Chapter 33 "Little Bodhisattva, where does the fragrance come from?"...
The warbling of the orioles and the chirping of the swallows were so captivating that they made one's body go weak and one's muscles go numb. Bao'e hurriedly covered her ears, thinking to herself: This is incredible, incredible! Even the palace maids in the heavens are not as mesmerizing as this.
Tripitaka asked with palms together, "Amitabha, why does the female Bodhisattva wish to offer alms?"
The woman said, “Elder, my family lives at the foot of White Tiger Ridge. We are all kind-hearted people who enjoy offering alms to monks and making donations. My family and I were offering incense at this Taoist temple when we heard that a high monk had come here. My parents asked me to personally deliver the vegetarian meal. I hope you will not mind, Elder.”
Sanzang thought of Young Master Nie who had delivered the vegetarian meal.
He hurriedly said, "Thank you, benefactor, but I have an apprentice who cooks for me, so I dare not eat this vegetarian meal."
The woman said softly, “With this ready-made vegetarian meal, why bother starting a fire? Elder, I have fragrant rice and fried gluten here, how delicious they are, please have some.”
"Excellent, excellent!" Sanzang bowed his head. "Go, I won't eat."
He refused in every way, which only made Bao'e very anxious.
She had been huddled in the corner, but upon hearing this, she hurriedly stepped forward: "Master, what she said makes some sense. With this ready-made vegetarian meal, how can you order me around? Not only is it a waste of your kindness, but you're treating me like a free helper."
Sanzang said, "Wumiao, stop talking nonsense."
When the woman saw Bao'e, her expression suddenly changed.
"Bao'e?" she called out in confusion.
Bao'e exclaimed with delight, "Good sister, not only do you have a kind heart that offers alms to monks, but you also know my name by heart."
“How could I have foreseen this?” The woman moved gracefully, not looking at Sanzang, and stood in front of Bao’e. “Back then at Fuling Mountain, you and that Mao Erlang were betrothed, weren’t you?”
Bao'e stared blankly, "That's right, that's right."
"I even had a drink at his wedding banquet and saw you several times. How could you forget me?" The woman unconsciously took her arm. "Bao'e, how come you disappeared after that Second Master Mao died?"
For some reason, Bao'e suddenly felt that her voice was softer and her demeanor more alluring, which made half of her body go numb.
She said blankly, "They went down the mountain."
Why don't you come looking for me?
Bao'e then said truthfully, "Sister, although you are kind-hearted, you look somewhat unfamiliar."
The woman just smiled: "Perhaps we didn't talk much back then. Do you still recognize me now?"
“I recognize it, I recognize it!” Bao’e asked her, “What are you carrying?”
Seeing that her eyes were fixed on the blue clay pot and the green porcelain bottle, the woman did not, as she had just urged people to eat vegetarian food, hide the pot and bottle away.
"It's nothing good, don't ask," she said.
It turns out that this woman was a corpse demon in disguise. When she saw Sanzang come to Wuzhuang Temple to ask for alms, she knew that he was the incarnation of Jin Chanzi and that eating a piece of his flesh would grant him longevity. So she transformed into a demon to test him.
Unexpectedly, they bumped into Zhu Bao'e here.
She tucked the bottle and jar into her sleeve so Bao'e couldn't see them anymore. She said angrily, "You're kidding me! If it were for that old monk, it would be delicious fragrant rice and fried gluten. But when I asked you, you said it wasn't good stuff!"
The monster moved closer to her and whispered in her ear, "There is rice and gluten, but it's a little cold. If you want to eat, come with me."
Bao'e felt a little dizzy as she was held by a pair of soft, boneless hands.
She said, "Good sister, what kind of cosmetics did you use? They smell quite fragrant."
The monster covered his face and laughed, placing his hand lightly on the back of her hand, his fingertips gently scratching and slowly circling.
He then asked her, "Little Bodhisattva, where does the fragrance come from?"
Yes, do you want to have clothes made?
Good Bao'e nodded blankly, then quietly took out some of her own money from her sleeve, showed it to her, and asked in a low voice, "Good sister, is this enough?"
The monster glanced at the few coins in her palm and couldn't help but laugh at her: "To tell you the truth, it would be difficult to even pull a thread."
Enraged, Bao'e exclaimed, "Oh dear, what kind of tailor is this? They're inhuman! Heavens, heavens, if this continues, it will take a thousand years to sew a single new garment!"
She looked at Sanzang again and complained, "Master, it's getting colder and colder. How can this old coat keep out the wind? Gusts keep blowing in, it's so cold!"
Sanzang said, "Wumiao, you're talking nonsense again. Summer is just around the corner, where is the cold coming from?"
Bao'e stopped looking at him, lowered her head, and mumbled and muttered to herself.
The monster grabbed her and said, "Come here, I have something to tell you."
"What does Sister want to say?" Bao'e leaned closer to listen.
The monster whispered in her ear, "I have a brother who is also skilled in tailoring. Coincidentally, he has seen you before and is quite fond of you, but unfortunately, he can't defeat that Mao Erlangjun, so he has to keep quiet. Would you grant him one wish and let him tailor some clothes for you?"
Upon hearing this, Bao'e didn't care who it was, and only asked, "Is it expensive?"
"I'm happy to give it to you; I don't want the money."
Bao'e opened her eyes slightly and asked again, "As beautiful as your clothes, sister?"
"It has to be even prettier." The strange man pinched her fingers, coaxing her, "Bao'e... come find Nunu tonight, and I'll give it to you, okay?"
Bao'e was truly moved and hesitated before nodding.
Sanzang stood at the door and saw the woman half-embracing and half-holding Bao'e in her arms. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Just then, the traveler returned.
He recognized the woman as a demon at a glance. Without saying a word, he took the golden cudgel out of his ear, shook it, and it grew to the thickness of a bowl. He then struck the demon on the head.
The monster, seeing him, also possessed some skill, so it used a corpse-dissolving technique, leaving only a fake corpse, bloodied and dead on the spot.
Such a bloody scene terrified Sanzang, making his body go limp and weak. He tried to find a place to hide, but couldn't stop himself from falling.
Bao'e, who was close to the monster, was also quite startled and asked, "Brother, what are you doing? How could you kill such a wonderful person!"
Sanzang regained his composure and cursed, "You wretched monkey, how could you harm someone's life without cause! This female benefactor is kind-hearted and came to offer alms to monks. Alas, alas! You wicked beast, you are truly going to die!"
As he spoke, he was about to recite the mantra for tightening the headband.
“Wumiao, Master, this is not a human, it is clearly a demon.” The pilgrim lifted the lid of the bottle on the ground and said to them, “Don’t blame me, old Sun, let’s see what kind of vegetarian food is in here.”
When Sanzang looked closer, he realized that the jar contained neither fragrant rice nor fried gluten.
There was only one jar containing long maggots, frogs, and toads with tails.
The elder was so frightened that he shivered and took several steps back, exclaiming in surprise, "Wukong, is she really a demon?"
“Exactly.” Wukong chuckled coldly. “What a Taoist temple and blessed land it is, it’s actually a den of demons that privately raises monsters!”
Bao'e, however, did not go forward to look.
Her eyes were moist, and tears were about to fall. She murmured, "Good sister, how could you leave so quickly, leaving your brother, a tailor, all behind?"
"This idiot, he's daydreaming again!" the traveler said. "The demons have come knocking on our door, and it's one thing if you don't recognize them, but why are you only thinking about tailors?"
Bao'e ignored him and grieved silently.
Meanwhile, the demon's true form disappeared into the clouds, revealing herself to be a tall, slender man, though dressed in simpler clothes.
He stared at the traveler from afar, gritting his teeth slightly, thinking to himself: I've heard of this monkey's abilities for years, and they're truly well-deserved; he's ruined his plans.
The monster looked at Bao'e, whose eyes were brimming with tears, but did not rush.
He turned around, still with that handsome appearance, but now dressed in gorgeous robes, a charming and alluring young man.
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