We shall now tell about those fifty defeated little demons, who rushed into the cave carrying their broken drums and tom banners. "Great King;' they cried, "the Tiger Vanguard was no match for the hairy-faced monk. That monk chased him down the eastern slope until the Vanguard disappeared:' When the old monster heard this, he was terribly upset. As he bowed his head in silent deliberation, another little demon who stood guard at the door came to report, "Great King, the Tiger Vanguard was beaten to death by the hairy-faced monk and dragged up to our door to provoke battle:' Hearing this, the old monster became even angrier."This fellow does not know when to stop!" he said. "I have not eaten his master, but he has killed our Vanguard instead. How insolent!" Whereupon he bellowed, "Bring me my armor. I have heard only rumors about this Pilgrim Sun, and I'm going out there to find out what sort of monk he really is. Even if he has nine heads and eight tails, I'm going to take him in here to pay for the life of my Tiger Vanguard!" The little demons quickly brought out the armor. After having been properly buckled and laced, the old monster took a steel trident and leaped out of the cave, leading the rest of the demons. Standing in front of the door, the Great Sage watched the monster emerge with a truly aggressive appearance. Look how he is attired. You see
Gold helmet reflecting the sun;
Gold cuirass gleaming with light.
A pheasant-tail tassel flies from the helmet;
A light yellow silk robe topped by the cuirass,
Tied with a dragonlike sash of brilliant hues.
His breastplate emits eye-dazzling light.
His boots of suede
Are dyed by locust flowers.
His embroidered kilt
Is decked with willow leaves.
Holding a sharp trident in his hands,
He seems almost the Erlang 2 Boy of old!
When he had come out, the old monster shouted, "Who is Pilgrim Sun?" With one foot on the carcass of the Tiger Monster and the compliant iron rod in his hands, Pilgrim replied: "Your Grandpa Sun is here! Send my master out!" The old monster took a careful look and saw the diminutive figure of Pilgrim-less than four feet, in fact-and his sallow cheeks. He said with a laugh: "Too bad! Too bad! I thought you were some kind of invincible hero. But you are only a sickly ghost, with nothing more than your skeleton left!"
"Child;' said Pilgrim laughing, "how you lack perception! Your grandpa may be somewhat small in size, but if you have the courage to hit me on
the head with the handle of your trident, I'll grow six feet at once:' "Harden
your head;' said the monster, "and have a taste of my handle!" Our Great Sage was not in the least frightened. When the monster struck him once, he stretched his waist and at once grew more than six feet, attaining the height of ten feet altogether. The monster was so alarmed that he tried to use his trident to hold him down, shouting, "Pilgrim Sun, how dare you stand at my door, displaying this paltry magic of body protection! Stop using tricks! Come up here and let's measure our real abilities!" "My dear son," said Pilgrim with laughter, "the proverb says: 'Mercy should be shown before the hand is raised!' Your grandpa is pretty heavy-handed, and he fears that you won't be able to bear even one stroke of this rod!" Refusing to listen to any such discussion, the monster turned his trident around and stabbed at Pilgrim's chest. The Great Sage, of course, was not at all perturbed, for as the saying goes, the expert is never exercised. He raised his rod and, using the movement of the "black dragon sweeping the ground" to parry the trident, struck at the monster's head. The two of them thus began a fierce battle before that Yellow Wind Cave:
The Monster King became enraged;
The Great Sage released his might.
The Monster King became enraged,
Wishing to seize Pilgrim to pay for his Vanguard.
The Great Sage released his might
To capture this spirit and to save the priest.
The trident arrived, blocked by the rod;
The rod went forth, met by the trident.
This one, a mountain-ruling captain of his hosts.
That one, the Handsome Monkey King who defends the Law.
At first they fought on the dusty earth;
Then each arose midway to the sky.
The fine steel trident;
Pointed, sharp, and brilliant.
The compliant rod:
Body black and yellow hoops.
Stabbed by them, your soul goes back to darkness!
Struck by them, you'll face King Yama!
You must rely on quick arms and keen sight.
You must have a tough frame and great strength.
The two fought without regard for life or death;
We know not who will be safe or who will be hurt.
The old monster and the Great Sage fought for thirty rounds, but neither could gain the upper hand. Pressing for a quick victory, Pilgrim decided to use the trick of "the body beyond the body." He tore from himself a handful of hairs that he chewed to pieces in his mouth. Spitting them out, he cried, "Change!" They changed at once into more than a hundred Pilgrims: all having the same appearance and all holding an iron rod, they surrounded the monster in midair. Somewhat alarmed, the monster also resorted to his special talent. He turned to face the ground to the southwest and opened his mouth three times to blow out some air. Suddenly a mighty yellow wind arose in the sky. Dear wind! It was indeed powerful.
Cold and whistling, it changed Heaven and Earth,
As yellow sand whirled without form or shape.
It cut through woods and hills to break pines and plums;
It tossed up dirt and dust, cracking crags and cliffs.
Waves churned in Yellow River to cloud its floor;
Tide and current swelled up at River Xiang.
The Polestar Palace in the blue sky shook;
The Hall of Darkness was almost blown down;
The Five Hundred Arhats all yelled and screamed;
The Eight Guards of Akṣobhya all cried and shrieked.
Mañjuśrī's green-haired lion ran away;
Vt§vabhadra lost his white elephant.3
Snake and turtle of Zhenwu left their fold;4
Aflutter were the saddle-flaps ofZitong's5 mule.
Traveling merchants sent their cries to Heaven,
And boatmen bowed to make their many vows-
Their mist! ike lives awash in rolling waves;
Their names, their fortunes, adrift in the tide!
Caves on genie mountains were black as pitch;
The isle of Penglai6 was gloomy and dark.
Laozi could not tend his elixir oven;
Age Star folded his fan of grapevine leaves.
As Queen Mother went to the Peaches Feast,
The wind blew her skirt and pins awry.
Erlang lost his way to the Guanzhou town;
Nata found it hard to pull out his sword.
Li Jing missed the pagoda in his hand;
Lu Ban 7 dropped his golden-headed drill.
While three stories of Thunderclap fell down,
The stone bridge at Zhaozhou broke in twain.
The orb of the red sun had little light;
The stars of all Heaven grew obscure and faint.
Birds of south mountains flew to northern hills;
Water of east lakes spilled over to the west.
Fowls with mates broke up, they ceased their calls;
Mothers and sons parted, their cries turned mute.
Dragon Kings sought ya~as all over the sea;
Thunder gods hunted lightnings everywhere.
Ten Kings ofYama tried to find their judge;
In Hell, Bull-Head ran after Horse-Face.
This wind blew down the Potalaka Mount
And whipped up one scroll ofGuanyin's verse.
White lotus-blooms, cut down, flew beside the sea;
Twelve halls of the Bodhisattva were blown down.
From Pan Gu till this time since wind was known,
There never was wind with such ferocity.
Hu-la-la!
The universe did almost split apart!
The whole world was one mighty trembling mass!
This violent wind called up by the monster blew away all those little Pilgrims formed by the Great Sage's hairs and sent them reeling through the air like so many spinning wheels. Unable even to wield their rods, how could they possibly hope to draw near to fight? Pilgrim was so alarmed that he shook his body and retrieved his hairs. He then lifted the iron rod and tried to attack the monster all by himself, only to be met by a mouthful of yellow wind right on his face. Those two fiery eyes with diamond pupils of his were so blasted that they shut tightly and could not be opened. No longer able to use his rod, he fled in defeat while the monster retrieved the wind, which we shall mention no further.
We tell you now about Zhu Eight Rules, who, when he saw the violent yellow windstorm arriving and the whole of Heaven and Earth growing dim, led the horse and took the luggage to the fold of the mountain. There he crouched on the ground and refused to open his eyes or raise his head, his mouth incessantly calling on the name of Buddha and making vows. As he was wondering how Pilgrim was faring in his battle and whether his master was dead or alive, the wind stopped and the sky brightened again. He looked up and peered toward the entrance of the cave, but he could neither see any movement of weapons nor hear the sound of gongs and drums. Idiot dared not approach the cave, since there was no one else to guard the horse and the luggage. Deeply distressed and not knowing what to do, he suddenly heard the Great Sage approaching from the west, grunting and snorting as he came. Bowing to meet his companion, he said, "Elder Brother, what a mighty wind! Where did you come from?"
With a wave of his hand, Pilgrim said, "Formidable! It's truly formidable! Since I, old Monkey, was born, I have never witnessed such a violent wind! That old monster fought me with a steel trident, and we battled for over thirty rounds. It was then that I used the magic of the body beyond the body and had him surrounded. He panicked and called up this wind, which was ferocious indeed. Its force was so overwhelming that I had to suspend my operation and flee instead. Whew! What a wind! Whew! What a wind! Old Monkey also knows how to call up the wind and how to summon the rain, but it's hardly as vicious as the wind of this monster-spirit!" "Elder Brother;' said Eight Rules, "how is the martial technique of that monster?" "It's presentable," said Pilgrim, "and he knows how to use the trident! He is, in fact, just about the equal of old Monkey. But that wind of his is vicious, and that makes it difficult to defeat him." "In that case," said Eight Rules, "how are we going to rescue Master?"
Pilgrim said, "We'll have to wait to rescue Master. I wonder if there is any eye doctor around here who can take a look at my eyes." "What's the matter with your eyes?" asked Eight Rules. Pilgrim replied, "That monster blew a mouthful of wind on my face, and my eyes were so sorely blasted that they are now watering constantly:' "Elder Brother;' said Eight Rules, "we are in the middle of a mountain, and it's getting late. Let's not talk about eye doc-
tors; we don't even have a place to stay:' "It won't be difficult to find lodg-
ing;' said Pilgrim. "I doubt that the monster has the gall to harm our master. Let's find our way back to the main road and see whether we can stay with a family. After spending the night, we can return to subdue the monster tomorrow when it's light." "Exactly, exactly," agreed Eight Rules.
Leading the horse and carrying up the luggage, they left the fold of the mountain and went up the road. Dusk was setting in, and as they walked, they heard the sound of barking dogs toward the south of the mountain slope. Stopping to look, they saw a small cottage with flickering lamplights. Not bothering to look for a path, the two of them walked through the grass and arrived at the door of that household. They saw
Dark clumps of purplish fungi;
Greyish piles of white stones;
Dark clumps of purplish fungi with much green grass;
Greyish piles of white stones half grown with moss:
A few specks of .fireflies, their faint light aglow;
A forest of wild woods stand in dense rows;
Orchids ever Jragrant;
Bamboos newly planted;
A clear stream flows a winding course;
Old cedars lean o'er a deep cliff.
A secluded place where no travelers come:
Only wild flowers bloom before the door.
Not daring to enter without permission, they both called out: "Open the door! Open the door!" An old man inside appeared with several young farmers, all holding rakes, pitchforks, and brooms. "Who are you? Who are you?" they asked. With a bow, Pilgrim said, "We are disciples of a holy monk from the Great Tang in the Land of the East. We were on our way to seek scriptures from the Buddha in the Western Heaven when we passed through this mountain, and our master was captured by the Yellow Wind Great King. We have yet to rescue him. Since it is getting late, we have come to ask for lodging for one night at your house. We beg you for this means of convenience." Returning the bow, the old man said, "Pardon me for not coming to greet you. This is a place where clouds are more numerous than people, and when we heard you calling at the door just now, we were afraid that it might be someone like a wily fox, a tiger, or a bandit from the mountain. That's why my little ones might have offended you by their rather brusque manner. Please come in. Please come in."
The two brothers led the horse and hauled the luggage inside; after tying up the animal and putting down the load, they exchanged greetings again with the old man of the cottage before taking their seats. An old manservant then came forward to present tea, after which several bowls of sesame seed rice were brought out. 8 After they had finished the rice, the old man asked for bedding to be laid out for them to sleep. Pilgrim said, "We don't need to sleep just yet. May I ask the good man whether there is in your region someone who sells eye medicine?"
"Which one of you elders has eye disease?" asked the old man. Pilgrim said, "To tell you the truth, Venerable Sir, we who have left the family rarely
become ill. In fact, I have never known any disease of the eye:' "If you are
not suffering from an eye disease:' said the old man, "why do you want medicine?" "We were trying to rescue our master at the entrance of the Yellow Wind Cave today," said Pilgrim. "Unexpectedly that monster blew a mouthful of wind at me, causing my eyes to hurt and smart. At the moment, I'm weeping constantly, and that's why I want to find eye medicine."
"My goodness! My goodness!" said the old man. "A young priest like you, why do you lie? The wind of that Great King Yellow Wind is most fearsome, not comparable with any spring-autumn wind, pine-and-bamboo wind, or the wind coming from the four quarters:'
"I suppose;' said Eight Rules, "it must be brain-bursting wind, goat-ear wind, leprous wind, or migrainous wind!" "No, no!" said the old man. "His is called the Divine Wind ofSamadhi:' "What's it like?" asked Pilgrim. The old man said, "That wind
Can blow to dim Heaven and Earth,
And sadden both ghosts and gods.
So savage it breaks rocks and stones,
A man will die when he's blown!
If you had encountered that wind of his, you think you would still be alive? Only if you were an immortal could you remain unharmed:'
"Indeed!" said Pilgrim. "I may not be an immortal (for they belong to the younger generation, as far as I am concerned), but it will take some doing to finish me offl That wind, however, did cause my eyeballs to hurt and smart:'
"If you can say that," said the old man, "you must be a person with some background. Our humble region has no one who sells eye medicine. But I myself suffer from watery eyes when the wind blows in my face, and I met an extraordinary person once who gave me a prescription. It's called the three-flowers and nine-seeds ointment, capable of curing all wind-induced eye maladies:· When Pilgrim heard these words, he bowed his head and said humbly, ''I'm willing to ask you for some and try it on myself" The old man consented and went into the inner chamber. He took out a little carnelian vase and pulled off the stopper; using a small jade pin to scoop out some ointment, he dabbed it onto Pilgrim's eyes, telling him to close his eyes and rest quiedy, for he would be well by morning. After doing this, the old man took the vase and retired with his attendants. Eight Rules untied the bags, took out the bedding, and asked Pilgrim to lie down. As Pilgrim groped about confusedly with his eyes closed, Eight Rules laughed and said, "Sir, where's your seeing-eye cane?" "You overstuffed idiot!" said Pilgrim. "You want to take care of me as a blind man?" Giggling to himself, Idiot fell asleep, but Pilgrim sat on the mattress and did exercises to cultivate his magic power. Only after the third watch did he sleep.
Soon it was the fifth watch and dawn was about to break. Wiping his face, Pilgrim opened his eyes, saying, "It's really marvelous medicine! I can see a hundred times better than before!" He then turned his head to look around. Ah! There were neither buildings nor halls, only some old locust trees and tall willows. The brothers were actually lying on a green grass meadow. Just then, Eight Rules began to stir, saying, "Elder Brother, why are you making all these noises?" "Open your eyes and take a look," said Pilgrim. Raising his head, Idiot discovered that the house had disappeared. He was so startled that he scrambled up at once, crying, "Where's my horse?" "Isn't it over there, tied to a tree?" said Pilgrim. '~d the luggage?" asked Eight Rules.
"Isn't it there by your head?" said Pilgrim. "This family is rather shifty!" said Eight Rules. "If they have moved, why didn't they give us a call? If they had let old Hog know about it, they might have received some farewell gifts of tea and fruits. Well, I suppose they must be trying to hide from something and are afraid that the county sheriff may get wind of it; so they moved out in the night. Good Heavens! We must have been dead to the world! How could we not have heard anything when they dismanded the whole house?" "Idiot, stop babbling!" said Pilgrim, chuckling. "Take a look on that tree and see what kind of paper slip is there." Eight Rules took it down. It was a four-line poem that read:
This humble abode's no mortal abode:
A cottage devisedg by the Guardians of Law,
Who gave the wondrous balm to heal your sore.
Fret not and do your best to quell the fiend.
Pilgrim said, ''A bunch of roguish deities! Since we changed to the dragonhorse, I had not taken a roll call of them. Now they are playing tricks on me instead!"
"Elder Brother," said Eight Rules, "stop putting on such airs! How would they ever let you check them off the roll?" "Brother," said Pilgrim, "you don't know about this. These Eighteen Protectors of Monasteries, the Six Gods of Darkness and Six Gods of Light, the Guardians of Five Points, and the Four Sentinels all have been ordered by the Bodhisattva to give secret protection to Master. The other day they reported their names to me, but since you have been with us, I have not made use of them. That's why I haven't made a roll call:' "Elder Brother," said Eight Rules, "if they were ordered to give secret protection to Master, they had reason not to reveal themselves. That's why they had to devise this cottage here, and you shouldn't blame them. After all, they did put ointment on your eyes for you yesterday, and they did take care of us for one meal. You can say that they have done their duty. Don't blame them. Let's go and rescue Master." "Brother, you are right:' said Pilgrim. "This place is not far from the Yellow Wind Cave. You had better stay here and look after the horse and luggage in the woods. Let old Monkey go into the cave to make some inquiry after the condition of Master. Then we can do batde with the monster again." "Exacdy:' said Eight Rules. "You should find out whether Master is dead or alive; ifhe's dead, each one of us can tend to our own business; if he's not, we can do our best to discharge our responsibility:' Pilgrim said, "Stop talking nonsense! I'm offi"
With one leap he arrived at the entrance of the cave and found the door still shut and the inhabitants sound asleep. Pilgrim neither made any noise nor disturbed the monsters; making the magic sign and reciting the spell, he shook his body and changed at once into a spotted-leg mosquito. It was tiny and delicate, for which we have a testimonial poem:
A pesky small shape with sharp sting;
His tiny voice can hum like thunder!
Adept at piercing gauze nets and orchid rooms,
He likes the warm, sultry climate.
He fears incense and swatting fans,
But dearly loves bright lights and lamps.
Airy, agile, all too clever and fast,
He flies into the fiend's cave.10
The little demon who was supposed to guard the door was lying there asleep, snoring. Pilgrim gave him a bite on his face, causing the little demon to roll over half awakened. "0 my father!" he said. "What a big mosquito! One bite and I already have a big lump:' He then opened his eyes and said, "Why, it's dawn!" Just then, the second door inside opened with a creak, and Pilgrim immediately flew in. The old monster was giving orders to all his subordinates to be especially careful in guarding the various entrances while they made ready their weapons. "If the wind yesterday did not kill that Pilgrim Sun," he said, "he will certainly come back today. When he comes, we'll finish him off."
Hearing this, Pilgrim flew past the main hall and arrived at the rear of the cave, where he found another door tightly shut. Crawling through a crack in the door, he discovered a large garden, in the middle of which, bound by ropes to a pole, was the Tang Monk. That master was shedding tears profusely, constantly wondering where Wukong and Wuneng were to be found. Pilgrim stopped his flight and alighted on his bald head, saying, "Master!" Recognizing his voice, the Elder said, "Wukong, I nearly died thinking of you! Where are you calling from?" "Master," said Pilgrim, "I'm on your head. Calm yourself and stop worrying. We must first capture the monster before we can rescue you. "Disciple," said the Tang Monk, "when will you be able to capture the monster?" "The Tiger Monster who took you," said Pilgrim, "has already been slain by Eight Rules. But the wind of the old monster is a powerful weapon. I suspect we should be able to capture him today. Relax and stop crying. I'm leaving."
Having said that, he flew at once to the front, where the old monster was seated aloft, making a roll call of all the commanders of his troops. A little demon suddenly appeared, waving the command flag. He dashed up to the hall, crying, "Great King, this little one was on patrol in the mountain when he ran into a monk with a long snout and huge ears sitting in the woods not far from our entrance. Ifl hadn't run away quickly, he would have caught me. But I didn't see that hairy-faced monk who came here yesterday." "If Pilgrim Sun is absent;' said the old monster, "it may mean that he's been killed by the wind. Or, he may have gone to try to find help:' "Great King;' said one of the demons, "it would be our good fortune if he had been killed. But suppose he's not dead? If he succeeds in bringing with him some divine warriors, what shall we do then?" The old monster said, "Who's afraid of any divine warrior? Only the Bodhisattva Lingji can overcome the power of my wind; no one else can do us any harm:'
That Pilgrim resting on one of the beams above him was delighted by this one statement. He flew out of the cave at once and, changing back into his original form, arrived at the woods. "Brother!" he cried. Eight Rules asked, "Elder Brother, where have you been? Just now a monster with a command flag came by, and I chased him away:' "Thank you! Thank you!" said Pilgrim, laughing. "Old Monkey changed into a mosquito to enter the cave to see how Master was doing. I found him tied to a post in the garden, weeping. After telling him not to cry, I flew around the roof to spy on them some more. That was when the fellow who held the command flag came in panting, saying that you had chased him. He also said that he had not seen me. The old monster made some wild speculations about my having been killed by the wind, or else having gone to find help. Then, without being prompted, he suddenly mentioned someone else. It's marvelous, simply marvelous!" "Whom did he mention?" asked Eight Rules. "He said that he wasn't afraid of any divine warrior;' said Pilgrim, "for no one else could overpower his wind save the Bodhisattva Lingji. The only trouble is that I don't know where this Lingji lives:• As they were thus conversing, they suddenly saw an aged man walking by the side of the main road. Look at his appearance:
Strong, he uses no cane to walk,
With jl.owing snowlike hair and beard.
Though wit and eyes are quite dim and blurry,
Thin bones and sinews are still tough.
Back and head bent he walked slowly,
With thick brows and a pink face, childlike.
Look at his features and they seem human,
Though he's like Long·Life Star no less!11
Highly pleased when he caught sight of him, Eight Rules said, "Elder Brother, the proverb says:
You want to know the way,
Hear what the tourist say.
Why don't you approach him and ask?"
The Great Sage put away his iron rod and straightened out his clothes. Approaching the old man, he said, "Aged Sir, receive my bow:' Somewhat reluctantly, the old man returned his greeting, saying, "What region are you from, monk? What are you doing here in this wilderness?" "We are holy monks on our way to seek scriptures," said Pilgrim. "Yesterday we lost our master here, and so I'm approaching you to ask where the Bodhisattva Lingji lives." "Lingji lives south of here:' said the old man, "about three thousand miles away. There is a mountain called the Little Sumeru Mountain, which has within it a Land of the Way, the Chan hall where the Bodhisattva lectures on sutras. I suppose you are trying to obtain scriptures from him." "Not from him," said Pilgrim, "but I have something that requires his attention. Will you please show me the way?" Pointing with his hand toward the south, the old man said, "Follow that winding path:' The Great Sage Sun was tricked into turning his head to look at the path, when the old man changed himself into a gentle breeze and vanished. A small slip of paper was left beside the road, on which was written this quatrain:
To tell the Equal to Heaven Great Sage,
The old man is in truth one Long Life Li!
On Sumeru's the Flying-Dragon Staff.
Lingji in years past received this Buddhist arm.
Pilgrim took up the slip and went back down the road. "Elder Brother:' said Eight Rules, "our luck must have been rather bad lately. For two days we saw ghosts in broad daylight. Who is that old man who left after changing into a breeze?" Pilgrim gave Eight Rules the slip of paper. "Who is this Long-Life Li?" asked Eight Rules, when he had read the verse. "It's the name
of the Planet Venus from the West:' said Pilgrim. Eight Rules hurriedly
bowed toward the sky, crying, "Benefactor! Benefactor! Had it not been for the Gold Star, who personally begged the Jade Emperor to be merciful, I don't know what would have become of old Hog!" "Elder Brother," said Pilgrim, "you do have a sense of gratitude. But don't expose yourself Take cover deep in the woods and carefully guard the luggage and the horse. Let old Monkey find the Sumeru Mountain and seek help from the Bodhisattva:' "I know, I know!" said Eight Rules. "Hurry up and go! Old Hog has mastered the law of the turtle: withdraw your head when you needn't stick it out!"
The Great Sage Sun leaped into the air; mounting the cloud-somersault, he headed straight south. He was fast, indeed! With a nod of his head, he covered three thousand miles; just a twist of his torso carried him over eight hundred! In a moment he saw a tall mountain with auspicious clouds hanging halfway up its slopes and holy mists gathered around it. In the fold of the mountain there was indeed a temple. He could hear the melodious sounds of the bells and sonorous stones12 and could see the swirling smoke of incense. As he approached the door, the Great Sage saw a Daoist with a string of beads around his neck, who was reciting the name of Buddha. Pilgrim said, "Daoist, please accept my bow." The Daoist at once bowed in return, saying, "Where did the venerable father come from?" "Is this where the Bodhisattva Lingji expounds the scriptures?" asked Pilgrim. "Indeed it is," said the Daoist. "Do you wish to speak to someone?"
"May I trouble you, sir, to make this announcement for me," said Pilgrim. "I am the disciple of the master of the Law, Tripitaka, who is the royal brother of the Great Tang Emperor in the Land of the East; I am the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, also named Pilgrim. I have a matter that requires me to have an audience with the Bodhisattva:' The Daoist laughed and said, "The venerable father has given me a long announcement! I can't quite remember all those words." "Just say that Sun Wukong, the disciple of the Tang Monk, has arrived;' said Pilgrim.13
The Daoist agreed and made that announcement in the lecture hall, whereupon the Bodhisattva at once put on his cassock and asked for more incense to be burned to welcome the visitor. Then the Great Sage walked in the door and peered inside. He saw
A hall .full ofbrocade and silk;
A house most solemn and grand;
Pupils reciting the Lotus Sūtra;
An old leader tapping the golden gong.
Set before the Buddha
Were all immortal fruits and flowers.
Spread out on the altars
Were vegetarian dainties and viands.
The bright, precious candles,
Their golden flames shot up like rainbows;
The fragrant true incense,
Its jadelike smoke flew up as colored mists.
So it was that, after the lecture one would calmly meditate,
When white-cloud flakes circled the tips of pines.
The wisdom sword retired,for Mara snapped
In this space of Prajftd-pdramita.
The Bodhisattva straightened out his attire to receive Pilgrim, who entered the hall and took the seat of the guest. Tea was offered, but Pilgrim said, "No need for you to bother about tea. My master faces peril at the Yellow Wind Mountain, and I beseech the Bodhisattva to exercise his great dharma power to defeat the monster and rescue him." "I did receive the command ofTathagata," said the Bodhisattva, "to keep the Yellow Wind Monster here in submission. Tathagata also gave me a Wind-Stopping Pearl and a FlyingDragon Precious Staff. At the time when I captured him, I spared the monster his life only on condition that he would retire in the mountain and abstain from the sin of taking life. I did not know that he would want to harm your esteemed teacher and transgress the Law. That is my fault:' The Bodhisattva would have liked to prepare some vegetarian food to entertain Pilgrim, but Pilgrim insisted on leaving. So he took the Flying-Dragon Staff and mounted the clouds with the Great Sage.
In a little while they reached the Yellow Wind Mountain. "Great Sage;' said the Bodhisattva, "this monster is rather afraid of me. I will stand here at the edge of the clouds while you go down there to provoke battle. Entice him to come out so that I may exercise my power." Pilgrim followed his suggestion and lowered his cloud.
Without waiting for further announcement, he whipped out his iron rod and smashed the door of the cave, crying, "Monster, give me back my Master!" Those little demons standing guard at the door were so terrified that they ran to make the report. "This lawless ape," said the monster, "is truly ill-behaved! He would not defer to kindness, and now he has even broken my door! This time when I go out, I'm going to use that divine wind to blow him to death:' He put on his armor as before, and took up the steel trident. Walking out of the door and seeing Pilgrim, he did not utter a word before aiming the trident at Pilgrim's chest. The Great Sage stepped aside to dodge this blow and then faced him with uplifted rod. Before they had fought for a few rounds, the monster turned his head toward the ground in the southwest and was about to open his mouth to summon the wind. From midair, the Bodhisattva threw down the Flying-Dragon Precious Staff as he recited some kind of spell. It was instantly transformed into a golden dragon with eight claws, two of which caught hold of that monster's head and threw him two or three times against the boulders beside the mountain cliff. The monster changed back into his original form and became a mink with yellow fur.
Pilgrim ran up and was about to strike with his rod, but he was stopped by the Bodhisattva, who said to him, "Great Sage, do not harm him. I have to take him back to see Tathagata. Originally he was a rodent at the foot of the Spirit Mountain who had acquired the Way. Because he stole some of the pure oil in the crystal chalice, he fled for fear that the vajra attendants would seize him. Tathagata thought that he was not guilty of death, and that is why I was asked to capture him in the first place and banish him to this region. But now he has offended the Great Sage and has attempted to harm the Tang Monk. Therefore I must take him to see Tathagata so that his guilt may be clearly established. Only then will this merit be completed." When Pilgrim heard this, he thanked the Bodhisattva, who left for the West, and we shall say no more of that.
We now tell you about Zhu Eight Rules, who was thinking about Pilgrim in the woods when he heard someone calling down by the slope, "Brother Wuneng, bring the horse and the luggage here:' Recognizing Pilgrim's voice, Idiot quickly ran out of the woods and said to Pilgrim, "Elder Brother, how did everything go?" "I invited the Bodhisattva Lingji to come here," said Pilgrim, "to use his Flying-Dragon Staff to capture the monster. He was a mink with yellow fur who became a spirit and has now been taken by the Bodhisattva to Spirit Mountain to face Tathagata. Let's go into the cave to rescue Master:' Idiot was delighted. The two of them smashed their way into the cave and with their rake and rod slaughtered all the wily hares, the vixen, the musk deer, and the homed deer. Then they went to the garden in the back to rescue their master, who, after coming out, asked, "How did you two manage to catch the monster so that you could rescue me?" Pilgrim gave a thorough account of how he went to seek the Bodhisattva's help to subdue the monster, and the master thanked him profusely. Then the two brothers found some vegetarian food in the cave, which they prepared along with some tea and rice. After eating, they left and again found the road to the West. We do not know what took place hereafter; let's listen to the explanation in the next chapter.