The local deity said: "The King of Great Strength is none other than the Bull Demon King."
"Was this mountain's fire started by the Bull Demon King," asked the Pilgrim, "that it bears the false name of Flaming Mountain?"
"Not so, not so," said the local deity. "If the Great Sage is willing to pardon the crimes of this little god, only then do I dare speak plainly."
"What crime have you?" asked the Pilgrim. "Speak plainly—no harm."
"This fire was originally started by the Great Sage himself," said the local deity.
The Pilgrim said angrily: "Where was I then? What nonsense you talk! Am I the sort to set fires?"
"No wonder you don't recognize me," said the local deity. "There was no such mountain here originally. Five hundred years ago, when the Great Sage made havoc in Heaven, you were seized by the Sagely and Miraculous Erlang and taken to Lord Lao Zi, who placed you in the Eight Trigrams Furnace. After the tempering, when the furnace was opened, you kicked over the elixir stove, and several bricks fell out of it still bearing the leftover fire; they landed here and turned into the Flaming Mountain. I was originally a Taoist in the Tushita Palace who kept watch over the furnace. Lord Lao Zi blamed me for failing in my watch, and sent me down here, where I became the local deity of the Flaming Mountain."
Hearing this, Zhu Bajie said angrily: "No wonder you dress like that! So you're a local deity turned from a Taoist!"
The Pilgrim, half-believing and half-doubting, said: "Go on, then—why do you tell me to seek the King of Great Strength?"
"The King of Great Strength is the Rakshasi's husband," said the local deity. "But of late he has abandoned the Rakshasi and lives now in Moyun Cave on Jilei Mountain. There was a Fox King of Ten Thousand Years; when that Fox King died, he left behind a daughter, called the Jade-Faced Princess. That princess had a fortune of a million, with no one to manage it; two years ago, having heard of the Bull Demon King's vast magic powers, she was willing to give her whole fortune as dowry and take him in as husband. The Bull King abandoned the Rakshasi and has not looked back for a long time. If the Great Sage finds the Bull King and begs him to come here, only then can he borrow the true fan. For one thing, it will fan out the fire and protect your master's advance; for another, it will rid this land of the fire blight forever and protect its living creatures; and for a third, it will win this little god his pardon, so that he may return to Heaven and discharge Lord Lao Zi's decree."
"Where does Jilei Mountain lie?" asked the Pilgrim. "How far is it from here?"
"It is due south," said the local deity. "From here to there is over three thousand li."
At this the Pilgrim instructed the Sha Monk and Bajie to guard the master well, and told the local deity to stay and keep him company and not to go. Then with a whoosh he vanished without a trace.
In less than half an hour he saw before him a towering mountain thrusting into the Milky Way. He pressed down his cloud and stood on the peak to look. What a fine mountain it was! High—so high that its summit touched the azure heavens; broad—so broad that its roots reached into the Yellow Springs.
Before the mountain the sun is warm, behind the ridge the wind is cold. Before the mountain the sun is warm—even the grass and trees of winter know no cold; Behind the ridge the wind is cold—you can see frost and ice that never melt even in high summer. Dragon pools join the stream waters, ever flowing; Tiger caves lean on the cliffs, their flowers blooming early. The waters run in a thousand streams like flying jade, The flowers open with one heart like spread brocade. On the winding ridges grow winding trees, Beside the jutting rocks stand jutting pines.
Truly: high mountains, steep ridges, sheer cliffs, deep ravines, fragrant flowers, lovely fruit, red vines, purple bamboo, green pines, emerald willows—through all eight seasons and the four changes of the year its face never alters; for a thousand years, for ten thousand ages, its color stays ever fresh. The Great Sage looked his fill, then came down the sharp peak and entered the deep mountain, seeking a path. Just as he had found no word of it, he suddenly saw beneath the shade of a pine a woman, a sprig of fragrant orchid broken off in her hand, coming toward him with a graceful, swaying step.
The Great Sage dodged behind a strange rock and fixed his eyes on her. What was the woman like? Her beauty was dazzling enough to topple kingdoms; she moved with a slow, swaying lotus step. Her face was like Wang Qiang's, her looks like those of the lady of Chu. Like a flower that can speak, like jade that gives off fragrance.
Her high hair-knot piled in dark blue, hanging in glossy locks; Her two eyes dipped in green, like autumn water flowing across. Her Hunan skirt half-revealed tiny bow-shoes; Her emerald sleeves parted to show long, fair wrists. No need to speak of evening rain and morning clouds— Truly she had vermilion lips and pearly teeth. Her glossy brows were fine as the silk of Brocade River, Outshining Zhuo Wenjun and Xue Tao.
The woman gradually drew near the rock. The Great Sage bowed and said slowly: "Where is the Bodhisattva going?"
The woman had not seen him; hearing herself addressed, she looked up, and suddenly catching sight of the Pilgrim's ugly face, was greatly alarmed. She wanted to retreat but could not, wanted to go on but dared not, and could only answer trembling and against her will: "Where do you come from, fellow? Whom do you presume to ask here?"
The Great Sage thought to himself: "If I tell her about fetching scriptures and borrowing the fan, I fear this creature is kin to the Bull King. Better to speak in the name of some false kinship and say I have come to invite the Demon King."
Seeing him silent, the woman changed color and shouted angrily: "Who are you, to dare question me?"
The Great Sage bowed with a smile: "I come from Cuiyun Mountain. It is my first visit to your worthy place, and I do not know the roads. May I ask, Bodhisattva, is this Jilei Mountain?"
"It is," said the woman.
"There is a Moyun Cave. Where does it lie?" said the Great Sage.
"Why do you seek that cave?" asked the woman.
"I was sent by the Iron-Fan Princess of the Plantain Cave on Cuiyun Mountain," said the Great Sage, "to invite the Bull Demon King."
Hearing the words "the Iron-Fan Princess invites the Bull Demon King," the woman flew into a rage; the red flush ran right up to the roots of her ears, and she poured out abuse: "That cheap slave is truly ignorant! Since the Bull King came to my house, not two years ago, no one knows how many pearls and gems, gold and silver, silks and satins he has sent her! Year in, firewood; month in, rice—she enjoys herself at her ease, and yet she has no shame, and sends again to invite him! Whatever for!"
Hearing this, the Great Sage knew it was the Jade-Faced Princess, and deliberately whipped out his iron cudgel and roared: "You cheap slut! You have bought the Bull King with your family fortune—truly paying to marry a man! You have no shame yourself, yet who do you dare to curse?"
At this the woman was frightened out of her wits. Her lotus feet stumbled in confusion, and she turned and fled trembling, while the Great Sage shouted and hooted as he followed after. It turned out that through the pine shade was the mouth of Moyun Cave; the woman ran inside and banged the door shut. The Great Sage put away his iron cudgel and stopped to look. What a fine place it was! Dense forests of tall trees, sheer and craggy cliffs. The shade of the creepers hung dark and thick; the scent of the orchids was rich and sweet.
A running spring washes the jade pebbles as it threads the tall bamboo; The cunning rocks, knowing their moment, are strewn with fallen petals. Mist and rosy clouds enfold the distant peaks; Sun and moon shine on the cloud-walls. Dragons chant, tigers roar, cranes cry, orioles sing. This tract of quiet beauty is truly lovely— Its fairy flowers and jeweled grass keep the scene forever bright. No whit inferior to the immortal cave of Tiantai, Better than the isles of Peng and Ying upon the sea.
Leave the Pilgrim here taking in the scenery, and say how the woman, her powder-face drenched with sweat, her orchid-heart panting with fright, went straight into the study. The Bull Demon King was just then quietly perusing his alchemy books. The woman flung herself into his arms in a temper, scratching her ears and cheeks, and burst into loud sobs. The Bull King smiled all over his face: "My beauty, don't fret. What has happened?"
The woman stamped and raged, cursing: "You cursed fiend, you will be the death of me!"
The Bull King laughed: "Why do you curse me?"
"I took you in," said the woman, "because my parents left me without support—to protect my body and keep my life. They say of you in all the rivers and lakes that you are a hero, but you turn out to be a spiritless fellow afraid of his wife!"
Hearing this, the Bull King held her close: "My beauty, what have I done wrong? Tell me slowly, and I will make it up to you."
"Just now," said the woman, "I was strolling outside the cave in the shade of the flowers, plucking orchids and gathering iris, when suddenly a monk with a hairy face and a thunder-beak came up and bowed to me, scaring me out of my wits. When I had steadied myself and asked who he was, he said the Iron-Fan Princess had sent him to invite the Bull Demon King. I spoke a couple of words to him, and he cursed me roundly, took a cudgel, and chased me beating at me. If I had not run fast, he would have beaten me to death! Isn't this the trouble I brought on myself by taking you in? You will be the death of me!"
Hearing this, the Bull King smoothed her face for her and made his apologies, and comforted her for a long while before her anger subsided.
Then the Demon King said in a hard voice: "My beauty, I won't hide the truth from you. The Plantain Cave, though secluded, is quiet and easy. My mountain wife has cultivated herself since childhood and is an immortal who has attained the Way. Her household is strictly governed—there is not so much as a foot-high boy within. How could she have sent a thunder-beaked man here? This must be some strange monster from somewhere, perhaps borrowing a name, come to look for me. Let me go out and see."
A fine Demon King indeed! He strode out of the study, went to the great hall for his armor, put it on, and took up an iron rod of mixed metal. Coming out of the door, he called loudly: "Who is it that misbehaves at my place?"
The Pilgrim watched from the side, and saw that his looks were altogether different from five hundred years before. Look at him:
On his head a burnished, gleaming helmet of water-tempered iron; On his body a suit of golden armor sewn through with brocade and plush; On his feet a pair of curled-toe boots of deerskin with powdered soles; Round his waist a three-ply lion-girdle of twisted silk. His two eyes gleamed like bright mirrors, His two brows were brilliant as rainbows. His mouth was like a blood-basin, his teeth set like copper plates. His roar shook the mountain gods with fear; His moving was such majesty that evil ghosts took fright.
Throughout the four seas he was famed as the Subverter of the World; in the West he was titled the Demon King of Great Strength. The Great Sage straightened his clothes, went up, and made a very deep bow: "Elder Brother, do you still recognize your younger brother?"
The Bull King returned the greeting: "Are you Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?"
"Exactly, exactly," said the Great Sage. "We have been long parted, and I have not paid my respects. Just now I asked a woman the way and so came to see you. Your bearing is indeed more splendid than ever—truly a cause for congratulations!"
The Bull King shouted: "Save your smooth tongue! I hear you made havoc in Heaven and were pressed down under the Mountain of Five Elements by the Buddha. Lately you escaped your heavenly calamity and are protecting the Tang monk to see the Buddha and seek scriptures in the West. How is it, then, that you destroyed my son Bull Saint-Infant at Fire-Cloud Cave in the Withered Pine Ravine of Hao Mountain? I have been angry at you over this very thing—and now you come looking for me?"
The Great Sage bowed: "Elder Brother, don't wrong your younger brother. At that time your son had captured my master and meant to eat his flesh. Your younger brother could not get near him; luckily the Bodhisattva Guanyin, wanting to save my master, persuaded him to turn to the right. He is now the boy Sudhana, higher than even you, Elder Brother—enjoying the gate and hall of the utmost bliss, receiving the endless life of freedom and ease. What is wrong in that, that you blame me instead?"
The Bull King cursed: "You smooth-tongued gibbon! You have talked away the matter of my son's ruin. But then you bully my darling concubine and come beating at my door—why?"
The Great Sage laughed: "I came to pay my respects to you, Elder Brother, but not finding you, I bowed and asked that woman the way, not knowing she was my second sister-in-law. Because she cursed me a few times, your younger brother was momentarily rough and frightened her. I beg you, Elder Brother, to forgive, forgive me!"
"If that is how it is," said the Bull King, "then for the sake of our old friendship I will let you go."
"Since you are so generous," said the Great Sage, "I cannot thank you enough. But I still have one matter to trouble you with—I earnestly beg your help, your help."
"You gibbon don't know which way the wind blows!" cursed the Bull King. "I spare you and you still won't leave, but come pestering me instead! What help, what help!"
"To be honest with you, Elder Brother," said the Great Sage, "your younger brother is escorting the Tang monk west, but the road is blocked by the Flaming Mountain and we cannot go forward. I asked the natives and learned that my worthy sister-in-law the Rakshasi has a plantain fan, and I wanted to borrow it. Yesterday I went to your old house to pay my respects to my sister-in-law, but she stubbornly refused to lend it; that is why I come especially to you, Elder Brother. I beg you to open your heart as wide as Heaven and Earth and go with me, your younger brother, to see my elder sister-in-law—please, do lend us the fan to put out the flames, and once the Tang monk is across the mountain, I will return it whole at once."
At this the Bull King's heart blazed up like fire, and grinding his steel teeth he cursed: "You say you are not rude, but it turns out it is all for the fan! You must have bullied my mountain wife first; she presumably refused, and so you come looking for me! And besides, you chased my darling concubine! As the saying goes, 'Your friend's wife you must not wrong; your friend's concubine you must not destroy.'
"You have wronged my wife and destroyed my concubine—how great is your rudeness? Come up and take a stroke of my rod!"
"If you want a fight, Elder Brother," said the Great Sage, "your younger brother does not fear you. But my asking for the treasure is my true intent—I beg a thousand times that you lend it to me, let me use it!"
"If you can stand against me for three rounds," said the Bull King, "I will have my mountain wife lend it to you; if you cannot, I will beat you to death to avenge my wrongs!"
"Well said, Elder Brother," said the Great Sage. "Your younger brother has been idle of late, and we have not met. I don't know how your martial arts compare to the old days—let us brothers try a few passes of the cudgel."
The Bull King, without another word, drew his mixed-iron rod and came down on his head. The Great Sage, gold-banded cudgel in hand, met him at once. These two made a fine fight of it!
Gold-banded cudgel, mixed-iron rod— Faces changed, no more talk of friendship. That one said: "I blame you, gibbon, for ruining my son!" This one said: "Your son has attained the Way—don't bear such wrath!" That one said: "Fool, how dare you come to my door?" This one said: "I came specially to ask you a question." One wanted the fan to protect the Tang monk; The other would not lend his plantain fan, too stingy by far. Word for word they lost their old friendship, The whole household estranged and all aflame with anger. The Bull King's rod rose like a dragon in its fury; The Great Sage's cudgel met it, and gods and ghosts took flight. At first they fought before the mountain, Then both rode up on auspicious clouds together.
In mid-air they displayed their magic powers, In the five-colored light they worked their wondrous arts.
The two rods clashed, shaking the very gates of Heaven; Neither lost nor won, they were matched to the last inch.
The Great Sage and the Bull King fought on for a hundred rounds and more without deciding the victory. Just as they were locked in the struggle, they heard a voice call from the mountain peak: "Lord Bull, my king sends his respects and begs that you honor him early with your presence, so that the seats may be arranged."
Hearing this, the Bull King used his mixed-iron rod to hold off the gold-banded cudgel and called: "Gibbon, stop a while. Let me go to a friend's house for a gathering!" With that he pressed down his cloud and went straight back into the cave. To the Jade-Faced Princess he said: "My beauty, that thunder-beaked fellow just now was the gibbon Sun Wukong. I have beaten him off with a bout of my rod—he will never dare come again. Rest easy and amuse yourself. I am going to a friend's place to drink."
He took off his helmet and armor, put on a jacket of raven-black velvet, went out the door, mounted his water-piercing golden-eyed beast, and bidding the servants keep good watch over the gate, went off half in cloud and half in mist, straight toward the northwest.
From the high peak the Great Sage watched and thought to himself: "I wonder what new friend this old bull has made, and where he is off to. Let old Sun follow and see."
The good Pilgrim shook himself, turned into a puff of cool wind, caught up, and went along with him. Before long they came to a mountain, where the Bull King vanished without a trace. The Great Sage resumed his own form and entered the mountain to look around. In the mountain there was a clear, deep pool, and beside the pool stood a stone tablet on which were written six large characters: "The Blue Wave Pool of Jumbled Rocks Mountain."
The Great Sage thought: "The old bull must have gone down into the water. The spirit at the bottom of the water—if it is not a flood-dragon spirit, it must be a dragon, fish, or turtle spirit, or a soft-shelled turtle or alligator. Let old Sun go down and have a look too."
The good Great Sage made the magic pass with his fingers, recited a spell, shook himself, and changed into a crab—neither too big nor too small, weighing thirty-six catties—and with a splash he jumped into the water and sank straight to the bottom of the pool. Presently he saw an exquisite, translucent archway, and beneath the archway was tied that water-piercing golden-eyed beast. Going in past the archway, there was no water at all.
The Great Sage crawled in and looked carefully. Over there was a burst of music, and what he saw was this:
Vermilion palaces and shell-tower halls, no different from the world of men. Gold for the roof-tiles, white jade for the door-pivots. Screens spread of hawksbill tortoise shell, Balustrades built of coral pearls. Auspicious clouds and blessed vapors glowed about the lotus seats, Above reaching to the three lights, below opening on the eight thoroughfares. It was neither the Heavenly Palace nor the treasure house of the sea— Truly this place outdid the isles of the blessed. In the high hall a feast was laid, guests and host arrayed; Officers great and small wore caps and pearls.
Hurriedly jade maids were called to hold the ivory platters; Immortal beauties were summoned to tune the pipes. The long whale sang, the giant crab danced, The soft-shelled turtle blew the sheng, the alligator beat the drum, And the pearl beneath the black dragon's chin lit the wine cups and dishes. Bird-track writings stood on the emerald screens; Shrimp-whisker curtains hung in the corridors. The eight tones played in turn, mingling with immortal music; The notes of gong and shang rang clear, stopping the clouds overhead. A blue-headed bass-maiden plucked the jasper lute; A red-eyed horse-lad played the jade flute.
A mandarin-fish dame came forward offering roast roe-deer; dragon maidens wore golden phoenix hairpins. What they ate were the eight-treasure delicacies of the celestial kitchens; what they drank was the jade nectar of the purple mansions, mellow and well-brewed. There at the head sat the Bull Demon King; at his left and right were three or four flood-dragon spirits; in front sat an old dragon spirit; and on either side were dragon sons and grandsons, the dragon lady and the dragon maidens.
Just as the wine cups were passing back and forth, Sun the Great Sage went straight up. The old dragon saw him and at once ordered: "Seize that wild crab!"
The dragon sons and grandsons surged forward and caught the Great Sage. The Great Sage suddenly spoke in a human voice, crying: "Spare my life! Spare my life!"
The old dragon said: "You wild crab, where do you come from? How dare you mount the hall and scuttle sideways before the honored guests? Confess at once, and I will spare you the death penalty!"
The good Great Sage, inventing false words, confessed to the company: "Born in the lake, I live by it; beside the cliffs I have made my hole, a poor lodging. Because with time I have grown sleek and long, I hold the office of Scuttling Knight in the shell. I tread the grass and drag through mud, all slovenly; never have I learned the manners of walking. Ignorant of your laws, I have offended your majesty—I humbly beg your grace to forgive my crime!"
At these words all the spirits in their seats bowed to the old dragon and said: "The Crab Knight has just entered the jasper palace and does not know the kingly rites. We beg your lordship to forgive him and let him go."
The old dragon gave his thanks.
The spirits then ordered: "Let the fellow go. Remember his beating, and have him wait outside."
The Great Sage answered and fled for his life, going straight to the archway, where he thought to himself: "This Bull King is here guzzling wine—how can I wait for him to break up the party? And even when it breaks up, he won't lend me the fan. Better to steal his golden-eyed beast, change into the Bull Demon King, go trick the Rakshasi, and swindle her fan out of her to get my master across the mountain."
The good Great Sage at once resumed his own form, untied the golden-eyed beast's halter, leapt into the carved saddle, and rode straight up out of the water.
Coming out of the pool, he changed himself into the Bull King's form, urged on the beast, and rode the clouds. In no time he was at the mouth of the Plantain Cave on Cuiyun Mountain, calling: "Open the door!"
Inside the cave door were two girls, who opened it at the sound of his voice; seeing the Bull Demon King's face, they went in at once to report: "Mistress, the master is home."
Hearing this, the Rakshasi hastily dressed her cloud-like hair, moved her lotus steps quickly, and came out of the door to welcome him. The Great Sage dismounted from the carved saddle and led the golden-eyed beast in; with great boldness he set about deceiving the fair lady. The Rakshasi's mortal eyes could not recognize him, and she took his hand and went in with him. She had the maids set a seat and serve tea, and the whole household, seeing their master, was all respect and deference. In a moment they had exchanged greetings after the long separation.
"Madam," said the "Bull King," "we have been long apart."
The Rakshasi said: "May the great king enjoy ten thousand blessings." Then she said: "The great king has favored his new bride and cast me off, your slave. What wind has blown you here today?"
The Great Sage smiled: "I did not dare cast you off. Only since the Jade-Faced Princess took me in, the household affairs have been manifold, and friends have called on me often, and so I was detained abroad. But I have set up another establishment in good order." He went on: "I have heard recently that that wretch Wukong is escorting the Tang monk and is about to reach the borders of the Flaming Mountain. I fear he will come to you to borrow the fan. I hate that wretch—the revenge for our son's ruin is not yet paid. If he comes, send word to me, and I will take him and cut him into ten thousand pieces to wash away the wrongs of us both."
Hearing this, the Rakshasi shed tears and said: "Great king, as the saying goes, 'A man without a wife has no one to keep his wealth; a woman without a husband has no one to keep her body.' My life very nearly fell to that gibbon's harm!"
Hearing this, the Great Sage pretended to fly into a rage and cursed: "When did that cursed ape pass through here?"
"He has not gone yet," said the Rakshasi. "Yesterday he came here to borrow the fan, and because of the harm he did our child, I put on my armor and swung my swords and went out to hack at that gibbon. He bore the pain and called me sister-in-law, saying the great king had once sworn brotherhood with him."
"So it was," said the Great Sage. "Five hundred years ago we became seven sworn brothers."
The Rakshasi said: "He was so cowed by my curses that he did not dare answer back, and so afraid of my sword that he did not dare raise a hand. At last I gave him one wave of the fan and blew him away. I don't know where he found some wind-fixing art, but this morning he was at the door again calling out. I waved the fan at him again, but could not move him in the least. When I swung my swords at him in a hurry, he no longer gave way to me. Fearing his heavy cudgel, I went back into the cave and shut the door tight. I don't know where he got in from, but he crawled into my belly and very nearly killed me! I called him 'Uncle' several times, gave him the fan, and he went off."
The Great Sage again beat his breast in pretended grief: "What a pity, what a pity! Madam, you were wrong—how could you give that treasure to that gibbon? It enrages me to death!"
The Rakshasi laughed: "Great king, calm your anger. What I gave him was a false fan, just to fool him away."
The Great Sage asked: "Where is the true fan, then?"
"Rest easy, rest easy!" said the Rakshasi. "I have it safe." She called the maids to prepare wine to welcome him home and celebrate the reunion, then raised a cup and offered it: "Great king, in the joy of your new marriage, never forget your first wife, bound to you by the hair. Do drink a cup of the water of home."
The Great Sage dared not refuse, and could only take the cup with a smile and hold it up: "Madam, you take the first sip. I have been long parted from you, seeking to build up our estate abroad, and day and night you have guarded the household—let this be my small thanks."
The Rakshasi took the cup again, refilled it, and handed it to the great king: "As the old saying goes, 'The wife is the equal of her husband; the husband is the father who sustains the body.' What thanks need be spoken?"
The two of them exchanged courtesies and pleasantries, and only then sat down to pass the wine in turn.
The Great Sage dared not break his vegetarian vow, and ate only a few fruits, chatting with her all the while.
After several rounds of wine the Rakshasi felt half tipsy, and her amorous feelings stirred a little. She pressed close to Sun the Great Sage, rubbing and leaning against him, holding his hand, coaxing with sweet words, shoulder to shoulder, whispering and bending toward him. One cup of wine—a sip from you, a sip from me—and she even fed him fruit from her mouth. The Great Sage, with false affection, kept her company and smiled, and had no choice but to lean and cuddle with her. Truly:
The hook for poems, the broom that sweeps away care— There is nothing that dispels all troubles like wine. The man, standing on his honor, opened his heart wide; The woman, forgetting all restraint, let her smiling mouth run. Faces flushed like peach blossoms in spring, Bodies swaying like tender willow branches. Endless chattering words, teasing and pinching, all the coquetry of love. Now a hand brushed aside her cloud-like hair, now her sharp little fingers moved. Several times she lifted her foot; again and again she tugged at her sleeve. Her powdered neck bent low of itself; her slender waist began to twist. Words of love never left her lips; Her bosom half-showed as the golden button loosened. Drunk at last, truly her jade-mountain frame tilted and fell; With dreamy eyes she groped and fondled, making no small spectacle of herself.
Seeing her in this state of abandon, the Great Sage quietly took note, and with a little baiting said: "Madam, where have you put the true fan? Be careful at all times. I fear that Sun the Pilgrim, with his countless transformations, may come again and swindle it away."
The Rakshasi, giggling, spat it out of her mouth—it was only the size of an apricot leaf—and handed it to the Great Sage: "Isn't this the treasure?"
The Great Sage took it in his hand but did not quite believe it, thinking to himself: "A thing this tiny—how can it fan out a fire? I fear it is another fake." Seeing him staring at the treasure lost in thought, the Rakshasi could not contain herself; she went up and pressed her powder-white face against the Pilgrim's, calling: "Dear, dear, put away the treasure and drink your wine! Why stare into space like that, thinking of what?"
The Great Sage seized the opening and asked: "A thing so small—how can it fan out eight hundred li of flames?"
The Rakshasi, her true nature mellowed by wine, without a care, told him the secret: "Great king, it has been two years since we parted. You must have been so taken with pleasure day and night that the Jade-Faced Princess has worn away your spirits—how else could you forget the very business of your own treasure? Just pinch the seventh red silk thread on the handle with the thumb of your left hand, recite 'tong-xu-he-xi-chui-hu,' and it grows to twelve feet long. This treasure's transformations are without end! Let there be a fire eighty thousand li across—one wave of this, and it is gone."
Hearing this, the Great Sage marked it well in his heart, put the fan into his mouth, wiped his face, resumed his own form, and shouted in a stern voice: "Rakshasi! Look at me—am I your own true husband! You have slobbered over me in all these shameful antics! No shame! No shame!"
The woman, seeing it was Sun the Pilgrim, in her panic knocked over the tables and dishes and tumbled to the ground, utterly shamed and mortified, crying only: "It enrages me to death! It enrages me to death!"
This Great Sage, leaving her dead or alive as she might be, tore his hand free, took long strides, and went straight out of the Plantain Cave. Truly, he had no heart for fair beauty, and in triumph he smiled and turned back. He gave a leap, trod the auspicious cloud, and sprang onto the high mountain; there he spat out the fan and tried the method. Pinching the seventh red silk thread on the handle with the thumb of his left hand, he recited "tong-xu-he-xi-chui-hu," and sure enough it grew to twelve feet in length.
He held it in his hand and examined it closely again and again—it was indeed quite different from the false one of the time before. Auspicious light shimmered and blessed vapors drifted about it; it had thirty-six red silk threads running through its warp and woof, joined within and without. It turned out that the Pilgrim had only learned the art of making it grow, not the spell for shrinking it, so he could not make it any smaller. There was no help for it; he could only carry it on his shoulder and take the old road back. Of him no more for now.
Say now how the Bull Demon King, after the feast with the spirits at the bottom of the Blue Wave Pool had broken up, came out of the door and found the water-piercing golden-eyed beast was gone.
The old Dragon King gathered the spirits and asked: "Who has stolen and let loose Lord Bull's golden-eyed beast?"
The spirits knelt: "No one dared steal it. We were all at the feast, pouring wine and holding dishes, singing and playing music—there was not a soul away from it."
The old dragon said: "My own household musicians would never dare. Could some stranger have come in?"
The dragon sons and grandsons said: "Just as the seats were being arranged, a crab spirit came here—that was the only stranger."
Hearing this, the Bull King suddenly understood: "No more need be said! When my worthy friend sent to invite me this morning, there was a Sun Wukong escorting the Tang monk to fetch scriptures who, finding the Flaming Mountain in his way, had asked me to lend him the plantain fan. I would not give it to him, and he fought a bout with me; when it was undecided, I left him and came straight to this grand feast. That monkey has a thousand wiles and ten thousand schemes—it must be that wretch, changed into a crab, come to spy out the news. He stole my beast and went to my mountain wife to swindle the plantain fan away from her!"
At these words the spirits all trembled with fear and asked: "Was that Sun Wukong who made havoc in Heaven?"
The Bull King said: "It was. My lords, if you should ever have some trouble on the road to the Western Heaven, be sure to keep out of his way."
The old dragon said: "If that is so, what about your lordship's noble steed?"
The Bull King laughed: "No matter, no matter. Let all my lords disperse, and I will go after him." So he parted the water, leapt up from the bottom of the pool, mounted his yellow cloud, and went straight to the Plantain Cave on Cuiyun Mountain, where he heard the Rakshasi stamping her feet and beating her breast, shrieking and shouting. He pushed open the door and saw the water-piercing golden-eyed beast tethered below. The Bull King called loudly: "Madam, where has Sun Wukong gone?"
Seeing the Bull Demon King, the girls all knelt and said: "So the master has come!"
The Rakshasi clutched the Bull King, knocking her head against him, and cursed: "You old heaven-slain brute! How could you be so careless as to let that gibbon steal the golden-eyed beast, turn himself into your likeness, and come here to fool me!"
The Bull King gnashed his teeth: "Where has the gibbon gone?"
The Rakshasi beat her breast and cursed: "That cursed ape swindled my treasure, showed his own form, and ran off! It enrages me to death!"
The Bull King said: "Take care of yourself, madam, and don't fret. Let me catch up with the gibbon, snatch back the treasure, strip off his hide, grind his bones to powder, and lay out his heart and liver to vent your anger!" He called: "Bring my weapons!"
The girls said: "The master's weapons are not here."
The Bull King said: "Then bring your mistress's weapons!" The maidservants brought out the two blue-tempered swords.
The Bull King took off the raven-black velvet jacket he had worn to the feast, tightened the small clothes on his body, gripped a sword in each hand, and went out of the Plantain Cave, speeding straight for the Flaming Mountain. Truly it was:
The ingrate man fooled the infatuated woman; The fiery-tempered demon draws near to Muzha's man.
We do not know what good or ill this pursuit will bring; listen to the next chapter for the explanation.