Chapter 328: Chapter 328

Sun Wukong looked up at the sky and saw colorful clouds descending.

On top of the clouds was a person.

With the appearance of this person, the sky above was filled with innumerable sounds of Buddhist chanting, as if numerous Eight-Petalled celestial Dragons were making way.

Afterward, that person descended.

Upon closer inspection, the person had large ears, a square jaw, and a broad face. It was none other than Maitreya Respectable King Buddha.

Maitreya Respectable King Buddha chuckled and said, "Sun Wukong, do you recognize this poor monk?"

Sun Wukong bowed slightly and replied, "It turns out to be Buddha Ancestor from the East. I was not aware of your visit and did not welcome you from afar. I beg your forgiveness."

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor said with a smile, "I’ve long heard of Sun Wukong’s great name, and meeting you today, it indeed lives up to its reputation."

Sun Wukong shook his head with a smile and replied, "How could Old Sun have such a great name? May I know the purpose of Buddha Ancestor’s visit today?"

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor pointed at the Yellow Brow Monster, who was rolling on the ground in pain, and said, "This poor monk has come specifically for this Lesser Thunderclap demon."

"Oh?" Sun Wukong already knew this but still feigned surprise as he asked, "Does Buddha Ancestor recognize this demon?"

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor smiled and said, "He is a yellow-eyebrowed boy who was responsible for striking the gongs in front of me. On the third day of the third month, as I went to attend Yuanshi’s gathering, I left him to watch over my palace. Instead, he took these treasures and became a demon masquerading as a Buddha."

"That bag there is my Acquired Bag, commonly called the Human Seed Bag. That Wolf Fang Club was a gong mallet."

"I see," Sun Wukong said with an exaggerated look of sudden realization, nodding his head, "These treasures have caused us a lot of trouble. They indeed have divine skills, being the possessions of Buddha Ancestor."

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor laughed heartily, turned around, and shouted at the Yellow Brow Monster, "Evil beast! Do you recognize me?"

The Yellow Brow Monster immediately knelt on the ground, continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy, "Buddha Ancestor, spare my life! Please save your disciple’s life."

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor extended a hand, lightly beckoned, and the Human Seed Bag floated over to him. The Wolf Fang Club also transformed into a small mallet and flew into the hands of Buddha Ancestor.

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor said with a smile, "Wukong, you’ve tormented him enough. For my sake, spare his life."

Sun Wukong did not dare to go against the words of Buddha Ancestor, nodded, and said, "Evil beast, take heart, the hairs of Old Sun inside you will no longer trouble you."

The Yellow Brow Monster, upon hearing this, indeed felt that his stomach no longer hurt.

Sun Wukong looked at Maitreya Respectable King Buddha with a smile and said, "However, monk, you’ve lost a boy, and let him falsely claim to be Buddha Ancestor, even attempting to harm my master and others. Surely this is not good!"

"You monkey, quite a sharp tongue you have."

Despite saying so, Maitreya Respectable King Buddha was not too angry and continued with a chuckle, "Firstly, it was the negligence of this poor monk that allowed the boy to escape. Secondly, you and your disciples have not overcome your demonic obstacles, this is why you descended to the lower realm. This is an ordeal you were destined to face."

Sun Wukong couldn’t help but shake his head and replied, "You make it sound so casual, monk. You neither arrive early nor late but come just as we are about to subdue the demon, clearly having calculated the precise hour, probably fearing that we would harm his precious life!"

"Haha!" Maitreya Respectable King Buddha laughed heartily before saying, "Everything is fated. Even if Xuanzang completes his ordeal and reaches Western Heaven, he would still not obtain the True Scriptures."

"Psh!" Sun Wukong said dismissively, "All this bureaucracy with you folks. If you ask me, just give the scriptures to Old Sun and take them to the Great Tang of the Eastern Land. Wouldn’t that save everyone the trouble, without all this fuss?"

Maitreya Buddha chuckled and, too lazy to argue further with this monkey, picked up the Human Seed Bag and collected the Yellow Brow Monster inside.

Sun Wukong clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Well caught! Let this evil beast have a taste of being captured!"

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor asked, "Evil beast! Where is the Golden Cymbal you stole?"

The Yellow Brow Monster quickly replied, "The Golden Cymbal was smashed by Sun Wukong."

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor said, "If the cymbal is broken, return the gold to me."

The Yellow Brow Monster promptly said, "The broken gold is placed on top of the lotus throne in the great hall."

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor nodded and said, "Wukong, would you and your companions accompany me inside to fetch the broken gold and return it to me?"

Although Sun Wukong did not have a fondness for Buddhism, it was clearly not the time to confront it head-on.

Naturally, he did not refuse but rather agreed to the request.

At this moment, the little demons inside the cave saw the Yellow Brow Monster captured, and they all scattered in panic. Sun Wukong followed Maitreya Buddha Ancestor into the demon cave, arrived at the great hall, and indeed saw the broken gold stored on the lotus throne.

Maitreya Buddha Ancestor collected all the broken gold and turned to Sun Wukong, saying, "Amitabha Buddha, Wukong, now that matters here are concluded, this poor monk shall take his leave."

Sun Wukong was quick to exchange pleasantries and then saw Maitreya Buddha Ancestor off as he rode away on Auspicious Clouds.

Sun Wukong watched as Maitreya Respectable King Buddha finally left and heaved a sigh of relief, for the trouble at Mini Thunder Monastery had passed without incident.

After this battle, Sun Wukong still felt that his strength was not formidable enough.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t need to follow the arrangements of Buddhism.

Even now, that Yellow Brow Monster, with only a Human Seed Bag, was somewhat difficult for Sun Wukong to deal with, which showed that behind Immortals and Buddhas there might be countless other tricks.

He still needed to cultivate diligently, otherwise, he might face difficulties upon reaching Mount Meru.

By this time, Xuanzang had already been rescued by Sand Monk.

With the Yellow Brow Monster gone, the little demons were all converted by Xuanzang one after another.

After all, these little demons were originally no match for Xuanzang’s power, and if it weren’t for Yellow Brow Monster’s Human Seed Bag, they would probably have been converted long ago.

Now, of course, it was even easier for Xuanzang to convert them.

After he instructed them to spread the teachings and study Buddhist Law earnestly here,

Xuanzang and his companions rested for a while, had their lunch, and then continued on their way.

After leaving Mini Western Heaven, Sun Wukong and the others continued to travel westward.

They had walked for about a month, and the journey had been smooth sailing.

As dusk fell after a day of travel, Xuanzang riding on his horse said, "Disciples, as the night has fallen, where shall we seek shelter?"

With a smile, Sun Wukong replied, "Master, rest assured, even if there’s no place to seek shelter, the three of us brothers have some skills. We can cut wood and grass, use the materials at hand to build a hut, and stay as long as we like. All the more for just making do for one night."

Zhu Bajie spoke up, "Brother Monkey is just joking, how could this place be fit to stay?"

"The mountains are full of tigers and leopards and the lands are filled with demons. It’s difficult enough to travel during the day; how dare we stay overnight? Perhaps in the middle of the night, a group of jackals, wolves, and leopards will come and snatch away Master for their midnight snack."

Hearing Zhu Bajie’s words, Xuanzang could not help but let out a wry smile.

Sun Wukong glared at Zhu Bajie and gave him a kick on the buttocks, scolding irritably, "You fool, always spouting nonsense and frightening Master. Even if there are wolves, tigers, and demons, with the three of us brothers here, who would dare harm Master?"

Zhu Bajie, seeing Sun Wukong’s fierce look, chuckled and said, "I was just saying it offhand, don’t take it seriously."

"There’s a village ahead where we can ask for shelter, why should we sleep in the wilderness?" At that moment, Sand Monk looked towards the distance and spoke.

Sun Wukong looked up and indeed saw a village in the far distance.

"Wukong, is there really a village ahead?"

Xuanzang was naturally not as perceptive as Sun Wukong and looked to Sun Wukong for confirmation.

Sun Wukong nodded and then said, "If we travel twenty more miles forward and pass through this forest, there should be a village."

Overjoyed, Xuanzang said, although he was protected by Sun Wukong and the others and was not worried about being carried away by wild wolves, he still did not want to spend the night in the desolate countryside.

Now that there was a village where they could seek shelter ahead, Xuanzang quickly said, "If that’s the case, let’s hasten our pace and rush to the village to find lodging."

So, the group quickened their pace, exited the forest, and indeed saw a village ahead. Upon reaching the outside of a courtyard, Xuanzang dismounted and knocked on the door to ask for shelter.

In a short time, an old man came out, and Xuanzang hastened to say, "Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk is from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, on a mission to the Western Heaven to seek Scriptures. Traveling through this revered place, as night has fallen, I humbly request to stay at your esteemed residence for the night, I implore you to accommodate."

The old man sized up Xuanzang and said, "Monk, if you’re going to the Western Heaven to seek Scriptures, I’m afraid you won’t make it. Not to mention the long road ahead, even this place you won’t be able to cross!"

Xuanzang was startled and quickly asked, "What makes this place impassable?"

The old man replied, "Thirty miles west of my village is a mountain called Mount Qi jue."

"What is Qi jue?" Xuanzang, puzzled, swiftly inquired.

The old man eagerly explained, "The path across the mountain spans eight hundred miles, and the mountain is full of persimmon fruits."

"There’s a saying about persimmon trees with seven wonders: one, they prolong life, two, provide ample shade, three, birds don’t nest in them, four, they are pest-free, five, their frosty leaves are a delight, six, they bear fine fruits, and seven, their branches and leaves are lush and large; hence the name Mount Qi jue."

"In this place, with vast land and sparse population, the mountain path has seldom been walked since ancient times. Every autumn when the persimmons ripen, they fall and cover the whole mountain, and over the years, they fill the path to the point of being unpassable. The rotten persimmons heap up more and more, spreading filth everywhere, and whenever the west wind blows, it brings a putrid smell, unbearably foul, so it’s commonly known as ’Sparse Persimmon Lane.’

"With such a filthy path, it’s simply impossible to travel. You, monk, are on your westward journey to seek Scriptures on a path that is indispensable; how can you get through?"

After finishing his explanation, the old man looked at Xuanzang.