Chapter 933
What advice does Benefactor Chu have?
"You think I, Old Sun, am talking nonsense? Then dare you take a bite first?"
The woman's expression grew increasingly grim, until she finally stopped pretending.
She shuddered and transformed into a wisp of black smoke, revealing her true form.
It was an old woman dressed in black, with a wrinkled face and a cold glint in her eyes.
"Damn it! You actually saw through me!" she said through gritted teeth.
Tang Sanzang was so frightened that his face turned ashen, and he quickly took a few steps back.
"You...you're a monster?"
The old woman chuckled coldly, "That's right, I am indeed the White Bone Lady of White Bone Ridge!"
"I was planning to use the 'magic rice' to knock you all out and then eat you all. But this stinky monkey saw through my plan!"
Sun Wukong snorted, "You old hag, you want to eat my master? Dream on!"
He brandished his golden cudgel and hurled it at Lady White Bone.
Lady White Bone dodged the attack with a flash, then turned into a wisp of black smoke and escaped outside.
Sun Wukong pursued her relentlessly, smashing her with his staff again and again.
Although Lady White Bone had some skills, she was no match for Sun Wukong.
After a few rounds, she was struck by Sun Wukong's staff, screamed in pain, and fell to the ground.
Sun Wukong was about to step forward and deliver the final blow to finish her off.
Suddenly, Lady White Bone transformed into an old woman with white hair, lying on the ground and weeping bitterly.
"Great Sage, spare my life! I'm just an old woman passing through this place, I don't know how I angered you..."
When Tang Sanzang came out of the house and saw this scene, his expression changed drastically.
"Wukong! Stop!" he shouted sternly, "How can you hit an unarmed old man?"
Sun Wukong frowned and said, "Master, don't be fooled by her! This is clearly that monster in disguise!"
Tang Sanzang looked at the old woman on the ground, who was crying bitterly, and hesitated.
Is this... really a monster in disguise?
He looks like an ordinary old man...
Just as he was hesitating, Chu Yang stepped forward.
“Master, Monkey King is right,” he said in a deep voice, “This is indeed a demon in disguise.”
Tang Sanzang was taken aback: "Benefactor Chu, how did you know?"
Chu Yang crouched down and carefully examined the old woman, saying, "Master, please look. Although this old woman looks human, her shadow is not right."
Tang Sanzang followed his gaze and indeed found that the old woman's shadow was very strange.
An ordinary person's shadow should be human-shaped, but this old woman's shadow is the shape of a skeleton.
"What...what's going on?" Tang Sanzang exclaimed in surprise.
Chu Yang said, "This is the White Bone Demon's true form. She can transform into anyone, but her shadow cannot be changed."
"If Master doesn't believe me, he can have her walk into the sunlight and look closely at her shadow."
Upon hearing this, the old woman's face turned deathly pale.
She never expected that this young man would see through her flaw at a glance!
"hateful!"
She stopped pretending, her whole body trembled, and she revealed her true form.
It was a stark white skeleton, shrouded in black mist, and looked terrifying.
Tang Sanzang was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly and almost fell to the ground.
"Monster...monster!"
Sun Wukong laughed heartily: "Master, I didn't lie to you, did I? This is a demon!"
He brandished his golden cudgel and hurled it at the White Bone Demon.
The White Bone Demon screamed in agony as she was shattered by the Golden Cudgel, turning into a pile of bone fragments scattered all over the ground.
"Phew... finally solved." Sun Wukong put away his golden cudgel and dusted off his hands.
Tang Sanzang stood to the side, his expression very complicated.
He looked at the pile of bone fragments on the ground, then at Sun Wukong, and a feeling of guilt welled up in his heart.
He almost wrongly accused Wukong just now.
If Chu Yang hadn't stepped forward in time to expose the truth, he probably would have really thought that Wukong had killed an innocent old man.
“Wukong…” he began, his voice hoarse.
Sun Wukong turned to look at him: "Master, what's wrong?"
Tang Sanzang took a deep breath, put his hands together, and bowed to Sun Wukong.
"This humble monk almost wronged you just now, and I apologize for that."
Sun Wukong was stunned, his face filled with disbelief.
"Master, what...what are you saying?"
Tang Sanzang said, "This humble monk is blind and cannot distinguish between demons and mortals. If it weren't for Benefactor Chu's timely reminder, this humble monk might have truly misunderstood you."
"Wukong, I was wrong. I will be more careful in the future and will not doubt you so easily again."
Sun Wukong opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.
This was the first time he had ever heard Tang Sanzang apologize to him after following him for so long.
"Master..." His eyes reddened slightly, and his voice choked with emotion, "I, Old Sun... I, Old Sun, don't blame you..."
Tang Sanzang smiled slightly: "Wukong, this humble monk knows you killed that monster to protect me. From now on, no matter what happens, this humble monk will always trust you."
Sun Wukong nodded heavily, his voice hoarse, and said, "Alright! Master, I, Old Sun, will definitely not let you down!"
Watching this scene, Chu Yang felt a surge of relief.
He knew that at this moment, the trust between Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong had deepened once again.
This is more effective than any kind of magic spell.
……
Meanwhile, at the Great Thunder Temple on Mount Ling in the Western Paradise.
The Buddha sat serenely on a lotus throne, with a bronze mirror floating in front of him.
The bronze mirror reflected the figures of Chu Yang, Sun Wukong, and Tang Sanzang.
Guanyin Bodhisattva stood aside, her face full of surprise.
“Buddha, did you see that?” she said. “Tang Sanzang actually apologized to Sun Wukong.”
The Buddha nodded slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"This humble monk saw it."
He pondered for a moment, then continued, "This young man named Chu Yang is indeed extraordinary."
"He not only stopped Sun Wukong from wearing the golden headband, but also stood up for Sun Wukong at a crucial moment, changing Tang Sanzang's opinion of him."
"According to the original script, this scene should have been Tang Sanzang reprimanding Sun Wukong and reciting the Tightening-Headband Mantra to punish him."
Guanyin frowned and said, "Buddha, this Chu Yang has changed too many things. This disciple is worried that if this continues, will something unexpected happen to the journey to the West?"
The Buddha remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"The Bodhisattva is overthinking it."
"The most important aspect of the journey to the West is the eighty-one tribulations. As long as these eighty-one tribulations remain unchanged, the journey to the West will be successful."
"As for the relationship between Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong..." he paused, "...it's actually a good thing."
Guanyin was taken aback: "A good thing?"
The Buddha said, "If Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong continue to distrust each other, their journey to the West will inevitably be fraught with difficulties."
"But if they could treat each other sincerely and trust each other, the journey to obtain the scriptures would actually be much smoother."
"That young man named Chu Yang, although he changed many things, all of them were for the better."
"At least now, Sun Wukong is more loyal to Tang Sanzang, and Tang Sanzang trusts Sun Wukong more."
"Isn't this exactly what we wanted to see?" Guanyin nodded thoughtfully.
“The Buddha is right. I am just a little worried…”
"What are you worried about?"
Guanyin hesitated for a moment, then said, "This disciple is worried about something else."
She waved her hand, and the scene in the bronze mirror switched to Chu Yang cooking.
"Buddha, please look. This Chu Yang cooks for Tang Sanzang every day. The food looks vegetarian, but I've observed it carefully; it actually contains meat."
The Buddha's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You mean... Tang Sanzang broke his vows?"
Guanyin nodded: "Indeed. Tang Sanzang has unknowingly eaten meat many times."
"If he knew about this, he would probably break down."
The Buddha remained silent for a long time, his expression extremely complex.
"This Chu Yang..." he muttered to himself, "What exactly does he want?"
Guanyin said, "This disciple doesn't understand either. It seems he's trying to change some of Tang Sanzang's views."
"But Tang Sanzang is the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, having cultivated for ten lifetimes. How can he easily break his vows?"
The Buddha pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Breaking the precepts..."
His gaze deepened.
"What are precepts? Precepts are rules that restrain the behavior of practitioners, preventing them from going astray."
"But precepts themselves cannot determine whether a person is good or evil."
Whether a person eats meat or not is not important. What matters is their heart, their actions, and their attitude towards all living beings.
Guanyin was stunned: "Does Buddha mean...?"
The Buddha said, "What I mean is that although Tang Sanzang broke the precepts of not killing and not eating meat, his heart has not changed."
"He remains the same compassionate and benevolent monk who saves all sentient beings."
"If that's the case, what does it matter if I break the precept?"
Guanyin remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
“The Buddha is right. I understand.”
The Buddha smiled slightly: "Bodhisattva, there's no need to worry too much. Let that Chu Yang continue his antics."
"This humble monk wants to see what kind of person he can ultimately turn Tang Sanzang into."
"If it can help Tang Sanzang become more insightful and understand the true meaning of Buddhism, then that would actually be a meritorious deed."
Guanyin clasped her hands together and said, "Disciple obeys."
The Buddha waved his hand, and the image in the bronze mirror gradually faded away.
“Let’s keep observing,” he said. “The journey to the West is long, and the most interesting things are yet to come.”
Guanyin nodded, transformed into a golden ray of light, and left the Great Thunderclap Temple.
The Buddha sat alone on the lotus throne, gazing into the distance, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"Chu Yang..."
He muttered to himself.
"Who exactly are you? And what changes will your appearance bring to this journey to the West?"
"This humble monk...will wait and see."
……
White Bone Ridge, at the foot of the mountain.
Chu Yang, Sun Wukong, and Tang Sanzang continued their journey westward.
After that incident, the relationship between the three seemed to have become more harmonious.
Tang Sanzang no longer doubted Sun Wukong as easily as before, but chose to believe him.
Sun Wukong also worked even harder to protect Tang Sanzang, wishing he could kill all the monsters.
Chu Yang walked behind, watching the two people in front chatting and laughing, and a feeling of relief welled up in his heart.
"Take it slow," he said silently to himself.
"Tang Sanzang's mindset cannot be changed overnight."
"But if he persists, one day he will become more insightful and understand the ways of the world better."
"Only then will he be a truly great monk."
The official road winds its way into the distance.
The three people and one horse continued westward, and after passing through White Bone Ridge, the terrain gradually became flat.
The distant mountains, like barriers, outlined undulating contours on the horizon.
The late spring sunshine bathed me in warmth, and the wheat fields beside the road were a golden expanse. A gentle breeze blew, and the wheat rippled like waves, a truly beautiful sight.
"This place is quite nice," Sun Wukong said, standing by the roadside and looking around. "Much better than White Bone Ridge."
Tang Sanzang nodded, a relieved smile on his face.
"Yes, this place is densely populated; there shouldn't be any more monsters here."
Chu Yang walked behind, looking at the surrounding scenery and silently calculating in his mind.
According to the plot of Journey to the West, after leaving White Bone Ridge, the next important location is Gao Village.
There, they will encounter Zhu Bajie.
Although that pig was gluttonous, lazy, greedy, and lustful, it was an indispensable member of the pilgrimage team.
"We should be there soon..." he thought to himself.
As the sun gradually sank in the west, a patch of orange-red sunset glow appeared on the horizon.
"Master, it's getting late, let's find a place to rest," Sun Wukong said.
Tang Sanzang nodded and looked around.
"There seems to be a village ahead. Let's go there, beg for some alms, and find lodging for the night."
Chu Yang looked at the village ahead, then at Tang Seng, and a sense of helplessness welled up in his heart.
Tang Sanzang was a good person in every way, except that he was too frugal.
They could have spent money to stay in a restaurant, but instead they chose to stay at other people's homes and beg for alms.
Although this is a tradition among monks, Chu Yang felt that this practice was far too troublesome.
Each time I had to ask for lodging, I had to talk a lot, and sometimes I would encounter unfriendly families, which was a waste of time.
"Master, wait a moment," he said.
Tang Sanzang turned to look at him: "What advice do you have for me, Benefactor Chu?"
Chu Yang pointed to a small town further ahead and said, "There should be a restaurant in that town. Why don't we stay there for the night and get some rest?"
Tang Sanzang shook his head: "It's customary for monks to travel around begging for alms and stay at people's homes. Staying in restaurants is too extravagant, not appropriate at all."
Chu Yang smiled slightly: "Master, while monks should be frugal, they don't need to be too rigid."
"We traveled westward, enduring wind and rain, sleeping in the open—it was a very arduous journey. Occasionally, we'd stay at an inn to rest and recharge, so we could continue our journey at our best."
“Moreover…” he paused, then took out a silver ingot from his pocket, “I will cover the expenses; it won’t cost my master a single penny.”
Tang Sanzang frowned slightly as he looked at the silver ingot.
"This...this is too much trouble!"
Chu Yang said, "Master, there's no need for such formalities. I've been traveling west with you all because of your kindness. This small amount is just a token of my appreciation."
Sun Wukong chimed in, "Master, Brother Chu Yang is right. I also think staying at an inn is much better than lodging somewhere else."
"Those farmhouse beds are so hard and small, I, Old Sun, feel uncomfortable sleeping on them. The beds in the restaurant are definitely much softer!"
Tang Sanzang glanced at Chu Yang, then at Sun Wukong, and finally sighed. (End of Chapter)