It is said that Tang Sanzang and his four disciples came from the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, following the orders of Emperor Taizong of Tang to go to Western Heaven to seek the Mahayana Buddhist Sutras.
Along the way, they endured hardships and braved the elements, having reached halfway on their journey. One night, for some unknown reason, Tang Sanzang felt dazed and stood atop a mountain peak, holding a black box in his hand, his gaze directed toward Mount Meru in West Cow He State, their final destination and the sacred land of the Buddhist sect.
Sha Wujing watched Tang Sanzang for a long time; though far apart, he could still see his master frowning constantly and asked, "Heavenly Cover, what do you think our master is doing? Could it be that he's afflicted by some demonic obstacle?"
Bajie, awakening from a deep slumber, glanced at Tang Sanzang and lazily said, "Who cares! If he really is bewitched and jumps down from the mountain, perhaps I can return to Gao Old Mansion. Maybe the Jade Emperor will rescind his order and let us return to the Heavenly Court as officials."
Though he spoke lightly, he knew deep down that the Jade Emperor would not let him off the hook if they failed to retrieve the sutras. Remembering the Jade Emperor's inscrutable gaze, Bajie involuntarily shuddered violently! He then glanced at Sha Wujing with significant meaning; both being unfortunate souls from the same predicament, having someone to share in the misfortune was somewhat comforting. However, he was unaware that Sha Wujing shared the same sentiment.
"Bajie, did I hear you mention Gao Old Mansion again? Are you thinking about shirking your duties and leaving?" Wukong suddenly jumped down from a tree and demanded.
"Not at all, eldest brother! This old pig has been diligent all along the journey, only wishing to reach Mount Meru in Western Heaven soon to achieve True Fruition." Bajie's sly eyes suddenly turned innocent and honest, "Besides, with your Thousand-Mile Eyes and Ears that Reach Around the Corners, where would I dare to speak recklessly?"
Bajie felt extremely displeased in his heart and thought to himself, "You are nothing but an unteachable Rowdy Monkey, a demon! And now, I, Heavenly Cover, have to assist you. How bitter this is!"
Yet, he forgot that he was himself merely a pig demon now, and to outsiders, he was no different from Wukong.
Suddenly, Tang Sanzang called out, "Wukong, come here."
Wukong felt Tang Sanzang had been behaving very strangely these past few days, prone to anger at the slightest provocation. On this journey, the Tight-Fillet Spell had tormented him to no end, smoothing out any brashness he once had. Where was the air and dominance of his days causing Havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago? These days, he cautiously served Tang Sanzang, fearing to provoke him and then suffering from the spell once more.
On this Journey to the West, Wukong had felt that something was very amiss; the demons blocking their path mostly came from Buddhist or Daoist sects. However, his mind hadn't fully awakened, and without having undergone severe life-and-death trials, he couldn't figure out what was happening despite racking his brains.
Standing beside Tang Sanzang, Wukong asked quietly, "Master, it's night; why aren't you resting yet? What do you need me for?"
Looking up at the dark sky, Tang Sanzang said, "Create a Blinding Spell, let no one see what we're doing, especially the Meritorious Officials on duty in the heavens, the Five Directions Kaide, and your two junior brothers."
Not daring to question further, Wukong felt an eerie unease about today's Tang Sanzang. He cast a spell into the air, covering them. To outsiders, all that could be seen were the faint images of Wukong and Tang Sanzang conversing quietly on the mountaintop; their true forms were hidden within the Blinding Spell.
Tang Sanzang gazed at Wukong for a moment, then slowly said, "Create a dagger."
Unsure of Tang Sanzang's intentions but not daring to defy him, Wukong felt wary of the feared Tang Sanzang at this moment. He immediately plucked one of the Divine Hairs given by Bodhisattva Guanyin, placed it in his palm, blew on it, and, with a whoosh, a gleaming dagger appeared. Tang Sanzang took the dagger, then lifted his sleeve and gestured over his arm, the dagger's chill piercing to the bone, causing his arm hair to bristle.
"Master, you…" Wukong hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly saw Tang Sanzang grit his teeth and slash with the knife, blood splattering as a piece of flesh was cut from his arm, dripping blood.
Tang Sanzang threw the dagger aside casually, holding the flesh in his hand and fiercely said to Wukong, "Eat!"
At that single word, Wukong felt a chill run through his body; he knew Tang Sanzang was a being destined to Achieve Buddhahood, born of the Ninth Generation Good Man, the Golden Cicada. Eating his flesh would grant immortality, transcend the Five Elements, and bring about tremendous transformation! Throughout their journey, countless demons had sought to eat Tang Sanzang's flesh but had never succeeded. Now, Tang Sanzang himself had cut a piece of his own flesh and was inviting him to eat it, sending a frigid wave through his heart.
Tang Sanzang sneered, "Eat it if I tell you to. If you don't, don't blame me for reciting the spell thirty times!"
Wukong was shocked and angered, but he dared not resist, knowing the power of the Tight-Fillet Spell was tremendous; a single recitation could cause unbearable pain, almost shattering his Primordial Spirit—truly beyond human endurance! Thus, he reluctantly took the dripping piece of flesh from Tang Sanzang, clenched his teeth, and swallowed it in one gulp.
"Use the Samadhi True Fire, refine it!" Tang Sanzang commanded further.
Without questioning, Wukong activated the Samadhi True Fire. Then, a white vapor rose from his stomach, relaxing his body and filling him with refreshed Mana. A strand of white vapor entered his Muddy Pellet Palace and seemed to release a sliver of his Primordial Spirit into the sky, never to be seen again. Upon seeing Wukong consume the flesh, Tang Sanzang finally let out a sigh of relief, then took out a white cloth from his sleeve to wipe the blood off his hand and bandaged it up. With the sleeve back in place, nothing seemed amiss.
With a faint smile, Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, do not speak of this matter to anyone, not even to the Bodhisattva or Buddha Ancestor! If you do, heh heh…"
Tang Sanzang usually appeared timid and self-righteous, but now his expression was as dark as an abyss, which filled Wukong with an even greater sense of dread.
Wukong then said, "Yes, Master. I will definitely not speak of it, rest assured."
Tang Sanzang gave a strange laugh and said no more. Together with Wukong, he descended from the mountain peak to a pile of tied-up grass and lay down to sleep.
Wukong felt as if he had consumed a piece of raw flesh, feeling extremely nauseous. He leaned against a tree branch all night, unable to sleep, his mind filled with doubts, yet he dared not ask Tang Sanzang for the reasons.
The night passed without words. After the four disciples had rested, they picked up their belongings and set out. They reached a broad plain where Tang Sanzang remained silently, but upon arriving, he spurred his horse and whipped it into a gallop, leaving his three disciples far behind. Suddenly, a rope meant to trip horses appeared in the middle of the road. The White Dragon Horse, unable to dodge in time, tripped and fell to the ground, and a net was thrown over, capturing both Tang Sanzang and the White Dragon Horse. From the woods beside the plain, over ten fierce-looking bandits emerged, brandishing large sabres and baring their chests, preparing to capture Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang cried out, "Wukong, save me!"
Upon hearing Tang Sanzang's cry, Wukong hastily somersaulted into the air, covering several miles in one leap, and arrived in front of Tang Sanzang.
The bandits, startled by the sudden appearance of a monkey, quickly formed up their ranks and charged at Wukong.
Wukong, not wasting words and feeling extremely irritable due to the previous day's events, swung his Jingu Bang, and with each strike, his martial skills and the 13,500-pound staff shattered the oncoming sabres into pieces, opening flowers on the bandits' heads, their brains splattering all around.
After freeing Tang Sanzang from his restraints, the monk pressed his palms together and scolded angrily, "You Rowdy Monkey, you've killed again!"
Wukong quickly replied, "Master, they were just a band of bandits, plotting to rob and kill every day. I was dispensing justice on behalf of Heaven!"
Tang Sanzang retorted, "Excuses! Listen to my spell three times."
Not giving Wukong a chance to speak, he immediately started reciting the incantations. Sha Wujing and Bajie, who had just arrived, saw Wukong's head hoop emit a golden light and watched him writhing in agony on the ground, dust covering his body, and could not help but laugh as they stood by, not stepping forward to dissuade Tang Sanzang.
After reciting the spell three times and causing Wukong extreme pain, Tang Sanzang finally said, "I advised you, yet you wouldn't listen. I don't want to teach you anymore; leave on your own!"
Wukong slowly got up from the ground and asked, "Master, are you driving me away?"
Tang Sanzang's expression was cold. He ordered Sha Wujing and Bajie to bury the bandits and said, "No more words. If you do not leave, it will be thirty more rounds of the Tight-Fillet Spell!"
Filled with fear, Wukong gritted his teeth, somersaulted, and soared away on a cloud, feeling utterly depressed. If Tang Sanzang really drove him away, when would he ever be able to remove this head hoop? With that thought, he decided not to accompany his master to the Western Heaven to fetch the Mahayana Buddhist Sutras and instead went south to Mount Luojia to find Bodhisattva Guanyin to help him remove the head hoop, thus avoiding putting up with his tedious master any longer.
Bajie thought to himself, "This Tang Sanzang usually behaves kindly. To kill a few bandits is but a minor punishment. What came over him today to drive Wukong away? I better not provoke him; I'll pretend I don't know anything, carefully protect him along the way, and with the Jade Emperor's secret help, we can still achieve true fruition in the Western Heaven without the monkey."
Sha Wujing's thoughts were largely similar to Bajie's, except he was more worried—without Wukong, their journey would likely face many more dangers!
Tang Sanzang sat in front of a pile of bandit graves, chanting sutras for their souls, yet in his mind, he thought, "Wukong, oh Wukong, if you can escape Tathagata's demonic clasp this time, I shall no longer use the Rebirth Box Grand Supreme Lord has given me. Otherwise, I must sacrifice the lesser for the greater good."
It turned out that Tang Sanzang's strange behavior over the past few days was due to the revelation made by Grand Supreme Lord of the Three Pure Ones in a dream, which awoke the memories of his past lives. Such an act was meant to preserve Wukong's life, under the pretense that Wukong had again violated the ban against killing, whether it be a bandit or a demon.
With each disciple harboring their own thoughts and plans, Tang Sanzang called out and rode forward. The journey continued in silence, the atmosphere notably somber.
At that moment, a Six-Eared Macaque, who had received guidance from Buddha Ancestor at Mount Meru, was already on his way toward the three disciples.
What fortunes or misfortunes this journey will bring remains unknown, so please tune in next time.