Chapter 54 "If it were a male demon, what would it look like..."
The master and his disciples were worrying about how to cross the river when they suddenly heard the sound of drums and cymbals.
The pilgrim said, “With this sound of drums and cymbals, there must be someone holding a vegetarian feast somewhere. Master, why don’t we go and take a look? We might be able to get some food from them.”
It turns out that these drums and cymbals are commonly used in religious ceremonies. Upon hearing this, Sanzang said, "These are indeed the musical instruments of our monks. Let's go, and find a boat to cross the river tomorrow morning."
Bao'e was also really hungry. She picked up the rake and said excitedly, "Master, listen to this sound, it's like a big family's house, with its clanging and thumping."
Sanzang said, “Wumiao, don’t be impatient. No matter what his family’s wealth is, he is a kind-hearted person who makes vegetarian meals. He is already very fortunate to be able to get a meal.”
Bao'e said, "Master, you are saying such things. If I can't fill my stomach and don't have the strength to walk, why would you carry me?"
These words made the Monkey King and Sandy laugh, but the elder wore a bitter face that showed neither worry nor laughter, and sighed softly.
They walked over and saw that there were at least four or five hundred households, and the one holding the vegetarian feast was the one at the beginning of the road.
The house was brightly lit, with incense smoke curling upwards.
Sanzang told his three disciples to wait where they were, then went to inquire and left.
Bao'e, holding the rake, said, "There were fish in the Tongtian River just now."
Wukong laughed at her: "You're a vegetarian, why are you thinking about fish in the water?"
Bao'e: "Brother, don't say I'm stupid, you're even more stupid. I wasn't doing this for food, I was just thinking of turning Master into a fish so he could swim over."
The Great Sage was so happy he almost fell over: "Wumiao, what if the waves in the water are too big and sweep him away, or what if he encounters a big fish and swallows him whole?"
“That makes sense.” Bao’e nodded. “We might as well turn the white dragon horse into a big fish and carry him across.”
Upon hearing this, the little dragon snorted and flicked her tail repeatedly.
Bao'e hurriedly said, "Wujing, take it to eat grass. If it goes crazy like this and is starved for too long, it might eat people!"
Sha Wujing laughed and said, "Don't be afraid, Senior Sister, it only eats grass."
The three chatted and laughed, and Sanzang explained his purpose to the host, asking to borrow the place for the night.
Once the master agreed, he turned around and called to them, "My disciples, come here."
They then stepped forward.
Three fierce and unruly men rushed forward and stormed into the hall.
Bao'e was starving, so she went inside and looked around for food, but all she saw were a few monks chanting sutras.
“That monk,” she asked, “what sutra is he chanting? Chanting sutras without eating, I’m afraid he’s suffering a bit.”
The monk looked up at her but did not respond, continuing to mutter to himself.
Bao'e murmured, "She's just like my master."
The homeowner's surname is Chen, his given name is Chen Qing, and he is an old man who is nearly sixty years old.
The old man stepped forward and said, "Little Bodhisattva, the Buddhist ceremony is about to end. It will take some time to arrange for them to prepare some new vegetarian meals."
Bao'e said, "It's alright, just one thing: prepare more food, I have a big appetite."
The old man looked at her and said, "Even if someone as big as a Bodhisattva has a big appetite, she can't eat a 'mountain of rice'."
The fool said, "Old man, to tell you the truth, we've rarely had a full meal on this journey to obtain the scriptures."
The old man thought she was joking and didn't take it to heart. He simply ordered his servant to light lamps and prepare tea and vegetarian meals.
Before long, fruits, vegetables, noodles, rice, and soup were served.
Unexpectedly, this fool was not lying. He couldn't even wait for Tang Sanzang to recite the precepts for the fast, so he put two or three bowls of rice into a bowl and stuffed it into his mouth.
The traveler didn't eat much cooked food. After tasting a few fresh fruits, he suddenly moved closer to her and chuckled, "Slow down, slow down! This fool seems to have not eaten a single grain of rice in centuries. He's not afraid of horses eating people, but he's afraid of people eating horses!"
He said this, but he kept pouring bowl after bowl into her bowl, making him so happy that he scratched his ears and cheeks, his eyebrows and eyes beaming.
Bao'e had no time to talk to him. In the blink of an eye, she brought over five or six bowls of rice, calling out "More rice!" from time to time. The servants serving the dishes were so anxious that they had to run and run to keep up.
The old man watched intently, and sighed to Sanzang, "Elder, your disciple certainly has a good appetite."
Tripitaka clasped his hands together and said, “Amitabha, old man, do not be afraid. Although my disciple has a large appetite, he is compassionate.”
The old man said, "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I've just never seen anything so edible before."
Meanwhile, Bao'e, who was devoted to vegetarianism, suddenly heard someone sobbing loudly in the back room, a sound filled with sorrow.
She stopped eating and said, "I told you I have a big appetite. I only ate a few extra bowls and you started crying. Oh dear, is it because you think I wasted your rice, or because you drank a few extra bowls of water? I'm not eating anymore, I'm not eating anymore, I'm not eating anymore!"
The old man Chen Qing hurriedly said, "Little Bodhisattva, no one is blaming you. The ones crying are my brother and sister-in-law, not because of the food, but because of their daughter."
Bao'e stared blankly: "I've never eaten his daughter's food either."
"Wu Miao, don't speak nonsense." The traveler asked the old man, "Grandpa, what do you mean by that? Why are you crying for his daughter all of a sudden?"
The old man sighed deeply: "To tell you the truth, young elder, the vegetarian meal prepared today is called 'Pre-meeting Vegetarian Meal for the Deceased'."
Sanzang said, "Old benefactor, what is the reason for this? I have never heard of 'pre-meal offering for the deceased' before."
The old man looked distressed and was even on the verge of tears.
He explained, “Elder, there is a temple dedicated to the Great King Linggan nearby. He is incredibly powerful and, although he brings rain to Chenjiazhuang every year, he also eats young boys and girls every year.”
The traveler then guessed, "Could it be that I'm coming to your home this year?"
"Indeed, indeed!" The old man wept, unable to stop sobbing. "Elder, my brother and I finally managed to obtain these two children. I only have one son, seven years old, named Chen Guanbao. My brother only has one daughter, eight years old, named Yichengjin. Now, both of them must be sent into the belly of the Great King of Inspiration. How can I not cry? Unfortunately, we do not have the ability and dare not refuse. We are deeply grieved, so we held this ceremony to help the two children be reborn."
Bao'e angrily retorted, "What kind of king is he? He's clearly a vicious demon who eats people and commits murder! Husband, there are hundreds of families in your village. Why don't you all join forces and kill that demon!"
The old man said, "If we can win, we have nothing to worry about today. With a single gust of wind from the king, countless families will perish."
The elder was a kind and gentle person. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but shed tears and whispered words of comfort to the old man.
"So that's the reason." The traveler chuckled. "Don't cry, don't cry, all of you, don't cry. Bring your son here, let me take a look."
The old man Chen Qing didn't understand what was going on, but he still went inside and brought Chen Guanbao over.
His older brother, Chen Cheng, heard the commotion and came out as well, his face tearful, still reluctantly holding Yi Chengjin's hand.
The two children, oblivious to the danger, laughed and played with the fruit.
The traveler carefully examined Chen Guanbao, silently recited a spell in his heart, and transformed himself into an exact replica of him. He then went forward and took Chen Guanbao's hand to play.
Chen Guanbao was young and loved to dance and play.
The two old men were terrified when they saw this, and immediately knelt down, saying, "Heavens! Heavens! Where did this deity come from? He only said one word, and he became just like my child."
Sanzang exclaimed in surprise, "Wukong, what's going on?"
Just then, he hurried over to help the two elderly people up.
The traveler laughed and said, "Old man, look closely, is there any difference between me, Old Sun, and your child?"
Chen Qing was terrified. She looked at him carefully, but found that there was no difference between his appearance and voice.
He quickly replied, "It looks normal."
The traveler asked, "Can we fool the King of Inspiration?"
"You can fool them, but little elder, what is the reason for this?"
“Today I will offer sacrifices to that great king on behalf of your child, which will also be considered as repaying the kindness of a meal you provided. At that time, the two elders will take your precious family and your son and daughter to hide well and not make a sound. As for this piece of gold…” The Monkey King smiled at Bao’e and called out, “Wumiao, come here, come here.”
Bao'e, who had been watching closely, ate a bowl of rice in one gulp and looked a little dazed: "Brother, there's no need to explain. Wujing and I will definitely protect Master and send him on his journey to retrieve the scriptures. You can go with peace of mind."
"Go away, go away, go away!" the Monkey King laughed and scolded. "You stupid vegetarian, how could I, Old Sun, be about to die! Come here, transform into the appearance of this piece of gold, and show them."
Bao'e refused: "Brother, if you want to offer sacrifices to the King, so be it, why drag me into it? If we both die, it won't be clear what order Master will follow when chanting the sutras."
"Stop talking nonsense!" said the Monkey King. "You still have that vegetarian meal in your stomach. You ate a full meal, so why don't you help others in their time of need?"
“That makes sense.” Bao’e nodded and stepped forward. She looked carefully at the child’s appearance, and then transformed into a golden scale.
The two old men were so startled that they knelt down and kowtowed, expressing their gratitude with tears in their eyes.
The traveler then asked the two men how they would offer the sacrifice. The Chen brothers then brought out two red lacquered plates and instructed them to sit on them, saying that they should be sent to the Linggan Temple, and that the Linggan King would appear at the appointed time.
The Great Sage nimbly leaped up, sat up straight with a cheerful smile, and played with the fruit.
Bao'e had eaten too much and was feeling a little weak. Suddenly, she bumped her head against the elder and cried out, "Master, Master!"
Sanzang sighed, bent down, picked her up, and placed her on a plate.
"Wumiao," he was still uneasy and asked the old man Chen Qing, "Grandpa, there's something I need to ask. What does that demon look like? Is it a male demon or a female demon? If it's a male demon, what does it look like?"
Upon hearing this, the Great Sage stopped playing with the fruit, turned his face slightly to the side, and listened intently.
Bao'e, however, knew that the demon ate young boys and girls, and even if she was handsome, she would not like such a vicious demon, so she did not care and just sat cross-legged to doze off.
The old man Chen Qing hadn't expected Sanzang to inquire about this matter. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I've never seen his face. When he arrived, there was only a gust of fragrant wind, and I knew it was the King. No one in this village has ever seen him."
Tripitaka was even more worried and instructed, "Wumiao, you must cultivate diligently and not harbor worldly desires."
Bao'e smiled and said, "Master, to be honest, I've changed a bit over the years."
Sanzang refused to believe it and told Wukong to keep a close eye on Bao'e so as not to ruin her cultivation.
After saying this, the old man instructed four young men to carry the table, along with the sacrificial offerings of pigs and sheep, to the Linggan Temple.
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Author's Note: I arranged a dance video with Bao'e's QQ account, but I can't post it here. You can find it by searching "Shan Jin You Sheng" on Douyin or Xiaohongshu.
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