Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Now the two lesser demons held the false gourd in their hands and examined it for a while. Suddenly they looked up and the Pilgrim was nowhere to be seen. The Clever Worm said, "Elder brother, even immortals tell lies. He said he would trade treasures and help us become immortals, and yet he left without a word!" The Cunning Devil said, "We've already gotten the better deal. How could he have gotten away? Hand me the gourd—let me try filling Heaven with it and give it a test." He tossed the gourd into the air, and it came clattering right back down. The Clever Worm was alarmed and said, "Why won't it fill? Why won't it? Could it be that Sun Wukong disguised himself as an immortal and swapped the false gourd for our real one?" The Cunning Devil said, "Don't talk nonsense. Sun Wukong is pinned down under those three mountains. How could he have gotten out? Hand it over. Let me recite those few lines of incantation and try filling it." This demon also hurled the gourd into the air and recited: "If there is the slightest refusal, up to the Hall of Divine Majesty we shall go and set armies in motion." Before he could finish, the gourd came clattering down again. Both demons said, "It won't fill, it won't fill—this must be a fake!"

Just as they were shouting about it, the Great Sage, up in the heavens, heard everything clearly and saw everything plainly. Fearing that if they fooled around much longer, something might go wrong at a critical moment, he shook his body and recalled the hair he had transformed into the gourd. The two demons suddenly found their hands empty. The Cunning Devil said, "Brother, hand me the gourd." The Clever Worm said, "You're holding it." "Heaven! Where has it gone?" They scrambled about on the ground searching, rummaged through the grass, stuffed their hands up their sleeves, patted their waists—but where was it to be found? The two demons were so frightened they stood there stunned. "What shall we do? What shall we do? When the Great King entrusted us with the treasures and told us to capture Sun Wukong, we not only failed to capture Wukong, but even lost the treasures. How dare we go back and report? We'll be beaten to death for certain. What shall we do? What shall we do!" The Clever Worm said, "Let's run away." The Cunning Devil said, "Where would we run?" The Clever Worm said, "Anywhere—it doesn't matter. If we go back and say we've lost the treasures, we'll certainly be put to death." The Cunning Devil said, "Don't run. Let's go back. The Second King thinks highly of you. I'll put the blame on you. If he's willing to let it slide, we'll keep our lives. If he won't, we'll be beaten to death—but at least we'll die here. Don't let us end up losing on both sides. Come on, come on." The demons discussed it and turned back toward the mountain.

The Pilgrim, watching from midair as they turned back, transformed himself once more into a fly and flew down to follow the lesser demons. You might ask: since he had turned into a fly, where had he put the treasure? If he had left it on the road or hidden it in the grass and someone had seen it and taken it, wouldn't all his efforts have been for nothing? He carried it on his person. But a fly is no larger than a bean—how could it carry anything? The truth was that his treasure, like his golden-banded cudgel, was called a Compliant Buddha Treasure. It changed size as he willed—it could grow large or small—so it could be carried on his person as well.

With a buzz he flew down and kept close to the demons. Before long they reached the cave. There the two demon kings were sitting drinking wine, and the lesser demons knelt before them. The Pilgrim alighted on the door-frame and listened with pricked ears. The lesser demon said, "Great Kings!" The two elder demons stopped their cups and said, "You're back?" The lesser demon said, "We're back." They asked again, "Did you capture Sun Wukong?" The lesser demon kowtowed and dared not speak. The elder demon asked again, and again he dared not answer—he only kowtowed. After being asked three times, the lesser demon prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Pardon us for ten thousand deaths! Pardon us for ten thousand deaths! We carried the treasure and had gone halfway down the mountain when we met an immortal from Mount Penglai. He asked us where we were going, and we replied, 'To capture Sun Wukong.' When the immortal heard the name Sun Wukong, he too bore a grudge against him and wanted to help us. We hadn't asked for his help, but we told him how our treasure could capture people. The immortal also had a gourd that could fill Heaven. We, being foolish and wanting to keep something for ourselves, thought: his captures Heaven, my captures people—let's trade them. We said gourd for gourd, and the Clever Worm threw in a clean vase as well. Who would have thought that an immortal's treasure cannot be handled by mortal hands? Just as we were testing it out, the immortal vanished along with the gourd. We beg you to spare us from death."

When the old fiend heard this, he flew into a rage like thunder and said, "It's over, it's over! This was Sun Wukong disguising himself as an immortal and tricking us out of it. That monkey's divine powers are vast, and he knows people everywhere. I don't know which hairy deity let him out to steal our treasure."

The second fiend said, "Brother, calm your anger. That monkey is truly insolent. Since he had the ability to escape, so be it—but why did he also have to trick us out of our treasure? If I cannot capture him, I shall never again be a menace on the road to the West."

The old fiend said, "How shall we capture him?"

The second fiend said, "We have five treasures. Two are gone, but three remain. We must use them to catch him."

The old fiend said, "Which three remain?"

The second fiend said, "The Seven-Star Sword and the Palm-Leaf Fan are with me. As for the Golden-Rope, it is kept by our Old Mother at Dragon-Suppressing Cave on Dragon-Suppressing Mountain. Let us send two little fiends to invite the Old Mother to come and eat the flesh of the Tang Monk, and have her bring the Golden-Rope to capture Sun Wukong."

The old fiend said, "Whom shall we send?"

The second fiend said, "We won't send those worthless creatures." He called out to the Crafty Ghost and the Clever Worm, who said, "What fortune! What fortune! We haven't been beaten or scolded, and now we're spared."

The second fiend said, "Bring me the attendants Bashan Hu and Yihai Long." The two knelt down, and the second fiend instructed them, "You must be careful." They both replied, "We'll be careful." "You must be thorough." They both replied, "We'll be thorough." He then asked, "Do you know the way to the Old Mother's house?" They both replied, "We know it."

"Since you know the way, go quickly. When you reach the Old Mother, pay her our respects and say we invite her to come eat the Tang Monk's flesh. Have her bring the Golden-Rope to capture Sun Wukong."

The two fiends received their orders and hurried off. Little did they know that the Pilgrim had heard everything clearly from the side. He spread his wings and flew after them, catching up with Bashan Hu and landing on his body. After traveling two or three miles, he was about to kill both of them. But then he thought, "Killing them would be easy enough, but the Old Mother has the Golden-Rope, and I don't know where she lives. Let me question them first before I strike."

The good Pilgrim buzzed and slipped away from the little fiends, letting them go ahead a hundred paces or so. Then he transformed himself into a little fiend, wearing a fox-fur cap and wrapping a tiger-skin skirt around himself. He hurried after them and called out, "You there on the road, wait for me!"

Yihai Long turned and asked, "Where are you from?"

The Pilgrim said, "Good brother, don't you even recognize one of your own?"

The little fiend said, "We don't have anyone like you in our family."

The Pilgrim said, "How can you say that? Look at me again."

The little fiend said, "You're a stranger. I've never met you before."

The Pilgrim said, "That's right. You haven't met me because I'm from an outside squad."

The little fiend said, "An outside squad officer—no, I haven't met you. Where are you going?"

The Pilgrim said, "The Great King said he was sending you two to invite the Old Mother to eat the Tang Monk's flesh and to have her bring the Golden-Rope to capture Sun Wukong. He feared you two might walk too slowly, dawdle, and miss the important business, so he sent me to hurry you along."

When the little fiends heard these inside details, they had no more suspicions and took the Pilgrim to be truly one of their own. They rushed forward at full speed, covering another eight or nine miles in one breath.

The Pilgrim said, "You're walking too fast. How far are we from home?"

The little fiends said, "About fifteen or sixteen miles."

The Pilgrim said, "How much farther?"

Yihai Long pointed and said, "It's in that dark grove ahead."

The Pilgrim looked up and saw a stretch of black forest not far off. He guessed the old fiend must be somewhere in or near the grove. He stopped and let the little fiends go ahead. Then he took out his iron staff, stepped forward, and swept it behind their feet. Pathetically fragile—they couldn't withstand a single blow, and the two little fiends were smashed into a single meat patty. He dragged them by the feet and hid them in the deep grass by the roadside. Then he plucked a single hair, blew on it with immortal breath, and called out, "Transform!" It turned into a Bashan Hu, while he himself transformed into a Yihai Long. Disguised as the two little fiends, he made his way straight to Dragon-Suppressing Cave to invite the Old Mother. This is what is meant by: "The seventy-two transformations possess great divine power; the ability to change into anything shows supreme skill."

In three or five bounds, he leaped into the grove. As he searched about, he saw two stone gates, half open and half closed. He dared not enter without permission, so he called out loudly, "Open the gate! Open the gate!"

This immediately startled a female fiend guarding the gate, who opened the half-door and asked, "Where are you from?"

The Pilgrim said, "I was sent from Lotus Cave on Flat-Top Mountain to invite the Old Mother."

The female fiend said, "Come in."

When he reached the second gate, he craned his neck to look inside and saw an old mother sitting in the center. How did she look? He saw:

Snow-white hair disheveled, starlight gleaming bright.

Her ruddy face wrinkled and lined, her sparse teeth full of vigor.

Her appearance like a flower weathered by frost, her form like an old pine after the rain.

Her head bound with a white silk scarf coiled with thread, her ears adorned with gold earrings set with precious gems.

When the Great Sage saw this, he dared not enter. He stood just outside the second gate, his face slack, and began to weep freely. You might wonder why he cried. Was it fear? If he were afraid, he would not have wept—and besides, he had already tricked the demon out of his treasure and slain his little minions. Why, then, did he weep? He had once been thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil and fried for seven or eight days without shedding a single tear. It was only because he thought of the hardships of his master Tang Seng's pilgrimage that tears poured from his heart and he wept openly. In his mind he thought: "Old Sun has shown his powers and transformed himself into a little demon to come invite this old fiend. It would not stand to reason that I should stand bolt upright and speak to him directly—I would certainly have to kowtow before him. In my life I have been a hero, and I have kowtowed to only three beings: I worshipped the Buddha in the Western Heaven; I worshipped Guanyin in the Southern Sea; and at the Mountain of Two Realms my master saved my life, and I kowtowed to him four times. For him I have crushed my liver and lungs to pieces and exhausted every fiber of my heart. What is a single scroll of scripture worth? And yet today I am made to bow before this fiend. If I do not kneel, word will certainly get out. Bitter! It seems that it is only because my master is trapped that I must suffer this humiliation."

Having come to this pass, he had no choice. He burst in, knelt before the demon, and said, "Grandmother, your grandson kowtows."

The fiend said, "My child, rise."

The Pilgrim thought to himself, "Good, good, good—she calls me that with real feeling!"

The old fiend asked, "Where do you come from?"

The Pilgrim said, "From the Lotus Cave of Flat-Top Mountain. The two great kings have sent orders summoning Grandmother to come eat the flesh of the Tang monk. They also told me to bring the Golden-Rope Drapery to capture Sun Wukong."

The old fiend was overjoyed. "What a filial son!" She then ordered that a sedan chair be brought out.

The Pilgrim said, "My child, do demons ride in sedan chairs too?"

From the back chambers two female demons brought out a fragrant rattan sedan chair, set it outside the gate, and hung it with blue silk curtains. The old fiend rose, left the cave, and seated herself in the chair. Behind her several lesser female demons carried cosmetic boxes, held up a mirror stand, brought a hand towel, and bore an incense box, attending her on either side. The old fiend said, "Why have you come? I am going to my own son's place—do you think there will be no one there to serve me? Go back, all of you, and guard the house behind closed doors." The little demons indeed all returned, leaving only the two who carried the sedan chair.

The old fiend asked, "What is the name of the one who was sent to invite me?"

The Pilgrim quickly answered, "He is called Bashanhu, and I am called Yihailong."

The old fiend said, "You two go ahead and clear the road for me."

The Pilgrim thought to himself: "What bad luck! I haven't even obtained the scriptures yet, and now I'm running errands for a demon." But he dared not resist and could only lead the way, shouting loudly as he went.

After traveling five or six li, he sat down on a rocky ledge and waited for the sedan-bearers to catch up. The Pilgrim said, "How about a rest? My shoulders ache from the carrying."

The little demons knew nothing of his scheme and set the sedan chair down. The Pilgrim, standing behind the chair, plucked a hair from his chest and transformed it into a large baked cake, which he held and began to eat.

The bearers said, "Sir, what are you eating?"

The Pilgrim said, "It's not worth mentioning. It's a long road to come invite Grandmother, and we received no reward. My stomach was empty, so I brought some dried provisions—let me eat a bit before we go on."

The bearers said, "Give us some to eat too."

The Pilgrim laughed with a smile, "Come now—we're all one family. Why be so particular?"

The little demons, not knowing any better, surrounded the Pilgrim and divided his provisions among themselves. The Pilgrim pulled out his staff and swung it at their heads: one was struck full on and smashed to a pulp; the other was grazed and, though not dead, lay groaning.

The old fiend, hearing the groan, poked her head out of the sedan chair to look. The Pilgrim leaped to the front of the chair and brought his staff down on her head with a single blow, smashing a hole through it. Brain matter spurted out and blood flowed freely. He dragged her from the chair and saw that she was a nine-tailed fox spirit.

The Pilgrim laughed: "Wretched creature! You call yourself Grandmother? If you're Grandmother, then you should be calling Old Sun the Great Ancestor Grandfather!"

The splendid Monkey King searched her person and found the Golden-Rope Drapery, which he tucked into his sleeve, delighted. "That fiend may have his tricks, but now all three treasures belong to old Sun!" He then plucked two hairs and transformed them into Bashanhu and Yihailong; he plucked two more and transformed them into two sedan-bearers. He himself took on the appearance of the old Grandmother and seated himself in the sedan chair. The chair was lifted, and they made straight back along the road.

Before long they arrived at the entrance of the Lotus Cave. The little demons created from the hairs called out ahead: "Open the gate! Open the gate!" The gatekeeping demon opened the door and said, "Are you Bashanhu and Yihailong?"

The hairs answered, "We are."

"And did you bring Grandmother?"

The hairs pointed and said, "Isn't that her in the sedan chair?"

The little demon said, "Wait here. I'll go in first to report." He announced, "Great King, Grandmother has come!"

The two demon kings, hearing this, immediately ordered that an incense table be set up to receive her. The Pilgrim, hearing this, thought joyfully with secret delight: "What fortune—it's my turn to be someone of importance! Before, I transformed into a little demon and went to invite the old fiend, and I had to kowtow to her once. This time I've come as the old fiend, their mother, and they will certainly perform the ceremony of four bows. It's not much, but at least I'll earn two kowtows from them."

The splendid Great Sage stepped down from the sedan chair, straightened his clothes, and gathered the four hairs back onto his body. The gatekeeping demon carried the empty chair inside. He himself followed slowly, with a coy and mincing gait, swaying and affected, imitating the old fiend's manner of walking, and went straight in. All around him, demons great and small came to kneel and receive him. Flutes and lutes played in a splendid chorus; from the mountain-shaped censer, fragrant smoke curled upward. He reached the main hall and sat facing south. The two demon kings dropped to their knees, kowtowed toward him, and called out, "Mother, your sons pay their respects."

The Pilgrim said, "My children, rise."

Now Pigsy was hanging from the rafters, and he let out a loud laugh. Sandy said, "Not bad, brother—you've even managed to laugh while you're strung up." Pigsy said, "Brother, there's a reason for my laughter." Sandy said, "What reason?" Pigsy said, "We were all afraid that Grandmother had come and was going to steam us for a meal. Turns out it's not Grandmother—it's an old acquaintance." Sandy said, "What old acquaintance?" Pigsy said with a grin, "The Stable Master has come." Sandy said, "How do you know it's him?" Pigsy said, "He bent over and called out, 'Get up, my child,' and then I saw him tuck up his monkey tail behind him. I'm hanging higher than you, so I can see clearly." Sandy said, "Let's stop talking and listen to what he says." Pigsy said, "Right, right."

The Great Sage Sun sat in the middle and asked, "My child, what business did you invite me here for?" The demon chief said, "Mother, your children have been remiss in their manners these past days and have failed to show proper filial devotion. This morning my worthy brothers captured the Tang monk from the Eastern lands, but we did not dare to eat him on our own. We have invited Mother here to present him alive, so that he may be steamed and served to Mother to prolong her life." Pilgrim Sun said, "My child, I have no interest in eating the flesh of Tang Monk. But I hear that Pigsy's ears are quite good. You can cut them down, prepare them properly, and serve them to me as a snack with my wine." When Pigsy heard this, he panicked and said, "You plague! You've come to cut off my ears? If I start shouting, it won't sound pretty at all."

Ah! It was only because Foolish Pigsy spoke one careless word that the wind of the Monkey King's transformation was undone. Several little demons who had been patrolling the mountain and the various devils guarding the gate all rushed in and reported, "Great King, disaster! Sun Xingzhe has killed Grandmother—he's here in disguise!" When the demon chief heard these words, he would not listen to any explanation. He drew his Seven-Star Precious Sword and hacked straight at Pilgrim's face. The Great Sage gave his body a shake, and there was a flash of red light throughout the cave—he had already left beforehand. With such abilities, it was truly a fine game. Indeed, he could gather himself into a form and scatter himself into vapor.

The old demon chief was so frightened that his soul flew and his spirit scattered, and all the host of demons bit their fingers and shook their heads. The old demon said, "Brother, send Tang Monk, Sandy, Pigsy, the white horse, and the luggage all back to that Sun Xingzhe, and shut the door on this whole affair." The second demon said, "Elder Brother, what kind of talk is that? You have no idea how much effort I have expended and how many schemes I have devised to capture those monks. Now because you are afraid of Sun Xingzhe's cunning tricks, you want to send them all back to him? You are truly what they call a man who fears the sword and shuns the blade—surely no great hero would act thus! Sit down and do not be afraid. I hear you say that Sun Xingzhe has vast magical powers, but although I have met him once, I have never tested my strength against him. Fetch my armor and weapons. Let me go and fight him three rounds. If he defeats me in three bouts, then Tang Monk will still be our meal; if I cannot defeat him in three bouts, it will not be too late to return Tang Monk to him afterward." The old demon said, "Younger Brother speaks wisely." He ordered that the armor and weapons be brought out.

The demons carried out the armor and weapons. The second demon put them on properly, took up his precious sword, and went outside, shouting, "Sun Xingzhe, where have you run off to?" By now the Great Sage was already up in the clouds. Hearing someone call his name, he quickly turned to look—it was the second demon. See how he was attired:

His helmet of phoenix feathers outshone the winter snow;

His battle armor gleamed brighter than forged iron.

At his waist was a belt of python-dragon sinew;

His powder-leather boots were pleated like plum blossoms.

His face was alive like the warrior of Guankou;

His features matched the Giant Spirit not a whit.

The Seven-Star Precious Sword he held in his hand,

His wrathful fury surged to the skies, fierce and terrible.

The second demon shouted loudly, "Sun Xingzhe, quickly return my treasures and my mother to me, and I will spare you to take Tang Monk west to fetch the scriptures." The Great Sage could not restrain himself from cursing, "You wretched creature—you've mistaken your Grandpa Sun! You'd better hurry up and return my master, my disciples, my white horse, and my luggage, and throw in some traveling money for me to continue west. If you utter even half a 'no' from between your teeth, then go and twist yourself a rope and hang yourself—it'll save your Grandpa the trouble of lifting a hand." When the second demon heard these words, he swiftly leaped into the sky and swung his precious sword to stab at him. Pilgrim drew his iron staff and met him head-on. The two of them fought in mid-air—what a splendid battle!

When foes meet their match, when generals face worthy talents. When foes meet their match, their spirits cannot be hidden; when generals face worthy talents, their powers can be put to use. Those two divine warriors clashed—it was truly like a tiger fighting on South Mountain or a dragon contending in the Northern Sea. Where the dragon contended, its scales gleamed with light; where the tiger fought, its claws and fangs scattered in confusion. Claws and fangs scattered like silver hooks; scales gleamed and bristled like iron leaves. The one twisted and turned with a thousand different techniques; the other came and went without a moment's slack. The Golden-Hooped Staff was only three inches from the top of his head; the Seven-Star Sword aimed for his heart, barely a hair's breadth away. The one's awesome might made the stars of the Dipper and Ox grow cold; the other's wrathful fury was more perilous than thunder and lightning.

They fought for thirty rounds with neither gaining the upper hand.

Pilgrim thought to himself with secret delight, "This wretched creature can actually hold his own against old Sun's iron staff. I've already got his three treasures, yet here I am fighting him so hard—won't this waste my time? Better to use the gourd or the pure vase to trap him; that would be the best." Then he thought again, "No, no. As the saying goes, 'Things obey their master.' If I call him and he doesn't answer, won't that ruin my plans? Better to use the Golden-Hooped Rope to snare him first." So the Great Sage, with one hand wielding his staff to fend off the demon's weapon, and with the other hand taking hold of the rope, lashed it out and snared the demon chief.

The demon lord had a Tightening Rope Spell and a Loosing Rope Spell. When he bound others, he recited the Tightening Rope Spell, and none could escape; when he bound his own, he recited the Loosing Rope Spell, and no harm came to the body. Recognizing that the treasure was his own, he recited the Loosing Rope Spell, loosened the rope, and slipped free. He then hurled the rope at the Pilgrim, and it promptly bound the Great Sage. The Great Sage was just about to use his "Shrinking Body Technique" to escape when the demon recited the Tightening Rope Spell, binding him fast—how could he break free? When the rope slipped down below his neck, it was a golden ring that held him fast. The demon yanked the rope down and struck the bald head with his jeweled sword seven or eight times. Not even a red mark appeared on the Pilgrim's scalp. The demon said, "You monkey, your head is so hard I won't bother cutting you. I'll take you back and beat you there. Now return my two treasures to me at once." The Pilgrim said, "What treasures of yours do I have? Why ask me?" The demon searched his person carefully and found the gourd and the purification vase. Then, leading him by the rope, he brought him into the cave and said, "Elder Brother, I've caught him." The old demon asked, "Whom have you caught?" The second demon said, "Sun Wukong. Come look, come look." The old demon recognized the Pilgrim at a glance and beamed with delight. "It's him, it's him! Tie him to the pillar with that long rope and let's have some fun." They tied the Pilgrim to the pillar, and the two demon lords went into the back hall to drink wine.

The Great Sage writhed at the base of the pillar and startled Zhu Bajie, who was hanging from the beam above. The fool laughed loudly: "Brother, no more ears for you to eat!" The Pilgrim said, "Fool, are you comfortable hanging there? I'm getting out right now and will surely rescue you." Bajie said, "Shame on you, shame on you! You can't even free yourself, yet you want to save others. Forget it, forget it—if master and disciples all die together, at least we can ask directions in the underworld." The Pilgrim said, "Stop talking nonsense. Watch me get out." Bajie said, "I'd like to see how you manage that." While the Great Sage spoke with Bajie, his eyes were on the two demons. He saw them drinking wine inside, with several little demons carrying plates and cups, pouring wine, running back and forth without cease—the watch had slackened somewhat. Seeing no one before him, he worked his magic: he pulled out his staff, blew immortal breath upon it, and cried, "Transform!" It became a pure steel file. He pried at the ring around his neck and filed it three or five times, breaking it in two. He pried open the file's mouth and slipped free. He plucked a hair, transformed it into a false body, and tied it there. His true form flickered and became a little demon, standing to the side. Bajie shouted from the beam, "Bad news, bad news! The one tied up is the fake—the one hanging is the real one!" The old demon paused with his cup and asked, "What is that Zhu Bajie shouting about?" The Pilgrim, now transformed into a little demon, stepped forward and said, "Zhu Bajie is egging Sun Wukong to use transformations and escape. He won't go, so he's shouting." The second demon said, "They said Zhu Bajie was honest—turns out he's not honest at all. He deserves twenty strokes of the rod for his loose tongue."

The Pilgrim went to fetch a rod to strike him. Bajie said, "Hit me lightly—if it's too hard, I'll start shouting again, and I'll recognize you." The Pilgrim said, "Old Sun transformed for your sake—how did you give me away? None of the demons in this cave can recognize me, so how did you?" Bajie said, "You may have changed your face, but you haven't changed your backside—aren't those two red patches there? That's how I knew it was you." The Pilgrim went around to the back, slipped into the kitchen, rubbed his hands on the bottom of a pot, and smeared both buttocks black. He came back to the front. Bajie saw him and laughed again: "That monkey's been messing about somewhere and come back with a black backside."

The Pilgrim stood before them, ready to steal their treasures. He showed true cunning: he walked up to the hall, tugged the demon's leg, and said, "Great King, look at Sun Wukong tied to the pillar, writhing left and right, wearing out that golden rope. You ought to replace it with a sturdier one." The old demon said, "Well spoken." He unstrapped his lion-belt at the waist and handed it to the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim took the belt, tied up the false Pilgrim with it, and pocketed the rope, coiling it up in his sleeve. He plucked another hair, blew immortal breath upon it, transformed it into a false Rope of Golden Radiance, and presented it with both hands to the demon. The demon, being absorbed in his wine, did not examine it closely and simply accepted it. Such was the Great Sage's skill in trickery—a hair had traded for the Rope of Golden Radiance.

Having obtained this precious treasure, he hastily turned and darted out the door, resumed his true form, and cried out at the top of his voice: "Demon!" The little demon guarding the gate asked, "Who are you, shouting here?" Pilgrim said, "Quickly go inside and report to your accursed fiend that Sun Xingzhe has arrived." The little demon reported this as told, and the old fiend was greatly alarmed. "We captured Sun Wukong—how can there also be a Sun Xingzhe?" The second fiend said, "Elder brother, why fear him? The treasures are all in my hands. Let me take the gourd out and capture him." The old fiend said, "Younger brother, be careful." The second fiend took the gourd and walked out of the mountain gate. Suddenly he saw someone who looked exactly like Sun Wukong, only slightly shorter. He asked, "Where do you come from?" Pilgrim said, "I am Sun Wukong's brother. I heard you have seized my elder brother, and I have come to settle accounts with you." The second fiend said, "I did capture him—he is locked in the cave. Since you are here, you must want a fight. But I will not engage you in battle. I will simply call your name. Do you dare answer me?" Pilgrim said, "You could call a thousand times and I would answer you ten thousand!" The fiend seized his treasure, leaped into the air, turned the bottom skyward and the mouth earthward, and called out: "Sun Xingzhe!" Pilgrim did not dare answer. He thought to himself, "If I answer, I will be captured inside." The fiend said, "Why don't you answer me?" Pilgrim said, "My ears are somewhat blocked—I didn't hear. Call louder." The creature called again: "Sun Xingzhe!" Pilgrman down below counted on his fingers and thought, "My real name is Sun Wukong, and my false name is Sun Xingzhe. My real name might be captured, but surely a false name cannot be." Unable to restrain himself, he answered with a cry. Whoosh—he was sucked into the gourd, and a label was pasted on it. That precious treasure, it turned out, cared nothing for whether a name was real or false—it only needed the breath of a response to capture its victim.

Once the Great Sage was inside the gourd, all was pitch black. He pushed his head upward, but it could not budge—the opening was sealed so tightly. Only then did he begin to feel anxious. "When I met those two little fiends in the mountain, they told me that whether it be a gourd or a purification bottle, anyone placed inside would be reduced to pus in the time of three quarter-hours. Could it be that I am being melted?" Then another thought occurred to him: "It's all right—I cannot be melted. Five hundred years ago, old Sun caused havoc in Heaven and was placed by the Supreme Venerable Taoist in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, where I was refined for forty-nine days and given a golden heart, silver lungs, a copper head, iron back, and fiery eyes with golden pupils. How could I be melted in just three quarter-hours? I'll go along with it and see what he does."

The second fiend brought the gourd inside and said, "Elder brother, I've caught him." The old fiend asked, "Whom did you catch?" The second fiend said, "Sun Xingzhe—I've got him in the gourd." The old fiend said joyfully, "Younger brother, please sit down. Don't move it yet—wait until we can shake it and hear a sound before removing the label." Pilgrim overheard this and thought, "A body like mine—how could shaking it produce a sound? Only if I were reduced to liquid would it rattle. Let me piss in it. If he shakes it and hears a sound, he'll surely remove the label and lift the lid. Then I'll seize the chance and escape, damn it!" Then he thought again, "No, no. Though urine might make a noise, it would soil this robe. When he shakes it, I'll gather some saliva, swish it around with a gurgling sound, trick him into lifting the lid, and old Sun will make his getaway." The Great Sage made his preparations, but the fiend, being greedy for wine, did not shake the gourd. The Great Sage used a trick, his only intention being to coax him into shaking it. Suddenly he cried out, "Heaven! My hip bones have melted!" The fiend still did not shake it. The Great Sage cried again, "Mother! Even the bones at my waist have melted!" The old fiend said, "When the melting reaches the waist, it should be complete. Let's lift the label and take a look."

Upon hearing this, the Great Sage plucked a single hair and cried: "Change!" It changed into a half-body at the bottom of the gourd. His true body transformed into a tiny cricket and perched by the mouth of the gourd. When the second fiend lifted the label to look, the Great Sage had already flown out. He rolled on the ground and transformed into a Sea-Side Dragon—a little fiend who had originally been sent to invite the Old Grandmother. Having transformed, he stood to one side. The old fiend peered into the mouth of the gourd and saw what appeared to be a half-body moving inside. Without checking whether it was real or false, he hastily cried, "Brother, cover it, cover it! He hasn't finished melting yet!" The second fiend pasted the label back on as before. The Great Sage laughed to himself from the side, "He doesn't know old Sun is already here."

The old demon took the pot and poured a full cup of wine, then stepped forward and offered it with both hands to the second demon, saying, "Younger brother, let me pass you a cup."

The second demon said, "Elder brother, we have already been drinking for quite some time—why pass another cup?"

The old demon said: "It was well enough that you captured Tripitaka, Pigsy, and Sandy, but you went further and demanded Sun Wukong himself, then imprisoned Zhe Xing Sun. Such great merit deserves several extra cups for you."

Seeing his elder brother showing such respect, how dare the second demon refuse to accept? But with one hand holding the gourd, he dared not reach out with the other, so he passed the gourd to Yihailong and used both hands to receive the cup. Little did he know that Yihailong was Sun Wukong in disguise. Watch him holding the gourd and serving with earnest devotion. The second demon, having drunk the wine, wanted to offer a cup in return. The old demon said: "No need to return the cup—I shall drink one with you here." The two of them kept deferring and yielding to each other.

The Pilgrim, bearing the gourd, kept his eyes fixed without blinking, watching the two pass cups back and forth on either side, entirely oblivious. He slipped the gourd into his sleeve, pulled out a single hair, and transformed it into a false gourd, identical in every way, which he held in his hand. After the demons had passed cups for some time, they did not examine whether it was real or false—the demon simply seized the treasure and took it back. Each returned to his seat, sat down in peace, and continued drinking. Great Sage Sun withdrew and slipped away. Having obtained the treasure, he secretly rejoiced in his heart: "For all these demons' cunning, the gourd still belongs to Sun."

But how will matters proceed henceforth, and how will he manage his master's deliverance and the demons' destruction? Listen to the explanation in the next chapter.