Transcript
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Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 51 of Journey to the West. Last time. After ridding the slow cart kingdom of three demon Daoist priests, the pilgrims resumed their journey west until they hit another obstacle. And the Big Wheel of Trials and Tribulations says that this week's obstacle was another river. This one was so deep and wide that the pilgrims couldn't see a way across and it was getting late, so they found lodging in a settlement near the river. Zhu Bajie then scared off the monks who were performing some kind of ceremony at the house and proceeded to wow everybody by gorging himself like a pig on on the leftover food. After dinner, San Zang thanked the two old men who had taken him in and asked for their names. The two men who were brothers told him that their last name was Chen. Sanzang pressed his palms together and said, hey, we're family elder, your last name is Chen as well? The old man asked. Indeed, sanzang replied. May I ask what ritual you were conducting earlier? Zhu Bajie chuckled. Master, why are you even asking? It has to be something like vegetarian offering for longevity, a peace blessing, feast or completion ritual feast. Not so, not so, the old man said. Then what was the feast for? Sanzang asked again. This was a pre arranged funeral feast for the living, the old man told him. Ba Jie almost doubled over, laughing. Old man, you're a poor judge of character. We're expert liars and exaggerators, so how can you fool us with that hogwash? How can monks not know the ins and outs of ritual feasts? There are only prearranged feasts for merit transfer or repayment. How can there be prearranged funeral feasts? Nobody in your family has died yet, so why are you holding a funeral ritual? Hearing this, Sun Wukong was secretly impressed, fearing thinking to himself, huh, that Dum dum has wised up a bit. The old men are indeed in error. What is this prearranged funeral feast? But the two old men now asked, how did you come to be here instead of following the main road on your pilgrimage? We did travel along the main road, but a wide river blocked our path and we couldn't cross. We heard the sound of cymbals, so we came here to ask for lodging. Did you see anything on the riverbank? The old man asked. We only saw a stone tablet. It said the name of the river was the Heaven Penetrating river and it described the river as 300 miles wide and Rarely traversed. That was all. If you keep going upriver along the bank for half a mile, you will see a temple dedicated to the Great King of Numinous Power. Did you not see that? No. Please tell me, what is that Numinous Power? Oh Elder. They say his divine responses inspire temples everywhere. And his mighty power protects the people for a thousand miles. Year after year, he bestows sweet rain upon the estate. And every season, auspicious clouds descend upon the villages. Well, bringing sweet rain and auspicious clouds are good things.
