We were just telling you of the Great Sage Sun and Zhu Eight Rules, who were about to use magic to render those women immobile when they heard the shouts of Sha Monk and the howl of the wind. They turned quickly to look, only to discover that the Tang Monk had vanished. “Who is it that has abducted Master?” asked Pilgrim, and Sha Monk said, “It’s a girl. She called up a cyclone and whizzed Master away.” When Pilgrim heard this, he leaped straight up to the edge of the clouds; using his hand to shade his eyes, he peered all around and found a roiling mass of wind and dust hurtling toward the northwest. “Brothers,” he shouted to them down below, “mount the clouds quickly to pursue Master with me.” Eight Rules and Sha Monk tied the luggage to the horse, and with a whoosh they all shot up to midair and left.
Those women of the State of Western Liang, ruler and subjects, were so terrified that they knelt on the ground, all crying, “So these are arhats who can ascend to Heaven in broad daylight!” Then the officials said to the queen, “Let not our ruler be frightened or vexed anymore. The royal brother of Tang has to be a Buddhist monk who has attained the Way. Since none of us possesses true discernment, we could not recognize these Chinese men for what they are and all our schemings have been wasted. Let our mistress ascend the carriage to go back to court.” The queen herself became quite embarrassed, and as she went back to the capital with all her officials, we shall leave them for the moment.
We tell you instead about the Great Sage Sun with his two brothers, who trod on air and fog to give chase to that cyclone. In a little while, they came upon a tall mountain, where they saw the dust had died down and the wind subsided. Not knowing where the fiend had gone to, the three brothers lowered their clouds and began to search for the way. It was then that they saw on the side of the mountain a huge slab of stone, all shiny and green, that looked like a screen. The three of them led the horse to the back of the screen and discovered two stone doors, on which there was in large letters the following inscription: Toxic Foe Mountain, Cave of the Lute. As he had always been rather stupid, Eight Rules immediately wanted to break down the doors with his rake, but he was quickly stopped by Pilgrim. “Don’t be so hasty, Brother,” he said. “After we followed the cyclone here, we had to search for awhile before we found these doors. We don’t even know the long and short of the matter. Suppose this is the wrong door. Won’t your action offend the owner? I think the two of you should look after the horse and wait in front of that stone screen. Let old Monkey go inside to do some detection before we start anything.” Greatly pleased by what he heard, Sha Monk said, “Very good! This is what I call caution in recklessness, composure in urgency.” So, the two of them led the horse away.
The Great Sage Sun, meanwhile, displayed his divine power: making the magic sign with his fingers, he recited a spell and with one shake of his body changed into a bee—truly agile and light. Look at him!
His thin wings go soft with wind;
His waist in sunlight is trim.
A mouth once sweetened by flowers;
A tail that stripe-toads has tamed.
What merit in honey-making!
How modest his home-returning!
A smart plan he now conceives
To soar past both doors and eaves.
Crawling inside through a crack in the door, Pilgrim flew past the second-level door and came upon a flower arbor in the middle of which sat a female fiend. Attending her on both sides were several young girls dressed in colored silk and with parted bangs on their foreheads. All of them appeared to be in a most pleasant mood, talking with great animation about something. Ever so lightly our Pilgrim flew up there and alighted on the trellis of the arbor. As he cocked his ear to listen, he saw two other girls with disheveled hair walking up to the arbor, each holding a plate of steaming hot pastries. “Madam,” they said, “on this plate are buns stuffed with human flesh, and on the other buns stuffed with red bean paste.” “Little ones,” said the female fiend with a giggle, “help the royal brother of Tang to come out.” The girls dressed in colored silk went to one of the rear chambers and led the Tang Monk out by his hands. The master’s face, however, had turned yellow and his lips, white; his eyes were red and brimming with tears. “Master has been poisoned!” sighed Pilgrim to himself.
The fiend walked out of the arbor and extended her dainty, spring-onion-like fingers to catch hold of the elder, saying, “Relax, royal brother! Though our place here is not like the palace of the Western Liang State of Women and cannot compare with their wealth and luxury, it is actually less hectic and more comfortable. You will find it perfect for chanting the name of Buddha and reading scriptures. I’ll be your companion on the Way, and we’ll enjoy a harmonious union until old age.” Tripitaka would not utter a word. “Stop worrying,” said the fiend again. “I know that you didn’t eat much when you attended the banquet in the State of Women. Here are two kinds of flour goods, meat and vegetarian, and you may take whatever you want, just to calm your fear.”
Tripitaka thought to himself, “I can remain silent and refuse to eat anything, but this fiend is not like the queen. The queen, after all, is a human being whose action is governed by propriety. This fiend is a monster-spirit most capable of hurting me. What shall I do? I wonder if my three disciples know that I am held in custody here. If she does harm me because of my stubborness, wouldn’t I have thrown away my life?” As he questioned his mind with mind like that, he had no alternative but to force himself to open his mouth. “What’s the meat made of and what’s the vegetarian made of?” he asked. The fiend said, “The meat bun has human flesh stuffing, while the vegetarian has red bean paste stuffing.” “This poor monk,” said Tripitaka, “keeps a vegetarian diet.” “Girls,” said the female fiend, giggling, “bring us some hot tea so that the elder of your household can eat the vegetarian buns.”
One of the girls brought out a cup of fragrant tea and placed it in front of the elder. Picking up a vegetarian bun, the fiend broke it in half and handed the pieces to Tripitaka, who in turn took a meat bun and presented it whole to the fiend. “Royal brother,” asked the fiend, laughing, “why didn’t you break it first before you handed it to me?” Tripitaka pressed his palms together before he replied, “As someone who has left the family, I dare not break open food made with meat.” “If you as someone who has left the family dare not break open food made with meat,” said the fiend, “how is it that you were willing to eat water pudding1 the other day at the Child-and-Mother Stream? Having done that, do you still insist on eating red bean paste stuffing today?” Tripitaka replied:
“At high tide a boat leaves quickly;
In sand traps a horse trots slowly.”
Pilgrim on the trellis heard everything. Fearing that such banter might confound the real nature of his master, he could no longer contain himself. He revealed his true form at once and whipped out his iron rod. “Cursed beast!” he shouted. “You’re so unruly!” When the female fiend saw him, she blew out immediately from her mouth a ray of misty light to cover up the entire arbor. “Little ones,” she cried, “take away the royal brother!” Picking up a steel trident, she leaped out of the arbor and yelled, “Lawless simian rascal! How dare you sneak into my house and play Peeping Tom? Don’t run away! Have a taste of your mama’s trident!” Using the iron rod to parry her blows, the Great Sage fought back as he retreated.
The two of them fought their way out of the cave. Eight Rules and Sha Monk were waiting in front of the stone screen; when they saw the combatants emerging, Eight Rules hurriedly pulled the white horse out of the way, saying, “Sha Monk, you guard the horse and the luggage. Let old Hog go and help with the fight.” Dear Idiot! Lifting high the rake with both his hands, he rushed forward and shouted, “Elder Brother, stay back! Let me beat up this bitch!” When the fiend saw Eight Rules approaching, she summoned up some more of her abilities. With one snort fire spurted out from her nostrils as smoke licked out from her mouth. She shook her body once and there were now three tridents dancing and thrusting in the air, wielded by who knows how many hands. As she charged like a cyclone into the fray, she was met by Pilgrim and Eight Rules on both sides.
“Sun Wukong,” cried the fiend, “you really have no judgment! I recognize you, but you can’t recognize me. But even your Buddha Tathāgata at the Thunderclap Monastery is afraid of me. Two clumsy oafs like you, you think you’ll get anywhere! Come on up, both of you, and I’ll give each of you a beating!” “How was this battle?” you ask.
The female fiend’s power expanded;
The Monkey King’s vigor increased.
The Heavenly Reeds Marshal, striving for merit,
Wielded wildly his rake to show his vim.
That one with many hands and fast tridents the misty light encircled;
From these two—impulsive, with strong weapons—foggy air rose up.
The fiend wished only to seek a mate;
The monk refused to leak his primal sperm.
Yin and yang at odds would do battle now,
Each flaunting its might in this bitter strife.
Quiet yin, to nourish being, quickened in lust;
Tranquil yang purged desires to guard its health.
To these two parties thus came discord;
A contest was waged by trident, rake, and rod.
This one’s rod was strong,
The rake, more potent—
But the fiend’s trident met them blow for blow.
Three unyielding ones before Mount Toxic Foe;
Two ruthless sides outside Cave of the Lute.
That one was pleased to seize the Tang Monk for her spouse;
These two with the elder resolved to seek true writ.
To do battle they stirred up Heaven and Earth
And fought till sun and moon darkened and planets moved.
The three of them fought for a long time and no decision was reached. Leaping suddenly into the air, the female fiend resorted to the Horse-Felling Poisoned Stake and, unseen, gave the Great Sage a terrific stab on his head. “Oh, misery!” cried Pilgrim and at once fled in severe pain. When Eight Rules saw that the tide was turning, he too retreated with the rake trailing behind him. The fiend thus retrieved her tridents and returned in triumph.
Gripping his head, with brows contracted and face woe-laden, Pilgrim kept crying, “Horror! Horror!” Eight Rules went up to him and asked, “Elder Brother, how is it that, when you were just enjoying the fight, you suddenly ran away, whining up a storm?” Pilgrim gripped his head and could only say, “It hurts! It hurts!” “It must be your migraine,” said Sha Monk. “No! No!” cried Pilgrim, jumping up and down. “Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “I didn’t see that you were wounded. But now your head hurts. Why?” “Lord, it’s terrible!” said Pilgrim with a groan. “I was just fighting with her. When she saw that I was breaking through her defense with the trident, she suddenly leaped into the air. I don’t know what kind of weapon it was that gave my head a stab, but the pain is unbearable. That was why I fled.”
“You have always bragged about that head of yours when things were quiet,” said Eight Rules with a laugh, “saying that it has gone through such a long process of cultivation. How is it now that it can’t even take a stab?” “Indeed,” replied Pilgrim. “Since I achieved the art of realized immortality, and since I stole and ate the immortal peaches, celestial wine, and the golden elixir of Laozi, this head of mine cannot be harmed. When I caused great disturbance in Heaven, the Jade Emperor sent the Demon King Powerful and the Twenty-Eight Constellations to take me outside the Dipper Star Palace and have me executed. What those divine warriors used on me were swords, axes, scimitars, bludgeons, thunderbolts, and fire. Thereafter Laozi placed me within his brazier of eight trigrams and smelted me for forty-nine days. But there wasn’t even a scratch on my head. I don’t know what sort of weapon this woman used today, but she certainly wounded old Monkey!”
“Take away your hands,” said Sha Monk, “and let me see if the skin has been torn.” “No, it hasn’t,” replied Pilgrim.
“I’ll go to the State of Western Liang and ask for some ointment to tape on you,” said Eight Rules. Pilgrim said, “There’s no swelling, and it’s not an open wound. Why should you want to tape ointment on it?”
“Brother,” said Eight Rules, chuckling, “I didn’t come down with any pre- or postnatal illness, but you are getting a brain tumor.” “Stop joking, Second Elder Brother,” said Sha Monk. “It’s getting late! Big Brother’s head has been hurt and we don’t know whether Master is dead or alive. What shall we do?”
“Master’s all right,” said Pilgrim with a groan. “I changed into a bee to fly inside, and I found that woman sitting inside a flower arbor. In a little while, two maids brought out two plates of buns: one had human flesh for stuffing and the other, red bean paste. Then she asked two other maids to help Master out to eat, just to calm his fear. She also said something about her desire to be Master’s companion on the Way. At first, Master did not say anything to the woman, nor did he eat the buns. Later, perhaps it was because of all her sweet talk or some other odd reason, he began to speak with her and told her that he kept a vegetarian diet. The woman broke one of those vegetarian buns into halves to hand to Master, and he presented her with a meat one whole. ‘Why didn’t you break it?’ the woman asked, and Master said, ‘Those who have left the family dare not break into something made with meat.’ ‘In that case,’ asked the woman, ‘how was it that you were willing to eat water pudding the other day? And you still insist on eating stuffing made of red bean paste?’ Master didn’t quite understand her puns, and he replied:
‘At high tide a boat leaves quickly;
In sand traps a horse trots slowly.’
I heard everything on the trellis, and I was afraid that Master’s nature might be confounded. That was when I revealed my true form and attacked her with my iron rod. She, too, used her magic power; blowing out some mist or fog to cover the arbor, she shouted for the girls to take away the ‘royal brother’ before she picked up her steel trident and fought her way out of the cave with old Monkey.” When Sha Monk heard this, he bit his finger and said, “We’ve been picked up and followed by this bitch from who knows where, but she certainly has knowledge of what has happened to us recently.”
“If you put it that way,” said Eight Rules, “it looks as if we wouldn’t be able to rest, doesn’t it? Let’s not worry if it’s dusk or midnight. Let’s go up to her door and provoke battle. At least our hubbub will prevent them from sleeping, so that she can’t pull a fast one on our master.” “My head hurts,” said Pilgrim. “I can’t go!” Sha Monk said, “No need to provoke battle. In the first place, Elder Brother has a headache, and in the second, our master is a true monk. He won’t allow either form or emptiness to confound his nature. Let us sit here for the night beneath the mountain slope where there’s no draft and regain our energy. Then we can decide what to do by morning.” And so, the three brothers, after having tied up the white horse firmly, rested beneath the mountain slope, guarding the luggage.
We now tell you about that female fiend, who banished violence from her mind and once again took on a pleasant appearance. “Little ones,” she said, “shut the front and back doors tightly.” Two little fiends were instructed to stand watch against the intrusion of Pilgrim. If there were any sound at all at the door, they were told to report at once. Then she gave this order also: “Maids, fix up the bedroom nicely. After you have lit the candles and the incense, go and invite royal brother Tang to come here. I want to make love with him.” They therefore brought out the elder from the rear. Putting on her most seductive charms, she caught hold of the Tang Monk and said, “As the proverb says,
Though gold may have its price,
Our pleasure’s more worthwhile.
Let’s you and I play husband and wife and have some fun!”
Gritting his teeth, our elder would not permit even a sound to escape from his mouth. He was about to refuse her invitation, but he was afraid that she might decide to take his life. He had no alternative but to follow her into the perfumed room, trembling all the while. Completely in a stupor, he raised neither his eyes nor his head; he did not see what sort of coverlets or bedding there was in the room, nor was he eager to find out what kinds of furniture or dresser were placed therein. As for all the amorous declaration and sultry speech of the female fiend, he did not hear a word. Marvelous monk! Truly
His eyes saw no evil form;
His ears heard no lustful sound;
He regarded as dirt and dung this coy, silken face,
This pearl-like beauty as ashes and dust.
His one love in life was to practice Chan,
Unwilling to step once beyond Buddha-land.
How could he show affection and pity
When all he knew was religion and truth?
That fiend, all vibrant
With boundless passion;
Our elder, most deadpan
And filled with Buddhist zeal.
One was like soft jade and warm perfume;
One seemed like cold ashes or dried wood.
That person undid her collar,
Her passion overflowing;
This person tied up his robe,
His resolve unswerving.
That one wanted to mate, breast to breast with thighs entwined;
This one wished to face the wall and seek Bodhidharma in the mount.
The fiend loosened her clothes
To display her fine, scented flesh;
The Tang Monk bundled up his cloak
To hide his coarse and thickset skin.
The fiend said, “My sheets and pillows are ready, why don’t you sleep!”
The Tang Monk said, “How could my bald head and strange clothes join you there!”
That one said, “I’m willing to be the former period’s Liu Cuicui.”2
This one said, “This humble monk is not a lovesick priest!”
The fiend said, “I’m pretty as Xi Shi and e’en more lissome.”
The Tang Monk said, “Like King Yue I have long been mortified!”
The fiend said, “Royal brother, remember
He who dies beneath the flowers;
E’ven his ghost’s a happy lover.”
The Tang Monk said, “My true yang is treasure most precious.
How could I give it to a powdered cadaver?”
The two of them prattled on like that deep into the night, but the elder Tang showed no sign whatever that he had been aroused. Though the female fiend tugged and pulled at him and refused to let go, our master doggedly rejected her advances. By midnight, all this hassle made the fiend mad, and she shouted, “Little ones, bring me a rope!” Alas! The dearly beloved was at once trussed up until he looked like a shaggy ape! After telling her subordinates to drag the monk back to the corridor, she blew out the lamps and all of them retired.
Soon the cock crowed three times, and beneath the mountain slope our Great Sage Sun rose up, saying, “I had a headache for quite awhile, but now my head feels neither painful nor numb. In fact, I have a little itch.” “If you have an itch,” chuckled Eight Rules, “how about asking her to give you another stab?” Pilgrim spat at him and said, “Go! Go! Go!” Eight Rules laughed again and replied, “Go! Go! Go! But it was Master last night who went wild! Wild! Wild!” “Stop gabbing, the two of you,” said Sha Monk. “It’s light. Go quickly to catch the monster.” “Brother,” said Pilgrim, “stay here to guard the horse and don’t move. Zhu Eight Rules will go with me.”
Arousing himself, our Idiot straightened out his black silk shirt and followed Pilgrim; they took their weapons and leaped up to the mountain ledge to go before the stone screen. “Stand here,” said Pilgrim to Eight Rules, “for I fear that the fiend might have harmed Master during the night. Let me go inside to snoop
around a bit. If Master truly had lost his primal yang and his virtue because of
her deception, then all of us could scatter. If he has not been confounded and if his Chan mind has remained unmoved, then we could in all diligence fight to the end, slaughter the monster-spirit, and rescue Master to go to the West.” “You are quite numbskulled!” said Eight Rules. “As the proverb says, ‘Could dried fish be used for a cat’s pillows?’ Like it or not, it would receive a few scratches!” Pilgrim said, “Stop babbling! I’ll go and see.”
Dear Great Sage! He left Eight Rules in front of the stone screen and shook his body again to change into a bee. After he flew inside, he found two maids sleeping, their heads resting on the watch-rattles. He went up to the flower arbor to look around. The monster-spirit, you see, had struggled for half the night; she and her attendants were all very tired. Everyone was still fast asleep, not knowing that it was dawn already. Flying to the rear, Pilgrim began to hear the faint moans of the Tang Monk, and then he saw that the priest was left, hogtied, in the corridor. Pilgrim gently alighted on his head and whispered, “Master.” Recognizing the voice, the Tang Monk said, “Have you come, Wukong? Save my life, quick!” “How were the night’s activities?” asked Pilgrim. Tripitaka, clenching his teeth, replied, “I would rather die than do anything of that sort!” “I thought,” said Pilgrim, “I saw her showing you a good deal of tenderness yesterday. How is it that she is putting you through such torment today?”
“She pestered me for half the night,” answered Tripitaka, “but I did not even loosen my clothes or touch her bed. When she saw that I refused to yield to her, she had me tied up like this. Please rescue me, so that I can go acquire the scriptures.” As master and disciples spoke to each other like that, they woke up the monster-spirit. Though she was furious at the Tang Monk, she was still very fond of him. When she stirred and heard something about going to acquire scriptures, she rolled off the bed at once and shouted: “You mean to tell me that you don’t want to get married and still want to go and seek scriptures?”
Pilgrim was so startled that he abandoned his master, spread his wings, and flew out of the cave. “Eight Rules,” he cried, and our Idiot came around the stone screen, saying, “Has that thing been concluded?” “Not yet! Not yet!” said Pilgrim, laughing. “She worked on the old master for quite some time, but he refused. She got mad and had him hogtied. He was just telling me all this when the fiend woke up, and I became so startled that I came back out here.” Eight Rules asked, “What did Master actually say?” “He said,” replied Pilgrim, “that he did not even loosen his clothes nor did he touch her bed.” “Good! Very good!” chuckled Eight Rules. “He’s still a true monk! Let’s go rescue him!”
As he had always been a roughneck, our Idiot did not wait for further discussion. Lifting high his muckrake, he brought it down on the stone doors with all his might, and with a loud crash they broke into many pieces. The two maids sleeping on the watch-rattles were so terrified that they ran back to the second-level door and screamed: “Open up! Those two ugly men of yesterday have come again and smashed our doors!” The female fiend was just leaving her room. “Little ones,” she cried, “bring some hot water for me to wash my face. Carry the royal brother, all tied up like that, and hide him in the rear room. I’m going out to fight them.”
Dear monster-spirit! She ran out with her trident uplifted and shouted: “Brazen ape! Wild boar! You don’t know when to stop, do you? How dare you break my doors?” “You filthy bitch!” scolded Eight Rules. “You have our master imprisoned, and you still dare to talk with such insolence? Our master was only your kidnapped husband! Send him out quickly, and I’ll spare you. If you dare but utter half a no, the blows of old Hog’s rake will level even your mountain.”
The monster-spirit, of course, did not permit such words to intimidate her. With enormous energy and using magic as before, she attacked with her steel trident while her nose and mouth belched fire and smoke. Eight Rules leaped aside to dodge her blow before striking back with his rake, helped by the Great Sage Sun and his iron rod on the other side. The power of that fiend was tremendous indeed! All at once she seemed to have acquired who knows how many hands, waving and parrying left and right. After they fought for several rounds, she again used some kind of weapon and gave the lip of Eight Rules a stab. His rake trailing behind him and his lips pouting, our Idiot fled in pain for his life. Pilgrim also became somewhat envious of him; making one false blow with the rod, he, too, fled in defeat. After the fiend returned in triumph, she told her little ones to place rock piles in front of the door.
We now tell you about Sha Monk, who was grazing the horse before the mountain slope when he heard some hog-grunting. As he raised his head, he saw Eight Rules dashing back, lips pouted and grunting as he ran. “What in the world . . .?” asked Sha Monk, and our Idiot blurted out: “It’s awful! It’s awful! This pain! This pain!” Hardly had he finished speaking when Pilgrim also arrived. “Dear Idiot!” he chuckled. “Yesterday you said I had a brain tumor, but now you are suffering from the plague of the swollen lip!” “I can’t bear it!” cried Eight Rules. “The pain’s acute! It’s terrible! It’s terrible!”
The three of them were thus in sad straits when they saw an old woman approaching from the south on the mountain road, her left hand carrying a little bamboo basket with vegetables in it. “Big Brother,” said Sha Monk, “look at that old lady approaching. Let me find out from her what sort of a monster-spirit this is and what kind of weapon she has that can inflict a wound like this.” “You stay where you are,” said Pilgrim, “and let old Monkey question her.” When Pilgrim stared at the old woman carefully, he saw that there were auspicious clouds covering her head and fragrant mists encircling her body. Recognizing all at once who she was, Pilgrim shouted, “Brothers, kowtow quickly! The lady is Bodhisattva!” Ignoring his pain, Eight Rules hurriedly went to his knees while Sha Monk bent low, still holding the reins of the horse. The Great Sage Sun, too, pressed his palms together and knelt down, all crying, “We submit to the great and compassionate, the efficacious savior, Bodhisattva Guanshiyin.”
When the Bodhisattva saw that they recognized her original light, she at once trod on the auspicious clouds and rose to midair to reveal her true form, the one which carried the fish basket. Pilgrim rushed up there also to say to her, bowing, “Bodhisattva, pardon us for not receiving you properly. We were desperately trying to rescue our master and we had no idea that the Bodhisattva was descending to earth. Our present demonic ordeal is hard to overcome indeed, and we beg the Bodhisattva to help us.” “This monster-spirit,” said the Bodhisattva, “is most formidable. Those tridents of hers happen to be two front claws, and what gave you such a painful stab is actually a stinger on her tail. It’s called the Horse-Felling Poison, for she herself is a scorpion spirit. Once upon a time she happened to be listening to a lecture in the Thunderclap Monastery. When Tathāgata saw her, he wanted to push her away with his hand, but she turned around and gave the left thumb of the Buddha a stab. Even Tathāgata found the pain unbearable! When he ordered the arhats to seize her, she fled here. If you want to rescue the Tang Monk, you must find a special friend of mine, for even I cannot go near her.” Bowing again, Pilgrim said, “I beg the Bodhisattva to reveal to whom it is that your disciple should go to ask for assistance.” “Go to the East Heaven Gate,” replied the Bodhisattva, “and ask for help from the Star Lord Orionis3 in the Luminescent Palace. He is the one to subdue this monster-spirit.” When she finished speaking, she changed into a beam of golden light to return to South Sea.
Dropping down from the clouds, the Great Sage Sun said to Eight Rules and Sha Monk, “Relax, Brothers, we’ve found someone to rescue Master.” “From where?” asked Sha Monk. Pilgrim replied, “Just now the Bodhisattva told me to seek the assistance of the Star Lord Orionis. Old Monkey will go immediately.” With swollen lips, Eight Rules grunted, “Elder Brother, please ask the god for some medicine for the pain.” “No need for medicine,” said Pilgrim with a laugh. “After one night, the pain will go away like mine.” “Stop talking,” said Sha Monk. “Go quickly!”
Dear Pilgrim! Mounting his cloud somersault, he arrived instantly at the East Heaven Gate, where he was met by the Devarāja Virūḍhaka. “Great Sage,” said the devarāja, bowing, “where are you going?” “On our way to acquire scriptures in the West,” replied Pilgrim, “the Tang Monk ran into another demonic obstacle. I must go to the Luminescent Palace to find the Star God of the Rising Sun.” As he spoke, Tao, Zhang, Xin, and Deng, the four Grand Marshals, also approached him to ask where he was going. “I have to find the Star Lord Orionis,” said Pilgrim, “and ask him to rescue my master from a monster-spirit.” One of the grand marshals said, “By the decree of the Jade Emperor this morning, the god went to patrol the Star-Gazing Terrace.” “Is that true?” asked Pilgrim. “All of us humble warriors,” replied Grand Marshal Xin, “left the Dipper Palace with him at the same time. Would we dare speak falsehood?” “It has been a long time,” said Grand Marshal Tao, “and he might be back already. The Great Sage should go to the Luminescent Palace first, and if he’s not there, then you can go to the Star-Gazing Terrace.”
Delighted, the Great Sage took leave of them and arrived at the gate of the Luminescent Palace. Indeed, there was no one in sight, and as he turned to leave, he saw a troop of soldiers approaching, followed by the god, who still had on his court regalia made of golden threads. Look at
His cap of five folds ablaze with gold;
His court tablet of most lustrous jade.
A seven-star sword, cloud patterned, hung from his robe;
An eight-treasure belt, lucent, wrapped around his waist.
His pendant jangled as if striking a tune;
It rang like a bell in a strong gust of wind.
Kingfisher fans parted and Orionis came
As celestial fragrance the courtyard filled.
Those soldiers walking in front saw Pilgrim standing outside the Luminescent Palace, and they turned quickly to report: “My lord, the Great Sage Sun is here.” Stopping his cloud and straightening his court attire, the god ordered the soldiers to stand on both sides in two rows while he went forward to salute his visitor, saying, “Why has the Great Sage come here?”
“I have come here,” replied Pilgrim, “especially to ask you to save my master from an ordeal.” “Which ordeal,” asked the god, “and where?” “In the Cave of the Lute at the Toxic Foe Mountain,” Pilgrim answered, “which is located in the State of Western Liang.” “What sort of monster is there in the cave,” asked the god again, “that has made it necessary for you to call on this humble deity?”
Pilgrim said, “Just now the Bodhisattva Guanyin, in her epiphany, revealed to us that it was a scorpion spirit. She told us further that only you, sir, could overcome it. That is why I have come to call on you.” “I should first go back and report to the Jade Emperor,” said the god, “but the Great Sage is already here, and you have, moreover, the Bodhisattva’s recommendation. Since I don’t want to cause you delay, I dare not ask you for tea. I shall go with you to subdue the monster-spirit first before I report to the throne.”
When the Great Sage heard this, he at once went out of the East Heaven Gate with the god and sped to the State of Western Liang. Seeing the mountain ahead, Pilgrim pointed at it and said, “This is it.” The god lowered his cloud and walked with Pilgrim up to the stone screen beneath the mountain slope. When Sha Monk saw them, he said, “Second Elder Brother, please rise. Big Brother has brought back the star god.” His lips still pouting, Idiot said, “Pardon! Pardon! I’m ill, and I cannot salute you.” “You are a man who practices self-cultivation,” said the star god. “What kind of sickness do you have?” “Earlier in the morning,” replied Eight Rules, “we fought with the monster-spirit, who gave me a stab on my lip. It still hurts.”
The star god said, “Come up here, and I’ll cure it for you.” Taking his hand away from his snout, Idiot said, “I beg you to cure it, and I’ll thank you most heartily.” The star god used his hand to give Eight Rules’s lip a stroke before blowing a mouthful of breath on it. At once, the pain ceased. In great delight, our Idiot went to his knees, crying, “Marvelous! Marvelous!” “May I trouble the star god to touch the top of my head also?” said Pilgrim with a grin. “You weren’t poisoned,” said the star god. “Why should I touch you?” Pilgrim replied, “Yesterday, I was poisoned, but after one night the pain is gone. The spot, however, still feels somewhat numb and itchy, and I fear that it may act up when the weather changes. Please cure it for me.” The star god indeed touched the top of his head and blew a mouthful of breath on it. The remaining poison was thus eliminated, and Pilgrim no longer felt the numbness or the itch. “Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, growing ferocious, “let’s go and beat up that bitch!” “Exactly!” said the star god. “You provoke her to come out, the two of you, and I’ll subdue her.”
Leaping up the mountain slope, Pilgrim and Eight Rules again went behind the stone screen. With his mouth spewing abuses and his hands working like a pair of fuel-gatherer hooks, our Idiot used his rake to remove the rocks piled up in front of the cave in no time at all. He then dashed up to the second-level door, and one blow of his rake reduced it to powder. The little fiends inside were so terrified that they fled inside to report: “Madam, those two ugly men have destroyed even our second-level door!” The fiend was just about to untie the Tang Monk so that he could be fed some tea and rice. When she heard that the door had been broken down, she jumped out of the flower arbor and stabbed Eight Rules with the trident. Eight Rules met her with the rake, while Pilgrim assisted him with his iron rod. Rushing at her opponents, the fiend wanted to use her poisonous trick again, but Pilgrim and Eight Rules perceived her intentions and retreated immediately.
The fiend chased them beyond the stone screen, and Pilgrim shouted, “Orionis, where are you?” Standing erect on the mountain slope, the star god revealed his true form. He was, you see, actually a huge, double-combed rooster, about seven feet tall when he held up his head. He faced the fiend and crowed once: immediately the fiend revealed her true form, which was that of a scorpion about the size of a lute. The star god crowed again, and the fiend, whose whole body became paralyzed, died before the slope. We have a testimonial poem for you, and the poem says:
Like tasseled balls his embroidered neck and comb,
With long, hard claws and angry, bulging eyes,
He perfects the Five Virtues forcefully;
His three crows are done heroically.
No common, clucking fowl about the hut,
He’s Heaven’s star showing his holy name.
In vain the scorpion seeks the human ways;
She now her true, original form displays.
Eight Rules went forward and placed one foot on the back of the creature, saying, “Cursed beast! You can’t use your Horse-Felling Poison this time!” Unable to make even a twitch, the fiend was pounded into a paste by the rake of the Idiot. Gathering up again his golden beams, the star god mounted the clouds and left, while Pilgrim led Eight Rules and Sha Monk to bow to the sky, saying, “Sorry for all your inconvenience! In another day, we shall go to your palace to thank you in person.”
After the three of them gave thanks, they took the luggage and the horse into the cave, where they were met by those maids, who knelt on both sides to receive them. “Fathers,” they cried, “we are not fiends. We are all women from the State of Western Liang who have been kidnapped by this monster-spirit some time ago. Right now your master is weeping in a scented room in the rear.” On hearing this, Pilgrim stared at them and saw that there was indeed no demonic aura about them. He therefore went to the rear, crying, “Master!” When the Tang Monk saw them, he was very pleased. “Worthy disciples,” he said, “I have caused you a lot of trouble. What happened to that woman?” “She was a huge female scorpion,” replied Eight Rules. “We are fortunate to have received the revelation from the Bodhisattva Guanyin, whereupon Big Brother went to Heaven to acquire the assistance of the Star Lord Orionis. He came here and subdued her, and she has been reduced to mud by old Hog. Only then did we dare walk in here to see your face.” The Tang Monk could not end his thanks to them. Then they found some rice and noodles with which they prepared a meal, after which they showed the way home to those girls who had been taken captive. Lighting up a fire, they burned out the entire cave-dwelling before they found the main road to the West once more. Thus it was that
They cut worldly ties to leave beauty and form;
They drained the gold sea to know the mind of Chan.
We do not know how many more years they still need in order to perfect the art of realized immortality; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.