Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 314 - 315: You all are the benefactors of my Saisai Country

Chapter 314: Chapter 315: You all are the benefactors of my Saisai Country

The monk, upon hearing Xuanzang’s words, dared not harbor the slightest doubt.

Xuanzang entered the Pagoda.

He swept one level, then the next, all the way up to the seventh floor.

Although Xuanzang’s Cultivation Level was not yet fully restored, he was still beyond comparison with ordinary mortals.

Xuanzang paused briefly and looked at Sun Wukong, asking, "How many floors does this tower have?"

"Thirteen floors, and we’ve only swept half of them!" Sun Wukong replied.

Xuanzang nodded and continued to sweep upward.

"Master, if you’re tired, you can ask Old Sun to help you sweep!"

Sun Wukong said with a smile.

"No need, it’s a small matter!"

Xuanzang waved his hand, his actions a mere ruse to deceive those in Buddhism.

As they talked, they had already arrived at the thirteenth floor.

They faintly heard voices of people speaking inside.

It seemed that someone was drinking and playing a game of dice inside.

Xuanzang glanced at Sun Wukong, who then kicked the door open with a single kick.

With a bang,

the door was kicked open.

Xuanzang and Sun Wukong looked inside.

They saw two creatures, one with swollen cheeks and black armor and a sharp beak, the other with slippery skin and a big belly, a wide mouth, and long whiskers, sitting at a table drinking and eating meat.

The two Fish Head Monsters were squatting on their chairs, eating the offered fruits, playing dice, and drinking wine.

Suddenly seeing someone enter, the two Fish Head Monsters were startled.

But when they raised their heads and saw a clueless monk accompanied by a monkey, their courage grew.

One of the Fish Head Monsters shouted loudly, "Who’s this baldy daring to meddle in your grandpa’s affairs?!"

"Amitabha Buddha, you even dare to come back now?"

Xuanzang knew that these two probably had something to do with the loss of the Buddhist Relic.

"Impudent baldy, you even dare to speak to us like that!"

As he spoke, one of the Fish Head Monsters picked up a knife from nearby and swung it directly at Xuanzang.

Sun Wukong beside him raised his foot and kicked the Fish Head Monster to the ground.

Xuanzang chanted Buddhist verses.

Behind him, numerous radiant Buddha’s lights shone, and under such power, the two Fish Head Monsters couldn’t help but reveal regret in their eyes, and then they knelt down immediately.

"We admit our mistakes!"

Sun Wukong glared at the two Fish Head Monsters and angrily said, "If you want to live, confess the truth. Where are you rude monsters from, and who stole the Buddha’s Treasure Shariputra from the tower?"

The two demons had Xuanzang’s Universal Salvation and Sun Wukong’s suppression.

They hastily replied, "We two were sent by the Dragon King Wansheng of Green Wave Pond in Chaotic Stone Mountain to patrol the tower."

"He’s called Ben Bo Er Ba, and I’m Ba Ben Er Bo. He’s the Catfish Demon, and I’m the Black Fish Spirit."

"The old Dragon of Wansheng had a daughter, called Wansheng Princess. She’s beautiful as a flower under the moon with plenty of talents. She brought forth a Prince Consort named Nine-Headed Horse with vast Divine Skills."

"Two years ago, the Dragon King came here, showed Great Magical Power, caused a blood rain, defiled the Pagoda, and stole the Buddhist Relic from inside the tower."

"The Princess then went up to the Spirit Celestial Palace in front of the Great Luo and stole the Nine-leaf Ganoderma from Queen Mother of the West, cultivating it at the bottom of that pond bathed in Golden Light and Rosy Clouds, shining day and night."

"Recently hearing about a Sun Wukong going to the Western Heaven to Seek Scriptures, boasting vast Divine Skills, who often causes trouble along the way, we were sent here from time to time to patrol and intercept. If there’s news of Sun Wukong, we could thus be prepared in advance."

Upon hearing the demons’ words, Xuanzang brought his hands together in prayer and said, "Amitabha Buddha, with this, the monks of the Golden Light Monastery can finally be exonerated."

Unexpectedly, after sweeping a tower, they had already found the reason.

Sun Wukong said with a smile, "First, we will detain these two demons. Tomorrow morning, we shall go to the court and see the King!"

"Let these two demons confront each other in court. No matter how incompetent the King is, he will no longer wrong the monks of the Golden Light Monastery."

"That is indeed what should be done." Xuanzang nodded.

Afterward, Xuanzang had the two Fish Head Monsters clean up the remaining places. Then he walked down with the two demons in tow.

Just as they stepped out of the Pagoda, Zhu Bajie arrived with two Little Monks in tow.

Zhu Bajie said, "Seeing you hadn’t returned, I became worried. Is the sweeping done?"

"All done!" Xuanzang nodded and said.

Sun Wukong said with a laugh, "Not only is the sweeping done, we’ve also caught the thief who stole the treasures."

"Where is the thief who stole the treasure?" Zhu Bajie hurriedly asked.

"Right here!" Sun Wukong looked back for a glance.

Zhu Bajie followed Sun Wukong’s gaze and saw two Fish Head Monsters following behind Xuanzang, as if they were little novice monks.

Zhu Bajie cursed, "Hey! These two demons are hideous. Now that we’ve caught them, why not kill them instead of keeping them around?"

Xuanzang waved his hand and smiled, "To be able to correct one’s mistakes is most commendable, and besides, we can take them to see the king tomorrow to vindicate the monks of Golden Light Monastery."

"That makes sense. We’ll spare their dog lives for now," Zhu Bajie said with a laugh. "The master is very thoughtful indeed. However, with your ability to universally save beings, I guess not many demons could resist."

The monks of Golden Light Monastery had received the news and immediately spread the word, "It’s all right now, we’ve been cleared! The demons who stole the treasure have been caught by our masters!"

The next morning, Xuanzang got ready to enter the palace to meet the king, exchange the pass permit, and speak to the king of the Saisai Country about the Golden Light Monastery to clear the monks’ names.

It was agreed that Xuanzang, Sun Wukong, and Zhu Bajie would go to the palace, while Sand Monk stayed at the monastery to guard the two demons.

Zhu Bajie asked in confusion, "Why don’t we bring these two demons into the palace?"

Xuanzang smiled and explained, "Once we report to the king, he will naturally send people to take them. If we rashly bring two demons into the palace, it might frighten the king and all the courtiers, which would not be good."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie nodded and said, "The master has thought everything through. In that case, Junior Brother Sand must guard them carefully here!"

"Just, I hope that when the king holds a banquet for us, the vegetarian dishes are a bit better, since we’ve made some effort after all."

Hearing this, Sun Wukong couldn’t help but scold with a laugh, "You fool, when have you ever forgotten about eating? The king will definitely treat you well."

By this time, Xuanzang was fully dressed and nodded, "Well then, let’s set out!"

The three of them then left the Golden Light Monastery and arrived at the Donghua Gate outside the Royal Palace. They said to the official guarding the gate, "Please report to the king, this monk is a pilgrim from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land on his way to the Western Heaven to seek the Scriptures and wishes to meet with His Majesty to exchange the pass permit."

The official, upon hearing that they were imperial envoys from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, did not dare to neglect his duties and quickly ushered the three of them into a pavilion to rest while he hurried to inform the king of the Saisai Country.

Upon hearing the report, the king immediately issued an Imperial Decree to summon Xuanzang and the others for an audience.

Xuanzang, along with Zhu Bajie and Wukong, entered the palace. The courtiers were struck with fear at the sight of Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie’s appearance and dared not stare; some called them monkey monks, others said they had the mouth of Thunder Duke.

Xuanzang, fearing Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie would scare the king, asked them to wait outside the hall and went in alone to see the king.

Xuanzang entered the Golden Throne Hall and quickly saluted.

The king nodded in acknowledgment and Xuanzang reported, "This monk, sent by the State of Great Tang in the Southern Continent Jambudvipa, has come to the Great Thunder Sound Temple of the Western Heaven in the Tianzhu Country to seek the True Scriptures. I have traveled through many lands with official pass permits and hope for Your Majesty’s permission to continue."

The king, seeing Xuanzang’s impeccable manners, nodded slightly and then ordered a seat to be given to him. The court ladies quickly brought over a cushion for Xuanzang to sit upon.

Xuanzang first presented the Pass Permit before taking his seat with thanks.

Glancing around the hall, Xuanzang thought to himself: The Saisai Country truly deserves its reputation as a great country of the West. Its Golden Throne Hall is indeed grand and majestic. Though it may not compare to Great Tang, it is not far off.

The king, after examining the travel permit, heaved a soft sigh and said, "Like your King of Great Tang who can choose a high monk, willing to traverse countless miles to worship Buddha and seek scriptures."

"But the monks here are solely focused on thievery, undermining the fortune of our state!"

Xuanzang suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, how do you mean they have undermined the state?"

The king sighed and replied, "Our country is a supreme nation in the Western Regions, often receiving tributes from various foreign lands, all because we have the Golden Light Temple within our borders, which houses a Golden Pagoda radiating glorious light into the heavens. Recently, thieving monks from the temple stole its treasures, and for three years, the radiance has been absent. For the past two years, foreign states have ceased their tributaries, causing me great heartache and resentment."

Xuanzang promptly said, "Your Majesty, a slight deviation at the outset can lead to a great error eventually. Last night when I reached the capital, upon entering the city gates, I saw more than a dozen monks shackled."

"When I inquired about their crimes, they claimed they were wrongfully accused by Golden Light Temple."

"Upon thorough investigation at the temple, I discovered this matter was not related to the temple monks. Last night, while cleaning the pagoda, I captured the demon thief who stole the treasures."

"Oh?" The king, upon hearing this, was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Where is the demon thief now?"

Xuanzang promptly replied, "He is currently locked up inside the Golden Light Temple by my disciples."

The king immediately ordered, "Issue an imperial decree at once for the Imperial Guards to hurry to the Golden Light Temple and escort the demon thief to the palace, where I shall personally interrogate him."

Xuanzang quickly said, "Although the Imperial Guards are capable, perhaps it would be best if my disciples go forth as it may be necessary to bring the demon thief here."

"Where is your esteemed disciple?" the king inquired.

"Old Sun is right here!" Sun Wukong, hearing this, leapt into the hall from outside and shouted loudly.

Zhu Bajie also walked in.

When the king suddenly saw Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, with their peculiar appearances, he nearly fell off his dragon throne in fright and exclaimed, "The holy monk has such majestic bearings, how can his disciples look like this?"

Hearing this, Sun Wukong shouted sternly, "Your Majesty, one mustn’t judge by appearances, the sea cannot be measured by its depth, and if all were men of imposing stature, perhaps they’d be incapable of dealing with a demon thief, no?"

The king, upon hearing this, nodded and said, "The holy monk speaks truly. As long as you can capture the culprit and retrieve the Buddha’s Treasure to restore it atop the pagoda, you will all be benefactors to Saisai Country."

Xuanzang humbly exchanged a few polite words, after which the king issued an order for the Imperial Guards to follow Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie back to the Golden Light Temple to bring the demon into the royal court.

With that, Sun Wukong led Zhu Bajie out of the great hall.

The Imperial Guards’ commander, upon receiving the imperial edict and knowing that Sun Wukong was a distinguished guest, naturally didn’t dare to slight him. He specially prepared a grand eight-person sedan chair, accompanied by officials beating gongs to clear the way, as they set off towards the Golden Light Temple with great pomp and circumstance.

Not only was there a large retinue of Imperial Guards, but some civilian and military officials also joined the procession to the Golden Light Temple, making for an impressive entourage.

Sun Wukong, the playful monkey, saw an official wearing an attractive hat, reached out his hand with a gesture, and the hat immediately flew towards Sun Wukong and landed on his head.

Sun Wukong, wearing the official hat, looked quite pleased with himself.

Zhu Bajie, seeing Sun Wukong’s antics, couldn’t be bothered to intervene and simply dozed off, snoring loudly.