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30 The Kingdom of Lion-Camel

Hearing this from within, Wukong did not come out first; instead he thrust out his golden-hooped rod to test him. The fiend bit down as promised, and with a crack his front teeth were shattered. Wukong drew back his rod. "Wicked demon! I spared your life and you would have harmed me!" The old fiend grumbled at the third demon, "Brother, this is one of our own doing harm to one of our own." The third demon tried another tack and shouted aloud in provocation, "Ape Sun, your fame rings in my ears like thunder. Why do you skulk in a man's belly? Come out and fight me!" "This gate of yours is narrow," said Wukong, "and ill suited to weapons. We must go somewhere open, and then I will come out and match you." So the second fiend helped the old fiend out beyond the gate. The third demon mustered all his demons, and with their sharpest weapons they formed a threefold battle array, waiting for Wukong to come out and fall upon him together. Wukong plucked out a hair and turned it into a cord; one end he tied about the fiend's heart and liver, and the other end he kept in his hand. Then he shrank his body small and, paying out the cord, crawled forward along the roof of the fiend's mouth into his nostril. The old fiend's nose began to itch; with a great "Ah-choo!" he sneezed, and out shot Wukong. Wukong straightened his back and grew to some three zhang in height, the cord in one hand and his iron rod in the other. The fiend chief, not knowing what was good for him, raised his blade to strike. The second fiend thrust with his spear and the third with his halberd, stabbing at Wukong head and face alike. Wukong slackened the cord, drew in his rod, sprang up on a cloud and jumped clear of the camp to an open hilltop. There he came down and hauled on the cord with both hands. The pain was more than the old fiend could bear, and he flew up along the line. Wukong heaved again with all his strength, and the old fiend came spinning down out of the air like a whirling spindle and crashed into the hard yellow earth below the slope, beating out a pit two chi deep. The second and third fiends knelt at the foot of the slope and pleaded in terror. The old fiend knocked his head on the ground. "Great Sage, have mercy and spare my life. I will see your master over the mountain!" Wukong said, "You wretched demon! Last time you tricked me, and this time you drew up your ranks against me. Is it truly your wish now to see my master over?" "Only loose the cord and we will send him on his way," said the old fiend. "Never would I dare to lie." Wukong questioned him and found it true; he gave a shake and took back his hairs. The three fiends leapt to their feet and said in thanks, "Return now, Great Sage. Tell the Tang Monk to pack his baggage, and we will bring a sedan chair to carry him." The demons laid down their weapons and went back to the cave, and Wukong rose on his somersault cloud to find his master. Wukong came down from the clouds and saw from a distance the Tang Monk sitting on the ground weeping bitterly, while Bajie and Sandy had undone the packs and were dividing the baggage. Guessing that Bajie meant to split the goods and break up the pilgrimage, Wukong was furious. Wukong sprang forward and cried, "Master!" At the sight of him Sandy turned on Bajie. "Our brother is not dead, yet you said he was, and set about this business here!" Bajie said, "The hour must be unlucky; the ape has come back to show his ghost." Wukong strode up to Bajie, grabbed him and boxed his ears till he staggered. "Dolt! What ghost am I showing?" The silly fellow clutched his face. "Brother, how did you come alive again?" Wukong told them all that had passed. At his words the Tang Monk scrambled to his feet and said, "Disciple, you have worn yourself out for us!" Wukong said, "Master, the fiends will soon be here with a chair to carry you over the mountain." Sandy felt a flush of shame and busied himself with the baggage.

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