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16 The Kingdom of Wuji

Bajie heard the water surge, and when he looked back the gate of the Crystal Palace had vanished. Staring at the emperor's corpse, he went weak with terror, shot up out of the water, clung to the wall of the well and shouted, "Brother, lower your rod quickly and save me!" Wukong asked, "Have you the treasure?" Bajie said, "Treasure? There is nothing here but a king's corpse!" Wukong said, "That is the treasure. Carry him up." Bajie saw that the well was wide in the belly and narrow at the mouth, with steep and slippery walls, and that he would never get out without help. He had no choice but to drag the corpse over and hoist it on his back, then grip in his teeth the iron rod that Wukong lowered, and Wukong gently drew him up. Wukong made a magic sign and pronounced a spell, turning himself into a fierce wind that swept Bajie and the corpse out of the inner palace. Drifting and floating, they came to rest at last outside the mountain gate of Baolin Temple, where the wind died down and they settled to the ground. Bajie dumped the corpse before the meditation hall, muttering complaints without end. The Tang Monk and Sandy opened the door and came out, and saw that the emperor's face was as if he were still alive. Bajie, still angry at being tricked, urged, "Brother says he can bring this king back to life." The Tang Monk said joyfully, "Wukong, if you can bring this emperor back to life, it would be a greater deed than our worshipping the Buddha on Spirit Mountain." Wukong said, "Master, how can you believe this fool's nonsense? The man has been dead three years. How could he be brought back?" Bajie said, "Master, do not let him deceive you. Just recite that spell of yours and he is sure to give you back a living man." The Tang Monk believed him, closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and began to chant the band-tightening spell. The pain in Wukong's head was unbearable, and he pleaded, "Master, stop chanting! I will think of a way to bring him back, and that is that!" The Tang Monk asked, "How?" Wukong said, "I will go to Taishang Laojun and beg a pill of the nine-times-refined elixir of returning life. That is sure to revive him." Only then did the Tang Monk stop the spell. Wukong took leave of his master, sprang up on his somersault cloud, and rode a shaft of cloud-light in through the southern gate of heaven. Without presenting himself at the Hall of Miraculous Mist or ascending the Dipper-and-Bull Palace, he went straight to the Tushita Palace in the Heaven of Parting from Sorrow, above the thirty-third heaven. Taishang Laojun was fanning the fire to refine his elixir with a plantain fan, together with his boy attendants. Seeing Wukong arrive, he told the boys at once, "Be careful! The thief who stole the pills is here again." Wukong bowed and said with a laugh, "Old sir, why guard against me? I no longer do such things." Laojun said, "You monkey, why are you not guarding the Tang Monk on his way to the Western Heaven for the scriptures? What are you doing in my palace?" Wukong told him the whole story of what had befallen the king of Wuji, and asked to borrow one pill of the nine-times-refined elixir of returning life to save the king. Laojun was unwilling to give it, but he could not withstand Wukong's ceaseless pestering, so he took down his gourd, shook out one golden pill and handed it to Wukong, sending him away to be done with it. Wukong thanked Laojun, left the Tushita Palace, came down through the southern gate of heaven and returned to Baolin Temple. By now it was broad daylight. Seeing that he had brought back the elixir, the Tang Monk hastily told Sandy to fetch half a bowl of water and hand it to Wukong. Wukong placed the pill between the king's lips, pried his teeth apart with both hands, and washed it down with a mouthful of clean water. Half a double-hour later the king's breath gathered and his spirit returned. He rolled over and sat up, crying "Master!" and fell on both knees, saying, "I remember last night my ghost came to pay his respects; how could I know that at dawn today I would return to the realm of light?" The Tang Monk hastily helped him to his feet and they went together into the meditation hall. Talking over all that had passed, they all sighed without end. Wukong told the king his plan for destroying the demon, and at once had them all prepare to set out for the Kingdom of Wuji. To avoid drawing attention, Wukong asked the king to change into a suit of Taoist robes, and gave him some of the luggage to carry on a pole. The four or five hundred monks of the temple, learning that the Tang Monk and his disciples were leaving, all came to see them off beyond the mountain gate. After half a day's travel they came to the Kingdom of Wuji. Entering the city, they found the streets lively and bustling, with phoenix pavilions and dragon towers most splendid. The king of Wuji, back in his old home, could not hold back his tears. When the party reached the gate of the court, Wukong asked the yellow-gate officer to take word within. The yellow-gate officer went in to report, and the demon summoned them all into the hall. The king of Wuji followed them in and could not keep from weeping again. Wukong whispered, "Your Majesty must not grieve, lest the secret leak out. Today we will surely slay the demon and give you back your throne." At this the king hastily dried his tears.

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