Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Then the monster took Bajie into the cave and said, "Elder Brother, I've caught one." The old monster was pleased. "Bring him here. Let me see." The second monster said, "Here he is." The old monster said, "Brother, you've caught the wrong one. This monk is no use." Bajie seized upon this and said, "Great King, since I'm a useless monk, let me go. It wouldn't be right to keep me." The second monster said, "Elder Brother, don't let him go. Although he's useless, he travels with Tang Seng and is called Zhu Bajie. Throw him into the clean pool at the back, soak off his bristles, salt him, and dry him in the sky. When it's overcast, we'll have him as a snack with our wine." Bajie said to himself, "What bad luck! I've run into a monster who deals in salted preserved meat!" The lesser monsters carried Bajie inside and threw him into the water—no more of this.

Meanwhile, Tang Seng sat at the slope, his ears burning, his eyes twitching, uneasy in his body. He called out, "Wukong, why has Wuneng been gone so long on this mountain patrol?" Wukong said, "Master, you still don't know what's in his heart." Tang Seng said, "What's in his heart?" Wukong said, "Master, if there were monsters in this mountain, he wouldn't be able to take half a step without making a great show of it and running back to report to me. Since there are no monsters and the road is peaceful, he's gone straight ahead." Tang Seng said, "If he really has gone ahead, where shall we meet up? This is a wild, open mountain, not like a town or city with inns and streets." Wukong said, "Master, don't worry. Please mount your horse. That fool is somewhat lazy and is certainly moving slowly. Drive your horse a bit faster, and we'll surely catch up with him and go on together." And so Tang Seng mounted his horse, Sha Seng carried the load, and Wukong led the way up the mountain.

Now the old monster said again to the second monster, "Brother, since you've captured Bajie, Tang Seng must be nearby. Go patrol the mountain again—don't let him slip past." The second monster said, "I'll go at once." Watch—he hastily mustered fifty lesser monsters and went up the mountain on patrol. As they walked along, they saw auspicious clouds drifting and auspicious vapors swirling. The second monster said, "Tang Seng is coming." The monsters asked, "Where is Tang Seng?" The second monster said, "A good man has auspicious clouds shining above his head; a wicked man has black vapors shooting into the sky. Tang Seng is the reincarnation of the Elder Golden Cicada, a good man who has cultivated for ten lifetimes, so he has these auspicious clouds drifting about him." None of the monsters could see them. The second monster pointed and said, "Isn't that him?" Tang Seng, on his horse, shuddered once. The monster pointed again, and he shuddered again. The monster pointed three times in a row, and he shuddered three times in a row. Disturbed in spirit, he said, "Disciples, why am I shuddering?" Sha Seng said, "Shuddering—perhaps you've caught a digestive illness." Wukong said, "Nonsense. Master is walking through these deep mountain ridges, so he's naturally nervous and startled. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Let me, Old Sun, swing my staff and clear the way to calm your fright."

Splendid Wukong! He hefted his staff and, in front of the horse, performed several routines—three up, four down, five left, six right—all according to the Six Strategies and Three Tactics, deploying his divine power. The elder watched from his horse, and truly it was rarely seen in the world and utterly unmatched under heaven. He cleared the way and went straight forward, nearly frightening that monster to death. The monster watched from the mountain top, his soul flying and his spirit scattering. He suddenly cried out, "For years I've heard of Sun Wukong, but today I know the stories are no exaggeration—it's all true!" The lesser monsters came forward and said, "Great King, why do you build up another's spirit and destroy your own prestige? Who are you praising?" The second monster said, "Sun Wukong has vast divine power. We cannot eat Tang Seng." The monsters said, "Great King, if you have no means, let us go report to the Great King and have him muster all the soldiers of this cave. We'll form ranks and unite our hearts—where can he escape to?" The second monster said, "You haven't seen that iron staff of his—it has the courage of ten thousand men. Our cave has only four or five hundred soldiers. How could they withstand one swing of his staff?" The monsters said, "If that's the case, we can't eat Tang Seng, and we've captured Zhu Bajie by mistake. Let's send him back." The second monster said, "The capture wasn't a mistake, but we can't lightly send him back either. Tang Seng must be eaten—it's just that we can't do it right now." The monsters said, "If that's the case, should we wait a few years?" The second monster said, "Not even a few years. I see that Tang Seng can only be taken by good means, not by force. If we rely on power to seize him, we won't even get a whiff of him. We can only use goodness to move him, win his heart so that it joins with mine, and then within that goodness devise a plan—that's how we can get him." The monsters said, "If the Great King has a plan to capture him, can we be of use?" The second monster said, "All of you return to your own camps, but you must not report this to the Great King. If we alarm him, word will certainly leak and ruin my strategy. I have my own divine transformations—I can capture him." The monsters dispersed.

He leaped down the mountain alone and, by the side of the road, transformed with a shake of his body into an old Taoist priest. How was he dressed? Behold:

His star-cap gleamed bright, his crane-like hair was wild.

His feathered robe was girded with embroidered sash, his cloud-shoes trimmed with yellow棕.

His spirit was clear, his eyes bright as an immortal's;

his body was healthy, his frame light as a longevity sage.

What need to speak of the Taoist of the Clear Ox?

He surpassed even the Master of the Plain Certificate.

He fashioned a false appearance that seemed true,

and feigned an insincere feeling that seemed real.

There by the roadside, he pretended to be a Taoist priest with a broken leg, his foot dripping blood, groaning in his mouth, calling out, "Save me! Save me!"

Here is the translation:

Now, with the Great Sage and Sha Seng to rely on, Tang Seng journeyed on in high spirits. As they traveled along, a cry was heard: "Master, save me!" Upon hearing this, Tang Seng said, "Auspicious! Auspicious! In this vast wilderness among the mountains, there are no villages for miles around. Who could be calling out? Surely it is someone frightened by a tiger, leopard, or wolf." The elder turned his fine horse around and called out, "Who is in distress? Come out." The monster crawled out from the grass and kowtowed repeatedly before the elder's horse. Tang Seng, looking down from horseback, saw that he was a Taoist priest, and moreover of advanced age, and felt very uneasy about it. He quickly dismounted and helped him up, saying, "Please rise, please rise." The monster said, "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts." When Tang Seng let go and looked, he saw that the man's foot was bleeding. Tang Seng asked in alarm, "Sir, where have you come from, and how did you injure your foot?" The monster spoke with cunning words and false intentions: "Master, to the west of this mountain there stands a serene and quiet temple. I am a Taoist priest of that temple." Tang Seng said, "Why are you wandering here instead of attending to the incense offerings and practicing the scriptures in your own temple?" The demon said, "The other day, a patron from the south of the mountain invited the Taoist company to perform a ceremony to dispel misfortune and spread blessings, but we arrived late. My fellow disciple and I were traveling along the road together. When we reached a deep mountain pass, we suddenly encountered a striped tiger, which carried off my fellow disciple. I, trembling with terror, had nowhere to flee and fell on a slope of jagged rocks, injuring my leg and foot. I could not find my way back. Today, by great heavenly fortune, I have encountered you, Master. I beg you to show great compassion and save my life. If we can reach the temple, I will sell myself into servitude—I will surely repay your profound kindness." Hearing these words, Tang Seng believed them to be true and said, "Sir, you and I are both living beings. I am a Buddhist monk, and you are a Taoist priest. Though our dress differs, the principles of cultivation are the same. If I did not save you, I would not be a true member of the Buddhist order. Very well, I will save you, but you cannot walk." The monster said, "I cannot even stand up—how could I walk?" Tang Seng said, "Very well, very well. I can still walk. I will let you ride my horse for a while, and when we reach your temple, you can return my horse to me." The monster said, "Master, I am deeply grateful for your kindness, but my hips and legs are injured from the fall—I cannot ride a horse." Tang Seng said, "Indeed." He called to Sha Seng, "Carry the luggage on my horse, and carry him for a while." Sha Seng said, "I'll carry him." The monster glanced back sharply and gave him a look, then said, "Master, I was terrified by that tiger, and seeing this gloomy-faced master, I am even more frightened. I dare not let him carry me." Tang Seng called out, "Wukong, you carry him." The Pilgrim answered readily, "I'll carry him, I'll carry him." The demon had his eye on the Pilgrim and docilely allowed himself to be carried, saying no more. Sha Seng laughed and said, "This old Taoist priest has no eyes! I offered to carry him, but instead he wants you to carry him. If he couldn't see the master, he would throw you down on a three-pointed rock and break every tendon in your body." The Pilgrim, hearing this, laughed and said, "You brazen demon, how dare you try to provoke me? You should ask old Sun how many years I've been around! You can fool Tang Seng with your ghostly talk, but you can't fool me! I recognize you as a monster from these mountains, and you want to eat my master. But my master is no ordinary person—he is not for you to eat! If you want to eat him, you had better give old Sun the larger half." When the demon heard the Pilgrim muttering these words, he said, "Master, I am the descendant of a good family and have become a Taoist priest. Today, unfortunately, I met with the calamity of tigers and wolves. I am not a monster." The Pilgrim said, "Since you fear tigers and wolves, why don't you recite the Northern Dipper Sutra?" Tang Seng had just mounted his horse when he heard these words and scolded: "You wretched monkey! 'To save a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.' Just carry him and be done with it—why talk about 'Northern Dipper Sutras' and 'Southern Dipper Sutras'?" The Pilgrim said, "This fellow is in luck. My master is a compassionate and virtuous man, but he is also somewhat naive on the outside. If I don't carry you, he'll blame me. Very well, I'll carry you, but we must agree on one thing first: if you need to relieve yourself, tell me first. If it drips down my back, the stench would be unbearable, and it would soil my clothes with no one to wash them." The monster said, "At my age, surely I understand what you mean." Only then did the Pilgrim pull him up and hoist him onto his back. Together with the elder and Sha Seng, he hurried west along the main road. Where the mountain path was uneven, the Pilgrim walked slowly and carefully, letting Tang Seng go ahead.

After traveling no more than three or five li, Tripitaka and Sha Wujing descended into a mountain hollow, but Sun Wukong could no longer see them. He muttered to himself, "The old master is so advanced in years, yet he still doesn't understand how things work. On a journey this long, even an empty body would be too heavy to carry—I'd like nothing better than to dash him to the ground. And yet here I am, ordered to carry this demon on my back. Never mind that he's a demon—even if he were a good man, at his age he'd be ready enough to die. Why not just hurl him down? Why should I carry him?"

The Great Sage was just calculating how to throw him off when the demon, who had the power to know such things and could also move mountains, cast a spell of "shifting mountains and overturning seas." He formed a hand seal on Wukong's back, recited a true incantation, and dispatched Mount Sumeru through the air to press down on the Great Sage's head. Sun Wukong hastily tilted his head to one side, and the mountain landed on his left shoulder. He laughed, "My child, what heavy-body technique are you using to press down on old Sun? This doesn't bother me at all—it's just that a centered load is easy to carry, but an off-center one is hard to bear."

The demon said, "One mountain can't hold him down." He then recited another spell and dispatched Mount Emei through the air to press down. Wukong tilted his head again, and it landed on his right shoulder. Watch him carrying two great mountains as he flew like a shooting star to catch up with his master.

When the demon chief saw this, he was so frightened that sweat poured from his whole body and moisture oozed from every pore. "He can actually carry mountains!" he gasped. Gathering himself once more, he recited the true incantation and dispatched Mount Tai through the air to press down on the Great Sage. The Great Sage's strength failed and his sinews went limp. Struck by this technique of Mount Tai pressing down from above, his three corpse spirits started and his seven orifices spurted blood.

The wicked demon, having used his divine powers to overwhelm the Great Sage, swiftly rode the long wind to chase Tang Sanzang. Reaching down from the clouds, he snatched the master from his horse in midair. In his panic, Sha Wujing dropped the luggage, drew his demon-subduing staff, and blocked the blow head-on. The demon raised his Seven-Star Sword and met him face to face. What a battle that was:

The Seven-Star Sword, the demon-subduing staff—ten thousand rays of golden light flashed and gleamed. One had round eyes ferocious as the Black Slaying God; the other had an iron face, truly the Curtain-Lifting General. That demon displayed his great power before the mountain, his sole desire being to capture Tang Sanzang. This one strove to protect the true monk, his one resolve being to die rather than yield. They spat clouds and swallowed mist that illuminated the Heavenly Palace; they scattered earth and raised dust that obscured the constellations. They fought until the red sun grew pale and lightless, and the whole world of heaven and earth grew dark and turbulent. They clashed back and forth eight or nine times, and before anyone expected it, Sha Wujing was defeated.

The demon was exceedingly fierce. Wielding his jeweled sword, he came rolling at Wukong with the speed of shooting stars. Sha Wujing fought until his strength failed and he could no longer resist—he turned to flee. But the demon quickly pressed him with his precious staff, swung his great hand, seized Sha Wujing, and tucked him under his left arm. With his right hand he snatched Tripitaka from the horse, hooked the luggage with the tip of his foot, bit the horse's mane in his mouth, and using his capturing spell, carried them all away in a gust of wind to the Lotus Flower Cave. There he cried out in a loud voice, "Elder Brother! I've captured all the monks."

The old demon heard this and was overjoyed. "Bring them here and let me see," he said.

The second demon said, "Aren't these them?"

The old demon said, "Dear younger brother, you've captured the wrong ones again."

The second demon said, "You told me to capture the Tang monk."

The old demon said, "These are indeed the Tang monks, but we still haven't captured that Sun Wukong, who has real ability. We must capture him before we can eat the Tang monk. If we haven't caught him, we must not touch his men. That Monkey King has vast divine powers and can transform in countless ways. If we eat his master, will he let it go? He'll come to our gate and make such a racket—we'll never have any peace."

The second demon laughed, "Elder Brother, you really do know how to praise people. If I were to go by your praise of him, he'd be rarely found on heaven and entirely absent from earth. But from my own observation, he's just so-so—nothing special."

The old demon said, "Did you capture him?"

The second demon said, "I've already dispatched three great mountains to press him down. He can't move an inch. That's how I was able to capture the Tang monk, Sha Wujing, the horse, and the luggage and bring them all here."

When the old demon heard this, he was filled with joy. "What fortune! What fortune! Now that we've captured this fellow, the Tang monk is truly food for our mouths." He called to the little demons, "Quickly prepare wine—let's toast the Second Great King on his success."

The second demon said, "Elder Brother, don't drink yet. Have the little ones pull Zhu Bajie out of the water and hang him up." So they hung Bajie in the east corridor, Sha Wujing on the west side, and Tripitaka in the middle. The white horse was stabled at the trough, and the luggage was brought inside.

The old demon smiled and said, "Younger brother, you have great ability—you've captured the three monks twice over. But even though Sun Wukong is pinned under mountains, we need to devise a way to capture him as well, so we can steam all of them together."

The second demon said, "Elder Brother, please sit. If we want to capture Sun Wukong, we don't need to move ourselves. We only need to send two little demons with two precious treasures to trap him and bring him here."

The old demon said, "What treasures shall we send?"

The second demon said, "Take my Purple-Gold Gourd and your Jade Vase of Creamy Jade."

The old demon brought out the treasures and said, "Which two shall we send?"

The second demon said, "Send Jingling Gui and Jingling Chong." He instructed them, "You two take these treasures and go straight to the highest peak of the mountain. Turn the bottom toward heaven and the mouth toward the ground, and call out, 'Sun Wukong!' If he answers, he'll be trapped inside. Then immediately paste on it a label that reads, 'By the Order of the Supreme Lord Lao—Swiftly and Speedily Obey!' In a moment and a half he'll be dissolved into pus."

The two little demons kowtook, received the treasures, and went out to capture the Great Sage—but of that, no more is said.

Meanwhile, the Great Sage, pinned beneath the mountain by the demon's magic, thought of Tripitaka in his suffering and called upon the holy monk amid his calamity. He cried out loudly: "Master! Remember when you reached the Two-Boundary Mountain, lifted the talisman, and this old Sun escaped that great calamity, embracing the teachings of the Shramana. I was grateful for the Bodhisattva's sacred decree, and we dwelt together in cultivation, sharing the same karmic bond, the same outward form, the same vision, and the same knowledge. But no sooner had I reached this place than I encountered these demonic obstacles, and once again he dispatched a mountain to press down upon me. Pitiful, pitiful! Your death may be your due, but what a trial it is for Sha Wujing, Zhu Bajie, and the little dragon who transformed into a horse—all that for nothing! Truly it is said: A tall tree catches the wind that shakes it; a man's great name brings ruin upon himself." When his lament was done, his tears fell like rain.

This at once alarmed the Mountain God, the Local Deity, and the Five Guardian Deva Spirits. The Golden-Headed Deva said, "To whom does this mountain belong?" The Local Deity replied, "It is ours." "And who is it you have pinned beneath it?" asked the Deva. "We do not know," said the Local Deity. "Then you do not know this," said the Deva. "The one pinned beneath is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong the Pilgrim, who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago. He has now submitted to the true fruit and become a disciple of Tang Seng. How could you lend your mountain to a demon to press him down? You are as good as dead! If one day he breaks free, will he spare you? Even if he is lenient, the Local Deity will be charged with dereliction, the Mountain God with banishment to a garrison post, and we ourselves will be found gravely at fault." Only then did the Mountain God and Local Deity grow afraid. "Truly we did not know, we did not know," they said. "We only heard that demon chief recite the mountain-summoning spell, and we moved the mountain here. How were we to know it was the Great Sage Sun?" "Do not be afraid," said the Deva. "The law says: 'Ignorance of the facts is no crime.' Let us work this out together and release him, so that he will not attack us." "But that makes no sense," said the Local Deity. "If you release him and he still attacks?" "You don't understand," said the Deva. "He has an As-You-Will Golden-Banded Cudgel, which as fearsome as can be: those struck by it die, those grazed by it are wounded; a single tap shin breaks the bone, a mere brush splits the skin."

The Local Deity and Mountain God, their hearts filled with fear, conferred with the Five Guardian Devas. Then they came to the mountain's three gates and called out: "Great Sage, the Mountain God, the Local Deity, and the Five Guardian Devas have come to see you." Ah, what a Pilgrim! Though the tiger grows lean, his heroic spirit remained undiminished. Naturally his bearing was lofty and his voice resonant. "What do you want with me?" he said. "We inform the Great Sage," said the Local Deity: "We will remove the mountain and beg the Great Sage to come out, pardoning this lesser deity's offense." "Remove the mountain," said the Pilgrim, "and I will not strike you." With a shout of "Rise!"—just as an official issues a decree—the gods recited their true words and spells, moved the mountain back to its original position, and released the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim leaped up, shook off the dust, adjusted his robe, and pulled out the cudgel from behind his ear. "Mountain God, Local Deity," he said, "all of you stretch out your ankles—each of you will take two blows from this old Sun to relieve my frustration." The gods were greatly alarmed. "But the Great Sage just now gave his word and pardoned our crime. How can you change your mind and want to strike us the moment you come out?" "Good Local Deity, good Mountain God," said the Pilgrim, "do you think this old Sun is not to be feared, but the demon is?" "That demon's power is vast and his magic mighty. He recites true words and spells to summon us to his cave, where we take turns on duty, one of us each day."

When the Pilgrim heard the words "on duty," his heart trembled. He tilted his face toward the sky and cried out loudly: "Heaven, Heaven! Since the primordial chaos was first divided and Heaven and Earth were opened, I was born on Flower-Fruit Mountain. I once sought out wise masters far and wide to learn the secret of immortality. Think of me—transforming with the wind, subduing tigers and dragons, wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, bearing the title Great Sage—and never once did I bully or abuse the Mountain God and Local Deity. Yet this lawless demon today dares to treat the Mountain God and Local Deity as slaves, making them take turns on duty for him? Heaven! Since you gave birth to this old Sun, how could you also spawn such a creature?"

While the Great Sage was sighing with indignation, he saw a blazing radiance coming from a hollow in the mountain. "Mountain God, Local Deity," said the Pilgrim, "since you take turns on duty in this cave, what is that glowing object?" "That is the demon's treasure emitting light," said the Local Deity. "He must have sent a demon with a treasure to subdue you." "Now this could be fun!" said the Pilgrim. "Let me ask you—who visits him in this cave?" "He is fond of refining elixirs and cultivating the Way, and he favors Quanzhen Daoist priests." "No wonder he transformed into an old Daoist and tricked my Master away," said the Pilgrim. "Very well, then—all of you, consider the blows forgiven, and go back. Let this old Sun deal with him himself." The gods all soared into the air and dispersed.

The Great Sage then transformed himself into an old true Daoist. See how he was dressed:

His hair was knotted in two hanging buns, his body wrapped in a patchwork robe.

He tapped a fisherman's drum and clapper, and at his waist hung the Lü Gong sash.

He reclined beside the great road, waiting specially for the little demon.

In an instant the demon arrived, and the Monkey King secretly laid his ambush.

Before long, the two lesser demons arrived. The Pilgrim extended his iron rod, and the demons, unprepared, stumbled over it and fell flat on their faces. When one of them scrambled up and caught sight of the Pilgrim, he shouted, "Lazybones! Lazybones! If our Great King didn't hold you holy men in such high regard, I'd have a few words with you." The Pilgrim said with a smile, "What's there to argue about? A priest is a priest—we're all one family." The demon asked, "Why were you sleeping here, tripping me like that?" The Pilgrim replied, "When this little novice meets this old priest, he should take a tumble as a greeting gift." The demon said, "My Great King only asks for a few taels of silver as a greeting gift. Why should you take a tumble as a greeting? You must be from some other region—you're certainly not a priest from around here." The Pilgrim said, "I really am not from here. I'm from Mount Penglai." The demon said, "Mount Penglai is a realm of sea-island immortals." The Pilgrim said, "If I'm not an immortal, then who is?" The demon's anger turned to delight at once. He stepped forward and said, "Old Immortal, Old Immortal! We are but flesh-and-blood mortals with mortal eyes, unable to recognize you. Please forgive our offensive words, please forgive us." The Pilgrim said, "I don't blame you. As the saying goes, 'An immortal's body does not tread on mortal ground.' How could you know? I've come to your mountain today because I want to save a good man and help him attain immortality. Who's willing to come with me?" The Careful Devil said, "Master, I'll go with you." The Clever Bug said, "Master, I'll go with you."

The Pilgrim asked, knowing full well the answer, "Where have you two come from?" The demons replied, "From the Lotus Flower Cave." "Where are you going?" The demons said, "We've been ordered by our Great King to capture Sun Wukong." The Pilgrim asked, "Capture whom?" The demons said again, "Capture Sun Wukong." Sun Wukong said, "Do you mean that Sun Wukong who's accompanying Tripitaka on his journey to fetch the scriptures?" The demons said, "Yes, exactly. You know him?" The Pilgrim said, "That monkey has some nerve. I know him, and I'm rather annoyed with him myself. Let me go with you to capture him—consider it my contribution to your efforts." The demons said, "Master, you needn't help. Our Second Great King has certain magical powers. He dispatched three great mountains to press down upon Sun Wukong, pinning him to the ground so that he can't move an inch. He sent us two here to use our treasures to trap him." The Pilgrim asked, "What treasures are those?" The Careful Devil said, "Mine is the red gourd. His is the jade vase." The Pilgrim asked, "How do you use them to trap him?" The lesser demons said, "You turn the treasure upside down so that its base faces the sky and its mouth faces the ground, then call out to him. If he answers, he'll be sucked inside. Then you paste on it a label reading, 'By the Order of the Supreme Venerable Sovereign, with the authority of the law, swiftly obey,' and within an hour and a half, he'll dissolve into pus." Hearing this, the Pilgrim was inwardly alarmed. "Fierce, fierce! When the guardian spirit of the hours reported earlier, he said there were five treasures—these are two of them. I wonder what the other three might be?" The Pilgrim said with a smile, "Would you two let me have a look at your treasures?" The lesser demons had no idea of any secret trick. They pulled out the two treasures from their sleeves and handed them over with both hands. The Pilgrim looked at them and was inwardly delighted. "What fine things! What fine things! If I just broke off a tail hair and whooshed away, it would be like a gift to old Sun." But then he thought again, "No, no. I could just snatch them and go, but that would ruin old Sun's reputation. That would be called robbery in broad daylight." He handed them back and said, "You haven't seen my treasure yet." The demons said, "What treasure do you have, Master? Let us poor mortals have a look—it might ward off disasters."

The splendid Great Sage reached down and plucked a single hair from his tail. He gave it a pinch and shouted, "Change!" It instantly transformed into a large purple-gold red gourd, seven inches tall, which he pulled out from his waist. "Look at my gourd!" The Clever Bug took it in his hand and examined it. "Master, your gourd is tall and large, with a fine shape and handsome appearance—but it's just not practical." The Pilgrim said, "Why isn't it practical?" The demon said, "Each of our two treasures can trap a thousand people." The Pilgrim said, "What's so remarkable about your human-trapping gourds? My gourd can trap even Heaven itself inside." The demon said, "It can trap Heaven?" The Pilgrim said, "It really can trap Heaven." The demon said, "I suspect you're lying. Trap it for us to see and then we'll believe you. Otherwise, we definitely won't believe you." The Pilgrim said, "If Heaven angers me, I trap him seven or eight times in a single month. If Heaven doesn't anger me, I won't trap him even once in half a year." The Clever Bug said, "Brother, a treasure that can traps Heaven—let's trade for it!" The Careful Devil said, "He has a Heaven-trapping gourd—why would he trade it for our human-trapping one?" The Clever Bug said, "If he won't trade, let's add this jade vase to the deal." The Pilgrim was inwardly delighted. "A gourd for a gourd, plus the jade vase on top—one item for two, a very fair exchange indeed." He stepped forward, grabbed the Clever Bug, and said, "Will you trade for the Heaven-trapping gourd?" The demon said, "If it really traps Heaven, I'll trade. If I don't trade, I'll be your son." The Pilgrim said, "Very well, very well. Let me trap it for you to see."

The splendid Great Sage lowered his head, formed the spell-sign, and murmured an incantation. He called out to the Day Patrol Spirit, the Night Patrol Spirit, and the Five Directional Guardian Deities: "Go at once and report to the Jade Emperor that old Sun has converted to the true faith and is protecting Tripitaka on his journey to the West to fetch the scriptures. We are blocked by a high mountain, and our master is in distress. The demons possess treasures, and I wish to trick them into trading. I bow a thousand times—please lend me Heaven to trap for half an hour to aid in this endeavor. If you refuse even the slightest bit, I will ascend to the Palace of the Divine Empyrean and raise my weapons."

On that day the roaming deity went straight to the Gate of the Southern Heaven and, beneath the Palace of the Spiritual Firmament, memorialized the Jade Emperor, recounting the whole affair in full. The Jade Emperor said: "This wretched monkey speaks without decorum. Earlier, Guanyin petitioned to release him to protect the Tang monk, and I here dispatched the Five Direction Revealing Spirits and the Four Duty Merit Officials to take turns guarding him. Now he even asks to borrow Heaven to be packed up—can Heaven be packed?" He had barely said it could not be done when Prince Nezha, the Third Lotus Prince, stepped forward from the ranks and memorialized: "Your Majesty, Heaven can indeed be packed." The Jade Emperor said: "How can Heaven be packed?" Nezha said: "Since the division of primeval chaos, the light and pure became Heaven, the heavy and turbid became Earth. Heaven is a mass of pure qi that supports the jade celestial palaces; in principle, it is indeed difficult to pack. But Sun Wukong is protecting the Tang monk on his westward journey to fetch the scriptures—truly it is a blessing as great as Mount Tai and a fortune as deep as the sea. Today we ought to help him succeed." The Jade Emperor said: "How do you propose to help?" Nezha said: "Please issue an edict and go to the North Heavenly Gate to ask Zhenwu to lend the Banner of the Black Eagle. Unfurl it atop the Gate of the Southern Heaven and shut out the sun, moon, and stars. So that no one can see the person opposite, and white cannot be distinguished from black, we can fool the demon into believing that Heaven has been packed up, thereby aiding the Victorious One's success." The Jade Emperor, upon hearing this, said: "We grant your petition." The prince received the edict and went to the North Heavenly Gate, where he saw Zhenwu and related the whole affair. The Patriarch thereupon handed the banner over to the prince.

Already a roaming deity descended swiftly to the Great Sage's ear and said: "Prince Nezha has come to lend his aid." The Victorious One looked up and saw auspicious clouds swirling about—truly a deity had arrived. He turned back to the little demons and said: "Let us pack Heaven now." The little demon said: "Pack it then, pack it—why keep dawdling about like pulling cotton-shit?" The Victorious One said: "I was just now circulating my spirit and reciting the spell." All the little demons opened their eyes wide to see how he would pack Heaven. The Victorious One tossed up a false gourd. Consider: this was transformed from a single hair—how heavy could it be? The wind atop the mountain blew it away, and it drifted and tumbled for a good half an hour before it finally fell. Meanwhile, above the Gate of the Southern Heaven, Prince Nezha unfurled the black banner with a flapping sound, completely concealing the sun, moon, and stars. Truly it was as though the cosmos had been dyed in ink and the universe painted in indigo. The two little demons were greatly astonished and said: "When we were talking just now, it was barely midday—how is it already dusk?" The Victorious One said: "Since Heaven has been packed, one cannot tell the time—how could it not be dusk?" "And why is it so dark?" The Victorious One said: "The sun, moon, and stars are all packed inside; there is no light without—how could it not be dark?" The little demon said: "Master, where are you talking from?" The Victorious One said: "Am I not right in front of you?" The little demon reached out and felt about and said: "I only hear your voice, but cannot see your face at all. Master, what sort of place is this?" The Victorious One deceived him again and said: "Do not move your feet—this is the shore of the Bo Sea. If you stumble and fall in, you won't reach the bottom in seven or eight days." The little demon was greatly alarmed and said: "Enough, enough! Let Heaven back out—we understand now how it is packed. If you keep this up a while longer, we'll fall into the sea and never get home."

The clever Victorious One, seeing that they had truly believed it, recited the spell again to alert the prince, who rolled up the banner—and at once the midday sun shone bright. The little demon laughed and said: "Marvelous! Marvelous! Such a fine treasure—if we don't exchange it, we'd truly be unworthy sons who cannot keep a household together." The Crafty Ghost handed over the gourd, and the Clever Bug produced the pure vase, both presenting them together to the Victorious One. The Victorious One then gave the false gourd to the little demons in exchange. Having exchanged the treasures, he played yet another trick: he plucked a hair from beneath his navel, blew on it with immortal breath, and transformed it into a copper coin. He called out: "Little lads, take this coin and buy a sheet of paper." The little demon said: "What for?" The Victorious One said: "I will write a contract document for you. You have exchanged these two treasures that can pack people for my one treasure that can pack Heaven. Lest hearts be uneasy and, with the passing of many years, there be regrets or disputes, I am writing this so that each party may hold a copy as proof." The little demon said: "There is no ink or brush here—what document can be written? Let us swear an oath instead." The Victorious One said: "How shall we swear?" The little demon said: "Our two treasures that pack people are being traded for your one treasure that packs Heaven. If either of us ever regrets it, may he suffer pestilence through all four seasons." The Victorious One laughed and said: "I will never regret it; if I do, may I likewise suffer pestilence through all four seasons."

Having sworn the oath, he gave his body a leap, flicked his tail once, and jumped down before the Gate of the Southern Heaven, where he thanked Prince Nezha for his help with the banner. The prince returned to the palace to report the completion of his mission and returned the banner to Zhenwu—of this, no more. The Victorious One stood amid the firmament, watching that little demon.

How exactly he would deal with the situation remains unknown—let us listen to the explanation in the next chapter.