Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, his head aching unbearably, cried out in supplication: "Master, stop, stop the recitation! Let me cure him." The elder asked, "How will you cure him?" Pilgrim Sun said, "There is no way except to go to the realm of the dead and check whether the King of Hell has his soul in his keeping. If so, I shall ask for it and bring it back to revive him." Zhu Bajie said, "Master, don't believe him. He said originally that there was no need to go to the realm of the dead—that he could revive the man right here in the land of the living. Only then would his ability be proven." But the elder, believing this perverse wind, began reciting the Golden Band Spell once more. In desperation, the Pilgrim agreed loudly: "I'll cure him in the land of the living! I'll cure him in the land of the living!" Bajie said, "Don't stop! Keep reciting, keep reciting!" The Pilgrim cursed: "You stupid beast! You've been egging the Master on to cast spells at me!" Bajie laughed so hard he nearly fell over: "Brother, brother! You only know how to make a fool of me, but you don't know that I can make a fool of you too!" The Pilgrim said, "Master, stop, stop! This old Sun will cure him in the land of the living." Tripitaka asked, "How will you cure him in the land of the living?" The Pilgrim said, "I shall now somersault on my cloud into the South Heavenly Gate. I won't enter the Palace of the Dipper and the Ox, nor the Palace of the Firmament. I shall go straight up to the Thirty-Third Heaven, to the Palace of Grief-free Heaven, to the Court of the Dipper of Destiny, and see the Supreme Lord Lao Tzu. I shall beg one of his Nine-Cycled Soul-Restoring Pills from him, and that will surely bring the man back to life."

When Tripitaka heard this, he was overjoyed and said, "Go then, and come back quickly." The Pilgrim said, "It is now the third watch of the night. By the time I arrive and return, dawn will have broken. But this man lying here—it's so cold and dreary, it doesn't look right. We need mourners to watch over him and weep for him, and only then will it be proper." Bajie said, "Needless to say—this monkey certainly wants me to do the weeping!" The Pilgrim said, "I'm afraid you won't weep! If you don't weep, I can't cure him either." Bajie said, "Brother, you go ahead, and I'll weep." The Pilgrim said, "There are several kinds of weeping: if you just open your mouth and shout, that's called howling; if you manage to squeeze out a few tears, that's called wailing; but only if you weep with tears and weep with genuine feeling can it be called howling and wailing in true lamentation." Bajie said, "Let me weep a sample for you to see." He got hold of a strip of paper somewhere, twisted it into a paper spill, and poked it up his nostrils a couple of times. He sneezed several times, and then—look at him—with tears streaming down his face and mucus dripping, he began to weep. His mouth went on and on, rambling and complaining, chattering about this and that, truly as if someone had died. When he came to the most sorrowful part of his lament, even the Tang Elder's heart ached and tears welled in his eyes. The Pilgrim laughed and said: "That's the right kind of grief! Don't you dare stop making noise. You stupid fool, once you've tricked me into leaving, you'll stop weeping. I'll be listening! If you weep like this, well and good; but if you let up even for a moment, I'll give you twenty whacks on the shins." Bajie laughed and said: "Go, go! Once I start weeping, I can weep for two days." Sha Wujing, seeing him being scolded, went to find some incense sticks to burn as an offering. The Pilgrim laughed and said: "Good, good, good! The whole family shows some respect. Only now can old Sun get down to work."

The Great Sage, at this hour past midnight, took leave of his three fellow disciples and somersaulted on his cloud straight into the South Heavenly Gate. True enough, he did not pay his respects at the Precious Hall of the Firmament, nor did he go to the Palace of the Dipper and the Ox. Traveling on a beam of cloud-light, he went straight to the Palace of the Dipper of Destiny in the Thirty-Third Heaven, Grief-free Heaven. The moment he entered the gate, he saw the Supreme Lord Lao Tzu sitting in the alchemy chamber, fanning the fire to refine elixir with several immortal lads holding palm-leaf fans. When Lao Tzu saw the Pilgrim approaching, he instructed the lads watching the elixir: "All of you must be careful—the elixir-thief is here again!" The Pilgrim bowed and laughed: "Old Father, this is really too much! Why guard against me like this? I don't do that sort of thing anymore." Lao Tzu said: "You monkey! Five hundred years ago you caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace and stole countless of my immortal pills. You were captured by the Lesser Sage, Erh-lang, and brought up to Heaven, where you were placed in my elixir furnace and refined for forty-nine days. Who knows how much charcoal was spent on you! Now you've had the good fortune to escape, converted to the Buddhist faith, and are protecting Tripitaka on his journey to the West to fetch the scriptures. Not long ago, on Flat-top Mountain, when you subdued the fiends, you gave me a hard time and refused to give me my treasures. What have you come for today?" The Pilgrim said: "On that previous occasion, old Sun was not the least bit slow—I handed your five treasures back to you right then and there. Yet you still suspect me and blame me?"

Lao Tzu said: "If you're not traveling, why have you sneaked into my palace?" The Pilgrim said: "Since we parted, we traveled west and came to a place called the Kingdom of Crow-cock. That kingdom's king was harmed in the dark by a goblin disguised as a Taoist priest, who called up wind and rain. The goblin took on the king's appearance and now sits on the dragon throne in the golden palace. It happened that my master was spending the night reading sutras in the Precious Grove Monastery, when the king's ghost appeared and bowed to my master, earnestly asking old Sun to subdue the goblin and distinguish the evil from the righteous. Since old Sun had no proof, I and my younger brother Bajie entered the garden at night, broke into the flower garden, and found the burial place—it was inside an octagonal glazed well. We fished up the king's corpse, and his face was unchanged. When I went to the monastery and saw my master, he was moved by compassion and told me to cure and revive the king. He forbade me to go to the realm of the dead to seek his soul—he ordered me to cure him only in the land of the living. I thought there was no way to bring him back to life, so I came especially to pay my respects to you. I humbly beg the Patriarch of the Way to take pity and lend me a thousand pills of the Nine-Cycled Soul-Restoring Elixir, so that this old Sun may save him." Lao Tzu said: "What nonsense this monkey talks! A thousand pills, two thousand pills—as if they were rice to be eaten! Did you find them in some clump of earth, that you think it's so so easy? Bah! Be gone! I have none!" The Pilgrim laughed and said: "A hundred or so pills, then." Lao Tzu said: "I have none." The Pilgrim said: "Ten or so pills, then." Lao Tzu was furious: "This impudent monkey is a real pest! I have none, none! Out, out!" The Pilgrim laughed and said: "If you truly have none, I shall ask elsewhere." Lao Tzu roared: "Go, go, go!" The Great Sage turned on his heel and walked straight out.

The Old Lord suddenly thought to himself: "This monkey is a lazy scamp! He says he'll go and he'll go, but I'm afraid he'll slip right back in and steal." He at once ordered the immortal boy to call him back and said, "You monkey, your hands and feet are unsteady. I'll give you one pellet of this Soul-Restoring Elixir instead." The Pilgrim said, "Old fellow, since you know the powers of old Monkey Sun, quickly take out that elixir and let's split it sixty-forty. It'll be your good fortune! If not, I'll give you a skimmer made of skin—I'll scoop it all clean away!" The Patriarch took the gourd, turned it upside down, and tipped out a single golden pellet, which he handed to the Pilgrim, saying, "This is all there is. Take it, take it. I'm giving you this one pellet to revive the emperor—let that count as your merit." The Pilgrim took it and said, "Hold on, let me taste it first. I'm afraid it might be fake—don't let him cheat me." He tossed it straight into his mouth. The Patriarch, in a panic, rushed forward and grabbed him, seizing him by the top of his head, clenching his fist, and cursing, "If this wretched monkey swallows it down, I'll beat him to death!" The Pilgrim laughed and said, "What a face! Such a small-time look. Who's going to eat yours? What's it worth? More show than substance. Isn't it right here?" Now, the monkey had a crop pouch under his chin, and he had tucked the elixir into his crop pouch. The Patriarch, pinching it, said, "Go on, go on! Don't come back here and pester me anymore." The Great Sage thanked the Patriarch and left the Palace of the Heaven of Supreme Purity.

Look at him: a thousand strands of auspicious mist departing the jade palace gates, ten thousand rays of propitious clouds descending to the mortal world. In an instant, he passed through the South Heavenly Gate and returned to the Eastern Observatory, where he soon saw the Star of the Sun. He pressed down his cloud and went straight to the mountain gate of the Precious Grove Temple, where he could still hear Zhu Bajie weeping. He suddenly drew near and called out, "Master!" Tripitaka said joyfully, "Wukong is back! Do you have the elixir?" The Pilgrim said, "Yes." Bajie said, "How could there not be any? He'll go steal some from someone else!" The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Brother, you're done with. You're not needed anymore. Wipe your tears and go cry somewhere else." He told Sha Wujing, "Fetch some water for me." Sha Monk hurried to the well behind the temple, found a convenient bucket, and handed half a bowl of water to the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim took the water, spat out the elixir from his mouth, and placed it on the emperor's lips. With both hands he pried open the teeth, took a mouthful of clean water, and flushed the golden pellet down into the stomach. After about an hour, they could hear rumbling and roaring inside his belly, but his body still could not move. The Pilgrim said, "Master, even my golden pellet can't revive him—are you trying to torment old Monkey Sun?" Tripitaka said, "How could he not come back to life? A corpse dead this long—how could it swallow water? This is the immortal power of the golden pellet. Since the pellet entered his belly, his intestines have begun to rumble. The rumbling means his blood and veins are stirring, but his breath has been cut off and cannot return. Don't talk about a man soaked in a well for three years—even raw iron would have rusted. It's only that his primal energy is completely exhausted; he needs someone to breathe a breath of air into him." Bajie stepped forward to breathe for him, but Tripitana grabbed him and said, "That won't do. Let Wukong do it." The Master had good reason: Zhu Bajie, since childhood, had killed living creatures and eaten human flesh—his breath was impure. But the Pilgrim had cultivated himself from a young age, chewing pine needles and cypress, eating peaches and fruit for sustenance—his breath was pure. The Great Sage stepped forward, pressed his thunder-beak mouth against the emperor's lips, and blew a breath down his throat, past the twelve-storied tower, through the Bright Hall, straight to the Cinnabar Field, and from the Bubbling Spring it reversed back to the Palace of Mud Pill. With a loud cry, the king's breath gathered and his spirit returned. He turned over, flexed his fists and bent his knees, and called out, "Master!" He knelt on the dusty ground and said, "I remember my ghost paying homage last night—how could I know that this morning at dawn my yang spirit would return!" Tripitana hastily helped him up and said, "Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with me. Thank my disciple instead." The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Master, what are you saying? As the saying goes: 'A household has no two masters.' It won't hurt you to accept his bow."

Tripitana, much moved, helped the emperor up and they entered the meditation hall together. He then had Bajie, the Pilgrim, and Sha Monk pay their respects, and they took their seats. The monks of the temple had prepared the morning meal and were about to present it when they saw the emperor in his water-soaked clothes. Every one of them was startled and full of suspicion. Sun Wukong jumped out and said, "Don't be so alarmed, monks. This is the true lord of Wuji, your rightful ruler. Three years ago a monster took his life, and old Monkey Sun revived him tonight. Now we'll enter his city to distinguish the evil from the right. If you have food, set it out—we'll eat and be on our way." The monks immediately offered water to wash his face and clothes to change him out of. They took off the emperor's ochre-yellow robe and the temple's head monk gave him two coarse linen garments to wear; they untied the Lantian belt and fastened a yellow silk cord around him instead; they removed his Carefree Shoes and gave him an old pair of monk's sandals. Then they all ate the morning meal and saddled the horse.

Wukong asked, “Bajie, how heavy is your luggage?” Bajie replied, “Brother, I’ve been carrying it every day, but I really don’t know how heavy it is.” Wukong said, “Divide that one load into two: you carry one, and let this emperor carry the other. We’ll hurry into the city to get things done.” Bajie was delighted. “What luck! What luck! When we carried him here, it took no end of effort; now that we’ve revived him, it turns out he’s our substitute porter.” The fool started making a fuss, splitting the luggage, then went to the temple to borrow a carrying pole. He took the lighter load for himself and made the heavier one the emperor’s burden. Wukong laughed and said, “Your Majesty, dressed like that and carrying a load, walking along with us—are you being put to any loss?” The king hastily knelt down and said, “Master, you are like parents who have given me new life. Carrying a load is nothing—I would gladly hold the whip and tend the stirrup to serve you, Master, and accompany you all the way to the Western Heaven.” Wukong said, “I don’t want you to go to the Western Heaven. I have my reasons. You only need to carry it forty *li* into the city. Once we’ve caught the demon, you can go back to being emperor, and we’ll go on with our sutra quest.” Bajie said, “If that’s the case, he only carries it forty *li*—I’m still the long-term laborer.” Wukong said, “Brother, stop talking nonsense and show the way outside as quickly as possible.”

And so Bajie led the emperor ahead, Shasheng attended the master and helped him onto his horse, and Wukong followed behind. The five hundred monks of the temple, in neat and orderly rows, played soft music and escorted them all the way out of the mountain gate. Wukong laughed and said, “Reverend monks, there’s no need to escort us so far. I fear someone from the court might notice and leak my plans, which would be a misfortune. Go back, go back. Just clean and tidy the emperor’s clothes and crown, and deliver them into the city tonight or tomorrow morning. I’ll ask for rewards and gifts to thank you.” The monks obeyed and returned. Wukong strode swiftly and caught up with his master, and they went straight ahead. Truly:

In the West there are secrets for seeking true nature;

Metal and Wood united refine the spirit in harmony.

The cinnabar mother vainly harbors a muddled dream;

The infant forever resents its worthless, unfeeling body.

One must seek the enlightened ruler at the bottom of the well,

And also pay homage to Laojun in Heaven.

Only by awakening to form and emptiness and returning to one’s original nature

Can one truly be one whom the Buddha delivers among the predestined.

The master and disciples traveled the road and in less than half a day saw the city draw near. Tripitaka said, “Wukong, that must be the Land of Wukuo ahead.” Wukong said, “Exactly. Let’s hurry into the city to get things done.” The master and disciples entered the city and saw that the streets were bustling with people and lively with activity. Soon they caught sight of phoenix pavilions and dragon towers, magnificent beyond measure. A poem bears witness:

The palace towers overseas rival the greatest of lands;

Human song and dance here rival those of the former Tang.

Flowers greet the jeweled fan, red clouds swirling around;

The sun shines on bright robes, emerald mist gleaming.

Peacock screens part, fragrant haze drifting out;

Pearl curtains roll up, colorful banners unfurled.

Truly this scene of peace and prosperity is worthy of praise—

The many officials stand in solemn rows, yet no memorials are presented.

Tripitaka dismounted and said, “Disciples, let us go straight to the court to exchange the travel documents, so we won’t have to bother with any other office.” Wukong said, “Well said. We’ll all go in—with more people it’s easier to talk.” Tang Seng said, “If we all go in, don’t act like country bumpkins. First perform the courtesies between ruler and subject, then we’ll discuss business.” Wukong said, “Performing courtesies between ruler and subject means we’ll have to bow.” Tripitaka said, “Exactly. We must perform the ceremony of five bows and three kowtows.” Wukong laughed and said, “Master, you’re not thinking clearly. If we bow to him, that would be truly unwise. Let me go in first and handle it. If he says anything, I’ll answer. If I bow, you bow too; if I squat, you squat too.” Look at that trouble-making Monkey King, leading them to the palace gate, where he said to the gate officials, “We are envoys sent by the Great Tang Empire in the East to worship Buddha and seek scriptures in the Western Heaven. We have come here to exchange our travel documents. Please, sir, convey this message so that the meritorious deed may not be delayed.” The palace messenger immediately entered the inner gate, knelt on the terrace before the throne, and reported: “Outside the palace gate there are five monks who say they are envoys dispatched by the Great Tang Empire in the East to worship Buddha and seek scriptures in the Western Heaven. They have come to exchange their travel documents and dare not enter without permission. They are now waiting outside the gate for an audience.” The demon king immediately ordered that they be summoned.

Tang Seng entered the palace gate together with the resurrected king following behind. As they walked, the king could not hold back tears from his cheeks, thinking to himself sorrowfully, “Alas! My kingdom of the copper-walled fortress, my realm of iron ramparts—who knew it was secretly usurped by him?” Wukong said, “Your Majesty, do not grieve, lest news leak out. This staff is jumping in my ear—we must achieve a result now. I guarantee we will slay the demon and sweep away the evil. This kingdom will soon be returned to you.” The king dared not disobey. He wiped his tears with his sleeve and, resolved to risk death, followed along, going straight to the Hall of the Golden Throne. There he saw the two ranks of civil and military officials, four hundred courtiers in all, each one stern and dignified in bearing, with imposing and noble countenances.

The Pilgrim led the Tang Monk to stand before the white jade steps, holding himself upright and motionless. The officials below the steps were all filled with dread, saying, "This monk is incredibly obtuse! Why does he not bow when he sees our king? Nor does he speak a word of greeting? He does not even sing a single 'Nuo'! How brazenly disrespectful!" Before they finished speaking, the Demon King opened his mouth and asked, "From what region does this monk come?" The Pilgrim answered proudly, "I am from the Land of the East, the Great Tang Nation in the Southern Jambudvīpa, sent by imperial commission to travel west to the Thunder Monastery in the Kingdom of Tiānzhú in India to worship the Living Buddha and seek the true scriptures. Now that I have arrived in this region, I dare not pass through empty-handed and have come specially to exchange the travel permits." When the Demon King heard this, anger rose in his heart. "What of your Eastern Land? We do not pay tribute to your court, nor do we have intercourse with your country. How dare you stand before me with such defiance and refuse to pay obeisance?" The Pilgrim smiled and said, "Our Eastern Land has long been established as the Celestial Court and has been called the Supreme Nation for ages, while you are merely a frontier vassal of the lower realm. As the ancient saying goes: 'The emperor of the supreme land is father and lord; the emperor of the vassal land is subject and son.' You have not even received me, yet you dare dispute my refusal to bow!" The Demon King flew into a great rage and ordered the civil and military officials, "Seize this wild monk!" At the word "seize," all the numerous officials surged forward together. The Pilgrim shouted once, raised his hand, and pointed, saying, "Do not come!" With that single point, he employed his immobilizing magic, and none of the officials could move. Truly, the guards before the steps were like puppets, and the generals upon the hall were like clay figures.

When the Demon King saw that he had immobilized all the civil and military officials, he hastily leapt down from the dragon throne and was about to seize him. The Monkey King secretly rejoiced, saying, "Excellent—this is precisely what old Sun intended. With this move, even if his head were cast from solid iron, a blow from my staff would punch a hole through it." Just as he was about to move, unexpectedly a saving star emerged from the side. Who do you think it was? It was none other than the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Wūjī. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed the Demon King's court robes, and knelt before him, saying, "Father, calm your anger." The demon asked, "What does my child say?" The Crown Prince said, "May it please Your Majesty to know: three years ago, I heard people say there was a holy monk from the Tang Dynasty in the Eastern Land, sent by imperial commission to worship Buddha and seek scriptures in the West. I did not expect that today he has finally arrived in our kingdom. Your Majesty, you have a fierce and mighty nature. If you were to take this monk and behead him, I fear that if the Great Tang ever learns of this, they will surely be filled with wrath. Think of it—Lǐ Shìmín proclaimed himself king and unified the realm, yet his ambitions were not satisfied, and he even crossed the sea to wage campaigns. If he learns that our king has killed his imperial brother, the holy monk, he will certainly raise troops and send horses to contend with us. How could we, with few soldiers and weak generals, withstand them? Repentance would come too late. Father, I beg you to follow my counsel and first question these four monks to ascertain their origins clearly. Only after establishing their offense of not paying homage to Your Majesty's carriage may we then pass judgment on them."

This speech came from the Crown Prince's careful concern—he feared the monk might be harmed and deliberately detained the demon, not knowing that the Pilgrim had arranged to fight. The Demon King indeed believed his words and stood before the dragon throne, roaring in a loud voice, "When did that monk leave the Eastern Land? For what reason did the Tang King send you to seek scriptures?" The Pilgrim answered proudly, "My master is the Tang King's imperial brother, called Tripitaka. Under the Tang King's court, there was a prime minister named Wèi Zhēng, who, by heavenly decree, executed the Old Dragon of the Jīng River in a dream. The Great Tang King toured the underworld in a dream and, after returning to life, held a grand Water and Land Dharma Assembly to universally deliver the souls of wronged ghosts and karmic spirits. Because my master expounded the scriptures and widely exercised compassion, he received the instruction of Guanyin Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea to come west. My master made a great vow with joyful devotion, serving the nation with utmost loyalty, and was granted the travel permits by the Tang King. That was in the Great Tang Zhēnguān thirteenth year, the third day before the full moon of the ninth month, when he left the Eastern Land. He arrived at the Two-Boundary Mountain, where he took me as his first disciple, surnamed Sūn, named Wùkōng the Pilgrim; then at the Zhuāngjiā Village in the border of Wūsī Kingdom, he took his second disciple, surnamed Zhū, named Wùnéng Bājiè; at the Flowing Sand River, he took his third disciple, surnamed Shā, named Wùjìng the Monk; and recently at the Imperially Established Precious Forest Monastery, he newly took on a porter boy attendant." When the Demon King heard this, he could not find a way to examine the Tang Monk, so he resorted to cunning words to cross-examine the Pilgrim, glaring angrily as he asked, "That monk, you began as a single person leaving the Eastern Land, and then you took on four followers. Those three monks may be tolerated, but this one boy cannot be endured. The porter boy was undoubtedly kidnapped. What is he called? Does he have an ordination certificate or not? Bring him up here to give his testimony." This frightened the emperor so much that he trembled and said, "Master! How shall I give my testimony?" Sun the Pilgrim pinched him and said, "Do not be afraid—I will give the testimony for you."

The great Sage stepped forward sharply and cried out in a stern, loud voice to the monster, "Your Majesty, this old boy attendant is a mute, and moreover somewhat deaf. Because he once traveled to the West in his youth, he knows the road. I know everything about his origins and history. I ask Your Majesty to be merciful and allow me to give the testimony on his behalf." The Demon King said, "Quickly give his true testimony at once, so as to avoid punishment." The Pilgrim said:

"His crime, this boy, is advanced in age,

Mute, deaf, and dull—his family fortune broken.

His ancestors were originally people of this region,

Five years ago, ruin overtook them.

No rain from heaven, the people withered and suffered,

King and commoners all observed fasting and abstinence.

They burned incense and bathed to pray to Heaven,

Yet for ten thousand miles, no clouds appeared at all.

The people hung upside down in famine's agony,

When from the south suddenly descended a Complete Truth monster.

He summoned wind and rain, displaying his divine power,

Then secretly took the king's life.

He pushed him down into the garden's well,

Usurping the dragon throne—hard to unravel.

Fortunately I came, with great merit,

Raising the dead, restoring life, without obstruction.

He willingly took refuge and became a porter boy,

To go with the monk to face the Western Realm.

The false king was the boy attendant,

The boy attendant has now become the true king in his stead."

The demon king, upon hearing these words in the Golden Throne Hall, was so terrified that his heart pounded like a startled deer and crimson clouds rose upon his face. He hastily tried to slip away, but alas, he had no weapon in his hands. Turning around, he caught sight of a palace-guard general at the waist of whom hung a precious saber; the general had been fixed in place by Pilgrim's immobilization spell, standing there like a mute, dull-witted man. The demon king stepped forward, seized the saber, and mounting a cloud, fled into the sky. This filled Frizzled Monk Sha with thunderous fury, while Pigsy raised a great clamor, grumbling that Pilgrim was a rash monkey: "If only you had spoken more slowly, you might have kept him here! Now he's fled on a cloud—where on earth are we supposed to chase him?" Pilgrim laughed and said, "Brothers, don't make such a racket. We'll call the crown prince down to bow to his father, and the consorts to bow to their husband." He then recited a spell to undo the immobilization charm, "and let the officials revive and return to bow to their sovereign, so they'll know he is the true emperor. Once they recount the whole affair, the truth will become clear. Then I'll go after him." The great Sage ordered Pigsy and Frizzled Monk Sha, "Protect well his Majesty, the prince, the consorts, and our Master." The moment he said "I'm off," he vanished without a trace.

He had in fact leaped into the clouds of the highest heavens, opened his four eyes wide, and looked for the demon king. He saw that the beast had indeed escaped with his life and was fleeing straight to the northeast. Pilgrim gave chase and, drawing near, bellowed, "Where do you think you're going, monster? Old Sun is here!" The demon king turned sharply, drew his precious saber, and cried out, "Sun Wukong, you wretched scoundrel! I seized another man's throne—what business is it of yours? Why did you meddle and expose my secret?" Pilgrim said with a laugh, "You audacious, lawless fiend! Who ever promised you the throne? Since you know I'm old Sun, you should have fled far away. Instead you dared to torment my Master and demand some kind of written confession! Was that the confession just now or not? Don't you dare run—if you're a true hero, take a blow from old Sun's staff!" The demon dodged sideways and raised his saber to strike back. The two clashed, and what a battle it was:

The Monkey King was fierce, the Demon King was strong,

Saber met staff, neither yielding for long.

A day's worth of mist and cloud confused the Three Realms,

All for setting up an emperor on the throne.

After several bouts, the fiend could no longer withstand the Monkey King. He turned and fled back along his old path, leaping into the city and rushing through the ranks of civil and military officials standing before the white jade steps. He shook his body and transformed, taking on the exact appearance of Tang Sanzang. The two stood hand in hand before the steps. The great Sage rushed forward, ready to strike with his staff. The fiend cried, "Disciple, don't strike—it's me!" Pilgrim hastily pulled back his staff to strike the other Tang Sanzang, but that one also cried, "Disciple, don't strike—it's me!" Two identical Tang Sanzangs stood there, impossible to tell apart: "If I strike and kill the Tang Sanzang that the fiend has become, that would count as a merit. But if I strike and kill my true Master, what then?" He had no choice but to stop and call to Pigsy and Frizzled Monk Sha, "Which one is the fiend, and which one is my Master? Point him out to me so I can strike." Pigsy said, "You were fighting and shouting up in the sky—I caught a glimpse and saw two Masters. I have no idea which is real and which is false."

Upon hearing this, Pilgrim pinched the spell-sign, recited an incantation, and called upon the guardian deities, the Six Ding and Six Jia spirits, the Five Direction Revealing Devas, the Four Time-Keeping Merit Officers, the Eighteen Guardian Vajras, the local earth god, and the mountain spirit of the region, saying, "Old Sun has come here to subdue a fiend. The fiend has transformed into my Master, and their vital essences are identical—it's truly impossible to tell them apart. You who know the truth in secret, please bring my Master up to the hall so I can capture the demon." Now the fiend was skilled in mounting clouds and mist, and when he heard Pilgrim's words, he hastily released his hold and leaped up to the Golden Throne Hall. Pilgrim raised his staff and struck at Tang Sanzang. How pitiful! Had he not called upon those deities, even twenty Tang Sanzangs would have been pounded into a meat paste! Fortunately, the gods blocked the iron staff, saying, "Great Sage, the fiend can mount clouds—he went up to the hall first." Pilgrim rushed into the hall, but the fiend leaped back down, seized Tang Sanzang again, and mingled once more among the crowd, still impossible to identify.

Pilgrim was vexed, and seeing Pigsy standing to the side with a mocking grin, he flew into a rage: "You wretched lout! Now there are two Masters—you have someone to call, someone to answer, someone to serve! You're mighty pleased with yourself!" Pigsy laughed and said, "Brother, you call me stupid, but you're even stupider than I am. Since you can't tell which is the Master, why waste your effort? Just put up with a bit of a headache and have our Master recite that chant. Frizzled Monk Sha and I will each hold one of them and listen. The one who can't recite it must be the fiend—what's so hard about that?" Pilgrim said, "Brother, I owe you one. You're right—that chant is known only to three. It was originally transmitted from the heart-seed of the Tathagata Buddha to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the Bodhisattva passed it on to my Master. No one else knows it. Very well, Master, recite it." And so the real Tang Sanzang began to chant. The demon king had no idea what it was and could only hum and mumble nonsense. Pigsy said, "This one who's humming must be the fiend!" He let go of the fiend and raised his rake to strike. The demon king leaped up and fled on a cloud.

What a fine Pigsy! With a shout, he too mounted a cloud and gave chase. Frizzled Monk Sha, in his alarm, abandoned Tang Sanzang and drew his precious staff to join the fight. Only then did Tang Sanzang stop his chant. The great Sun Sage, enduring the headache, clenched his iron staff and pursued them into the air. Ah! This time, three fierce monks surrounded one lawless fiend. The demon king was hemmed in by Pigsy's rake and Frizzled Monk Sha's staff attacking from both sides. Pilgrim laughed and said, "If I go up and strike him face to face, he'll be afraid of me—but I'm afraid he'll run away again. Let me, old Sun, leap up higher and give him a garlic-pounding strike to finish him off."

The Great Sage rode auspicious light into the ninth heaven, about to strike a finishing blow, when he heard a loud shout from a colored cloud in the northeast: "Sun Wuxing, hold your hand!" Wuxing turned and saw that it was Manjusri Bodhisattva. He quickly put away his staff and stepped forward to bow. "Where are you going, Bodhisattva?" Manjusri said, "I have come to subdue this demon for you." Wuxing thanked him. "I've put you to too much trouble." The Bodhisattva drew a Demon-Revealing Mirror from his sleeve and fixed the true form of the fiend within it. Only then did Wuxing call Bajie and Shaseng over to pay their respects to the Bodhisattva. Looking into the mirror, they saw that the demon king was fearsome indeed:

His eyes were like glass lamps, his head like a wrought-iron vat. His whole body was the deep blue of the hottest summer days; his four claws bore the frost of late autumn. His two ears drooped, his tail was long as a broom. His green fur bristled with fierce energy, his red rays shot golden rays. His flat teeth were arrayed like jade plates, his round whiskers stood stiff as spears. Looking at the true image in the mirror, it was Manjusri's own lion-lynx king.

Wuxing said, "Bodhisattva, this is one of your green-furred lions. How did it get loose and turn into a demon? Why didn't you subdue it?" The Bodhisattva said, "Wuxing, it didn't get loose—it was sent here by the Buddha's command." Wuxing said, "This beast turned into a demon, seized the emperor's throne, and yet you say it was sent by the Buddha's command? By that logic, Old Sun's suffering in protecting Tripitaka should have earned me a few imperial decrees!" The Bodhisattva said, "You don't understand. In the past, the King of Wuguo was devoted to good works and fed monks. The Buddha sent me to bring him to the Western Heaven so he could early attain the Golden Body of an Arhat. Since I could not appear in my true form, I transformed into an ordinary monk and asked him for some alms. He tested me with difficult words, and when he failed to recognize me as a good man, he had me bound with rope and thrown into the imperial river, where I was submerged for three days and three nights. Fortunately, the Golden Body of the Six Jia saved me and brought me back to the Western Heaven, and I reported this to the Tathagata. The Tathagata ordered this demon to be sent here, to push the king down into a well and submerge him for three years, in retribution for my three days of suffering in the water. 'Every drink and every bite are predestined.' Now that you have all arrived here, the merit has been accomplished."

Wuxing said, "You may have settled some private score of 'every drink and every bite,' but this monster has harmed who knows how many people." The Bodhisattva said, "He hasn't harmed anyone. Since he arrived, these three years have brought favorable weather and bountiful harvests, peace and prosperity to the country. How has he harmed anyone?" Wuxing said, "That may be so, but the three palace consorts have slept and risen with him—his body has defiled them, violating all principles of proper conduct. And you still say he hasn't harmed anyone?" The Bodhisattva said, "He couldn't have defiled them—he is a castrated lion." When Bajie heard this, he stepped forward and felt for himself. He laughed and said, "This demon really is a spoiled nose that won't drink wine—he bears a false name!" Wuxing said, "In that case, take him away. If the Bodhisattva hadn't come in person, I would never have spared his life."

The Bodhisattva then recited a spell and shouted: "Beast! Return to the right path—what are you waiting for?" The demon king then revealed his true form. The Bodhisattva set a lotus flower over the demon, sat upon his back, and rode auspicious light away from Wuxing. Ah!

He returned straight to Mount Wutai, to sit beneath the precious lotus throne and listen to the sutras.

But we do not yet know how Tripitaga and his disciples managed to leave the city. Listen to the next chapter for the explanation.