第035回

Chapter 35

His nature luminous and bright, his Way flows free of obstruction;

He turns his body and leaps beyond the net and the snare.

Cultivating transformations was no easy feat,

Refining an immortal life—how could it be the same as the common way?

Through turbidity and clarity, revolving several times with the turning of the cosmos,

He cleaves open countless kalpas, moving west and east as he wills.

Unfettered for ten thousand billion years beyond all reckoning,

A single point of divine light forever pours into the void.

This verse secretly accords with the subtle Way of the Great Sage Sun. Having obtained the demon's true treasure, he tucked it into his sleeve and said with delight, "That fiend exhausted his wits trying to capture me—truly a case of 'fishing the moon from the water.' But if old Sun wanted to seize you, it would be as easy as playing with ice over a fire." Hiding the gourd, he slipped out the door quietly, resumed his true form, and cried out in a fierce, loud voice, "Open up, you demon!" A little demon nearby said, "And who are you, that you dare shout and demand entry?" Pilgrim said, "Quickly report to your old fiend that I, Sun the Pilgrim, have arrived."

The little demon hurried inside and reported, "Your Majesty, outside the gate there is someone called Sun the Pilgrim." The old demon was greatly alarmed and said, "Younger brother, this is bad—we've stirred up a whole nest of them. The Rope of Concealment is already binding Sun the Pilgrim, and the gourd has already trapped Zhe Sun the Pilgrim. How can there be yet another Sun the Pilgrim? I suppose all his brothers have come." The second demon said, "Brother, rest easy. This gourd of mine can hold a thousand men. I've only put one Zhe Sun the Pilgrim inside—why should I fear any Sun the Pilgrim? Let me go out and take a look, and I'll trap him too while I'm at it." The old demon said, "Brother, be careful."

Watch—the second demon took the false gourd and, just as before, strode out the gate with a swagger and a swaggering air, shouting loudly, "Where do you come from, that you dare shout and make demands here?" Pilgrim said, "You don't recognize me:

My home is on Flower-Fruit Mountain,

My ancestral home the Water-Curtain Cave.

I once raised havoc in the Heavenly Palace,

And for a long time contended in strife.

Now at last I've escaped calamity,

And abandoned the Way to take up the monk's vocation.

Following the teaching, I journey to Thunder Sound,

Seeking the scriptures and returning to true enlightenment.

Meeting you wild, unruly fiend, I match my divine power with yours.

Return the monk of Great Tang to me,

That he may go west and visit the Buddhist sage.

Let both sides cease this battle,

Each keeping to his own peaceful domain.

Don't provoke old Sun to fury,

Or you'll be maimed and lose your old life."

The demon said, "Come closer. I won't fight you. But I'll call your name—dare you answer?" Pilgrim laughed and said, "You call me, and I'll answer. But if I call you, will you answer?" The demon said, "When I call you, I have a precious gourd that can trap people. But when you call me, what do you have?" Pilgrim said, "I too have a gourd." The demon said, "Since you have one, show it to me." Pilgrim took the gourd from his sleeve and said, "Fiend, look at this." He flashed it once, then hid it back in his sleeve, fearing the demon might snatch it.

The demon saw it and was greatly shocked. "Where did he get his gourd? How can it be exactly like mine? Even if they grew from the same vine, there should be some difference in size, some variation in form—how can they be identical?" He then called out sternly, "Sun the Pilgrim, where did you get that gourd?" Pilgrim genuinely did not know its origin, but he seized the opening and turned the question back at him: "Where did you get yours?" The demon, lacking any guile, took it to be an honest question and told him the whole story from the beginning: "My gourd comes from the time when primordial chaos first divided and heaven and earth were opened. There was a Supreme Patriarch of the Way, who incarnated herself as Nüwa, the goddess who smelted stones to repair the heavens and saved the world of Jambudvīpa. When she reached the palace of Qian to mend the sky, she saw at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains a celestial vine, on which grew this purple-gold red gourd. It is the very one that Lord Lao left behind, passed down to this day." The Great Sage, hearing this, seized upon his words and said, "My gourd also came from there." The demon said, "How do you know?" The Great Sage said, "Ever since clarity and turbidity first divided, heaven was incomplete in the northwest and earth was incomplete in the southeast. The Supreme Patriarch of the Way incarnated herself as Nüwa and mended the deficiency in the sky. When she reached the foot of the Kunlun Mountains, there was a celestial vine, and the vine bore two gourds. The one I obtained is the male; yours is the female." The fiend said, "Never mind male or female—if it can trap a person, it's a good treasure." Pilgrim said, "You're right. I'll let you trap me first."

The fiend was overjoyed. He leapt up swiftly into the air, held the gourd, and called out, "Sun the Pilgrim!" The Great Sage heard him and, without pausing for breath, answered eight or nine times in a row—but he could not be trapped. The fiend dropped back down to earth, stamped his feet, and beat his breast. "Heaven! They say the ways of the world never change—but even such a treasure fears its husband! The female, seeing the male, dares not trap him!" Pilgrim laughed and said, "Put yours away. Now it's old Sun's turn to call you." He quickly somersaulted on his cloud, leapt up, turned the gourd upside down with its base facing the sky and its mouth facing the earth, aimed it at the fiend, and called out, "Great King Silver Horn!" The fiend could not keep his mouth shut and had to answer once. In an instant he was sucked inside, and Pilgrim pasted on it a label reading, "By the Order of the Supreme Patriarch of the Way, with All Haste, in Accordance with the Decree." Secretly he rejoiced: "My child, today you get to try something new."

He then pressed down his cloud, holding the gourd, his heart and mind set solely on saving his master, and headed once more to the mouth of the Lotus Cave. The mountain paths were all uneven and treacherous, and being a man with bandy legs, he hobbled along in a winding fashion, shaking the gourd so that it made a sloshing, rustling sound without cease. You may wonder how it came to make such a noise. The truth is that the Great Sage Sun had a body tempered through alchemical refinement, so he could not be dissolved in haste. The demon, though he too could ride the mist and soar through the clouds, possessed merely a few magical arts; in the main, his mortal body had not yet been shed, and once inside the treasure, he was dissolved. But the Pilgrim did not yet know he had been dissolved. He laughed and said, "My dear boy, are you passing water, or rinsing your mouth? This is a trade old Sun has practiced before. I won't lift the lid to look until seven or eight days have passed and you've turned into thin gruel. What's the rush? What's the urgency? Since I got out so easily, I ought to go a thousand years without looking." Carrying the gourd and talking as he went, before he knew it he had reached the cave entrance. He shook the gourd and it rattled again. He said, "This sounds like the diviner's tube—it would do nicely for casting a lot. Let old Sun cast a divination to see when my master will be able to come out of this door." You could see him shaking the gourd incessantly with his hands and chanting incessantly with his mouth: "King Wen of Zhou and the sage Confucius, Miss Peach Blossom the diviner, and Master Guiguzi."

The little demons in the cave saw this and said, "Great King, disaster! The Pilgrim Sun has put Second Great King Grandfather in the gourd and is casting divinations with him." When the old demon heard this, his soul scattered and his spirit fled, his bones went soft and his sinews turned limp. He collapsed to the ground and burst into loud weeping, crying, "Dear younger brother! You and I left the realm above in secret and descended to the mortal world, hoping to share glory and splendor together and be lords of this mountain cave forever. Who could have known that for the sake of this monk, your life would be destroyed and the bond between us severed?" All the demons in the cave wept together.

Zhu Bajie, hanging from a beam overhead, heard them all wailing as one family and could not resist calling out, "Demons, hold your weeping for now and let old Pig explain it to you. The one who came first was Sun the Pilgrim, the next was Zhe Sun, and the last was Sun the Pilgrim again—these three names are all my senior brother, the same person. He has seventy-two transformations; he slipped in by his cunning and stole your treasure, using it to trap your younger brother. Your younger brother is already dead; there's no need to carry on like this with funeral rites. Quickly scour your pots and pans, and prepare some fragrant mushrooms, tea shoots, bamboo shoots, tofu, wheat gluten, wood-ear fungus, and vegetables, and invite my master, my brothers, and me down so that we can chant the Sutra of Rebirth for your younger brother."

When the old demon heard these words, rage flared in his heart. "I was told Zhu Bajie is an honest fellow," he said, "but it turns out he is anything but honest! He makes a joke of me and mocks me!" He called out, "Little demons, stop your mourning. Take Zhu Bajie down and steam him until he's falling apart. When I've eaten my fill, I'll go capture Sun the Pilgrim to avenge my brother." Sha Wujing upbraided Bajie: "Well done! I told you not to talk so much. The one who talks too much gets steamed first." The idiot was now thoroughly frightened. A little demon nearby said, "Great King, Pig won't steam well." Bajie said, "Amida Buddha! Which brother has accumulated such hidden virtue? It's true, I won't steam well." Another demon said, "If you peel off his skin, he'll steam nicely." Bajie panicked and said, "I'll steam well, I'll steam well! Though my hide is rough and coarse, once the water boils I'll fall apart. Hudu hudu!"

Just as they were shouting back and forth, a little demon from the front gate came running to report: "Sun the Pilgrim is back, cursing at our gate again." The old demon was greatly alarmed. "This fellow thinks I have no one to stand against him!" He called out, "Little ones, hang Zhu Bajie back up as before. Check how many treasures we still have left in the cave." The steward demon said, "There are still three treasures in the cave." The old demon asked, "Which three?" The steward said, "There are still the Seven-Star Sword, the Banana-Leaf Fan, and the Pure Vase." The old demon said, "That bottle is no good—it was originally used to call out to people, and whoever answered would be drawn inside. But I went and taught the incantation to that Sun the Pilgrim, and he turned it around and trapped my own brother in it. No use for it—leave it in the house. Quickly bring me the sword and the fan." The steward immediately brought the two treasures and presented them to the old demon. The old demon tucked the Banana-Leaf Fan into the collar at the back of his robe, took the Seven-Star Sword in his hand, and mustered more than three hundred demons, great and small, ordering every one of them to take up spears and staves, to ready their ropes and swords. The old demon himself donned his helmet and armor and threw over himself a blazing crimson silk robe. The host of demons marched out in battle formation to capture the Great Sage Sun.

The Great Sage Sun had already known that the second demon had been dissolved inside the gourd. He had tied it securely and tucked it at his waist, while holding the golden-banded staff in his hand, ready for battle. He saw the old demon leap out his gate with red banners unfurling. And how was he arrayed?

The plumes on his helmet blazed with radiant fire;

His waistband was bound with brilliant-hued clouds.

His armor was wrought of dragon scales;

Over it he wore a red robe that flamed like living fire.

His round eyes opened, their light rivaling lightning;

His steel whiskers fluttered, swirling like flying smoke.

In his hand he lightly held the precious Seven-Star Sword;

The Banana-Leather Fan half shaded his shoulders.

His movements were like drifting clouds leaving the seas and peaks;

His voice was like thunderclaps shaking mountains and rivers.

His awe-inspiring might overawed the generals of heaven;

In fury he led his host of demons out before the cave.

The old demon quickly ordered the little demons to spread their formation. He cursed, "You monkey, utterly without manners! You killed my brother and wounded my flesh and blood—how hateful!" The Pilgrim cursed back, "You creature begging for death! You can't bear to lose the life of a single demon. But my master, my brothers, and our horse—four living creatures—are hanging in your cave for no reason at all. How can my heart bear it? How can reason and conscience allow it? Quickly send them out and return them to me, throw in plenty of traveling expenses on top, and send old Sun off happily with a smile, and I'll spare the dog's life of an old demon like you." The demon would not listen to reason. Raising his sword, he brought it down on the Pilgrim's head. The Great Sage met the blow with his iron staff raised. And this battle outside the cave gate was a fierce one indeed!

The Cudgel of Golden Rings and the Seven-Star Sword clashed, their radiance flashing like lightning. A chill air crept forth, biting and cold; a murky haze rolled out, shrouding the mountain ridges. The one fought with the fierce devotion of kinship, granting no quarter at all; the other strove only for the monk who sought the Scriptures, brooking no delay, not by a hair's breadth. Each side nursed a hatred equally deep; both bore resentment and wrath within. They fought until heaven and dark were shrouded and the spirits were struck with awe, until the sun grew dim and smoke grew thick, as dragon clashes with tiger. This one ground his teeth like jade nails driven in; that one blazed with fury, golden flames flying from his eyes. Back and forth they displayed their heroism, the cudgel and the sword in ceaseless tumbling flight.

The old fiend and the Great Sage fought for twenty bouts, with neither gaining the advantage. The fiend pointed the tip of his sword and cried, "Come forward, all you lesser demons!" Over three hundred of the creatures surged up at once, surrounding the Pilgrim in the heart of the battle. But the Great Sage showed no fear at all. He wielded his single cudgel, charging left and right, fending off attacks from behind and blocking those from before. The lesser demons all had their own tricks, and the more they fought, the bolder they became—like cotton fluff clinging to the body, seizing him by the waist and pulling at his legs, none willing to retreat. The Great Sage grew anxious and at once employed his body-outside-the-body magic. He plucked a handful of hairs from under his left armpit, chewed them to bits, spat them out, and shouted, "Transform!" Every single hair turned into a Sun Wukong. Look at them: the tall ones wielded cudgels, the short ones swung their fists, and the tiniest ones, having nowhere else to strike, grabbed the demons by the ankles and gnawed on their shins. They beat the lesser demons until they scattered like falling stars and fleeing clouds, crying out together, "O King, it cannot be done! It is hopeless! From the plains to the mountains, every one of them is a Sun Wukong!" By this body-outside-the-body magic the horde of demons was driven off, leaving only the old fiend surrounded in the middle, chased this way and that, with no road of escape.

The fiend was alarmed. He raised the treasure sword in his left hand, reached behind his neck with his right, and drew out the palm-leaf fan. Facing southeast, toward the Fire of *Bing-Ding*, aligned with the Li trigram, he gave a single vigorous sweep of the fan downward, and behold—flames blazed up from the ground. This treasure, you see, could fan forth fire out of thin air. The creature was pitiless indeed: he swept the fan seven or eight times in succession, until the sky was scorched and the earth ablaze, fire soaring and leaping. What fire it was!

This fire was not the fire of Heaven, nor the fire of the furnace, nor the fire of the mountain peak, nor the fire beneath the kitchen stove. It was a single spark of numinous lightfire drawn forth naturally from the Five Elements. Nor was this fan a thing commonly found in the mortal realm, nor a thing fashioned by human hands. It was a true treasure born since the parting of chaos at the creation of the world. With this fan, fanning this fire, blazing and brilliant, it was like red silk snatched by lightning; glowing and radiant, it was as though crimson clouds took flight. Not a single wisp of blue smoke—nothing but crimson flames covering the whole mountain. It burned until the pines on the ridge turned into trees of fire, and the cypresses on the cliff became lanterns. The beasts in their dens, clinging to life, crashed westward and fled eastward; the birds in the forest, cherishing their feathers, soared high and rose far away. This divine fire billowed and scorched the sky, burning until stones cracked and streams ran dry and all was red as far as the eye could see.

The Great Sage saw this vicious fire and his heart trembled with fear. "This is bad," he said. "My own body can manage it, but my hairs cannot—if they fall into this fire, would they not be singed as easily as burning down?" He shook his body and gathered the hairs back upon himself. He left only one hair transformed into a false body to evade the fire and escape the disaster. His true body, forming the fire-avoiding sign, mounted a somersault-cloud and leaped up, breaking free from the great flames. He made straight for the Lotus Flower Cave, thinking to rescue his master. Reaching the gate in haste, he pressed down his cloud, only to find a hundred or so lesser demons outside the cave, all with shattered heads and broken limbs, flesh split and skin torn. They were the ones wounded by his body-outside-the-body magic, and here they stood, crying out in pain. The Great Sage saw them and could not restrain his savage fury. He raised his iron cudgel and fought his way inside. Pitiful—those who had toiled painfully to cultivate their human lives saw their merit brought to nothing, and they were once again nothing but old hides of fur.

The Great Sage slew the lesser demons and burst into the cave, meaning to free his master. But inside he saw the glow of fire again, and in his alarm he flustered, "It's over, it's over! The fire has broken out from the back entrance—Old Sun will have a hard time rescuing Master!" Just as he was gripped by dread, he looked carefully—ah! It was not firelight at all, but a ray of golden light. He steadied himself and looked more closely: it was the alabaster vase of pure white jade, shining with light. His heart filled with joy. "What a fine treasure! That vase was carried up the mountain by one of the lesser demons, shining with light, and Old Sun got hold of it. I didn't expect the fiend to search it out and take it again. It has been hidden here all along, and it is shining with light even now." Look at him—he stole the bottle, delighted and overjoyed, and without rescuing his master, hastily withdrew and rushed out of the cave. He had barely emerged when the fiend appeared, sword in hand and fan in hand, coming from the north. The Great Sage Sun had no time to hide, and the old fiend raised his sword and brought it down upon his head. The Great Sage hastily mounted his somersault-cloud and leaped away, fleeing without a trace or shadow, and we shall speak no more of him.

Now when the fiend arrived at the gate, he saw corpses strewn across the ground—his own host of lesser demons. In distress he raised his face to heaven and heaved a long sigh, unable to stop himself from weeping aloud. "How bitter! How it pains me!" There is a poem that bears witness. It says:

Hateful the ape's waywardness, the horse's stubborn spite—

A sacred womb reborn, descending to the mortal world.

Only a wandering thought left the gates of Heaven,

And brought this form to sink upon this mountain.

Wild geese lost from the flock, their grief keen and deep;

The demon soldiers, their clan cut off, tears streaming down.

When shall their sins be full and the chains of guilt unlocked,

To return to their true nature and ascend again to the imperial gate?

The old fiend, overwhelmed with shame and anguish, entered the cave weeping at every step. He saw that all the furnishings and household goods were still there, but all was quiet and still—not a soul in sight. His grief grew only more piercing. He sat alone in the cave, slumped upon the stone table, leaning the sword against the edge of the table and tucking the fan behind his shoulder. In dull drowsiness he fell asleep. For indeed it is said: when a man meets joy, his spirit soars; when gloom weighs upon his heart, sleep comes readily.

The Great Sage Sun turned his somersault cloud and stood before the mountain, thinking of how to rescue his master. He fastened the precious vase securely at his waist and went straight to the cave entrance to reconnoiter. He saw the two halves of the gate standing open, quiet and still, with no sound to be heard. At once he moved his steps lightly and slipped inside. There he saw the demon king leaning against a stone table, snoring in his sleep. The Palm-leaf Fan had slipped from his shoulder and half-covered the back of his head; the Seven-star Sword still leaned against the table's edge. The Great Sage crept forward gently and pulled out the fan, then turned sharply and dashed out with a whoosh. But the handle of the fan had scraped the demon's hair, waking him long before. He looked up and saw that Sun the Pilgrim had stolen it. In frantic haste he seized his sword and gave chase. The Great Sage had already leaped out beyond the gate, tucked the fan at his waist, and with both hands wielded his iron staff to meet the demon's attack. And what a battle it was:

The infuriated demon king was beside himself with rage,

His wrath mounting to the crown of his head.

He could not bear it—he wanted to seize him and swallow him whole,

So bitter was his heart's indignation.

With foul mouth he cursed the monkey:

"You great fool, making sport of others!

You've killed so many of my men,

And now you've come to steal my treasures.

This time I'll not let you go—

We'll settle it once and for all, life or death!"

The Great Sage shouted at the demon:

"You really don't know what's good for you!

A disciple dares contend with old Sun—

Can an egg strike a stone and hope to crack it?"

Sword came at him, staff went out at it—

Neither side showed the least mercy.

Back and forth they wagered victory,

Round and round they displayed their martial arts.

All for the sake of the scripture-seeking monk

Who would worship the Buddha at Spirit Mountain.

This brought it about that metal and fire could not abide each other,

The five elements thrown in turmoil, harming the vital harmony;

They flaunted their might and displayed their divine powers,

Stirring up stones and whipping up sand to show their skill.

The clash wore on as the sun sank toward evening,

And the demon chief, his strength failing, first turned to flee.

The old demon had fought the Great Sage for thirty or forty rounds. The sky was growing late, and he could no longer hold his ground. He broke ranks and fled, heading southwest to the Dragon-Suppressing Cave, and there we shall leave him.

Only then did the Great Sage bring his cloud down and burst into the Lotus Flower Cave, where he freed Tripitaka, Pigsy, and Friar Sand. The three of them, delivered from calamity and peril, thanked the Pilgrim and asked, "Where did the demon go?" The Pilgrim said, "The second demon is already bottled up in the gourd, and by now he's probably dissolved. The first demon just lost a battle and has gone off southwest to Dragon-Suppressing Mountain. As for the lesser demons in the cave, old Sun killed half of them with his body-dividing technique; some stragglers who fled were finished off by old Sun as well. Only then could I get in here and free you." Tripitaka thanked him endlessly and said, "Disciple, you have endured such hardship on our account." The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Hardship indeed! You were just hanging there in pain, but old Sun never stopped moving—I was worse than a courier at the express relay station, running back and forth inside and out without end. But because I stole his treasures, I was able to drive the demons away." Zhu Pigsy said, "Elder Brother, take out that gourd and let us have a look. The second demon may have dissolved by now." The Great Sage first unstrung the precious vase, then took out the golden rope and the fan. After that he picked up the gourd and held it in his hand. "Don't look, don't look," he said. "He once bottled up old Sun, but old Sun talked him into lifting the cover by rinsing his mouth and fooling him, and only then did old Sun get away. We mustn't lift the cover—he might trick his way out too." The master and disciples were overjoyed. They found rice, flour, and vegetables in the cave, scrubbed the stove and cooking pots, and prepared a vegetarian meal. They ate their fill, rested in the cave for the night, and all was quiet. Soon dawn broke.

Now the old demon had gone straight to Dragon-Suppressing Mountain, where he gathered all the female demons, great and small, and told them everything—how their mother had been killed, their brother bottled up, the demon soldiers annihilated, and the treasures stolen and cheated away. All the female demons wept together and, after a long time of mourning, said, "Grieve no more for now. I still have this Seven-star Sword by my side. I will gather all you female soldiers and go to the rear of Dragon-Suppressing Mountain to summon our outside relatives. We must capture that Sun the Pilgrim and avenge this wrong." Before she had finished speaking, a lesser demon at the gate reported, "Your Majesty, the old uncle from behind the mountain has arrived with several hundred soldiers." Hearing this, the old demon hastily put on white mourning garments and went out to greet him with a bow. Now this old uncle was the younger brother of the demon's mother, named King Fox A-qi. He had received reports from the mountain scouts that his sister had been killed by Sun the Pilgrim, who had then taken her form and stolen his nephew's treasures, and had been fighting day after day at Flat-Top Mountain. He had therefore led two hundred soldiers from his own cave to come to the aid, and had stopped first at his sister's home to learn the truth. He had barely entered when he saw the old demon dressed in mourning clothes, and the two of them wept together. After weeping for a long time, the old demon knelt down and told him everything that had happened. King A-qi flew into a rage. He ordered the old demon to change into mourning clothes, take up the sword, muster all the female demons, and join forces with him. Together they rode the wind and clouds, heading straight northeast.

Meanwhile, the Great Sage had told Friar Sand to prepare an early meal so they could eat and be on their way. Suddenly he heard the sound of wind, and when he stepped out of the cave to look, there was a band of demon soldiers coming from the southwest. The Great Sage was greatly alarmed. He hastily pulled himself back and shouted urgently to Pigsy, "Brother, the demons have called for reinforcements!" When Tripitaka heard this, he turned pale with fright and said, "Disciple, what are we to do?" The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. He's handed all his treasures over to me." The Great Sage tied the gourd and the precious vase at his waist, tucked the golden rope in his sleeve, thrust the Palm-leaf Fan behind his shoulder, and gripped his iron staff with both hands. He told Friar Sand to guard their master and keep him safe in the cave. Then he ordered Pigsy to take his rake and go out of the cave with him to meet the enemy.

The demon arrayed his forces, and at the head was King A-Qi. He had a fair face with a long flowing beard, fierce brows and knife-sharp ears. He wore a golden chain helmet and chain mail armor, and held a halberd in his hand. He cursed loudly at the top of his lungs: "You reckless, insolent monkey! How dare you bully us so? You've stolen our treasures, harmed our kin, slain our soldiers, and dared to occupy our cave for so long. Off with your heads at once, and avenge my sister's family!" The Pilgrim cursed back: "You mangy pack of fools, you don't know what your Grandfather Sun can do. Don't run—take my staff!" The demon dodged sideways and met him with his halberd. The two clashed back and forth on the mountaintop for three or four rounds, but the demon's strength flagged. He broke formation and fled. The Pilgrim gave chase, but the old demon king blocked his path. They fought another three rounds, when the Fox A-Qi turned and attacked again. From his side, Eight Rules saw this and hastily swung his nine-toothed rake to block him. One matched the other, and they fought for a long time with neither gaining the upper hand. Then the old demon king shouted, and all the demon soldiers rushed forward together.

Meanwhile, the Tang Monk sat in the Lotus Cave, hearing the battle cries shake the earth. He called out: "Sha Wujing, go out and see how your brother fares." Sha Wujing indeed raised his demon-subduing staff, gave a battle cry, charged out, and scattered the horde of demons. A-Qi saw the tide turning against him and turned to flee. Eight Rules caught up and swung his rake at his back, striking nine spurts of crimson blood. Alas, his true spirit departed for its next life. They hastily dragged him over and tore off his clothes to look—and found he too was a fox spirit.

The old demon king, seeing his old uncle-in-law wounded and having lost track of the Pilgrim, raised his precious sword and swung at Eight Rules. Eight Rules blocked with his rake. As they were locked in combat, Sha Wujing charged forward and struck with his staff. The demon could no longer hold them off and fled southward on wind and cloud. Eight Rules and Sha Wujing pursued closely. the Great Sage saw this and quickly leaped into the clouds, unfastened the purification bottle, aimed it at the old demon king, and called out: "Golden Horn King!" The demon thought it was one of his own wounded soldiers calling him, and turned his head to answer. With a whoosh he was sucked inside, and the Pilgrim affixed a seal bearing the inscription: "By the urgent order of the Supreme Lord Lao, in accordance with the Decree." The Seven-Star Sword fell to the dust and also came into the Pilgrim's possession. Eight Rules greeted him, saying: "Elder Brother, you've got the sword—but where's the demon?" The Pilgrim laughed: "Done, done—he's already bottled up in my flask!" When Sha Wujing heard this, he and Eight Rules were overjoyed.

They swept out all the remaining fiends, returned to the cave, and reported to the Tang Monk: "The mountain is cleansed, the demons are gone. Please, Master, mount your horse and let us be on our way." The Tang Monk was beside himself with joy. The master and disciples ate their morning meal, gathered their luggage and horse, and hastened westward along the road.

As they traveled, suddenly a blind man appeared beside the road, stepped forward, and seized the Tang Monk's horse: "Monk, where are you going? Return my treasures!" Eight Rules was greatly alarmed: "We're done for—this is the old demon come to demand his treasures!" The Pilgrim looked carefully and recognized the Supreme Lord Li Lao Tzu. He hurried forward and bowed: "Old Fellow Immortal, where are you going?" The Patriarch swiftly ascended his Jade Seat and stood in the empty sky above the nine heavens: "Sun Xingzhe, return my treasures." The Great Sage rose into the air: "What treasures?" Lao Tzu said: "The gourd is what I store my elixirs in, the purification bottle is what I store my water in, the sword is what I use to subdue demons, the fan is what I use to fan my flames, and the rope is a belt for my robe. Those two demons: one is my Golden Furnace Boy, the other is my Silver Furnace Boy. They stole my treasures and descended to the mortal world. I had no way of finding them, and now you've captured them and gained merit." The Great Sage said: "You, old fellow, are truly without manners. You let your household go astray as fiends—you should be charged with the crime of negligent supervision." Lao Tzu said: "It has nothing to do with me—you mustn't wrongly blame me. This was the Bodhisattva of the Sea, who borrowed them from me three times and placed them here to transform into demons, testing whether you and your disciples truly had the heart to journey west." When the Great Sage heard this, he thought to himself: "That Bodhisattva is really something else. Back then he saved old Sun, telling me to protect the Tang Monk on his journey to the west to fetch the scriptures. I told him the road was hard and treacherous, and he promised that in times of dire need he would come personally to my aid. Now instead he sends fiends to torment us. His words cannot be trusted—he deserves to be husbandless for life. If you, old fellow, hadn't come in person, I never would never have given them to you. But since you put it that way—take them."

Lao Tzu gathered his five treasures and opened the lids of the gourd and purification bottle. Two puffs of immortal breath poured out. He pointed with his hand, and they transformed back into the Golden and Silver Boys, who stood beside him. Behold—ten thousand rays of radiance!

They returned in ethereal grace to the Palace of the Highest Tushita Heaven,

And roamed freely, ascending straight to the Great Empyrean Heaven.

What happened thereafter, how the Great Sage Sun protected the Tang Monk, and when they finally reached the Western Heaven—all this will be told in the next chapter.