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

This truly angered Yun Zhao's disciples. The monkey, with his fiery temper, couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Hey! What an impolite foreign monk! Does he think my master is also such a shameless monk?!"

"Enough with the small talk, I only have one question for you: will you let me in or not?"

His loud shout startled the monk official, but the official still shook his head and said, "This little desolate mountain is inconvenient for me, I dare not offer you a place to stay. As I mentioned beforehand, there is a place about four or five miles to the west..."

Before he could finish speaking, a loud crash was heard, and the monkey transformed his golden cudgel into the thickness of a basin, standing it upright in the courtyard, saying, "Monk, if it's inconvenient, then move it out!"

The monk official was startled and said blankly, "The temple we've lived in since childhood was passed down from our master to our teacher, and from our teacher to us. We are to carry on the family line, so where should we move to?"

The servant was terrified and hurriedly said, "Master, such a terrifying elder should be moved out, but he's brought his men in!"

The monk official, having seen much of the world, regained some of his composure and angrily retorted, "Don't talk nonsense! There are four or five hundred monks of all ages here. Where are we supposed to move to? We wouldn't even have a place to live if we moved out!"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Monk, if you have nowhere to move, just send one out to demonstrate with your staff."

The old monk called out, "Disciple, go out and demonstrate the staff technique for me."

The disciple exclaimed in panic, "Grandpa, that thick carrying pole, is it for me to go out and make a model pole?"

The monk official said, "We've been raising soldiers for a thousand days, only to use them for one. Why don't you go out?"

The disciple said, "Even if that porter were to fall, let alone fight back, he'd be crushed into a pulp!"

The monk official exclaimed in disbelief, "Don't even mention pressing it down; just standing it upright in the courtyard, if someone forgets to walk at night, they'll bump their head and end up with a huge hole!"

The servant said, "Master, you know it's so heavy, why are you asking me to go out and practice with this kind of stick?"

The monk official smiled awkwardly and remained silent.

Seeing that it was about time, Yun Zhao stepped forward and said, "Wukong, don't be rude, quickly put away your staff."

Sun Wukong chuckled, and the golden cudgel shrank back to its normal size, which he casually hoisted onto his shoulder, as if the iron pillar as thick as a basin had never appeared.

He retreated behind Yun Zhao, but still kept his eyes fixed on the monk official, making the latter feel extremely uncomfortable.

Yun Zhao bowed to the monk official with his hands clasped together, his tone calm and composed, as if nothing had happened: "Abbot, please don't be offended. My disciple is a bit too hasty and has offended you. I hope you will forgive him."

He paused for a moment, then said, "This humble monk comes from the Great Chu of the East. I have been traveling westward to seek the Dharma and discuss the Way. I did not expect to pass by your temple. I only asked to rest for one night and will leave tomorrow. I will not bother you any further."

"Since the headmaster finds it inconvenient, let's abandon that idea. Disciples, let's go!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

But as soon as the words "Great Chu" were uttered, the monk's face turned visibly pale.

His eyes widened, as if he hadn't heard clearly, or as if he had heard clearly but couldn't believe it. His lips trembled, and his voice changed tone: "Great...Great Chu? Holy Monk, you mean...Great Chu of the East?"

Yun Zhao nodded and said, "That's right."

The monk official stood there dumbfounded for a long while, then suddenly came to his senses, slapped his thigh as if he had been pricked by a needle, and exclaimed repeatedly, "Oh dear! Oh dear! Holy Monk, why didn't you say so sooner! This old monk was blind to your greatness, I have been so rude, so rude! Holy Monk, please come in, please come in!"

As he spoke, he stepped aside to make way for him, his eagerness a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.

The disciples stood aside, dumbfounded, speechless for a long time.

Yun Zhao remained unmoved, only smiled, and said, "Didn't the abbot just say that the mountains are inconvenient and the temple is too simple to accommodate this humble monk and his disciples?"

The monk waved his hands repeatedly, saying urgently, "That was my mistake! That was my mistake! Holy Monk, please don't take it to heart! Although Baolin Temple is small, it can accommodate you and your esteemed disciples. Please come in quickly! Please come in quickly!"

He turned to the disciples and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Quickly go and call all the monks with ordination certificates to come out and welcome the holy monk!"

The disciples, as if waking from a dream, scrambled into the temple.

Before long, the temple bells and drums rang out in unison, and the disciples said, "Quickly change your clothes, follow the master in formation, and go out of the mountain gate to welcome the lord from Great Chu."

The monks, all in perfect order, lined up and went out to greet us.

Some wore cassocks, some wore short shirts, and some wore simple bell-shaped robes. The very poor, who had no long clothes, simply tied two waist skirts together and draped them over their bodies.

The black bear spirit saw this and couldn't help but laugh, "Monk, what kind of clothes are you wearing?"

Seeing his ugly appearance, the monk said, "Grandpa, don't hit me. Let me explain. This is cloth from our city. There are no tailors here, so I made this piece myself."

The black bear spirit chuckled inwardly.

At this moment, the old monk, leading the five hundred monks of all ages, respectfully called out in unison, "Master Chu, please have a seat in the abbot's quarters!"

Sun Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, watched this scene, curled his lip, and whispered to the black bear spirit, "That old bald monk changes his face faster than turning the pages of a book."

The black bear spirit also lowered his voice and said, "That's right. Just now they said we were wandering monks, but as soon as they heard that Master was from the State of Chu, they immediately changed their tune."

Yellow Wind Monster coughed lightly, signaling the two to keep quiet.

Sha Wujing stood silently at the back, saying nothing.

Looking at the monks lined up in neat rows, and then at the obsequious monk official, Yun Zhao knew that it was simply because the fame of the Chu Kingdom had spread so far that even a lowly monk official in this remote place had heard of it.

He remained calm and simply put his palms together and smiled, saying, "Master, you are too kind. We are just wandering monks, neither officials nor nobles, so there is no need for such a grand display."

The monk official hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes! It is an honor for our Baolin Temple that the holy monk of Great Chu would grace our humble abode with his presence!"

He eagerly led the way, inviting Yun Zhao and his disciples into the abbot's courtyard. He then ordered the best tea and snacks, the cleanest beds, and even instructed the kitchen to prepare a vegetarian meal. He was completely different from his previous aloof demeanor.

Yun Zhao didn't say much and settled down in the abbot's courtyard.

The disciples tidied up, while the monkey squatted on the threshold, watching the monk official bustling around, and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "If I had known this would happen, I should have told him about Master's background earlier, so as to save this much trouble."

The others burst into laughter, joking with the monkey: "The prestige of Lord Chu of the Chu Kingdom is far more effective than your staff, Senior Brother!"

Yun Zhao heard this, but only smiled slightly and did not reply.

As night deepened, the temple bells and drums fell silent, and the monks returned to their meditation rooms.

The monk official personally came to inquire after his health and repeatedly instructed him that if needed, he should simply give orders to his disciples.

Yun Zhao clasped his hands in thanks, and the monk left with profuse gratitude.