Sun Wukong arrives at the Wuzhuang Temple and, due to his mischievous nature and the influence of his companion Zhu Bajie, attempts to steal the ginseng fruits—magical fruits that grant immortality. The disciples of Zhenyuanzi discover the act, leading to a conflict.
The Wuzhuang Temple (or Wuzang Temple) is the temple of Zhenyuanzi, who is revered as the ancestor of earthly immortals. The conflict between the Monkey King and Zhenyuanzi’s two disciples appears to have unfolded naturally.
However, the situation is far more complex. There are numerous contradictions:
- Zhenyuanzi had 48 disciples, so why were the two youngest left to receive Tang Sanzang and his followers? Since they were important guests, it would have been proper for the most capable senior disciples to host them.
- For such a precious treasure as the ginseng fruit, entrusting its protection to two young apprentices posed a significant security risk.
- Zhenyuanzi emphasized that the ginseng fruit should only be secretly given to Tang Sanzang to eat, forbidding his disciples from knowing about it—a method prone to provoking conflict.
- Given the scarcity of ginseng fruits (which take 9,000 years to ripen), gifting two instead of one seems excessive. The fruit resembles a human infant, making it inappropriate to divide among Xuanzang’s three disciples even if he dared not eat it.
- When Zhenyuanzi later learned that the ginseng tree had been uprooted, his reaction was unusually calm. He remained composed, even joking, suggesting he already knew the tree could be revived.
In the end, Guanyin Bodhisattva restored the ginseng tree, and Zhenyuanzi and Sun Wukong became sworn brothers.
In summary, the incident at the Wuzhuang Temple was prearranged. Guanyin Bodhisattva and Zhenyuanzi had designed this tribulation in advance. Zhenyuanzi seized the opportunity to elevate his status and strengthen Taoist-Buddhist relations, reflecting the intricate interplay between spiritual and religious traditions in Chinese mythology.
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