Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 131 The Battle of Wits in Chechi Kingdom (Part 1)
Meanwhile, Ao Tu came to Chechi Kingdom to discuss the Dao.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers guarding the city said, "My apologies, my apologies. You are actually a Taoist master with profound Taoist skills."

Ao Tu said, "I dare not accept such praise. May I ask where your country's three national teachers reside now?"

The city guard pointed due south and said, "Go south, it's not far."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu headed south of the city. Along the way, he encountered scholars, craftsmen, commoners, and children. Everyone seemed to have spirits and few looked pale, indicating that the people of Chechi were still in relatively good spirits.

They passed several shops, each with its own lanterns and banners, operating tirelessly into the night. They came across a rice shop, and Ao Tu went inside. The shopkeeper, seeing that Ao Tu looked like a Taoist priest, immediately greeted him with a smile.

Ao Tu asked about the price of rice, and the shopkeeper replied:
"Master, are you from out of town?"

Ao Tu said, "That's right, how did you know I'm from out of town?"

The rice shop assistant said, "Master, you may not know this, but our king respects the Dao and loves the virtuous. If a Daoist comes to our country, he will be rewarded with five dou of rice per month, so there is no need for him to spend money to buy rice."

Ao Tu said, "I am new to your country and have not yet received any gifts from the king. I am going to visit the temple of your national teacher. It would be inappropriate to go empty-handed, so I have come to buy some grains as a gift."

The rice shop clerk said, "I see. How much does the Taoist priest want to buy?"

Ao Tu said, "One dou each of rice, millet, sorghum, wheat, and beans."

Upon hearing this, the rice shop assistant packed the five grains separately, wrapped them in thick paper for Ao Tu, and then wrapped them in a layer of fine paper painted with red lacquer.

The rice shop clerk said to Ao Tu, "This kind of wrapping shows great importance. Consider this paper a gift from me to the Taoist priest."

Ao Tu smiled and said, "Then thank you for your kindness."

Ao Tu paid the money and compared the price with that of Huoluo Kingdom. He found that the price of rice in the two places differed by about 20% to 30%, which was much smaller than he had imagined.

Ao Tu asked, "Brother, I come from the Kingdom of Huoluo. When I came here, I heard that the Kingdom of Huoluo has a lot of land and few mountains, while your country has little land and many mountains, so the two countries often trade with each other. Now I see that the price of rice in your country is not much more expensive than that in Huoluo. I wonder why?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper asked in confusion, "I don't know that. Rice prices have always been like this, and haven't changed much in over ten years."

The rice shop owner, who had overheard their conversation, came over and said, "Taoist priest, I do know something about this matter."

Ao Tu said, "Please tell me, shopkeeper."

The rice shopkeeper said, "What the Taoist priest said is actually quite true. When I was young, grain was very expensive. At that time, our country had little grain. If we had a good harvest, we could barely make ends meet. In ordinary years, the king had to buy or borrow grain from neighboring countries to survive. If we had a famine, even if we bought or borrowed grain, people would still starve to death. How could grain prices not be high?"

Ao Tu asked, "Then why is this happening now?"

The rice shop owner smiled and said, "We have to thank our three national advisors for this."

Ao Tu asked, "What are the abilities of these three national advisors?"

The rice shopkeeper said, "These three national advisors of our country are quite remarkable. About twenty-four or twenty-five years ago, our country suffered a severe drought and famine. Every household, whether emperor or commoner, fasted and prayed for rain, but not a drop of rain fell."

Just when all lives were in dire straits, three national teachers arrived in our country, summoning wind and rain to immediately relieve the disaster! For over twenty years since then, the national teachers have performed rituals to bring rain every year, and while our country hasn't enjoyed bountiful harvests every year, it has also been free of disasters.

The shop assistant said, "I see. I was born too late to know about these things from the past. But I do know that the Grand Master can summon wind and rain; the Second Master can turn stones into gold; and the Third Master can turn water into oil, which is why the country is peaceful and prosperous every year."

The shopkeeper replied, "That's exactly right."

Ao Tu nodded and said, "In that case, the three national teachers are indeed highly accomplished. I would like to pay them a visit."

The shopkeeper and his assistant said, "Taoist Master, please take care." Ao Tu left the grain shop and headed south. After crossing two streets, he saw a Taoist temple called Sanqing Temple. The tall halls and buildings were arranged in a cluster according to the principles of the Big Dipper, creating an extraordinary atmosphere.

Looking out over this palace complex, Ao Tu saw that there were six or seven main halls, more than a dozen smaller halls, and a hundred or so courtyards behind them; it was quite large.

He went up and knocked on the door, but a monk opened it.

Seeing this, Ao Tu deliberately said, "Wrong way! Wrong way! From the outside it looks like a Taoist temple, but how come it's a Buddhist temple inside?"

Seeing this, the monk quickly said:
"Master, you've come to the right place, this is a Taoist temple."

Ao Tu said, "Since it's a Taoist temple, why is it a monk who came out?"

The monk said, "Master Daoist must be from out of town and unaware of our local customs."

Ao Tu asked, "Oh, what are your rules here?"

The monk said, "The monks here don't live in temples, they all live in Taoist temples. The ones who hold the door are us monks, the ones who tend the fire are us monks, and the ones who fetch water are also us monks."

Ao Tu said, "I suppose you monks are addicted to gambling, lost all your money, signed indentures, and became slaves to others."

The monk said, "Master, which of us monks would dare to gamble? We have never owed any money. It is only because the emperor has ordered us to come and perform our duties that we dare not disobey."

Ao Tu said, "The king cannot issue an edict without a reason; there must be one."

Seeing that Ao Tu was a Taoist priest, the monk went along with Ao Tu's words, not daring to show any resentment. He only forced a bitter expression on his face to gain sympathy, and said:
“Master Daoist, it is indeed our fault as monks. Twenty-four years ago, our country suffered a severe drought, and the people were in dire straits. The monks and Daoists, together receiving grain from the imperial court, prayed desperately for rain, but not a drop fell. At this time, three national teachers came and summoned wind and rain, immediately relieving the disaster. Therefore, the emperor was angry with us monks for being useless and punished us to work for the Daoist masters.”

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu laughed and said, "That's where you're wrong."

The monk said, "What the Taoist priest says is true. We monks are useless; we cannot pray for rain."

Ao Tu said, "It's not that monks are useless, it's that your hearts are not sincere."

The monk said, "Master Daoist, how can you say that we are not sincere?"

Ao Tu asked, "If you sincerely worship Buddha, why is there not a drop of rain?"

Upon hearing this, the monk couldn't help but shed tears and said:
"Master Dao, you have truly wronged us! How could we monks not be sincere? To tell you the truth, we are all monks of Zhiyuan Temple. This temple was built by imperial decree of the founding emperor, which is why we have a place to live here. We are grateful for the emperor's grace, so how could we not sincerely pray for rain?"

Ao Tu asked, "You say you sincerely prayed for rain, but how did you do it?"

The monk said, “During the great disaster, all the monks in our temple pleaded and chanted scriptures with all our hearts for three days and three nights without stopping for even a moment. Many of the abbot, senior monks, and fellow monks were so exhausted that they fainted. Isn’t that enough to show our sincerity? But even so, not a single drop of rain fell. We really have no other choice!”

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu laughed loudly and said, "Wrong, wrong, you're asking the wrong question."

The monk asked, "What's wrong with it?"

Ao Tu said, "When I was young, I was also a monk and I could pray for rain. Every time I prayed for rain, it was always effective and a heavy rain would fall."

The monk hurriedly asked, "Master Daoist, how do you pray for rain?"

Ao Tu said, "I ask you, when you prayed for rain, how much incense oil did you offer, and how many bushels of gold did you present?"

　For minor illnesses and ailments, a little rest is all it takes; there's no need to worry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)