Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 431 - 407: Master is Taken Away Again

Chapter 431: Chapter 407: Master is Taken Away Again

"No way, Brother Monkey, they all said it was for the Buddha Lord!"

Zhu Bajie said with some curiosity.

Sand Monk also said with some curiosity, "It indeed seems unlikely, but this is really strange. How could so much oil possibly be burned in three days?"

The old abbot said, "In each vat here there are forty-nine large lamp wick structures, all made of lamp wick twisted into bunches, wrapped in silk floss, thick as a chicken egg, only lit tonight. We saw the Buddha Lord reveal himself, and by tomorrow night the oil will be gone, and the lamps will dim."

Zhu Bajie said with a chuckle, "It really could be that the Buddha Lord took even the lamp oil away."

The old abbot nodded and said, "That’s exactly the idea. For ages, all families in the city have told this same story. If the oil runs out, it means the Buddha Ancestor has taken the lamp, and the harvest will naturally be abundant."

"If one year it doesn’t run out, it will turn out to be a year of drought, with unseasonable winds and rains. That’s why families make such offerings."

"But would Buddha Lord have so much free time to come here for some lamp oil?"

Sun Wukong couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile.

However, Sun Wukong’s voice wasn’t loud, and given the surrounding boisterousness, no one else heard what he said, only Zhu Bajie, whose ears were extremely keen, caught it.

Full of curiosity, Zhu Bajie asked, "Brother Monkey, what have you noticed?"

Sun Wukong said with a smile, "Just wait and see! You might even get to witness a Buddha Lord specially coming to steal sesame oil."

"That said, as the Buddha Lord, even if he were really doing such a thing, he should be sending an underling to do it. It seems more likely that someone is misusing the name of the Buddha Lord to engage in these petty acts of theft."

Sun Wukong nodded in agreement.

As they were speaking, there came a whooshing sound from mid-air, scaring all the people watching the lamps into scattering in all directions.

The monks from the temple also dared not linger and hurriedly said to Xuanzang, "Venerable master, the wind has risen. It’s a divine sign from the Buddha Lord, coming to witness the lamp lighting as well."

Xuanzang squinted his eyes. He didn’t have much affection for these sanctimonious Buddhists and asked, "How can you tell it’s the Buddha Lord who has descended?"

The monks replied, "It happens every year. If there’s wind before the third watch of the night, we know the All Buddhas have descended, so everyone avoids the place."

Xuanzang said with a slight smile, "As a disciple who always thinks of, prays to, and worships the Buddha, it would be good to pay my respects if the All Buddhas truly descend on such a fine scene."

Xuanzang indeed wanted to see what these Buddhists were really up to.

The monks pleaded earnestly with him, but Xuanzang wouldn’t listen at all, leaving the monks no choice but to leave on their own, leaving only Xuanzang and his company behind.

Before long, indeed three Buddha figures appeared in the wind. Looking at this scene, Xuanzang maintained a calm demeanor.

Sun Wukong’s eyes sparkled as he said, "Master, these are not really Buddhas, but three demons causing trouble."

These three demons impersonating Buddhas had managed to steal some lamp oil each time they visited, but they didn’t expect to encounter several monks this time.

They immediately swept towards Xuanzang.

Xuanzang brought his hands together and began to recite obscure Buddhist chanting.

"Demons! Stop your impudence, taste my Old Sun’s staff."

Sun Wukong roared as he swung his Jingu Bang and engaged in battle with one of the demons who met his attack, and the two instantly fought furiously.

Meanwhile, the other two demons took advantage of the situation to continue flying toward Xuanzang.

Seeing the situation turning grim, Zhu Bajie and Sand Monk quickly brandished their weapons, guarding on either side of Xuanzang.

But unexpectedly, the third demon suddenly unleashed his Divine Skills, kicking up a ferocious wind that made Zhu Bajie and Sand Monk unsteady, dizzy, and disoriented.

Seizing this opportunity, the demon rushed forward, grabbed Xuanzang, soared into the sky, and quickly fled into the distance.

The other two demons, seeing their mission accomplished, did not tangle further, each throwing a feint and shaking off Sun Wukong as they hurried away into the distance.

Sun Wukong did not give chase but descended from the clouds. By then the wind had stopped, yet Xuanzang was nowhere to be seen, and Sun Wukong fumed, "You two blockheads, not taking proper care of master, and letting the demons snatch him away again."

Zhu Bajie hastily said, "Brother Monkey! You can’t blame us! It was that demon’s wind that was too powerful."

Sun Wukong knew it was no use arguing.

At that moment in Xuanyin Cave,

The three demons who pretended to be Buddha Lords to deceive and consume sesame oil were actually the Rhinoceros Demon.

These three demons went to Jinpingfu as usual that year to collect sesame oil.

Prior to this, a gust of wind from them was enough to scare people into hiding, afraid to offend the Buddha Lord.

This year, however, was different. There were four individuals who not only didn’t avoid them, but one of the monks, who looked quite the accomplished High Monk, resembled the one from the rumors, Xuanzang.

Therefore, the three demons conferred briefly and decided to capture Xuanzang and bring him back. Growing up together from childhood, achieving Spiritual Awakening and becoming demons, their cooperation was flawless, hardly needing communication.

One of the demons distracted Sun Wukong, the second demon blew winds to restrain Zhu Bajie and Sand Monk,

and the third quickly seized the moment to snatch away Xuanzang.

Listening to Xuanzang’s chanting gave them headaches and immediately a gust of wind knocked Xuanzang unconscious.

Once back in Xuanyin Cave, the three demons tied Xuanzang to a pillar in the inner cave.

The three demons circled around, their eyes constantly roving over Xuanzang.

After watching for a while, they conversed, "What do you think, is this monk really Xuanzang?"

"He does look like the one from the rumors."

"Rumor has it that Xuanzang is a virtuous man with ten lifetimes of cultivation. Eating just a piece of his flesh would grant longevity."

"If that’s really the case, eating Xuanzang’s flesh would render us immortal. Then why would we need to disguise ourselves as Buddhas every year to beg for sesame oil?"