Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Now, several ironsmiths in the courtyard had grown weary from days of unrelenting labor and had fallen asleep for the night. When they rose at dawn to resume their work, the three weapons were nowhere to be found beneath the shed. They stood dazed and trembling, searching high and low. Just then the three young princes came out from the palace to have a look. The smiths fell to their knees and cried, "Your Highness! The divine master's three weapons—we know not where they have gone!"

The youngest prince, hearing this, was seized with dread and said, "Could it be that our Master packed them away in the night?" He rushed to the Pavilion of Roaring Sands. Finding the white horse still tethered in the corridor, he could not help but call out, "Is the Master still asleep?" "He's already up," said Sha Wujing. He opened the door at once, and the prince hurried inside—only to find the weapons gone. In a frantic flurry, he asked, "Has the Master put away all his weapons?" Sun Wukong leapt up. "I haven't touched them!" the prince said. "All three weapons have vanished in the night." Zhu Bajie scrambled awake. "Is my rake still there?" the little prince asked. "When we came out just now, we saw everyone searching in every direction without finding them. I feared the Master had stored them away, so I came to ask. The Master's treasures can grow and shrink at will—you must have hidden them about your person to tease us!" Wukong said, "I truly have not put them away. Let's all go and look."

They went together to the shed in the courtyard, and sure enough, there was no trace of them. Bajie said, "It must have been these smiths who stole them! Hand them over—if you delay even a moment, I'll beat you all to death! To death!" The smiths, terrified, kowtowed and wept, "Great Lord, we toiled day and night and fell asleep. By the time we rose at dawn, they were gone. We are mere mortals—how could we have lifted them? Spare our lives, spare our lives!" Wukong said nothing, but inwardly he fumed: "The fault is ours. Since we had shown them the patterns, we should have kept them on our person. Why did we leave them lying about? Those treasures radiate a luminous aura—some villain must have been alerted and stolen them in the night." Bajie refused to believe it. "What are you talking about, Brother? This is a land of peace, not some remote wilderness—what villain could possibly have come? It must be that the smiths acted on a wicked heart. They saw the splendor of our weapons, recognized them as three priceless treasures, slipped out of the palace that very night, gathered a crowd, and carried them off—some lifting, some dragging. Beat them! Beat them!" The smiths could only kowtow and swear their innocence.

Just as the clamor reached its peak, the old prince emerged and inquired about the matter. His face, too, had gone pale. After a long silence, he said, "The divine master's weapons are no ordinary things. Even a hundred men could not have budged them. Moreover, my family has ruled this city for five generations. I do not boast idly when I say that my reputation for virtue is well known. The soldiers, civilians, and craftsmen of this city all stand in awe of my laws—they would never dare act treacherously. I beg the divine master to reconsider." Wukong laughed. "There is no need to reconsider, and no need to wrongfully blame the smiths. Let me ask Your Highness: are there any mountain forests or demons in the four directions of your city?" The prince said, "That is a very sensible question. To the north of this city lies Leopard-Head Mountain, and in that mountain is a Tiger's Mouth Cave. People say there is an immortal in the cave; others say there are tigers and wolves; still others say there are demons. I have never investigated the truth of the matter—I do not know what it really is." Wukong laughed. "That settles it. Some villain from that direction must have learned of the treasures and stolen them in the night." He called out, "Bajie, Wujing—stay here and protect the Master and guard the city. Old Sun is going to find them." He also told the smiths not to let their forges go cold—they were to keep casting without pause.

The splendid Monkey King took leave of Tripitaka, let out a sharp whistle, and vanished in an instant. He had already arrived at Leopard-Head Mountain. The city was only thirty leagues away—he had reached it in the blink of an eye. He ascended the peak at once and surveyed the scene. Indeed, there was a certain demonic aura about it. Truly:

The dragon vein stretched long, the terrain lay vast.

Sharp peaks thrust proudly into the high heavens; deep ravines plunged darkly with rushing waters.

Before the mountain, rare grasses spread like a carpet; behind it, wondrous flowers were strewn like brocade.

Towering pines, ancient cypresses, venerable trees and tall bamboos.

Mountain crows and magpies fluttered and cried in confusion; wild cranes and monkeys shrieked and howled.

Beneath the cliff, a pair of elk; before the precipice, a brace of badgers.

Rising and falling, the distant dragon came; winding and twisting, nine bends and nine curves, the hidden earth vein.

The ridge-head connected to Magnificent Hua Prefecture—

a place of splendor for ten thousand ages.

As Wukong was surveying the scene, he suddenly heard voices behind the mountain. He turned sharply and saw two wolf-headed demons talking loudly as they headed northwest. Wukong reasoned: "These must be patrol monsters. Let old Sun follow them and listen to what they have to say." He worked an incantation, muttered a spell, and with a shake of his body transformed into a butterfly. Spreading his wings, he fluttered gracefully and gave chase. Truly, the transformation was a fine one:

A pair of powdery wings, two silver feelers.

He flies swiftly with the wind, dances leisurely in the sun.

He can dart nimbly over streams and through walls; he takes great delight in stealing fragrance and toying with willow fluff.

His body is light, and he has a particular fondness for the scent of fresh flowers—

his elegant bearing and tender spirit unfold and contract as they please.

He hovered above the head of one demon, drifting and swaying, listening to their conversation. The demon exclaimed loudly, "Second Brother, our Great King has been most fortunate of late: last month he obtained a beautiful woman, who has been keeping him company in the cave, bringing him great delight. And last night he acquired three weapons—truly priceless treasures. Tomorrow he's holding a feast to celebrate the Rake, and we'll all share in the bounty!" The other said, "We've had our luck too: we've got these twenty taels of silver to buy pigs and sheep. Now that we've reached Qianfang Market, let's have a few flasks of wine first. We'll cook the books and skim off two or three taels to buy ourselves a padded coat for the cold—wouldn't that be fine?" The two demons chatted and laughed as they hurried along the main road, flying like the wind.

When Pilgrim heard about the celebration of the hammer and nails, he was secretly delighted. He wanted to kill the monster, but it had nothing to do with him, and besides, he had no weapon in his hand. He flew forward, resumed his true form, and stood at the crossroads. When the demon came near, Pilgrim spat a magical saliva at him and chanted "Om Hong Ta Li," immediately using his immobilizing spell to freeze the two wolf-headed demons in place. Their eyes were wide open, but their mouths could not speak; they stood stiffly on their feet. He then turned them over, searched them, and found that they indeed had twenty taels of silver, carried in a cloth pouch tied to their waist sashes. Each of them also wore a painted powder plaque; one read "Artful and Queer" and the other "Queer and Artful."

The great sage took their silver, removed their plaques, and turned back to the city. He went to the prince's palace and told the prince, Tripitaka, the officials, and all the craftsmen what had happened. Zhu Bajie laughed and said, "I suppose it's because of my precious treasure's radiance and brilliance that they're buying pigs and sheep and preparing a feast to celebrate! But how can we get them now?" Pilgrim said, "All three of us will go. This silver was for buying pigs and sheep—let's reward the craftsmen with it and have His Highness find some pigs and sheep. Bajie, you transform into Artful and Queer; I'll transform into Queer and Artful; Sha Wujing will dress as a pig and sheep merchant. We'll enter the Tiger's Mouth Cave, and when the opportunity arises, each of us will grab a weapon and destroy the demons, then come back and prepare to leave." Sha Wujing said, "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! We shouldn't delay—let's go quickly." The old prince followed this plan and had his stewards buy seven or eight pigs and four or five sheep.

The three of them took leave of their master and displayed their divine powers outside the city. Bajie said, "Brother, I've never seen Artful and Queer—how can I transform into his likeness?" Pilgrim said, "The demon is still frozen by Old Sun's immobilizing spell and won't wake until this time tomorrow. I remember his appearance. Stand still and let me teach you how to transform. ... This way, that way—that's his appearance." The fool indeed muttered an incantation, and Pilgrim blew a breath of immortal air; in an instant Bajie became identical to Artful and Queer, wearing the powder plaque at his waist. Pilgrim then transformed into Queer and Artful, also wearing a plaque at his waist. Sha Wujing dressed himself to look like a pig and sheep merchant. Together they drove the pigs and sheep onto the main road and headed straight for the mountain.

Before long, they entered a mountain valley and encountered another little demon, whose face was equally ferocious! Just look at him:

Two round, bulging eyes, bright as lanterns;

A head of bristly red fur, flickering like fire.

A piggish snout, a gaping mouth, with sharp fang teeth;

Ragged ears, a sloping forehead, and a puffy blue face.

He wore a light yellow robe

And a pair of coarse straw sandals.

Fierce and formidable as a malevolent god,

Hasty and frantic as a wicked demon.

The demon carried a painted lacquer invitation box under his left arm and called out to Pilgrim, "Queer and Artful, you two have come! How many pigs and sheep did you buy?" Pilgrim said, "Aren't these the ones we're driving?" The demon looked at Sha Wujing and asked, "Who is this man?" Pilgrim said, "He's the pig and sheep merchant. We still owe him a few taels of silver, so we brought him to collect it at our home. Where are you going?" The demon said, " I'm going to Bamboo Joint Mountain to invite the Great King to attend the celebration tomorrow morning." Pilgrim caught his drift and asked, "How many people are being invited?" The demon said, "The Great King will sit in the chief seat, along with the local mountain king and all the leaders—about forty or more in total." As they were talking, Bajie said, "Let's go, let's go! The pigs and sheep are scattering everywhere!" Pilgrim said, "You drive them along. Let me ask to see his invitation." The demon, seeing his own people, opened the box and handed it to Pilgrim. Pilgrim unfolded it and read:

Tomorrow morning, I respectfully prepare delicacies and wine to celebrate the Hammer and Nails Festival. I humbly invite you to cross the mountain for a gathering. I hope you will not decline. With sincere gratitude. Respectfully submitted to the Venerable Old Master Nine Spirit Primordial Sage. Your disciple and grandson, the Yellow Lion, bows a hundred times.

After Pilgrim finished reading, he returned it to the demon. The demon put it back in the box and headed southeast.

Sha Wujing asked, "Brother, what did the invitation say?" Pilgrim said, "It's an invitation to the Hammer and Nails celebration. The name at the bottom says 'Your disciple and grandson, the Yellow Lion, bows a hundred times.' The one being invited is the Venerable Old Master Nine Spirit Primordial Sage." Sha Wujing laughed and said, "The Yellow Lion must be a golden-haired lion who became a spirit. But I wonder what the Nine Spirit Primordial Sage is?" Bajie laughed when he heard this and said, "That's my merchandise!" Pilgrim said, "How do you know it's your merchandise?" Bajie said, "As the ancients said, 'A scabby sows chases the golden-haired lion.' So I know it's my goods." The three of them chatted and laughed as they drove the pigs and sheep, and soon they caught sight of the Tiger's Mouth Cave gate. Just look at the gate:

Surrounded by mountains draped in emerald green,

A vein of energy connecting to the city walls.

Steep cliffs entwined with green vines,

High ledges hung with redbuds.

Bird songs echo deep among the trees,

Flower shadows greet the cave's entrance.

No less than the Peach Blossom Spring,

A fitting place to escape the world.

Gradually they approached the gate, and there was another troop of miscellaneous lesser imps, large and small, playing among the flowering trees. Suddenly they heard Bajie's "hee-hee" as he drove the pigs and sheep up, and all came out to meet them. Some grabbed pigs, others seized sheep, and they were all trussed up together. This quickly alarmed the Demon King inside, who led a dozen or so lesser imps out and asked, "Have you two returned? How many pigs and sheep did you buy?"

Wukong said, "We bought eight pigs and seven sheep, fifteen animals in all. The pigs cost sixteen taels of silver, the sheep nine taels. We were given twenty taels before, so there are still five taels owing. This is the merchant, who has come along to collect the silver."

The Demon King, upon hearing this, called out, "Little ones, take five taels of silver and send him on his way."

Wukong said, "This merchant has come not only to collect the silver, but also also to see the grand celebration."

The demon flew into a rage and cursed, "You cunning, lazy rascal! You were here to buy goods—why then talk to him about celebrations?"

Bajie stepped forward and said, "Our lord has obtained a treasure, truly a wonder of the world. What harm would it do to let him take a look?"

The demon snapped with a *dui*: "You're outrageous and hateful! This treasure of mine was obtained from the city of Yuzhou Prefecture. If this merchant sees it and goes back to the city to spread the word, telling everyone about it, and the prince comes to ask for it, what then shall I do?"

Wukong said, "My lord, this merchant lives behind the Qianfang market—it's quite a distance from the city. He's not even a resident of the city, so how would he spread the word? Besides, his stomach is hungry, and neither of my companions nor I have eaten. There's ready food and wine at home—give him some to eat and send him on his way."

Before he could finish speaking, a lesser demon brought five taels of silver and handed it to Wukong. Wukong passed the silver to Shaseng and said, "Merchant, take your silver. I'll go with you into the back to get some food."

Shaseng, steeling his courage, went with Bajie and Wukong into the cave. They entered the second-level hall, and there in the center of the table, set up high in offering, was a nine-toothed iron rake, truly dazzling in its brilliance. Against the eastern mountain wall leaned a golden-banded staff, and against the western mountain wall leaned a demon-subduing staff. The Demon King followed behind them and said, "Merchant, that shiny thing in the middle is the rake. You may look, but when you leave, you must absolutely tell no one."

Shaseng nodded his thanks.

Ah! As the saying goes: *A thing sees its master and must be reclaimed.* Bajie had always been a rough and reckless fellow. When he saw the rake, he did not bother with any pleasantries—he ran up, snatched it down, swung it in his hands, revealed his true form, executed a flourish, and smashed it straight at the demon's face. Wukong and Shaseng likewise rushed to the two mountain walls, each seizing his weapon, revealing his true form, and the three brothers struck together in a furious assault. The Demon King was so alarmed that he hastily drew back, retreated to the rear, and took up a four-pronged spade with a long shaft and sharp socket. He rushed to the courtyard and parried their three weapons, shouting loudly, "Who are you, that you dare use trickery to steal my treasure?"

Wukong cursed, "You mangy little ball of fur! You don't even recognize us! We are the disciples of the Holy Monk Tang Sanzang from the Eastern Lands. We came to Yuzhou Prefecture to exchange our travel documents, and the honored king had his three princes take us as their masters to learn martial arts. They used our treasures as models to forge weapons of the same design. We had them placed in the courtyard, and you, you mangy ball of fur, snuck into the city in the dead of night and stole them—yet you accuse me of using trickery to steal your treasure! Don't run away—let each of our three weapons give you a taste!"

The demon raised his spade to fight. This battle raged from the courtyard out through the front gate, and it was a fine sight, the three monks against one demon:

The staff howled like the wind, the rake thundered like rain.

The demon-subduing staff raised brilliance that filled the sky;

The four-pronged spade thrust forth, its clouds weaving silk.

It was like three immortals refining the Great Elixir—

The fire and light flashing, startling gods and ghosts.

Wukong displayed his power with great skill;

The demon who had stolen the treasure was full of insolence.

Tianpeng Bajie showed his divine might;

The great general Shaseng was even more splendid.

The three brothers worked as one, employing their cunning,

And battle raged in the Cave of the Tiger's Head.

That demon, proud and strong, played his tricks with cunning;

The four heroes were worthy foes indeed.

They fought until the sun sank in the west,

And the demon's strength weakened—he could no longer resist.

They battled for a long time on Baotou Mountain, and when the demon could no longer hold them off, he called out to Shaseng, "Watch my spade!" Shaseng shifted his stance and dodged. The demon seized the opening and fled, riding the wind toward the southeast, the Xun direction. Bajie started to give chase, but Wukong said, "Let him go. As the old saying goes: 'Do not press a desperate enemy.' Let's just cut off his retreat."

Bajie obeyed.

The three made straight for the cave entrance and slaughtered every last one of the hundred or so demons, great and small. They turned out to be tigers, leopards, panthers, wild boars, deer, antelope, and mountain goats. The Great Sage used his magic to bring out all the fine goods from the cave, along with the carcasses of the slain beasts and the pigs and sheep they had driven there. Shaseng took out dry kindling and set a fire, and Bajie used his two ears to fan the flames, burning the entire lair to nothing in an instant. Then they carried all the goods they had brought out and returned to the prefectural city.

At that time the city gate was still open, and the people had not yet gone to sleep. The old prince and his sons, along with Tripitaka, were all watching from the Breeze-in-the-Casual Pavilion. Suddenly they heard a great flapping and fluttering as a whole courtyard's worth of dead beasts, pigs, sheep, and sundry valuables were dumped before them. Together the disciples cried out, "Master, we have returned victorious!" The prince bowed repeatedly in thanks. The Tang elder was overjoyed. The three young princes knelt on the ground in reverence, but Sha Wujing helped them up, saying, "Hold your thanks for now—come closer first and look at these things." The prince asked, "Where did all these things come from?" Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Those tigers, leopards, lynxes, panthers, deer, antelopes, and goats were all spirits that had attained the Way through sorcery. We took their weapons and drove them out of the gates. The old demon was a golden-maned lion. He wielded a four-bright spade and fought with us until nightfall, then fled in defeat toward the southeast. We did not pursue him, but we swept clean his retreat, slaughtered his band of lesser demons, and searched out all these belongings, which we have brought back."

When the old prince heard this, he was both joyful and troubled: joyful that his sons had returned victorious, troubled that the demon might seek revenge in the future. Sun Wukong said, "Your Highness, rest easy. I have thought this through thoroughly and will handle it properly. I will root out every last one of them before we set out on our journey, and I will certainly not leave a calamity behind for you. When I went at midday, I ran into a little demon with a green face and red hair delivering an invitation. On his card it read: 'Tomorrow morning I respectfully prepare a banquet to celebrate the Grand Rake Gathering. I humbly invite you to cross the mountain for a visit. I hope you will not decline. With deepest gratitude. Respectfully presented to the venerable Grand Master Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage, from his grandson, the Yellow Lion, bowing a hundred times.' That demon, after his defeat, will certainly go to report to his grandfather. Tomorrow morning he will undoubtedly come seeking revenge. When that happens, I will clean them out for you once and for all." The old prince thanked him profusely and laid out the evening meal. When the master and his disciples had finished eating, they each retired to their quarters. But we will speak of them no more.

Now, the demon fled as indeed toward the southeast, all the way to Bamboo-Knot Mountain. In that mountain there was a cave dwelling called the Nine-Bends Winding Cavern. The Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage who lived there was the demon's grandfather. That night he never rested his feet, and by the fifth watch he reached the cave entrance and knocked to be let in. The little demons saw him and said, "Great King, last night the green-faced one came down with an invitation, and the Old Master kept him to stay until this morning. He was going with him to attend your Rake Gathering—why have you come so early in person to invite him?" The demon said, "It's no good, no good at all—the gathering is ruined." Even as he spoke, the green-faced one emerged from within and said, "Great King, what brings you here? The Old Master Grandfather is getting up and was about to go with me to the gathering." The demon waved his hands in distress and said nothing.

Shortly afterward, the old demon rose and summoned him inside. The demon cast down his weapon and prostrated himself, tears streaming down his cheeks without cease. The old demon said, "My worthy grandson, you sent the invitation yesterday, and this morning I was just about to attend the gathering. Now you have come in person—why are you so sorrowful and troubled?" The demon kowtowed and said, "The other night, young grandson was taking a leisurely stroll under the moon when I saw a radiance shooting into the sky above Yuhua Prefecture. I hurried to look and discovered it was three kinds of weapons in the princely residence, glowing with light: one was a nine-toothed golden-spiked rake, one was a precious staff, and one was a golden-banded cudgel. Young grandson at them at once through magical arts and established the 'Grand Rake Gathering.' I sent the little ones to buy pigs, sheep, fruits, and other things, and set up a banquet to celebrate, inviting Grandfather to enjoy them as a bit of amusement. Yesterday, after I sent the green-faced one down with the invitation, I saw that the tricky little ones who had been sent to buy the pigs and sheep were driving along several pigs and sheep, and had also brought along a traveling merchant looking for his silver. He insisted on seeing the gathering, but young grandson feared he would spread tales outside and would not let him watch. Then he said he was hungry and begged for some food, so I had him eat in the back. He went inside and saw the weapons and claimed they were his. The three of them each snatched up one weapon and revealed their true forms: one was a monk with a hairy face and thunder-drum mouth, one was a monk with a long snout and big ears, and one was a monk with a sallow, ill-omened complexion. Without any discrimination, they raised a shout and attacked all at once. Young grandson hastily seized my four-bright spade and rushed out to hold them at bay, demanding to know who these people were who dared to make trouble. They said they were disciples of the Tang monk of the Great Tang in the East, on his way to the Western Heaven. Passing through the prefecture, they had stopped to exchange travel documents and had been detained by the prince to study martial arts. The prince had these three weapons made as models and had them placed in the courtyard, and when I stole them, they were enraged and fought me. I do not know what those three monks are called, but they all have abilities. Young grandson could not match the three of them alone, so I fled here to Grandfather. I beg you to lend your aid, capture those monks, and avenge me—this would show your love for your grandson."

The old demon heard this and was silent for a moment in thought. Then he laughed and said, "So it was them. My worthy grandson, you have stirred up the wrong people." The demon asked, "Does Grandfather know who they are?" The old demon said, "The one with the long snout and big ears is Zhu Bajie; the one with the sallow, ill-omened complexion is Sha Wujing—those two are manageable. The one with the hairy face and thunder-drum mouth is called Sun Wukong. That one truly possesses vast supernatural powers: five hundred years ago he caused a great uproar in the Heavenly Palace, and a hundred thousand celestial soldiers could not subdue him. He is the sort who goes looking for trouble—he is the very ringleader of those who search the mountains and drain the seas, break into caverns and storm cities, and stir up calamity wherever he goes. How could you provoke him? No matter—come with me, and I will capture that scoundrel, along with the prince of Yuhua, and avenge you." When the demon heard this, he kowtowed at once in gratitude.

At that time, the old demon mustered his grandsons—the Macaque Lion, the Snow Lion, the Suanni, the Baize, the Fuli, and the Tuanxiang—each armed with sharp weapons. The Yellow Lion led them as they all rode their mad whirlwinds straight to the border of Leopard Head Mountain. They caught the acrid smell of smoke and fire assaulting their noses, and heard the sound of weeping. Looking closely, they found it was Diaozuan and Guteng, the two creatures, there calling out "Our lord! Our lord!" and weeping.

The demon drew near and roared, "Are you the real Diaozuan or a fake?" The two monsters fell to their knees, tears in their eyes, and knocked their heads on the ground, saying, "How could we be fakes? Yesterday, around this time, we took the silver to buy pigs and sheep. On the great road west of the mountain, we met a monk with a hairy face and a thunder-god's beak. He spat at us, and our legs went soft and our mouths turned stiff—we could not speak, could not move a step. He knocked us over and searched us, taking the silver and untying our tags. The two of us were in a daze, and only just now woke up. When we got home, the fire was still burning, and all the buildings had been destroyed. Our lord and all the headmen, great and small, were nowhere to be seen. That is why we are here in grief and anguish, weeping. We do not know how this fire started."

When the demon heard this, he could not stop his tears from gushing like a spring. He stamped both feet and cried out to the sky in hatred, "That bald villain! How wicked can he be? How could he perpetrate such a venomous deed? He burned my cave dwelling to nothing, burned my beauties to death, and left my household and all my little ones utterly gone. It maddens me! It maddens me!" The old demon called the Macaque Lion to pull him over, saying, "My worthy grandson, what's done is done. There is no use in futile anger. Conserve your full vigor and go to the prefecture city to seize that monk." The demon still refused to stop weeping. "Old Master, that mountain of mine—I did not build it in a single day. Now this bald villain has destroyed it entirely. What use is this life to me?" He struggled up and dashed his head against the rock cliff, knocking his brains out. Only when the Snow Lion, the Macaque Lion, and the others earnestly pleaded with him did he stop.

They then abandoned this place and all rushed toward the prefecture city. The wind rolled and billowed, the mist swirled and surged—they drew near with terrifying speed. The people in the suburbs outside the city walls were so frightened that they dragged their sons and carried their daughters, caring not for their possessions, and all fled toward the prefecture city. They poured through the city gates and shut them tight. Someone rushed into the prince's mansion to report, "Calamity! Calamity!" The prince, Tang Seng, and the others were just eating their morning vegetarian meal in the Gauze Pavilion when they heard the report of calamity and came out to ask. The people said, "A host of demons is approaching the city, hurling sand and stones, spraying mist and whipping up gales!" The old prince cried out in alarm, "What shall we do?" Tripitaka's disciple laughed, "All of you relax, all of you relax. These are the demons from Tiger's Mouth Cave, who were defeated yesterday and went southeast to join with some Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage or other. Wait for me and my brothers to go out. Order that the four city gates be shut, and have your men muster to guard the city walls." The prince indeed gave the order to close the four gates and rouse the men to man the walls. He and his son, along with Tang Seng, took their places on the city tower to oversee the arrangements. Banners blotted out the sun; cannons thundered to the sky. Tripitaka's three disciples, meanwhile, went out halfway on clouds and halfway on mist to meet the enemy. And so it was:

The wise weapons were lost through carelessness,

And suddenly the demons rose, a host of wicked fiends.

As for how this battle's outcome would turn out—that, gentle reader, you must hear in the next chapter.