Chapter 11 This Bald Guy is Somewhat Cheap
Everywhere he passed, all other kasayas paled in comparison.
If you said Tang Sanzang was wearing a kasaya, then everything else looked like ragged sheets, the kind you wouldn't want people to see!
Whether monk or believer, seeing such a precious kasaya, they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The rate of turning heads was a hundred percent, and so was the rate of grinding teeth and cursing under their breath.
All they saw was the thieving monk, lamenting as he walked: "Oh my, Abbot, your kasaya is quite something, look at this craftsmanship, look at these gold threads, they're like strands of hair!"
As he spoke, he brought his own kasaya closer, where he had gold belts that were two fingers wide instead of gold threads.
Tang Sanzang shook and wagged his head at another piece, saying, "This one is not bad either, it seems to be made of silk! It feels cool to the touch, really nice…
Unlike the one I'm wearing, cozy in winter and cool in summer. It makes me lose track of the seasons throughout the year, ah… headache…"
Watching him shake and wag his head with a sorrowful face, monks were already clenching their fists, cursing inwardly: "Damn it, this bald guy is too much! It's sickeningly outrageous!"
"Abbot, your kasaya is fantastic, those Luminous Pearls, tsk tsk, they're as big as thumbs! Perfect in size. Not like my kasaya, which doesn't have a single Luminous Pearl, only left with Water-Repelling Pearls, Fire-Repelling Pearls, Dust-Repelling Pearls and such. Sure, they look nice and quite mysterious, impervious to blades and fire, but at night they don't provide light! Ah... yours is way better."
As Tang Sanzang said this, a cry of alarm came from behind: "Ancestor!"
There, the abbot had sprayed a mouthful of blood into the air and fainted from rage, then was carried away by a group of disciples.
Seeing this, Tang Sanzang spread his hands, looking innocent, and said, "Well… seems the abbot can't really take a compliment."
Hearing this, people felt an urge to spit blood themselves, cursing in their hearts: "That's a compliment? I've never seen a monk so shameless as you!"
Thus, a gathering for Buddhist robes, thanks to this thieving monk's antics, came to an end before it even began.
Sun Wukong sighed, "It's over, Master. With the stir we caused, I guess we can forget about staying in this temple, freeload, and rest our feet."
Tang Sanzang agreed, "If it comes down to it, let's find a fellow villager's home to mooch off. The old man just now was quite nice, eh? Where did he go?"
Just then, a monk ran out from the Guanyin Zen Monastery, shouting: "Honorable monk, wait, a monk from the Great Tang, wait!"
Tang Sanzang, taken aback, pointed to himself and asked, "Are you calling me?"
The comer was Guang Mou.
Guang Mou smiled, "A monk from the Great Tang, if not you, who else could it be?
Though there were some misunderstandings between us, after all, we are from the same sect. It's only right to look after each other while away from home.
Now that it's getting dark, why not stay here for the night, and continue your journey tomorrow?"
Before Tang Sanzang could reply, Sun Wukong whispered, "Master, you know, unsolicited kindness usually has an ulterior motive… Ah, Master, slow down!"
Before he finished speaking, Tang Sanzang had already followed Guang Mou.
Sun Wukong quickly grabbed the White Dragon Horse and chased after them.
Guang Mou arranged for Tang Sanzang and his disciple in the west guest room, then smiled, "Honorable monk, please rest here for a while. Once the abbot comes to, he will visit you to discuss the Buddhist Law and talk about the past and present."
After saying this, Guang Mou left.
Seeing Tang Sanzang carefreely looking around the room, Sun Wukong frowned and said, "Master, it's clearly fishy here, how can you still agree to stay?"
Tang Sanzang turned back and looked at Sun Wukong with a dazed expression, asking, "Are you afraid of any trickery?"
Sun Wukong was astonished, then understood Tang Sanzang's meaning and laughed, "That's true..."
The master and disciple, with their skills and boldness, didn't care about any trickery; they prioritized their own comfort first.
After eating the evening vegetarian meal, the elderly abbot indeed arrived. As soon as he entered the room, he burst into tears.
Tang Sanzang scratched his bald head, curiously asking, "Old abbot, why are you crying? Did your parents pass away, or are your grandparents no longer here?"
Upon hearing this, the abbot's legs went soft, and he almost tripped over the threshold and died on the spot!
He was over two hundred and seventy years old, barely hanging on, where would he have living parents or grandparents? This clueless baldy, not seeming too bright, why did he have to say things that were so infuriating!
Speaking of getting angry, the abbot realized that the more he looked at this baldy, the angrier he got, wanting to give his bald head a couple of smacks to relieve his frustration.
The abbot coughed dryly and said, "Venerable monk, you have come from the Great Tang in the east, your experience vast and broad. Unlike me, I have lived for over two hundred and seventy years but have never left this monastery within a hundred miles.
Today, my shortsightedness is like an ant trying to shake a tree, having eyes without seeing, failing to recognize true divinity. I beg the venerable monk for forgiveness."
After saying this, the abbot started to kneel on the floor…
Seeing this, Tang Sanzang hastily reached out to support him.
At that moment, the abbot's kneeling slowed down; clearly, he was not planning on kneeling and just waiting for Tang Sanzang to help him up so he could smoothly avoid kneeling.
What made him angry, however, was that the baldy's movement also slowed down, and he failed to catch him, resulting in him thumping down on the floor, genuinely and sincerely!
The knees of someone more than two hundred and seventy years old, which even ached while lying in bed, were now in pain from kneeling on the floor, making his tears flow down right there and then; he genuinely cried and cursed inwardly: "Why is this monk so mean!"
"Oh my, get up, quick, get up!" At that moment, that shameless baldy came over and pulled the abbot to his feet.
The abbot cried out, "Don't...don't...don't touch me, it hurts, hurts...hurts!"
However, the bald monk acted as if he couldn't hear, stubbornly lifting the abbot again.
The abbot felt as if his legs were cramping from that one kneel, sweat breaking out from the pain, and he shouted, "Let go, let go, Let go!"
The shameless bald monk made a sound of acknowledgment and then let go.
The abbot only then came to his senses, realizing he was still in midair, so he shouted, "Don't let go!"
Too late...
Bang!
All that could be heard was a crack, followed by a chilling scream.
The abbot had been supported in by two disciples; when he left, he was carried out by two disciples.
The silly bald monk followed alongside the entire time, suggesting, "Maybe you should sit for a while before leaving?"
With tears in his eyes, the abbot shouted, "If you had any conscience, you would lend me your kasaya to take home and examine thoroughly. Sadly, despite having lived for over two hundred years, thinking I had seen all the kasayas in the world, I had never encountered such a treasure. Alas, it was too sunny and the crowd too large during the day for a proper look. Now that I've broken my leg, I only wish to take it home to study closely… I will surely return it with both hands tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang was moved to tears, excitedly grabbing the abbot's hand, and the abbot, equally moved, held Tang Sanzang's hand, looking expectantly at him.