demon Taoist has a powerful background and is unwilling to help, then just refuse.”

(End of this chapter)