Tripitaka and his disciples continued their journey, free as soaring birds.
Time passed quickly, and summer’s scorching heat soon enveloped them once more.
While they were most distracted, admiring the beauty of nature, they saw in the distance a walled city. Pulling on the reins, Tang Monk exclaimed:
“Look over there! What kind of place could that be?”
Sun Wukong replied:
“All the banners say: the Kingdom of Purple.”
“This Purple Kingdom must belong to the western territories. I think it would be best for us to enter so they can stamp our travel permits,” said Tripitaka enthusiastically.
“That sounds good to me,” commented the Monkey King.
Strangers in a Strange Land
They soon arrived at the city gates. Tripitaka dismounted from his horse and together they passed through the three gates. It was then that they discovered it was truly a magnificent capital.
Tang Monk and his disciples strolled in astonishment through its streets, enjoying the elegance of its people, the beauty of its buildings, and the strange resonance of its language. In some way, it reminded them of the distant land of the Tang.
When the townspeople noticed Bajie’s ridiculous ugliness, the towering height of Sha Monk, and the Monkey King’s entirely hairy body, they left what they were doing and gathered around the newcomers in great curiosity. Realizing that prudence was the best way to avoid trouble, Tripitaka urged his disciples to keep moving forward, saying:
“Keep your heads down and don’t say anything. After all, we are in foreign land.”
Turning a corner, they suddenly came upon a mansion of such importance that it was surrounded by a small wall. Above the gate was a plaque with large characters reading: Pavilion of Foreign Envoys.
Tripitaka explained:
“In every city open to the outside world, the Pavilion of Foreign Envoys is where people from other kingdoms gather and lodge. That includes us as well. We might as well go inside to rest a while before we go to visit the king and ask him to stamp our travel documents.”
When one of the officials in the mansion saw Tang Monk and his companions approaching, he asked:
“Who are you? And may I ask where you are headed?”
Tripitaka joined his hands before his chest and slightly bowed:
“This humble servant is an emissary sent by the Great Emperor of the Tang lands in the East, on a pilgrimage to obtain the sacred scriptures of the Western Paradise. Upon arriving in your respected kingdom, we did not wish to pass through without the proper permission, which has led us to seek lodging in this distinguished mansion under your care. Once we have regained our strength, we will request that our travel document be stamped, so that we may continue on our way.”
Upon hearing this, the two ministers ordered the servants to prepare several rooms.
A servant approached and said:
“You will find clean pots and pans in the wing facing west. There is everything you need there. If you want to eat something, prepare it yourselves.”
Tripitaka quickly added:
“If it’s not too much to ask, may I know whether the king is still in the throne hall today?”
The servant replied:
“To tell the truth, it has been a long time since he last met with his advisors, but today is considered favorable, and he has summoned all of them to discuss important state matters. If you wish to have your travel document stamped, you should hurry and not wait until tomorrow, because it is very likely he won’t receive visitors then. Only heaven knows when another favorable day might come.”
Tripitaka concluded:
“In that case, it would be best if I go as soon as possible.”
Then he turned to his disciples and added:
“You stay here and prepare something to eat. As soon as I return, we will have a meal and continue our journey.”
Tang Monk then instructed his companions not to leave the pavilion or cause any trouble, and he made his way toward the royal court.
Wukong asked Wujing in their retreat at the Pavilion of Foreign Envoys to prepare tea and some vegetarian dishes to accompany the rice.
Wujing replied:
“There’s no problem cooking the rice and tea, but I’m afraid I have no idea how to prepare a vegetarian meal with what we have.”
“How can you say that?” asked Wukong.
“Because we have no oil, salt, vinegar, or soy sauce,” replied Sha Monk.
“That’s easily solved. Bajie and I will go buy those right now,” replied Wukong.
The Royal Decree
Bajie took a container and headed for the door, accompanied by Wukong.
As they rounded the watchtower, they found such a crowd that they could barely take a step forward.
The Monkey King pushed his way through the crowd as best he could and realized that people had gathered at the foot of the tower to read the imperial proclamation posted on the wall.
Opening his eyes wide, the Monkey King focused his diamond-like gaze on the imperial notice and read:
From the moment the ruler of the Kingdom of Purple, located at the heart of the Aparagodaniya continent, ascended the throne, peace has spread to every corner of the empire, and all its inhabitants have enjoyed prosperity never before seen in these lands. However, state affairs took an unexpected turn when the man who governs us fell gravely ill, prolonging his recovery far beyond initial expectations. The council of physicians of our noble nation has always been in charge of his treatment, but the precious remedies administered have ultimately proven completely ineffective. We have therefore deemed it necessary to issue this proclamation, summoning all who possess medical knowledge, regardless of origin or social status, to apply their healing arts and free our lord from the grip of this strange illness. Our sovereign also promises to hand over half of his kingdom to whoever succeeds in restoring his health. This is the reason for making this proclamation public.
A Healer’s Ambition
Immediately, Wukong’s eyes gleamed. The Monkey King said to himself, excited:
“Who cares about tasty meals? Even scripture-seeking pauses for glory. I believe the time has come to put my medical skills to use.”
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