Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 226: Pig Five Precepts

Along the way, they traversed lush green mountains and rivers, surrounded by endless wild grasses and flowers. Time passed swiftly, and deep autumn arrived. The four of them and their horse led a carefree life.

However, as the weather grew colder, Tang Seng could tolerate the cold poorly, so he spoke much less.

At first, Tang Seng was worried about Wu Huihui’s unclear background—although approved by Guanyin, he had become a monk later in life. But after living together for over a year, these three disciples proved clever and understanding, always considering his feelings. Gradually, they surpassed him and became Tang Seng’s favorite junior disciples.

One day, as dusk fell, Tang Seng sat on his horse, gazing at the barren mountains ahead, and sighed, “I don’t know where I’ll rest tonight.” Wu Kong said, “Master, since you’re determined to retrieve the scriptures, enduring rough conditions is common. Why sigh today?” At that moment, Zhu Bajie, carrying the load, complained, “You’re so carefree and speak so lightly. Ever since I became your disciple, this load has never left my shoulders. It’s tiring during the day, but at least I can sleep well at night to recover. These past months, I’ve slept on rocks every day, which has caused pain in my back.”

Wu Kong laughed and said, “Zhu Bajie, even though you’re tall and strong, if you don’t carry the load, who will? If Wu Huihui and I carried it, with the pole slanting on our shoulders and the ropes not straight, how could we move forward? You were once the Marshal Tian Peng descending to earth—how can you complain over such hardships and expect to reach the Western Heaven?”

Zhu Bajie replied, “It’s not that I’m complaining. Just look how heavy this load is! There are clothes for all seasons, a rainproof tarp, a nine-ring iron staff inlaid with copper, and a huge pole soaked in sweat. Not to mention all the other trivial items!”

Wu Huihui then said, “Second brother, all these are Master’s belongings. The first brother and I don’t have a single one.” Tang Seng laughed and said, “Zhu Bajie only talks about my things. He secretly hid a few baked cakes in Gao Laozhuang—weighing at least seven or eight pounds each.”

Hearing Tang Seng mention his secret, Zhu Bajie muttered, “That’s… that’s to feed Master in case of food shortages.” Wu Kong joked, “Zhu Bajie is so filial.” Wu Huihui added, “Master, so those big cakes are called baked cakes. Yesterday I saw the second brother eating them secretly. When I asked what they were called, he wouldn’t tell me.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie’s face turned red. He hurriedly said, “Those baked cakes… they were spoiled, infested with worms. I thought it was a shame to let them go, so I ate them myself.”

Tang Seng couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing Zhu Bajie embarrassed, he said, “It’s alright, it’s alright. I understand your intentions, Zhu Bajie.”

Seeing everyone making fun of him, Zhu Bajie pulled his big ears tightly over his ears to block out the noise and trudged forward quickly.

The others ignored him. As darkness fell, Bajie hadn’t gone far. Once they reached the foot of the mountain ahead, they would find a sheltered spot to sleep.
Wuhui, with his sharp eyes, saw a grasshopper standing on top of yellow grass. As the autumn wind blew, it trembled pitifully. His childlike nature took over, and he reached out to catch it.
When Tang Seng saw Wuhui trying to catch the grasshopper, he quickly dismounted and stopped him, saying, “Wuhui, a monk must not kill living beings.” Before his words faded, Wuhui had already caught the grasshopper in his hand and said with a grin, “Master, I’ll just play with it for a while before letting it go.”
Tang Seng replied, “Such wild creatures have proud natures. Playing with them is no different from killing them.”
Disappointed by Tang Seng’s words, Wuhui threw the grasshopper away and said, “Alright, I’ll follow your advice.” Due to this delay, Bajie was already out of sight ahead.
Tang Seng mounted his horse again, and the three of them continued on at a steady pace. Wukong said, “If Master isn’t hungry, we can find a place to rest later, and I’ll go ask for alms again.”
Tang Seng replied, “I’ve been sitting on the horse all day without walking much. How could I be hungry? It’s Bajie… Hmm, where has Bajie gone?”
Wukong jumped down and looked around. Sure enough, the fool was missing. Calmly, he said, “Master, don’t worry. He must have hidden in some grassy nook and fallen asleep. I’ll go look for him later.”
He found a mountain hollow, settled Tang Seng there, and told Wuhui to keep a close watch over him before heading back to search for Bajie.
The mountain seemed long but ran north-south, only a few miles wide from east to west. Wukong flew straight west, beyond the mountain range, and soon saw a remarkable sight.
In the vast wilderness lay a large forest, with houses faintly visible inside, built with grandeur—green cypresses hanging over the doors, the houses nestled near green mountains. Pine trees stood tall, and old bamboos had straight, mottled trunks.
Wukong sensed something strange about this estate. Approaching, he transformed into a moth and flew over the mud walls and brick fences. Entering the splendid hall, he saw Bajie leaning his load against a pillar by the entrance.
Flying further in, he saw the hall brightly lit. An old man sat in the main seat, wearing a magnificent crown, looking extremely wealthy. And the person in the guest seat—wasn’t that Zhu Bajie? The old man and Bajie were toasting and drinking merrily.
Wukong observed the old man carefully. He had a fortunate appearance, though with a short neck and a plump body. Though not naturally human-shaped, he didn’t emit any demonic aura.
Seeing Bajie gobbling up food, leaving a mess everywhere, and the old man not seeming annoyed but instead smiling and urging him to drink more, Wukong realized the fool would surely be well-fed and asleep that night, so there was no need to worry. He flew out of the courtyard, fetched some vegetarian food along the way, and then returned to find Tang Seng.

Tang Seng was praying here when he saw Wukong return and quickly asked, “Have you found Bajie?” Wukong replied, “That fool is enjoying himself; there’s no need to worry about him.” Tang Seng said, “What kind of pleasure can there be in these desolate mountains and forests?” Wukong said, “Though this place seems remote, beyond the mountains lies a large estate. Somehow, that fool’s legs suddenly became agile, and now he’s being treated as a guest by the estate owner, eating and drinking to his heart’s content.” Hearing that Bajie was safe, Tang Seng felt relieved and said, “It’s good that nothing happened. Bajie has also suffered a lot these days; it’s as if he’s been fortunate.” Wukong said, “The second disciple isn’t very considerate—enjoying himself while ignoring us.” Wukong laughed and said, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.” They slept soundly that night. Early the next morning, Wukong woke Tang Seng and they left the valley. After walking for a while, they saw the estate ahead. Tang Seng asked, “Wukong, is Bajie in this estate?” Wukong replied, “He was treated as a guest last night, but I don’t know where he is now.” When they reached the estate’s gate, Tang Seng saw a young boy guarding it. He dismounted and went up to ask, “Young sir, I greet you with respect.” The boy replied, “I dare not accept such respect, venerable master. Is there something you need?” Tang Seng said, “I am a monk from the Great Tang in the East, on a journey to the West to worship Buddha and obtain scriptures. Last night, one of my disciples got separated. Since there are no other households nearby, I was wondering if I could stay at your estate.” Hearing this, the boy lost all courtesy and showed disdain, asking back, “Are you referring to that long-mouthed, big-eared man?” Tang Seng confirmed, “That’s him exactly. Could you please call him out? We still need to continue our journey.” The boy replied, “I doubt he can come out. He committed a crime last night and is currently begging for mercy from my master.” Tang Seng was shocked and asked, “Ah, what crime did he commit?” The boy explained, “Just as it got dark last night, he knocked on the door, claiming to be a monk on a mission to the West. My master, being kind-hearted, welcomed him in, treated him well with food and drink, and even prepared a room for him to rest. But that monk… he had no shame and was bold enough to break into my master’s daughter’s room. Luckily, my master’s daughter learned some magic skills when she was young and managed to subdue him. Otherwise, her purity would have been violated.” Hearing this, Tang Seng was both angry and furious, pacing anxiously and saying, “What should we do? What can we do? That worthless fool…” Wukong stepped forward and said, “Young man, as the saying goes, there’s still a bowl of wine even before the execution. Even for the gravest crime, it’s only fair to let us go in and take a look.” The boy, growing impatient, said, “Since you two seem to know right from wrong, go ahead then.”

Tang Seng hurriedly entered the courtyard. The courtyard was exquisitely arranged, with pavilions, sitting areas, small bridges over flowing water, wild chrysanthemums covered in frost, and orchids reflecting in the water—clearly the home of a prosperous family. But Tang Seng had no time to admire the scenery; as a monk, indulging in wine and lust was an unforgivable sin. While cursing Zhu Bajie in his heart, he sought forgiveness from the household owner, and before he knew it, he had reached the hall. Suddenly, someone called out, “Master!” Tang Seng glanced aside and saw none other than that fool, tightly tied to a pillar. Seeing his savior, Zhu Bajie cried for help. Tang Seng glared at him fiercely but ignored him, straightened his robes, and walked toward the plump old man sitting solemnly in the courtyard. When the old man saw Tang Seng enter, he showed courtesy, getting up to greet him and saying, “Elder, you have great dignity. Please, come in.” Tang Seng bowed and said, “I failed to discipline my disciple properly; I’ve come to apologize.” The plump old man replied, “It’s alright, alright. Please sit down first and talk. Someone, bring some tea!” A cup of clear tea was served. Tang Seng took a sip and found its fragrance to be as if it came from heaven. Though he held a high position in the Tang Dynasty, he had never tasted such fine tea before. Unable to resist, he asked, “This tea is wonderful. Was it picked from heaven?” The old man laughed heartily and said, “Elder, you’re right. It was indeed picked from heaven.” Tang Seng thought it was just a joke and smiled instead. Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie, tied tightly, couldn’t help but shout, “Master, your disciple is tied up here, and you still have the heart to taste tea!” Wukong leaped over and grabbed Zhu Bajie by the ear, saying, “Didn’t you think about today’s suffering when you were feasting yesterday?” Zhu Bajie cried in pain, “Senior brother, be gentle, please…” Tang Seng said, “Kind sir, my disciple has committed a grave crime. I don’t know what punishment would be appropriate. Though I’m a monk, I understand that one must take responsibility for their own actions. Since my disciple has sinned, it brings shame to me as his master, so I should naturally take responsibility for him.” The old man sighed and said, “Well, it’s also my fault for talking too much. Last night, this Pig Elder knocked on my door, saying he was a monk on a pilgrimage who wanted to stay for the night. As someone who always worships Buddha, I naturally opened the door to welcome him and prepared vegetarian food for him. We drank a few cups of wine during the meal and had a pleasant conversation. By chance, we talked about family matters. I mentioned that I had a daughter who was just 29 years old and not yet married. The Pig Elder claimed to be skilled in fortune-telling and offered to help me predict her future husband. So I called my daughter out so he could examine her face.”

“The Pig Elder said nothing after seeing it, and I naturally paid no attention, thinking he was just talking nonsense while drunk. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, the Pig Elder sneaked into my daughter’s room; apparently, he had seen her beauty at the banquet and became lustful. Alas, fortunately, a Taoist priest came to our house before the New Year and said that since we lived in the wilderness, we needed a method to protect our lives. He taught my daughter a few spells; otherwise… alas!”
The old man kept sighing as he spoke, and Tang Seng grew angrier the more he listened. When did this fool learn to read faces?