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09 Old Gao's Village

The young man had no choice. "This is Gao Village, in the kingdom of Wusizang." "That get-up of yours says you are going far," said Wukong. "Where are you bound, and on what business?" "My name is Gao Cai. Three years ago a demon seized my master Squire Gao's youngest daughter. I have hunted up several exorcists, but none of them was any use. The squire sent me out this time with orders to find a worthy one." "Your luck is in," said Wukong with a laugh. "You have met the one born to master demons. Run home and tell your squire that the holy monk sent by the emperor of the eastern land, bound for the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures, is here, and can bind his demon for him." Gao Cai was half in doubt, and feared that if Wukong failed to catch the demon he would be blamed for it. Wukong gave him every assurance, and the Tang Monk praised his disciple's vast powers, until at last Gao Cai believed, and led the two of them to see the squire. At Squire Gao's gate Gao Cai asked the two to wait beside the door while he went in to report. Gao Cai told the squire all that had befallen him with the Tang Monk and his disciple. Squire Gao thought to himself: a monk come from so far away may well have some skill about him. And he hurried out to greet them. Squire Gao bowed hastily to the Tang Monk. But when he saw how fierce and ugly Wukong was, he drew Gao Cai aside in alarm. "I have not managed to be rid of the demon son-in-law I have — and now you bring me a Thunder God to finish me off?" "Old Gao," said Wukong in anger, "you have lived a great many years to very little purpose. Old Sun here has the skill to seize demons; when the time comes he will fetch your daughter out for you. Why judge a man by his looks?" Trembling, Squire Gao led the two of them into the house. Wukong tied up the horse, drew a chair for his master to sit in, and seeing the squire's brows knitted with worry asked, "How many demons are there in this house of yours?" "One demon son-in-law is already more than I can bear," said the squire. "How many more would you have?" The squire had three daughters. The eldest, Xianglan, and the second, Yulan, were both married to families in the village. Having no son in his old age, he waited until his youngest, Cuilan, was grown, and then looked for a son-in-law to take into the house — to keep the gate and hold the household together, to work and run errands, and to care for him in his old age and bury him when he died. Three years before, a dark, stout young fellow had come to offer himself as a son-in-law, giving his home as Mount Fuling and his surname as Zhu, with neither parents above him nor brothers below. The squire saw that he was strong and able, passable enough to look at, and a man with no ties to hold him, and so agreed. Cuilan saw him and was content, and the squire held the wedding feast for his daughter and the dark young fellow. At first the son-in-law was most diligent. He ploughed and harrowed without ox or harness, reaped the grain without sickle or flail, went out early and came home late, spared no strength, and ordered every task about the place as it should be. All the neighbours sang his praises. His only fault was his appetite: a hundred or so baked cakes for breakfast, and three or four pecks of rice at a meal. Fortunately he ate only vegetarian fare — otherwise the whole of Squire Gao's estate would have been eaten away in half a year. That could have been borne. But he could also change his face. When he came he was a dark, stout fellow; then one day he woke from sleep and had become a thing with a long snout and great ears, a bristle of hair at the back of its head, its body coarse as a hog's. Cuilan was frightened half out of her wits.

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