Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Tang Monk cheerfully took leave of the Commandery Duke and addressed Pilgrim from the back of his horse, "Disciple, this act of merit truly surpasses even our saving the children in the Kingdom of Bhikṣu—it is all thanks to you."

Sha Wujing said, "In the Kingdom of Bhikṣu, we saved only one thousand one hundred and eleven children. How can that compare to this great downpour, soaking and nourishing countless thousands upon thousands of lives? I too have been secretly praising Elder Brother's heaven-reaching power and earth-covering compassion."

Zhu Bajie laughed, "Brother's kindness and virtue are real enough, but he shows benevolence on the outside while nursing mischief within. Whenever he travels with me, he finds ways to abuse me."

Pilgrim said, "How have I abused you?"

Bajie said, "Enough, quite enough. He always sees to it that I'm tied up, that I'm hung up, that I'm boiled, that I'm steamed. Now that he's bestowed favor upon ten thousand people in Phoenix Immolation Commandery, we ought to stay half a year so he can take me along for a few good square meals. Instead, all he does is hurry us along the road."

The Elder, upon hearing this, shouted, "You fool! How can you think only of filling your belly? Walk faster, and no more bickering."

Bajie dared not speak. He pursed his lips, picked up the luggage, cracked jokes, and the master and disciples hurried onto the main road. Time flew swiftly, and it was now late autumn. Behold:

The waters shrank, the mountains grew lean. Red leaves fluttered; yellow flowers bloomed in season. After frost-clear skies, the nights felt long; through the windows shone the white moonlight. At sunset, chimney smoke rose from every home; everywhere, lake waters chilled and glazed over. White clover fragrant, smartweed lush. Oranges green and tangerines yellow, willows withered but grain flourishing. In desolate villages, wild geese alighted on shredded reed flowers; at country inns, roosters crowed as beans were gathered.

After the four pilgrims had traveled for some time, the shadow of city walls appeared in the distance. The Elder raised his whip and pointed afar, calling out, "Wukong, look—there is another city over there. I wonder where it is."

Pilgrim said, "Neither of us has been there before. How would we know? Let's go up to the edge and ask someone." Before he had finished speaking, an old man suddenly emerged from the trees, holding a bamboo staff, wearing light clothing, with a pair of straw sandals on his feet and a flat sash around his waist. Tang Monk hastily dismounted and stepped forward to greet him. The old man leaned on his staff and returned the salute, "Where does the Elder come from?"

Tang Monk pressed his palms together, "This poor monk is sent by the Great Tang of the Eastern Land to Leiyin to worship Buddha and seek the scriptures. Now having arrived at this precious place, I see the city walls in the distance and wonder where this is. I ask this old benefactor to instruct me."

Upon hearing this, the old man said, "A virtuous Chan master! This humble place is a commandery of the Kingdom of Tianzhu, called Yuhua County. The city's lord is of the imperial clan of Tianzhu, enfeoffed as the King of Yuhua. This king is most worthy—he honors monks and Daoists and loves the common people. If the Chan master goes to meet him, he will certainly receive great respect."

Tripitaka thanked him, and the old man walked straight through the woods and disappeared.

Tripitaka then turned and told his disciples all that had happened. The three of them were delighted and helped their master onto his horse. Tripitaka said, "It is not far. There is no need to ride." The four of them thus walked to the city's edge to look around. They found that the people in the suburbs, buying and selling, were densely gathered, and business was flourishing. Their voices and appearances were no different from those of the Central Kingdom.

Tripitaka instructed, "Disciples, be careful. You must not act recklessly." Bajie lowered his head, Sha Wujing covered his face, and only Sun Pilgrim supported his master. People on both sides crowded around to stare, shouting in unison, "Here we have only monks who can subdue dragons and tigers—we have never seen monks who subdue pigs and monkeys!" Bajie could not restrain himself and pursed his lips, "Have you ever seen a monk who subdues Pig Kings?" He terrified the people in the street so much that they stumbled and scattered to both sides. Pilgrim laughed, "You fool, hide your mouth quickly, don't put on airs, and watch your step crossing the bridge." The fool lowered his head and only smiled.

After crossing the drawbridge and entering the city gates, they saw wine houses and singing halls along the main street, bustling and prosperous—truly a metropolis of the divine land. There is a poem as proof. The poem reads:

The brocade city, iron-walled, stands firm for ten thousand years,

By water and mountain, every view fresh and clear.

A hundred goods enter the market by boats across the lake,

A thousand shops hang their curtains where wine is sold.

Terraces and towers everywhere, the people dense and thick,

Lanes and alleys each morning, merchants clamoring in throng.

It rivals Chang'an's scenery in its glory,

With roosters crowing and dogs barking just the same.

Tripitaka thought to himself with secret joy, "People say that the various kingdoms of the Western Regions have never reached this place. Looking carefully at this scene, how does it differ from our Great Tang? This is what is truly meant by the Land of Ultimate Bliss." He also heard people say that white rice cost four coins per bushel and sesame oil eight cash per catkin—truly a place of abundant harvests.

After traveling for some time, they arrived at the King of Yuhua's mansion. To the left and right of the mansion gate were the Secretarial Office, the Judicial Office, the Catering Office, and the Guest House. Tripitaka said, "Disciples, this is the prefectural office. Let me go in to have an audience with the king and have our travel documents verified before we proceed."

Bajie said, "Master, if you go in, can we just stand in front of the yamen?"

Tripitaka said, "Do you not see the three characters 'Guest House' on that gate?! Go all of you and sit there. See if there is fodder and buy some for the horse. When I see the king, if he grants us a meal, I will call you to share it."

Pilgrim said, "Master, go with peace of mind. Old Sun will take care of things." Sha Wujing carried the luggage into the guest house. There were attendants watching the guest house. Seeing their ugly faces, they dared not question them nor dared they tell them to leave, so they could only let them sit there.

Our master had changed his robes and hat, taken his passport, and gone straight to the prince's palace. The master of ceremonies came forward at once and asked, "Where does this monk come from?"

Tripitaka said, "I am a monk sent by the Great Tang in the East to worship the Buddha and seek scriptures at the Great Thunder Monastery. Now that I have reached this noble land, I wish to have my passport endorsed and have come in particular to pay my respects to Your Highness."

The master of ceremonies then announced him. The prince was indeed wise and virtuous, and immediately issued an order for Tripitaka to be admitted. Tripitaka performed his obeisance in the hall, and the prince invited him to ascend the hall and offered him a seat. Tripitaka presented the passport. When the prince had examined it and seen the seals and signatures of various kingdoms, he cheerfully affixed his imperial seal, signed with his cipher, and had it filed away.

He asked, "National Preceptor and elder, from your Great Tang to here, passing through all the kingdoms, how great a distance is it?"

Tripitaka said, "This poor monk has not kept track of the distance, but some years ago Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared before our king and left a verse saying the West was a hundred and eighty thousand li away. This poor monk has already spent fourteen cycles of cold and heat on the road."

The prince laughed and said, "Fourteen cycles of cold and heat means fourteen years. I suppose there were delays along the way?"

Tripitaka said, "It would be hard to tell in a few words. Countless tribulations and a thousand demons—I cannot say how much suffering I endured before reaching this land of treasure."

The prince was greatly pleased and ordered the steward to prepare a vegetarian feast for their entertainment. Tripitaka said, "May it please Your Highness: this poor monk has three young disciples waiting outside. I dare not accept the feast, lest it delay our journey."

The prince commanded the palace attendant, "Go quickly and invite the elder's three disciples to enter the palace and share the feast."

The palace attendant went out to invite them, but everyone said, "We haven't seen them, we haven't seen them." One of the attendants said, "There are three monks with ugly faces sitting in the guesthouse—they must be the ones."

The palace attendant and the others went to the guesthouse and asked the keeper, "Which of these is the esteemed disciple of the scripture-seeking monk from the Great Tang? Our lord has issued an edict inviting them to eat."

Zhu Bajie was dozing when he heard the word "feast," and he could not help jumping to his feet and answering, "That's us, that's us."

The palace attendant took one look at him and his soul fled from his body. They all trembled and said, "It's a pig demon, a pig demon."

Sun Wukong heard this and seized Bajie by the arm. "Brother, behave with more refinement. Don't be so coarse."

When the officials saw Wukong, they said, "It's a monkey spirit, a monkey spirit."

Sha Wujing cupped his hands and said, "Please do not be alarmed. All three of us are disciples of Tang Seng."

The officials looked at him and said, "Kitchen God, Kitchen God."

Sun Wukong then told Bajie to lead the horse and Sha Wujing to carry the luggage, and they all entered the palace of Yuhua together with the officials. The palace attendant went in first to report.

When the prince raised his eyes and saw their hideous appearance, his heart was filled with fear. Tripitaka pressed his palms together and said, "Your Highness, set your mind at ease. Although my disciples are ugly in appearance, their hearts are good."

Zhu Bajie stepped forward and made a greeting. "This humble monk pays his respects."

The prince became even more alarmed. Tripitaka said, "These crude disciples were recruited from the wilds and do not know how to conduct themselves. I hope you will pardon their faults."

The prince, forcing himself through his fear, told the steward to invite the monks to the Bao-sha Pavilion for the vegetarian feast. Tripitaka thanked the prince's grace, took leave of the prince, descended from the hall, and went with the others to the pavilion, where he scolded Bajie. "You stupid lout, you don't know the least bit of manners. If you had simply kept your mouth shut, it would have been fine, but how could you be so rude? One single word was enough to knock Mount Tai over."

Wukong laughed and said, "It's just as well that I didn't make a greeting—it saved some effort."

Sha Wujing said, "He didn't even wait for everyone to be ready before he opened his mouth and hollered."

Zhu Bajie said, "What a tease, what a tease. Master told me the other day that when meeting people I should make a greeting—that it's proper. Today when I made a greeting, he says it's no good. What am I supposed to do?"

Tripitaka said, "I told you to greet people when you meet them, but I never told you to carry on like this when meeting a prince. As the saying goes: 'There are different grades of things, and different grades of people.' How can you make no distinction between high and low?"

Even as they spoke, the steward led in servants, arranged the tables and chairs, and laid out the feast. The master and disciples said nothing more and ate their meal in silence.

Now when the prince retired from the hall and entered the palace, his three young princes saw that his expression had changed and asked, "Father, why are you so frightened today?"

The prince said, "Just now a monk from the Great Tang in the East came to have his passport endorsed. He was on a pilgrimage to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. His bearing was extraordinary. I invited him to a feast, and he said he had disciples waiting outside the palace, so I ordered them to be invited. When they came in shortly after, they did not perform the proper ceremony but merely made a greeting, which already displeased me. When I raised my head and looked at them, every one of them was as ugly as a demon, and my heart could not help being alarmed. That is why my expression changed."

Now these three young princes were different from other boys. They were all fond of martial arts and liked to show their strength. They immediately rolled up their sleeves and said, "Could they be demons from the mountains disguised in human form? Let us take our weapons and go out to have a look."

The worthy princes strode forth from the royal mansion—the eldest wielding a staff that reached his brows, the second brandishing a nine-toothed rake, the third swinging a pitch-black dark-oiled rod. Bold and fierce, they swaggered out and bellowed, "Where is this monk who fetches scriptures?" At that moment, the stewards and officials knelt and said, "Your Highness, they are taking their meal at the Pavilion of Coarse Gauze." Without distinguishing good from ill, the young princes charged in and roared, "Are you men or monsters? Speak quickly and we shall spare your lives." This terrified Tripitaka; his face lost all color, he dropped his rice bowl, and bowing his body said, "This poor monk is one who has come from the Tang Empire to fetch scriptures. I am a human, not a monster." The young prince said, "You do look human enough, but those three ugly ones are certainly monsters." Zhu Bajie went on eating and paid no notice. Sha Wujing and the Pilgrim rose slightly from their seats and said, "We are all human. Though our faces are ugly, our hearts are good; though our bodies are clumsy, our nature is kind. But where do you three come from, that you talk so boastfully and with such arrogance?" The stewards and officials nearby said, "These three are the little princes, the sons of our King." Bajie threw down his bowl and said, "Little Princes—why are each of you holding weapons? Surely you don't want to fight us?"

The second prince strode forward, dancing his rake in both hands, ready to strike Bajie. Bajie laughed and said, "That rake of yours would be no more than a grandson to this rake of mine!" He lifted his garment, pulled out his rake from his waist, and gave it a shake—ten thousand golden rays burst forth. He performed a full set of maneuvers, and a thousand auspicious wisps of air swirled around. The prince was so frightened that his hands went limp and his sinews turned to jelly; he dared not swing his weapon further. The Pilgrim saw the eldest prince wielding his staff that reached his brows, leaping about as he fought. He took the golden-banded rod from his ear, gave it a shake—it was as thick as a bowl and some twelve to thirteen feet long. He thrust it into the ground and drove it three feet deep, then stood it upright. Laughing, he said, "Let me give this rod to you." The prince, hearing this, threw down his own staff and went to fetch the rod. He pulled with all the strength in both hands but could not budge it even a hair's breadth. He tried again to lift it and shake it, but it was rooted as firmly as if it had grown there. The third prince, in a fit of wild rage, swung his dark-oiled rod and came to strike. Sha Wujing blocked him with one hand and produced his demon-subduing treasure staff. He gave it a twist—brilliant light blazed forth, and radiant shimmering glowed all about. The stewards and officials were stunned dumb; they could not utter a word. The three young princes at once bowed and said, "Divine masters, divine masters! We are mere mortals who did not recognize you. We beg you to perform for us so that we may bow and receive your teachings." The Pilgrim stepped forward, lightly took up the rod, and said, "This place is too cramped; there's no room to spread out. Let me leap into the air and perform a set for you to watch."

What a Great Sage! With a whistle, he shook his somersault, his two feet treading upon five-colored auspicious clouds as he rose into the air, some three hundred paces above the ground. He unleashed the golden-banded rod in the movements called "Scattering Flowers to Cover the Crown" and "Yellow Dragon Turning His Body"—up and down, spinning left and right. At first, the man and the rod together seemed like flowers embroidered upon brocade; later, no man could be seen, only a sky full of rolling rod. Bajie below shouted his applause, unable to contain his own hands and feet. He yelled, "Let Old Pig go up and perform too!" The fool raised a gust of wind and soared into the air as well. He swung his rake—three up and four down, five left and six right, seven forward and eight back—every trick he knew, and all that could be heard was the whoosh of rushing wind. Just as he was performing at the height of excitement, Sha Wujing said to the Elder Master, "Master, let Old Sha go up and drill a bit too." The worthy monk hopped up with both feet, swung his staff, and rose into the air. Sharp vapors swirled about, and golden light shimmered in the distance. With both hands he performed the demon-subduing staff in the movements called "Phoenix Rising to Greet the Sun" and "Hungry Tiger Pouncing on Its Prey"—meeting the urgent, blocking the slow, turning swiftly, dodging nimbly. The three brothers displayed their divine powers to the fullest, all soaring in the air together, each one showing his might and prowess. Truly it was:

True scenes of Chan are not common to all,

The Great Way's cause fills the void of space.

Metal and wood exert their power throughout the realm of dharma,

The elixir's turning accords with perfect penetration.

Divine weapons reveal their keenness at every moment,

The cinnabar vessel's flower blooms everywhere in honor.

Though India is lofty, it still guards against the nature of lust,

The princes of Jade Flower return to the center.

The three young princes were so frightened they knelt in the dust. Everyone at the Pavilion of Coarse Gauze, great and small, together with the old prince in the royal mansion, and all the soldiers, civilians, men and women, monks, nuns, Taoist priests, and laypeople throughout the city—every household bowed their heads in prayer, and every family burned incense and worshipped. Truly it was:

Seeing the image, they return to truth and cross over the monks of the world,

Men on earth perform merit and enjoy peace.

From now onward they walk the true path of Bodhi,

All of them are people who study Chan and bow to the Buddha.

The three of them, each displaying his prowess, performed a full set, then pressed down their auspicious clouds and put away their weapons. They came before Tripitala, paid their respects, thanked their master's grace, and each sat down. No more of this.

The three young princes hurried back to the palace and reported to the old king: "Father, boundless joy! A deed of immense merit has been accomplished. Did you see the performance in the midair?" The old king said, "I saw only the colorful radiance in the sky. I was in the palace courtyard burning incense and praying together with your mother and the others. I did not know it was gods and immortals descending to gather there." The young prince said, "They are not gods or immortals from elsewhere—they are the three ugly disciples of the scripture-fetching monk. One wields the iron-banded golden rod, one wields the nine-toothed spiked rake, one wields the demon-subduing treasure staff. They made our three weapons seem utterly worthless. We asked them to perform a set, and they said, 'The ground is too cramped; there's no room to maneuver. Let me rise into the air and perform a set for you to watch.' Each of them mounted a cloud head, and the whole sky was filled with shimmering auspicious clouds and swirling auspicious vapors. Only just now did they descend and sit in the Pavilion of Coarse Gauze. Your sons are overjoyed and wish to bow to them as our masters, to learn their skills and protect our kingdom. This is truly a deed of immense merit. What does Father think?" Hearing these words, the old king's faith arose, and he granted their wish.

At that time, the four—father and sons—did not have their retinue set up, nor their parasols unfurled; they walked on foot to the Bower of Gossamer. The four pilgrims gathered their luggage, intending to enter the prefecture to express gratitude for the meal, take leave of the king, and set out on their journey, when they happened to see the Jade Floria king and his sons approaching the pavilion. They prostrated themselves and bowed to the ground. Flustered, the Elder stretched himself out and returned the bow, throwing himself to the ground; Tripitaka's three disciples stepped aside and gave a faint, mocking smile. When the kowtowing was finished, the king invited the four into the main hall of the prefecture to sit. The four entered gladly. The old king rose and said, "Elder Tang, I have a small request to make. I wonder if your three noble disciples would be willing to grant it?" Tripitaka replied, "We shall obey whatever Your Highness commands; your humble disciples dare not refuse." The old king said, "When I first saw all of you, I merely took you for itinerant monks who had come from distant Tang. Truly, these mortal eyes and fleshly vision led me to treat you with much disrespect. But when I saw Master Sun, Master Zhu, and Master Sha dancing in the sky, I realized that you are immortals and Buddhas. My three worthless sons have loved martial arts all their lives. Now, with sincere and reverent hearts, they wish to become your disciples and learn some martial arts. I earnestly hope that you, Master, will open the heart of Heaven and Earth, spread the boat of compassion far and wide, and transmit the teachings to my boys. I shall certainly repay you with the wealth of our entire city."

Upon hearing this, Tripitaka could not help but laugh and say, "Your Highness, you really do not understand. We who have left the householder's life would be only too glad to transmit the teaching to a few disciples. Since your sons already have the heart to follow the good, you must not speak of the slightest reward. Simply treating us with genuine affection is more than enough proof of your regard."

The princes were overjoyed to hear these words. They immediately ordered a great banquet to be spread, set out right in the main hall of the prefecture. Ah! A single command, and everything was instantly ready. And this was what they saw:

Banners fluttered in brilliant colors; fragrant incense wafted richly. Gilt tables draped with sheer silk dazzled the eyes; painted lacquer chairs spread with brocade added splendor to every seat. Tree fruits were fresh; tea broth was fragrant and steaming. Three or five courses of side dishes were pure and sweet; one or two servings of steamed buns were plump and fine. Honeyed pastries and fried treats were wondrous indeed; deep-fried sweets with sugar poured over them were truly delicious. There were several jars of sweet unfermented wine, poured out surpassing the nectar of the immortals; several rounds of Yangxian immortal tea were offered, and once held in the hand, their fragrance put osmanthus blossoms to shame. Every variety and every item was fully provided; each and every category was marvelously extraordinary.

On one side, musicians were summoned to sing, play, dance, and perform skits and plays. The master and his disciples, together with the king and his sons, enjoyed themselves the whole day.

Before they knew it, evening came and the banquet was dismissed. The king then ordered bedding to be laid out in the Bower of Gossamer and invited the masters to rest for the night. The next morning, they would burn incense with the utmost devotion and bow again to beg for instruction in martial arts. Everyone agreed. Scented water was prepared and the masters were invited to bathe; the others retired to sleep. At that moment:

The birds had roosted high, and the myriad sounds sank into silence; the poet lay down upon his couch and ceased his chanting.

The River of Light shone bright, making the sky ever more luminous; the wild paths grew desolate, and the grass grew deeper.

Pestles and mortars clinked and clanged in a distant courtyard; the far-off passes and mountains stirred homesickness in the heart.

The crickets chirped clearly, as if understanding human feelings; their chirring by the bedside shattered dream-spirits.

So passed the night scene. Early the next morning, the old king and his sons came to see them again. The Elder had been received yesterday with the ceremony due a king; today they performed the rites of disciples. The three young princes kowtowed before Tripitaka, Bajie, and Sha Wujing, and asked, "Masters, might you bring out your weapons for your disciples to have a look?"

Bajie, hearing this, gladly produced his rake and threw it on the ground. Sha Wujing cast out his staff and leaned it against the wall. The second and third princes leaped forward to grab them, but they were like mayflies trying to shake stone pillars. Each one strained until his face was red and swollen, yet not a hair's breadth could they move them. The eldest prince, seeing this, called out, "Brothers, don't waste your strength. Our masters' weapons are all divine weapons—who knows how heavy they are!" Bajie laughed and said, "My rake isn't all that heavy. It's merely the number of one storehouse—five thousand and forty-eight jin, handle included."

The third prince asked Sha Wujing, "How heavy is your master's staff?" Sha Wujing smiled and said, "Also five thousand and forty-eight jin."

The eldest prince asked to see Tripitaka's golden-banded staff. Tripitaking took from his ear a little needle, waved it in the wind, and it became as thick as a bowl, standing upright before them. The king and his sons were all struck with awe; the officials were filled with alarm. The three young princes bowed and said, "Master Zhu's and Master Sha's weapons are both carried on their persons beneath their garments and can be produced at once. But why does Master Sun take his from his ear, and why does it grow when it sees the wind?" Tripitaka laughed and said, "You don't know—this staff of mine is not something that can be found in the common world. This staff is:

The iron smelted when Primordial Chaos was first divided, fashioned personally by the divine Great Yu, the sage.

He knew the depths and shallows of lakes, seas, rivers, and streams; he once used this staff to measure them all.

When he tamed the floods and opened the mountains, bringing peace, it drifted down and came to guard the Eastern Sea's palace.

As days and years stretched long, it shone with colored radiance; it could shrink and grow and gleam with purity.

Old Sun had his destiny to obtain it; it transforms in boundless ways, following his spoken spell.

Made large, it fills the universe; made small, it is but the size of a needle's joint.

It is named the As-You-Will Golden-Banded Staff; in heaven and on earth, it is without equal.

Its weight: thirteen thousand five hundred jin; thick or thin, it can appear and vanish.

It once helped me cause havoc in the Heavenly Palace; it once followed me to attack the gates of the underworld.

Subduing tigers and dragons—it penetrates everywhere; refining demons and slaying monsters—it reaches every direction.

Raise the head and point, and the sun grows dim; Heaven, Earth, gods, and ghosts all tremble in fear.

Transmitted from the immortal of Primordial Chaos down to this day, it was never common iron of the mortal world."

The princes, hearing these words, bowed in reverence without end. The three stepped forward, bowed deeply, and earnestly begged to be taught. Tripitaka said, "Which of you three wishes to learn which martial art?" The princes replied, "Those who wish to use the staff shall learn the staff; those accustomed to the rake shall learn the rake; those who love the staff-weapon shall learn the staff-weapon." Tripitaka smiled and said, "Teaching you would be easy enough, but you have no strength. You cannot wield our weapons, and I fear that if you learn them, you will not master them thoroughly—you'll end up painting a tiger but producing something that resembles a dog instead. As the ancients said: 'If training is not strict, the teacher is lazy; if learning bears no fruit, the student is at fault.' Since you have sincere hearts, go and burn incense, bow to Heaven and Earth, and I shall first transmit to you some divine strength. Only then can I teach you martial arts."

The three little princes, upon hearing these words, were overjoyed. They immediately personally carried out an incense table, washed their hands, burned incense, and bowed in worship toward heaven. When the worship was finished, they asked the master to transmit the arts. The Pilgrim turned around and bowed to Tripitaka, saying: "I report to my honored master and beg forgiveness for my crime. Ever since that year at Two-Boundaries Mountain, when your great virtue rescued and released me, I have upheld the teachings of the shramana and journeyed westward together. Though I have never fully repaid my master's kindness, I have indeed crossed rivers and climbed mountains, exhausting all my strength and heart. Now we have come to the land of the Buddha, and by good fortune have encountered the three sons of a worthy king, who wish to pay homage to us and learn martial arts. Since they are to be our disciples, they are therefore my master's grandchildren. I respectfully inform my master so that we may properly transmit the teachings."

Tripitaka was exceedingly pleased. When Eight Rules and Sha Monk saw the Pilgrim bow, they too turned and kowtowed to Tripitaka, saying: "Master, we are dull and stupid, with clumsy mouths and blunt tongues—we cannot speak well. We hope you will sit high in the Dharma seat and let each of us recruit a disciple to amuse ourselves with as well; it would also be a keepsake along the road to the West." Tripitana gladly granted all of this.

The Pilgrim then taught the three princes to go behind the coarse gauze pavilion, into a quiet chamber, where they drew the Dharma diagrams. He had all three kneel face down within them, each one closing their eyes and calming their spirit. Meanwhile, he secretly recited the true words and chanted incantations, blowing immortal breath into the hearts and bellies of the three men, drawing their primal spirits back to their rightful abode. He transmitted to them the oral formulas, and each received the strength of ten thousand sinews. Their inner fire was increased, as though they had undergone a method of sloughing off the mortal body and changing their bones. When the full cycle of the meridian circuit had been completed, the three little princes at last revived. They scrambled to their faces together, rubbed their faces, and were brimming with vigor—each one with strong bones and powerful sinews: the eldest prince could now wield the Golden-Hooped Rod, the second prince could swing the Nine-Tooth Rake, and the third prince could raise the Demon-Subduing Staff.

The old king, seeing this, was unspeakably delighted. He again arranged a vegetarian feast to express his gratitude to the master and his three disciples. Right before the banquet, each taught and each received: those who studied the staff practiced the staff, those who studied the rake practiced the rake, and those who studied the staff practiced the staff. Though they could turn their bodies a few times and execute several patterns, after all they were ordinary mortals who exerted some force: after one round of practice they would pant heavily and could not endure long. For those weapons all possessed the power of transformation—their advance and retreat, their attack and defense, growing and shrinking, each had its natural wonder. These were, after all, ordinary mortals; how could they suddenly attain such mastery? That day the banquet came to an end.

The next day, the three princes came again to express their gratitude, saying: "We are grateful to the divine master for bestowing upon us this strength. Even though we can now wield our masters' weapons, their turning and maneuvering is still difficult. We wish to commission artisans to follow the pattern of the divine masters' weapons, reducing their weight, and forge a set. We do not know whether our masters will permit this."

Eight Rules said: "Good, good, good! You speak sensibly. Our instruments—for one thing, you cannot use them; for another, we need them to protect the Dharma and subdue demons. You should indeed forge new ones." The princes then summoned ironworkers, purchased ten thousand catties of iron and steel, and set up a workshop in the front courtyard of the royal estate, building a furnace to cast the weapons. The first day they smelted the iron and steel until it was refined. The next day they invited the three pilgrims to take out the Golden-Hooped Rod, the Nine-Tooth Rake, and the Demon-Subduing Staff and place them in the shed workshop to serve as models for the forging. And so day and night the work did not cease.

Ah! These weapons were originally their personal treasures, which could not be parted from for a single moment. Each had kept them hidden about his person, where they naturally emitted a radiant protective aura. Now that they had been placed in the workshop courtyard for several days, the auspicious light shot up in ten thousand beams toward the sky, and the prophetic vapors enveloped the earth in a thousand folds. That night there was a demon spirit who lived only seventy li from the city, on a mountain called Leopard-Head Mountain, in a cave called Tiger-Mouth Cave. Sitting at night, he suddenly saw the auspicious light and prophetic vapors. At once he mounted the clouds and went to look. He saw that the light emanated from within the royal estate. He pressed down his cloud and approached to observe: it was these three weapons emitting their radiance. The demon spirit was both delighted and enamored, saying: "What treasures! What treasures! Whose are these, that they are placed here? This is my karmic destiny—I shall take them, I shall take them!" His heart of desire stirred, and he raised a mighty gust of wind, sweeping up the three weapons in one motion and making straight back to his own cave. Truly it is said:

The Way cannot be departed from even for an instant;

What can be departed from is not the Way.

The divine weapons were all lost in vain,

All their cultivation rendered futile.

How these weapons were eventually recovered, you will hear explained in the next chapter.