We were telling you about those two little fiends who took the specious gourd in their hands and, for some time, fought to examine it. Raising their heads, they suddenly discovered that Pilgrim had vanished. “Elder Brother,” said Wily Worm, “even an immortal would lie. He said that after we had exchanged our treasures he would enlighten us to become immortals. Why did he leave without even telling us?” Sly Devil said, “When you tally up the score, we are the ones who have by far the greater gain. Why worry about his leaving? Give me the gourd. Let me store up Heaven, just for practice!” He indeed tossed the gourd up into the air, but it plopped down again immediately. “Why doesn’t it work?” asked a startled Wily Worm. “Could it be that Pilgrim Sun had changed into a false immortal and used a specious gourd to trade off our real one?” “Don’t talk nonsense!” said Sly Devil. “Pilgrim Sun is pinned down by those three mountains. How could he come out? Give it to me again. Let me recite those few words of the spell he said and see if it will store up Heaven.” Again the fiend tossed the gourd up into the air, crying, “If there is but half a ‘No,’ we shall ascend to the Divine Mists Hall and start a war.” Before he had even finished saying that, the thing plopped down again. “It doesn’t work! It doesn’t work!” shrieked the little fiends. “It’s got to be a fake!”
As they were clamoring like this, the Great Sage Sun saw and heard everything in midair. Fearing that they might learn the truth if they played with the thing too long, he shook his body and retrieved the piece of hair that had been changed into the gourd. The two fiends were left with four empty hands. “Brother,” said Sly Devil, “give me the gourd.” “You were holding it,” said Wily Worm. “My God! How come it disappeared?” They searched madly on the ground and in the bushes; they stuck their hands into their sleeves and slapped their waists. But there was nothing to be found. Stupefied, the two fiends mumbled, “What shall we do? What shall we do? The Great King at the time gave us the treasures and told us to capture Pilgrim Sun. Not only have we not caught Pilgrim Sun, but we have even lost the treasures now. How dare we go back to give our report? We will simply be beaten to death. What shall we do? What shall we do?”
After a while, Wily Worm said, “We’d better go.” “Where?” asked Sly Devil. “Never mind where,” said Wily Worm. “If we go back and say that we have no treasures, we will lose our lives for sure.” Sly Devil said, “Don’t run away, let’s go back instead. The Second Great King is ordinarily quite good to you; I’ll put a little blame on you. If he is in the mood to be somewhat lenient, our lives may be spared; if not, we’ll at least be beaten to death at home but we won’t be left dangling here. Let’s go. Let’s go.” After they had discussed the matter, the fiends began their walk back to their mountain.
When Pilgrim in midair saw them leaving, he shook his body again and changed into a fly to follow them. If he changed into a fly, you might ask, where did he put those treasures? If he left them by the road, or even if he hid them in the grass, people could pick them up if they saw them, and all his efforts would have been in vain. No, he had to take them with him, carrying the treasures on his body. But a fly is no bigger than the size of a pea. How could he carry them? The treasures, you see, were just like his golden-hooped rod; they were also called compliant Buddha-treasures. They would transform according to the size of the body: they could become large or small, and that was why even a tiny body like a fly could hold them. With a buzz, Pilgrim thus flew down and steadfastly followed the fiends till in no time they reached the cave.
The two head demons were sitting there and drinking wine when the little fiends faced them and knelt down. Pilgrim alighted on the door frame and listened. “Great Kings,” said the little fiends. “Have you returned?” said the second demon, putting down his cup. “Yes,” said the little fiends. “Have you caught Pilgrim Sun?” he asked again. The little fiends began to kowtow, not daring to make a sound. The old demon asked again, but they did not dare reply; all they did was to kowtow. Questioned again and again, they finally prostrated themselves on the ground and said, “Please pardon your little ones for the crime of ten thousand deaths! Please pardon your little ones for the crime of ten thousand deaths! When we took the treasures and reached the middle of the mountain, we ran into an immortal from Penglai Mountain. He inquired where we were going and we told him that we were going to catch Pilgrim Sun. When the immortal heard this, he said that he, too, was mad at Pilgrim Sun and wanted to give us assistance. We told him that there was no need for his assistance and explained how our treasures could store up humans. That immortal also had a gourd most capable of storing up Heaven. Moved by vain hopes and illicit desires, we thought we should exchange our treasures, which could only store up people, with his, which could store up Heaven. Originally, we wanted to exchange gourd for gourd, but Wily Worm decided to make good the deal by adding the pure vase. We had no idea that his immortal object could not be touched by the hands of the profane. Just as we were experimenting with it, it disappeared completely with the man, too. We beseech you to pardon our mortal offense.”
When the old demon heard this, he was so aroused that he bellowed thunderously, “Undone! Undone! This has to be Pilgrim Sun who masqueraded himself as an immortal to dupe them. That ape has great magic powers and vast acquaintances. I don’t know which clumsy deity has let him out, and he has wangled our treasures.”
The second demon said, “Don’t be so angry, Elder Brother. I didn’t expect that ape head to be so insolent. If he has the ability, he can escape and that’s all right. Why did he have to wangle our treasures? If I don’t catch him, I’ll never be a monster on this road to the West!” “How will you catch him?” asked the old demon. The second demon said, “We have five treasures; two are gone but we still have three others. We must make certain that Pilgrim Sun will be caught by one of these.” “Which three do we have now?” asked the old demon. “I still have with me the sword of the seven stars and the palm-leaf fan,” said the second demon, “but the yellow-gold rope is kept at the Crush-Dragon Cave of the Crush-Dragon Mountain, the place of our aged mother. We should now send two little fiends to invite mother to come to dine on the Tang Monk’s flesh, and tell her at the same time to bring that yellow-gold rope to capture Pilgrim Sun.” The old demon said, “Whom should we send?” “Not these useless creatures,” said the second demon, and then he shouted to them, “Get up!” “Lucky! Lucky!” said the two of them. “We were neither beaten nor scolded. We are let go just like that!”
The demon said, “Ask Hill-Pawing Tiger and Sea-Lolling Dragon, who often accompany me to come here.” The two little fiends arrived and knelt down. “You must be careful,” instructed the second demon. “We shall be careful,” they replied. “You two must be cautious.” “Yes, we shall be cautious,” they replied. “Do you know where the Old Madam’s home is?” asked the second demon again. “Yes, we do,” they replied. “If you do, get there quickly, and when you reach her house, inform her reverently that she is invited to come here to dine on the flesh of the Tang Monk. Tell her also to bring along the yellow-gold rope in order that we may catch Pilgrim Sun.”
The two little fiends obeyed and raced out of the cave; they did not know that Pilgrim on one side had heard everything clearly. Stretching his wings, he flew out of the cave, caught up with Hill-Pawing Tiger, and landed on his body. After they had gone for two or three miles, he was about to slay them when he thought to himself, “To kill them is hardly difficult, but that Old Madam of theirs has the yellow-gold rope, and I don’t know where she lives. Let me question them a bit first before I slaughter them.” Dear Pilgrim! He darted away with a buzz and allowed the little fiends to walk ahead for about a hundred steps. Then with one shake of his body he also changed into a little monster wearing a fox-skin cap and a tiger-skin kilt hitched up to the waist. Running up to them, he said, “You on the road, wait for me.”
Turning around, Sea-Lolling Dragon asked, “Where did you come from?” “Dear Brother,” said Pilgrim, “you can’t even recognize someone from the same clan?” “You are not in our clan,” said the little fiend. “What do you mean?” said Pilgrim. “Take another look.” “You don’t look familiar at all,” said the little fiend. “We haven’t met before.” “Indeed,” said Pilgrim, “you have never seen me. I belong to the external division.” The little fiend said, “I haven’t met any officer from the external division at all. Where are you going?” Pilgrim said, “The Great King told you two to invite Old Madam to dine on the flesh of the Tang Monk as well as to bring along the yellow-gold rope to capture Pilgrim Sun. But he fears that the two of you would not walk fast enough, and your love of play would delay this important enterprise. That’s why he sent me along also to tell you to hurry.” When the little fiends saw that his words went straight to the bottom of the truth, they did not suspect anything, thinking instead that Pilgrim indeed was a member of the same clan. Hurriedly, they sprinted forward for eight or nine miles.
“We have run too fast,” said Pilgrim. “How far have we gone since we left home?” “About sixteen miles,” said the little fiend. Pilgrim said, “How much farther do we have to go?” Pointing with his finger, Sea-Lolling Dragon said, “Inside the dark forest up ahead—that’s it.” Pilgrim raised his head and saw a large dark forest not far away, and he figured that the old fiend had to be within that vicinity. He stood still, allowing the other two little fiends to proceed; then he caught up with them and gave them a swiping blow with the iron rod. Alas, they were no match for the rod at all and were reduced instantly to two meat patties! Pilgrim picked them up and hid them inside some bushes by the road. Pulling off a piece of hair, he blew on it a magic breath, crying “Change!” It changed at once into Hill-Pawing Tiger, while he himself changed into SeaLolling Dragon. The two specious monsters then proceeded directly to the Dragon-Crushing Cave to invite the old madam. This is what we call
Seventy-two transformations—what magic might!
Ever adroit with things—such great ability!
With four, five leaps, he bounded right into the forest. As he was looking around, he saw two stone doors half-closed nearby. Not daring to enter abruptly, he had to call out, “Open the door, open the door.” A female monster standing guard inside opened wide the door and asked, “Where did you come from?” Pilgrim said, “I came from the Lotus-Flower Cave of the Level-Top Mountain with an invitation for Old Madam.” “Inside,” said the female monster. When Pilgrim reached the second door, he stuck his head inside to take a look and found an old woman sitting squarely in the middle. “How did she look?” you ask. You see
Snow-white hair all tousled,
And starlike eyes all aglow.
Her face, though ruddy, has many wrinkles;
She’s full of spirit though few teeth remain.
Charming—like the frosted chrysanthemum;
Rugged—like an old pine tree after rain.
A scarf of fine-spun white silk wraps her head,
And bejeweled gold rings hang from her ears.
After he had seen her, the Great Sage Sun did not go inside at once. Instead, he remained crestfallen outside the second door and began to weep silently. “Why did he weep?” you ask. Could it be that he was afraid of her? Even if he were, he would hardly weep. Moreover, he was courageous enough to have bilked the monsters of their treasures and slain the little fiends. Why then did he weep? In times past, he could have entered a giant tripod of boiling oil, and even if he had been fried for seven or eight days, he would not have shed half a tear. It was, however, the thought of the misery inflicted on him on account of the Tang Monk’s going to acquire scriptures that moved him to tears. He thought to himself, “If old Monkey had displayed his ability and changed into a little fiend to invite this aged monster, there would be absolutely no reason for him to speak standing up. I must kowtow when I see her! A hero all my life, I have only kowtowed to three persons: I bowed to Buddha of the Western Heaven, Guanyin of the South Sea, and four times to Master when he saved me at the Mountain of Two Frontiers. For him I have used up even my innards and my bowels! Ah, how much could a roll of scripture be worth? Yet, I’m forced to prostrate myself before this fiend today. If I don’t, I’ll be discovered for sure. O misery! In the last analysis, Master is in sad straits and that’s why I have to bear such humiliation.” When he came to that point in his thoughts, he had no choice but to race inside and kneel down, facing her. “Madam,” he said, “please receive my kowtow.”
The fiend said, “My child, stand up.” “Fine! Fine! Fine!” said Pilgrim to himself. “That’s an honest address!” “Where did you come from?” asked the old fiend. “From the Lotus-Flower Cave of the Level-Top Mountain,” said Pilgrim. “I received the order of the two Great Kings to invite Madam to go and dine on the flesh of the Tang Monk. You have also been requested to bring along the yellow-gold rope to catch Pilgrim Sun.” Exceedingly pleased, the old fiend said, “What filial sons!” She at once called for her sedan chair. “O my child!” said Pilgrim to himself. “Even monsters ride in sedan chairs!” From behind, two female monsters carried out a sedan chair made of fragrant rattan, on which they hung curtains of blue silk. The old fiend walked out of the cave and sat in the chair, followed by several little female monsters carrying toilet boxes, mounted mirrors, towels, and a perfume box. “Why did you all have to come out?” asked the old fiend. “I’m going to my own home, and you think that there will be no one there to serve me? We don’t need your big mouths there. Go back! Shut the doors and look after the house!” Those few little monsters indeed went back, and only two remained to pole the sedan chair. “What are the names of those two who have been sent here?” asked the old fiend. “He’s called Hill-Pawing Tiger,” said Pilgrim quickly, “and my name is Sea-Lolling Dragon.” The old fiend said, “Walk in front, the two of you. Shout and clear the way for me.” “This had to be my misfortune!” thought Pilgrim. “We have not yet acquired the scriptures, but I have to be her slave at this moment!” He did not dare refuse; walking ahead, he shouted to clear the way.
After they had gone for five or six miles, he sat down on a slab of stone to wait for the two carrying the sedan chair. When they arrived, Pilgrim said, “How about resting awhile? Your shoulders must be getting sore.” The little fiends did not suspect anything, of course, and they put down the sedan chair. Walking behind it, Pilgrim pulled off a piece of hair from his chest and changed it into a huge biscuit, which he held and began to munch on. “Officer,” said one of the chair carriers, “what are you eating?” “I’m embarrassed to tell you,” said Pilgrim, “but we have walked all this distance to invite Old Madam, and she didn’t give us any reward. I’m getting hungry, and that’s why I’m eating some of our own dried goods before we move again.” “Please give us some, too,” said the carriers. Pilgrim said, “Come on. We all belong to the same family. Why do you ask?” Not knowing any better, the little fiends both surrounded Pilgrim to divide the dried food. Whipping out his iron rod, Pilgrim gave their heads a terrific blow: the one hit directly was reduced at once to pulp, while the other who was swiped by the rod did not die immediately and was still moaning. When the old fiend heard someone moan and stuck her head out to look, Pilgrim leaped before the sedan chair and slammed the rod down on her head. Brains burst out and blood spurted in every direction from the gaping hole. Pilgrim dragged her from the sedan chair and discovered that she was a nine-tailed fox.1 “Cursed beast!” said Pilgrim, laughing. “Who are you that you should be called Old Madam? If you are addressed as Old Madam, you should call old Monkey as your great, grand ancestor!” Dear Monkey King! He searched and found the yellow-gold rope, which he stuffed into his own sleeve, saying happily, “Those lawless demons may be powerful, but three treasures now belong to him whose name is Sun.” He yanked off two pieces of hair (which he changed into HillPawing Tiger and Sea-Lolling Dragon), and two more (which he changed into the fiends who carried the sedan chair). He himself changed into the form of the old woman and sat in the sedan chair. They then started out on the main road once more.
In a little while, they reached the entrance of the Lotus-Flower Cave. Those little fiends which were changed from the hairs cried out in front, “Open the door! Open the door!” The little fiends inside who were guarding the door opened it and said, “Hill-Pawing Tiger and Sea-Lolling Dragon, have you two returned?” “Yes,” said the pieces of hair. “Where is Old Madam whom you were to invite?” “Isn’t she there inside the sedan chair?” said the pieces of hair, pointing. “Stay here,” said one of the little fiends. “Let me go and report.” When the two head demons heard the announcement, “Great King, Old Madam has arrived,” they gave the order at once that an incense table be prepared to receive her. When Pilgrim heard this, he was delighted, saying to himself, “What luck! Now it’s my turn to be somebody! When I first changed into a little fiend to go invite that old monster, I kowtowed to her once. But now that I have changed into the old monster, who is supposed to be their mother, they must perform the ceremony of four bows. It may not be much, but I’m reaping the profit of two heads kowtowing to me!”
Dear Great Sage! He descended from the sedan chair and, shaking off the dirt from his clothes, retrieved the four pieces of hair onto his body. The little fiends who stood guard at the door carried the empty sedan chair inside, and he followed them slowly from behind, mincing all the while to imitate the gait of the old fiend. When they went inside, the entire flock of monsters, old and young, all came to receive him, as drums and flutes were played harmoniously and curls of fragrant smoke rose from the Boshan urn.2 He arrived at the main hall and sat down, facing south;3 the two head demons knelt before him and kowtowed, saying, “Mother, your children are bowing.” “My sons,” said Pilgrim, “please rise.”
We tell you now about Zhu Eight Rules, who, hanging there on the beam, suddenly let out a guffaw. “Second Brother,” said Sha Monk, “this is quite marvelous! They hang you till you laugh out loud!” “Brother,” said Eight Rules, “I have a reason for laughing.” Sha Monk asked, “What reason?” “We were afraid,” said Eight Rules, “that when Madam arrived, we would be steamed and eaten. Now I see that it’s not Madam; it’s the dear old thing.” “What dear old thing?” asked Sha Monk. “BanHorsePlague is here,” said Eight Rules, chuckling. Sha Monk said, “How could you recognize him?” “When he bent his back to return their greetings, saying, ‘My sons, please rise,’” said Eight Rules, “that monkey tail of his flipped up from behind. I’m hung higher than you, and that’s why I can see more clearly.” Sha Monk said, “Let’s not talk, let’s hear what he has to say.” “Exactly, exactly,” said Eight Rules.
Sitting in the middle, the Great Sage Sun asked, “My sons, why did you invite me here?” “Dear Mother,” said one of the demons, “for days your children have not had the opportunity to fulfill our filial responsibilities. This morning we managed to catch the Tang Monk from the Land of the East, but we dared not eat him all by ourselves. We therefore invited Mother to come so that he might be presented live to you, and then he will be steamed as your food to prolong your life.” “My sons,” said Pilgrim, “I’m not at all keen to dine on the Tang Monk’s flesh, but I hear that the ears of one Zhu Eight Rules are quite marvelous. Why don’t you cut them down and fix them up as appetizers for my wine?” Startled by what he heard, Eight Rules said, “Plague on you! Did you come here to cut down my ears? If I announce aloud who you are, it won’t sound very good!”
Alas! This one careless statement of Idiot at once unmasked the transformation of the Monkey King. Just then, a few little fiends who went to patrol the mountain and a few others who stood guard at the door all rushed in also, saying, “Great King, disaster! Pilgrim Sun has beaten to death Old Madam, and he disguised himself to come here.” When the head demon heard these words, he did not wait for any further report; pulling out his sword of seven stars, he slashed at the face of Pilgrim. Dear Great Sage! He shook his body once, and brilliant red light filled the cave as he made his escape. Such abilities made the whole episode fun and games for him. For truly he had mastered this secret: coming together he took on form, but dispersing he became ether. So shaken were the inhabitants of the cave that the old demon’s spirit left him, and the various monsters bit their fingers and shook their heads.
“Brother,” said the old demon, “take the Tang Monk, Sha Monk, Eight Rules, the white horse, and the luggage—take them all and return them to Pilgrim Sun. Let’s shut the door on conflict.” “What are you saying, Elder Brother?” said the second demon. “You have no idea how much effort I spent in devising this plan to bring back all those monks. And now intimidated by Pilgrim Sun’s trickery you want to return them to him unconditionally. You have become, in fact, a person who fears the knife and shuns the sword. Is that manliness? Sit down and don’t be afraid. I heard you say that Pilgrim Sun had vast magic powers; though I met him, I have yet to wage a contest with him. Bring me my armor. Let me fight three rounds with him: if he can’t defeat me in those three rounds, the Tang Monk is still our food. If I can’t prevail against him in those three rounds, there’s still time then for us to return the Tang Monk to him.” The old demon said, “You are right, Worthy Brother.” He ordered at once for the armor to be brought out.
After the various fiends hauled out his armor, the second demon suited up himself properly and walked out the door, holding the treasure sword. “Pilgrim Sun,” he cried, “where have you gone to?” At the time, you see, the Great Sage had already reached the edge of the clouds. When he heard his name called, he turned quickly and saw that it was the second demon. “How is he dressed?” you ask.
He wears a phoenix helmet whiter than snow
And an armor made of bright Persian steel.
The belt on his waist is dragon’s tendon.
Plum-flower shaped gaiters top his goat-skin boots.
He seems the living Lord of Libation Stream;4
He looks no different from Mighty Spirit.5
He holds in his hands the sword of seven stars,
Stern and imposing in a towering rage.
“Pilgrim Sun,” cried the second demon, “give us back quickly our mother and our treasures. I’ll let you and the Tang Monk go to acquire scriptures.” Unable to contain himself any longer, the Great Sage roared, “This impudent monster! You’ve made a mistake in thinking that your Grandpa Sun will let you go so easily! Return at once my master, my younger brothers, the white horse, and our luggage, and give us, moreover, some travel money for us to take on our road to the West. If half a ‘No’ leaks through your teeth, you might as well hang yourself with rope. That’ll save your Grandpa from having to raise his hands.” When the second demon heard these words, he leaped up to the clouds swiftly and stabbed with the sword. Pilgrim met him face to face with the uplifted iron rod, and it was some battle between the two of them in midair.
The chess master finding his match,
The general meeting a good warrior—
Finding his match the chess master can’t suppress his joy;
Meeting a good warrior the general must apply himself.
When those two divine fighters come together,
They seem like tigers brawling on South Mountain
Or dragons striving in North Sea.
As dragons strive,
Their scales sparkle;
When tigers brawl,
Teeth and claws strike madly.
Teeth and claws strike madly like silver hooks,
And sparkling scales upturn like iron leaves.
This one all in all
Uses a thousand ways to attack;
That one back and forth
Does not let up for half a moment.
The golden-hooped rod
Is only three-tenths of an inch from the head.
The seven-stars sword,
Poised at the heart, needs only one thrust.
The imposing air of this one chills the Great Dipper;
The angry breaths of that one menace like thunder.
The two of them fought for thirty rounds but no decision was reached.
Secretly delighted, Pilgrim said to himself, “This lawless monster does manage to withstand the iron rod of old Monkey. But I have already acquired three of his treasures. If I continue to fight bitterly like this with him, won’t it just delay what I want to do? Perhaps I should use the gourd or the pure vase to store him up.” He then thought further, “No good! No good! The proverb says, ‘Each thing has its master.’ If I call him and he doesn’t answer, it will just defeat my purpose. Let me use the yellow-gold rope to lasso his head.” Dear Great Sage! He used one hand to wield his iron rod while his other hand whipped out the rope and lassoed the demon’s head. The demon, however, knew a Tight-Rope Spell and a Loose-Rope Spell. If the rope had bound another person, he would recite the Tight-Rope Spell and that person would not be able to escape. But if the rope had been fastened on one of his own, he would recite the Loose-Rope Spell and no harm would come to the person. When he saw, then, that it was his own treasure, he recited at once the Loose-Rope Spell; the rope loosened itself and he came out of the noose. Taking the rope, he threw it at Pilgrim instead and it caught hold of the Great Sage instantly. The Great Sage was about to exercise his magic of thinning the body when the demon recited the Tight-Rope Spell and it had him firmly bound. It was impossible for him to escape, for when the rope was drawn down to his neck, one end of it changed into a gold ring tightly enclosing him. The fiend then gave the rope a tug and pulled Pilgrim down before he gave that bald head seven or eight blows with the sword. The skin on Pilgrim’s head did not even redden at all.
“This monkey,” said the demon, “has quite a hard head! I won’t hack at you anymore. Let me take you back to the cave first before I hit you again. But you’d better return my other two treasures right now.” “What treasures have I taken from you?” asked Pilgrim, “that you should ask me for them?” The demon searched Pilgrim carefully and found both the gourd and the vase. Using the rope as a leash, he brought Pilgrim back to the cave, saying, “Elder Brother, I’ve caught him.” The old demon said, “Whom did you catch?” “Pilgrim Sun!” said the second demon. “Come and look! Come and look!” The old demon took one look and recognized that it was indeed Pilgrim. He smiled happily and said, “It’s he! It’s he! Tie him up with a long rope to the pillar just for fun.” They indeed had Pilgrim tied to a pillar, after which the two demons went to the hall in the back to drink.
As the Great Sage was crawling around beneath the pillar, he was seen by Eight Rules. Hanging on the beam, Idiot laughed loudly, saying, “Elder Brother, you can’t quite manage to eat my ears!” “Idiot,” said Pilgrim, “are you comfortably hung up there? I’ll get out right now, and you can be certain that I’ll rescue all of you.” “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” asked Eight Rules. “You can’t even escape yourself, and you want to rescue others. O, let it be, let it be! Master and disciples might as well die together so that we could ask for our way in the Region of Darkness.” Pilgrim said, “Stop babbling nonsense! You watch me leave here.” “I’ll see how you leave here,” said Eight Rules. Though the Great Sage was talking to Eight Rules, his eyes were fixed on those two demons. He saw that they were drinking inside, and there were a few little fiends running madly back and forth to bring in the dishes and to pour wine. When their guard lapsed momentarily and no one stood near the Great Sage, he at once exercised his divine powers. Slipping out his rod, he blew on it, saying, “Change!” and it changed instantly into a file of pure steel. Gripping the gold ring on his neck, he filed it through with four or five strokes and freed himself by pulling the ring apart. Yanking off a piece of hair, he commanded it to change into a specious form of himself tied to the pillar; his true self, however, changed with one shake of the body into a little monster and stood to one side.
“Bad news! Bad news!” cried Eight Rules once more on the beam. “The one tied up is a false product. The one hanging is genuine.”
Putting down his cup, the old demon asked, “What’s that Zhu Eight Rules yelling about?” Pilgrim, who had changed into a little monster, went forward to say, “Zhu Eight Rules is trying to persuade Pilgrim Sun to escape by transformation, but Sun isn’t willing. That’s why Zhu is hollering.” “And we say that Zhu Eight Rules is without guile!” said the second demon. “Now I see what a sneak he is! He should have his mouth caned twenty times.”
Pilgrim indeed went to get a cane for the beating. “You’d better hit me lightly,” said Eight Rules. “If the strokes are even slightly heavy, I’ll yell again that I recognize you.” Pilgrim said, “It’s for the sake of all of you that old Monkey has undergone the transformation. Why did you have to let the truth leak out? All the monster-spirits of this cave can’t recognize me. Why does it have to be you who can recognize me?” “Though you have changed your features,” said Eight Rules, “your ass hasn’t been changed! Aren’t those two patches of red still on your buttocks? That’s why I can recognize you.” Pilgrim slipped out to the kitchen and wiped some soot off the pots to blacken his buttocks before returning to the front. When Eight Rules saw him, he said, chuckling, “This monkey must have gone somewhere to mess around so that he has now come back with a black ass!”
Pilgrim still remained standing there for he wanted to steal their treasures. Indeed a clever person, he walked up the hall and half-knelt to the fiend, saying, “Great King, look how that Pilgrim Sun is crawling all over the pillar. The yellow-gold rope, I fear, may be ruined by all that rubbing and stretching. We should get something thicker to tie him up.” “You are right,” said the old demon, and he took off a belt with a lion buckle from his own waist to hand to Pilgrim. Taking the belt, Pilgrim fastened his false form to the pillar, but the rope he stuffed instantly into his own sleeve. Then he pulled off another piece of hair, which with one blow of his breath he changed into a fake yellow-gold rope, and which he presented with both hands to the fiend. Eager only for his wine, the fiend did not bother to examine it before putting it away. This is what we mean by
The Great Sage, ever versatile, displays his skills:
The hair is now exchanged for the golden rope.
As soon as he had acquired this treasure, he leaped out the door and changed back into his true form. “Monster!” he shouted. A little fiend guarding the door asked, “Who are you, that you dare shout here?” “Go in quickly,” said Pilgrim, “and report to those lawless demons that a Grimpil Sun is here.” The little fiend indeed made the report as he was told.
Highly startled, the old demon said, “We have caught Pilgrim Sun already! How is it that there is a Grimpil Sun?” “Elder Brother,” said the second demon, “Why fear him? The treasures are all in our hands. Let me take the gourd out and have him stored up.” “Brother,” said the old demon, “do be careful.” The second demon took out the gourd and walked out the door, where he encountered someone who seemed to be an exact image of Pilgrim Sun but only a little shorter. “Where did you come from?” he asked. Pilgrim said, “I’m the brother of Pilgrim Sun. When I heard that you caught my elder brother, I came to settle the score with you.” “Yes, I caught him all right,” said the second demon, “and he’s locked up in the cave. Now that you have arrived, you want to fight with me, I suppose, but I won’t cross swords with you. Let me call your name once. Do you dare answer me?” “Even if you call me a thousand times, I won’t be afraid,” said Pilgrim. “I’ll answer you ten thousand times!”
Leaping into the air with his treasure held upside down, the demon called out, “Grimpil Sun!”
Pilgrim dared not reply, thinking to himself, “If I answer him, I’ll be sucked inside.”
“Why don’t you answer me?” said the demon.
“My ears are a little stuffed up,” said Pilgrim, “and I can’t hear you. Call louder.” The fiend indeed shouted, “Grimpil Sun!”
Squeezing his fingers together to do some calculations down below, Pilgrim thought to himself, “My real name is Pilgrim Sun, but this Grimpil Sun is a fake name that I’ve made up. With the real name I can be sucked inside, but how could it work with a false name?” He could not refrain from answering, and instantly he was sucked into the gourd, which was then sealed by the tape. That treasure, you see, had no regard for whether the name called out was true or false: if one even breathed an answer, one would be sucked inside instantly.
When the Great Sage arrived inside the gourd, he found only total darkness. He tried to push up with his head but to no avail at all, for whatever was stopping the mouth of the gourd was exceedingly tight. Growing anxious, he thought to himself, “Those two little fiends I met on the mountain at the time told me that if a man was sucked into either the gourd or the vase, he would be reduced to pus in one and three-quarter hours. Could I be dissolved like that?” He thought further to himself, “It’s nothing. I can’t be dissolved! When old Monkey caused great disturbance in the Celestial Palace five hundred years ago and was refined for forty-nine days in the eight-trigram brazier of Laozi, the process in fact gave me a heart strong as gold and viscera hardy as silver, a bronze head and an iron back, fiery eyes and diamond pupils. How could I be reduced to pus in one and three-quarter hours? Let me follow him inside and see what he does.”
The second demon went inside with the gourd, saying, “Elder Brother, I’ve caught him.” “Caught whom?” asked the old demon. The second demon said, “Grimpil Sun has been stored up in the gourd by me.” Delighted, the old demon said, “Worthy Brother, please take a seat. Don’t move the gourd. We’ll shake it after awhile and we’ll lift the seal only if it swashes.” Hearing this, Pilgrim thought to himself, “If my body remains like this, how could it swash? I have to be reduced to liquid before the gourd can swash when shaken. Let me leave some urine here; when he shakes it and it swashes, he will certainly lift up the seal and I can then beat it!” But he thought again, “No good! No good! The urine can make the noise, but my shirt will be soiled. I’ll wait until he shakes the gourd, and then I’ll spit out a lot of saliva. All that drippy mess will deceive him into lifting the seal, and old Monkey can then escape.” The Great Sage made this preparation, but the fiend was busy drinking and did not try to shake the gourd at all. Devising another plan to deceive them, the Great Sage suddenly cried out, “Heavens! My shanks have dissolved!” The demons did not shake the gourd, and the Great Sage cried out again, “O Mother! Even my pelvic bones are gone!” “When his waist is gone,” said the old demon, “he’s almost finished. Lift up the seal and take a look.”
When the Great Sage heard this, he pulled off a piece of hair, crying “Change!” It changed into half a body stuck at the bottom of the gourd, while his true self was changed into a tiny insect attached to its mouth. As soon as the second demon lifted up the seal, the Great Sage flew out at once and with a roll changed instantly again into the form of Sea-Lolling Dragon, that little fiend who was sent formerly to fetch the Old Madam. He stood to one side, while the old demon took hold of the gourd and peered inside. Half a body was squirming down below, and he did not wait to determine whether it was genuine or not before he shouted, “Brother, cover it up, cover it up! He hasn’t been completely dissolved yet.” The second demon again taped on the seal, not realizing that the Great Sage on one side was snickering to himself, saying, “You don’t know that old Monkey is right over here!”
Taking the wine pot, the old demon poured a full cup of wine and presented it with both hands to the second demon, saying, “Worthy Brother, let me toast you with this cup.” The second demon said, “Elder Brother, we have drunk wine for quite a while already. Why do you have to toast me with the cup now?” “It’s no big thing, perhaps, that you caught the Tang Monk, Eight Rules, and Sha Monk,” said the old demon, “but you even managed to tie up Pilgrim Sun and store up Grimpil Sun. For making such great merit, you should be toasted with many cups more.” When the second demon saw how his elder brother sought to honor him, he dared not refuse, but he dared not accept the cup with one hand either, for he was holding the gourd with the other. Quickly passing the gourd to SeaLolling Dragon, he then received the cup with both hands. Little did he realize, of course, that Sea-Lolling Dragon was in fact the transformed Pilgrim Sun. Look at him! He waited on the demons with great attentiveness. After the second demon took the wine and drank it, he wanted to return the toast. “No need to toast me,” said the old demon. “Here, I’ll drink a cup with you.”
The two of them kept exchanging niceties like that for some time, while Pilgrim, holding the gourd, fixed his eyes on them. When he saw them passing the wine cup back and forth without the slightest regard for what he was doing, he slipped the gourd into his sleeve and used another piece of hair to form a specious gourd exactly the same as the genuine one. The demon, after presenting wine for awhile, took the gourd out of Pilgrim’s hands without bothering to examine it. They sat down at their tables again and continued to drink as before. Having acquired the treasure again, the Great Sage turned and left, highly delighted and saying to himself,
Though this demon has his wizardry,
The gourd’s still owned by the Sun family!
We do not know what he had to do thereafter to exterminate the fiends and rescue his master; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.