Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Now King Sai and the assembled ministers watched the Great Saint and Bajie rise upon the clouds, carrying the two little demons and floating away. One and all bowed toward heaven and said, “The stories are true! Today we have seen with our own eyes that there are indeed living immortals and Buddhas among us.” When the figures had vanished into the distance, they bowed again to Tang Sanzang and Sha Wujing. “We are but mortals with ordinary eyes. We knew only that your disciples had great strength and could seize the demons—how could we have known they were supreme immortals who can mount the clouds and ride the mist?”

Sanzang said, “This poor monk has no powers of his own. I have relied entirely on these three little disciples along the way.”

Sha Wujing said, “Let me tell Your Majesty plainly. My senior brother is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who later took refuge in the Buddhist order. He once caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, wielding his golden-banded iron staff—none of the hundred thousand heavenly soldiers could withstand him. He threw even the Supreme Lord Lao Zi into a panic and struck terror into the heart of the Jade Emperor. My second brother, Bajie, attained the true fruit as Marshal Tian Peng; he once commanded eighty thousand sailors of the Heavenly River. As for me, I have no great powers—I was merely the Curtain-Lifting General who accepted the precepts. We brothers are useless at many things, but when it comes to capturing demons, binding monsters, seizing thieves and outlaws, taming tigers and subduing dragons, kicking up heaven and stirring the earth, or even churning seas and overturning rivers—we have some slight skill in these. As for mounting the clouds and riding the mist, summoning rain and calling the wind, shifting the stars and moving constellations, bearing mountains and chasing the moon—those are mere side accomplishments, hardly worth mentioning!”

The king, upon hearing this, was filled with even greater reverence. He invited Sanzang to take the highest seat, calling him “Old Buddha” over and over, and addressed Sha Wujing and the others as “Bodhisattvas.” The entire court rejoiced, and the common people throughout the kingdom bowed in worship—but I shall say no more of this.

Meanwhile, the Great Saint and Bajie rode the fierce wind and carried the two little demons off to the Treacherous Crag Mountain and the Waves-Green Pool. They halted their cloud and alighted. Sun Wukong breathed immortal breath on his golden-banded iron staff and cried, “Change!” It turned into a monk’s knife. He cut off the ear of the black fish demon and the lower lip of the catfish spirit, then tossed them back into the water. “Go quickly,” he shouted, “and report to the Dragon King of All Blessings. Tell him that I, Old Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, am here. Let him return at once the original treasure from the pagoda of the Golden Light Temple in King Sai’s realm, and I will spare the lives of his whole family. But let him utter even half a syllable of ‘no,’ and I will drain this pool to the last drop, and every last soul of his household shall perish.”

The two little demons, having received their orders, fled for their lives in pain, dragging their chains as they plunged into the water. They terrified the turtles, alligators, tortoises, shrimp, crabs, and fish spirits, who crowded around and asked, “Why are you two dragging ropes and chains?” One covered his ear, shaking his head and swishing his tail; the other held his mouth, stamping his feet and beating his chest. Shouting and clamoring, they made their way straight to the dragon king’s palace. “Report to the Great King—disaster!”

The Dragon King of All Blessings was drinking wine with the Nine-Headed Son-in-Law when he saw them arrive. He set down his cup and asked what calamity had befallen them. They reported: “Last night while on patrol, we were captured by the monk Tang and the Pilgrim Sun while they were sweeping the pagoda. They bound us with iron chains. This morning we were brought before the king, and then the Pilgrim and Zhu Bajie seized us again—one of us had his ear cut off, the other his lower lip. They threw us into the water and sent us to report that they are demanding the treasure from the top of the pagoda.” They then recounted the whole affair in detail.

When the old dragon heard that it was the Pilgrim Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, his soul nearly left his body and his spirit scattered to the nine heavens. Trembling, he said to his son-in-Law, “My dear son-in-Law, if anyone else had come, we might still devise a plan. But if it is truly him, the situation is most unfavorable.”

The son-in-Law laughed. “Father-in-Law, rest assured. I have studied the martial arts since youth, and in all four seas I have met several mighty heroes—what do I have to fear? Let me go out and engage him in three bouts, and I will surely make him cower and surrender, unable to lift his head.”

A fine demon indeed! He hastened to don his armor and took up his weapon—a crescent-moon spade. He strode out of the palace, parted the waters, and stood upon the surface, shouting, “Who is this Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Come up here and offer your life!”

Wukong and Bajie stood on the shore, watching to see how this demon was dressed:

He wore a tarnished silver helmet, gleaming brighter than white snow;

He donned a mail-coat of head armor, shining sharper than autumn frost.

Above, a brocade campaign robe—truly colored clouds embracing jade;

At his waist, a rhinoceros-hide patterned belt—indeed like a flowered python coiling round gold.

In his hands he grasped a crescent-moon spade—lightning flashing, electricity crackling;

On his feet he wore pigskin boots—waters parting, waves dividing.

From afar he seemed one head, one face;

Up close, all four sides bore human features:

Eyes in front, eyes behind—seeing in all eight directions;

Mouths on the left, mouths on the right—nine mouths speaking.

One shout resounded through the long void,

Like a crane’s cry piercing the nine celestial courts.

When he saw no one answer, he shouted again: “Which of you is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?”

Wukong adjusted his golden headband and straightened his iron staff. “Old Sun is he.”

The demon said: “Where is your home? From what place do you come? How did you reach the Kingdom of Sai, and why do you guard the pagoda for the king? How dare you seize my officers, commit violence, and come to my treasure mountain to challenge me to battle?”

Wukong cursed: “You thieving monster—so you don’t even know your Grandfather Sun! Come closer and listen:

Old Sun’s ancestral home is the Flower-Fruit Mountain,

In the great sea, the Water-Curtain Cave.

From youth I cultivated an indestructible body;

The Jade Emperor himself named me Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

But I caused havoc in the Palace of the Dipper and Ox—

None of the gods in heaven could overcome me.

Then the Buddha was invited to display his wondrous height,

His boundless wisdom beyond all ordinary use.

To test my somersaulting powers in a wager,

He turned his hand into a mountain to press me down.

Five hundred years have passed to this day,

Until Guanyin persuaded and I escaped my fate.

The Tang monk of the Great Tang journeyed west to heaven,

To worship afar at Vulture Peak and seek the Buddhist hymns.

I was released from my bondage to protect him,

Subduing demons and purifying monsters as we traveled along the way.

On the road we came to the city of Sai in the Western Regions,

Where monks had been wronged for three generations.

We asked with compassion about the old grievances—

It was because the pagoda had lost its light.

My master swept the pagoda to investigate the truth;

At the third watch of night, when all was still,

We captured the demons and extracted their true confessions:

They said you had stolen the treasure.

The dragon king was the chief of the whole conspiracy,

And the princess bore the title “All Blessings.”

With a blood rain they washed the pagoda’s glow

And took away their treasure to use.

Their confession before the palace left no falsehood—

I have come to this place by the king’s command.”

Thus he sought them out to wage war, no need to ask Master Sun's surname again.

Quickly hand back his precious treasures, and spare the lives of your old and young, your whole family.

If you recklessly flaunt your strength in ignorance, I'll make your waters dry up and your mountains crumble to ruin."

When the prince consort heard these words, he gave a faint, cold laugh and said, "So you are a monk fetching scriptures. You've got no business meddling in this. I stole his treasures, and you're fetching Buddha's scriptures—what's it to you that you come fighting me?" The Pilgrim said, "This thieving monster has no sense of propriety at all. Though I receive no favors from the king, eat none of his rice or drink his water, and owe him nothing, you stole his treasures, defiled his pagoda, and for years have wronged and tormented the monks of Golden Light Temple. They are of my own kind—how could I not exert myself to help him and clear this injustice?" The prince consort said, "If that's your attitude, I suppose you want to test your strength. As the saying goes: 'Martial arts brook no restraint.' But I'm afraid once the fighting starts, I won't be able to hold back, and in a moment I might take your life, delaying your journey to fetch the scriptures."

The Pilgrim flew into a rage and cursed, "You damned monster, what great ability do you have that you dare open your mouth so wide? Come here and take a staff from old Master." The prince consort was not in the least flustered—he caught the iron staff with his crescent-moon spade, and there atop the jagged mountain peak, they fought a truly magnificent battle:

The demon had stolen the pagoda's light away;

The Pilgrim captured the fiend to repay the king.

The lesser monsters fled alive back into the water;

The old dragon, his gall broken, plotted with the rest.

The nine-headed prince consort displayed his might,

Clad in armor, he came forth with awesome power.

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven raged with fury,

His golden-banded staff rose with fearsome force.

That monster—nine heads and eighteen eyes,

Shining with radiant light front and back;

This Pilgrim—a pair of iron arms with a thousand-weight strength,

Surrounded by auspicious radiance, dense and bright.

The spade was like the new moon of the first yang,

The staff like frost flying across ten thousand miles.

He said: "You meddle where you have no grievance to avenge."

I said: "You deliberately stole the treasure—truly vile.

You reckless fiend, hold your arrogance,

Return the treasure and find peace."

Staff met spade in contest for supremacy,

Neither yielding on the training ground of battle.

Back and forth the two of them fought for more than thirty rounds with neither side prevailing. Zhu Bajie stood before the mountain and, seeing them locked in a splendid fight, raised his rake and drove it into the demon from behind. Now the monster had nine heads with eyes all around—he could see everything clearly. Noticing Bajie coming from behind, he used the shaft of his spade to fend off the rake while the spade-head parried the iron staff. After enduring another five or seven rounds, unable to withstand the assault from both front and rear, he rolled on the ground, leapt into the air, and revealed his true form—a nine-headed insect. His appearance was truly hideous; to see such a creature would terrify anyone. He was covered in feathers like brocade, his body bunched like a cocoon. He measured twelve feet across, in length and breadth like a giant turtle or alligator. His two feet had sharp, hook-like claws; his nine heads were clustered together in one mass. When he spread his wings he could fly superbly—even the great roc could not match his strength. When he cried out, the sound carried far across the heavens; even the immortal crane could not shriek higher. His many eyes flashed and flickered with golden light; his proud spirit was no common bird's.

When Zhu Bajie saw him, his heart trembled and he said, "Brother, in all my years as a man, I've never seen such a fearsome creature. What kind of vital essence gave birth to this beast?" The Pilgrim said, "Truly rare, truly rare. Let me chase him and strike." The Great Sage quickly leapt upon auspicious clouds, jumped into the air, and brought his iron staff down on the creature's head. The monster showed his full might—he spread his wings, banked into a slanting flight, and with a whirling turn swooped to the mountainside, where from his midsection he extended another head, opened his mouth like a basin of blood, seized Bajie by the mane in his jaws, half dragging and half pulling him, and dove down into the Bibo Pool. When they reached outside the dragon palace, he resumed his former appearance, flung Bajie to the ground, and called out, "Where are my attendants?" Inside, the mackerel, mullet, carp, and perch spirits, along with the turtle, alligator, and giant turtle monsters, all rushed forward and answered, "Here!" The prince consort said, "Bind that long-mouthed monk over there and avenge my patrol soldiers." The spirits pushed and shoved, carrying Bajie inside. The old Dragon King came out joyfully to greet him and said, "My worthy son-in-law, you have done great service. How did you manage to capture him?" The prince consort recounted the whole story. The old dragon immediately ordered wine to be poured to celebrate his achievement—but of this, no more.

Now Sun the Pilgrim, seeing the demon capture Bajie, thought to himself with alarm, "This fellow is truly formidable. If I go back to report to my master, I fear the king will laugh at me. If I try to provoke him to battle again, I'm all alone, and besides, I'm not accustomed to fighting on water. Let me transform and go in, and see what the monster plans to do with that idiot. If the opportunity arises, I'll steal him out and get to work." The Great Sage made a hand sign, shook his body, and transformed into a crab, plunging into the water and making straight for the memorial archway. This was a route he had traveled before when he attacked the Bull Demon King and stole the golden-eyed beast. He reached straight to the palace gates, scuttled sideways past them, and saw the old Dragon King and the nine-headed insect celebrating with their whole family over wine. The Pilgrim did not dare approach too closely. He crawled beneath the eastern corridor, where several shrimp and crab spirits were milling about at play. He listened to their chatter for a while, then imitated their speech and asked, "The long-mouthed monk that the Prince Consort brought back—is he dead yet?" The spirits replied, "Not dead. Isn't that groaning you hear from the west corridor, where he's bound?"

When Pilgrim heard this, he crept quietly past the western corridor, and sure enough, the idiot was tied to a pillar, groaning away. Pilgrim approached him and said, "Bajie, do you recognize me?" Bajie heard the voice and knew it was Pilgrim. "Elder Brother," he said, "what's happened? How come I've been caught by this fellow?" Pilgrim looked around to make sure no one was about, then bit through the bonds with his teeth and told him to leave. The idiot freed his hands and said, "Elder Brother, my weapon has been taken from me. What can we do?" Pilgrim said, "Do you know where it was put?" Bajie said, "It must have been carried up into the palace by that monster." Pilgrim said, "Go wait for me under the memorial archway first." Bajie made his escape and slipped out quietly. Pilgrim then crept back up into the palace to look around. On the left there was a glint of brilliant light—it was Bajie's spiked rake shining. Pilgrim used his concealment magic to steal the rake and brought it to the memorial archway, calling out, "Bajie, take your weapon!" When the idiot had his rake, he said, "Elder Brother, you go first. Let me charge into the palace. If I win, I'll capture the whole family. If I lose and have to retreat, you wait by the bank of this pool and come to my rescue." Pilgrim was delighted and told him to be careful. Bajie said, "Don't worry. When it comes to underwater fighting, I've still got a little skill." Pilgrim left him and carried himself out of the water—no more of this.

Bajie now straightened his dark robe, gripped his rake in both hands, let out a roar, and charged inside. The lesser water creatures were thrown into a panic, rushing and tumbling up to the palace, shouting, "Terrible news! The long-mouthed monk has broken his ropes and is charging back in!" The Old Dragon and the Nine-Headed Creature together with his whole household were caught off guard. They leaped up and scrambled for cover. The idiot charged recklessly into the palace and, with sweep after sweep of his rake, smashed through the doors, broke the tables and chairs, and shattered all the banquet furnishings. There is a poem that bears witness. It says:

The Wood Mother was captured by a water demon,

The Mind Monkey refused to abandon him and sought him in distress.

Secretly he used a clever trick to pick the lock,

Then displayed great divine power, his fury and hatred deep.

The son-in-law hurried to hide the princess,

The Dragon King trembled and lost all voice.

The water palace's vermilion halls and doors were ruined,

The dragon sons and grandsons were all bereft of their souls.

In this onslaught, Bajie smashed the tortoiseshell screen to pieces and shattered the coral trees.

The Nine-Headed Creature hid the princess safely inside, hastily took up his crescent-moon spade, and rushed to the front of the palace, shouting, "You wretched, brutish pig! How dare you act treacherously and terrify my family?" Bajie cursed back, "You thieving monster! How dare you capture me? This has nothing to do with me—you're the one who invited me here and provoked this fight. Quickly return my treasures and I'll go back to report to the king and be done with it. Otherwise, I won't spare a single life in your family!" The monster would not hear of it. He clenched his teeth and clashed with Bajie. The Old Dragon had by now recovered his wits and led his dragon sons and grandsons, each grasping spears and swords, to join the attack together. Bajie saw that things were not going well. He made a feint with his rake and turned to flee. The Old Dragon led his forces in pursuit. In a flash they had burst out of the water and were churning about on the surface of the pool.

Now Sun Pilgrim had been standing on the bank of the pool waiting. Suddenly he saw them chasing Bajie and emerging from the water. He mounted the clouds halfway, drew his iron staff, and roared, "Don't you dare run!" With a single blow, he smashed the Old Dragon's head to a pulp. Pitiful—blood splashed into the pool and the red water surged, the corpse floated on the waves among the scattered scales. The dragon sons and grandsons were so terrified that each fled for his life. The Nine-Headed Son-in-Law gathered the dragon's corpse and withdrew back into the palace.

Pilgrim and Bajie did not pursue them for the time being. They returned to the bank and told each other what had happened. Bajie said, "This creature's fighting spirit has been broken. When I charged in with my rake, I routed them utterly—scattered their souls and shattered their spirits. I was just battling the son-in-law when the Old Dragon King came after me, and it was only thanks to you that he was killed. When they get back, they'll certainly hold a funeral and mourn—they'll definitely not come out again. And now it's getting late in the day. What are we going to do?" Pilgrim said, "Never mind that it's getting late. Seizing this opportunity, you should go down and attack again. You must retrieve those treasures before we can return to court." The idiot was dispirited and reluctant, making excuses and putting it off. Pilgrim pressed him, saying, "Brother, don't have so many doubts. Just lure them out again like before, and let me deal with them."

As the two of them were discussing the matter, they suddenly heard a howling wind and a gloomy, dreadful fog sweeping straight from the east toward the south. Pilgrim looked carefully and saw that it was the Illustrious Sage, Erlang, leading his six brothers of Mount Mei. They had hawks and hounds with them, carried foxes and rabbits, and bore deer and musk deer on poles. Each had a curved bow at his waist and a sharp blade in his hand, riding the wind and fog as they came surging forward. Pilgrim said, "Bajie, those are my seven sworn brothers. It would be fine to invite them to stay and help us fight. If we succeed, it would be a great opportunity." Bajie said, "Since they're your brothers, we certainly should invite them." Pilgrim said, "But among them is the eldest brother, the Illustrious Sage. He once defeated me, so it's awkward for me to meet him. Go intercept them in the clouds and call out, 'True Lord, please stop for a moment. the Great Sage Equal to Heaven is here to pay his respects.' If he hears it's me, he'll certainly stop. Once he's settled down, then I can go see him."

The fool hastily mounted his cloud, rushed up the mountain to intercept them, and cried out in a stern, loud voice: "True Lord, please halt your carriage! the Great Sage Equal to Heaven requests an audience." The old lord, upon hearing this, immediately gave orders to stop his six brothers and met with Eight Rules. After their greetings, he asked, "Where is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?" Eight Rules said, "He is waiting at the foot of the mountain for your summons." The Second Lord said, "Brothers, go quickly and invite him up." The six brothers—Kang, Zhang, Yao, Li, Guo, and Zhi—each came out of the camp and called, "Brother Sun Wukong, our eldest brother invites you." The Pilgrim stepped forward, bowed to all of them, and then went up the mountain together. The old Second Lord came out to greet him, took his hand, and they went in together. The old lord said, "Great Sage, you have escaped great tribulation and taken the vows of a monk. Your work will soon be complete, and you will ascend in glory to the lotus throne. Congratulations, congratulations!" The Pilgrim said, "I dare not accept such praise. I have received your great kindness in the past and have yet to repay it, even for a moment. Though I have escaped calamity and am journeying west, I do not yet know how my merit stands. Now, passing through the Kingdom of Saizhai, I came to rescue the monks from disaster, and I am here to capture the demon and recover the treasure. I happened to see your retinue and boldly asked you to stay and lend your aid. I do not know where you have come from, but I hope you will deign to help." The Second Lord smiled and said, "I had nothing to do, so I went hunting with my brothers and was on my way back. I am honored that the Great Sage has not disdained to detain me—this is enough to stir the feelings of old friendship. If you command me to use my strength to subdue a demon, how dare I refuse? But I do not know what sort of monster is here." The Six Sages said, "Elder Brother, have you forgotten? This is the Mountain of Scattered Stones, and below it is the Dragon Palace of the Wansheng family in the Jade-Wave Pool." The Second Lord said in surprise, "Old Dragon Wansheng has never caused trouble before—how dare he steal the treasure from the pagoda?" The Pilgrim said, "Recently he took in a son-in-law, who is actually a Nine-Headed Beast who became a spirit. The father-in-law and son-in-law became thieves together. They sent a blood rain upon the Kingdom of Saizhai and stole the śarīra Buddha-treasure from the top of the pagoda in the Golden Light Temple. The king did not understand what had happened and cruelly tortured the monks. My master, out of compassion, went to sweep the pagoda at night, and I caught two little demons on the pagoda—they had been sent to patrol. This morning I brought them to the palace, and they confessed everything truthfully. The king then asked my master to subdue the demons, and my master ordered us to come here. We fought one battle, and the Nine-Headed Beast stretched out a head from his waist and carried off Eight Rules in his mouth. I then transformed and went into the water to free Eight Rules. We fought another great battle, and I killed the old dragon. The others have taken the corpse away and are in mourning. My companion and I were just discussing our next attack when we saw your retinue descending, and so I have been so presumptuous as to detain you." The Second Lord said, "Since the old dragon has been killed, this is the perfect time to attack them, so that they cannot prepare themselves—wouldn't that wipe out the entire nest?" Eight Rules said, "That may be so, but what about the fact that it is late at night?" The Second Lord said, "The military strategists say: 'Attack without waiting for the proper time.' Why fear the lateness of the hour?"

Kang, Yao, Guo, and Zhi said, "Elder Brother, don't be in such a hurry. The demon's family is here—they have nowhere to go. Second Brother Sun is an honored guest, and Zhu Ganglie has also returned to the righteous path. We have food and wine with us in camp. Let the men make a fire and set it up here: first, to congratulate the two of you, and second, to renew our old friendship. Let us enjoy this night together and attack at dawn—what would be the harm?" The Second Lord was greatly pleased and said, "My worthy brother speaks most sensibly." He then ordered his men to make the arrangements. The Pilgrim said, "I cannot refuse your generous feelings, but since becoming a monk, I have kept a vegetarian diet, and I fear meat and wine may be inconvenient." The Second Lord said, "We have vegetarian fruits, and the wine is also vegetarian." The brothers, under the light of the stars and moon, spread the ground as their mat and the sky as their canopy, and raised their cups to reminisce about old times.

Indeed, when one is lonely, the night seems long; when one is merry, the night seems short. Before they knew it, the east had turned white. Eight Rules, having drunk several cups of wine, was brimming with excitement and said, "Dawn is breaking—let old Pig go into the water to challenge them to battle." The Second Lord said, "Marshal, be careful. Just lure them out, and my brothers and I will do the rest." Eight Rules laughed and said, "I know, I know." Watch him as he gathered up his clothes and wrapped his rake around him, used the water-dividing technique, and leaped down, making straight for the ceremonial archway. He raised a shout and charged into the hall. At that moment the dragon son, wearing mourning garments, was weeping over the dragon's corpse; the dragon grandson and the son-in-law were in the back arranging the coffin. Eight Rules cursed as he advanced, and with a swing of his rake, struck the dragon son on the head, making nine holes through his skull. The dragon mother and the others were so terrified that they fled inside, crying, "The long-beaked monk has killed my son too!"

The son-in-law, upon hearing this, immediately took up his crescent-moon spade and led the dragon grandson out to fight. Eight Rules raised his rake to meet him, fighting as he retreated, and leaped out of the water. On the shore, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the seven brothers surged forward together, stabbing wildly with spears and swords, and chopped the dragon grandson into several pieces of mincemeat. The son-in-law saw that things were going badly, rolled on the mountain slope, and revealed his true form. He spread his wings and soared into the air. The Second Lord at once took his golden bow, fitted a silver pellet, drew the bow to its full, and shot upward. The monster quickly folded his wings and swooped to the side, trying to bite the Second Lord. Just as he stretched out a head from his waist, the slender hound leaped up and snapped with a yelp, biting the head off in a shower of blood. The creature, bearing his wound, fled for his life and made straight for the Northern Sea. Eight Rules wanted to pursue him, but the Pilgrim stopped him, saying, "Don't chase him. As the saying says, 'Do not press a desperate foe.' He has been bitten on the head by the hound—he will surely die more than he lives. Let me transform into his likeness. You divide the waterway and drive me inside. I will find the princess and trick her into giving us the treasure." The Second Lord and the Six Sages said, "Not chasing him is one thing, but leaving this kind of creature in the world will surely bring harm to later generations." To this day there is a nine-headed beast that drips blood—it is the descendant left behind.

Following these instructions, Pigsy parted the waters. Sun Wukong, transformed into the monster's shape, led the way, while Pigsy roared and shouted in pursuit behind him. They gradually chased the creature back to the Dragon Palace, where Princess Wusheng was seen. "Husband," she said, "why are you in such a panic?" "Pigsy has defeated me and chased me back here," Wukong replied. "I find I cannot withstand him. Quick, hide the treasures carefully."

The princess, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood in her haste, immediately retrieved a solid gold casket from the rear hall and handed it to Wukong. "This is the Buddha's relic," she said. She then produced a white jade casket and gave it to him as well. "This is the nine-leaf spirit mushroom. Take these treasures and hide them. Let me fight Pigsy for two or three rounds to hold you off. Keep the treasures safe, then come out and join the battle." Wukong took the two caskets, wiped his face, and revealed his true form. "Princess, do I look like your husband to you?" Terrified, the princess lunged to snatch back the caskets, but Pigsy rushed forward and struck her from behind with his rake, knocking her to the ground.

An old dragoness tried to flee, but Pigsy seized her and raised his rake to strike. "Hold!" Wukong cried. "Don't kill her. Keep her alive—she'll be useful as proof when we return to the kingdom." He then dragged the dragoness out of the water.

Wukong followed, carrying the two caskets ashore. He said to Erlang, "Thanks to your mighty power, Brother, we have obtained the treasures and wiped out the demons." "It is due to the king's great fortune and to your own boundless divine powers," Erlang replied. "What merit have I?" The other brothers said, "Since Brother Sun has accomplished the mission, we shall take our leave." Wukong thanked them profusely and wished to invite them to meet the king, but they declined and led their troops back to Guankou.

Wukong carried the caskets while Pigsy dragged the dragoness. Half through clouds and half through mist, they reached the kingdom in an instant. The monks of the Golden Light Temple, who had been freed, were waiting to greet them outside the city walls. Seeing the two arrive amid the clouds, they stepped forward, kowtowed, and escorted them into the city. The king and Tripitaka were discussing matters in the palace hall. Some monks who had arrived ahead boldly entered the palace gate and announced, "Your Majesty, Lords Sun and Zhu have captured the thieves and recovered the treasures!" The king hurried down from the hall and, together with Tripitaka and Sandy, went out to meet them, thanking them endlessly for their divine feasts. "There is no need for a banquet yet," Tripitaka said. "Let my disciples return the treasure to the tower first; then we may feast." He then asked Wukong, "You left the kingdom yesterday—why have you only returned today?" Wukong gave a detailed account of fighting the son-in-law, battling the dragon king, meeting Lord Erlang, defeating the demons, and his scheme to trick the treasures away. Tripitaka, the king, and all the civil and military officials were overjoyed.

"Can the dragoness speak human language?" the king asked. "She is the Dragon Queen," Pigsy said, "and has given birth to many dragon sons and grandsons. How could she not know human speech?" "Since she understands human language," the king said, "let her quickly confess the whole story of her theft." "I knew nothing about stealing the Buddha's relic," the dragoness said. "It was all the doing of my husband, the dragon ghost, and my son-in-law, the nine-headed monster. They knew that the light atop your tower was a Buddha's sarira. Three years ago, they took advantage of a blood rain to steal it." "And how was the spirit mushroom stolen?" the king asked. "My daughter, Princess Wusheng, secretly ascended to the Great Luo Heaven and stole the nine-leaf spirit mushroom from the Queen Mother of the West in front of the Lingxiao Palace. The sarira, nourished by the mushroom's immortal essence, remains undamaged for a thousand years and radiates light for ten thousand. Sweep it across the ground or a field, and ten thousand rays of auspicious light and a thousand strands of lucky vapor appear. Now that you have taken it away, my husband is dead, my sons are destroyed, my son-in-law is slain, and my daughter is lost. I beg you to spare my life!" "We will not spare you!" Pigsy declared. "The law does not punish an entire household," Wukong said. "I will spare you, but you must guard this tower for me forever." "Better a wretched life than a good death," the dragoness said. "If you spare my life, I will do whatever you command." Wukong ordered iron chains to be brought. An official immediately produced a chain, which was passed through the dragoness's collarbones. "Sandy," Wukong said, "please ask the king to come and watch us restore the treasure to the tower."

The king at once ordered his carriage and went out with Tripitaka, hand in hand, accompanied by his civil and military officials, to the Golden Light Temple. Wukong ascended the tower and placed the Buddha's sarira in the treasure vase at the top of the thirteenth story. He chained the dragoness to the central pillar of the tower, recited a true incantation, and summoned the local earth god, the city god, and the temple's guardian deities. He ordered them to bring the dragoness one meal every three days to sustain her, and warned that the slightest deviation would be punished by execution. The deities secretly agreed. Wukong then swept the spirit mushroom through each of the thirteen stories of the tower and placed it inside the vase to nourish the sarira. Thus the tower was restored as good as new, radiating ten thousand rays of auspicious light and a thousand strands of lucky vapor, once again visible to all eight directions and gazed upon by the four quarters of the world. Descending from the tower, the king said gratefully, "Had the Venerable Buddha and the three Bodhisattvas not come, how could this matter have been resolved?"

"Your Majesty," Wukong said, "the name 'Golden Light' is not auspicious—it is not something that endures. Gold is a flowing substance, and light is a flickering energy. Since I have toiled for you in this matter, I shall rename this temple the Subduing Dragon Temple, so that it may stand forever." The king immediately ordered the name changed and a new plaque hung, reading "Imperial Subduing Dragon Temple, Built by Royal Command." On one side, a royal banquet was prepared; on the other, painters were summoned to depict the likenesses of the four pilgrims, and their names were recorded at the Phoenix Tower. The king arranged his imperial carriage to escort Tripitaka and his disciples and offered gold and jade as rewards. The disciples firmly declined and accepted nothing at all. Truly it was as the verse says:

With evil monsters cut down, all lands are at peace;

With the precious tower restored, light shines upon the great earth.

What adventures await them on the road ahead? Listen to the next chapter for the answer.