Good and evil—a moment’s false thoughts;
Shame and honor, neither concerns you.
Failure or success, let it come and go;
Live as you need, within your lot.
Composed, you’ve peace deep and lasting;
Muddled, you’re besieged by demons.
Five Phases hobbled wreck the grove of Chan,
Certain as rising wind’s frigid.1
We were telling you about the Great Sage Sun, who, along with Eight Rules, took leave of Sha Monk. Leaping over the Dried Pine Stream, they went before a cliff full of strange rocks and discovered that there was indeed a cave dwelling. The scenery all around was most unusual. You see
A winding old path silent and remote;
E’en wind and moon heed the black cranes singing.
White clouds part and the river’s full of light;
Water flows past a bridge—what a scene divine.
Apes and birds call amid rare flowers and plants
And rocks entwined by creepers and orchids fair.
The cliff’s rustling green scatters mist and smoke;
Verdant pines and bamboos the phoenix beckon.
Distant summits rise like vertical screens.
Fronting stream and mountain’s a true divine cave,
Its source coming from the Kunlun ranges,
To be enjoyed only by one ordained.
When they went up to the entrance of the cave, they found a slab of stone on which an inscription was written in large letters: “Fiery Cloud Cave, Dried Pine Stream, Roaring Mountain.” Before the entrance was a mob of little imps prancing around with swords and spears. In a loud voice, the Great Sage Sun cried out, “You punks! Go quickly and report this to your cave master. Tell him to send out our Tang Monk at once, so that the lives of all these spirits in your cave may be spared. If you whisper but half a ‘No,’ I’ll overturn your residence and level your cave!” When those little fiends heard these words, they turned and dashed inside the cave, slamming shut the two doors of stone. Then they ran to make this report: “Great King, disaster!”
We now tell you about that fiend, who captured Tripitaka and brought him back to the cave. The monk was stripped of his garments, hog-tied with all four limbs behind his back, and left in the rear yard. The little fiends were ordered to scrub him clean with water so that he might be steamed and eaten. When the announcement of disaster was suddenly heard, the demons stopped their activities and went to the front to ask, “What disaster is there?” “A monk with a hairy face and a thunder-god beak,” said one of the little fiends, “leading another monk with large ears and long snout, is demanding the return of their master, someone by the name of the Tang Monk, in front of our cave. If we but whisper half a ‘No,’ they said, they would overturn our residence and level our cave.” Smiling scornfully, the demon king said, “These two happen to be Pilgrim Sun and Zhu Eight Rules. They truly know where to look! From the spot halfway in the mountain where I caught their master to our place is a distance of some one hundred and fifty miles. How did they manage to find our door so quickly?” He then gave this order: “Little ones, those of you who look after the carts, push them out!”
Several of the little fiends opened the door and pushed out five small carts. When he saw them, Eight Rules said, “Elder Brother, these monster-spirits must be afraid of us. They have hauled out their carts to move to another place.”
“No,” said Pilgrim, “look at the way they are placing the carts over there.” The little fiends indeed placed the carts at five locations corresponding to the Five Phases of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth; five of the fiends stood guard beside the carts while five others went inside again to make their report. “Everything set?” asked the demon king. “All set,” they replied. “Bring me my lance,” he ordered. Those fiends who looked after weapons had two of them carry out an eighteen-foot fire-tipped lance to hand over to the monster king. With no other armor except a battle kilt of embroidered silk and with naked feet, the monster king took up the lance and walked outside. When Pilgrim and Eight Rules raised their heads to look, they found a fiendish creature who had
A face as if it had been powdered white,
And lips so ruddy, they seemed brushed with paint.
No dye could create such dark, lovely hair;
His eyebrows curved like new moons carved with knives.
Phoenix and dragon coiled on his battle kilt;
More husky than Nata’s a frame he had.
With air imposing he lifted up his lance
And walked out the door, swathed in hallowed light.
He roared like thunder in the time of spring;
His striking eyes flashed like lightning bright.
If one would know his true identity,
Remember Red Boy, a name of lasting fame.
After that Red Boy monster had emerged from the door, he shouted, “Who is here making all these noises?” Smiling as he drew near, Pilgrim said, “My worthy nephew! Stop fooling around! This morning when you were hung high on top of a pine tree by the mountain road, you presented yourself as a thin, frightened boy with jaundice and deceived my master. I carried you on my back with all good intention, you know, but you used a little wind to abduct my master here. Even though you appear before me now like this, you think I can’t recognize you? You might as well send my master out quickly. Stop behaving like a callow youth and take care not to upset the feelings of kinship. For I fear that if your father gets wind of this, he might blame old Monkey for oppressing youth with age, and that wouldn’t be quite right.”
Enraged by the words he heard, the fiend shouted back, “You brazen ape! What feelings of kinship do I share with you? What sort of balderdash are you mouthing around here? Who’s your worthy nephew?” “O brother!” said Pilgrim. “You wouldn’t know, would you? At the time when your father and I became bond-brothers, we didn’t even know where you were.” “This ape is babbling more nonsense!” said the fiend. “Where do you come from, and where do I come from? Think about this! How could my father and you become bond-brothers?”
“Of course, you wouldn’t know about this,” said Pilgrim. “I am Sun Wukong, the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, who greatly disturbed the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago. But before I caused such disturbance, I made extensive tours of all the Four Great Continents, and there was not a spot on Earth or in Heaven that I did not set foot on, for I was most eager to befriend all the valiant and heroic persons. Your father, the Bull Monster King, called himself the Great Sage, Parallel with Heaven. He and old Monkey formed a fraternal alliance of seven, and we all made him the big brother.2 There were also a Dragon Monster King, who called himself the Great Sage, Covering the Ocean, and became the second brother; a Garuda Monster King, who called himself Great Sage, United with Heaven, and became the third brother; a Lion Monster King, who called himself the Great Sage, Mover of Mountains, and became the fourth brother; a Female Monkey King, who called herself the Fair Wind Great Sage and became the fifth member; and a Giant Ape Monster King, who called himself the GodRouting Great Sage and became the sixth brother. Old Monkey, the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, was rather small in size, and so he was number seven. At the time when we old brothers were having fun, you weren’t even born!”
Refusing to believe a word he heard, the fiend lifted up his fire-tipped lance to stab at Pilgrim. An expert, as they said, would not be exercised, and Pilgrim at once stepped aside to dodge the blow before striking out with his iron rod, yelling at the same time, “You little beast! You don’t know what’s good for you! Watch my rod!” The monster-spirit also parried the blow, yelling at the same time, “Brazen ape! You are so ignorant of the ways of the world! Watch my lance!” The two of them thus refused to give any consideration for kinship relation; changing colors all at once, they used their magic and leaped to the edge of the clouds. What a fight!
Pilgrim enjoyed great fame;
The demon king had vast powers.
One raised up the golden-hooped rod sideways;
One lunged forward with the fire-tipped lance.
Mist spread out to shroud the Three Regions;
Clouds spewed forth to hide the four quarters.
Violent air and savage noise did fill the sky;
The sun, the moon, the stars—all lost their light.
Not one kind word was spoken,
They felt such hatred and scorn.
That one’s contempt made him lose all manners;
This one’s wrath killed all regard for relations.
The rod struck with increasing might;
The lance came with growing fury.
One was the primordial, true Great Sage;
One was Child Sudhana3 of the right fruit.
They drove themselves, each trying hard to win,
All for the Tang Monk, who would greet the dharma king.
The demon and the Great Sage Sun fought for more than twenty rounds without reaching a decision. Standing on one side, Zhu Eight Rules saw clearly what was going on: although the monster-spirit was not about to be defeated, he was only parrying the blows left and right, and did not attack his opponent at all; and, although Pilgrim did not seem able to prevail all at once, he was, after all, such an adroit and skillful warrior that the rod back and forth never seemed to leave the vicinity of the monster’s head. Eight Rules thought to himself, “That’s good! Pilgrim is so tricky! He could fake something and deceive the demon into drawing closer. One blow of that iron rod then would wipe out my chance of making any merit!” Look at him! He roused his spirit, lifted up his nine-pronged rake, and brought it down hard on the monster-spirit’s head. Terrified by what he saw, the fiend quickly turned around and fled, dragging his lance behind him. “Chase him! Chase him!” shouted Pilgrim to Eight Rules.
The two of them gave chase up to the entrance of the cave, where they saw the monster-spirit standing in one of the five carts, the one set up in the middle. With one hand he held on to his fire-tipped lance; with the other fist, he gave his own nose a couple of punches. Laughing, Eight Rules said, “Shame on him! This fellow’s indulging in roguery! He wants to bust his own nose, make himself bleed a little, and smear his face red so that he may go somewhere to file suit against us.”
After that demon gave himself two punches, he recited a spell and immediately flames shot out from his mouth as thick smoke sprouted from his nose. In an instant, flames darted up from all five carts. The demon opened his mouth a few more times and a huge fire shot up to the sky, burning so fiercely that the entire Fiery Cloud Cave was hidden from sight by the flames and smoke. Horrified, Eight Rules said, “Elder Brother, it’s getting sticky! Once we are caught in that fire, we are finished. Old Hog will be roasted, and after some spices are added, they can just enjoy me! Quickly! Run!” He said he would run, and the next moment he had already crossed the stream without any regard for Pilgrim.
Pilgrim, however, had vast magic powers; making the fire-repellent sign by kneading together his fingers, he hurled himself into the fire to search for the fiend. When the fiend saw him approaching, he spat out a few more mouthfuls of flame and the fire grew even more intense. Marvelous fire!
Torrid and fierce, a blaze reaching the sky;
Hot and brilliant, it reddens the whole earth.
It’s like a fiery wheel flying up and down,
Like charcoals aglow dancing east and west.
This fire is not from Suiren4 drilling wood,
Or from Laozi roasting cinnabar;
It’s not fire from Heaven,
Nor is it a wildfire.
It’s the realized samādhi fire5 born of the demon’s self-cultivation.
The five carts conform to the Five Phases
That grow and transform to beget the flame.
The liver’s wood6 can make the heart’s fire strong;
The heart’s fire can calm the earth of the spleen;
The spleen’s earth begets metal, which changes into water;
Water can beget wood, thus the magic’s complete.
Growth and transformation, all are caused by fire,
For all things flourish when fire fills the sky.7
The fiend, long enlightened, summons samādhi.
He rules the West forever as number one.
Because the fire and smoke were so intense, Pilgrim could not even see the way before the cave’s entrance and therefore he could not search for the fiend. Turning quickly, he leaped clear of the blaze at once. Having seen clearly what took place before his own cave, the monster-spirit retrieved his fire equipment after Pilgrim left, and led the various fiends back inside. After the stone doors were shut, the little fiends were told to prepare for a joyous victory celebration, and we shall speak no more of them for the moment.
We tell you instead about Pilgrim, who vaulted over the Dried Pine Stream. As he dropped from the clouds, he heard Eight Rules and Sha Monk conversing loudly in the pine forest. “You idiot!” shouted Pilgrim as he approached Eight Rules. “You haven’t one whit of manliness! You could be so terrified by the demonic fire that you would abandon old Monkey to flee for your own life. It’s a good thing that I can still take care of myself!” “Elder Brother,” said Zhu Eight Rules, chuckling, “what that monster-spirit said of you was certainly correct, for you truly are ignorant of the ways of the world. The ancients said, ‘He who knows the ways of the world shall be called a hero.’ The monster-spirit did not want to talk kinship with you, but you insisted on presenting yourself as his kin. When he fought with you and let loose that kind of ruthless fire, you wouldn’t run but still wanted to tangle with him.”
“How’s the fiend’s ability compared with mine?” asked Pilgrim. “Not as good,” said Eight Rules.
“How about his skill with the lance?”
“No good, either,” said Eight Rules. “When old Hog saw that he had a hard time withstanding you, I came to lend you a little assistance with my rake. Little did I expect that he was so puny that he would retreat in defeat at once and start the fire in such an unconscionable way.” Pilgrim said, “Indeed you shouldn’t have stepped forward. I was about to find a way to give him a blow with my rod after a few more rounds. Wouldn’t that have been better?” The two gave themselves entirely to discussing the ability of the monster-spirit and the viciousness of his fire, but Sha Monk, leaning on the trunk of a pine tree, was laughing so hard that he could barely stand up.
“Brother,” said Pilgrim, after he noticed him, “why are you laughing? If you had the ability to capture that demon and destroy his fire defense, that would be a benefit to all of us. As the proverb says, a few feathers will make a ball. If you could seize the demon and rescue our master, it would be your great merit.” “I don’t have that kind of ability,” said Sha Monk, “nor can I subdue the fiend. But I am laughing because both of you are so absentminded.” “What do you mean?” asked Pilgrim. Sha Monk said, “Neither the ability of that monster-spirit nor his skill with the lance can be a match for you, but the only reason why you two cannot prevail against him is because of his fire. If I have anything to say about this, I’ll say that you should overcome him by mutual production and mutual conquest.8 What’s so difficult about that?”
When Pilgrim heard these words, he roared with laughter and said, “Brother, you are right! Indeed, we are absentminded, and we have forgotten about the whole matter. If we consider the principles of mutual production and mutual conquest, then it is water that can overcome fire. We must find water somewhere to put out this demonic fire. We would be able to rescue Master then, wouldn’t we?” “Exactly,” said Sha Monk. “No need for further delay.” Pilgrim said, “Stay here, the two of you, but don’t fight with him. Let old Monkey go to the Great Eastern Ocean and request some dragon soldiers to come with water. After we have put out the demonic fire, we will rescue Master.” “Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “feel free to go. We can look after ourselves here.”
Dear Great Sage! Mounting the clouds to leave that place, he arrived at the Eastern Ocean in a moment. He was too busy, however, to linger and enjoy the scenery; using the water-division magic, he opened up a pathway for himself
through the waves. As he proceeded, he ran into a yakṣa on patrol. When the
yakṣa saw that it was the Great Sage Sun, he went quickly back to the Water-
Crystal Palace to report to the old Dragon King. Aoguang immediately led the dragon sons and grandsons together with shrimp soldiers and crab lieutenants to meet his visitor outside the gate. Pilgrim was invited to take a seat inside and also tea. “No need for tea,” said Pilgrim, “but I do have a matter that will cause you some trouble. My master, who’s on his way to the Western Heaven to seek scriptures from Buddha, happens to be passing through the Fiery Cloud Cave at the Dried Pine Stream of the Roaring Mountain. A Red Boy monster-spirit, with the fancy title of the Great King, Holy Child, has captured my master. When old Monkey made his search up to his door and fought with him, he let out some fire which we couldn’t put out. Since we thought of the fact that water could prevail over fire, I came especially to ask you for some water. You can start a big rainstorm for me to put out that fire so that the Tang Monk will be delivered from this ordeal.”
“You are mistaken, Great Sage,” said the Dragon King, “for if you want rainwater, you shouldn’t have come to ask me.” “You are the Dragon King of Four Oceans, the principal superintendent of rain and dew. If I don’t ask you, whom should I ask?” The Dragon King said, “Though I’m in charge of rain, I can’t dispense it as I will. We must have the decree of the Jade Emperor, specifying where and when, the number of feet and inches, and the hour when the rain is to begin. Moreover, three officials have to raise their brushes to draft the document, which then must be dispatched by the North Star. Thereafter, we must also assemble the Thunder God, the Lightning Mother, the Wind Uncle, and the Cloud Boy, for as the proverb says, ‘The dragon can’t move without clouds.’”
“I have no need for wind, cloud, thunder, or lightning,” said Pilgrim, “only some rainwater to put out a fire.” “In that case,” said the Dragon King, “I still would not be able to help you all by myself. Let my brothers give you a hand to achieve this merit for you. How about that?” “Where are your brothers?” asked Pilgrim. The Dragon King said, “They are Aoqin, Dragon King of the Southern Ocean; Aorun, Dragon King of the Western Ocean; and Aoshun, Dragon King of the Northern Ocean.” Laughing, Pilgrim said, “If I have to go and tour the three oceans, I might as well go to the Region Above to ask for the Jade Emperor’s decree.” The Dragon King said, “There’s no need for the Great Sage to go there. All we have to do here is to beat our iron drum and sound the golden bell, and they will arrive momentarily.” Hearing this, Pilgrim said, “Old Dragon King, please beat the drum and sound the bell.”
In a moment, the three Dragon Kings rushed in and asked, “Big Brother, why did you summon us here?” Aoguang said, “The Great Sage Sun is here asking for our assistance; he needs rain to subdue a fiend.” The three brothers were led to greet Pilgrim, who then gave an account of why he needed water. Each one of the deities was willing to oblige. They at once called up
The shark, so ferocious, to lead the troops,
And the big-mouthed shad to be the vanguard.
The carp marshal leaped through the tide and waves;
The bream viceroy spewed forth wind and fog;
The mackerel grand marshal screamed passwords in the east;
The culter-fish commander urged the troops in the west;
Red-eyed mermaids danced along in the south;
Black-armored generals rushed forward from the north;
The sturgeon sergeant took command at the center;
Soldiers of five quarters were all valiant.
Astute and clever, the sea-turtle lord chancellor;
Shrewd and subtle, the tortoise counselor;
Full of plots and wisdom, the iguana minister;
Agile and able, the sand-turtle commander.
Wielding long swords, crab warriors walked sideways;
Stretching heavy bows, shrimp amazons leaped straight up.
The sheatfish vice-director checked his books with care
To call up the dragon soldiers to leave the waves.
We have also a testimonial poem that says:
Dragon Kings of four seas are pleased to help
At the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven’s request;
When Tripitaka meets an ordeal on the way,
Water is sought to put out the fiery red.
Leading those dragon troops, Pilgrim soon arrived at the Dried Pine Stream on the Roaring Mountain. “Worthy Ao Brothers,” said Pilgrim, “I’m sorry for asking you to traverse such a distance. This is the habitat of the demon. Please remain for the moment in the air and do not reveal yourselves. Let old Monkey go fight with him; if I win, there’s no need for you to catch him, and even if I lose, there’s no need for all of you to help me. Only when he starts his fire will I call on you, and then you can send down your rain.” The Dragon Kings all agreed to heed his command.
Pilgrim lowered his cloud and went straight into the pine forest, where he shouted “Brothers” to Eight Rules and Sha Monk. “Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “you’ve returned very quickly. Have you been able to fetch the Dragon Kings?” “They are all here,” said Pilgrim. “You two had better be careful not to let the luggage get wet by the torrential rain. Old Monkey will go fight with him.” Sha Monk said, “Go right ahead, Elder Brother, we’ll take care of everything here.”
Leaping over the stream, Pilgrim dashed up to the entrance of the cave and shouted, “Open the door!” The little fiends went at once to report, “Great King, Pilgrim Sun is here again.” Raising his head, Red Boy laughed aloud and said, “That monkey, I suppose, has not been burned by the fire and that’s why he has returned. Well, I’ll not spare him this time, for I won’t stop until his skin is charred and his flesh is seared.” As he leaped up to take hold of his lance, he gave the order: “Little ones, push out the carts!” After he rushed out the door, he said to Pilgrim, “Why are you here again?” “Return my master,” said Pilgrim. “Monkey head,” said the fiend, “you are indeed obtuse! If the Tang Monk can be your master, can’t he also be our hors d’oeuvre for wine? Forget him! Forget him!” When Pilgrim heard these words, he was infuriated; pulling out his golden-hooped rod, he struck at the fiend’s head. The monster-spirit quickly raised his fire-tipped lance to parry the blow, and their battle this time was not the same as theirs last time. Marvelous battle!
The wild demon, greatly enraged;
The Monkey King, highly incensed.
This one just wished to save the scripture monk;
That one would eat Tripitaka Tang.
Changed minds quelled all kinship feelings;
Estranged, they allowed no concession.
This one wished he could be caught and skinned alive;
That one wished he could be seized and dipped in sauce.
Truly so ferocious!
Indeed so strong and fierce!
The rod blocked by the lance, thus the contest raged;
The lance met by the rod, each strove to win.
They raised their hands to fight for twenty rounds,
Both persons’ abilities were just the same.
The demon king fought Pilgrim for some twenty rounds, and when he saw that he could not prevail, he made a fake thrust with his lance and turned quickly to give his own nose two punches with his fist. Fire and smoke poured out at once from his eyes and mouth as a huge blaze leaped up from the carts set before the cave’s entrance. Turning his head skyward, the Great Sage Sun shouted, “Dragon Kings, where are you?” Leading their aquatic kin, the Dragon King brothers sent a torrential downpour of rain toward the fire of the monster-spirit. Marvelous rain! Truly
Drizzling and sprinkling—
Pouring and showering—
Drizzling and sprinkling,
It’s like the meteors falling from the sky;
Pouring and showering,
It’s like waves churning in a sea upturned.
At first the raindrops seem the size of a fist;
In awhile they fall by the buckets and pans.
The whole earth’s o’erflowed with duck-head green,9
And tall mountains are washed blue like Buddha’s head.10
Water flies down the canyon like sheets of jade;
The stream swells in a thousand silver strands.
Roads forked three ways are all filled up;
So is a river which has nine bends.
The Tang Monk facing an ordeal is helped by dragons divine
Who o’erturn Heaven’s river and pour it down.
The rain descended in torrents but it could not extinguish the fiend’s fire at all. The fact of the matter was that what the Dragon Kings let loose happened to be unauthorized rain, capable of putting out worldly fires. How could it extinguish the true fire of samādhi cultivated by that monster-spirit? It was, in fact, like adding oil to the fire, making the blaze all the more intense. “Let me make the magic sign,” said the Great Sage, “and penetrate the flames.” Wielding the iron rod, he searched for the fiend. When the fiend saw him approaching, he blew a mouthful of smoke right at his face. Pilgrim tried to turn away swiftly, but he was so dazed by the smoke that tears fell from his eyes like rain. This Great Sage, you see, could not be hurt by fire but he was afraid of smoke. For during that year when he greatly disturbed the Heavenly Palace, he was placed in the eight-trigram brazier of Laozi, where he had been smelted for a long time.11 He managed to crawl into the space beneath the compartment which corresponded to the Sun trigram and was not burned. The smoke whipped up by the wind, however, gave him a pair of fiery eyes and diamond pupils, and that was the reason why even now he was afraid of smoke. Once more, the fiend spat out a mouthful of smoke and the Great Sage could no longer withstand it. Mounting the clouds, he fled hurriedly while the demon retrieved his fire equipment and returned to his cave.
His whole body covered by flame and smoke, the Great Sage found the intense heat unbearable and he dove straight into the mountain stream to try to put out the fire. Little did he anticipate that the shock of the cold water was so great that the heat caused by the fire was forced inward into his body and he fainted immediately. Alas!
His breath caught in his chest, his tongue and throat grew cold;
His spirit fled, his soul left, and his life was gone!
Those Dragon Kings of the Four Oceans were so terrified that they put a stop to the rain and yelled loudly, “Marshal Heavenly Reeds and Curtain-Raising Captain! Stop hiding in the forest! Start looking for your elder brother!”
When Eight Rules and Sha Monk heard that they were addressed by their holy titles, they quickly untied the horse and poled the luggage to dash out of the forest. With no regard for the mud and slush, they began searching along the banks of the stream when the bubbling currents swept down from above the body of a person. When Sha Monk saw it, he leaped into the water fully clothed and hauled the body back to shore. It was the body of the Great Sage Sun. Alas, look at him!
His four limbs were bent and they could not be stretched;
His whole body up and down was cold as ice.
“Elder Brother,” said Sha Monk, as tears filled his eyes, “what a pity you have to go like that! You were
Someone who never aged through countless years.
Now you have died young in the middle of the way.”
With a chuckle, Eight Rules said, “Brother, stop crying. This ape is pretending to be dead, just to scare us. Feel him a little and see if there’s any warmth left in his breast.” “The whole body has turned cold,” said Sha Monk. “Even if there were a little warmth left, how could you revive him?” Eight Rules said, “If he is capable of seventy-two transformations, he has seventy-two lives. Listen, you stretch out his legs while I take care of him.” Sha Monk indeed straightened Pilgrim’s legs while Eight Rules lifted his head and straightened his upper torso. They then pushed his legs up and folded them around the knees before raising him into a sitting position. Rubbing his hands together until they were warm, Eight Rules covered Pilgrim’s seven apertures and began to apply a Chan method of massage on him. The cold water, you see, had had such a traumatic effect on Pilgrim that his breath was caught in his cinnabar field12 and he could not utter a sound. He was lucky, therefore, to have all that rubbing, squeezing, and kneading by Eight Rules, for in a moment his breath went through the three passes,13 invaded the bright hall,14 and burst through his apertures. “O Master,” he began to say.
Sha Monk said, “Elder Brother, when you were alive, you lived for Master, and his name’s on your lips even when you are dead! Wake up first. We are all here.” Opening his eyes, Pilgrim said, “Are you here, Brothers? Old Monkey’s a loser this time!” “You fainted,” said Eight Rules Zhu, chuckling, “and if old Hog hadn’t saved you, you would have been finished. Aren’t you going to thank me?” Pilgrim got up slowly and raised his head, saying, “The Ao Brothers, where are you?” The Dragon Kings of Four Oceans replied in midair, “Your little dragons wait upon you here.” “I am sorry to have caused you to travel all this distance,” said Pilgrim, “but we have not accomplished our merit. Please go back first and I shall thank you again in another day.” The Dragon Kings led their large group of followers to return to their residences, which need not concern us here.
Sha Monk then supported Pilgrim and led him back into the pine forest to sit down. In a little while, Pilgrim felt more collected and his breathing became more even, but he could not restrain the tears from rolling down his cheeks. Again he cried out, “O Master!
Think of your leaving the Great Tang that year,
When you saved me from woe beneath that mount.
On waters and hills we face demonic foes;
Our bowels are torn by ten thousand pains.
We eat with an alms bowl, whether bare or filled;
In houses or woods we meditate at night.
Our hearts are set on achieving the right fruit.
How could I know I would be hurt this day?”
Sha Monk said, “Elder Brother, please do not worry. Let us devise a plan soon and see where we can go to ask for help to rescue Master.” “Where shall we go to seek help?” asked Pilgrim. Sha Monk said, “I remember when the Bodhisattva first gave us the instruction that we should accompany the Tang Monk, she also gave us the promise that when we called on Heaven, Heaven would respond, or when we called on Earth, Earth would reply. We just have to decide where we should go to seek help.” “When I caused great disturbance in the Heavenly Palace,” said Pilgrim, “all those divine soldiers were no match for old Monkey. This monster-spirit, however, has considerable magic powers, and so our helper must be someone stronger than even old Monkey. Neither the gods in Heaven nor those deities on Earth will be adequate. If we want to catch this demon, we must go to ask the Bodhisattva Guanyin. But unfortunately, my bones and muscles are sore and my torso is weak. I can’t perform my cloud somersault. How can I go?” “If you have any instruction,” said Eight Rules, “tell me. I’ll go.” Smiling, Pilgrim said, “All right! You can go, but when you appear before the Bodhisattva, don’t stare at her face. You must lower your head and bow with reverence, and when she asks you, you may then tell her the names of this place and the fiend and beseech her to come to rescue Master. If she’s willing, the fiendish creature will, of course, be taken.” After Eight Rules heard this, he mounted the clouds and mists at once and headed toward the south.
We now tell you about that demon king, who was celebrating in his cave. Merrily he said to his subjects, “Little ones, Pilgrim Sun truly has suffered loss this time. Though he may not die, he will be in a big coma! Holla! I fear that they might want to go find help somewhere. Open the doors quickly! Let me see where they are going.” The fiends opened the doors and when the monster-spirit rose into the air to look all around, he discovered Eight Rules heading toward the south. The south, the monster-spirit thought to himself, could mean only one thing: Eight Rules was going to seek the help of the Bodhisattva Guanyin. Dropping quickly from the clouds, the fiend cried, “Little ones, find that leather bag of mine and take it out. It hasn’t been used for quite some time and I fear that the rope around its mouth is not strong enough. Change the rope for me and place the bag beneath the second door. Let me go and capture Eight Rules by deception; when he is brought back here, we’ll store him in the bag. Then he’ll be steamed until he’s flaky so that all of you may enjoy him with wine.” The monster-spirit, you see, had a compliant leather bag, which those little fiends took out and fastened a new rope to its mouth. They placed it beneath the second door as they were told, and we shall speak no more of them.
We tell you instead about that demon king, who had lived in this place for a long time; the whole region, in fact, was familiar to him, and he knew which route to South Sea was the shorter one and which the longer. Taking the shorter route, he mounted the clouds and at once went past Eight Rules. He then lowered himself onto a tall ridge, sat down solemnly, and changed into a specious form of Guanshiyin to wait for Eight Rules.
Treading his clouds, Idiot was on his way when he saw suddenly the Bodhisattva. He could not, of course, distinguish the true from the false; like foolish men of the world, he regarded all images as real Buddhas! Stopping his cloud, Idiot bowed low and said, “Bodhisattva, your disciple Zhu Wuneng kowtows to you.” The monster-spirit said, “Why aren’t you protecting the Tang Monk on his way to fetch scriptures? Why have you come to see me?” “It was because your disciple and his master met on their way a Red Boy monster-spirit, who resided in the Fiery Cloud Cave by the Dried Pine Stream in the Roaring Mountain. He abducted our master, but your disciples found the way to his door and fought with him. He happened to be someone who knew how to start a fire; during our first battle, we could not prevail, and during our second one, we could not extinguish the fire even after we asked the Dragon Kings to assist us with rain. Since Elder Brother suffered burns so severe that he could not move, he asked me to come to plead with the Bodhisattva. We beg you to be merciful and save our master from his ordeal.”
“That master of the Fiery Cloud Cave,” said the monster-spirit, “is not prone to take human lives. It must be that you have offended him.” “Not I,” said Eight Rules, “but Elder Brother did offend him. The fiend changed himself at first into a small child hung on a tree to test Master. Our Master, of course, had a most kindly disposition; he told me to untie the child and Elder Brother to carry him for a distance. Elder Brother wanted to dash him to the ground, and that was when he abducted Master.” The monster-spirit said, “Get up and follow me into the cave to see the cave-master. I’ll speak on your behalf, and you can salute him; the two of us will ask him then to release your master.” “O Bodhisattva,” said Eight Rules. “If he’s willing to return our master, I’ll be glad to kowtow to him.” “Follow me then,” said the demon king.
Idiot, of course, did not know any better; instead of proceeding to the South Sea, he followed the fiend right back to the entrance of the Fiery Cloud Cave. When they reached the cave, the monster-spirit proceeded to walk inside, saying, “Don’t be suspicious, for he’s my acquaintance. You come in, too.” Idiot had no choice but to stride inside also. With a terrific shout, the various fiends seized him all at once and stuffed him into the leather bag. After the rope around its mouth was pulled tight, the bag was drawn up high to a beam and hung there. Changing back into his true form, the monster-spirit took a seat in the middle and said, “Zhu Eight Rules, what sort of abilities do you have that you dare accompany the Tang Monk to acquire scriptures? That you dare go ask the Bodhisattva to subdue me? Open your pair of eyes, take a good look, and see if you recognize me, the Great King Holy Child! Now you are caught, you’ll be hung for four or five days before you’ll be steamed and served as hors d’oeuvre to my little fiends for their wine.” When Eight Rules heard these words, he began screaming inside the bag, saying, “You brazen fiend! Don’t you dare be so insulting! So, you’ve plotted and planned to deceive me, but if you dare eat me, every one of you will be stricken with the Heaven-sent plague of swollen head!” Idiot thus persisted in his expostulation for a long time, but we shall speak no more of him for the moment.
We tell you instead about the Great Sage Sun who sat in the forest with Sha Monk. A gust of putrid wind blew past and, sneezing immediately, he said, “Bad! Bad! This wind betokens misfortune more than good luck! Zhu Eight Rules, I think, must have taken the wrong way.” “If he did,” said Sha Monk, “couldn’t he ask someone?” Pilgrim said, “He must have run into the monsterspirit.” “If he ran into the monster-spirit,” said Sha Monk, “couldn’t he run back to us?” “It’s not right,” said Pilgrim. “You sit here and guard our belongings. Let me dash over the stream and find out what’s going on over there.” Sha Monk said, “Your body is still sore, Elder Brother, and I fear that you’ll be hurt even more by him. Let me go.” “You won’t do,” said Pilgrim, “let me go instead.”
Dear Pilgrim! Gritting his teeth to endure the pain, he took up his iron rod and ran across the stream to reach the entrance to the Fiery Cloud Cave. “Brazen monster!” he cried, and those fiends guarding the door ran inside to report, “Pilgrim Sun is shouting again at the door!” The demon king gave the order for him to be seized, and all those little fiends, teeming with spears and swords, rushed out the door shouting, “Seize him! Seize him!” Pilgrim indeed was too weak to fight and he dared not oppose them. Diving to one side of the road, he recited a spell, crying, “Change!” He changed at once into a cloth wrapper adorned with gold. When the little fiends saw it, they took it inside and reported, “Great King, Pilgrim Sun is scared. When he heard the word ‘seize,’ he was so frightened that he dropped this wrapper and fled.” Laughing, the demon king said, “That wrapper is not worth much! All it contains must be the torn shirts of those monks and their old hats. Bring it in and wash it clean; the piece of material can be used for mending or lining.” One of the little fiends put the wrapper on his back to carry it inside, not knowing that it was the transformation of Pilgrim. Pilgrim said, “That’s good! That’s how you ought to carry this cloth wrapper adorned with gold!” Not thinking much about the thing, the monsterspirit left it inside the door.
Dear Pilgrim! Even in the midst of falsehood he knew greater falsehood, and each fakery of his produced more fakery! He pulled off one piece of his hair on which he blew a mouthful of divine breath: it changed at once into the wrapper, while his true body took on the form of a tiny fly that alighted on the door post. Then he heard Eight Rules moaning and muttering somewhere in a muffled voice, somewhat like a hog stricken with plague! With a buzz, Pilgrim flew up to look around and saw at once that there was a leather bag hung high on the beam. When he alighted on the bag, he heard Eight Rules expostulating the demon in all sorts of vile language. “Wretched fiend,” he said, “how dare you change yourself into a specious Bodhisattva Guanyin to trick me here? How dare you hang me up and want to eat me? One day, when my Elder Brother
Uses his boundless power, equal to Heav’n,
All monsters of this mountain will then be caught.
When I’m freed after this leather bag’s untied,
I’ll rake you a thousand times before I stop!”
When Pilgrim heard these words, he laughed silently, saying to himself, “Though the idiot must be suffocating in there, he hasn’t dropped his banner or spear yet! Old Monkey must catch hold of this fiend! If I don’t, I’ll not be able to rid myself of my hostility!”
He was just trying to think of a plan to rescue Eight Rules when he heard the call of the demon king: “Where are the six mighty commanders?” There were, you see, six little fiends who became special friends of his, and these spirits received the appointment of mighty commander. Their names were: Cloud-inFog, Fog-in-Cloud, Quick-as-Fire, Swift-as-Wind, Hurly-Burly, and BurlyHurly. The six mighty commanders went forward and knelt down. The demon king asked, “Do you all know the way to the house of the Venerable Great King?” “We do,” they replied. The demon king said, “Go at once, and journey in the night if you have to, to give this invitation to the Venerable Great King. Tell him that I have caught the Tang Monk, who will be steamed and served for him to eat so that his age may be lengthened a thousandfold.” Obeying this order, the six fiends swarmed out of the door and left. With a buzz, Pilgrim flew away from the bag and followed those fiends to leave the cave. We do not know who they want to invite to come here; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.