Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Now the monster had Sand Monk bound, but he did not come to kill him, nor did he beat him, nor did he so much as utter a single curse at him. He picked up his steel blade and thought to himself: "That Tang Monk is a man from a great kingdom—he must understand propriety and righteousness. Surely he wouldn't spare my life and then send his disciples to capture me? Ah! This must be because my wife has somehow sent a letter to her kingdom, and word has leaked out. Let me go and question her."

The monster was suddenly seized with murderous intent and wanted to kill the princess.

Now the princess, knowing nothing of this, had just finished her toilet and came forward with graceful steps. She saw the monster with angry knitted brows and clenched teeth. Still, she put on a smiling face and greeted him: "Husband, what troubles you so?" The monster snapped at her with a curse: "You heartless, worthless woman—you have no sense of human decency at all! When I first brought you here, I said nothing against it. You wear brocade and gold; when you lack anything, I go and find it for you. Through all four seasons you have enjoyed comfort, and every day my affection for you has grown deeper. How is it that you think only of your parents and have not the slightest wifely heart in you?"

When the princess heard this, she fell to her knees in terror. "Husband," she said, "why do you speak such words of separation today?" The monster said: "I don't know whether it's I who am separating, or you. I captured that Tang Monk, planning to make use of him, yet you released him without telling me first. You must have secretly written a letter and had him deliver it for you. Otherwise, why would these two monks come pounding on my gate, demanding that I return you? Isn't this your doing?"

The princess said: "Husband, you wrong me. I never sent any letter anywhere." The old monster said: "You still talk back! I've already caught one of their party right here—isn't that proof?" The princess said: "Who?" The old demon said: "The Tang Monk's second disciple, Sand Monk." Now when a person is at the point of death, who is willing to admit it? She could only deny it stubbornly. The princess said: "Husband, calm your anger. Let me go and ask him myself. If there truly is a letter, beat me to death and I will accept it willingly. But if there is no letter, then you would be killing me unjustly, would you not?"

Upon hearing this, the monster would not listen. He flung open his enormous indigo hand—big as a winnowing fan—seized the princess by her ten thousand strands of golden hair, dragged her forward, and hurled her to the ground. Grasping his steel blade, he came to interrogate Sand Monk. He snapped: "Sand Monk, how dare the two of you barge into our gate? Did this woman send a letter to her kingdom, and did the king send you here?"

Sand Monk was already bound there. Seeing the demon's ferocity—how he had thrown the princess to the ground and held a blade ready to kill her—he thought to this: "It is clear that she sent a letter and saved my master. This is an enormous kindness. If I were to speak out, he would kill the princess. That would be repaying kindness with enmity! No, no, no—old Sand has followed my master all this way and has never rendered the slightest service. Today, since I have been captured, I will give my life to repay my master's debt to her." So he shouted: "You demon, do not be so unreasonable! What letter has she sent? You wrong her so, and you want to take her life! We came here to ask you for the princess, and there is a reason. You captured my master in your cave, and my master saw the princess's appearance and manner. When we reached the Kingdom of Precious Image to exchange our travel documents, the emperor had the princess's portrait drawn and made inquiries everywhere. He asked my master whether he had seen anyone matching the princess's likeness along the road, and my master then spoke of her. The emperor thus knew she was his child and gave us imperial wine, commanding us to come and capture you and bring the princess back to the palace. This is the truth—there was never any letter. If you want to kill, kill old Sand, but do not wrongfully harm an innocent person. That would be a great violation of Heaven's principle."

When the demon saw how nobly Sand Monk spoke, he threw down his blade, lifted the princess in both arms, and said: "I was crude and rash for a moment. I have offended you—please forgive me, please forgive me." He then arranged her dark hair, set it back upon her jeweled coiffure, and with gentle tenderness and a pleasant expression, coaxed her inside. He invited her to sit and made amends. The princess, being a woman of changeable nature, saw that he was treating her with new respect and softened her heart. She said: "Husband, if you cherish the love between husband and wife, could you loosen Sand Monk's ropes just a little?"

The old demon, hearing this, at once ordered the little demons to untie Sand Monk's ropes and lock him up there. When Sand Monk saw himself unbound and locked up instead, he stood up and rejoiced inwardly. "The ancients said," he thought, "'Convenience for others is convenience for oneself.' If I had not made things convenient for him, would he have been willing to loosen my bonds?"

The old demon then ordered a banquet to be prepared, to make amends with the princess and calm her fright. When they had drunk halfway through the wine, the old demon suddenly changed into a bright, fresh set of clothes, took a jeweled sword, and buckled it at his waist. He turned and, touching the princess, said: "Wife, you stay at home and drink your wine. Watch over the two children and do not release Sand Monk. While that Tang Monk is in the kingdom, I will go early and acknowledge my kinship."

The princess said: "What kinship will you acknowledge?" The old demon said: "I will acknowledge your father. I am his son-in-law, he is my father-in-law—how can I not go and acknowledge him?" The princess said: "You cannot go." The old demon said: "Why can't I go?" The princess said: "My father did not win his kingdom through fierce battle—it was left to him by his ancestors. Since childhood he has been the crown prince and ascended the throne; he has never traveled far from the city gates. He has never seen a fierce fellow like you. Your face and features are so ugly—if he saw you, it would probably frighten him, and that would not be good. You would be better off not going to acknowledge him."

The old demon said: "If that's the case, I'll simply transform into a handsome fellow and go." The princess said: "Try transforming and let me see."

A fine monster he was—right there at the wine feast he shook his body and transformed himself into a handsome young man. And truly, his appearance was most distinguished:

His bearing was elegant, his frame imposing. His speech was full of courtly refinement, his manner that of youth in its prime. His talent matched that of Zijian, for whom composing poetry was effortless; his looks rivaled Pan An, to whom fruit was lightly tossed. On his head he wore a magpie-tail crown, which tamed the dark clouds of his hair; on his body he wore a jade gauze robe with broad sleeves that fluttered and welcomed the breeze. On his feet were black boots with floral creases, and at his waist a bright phoenix belt. Truly he was a remarkable man of noble spirit—a handsome hero, towering and majestic.

The princess was overjoyed at the sight. The demon laughed and said, "My dear wife, have I transformed well?" The princess said, "Well done, well done! When you go to court this time, my royal father, since he will not destroy you, will surely have the civil and military officials keep you for a feast. If you drink wine among them, be ever so careful, ever so cautious—do not on any account show your original face, or reveal your horse's hoof, or let the wind of the secret escape. That would be most uncivilized." The old demon said, "No need to instruct me. I have my own methods."

Watch him—he mounted the cloud head and soon arrived at the Kingdom of Baoxiang. He descended the cloud and went to the palace gate, where he said to the gate officer, "The Third Royal Son-in-Law has come to have an audience with His Majesty. I beg you to announce me, announce me." The yellow-robed reporting official came before the white jade steps and reported, "Your Majesty, the Third Royal Son-in-Law requests an audience. He waits outside the palace gate for your summons." The king was just then speaking with Tang Seng when he heard "Third Royal Son-in-Law." He asked his many officials, "I have only two royal sons-in-law. How can there be a third?" The officials said, "The Third Royal Son-in-Law must be the demon come here." The king said, "Shall I summon him in?" The old monk's heart trembled. He said, "Your Majesty, a demon—if it is not a spirit, it is not supernatural. It knows the past and the future; it can ride the clouds and mist. Whether you summon him or not, he will come in. You might as well summon him in, and save some face."

The king approved the memorial and called for the demon to be summoned. The demon was brought to the golden steps. He performed the customary dance and obeisance like any other. The officials saw that he was handsome and dared not recognize him as a demon. They were all fleshly eyes and mortal bodies, and took him for a good man. The king saw that he was towering and majestic, and thought him a pillar of the state who could save the world. He asked him, "Royal Son-in-Law, where is your home? Of what region are you a native? When did you wed my princess? Why have you only come to acknowledge the relationship today?" The old demon kowtowed and said, "My Lord, your subject is from the home of Bowl-Moon Cave on Bowl-Moon Mountain, east of the city." The king said, "How far is that mountain from here?" The old demon said, "Not far—only three hundred li." The king said, "Three hundred li away—how could my princess have gotten there to be matched with you?" The demon, with clever words and flowery speech, with false sentiment and feigned sincerity, replied, "My Lord, since childhood your subject has loved practicing archery and horsemanship, making his living by hunting. Thirteen years ago, I led several dozen household servants, releasing hawks and setting dogs, when suddenly I saw a colorful tiger carrying a woman on its back, walking down a hillside. Your subject drew his bow and shot an arrow, felling the tiger, and brought the woman back to my estate. I revived her with warm water and hot broth, saving her life. When I asked whose family she was from, she never mentioned the word 'princess.' Had she said she was Your Majesty's Third Princess, how would I have dared to act presumptuously and take her for myself? I would have presented her at the golden palace, and in return received some official rank and honor, great or small. It was only because she said she was a commoner's daughter that I kept her at my estate. With her beauty and my talent, we were mutually willing, and so we have been matched all these years. After we were matched, I wanted to slaughter the tiger and invite all our relatives, but the princess instructed me not to kill it. Her reason for not killing it was expressed in a few lines of verse, which were very well put:

'By heaven and earth we became husband and wife,

Without matchmaker or witness we joined in marriage.

In a former life the red thread already bound our feet;

Now we make the tiger our matchmaker.'

Because of these words, I loosened the ropes on the tiger and spared its life. The tiger, bearing its arrow wound, ran away with flying hooves and lashing tail. I do not know how it survived, but in these mountains, after cultivating itself for these few years, it has refined its body into a spirit, devoted to bewitching and harming people. Your subject has heard that in former years there were several pilgrims traveling to fetch scriptures, all said to be a Tang monk named Tang Seng. I suspect this tiger killed Tang Seng, obtained his travel documents, and transformed itself into the appearance of a scripture pilgrim. It is now at court, deceiving Your Majesty. My Lord, the one sitting on the embroidered cushion is precisely the colorful tiger that carried the princess thirteen years ago—not a true scripture pilgrim."

Look at that fickle king, with his foolish fleshly eyes, unable to recognize the demon. He took the demon's empty words as truth. He said, "Worthy Royal Son-in-Law, how do you know that this monk is the tiger that carried the princess?" The demon said, "My Lord, in the mountains I eat tigers and I wear tigers. I sleep and rise with them. How could I not recognize them?" The king said, "Since you recognize it, make it show its true form." The monster said, "Lend me half a cup of pure water, and I will make it show its true form." The king ordered an official to fetch water and hand it to the Royal Son-in-Law.

The monster took the water in his hand, leaped up, stepped forward, and performed the "Black-Eye Body-Fixing Spell." He recited an incantation, spat a mouthful of water at Tang Seng, and cried, "Transform!" The true body of the old monk was hidden in the hall, and he was truly transformed into a colorful tiger. At this moment the king and his officials looked with their fleshly eyes, and this tiger was born with:

A white forehead and round head, a flowered body and lightning eyes. Four hooves, straight and imposing; twenty claws, hooked and sharp as blades. Saw-like teeth packed in its mouth, sharp ears joined to its brows. Fierce and terrible, shaped like a great cat; violent and mighty, like a yellow calf. Its stiff whiskers stuck straight out like silver rods; its crimson tongue belched foul breath. Truly it was a fierce, colorful tiger, and阵阵威風 swept through the precious hall.

The king, upon seeing this, was utterly terrified and fled in panic. The court officials all scattered in fright. A few bold generals, leading their officers and guards, rushed forward in a crowd, wielding various weapons and hacking wildly. Had it not been for the fact that Tang Seng was fated to survive, even twenty monks would have been hacked to pieces. Fortunately, at that moment, the Dingjia, Jiedi, Gongcao, and various guardian deities were secretly protecting him from the mid-air, so none of those weapons could inflict any injury. The ministers clamored until late evening, when they finally captured the tiger alive, bound it with iron chains, locked it in an iron cage, and placed it within the palace chambers.

The king then issued an edict, instructing the Guanglu Temple to prepare a grand banquet to thank the prince consort for saving his life—otherwise, he would have been nearly killed by that monk. That evening, the ministers dispersed from court, and the demon entered the Silver Peace Palace. He then selected eighteen palace maidens and ladies-in-waiting to play music, sing, and dance, urging the demon to drink wine and enjoy himself. The creature sat alone at the head of the table, flanked on both sides by beauties of exquisite grace. Watch him indulging in his drinking: by the second watch of the night, the wine had taken hold, and he could no longer restrain his wild impulses. He leapt to his feet, laughed with a great roar, and revealed his true form. His murderous heart surged forth, and stretching out his enormous hands like winnowing fans, he seized one of the maidens playing the pipa, and with a crunch bit her head clean off. The remaining seventeen palace maidens were so terrified they fled for their lives, running and hiding in every direction. Behold:

The palace maidens trembled in fear, the ladies-in-waiting were thrown into panic. The palace maidens trembled in fear, like lotus blossoms battered by night rain; the ladies-in-waiting were thrown into panic, like peonies swaying in the spring wind. They smashed their pipas as they fled for their lives, and tumbled over their lutes and zithers as they sought to escape. Going out the gate, they could not tell north from south; leaving the palace, they knew not west from east. They bruised their jade-like faces and smashed their delicate features. Each and every one fled for her life, each and every one ran to save her wretched existence.

Those people, once outside, dared not cry out. The night was deep, and they dared not disturb the emperor's rest. They all hid beneath the low eaves of the short walls, trembling with fear—but of this, no more.

Now the demon sat above, pouring wine for himself and drinking alone. After each cup, he pulled a person over and gnawed a few bloody mouthfuls. He was enjoying himself inside, while outside, everyone was spreading the word: "Tang Seng is a tiger spirit!" The rumor spread and spread, until it reached the Gold Pavilion Post Station. At that hour, there was no one in the station—only the white horse, eating grass and fodder at the trough. He was originally the young Dragon King of the Western Sea. Having violated heavenly law, his horns were sawed off and his scales stripped away, and he was transformed into a white horse to carry Tang Seng westward to obtain the scriptures. Suddenly hearing people say that Tang Seng was a tiger spirit, he thought to himself: "My master is clearly a good man. He must have been transformed into a tiger spirit by a demon, and my master has been killed. What can I do? What can I do? Senior Brother has been gone for a long time, and Bajie and Sha Seng have sent no word." He waited until the second watch of the night, then finally leapt up and said: "If I do not save my master now, all this merit is lost, lost!" He could no longer restrain himself. He snapped the bridle, shook loose the saddle and harness, and in a great hurry transformed back, once again becoming a dragon. He mounted a dark cloud and ascended into the nine-layered sky to observe. There is a poem as evidence, which says:

Xuanzang came west to pay homage to the World-Honored One,

But on his journey he encountered evil mists and baleful breath.

Tonight transformed into a tiger, disaster must be escaped—

The white horse drops the bridle to save his master.

The young Dragon King, from mid-air, saw the Silver Peace Palace ablaze with lanterns and candles. It turned out that eight large red lanterns were each lit with a candle. Lowering his cloud, he looked carefully and saw the demon sitting alone above, forcing himself to drink wine and eat human flesh. The young dragon laughed and said: "This fellow is incompetent—he's given himself away, his disguise has been seen through, and he's been weighed and found wanting. Is eating people some kind of improvement? I wonder what has become of my master—to have encountered such a scoundrel. Let me go and have some fun with him first. If I succeed and capture the demon, then I can rescue my master."

The fine dragon king then transformed himself, also taking the form of a palace maiden—truly light of body and lovely of countenance. He hurried inside and offered a respectful greeting to the demon: "Prince consort, please do not take my life. I have come to pour wine for you." The demon said: "Pour the wine." The young dragon took the pot and poured wine into his cup. The wine rose three to five fractions higher than the rim of the cup without spilling a drop. This was the young dragon's "water-forcing technique." The demon, not recognizing it, was delighted in his heart and said: "You have such skill?" The young dragon said: "I can pour it even higher." The demon said: "Pour more, pour more." He held the pot and poured freely, and the wine rose freely, like a thirteen-story pagoda, pointed and full, without spilling a single drop. The creature stretched out his mouth and drank a cup; then he pulled over a dead body and took a bite. He said: "Can you sing?" The young dragon said: "I know a little." He sang a small tune in proper melody and rhythm, and offered another cup. The demon said: "Can you dance?" The young dragon said: "I know a little, but my hands are untrained—I won't dance very well." The demon lifted his robe and untied the precious sword at his waist, drew it from its scabbard, and handed it to the young dragon.

The young dragon took the sword and, keeping his wits about him, performed a dazzling sword dance before the wine table—three steps up, four steps down, five to the left, six to the right—unleashing a magnificent display of swordplay. The demon watched with wide eyes. Then the young dragon dropped the flourish and swung a sword stroke at the demon. The creature dodged sideways, flustered and thrown off balance, and grabbed one of the large red lanterns to block the precious blade. The large red lantern was forged of wrought iron, and with its handle weighed some eighty or ninety catties. The two of them emerged from the Silver Peace Palace, and the young dragon revealed his true form, mounted a cloud, and fought the demon in mid-air. This was a fierce battle in the darkness. Behold:

[This passage could not be machine-translated — see the original Chinese]

The young dragon pondered in silence for a while, then said with tears, "Brother, don't talk about giving up. If you want to save our master, you need to go and fetch someone." Bajie asked, "Who do you want me to fetch?" The dragon said, "Hurry back to Flower-Fruit Mountain on the clouds and ask our senior brother Sun Wukong to come. He still has great power to subdue demons. He'll surely rescue our master and avenge our defeat for us." Bajie said, "Brother, ask someone else. That monkey and I don't get along. Back at White-Bone Ridge, he killed the White-Bone Lady, and he blamed me for egging our master to chant the Incantation of the Golden Band. I thought it was just a joke, but the old monk actually chanted it for real and drove him away. He must be furious with me—he definitely won't come. And if we have even a slight disagreement, his as-you-will cudgel is so heavy. If he doesn't hold back and swings it a few times, how could I survive?" The dragon said, "He definitely won't hit you. He's a monkey king with both benevolence and righteousness. When you see him, don't mention that our master is in trouble. Just say, 'Our master misses you,' and coax him into coming. Once he gets here and sees the situation, he'll be furious and will definitely fight that demon. He's bound to capture the demon and save our master." Bajie said, "Fine, fine. If you're this devoted, and I don't go, it'll look like I'm not trying. I'll go. If Wukong agrees to come, I'll come back with him. But if he won't come, don't expect anything from me—I won't come back either." The dragon said, "Go, go. He'll definitely come."

The fool indeed packed his rake, straightened his robe, leaped up, and rode the clouds straight to the east. This time, it was also thanks to the Tang Monk's good fortune. The fool happened to catch a favorable wind, and with his two ears spread out like sails, he crossed the Eastern Sea in no time and descended from the clouds. Before he knew it, he had reached the Sun Star and entered the mountain to find his path.

As he was walking, he suddenly heard someone talking. Bajie looked carefully and saw that it was Wukong in a mountain hollow, gathered with a crowd of demons. He was sitting on a rocky ledge, with twelve hundred monkeys before him, arranged in ranks, shouting, "Long live the Great Sage, Grandfather!" Bajie thought, "What a comfortable life! No wonder he didn't want to be a monk and insisted on coming home. So this is what he has—such a grand estate and so many little monkeys to serve him. If I, Old Pig, had a mountain like this, I wouldn't be a monk either. Now that I'm here, what should I do? I definitely need to see him." The fool was a bit afraid of him and didn't dare approach openly, so he slipped along the grassy edge and squeezed in among the twelve hundred or so monkeys, kowtowing along with them.

But the Great Sage Sun was sitting high up, and his eyes were sharp—he saw him clearly and asked, "That one kowtowing randomly among the ranks—he looks like a barbarian. Where did he come from? Bring him up here." Before he could finish, the little monkeys swarmed forward, pushed Bajie up, and pinned him to the ground. Wukong said, "Where are you from, barbarian?" Bajie kept his head down and said, "Forgive me for asking—I'm not a barbarian. I'm an acquaintance, an acquaintance." Wukong said, "All the monkeys under my command look the same. Your face is strange, and your appearance is rather coarse—you must be a demon from somewhere else. Since you're from elsewhere, if you want to join my ranks, first submit your credentials, report your name, and then I'll let you stay here and be assigned a post. If I don't keep you, how dare you kowtow randomly here?" Bajie kept his head down, pursed his lips, and said, "Shame on you—putting on that face. We've been brothers for years, and you still don't recognize me, calling me a barbarian." Wukong laughed and said, "Lift your head and let me see." The fool stretched his lips upward and said, "Look then! If you don't recognize me, at least you recognize my mouth, right?" Wukong couldn't help laughing and said, "Zhu Bajie." The moment he heard his name called, he leaped up and said, "That's right, that's right! I'm Zhu Bajie." Then he thought, "If he recognizes me, we can talk."

Sanzang said, "You're not going with Tang Monk to fetch the scriptures—what are you doing here? You must have offended the master, and he's banished you back. Show me the letter of banishment." Bajie said, "I never offended him. He didn't write any letter of banishment, and he didn't drive me away either." The Pilgrim said, "If there's no letter of banishment and he didn't drive you away, then what are you doing here?" Bajie said, "The master misses you and sent me to invite you back." The Pilgrim said, "He wouldn't invite me, and he doesn't miss me. That day he swore an oath before Heaven and personally wrote a letter of banishment with his own hand. How could he possibly miss me now and send you all this way to invite me? I absolutely will not go." Bajie hastily made up a lie on the spot and said, "He truly misses you, he truly misses you." The Pilgrim said, "How does he miss me?" Bajie said, "The master was riding along on his horse and called out 'disciple.' I didn't hear him, and Sha Monk pretended to be deaf. The master then thought of you and said we were useless, that you were still a clever and quick-witted fellow—always responding when called, answering ten questions for every one asked. Because he misses you so, he specially sent me to invite you. I beg you to go, if only for a visit—first, to not disappoint his longing, and second, to not waste my long journey here." Hearing this, the Pilgrim jumped down from the cliff and took Bajie by the hand. "Dear brother, thank you for coming so far. Come, let's enjoy ourselves a while." Bajie said, "Brother, this place is far away, and I'm afraid the master is waiting anxiously. I can't stay and play." The Pilgrim said, "Since you've come all this way, at least take a look at how my mountain scenery fares." The idiot dared not refuse outright and had no choice but to follow him.

The two walked hand in hand, with all the little monkeys trailing behind, up to the very summit of Flower-Fruit Mountain. What a magnificent mountain! Since the Great Sage had returned home, in just a few days he had restored it to its former glory. Behold:

Green as carved jade, high as the clouds. Around it, tigers crouched and dragons coiled; on all sides, apes cried and cranes called. In the morning, clouds sealed the mountaintop; at evening, the sun hung among the forest trees. The flowing stream tinkled like jade pendants; the mountain spring dripped like the notes of a jade zither. Before the mountain stood sheer cliffs and precipitous peaks; behind it bloomed lush flowers and trees. Above it connected to the Jade Maiden's washing basin; below it joined the branching waters of the Heavenly River. The union of heaven and earth here rivaled the splendor of Penglai; the interplay of pure and turbid had nurtured a true immortal abode. No master painter's brush could capture it; no celestial maiden's artistry could reproduce it. Exquisite, the strange rocks—strange, the exquisite rocks—exquisite and colorful, the peaks along the ridge. When the sun's shadow moved, a thousand strands of purple radiance; when the auspicious aura swayed, ten thousand rays of crimson mist. Blessed lands and immortal grottoes exist in the mortal world, but here the whole mountain was covered with new trees and new flowers.

Bajie could not take it all in, and his heart was filled with joy. "Brother, what a wonderful place! Truly the number one famous mountain under heaven." The Pilgrim said, "Dear brother, can you pass the days here?" Bajie laughed and said, "Listen to what you're saying, brother. This treasure mountain is a blessed land and immortal grotto—how can you talk about merely 'passing the days'?"

The two talked and laughed for a long time, then descended the mountain. By the roadside stood several little monkeys holding out deep purple grapes, fragrant pears and dates, yellow loquats, and bright red bayberries. They knelt by the road and called out, "Great Sage Grandfather, please partake of your morning meal." The Pilgrim laughed and said, "My younger brother Zhu has a huge appetite—he doesn't make a meal of fruit. Very well, very well, don't think it too humble; just eat some as a snack." Bajie said, "Though I have a big appetite, I follow local customs. Bring them here, bring them here—I'll have a few to try something new."

After the two had eaten the fruit, the sun gradually climbed higher. The idiot, afraid of delaying the rescue of Tang Monk, kept urging, "Brother, the master is there waiting for both of us. Please, let's go quickly." The Pilgrim said, "Dear brother, please come into the Water-Curtain Cave and enjoy yourself." Bajie firmly declined, "I'm deeply grateful for your kind offer, but the master has been waiting too long. I won't trouble you to show me into the cave." The Pilgrim said, "In that case, I won't keep you longer. Let us part here." Bajie said, "Brother, you're not coming?" The Pilgrim said, "Where would I go? Here I am free from the claims of heaven and earth, completely at liberty. Why should I play at being a monk? I'm not going. You go on your own. But report to Tang Monk for me: since he drove me away, he need not think of me again."

Hearing this, the idiot dared not press him hard, fearing that if he provoked the Pilgrim's temper, he might get beaten with two blows of the staff. He had no choice but to mumble his farewells and find his way off.

When the Pilgrim saw him leave, he sent two nimble little monkeys to follow Bajie and listen to what he said. Sure enough, after the idiot had gone no more than three or four li down the mountain, he turned back and pointed at the Pilgrim, cursing: "This monkey—won't be a monk, insists on being a demon instead. This wretched macaque! I came with good intentions to invite him, and he refuses to go. Fine, don't go then!" After walking a few more steps, he cursed again. The two little monkeys ran back in haste and reported, "Great Sage Grandfather, that Zhu Bajie is not being honest—as he walks along, he curses a few times." The Great Sage flew into a rage and shouted, "Bring him back!" The monkeys swarmed over the ground and caught up with Bajie, knocked him down, grabbed his mane and pulled his ears, seized his tail and yanked his hair, and carried him back.

What punishment would be meted out, and whether he would live or die—all this will be told in the next chapter.