Chapter 96: The Fox’s Tail Is Exposed

A Da, are you truly certain that the kasaya in that Tang monk’s bundle is made of silkworm silk?” the old monk asked, unable to contain his excitement.

The older monk was A Da.

A Da nodded. “Master, rest assured. I may not be able to handle other matters well, but in this one small area, my eye is sharp. There can be no mistake about that robe’s material. It is the finest, exceedingly rare silkworm silk. That kasaya is absolutely a treasure.”

“Ha ha! Good, good! Our lot was forced to shave our heads and take to banditry here in this Guanyin Temple. Over the years, the ones who have come through have all been petty riffraff, each one looking poor enough to wring dry. A fat sheep like that Tang monk is truly a rare catch.”

“Exactly. The monk himself is fair and plump, and especially that white horse of his. One look is enough to tell it is worth a great deal. It will surely fetch a handsome price one day.”

“Heh heh, if we pull this off tonight, we’ll have rich food and fine drink from now on without any trouble.”

“Excellent! Tonight, we all strike it rich together.”

The monks could not help celebrating among themselves.

Little did they know that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.

Above them, on the beam of an adjacent room, Monkey King watched every word of their conspiracy like a ghost.

Ah!

Honored and formidable Patriarch, so dazzlingly clever and almost unbearably lovable, this disciple can only bow down to your heaven-defying gift of foresight from every conceivable angle.

Why does the Patriarch possess such a world-shaking ability?

This disciple is truly green with envy...

After a brief wash, Xuanzang passed by Monkey King’s room and remembered to knock. “Mr. Sun, are you in there? It’s time for us to go to the main hall for the meal. The abbot said they’ve already prepared vegetarian fare for us.”

“All right, this old monkey knows. You go ahead, monk. I’ll be along shortly.”

“Very well, then. Hurry up, so you don’t keep everyone waiting.”

Who would have thought that as soon as Xuanzang left, Monkey King pushed open the door at once, a chicken drumstick clenched in his mouth, eating so heartily that grease shone all over his lips.

The food in his pouch of heaven and earth was already packed to the brim; even a month’s rations would be no problem.

As for those miserable vegetarian dishes? Heaven knew how those monks had cobbled them together. He would not eat them even if they were handed out for free.

Inside the room, the table was covered with fragrant meat dishes: roast chicken, roast duck, and all manner of rich fare, filling the room with their aroma.

Monkey King casually laid down a ward around the room to keep those rabble from disturbing his meal.

With wine and delicacies before him, Monkey King ate and drank with unrestrained delight.

In the main hall, Xuanzang sat properly and ate the vegetarian food prepared by the temple.

The meal was crude; it felt like chewing sand. Yet from Xuanzang’s expression, he seemed not to mind at all, and indeed appeared to be enjoying it.

A monk who has truly cast off the world’s entanglements is not often seen among men.

At a long rectangular table, the old monk and several of his disciple monks accompanied Xuanzang at the meal.

The dishes on the plates were all much of a muchness.

But this was merely the monks’ outward performance.

When no outsiders were present, the monks of this Guanyin Temple did not merely eat meat and drink wine; by the end, they even frolicked with women.

They were never monks at all, only bandits cloaked in monk’s robes, lying in wait to rob the travelers who passed through and stayed the night here.

They would grab every lamb in reach and fleece it for all it was worth.

One could say that this crew of shaved heads was more terrifying and more vicious than the fiends of hell.

After glancing casually at Xuanzang’s very refined manner of eating, the old monk asked with feigned courtesy, “Honored guest, where is your companion, Mr. Sun? Why has he not come with you? Might something have delayed him?”

Xuanzang hurried to explain. “Er... perhaps so. I passed by his room just now and already greeted him. I am sure Mr. Sun will be along very soon. Please do not laugh at us for it.”

“Heh heh. Laugh at you? Not at all, only...” The old monk kept exchanging glances with his disciples.

They had already tampered with the vegetarian food, but that monkey covered in fur was nowhere to be seen. Why was he still not coming?

Their plan was flawless. They could not afford to drop the ball at the most crucial moment.

The old monk was anxious, and so were his disciples.

The Tang monk had already eaten quite a bit of the vegetarian fare; the medicine should have been taking effect by now. But what if that monkey arrived at just that moment and caught them in the act? Wouldn’t everything be ruined?

It was maddening, this lack of coordination.

“Honored guest, come, come, have some more vegetarian food. This was personally prepared for you by the master himself.”

Taking the old monk’s cue, one disciple immediately ladled another scoop, and then yet another, onto Xuanzang’s plate.

“Many thanks, many thanks. I have already eaten nearly enough and really cannot take any more. Anything left uneaten would be wasted.”

“Not too much at all. It is rare for an honored guest to visit; allow us at least to do our duty as hosts.”

“Well, well, this is quite lively.”

As Xuanzang was being fed like a pig and could not refuse their hospitality, Monkey King finally arrived at a leisurely pace.

“Monk, what are you eating? Why is it all black and gloomy? Is it even edible? Won’t it kill you?”

Monkey King deliberately peered into Xuanzang’s bowl again and again, then pulled a disgusted face. “Tch. This dark, filthy stuff—can it really be eaten? I think it looks like pig feed. Even pigs might not touch it.”

“Mr. Sun, please do not speak recklessly!”

The food he had been eating had been called pig slop, and worse still, something pigs might not even eat. Xuanzang immediately felt his face burning and quickly apologized to the old monk and the others. “Head Abbot, I am truly sorry. What Mr. Sun said must have been an unintentional slip. Please do not take it to heart.”

“Heh. Monk, now that is enough. Did your parents never teach you as a child that one must be on guard against others, yet never harbor ill intent oneself? Do you know that the pig slop you just ate has a very serious problem?”

“Sun Mon... no, Mr. Sun, please be more respectful in your words. These vegetarian dishes were painstakingly prepared by my master as an act of hospitality. What problem could there possibly be? Do not talk nonsense.”

The monk called A Da immediately snapped at Monkey King.

Monkey King sprang straight up onto the table, then with a sudden kick sent the bowls and dishes crashing to the floor. Afterward, he sneered, “Heh heh. If you want to keep things from being known, then do not do them in the first place. What fine deeds have you been doing yourselves? Do you think I do not know? What, do you want me to say it to your faces?”

“Mr. Sun, what are you doing? Amitabha! A sin, a sin!”

Xuanzang put his palms together, shaking his head again and again as he continued to recite his precepts.