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The king immediately ordered that an altar be prepared. It was not long before an official appeared and informed the three Taoists:
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Early in the morning, Monk Tang put on his embroidered kasaya, while Wukong prepared the travel documents, Wujing took up the alms bowl, and Wuneng picked up his staff.
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A young Taoist began shouting wildly while pounding on the door of his masters’ chambers. “Respected Masters! A terrible misfortune has occurred!”
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Wukong, Bajie, and Monk Sha descended from the cloud and entered the Temple of the Three Pures.
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Sun Wukong recounted everything that had happened to Tripitaka. The Monk Tang exclaimed, deeply moved: “What can we possibly do in a situation like this?”
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The Monkey King exclaimed: “That explains everything! Why don’t you just escape and be done with it?”
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As soon as they crossed the Black River, the master and his disciples continued their journey westward, braving frost and snow.
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Monk Sha furiously emerged from the waters of the Black River. The Monkey King asked: “You’ve been down there so long—what kind of demon is it? Did you manage to see the Master?”