Chapter 8 "You only let me play tricks on you, you don't allow me to have any ideas..."

Sanzang declined, saying, "You are kind, but although I have an eldest disciple who doesn't eat much, my second disciple is a glutton. She endured hunger to beg for alms for me, so how can I eat it all by myself? This humble monk will not eat; I will share the meal with her."

"It's alright, there's still some freshly steamed rice on the stove. We'll invite the young elder to a vegetarian meal when she returns."

The monk had eyes that could not recognize demons. Seeing his handsome face, he thought he was a prince and nobleman, so he had no doubts and thanked him, saying, "Well done, well done, then thank you for your kindness, Benefactor Nie."

Just as he was about to reach for it, Nie Guiyu suddenly withdrew the wooden box and said, "I forgot to bring chopsticks and utensils. Please wait a moment, Elder. I'll be right back."

He turned and walked away quickly, disappearing from sight in no time.

The elder was all alone, hungry and with a worried expression, and he missed his two disciples even more.

Just then, Wukong returned, his staff in hand, and looked around.

Sanzang hurriedly stepped forward: "Wukong, Wukong, why have you returned in such a hurry? Did you go begging for alms?"

The traveler laughed and said, "Master, I'm afraid we can't rely on you, a good monk, for our journey to the West to obtain the scriptures."

Sanzang retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting, you monkey!"

The traveler said, “I’m already haunted by ghosts, yet I still long for that bowl of vegetarian food. It’s a coincidence that I can’t go to the Western Paradise, but at least I can keep Wu Miao company. From now on, I’ll only worry about being hungry and full, and not about the true scriptures.”

The elder, utterly ashamed, scolded him, “You wicked disciple! Such contempt for this humble monk is utterly rude and shows a complete lack of discernment. How did you come to believe that the benefactor who kindly offered alms was a wicked ghost? Could it be that you are deliberately fabricating lies to deceive this humble monk in order to avoid going to beg for alms?”

Wukong was also annoyed: "Am I that kind of person? You bald rascal, you should be swallowed by that ghost. It would be more fitting for you to say this from inside his belly!"

The elder became even angrier, wishing he could expel him immediately, and verbally abused him, calling him a "mischievous monkey" and a "monkey."

The traveler, fearing that he would recite the Tightening-Headband Mantra, remained silent and pondered in secret.

He had sensed the evil spirit's aura earlier, which was why he rushed back. Who would have thought that the evil spirit had left before him, probably scouting his movements before running away.

Just as he was pondering the origins of the ghost, Bao'e brought over two bowls of vegetarian food.

The monk asked, "What have you done wrong? Why do you look so aggrieved?"

"My senior brother told me to go beg for alms, but he ran away halfway, leaving me alone to fight that swordsman. I don't know how much I suffered before I finally managed to beg for these two bowls of vegetarian food."

Sanzang asked, "Did that benefactor receive the money?"

Bao'e suddenly looked at Wukong and said, "Brother, why don't you turn into an insect to bite me this time?"

The traveler said, "A demon was causing trouble and almost captured my master. I was only concerned with getting back; I didn't have time to play tricks on you."

Bao'e didn't ask where the demon came from, but just stared blankly at Tang Sanzang, nodded and said, "Take her in, take her in."

He couldn't resist adding a flattering remark: "If it weren't for the few coins my master gave me, I'm afraid he would have chopped off my head with a single sword stroke long ago."

"Wumiao, you have suffered." Sanzang sighed, on the verge of tears, but managed to hold them back, and then remembered Wukong's faults.

Wukong just gave a cold laugh and didn't say a word.

He thought to himself that this bald monk was good at discerning people. That wicked demon was used to being lazy and idle, and he would never be willing to suffer. He probably ate his fill before lazily giving him this bowl of vegetarian food.

Bao'e shared a bowl of vegetarian food with Sanzang, kept the other bowl for herself, and then took out a large, sweet fresh fruit and handed it to Wukong.

She said, "Senior brother, the peaches aren't sweet enough at this time of year, so I took one from the kitchen. Why don't you try it and see how it tastes?"

The traveler mocked her: "Your master is biased towards you, why don't you offer this fruit to him? If I eat it, and then regret it later, who will you ask to stand up for you?"

Bao'e chuckled to herself, "You're allowed to play tricks on me, but I'm not allowed to find ways to tease you?"

"What's the point of all this fussing!" The traveler's anger dissipated, and he laughed, taking the fruit and eating it.

After the three of them finished eating, they planned to find a place to rest and leave the next morning.

The temple was mostly abandoned, and most of the rooms showed no signs of being inhabited. The monk was not picky and found an old house to rest in.

That night, Wukong couldn't sleep at all, when he suddenly heard a rustling sound outside the window.

He thought that the fairy he had not yet met was probably a ghost, so he went to call Bao'e.

But that fool was fast asleep; even when he shook out some shadows, she didn't open her eyes.

He hissed in a low voice, "Idiot, a demon is coming! Wake up!"

She remained unconscious, seemingly dreaming of something, and even wore a faint smile.

He was neither impatient nor angry, and he stopped shaking her or scaring her. He just sighed, "It's a pity that there are several plates of sesame cakes on the stove, each as big as a basin, steaming hot. Master is fast asleep, and I, Old Sun, don't like the smell of cooking. It's such a waste of this delicious food."

Bao'e woke up when she heard the word "sesame seed cake".

She jumped up, perked up, and asked, "Brother, where can I find some sesame seed cakes? What kind of filling do they have? Who got them?"

Wukong simply replied, "It fell from the sky."

“That’s strange,” Bao’e said wistfully. “Perhaps it was thrown down by the Moon Goddess of the Moon Palace. He used to make stuffed cakes in the heavens. Once he stole the Jade Rabbit’s pestle to roll out dough and was scolded by the Moon Goddess. He must have been caught again this time and had no choice but to throw the cakes away. I haven’t had any for a long time. The cakes are stuffed with osmanthus honey, and sweet syrup oozes out when you bite into them.”

Seeing that she was lost in thought, gazing longingly at the moon palace cakes, the Great Sage grabbed her ear.

"If you look any more foolish, the monster might mistake you for a flatbread and beat you up! Stop making a fuss. Once we catch that evil spirit, you can eat whatever delicious food it has."

Bao'e cried out in pain, and after he let go, she rubbed her ear and asked him, "Senior brother, where are the evil spirits? If it's an offering from someone's grave, I wouldn't dare eat it."

"Don't shout, come with me, you'll know once we get outside." Wukong quietly walked outside and told her his guess.

Fearing she would argue and make a fuss, he suppressed his suspicions about Young Master Nie, only saying that there were demons in the temple who were probably after Sanzang.

This fool also had some temper. Hearing that the demon wanted to harm Sanzang, he brandished his rake and said, "I'm off!"

Wukong laughed and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry about that," Bao'e said through gritted teeth. "I'll make that ghost eat my rake a few times, and make sure his soul is scattered so he can't harm anyone anymore."

The traveler couldn't help but laugh again: "Good girl, you rushed out in such a hurry that you scared the ghost away before you even found him."

"That's exactly what I was planning!"

"Don't rush, don't rush! If we can't capture him and let him escape, won't we just find another opportunity to come back tomorrow?"

“That makes sense.” Bao’ehu asked him anxiously, “Senior brother, how do we kill him?”

"We should lure him out first." The Great Sage immediately came up with an idea. "Wumiao, he wants to take Master, why not disguise ourselves as Master, trick him into coming out, and then we can play tricks on him!"

"Good! Good!" Bao'e immediately transformed into a fake Tang Sanzang, while the Monkey King turned into a bee and stung behind her ear.

The traveler whispered in her ear, urging her, "Wumiao, go into that dark courtyard; the voices are over there."

“Amitabha,” the fake Tang Monk said with his palms together, “No rush, no rush. This humble monk’s belly is empty, filled only with pure air and the sound of the night wind. I can’t walk any further.”

"Go! Go!" the traveler shouted. "Don't make a fuss, or you'll disturb the ghosts and monsters, and then we won't be able to get him!"

Bao'e said seriously, "Brother, don't you understand? This is a trap set for him on purpose. A hungry, slow-moving young monk is the easiest to catch."

The traveler laughed and said, "Fool, keep your mouth shut. Go quickly, don't let him get away."

“That’s right. Now that I’ve endured a few humiliating curses, I’m full and can walk again.” Bao’e straightened her clothes, held up the cuffs of her cassock, and, having learned a bit of refinement from Tang Sanzang, slowly walked forward.

The traveler saw her feigning composure and couldn't help but chuckle.

The bee's wings fluttered, startling Bao'e who thought he was going to sting her. She quickened her pace, saying, "I'm walking, I'm walking! Brother, please don't sting me!"

She rushed into the courtyard, only to be met by twenty or thirty thieves.

There were even more than during the day, crowding the courtyard and looking around.

The thieves were all ugly-looking, and they carried knives and axes; they were truly ferocious.

Bao'e stumbled upon them unexpectedly, mistaking them for ghosts. Without her rake, she panicked and exclaimed, "They're tough! Tough! There are so many ghosts; I'm afraid all my yang energy will be drained!"

She was so frightened that her hands and feet went numb, but she hadn't run more than a few steps before she was spotted by several thieves.

The leader shouted, "Where are you going, you bald monk!"

Bao'e stumbled and hurriedly transformed back into her original form, crying out, "Not a bald monk! Not a bald monk! I have hair! I have hair!"

A note from the author:

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