Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 461 - 421 Release Those Holy Monks_2

Chapter 461: Chapter 421 Release Those Holy Monks_2

Xuanzang glared at Zhu Bajie and said irritably, "You shut up! If you’re capable of rescuing your master, then you might as well leave and enjoy yourself first."

Zhu Bajie retorted somewhat unconvinced, "It’s not that I can’t rescue you all, it’s just that master won’t allow it! These mere mortals, I could kill a group with one swing of my rake, and no matter how many more come, I’m not afraid. This shoddy prison isn’t the Jade Emperor’s celestial prison, it can’t hope to hold me."

If it hadn’t been for Xuanzang forbidding it, would he really be worried about them dying here?

Xuanzang pressed his palms together and uttered, "Amitabha Buddha".

"You fool, you are about to reach Mount Meru and still you dare to talk nonsense."

Thinking of Buddhism’s Journey to the West and the Calamity of Measurement, Zhu Bajie obediently closed his mouth and didn’t dare to speak anymore.

After Sun Wukong left the prison, he transformed into a flying insect and flew to the Kou residence.

The hall was already set with a coffin, a lamp lit at the head of the coffin, incense candles and fruits arranged, Lady Kou weeping beside; her two sons also came to bow and cry, their wives offering up two bowls of food.

Sun Wukong, perched on the coffin, cleared his throat in a gruff voice imitating Lord Kou, scaring the two sons into continuously bowing their heads, crying out, "Father!"

Lady Kou, who was braver, leaned over the coffin and asked, "Old man, have you come back to life?"

Imitating Lord Kou’s voice, Sun Wukong said, "I have not come back to life!"

At this, the two sons panicked, the daughters-in-law had already fled in terror, and Lady Kou, terrified, collapsed to the ground and said, "If you have not come back to life, why are you speaking?"

Sun Wukong said sternly, "It’s all because of you, Lady Zhang. You run your mouth with deceit, framing the innocent."

"Yama has sent a ghostly emissary to speak with you."

Lady Kou’s surname was Zhang, and "Lady Zhang" was her nickname.

Upon hearing her nickname and concluding that it was the spirit of Lord Kou, she quickly replied, "You old coot! At your age, you still call me by my nickname. When have I ever spoken deceitfully or harmed the innocent?"

Sun Wukong shouted sternly, "You still dare to argue? Where were there any acts of Xuanzang lighting fires, Bajie calling for murder, Sand Monk pilfering gold and silver, and the Pilgrim killing your father? It’s because of your false words that good people suffer undeservedly. Those four old masters from the Tang Dynasty happened upon robbers and seized the property to express their gratitude to me, what good intentions! Yet you fabricate tales, causing your sons to accuse them, and the government didn’t investigate thoroughly, listening to your false charges, incarcerating them in jail."

"Do you know that Xuanzang is a holy monk who has attained the Dao? Suffering this ordeal, the prison deity, land deity, city god were all panicked, restless, and reported to Yama."

"King Yama then sent a ghostly emissary under escort to come to your home to tell you not to frame good people. Resolve the case early, let them and their disciples go, or else let me stir trouble in your home for a month, bringing your entire family, young and old, to the Underworld, leaving none behind."

Upon hearing this, Lady Kou and the Kou brothers were so frightened that their souls nearly left their bodies. The Kou brothers hurriedly knelt and said, "Father, we realize our mistake now, please return! Do not harm our entire family. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the government office to resolve the case and reveal the truth, to free the four masters from the Tang Dynasty."

"We guarantee from now on to be wholeheartedly virtuous and never harbor ill thoughts again!"

Sun Wukong smirked slightly and then said, "Since that’s the case, considering it’s your first offense, I won’t hold it against you. Hurry and burn the paper money, I’m leaving!"

Panicked, Lady Kou and her two sons hurriedly burned paper money to send Lord Kou back.

Sun Wukong chuckled and, shaking his wings, flew from Kou’s Residence to the Prefect’s home. Arriving at the hall, he saw the Prefect sitting at the table drinking tea. Scanning the room, Sun Wukong noticed a scroll hanging on the rear wall depicting an official riding a dappled horse, accompanied by several servants, one holding a green umbrella and another carrying a folding cot, but Wukong could not recognize the story depicted. Stirring his wings, he flew towards it and landed on the scroll, suddenly coughing loudly.

This startled the Prefect into a frenzy; his teacup crashed to the floor. He quickly turned around and his face turned pale, as the sound had clearly come from the scroll.

The Prefect immediately got up and walked over in a fluster, lit incense candles, and prayed to the painting: "Lord Jiang Qianyi, your servant Jiang Kunsan seeks your blessing. Thanks to our ancestral grace, I have passed the imperial examination with mediocre success and now serve as the Prefect of Tongtai, constantly attending to the rituals. Why then does your image speak today? Please do not haunt and scare the household."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong realized the scroll was dedicated to his elder’s memorial tablet. He then spoke in a gruff voice: "Kun San, my good nephew, though you hold office by ancestral grace and have always been incorrupt, how could you yesterday foolishly mistake the four holy monks for thieves and incarcerate them without understanding the situation?"

"The Prison Deity, Land Deity, and City God were restless and reported to King Yama. King Yama sent spirits to warn you to reconsider and quickly release them; otherwise, you shall be summoned to the Underworld to face trial."

Hearing that he might be dragged to the Underworld, the Prefect was so terrified that he nearly fainted on the spot. Trembling, he said, "My lord, please return. I shall immediately convene court and release the four holy monks."

Sun Wukong smiled and said, "Recognizing and correcting one’s error is indeed the greatest virtue. Acts swiftly with the offerings; I am departing."

The Prefect hurriedly made offerings, kneeling incessantly and desperately praying for his elder to return.

Sun Wukong then flew to the government office and upon seeing the officials and constables on duty, he transformed into a huge Dharma body, stretching one foot down and nearly filling the entire hall, causing the officials and attendants to kneel nonstop, startling them greatly.

Sun Wukong shouted fiercely, "Hear me, officials: I am the roving wandering deity sent by the Jade Emperor. You in this prefecture have wronged the Buddha’s disciples who are seeking scriptures, unsettling various gods of the Three Realms. I am tasked to relay this message: release them promptly; if there is a delay, I will return with a kick, first killing all the county officials and then destroying all the residents, reducing the city to ashes!"

The frightened officials quickly knelt and begged, "Divine being, please return. We will report to the Prefect and release the seekers of scriptures immediately. Please, do not kick; you would scare us to death."

With this, Sun Wukong retracted his Dharma body, transforming back into a small insect and flew back to the prison.

Meanwhile, the Prefect, dressed in haste, was rushing to the government office when he encountered the reporting officers and was informed of the events in full detail. The Prefect was also terrified, thinking, "Oh mother! What have I done to cause such a commotion that both the Jade Emperor and King Yama are alarmed!"

The more he heard, the more he believed that a mistake had been made in capturing good people. Thus, he immediately commanded, "Quickly release those holy monks. No, I shall personally go to request their release!"

"Also, send someone to seize that old woman and those two scoundrels from the Kou family! The trouble they’ve caused me is immense, and I will not let them off easily."

Immediately, a group of government officers hurried to Kou’s Residence to arrest them, while the Prefect, with his retinue, rushed to the jail. Upon entering, he saw a group of prison guards gathered there, participating in a ceremony.

The Prefect demanded sternly, "Where did these items come from?"

The prison guards hurriedly replied, "These belonged to those four thieving monks."

"Thieving monks!" the Prefect’s eyes bulged, and he slapped one across the face, shouting angrily, "What thieving monks? They’re four holy monks!"

"Hurry up and put their things back properly. If anything is missing, I’ll flay your skins," he threatened, causing the guards to quickly tidy everything up and pack it as it was before.

Meanwhile, an officer remarked, "Sir, there’s no need to argue with them anymore. The holy monks are still locked up!"

This jolted the Prefect back to urgency, and he hurried to the cell, commanding the door to be opened.

He then led the group of officials in kneeling before the monks, continuously kowtowing and speaking, "We were ignorant and believed slander, wrongly accusing the four holy monks. Please forgive us. It was the people from the Kou family who made false accusations. I have already ordered their arrest and they are at your disposal."