Chapter 53 (Second Update) Passing through eight hundred li, stretching...
Bao'e, holding the sesame seed cake, was pulled off the bed by the traveler, completely bewildered.
She said, “Brother, we’re leaving now. We won’t even say goodbye to this kind-hearted family. But where is that fake traveler going?”
The pilgrim laughed and said, "He is a demon in disguise. How can we allow him to go on his pilgrimage? We must kill him."
Bao'e nodded: "Good, good! If we keep him here any longer, we'll really have to cut off his ears so he can't hear human voices and can't go on his journey to the West."
The traveler linked arms with her and chuckled, "My dear sister, don't mind the noise. We should spend more time together from now on."
Bao'e looked at the sky and said, "It's really going to be tough. We'll have to set off as soon as the moon is still up."
The traveler said, “If you’re tired, get on the horse. It’s steady, and you can even doze off again. Get on the horse, get on the horse!”
Bao'e remained motionless, thinking it strange. In the past, when she complained of being tired, this mischievous monkey would only say things like "Don't just complain" and "No pain, no gain." Why was he urging her to mount the horse today?
The traveler, unaware of her thoughts, pushed her forward.
Bao'e said, "Brother, Master is still on horseback. I can't ride with him. What if I doze off and sway back and forth, knocking Master off the horse and killing him?"
Sun Wukong laughed so hard he almost fell over: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, if he won't sit, you sit."
Bao'e was driven to the front of the horse by him, but she said, "Master, why don't you get up?"
The elder just looked at her and smiled.
The traveler: "Dismount! Dismount!"
Suddenly, the elder leaped up, grabbed a horizontal branch, and swung back and forth like a playful monkey. Occasionally, he would free one hand to scratch his ear and cheek.
Bao'e was stunned, and for a moment she thought she was dreaming.
She nodded and said, "Good monk, truly a good monk. I never knew you had this mischievous side. You should have said so earlier, instead of letting your brother play around in that tree all by himself."
The elder leaped onto the tree and squatted down, grinning broadly.
The traveler chuckled and laughed without stopping.
Seeing that he didn't move, Bao'e asked, "Brother, aren't you leaving?"
The pilgrim said, "I, Old Sun, just ran into a few demons. I'll chase you away after I've killed them all. It won't take more than one tumble."
Bao'e nodded, pressed down on the saddle, and was about to mount the horse.
Suddenly, ten thousand golden rays burst forth from the darkness.
She looked over and saw another pilgrim coming with a staff, shouting, "You vile demon, give me back my person! You're blind, daring to bully me like this! Don't run away, take this!"
The Great Sage swept his staff across, turning Sanzang, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon Horse into meat patties. In no time, a gust of wind blew, and the meat patties turned into hairs and disappeared.
The pilgrim refused to back down and tried to pull Bao'e away, saying, "Wumiao, don't believe him. He's killed our master; he's a complete scoundrel!"
Bao'e couldn't listen to what he was saying. She quickly looked in her arms and saw that the sesame seed cake had turned into a hair.
Enraged, the fool jumped up and down, yelling, "You rascal! You rascal! How could you conjure up a fake pancake to fool me? Heavens, heavens, you won't even leave me a trace of aroma! Give me back my pancake!"
Overwhelmed with emotion, she grabbed her rake, mustered all her strength, and swung it at him.
The traveler leaped aside and sighed, "My luck is too low. Wu Miao, come with me. We'll have fun along the way, with endless cakes to eat and fine wine to drink."
"Shut up, take this!" The fool was enraged, wishing he could kill him with a single blow.
The three of them fought in mid-air, but as before, Bao'e gradually lost the ability to distinguish who was real and who was fake.
The two travelers argued and made noise all the way to the underworld. Guided by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, they went to Leiyin Temple to see the Buddha.
When the Buddha saw through the monkey's true form, it was terrified and wanted to run away.
However, the Four Great Bodhisattvas, the Eight Vajras, and other great saints were listening to the sutras at Leiyin Temple and joined in the work to help the Great Sage capture the macaque.
The macaque tried to transform into a bee to escape, but was caught by the Buddha using a bowl.
When the Buddha lifted the alms bowl, the monster revealed its true form; it was indeed a six-eared macaque.
The Great Sage drew his staff and struck him dead with a single blow, turning him into a wisp of gray smoke.
He thought the matter was over, but then he seemed to see the smoke drifting into his lungs, and in a daze he heard a cold laugh: "You can't destroy me."
The Great Sage quickly opened his fiery eyes and looked around, but found no demons.
The Buddha said, "Wukong, now that you have killed the demon monkey, you should go and protect Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West."
"No, no!" the pilgrim waved his hand. "I beg the Buddha to do me a favor, recite the 'Loosening the Hoop Mantra,' remove this hoop, and let me go."
The Buddha told him not to be mischievous and to focus on escorting the monk on his journey to the West. He also said that the Bodhisattva would escort him for a while and that the monk would definitely keep him there.
The pilgrim then went back to find Sanzang.
The Bodhisattva also went along and explained to the elder that the one who hit him was the Six-Eared Macaque, and asked him to take in Wukong so that they could go west to retrieve the scriptures.
Upon hearing this, the elder kowtowed and said, "I will obey your teachings."
The Bodhisattva then returned to the South China Sea, while Sanzang and his companions packed their belongings, thanked the mountain people, and continued their westward journey.
Meanwhile, the master and his disciples hurried westward. Spring gradually passed, the hot summer passed, and autumn arrived.
That day, it was already dark, and they still hadn't found a place to stay when they suddenly heard the sound of waves.
"Master, there seems to be water," said Sha Wujing.
Bao'e, who used to be in charge of the Milky Way and was a good swimmer, quickly stepped forward and said, "I'll go test the depth!"
She went straight to the riverbank and looked down.
The autumn night was dark, with only waves crashing against each other, the moon reflected in the water, and the river surface shimmering.
Just as she was about to pick up a stone to test the depth, she suddenly saw a flash of silver light sweep across the water.
Bao'e thought it was moonlight reflecting on the water, picked up a stone, and was about to throw it into the water.
Startled, the fool threw down a stone and raised his rake to strike, creating a splash of water.
Upon hearing this, the pilgrim laughed and said, "Wumiao, do you perhaps need to tap the water with your rake to find out how deep it is?"
"No, no, I see two eyes!" Bao'e looked again, but there was nothing in the water.
The traveler approached and opened his fiery eyes to gaze at the water.
"Fool, stop talking nonsense. You have no eyes. Step back, lest this wave sweep you away." With that, he leaped into the air to observe the river.
Bao'e, however, held her rake and stared intently at the river.
The moonlight was hazy, vaguely reflecting her face as it slowly rippled on the water's surface.
Suddenly, she spotted a glimpse of silver.
It resembled a fish tail, silently passing by the water.
She crouched down and peered inside more closely.
“Wumiao,” the monk asked from afar, “is the water deep or shallow?”
In mid-air, the traveler replied, “Master, don’t cross the river. Not to mention how deep it is, the river is three to five hundred miles long and you can’t see the banks. We don’t know how wide it is.”
Upon hearing this, Sanzang sighed, tears welling up in his eyes: "What should we do? Not to mention the demons and monsters that block our way, the mountains and rivers are also far away. When will we reach the Western Paradise?"
Bao'e was still carefully observing the river when she suddenly heard the traveler say, "Master, there is a stele."
She looked up abruptly, dragging her rake towards the spot: "Brother, what monument?"
The traveler was reading the inscription on the stele: "'A path of eight hundred li, seldom traveled since ancient times'... This river is the Tongtian River, and it is eight hundred li wide."
Sanzang grew increasingly sorrowful and silently grieved.
Bao'e said excitedly, "What a beautiful river! Such a long and winding river must contain countless magical creatures."
Little did they know that no sooner had she left than her reflection appeared on the river.
A few strands of hair drifted out from the hair, as black as ebony. Soon, a pair of eyes appeared, as if they were swallowing the moon and its shadow, secretly watching the group of master and disciples.
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