Chapter 438: Chapter 438

Xuanzang frowned and asked, "Is this really Bujinchan Temple?"

"Indeed it is Bujinchan Temple," Sun Wukong confirmed with certainty.

Zhu Bajie looked up and, seeing that it truly was Bujinchan Temple, said with a laugh, "Bujinchan Temple, what a peculiar name indeed."

When Xuanzang heard it confirmed as Bujinchan Temple, he couldn’t help but ponder for a while, seemingly talking to himself, "Bujinchan, Bujinchan, could it be that we have arrived within the borders of Shravasti?"

Hearing Xuanzang’s words, Zhu Bajie said with a look of amazement, "That’s strange indeed. Could the sun have risen from the west today? We’ve followed Master all this way and never seen him recognize the way; how does he know today that we’ve reached the boundary of Shravasti?"

Xuanzang explained with a smile, "I don’t recognize the way, but I’ve seen it in the scriptures I studied before. According to the scriptures, the Buddha Ancestor once preached at the Girdled Tree Jiukou Garden in Shravasti."

"And this Jiukou Garden was purchased from the Crown Prince of Shravasti by Elder Jiukou. The Crown Prince said, ’I will not sell my garden, unless he covers the garden’s ground with gold.’ Hearing this, Elder Jiukou covered the ground with bricks of gold and bought the garden from the Crown Prince, and then he was able to invite the World Honored One to preach there. I’m wondering if the name Bujin Temple is derived from that story?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie became ecstatic, his eyes shining as he said, "What blessed fate! If it’s really as such, we should go inside the temple and grab a gold brick or two, so we won’t have to worry about money anymore. Let’s all hurry up and get to the temple to fetch those gold bricks."

Xuanzang knew this simpleton was joking, so he didn’t take it to heart but merely smiled faintly before urging the White Dragon Horse to speed up.

Before long, the group arrived outside the temple, only to see a crowd of passersby gathered at the roadside, resting.

These travelers cast curious glances at Xuanzang and his companions, primarily because the appearances of Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sand Monk were incredibly ugly, practically indistinguishable from demons.

However, these travelers were so intimidated by their fierce appearances that they dared not speak, keeping their heads down. If it weren’t for the crowd, anyone who encountered these three alone would have likely fled in terror.

Xuanzang, fearing he might provoke trouble, quickly admonished, "Civility! Civility! We must maintain civility; we are civil monks."

The group of people didn’t dare approach for a chat, seeing the frightful appearance of Sun Wukong and the others.

After all, with such terrifying-looking monks, if they had any special abilities, they might even attack them, which was terrifying to contemplate.

Nevertheless, Sun Wukong and his comrades were all quite well-behaved and naturally did not cause any trouble.

The group passed through the mountain gate, entered the temple, and arrived at the main hall.

By this time, a little monk had already reported their arrival to the Abbot, who was an old monk with a face full of wrinkles, clearly of advanced age.

The old monk showed joy upon seeing Tang Monk, quickly stepping forward to greet him. Despite his age, the old monk was in good physical condition.

The old monk walked up to Xuanzang, stopped in front of him and hastily gave a salutation.

Xuanzang also quickly returned the gesture.

After the salutations, the old monk asked with a smile, "May I know where the Elder comes from?"

With polite haste, Xuanzang replied, "Disciple Xuanzang, on a mission from the Emperor of the Great Tang of the Eastern Land to the Western Heaven to revere Buddha and seek scriptures. Passing through this Treasured Place, I seek the honor of an audience and wish to borrow lodging for one night before proceeding tomorrow."

The old monk was overjoyed and said, "The Elder is too kind, for he is a Divine Monk from the Eastern Land. It is our great honor to have you visit our modest temple. Please do come in quickly, Elder."

Xuanzang promptly expressed his thanks and then entered the main hall to pay his respects to the Buddha Statue.

Under the guidance of the old monk, they came to a spacious Meditation Room, where the monks of the temple, having heard of the Divine Monk’s arrival from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, came one after another to greet him.

The old monk had already ordered the best tea to be served, and once the temple’s monks had met and greeted Xuanzang and his companions,

by that time it was already late, the old monk ordered the already prepared vegetarian meal to be served. After the meal, the old monk invited Xuanzang and the others to the parlor for a relaxed conversation.

Xuanzang inquired about the origins of Bujin Temple, and Fang Zhang replied with a smile, "This temple was originally the Girdled Tree Jiukou Garden Temple in Shravasti, also known as Jiukou Garden."

"It was built for Elder Jiukou to invite the Buddha to preach, laid with gold bricks, hence its modern name changed. From where this temple stands, you’re looking at the land of Shravasti. At that time, Elder Jiukou lived in Shravasti. My barren hill was once the elder’s Jiukou Garden, and from that, it later became known as Bujinchan Temple. Behind the temple still lies the site of Jiukou Garden. In recent years, when there’s a downpour, it washes out gold and silver pearls. Those with fortune often find them."

"Indeed, the rumors are not unfounded," Xuanzang nodded repeatedly, speaking very politely.

As the group was chatting leisurely, a faint sound of crying could be heard from outside.

Moreover, by the sound of it, it seemed to be a woman weeping. Xuanzang couldn’t help but frown and asked, "Who could be crying in the dead of night at this hour?"

Upon hearing this, the old monk’s expression changed slightly, but he did not directly answer Xuanzang’s question. Instead, he subtly changed the subject, and after a while, he sent all the monks in the room out.

Only then did the old monk rise and prostrate himself before Xuanzang, saying with sincerity, "This poor monk has a favor to ask and hopes for the elder’s compassion."

Xuanzang quickly helped the old monk up, saying, "There is no need for such formality, Abbot. Speak freely of your troubles, and as long as it is within my power, I will agree without refusal."

The old monk then stood up and let out a deep sigh, "This poor monk has lived over a hundred years and understands some of the ways of the world. Seeing the holy monk and his disciples today, I know that all of you are no ordinary beings. I am faced with a difficulty that can only be resolved by the holy monk."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong said with a smile, "You old man have some insight. Let me tell you the truth, we are indeed not just any ordinary monks. Speak freely of your troubles. There’s nothing in this world that can pose a challenge to Old Sun."

The old monk finally spoke, "Last year, while I was meditating in the meditation room, I suddenly heard the sound of the wind, followed by the sound of a woman weeping. I went out to look and saw a beautiful and dignified woman."

"Oh? A beautiful woman? At the temple in the middle of the night?" inquired Sun Wukong with widened eyes.

The old monk nodded and said, "Exactly. I was very surprised at the time, so I asked the woman, ’Who are you? Where do you come from? How did you come to our Bujinchan Temple?’ Guess what the woman said?"

Zhu Bajie interjected with a smile, "You old monk just love to keep us in suspense. Can’t you just tell us directly?"

Xuanzang shot Zhu Bajie a look and said, "Bajie!"

With Xuanzang’s remark, Zhu Bajie immediately fell silent.

Hearing this, the old monk quickly answered, "I asked her who she was, from where she came. The woman answered, ’I am the princess of Tianzhu Country. One evening while I was admiring the flowers under the moon, a great wind blew me to this place.’"

The old monk hurriedly continued, "I found it strange at the time, so I arranged for the woman to stay in a secluded meditation room and sent people to the capital city to gather information. However, after a long time, the news that came back stated that the princess was unharmed and still in the palace."

"At the time, I could not discern the truth, yet it was indeed inconvenient to have a woman stay overnight in the temple," he said.

With a frown, Sun Wukong asked, "So how did you deal with this woman?"

"It was very difficult for me at the time. If it was for a short duration, it would still be possible to keep it hidden. However, with so many monks in the temple, it was bound to be discovered sooner or later," said the old monk with a sigh.

"Eventually, having no choice, I could only lock her in an abandoned meditation room, blocking all doors and windows, and shared with the outside that a demon had been captured and confined inside. I assigned people to deliver vegetarian meals to her every day, letting her stay temporarily in the temple," he said with a sigh.

"So you mean to say that you locked up this woman?" Sun Wukong asked with a furrowed brow.

The old monk let out a deep sigh and said, "It was a measure taken out of desperation. The woman was also clever and understood our intention. Fearing she might defile the monks, she pretended to be insane, sleeping in urine, lying in feces. During the day, she would speak nonsense, acting all dazed and confused; by night, in the quiet, she would think of her parents and weep. I’ve been to the capital several times to beg for alms and inquire about the princess’s situation, to no avail."

"Therefore, we could only keep her confined, not daring to let her go. Fortunately, the holy monk has come here, and I hope that once in the country’s heart, you will broadly apply your mana to discern the truth, firstly to save a good soul, and secondly to demonstrate your divine skills as well."

"Bajie, let us go and see this woman who pretends to be a princess!"

Sun Wukong said to Zhu Bajie with a smile.