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30 The Kingdom of Lion-Camel

The third demon king loosed Wukong's bonds and stripped off his clothes; then, on the breath of the vase, he was sucked inside with a whistle. The lid was clapped on and sealed with a strip of paper. Only then did the demons go off, easy in their minds, to celebrate. Once inside, Wukong felt the treasure squeeze his body small. For a while it was pleasantly cool, then suddenly the whole vase was filled with flame. Wukong sat in the midst of it, made the fire-warding sign, and feared nothing at all. He bore it for half a watch, then forty snakes slid out all around and bit at him. Wukong swung his arms, seized them and tore with all his might, rending them into eighty pieces. Soon after, three fire dragons came forth and coiled about him top and bottom, and that was hard indeed to endure. Wukong grew anxious, then thought: on Snake Coil Mountain the Bodhisattva once gave me three life-saving hairs. Let me look for them. He felt all over his body, and behind his head found three hairs, very stiff. These, he thought, must be the ones that can save my life. Wukong gritted his teeth against the pain, pulled the hairs out, breathed immortal air upon them, and turned one into a diamond drill, one into a slip of bamboo and one into a soft cord. He made a bow of the bamboo strip, strung the drill to it and bored away at the bottom of the vase until he had pierced a hole. Light streamed in, and in an instant the two breaths of yin and yang drained away. Wukong gathered up his hairs, changed himself into a midge and crept out through the hole. The old fiend was drinking when he suddenly set down his cup and ordered the vase brought up for inspection. The thirty-six young demons lifted it and found it much lighter, and reported in alarm, "Great king, the vase is lighter!" The old fiend lifted the lid, saw the light streaming through, and cried out, "The vase is empty!" Wukong called, "My lads! Old Sun is off!" The demons heard him and passed the order: "Shut the gates! Shut the gates!" Wukong gave himself a shake, recovered the clothes that had been stripped from him, resumed his true form and leapt out of the cave. Looking back, he shouted, "Demons! Your vase is bored through; it will hold no one now. You had best use it for a chamber pot!" Then, with a great clamour, he trod the clouds back to where the Tang Monk waited. The Tang Monk was there praying to the empty sky. Wukong drew in his cloud and came before him, and told the whole story from beginning to end. The Tang Monk said, "Bajie and Sandy both have powers of their own. Bid them join you with one heart and clear the mountain road." Wukong said, "Let Sandy stay and guard you, Master. Let Bajie come with me." Bajie roused all his valour, and with Wukong rode the wild wind and the clouds to the mouth of the cave. Wukong strode forward with his iron rod and shouted harshly, "Demons, open the gate! Come out and fight with old Sun!" The young demons reported this within, and the old fiend raged, "Today Sun Wukong holds us in such contempt that if we do not go out and meet him in battle our name is dirtied." So he took up his blade and led the young demons out. At the sight of Sun Wukong the old fiend roared, "Brazen ape! I have not provoked you; why do you come here to challenge me?" Wukong said, "Because you and your pack of foxes and dogs have banded together and plotted to eat my master. That is why I am here to teach you a lesson." "If you want a fight," said the old fiend, "first be my stake: let me strike three blows with all my might upon your head, and I will let your Tang Monk pass. If you cannot bear it, then hand your Tang Monk over to be a relish with my wine." Wukong laughed. "Demon, if you have paper and brush in your cave, bring them out and we will draw up a contract." The old fiend planted himself in a firm stance, raised his blade with both hands and hacked down at Wukong's crown. Wukong thrust his head up to meet it, and there came a crack, but the skin was not even reddened. The old fiend cried in astonishment, "What a hard head this monkey has!" The old fiend raised his blade and struck again. Wukong met it with his head, and it was cleanly split in two. Wukong rolled on the ground and became two bodies. At this the old fiend panicked. Bajie, watching from a distance, laughed, "Two more strokes, and there will be four of him!"

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