Master and disciple rode forward until they reached the temple’s mountain gate . Beholding it, they saw it was truly an imposing monastery .
They beheld: tier upon tier of halls and pavilions stood in staggered array, while winding corridors linked one to the next. Beyond the three mountain gates, countless beams of multicolored auspicious clouds swirled in majesty; before the Hall of Five Blessings , a thousand strands of crimson mist gathered in splendor. On either side grew pines and bamboos , and a grove of cypress and juniper . The pines and bamboos, untouched by season, remained forever serene and pure; the grove of cypress and juniper, with branches and leaves, displayed an ancient vigor. They also saw the bell and drum towers soaring high, and the pagoda standing tall and straight. Monks sat in meditation , their minds calm and focused; birds sang melodiously among the trees. This place, in its solitude, was free from dust—truly solitary; in its purity, it held the Buddha’s Dharma —truly pure.
As the poem says: The sacred Jetavana Temple lay hidden in a nest of emerald green; Its scenic beauty surpassed that of the mortal world. Truly, such a pure land is rarely found among men; Under heaven, monks occupy the most famous mountains.
The elder dismounted, and the Pilgrim set down the luggage. They were about to enter when a crowd of monks emerged from within the gate. Behold their appearance: Upon their heads they wore caps with a slanting hairpin; Their bodies were clad in spotless monastic robes . Copper rings dangled from both ears; Silk sashes lightly bound their waists. Straw sandals were firmly on their feet; In their hands they carried wooden fish . Constantly they chanted the sutras , Their hearts devoted solely to Prajna wisdom .
When Sanzang saw them, he stood by the gate and performed the greeting ritual. The monk hastily returned the greeting, smiled, and said, “Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you from afar.” He then asked where they had come from and invited them into the abbot’s quarters for tea. Sanzang said, “I am an imperial envoy from the Great Tang in the East, sent to journey to the Thunderclap Monastery to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures . We arrived here as dusk was falling and wish to borrow a room in your esteemed temple for the night.” The monk replied, “Please, come in, come in!” Only then did Sanzang call for the Pilgrim to lead the horse inside.
The monk suddenly caught sight of the Pilgrim’s appearance and was somewhat frightened. He asked, “What is that creature leading the horse?” Sanzang quickly said, “Hush! Hush! He has a straightforward temper . If he hears you call him a ‘creature,’ he will become angry—he is my disciple.” The monk shuddered and bit his finger, saying, “Such an ugly, monstrous-looking fellow! How could you take him as a disciple?” Sanzang replied, “Do not underestimate him. Though his appearance is ugly, he is very useful.”
The monk had no choice but to lead Sanzang and the Pilgrim through the mountain gate. Once inside, they saw four large characters written above the main hall’s door: “ Guanyin Chan Temple .” Sanzang was overjoyed and said, “I have received the Bodhisattva’s holy grace many times and have not yet had the chance to kowtow in thanks. Now, encountering this Guanyin Chan Temple is like seeing the Bodhisattva herself. It is the perfect time to pay my respects.” Hearing this, the monk immediately ordered a Daoist to open the hall’s doors and invited Sanzang to worship.
The Pilgrim tied up the horse, set down the luggage, and entered the hall together with Sanzang. Sanzang stretched out his body, prostrated himself on the ground, and kowtowed before the Buddha image. The monk went to strike the drum, and the Pilgrim went to ring the bell. Sanzang knelt before the Buddha’s altar, offering his heartfelt prayers. When the prayers were finished, the monk stopped striking the drum, but the Pilgrim continued ringing the bell, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, for quite a while. The Daoist said, “The worship is already over. Why do you still ring the bell?” Only then did the Pilgrim put down the bell hammer and laugh, saying, “What do you know? I am just ‘being a monk for a day, ringing the bell for a day.’”
This clamor of the bell alarmed all the monks, great and small, and the elders of the upper and lower quarters throughout the temple. Hearing the bell ringing wildly, they all rushed out, shouting, “What wild man is here, recklessly striking the bell and drum?” The Pilgrim leaped out and bellowed, “It is your Grandfather Sun, amusing himself by striking them!” When those monks saw his appearance, they stumbled and fell, prostrating themselves on the ground, crying, “Grandfather Thunder God!” The Pilgrim said, “The Thunder God is still my great-grandson! Get up, get up, do not be afraid! We are lords from the Great Tang in the East.”
Only then did the assembled monks dare to rise and pay their respects. When they saw Sanzang, they finally felt relieved. Among them, the temple’s abbot stepped forward and invited them, “My lords, please come to the rear abbot’s quarters for tea.” Then someone untied the reins to lead the horse, and others carried the luggage. They passed the main hall, went straight into the rear chambers, and took their seats according to rank.
The abbot offered tea and then arranged for a vegetarian meal. It was still early in the day. Before Sanzang had even finished expressing his thanks, two young attendants came out from the rear, supporting an elderly monk.
Behold the elderly monk’s attire: On his head he wore a square Vairocana hat, with a cat’s-eye gem sparkling on its peak; On his body he wore a brocade-lined robe, with kingfisher-feather borders and golden edges gleaming. His monastic shoes were inlaid with eight precious gems; His walking staff was adorned with cloud-and-star patterns. His face was covered in wrinkles, as ancient as the Old Mother of Mount Li; His dim eyes were as deep as the Dragon Lord of the Eastern Sea. His teeth had fallen out, so his speech was lisping; His sinews had shriveled, making his back bent and his waist crooked.
The assembled monks said, “The Patriarch has arrived!” Sanzang bowed and greeted him, saying, “Venerable Abbot, your disciple pays his respects.” The elderly monk returned the greeting, and they each took their seats. The elderly monk said, “Just now, my disciples said that a lord from the Great Tang in the East had arrived, so I came out to pay my respects.” Sanzang replied, “I have taken the liberty of coming to your precious mountain without knowing the proper customs. I beg your forgiveness! Forgive me!” The elderly monk said, “I dare not! I dare not!” He then asked, “My lord, how far have you traveled from the East to reach this place?”
Sanzang said, “After leaving the borders of Chang’an, I have already traveled over five thousand miles. After crossing Two Realms Mountain, I took on a disciple and journeyed onward. Passing through the Kingdom of Western Halax, I traveled another two months, which amounts to another five or six thousand miles, before I arrived at your esteemed location.” The elderly monk said, “That adds up to nearly ten thousand miles! I have wasted my entire life without even stepping outside my mountain gate. Truly, I am a useless man who ‘looks at the sky from the bottom of a well.’” Sanzang then asked, “Venerable Abbot, how old are you?” The elderly monk replied, “To my shame, I am already two hundred and seventy years old.”
The Pilgrim, standing nearby, interjected, “Then you are still my ten-thousandth-generation grandson!” Sanzang glared at him and said, “Watch your words! Do not fail to understand rank and offend this gentleman.” The monk then asked the Pilgrim, “My lord, how old are you?” The Pilgrim replied, “That is hard to say.” The elderly monk took this as a joke and did not press the matter further, only ordering more tea to be served.
A young attendant brought out a mutton-fat jade plate with three cloisonné-gold-inlaid teacups. Another attendant carried a white copper teapot and poured three cups of fragrant tea. The tea’s color was more vivid than pomegranate blossoms, and its flavor was sweeter than osmanthus flowers. Sanzang, seeing this, praised it endlessly, saying, “Excellent things! Excellent things! Truly, fine tea matches fine vessels!”
The elderly monk said, “You flatter me, my lord! My lord comes from the Heavenly Court above, having seen countless rare and precious treasures. Such vessels are not worth praising. Since my lord comes from the upper realm, do you have any treasures that you could show to my disciples?” Sanzang replied, “Alas! In my Eastern land, there are no treasures. Even if there were, the journey is too far, and I could not bring them along.”
The Pilgrim, standing beside him, said, “Master, a few days ago I saw that cassock in the bundle. Is that not a treasure? How about showing it to them?” When the assembled monks heard the word “cassock,” they all sneered. The Pilgrim asked, “What are you laughing at?” The abbot said, “My lord calling a cassock a treasure is truly laughable. When it comes to cassocks, monks like us each have twenty or thirty of them. As for our Patriarch, who has been a monk here for two hundred and fifty or sixty years, he has at least seven or eight hundred!” Having said this, he ordered his men, “Bring them out for the lord to see!”
The elderly monk, also wanting to show off for the moment, ordered the Daoist to open the storehouse and had the acolytes carry out the cabinets. In an instant, twelve cabinets were brought out and placed in the courtyard. The locks were opened, and clothes racks were set up on both sides, with ropes stretched all around. The cassocks were shaken out one by one and hung up for Sanzang to see. Truly, the entire courtyard was filled with brocade and silk, and the four walls were adorned with dazzling embroidery!
The Pilgrim looked at them one by one. They were all patterned, embroidered, and gold-threaded goods. He laughed and said, “Good, good, good! Put them away! Put them away! Let us bring ours out for them to see.” Sanzang grabbed the Pilgrim and whispered, “Disciple, do not compete with others in showing off wealth. We are alone in a foreign land, and I fear trouble may arise.” The Pilgrim said, “What trouble could arise from looking at a cassock?”
Sanzang said, “You do not understand. The ancients said, ‘Do not let greedy and wicked people see rare and precious objects.’ Once they see them, they will surely become covetous. Once covetousness arises, evil schemes will follow. If you are afraid of trouble, it would be fine to give it to them if they demand it. Otherwise, losing your life might begin with this incident. This is no small matter!” The Pilgrim said, “Rest assured! Rest assured! I will handle it all!”
Without waiting for further discussion, he hurried over and untied the bundle. Immediately, rays of light burst forth. The cassock was wrapped in two layers of oiled paper. Removing the paper, he took out the cassock and shook it open. The entire room was filled with red light, and the courtyard was saturated with multicolored energy. When the assembled monks saw it, there was not one who did not praise it joyfully. This cassock was truly a treasure! Upon it were: A thousand ingenious pearl pendants, and ten thousand rare Buddha treasures gathered. Above and below, dragon’s whiskers spread colorful brocade; all around, fine silk edged the borders. Wearing it, evil spirits would be vanquished; donning it, demons would be sent to the underworld. It was made by the hands of celestial immortals; only a true monk could dare to wear it.
When the elderly monk saw such a treasure, he was indeed moved by evil and covetous thoughts. He stepped forward, knelt before Sanzang, and said, tears streaming from his eyes, “I am truly without karmic affinity!” Sanzang quickly helped him up and asked, “Venerable Abbot, what do you wish to say?” The elderly monk said, “My lord, when this treasure of yours was unfolded just now, the sky had already grown dark. Unfortunately, my eyes are dim and I could not see it clearly. Is this not a sign of lacking karmic affinity?”
Sanzang said, “Light some lamps, and let you see it again.” The elderly monk said, “My lord’s treasure itself emits light. If lamps are lit, they will only dazzle the eyes and make it even harder to see clearly.” The Pilgrim asked, “Then how would you like to see it?” The elderly monk said, “If my lord is magnanimous and trusts me, please allow me to take the cassock to the rear chamber and examine it carefully through the night. Tomorrow morning, I will return it to you and see you off on your westward journey. What does my lord think of this?”
When Sanzang heard this, he was startled and complained to the Pilgrim, “It is all your fault! All your fault!” The Pilgrim laughed and said, “What is there to fear? Let me wrap it up and let him take it to look at. If there is the slightest mishap, I will take full responsibility.” Sanzang could not stop him. The Pilgrim handed the cassock to the elderly monk and said, “Take it and look at it as you please. But tomorrow morning, you must return it to me exactly as it is, without a single blemish.”
The elderly monk, overjoyed, ordered a young attendant to take the cassock into the rear chamber. He then instructed the assembled monks, “Clean the front meditation hall, set up two rattan beds, spread the bedding, and invite the two lords to rest.” He also ordered preparations for the next morning’s vegetarian meal to see them off. Afterward, everyone dispersed. Master and disciple closed the meditation hall’s door and lay down to rest. We will leave them for now.
As for the elderly monk, after he had tricked the cassock into his hands, he took it into the rear chamber. There, beneath the lamp, he held the cassock and wept bitterly. This threw all the other monks in the temple into a panic; no one dared to go to sleep first. The young attendant did not know why the elderly monk was crying and went to tell the other monks, “The Patriarch has been crying until the second watch of the night, and still has not stopped.”
Two of the elderly monk’s most beloved disciples came forward and asked, “Patriarch, why are you crying?” The elderly monk said, “I am crying because I lack karmic affinity. Even though I have seen the Tang Monk’s treasure, I cannot possess it for long!” The younger monks tried to console him, “Patriarch, you are of such an advanced age. You have seen everything under heaven. His cassock is right before you. Why not just open it and look at it? Why do you weep so bitterly?” The elderly monk sighed and said, “Looking at it will not last long! I am already two hundred and seventy years old this year. Although I have accumulated several hundred cassocks, why can I not obtain this one of his? Why can I not be like the Tang Monk and possess such a fine cassock?” The younger monk said, “Patriarch, your words are mistaken. The Tang Monk is just a wandering monk who has left his home and travels far and wide. You are of such an advanced age. You have enjoyed all the blessings you could. Why do you wish to become a wandering monk like him?” The elderly monk said, “Although I have lived comfortably at home and enjoyed my old age, I have never worn a cassock like his. If I could wear it for just one day, I could die with my eyes closed, and my life as a monk would not have been in vain!”
The other monks all tried to persuade him, “You are being too unreasonable! What is so difficult about wanting to wear his cassock? Tomorrow, we will keep him here for one day, and you can wear it for one day. Keep him here for ten days, and you can wear it for ten days. Is that not good enough? Why must you cry like this?” The elderly monk shook his head and said, “Even if I keep him here for a year or half a year, I can only wear it for a year or half a year. In the end, it is not a long-term plan. When he wants to leave, I must return the cassock to him. How can I keep it here forever?”
While they were talking, a young monk named Guangzhi stepped forward and said, “Patriarch, it is also easy to possess the cassock for a long time.” When the elderly monk heard this, he immediately became cheerful and said, “My child, what good plan do you have?” Guangzhi said, “That Tang Monk and his disciple are travelers. They are exhausted and have already fallen asleep. Let us find a few strong men, take knives and spears, pry open the meditation hall’s door, kill them, and bury the corpses in the rear garden. Only our family will know of this matter. Then, not only can we take his white horse and luggage, but we can also keep the cassock as a heirloom treasure. Is this not a plan that will benefit our descendants for generations?”
When the elderly monk heard this, he was filled with joy. He quickly wiped away his tears and said, “Good! Good! Good! This plan is excellent!” With that, he began to prepare the knives and spears.
At this moment, another young monk stepped forward. He was Guangzhi’s junior brother, named Guangmou. Guangmou said, “This plan is not good. If we want to kill them, we must first assess the situation. That white-faced Tang Monk seems easy to handle, but that hairy-faced Sun Wukong looks very difficult to deal with. If we fail to kill them, we will instead bring disaster upon ourselves. I have a plan that does not require knives or spears. I wonder what you think of it?” The elderly monk asked, “My child, what plan do you have?” Guangmou said, “In my opinion, we should now summon all the people from the eastern quarters. Each person should take a bundle of dry firewood, and we will set fire to those three meditation halls. Let them have no chance to escape. We will burn them and the horse to ashes. Even if the people in the villages before and behind the mountain see it, we can say that they accidentally started a fire themselves, which also burned down our meditation hall. In this way, those two monks will be burned to death. We can also cover up the truth, and the cassock can become our family heirloom!”
When the assembled monks heard this, they were all overjoyed and said, “Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! This plan is even better! Even better!” Then they called for people from every quarter to go and fetch firewood.
Alas! This plan would cause the long-lived elderly monk to lose his life, and the Guanyin Chan Temple to be reduced to ashes! It turned out that this temple had seventy or eighty quarters, with over two hundred people, old and young. That night, everyone moved the firewood together, surrounding the meditation hall front and back, left and right, in an impenetrable circle. They were just waiting to set the fire. We will leave them for now.
As for Tang Sanzang and his disciple, they had already fallen asleep. But Sun Wukong was a spiritual monkey. Although he was lying down, he remained vigilant, his eyes half-closed and not fully asleep. Suddenly, he heard the constant sound of people moving about outside, along with the noise of moving firewood and the sound of the wind. He thought to himself, “In the middle of the night, why are there sounds of people walking? Could it be that bandits want to harm us?” He sprang up in one motion and wanted to open the door to go out and see, but he was afraid of waking his master.
Behold how he gathered his spirit, shook his body, and transformed into a honeybee. Truly it is said: Its mouth is sweet, its tail is venomous; its waist is slender, its body is light. It flies through flowers and willows as swift as an arrow; it follows willow catkins and seeks fragrance like a falling star. Its tiny body can bear heavy loads; its buzzing thin wings can ride the wind. It then squeezed out from under the eaves to see clearly.
Sun Wukong, transformed into a honeybee, flew out and saw that the monks were moving firewood and grass, and had already surrounded the meditation hall, preparing to set the fire. He laughed to himself and said, “It is exactly as Master said! They want to harm our lives and steal my cassock, so they have conceived such a vicious heart. If I were to beat them with my staff, I would pity them for being unable to withstand it. One round of blows would kill them all, and then Master would blame me for committing violence. Forget it, forget it, forget it! I will just go with the flow and turn their scheme against them. Let them be unable to keep this Chan Temple!”
Brave Sun Wukong! With a single somersault, he leaped up to the Southern Heavenly Gate. This so frightened the four marshals Pang, Liu, Gou, and Bi that they hastily bowed, and the four generals Ma, Zhao, Wen, and Guan hurriedly bent in salute, all shouting, “This is terrible! This is terrible! That troublemaker who caused havoc in Heaven is here again!”
Sun Wukong waved his hand and said, “No need to bow, do not be afraid. I have come to seek the Heavenly King Virupaksha.” As soon as he finished speaking, the Heavenly King Virupaksha arrived and greeted Sun Wukong, saying, “Long time no see, long time no see. I heard before that Bodhisattva Guanyin came to see the Jade Emperor and borrowed the Four Duty Gods, the Six Ding and Six Jia, and the Guardian Spirits to protect Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to fetch scriptures. I also heard that you became his disciple. How is it that you have the leisure to come here today?” Sun Wukong said, “Let us skip the pleasantries. Tang Sanzang has encountered evil men on the road who are setting a fire to burn him. The situation is extremely urgent. I have come to borrow your Fire-Avoiding Cover to save his life. Give me the Fire-Avoiding Cover quickly, and I will return it as soon as I have used it.” The Heavenly King said, “You must be mistaken! Since evil men are setting a fire, you should borrow water to put out the fire. Why do you want to borrow the Fire-Avoiding Cover?” Sun Wukong said, “How could you possibly understand the subtlety of this! If I borrow water to put out the fire, the fire will not be able to start, and I would be doing them a favor instead. I am borrowing the Fire-Avoiding Cover only to protect Tang Sanzang and keep him from harm. As for the rest of the place, let it burn. I do not care about it. Hurry! Hurry! Any later and it will be too late. Do not delay my business!” The Heavenly King laughed and said, “You monkey are still so wicked at heart. You only care about your own people and do not care whether others live or die.” Sun Wukong said impatiently, “Give it to me quickly! Give it to me quickly! Stop with the idle chatter. Delaying my important business will not do!” The Heavenly King dared not refuse to lend it, so he handed the Fire-Avoiding Cover to Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong took the Fire-Avoiding Cover, stepped onto his cloud, and flew straight to the roof of the meditation hall. He used the Fire-Avoiding Cover to protect Tang Sanzang, the white horse, and the luggage. Then he flew to the roof of the rear abbot’s quarters where the elderly monk lived and sat there, intending to protect the cassock. He watched as those people set the fire. Instead of preventing it, he formed a hand seal, recited a spell, and, facing the Xun direction, inhaled a breath and blew it out. A wind arose, fanning the flames even more fiercely, causing them to roar and crackle.
What a great fire! What a great fire! Behold the fire: Black smoke spread thick and dark; red flames leaped and surged. The black smoke spread thick and dark, blotting out all stars from the long sky; the red flames leaped and surged, lighting up the great earth for a thousand miles in crimson. At first, it was like a dazzling golden serpent; later, it became like a fierce, blood-red horse. The Southern Three Energies displayed their might; the God of Fire exerted his magical power. The dry firewood fed the raging flames, surpassing even Suiren’s drilling for fire; the cooked oil before the door sent up colorful flames, outdoing the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord’s furnace. Truly, it was a merciless fire, how could it be stopped by this intentional violence? Instead of quelling the disaster, they aided the evil. The wind followed the fire’s power, and the flames soared over a thousand feet high; the fire took advantage of the wind’s might, and the ashes flew beyond the nine layers of clouds. With a crackling and popping sound, it was like firecrackers at the end of the year; with a roaring and rushing sound, it was like cannon fire in an army camp. The fire burned so fiercely that the Buddha images on the spot could not escape, and the temple guardians in the eastern courtyard had nowhere to hide. It surpassed the night battle at Red Cliffs, and was more intense than the fire in the Epang Palace!
Truly, a single spark can burn ten thousand acres of fertile land. In a short while, the wind grew wilder and the fire burned more fiercely. The entire Guanyin Temple was glowing red. Behold the monks: some were moving boxes, some were carrying cages, some were grabbing tables, some were lifting pots. The entire courtyard was filled with cries of “Father!” and “Mother!” and shouts of misery. Sun Wukong protected the rear abbot’s quarters, and the Fire-Avoiding Cover protected the front meditation hall. Everywhere else, flames shot into the sky. Truly, red flames illuminated the heavens, and golden light pierced the walls!
Unexpectedly, when the fire started, it alarmed a monster on the mountain. About twenty miles due south of this Guanyin Temple was Black Wind Mountain. In the mountain was Black Wind Cave, and in the cave lived a demon. At that time, the demon had just woken up and was turning over in his sleep. He saw a bright light outside his window and thought it was dawn. When he got up and looked, he saw that it was a fire to the north. The demon was greatly startled and said, “Ah! This must be a fire at the Guanyin Temple! These monks are so careless! I must go and help them put out the fire.”
Brave demon! He leaped onto his cloud and flew in an instant to the side of the smoke and fire. Truly, it was a fire reaching to the heavens. The front halls were already burned to nothing, while the eastern and western corridors were still blazing. He strode in and was just about to shout for people to fetch water when he saw that the rear chamber had no fire, and there was a person sitting on the roof blowing the wind. He immediately understood what was happening. He rushed into the rear chamber to investigate and saw a glow of light and color in the middle of the abbot’s quarters. On the table lay a blue felt bundle. He untied the bundle and saw that inside was a brocade-lined cassock. It was a precious treasure of the Buddha’s school. Truly, his heart was blinded by greed. He did not help put out the fire, nor did he call for people to fetch water. He took the cassock, slipped away in the chaos, mounted his cloud, and flew straight back to Black Wind Mountain.
That fire burned all the way until the fifth watch of the night, and only went out when dawn broke. Behold the monks: every one of them was naked, weeping and wailing. They were all searching through the ashes for copper and iron, digging for charcoal, and groping for gold and silver. Some were setting up makeshift shelters at the foot of the walls, others were setting up pots to cook by the blackened walls. The entire courtyard was filled with cries of injustice and chaotic noise. We will leave them for now.
As for Sun Wukong, he returned the Fire-Avoiding Cover. With a single somersault, he leaped up to the Southern Heavenly Gate and returned the Fire-Avoiding Cover to the Heavenly King Virupaksha, saying, “Thank you for the loan! Thank you for the loan!” The Heavenly King took the Fire-Avoiding Cover and said, “Great Sage, you are truly trustworthy. I was just worried that you might not return my treasure, and I would have no way to ask you for it. Fortunately, you have returned it immediately.” Sun Wukong said, “When have I, Old Sun, ever been one to cheat people to their faces? This is what is called, ‘Borrow properly, return properly, and borrowing again is not difficult.’” The Heavenly King said, “We have not seen each other for a long time. Would you like to come to my palace and sit for a while?” Sun Wukong said, “I am different now from before. I can no longer ‘sit on a worn-out bench and talk at length.’ Now I must protect Tang Sanzang on his journey to fetch the scriptures. I have no leisure time. We will talk another time! We will talk another time!” With that, he quickly took his leave of the Heavenly King, mounted his cloud, and leaped downward. It happened that the sun was just rising.
Sun Wukong flew straight to the front of the meditation hall, shook his body, and transformed back into a honeybee. He flew inside, changed back to his original form, and saw that his master was still fast asleep. He woke his master, saying, “Master, it is dawn. Get up.” Tang Sanzang then woke up, turned over, and sat up, saying, “Good, good.” He put on his clothes, opened the door, and went out. When he looked up, he saw only collapsed red walls everywhere. The original towers, pavilions, and halls were all gone. He was greatly alarmed and asked, “Ah! How are all the halls and pavilions gone? Only the red walls remain. What has happened?” Sun Wukong said, “Master, you are still dreaming! There was a fire here last night.” Tang Sanzang said, “How is it that I knew nothing about it?” Sun Wukong said, “I protected the meditation hall. Seeing that you were sleeping soundly, I did not disturb you.” Tang Sanzang said, “Since you had the power to protect the meditation hall, why did you not save the rest of the place from the fire?” Sun Wukong laughed and said, “Master, you do not know. It was exactly as you said yesterday. They had their eyes on our cassock and plotted to burn us to death. If I had not detected it, we would both be ashes by now!” When Tang Sanzang heard this, he said in fear, “Was it they who set the fire?” Sun Wukong said, “If it was not them, who else could it be?” Tang Sanzang said suspiciously, “Could it be that you were offended by the treatment and deliberately did this?” Sun Wukong said, “When has I, Old Sun, ever been such an evil person as to do such a wicked deed? It was indeed they who set the fire. I saw that their hearts were too venomous, so I did not help them put out the fire. I merely lent a little help by blowing the wind.” Tang Sanzang said anxiously, “Heavens! Heavens! When a fire starts, you should help by pouring water on it. How could you instead help by blowing the wind?” Sun Wukong said, “Master, have you not heard the ancients say, ‘If others do not provoke me, I will not provoke them’? If they had not set the fire to harm us, how would I have helped by blowing the wind?” Tang Sanzang then asked, “What about the cassock? Could it have been damaged by the fire?” Sun Wukong said, “No problem! No problem! It cannot be burned. The abbot’s quarters where the cassock was placed did not catch fire.” Tang Sanzang said angrily, “I do not care! If the cassock is damaged in the slightest, I will recite the Tight-Band Spell and make you ache to death!” Sun Wukong was alarmed and said, “Master, do not recite it! Do not recite it! I will definitely find the cassock and return it to you. Wait for me to go and get the cassock, and then we will be on our way.” Only then did Tang Sanzang lead the horse, and Sun Wukong carry the luggage. They left the meditation hall and went straight to the rear courtyard and the abbot’s quarters.
Those monks were still in their grief when they suddenly saw Tang Sanzang and his disciple leading the horse and carrying the luggage approaching. They were so frightened that their souls flew away and their spirits scattered, and they cried out loudly, “The vengeful spirits have come to claim their lives!” Sun Wukong bellowed, “What vengeful spirits coming to claim lives! Quickly return my cassock to me!” The assembled monks all knelt on the ground, knocking their heads and begging for mercy, saying, “Grandfather, spare our lives! A wrong has its head, a debt has its master. If you want to claim a life, it has nothing to do with us. It was Guangmou and the old Patriarch who devised the plan to harm you. Do not seek an accounting from us.” Sun Wukong said sternly, “When did I ever say I was seeking an accounting from you! I only want you to bring out the cassock so that we can continue our journey!” Among them, two monks who were bolder said, “My lord, were you not burned to death in the meditation hall? Now you have come back asking for the cassock. Are you a human or a ghost?” Sun Wukong laughed and said, “You fools! What fire could possibly burn us to death? Go to the front and look at the meditation hall, then come back and talk to me!” The assembled monks scrambled to their feet and ran to the front to look at the meditation hall. They saw that the doors, windows, and wooden shutters on the outside of the meditation hall were not damaged at all. The monks were both terrified and in awe. Only then did they realize that Tang Sanzang was a divine monk and Sun Wukong was a guardian deity. They all came forward, kowtowing and saying, “We have eyes but could not see. We did not recognize a true immortal descending to the mortal world! Your cassock is in the rear abbot’s quarters, with the Patriarch.”
Tang Sanzang walked