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28 The Purple-Gold Bells

The queen said with a smile, "Even an emperor carries three royal lice, to say nothing of a great king. Take off your clothes and I will pick them off for you." The demon king loosed his belt and stripped off his robe, and saw that the lice, fleas and bedbugs on his underclothes were packed as thick as ants pouring out of a nest. They were thickest of all upon the golden bells, crowded together past all counting. Wukong said, "My lord, hand me the bells and I will pick the lice off them for you." Flustered and shamefaced, the demon king never stopped to tell true from false, but handed the three bells to Wukong. Wukong took them, and while the demon king bent his head to shake out his clothes, he swiftly hid the purple-gold bells away, pulled out some hairs and changed them into three counterfeit bells, which he held up to the lamp and pretended to examine. Then Wukong shook himself and drew the hairs back in, and returned the false bells to the demon king. The demon king took them and passed them to the queen, saying, "Keep these safe this time, and do not let anyone steal them." The queen took them, put them in her dressing case and locked it with a golden lock, and went on drinking and talking with the demon king. His purpose accomplished, Wukong hurried out of the cave, resumed his true form, took his stand before the cave mouth and shouted in a terrible voice, "Sai Taisui! Give me back Queen Jin Sheng!" The alarm spread among the demons great and small, and they ran to tell their king. When the demon king learned that Wukong was outside the gate shouting defiance, he flew into a rage. He rose, took his leave of the queen, seized a great axe with a flower-shaped blade, mustered his demon soldiers and went out to give battle. At the sight of Wukong the demon king cried furiously, "You monkey who wrought havoc in the heavenly court! If you are escorting the Tang Monk to fetch the scriptures, then go your way. Why do you meddle in the affairs of Zhuzi?" Wukong answered nothing, but raised his staff and struck. The demon king dodged aside and swung his flowered axe full at his face. They fought fifty bouts and more without either gaining the advantage. Seeing how great Wukong's skill was, and knowing he could not win, the demon king caught the iron staff on his axe and said, "Hold, monkey! I have not yet broken my fast. Let me eat, and then I will come back and settle the matter with you." Wukong knew he meant to fetch the bells, and so he put up his staff. The demon king rushed into the cave and came to the queen, crying, "Bring me the treasure at once!" The queen said, "What do you want the treasure for?" The demon king said, "Sun Wukong is outside shouting for battle, and I cannot beat him. I mean to take the treasure out and send forth fire and smoke and burn this ape to death." The queen feared that if she brought out the bells they would cost Sun Wukong his life, and hesitated, unable to make up her mind. But the demon king pressed her without ceasing, and she had no choice but to unlock the case, take out the bells and hand them to him. When the demon king had gone out, the queen wept as though the rain were falling; she was sick with fear for Wukong, little knowing that the bells were now false ones. The demon king came out of the cave, took his stand upwind and shouted, "Do not run away, Sun Wukong! Watch me shake my bells!" Wukong said with a laugh, "You have bells, and have I none? You can shake yours, and cannot I shake mine?" The demon king said, "What bells do you have? Bring them out and let me look." And Wukong untied the three true treasures from his waist. The demon king cried in astonishment, "How is it that your bells are exactly like mine? Where did they come from?" Wukong asked, "And where did yours come from?" The demon king said, "My bells were smelted in the eight-trigram furnace of Taishang Laojun, and are a treasure beyond price." Wukong said with a laugh, "Old Sun's bells came from the same place, only mine are the female and yours the male." The demon king said angrily, "What talk is this of male and female bells? The good bell is the one that shakes out its treasure!" Wukong said, "Words prove nothing. Shake yours first and let us see!" The demon king shook the three bells one after another, but not a speck of fire, smoke or sand came forth. He cried in consternation, "Strange indeed! These bells must be afraid of their wives. The male has met the female, and so they will not come out." Wukong said, "Let me shake mine and show you." He shook the three bells in his hand all together, and in an instant red fire, blue smoke and yellow sand came rolling out together. Then Wukong spoke a spell and cried, "Wind, come!" At once the wind drove the fire on and the fire rode the wind's might; the sky was full of smoke and flame and the earth was covered with yellow sand, and the demon king was swallowed up in the midst of it. It seemed that the demon king could not escape with his life, when a voice called from midair, "Hold your hand, Wukong! I am here!" Wukong looked up, and saw that it was Guanyin, the Bodhisattva, who had come. He hastily hid the bells at his waist and went respectfully to meet her. The Bodhisattva dipped her willow branch and sprinkled a few drops of sweet dew. In an instant the fire and smoke were gone and every trace of the yellow sand had vanished. Wukong asked at once what had brought her there. The Bodhisattva said, "I have come especially to help you subdue the demon."

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