Chapter 14: The Master and Disciples Are Blocked at Wuzhuang Temple

Summary

The pilgrims arrive at Wuzhuang Temple, where Tang Sanzang refuses to eat the miraculous ginseng fruits. Zhu Bajie persuades Sun Wukong to steal some, but their theft is discovered. Enraged, Wukong retaliates by destroying the precious ginseng tree. The temple’s master, Zhenyuan Daxian, captures them, preparing to punish them for their crime.

Content

The four master and disciples endured the hardships of wind and rain as they journeyed for many days. One day, they ascended a high mountain and soon spotted a grand temple. As they approached, they saw a stone tablet outside the mountain gate, inscribed with ten large characters: “The Blessed Land of Longevity Mountain, the Celestial Cave of Wuzhuang Temple.”

Upon entering the first gate, they noticed a couplet on the second gate, which read: “An immortal’s abode, where longevity knows no bounds; A Taoist’s dwelling, as eternal as the heavens.”

Sun Wukong chuckled and said, “What bold words this Taoist proclaims! Even when I wreaked havoc in the Celestial Palace, I never saw such a boastful couplet outside the Supreme Lord Laozi’s gate.” Zhu Bajie replied, “What does it matter? Let’s go inside. Perhaps this Taoist possesses some virtue.”

As they stepped through the second gate, two young Taoist attendants hurriedly emerged, bowed, and greeted them, “Master Monk, forgive us for not welcoming you earlier. Please come in.” Tang Sanzang quickly returned the courtesy and followed them into the main hall. Inside, he was surprised to see no statues of deities; instead, only a plaque with the two grand characters “Heaven and Earth” was hanging on the wall.

Tang Sanzang stepped forward to burn incense and pay respects. After finishing, he asked, “Little immortals, why does your temple not enshrine the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, or the gods of the celestial realm, but only honor these two words, ‘Heaven and Earth’?”

One of the Taoist boys smiled and replied, “To be honest, the Three Pure Ones are our master’s friends, the Four Emperors are his old acquaintances, the Nine Stars are his juniors, and the Yuanchen Lords are his lesser guests. Therefore, we cannot enshrine them.”

Sun Wukong laughed and said, “I thought I was good at boasting, but these little Taoists are even better at fabricating lies.”

Tang Sanzang then asked, “Where is your master now?” The boy answered, “Our master, the Immortal Zhenyuan, was invited by the Celestial Lord Yuanshi to attend a lecture on the ‘Primordial Dao Fruit’ in the Heavenly Palace of Upper Clarity.”

Hearing this, Sun Wukong shouted, “Nonsense! Don’t try to deceive my master with such big talk!”

Tang Sanzang interjected, “Wukong, there’s no need to argue with them. Since their master is not here, we should not disturb them. Go to the mountain gate and tend to the horse.”

He then turned to Zhu Bajie and said, “Bajie, open the bundle and take out some rice. Borrow their kitchen to cook a meal, and before we leave, give them some money for firewood.”

Finally, he instructed Sha Wujing, “Wujing, you stay and guard the luggage.”

The three disciples set off to their tasks. Meanwhile, the two Taoist boys, Qingfeng (Clear Wind) and Mingyue (Bright Moon), whispered among themselves, “Master ordered us to entertain Tang Sanzang and offer him two ginseng fruits as a token of our past connection. He also told us to be wary of his disciples. Now that we’ve seen them, they truly look fierce and ill-tempered. Fortunately, we’ve kept them occupied; otherwise, they might have caused trouble over the ginseng fruits.”

The two returned to their quarters. One took a golden pestle, while the other carried a red silk-draped jade plate. They walked into the ginseng orchard, where Qingfeng climbed the tree and knocked down two fruits, which Mingyue caught in the plate.

They presented the fruits to Tang Sanzang, saying, “Master Monk, our temple is in a remote mountain with little to offer. Here are two simple ginseng fruits as refreshments.”

Tang Sanzang was startled at the sight of the fruits, which looked like tiny newborn infants. Trembling, he exclaimed, “Heavens! This year’s harvest is abundant, yet you still resort to eating human flesh?”

Mingyue explained, “Master, these are ginseng fruits, also known as ‘Grass Returning Elixir.’ Please try one to quench your thirst.”

Tang Sanzang firmly refused, “They look exactly like human babies. How could I eat them?”

Qingfeng explained, “These are fruits that grow on a tree.”

Tang Sanzang shook his head, saying, “Nonsense! How can trees bear human-shaped fruits? Take them away.”

Seeing that Tang Sanzang refused to eat, the two Taoist boys reluctantly took the fruits back to their quarters. Mingyue sighed, “This monk is too ordinary to recognize an immortal’s treasure. He has no fortune to enjoy it.”

Qingfeng agreed, “These fruits will spoil if left too long. We might as well eat them ourselves.”

So the two sat down and ate one each.

Now, their room was right next to the kitchen. Zhu Bajie overheard their conversation and was immediately tempted. However, due to his bulky frame, he could not move stealthily. So, he waited for Sun Wukong to return.

When Wukong arrived, Bajie eagerly called him over and told him about the ginseng fruits, urging him to steal some.

Sun Wukong said, “I have heard that these are celestial fruits. Eating one grants eternal life. If you want some, that’s easy.”

Bajie reminded him, “I heard you need a golden pestle to knock them down.”

Using his invisibility spell, Sun Wukong sneaked into the Taoists’ room while they were away. He found a golden pestle hanging by the window and took it. He then rushed to the orchard.

Seeing the towering ginseng tree, Wukong climbed up, knocked down a fruit, and jumped down to pick it up—only to find it had vanished.

Perplexed, he mused, “Strange! Did the fruit grow legs and run away? No, it must have been stolen by the local earth deity.”

He immediately summoned the Earth God, who swore, “Great Sage, I dare not take the fruit! These fruits are extremely rare, taking nine thousand years to ripen. A single whiff can extend life by three hundred sixty years, and eating one grants forty-seven thousand years of longevity. But they have a special property: they vanish upon touching the ground.”

Realizing his mistake, Wukong dismissed the Earth God and devised a new plan. This time, he caught the fruits in his robe, secured three of them, and returned to the kitchen.

Bajie was delighted, but after hastily swallowing his fruit, he regretted not savoring it and begged Wukong for more.

However, the Taoist boys soon discovered the theft, counted the missing fruits, and angrily accused the monks. Though Tang Sanzang had not eaten any, Wukong admitted the theft, enraging the Taoists.

In a fit of anger, Wukong retaliated by secretly pulling out a strand of his hair and creating a fake version of himself. His real body then sneaked into the orchard and destroyed the ginseng tree.

The Taoist boys were devastated and locked the monks inside their quarters.

When their master, Zhenyuan Daxian, returned and learned of the incident, he did not grow angry but instead said, “That troublemaking monkey has real abilities. No rush, I will go capture him myself.”

Using his celestial powers, he tracked down the four travelers, subdued them using his magic sleeve, and took them back to Wuzhuang Temple. He prepared to punish them, beginning with Tang Sanzang.

Just as Wukong was about to intervene, the immortal’s patience wore thin, and he decided to take decisive action...