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19 The Kingdom of Chechi

The Tang Monk and his disciples came before the Five Phoenix Tower and gave their names. The officer of the yellow gate went in and reported, "Outside are four monks from Great Tang in the east who have come to fetch the scriptures, and they are waiting to have their pass exchanged!" The moment the king heard they were monks he gave orders to seize them. The Grand Preceptor at his side remonstrated, "Your Majesty must not. That southern continent of Jambudvipa is the great central realm of China; these monks could not have come ten thousand li without having some measure of magic power." The king summoned the Tang Monk and his disciples into the hall, and was about to examine their travel pass when the officer of the yellow gate announced that the three royal preceptors had arrived. The king rose hastily from his dragon throne and bowed to greet them, and the three royal preceptors Tiger-Strength, Deer-Strength and Goat-Strength came swaggering up into the hall. The king said, "Why have the royal preceptors come to court today?" The Tiger-Strength Immortal asked, "Your Majesty, are those four the monks sent from Great Tang in the east to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven?" The king said, "I had meant to seize them and hand them over to you to deal with, but remembering that they come from the great land of China I thought it ill-advised to make an enemy of them, and so I did not trouble you." Tiger-Strength presented his complaint: "Your Majesty does not know: yesterday they beat two of my disciples to death, released five hundred of my convict monks, stole the offerings bestowed by the throne, defiled our holy hall of the Three Pure Ones, and disguised themselves as the Heavenly Worthies, tricking us into drinking their urine. This is an outrage past all bearing!" Wukong only asked the royal preceptor to produce his proof, which left the king wavering and unable to decide. Just then the officer of the yellow gate came to report that many village elders outside asked for an audience. The king granted it, and thirty or forty elders came into the hall and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, there has been no rain all this spring, and we fear drought and famine in the summer months. We beg that the royal preceptor pray for a fall of sweet rain to bring relief to all your people." The king bade the elders set their minds at rest. The king dismissed the elders and said to the Tang Monk and his disciples, "I honour the Dao and destroy the monks only because my royal preceptors can summon wind and rain and save my people. If you dare to match my preceptors in a contest of rain-prayer, I will exchange your pass and let you go west. If you lose the contest, I will have you taken to the execution ground and put to death as a warning to all." Wukong said with a laugh, "We are ready to wager." The king had the altar swept clean and went in person to the Five Phoenix Tower to watch. The Tang Monk with his disciples and the three Daoists came before the tower. Wukong stopped Tiger-Strength and asked how they should compete. The Tiger-Strength Immortal said, "I have a token to give the signal: at the first stroke the wind comes, at the second the clouds rise, at the third the lightning flashes and the thunder rolls, at the fourth the rain falls, at the fifth the clouds scatter and the rain ceases." Wukong said only, "Pray proceed, pray proceed!" The Tiger-Strength Immortal mounted the high platform, burned a talisman, and with his precious sword in his hand muttered a spell; and presently a gentle breeze came drifting softly in. Bajie muttered, "This old Daoist really does have some skill!" Seeing that wind was coming, Wukong at once plucked out a hair, changed it into a counterfeit body, and sent his true spirit out into mid-air. Wukong summoned the Wind Matron and Xun Erlang and demanded, "I am wagering with that demon Daoist over the rain-prayer. Why do you not help old Sun, and why instead do you aid that demon?" The Wind Matron and Xun Erlang apologized again and again, and hastily twisted up their wind bag and tied its mouth-cord fast. Seeing that the wind had stopped, Bajie could not help shouting, "Your token has already sounded, so why is there no wind? Let us go up instead!" Tiger-Strength took up a second token and again raised clouds and mist. Wukong answered by summoning the Cloud-Pushing Lad and the Mist-Spreading Lord, and told them to roll up the clouds and mist. When the sky was swept clear of cloud and mist, Bajie again mocked the Tiger-Strength Immortal for his failure to raise the clouds. Tiger-Strength grew anxious at heart; he loosened his hair, chanted his spell, burned a talisman, and took up a third token. At the sound of the token, Lord Deng led the Thunder God and the Lightning Mother out through the South Gate of Heaven; but just as they were about to send the lightning flashing and the thunder crashing, Wukong barred their way.

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