第 13 回

Tang Seng took two attendants and headed west.

They traveled during the day and stayed in roadside temples or people's homes at night.

Soon, they reached Hezhou Wei at the border of the Great Tang.

It was already dark, so they stayed overnight at Fuyuan Temple.

The next morning, when the rooster crowed, Tang Seng woke everyone up to set off.

It was late autumn, and it was still very dark, so they had to feel their way along the mountain road in the dark.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet collapsed.

They fell into a very deep pit along with their horses.

It turned out to be a trap.

They heard a burst of loud laughter, and a demon king appeared with many little demons.

The little demons captured Tang Sanzang and his two attendants, and took them back to the mountain cave.

The demon king ordered the little demons to tie up Tang Sanzang's two attendants, and then killed them on the spot.

The little demons shared and ate these two people.

Tang Sanzang saw such a terrifying scene, was so scared that his soul flew away, and immediately fainted.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Tang Sanzang felt someone touching him in a daze.

He struggled to open his eyes and saw an old man holding a walking stick standing in front of him.

The old man reached out and lightly touched, and the ropes binding Tang Sanzang all broke.

The old man then blew a breath of clear air onto Tang Sanzang's face, and Tang Sanzang immediately felt his mind clear and fully woke up.

Tang Sanzang knew he had encountered a master, and quickly knelt down to give thanks.

The old man did not reply, but only brought Tang Sanzang's horse and urged him to quickly leave this dangerous place.

Tang Seng still wanted to ask the benefactor's name, but the old man turned into a gust of wind and disappeared.

It turned out that this old man was the Great White Golden Star in heaven, who followed the Jade Emperor's order to secretly protect the scripture seeker, so he came here to save Tang Seng.

Tang Seng lost his companions and felt very sad, but he could only pack up his things alone and continue walking westward.

He walked alone for a long time, through desolate mountains and wild hills, and became increasingly afraid.

On this day, when he reached the foot of a very steep mountain and was feeling afraid, a loud tiger roar suddenly came from the woods.

Immediately after, two large spotted tigers jumped out and blocked the road ahead.

Tang Seng was scared to death and quickly pulled the horse to try to escape.

He looked back and saw that on the way back, there was actually a large snake coiled up, its body thicker than a water bucket, raising its head and flicking its tongue.

With tigers in front and a large snake behind, Tang Seng was a weak monk with no weapons in hand.

He had no choice but to close his eyes, sit on the horse, continuously chant Buddha's name, and leave it to fate.

However, something strange happened.

The two tigers and that big snake seemed to be suddenly scared by something, they turned their heads together, ran panickedly into the depths of the forest, and disappeared in an instant.

Tang Seng had not yet calmed down when he saw a strong man walking out of the forest.

The strong man held a steel fork in his hand, carried a bow and arrows on his waist, and was dressed like a hunter.

Tang Seng quickly dismounted from his horse and thanked the hunter for saving his life.

They started chatting, and Tang Seng learned that this hunter was named Liu Boqin, his home was nearby, and he was also a person from the Tang Dynasty.

Liu Boqin heard that Tang Seng was a high monk from the Eastern Tang Dynasty, going to the Western Heaven to fetch scriptures, and respected him greatly.

Liu Boqin warmly invited Tang Seng to rest at his home.

Liu Boqin invited Tang Seng into his home, and his family also warmly entertained Tang Seng.

During the conversation, Tang Seng learned that the next day was the anniversary of Liu Boqin's father's death.

Tang Seng took the initiative to offer to chant scriptures for the dead.

That night, Tang Seng chanted scriptures very sincerely, continuing until late at night.

During the night, Liu Boqin's father sent a dream to the whole family.

He said that because of the merit scriptures chanted by the eminent monk, he had been freed from the suffering of hell and could go to be reborn.

The entire Liu family felt even more grateful to Tang Seng.

The next day, Tang Seng bid farewell and prepared to continue westward.

Liu Boqin's family prepared very abundant dry provisions to give him.

Liu Boqin himself personally escorted Tang Seng for a stretch of the road.

The two of them walked along and arrived in front of a very high mountain.

Liu Boqin pointed at the mountain and said, "This mountain is called Five Elements Mountain, also known as Two Boundaries Mountain."

On the other side of the mountain, it is no longer the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Two people were saying goodbye at the foot of the mountain when they suddenly heard a very loud shout coming from the foot of the mountain.

The voice repeatedly shouted: My master has come.

My master has come.