Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 430 - 406: Could It Be That Someone Stole the Lamp Oil?_2

Chapter 430: Chapter 406: Could It Be That Someone Stole the Lamp Oil?_2

Xuanzang quickly responded with humility, "Abbot, you flatter me too much. I’m just an itinerant monk, unlike you who can leisurely nurture your ease here, truly enjoying the blessings."

The old monk exchanged pleasantries with Xuanzang for a few sentences and hurriedly invited him into the temple. They first went to the main hall and paid their respects to the Buddha statue.

The old monk had already ordered people to tidy up the best meditation room and invited Xuanzang and his companions to stay there.

When the monks in the temple heard that a person from China had arrived, they rushed over to see. Seeing Xuanzang who was tall and handsome, they naturally felt envious.

Seeing that Sun Wukong and the other two had ugly appearances, they also felt secretly surprised and whispered to each other in low voices, "It turns out that these people from China have both the handsome and the ugly. The handsome are really beyond description, while the ugly are singularly strange."

Having heard some discussing his disciples, Xuanzang quickly said, "Although my three disciples are somewhat ugly, they have kind hearts, and each one possesses strong mana. I owe much to the protection of these three along the way. Otherwise, I truly wouldn’t have been able to get here."

Zhu Bajie also shouted in agreement, "Did you hear what my master said? We may be ugly, but we have powerful mana, not like some people who may look good but are useless, just like a decorative pillow."

Sun Wukong had just taken a sip of tea and set down his teacup when he glanced at Zhu Bajie and asked with a frown, "Idiot, the only one here who is beautiful but useless might be our master, don’t you fear that master will give you universal salvation?"

Although Xuanzang possessed the power of universal salvation, sadly his strength was not great. Despite having this ability, it was often broken, and he ended up being captured instead.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie hurriedly explained, "Master, old Zhu didn’t mean you! I was talking about this bunch of monks! Hey! Don’t just stand there and gawk; we’ve been traveling all day, and we’re both tired and hungry. Go and prepare the vegetarian meal quickly, and let us enjoy it."

Xuanzang gave Zhu Bajie a stern look and said, "Bajie, do not be disrespectful."

The old monk quickly said with a smile, "Esteemed guests, there’s no need to worry. I have already ordered the vegetarian meal to be prepared for you; it will be ready shortly."

"Then we thank the abbot deeply. My disciple doesn’t understand the rules; I hope the abbot won’t take offense," Xuanzang replied with courteousness.

"No offense taken, no offense taken!" the old monk quickly replied, "May I ask what brings the venerable teacher to this place?"

Xuanzang detailed the story of his journey to the Western Heaven for scriptures to the old monk. Afterward, he asked, "Disciple is new to this precious place; may I know the name of this locality?"

The old monk quickly answered, "This place is the lower prefecture of Tianzhu Country, known as Jinpingfu."

Xuanzang nodded slightly and then asked, "May I know how much longer the journey is to Mount Meru from your prefecture?"

"Well..." The old monk furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and then replied, "I am but a humble monk and have not been to Mount Meru, so I’m not sure about the distance. However, I do know it’s still two thousand miles to our capital city from here!"

Xuanzang nodded again, thinking that Mount Meru was not far off and felt somewhat mixed emotions in his heart.

At this point, the old monk continued, "It has been a long and arduous journey for the esteemed guests. Why not stay for a couple of days in our modest temple? After the Lantern Festival, there will still be time to continue your journey."

Upon hearing this, Xuanzang quickly asked, "On the road, I’m only aware of mountains and rivers, and I fear encountering demons and spirits, missing out on time. May I ask, when is the Lantern Festival?"

The old monk replied with a smile, "The revered teacher prioritizes worshipping the Buddha and meditation and thus pays little mind to such matters. Today is the Thirteenth of the First Lunar Month. We will test the lanterns tonight, and on the fifteenth is Shangyuan. The festivities will last until the eighteenth or nineteenth before the lanterns are taken down."

"Families here are keen on celebrating. The local governor loves his people, so the entire place is decked in bright lanterns, with music playing all night. There’s also the Golden Lantern Bridge, a legacy from Ancient Times that remains prosperous to this day. I invite the honored guests to stay for a few days. Though my mountain temple is not wealthy, we can still manage to host you."

As soon as Zhu Bajie heard there would be festivities for the Lantern Festival, he immediately started clamoring, "Master, since the abbot is so hospitable, why don’t we stay two more days? After the festival, we can resume our journey. Besides, we have been tired from traveling all this way. It’s just right to rest for a couple of days, especially since we’re already not far from Mount Meru."

Sun Wukong, who also enjoyed lively occasions, quickly said, "Hearing the abbot describe the excitement of the Lantern Festival, Old Sun also wants to join in the fun. Master, let’s stay for two days, shall we?"

Xuanzang frowned slightly, turned to look at Sun Wukong, and smilingly asked, "What do you think, Nine Spirits Holy Yuan?"

At that moment, Nine Spirits Holy Yuan had also transformed into an old man; otherwise, appearing like Zhu Bajie and others might have been even more frightening.

Although Nine Spirits Holy Yuan was subjected to universal salvation, in terms of wisdom and knowledge, even Xuanzang was markedly inferior.

Nine Spirits Holy Yuan smiled and said, "I, too, want to see the exotic charm of foreign lands and witness the grandeur of the Lantern Festival here. Why not stay for two more days!"

Since everyone had agreed, Xuanzang no longer insisted.

Moreover, he was worried about what might await him at Mount Meru.

Although he wanted to establish his own Buddhist Law, he feared there would inevitably be a struggle.

Now that he had encountered this event and gained some insights, there was nothing undesirable about it.

At this moment, the monks in the temple had prepared the vegetarian meal. After the group had eaten and were resting in the meditation room, they suddenly heard the din of gongs and drums coming from the direction of the main hall, and they all went out to see what the excitement was about.

It turned out that nearby pilgrims had come to offer lamps to Buddha. After watching the bustle for a while and finding it uninteresting, they went back to sleep.

Come the Fourteenth of the First Lunar Month, the monks of the temple offered a sumptuous vegetarian meal during the day. After eating and drinking their fill, the group toured the temple and its surroundings, admiring the scenery. At night, every household was brightly lit and decorated, and the streets were even busier.

Zhu Bajie and the others, who were either mountain Demon Kings or immortals from the heavens, had never seen this kind of lantern festival and were curious to join in the excitement.

So, they went out with Xuanzang to see the lanterns, touring around the Guan Xiang area of the eastern city, which was indeed bustling with extraordinary fervor, and found it quite amusing.

By the Fifteenth of the First Lunar Month, Xuanzang said to the abbot, "Disciple has the wish to cleanse the pagoda. Seizing the opportunity of today’s Shangyuan Festival, I request the abbot to open the pagoda doors so I can fulfill this wish."

The old abbot gladly agreed and quickly ordered the pagoda doors to be opened. Xuanzang, along with Sand Monk, entered to cleanse the pagoda.

They cleansed from the first floor to the top. Before they realized it, evening had arrived, and the monks in the temple had prepared another fine vegetarian meal.

After eating, the old abbot said, "Old Master, the night before last we only watched the lanterns in the desolate mountains and Guan Xiang. Tonight is the actual festival; how about we go into the city to see the Golden Lamps?"

"That would be excellent," Xuanzang happily agreed.

The old abbot then led the monks of the temple, accompanying Xuanzang and the others into the city to watch the lanterns.

Once they entered the city, they saw every household brightly lit and decorated, with endless streams of pedestrians on the streets, creating quite a lively scene in this time of peace and prosperity.

They saw Snowflake Lamps and Plum Blossom Lamps with their spring ice shimmering like cut jewels; Embroidery Screen Lamps and Painting Screen Lamps clumped together in colorful arrays. Walnut Lamps and Lotus Lamps hanging from high towers; Green Lion Lamps and White Elephant Lamps lighting up the high shelves. Shrimp Lamps and Turtle Lamps playfully displayed in front of the awnings; Sheep Lamps and Rabbit Lamps spiritedly hanging below the eaves. Eagle Lamps and Phoenix Lamps connected to each other; Tiger Lamps and Horse Lamps moving together. Crane Lamps and White Deer Lamps upon which Shouxing rode; Goldfish Lamps and Long Whale Lamps upon which Li Bai soared high. Ao Mountain Lamps where immortals gathered; Galloping Horse Lamps where military generals combated fiercely.

Lanterns filled the towers and pavilions, illuminating the world like clouds and smoke for miles around.

The group enjoyed the sights and amusement along the way and soon arrived

at the Golden Lantern Bridge, where they saw three huge golden lamps on the bridge, shining brightly.

As Xuanzang approached, he suddenly smelled an enchanting fragrance and curiously asked, "What oil is used for these lamps? Why does it have such an extraordinary fragrance?"

The old abbot quickly explained, "The Master doesn’t know, there’s a county behind this prefecture named Mingtian County, spanning two hundred and forty li."

"Every year during the tax assessments, there are a total of two hundred and forty households responsible for the lamp oil. While the various duties required by the prefecture and county are bearable, this responsibility is especially burdensome. Each household has to spend over two hundred taels of silver annually."

"This oil is not ordinary but a mixture of suet and fragrant sesame oil. The price of one tael of this oil is two taels of silver, and one jin is worth thirty-two taels of silver. Each of the three lamps contains five hundred jins per can, totaling one thousand five hundred jins for all three, which amounts to forty-eight thousand taels of silver. Including miscellaneous expenses, the total exceeds fifty thousand taels, and it only lasts for three nights."

Sun Wukong laughed and asked, "With so much oil, how could it possibly be burned up in three days?"

"Could it be that someone has stolen the lamp oil!"