Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

The abbot then invited Tang Sanzang and his disciples to the back courtyard. So he unbridled the horses, carried their luggage, turned past the main hall, and went straight into the back room, where they arranged their seating.

The abbot offered tea and then arranged a vegetarian feast.

It was still early, and before Sanzang had finished expressing his gratitude, two young boys came out from behind, helping an old monk along.

Who else could it be but Jin Chi?

It turned out that Jinchi was overjoyed to learn that Fahai had been burned to ashes.

Hearing that two more Tang Dynasty monks had arrived in the front yard, he began to plot against them.

If Fahai alone has such treasures, and now two have arrived at once, won't they take off?

The old monk approached, and Sanzang hurriedly bowed. Jinchi returned the bow, and then they sat down.

Jin Chi said, "I just heard you speak of the gentleman from the Tang Dynasty in the East, which is why I came out to pay my respects."

Sanzang said, "I dare not, I dare not! I have so lightly visited this treasure mountain, I was so ungrateful, please forgive me!"

Jin Chi said, "No, no, may I ask how far it is from here, sir?"

Sanzang said, "It is more than 5,000 li from the border of Chang'an; after passing Liangjie Mountain, I took in a young disciple. Along the way, we traveled through the Western Barbarian Kingdom of Habi. After two months, it was another 5,000 to 6,000 li before we arrived at your place."

The old monk said, "So it's tens of thousands of miles away. May I ask where you became a monk, sir?"

Sanzang said, "This humble monk has been practicing since childhood and was ordained at Jinshan Temple."

Jin Chi was startled upon hearing this, and a sense of fear arose in his heart, but he remained calm and asked, "Is the abbot of your esteemed temple named Fahai?"

Sanzang said, "Our temple does indeed have monks of the 'Fa' generation, but I have never heard of a Fahai. The abbot of Jinshan Temple is my mentor, Elder Faming."

Still puzzled, Jin Chi asked, "Are there other Jinshan Temples in the East?"

Sanzang said, "This humble monk has never heard of it either. However, our Eastern Land is vast, and it's not impossible for temples to share the same name. Why does the old abbot ask such questions?"

Jin Chi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Sanzang did not know Fahai, which put his mind at ease.

So the old monk asked, "The Eastern Land is tens of thousands of miles from here, and there are many wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards along the way. I wonder how you, Master, managed to get here? Do you possess supernatural powers?"

Sanzang said, "Amitabha, this humble monk has neither martial arts nor supernatural powers. The reason I was able to arrive here is entirely due to the efforts of my disciple."

Jin Chi nodded and said, "Your disciple is clearly... uh... a capable person."

Upon hearing this, the pilgrim was quite pleased with himself and laughed, "Old monk, you don't know my abilities. Five hundred years ago, I, Old Sun, was..."

"Wukong!" Tang Sanzang quickly stopped the monkey's boasting, scolding him, "We monks should prioritize humility and not be self-satisfied!"

Jin Chi said, "Master, that's not right. I heard... how come... your disciple was already... It's just a pity that my disciple has wasted his life, never even left his homeland, and is now nothing but a worthless old man."

Sanzang asked, "How old is the venerable abbot?"

Jin Chi said, "I'm 270 years old."

The traveler exclaimed upon hearing this, "This is indeed my great-grandson!"

Sanzang glanced at him and said, "Be careful what you say! Don't be so disrespectful and offend people."

Jin Chi glanced at him, taking it as nonsense, and didn't mind. He didn't reply, but simply ordered tea to be served.

Then a young servant boy took out a mutton-fat jade plate with three cloisonné enamel and gold-inlaid teacups on it; another servant boy brought over a white copper kettle and poured three cups of fragrant tea.

Upon seeing it, Sanzang exclaimed, "What a wonderful item! What a wonderful item! Truly a feast for the eyes and a beautiful vessel!"

Jin Chi said, "Your eyes are dirty! Sir, you are from the Celestial Empire, a land of great learning and versatility. Such an object is hardly worthy of praise. Since you have come from such a superior land, do you have any treasures that you would like to lend to your disciple for a look?"

Sanzang said, "It's a pity! My Eastern Land has no treasures, and even if it did, the journey is too long to carry them with me."

Jin Chi thought to himself, "How come all the people in the East are so cunning? It's one thing for Fahai to hold back a trick, but this Tang Sanzang is really something else."

The pilgrim said from the side, "Master, I saw that robe in my bundle the other day. Isn't it a treasure? How about we show it to him?"

When the monks heard about the kasaya, they all sneered.

The traveler asked, "Why are you laughing?"

The abbot said, "Master just said the kasaya was a treasure, which is laughable. If we're talking about kasayas, people like us have more than twenty or thirty; if we're talking about my grandmaster, who was a monk here for two hundred and fifty or sixty years, he had seven or eight hundred! One of them is truly a rare find!"

Li Fa chuckled to himself in the crowd. It seemed that this Monkey King had not escaped his original nature. Sure enough, it was almost exactly the same as the original plot.

As soon as the abbot finished speaking, the traveler called out, "Take it out and let me see."

Jinchi also had the desire to show off, so he ordered two young boys to bring out the kasaya again and spread it out in the hall.

The seven gemstones on it were connected together, embroidered with gold and pearls, shining brightly.

The traveler observed them and laughed, "Good, good, good! They are indeed fine treasures, but unfortunately, they are all just ordinary things!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Chi asked, "What do you mean by that, sir?"

The pilgrim said, "The rubies, sapphires, pearls, and agates on your robe are all earthly treasures. Our robe is a celestial object. Quickly put your robe away! Take out ours and let us see it too."

Sanzang pulled the Monkey King aside and whispered, "Disciple, don't compete with others in wealth. We are all alone out here, and I'm afraid we might make a mistake."

The pilgrim asked, "Look at the robe, is there anything wrong with it?"

Sanzang said, "You don't understand. As the ancients said, rare and precious things should not be shown to greedy and treacherous people. Once they see them, they will surely be tempted; and once their hearts are tempted, they will surely devise schemes."

You are someone who fears trouble; if you grant his request, all will be well; otherwise, you will perish and lose your life—this is no small matter.”

The pilgrim said, "Don't worry, don't worry! It's all on me!"

But then the traveler hurriedly went over, untied the bundle, and sure enough, he saw a burst of radiant light!

The monkey then removed the oiled paper and took out the cassock!

Then, with a shake, the room was filled with red light and colorful energy.

Li Fa peeked from the side. Although it wasn't the first time he had seen the full view of the kasaya, he was still momentarily captivated.

The traveler boasted, "Your cassock has a cloud-patterned, bright silk outer layer, while mine has a brocade outer layer from the Western Paradise."

Yours is made of three-spindle soft silk, while mine is made of silk refined by ice silkworms.

Yours was woven by a skilled craftsman in the mortal world, while mine was made by a celestial maiden.

Yours is the work of a worldly woman, while mine is the exquisite craftsmanship of a celestial goddess.

Yours is made of pure gold thread, mine is made of purple gold strand.

You have seven kinds of gems, and I have eight kinds of spiritual pearls.

Yours is a white jade with four corners and a pearl at the top, while mine is a luminous pearl with four corners and an emerald at the top.

Yours is only good for decoration, but mine makes me impervious to evil spirits and fire.

Seeing this, Jin Chi also felt a competitive spirit and, gritting his teeth, ordered someone to bring out the wind-chopping pestle.

He said, "My cassock is nothing, this pestle is my real treasure."

So they asked someone to blow out the lamp, and sure enough, the vajra shone with great light, and chanting arose everywhere.

Jin Chi said, "This pestle was bestowed by the Bodhisattva; it is a genuine Buddhist treasure!"

Upon hearing his words, the pilgrim exclaimed, "What kind of treasure is this! Master, show them your staff as well!"