At this moment, Tang Sanzang was hanging on the wall, his eyes brimming with tears as he raged, "What in the world is going on? Why did a pit suddenly appear while we were walking? And out of nowhere there''s oil on top of it... a huge mountain on my head... and fire under my feet!"

    Several azures nearby could clearly see that a group of old demons had passed by and added insult to injury.

    However, they decisively chose to keep it to themselves; they feared that if Tang Sanzang became so enraged that he gave up on the quest for scriptures, and the Buddha blamed them, they would not escape the charge of failing to protect him.

    Fortunately, it wasn''t long before the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra arrived, lifted several mountains, drove away several demons, extinguished the fire in the pit, and took Tang Sanzang up.

    Samantabhadra had expected Tang Sanzang to scold him, but upon meeting him, Tang Sanzang asked very seriously, "Does this count as one of the tribulations?"

    Samantabhadra was stunned and looked at the resolute Tang Sanzang before replying, "It counts..."

    "That''s good..." Tang Sanzang smiled happily, then shook his sleeves, picked up his travel bag from the ground, and continued his journey westward.

    Looking at the resolute face and chiseled features of the muscular Tang Sanzang, Samantabhadra muttered to himself, "This... doesn''t seem quite like the Golden Cicada I know!"

    "You''ll grow to like it."

    So said the eighteen azures.

    ...

    Meanwhile, on Flame Mountain.

    Tang Sanzang had arrived at Flame Mountain with his disciples, and Sha Wujing wielded his banana fan to blow three times at Flame Mountain.

    Indeed, with one fan came wind, the second extinguished the fire, and the third brought rain.

    As torrential rain poured down, the villagers beneath Flame Mountain cheered...

    The old man who had emerged earlier saw Tang Sanzang and his group and laughed heartily, "Honorable monk, we really owe you one this time, for enjoying this sweet rain ahead of time, what a relief!"

    Tang Sanzang asked, "You''re relieved just like that?"

    The old man replied contentedly, "Relieved!"

    Tang Sanzang questioned further, "Are you satisfied, then?"

    The old man said, "Satisfied... that''s impossible. Who doesn''t desire perfect weather, a pleasant climate? Alas, conditions don''t allow it. We are content all the same..."

    Tang Sanzang nodded and said, "That makes sense."

    Tang Sanzang sat astride his white horse, while Sha Wujing fanned himself and hummed a tune contentedly, gazing into the distance.

    From afar, Tang Sanzang saw a city stretching across the horizon.

    "Wukong, what place is that?" asked Tang Sanzang.

    Sun Wukong squinted into the distance and said, "Master, with its formidable towers and high gates, it should be a capital city!"

    Zhu Ganglie chuckled, saying, "Eldest brother, there you go talking nonsense again. Although the city is not small, how can you be so certain that it''s the abode of an emperor?"

    The Six-Eared Macaque laughed, saying, "Second brother, that''s what you don''t know. Can an imperial capital be the same as the cities we saw the day before yesterday?

    This great city has more than a dozen gates, stretches for hundreds of miles, has towering pavilions, and mist enveloped in ethereal clouds; fortune hovers without dispersing, and the aura of the Purple Forbidden encirclement lingers. If such a place is not an imperial capital, what else could it be?"

    Zhu Ganglie was speechless.

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    Sun Wukong said, "Master, there''s something odd about this city; there are no plaques on the city towers, nor does it have a name. I wonder what place it is."

    The Six-Eared Macaque inclined his head and listened for a moment before saying, "Master, this place is called the Jisai Nation, one of the ten great countries, surrounded by many smaller countries that are its vassals, paying tribute year after year."

    Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang nodded slightly and said, "Hmm... Your keen ears are indeed useful. Let''s go and take a look."

    As they were walking, a group of monks with shackles emerged from the diagonal.

    Seeing these monks, Sun Wukong curiously asked, "Fellows, what crime have you committed to suffer such punishment?"

    One monk replied with a pained expression, "Sir, we are monks from the Gold Light Monastery, and as for the reason we suffer this punishment... it''s a long story."

    "Gold Light Monastery? And what place is that?" inquired Sun Wukong again.

    The monk glanced at the several people and asked in a low voice, "Could you be the monks from the Great Tang on a pilgrimage to the Western Heavens to obtain scriptures?"

    Tang Sanzang''s eyes brightened as he asked, "You know of us?"

    The monk replied, "Not personally, but a long time ago, someone appeared in our dreams and told us that after enduring for a while, once the monks from the Great Tang arrived, we would be able to escape our troubles. Seeing that you are dressed differently and look extraordinary, I asked. I didn''t expect you to truly be the monks from the Great Tang. Please, noble monks, save us!"

    With his cry, the other monks also knelt on the ground and began kowtowing vigorously.

    Sun Wukong looked at Tang Sanzang, who said, "This is interesting. Tell us exactly what''s going on?"

    The monk replied, "That would be a lengthy tale, elder. Please, come sit at our monastery, and we will explain it slowly."