After the conference ended, the Great Immortal, Patriarch Zhenyuan, left the Tushita Palace.
Accompanied by those lower-ranking immortals, he mounted the sacred clouds and soon arrived at the Mountain of Immortality(Mountain of Longevity), where stood the Temple of the Five Villas(Wuzhuang Temple). He was surprised to find its gates wide open.
Upon reaching the main hall, they found no sign of incense, fire, or any human presence. Not even Clear Breeze and Bright Moon were there.
The immortals said:
“Those two must have taken advantage of our absence to steal whatever they pleased.”
“Nonsense!” the Great Immortal chided.
“How could two followers of the Tao do such a thing? Most likely, they forgot to close the gates before falling asleep last night — and haven’t woken up yet.”
The Sleeping Disciples
They made their way to the quarters of the two Taoists. The door was shut, but loud snoring could clearly be heard from within. They knocked forcefully, trying to wake them, but all efforts proved in vain. No matter how hard they tried, the youths would not stir. Only after much effort did the immortals manage to break down the door and drag the sleepers from their beds — yet still, they could not rouse them.
“My dear boys!” exclaimed the Patriarch Zhenyuan with amusement.
“Those who have attained immortality should not be so enslaved by sleep, for their spirits are free from worldly burdens. How is it possible that you are so tired?”
His expression then changed, and with growing concern, he added:
“Could it be that they’ve fallen victim to some kind of sorcery? Bring me water at once!”
One of the disciples quickly handed him a half-filled cup. The Great Immortal recited an incantation and spat the liquid onto the faces of the sleeping youths. Thus, the Sleep Demon was expelled from their bodies.
The young men soon awoke. After great difficulty in opening their eyes and wiping their faces with their sleeves, they were astonished to see around them their master and the other immortals. Fully awake, they could think of nothing else but to throw themselves face-down on the ground, repeatedly bowing and striking their foreheads against the floor as they cried:
“The monks who came from the East — your supposed friends — were in truth a band of thieves!”
The Ginseng Tree’s Destruction
“All right, all right,” replied the Great Immortal, Patriarch Zhenyuan, trying to calm them.
“Please, compose yourselves and tell us what happened.”
Clear Breeze explained:
“Shortly after your departure, a certain Monk Tang arrived from the Eastern Lands. He was accompanied by three disciples and rode upon a horse. Following your wishes, we picked two ginseng fruits and offered them to him to eat. But he refused. He insisted they were reborn children and flatly refused to taste them, so we had no choice but to eat them ourselves. What we least expected was that his followers would discover our secret and steal our fruits. When we found out, we tried to reason with them, but they refused to listen. They knocked down the ginseng tree! Then they fled.”
“Bright Moon, Clear Breeze — come with me. We pursue them at once!” concluded the Patriarch Zhenyuan.
The Chase
The Great Immortal, together with Clear Breeze and Bright Moon, rode upon a cloud and set off in pursuit of Tripitaka.
“That one lying beneath the tree is Monk Tang!” shouted one of the youths excitedly.
“I see him already,” said the Great Immortal.
“You two return and prepare the ropes. I shall handle the capture myself.”
Descending from the cloud, the Great Immortal cried out:
“I am the Great Immortal Zhenyuan! You have destroyed my ginseng tree. You will go no further until you restore my Ginseng Tree!”
Sun Wukong brandished his iron rod, Zhu Bajie hefted his rake, and Sha Wujing raised his staff.
Battle and Capture
The Great Immortal flicked his sleeve, unleashing a cosmic whirlwind that swept the pilgrims into its folds. In an instant, all were drawn inside.
The Great Immortal turned the cloud back toward the temple. Upon arriving at the Temple of the Five Villas, he sat in the main hall and began pulling the pilgrims out one by one, as if they were mere puppets. First came Monk Tang, who was quickly tied to one of the great pillars in the hall. His three disciples met the same fate.
The immortals placed a large wok before the steps of the main hall. At the command of the Great Immortal Patriarch Zhenyuan, they lit a fire with dry wood. Overcome with joy, they nearly lost their senses when their master declared:
“Now fill the wok with oil, and when it boils, throw the Sun Wukong first into it and fry him well. That shall be his punishment for destroying the ginseng tree.”
Wukong’s Trickery
To the west, Wukong saw a beautifully carved stone lion rise into view. With a leap, his spirit reached it, bit the tip of his tongue, and spat blood onto it, shouting:
“Transform!”
Instantly, it became his exact likeness and appeared where he had originally been. Meanwhile, the real Monkey King rose into the air and watched what the Taoists were doing below.
The immortals announced:
“The oil is ready.”
The Patriarch Zhenyuan concluded:
“Take the Sun Wukong and throw him in.”
Four of the youths immediately set about obeying — but to their astonishment, they could not even lift him from the spot. Eight more joined them, yet the result was the same. Finally, four more were summoned, and only with great difficulty did they manage to hoist him and toss him into the wok.
One of the Taoists cried out in despair:
“The wok is leaking! It’s spilling oil everywhere!”
Thus, they discovered that what had filled it with holes was none other than the heavy stone lion.
The Great Immortal shouted in fury:
“Cursed monkey! Why did you have to destroy my wok? Wasn’t escaping enough for you? Fine. Let him go and leave us in peace. Untie Tripitaka and bring a new wok. This time, we’ll fry him instead — to avenge the destruction of our ginseng tree!”
Thus, the pilgrims’ fate hung in the balance—their journey stalled by divine wrath and a sacred tree’s fall.
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