Tripitaka had no choice but to pack and carry his belongings on the horse. He didn't ride the horse himself; instead, he held onto his staff with one hand and the reins with the other. Looking forlorn and lonely, he continued heading west.

After a short while, Tang Sanzang saw an elderly woman ahead on the mountain path. She held a piece of cotton clothing with a floral hat on top of it. Seeing her approach closely, the monk hurriedly led the horse to the side and stood there to let her pass.

The old woman asked, "Where are you from, venerable monk? Walking alone in this desolate place?"

Tripitaka replied, "This humble monk is sent by the Great Tang of the Eastern Land to the Western Heaven to pay respects to the living Buddha and seek the true scriptures."

The old woman said, "The Western Buddha resides in the Thunderclap Temple at the boundary of the Kingdom of India. It's a journey of 108 thousand li[1] from here. Going alone with just a horse, without any companions or disciples, how do you plan to get there?"

Tripitaka answered, "This humble monk recently acquired a disciple of his own. He is impulsive and stubborn. I scolded him a few times, but he didn't listen and disappeared suddenly."

The old woman said, "I have this cotton kasaya and an embellished golden hat. They originally belonged to my son, who became a monk only three days before his untimely death. I just went to his temple to mourn for him and took these clothes and hat as a keepsake. Venerable monk, since you have a disciple, I'll give you them."

Tripitaka said, "I'm grateful for your generous gift, but my disciple has already left, and I dare not accept it."

The old mother replied, "He's gone in that direction?"

Tripitaka said, "I heard a whooshing sound in the east."

The old mother said, "The east isn't far. That's where my house is. I suppose he's headed there. I have a chant called the 'Mantra to Steady the Mind,' also known as the 'Tightening Spell.' You can silently recite it, memorize it well, and don't let a single soul know. I'll catch up with him and persuade him to return with me. When he's back, give him this clothing and hat. If he refuses your command, silently recite this mantra. He won't dare to cause trouble or leave again."

Tripitaka listened and bowed his head in gratitude.

The old mother transformed into a golden light and headed back east.

Now, Tripitaka recognized Guanyin Bodhisattva as the one who had bestowed this mantra. He quickly gathered soil, lit incense, and earnestly paid his respects toward the east. After bowing, he placed the clothing and hat into his bundle. Then, he sat by the roadside and practiced the Mantra to Steady the Mind, reciting it repeatedly until he had memorized it completely and ingrained it in his heart.

Now, let's talk about what happened after Wukong bid farewell to his master.

Monkey Pilgrim hopped on his Flying Nimbus and soared across the Eastern Sea. Guiding the cloud, he parted the waters and arrived at the Crystal Palace.

The Dragon King rushed out to welcome him, leading him inside the palace to sit.

After the formalities, the Dragon King spoke, "I heard about the challenges you faced, Great Sage. It must have been quite a journey. Have you managed to restore the Immortal Mountain and return to your old cave?"

Wukong replied, "I did have that plan, but now I am following the path of a monk."

The Dragon King inquired, "A monk, you say?"

Wukong continued, "Thanks to the South Sea Bodhisattva's teachings, I'm now on the right track. I rejoined the enlightened seekers and reclaimed my name as 'Wukong.'"

The Dragon King commended, "Congratulations, truly a cause for celebration. This is what they call turning from evil to good, mending a benevolent heart. Given this, why aren't you heading west and instead turning back east?"

Wukong chuckled and explained, "It's because Tripitaka doesn't understand human nature. Some thugs tried to cause trouble, and I ended up defeating them. Tripitaka kept nagging and criticizing me. Can you imagine how frustrating that can be? So, I left him behind and planned to return to my old mountain. That's why I'm stopping by here first, to visit you and enjoy some tea."

The Dragon King responded, "You're always welcome, always welcome."

Right then, the Dragon Prince and Dragon Grandsons brought forth fragrant tea to offer. After finishing the tea, Wukong turned around and noticed a painting hanging on the back wall, depicting "Placing the Shoes on the Ruined Bridge."

Wukong asked, "What's the scene in this painting?"

The Dragon King explained, "Great Sage, you were ahead of this event, so you might not recognize it. This is called 'Three Attempts to Place the Shoes on the Ruined Bridge.'"

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Wukong inquired, "Why is it called 'Three Attempts'?"

The Dragon King replied, "In this story, the immortal is Huangshi Gong, and the young man is Zhang Liang from the Han Dynasty. Huangshi Gong sat on the bridge and accidentally dropped his shoe into the water. He called for Zhang Liang to retrieve it. Zhang Liang promptly fetched it and presented it while kneeling. This happened three times. Zhang Liang remained humble and respectful throughout, never showing any arrogance or disrespect. Huangshi Gong was impressed by his diligence and taught him celestial arts at night, instructing him to support the Han Dynasty. Later, Zhang Liang indeed became a strategic genius and secured victories from within the war room, deciding battles from a thousand miles away. After achieving peace, he left his post, returned to the mountains, wandered with the Red Pine Master, and ultimately attained enlightenment and became an immortal. Great Sage, if you don't protect Tripitaka, if you don't put in your utmost effort and heed his teachings, you'll end up a demon rather than an immortal. You won't achieve the right path."

Wukong pondered this for a while without speaking.

The Dragon King added, "It's up to you to decide, but don't prioritize your own comfort and delay your master's journey."

Wukong finally said, "Enough talk, I'll go protect him again."

The Dragon King was delighted and said, "In that case, I won't keep you any longer. Please show your compassion promptly, and don't let your master wait too long."

Sun Wukong saw the urgency in his request and quickly leaped out of the sea's depths, leaving behind the Dragon King. As he moved forward, he encountered the Bodhisattva of the South Sea.

The Bodhisattva asked, "Sun Wukong, why aren't you heeding guidance, not protecting Tripitaka? What are you doing here?"

In a hurry, Sun Wukong bowed from his cloud and replied, "True to the Bodhisattva's wise words, a monk from the Tang Dynasty had come. I became his disciple because he freed me from under the mountain and saved my life. But then he gave me grief, so I dodged his lecturing for a bit. Anyway, I'm heading back to make sure he's safe."

The Bodhisattva said, "Go quickly and don't miss the opportunity." After these words, they both went their separate ways.

Within moments, Wukong spotted Tripitaka sitting gloomily by the side of the road. He approached and asked, "Master, why aren't you walking? What are you doing here?"

Tripitaka looked up and replied, "Where did you go? Without your guidance, I can't move or take a step, so I've been waiting here for you."

Wukong said, "I went to the East Sea Dragon King's place to get some tea."

Tripitaka responded, "My disciple, don't lie. You left me briefly, and now you're claiming you went to the Dragon King's for tea?"

Wukong chuckled, "I'll be honest, Master. My Flying Nimbus cloud covers ten thousand miles in the blink of an eye. That means I can come and go in a flash."

Tripitaka said, "I might have spoken a bit too harshly, and you got upset, throwing a tantrum and leaving me behind. With all your abilities, you can easily get tea to drink, while someone like me, unable to do so, has to endure hunger here. You shouldn't feel at ease."

"Master, if you're hungry, I can bring or conjure some food for you."

"There's no need for that. I still have some dry rations in my bag, a gift from Lady Liu's mother. You can fetch a bowl and find some water for me, and then I can have a quick bite and continue our journey."

Wukong went to open the bag and found a few coarse flour cakes inside. He took them out and handed them to Tripitaka. He also found a brightly colored set of clothes, a cotton kasaya, and a hat adorned with gold flowers. Wukong asked, "Are these clothes from the Eastern Lands?"

Without thinking, Tripitaka replied, "They used to be mine when I was young. If you wear this hat, you'll automatically know how to chant scriptures, and if you put on this kasaya, you'll instinctively know how to perform rituals."

Wukong said, "Great, Master. Let me try them on."

Tripitaka hesitated, "I'm not sure if they'll fit properly, but if they do, you can wear them."

Wukong then removed his old white robe and put on the new cotton one, which miraculously fit him perfectly. He also donned the hat.

When Tripitaka saw Wukong wearing the hat, he stopped eating the dry rations and quietly recited the Tightening Spell.

Wukong shouted, "My head hurts, my head hurts!"

Tripitaka continued reciting a few more times, causing Wukong to roll around in pain, scratching the gold-adorned hat until it was torn. He stopped reciting only when he worried about Monkey breaking the golden hoop. As soon as he stopped, Wukong's pain subsided.

Monkey Pilgrim reached up to touch his head and felt a thin golden thread tightly wrapped around it. He couldn't remove it or break it, as if it had become rooted there. He took out a needle from his ear and inserted it into the hoop, trying to loosen it.

Tripitaka was afraid he might break it, so he resumed reciting.

Wukong's pain returned, causing him to twist and turn, his face red and his body tingling.

Seeing him in such pain, Tripitaka couldn't bear it and stopped reciting again, and Wukong's head was no longer arching.

Monkey Pilgrim asked, "So it was your cursing that caused my head to hurt?"

Tripitaka replied, "I was reciting the Tightening Sutra. How could that be a curse?"

Wukong said, "Try reciting it again."

As he chanted it again, Wukong's pain returned. He urged, "Don't recite, don't recite. It hurts when you recite. What's going on?"

Tripitaka asked, "Will you listen to my teachings now?"

Wukong replied, "I will listen."

Tripitaka continued, "Will you refrain from being disrespectful?"

Wukong responded, "I won't dare."

Even though he agreed verbally, deep down, he still harbored ill intentions. He casually twirled the needle, making it as thick as a bowl, and was about to strike Tripitaka.

In a panic, the monk chanted a couple more times.

Monkey Pilgrim fell to the ground, dropping his staff, unable to lift his hand, pleading, "Master, I understand now. Don't recite anymore, don't recite."

Tripitaka asked, "Why would you deceive me and dare to strike me?"

Wukong replied, "I didn't dare to strike. Who taught you this method?"

Tripitaka replied, "It was taught to me by an old woman just now."

Wukong became furious and exclaimed, "No need to explain. That old woman must be Guanyin. How could she harm me like this? I'll go to the South Sea and confront her."

Tripitaka cautioned, "Because she gave me this method, she must be familiar with it. If you provoke her and she chants it, won't you be in trouble?"

Wukong saw the logic and dared not act recklessly. He had to relent and kneel. "Master, this method is effective against me. I'll accompany you west without causing any trouble. Please use only the old chants. I'm here to protect you and won't change my mind."

Tripitaka said, "If that's the case, help me mount the horse."

Only then did Wukong truly give up resistance. He collected himself, adjusting his cotton kasaya, securing his belongings, and prepared to continue westward.

Ultimately, as this journey unfolds, there's more to tell. The next chapter shall reveal more.

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[1] 1 li = 500 m or ca. 0,311 miles. Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_(unit)