In a shabby house in Huaguang, Tang Seng and his disciples were enduring the relentless night rain. Meanwhile, in the town of Diling County, a gang of ruthless thugs was plotting their “get-rich-quick scheme.” These guys, being addicted to gambling, had squandered all their savings and were desperate for money. So, they decided to do something big—robbery! They figured tonight was perfect; with the heavy rain and fewer people on the streets, it was a great opportunity to target the wealthy gentleman.
Excitedly, the little thieves armed themselves with daggers and torches, braving the rain as they rushed to the gentleman's house. They burst through the door, shouting as they charged in, scaring the gentleman’s family into a frenzy. The old lady hid under the bed, the old man crouched behind the door, and the children scattered in fear. The thieves began frantically ransacking the place, stuffing gold, silver, jewelry, and clothes into their bags. The gentleman desperately tried to save some of his belongings but was kicked to the ground by a thief, leaving him terrified. After their haul, the thieves escaped along the city wall, celebrating in the rain as they prepared to enjoy their "windfall."
When dawn broke, the gentleman’s servant finally dared to check the situation and found the gentleman dead on the floor, crying out in despair, “Oh no! My master has been killed!” The house was soon filled with wails of grief, a sorrow that tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.
At this moment, the gentleman’s wife was seething with anger, blaming Tang Seng and his disciples for not treating them well, which led to this disaster. Supporting her son Kou Liang, she sneered, “Stop crying! I invited monks today, and tomorrow again, but instead, I ended up inviting the death-bringing monks!” Kou Liang, puzzled, asked, “Mom, how can they be death-bringing?” She replied, “I hid under the bed and saw everything clearly. It was Tang Seng who set the fire, the one with the knife was Zhu Bajie, and the one stealing gold and silver was Sha Monk. The one who killed your father was Sun Wukong!”
Now the brothers understood and were filled with rage. “They’ve been staying with us for half a month, familiarizing themselves with our situation, and took advantage of the night rain to rob us, causing our father’s death! This is too cruel! As soon as it’s light, we’ll go report this!” Kou Dong asked, “How should we write the complaint?” Kou Liang said, “Let’s write it just like Mom said!” So they wrote: “Tang Seng set the fire, Bajie killed, Sha Monk robbed gold and silver, and Sun Wukong killed my father.”
Just as they were busy writing, dawn broke. On one side, relatives were preparing the coffin, while the Kou brothers hurried to the government office to file their complaint. At that moment, the magistrate of Tongtai Prefecture was an upright man. Upon hearing the news, he immediately summoned 150 men, preparing to set out and capture Tang Seng and his disciples.
Meanwhile, Tang Seng and his disciples in the dilapidated house of Huaguang had finally made it to dawn and set out toward the West. At the same time, the vicious robbers were busy dividing their loot after raiding the Kou family, already dreaming of how to enjoy their unexpected wealth. While they were hiding in a hollow, they suddenly spotted Tang Seng and his group passing by. The robbers couldn’t help but feel delighted: “Hey, isn’t that the monk we sent off yesterday?”
The robbers were calculating, thinking this was a golden opportunity, and decided to intercept Tang Seng to grab some cash and his white horse—what a windfall! They raised their weapons and ran towards the road, shouting in unison, “Monk, don’t go! Leave behind some money for the road, and we’ll spare your life! If you dare to resist, you’ll be finished with one blow!” At this, Tang Seng panicked and fidgeted on his horse, while Sha Monk and Bajie were also flustered, thinking, “This is really bad luck!”
But Sun Wukong, with a grin, said, “Master, don’t be afraid! Brothers, don’t worry, let me go ask them.” With that, he adjusted his tiger-skin skirt, shook his brocade robe, and stepped forward, folding his arms and asking, “What are you up to?” The robbers roared in response, “You little brat, are you tired of living? How dare you ask us! Hand over the road money!”
Wukong smiled broadly, saying, “Oh, so you’re the robbers!” The thieves grew even angrier, shouting that they would kill him. Wukong pretended to be scared, saying, “Great King, I’m just a country monk and don’t know any better. Please don’t hold it against me! If you want road money, just ask me; the other three have nothing to do with it.” As he spoke, he pointed at Sha Monk, Bajie, and the white dragon horse. The robbers felt this made some sense and decided to let Wukong go for now.
Wukong then turned to Sha Monk and signaled him. Sha Monk dropped his luggage and followed Wukong and Bajie as they slowly walked west. Wukong bent down, opened his bundle, sprinkled some dust, and chanted a spell, magically freezing the robbers in place, making them stand straight and unable to speak. Wukong shouted, “Master, come back quickly!”
Upon hearing this, Bajie panicked, “Oh no! Brother, you sold us out! He has no money on him, and there’s no gold or silver in the bundle, so he must be after our horse!” But Sha Monk laughed and said, “Second Brother, don’t worry! Big Brother is powerful; these little thieves are nothing. Let’s go back and take a look.” Tang Seng, hearing this, happily turned his horse around and asked, “Wukong, what’s going on?”
Wukong pointed at the robbers and said, “Look at how they’re not moving!” Bajie leaned forward and pushed one of the robbers, asking, “Hey, why aren’t you talking?” The robbers looked confused, and Bajie exclaimed, “They really are dumbfounded!” Wukong laughed and explained, “I’ve used the immobilization spell on them.”
Bajie asked, “Since they’re frozen, why can’t they make a sound?” Wukong replied, “Master, please dismount and sit down. There’s an old saying: there’s only a mistake in taking, not in releasing. Brothers, tie these robbers up and find out who they are.” Sha Monk said, “But we don’t have any ropes.” Wukong immediately pulled out a few hairs, blew some magical breath on them, and transformed them into thirty ropes, starting to tie up the robbers.
Once everything was settled, Wukong chanted another spell, and the robbers slowly regained their senses, realizing they had been captured.
Wukong invited Tang Seng to sit at the head, while he and his brothers held their weapons, imposing as they asked the robbers, “How many of you are there? How long have you been in this business? What have you stolen? Have you ever killed anyone? Is this your first, second, or what number of crimes?” The robbers immediately begged for mercy, “Please spare us, sir!” Wukong impatiently said, “Stop whining and tell the truth!”
The robbers hurriedly explained, “Sir, we’re not habitual offenders; we’re just the sons of good families. We ended up in this because we spent all our money on drinking and gambling. Hearing that the gentleman had money, we planned to rob him last night during the rain. We didn’t expect to run into you. We were just about to divide the loot when you showed up. Please, spare our lives!” Tang Seng was shocked, “Wukong, how could the kind gentleman attract such disaster?”
Wukong laughed and said, “It’s because we made such a fuss when we sent him off that we attracted these rascals. Now they’re out of luck, having run into us.” Tang Seng thought for a moment, “We stayed at his house for half a month; we should repay his kindness. Why not return the stolen goods?” Wukong nodded in agreement and, along with Bajie and Sha Monk, went to gather the gold and silver jewelry from the hollow to load onto their horse.
Wukong initially thought of killing the robbers with a stick but feared Tang Seng would blame him for taking lives, so he shook off his hairs and immobilized the robbers instead. The robbers, freed from their bindings, got up and, seeing the situation was dire, fled into the woods. Tang Seng decided to return the valuables to the gentleman, but this turned out to be like moths to a flame, bringing trouble instead. Thus, a poem says: “Few repay kindness in this world; instead, kindness turns to enmity.”
Just as they were walking, they suddenly saw a group of weapons gleaming in the distance. Tang Seng exclaimed, “Disciples, look! What’s going on there?” Bajie looked worried, “Oh no! This is bad! Those are the robbers we let go; they’ve returned with people for revenge!” But Sha Monk said, “Second Brother, don’t panic; those aren’t robbers; they’re officers!” Wukong whispered to Sha Monk, “The disaster star of our master has come again; it must be the officers here to catch the robbers.”
Before long, the officers surrounded Tang Seng and his companions, shouting, “Good monk, you’ve robbed someone’s belongings and are still hanging around here!” The officers rushed forward, first pulling Tang Seng off his horse and tying him up with ropes, then binding Wukong and the others as well, and taking them toward the city. At this point, Tang Seng felt anxious, Bajie was mumbling, Sha Monk was deep in thought, while Wukong appeared relaxed, as if he was planning something.
Upon arriving in the city, the magistrate sat in the hall, and the officers reported, “Sir, we’ve captured the robbers!” The magistrate looked at Tang Seng and asked, “You monk, claiming to come from the Eastern lands, how have you turned into a robber?” Tang Seng quickly explained, “Your Excellency, I am not a robber. I truly have travel documents; I encountered robbers and seized the gentleman’s belongings to return them. Please see the truth!”
The magistrate sneered coldly, “If you encountered robbers, why didn’t you capture them and report it? How did you four become robbers?” Hearing this, Tang Seng panicked and called out, “Wukong, quickly explain!” Wukong, looking helpless, replied, “With the stolen goods present, what’s the use of explaining?”
Upon hearing this, the magistrate immediately ordered, “Bring the headband and put it on this bald thief’s head, then beat him!”
At this, Wukong’s heart tightened, thinking, “Even though my master is in trouble, I can’t let him suffer too much.” Seeing the officers preparing to put a headband on Tang Seng, he quickly spoke up, “Sir, don’t put that on the monk! Last night, I was the one who set fire, wielded a knife, and robbed; I’m the leader of the robbers. Beat me if you must, but let them go!”
The magistrate ordered, “First, tie up this robber leader!” So, the officers stepped forward and put the headband on Wukong, tightening it. However, the band broke. When they tried another one, Wukong’s scalp didn’t even flinch. Just as they were busy, someone reported, “Sir, Lord Chen Shaobao is here; please go out of the city to welcome him!” Upon hearing this, the magistrate instructed, “Put these robbers in custody and keep a close watch; I’ll interrogate them after I greet my superior.”
Thus, the jailers pushed Tang Seng and his disciples into the prison. Bajie and Sha Monk also brought their luggage inside. Tang Seng looked puzzled and asked, “Disciples, what’s going on?” Wukong laughed, “Master, come in! There are no dogs barking inside; it’s actually a nice place!” The poor four were shoved into the cell, where the guards began to beat them.
Tang Seng cried out in pain, “Wukong! What do we do now?” Wukong comforted him, “They’re beating us for money. There’s a saying: to be safe in good places, you must pay for the suffering. Just give them some money, and it will be resolved.” Tang Seng frowned, “Where will I get money?” Wukong thought for a moment, “If there’s no money, just give them your robe.” Tang Seng felt a pang in his heart, knowing he couldn’t fight back, so he said, “Then do as you wish.”
Wukong immediately called out, “Officers, stop hitting us! We have a brocade robe worth a fortune in our two bundles; you can take it!” The guards, hearing this, hurried to open the bundles. Although there were only a few pieces of cloth and a small bag inside, the last layer wrapped in oil paper glimmered, indicating something valuable.
When they opened it, they found exquisite pearls and rare Buddhist treasures, intricately embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, leaving everyone astonished. The jailer approached angrily, shouting, “What are you shouting about here?” The guards knelt and said, “Sir, these four monks are robbers; they hit us a few times and gave us these two bundles. When we opened them, we found these treasures; we truly don’t know what to do!”
Seeing the treasures, the jailer began to inspect the other clothes and bags, discovering various royal seals and stamps inside. He immediately realized, “This monk is not a robber; don’t touch his clothes. We’ll interrogate him tomorrow!” The guards, upon hearing this, quickly returned the bundles to Tang Seng, rewrapped them, and handed them to the jailer for safekeeping.
Gradually, the sky darkened, and the drum sounded from the tower as the guards patrolled. When the clock struck the fourth watch, Sun Wukong noticed that everyone was sound asleep. He thought to himself, “Master is truly suffering from this imprisonment tonight; I can’t let him endure too much pain.” So, he decided to break his silence, thinking, “The fourth watch is almost here, and disaster is approaching. I need to make arrangements so we can leave the prison by dawn.”
He summoned all his strength, shrank his body, and transformed into a small insect, flying out through the eaves. The night sky was filled with twinkling stars, making it a quiet night. He determined his direction and flew toward the Kou family. Upon arrival, he noticed a brightly lit tofu shop on the west side of the street. The old man was tending the fire, while the old woman was squeezing soy milk.
At that moment, the old man suddenly spoke: “Mama, Kou Daguang has wealth and sons, yet he has no longevity. He and I were classmates when we were young, and I’m five years older than him. His father, Kou Ming, had only about a thousand acres of land in his youth, and the rent wasn’t enough. When he turned twenty, Kou Ming passed away, and Kou Daguang took over the family business; his luck improved. He married a wife who brought prosperity, and as a result, he made money from farming, becoming increasingly wealthy, amassing a fortune of over a hundred thousand. Unfortunately, at forty, he turned to goodness, but last night he was killed by robbers. What a pity!”
After hearing this, Wukong thought it was time to hurry back. He flew into the Kou family’s main hall and saw that the coffin was already prepared, surrounded by lamps, incense, candles, and flowers. The old woman was crying sorrowfully nearby. The two sons had also arrived, bringing their wives to make offerings.
Wukong flew onto the coffin and coughed, startling the two daughters-in-law into a frantic escape. The Kou brothers lay on the ground, too scared to move, calling out, “Father! Kou Le! Kou Le!” The old woman, braver than the rest, rushed to the side of the coffin and asked, “Old gentleman, are you alive?”
Wukong mimicked Kou Daguang’s voice, saying, “I am not alive.” The two sons panicked, kneeling and weeping, “Father! Kou Le! Kou Le!” The old woman asked again, “Gentleman, if you are not alive, how can you still speak?” Wukong replied, “I am a ghost sent by the King of Hell to speak with you.”
He then accused a woman named Zhang: “She has harmed the innocent!” The old woman, frightened, knelt down, saying, “Good old man, how do you know my nickname? I haven’t harmed anyone!”
Wukong scolded, “Don’t speak carelessly; Tang Seng lit the fire, Bajie killed, and Sha Monk robbed gold and silver—all were wronged! Your words harm good people. The four masters encountered robbers, seized the valuables, and sent them to thank me; it was a good intention! Yet you falsely accused them, sending your sons to report them, and the authorities arrested them without careful investigation, causing even the King of Hell to know and sending me to stir up trouble!”
The Kou brothers hurriedly bowed and pleaded for mercy: “Father, please don’t harm the old and young; we are willing to go to the government office tomorrow to clarify the situation. Please bless us!” Upon hearing this, Wukong immediately shouted, “Burn some paper, and I will leave!” The whole family rushed to burn paper, fearing they would anger this “old gentleman.”
Sun Wukong soared into the air, heading straight for the magistrate’s residence. Looking down, he saw that lights were already on inside, and the magistrate had gotten up. He quietly flew into the main hall and noticed a painting hanging on the back wall. The painting depicted an official riding a small horse, surrounded by several attendants holding blue umbrellas, leaving him puzzled about the story behind it. Wukong couldn’t help but pause in front of the painting, just as the magistrate emerged from his room, grooming himself.
Wukong coughed, startling the magistrate, who hurriedly retreated to his room, finished grooming, and donned his robe. He came out to the painting, lighting incense and praying: “To the spirit of Lord Jiang, may my filial nephew Jiang Kun receive the blessings of our ancestors. Today, I, the magistrate of Tongtai, serve you with unending incense. Why do you speak today? Do not let it be for evil or mischief, lest it frightens my household.” Wukong secretly laughed, “This is indeed his esteemed ancestor!” He then pretended to call out, “Nephew Kun, although you hold office due to ancestral blessings, how can you treat the four holy monks as thieves without proper investigation and imprison them?”
Upon hearing this, the magistrate panicked, “My lord, please return; I will immediately release them!” Wukong continued, “Then burn some paper, and I will report back to the King of Hell.” The magistrate hurriedly added incense and burned paper, feeling immensely grateful.
As Wukong flew out, he saw that the east was already lightening. He flew to Diling County and found the county officials busy in the main hall. He thought to himself, “If someone sees the insect speaking, it will reveal my identity.” So, he transformed into a large figure in midair, lowered one foot, and stomped down, causing chaos in the county hall. He shouted loudly, “Listen up, officials: I am a wandering spirit sent by the Jade Emperor. You have wrongfully imprisoned a Buddhist disciple seeking scriptures, disturbing the peace of the three realms. Release him at once!”
The county officials were so frightened that they all knelt down, pleading for mercy: “Your Excellency, please return! We will report to the governor immediately and won’t take any action. Please don’t scare us!” Wukong then returned to his original form and flew back to the cell, crawling back into bed to continue sleeping.
At that moment, the magistrate ascended the hall, just preparing to present the written document when the Kou brothers rushed in, holding the document and kneeling at the entrance, shouting. The magistrate allowed them to enter, and they handed over the document. Upon seeing it, the magistrate was furious: “You submitted a complaint yesterday and now you’re here with a retraction? What’s going on?”
The Kou brothers wept bitterly: “My lord, last night my father’s spirit appeared to me, telling me that the Tang Dynasty holy monk had good intentions. Why are you treating him as a thief and making him suffer in prison? The deities in the underworld are restless and reported this to the King of Hell, who sent a spirit to instruct you to release him, or else the old and young will suffer!”
The magistrate was startled: “How could the spirit appear? This must be a case of wrongful imprisonment.”
While he was thinking, the county magistrate rushed in: “My lord, it’s bad! The Jade Emperor has sent a wandering spirit to the mortal realm, demanding that you release the good people in prison. The monk you captured yesterday is actually a Buddhist disciple seeking scriptures. If you delay any longer, we will be in grave danger, and the city will be reduced to ashes!” The magistrate, terrified, immediately ordered someone to write a notice and quickly release the prisoners.
At that moment, Bajie looked worried: “I wonder what will happen today.” Wukong laughed and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of it. When we enter the hall, don’t kneel; the magistrate will invite us to sit. I’ll ask him for our belongings and horses, and if anything is missing, I’ll deal with him!”
As they approached the hall, the magistrate and the officials quickly came down to greet them: “When the holy monk came yesterday, we were busy with our superiors and didn’t get a chance to ask in detail.” Tang Seng clasped his hands and bowed, recounting the previous events once more. The officials all admitted their mistakes, saying, “We were wrong, we were wrong! Please don’t hold it against us!”
Wukong stepped forward, sternly saying, “My white horse and luggage were taken by you; return them to me! This is truly a case of wrongful imprisonment, treating innocent people as thieves!” Seeing Wukong’s imposing demeanor, the county officials immediately ordered the return of the horse and belongings, handing them over one by one.
As you can see, the three of them exuded an intimidating presence, leaving the officials with no choice but to use the Kou family as a cover. Tang Seng advised, “Disciple, don’t be anxious. Let’s go to the Kou family first, to express our condolences and verify who claims I am a thief.” Wukong nodded, “That’s right; I’ll summon the deceased to see who killed him.”
Sha Monk helped Tang Seng onto the horse, and they all rushed out, followed by the county officials to the Kou family. The Kou brothers were kneeling at the door, continuously bowing to welcome them into the hall. Inside, the family was crying. Wukong shouted, “That deceitful woman who harmed the innocent, stop crying! Wait for me to summon your husband and see what he says about who killed him; let’s shame her!”
The officials, hearing this, thought Wukong was joking. Wukong continued, “Gentlemen, please let my master sit for a moment. Bajie and Sha Monk, be sure to protect him while I go.” After saying this, he leaped out the door and looked up at the sky, instantly filling the heavens with colorful clouds and auspicious energy. The crowd finally recognized him as a celestial being capable of riding clouds, and they all hurried to burn incense and pay their respects.
As for Sun Wukong, he traveled swiftly through the clouds, heading straight for the underworld, ultimately crashing into the Hall of Yama. The Ten Yama Kings were startled and quickly welcomed him with cupped hands, while the five ghost judges bowed in greeting. You could see the sword trees bending and the mountains of knives flattened. The spirits in the city of the wronged had nowhere to hide, and the souls under the Naihe Bridge began to be reborn. Truly, with divine light shining, the dark underworld became bright.
Seeing the Great Sage, the Ten Yama Kings quickly asked, “What brings you here?” Wukong replied with a serious expression, “I’m here to find the spirit of Kou Hong from Diling County. Quickly check where he is!” Upon hearing this, the Yama Kings hurriedly explained, “The good man Kou Hong was not taken by the ghost; he came here himself and encountered the Golden Robed Boy of the Earth Store King.” Wukong nodded, said his goodbyes, and headed straight for Cuiyun Palace to find the Earth Store Bodhisattva.
Seeing him, the Bodhisattva performed the customary greeting and inquired about the previous events. Wukong recounted everything, and the Bodhisattva happily said, “Kou Hong has a long lifespan and died without touching the bedding. Because he is a good man, I will appoint him as the head of the record of good destinies. Since the Great Sage has come to take him, I will extend his lifespan by one more cycle, allowing him to accompany you.” The Golden Robed Boy then led Kou Hong out. Upon seeing Wukong, Kou Hong was excited and called out, “Master! Master! Save me!”
Wukong comforted him, saying, “You were killed by robbers. Now you are in the underworld with the Earth Store Bodhisattva. I have come to bring you back to the mortal realm. The Bodhisattva has already agreed and will extend your lifespan by one cycle, so you can return in twelve years.” Kou Hong was deeply grateful and bowed repeatedly. Wukong thanked the Bodhisattva, transformed him into vapor, tucked him into his sleeve, and returned to the mortal realm together.
They flew on clouds to Kou's home. Wukong instructed Bajie to pry open the coffin and pushed Kou Hong's spirit out. Before long, Kou Hong exhaled and came back to life! He crawled out of the coffin and immediately bowed to Tang Seng and the four disciples, saying, “Master! Master! Kou Hong died unjustly, and thanks to you saving me from the underworld, I truly owe you a great debt of gratitude!”
He continued to express his thanks and, upon seeing the officials present, quickly bowed again, saying, “Gentlemen, how do you do?” The magistrate looked embarrassed and said, “Your son initially submitted a complaint against the holy monk, which is why I sent someone to arrest him. I didn’t expect that the monk would encounter robbers on the way, who took your family’s possessions and ended up returning them to you. It was my subordinate who mistakenly captured him without proper investigation, leading to his imprisonment. Tonight, your spirit appeared, and I also received a report about a wandering spirit descending to the mortal realm, so I released the holy monk, who then saved you.”
Kou Hong knelt and said, “Sir, it was truly an injustice to these four holy monks! That night, more than thirty robbers came with weapons to raid our home, and I tried to persuade them, but I was kicked to death. What does that have to do with these gentlemen?” He called over his wife, saying, “Who kicked me to death? How dare you falsely accuse them? Please, sir, deliver justice!” The whole family kept bowing, and the magistrate, being lenient, absolved them of their wrongdoing.
Kou Hong was immensely grateful and arranged a feast to thank the officials for their kindness. Everyone enjoyed the meal heartily, and no one thought about returning to the magistrate’s office. The next day, Kou Hong hung a plaque for the monks, inviting Tang Seng to stay, but Tang Seng firmly refused. In the end, they invited relatives and friends, set up banners, and sent them off as usual.
This is a reminder that while the earth may harbor evil deeds, the heavens do not forsake those with good hearts. Wandering freely along the path of the Tathagata, they reached the gates of the Western Paradise, yet they still did not know how they would meet the Buddha. To find out more, let’s wait for the next chapter.
