When the young immortals discovered the truth, they intensified their insults — which finally drove the Monkey King to the edge of his patience.
The Monkey King’s Wrath
“Cursed youths! I’ve had enough of your arrogance! Do you want no one else to eat the ginseng fruit? Very well then — I’ll help you make sure of that!”
He plucked a hair from the back of his neck, blew a puff of magical breath upon it, and shouted:
“Transform!”
Instantly, the hair became an exact copy of the Monkey King — obedient and submissive — who stood silently enduring the insults. Meanwhile, the real Wukong soared into the clouds and flew straight to the orchard where the ginseng tree grew.
Filled with rage, he lifted his staff high above his head and brought it down in a mighty blow. The tree suffered irreparable damage — all its leaves and branches were shattered, and its roots were exposed.
A Deceptive Truce
Clear Breeze said to Bright Moon:
“We have been scolding them, yet they haven’t uttered a single word in reply. What do you say we go back to the orchard and count more carefully how many ginseng fruits are missing?”
“That’s the least we can do,” replied Bright Moon, and together they headed toward the fruit garden.
The sight that met them left both utterly stunned. The tree lay on the ground, broken branches and scattered leaves everywhere. Not a single fruit remained.
The two Taoist monks fell to the ground in despair.
“What are we going to do now? The very root of the Five Villas Temple has vanished! What shall we tell our master when he returns?”
Bright Moon reproved Clear Breeze:
“What we must do now is not confront those heartless monks directly. It would be pointless to demand a confession — they will deny everything, which will only lead to another quarrel, perhaps even a most unequal fight. After all, we are only two, and they are four. Our best course is to deceive them: let us pretend none of the fruits are missing, claim it was merely a miscalculation, and offer an apology. Their rice is nearly ready. We can serve them a few more dishes, and the moment they take up their bowls, we will slam the doors shut and prevent their escape. Then, when our master returns, he can decide what to do with them. It’s possible he may even forgive them, considering that Monk Tang and he were once close friends. At the very least, we will not bear any blame, and no one can accuse us of not having done all we could.”
“You’re right,” agreed Clear Breeze.
Smiling once again, the two youths returned to the main hall. Bowing humbly before Monk Tang, they said:
“We hope our vulgar and crude language did not offend you. We should never have spoken that way.”
“Why this sudden change in your attitude?” asked Tripitaka, surprised.
“We have made a grave mistake,” replied Clear Breeze.
“No fruits were missing after all. We simply miscounted — the tree is so lush that one needs sharp eyes to see clearly. We just went to recount, and found our accusations were completely unfounded.”
Trapped in the Temple
The Monkey King, however, realized they were trying to buy time. Though he said nothing, he thought to himself:
“What blatant liars! How dare they speak such nonsense when not a single fruit remains? Unless, of course, the tree possesses some special power and has miraculously regained its former glory faster than expected.”
Tripitaka concluded, turning to his disciples:
“In that case, bring out the rice. We shall continue our journey as soon as we finish eating.”
Bajie went to fetch the pot, while Sha Monk brought a table and chairs. The two youths brought seven or eight additional dishes and discreetly stationed themselves on either side of the door. As soon as the four monks picked up their bowls, the youths slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
“You gluttonous thieves!” shouted Clear Breeze.
“You stole our fruits and now you must pay for your audacity! You weren’t content with devouring them — you also knocked down the sacred tree and destroyed its roots!”
At the same time, the two youths locked every gate of the temple. Only when they were certain that no one could escape did they return to the main hall and resume insulting the monks, calling them thieves and bandits.
Midnight Escape
Monk Tang scolded Wukong:
“Look what you’ve brought upon us! All you know how to do is stir up trouble. You should have foreseen this when you stole and ate those cursed fruits. And why did you knock down the tree? You’ve shown such contempt for the rules that even if your own father were the judge, you wouldn’t escape punishment.”
The Monkey King pleaded:
“Please don’t scold me too harshly. We’ll leave tonight once they fall asleep.”
“How can we leave,” protested Sha Monk, “when all the gates are locked tight?”
Wukong replied:
“What does that matter? We’ll find a way.”
As they spoke, night fully descended, and the moon rose in the east. The Monkey King looked upward and said:
“When all is quiet and the crystal ball shines brightest, that is the best hour to escape.”
“Stop talking nonsense,” urged Pig Bajie. “How can we get out if all the doors are locked?”
Wukong took out his iron staff and performed the magical act of unlocking. He simply pointed the golden ends of the staff at the gates, and all the locks burst open simultaneously, as though by invisible hands.
“What a wonder! Not even a blacksmith could have done it more cleanly,” exclaimed Bajie.
Without delay, they helped their master mount the horse, while Bajie carried the luggage and Sha Monk led the way with swift steps.
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