But to tell of the party’s return.
Ao Tu said to Bajie and Sha Seng, “Just now, when I saw that old demon, I recognized him. He is the very fiend who abducted my elder sister, Princess Baihuaxiu, thirteen years ago.”
Hearing this, Sha Seng said, “Your Highness, since that is so, why not let the two of us rescue the princess?”
Ao Tu said, “We have come a long way and are ravenous with hunger. As the saying goes, ‘Even a hero fears an empty belly.’ That demon is waiting at ease while we are weary, and he has lesser demons to aid him; I fear we would be hard-pressed to match him. My elder sister and I have been separated for thirteen years. Now that reunion is at hand, there is no need to contend over this moment. Once I have regained the throne, it will not be too late to raise troops and subdue him.”
Bajie, hearing this, boasted, “Your Highness, once we return to your kingdom, you need only prepare a lavish vegetarian feast for Old Zhu. There will be no need to expend a single soldier of your realm. I alone can subdue that demon and rescue the princess!”
Ao Tu smiled. “In that case, we shall be relying greatly on Elder Zhu.”
No more need be said of how the party went hungry through the night.
The next day, Tang Seng sent Sha Seng to seek alms.
Sha Seng said, “Master, there are no households for dozens of li around here. Begging a meal will truly be no easy matter. Even if I find a household, they may not necessarily be willing to offer food. Please wait here and do not be anxious. This disciple will slowly seek alms and return.”
Tang Seng sighed. “Go, then.”
Ao Tu, meanwhile, ordered Tiger Vanguard, “Take another road and search. See if there are any households. If there are, buy some grain and bring it back, and fetch some water as well.”
Tiger Vanguard accepted the order and went.
Tang Seng had gone hungry for a day and could no longer walk, so he rested where he was and discussed scripture with Ao Tu.
Bajie sat off to the side, bored to tears, pulling up grass roots and chewing them.
Only after noon did Sha Seng hurry back, having begged a bowlful of vegetarian rice and a few steamed buns.
When Bajie saw them, he hastily sidled over.
Sha Seng pushed him away. “These are for Master!”
Sha Seng handed the meal to Tang Seng and said,
“Master, this disciple rode the clouds for two hundred li and found more than a dozen households, but none of them were well-off. I scraped together this meal from here and there. I hope you will not disdain it.”
Tang Seng said, “Wujing, you have worked hard.”
Sha Seng bowed. “Master, do not speak of hardship. Please eat quickly.”
Hearing this, Tang Seng picked up the bowl, intending to divide the food among everyone.
Sha Seng shook his head. “Master, it matters little if the two of us go hungry for a few meals. You should eat.”
Bajie looked at the steamed buns. He wanted to eat them, but still restrained himself and said,
“Master, these few buns aren’t even enough to fill the gaps between Old Zhu’s teeth. You should eat them!”
Seeing this, Tang Seng felt somewhat moved and prepared to give half the meal to Ao Tu so that the two of them could share it.
Ao Tu declined. “I sent that brother of mine to buy provisions. I expect he will be back soon.”
As they were speaking, Tiger Vanguard returned.
In his hands he carried two wild geese, at his waist he held a bundle of yams, and he also had some wild greens. Tiger Vanguard said,
“Your Highness, your subordinate walked twenty or thirty li and saw no households, but by chance some wild geese flew overhead, so I shot two of them. These yams and wild greens were dug up in the mountains!”
Ao Tu instructed,
“Give the yams and wild greens to the venerable elders. Take the wild geese somewhere farther away to roast, and we shall eat them.”
Bajie said, “Your Highness, why take them farther away to roast? Roast them right here. Old Zhu may not be able to eat them, but at least I can smell them!”
Tang Seng shouted, “Bajie, do not be rude!”
Ao Tu smiled. “I do not mind, but I fear the smell of meat would offend you.”
Tiger Vanguard lit a fire and set the two wild geese over the flames to roast.
Seeing this, Bajie placed the yams above the wild geese.
Sha Seng said, “Second Senior Brother, what are you doing?”
Bajie said, “You don’t know? Yams roasted like this come out tasting of meat!”
Tang Seng was furious. “Bajie, take those yams down at once.”
Bajie said, “Master, this disciple has not broken any precept...”
Tang Seng said, “Idiot, we who have left the household have Buddha in our hearts. Though your mouth has not eaten it, your heart has already broken the precept. Take them down at once!”
Hearing this, Bajie could only take the yams down, though he was most unwilling.
After the meal, the party continued onward.
From here to Baoxiang Kingdom there were still three hundred li. Along the way, the party stopped and started, moving slowly. Without Wukong, their daily vegetarian meal had become a great problem.
Moreover, Ao Tu and Tiger Vanguard were both ordinary people.
In the past, when master and disciples traveled, they took broad, level roads, and it was easy and ordinary for the White Dragon Horse to cover one or two hundred li in a day. Now that they had to look after Ao Tu and Tiger Vanguard, they could not travel quickly.
Stopping and starting, after half a month had passed, they had gone only a little over two hundred li.
By now they were drawing near the royal city of Baoxiang Kingdom, and households began to appear nearby.
Passing by a farmhouse, the group prepared to ask for lodging.
Tang Seng dismounted from the horse, but only faintly heard the sound of a chime. His head split with pain, and he could not stand steady at all. He toppled straight to the ground.
Sha Seng and Bajie hurried forward.
Bajie said, “Master, what is wrong?”
Tang Seng trembled all over with chills, clutching his head. “My head hurts. It hurts terribly!”
Bajie said, “Master, you’ve got epilepsy.”
Tang Seng was in so much pain he could not speak.
Sha Seng observed him carefully. “No, it is an attack of head-wind!”
An old woman came out of that household. She was none other than Baigujing in disguise.
Just now, inside the house, she had aimed at Tang Seng and struck the Headache Chime. That was why Tang Seng had fallen at the sound, his head aching unbearably.
Baigujing came out and said, “Venerable elders, what are you doing before my door?”
Sha Seng bowed. “Old benefactor, we are monks from the Great Tang in the eastern lands, traveling to the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. Passing through here, we saw that the sky was growing late and originally intended to ask to lodge in your home for one night. Unexpectedly, after days of travel, when my master dismounted, he carelessly suffered an attack of head-wind. Now his head aches beyond endurance. We ask that you be kind and let us master and disciples go in and rest awhile.”
Baigujing said, “Then please come in quickly!”
Bajie therefore carried Tang Seng inside on his back and laid him on the bed.
Baigujing brought hot water.
Tang Seng drank it, and the pain eased a little, but his head still ached, and it was difficult for him to walk.
This was because the Headache Chime was a magic treasure of the Ministry of Pestilence. When it struck a person, pestilential qi entered the body. Birth, aging, sickness, and death were all fixed by the course of Heaven, and it required long treatment to recover.
And this was still because Baigujing had not used her magic power. If she had struck it with magic power, even immortals and gods would be assailed by pestilential qi, their heads splitting with pain until they could scarcely control themselves.
With Tang Seng’s head aching so badly that he could not travel, they could only stay here.
There was no one else at Baigujing’s place, so it could just accommodate them all.
Sha Seng asked curiously,
“Old benefactor, why do you live here alone?”
Hearing this, Baigujing shed tears. “This old woman originally had a son, a daughter-in-law, and a grandson. The four of us lived here together.”
Sha Seng said, “Then where are they?”
Baigujing said sorrowfully, “The year before last, His Majesty the king read some prescription from who knows where, saying that wine steeped with human bones could be beneficial: the bones of grown men could strengthen the body; the bones of young women could nourish beauty and complexion; the bones of young children could prolong life. Thus he had my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson all seized. To this day, there has been no news of them. I fear they have already...”
Sha Seng said, “Ah! Steeping wine with human bones—is that not the act of a demon?”
Bajie said, “Junior Brother Sha, have you forgotten? That king is a demon in disguise!”