Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Then Tang Seng was escorted out of the cave by the demon, and Sha Wujing stepped forward and asked, "Master, you have come out—where is Senior Brother?" Zhu Bajie said, "He has a plan. He must be trading himself for the Master's release." Tang Seng pointed at the demon and said, "Your senior brother is inside his belly." Zhu Bajie laughed and said, "Disgusting! What is he doing inside the belly? Come out!" The Monkey King called from within, "Open your mouth and let me out." The monster truly opened his mouth. Sun Wukong made himself very small and crouched in the throat, just about to come out. But fearing the monster might bite him without reason, he took out his iron staff, blew a breath of immortal qi, and shouted, "Change!" It transformed into a date-pit nail, propping up the roof of the monster's mouth. He then vaulted his body and leaped out of the mouth, bringing the iron staff out with him. He straightened his waist, resumed his original form, raised his staff, and struck. The demoness also drew out two treasure swords at once and parried the blows with a clash. The two fought a fierce battle atop the mountain:

Two swords danced and flew, meeting him face to face;

The golden-hooped staff rose, aimed straight at his head.

One was the natural simian body, the Mind-Monkey born of Heaven;

The other was the earthly spirit's frame, the Maiden born of Earth.

The two of them, filled with hatred, turned joy into enmity in that great assembly.

She wanted to seize his primal essence to become his mate;

He wanted to battle her pure yin to conceive the sacred embryo.

The staff rose, and cold fog spread across the sky;

The swords met, and black dust sifted across the ground.

Because the Elder had bowed to the Tathagata,

They struggled bitterly, each displaying great skill.

Fire and water did not harmonize—the mother's way was damaged;

Yin and yang could not unite—each was driven apart.

The two sides fought for a long time,

Till the earth shook and the mountains trembled, trees crumbling.

Zhu Bajie watched them contend, muttering and grumbling, nursing a grudge against Sun Wukong. He turned to Sha Wujing and said, "Brother, Senior Brother is being a nuisance. He was already inside her belly—he could have thrown a few punches, given her a bellyful of red, cut open her stomach, and climbed out. Wouldn't that have settled it? Why did he have to come out through her mouth and fight her instead, letting her be so overbearing?" Sha Wujing said, "Indeed. Still, it was thanks to Senior Brother that he rescued the Master from the deep cave, and now he is fighting the demoness again. Let the Master sit here by himself. You and I will each take up our weapons and help our senior brother beat the demon." Zhu Bajie waved his hands and said, "No, no, no—he has magic powers. We're no use." Sha Wujing said, "What kind of talk is that? This benefits all of us. Even if we're no use, we can at least add wind to a fart."

The idiot was suddenly seized with enthusiasm, seized his rake, and shouted, "Let's go!" The two of them paid no more heed to the Master, mounted the wind together, and rushed forward. Raising the rake and wielding the precious staff, they struck at the demoness from all sides. The demoness was already no match for Sun Wukong alone—how could she resist these two as well? She turned in haste and fled. Sun Wukong shouted, "Brothers, chase her!" Seeing them pressing hard upon her, the demoness quickly took off the flowered shoe from her right foot, blew a breath of immortal qi, recited a spell, and cried, "Change!" It transformed into her own likeness, brandishing two swords and dancing forward. Then she gave her body itself a shake, turned into a gust of clear wind, and went straight back. This time, too, she had merely said she could not defeat them and was retreating to save her life—little did they know there would be such a trick! The calamities of Tang Seng were not yet over. Arriving at the cave gate beneath the archway, she saw Tang Seng sitting there alone. She stepped forward, seized him in her arms, snatched the luggage, bit through the reins, and carried both the man and the horse back inside—but no more of this.

Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie struck at an empty space and brought his rake down on the demoness, which turned out to be nothing but a flowered shoe. Sun Wukong saw it and said, "You two idiots—you were supposed to watch the Master! Who asked you to come help?" Zhu Bajie said, "Sha Wujing, see? I told you not to come. This monkey has a screw loose somewhere. We helped him subdue the demon, and all we got for it was his complaints." Sun Wukong said, "Where did you subdue the demon? Yesterday when she fought me, she used a trick with a shoe to fool me. You two left, and I don't know what happened to the Master. Let's hurry back and look."

The three of them rushed back and found that the Master was indeed gone—along with the luggage and the white horse, all vanished without a trace. Zhu Bajie ran about in a panic in every direction, Sha Wujing searched in front and behind, and the Great Sage Sun was also burning with anxiety. As they searched, they saw half a reins lying slanting by the roadside. He picked it up, and could not hold back the tears that streamed down his face. He cried out loud, "Master! When I left, I bid farewell to the man and horse—now I return and find only these reins." Truly it was:

Seeing the saddle, one thinks of the noble steed;

Shedding tears, one longs for a loved one.

Zhu Bajie saw him weeping and could not help laughing uproariously. Sun Wukong cursed, "You wretched fool—are you trying to break up the party again?" Zhu Bajie laughed again and said, "Brother, it's not that. The Master must have been carried into the cave by the demon again. As the saying goes: 'Nothing succeeds without a third attempt.' You've entered the cave twice already—go in one more time, and you're sure to rescue the Master." Sun Wukong wiped his tears and said, "Very well. Having come to this point, I have no choice. I'll go in again. You two have lost the luggage and horses to worry about—just guard the cave entrance well."

The good Great Sage turned and leaped inside, without resorting to any transformation, in his true form. Truly it was:

A strange face, stubborn and fierce at heart,

A monster since childhood, mighty and strong in power.

His uneven face resembled a saddle,

His eyes blazed with golden fire, bright as flame.

His body hair was hard as steel needles,

His tiger-skin skirt fastened with a flower that rang aloud.

He ascended to Heaven and scattered the ten thousand clouds;

He descended to the sea and churned up a thousand layers of waves.

He relied on his strength that day to strike the Heavenly King,

And drove back an army of a hundred and eight thousand.

Enfeoffed as the Great Sage, the beautiful monkey-spirit,

Accustomed to wielding the golden-hooped staff in his hand.

Today on the journey to the West he displayed his might,

Returning once more into the cave to aid Tang Seng.

You see him stop his cloud light and go straight to the demon's residence. Finding the gate closed, he made no distinction between good or bad and smashed it open with his iron cudgel, charging right inside. It was still and quiet, completely devoid of any human trace. The Tang Monk was nowhere to be seen in the east corridor. The tables and chairs in the pavilion, along with all the household belongings everywhere, had vanished entirely. It turned out that his cave stretched some three hundred li in circumference, with numerous lairs and dens. The last time he had seized the Tang Monk here, the Pilgrim had found him; this time, after seizing him again, he feared the Pilgrim would come looking and had moved at once—no one knew where. This enraged the Pilgrim so much that he stamped his feet and beat his breast, crying out in a loud voice: "Master! You are a Tripitaka of the Tang born from misfortune, a scripture-seeking monk forged from calamity! Alas! This road has been traveled so many times—how can you not be here? And where am I supposed to search for you, old Sun?" Just as he was shouting and raging in his agitation, he suddenly caught a whiff of fragrant wind assaulting his nostrils. He regained his composure and said, "This incense smoke is drifting from behind—I suppose he's in the rear." He strode forward, brandishing his iron cudgel, and went in to look, but still saw nothing moving. There were only three rooms facing north, and near the back wall was placed a carved lacquer altar table with a dragon-devouring rim. On the table stood a large gilded brass incense burner, inside which incense smoke wafted richly. Above it was enshrined a large golden placard, on which was written "The Position of Honored Father, Heavenly King Li"; slightly below it was written "The Position of Honored Brother, Third Prince Nezha." The Pilgrim was overjoyed at the sight. He no longer searched for the demon or looked for the Tang Monk; instead, he twirled his iron cudgel into the size of a sewing needle and tucked it in his ear, then reached out his hands and took up the placard and the incense burner. He turned his cloud light around and went straight out the gate. When he reached the cave entrance, he laughed and chortled without end.

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, hearing this, rushed to the cave entrance to greet the Pilgrim. "Brother, you're so joyful—I suppose you've rescued our master?" they asked. The Pilgrim laughed and said, "There's no need for us to rescue him. We just need to ask this placard for the person." Bajie said, "Brother, this placard isn't a demon—it can't even speak. How can you ask it for someone?" The Pilgrim set it on the ground and said, "Look at this." Wujing stepped forward and saw written on it "The Position of Honored Father, Heavenly King Li" and "The Position of Honored Brother, Third Prince Nezha." Wujing said, "What does this mean?" The Pilgrim said, "This is what that demon's household enshrines. When I charged into his dwelling, I found that all people and belongings were gone—only this placard remained. I think she must be the daughter of Heavenly King Li and the sister of Third Prince Nezha, who descended to the mortal world longing for worldly life, disguised herself as a demon, and seized our master. If I don't ask them for the person, who else should I ask? You two stay here and keep watch. Wait for old Sun to take this placard and go straight up to Heaven, before the Jade Emperor, to file an imperial accusation, and make the father and son return our master." Bajie said, "Brother, as the saying goes, 'He who accuses another of a capital crime deserves a capital crime himself.' The reasoning must be sound before one can do such a thing. Moreover, how can an imperial accusation be filed lightly? Tell me first—how will you accuse them?" The Pilgrim laughed and said, "I have a plan. I'll use this placard and incense burner as evidence, and in addition prepare a written petition." Bajie said, "What will you write on the petition? Recite it for me to hear." The Pilgrim said:

"The petitioner, Sun Wukong, whose age is recorded in the register, is a disciple of Tripitaka of the Tang of the Great Tang in the Eastern Land, a monk on the scripture-seeking pilgrimage to the West. The petition concerns the matter of a false demon seizing and imprisoning a person: At present, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing and his son Prince Nezha have been careless with their household and allowed their own daughter to escape. Below, in the Bottomless Cave of Hollow Mountain, she has transformed herself into a demon, bewitching and destroying countless lives. She has now seized our master and imprisoned him in a remote and hidden place beyond all finding. If this accusation is not filed, it is deeply considered that the father and son, being unkind, have allowed their daughter to become a demon and harm the multitude. We humbly petition that you graciously deign to summon them to court, capture the evil one, rescue our master, and justly punish their crime—this would be a profound favor. Hereby submitted."

Bajie and Wujing, hearing his words, were overjoyed. "Brother, your accusation is reasonable and will surely prevail. You must come back quickly—if you delay even slightly, I fear the demon may harm our master's life." The Pilgrim said, "I'll be fast, I'll be fast! At most it'll be the time it takes to cook rice, at least the time it takes to boil tea, and I'll be back."

The great Sage, holding the placard and incense burner, vaulted into the body of auspicious clouds and went straight to the gate of Southern Heaven. At that time, the mighty Heavenly Kings guarding the gate and the Kings protecting the nation saw the Pilgrim and one and all bowed their backs and bent their bodies, not daring to obstruct him, and let him pass through. He went straight to the Hall of Penetrating Light, where the Four Great Celestial Masters Zhang, Ge, Xu, and Qiu came forward to greet him. "What brings the Great Sage here?" they asked. The Pilgrim said, "I have a written petition to accuse two people." The Celestial Masters were startled. "This rascal—who does he want to accuse?" They had no choice but to lead him into the Hall of Numinous Heaven to present his petition, and by imperial decree he was summoned in. The Pilgrim set down the placard and incense burner, performed his obeisance to the throne, and presented the petition. Immortal Elder Ge received it and spread it on the imperial desk. The Jade Emperor read it from beginning to end, and having seen what it contained, wrote the original petition as an imperial edict, commanding the Western Long-Horned Star, the Old White Planet, to receive the edict and go to the Cloud Tower Palace to summon the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing to the throne. The Pilgrim stepped forward and memorialized, "I hope the Heavenly Lord will deal with this properly; otherwise, further trouble may arise." The Jade Emperor also commanded, "The plaintiff shall also go." The Pilgrim said, "Old Sun is to go too?" The Four Celestial Masters said, "The August Sovereign has already issued the edict—you may go together with the Golden Star."

The Pilgrim indeed followed the Star of Venus, mounting a cloud, and soon arrived at the Cloud Tower Palace. It was the dwelling of the Heavenly King, known as the Cloud Tower Palace. The Star of Venus saw a lad standing guard at the palace gate. The lad recognized the Star of Venus and at once went inside to announce, "Old Master Great White Star has come." The Heavenly King then came out to welcome him. Seeing that the Star of Venus held an imperial decree, he ordered incense to be burned. Turning around, he also saw the Pilgrim following him in, and the Heavenly King was once again filled with anger. You may wonder why he was angry. When the Pilgrim had caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace in years past, the Jade Emperor had appointed the Heavenly King as the Grand Marshal for the Subjugation of Demons and the Crown Prince Nezha as the God of the Three Altars and the Sea, leading the heavenly troops to subdue the Pilgrim, but they could not defeat him in repeated battles. It was the old grudge from that defeat five hundred years ago that still vexed him, and so he was angry. Unable to contain himself, he said, "Old Long-Geng, what decree do you bring?" The Star of Venus said, "It is a complaint filed against you by Great Sage Sun." The Heavenly King was already irritated, and upon hearing the word "complaint," he flew into a furious rage. "What does he accuse me of?" he demanded. The Star of Venus said, "He accuses you of harboring a demon and kidnapping people. Burn the incense, and read the decree yourself." The Heavenly King, fuming with anger, set up an incense table and offered thanks to the void. After bowing, he unfolded the decree and read it. It said such-and-such and so-and-so. He struck the incense table with his hand in fury and said, "This monkey—he has wrongly accused me!" The Star of Venus said, "Calm yourself. There are a spirit tablet and an incense burner serving as evidence in the imperial court, saying she is your own daughter." The Heavenly King said, "I have only three sons and one daughter. My eldest son is Jinzha, who serves Tathagata as a front guard of the Dharma; my second son is Muzha, who follows Guanyin in the South Sea as a disciple; my third son is Nezha, who stays by my side, attending court and guarding me day and night. My daughter is seven years old, named Zhenying, and she still does not understand the ways of the world—how could she become a demon? If you don't believe me, I will bring her out for you to see. This monkey is truly insolent. Never mind that I am a high-ranking celestial general with the authority to execute first and report later—even a commoner below cannot be falsely accused. The law states: 'A false accusation is punished three degrees more severely.'" He called to his men, "Take the demon-binding rope and tie up this monkey." The Mighty Spirit God, the Fish-Belly General, and the Yaksha Commander, who were arrayed below the hall, surged forward and bound the Pilgrim. The Star of Venus said, "Heavenly King Li, don't bring disaster upon yourself! I came with him from the imperial court to summon you by decree. Your rope is quite heavy—if you tie him too tightly and harm him, there will be trouble." The Heavenly King said, "Star of Venus, how can such a fraudulent and troublesome accuser be tolerated? Sit down, and wait while I take my demon-slaying sword and cut off this monkey's head. Then I will go with you to the emperor and report back." Seeing him take up the sword, the Star of Venus was terrified and said to the Pilgrim, "You have mishandled this matter. An imperial complaint is not something to be filed lightly. You did not investigate properly, and now by acting so recklessly, his life is at stake—what are we to do?" The Pilgrim was completely unafraid and said with a smiling face, "Old sir, rest assured, nothing is wrong. This is how old Sun's business always goes—I'm bound to lose first and win later."

Before he had finished speaking, the Heavenly King swung the sword and brought it down on the Pilgrim's head. The Third Crown Prince rushed forward at once and blocked the blade with his Demon-Sword, crying, "Father, calm your anger!" The Heavenly King turned pale with fright.

Ah! When a father sees his son blocking his sword with a blade, he should simply shout at him to withdraw—why instead did he turn pale with fright? It was because when the Heavenly King fathered this son, there was a character "Ne" on his left palm and a character "Zha" on his right palm, and so he was named Nezha. This prince went to the sea at three days old to bathe and caused trouble, knocking over the Crystal Palace and seizing a dragon to strip its sinew for a cord. The Heavenly King learned of this and, fearing future consequences, wished to kill him. Nezha, in a fury, took a knife and cut off his own flesh to return to his mother and stripped his bones to return to his father, giving back his father's essence and his mother's blood. A single point of his soul went straight to the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss to appeal to the Buddha. The Buddha was preaching the sutras to the assembly of bodhisattvas when he heard someone among the jeweled banners and canopies cry out, "Save me!" The Buddha saw with his wisdom eye that it was the soul of Nezha. He then made a body for him with green lotus root as bones and a lotus leaf as clothing, and chanted the true words that restore the dead to life, and Nezha regained his life. He employed his divine power and subdued demons in ninety-six caves, his abilities vast and mighty. Later, he sought to kill the Heavenly King to avenge the stripping of his bones. The Heavenly King, having no recourse, appealed to the Buddha Tathagata. The Buddha, who valued harmony above all, bestowed upon him a jeweled pagoda of如意 gold made of śarīras, exquisite and translucent. Each level of the pagoda contained a Buddha, glowing brilliantly. He bade Nezha to regard the Buddha as his father, and thus the enmity was resolved. That is why he is called the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li. Today, because he was idle at home, he had not been carrying that pagoda, and he feared that Nezha might harbor thoughts of revenge—and so he turned pale with fright.

He immediately reached back and took the golden pagoda from its pedestal, holding it in his hand, and asked Nezha, "My child, you parried my blade with your sword. What do you have to say?" Nezha cast aside his sword and kowtowed. "Your Majesty, there is a daughter down in the mortal realm." The Heavenly King said, "My child, I have only borne the four of you sisters. Where would there be another daughter?" Nezha said, "Have you forgotten, Your Majesty? That daughter was originally a demon spirit. Three hundred years ago she became a monster and stole the perfumed flower candle from Vulture Peak in the Spirit Mountain. The Tathagata sent our father and me with heavenly troops to capture her. When she was captured, she should have been put to death, but the Tathagata instructed us: 'Raise fish in deep waters and you will never catch them; feed deer in the deep mountains and hope for their long life.' At the time we spared her life. Grateful for this kindness, she called Your Majesty her father and called me her elder brother, and set up a memorial tablet below in the mortal realm to offer incense and worship. Unexpectedly she has become a demon again and plotted to harm the monk Tang Seng, but Sun Xingzhe tracked her to her lair, took the memorial tablet, and used it as grounds to file a complaint at the celestial court. This is a daughter bound by sworn kinship, not a blood sister of mine."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly King was startled and alarmed. "My child, I truly had forgotten. What is she called?" The Crown Prince said, "She has three names. Her original name from her true origin is the Golden-Nosed White-Furred Rat Spirit; because she stole the perfumed flower candle, she was renamed the Half-Guanyin; and now that she has been allowed to descend to the mortal realm, she has changed her name again to Lady Earth-Rumbling."

Only then did the Heavenly King realize the truth. He set down the pagoda and came forward personally to untie the Pilgrim. But Sun Xingzhe put on airs and acted difficult. "Who dares untie me? Either carry me bound before the Emperor on a pole, and old Sun's case will be won." This frightened the Heavenly King so that his hands went soft, the Crown Prince had nothing to say, and all the household generals retreated in confusion. The Great Sage rolled about and made a scene, insisting that the Heavenly King must appear before the Emperor. The Heavenly King, at his wits' end, begged the Planet of Venus to find a way out. The Planet of Venus said, "The ancients said: 'In all things, be lenient.' You have been too harsh in your handling of this matter—you had him bound and then wanted to kill him. This monkey is a notorious scoundrel. What am I to do now? According to what your son has explained, although she is a daughter of sworn kinship and not a blood daughter, the bond of affection and righteousness is still strong. No matter how you argue it, you bear some guilt as well." The Heavenly King said, "Elder Star, if you can find a way out, perhaps there will be no crime." The Planet of Venus said, "I wish to reconcile you both, but I have nothing to go on." The Heavenly King said, "Tell him about the matter of the amnesty edict and the granting of an official title—that should settle it." Truly, the Planet of Venus stepped forward and placed his hand on the Pilgrim. "Great Sage, for my thin face, untie the rope and go to see the Emperor." The Pilgrim said, "Old official, no need to untie it. I know the rolling technique—I can roll all the way there." The Planet of Venus laughed and said, "You monkey, you are too unsympathetic. In days past I showed you some kindness—can't you grant me these small requests?" The Pilgrim said, "What kindness did you show me?" The Planet of Venus said, "When you were a demon on Flower-Fruit Mountain, subduing tigers and dragons, forcibly erasing your name from the book of the dead, gathering demons and running rampant in great numbers, Heaven wished to capture you. It was this old body who forcefully submitted a memorial, and the decree of amnesty was issued. You were summoned up to Heaven and appointed as Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. After you drank the Jade Emperor's immortal wine and there was another amnesty, it was again this old body who forcefully memorialized, and you were appointed 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven.' You still did not behave yourself—you stole peaches and wine, and pilfered the Old Lord's elixir, and so on and so forth, before you attained this state of neither death nor birth. If not for me, how would you have reached this day?" The Pilgrim said, "The ancients said it well: 'When dead, share no grave with an old man.' You are adept at picking on people's faults. But all I did was serve as Keeper of the Heavenly Horses and cause a ruckus in Heaven—nothing more serious. Very well, very well, for the sake of your venerable face, I will let him untie me himself." Only then did the Heavenly King dare to step forward and untie the bonds. He invited the Pilgrim to dress and take the seat of honor, and all came forward one by one to pay their respects.

The Pilgrim addressed the Great Star, saying, "Old official, how about it? I told you—first you lose, then you win. That's how business is done. Hurry and send him to see the Emperor. Don't delay my master."

The Great Star said, "Don't be so hasty. We've been at this for a while—let's at least go have some tea."

The Pilgrim said, "You drink his tea, accept his bribes, release the prisoner, and make light of the Imperial decree. What crime have you committed?"

The Great Star said, "No tea, no tea. Now you're dragging me into it too. Heavenly King Li, go quickly, go quickly."

How would the Heavenly King dare to go? He feared the Pilgrim might turn falsehoods into truth and become difficult, babbling nonsense—how could he argue against him? With no recourse, he again begged the Great Star to intercede on his behalf. The Great Star said, "I have a proposal—will you accept it?"

The Pilgrim said, "Even matters of rope-binding and knife-wielding, I would yield to your face. What else do you have to say? Speak, speak. If it's reasonable, I'll agree. If not, don't blame me."

The Great Star said, "One day's official business takes ten days to settle. You filed an Imperial complaint, saying the demon is the Heavenly King's daughter. The Heavenly King says she is not. The two of you keep arguing back and forth before the Emperor without end. Now I say—one day in Heaven is one year in the mortal world. In that one year, that demon has your master trapped in her cave. Never mind marriage—if she's already borne a child beneath the flowers, and a little monk has been born, wouldn't that ruin everything?"

The Pilgrim lowered his head and thought: "That's right. I left Bajie and Sha Seng, telling them I'd be back once the rice was cooked or the tea boiled. Now we've been at this for quite a while—haven't I already delayed too long? Old official, since I accept your proposal, how do we return the Imperial decree?"

The Great Star said, "Let Heavenly King Li marshal his troops and go down with you to subdue the demon. I will return to report to the Emperor."

The Pilgrim said, "How will you report?"

The Great Star said, "I'll simply say the plaintiff escaped, and the defendant is released from the charges."

The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Splendid! I yielded to your face, and you say I escaped. Tell him to marshal his troops and wait for me at the South Heavenly Gate. I'll return the decree and withdraw the complaint with you."

The Heavenly King said in fear, "If he goes and says something, it would be a minister betraying his sovereign."

The Pilgrim said, "What kind of man do you think old Sun is? I too am a great gentleman. 'Once words are spoken, four horses cannot overtake them.' Would I slander you with foul words?"

The Heavenly King then thanked the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim and the Great Star returned to report to the Emperor. The Heavenly King marshaled his heavenly troops and proceeded directly outside the South Heavenly Gate.

The Great Star and the Pilgrim returned to see the Jade Emperor, reporting: "The one who trapped Tripitaka is a golden-nosed, white-furred rat spirit who had assumed the memorial tablets of the Heavenly King and his son. The Heavenly King, upon learning of this, has already marshaled his troops to capture the demon. We beg the August Majesty to pardon the crime."

The Jade Emperor already knew of this matter and issued a celestial decree of pardon. The Pilgrim then returned on his cloud light to the South Heavenly Gate, where he saw the Heavenly King and the Crown Prince arrayed with heavenly troops, awaiting him.

Ah! Those divine generals, wind swirling and mist billowing, met the Great Sage and together descended from the clouds, arriving swiftly at Mount Xiankong.

Bajie and Sha Seng had been waiting with eager eyes when they saw the heavenly troops arrive with the Pilgrim. The fool approached the Heavenly King and bowed, saying, "Much trouble caused, much trouble caused."

The Heavenly King said, "Marshal Tianpeng, you do not know. It was because my son and I received a stick of incense from her that the demon acted so unreasonably and trapped your master. Forgive my tardiness. Is this Mount Xiankong? But I don't know which direction her cave entrance opens."

The Pilgrim said, "This road I know well by now. But this cave is called the Bottomless Cave—it stretches for over three hundred li around, and the demon has many lairs. Last time my master was in the gate tower with the two drops of water. This time it's quiet and still—not even a ghost in sight. I don't know where she's moved to."

The Heavenly King said, "No matter how many schemes she devises, she cannot escape Heaven's net and Earth's snare. Let's decide on a course of action when we reach the cave entrance."

Everyone set off. Marvelous! After about ten li, they arrived at the large boulder. The Pilgrim pointed to the jar-mouthed entrance and said, "There it is."

The Heavenly King said, "'Unless you enter the tiger's den, how can you obtain the tiger's cub?' Who will go first?"

The Pilgrim said, "I'll go first."

The Third Crown Prince said, "I received the Imperial decree to subdue the demon. I'll go first."

Then the fool became reckless and shouted loudly, "The vanguard should be this old pig!"

The Heavenly King said, "No need for clamor. Just follow my arrangement: Great Sage Sun and the Crown Prince will lead the soldiers down together. The three of us will guard the entrance, coordinating from within and without, leaving him no road to Heaven and no path to Earth—only then will we show our mettle."

Everyone answered with one voice: "Yes!"

Now, you see the Pilgrim and the Third Crown Prince leading the soldiers—they swept into the cave in one smooth motion. Riding upon their cloud light and looking up, indeed it was a fine cave:

Still the paired wheels of sun and moon shine,

Illuminating the landscape as far as the eye can see.

Pearl-deep wells and jade springs, warm with curling mist—

There is much here worthy of admiration.

Layer upon layer of vermilion towers and painted pavilions,

Towering red cliffs and green fields in spring.

Willows in the third spring month, lotuses in autumn's ninth month—

Truly a rare and wondrous cave-heaven.

In an instant, they halted the cloud light and made straight for the old lair of the demon. They searched door to door, shouting and clamoring, through one layer after another, one place after another, until the three hundred li of ground had been trampled bare—and not a trace of the demon was to be seen, nor any sign of Sanzang. Everyone said, "This wretched beast must have left this cave long ago and gone far away." Little did they know that in the southeast, in a dark corner, if one looked down, there was another small cave. Inside the cave was a tiny gate, a low little room, with several potted flowers and a few bamboo stalks by the eaves. Black mists swirled, and a faint fragrance wafted. The old demon had spirited Sanzang away and moved him here, pressing him to wed. He thought that the Pilgrim could never find them—but who knew that his fate was sealed? The lesser demons inside were all chattering and jostling together. One among them, bolder than the rest, craned his neck to glance outside the cave—and ran straight into a heavenly soldier. He cried out, "They're here!" The Pilgrim, his temper flaring, gripped his golden-banded staff and burst straight in. The space inside was narrow, packed with a whole den of demons. The Third Prince rallied the heavenly soldiers, and they surged forward together—where could any of them hide?

The Pilgrim found Tang Sanzang, along with the dragon horse and the luggage. The old demon, seeing no way out, could only kowtow to Prince Nezha and beg for his life. The Prince said, "We have come by the Jade Emperor's decree to seize you—this is no small matter. My father and I, for the sake of a single stick of incense, nearly ended up like the monks dragging lumber—turned into a temple ourselves." With a snort, the heavenly soldiers produced the Demon-Binding Ropes and tied up all the demons. The old demon could not escape a measure of suffering. They returned on the cloud light and emerged from the cave together. The Pilgrim cackled and laughed. The Heavenly King opened wide the cave mouth and greeted the Pilgrim, saying, "This time we have found your master." The Pilgrim said, "Many thanks, many thanks!" He led Sanzang to bow in gratitude to the Heavenly King, and then to the Prince. Sha Seng and Zhu Bajie wanted nothing more than to hack the old demon to pieces, but the Heavenly King said, "He was seized by the Jade Emperor's decree—we cannot deal with him lightly. We must go back to report."

On one side, the Heavenly King and the Third Prince led the heavenly soldiers and divine generals, escorting the demons to present themselves to the celestial court and await judgment. On the other side, the Pilgrim attended to Tang Sanzang, Sha Seng gathered the luggage, Zhu Bajie brought the horse around, and they helped Sanzang mount. Together they set out on the main road. And so it was:

The silken vines were severed, the golden sea dried up;

The jade lock was broken, and the cage was opened.

What would happen on the road ahead, you shall hear in the next chapter.