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28 The Purple-Gold Bells

While Wukong was still wondering at this, he saw a spurt of sand burst from the hollow. The sand hid the sky and bewildered the earth as it rolled and billowed upward. Wukong was careless, and some of the dust flew up his nose; he sneezed again and again, and the itching was unbearable. Wukong hastily picked up two pebbles and plugged his nostrils with them. Then he shook himself and changed into a fire-darting sparrow hawk, and flew into the smoke and flame. He was about to look about him closely when suddenly the sand, the dust, the smoke and the fire all vanished together. Wukong resumed his own shape, more puzzled than ever. Presently he heard the clang of a bronze gong. He looked toward the sound and saw, far off, a little imp carrying a yellow banner on his shoulder and a satchel of papers on his back, beating a gong and hurrying along as fast as he could fly. Wukong changed himself into a midge and settled on the little imp's satchel. The imp was muttering to himself about how cruel their great king was, how three years ago he had seized Queen Jin Sheng by force and yet could not so much as touch her, how the palace maids had suffered for it, being taken and killed and taken again, and now how an enemy by the name of Sun Wukong had turned up. Wukong heard it all in a fog of bewilderment. Wukong flew away from the imp and went on ahead of him, where he changed himself into a young Taoist acolyte and came to meet the imp with a respectful salute. "Where are you bound, sir, and what dispatches are you carrying?" The imp stopped his gong mallet and returned the greeting with a broad grin, saying that he was going to the Kingdom of Zhuzi to deliver a challenge. When Wukong asked about Queen Jin Sheng, the imp told him all he knew. When Wukong had heard him out he resumed his true form and killed the imp with one blow of his staff. He took the challenge and hid it in his sleeve. Then from the imp's belt he drew a gold-inlaid tablet, on which was written, "One trusted lieutenant, by name Come-and-Go. Without this tablet he is an impostor," and so forth. Wukong pocketed the tablet, hooked the imp's body on his staff and held it up in the air, and went straight back to the Kingdom of Zhuzi. There he brought his cloud down and flung the body at the foot of the steps. Bajie ran up and struck at it with his rake, and Wukong told him the imp had long been dead. The king and the rest hurried down from the hall and asked how the fight against the demon had gone. Wukong told them what had passed and took out the challenge for the king to see. When the king heard Wukong speak of Queen Jin Sheng he wept afresh. Wukong asked whether, at their parting, the king and the queen had left any token between them. The king said there was a golden bracelet that the queen had always worn. He had it brought, and Wukong slipped it over his own wrist. Then he mounted the somersault cloud and set off once more for Mount Qilin. Wukong came to the place where he had killed the imp, and found the yellow banner and the bronze gong. He changed himself into the likeness of Come-and-Go, beat the gong with a clang, and strode straight for Xiechi Cave. The orangutan demon on guard at the gate cried, "Hurry along! The great king is waiting on the Flaying Pavilion for your report." Wukong passed the outer gate and went straight into the cave. Beyond the second gate he saw a pavilion in which stood a golden armchair, and in the chair sat upright a demon king with bulging eyes and jutting tusks. Wukong deliberately put on airs of neglect; he turned his face outward and went on beating his gong, and when the demon king questioned him he made no answer. The demon king came up and seized him by the arm. "Why are you still banging that gong now that you are home? And why do you not answer when you are spoken to?" Wukong dashed the gong to the ground and said that he had been insulted in the Kingdom of Zhuzi and given a beating, adding that the soldiers of Zhuzi were fierce and brave and would come to give battle before long. The demon king laughed. "That rabble will vanish in a single blaze of fire. Go now and tell Queen Jin Sheng that the men and horses of Zhuzi are strong and will surely defeat me, so that her heart may be at ease. Ever since she learned this morning that I meant to make war on Zhuzi she has been grieving." This suited Wukong's purpose exactly. He answered with a grunt and went straight into the inner cave. Wukong came to the queen's quarters. Two rows of fox sprites and deer sprites, who had taken the shapes of beautiful women, stood in attendance on either side, and in the middle sat Queen Jin Sheng, her cheek resting on her hand and tears falling from her eyes. Her face was indeed fair and delicate, and her beauty enchanting. The she-demons announced Wukong, and Wukong told the queen why he had come. When she heard that he had been to the Kingdom of Zhuzi to deliver the challenge, she asked eagerly after the king of Zhuzi. Wukong said he had a private word to say, and the queen at once dismissed the rows of foxes and deer. Wukong wiped a hand across his face and resumed his true form. He told her who he was, took out the golden bracelet and presented it to her with both hands. At the sight of it the queen's tears would not stop, and she rose from her seat and bowed her thanks. Wukong raised her up and asked, "What treasure is it that the demon has, that breathes fire and smoke and sand?"

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