Bright-Moon and Pure-Wind praised him endlessly to themselves: "A fine monk indeed — truly a beloved sage of the West come down to the mortal world, his primal spirit undimmed.

The boys, alone, are delighted with their guest. 愛聖臨凡, a beloved sage come down to the mortal world; 真元不昧, the primal spirit undimmed — they can see what he is. 誇稱不盡 carries the chapter's recurring 不盡, with 不 rising to bú before 盡 (jìn).

Our master bade us receive the Tang Monk and give him the ginseng-fruit to eat, in token of old friendship — and also warned us to guard against his underlings making a rumpus.

They rehearse their instructions correctly, both halves of them: give him the fruit, and watch his servants. 又教防著 — the causative 教, jiào, with the durative 著, zhe.

Sure enough, those three had savage, unruly faces and coarse tempers.

Their assessment of the three disciples is blunt and, on the evidence, accurate. 嘴臉兇頑, brutish faces; 粗糙, cū cāo, coarse.

Happily we have just drawn them off; had they been at hand, would the ginseng-fruit ever have come to light?"

They congratulate themselves on the disciples having been sent away — not knowing that one of them is already listening through the kitchen wall. 調開 takes 調 as diào, "to shift, transfer away," not the tiáo of "to adjust." 幸得 takes 得 as dé.

Pure-Wind said, "Brother, we do not yet know whether that monk is truly our master's old friend.

Pure-Wind is careful. Before handing over a fruit worth forty-seven thousand years of life, he would like to confirm the recipient's identity.

Let us put him one question, and be sure we make no mistake."

莫要錯了 — let us make no mistake. Note how thoroughly the novel establishes the boys' diligence before it lets anything go wrong.

The two boys stepped up again: "May we ask — are you the Tang Tripiṭaka of the Great Tang, bound west to fetch the scriptures?"

啟問, qǐ wèn, "may we respectfully ask" — a formal opening.

The Elder returned the courtesy: "This poor monk is he.

貧僧, pín sēng, "this poor monk," the standard humble self-reference of a Buddhist cleric.

How is it, immortal boys, that you know my humble name?"

賤名, jiàn míng, "my worthless name" — the matching humble form. Here 為何 takes 為 as wèi, "why, for what reason," against the 何為 = wéi of the previous passage.

The boys said, "Our master, before he left, charged us disciples to receive you from afar.

Their master had told them to go out and meet him, which they have failed to do — hence the apology. 教弟子遠接 uses the causative 教, jiào.

But your carriage came on so swiftly that we failed to meet you as we ought.

車駕來促, your coming was hurried; 迎迓, yíng yà, to go out and meet a guest on the road. The excuse is polite fiction — Tripiṭaka has been ambling round a mountain all morning.

Pray be seated, Master, and let your disciples bring tea to serve you."

辦茶來奉, to prepare tea and present it.

Tripiṭaka said, "I dare not trouble you."

不敢, "I dare not" — the conventional demurral before accepting hospitality, not a refusal.

Bright-Moon hurried to his room, took a cup of fragrant tea, and presented it to the Elder.

Bright-Moon serves the tea. Everything up to this point has been done exactly right.

The tea done, Pure-Wind said, "Brother, we must not disobey our master's command — you and I will go and fetch the fruit."

And now the fruit. Note the phrasing: they go because 不可違了師命, they must not disobey. Not appetite, not carelessness — obedience.