The local spirit said, “King Powerful is, in fact, the Bull Demon King.” “So, this fire of the mountain was set by the Bull Demon King,” said Pilgrim, “and it was erroneously named the Mountain of Flames, right?” “No, no,” replied the local spirit, “but I dare not speak plainly unless the Great Sage is willing to pardon this humble deity.” “What offense is there?” said Pilgrim. “Go ahead and tell us.”
The local spirit said, “This fire originally was set by the Great Sage.” “Where could I have been at the time?” said Pilgrim, his anger growing. “How could you babble like that? Am I an arsonist?” “You can’t possibly recognize me now,” said the local spirit. “There was no such mountain in this place originally. Five hundred years ago, when the Great Sage caused great disturbance in the Celestial Palace, you were caught by Illustrious Sagacity1 and taken in custody to Laozi. He placed you inside the brazier of eight trigrams, and after the process of refinement, the reactionary vessel was opened. You jumped out, kicking over the elixir oven in the process, and a few bricks still on fire dropped down to this spot. They were transformed into the Mountain of Flames. I was then the Daoist worker attending the brazier in the Tushita Palace. Since Laozi blamed me for carelessness, I was banished to become the mountain’s local spirit.” “No wonder you are dressed like this!” said Eight Rules, somewhat annoyed. “You were actually a Daoist!”
Only half-believing what he heard, Pilgrim said, “Tell me further, why did you say that I had to fight King Powerful?” “King Powerful,” said the local spirit, “happens to be the husband of Rākṣasī, but he left her some time ago and is currently residing at the Cloud-Touching Cave of the Hoard-Thunder Mountain. A fox king of ten thousand years used to be the cave-master there, but he passed away, leaving behind a daughter by the name of Princess Jade Countenance and a vast fortune with no one to care for it. Two years ago, when she learned that the Bull Demon King had enormous magic powers, she was willing to give up all her wealth as dowry and take him in as her consort. The Bull King thus abandoned Rākṣasī and hasn’t paid her a visit since. Only if the Great Sage succeeds in finding him can you acquire the real fan. If he is willing to lend it to you, you will be able to do three good deeds: one, enable your master to proceed on his journey; two, eliminate the blight of fire for the people of this region; and three, obtain a pardon for me so that I may return to Laozi in Heaven.” “Where is this Hoard-Thunder Mountain,” asked Pilgrim, “and how far away is it?” “Due south of here,” said the local spirit, “about three thousand miles.” On hearing this, Pilgrim told Eight Rules and Sha Monk to protect their master with care, and he gave instruction as well to the local spirit to remain and keep them company. With a loud whoosh, he at once disappeared.
In less than half an hour he came upon a tall mountain. He lowered his cloud and stood on the peak to look all around. It was indeed a fine mountain:
Tall or not,
Its top touches the blue sky;
Deep or not,
Its roots reach the yellow spring.
Before the mountain the sun’s warm;
Behind the mountain the wind’s cold;
Before the mountain the sun’s warm,
Though the winter plants do not know of it;
Behind the mountain the wind’s cold:
Ice, e’en in late summer, stays unmelted.
The dragon lagoon joins a flowing brook;
Flowers bloom early by the cliff’s tiger lair.
Water flows like countless strands of flying jade,
And flowers bloom like bunches of brocade.
Sinuous trees twist round the sinuous peak;
Craggy pines grow beyond the craggy rocks.
Truly we have
The mountain that’s tall,
The cliff that’s sheer,
The stream that’s deep,
The flower that’s fragrant,
The fruit that’s pretty,
The wisteria that’s red,
The pine that’s blue,
The willow that’s jade-green—
Their features in all climes remain the same;
Their hues stay vibrant in ten thousand years.
After he looked at this scenery for a long time, our Great Sage walked down from the pointed summit to search for the way. He did not, in truth, know quite where to turn when a lissome young woman emerged from a shady pine forest, her hand holding a twig of fragrant orchid. Hiding himself behind some boulders, the Great Sage stared at her. How did she look, you ask?
A coy, empire-toppling beauty,
In slow, sedate steps she walks.
With a face like Wang Qiang’s,2
With features like a girl of Chu,
She seems like a flower able to speak;
She resembles a fragrant figure of jade.
Her jet black hair-bun smartly rises high;
Her eyes, mascara-greened, shine like autumn’s pools.
Beneath her silk skirt tiny shoes half-appear;
From sleeves, just upturned, extend long, white wrists.
How shall we speak of such seductive airs?
Truly she has pearl-like teeth, ruddy lips,
And moth-brows soft and smooth like the River Jin;
She surpasses even Wenjun and Xue Tao.3
Gradually, the girl drew near to the boulders. Bowing low to salute her, the Great Sage said slowly, “Lady Bodhisattva, where are you going?” As the girl did not notice him at first, she raised her head only when she heard his voice, and all at once she discovered how ugly the appearance of the Great Sage was. Terrified, she could neither retreat nor advance, and, trembling all over, she forced herself to reply, “Where have you come from? To whom are you addressing your question?”
The Great Sage thought to himself, “If I mention the business of seeking scriptures, I fear that she may be related to the Bull King. I’d better say something like I am some sort of a relative who has come here to invite the demon king to return home. Perhaps that may be acceptable. “When the girl, however, saw that he did not reply, her color changed and she said with anger in her voice, “Who are you and how dare you question me?”
Bowing again and smiling, the Great Sage said, “I have come from the Jade Cloud Mountain. As this is my first visit to your noble region, I don’t know my way. May I ask the Lady Bodhisattva whether this is the Hoard-Thunder Mountain?” “Yes,” said the girl. “There is a Cloud-Touching Cave,” said the Great Sage. “Where is it located?” “Why do you want to find the cave?” asked the girl. The Great Sage said, “I have been sent here by the Princess Iron-Fan of the Palm-Leaf Cave at Jade Cloud Mountain to fetch the Bull Demon King.”
Enraged by this one statement, the girl grew red from ear to ear and began to scream, “That filthy slut! She’s a real numbskull! It hasn’t been two years since the Bull King arrived in my house, and during that time, he has sent back to her God knows how many pieces of jewels and precious stones, how many bolts of silk and satin. He provides her with firewood by the year and with rice by the month so that she can enjoy her life to her heart’s content. Doesn’t she know shame at all? Why does she want you to fetch him now?” When the Great Sage heard these words, he knew that the girl had to be the Princess Jade Countenance. Deliberately pulling out his golden-hooped rod, he bellowed at her: “You bitch! You used your wealth to buy the Bull King. Indeed, you got
your man by throwing money away. Aren’t you ashamed? And you dare
castigate someone else?”
When that girl saw his savage appearance, she was so terrified that her spirit left her and her soul fled. Shaking all over, she turned and ran, while the Great Sage gave chase from behind, still shouting and hollering at her. After they went through the pine forest, the entrance of the Cloud-Touching Cave immediately came into view. The girl dashed inside and slammed the door shut. Only then did the Great Sage put away his golden-hooped rod and pause to glance about. Lovely place!
Luxuriant forest;
Precipitous cliffs;
The broken shades of wisteria;
The sweet, pure scent of orchids.
A stream, gurgling jade, cuts through old bamboos;
Canny rocks know how to sport fallen blooms.
Mist enshrouds the distant hills;
The sun and moon shine through cloud-screens.
Dragons chant and tigers roar;
Cranes cry and orioles sing.
A loveable spot of pure serenity
Where jade flowers and grass are ever bright—
No less divine than a Tiantai cave,4
It surpasses e’en Peng-Ying5 of the seas.
Let’s not speak anymore of Pilgrim enjoying the scenery; we tell you instead about the girl, who ran until she perspired heavily and her heart pounded. She dashed into the library, where the Bull Demon King was quietly studying some books on elixir. Full of anguish, the girl fell onto his lap and began to wail, pinching her ears and scratching her cheeks. The Bull King smiled broadly and tried to placate her, saying, “Pretty Lady, don’t be distressed. What’s the matter?”
“Wretched demon!” cried the girl, jumping up and down. “You’ve just about killed me!” “Why are you scolding me?” said the Bull King, laughing. “Because I lost my parents,” said the girl, “I took you in so that I could have protection and care. You have the reputation in the world of being a hero, but you are actually a henpecked nitwit!” On hearing this, the Bull King embraced her and said, “Pretty Lady, where have I done wrong? Tell me slowly, and I’ll apologize.”
“Just now,” said the girl, “I was taking a leisurely stroll outside the cave beneath the flowers to pick my orchids. I was stunned by a hairy-faced monk with a thunder god beak who suddenly barred my way and bowed to me. When I regained my composure and asked for his identity, he claimed that he was someone sent here by that Princess Iron-Fan to fetch the Bull Demon King. I tried to tell him off, but he gave me a severe reprimand instead and even chased me with a rod. If I hadn’t run away so fast, I would have been struck to death by him. Isn’t this calamity brought on by you? You’re killing me!” When the Bull King heard what she said, he apologized to her and treated her with great tenderness. Only after a long time was the girl pacified, but then the Demon King became annoyed and said, “Pretty Lady, to tell you the truth, though that Palm-Leaf Cave is an out of the way place, it’s an unsullied and comfortable spot. My wife, who has practiced self-cultivation since her youth, is also an immortal who has attained the Way. She presides, in fact, over a rather strict household, and there is not a single male within it at the moment, not even a baby boy. How could she have sent a man with a thunder god beak to make demands here? This has to be a fiend from somewhere who has falsely assumed her name to search for me. Let me go out and have a look.”
Dear Demon King! He strode out of the library and went up to the main hall to put on his armor. After he was suited up properly, he picked up a cast-iron rod and went out of the door, crying, “Who is being so rowdy at my place?” When Pilgrim caught sight of him, the figure he saw was quite different from that of five hundred years ago. He saw that
He had had on a wrought-iron helmet, water polished and silver bright;
He wore a yellow gold cuirass lined with silk brocade;
His feet were shod in a pair of pointed-toe and powdered-sole buckskin boots;
His waist was tied with a lion king belt6 of triple-braided silk.
A pair of eyes that shone like bright mirrors;
Two thick eyebrows that glowed like red lightning.
His mouth seemed like a bloody bowl;
His teeth stood like slabs of bronze.
A roaring snort that made mountain gods cringe;
An imposing stride that vile spirits feared.
Famed in the four seas, he was named World-Wrecker,
The Powerful of the West called Demon King.
Straightening his clothes, our Great Sage walked forward and bowed deeply, saying, “Eldest Brother, do you still recognize me?” Returning his bow, the Bull King said, “Aren’t you Sun Wukong, the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven?” “Indeed, I am,” replied the Great Sage. “I have not had the privilege of bowing to you for a long time. Just now I had to ask a girl before I got to see you again. You look better than ever. Congratulations!”
“Stop this clever talk!” bellowed the Bull King. “I heard that as a result of your causing great disturbance in the Celestial Palace, you were pinned beneath the Mountain of Five Phases by the Buddhist Patriarch. Recently liberated from your Heaven-sent calamity, you were accompanying the Tang Monk to see Buddha for scriptures in the Western Heaven. But why did you bring harm to my son, Bull Holy Child, the master of Fiery Cloud Cave by the Dried Pine Brook on Roaring Mountain? I’m quite mad at you already. Why are you here also looking for me?”
Bowing again to him, the Great Sage said, “Don’t wrongly blame me, Eldest Brother. At that time your son caught my master and wanted to eat his flesh. Your youngest brother was not able to get near him at all, and it was fortunate that the Bodhisattva Guanyin came to rescue my master. She persuaded your son to return to the right. Now he has become the Boy of Goodly Wealth, a rank higher even than yours, and he’s enjoying the halls of ultimate bliss and the joys of everlasting life. Is there anything wrong with that? Why blame me instead?” “You smart-mouthed ape!” scolded the Bull King. “I’ll let you talk yourself free of the charge of hurting my son. But why did you insult my beloved concubine and attack her right at my door?”
With a laugh, the Great Sage said, “Because I had a hard time trying to find you, I questioned that girl, but I had no idea that she was my second Sister-inlaw. She scolded me a little, and I lost my head momentarily and treated her rather roughly. I beg Eldest Brother to pardon me, please!” “If you put it that way,” said the Bull King, “I’ll spare you for old time’s sake. Leave!”
“I can’t thank you enough,” said the Great Sage, “for your great kindness. But I still have another matter that I must bring to you, and I beg you to be hospitable.” “Monkey,” scolded the Bull King, “you don’t know your limits! I’ve spared you already. Instead of going away, you stay here to pester me. What’s this business about being hospitable?” “To tell you the truth, Eldest Brother,” said the Great Sage, “I was accompanying the Tang Monk on his westward journey, but our path was blocked by the Mountain of Flames and we couldn’t proceed. When we asked the natives of that region, we learned that my esteemed Sister-in-law, Rākṣasī, had in her possession a palm-leaf fan. Since it could be used to extinguish the fire, we went to your house and begged her to lend it to us. She adamantly refused. That’s why I now come to you and beg you to extend to us the compassion of Heaven and Earth. Go with me to the place of my big Sister-in-law and persuade her to lend us the fan. As soon as the Tang Monk has safely crossed the Mountain of Flames, we shall return it to you.”
When he heard these words, the Bull King could not suppress the fire leaping up in his heart. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “You claimed you weren’t rowdy, but you wanted the fan all along. You must have insulted my wife first, and when she refused, you came to find me. What’s more, you even chased my beloved concubine around! As the proverb says,
Ye must not slight
A friend’s wife of thine,
Nor must ye snub
A friend’s concubine.
You have, in fact, insulted my wife and snubbed my concubine. How insolent can you be? Come up here and have a taste of my rod!” “If you mention fight,” said the Great Sage, “you won’t frighten me. But I have come to beg you for the fan in all earnestness. Please lend it to me!”
The Bull King said, “If you can withstand me for three rounds, I’ll tell my wife to give it to you. If not, I’ll kill you—just to relieve my wrath!” “You are right, Eldest Brother,” replied the Great Sage. “I have been rather remiss in visiting you, and I don’t know whether your martial skill is as good as previous years. Let us practice a little with our rods.” Without permitting further talk, the Bull King wielded his cast-iron rod and brought it down hard on his visitor’s head, and it was met by the golden-hooped rod of the Great Sage. The two of them thus began quite a battle:
The golden-hooped rod,
The cast-iron rod—
Their colors change and they speak no more as friends.
That one says, “I still blame you, Monkey, for hurting my son!”
This one says, “Your son has attained the Way, so don’t get mad!”
That one says, “How dare you be so brash as to approach my door?”
This one says, “I have good reason to give you a request.”
One wants the fan to protect the Tang Monk;
One is too stingy to lend the palm-leaf.
Words are exchanged, their old amity’s gone;
Friendship destroyed, they have but anger left.
The Bull King’s rod like a dragon rears up;
The Great Sage’s rod comes, gods and ghosts take flight.
Before the mountain they battle at first;
Then they rise jointly on auspicious clouds
To show in midair their great magic might,
To flaunt their powers in five-colored lights.
Two rods resound to shake the gates of Heav’n—
None’s the stronger, they’re evenly matched.
Our Great Sage and the Bull King fought for over one hundred rounds, but no decision could be reached.
In that moment when it was virtually impossible to separate the two of them, someone suddenly called out from the mountain peak: “Sire Bull, my Great King sends you his earnest invitation. Please come early so that the banquet may begin.” On hearing this, the Bull King stopped the golden-hooped rod with his cast-iron rod and said, “Monkey, you stop for a moment. I have to attend a banquet in a friend’s house first.” He dropped down at once from the clouds and went inside the cave to say to Princess Jade Countenance, “Pretty Lady, that man just now with a thundergod beak happens to be the monkey, Sun Wukong, who has been driven away by the blows of my rod. He won’t dare return. I am off to drink in a friend’s house.” He took off his armor and put on instead a duck-green silk jacket. Walking outside, he mounted a water-repellent golden-eyed beast, and, after giving instructions to the little ones to guard the door, departed midway between cloud and fog toward the northwest.
When the Great Sage, standing on the tall summit, saw him leave, he thought to himself, “I wonder what sort of friend that old Bull has, and where he is going to attend a banquet. Let old Monkey follow him.” Dear Pilgrim! With one shake of his body he changed into a gust of wind to catch up with the Bull King and proceed with him. In a little while, they arrived at a mountain, and the Bull King soon disappeared. Collecting himself to change back into his true form, the Great Sage entered the mountain to look around, and he came upon a deep lagoon with lovely clear water. There was, beside the lagoon, a stone tablet, on which there was in large letters this inscription: Scattered-Rocks Mountain, Green Wave Lagoon. The Great Sage thought to himself, “That old Bull must have gone into the water, and an aquatic fiend has to be some kind of dragon spirit, fish spirit, or turtle spirit. Let old Monkey go in also to have a look.”
Dear Great Sage! Making the magic sign with his fingers, he recited a spell and with one shake of his body changed into a crab; neither too big nor too small, it weighed about thirty-six pounds. He leaped into the water with a splash and sank quickly to the bottom of the lagoon. There he saw all at once a towered gateway with finely carved openwork. Beneath the arch there was tied the waterrepellent golden-eyed beast, but it was waterless inside the gateway. Crawling through, the Great Sage stared all around and he heard the sound of music coming from buildings still further in. This is what he saw:
Scarlet halls and shelled arches
Not commonly found in this world;
Roof tiles made of yellow gold;
Door frames formed by milk-white jade;
Railings built from coral twigs;
Spread screens of tortoise-shell inlay.
Auspicious clouds hang o’er the lotus throne—
Above, the Three Lights,7 below, the Milky Way.
Though it’s not Heav’n or the sea’s treasure chest,
This place quite rivals the island of Peng.
Guests and hosts gather in a tall banquet hall;
Pearls stud the caps of officials great and small.
They beckon jade girls to serve their ivory trays;
They urge divine maids to make merry tunes.
Long whales squeal;
Huge crabs dance;
Scorpaenids play flutes;
Iguanas roll drums.
Rare, lustrous pearls light up the food and drink;
Nature’s patterns are carved on kingfisher screens.
Shrimp-whiskered curtains hang o’er corridors.
Eight instruments8 play in divine harmony,
Their glorious tones resound throughout the sky.
Green-headed perch-cocottes stroke the zithers,
And red-eyed young boysg blow the flutes of jade.
Perch matrons present the venison stripes;
Gold-phoenix hairpins crown the dragon girls.
What they have to eat:
The eight treasure dainties10 of Heaven’s kitchen;
What have they to drink:
The rich mellow brew from the purple mansion.11
Sitting above in the middle honored seat was the Bull Demon King, while several female dragon spirits sat on his immediate left and right. Facing him was an old dragon spirit, attended by scores of dragon sons, dragon grandsons, dragon grandmothers, and dragon daughters on both sides. They were toasting one another and drinking with abadon when the Great Sage Sun walked right in. The old dragon caught sight of him, and he at once gave the order: “Seize that wild crab!” The various dragon sons and grandsons surged forward and took hold of the Great Sage, who assumed human speech, crying, “Spare me! Spare me!” The old dragon said, “Where did you come from, wild crab? How dare you barge into our hall and hobble around without permission? Confess quickly, and we’ll spare your life!”
Dear Great Sage! With specious words of a lyric to the tune of “Moon Over West River,” he made this confession:
Since birth the lake’s my livelihood,
I dwell in a cave by the ridge.
Of late time’s passage has my body freed—
My rank, Private Sidewise-Carriage.
Treading on grass and trailing mud,
I’ve ne’er learned to walk properly.
Untaught in law, I your kingly might offend;
I beg your Grace to pardon me.
When those spirits attending the banquet heard what he said, they all rose to bow to the old dragon and to say, “This is the first time that Private Crab has entered the royal palace, and he’s unfamiliar with the proper etiquette. We beg our lord to pardon him.” The old dragon expressed his consent, and one of the spirits gave this command: “Release him. We’ll stay the sentence of flogging. Let him go outside and wait on us.” The Great Sage dutifully gave his obedient reply before fleeing outside. Once he reached the towered gateway, he thought to himself, “This Bull King is so fond of his cup. How could I wait for him to leave here? And even when he leaves, he won’t lend me the fan. Why don’t I steal his golden-eyed beast, change into his appearance, and go deceive that Rākṣasī? I can then wangle her fan and help my master cross the mountain. That’s a much better move.”
Dear Great Sage! Changing back into his original form all at once, he untied the reins of the golden-eyed beast and mounted the carved saddle. He rode it out of the lagoon’s bottom and went up to the surface of the water. He then changed himself into the form of the Bull King; whipping the beast and mounting the clouds, he reached the entrance of the Palm-Leaf Cave on the Jade Cloud Mountain in no time. “Open the door!” he cried, and two maids inside immediately opened the door when they heard his call. When they saw, moreover, that it was the Bull King, they rushed inside to report: “Madam, our sire has come home.”
On hearing this, Rākṣasī quickly straightened her hairdo and walked out of her room to receive him. Our Great Sage thus
Dismounted
To lead in the golden-eyed beast;
In boldness
He would deceive the fair lady.
As Rākṣasī had only eyes of flesh, she could not recognize him. They entered the cave hand in hand, and she told the maids to present tea. When the whole family saw that the master had returned, each member treated him with great respect.
In not time at all, the couple were exchanging greetings. “Madam,” said the specious Bull King, “it’s been a long time!” “I wish the Great King ten thousand blessings,” replied Rākṣasī, and then she said, “the Great King is so partial toward his newlywed that he has forsaken this humble maid. Which gust of wind today has blown you back here?”
Smiling at her, our Great Sage said, “I dare not forsake you. Since I was invited to join Princess Jade Countenance, however, I was plagued by all kinds of domestic concerns as well as by the affairs of my friends. That’s why I have stayed away for so long, as I had to take care of another household. Anyway, I heard recently that the fellow Wukong, in the company of the Tang Monk, is about to arrive at the Mountain of Flames. I fear that he may want to ask you for the fan. I hate him, and we have yet to avenge our son’s wrongs. When he comes, send someone to report to me at once so that I can seize him and have him chopped to pieces. Only that can bring us satisfaction.”
On hearing this Rākṣasī fell to weeping and said, “Great King, the proverb says:
A man without wife, his wealth has no boss;
A woman with no husband herself has no boss.
My life was nearly taken by this monkey!” When he heard that, the Great Sage pretended to be outraged. “When did this wretched ape pass through here?” he cried. “He hasn’t yet,” replied Rākṣasī. “But he came here yesterday to borrow our fan. Because he brought harm to our son, I put on my armor and went outside to hack at him with my swords. Enduring the pain, he addressed me even as sister-in-law, saying that he was once your bond-brother.” “There were indeed seven of us,” said the Great Sage, “who entered into a fraternal alliance some five hundred years ago.”
“He didn’t dare answer me at first,” said Rākṣasī, “even when I scolded him, nor did he dare raise his hands when I hacked him with the swords. Afterwards, I fanned him once and sent him away. But he found some sort of wind-arresting magic somewhere and came to our door again this morning to make noises. I used the fan on him once more, but this time I couldn’t budge him at all. When I attacked him then with the swords, he wasn’t so kind anymore. I was intimidated by the weight of his rod and ran inside the cave, tightly shutting the door. I didn’t know where or how he got through, but he managed to crawl into my stomach and almost took my life. I had to address him several times as brother-in-law and give him the fan.”
Again feigning dismay the Great Sage pounded his chest and said, “What a pity! What a pity! You have made a mistake, Madam! How could you give our treasure to that monkey? I’m so upset I could die!”
Laughing, Rākṣasī said, “Please don’t get mad, Great King, I gave him a fake fan, just to get him away.” “Where did you put the real one?” asked the Great Sage. “Relax! Relax!” replied Rākṣasī. “It’s in my possession.” After she ordered the maids to prepare wine to welcome him, she took up the cup herself and presented it, saying, “Great King, you may have your newfound joy, but don’t ever forget your proper wedded wife. Please have a cup of home brew.” The Great Sage did not dare refuse it; he had no choice, in fact, but to raise the cup and say to her, full of smiles, “Madam, please drink first. Because I had to look after external property, I was away from you for a long time. You have been good enough to watch over our home day and night. Please accept my thanks.” Rākṣasī took the cup and filled it some more before handing it to the Great King again, saying, “As the ancients put it, a wife is one who manages, but the husband is like a father who provides support. What is there to thank me for?” Thus the two of them conversed with great courtesy before they sat down to drink and eat in earnest. Not daring to break his vegetarian diet, the Great Sage took only a few fruits to keep the conversation going.
After drinking a few rounds, Rākṣasī felt somewhat tipsy and her passion was gradually aroused. She began to move closer to the Great Sage Sun, rubbing against him and leaning on him.
Holding hands with him,
She murmured affection;
Shoulder to shoulder,
She whispered endearment.
She took a mouthful of wine, and then he took also a mouthful of wine from the same cup. They also traded fruits with their mouths. The Great Sage, of course, was feigning tenderness in all this, although he had no choice but to laugh and dally with her. Truly
“The muse’s hook”—
“The sorrow’s broom”12—
To banish all cares nothing’s better than wine!
The man resolves to act with less restraint;
The girl has slackened and begins to laugh.
Her face reddens like a ripe peach;
Her body sways like young willow.
They mumble and murmur, thus the prattle grows;
They pinch and they fondle with flirtatious glee.
Often she strokes her hair
And wields her dainty hands.
Her tiny feet she’d wiggle frequently
And shake her sleeves a few times purposely.
She’d lower her creamy neck;
She’d twist her slender waist.
Amorous words would never leave her lips;
Gold buttons loosened, her bosom’s half-revealed.
Her reason truly totters for she’s drunk.
Rubbing her glazed eyes, she’s almost disgraced.
When the Great Sage saw that she was acting with such abandon, he took care to bait her with the words, “Madam, where have you put the real fan? You must be careful constantly, for I fear that Pilgrim Sun with his many ways of transformation will sneak in somehow and wangle it.” Giggling, Rākṣasī spat out a tiny fan no bigger than an almond leaf. Handing it over to the Great Sage, she said, “Isn’t this the treasure?”
When he held it in his hand, the Great Sage could not believe what he saw, and he thought to himself, “This little thing! How could it extinguish the flames? Could this be another false one?” When Rākṣasī saw him staring at the treasure in complete silence, she could not refrain from putting her powdered face up to Pilgrim’s and calling out, “Dearest, put away the treasure and drink. What are you thinking of, anyway?” Immediately the Great Sage took this opportunity to follow up with the question, “A tiny thing like this, how could it extinguish eight hundred miles of flames?”
Since the wine had virtually overwhelmed her true nature, Rākṣasī felt no constraint whatever and she at once revealed the truth, saying, “Great King, in these two years of separation, you must have given yourself over to pleasures night and day, allowing that Princess Jade Countenance to dissipate even your intelligence! How could you possibly forget how your own treasure works? Use your left thumb to press the seventh red thread attached to the fan’s handle and
utter the magic words, Hui-xu-he-xi-xi-chui-hu,13 and it will grow to twelve feet
long. This treasure can change in boundless ways. You may have eighty thousand miles of flames, but one wave of the fan will extinguish them all.”
Tucking these words firmly in his memory, the Great Sage put the fan inside his mouth before giving his own face a wipe to change back to his original form. “Rākṣasī,” he shouted, “take a good look at me to see if I’m your dear husband! How you’ve pestered me with all your shameful doings! Aren’t you embarrassed?” So astonished was that woman by the sight of Pilgrim that she fell to the ground, kicking over the tables and chairs. She was smitten with such terrible shame that she could only cry, “I’m so mad I could die! I’m so mad I could die!”
Our Great Sage, of course, had no regard for her whether she was dead or alive. Struggling free, he left the Palm-Leaf Cave in big strides; truly
With no desire for such beauty,
He triumphed in gaiety .
Leaping up, he mounted the auspicious cloud to rise to the tall summit, where he spat out the fan at once to test its magic. Using his left thumb to press on the
seventh red thread attached to the fan’s handle, he recited: “Hui-xu-he-xi-xi-chui-
hu.” Immediately it grew to twelve feet long. When he examined it carefully in
his hand, he found that it was indeed quite different from the one before. The whole fan was shrouded by auspicious light and hallowed airs, and it was covered by thirty-six strands of red threads, plaited warp and weft. Pilgrim, however, had only acquired the magic of enlarging it, and he had not throught of asking Rākṣasī for the oral formula to make it small again. After fussing with the fan for some time without being able to alter its size at all, he had no choice but to carry it on his shoulder and find his way back. We shall leave him for the moment.
We tell you instead about that Bull Demon King, who finally ended the banquet with those various spirits at the bottom of the Green Wave Lagoon. When he walked out of the door, he discovered that the water-repellent goldeneyed beast had disappeared. Calling the spirits together, the old dragon king asked, “Who stole the golden-eyed beast of Sire Bull?” The spirits all knelt down and said, “No one would dare steal the beast. After all, all of us were presenting wines and serving the trays before the banquet, while others sang and made music. There was no one out in front.” “No member of this family,” said the old dragon, “would ever dare do such a thing, I know. But did any stranger come in?” “Shortly after we took our seats,” said one of the dragon sons, “there was a crab spirit who got in here. He was a stranger, all right.”
On hearing this, the Bull King at once realized what had happened. “No need to talk anymore,” he said. “At the time when the invitation of my worthy friend arrived, I was just doing battle with one Sun Wukong, who was accompanying the Tang Monk to seek scriptures. When they could not pass the Mountain of Flames, Sun came to ask me for the palm-leaf fan. I refused and we fought to a draw. Then I left him to attend your great banquet, but that ape has extraordinary intelligence and vast abilities. He must have taken the form of the crab spirit to spy on us, steal the beast, and then go off to my wife’s place to try to wangle that palm-leaf fan.” When they heard this, all those spirits shook with fear. “Is this the Sun Wukong who caused great disturbance in the celestial palace?” they asked. The Bull King said, “The very same. All of you should take care to avoid offending him on the road to the West.” “In that case,” said the old dragon, “what will you do about your beast of burden, Great King?” “Don’t worry,” said the Bull King, laughing. “Please go away now. Let me chase him down.”
He opened up a path in the water and leaped out of the lagoon. Mounting a yellow cloud, he soon arrived at the Palm-Leaf Cave in the Jade Cloud Mountain, where he heard Rākṣasī wailing loudly, beating her chest and stamping her feet. He pushed open the door and saw the water-repellent goldeneyed beast tied up inside. “Madam,” shouted the Bull King, “where has Sun Wukong gone to?” When the maids saw the Bull Demon, they all went to their knees to say, “Sire, have you returned?” Catching hold of the Bull King, Rākṣasī began to ram him with her head as she screamed: “You wretched reprobate! How could you be so careless and allow that ape to steal your golden-eyed beast, change into your appeareance, and deceive me here?” Gritting his teeth, the Bull King said, “Where did that ape go?” Rākṣasī pounded her own chest some more and screamed again. “After he wangled our treasure, that miserable ape changed back into his original form and left. Oh, I’m so mad I could die!”
“Madam,” said the Bull King, “please take care of yourself, and don’t be distressed. Let me catch up with the ape and get back our treasure. I’ll skin him, I’ll break his bones, and I’ll gouge out his heart—just to give you satisfaction!” Then he bellowed, “Bring me my weapon!” One of the maids said, “But your weapon isn’t here.” “Then bring me the weapons of your mistress,” said the Bull King. The maids at once took out the two blue-bladed treasure swords. Taking off his duck-green silk jacket that he wore to the banquet, the Bull King tightened the belt around his undershirt before he took up the swords with both hands and walked out of the Palm-Leaf Cave to give chase toward the Mountain of Flames. So it was that
The ungrateful man
Had the silly wife deceived;
The fiery demon
Now approached the disciple.
We do not know whether good or ill will befall him after he leaves; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.