Chapter 75

Chapter 75

The Great Sage Sun advanced to the entrance of the cave and looked around on both sides. He saw:

Skulls piled like mountain ridges, bones strewn like a forest. Human hair was trampled into felt-like patches; human flesh and skin had rotted into mud and dust. Human sinews were wrapped around trees, dried and gleaming bright as silver. Truly it was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood—indeed the stench was unbearable. To the east, little demons seized living people and flayed their flesh; to the west, savage devils freshly boiled and freshly cooked human flesh. Had it not been for the Peerless Monkey King with such a heroic heart, no other mortal man could have entered their gates.

Before long, he passed through the second gate and looked around. Ah! This place was quite different from the outside: pure and secluded, elegant and refined, beautiful and spacious. To the left and right grew precious herbs and immortal flowers; before and after stood tall pines and emerald bamboo. He traveled another seven or eight li before reaching the third gate. He slipped aside and stole a glance. Up above sat three old demons, exceedingly ferocious. The one in the middle had this appearance:

Chisel-like teeth, saw-like fangs, a round head and a square face. His voice roared like thunder; his eyes flashed like lightning. His nostrils faced the sky; his red brows wavered like flames. Wherever he walked, the hearts of all beasts trembled; wherever he sat, the courage of all demons failed. This was the green-furred lion demon, king of beasts.

The one on the left had this appearance:

Phoenix eyes and golden pupils, yellow fangs and thick legs. A long nose and silver fur; his head seemed like his tail. A round forehead with wrinkled brows, his body massive and imposing. His voice was soft as a graceful maiden, yet his jade-like face resembled an ox-headed demon. This was the old yellow-toothed elephant, who had spent many years conceiling his tusks and cultivating himself.

The one on the right had this appearance:

Golden wings and a kun-fish head, starry eyes and leopard-like gaze. He had risen from the north and soared toward the south—fierce, strong, and brave. When he transformed and soared alaughing, even dragons wept in sorrow. When he spread his wings, a hundred birds hid their heads; when he extended his sharp talons, all other birds lost their courage. This was the great roc that could travel ninety thousand li through the clouds.

Below them on both sides sat a hundred or so lesser chiefs and captains, all fully armored and equipped, their helmets and mail in perfect order, awe-inspiring in their martial bearing and bristling with murderous intent.

The Pilgrim saw them and felt a surge of joy in his heart. He was not in the least afraid. He strode straight through the front gate with bold steps, removed the watchman's clapper, and called out toward the top, "Great Kings." The three old demons asked with smiling faces, "Little Zuanfeng, have you come?" The Pilgrim answered, "I have come." "You went out to patrol the mountain—what news have you learned of the whereabouts of the Pilgrim Sun?" The Pilgrim said, "Great Kings above, I dare not even speak of it." The old demon said, "Why dare you not speak?" The Pilgrim said, "I received the Great Kings' orders and was walking along, clapper in hand, when suddenly I raised my head and saw a man squatting there, sharpening a pole. He looked like a road-opening god; if he stood up, he would be ten zhang tall or more. He took a handful of water from the cliff beside the stream, sharpened his pole a bit, and said with another chant that his pole had yet to show its divine power—once he had sharpened it bright, he would come to beat the Great Kings. From this I knew he was Sun Xingzhe, and I have come especially to report."

When the old demon heard these words, his whole body broke into a cold sweat. Trembling with terror, he said, "Brothers, I told you not to provoke the monk Tang. His disciple's divine powers are vast—he has already made preparations and is sharpening his staff to beat us. What shall we do?" He commanded, "Little ones, call all the big and small from outside the cave, shut the gate, and let him pass by." One of the captains who knew the situation reported, "Great King, the little demons outside the gate have all scattered." The old demon said, "How have they all scattered? I suppose they heard the news was not good. Quick, shut the gates! Quick, shut the gates!" The demons noisily barred and tightly sealed all the gates, front and back.

The Pilgrim said to himself with alarm, "Once they have shut the gates, if they ask me about family matters and personal details and I cannot answer, won't I have blown my cover and be captured? I had better frighten them once more and get them to open the gate so I can escape." He stepped forward again and said, "Great King, he also said something worse." The old demon said, "What else did he say?" The Pilgrim said, "He said he would skin the First Great King, bone the Second Great King, and pull the sinews from the Third Great King. If you shut the gates and do not go out, he can transform himself—in an instant he will turn into a fly and slip through the crack in the gate to come in and capture all of us. What shall we do then?" The old demon said, "Brothers, be careful. In all the years of this cave, there has never been a single fly. If any fly comes in, it must be Sun Xingzhe." The Pilgrim laughed to himself, "I'll turn into a fly and frighten them a bit—that should get them to open the gate." The Great Sage slipped aside, reached behind his head, and plucked a single hair. He blew a breath of immortal qi and cried, "Transform!" It instantly turned into a golden fly, which flew up and bumped the old demon squarely in the face. The old demon panicked and said, "Brothers, this won't do—that thing has come in through the gate!" The great and small demons were so startled that each grabbed a rake or broom and swarmed forward to swat the fly in a mad frenzy.

The Great Sage could no longer contain himself and burst out with a snickering laugh. He should not have laughed at all, for this single laugh revealed his true countenance. The third old demon lord leaped forward and seized him by the collar, saying, "Elder brother, he nearly fooled us!" The old demon said, "Younger brother, who is fooling whom?" The third demon said, "That little sprite who just answered us is not Little Whirlwind—he is Sun Wukong. He must have encountered Little Whirlwind, somehow killed him, and then transformed himself to deceive us." Wukong panicked and thought, "He has seen through me." He reached up to touch his face and said to the old demon, "How can I be Sun Wukong? I am Little Whirlwind. Your Majesty has mistaken me." The old demon laughed and said, "Brother, he is Little Whirlwind. He reports before me three times a day, and I know him well." He then asked, "Do you have your token?" Wukong said, "I do." He fumbled with his clothes and produced the token. The old demon was now fully convinced and said, "Brother, do not wrong him." The third demon said, "Elder brother, didn't you see? Just now he flashed a grin, and I saw the thunder-spoke mouth appear on him. When I seized him, he changed back into this form." He called out, "Little ones, bring rope!" The chieftains immediately fetched ropes.

The third demon forced Wukong face-down, bound him with his four limbs together like a horse's hooves, and lifted his garments to examine him. He was nothing less than the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. Now Wukong possessed seventy-two transformations. If he changed into a flying bird, a beast, a plant, a vessel, or an insect, his whole body would transform along with him. But when he changed into a human form, only his head and face changed—his body could not transform. Indeed, he was covered in yellow fur, had two red patches, and a single tail. The old demon looked at him and said, "Sun Wukong's body with Little Whirlwind's face. It is him indeed." He commanded, "Little ones, prepare wine first. Let us toast our Third Great King on his achievement. Since we have captured Sun Wukong, the Monk of Tang is surely destined to be our meal." The third demon said, "Do not drink yet. Sun Wukong is slippery—he knows the arts of escape. He might get away. Tell the little ones to bring out the bottle and put Sun Wukong inside it, and then we can enjoy our wine."

The old demon laughed loudly and said, "Exactly, exactly." He summoned thirty-six little fiends, who went inside, opened the storeroom door, and brought out the bottle. How large was this bottle? It was only two feet and four inches tall. Why did it require thirty-six men to carry it? That bottle was a treasure of the primal energies of yin and yang, containing the seven precious substances, the eight trigrams, and the twenty-four seasonal energies. It required thirty-six people, corresponding to the number of the Heavenly Gang stars, to move it. In no time at all, the precious bottle was carried out and placed outside the third gate. They cleared the area, removed the lid, untied Wukong's ropes, stripped off his clothes, and—drawing upon the immortal energy within the bottle—with a whistling sound, sucked him inside. They replaced the lid and sealed it with a paste. Then they went to drink their wine, saying, "The monkey has now entered my precious bottle and shall never again dream of the Western road. If he still wishes to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures, he will have to turn his back on the wheel of rebirth and seek another body through reincarnation." You should have seen the host of fiends, great and small, all grinning with delight as they went to offer their congratulations.

Now when the Great Sage arrived inside the bottle, the treasure compressed his body, making it small. He simply transformed himself and squatted in the middle. After a while, it became cool and shady on one side, and he could not help but laugh out loud, saying, "This fiend has a reputation in name only, with no substance behind it. Why did he tell people that anyone placed in this bottle would be reduced to blood and pus in a moment or two? If it is this cool and comfortable, I could live here seven or eight years without the slightest harm." Ah! The Great Sage did not know the true nature of this treasure: if a person were placed inside and remained silent for a year, it would remain cool and shady for a year; but the moment it heard a human voice, fire would come to burn. Before Wukong had finished speaking, flames filled the entire bottle. Fortunately, he had his skills. He sat in the middle, formed the fire-avoiding sign, and was completely unafraid. He endured this for half an hour, when forty snakes drilled out from the sides and came to bite him. Wukong flung out his hands, grabbed them, and squeezed with all his strength, crushing them into eighty pieces. Shortly after, three fire dragons emerged and coiled around him from above and below, making it truly unbearable. He felt himself growing flustered and helpless, saying, "Everything else is manageable, but these three fire dragons are hard to endure. If I cannot get out a little longer, the fire will attack my heart—what then?" He thought, "I will make my body grow larger and burst it open." The good Great Sage formed the sign, recited the spell, and cried, "Grow!" He grew to over ten feet tall. The bottle, pressed tightly against his body, grew with him. He then made his body smaller, and the bottle shrank as well. Wukong was alarmed and thought, "Difficult, difficult, difficult! When I grow, it grows; when I shrink, it shrinks. What am I to do?" Before he could finish speaking, he felt a pain in his ankle bone. He reached down quickly to touch it and found it had been softened by the fire. He grew anxious and said, "What am I to do? My ankle bone has been softened by fire—I will be left a crippled man!" He could not hold back his tears. And indeed:

Encountering demons and suffering, he thought of the Tripitaka;

Facing calamity and peril, he worried for the holy monk.

He said, "Master! In those years when you embraced the true faith, the Bodhisattva Guanyin persuaded you to goodness and delivered you from heavenly disaster. Together we crossed countless mountains, vanquished many monsters, subdued Bajie, and gained Sha Seng. Through a thousand hardships and ten thousand trials, I hoped that we would together reach the West and jointly attain the true fruit. Who could have expected that today I would fall into the clutches of this venomous demon? Old Sun has stumbled into this place, my life is forfeit, and I am cast away from you on the mountainside, unable to advance. It must be that my fame in former days has brought about this present calamity."

In the midst of his grief, he suddenly remembered: "The Bodhisattva once gave me three life-saving hairs at Snake Coil Mountain. I wonder if they are still here—let me search for them." He reached out and felt all over his body. Sure enough, there were three hairs behind his head, remarkably stiff. He rejoiced: "All the hairs on my body are soft and pliant, but these three are hard as spears—they must be the ones meant to save my life." Biting his teeth and enduring the pain, he plucked them out, blew on them with immortal breath, and cried, "Transform!" One instantly became a diamond drill, one became a strip of bamboo, and one became a cotton cord. He fashioned the bamboo strip into a bow, attached the drill, and set to work drilling furiously at the bottom of the bottle. He bored a hole through it, and light streamed in. Overjoyed, he cried, "What fortune! What fortune! Now I can get out!" He then transformed himself and slipped through, but the bottle immediately grew cool again. Why did it turn cool? Because he had drilled through it, releasing the yin and yang energies within, and so it became cold.

The Great Sage, having stowed the three hairs, shrank himself down and transformed into a tiny cicada—light as a breath, fine as a strand of hair, long as an eyebrow—and slipped out through the hole. But he did not fly away. Instead, he went straight to the old demon's head and alighted there. The old demon was drinking wine when he suddenly set down his cup and said, "Third Brother, has Sun Xingzhe been dissolved by now?" The Third Demon laughed, "It's about time, isn't it?" The old demon ordered the bottle brought up. The thirty-six lesser demons below lifted it, and the bottle was much lighter than before. Alarmed, they reported, "Great King, the bottle has grown light!" The old demon roared, "Nonsense! The treasure is the complete work of yin and yang energies—how could it be light?" One of the lesser demons, emboldened, lifted the bottle up and said, "See for yourself—isn't it light?" When the old demon lifted the lid and looked inside, he saw it was bright and transparent. Unable to contain himself, he cried out, "The bottle is empty—controlled and hollow!" The Great Sage, perched on his head, could not resist calling out: "My child, it means he's fled!" The demons all heard and shouted, "He's gone! He's gone!" and the order went out: "Close the gates! Close the gates!"

The Pilgrim shook himself, retrieved the clothes that had been stripped from him, resumed his true form, leaped out of the cave, and turning back, cursed: "You insolent fiends! The bottle is drilled through—it can't hold a man anymore. You might as well use it as a chamber pot!" Rejoicing and laughing, he mounted a cloud and flew straight back to where Tang Seng was. The Elder was there burning earth as incense and praying to the heavens. The Pilgrim paused on his cloud to hear what the Elder was praying for. The Elder pressed his palms together and faced the sky:

"I pray to the immortals of the clouds and mist,

The Six Ding, the Six Jia, and all the heavenly host:

Protect my worthy disciple Sun Xingzhe,

Whose divine powers are vast and whose dharma knows no bounds."

When the Great Sage heard these words, he redoubled his efforts, drew in his cloud light, and drew near, calling out, "Master, I'm back!" The Elder took his arm and said, "Wukong, you've been toiling hard. You went to scout the mountain and were gone so long that I was deeply worried. What fortune or misfortune did you find in these mountains?" The Pilgrim laughed, "Master, this journey was successful for three reasons: first, the beings of the Eastern Land have their destined fortune; second, your own merit is boundless; and third, your disciple's powers were not inconsiderable." He then recounted in detail how he had disguised himself as a wind, been trapped in the bottle, and escaped. "Now that I have seen your face again, Master, it is as though I have been reborn." The Elder thanked him profusely and asked, "Did you not engage the demons in combat this time?" The Pilgrim said, "I did not." The Elder said, "Then how can you guarantee me safe passage across the mountain?" The Pilgrin was a proud man and cried out, "How can you say I cannot guarantee your passage?" The Elder said, "You never even faced them in battle—you merely slipped away like this. How dare I advance?" The Great Sage laughed, "Master, you really don't understand how things work. As the saying goes: 'A single thread makes no cord, and one hand alone cannot clap.' Those three demons have a thousand lesser fiends—how could old Sun fight them all by himself?" The Elder said, "One against many is indeed hard for a single man. But Bajie and Sha Seng also have abilities. Let them all go with you, working together to clear the mountain road and escort me across." The Pilgrim considered and said, "Your words are most fitting. Let Sha Seng protect you, and let Bajie come with me." The fool panicked and said, "Brother, you have no eyes! I'm clumsy and rough, with no real skills. I only slow you down—how could I help you?" The Pilgrim said, "Brother, even if you have no great skills, at least you're a man. As the proverb says: 'Even farting adds wind.' You can bolster my courage." Bajie said, "Very well, very well—I hope you'll look after me. But don't make a fool of me when things get urgent." The Elder said, "Bajie, be careful. Sha Seng and I will wait here."

The fool mustered his divine might, and together with Tripitaka they whipped up a wild wind, rode the clouds, and leaped up the straight to the cave entrance. They saw at once that the cave gate was tightly shut, and there was no one in sight. Tripitaka stepped forward, gripped his iron staff, and cried out in a fierce, loud voice: "Open the gate, demon! Come out quickly and fight old Sun!" The little demons inside the cave reported this to their lord. The old demon lord said, trembling with fear: "For years they have said the monkey is vicious—the rumor is true, no lie at all." The two younger demon lords standing beside him asked, "What do you mean, elder brother?" The old demon said, "That Tripitaka turned himself into a little Whirlwind scout this morning and slipped in among us. We could not recognize him, but fortunately our third worthy brother saw through him and trapped him in the bottle. Then he used his tricks, bored through the bottle, and made off with our clothes. Now he is outside challenging us to battle. Who dares go out and lead the fight?" No one answered. He asked again, and again no one replied—they all played deaf and dumb. The old demon lord flew into a rage: "We have a sorry reputation along the great western road, and now this Sun Tripitaka treats us with such contempt. If we don't go out and meet him in battle, we'll lose face forever. Let me risk my old life and fight him three rounds. If I win after three rounds, the Tang Monk will still be our meal. If I lose, then we'll shut the gate and let him pass." He put on his armor and prepared himself, then opened the gate and marched out.

Tripitaka and Bajie watched from beside the gate. Truly a fearsome creature:

An iron brow and copper head wearing a jeweled helmet,

The helmet plumes dancing with splendid radiance.

Gleaming lightning from both bright eyes,

Shimmering rosy clouds from flying side-locks.

Hooked claws sharp and keen as silver,

Saw-like teeth close-set and even as chisels.

A golden armor without a single seam,

A dragon-sash girding his waist with cunning design.

In his hand a bright, gleaming steel blade—

A hero of martial valor rare in all the world.

A shout like a thunderclap, and he asked:

"Who is it banging at my gate?"

The Great Sage turned and said: "I am your Grandpa Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven." The old demon laughed and said: "So you are Sun Tripitaka? You impudent, wild monkey—I didn't go looking for you, so why are you here shouting for a fight?" Tripitaka said: "Where there's wind, waves rise; where there's no tide, the water is calm. If you hadn't provoked me, why would I seek you out? It's because you and your fox-and-dog gang have banded together, plotting to eat my master—that's why I've come to take action." The old demon said: "You come striding up to my gate roaring like this—are you looking for a fight?" Tripitaka said: "Exactly." The old demon said: "Don't be so arrogant. If I were to deploy my demon troops, set up battle formations, wave banners and beat war drums to fight you, it would look like I'm a tiger in my own den, bullying you. I'll fight you one on one—no helpers allowed." Hearing this, Tripitaka called out: "Pig Bajie, step aside and see what he'll do to old Sun." The fool indeed stepped to one side. The old demon said: "Come here and stand still for me. Let me put all my strength into it and chop three blows on your bare head, and I'll let your Tang Monk pass. If you can't take it, hurry up and hand over your Tang Monk to be a meal for me." Tripitaka laughed and said: "Demon, if you have paper and brush in your cave, bring them out and I'll draw up a contract with you. Starting today, I'll let you chop till next year, and I still won't take it seriously."

The old demon braced himself, stood in a T-shape stance, raised both hands with his blade, and chopped straight down at the Great Sage's crown. The Great Sage tilted his head upward to meet it. There was a crack—but his scalp didn't even turn red. The old demon was greatly startled: "This monkey has a hard head!" The Great Sage laughed: "You don't know. Old Sun was:

Born with a copper head and an iron skull,

Unmatched under Heaven and Earth.

Axes and hammers cannot smash it,

For in youth I entered Laozi's furnace.

The four Dipper stars oversaw its making,

The twenty-eight constellations put in the work.

Soaked in water many times without damage,

Reinforced all around with sinews and tendons.

The Tang Monk still feared it wasn't strong enough,

And added the golden fillet on top for good measure."

The old demon said: "Monkey, don't boast. Watch my second blow—this one will spare your life." Tripitaka said: "It'll be the same old chop, nothing more." The old demon said: "Monkey, you don't know this blade:

Forged in a golden fire furnace,

Refined through a hundred temperings of divine craft.

Its edge follows the Three Strategies,

Its strength conforms to the Six Secret Teachings.

It's thin as a fly's tail,

Sinuous as a white python's waist.

In the mountains it sweeps the clouds,

In the sea it churns the waves.

Ground and polished countless times,

Smelted and tempered hundreds of times.

Stored in deep mountains and ancient caves,

It has proven its merit on the battlefield.

If it meets your monk's crown,

One slice and you'll be two gourds."

The Great Sage laughed: "This demon has no eye for what's what—he's taken old Sun for a gourd head! Very well, chop away by mistake and by permission—let me take one more chop and see what happens."

The old demon raised his blade and chopped again. The Great Sage tilted his head to meet it, and with a crack it split into two halves. The Great Sage rolled on the ground and turned into two bodies. The demon was alarmed and lowered his steel blade. Bajie, watching from afar, laughed: "The old demon is good at chopping twice—aren't there four people now?" The demon pointed at Tripitaka and said: "I hear you can use the art of dividing your body. Why don't you use it on me?" The Great Sage said: "What do you mean, dividing my body?" The old demon said: "Why didn't the first chop move you at all, but now the second chop makes you two people?" The Great Sage laughed: "Demon, don't be afraid. Chop me ten thousand times and I'll give you twenty thousand people." The old demon said: "You monkey—you can divide your body, but you can't reunite it. If you have the skill to gather yourself into one, hit me with your staff." The Great Sage said: "No lying. You wanted to chop three times, but you've only chopped me twice. Let me hit you with one blow of my staff. If I miss by even half a blow, I'll no longer be called Sun." The old demon said: "Yes, yes, that's fair."

Great Sage, he threw himself forward, rolled over, and once again became a single body. He brandished his staff and struck at the head. The old demon raised his blade to parry, saying, "Impudent monkey! What manner of mourning staff is this, that you dare come to my door and strike a man?"

The Great Sage roared, "If you ask about this staff of mine, it has a name and fame throughout heaven and earth."

The old demon said, "How has it such fame?"

He replied:

"The staff is forged of nine-times-refined wrought iron,

Smelted by Lord Lao Zi himself in his furnace.

The Great Yu obtained it and named it a divine treasure,

The four seas and eight rivers were its proof and test.

Stars are dimly set within its middle,

Both ends are wrapped in sheets of gold.

Its dense patterns strike gods and ghosts with awe,

Dragon and phoenix script adorn it from above.

It is called the Staff of Spiritual Yang,

Deep hidden in the sea, seldom seen by men.

It takes form and transforms, soaring aloft,

Trailing five-colored clouds of shimmering light.

Old Sun attained the Way and brought it back to his mountain,

Having experienced its boundless transformations.

At times it grows as thick as a great jar,

At others it shrinks fine as an iron wire.

Thick as the Southern Peak, thin as a needle,

Long or short as my heart desires.

A gentle sweep brings forth bright clouds,

A gleaming flight swift as a lightning bolt.

A chilling cold breathes upon men,

Killing mist appears in the air.

Subduing dragons and taming tigers, it ever attends me,

I have roamed to the ends of the earth with it.

With this staff I once made havoc in the Heavenly Palace,

My might scattered the feast of the Immortal Peaches.

The Heavenly Kings could not win in wagered combat,

Nezha himself could scarce contend against me.

I struck the gods until they had no place to hide,

A hundred thousand celestial soldiers fled in terror.

The thunder generals guarded the Jade Hall,

But I flew up and struck the Tongming Palace.

The courtiers attending the throne were thrown into chaos,

The guardian immortals all thrown into disarray.

I raised my staff and overturned the Northern Dipper Palace,

Turned back and shook open the Southern Pole Hall.

The Heavenly Emperor of the Golden Palace saw its ferocity,

And specially invited the Tathagata to meet with me.

The fortunes of war take their natural course,

Distress and calamity cannot be sorted out.

For a full five hundred years I lay in torment,

Saved by the Bodhisattva of the Southern Sea's counsel.

In the Great Tang there was a monk who left his home,

Who made a great vow before heaven.

He would save souls in the City of the Wrongly Dead,

And seek the sutras at the Vulture Peak assembly.

Along the road to the West there were demons and monsters,

Making the journey most difficult.

Knowing this iron iron staff was matchless under heaven,

They begged me to be their companion on the way.

Evil demons who met it descended to the dark realm,

Their flesh turned to red dust, their bones to flour.

Everywhere the demons perished beneath the staff,

Thousands upon thousands, beyond counting.

Above it shattered the Palace of the Dipper and Ox,

Below it crushed the Hall of the Netherworld.

It chased the Nine Luminaries from among the heavenly generals,

It struck and wounded the Judge of Death in the underworld.

Hurl it from mid-air and it shakes mountains and rivers,

Surpassing the new-bright sword of Tai Sui.

It is by this staff that I protect Tripitaka,

Striking down all demons under heaven."

When the demon heard these words, trembling in fear for his life, he raised his blade and hacked at him. The Monkey King, smiling, met him with his iron staff. The two fought first before the cave mouth, then leaped up to battle in midair. What a battle it was!

The divine treasure staff that fixes the river's bottom,

A staff named As-You-Will, supreme in the world.

Boasting of his skills, the demon raged,

Raising his great blade, his magic power bold.

Their struggle at the gate was fierce enough,

How much more relentless their combat in the sky!

One changed his face and form at will,

The other grew taller where he stood.

They fought until the clouds hung heavy across the sky,

And mist drifted over the fields.

One of them schemed again and again to devour Tripitaka,

The other exerted all his power to protect the Tang.

All because the Buddha had transmitted the scriptures,

Good and evil locked in bitter, clear conflict.

The old demon and the Great Sage fought over twenty exchanges, neither gaining the advantage.

Now Zhu Bajie, watching from below as the two fought to their heart's content, could not restrain himself. He seized his rake, caught the wind, leaped up, and aimed a blow straight at the demon's face. The demon was thrown into panic. He did not know that Bajie was a man of tiger-headed temper, who frightened people with his reckless abandon. Thinking only that his mouth was large, his ears long, and his rake fierce, the demon lost the battle. He threw down his blade and turned to flee.

The Great Sage shouted, "After him! After him!" Taking heart from the victory, the fool raised his spiked rake and hastened after the monster. When the old demon saw him drawing close, he stopped on the slope ahead. Facing the wind, he shimmered once and revealed his true form. He opened his enormous mouth and was about to swallow Bajie whole. Bajie was terrified. He hastily pulled back and burrowed into the grass, caring nothing for the thorns and brambles, caring nothing that they scraped and tore his head. Trembling, he lay in the grass listening to the clanging sounds.

Afterward, the Pilgrim arrived, and the monster opened his mouth to swallow him too. But he had fallen into the Great Sage's scheme. He stowed his staff and went forward to meet him, and was swallowed in one gulp by the old demon. This so terrified the fool in the grass that he muttered and grumbled to himself: "That Stable-Protector, who knows neither advance nor retreat! The monster came to eat you—why didn't you flee, but went to meet him instead? Now you've been swallowed into his belly. Today you're still a monk, but tomorrow you'll be a load of dung!"

The demon returned in triumph, and only then did the fool creep out of the grass and slink back along the old road.

Meanwhile, Tripitaka was on the hillside, gazing into the distance with Sha Wujing. They saw Bajie come running up, panting and gasping. Tripitaka was greatly alarmed. "Bajie, how come you're in such a state? Where is Wukong?"

The fool wept and wailed, "Elder Brother has been swallowed into the belly by the monster."

When Tripitaka heard this, he fell to the ground in terror. After a while, he stamped his feet and beat his breast, crying, "Disciple! I thought you were skilled at subduing demons and would lead me west to see the Buddha. How could I know you would die at the hands of this monster today! Bitter, bitter it is! The merit my disciples and companions have earned has all turned to dust."

The master was overcome with grief. But look at the fool—he did not try to comfort his master. Instead he called out, "Sha Wujing, fetch the luggage. Let's divide it between us two."

Sha Wujing said, "Second Brother, divide it how?"

Bajie said, "We'll split up and each go his own way. You can return to the Flowing Sands River and eat people again. I'll go back to Gao Village to see my wife. We'll sell the white horse and buy our master a coffin for his funeral."

The elder, burning with fury at hearing these words, called upon heaven and wept aloud. But let us speak no more of this for now.

Now the old demon had swallowed the Pilgrim, thinking himself very clever, and returned straight to his own cave. The other demons came out to greet him and ask about the outcome of the battle. The old demon said, "I've captured one of them." The second demon asked joyfully, "Brother, who did you capture?" The old demon said, "Sun Wukong." The second demon asked, "Where is he?" The old demon said, "I swallowed him whole, and he's in my belly right now." The third demon chief was greatly alarmed. "Elder Brother, I never told you—Sun Wukong is not fit to eat!" But the Great Sage, from inside the belly, called out, "He's quite fit to eat! He fills me up and keeps me from ever going hungry again." The little demons were terrified. "Great King, it's terrible—Sun Wukong is talking inside your belly!" The old demon said, "Why should I fear his talking? If I had the skill to eat him, surely I have the means to deal with him. Quick now—boil up some salted white broth. I'll pour it into my stomach and vomit him up, then slowly fry him to go with my wine." The little demons actually prepared half a basin of salted broth. The old demon drank it in one gulp, puffed out his mouth, and heaved with all his might. But the Great Sage had taken root inside his belly and would not budge. The old demon tried again, choking and retching, vomiting until his head swam and his eyes blurred and his gallbladder burst—but the Pilgrim still would not move. The old demon, panting, cried out, "Sun Wukong, won't you come out?" The Pilgrim said, "It's too early—I have no intention of coming out!" The old demon said, "Why won't you come out?" The Pilgrim said, "You really are a dim demon. Ever since I became a monk, I've lived very plainly. Now that it's autumn and cool, I'm still wearing only a thin robe. But inside your belly it's warm and draft-free. Let me stay here through the winter and I'll come out then."

When the demons heard this, they all said, "Great King, Sun Wukong means to spend the winter inside your belly!" The old demon said, "If he wants to spend the winter, then I'll sit in meditation and use a fasting technique. If I don't eat all winter long, I'll starve that stable-groom monkey to death!" The Great Sage said, "My son, you don't understand. Old Sun is escorting Tripitaka to fetch the scriptures, and along the way I brought a folding cooking pot. I'll cook up a mixed stew right here—your liver, intestines, stomach, and lungs, all enjoyed in fine detail—and that will be enough to sustain me till Qingming Festival." The second demon cried out in alarm, "Brother, this monkey is perfectly capable of doing it!" The third demon said, "Brother, eating the stew is one thing, but where will he set up his cooking pot?" The Pilgrim said, "The forked bone is a fine place to set a pot." The third demon said, "That's bad! If he sets up a pot and starts a fire, the smoke will waft up into your nostrils and make you sneeze!" The Pilgrim laughed and said, "No problem. Old Sun will just jab his golden-banded cudgel through the top of your head and punch a hole. It'll serve as a skylight and a chimney both."

When the old demon heard this, though he claimed not to be afraid, his heart trembled with fear. He steeled himself and called out, "Brothers, don't be afraid. Bring me my medicinal wine. Let me drink several cups and poison that monkey to death." The Pilgrim laughed silently to himself. "When Old Sun created havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago, I ate Laozi's elixir pills, the Jade Emperor's wine, the Queen Mother's peaches, and phoenix marrow and dragon liver—what haven't I tasted? What kind of medicinal wine could possibly poison me?" The little demons actually strained two flasks of the medicinal wine and filled a cup to the brim, then handed it to the old demon. The old demon took it in his hand, and the Great Sage, inside his belly, could already smell the fragrance of the wine. "Don't drink it!" The excellent Great Sage twisted his head and transformed it into a trumpet-shaped opening just beneath the demon's throat. The demon gulped the wine down, and the Pilgrim gulped it up as it passed. A second cup went down, and the Pilgrim caught it again. Seven or eight cups in a row—he drank them all. The old demon set down the cup and said, "I won't drink any more. Normally after two cups my belly feels like fire, but I've just had seven or eight and my face isn't even red!"

The truth was that the Great Sage couldn't hold much wine. After taking seven or eight cups into his belly, he began to show the effects: he couldn't stop shadowboxing, doing handstands, kicking his feet in the air, grabbing the liver and swinging on it like a swing, standing on his head, tumbling head over heels, and dancing wildly. The demon could not endure the pain and collapsed on the ground.

Whether he survived or perished, you will hear in the next chapter.