Chapter 459: Chapter 459

Sun Wukong demanded harshly, "Aside from robbing us, have you robbed any other households? Speak the truth at once."

The bandit dared not keep silent; he could only reply honestly, "We just engaged in a robbery last night."

"Which family did you rob?" Zhu Bajie barked sternly.

Zhu Bajie’s voice boomed, causing the bandit’s eardrums to ache; he had no choice but to answer truthfully, "We learned that Kou Yanwai was wealthy, so yesterday we joined forces, and under the cover of the dark rainy night, we went to rob his home."

"We took some gold and silver ornaments, all hidden in a hollow on the northern side of the mountain. Just now, seeing you lords pass by with heavy luggage, wicked thoughts arose again, and we came to rob you, never expecting to be trapped by your great magical powers."

"I beg you, noble sirs, out of compassion, to take the stolen goods and spare our lives!"

Sun Wukong then immobilized the thief and released another to question him. The other bandit’s account was the same. After questioning four people, all said they had only robbed the Kou family.

At the time, these thieves were only focused on stealing and had kicked Kou Yanwai to the ground; they did not know he had died, so they did not confess to the crime of killing him.

Upon hearing this, Xuanzang sighed, "Kou Yanwai was known for his kindness; how could he have attracted such a disaster?"

Sun Wukong smiled and said, "The fault lies with us too. When Kou Yanwai saw us off, the splendid canopies and blaring music caught people’s eyes, so these ruffians took action against his home. Now, it is our good fortune to have encountered them and seized these many gold and silver ornaments."

Xuanzang sighed once more, saying, "We disrupted him for half a month, and in gratitude for his immense kindness, there’s no way to repay him. Would it not be good to escort these valuables back to his family?"

Sun Wukong nodded, "Old Sun also had this intention."

Thus, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie took one bandit each and went to the hollow where they found the bandits’ hidden treasure, dug it all up, and brought it back.

Sun Wukong had originally thought to kill these bandits with a beating from his staff, but fearing Xuanzang might blame him for taking lives indiscriminately, he asked with a smile, "Master, what do you think should be done with these bandits?"

Xuanzang brought his palms together and intoned, "Amitabha Buddha. The Buddha is compassionate. Considering it’s their first offense, and they now realize their wrongs, let’s give them a lesson and release them!"

Sun Wukong had expected Xuanzang would say this, chuckled, and then plucked a pinch of monkey fur from his body, blowing it lightly. At once, each hair burrowed into the bodies of the bandits, and Sun Wukong said coldly, "Listen well, you scoundrels. Old Sun has placed a spell inside you. If you reform and commit to goodness from now on, you will remain unharmed. But if you ever harbor evil intentions and commit unlawful acts again, your hearts will split, and you will die bleeding from all seven orifices."

The bandits knelt, kowtowing frantically, and begged for mercy, "Grandfather, spare us! We promise never to dare again."

"Get lost, all of you! And don’t let me lay eyes on you again," Sun Wukong commanded coldly.

"Yes, yes, yes!" the bandits quickly complied, and then scrambled away in a wretched retreat.

Afterward, Xuanzang and his companions packed up their luggage as well as the valuables seized from the bandits, ready to return them to the Kou family when they saw a group approaching from a distance wielding knives, spears, clubs, and staffs, their aggressive momentum heading their way.

Xuanzang frowned and asked, "Wukong, there’s a group of people coming our way. Can you see what they’re up to?"

Zhu Bajie couldn’t help shouting, "Oh no, it must be the thieves from earlier, rallying their comrades with weapons to seek revenge on us."

Sand Monk laughed, "Second Senior Brother is worrying over nothing again. Those approaching are not thieves; they look more like officials from the local government. Don’t you think so, Elder Brother?"

"Master’s ill fortune has arrived," Sun Wukong whispered to Sand Monk. "It’s surely the government officials coming to capture the thieves."

"We’re not thieves! How can you say that Master is a jinx?" Sand Monk said, bewildered.

Sun Wukong chuckled and replied, "You’ll know soon enough." He then fell silent and said no more.

Before long, the Prefect, accompanied by his government officers, rushed over in haste. Riding on his horse, the Prefect shouted loudly, "What audacity, you thieving monks! After robbing people of their possessions, you still brazenly loiter here. Come on! Arrest these thieves for me."

"Yes!" The officers responded in unison and swiftly encircled Xuanzang and his companions.

Xuanzang quickly tried to explain, "Your Excellency, we are no thieves. We are monks on a journey to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures, not bandits."

"We’ve merely sought hospitality at Kou Yan Outer Home for half a month, and deeply grateful for their kindness. Today, we encountered robbers and recovered the stolen treasures of Kou’s family. We were just about to return them when we met Your Excellency on the road."

"What a smooth-talking monk you are! Caught red-handed, now you claim that these goods were retrieved from robbers. If that’s the case, why didn’t I see you capturing the robbers and reporting to the authorities!"

"There are only four of you, and besides, the Kou family’s sons have already filed a complaint accusing you of a night robbery. The complaint clearly states that Xuanzang started the fire, Zhu Bajie shouted ’Murder!’, Sand Monk carried off the gold and silver, and Sun Walker killed Kou Yan Outer. Now that we’ve caught you with the stolen goods, do you still deny it? Bind them!" the Prefect thundered angrily.

"Yes!" The officers answered once again and surged forward, binding Xuanzang and his disciples with ropes.

Sun Wukong remained silent, knowing that Xuanzang was fated to face this calamity, and thus he did not resist. Zhu Bajie and Sand Monk initially wanted to fight back, but Sun Wukong stopped them.

Xuanzang, frowning, quickly pleaded with Sun Wukong, "Wukong! Please explain to this officer clearly that we are innocent and not thieves."

Sun Wukong replied with a smile, "Master, as the saying goes—’to catch a cheater, catch both; to catch a thief, catch him with the loot.’ Now that we are caught with the evidence, what more is there to clarify?"

Xuanzang fell silent and said no more, not knowing what Sun Wukong had up his sleeve, but believing that he wouldn’t harm him.

The Prefectural Emissary shouted angrily, "With the evidence clear before us, you still dare to deny it? Bring the head hoop, hoop this bald thief’s bare head, and then let’s beat him!"

Sun Wukong thought to himself, "Although my master is fated to face this difficulty, I can’t let him suffer too greatly."

So, Sun Wukong addressed the Prefect, "Your Excellency, there’s no need to hoop that monk. Last night, I was the one who set the fire, the one with the knife, the one who robbed the treasure, and the one who killed Kou Yan Outer."

"I’m the head thief. If anyone is to be beaten, it should be me alone. It’s nothing to do with them unless you refuse to let me go."

The Prefect laughed and said, "This Monkey Monk is being honest. Well then, hoop this one first."

The constables came forward together, fitted Sun Wukong with the head hoop, and tightened it. But Sun Wukong, with his Iron Head Copper Brain, barely felt the constriction. Even as the ropes were breaking, he didn’t even furrow his brow.

"This monk’s head is unusually hard," the Prefect remarked in surprise.

Sun Wukong chuckled and said, "Why would you hoop me when Old Sun has already confessed? It was Old Sun who played the thief and stole from Kou Yan Outer Home. What’s the need for hooping me?"

Thinking it over, the Prefect then loudly ordered, "So be it. First, take them away and lock them in the high-security prison. We’ll proceed with a trial tomorrow when court is in session."

So, the Prefect, along with his subordinates, escorted Xuanzang and his disciples back to Tongtai Prefecture. He then ordered that they all be thrown into the prison.

Once in the prison cell, Xuanzang heaved a sigh and said, "Wukong, since we left Chang’an, it’s been fourteen years, and just as we are on the verge of reaching Mount Meru, we’ve been arrested as bandits. What if they sentence us to three or five years? What then?"

Sun Wukong laughed and replied, "Heh heh! If it were just robbery, at most they’d sentence us to three or five years, or maybe exile us to the military frontier. But didn’t you hear the Prefect? Kou Yan Outer was killed by those bandits. Murder is a grave crime; we might just be executed immediately."