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27 Seven Wonders Mountain

Thirty li west of the village stands a mountain, and the road over it runs for eight hundred li. The whole mountain is covered with persimmon trees, heavy with fruit. The persimmon tree has seven perfections: first, it lengthens life; second, it gives abundant shade; third, it holds no bird's nest; fourth, it breeds no worms; fifth, its frost-colored leaves are a delight to see; sixth, its fruit is excellent; seventh, its branches and leaves are stout and broad. And so the mountain came to be called Mount Seven-Jue. But this region is wide and its people few, and no one gathers the fruit. When the persimmons ripen they fall onto the road and fill the whole mountain path. Year after year they rot and stink until the way becomes one long filth, which men call the Persimmon Alley. Whenever the wind blows, the stench rises to the sky, and no traveler can get through. The Tang Monk grew deeply troubled as he listened. Wukong could hold back no longer and called out to the old man, "You old man have no sense at all! We have come from far away to ask for lodging, and you say such things to frighten us! If there is no room in your house to sleep, we can squat under a tree for the night and be done with it!" When the old man saw how ugly Wukong looked, he was startled, and pointing with his thorn staff he said, "You sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked consumptive ghost, how dare you offend an old man like me!" Wukong said with a laugh, "Old sir, do not judge a man by his looks. Ugly though I am, I have some skill at subduing demons and quelling monsters." But the old man, on hearing this, was overjoyed. He bowed and said, "Pray come into my humble house." So master and disciples entered the old man's home. The old man prepared a rich meal and invited the Tang Monk and his disciples to eat their fill. When Bajie had eaten his fill he muttered, "The old fellow would not lodge us at first, and then he lays on a fine feast. How very strange." Before long the old man came again, carrying a lamp. Wukong asked, "May I ask your honorable surname, benefactor? You entertain us most generously - is there some reason for it?" The old man said, "My surname is Li. This place is called Tuoluo Village, and more than five hundred families live here. To tell you the truth, elder, there is a demon in these parts, and we wish to ask you to destroy it." Wukong brightened at once and bowed. "Old Sun loves nothing better than catching demons. Many thanks for your kindness!" Bajie said with a laugh, "This monkey! No sooner does he hear there is a demon to catch than he grows as fond of the old man as if he were his own grandfather." Wukong took no offense and asked Old Man Li, "What sort of monster is it that has fixed its eye on this place?" Old Man Li heaved a long sigh and began to tell of what had happened - "Two years ago, in summertime, when everyone was busy in the fields, a strange wind suddenly sprang up. Where the wind passed, a demon appeared. "The demon ate the cattle, horses, pigs and sheep of this place, and when it saw living men it swallowed them whole as well. From that time on it came often to plague the villagers. "The people could bear it no longer, so they scraped together some silver, and I went in their name to find a holy monk living apart from the world south of the mountain, and asked him to seize the demon. "The monk gladly agreed. Wearing his cassock, he came into the village, chanted from the Lotus Sutra, and rang his hand bell. The demon was disturbed by this and came riding on wind and cloud, and the two of them traded blows and fought together. "In no time at all the demon had the victory and went straight back the way it came. We drew near and looked: the monk lay dead on the ground, his shaven head beaten to a pulp like a smashed watermelon! "Later we would not accept defeat, and invited a Taoist priest to come as well. This priest wore a golden crown and a robe of ceremony, held in his hands a command token and talismans, and looked most majestic. He performed his rites and drew the demon out, then fought with it in a tangle.

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