Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

Now, after leaving the Wuzhuang Temple, Tang Sanzang and his disciples were once again living a life of hardship, enduring wind and rain.

After traveling through the mountains for more than ten days, they saw wisps of smoke rising in the distance, indicating that there were people living there.

Tang Sanzang was overjoyed: "Wukong, look, aren't there some houses in the distance?"

The monkey used its fiery eyes to look around and indeed saw that they were just ordinary people.

"Good luck, good luck, Master, we have a place to stay today."

Hearing this, Tang Sanzang was pleased.

Although the journey to the Western Paradise is long, it is common for people to use the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed.

They might want to find someone to stay with; who would want to sleep in the wilderness?

The group happily stepped forward.

It was a small village with only about ten households. Originally, the place was deserted, but the prosperity of Baihu Temple attracted many farmers to settle here, and it gradually became a village of some size.

These families lived about ten miles away from Baihu Temple and were naturally devout pilgrims. Whenever they had nothing to do, they would definitely go to the temple to offer incense, and even their homes had incense tables and Buddha statues.

As the sun began to set, every household was busy starting fires and cooking.

Thanks to Yun Zhao's protection, these people did not have to pay any rent, and all the land they cultivated belonged to them.

In addition, the weather in Baihu Ridge was favorable, resulting in an excellent harvest that year.

Happiness radiated from every face, and they were grateful for the kindness of the abbot of Baihu Temple.

People saw Tang Sanzang and his disciples from afar and came out to greet them.

Because of Yun Zhao, these villagers were overjoyed to see the monk.

But when they saw the blue-faced, fanged appearance of Pigsy and Sandy, they were all frightened.

"Don't be afraid, benefactor. They are all my disciples. Although they are ugly, they all have the hearts of bodhisattvas."

Tang Sanzang had an excellent appearance. Although he was not wearing a brocade cassock at this moment, he was not holding a nine-ringed staff.

But just standing there, he exudes a gentle and welcoming aura.

Given his status as a monk, they believed him to be 80-90% certain.

"So you are the elder's disciple. We are just ordinary people and do not recognize such a person. Please forgive us."

Wukong and Bajie both said it was nothing to worry about.

The villagers then extended a warm invitation, inviting them to stay overnight in their homes and treating them to a good meal.

Tang Sanzang was pleased to see that although the environment here was simple, the people were honest and kind.

After entering the homes of the villagers and seeing the incense altars and Buddha statues, I realized that the people here all had a heart for worshipping Buddha, and I loved them even more.

Soon, the person in charge heard that a visiting monk was passing by and came out to greet him.

Upon seeing Tang Sanzang's appearance, they were immediately astonished and inquired about the origin of his story.

Tang Sanzang then said, "We are monks from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, sent by the Tang Emperor to travel to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. We are passing through Baofang and would like to ask for lodging for the night."

At this moment, the villagers all came to watch, and upon hearing Tang Sanzang's words, they couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

That was the Great Tang Dynasty of the East, a celestial empire.

The elder before me is from that place; he must be exceptionally learned in Buddhism.

After a conversation, Tang Sanzang was even more surprised to find that any villager here could speak a few words of Buddhist philosophy, which made him very happy.

"Amitabha! This place is so virtuous; every household reveres the Buddha. How wonderful!"

"Elder, you may not know this, but we didn't understand these things before. Fortunately, the abbot of Baihu Temple taught us the scriptures and gave us some insights," the steward said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang felt a deep respect for the abbot of the White Tiger Temple.

"Where is the White Tiger Temple?" Tang Sanzang asked.

"It's just over ten miles ahead."

The villagers pointed in a direction, and Tang Sanzang was overjoyed: "On my way here, I made a great vow to burn incense at every temple I see and sweep every pagoda I pass. My disciples, tomorrow you will follow me to the White Tiger Temple to pay our respects to the abbot!"

Sun Wukong had no objection to this.

Pigsy's eyes lit up. Didn't this mean that there would be plenty of vegetarian food?

Tonight, they will stay here.

The next morning, Tang Sanzang was in high spirits. After packing his luggage and thanking the villagers, he urged his disciples to hurry on their way.

After hearing the villagers' descriptions all night, he felt a deep admiration for the abbot of Baihu Temple.

Those who propagate Buddhism, promote religious sects, and relieve the suffering of all beings are truly role models for us.

Having finally encountered such a like-minded monk, Tang Sanzang couldn't wait to have a conversation with him.

Following the directions given by the villagers, we traveled for about ten miles, and sure enough, we saw a magnificent temple nestled in the mountains in the distance.

"My disciples, look! That's the White Tiger Temple!"

Tang Sanzang, riding on his horse, pointed into the distance and called out.

"Hmm?" The monkey scanned the entire mountain with its fiery eyes, but felt that something was wrong.

There was a faint eerie aura permeating the mountains, yet there were still people coming and going, and this temple was safe and sound. No matter how you looked at it, it all seemed rather strange.

But seeing his master's excited expression, he didn't make a sound, but remained on guard in his heart.

Upon seeing the White Horse Temple, Tang Sanzang was overjoyed and quickened his pace.

Having finally arrived at the temple gate, I saw a constant stream of people coming and going. Even before entering, I could feel the immense popularity of the temple.

"What a wonderful temple hidden deep in the mountains!"

Tang Sanzang sighed, then dismounted and said, "Disciples, how about we go in and ask for lodging for the day?"

Sun Wukong and the others naturally had no objections.

But their appearance was truly frightening, and they didn't even have a chance to go up and greet the welcoming monk at the gate.

When passersby saw what Pigsy and Sandy looked like, they turned pale with fright and cried out that they were monsters.

This chaos caused complete disorder, with everyone scrambling and rushing to hide inside the White Tiger Temple.

Even a few welcoming monks couldn't stop them; the courtyard gate was wide open, and the threshold was almost trampled.

"Esteemed benefactors, we are not..."

Tang Sanzang tried to explain something, but no one listened to him anymore, leaving him and his disciples bewildered in the wind.

The pedestrians at the entrance had long since scattered like birds and beasts.

……

After a moment of silence, Pigsy said softly, "Master, shall we go in?"

"go!"

Tang Sanzang gritted his teeth. They hadn't done anything wrong; it was just that his disciples looked a bit ferocious. Why shouldn't they go in?

With that, he took the lead and led the pig and monkey into the White Tiger Temple.

Seeing that most of the people had already hidden themselves, the monks who were welcoming guests were about to close the courtyard gate when suddenly a hairy hand reached in.

Before they could react, they felt a tremendous force and the door was pushed open instantly.

A grinning monkey face came towards them, startling the group.

Fortunately, although the monks in the temple were afraid, after Yun Zhao's guidance, they also gained some composure amidst their fear.

The leader's voice trembled as he said, "What...what do you want? We're not afraid of you!"

The monkey chuckled and said, "Little monk, you're so tactless! We mean no harm. It's just that my master was pleased to see the temple and wanted to go burn some incense. What's the rush?"

At this moment, Tang Sanzang also entered and chanted a Buddhist prayer: "Gentlemen, this humble monk comes from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, and is on his way to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. I have made a great vow that I must come and offer incense whenever I see a temple."

These are my disciples. Although they are not good-looking, they are not evil people.