Journey to the West: Break the entire Western Heaven!

Tang Sanzang spoke with utmost sincerity, "Not lending!"

Having said that, the fellow turned around and left.

Leaving the old headmaster alone, standing in the cold wind with a face full of desolation and astonishment…

"Is this guy really a monk? Why doesn't he have any compassion?" the old headmaster cursed in grief and indignation.

Back in the room, Sun Wukong also curiously asked, "Master, why didn't you lend it?"

Tang Sanzang replied, "The Bodhisattva revered in this monastery is kind, and I did not want it to be stained with blood."

After speaking, Tang Sanzang went to bed to sleep.

Wukong didn't understand what Tang Sanzang meant. Scratching his head and having nothing else to do, he decided to just go to sleep as well.

Meanwhile, on Mount Putuo in the South Sea, a woman in white clothing was sitting on a Lotus Throne, slowly opening her eyes, frowning and murmuring to herself, "Strange, I feel some restlessness in my heart, but I can't figure out any cause and effect... Could it be that this poor monk has gotten entangled in Karma with some powerful being who has reversed yin and yang, making it impossible for me to deduce anything?"

"Bodhisattva, counting the days, the Golden Cicada should have started his journey by now. Could he be in danger?" Mu Zha asked.

Guan Yin replied, "I cannot divine it. Go check in the direction of the Five Fingers Mountain; based on Golden Cicada's pace, he should still be nearby."

Mu Zha received the order and left, soaring on a cloud.

At this very moment, in the abbot's room behind the Guan Yin Monastery.

The old headmaster sat on the bed, weeping bitterly...

Standing beside him were two young monks, Guang Zhi and Guang Mou. Both were young, but they were always full of cunning ideas, which was why they were graced with the names Wisdom and Cunning.

Guang Zhi said, "Master, we have applied the best medicine for your wounds; it shouldn't hurt anymore. Why are you crying even more now?"

The old headmaster wailed, "It's not because of pain. I... Ah, it's because I can't get my hands on Tang Sanzang's treasured Kasaya."

Guang Zhi frowned and suggested, "Master, actually, wanting to see it isn't so difficult. Tomorrow we can keep him for another day and hold another internal Buddha garment ceremony. Just have him come wearing that Kasaya, right?"

The old headmaster shook his head, "But that would also be just for one day."

Guang Mou laughed, "Then we keep him for a few more days and find a reason to make him wear it out every day."

The old headmaster stated bluntly, "A few days would still be just a few days... I have lived in vain for two hundred and seventy years, never having the chance to wear such a Kasaya. Ah, if only I could wear it for a day, even if I were to die afterward, it would not be in vain that I have been a monk in this world of the living."

Guang Zhi said, "That's easy then, tomorrow we'll straight up ask to borrow it. He ate our food, stayed at our place and owes us a favor. It's only right for him to lend us the Kasaya to wear."

Guang Mou added, "Right, we keep him here for a few more days, treating him well each day. Then, master, you can wear it for as many days as you want."

But the old headmaster shook his head, "He will eventually leave, and when he leaves, the Kasaya must be returned. It cannot stay for long..."

Guang Zhi and Guang Mou instantly understood the headmaster's implication.

A cold glint flashed in Guang Zhi's eyes, "That's also simple. Those two today, didn't seem like formidable figures. We gather some men; when they are deep in sleep, we'll just kill them with a mess of knives, and bury them in the back mountain.

With no master for the Kasaya, wouldn't the master then wear it for as long as he wishes?

It could even be passed down to future generations as a family heirloom."

Upon hearing this, the old headmaster's eyes shone, and he clapped in approval, "Good, good, this method is excellent!"

Yet Guang Mou shook his head, "This method is not good. That Tang Sanzang might be dimwitted and frail, scarcely a concern.

But that hairy fellow is clearly not ordinary.

They've traveled all the way from Great Tang, a journey of ten thousand miles; they must have extraordinary capabilities.

If we fail to kill them, we may bring disaster upon ourselves.

I have a way to obtain the Kasaya without using weapons."

The old headmaster urged, "Speak quickly!"

"Actually, it's quite simple. Once they're deep in sleep, and we've gathered enough people, each person grabbing a bundle of kindling, we'll encircle that meditation hall, lock all the doors and windows, and send a fire through. No matter who's inside, they will all be reduced to ashes and death!"

The old abbot frowned and asked, "What about the Kasaya?"

Guang Mou laughed and said, "Didn't that monk say today? His Kasaya is embedded with Treasure Beads that repel fire, dust, and water, impervious to water and fire. The fire will consume people but not the Kasaya. We can search for it afterwards.

If anyone asks about the fire, we'll just say they carelessly started it, and it burned down our meditation hall.

With everyone dead, there will be no one to testify against us, won't it be whatever we say it is?

At that time, how the Kasaya will be disposed of will still be up to the Patriarch, won't it?"

Upon hearing this, the old abbot burst into hearty laughter and said, "Good, good, good! This plan is excellent! Let's proceed this way!"

In the latter part of the night, Guang Zhi and Guang Mou brought together more than two hundred people, each holding a bundle of kindling, and quietly enclosed the meditation hall from all sides.

Guang Zhi turned to the old abbot and said, "Old abbot, would you like to light this fire?"

The old abbot nodded, took the torch, and was just about to ignite it.

Suddenly, someone beside them asked, "What are you doing?"

The old abbot instinctively replied, "Lighting a fire... to burn that Eastern land monk to death..."

After saying this, the old abbot realized something was amiss, because he noticed the light from the fire had suddenly become brighter. Turning his head, he saw a row of shiny bald heads had approached, looking at him with a dazed and earnest expression, and then said matter-of-factly, "Oh, lighting a fire, are you?"

Feeling like a thief caught in the act, the old abbot jumped in shock, his hand trembling and the torch fell down as he exclaimed, "You... how did you get out?"

"It's lit," answered the bald head, not quite addressing the question.

The old abbot shouted, "What do you mean 'it's lit'? I'm asking you, when did you come out?"

"The fire is lit."

"Don't tell me about the fire... Fire? Fire!"

The old abbot looked down and saw that the torch had landed precisely on a bundle of kindling, which caught fire instantly!

Looking back at the bald man in front of him, the old abbot quickly called out, "Fire, put out the fire!"

Once everyone was out, what was the point in lighting a fire to burn down the house? That'd be foolish, wouldn't it?

The monks began to act in an attempt to extinguish the fire...

The bald man nearby also yelled with apparent concern, "Step aside, let me do it!"

Approaching the fire, he then puffed up his cheeks and blew at the flames!

Whoosh!

A strong wind arose, fueling the blaze, which immediately set all three meditation chambers aflame!

The monks suddenly panicked, "Move aside!"

But before they could do anything, a stronger gust of wind blew, causing the fire to spread instantaneously, with sparks flying everywhere. The entire monastery was engulfed in a sea of flames in no time.

Seeing this, the head monk cried out desperately, "Fire, put out the fire quickly!"

However, the chaotic winds spread the flames uncontrollably, and with the water supply being far away, the monks' efforts to fight the fire were futile. They could only watch helplessly as the centuries-old monastery burned fiercely, staining the sky red.

The monks carried the old abbot as they fled...

Watching this scene, the old abbot wept bitterly, "The temple, my temple!"

Amid heartrending screams, the old abbot suddenly spat a mouthful of blood and died on the spot!

Upon witnessing this, Tang Sanzang brought his hands together and chanted, "Amitabha, some tofu!"

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Master, you got the Buddhist chant wrong, didn't you?"

Tang Sanzang said nonchalantly, "Who cares."

Just then, a roar came from the sky, "I was wondering how this Guanyin Monastery could have caught fire, turns out it is you, Monkey, causing mischief!"