Let us leave aside the Tang Elder's suffering for now, and speak of the three demon kings, who, of one mind and with all their might, fought the Great Sage and his two brothers on the mountain east of the city. This battle was truly like an iron brush scrubbing a copper pot—both sides equally hard. What a fight!
Six kinds of forms, six kinds of weapons, Six kinds of bodies, six kinds of spirit. Six evils, six roots, linked to six desires; Six gates, six paths, wagering win and loss. The thirty-six palaces, spring at ease; Six times six forms and colors, each with a name. The one's gold-banded cudgel had a thousand routines; The other's square-heaven halberd had a hundred fierce forms. Bajie's nail-rake was fierce and ferocious; The Second King's long spear was handsome and skilled. The little Sha Monk's precious staff was uncommon, with heart set on killing; The old demon king's steel blade was sharp and swift, raised without mercy. These three were invincible generals guarding the true monk; Those three were savage demons who defied the Law and insulted the king. At first it was bearable, but it grew fiercer as they went. All six used the art of rising to the sky, Tumbling and rolling in the clouds. In an instant they breathed fog and spat clouds, And heaven and earth went dark— Growls and roars—all you could hear was the sound.
The six of them fought for a long while, and dusk gradually fell. Then mist and fog rolled in, and in an instant everything went black.
Now Bajie's big ears covered his eyes, making him all the more dazed. His hands and feet slowed, and he could no longer hold his guard. Dragging his rake, he broke and ran. The old demon raised his blade and hacked at him—Bajie barely escaped with his life. His head was spared, but the blade sheared off a few bristles from his neck. The demon caught up, opened his mouth, and bit him by the collar, dragging him into the city. He was tossed to the little fiends and tied up in the Golden Throne Hall. The old demon then mounted his cloud and rose into midair to help the fight.
When the Sha Monk saw things going badly, he feinted with his precious staff and turned to run. The Second King uncoiled his trunk—there was a swoosh—and coiled it around him, hands and all. He was hauled into the city, handed to the little fiends, and also tied up beneath the hall. Then the Second King rose into the air again, calling for them to capture the Pilgrim.
When the Pilgrim saw that both his brothers had been seized and he alone could not hold the field—as the saying goes, "Two hands are no match for four"—he gave a shout, knocked aside the three demons' weapons with his staff, leaped on his somersault cloud, and flew.
When the Third King saw the Pilgrim take to the somersault cloud, he shook his body, revealed his true form, spread his wings, and gave chase. How could he catch up? When the Pilgrim made havoc in Heaven, a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers couldn't seize him, precisely because he rode the somersault cloud—one trip covered 108,000 li, and no god could catch him. But this demon could flap one wing for 90,000 li, and two flaps overtook him. He seized the Great Sage in his grip. The Pilgrim struggled left and right, but could not break free. He tried to escape by transformation and the arts of evasion, but it was no use: make himself bigger, and the demon loosened his grip just enough to hold him; make himself smaller, and the demon tightened his grip just as much.
The demon bore him back to the city, let go, and dropped him to the ground. He ordered the fiends to tie him up alongside Bajie and the Sha Monk. The old demon and the Second King both came down to welcome him. The three demon kings mounted to the throne hall together. Huh! This time they weren't so much tying up the Pilgrim as seeing him off on his way.
By now it was the second watch. When all the fiends had gathered, they pushed the Tang Priest down from the hall.
The elder, in the lamplight, suddenly saw his three disciples tied up on the ground. The old master threw himself down beside the Pilgrim and wept: "Disciple! In every past trouble, you were on the outside, working your magic, going to fetch help and subdue demons. But now you've been captured too. How is this poor monk to survive?"
When Bajie and the Sha Monk heard their master's bitter grief, they too broke into loud wailing.
The Pilgrim smiled faintly: "Master, set your mind at ease. Brothers, don't cry! Whatever happens, we'll come to no harm. Wait till the old demon settles down, and we'll be on our way."
Bajie said: "Brother, there you go playing tricks again! Hemp rope tied tight—and they'll spray water on it. Maybe a skinny fellow like you doesn't feel it, but a fat one like me is in for misery! Look—see, the rope's already sunk two inches into my arms. How am I to get free?"
The Pilgrim laughed: "Never mind hemp rope—even palm cables as thick as a bowl would be no more to me than an autumn breeze past the ear. What's the worry?"
As master and disciples were talking, they heard the old demon say: "Third Worthy Brother, you have power and you have strategy. What a perfect plan—the Tang Priest is captured!" He called: "Little ones! Five of you draw water, seven scrub the pots, ten tend the fires, twenty bring out the iron steamer! We'll steam those four monks until they're tender, and we brothers will enjoy them. We'll scatter a piece for each of the little ones too, so they may all live long."
When Bajie heard this, he trembled: "Brother, listen! The demon's planning to steam us and eat us!"
The Pilgrim said: "Don't be afraid. Let me see whether they're novices or old hands at this."
The Sha Monk wept: "Brother! Don't talk big. We're already next door to King Yama—what's all this about novices and old hands!"
Before he could finish, they heard the Second King say: "Zhu Bajie is hard to steam."
Bajie was delighted: "Amitabha! Who's the kind soul who says I'm hard to steam?"
The Third King said: "Hard to steam? Peel his skin and steam him."
Bajie panicked and shouted: "Don't peel my skin! I may be tough, but once the water boils, I'll be tender!"
The old demon said: "The one that's hard to steam, put him in the bottom rack."
The Pilgrim laughed: "Bajie, don't worry. They're novices, not old hands."
"How can you tell?" asked the Sha Monk.
The Pilgrim said: "When you steam things, you always start from the top. What's hard to steam goes on the top rack—give it more fire, let the steam build, and it's done. If you put it on the bottom, the steam gets blocked, and even if you boil for half a year, the heat won't reach. He said Bajie was hard to steam and put him on the bottom—if that's not a novice, what is?"
Bajie said: "Brother, by your reasoning, I'll be killed stone-dead! When they see the steam isn't getting through, won't they open the lid, flip me over, and start a new fire, so I end up cooked on both sides and raw in the middle?"
Just then a little fiend came to report: "The water's boiling." The old demon ordered them to bring out the prisoners. The fiends all set to at once—Bajie was lifted to the bottom rack, the Sha Monk to the second.
The Pilgrim, reckoning they'd come for him next, made his escape: "This lamplight is just right for some tricks!" He plucked a single hair, blew on it with immortal breath, and cried "Change!" It became a counterfeit Pilgrim, tied up in hemp rope. He left his real body in spirit-form, leaped into midair, and looked down. The fiends, not knowing true from false, lifted the "fake Pilgrim" to the third rack. Then they flipped the Tang Priest over, tied him fast, and lifted him to the fourth rack. Dry firewood was stacked, and fierce flames roared and crackled.
The Great Sage, in the clouds, sighed: "My Bajie and Sha Monk can stand a boil or two, but my Master will be tender after just one. If I don't use magic to save him, he'll be gone in an instant!"
Marvelous Pilgrim! In midair he pinched the sign and recited the spell: "Om—Blue—Pure Dharma Realm—Heaven: Origin, Success, Benefit, Righteousness!" He summoned the Dragon King of the North Sea, who arrived at once.
A dark cloud appeared in the sky, and a voice called from it: "Ao Shun, Little Dragon of the North Sea, bows his head!"
The Pilgrim said: "Rise, rise! I wouldn't dare trouble you without cause. I've come here with the Tang Master, and we've been seized by vicious demons who are steaming us in an iron steamer. Go and protect us—don't let the heat harm us."
The Dragon King at once transformed himself into a gust of cold wind that blew beneath the cauldron, coiling and swirling, shielding it so that no fire-heat reached the pot. And so the three of them came to no harm.
By the end of the third watch, they heard the old demon give his orders: "Men, we've worked our bodies to the bone with our plans to capture the Tang Priest and his four, and then toiled to escort them here. We haven't slept in four days and nights. Now they're tied in the steamer—surely they can't escape. You men keep careful watch. Have ten little fiends take turns tending the fire. Let us retire to the palace and get a little sleep. By the fifth watch, when the sky grows light, they're bound to be tender. Prepare garlic paste, salt, and vinegar, and wake us. We'll enjoy them on an empty stomach."
The fiends obeyed. The three demon kings retired to their sleeping palaces. The Pilgrim, in the clouds, had heard this clearly. He brought his cloud down and listened—but heard no sound from inside the steamer.
He thought: "The heat rises—surely it's hot. How can they not be afraid, and yet say nothing? Hm! Could they be steamed to death? Let me go closer and listen."
Marvelous Great Sage! He rode his cloud, shook his body, and turned into a black fly. He perched on the outside of the iron steamer and listened. He heard Bajie inside: "Bad luck, bad luck! I don't know if this is closed-steam or open-steam."
The Sha Monk asked: "Second Brother, what's closed-steam and open-steam?"
Bajie said: "Closed-steam is when they put the lid on. Open-steam is when they don't."
Sanzang called from the top rack: "Disciples, the lid's not on."
Bajie said: "What luck! We won't die tonight! It's open-steam!"
When the Pilgrim heard all three of them talking, he knew they were alive. He flew off, picked up the iron steamer lid, and gently set it on top.
Sanzang panicked: "Disciples! The lid's on!"
Bajie said: "Done for! This is closed-steam now. We're dead by morning!" The Sha Monk and the elder began to sniffle and cry.
Bajie said: "Don't cry yet. The fire-tenders just changed shifts."
"How do you know?" asked the Sha Monk.
Bajie said: "When they first brought me up, I was quite pleased—I've a touch of cold-damp illness, and I wanted a good steam. But now the cold air's come up instead. Hey! Fire-tending masters, how about adding some firewood? What's it to you?"
When the Pilgrim heard this, he couldn't help laughing inwardly: "This lout! The cold he can still endure, but if it gets hot, he'll lose his life. If he says a few more words like that, he'll give us away. I'd better save them fast."
But wait—to save them, he'd have to show his true form. And if he did, the ten fire-tenders would see, shout, and alarm the old demon—wouldn't that make trouble? He thought: "I'd better send them a little trick first."
He remembered: "When I was the Great Sage, I used to play guessing games with the Kingdom-Protecting Heavenly King at the North Heaven Gate. I won his Sleepy Bugs from him. I should still have a few. Let me give them a dose."
He felt in his belt and found twelve. "I'll give them ten and keep two for seed."
He tossed the bugs. They scattered onto the faces of the ten little fiends, crawled into their nostrils, and soon they were all dozing and falling asleep. But one fire-tender, who was holding a fire-poker, couldn't settle. He kept rubbing his head and face, pinching his nose left and right, sneezing without stop.
The Pilgrim said: "This one knows something's up. I'll give him a double dose." He tossed another bug onto his face. "Two bugs—one goes in left, out right; the other out right, in left. One of them is bound to settle."
The little fiend gave two or three great yawns, stretched his back, dropped his fire-poker, and flopped over asleep, never to turn again.
The Pilgrim said: "What a marvel—this trick works wonders!"
He returned to his true form, came forward, and called: "Master!"
When the Tang Priest heard, he said: "Wukong, save me!"
The Sha Monk said: "Brother, are you calling from outside?"
The Pilgrim said: "I'm not outside—should I be in here suffering with you?"
Bajie said: "Brother, the slippery one slipped away, and we're the ones left holding the bag, steaming in here!"
The Pilgrim laughed: "Idiot, don't bellow. I've come to save you."
Bajie said: "Brother, if you save us, save us to the root. Don't let us end up back in the steamer again."
The Pilgrim lifted the lid, untied his master, shook his hair-clone and gathered it back onto his body. Then, layer by layer, he freed the Sha Monk and Bajie.
The idiot, once untied, couldn't wait to run.
The Pilgrim said: "Not so fast! Not so fast!" He recited a spell to release the Dragon King, then said to Bajie: "On our way to the Western Heaven, there are still high mountains and steep ridges. Master has no mount to carry him—let me fetch the horse." See him walk softly and lightly to the Golden Throne Hall. The fiends, great and small, were all fast asleep. He untied the reins without disturbing anyone.
The horse was a dragon horse. If a stranger had approached, it would have kicked and neighed. But the Pilgrim had once been Keeper of the Heavenly Stables—the Bimawen—and the horse was one of his own, so it didn't start or neigh. He quietly led it out, tightened the girth, saddled it properly, and asked his master to mount.
The elder, trembling, mounted and wanted to leave at once.
The Pilgrim said: "Not so fast either. On our way west we'll still pass through kingdoms. We need our travel permit to get through. Otherwise, what's our proof of passage? Let me go find the luggage."
The Tang Priest said: "I remember when we were brought in, the fiends put the luggage on the left side of the throne hall. The carrying pole was there too."
The Pilgrim said: "I understand." He bounded to the throne hall to search. Suddenly he saw a glow wafting in the air. The Pilgrim knew it was the luggage—how did he know? The Tang Priest's brocade cassock was studded with night-pearls, and so it glowed.
He rushed forward. The luggage was untouched. He took it down and handed it to the Sha Monk to carry. Bajie led the horse. The Pilgrim guided the way, making straight for the main south gate. But they heard clappers and bells clanging, and the gate was locked with a seal pasted on the lock.
The Pilgrim said: "With defenses like this, how are we to get out?"
Bajie said: "Let's go out the back gate."
The Pilgrim led the way to the back gate. But there too, the sound of clappers and bells, and the gate was locked and sealed. What were they to do? "This time," the Pilgrim thought, "if it weren't for the Tang Priest being a mortal body, the three of us could ride the clouds and fly away, no matter what. But the Tang Priest hasn't transcended the three realms—he's still within the five elements. His whole body is of impure mortal bone inherited from his parents, so he can't rise on the clouds and make good his escape."
Bajie said: "Brother, no need to deliberate. Let's find a spot with no clappers or guards and hoist Master over the wall."
The Pilgrim laughed: "That won't do. In this pinch, it's unavoidable—we'd hoist him over. But when we come back with the scriptures, you lout, with your big mouth, would go blabbing to everyone that we were wall-climbing monks."
Bajie said: "This is no time to worry about reputation. Let's just run for our lives."
The Pilgrim had no choice but to agree. They went to a clear stretch of wall and began to plan their climb.
But alas! Such is the way of things! The Tang Priest's star of misfortune had not yet passed. The three demon kings, sleeping in the palace, suddenly woke.
They cried that the Tang Priest had escaped. Each threw on a robe and hurried to the throne hall. "How many boils has the Tang Priest had?" they asked.
The fire-tending fiends had been dosed with Sleepy Bugs and were fast asleep. You couldn't have woken one of them with a beating.
The other fiends, those with no duties, were startled awake. A few stammered: "Se... se... se... seven boils!"
They rushed to the cauldron and found the steamer racks scattered on the ground, the fire-tenders all asleep. They scrambled back to report: "Great King, they're go... go... go... gone!"
The three demon kings came down from the hall and went to the cauldron. Sure enough—the racks were scattered, the water was cold, no fire remained, and the fire-tenders were snoring like logs, dead to the world.
The fiends raised a great outcry: "Capture the Tang Priest! Capture the Tang Priest!"
The shout roused every fiend, front and back, great and small. With swords and spears in hand, they rushed to the main south gate. The seals were intact, the clappers still ringing. They asked the night patrol: "Did the Tang Priest come out this way?"
"Not a soul came through," they said.
They hurried to the back gate—same seals, same clappers. Then, with lanterns and torches blazing so bright it was like daylight, they clearly saw the four of them climbing the wall! The old demon rushed forward and barked: "Where do you think you're going!"
The elder's legs went soft and his sinews numb with fright. He tumbled off the wall and was seized by the old demon. The Second King caught the Sha Monk, the Third King tackled Bajie, and the fiends snatched the luggage and the white horse. Only the Pilgrim got away.
Bajie, mumbling and grumbling, complained about the Pilgrim: "Murderous—I said if you save us, save us to the root! Now we're back in the steamer again!"
The fiends hauled the Tang Priest back to the hall, but didn't put him in the steamer this time. The Second King ordered Bajie tied to the front eaves-pillar of the hall. The Third King ordered the Sha Monk tied to the rear eaves-pillar. Only the old demon held the Tang Priest in his arms and wouldn't let go.
The Third King said: "Big Brother, what are you holding him for? You're not going to eat him alive, are you? That would be no fun. This creature isn't like some common fool you can just gobble down for a meal. He's a rare treasure from a great kingdom. We must wait for a rainy day of leisure, bring him out, prepare him with care and refinement, play guessing games and drinking games, and eat him to the accompaniment of fine music. That's the way to do it."
The old demon laughed: "Worthy Brother, your words are sound, but Sun the Pilgrim will come to steal him back."
The Third King said: "Inside my palace there is a Brocade Fragrance Pavilion, and inside the pavilion, an iron cabinet. I say we hide the Tang Priest in the cabinet, lock the pavilion, and spread a rumor that we've already eaten the Tang Priest—half-raw, half-cooked. Have the little fiends spread it all over the city. When the Pilgrim comes to scout for news, he'll hear it and be convinced, and he'll leave in despair. Once we've gone three or five days without his interference, we'll bring the Tang Priest out and enjoy him slowly. How about it?"
The old demon and the Second King were both delighted: "Yes, yes, yes! The brother speaks reason!" And so, poor Tang Priest was taken inside that very night, hidden in the cabinet, and the pavilion locked. The rumor was spread, and the whole city was abuzz. Let us leave that for now.
Now the Pilgrim, at midnight, had no choice but to abandon the Tang Priest and flee on his cloud. He went straight to the Lion Camel Cave, where with one sweep of his cudgel he exterminated every last one of the ten-odd thousand of little fiends. He hurried back. By the time the eastern sun rose, he was at the city wall. He didn't dare challenge them openly—as the saying goes, "A single thread makes no cord, and one hand claps no sound." He brought his cloud down, shook his body, and turned into a little fiend. He slipped into the city, and through the streets and lanes he searched for news. Everywhere in the city, they were saying: "The Tang Priest was eaten by the Great King last night—half-raw, half-cooked."
Front and back, it was all the same. The Pilgrim's heart burned with anxiety. He walked to the front of the Golden Throne Hall and looked. Inside were many spirits, all wearing leather-gold caps, yellow cloth robes, holding red-lacquered sticks, with ivory plaques at their waists, walking back and forth without stop.
The Pilgrim thought: "These must be palace-serving demons. I'll change to look like one of them and go in to scout."
Marvelous Great Sage! He transformed himself to look exactly like them and slipped through the golden gates. As he was walking along, he saw Bajie tied to the front pillar of the hall, humming and groaning. The Pilgrim came close and called: "Wuneng."
The idiot recognized the voice: "Brother, you've come? Save me, save me!"
The Pilgrim said: "I'll save you—but do you know where Master is?"
Bajie said: "Master's gone. Last night the demons ate him—half-raw, half-cooked." When the Pilgrim heard this, he burst out weeping, tears gushing like a spring.
Bajie said: "Brother, don't cry. I'm only going by what the little fiends were saying—I didn't see it with my own eyes. Don't jump to conclusions. Go ask around some more."
The Pilgrim dried his tears and went deeper inside to search. Suddenly he saw the Sha Monk tied to the rear eaves-pillar. He came forward, felt his chest, and called: "Wujing."
The Sha Monk recognized the voice: "Brother, you've transformed your way in? Save me! Save me!"
The Pilgrim said: "Saving you is easy. But do you know where Master is?"
The Sha Monk shed tears: "Brother, Master—the demons couldn't wait to steam him, so they ate him half-raw, half-cooked!"
When the Great Sage heard both of them saying the same thing, his heart was ground as if by knives, his tears flowed like water. He leaped into the sky, without rescuing Bajie or the Sha Monk, and returned to the mountain east of the city. He brought his cloud down and wept aloud, crying:
"Master! I regret that I deceived Heaven and was caught in the net, And the Master came to save me from deep affliction. With devoted heart and steadfast will, together we served the Buddha, Exerting ourselves, cultivating our bodies, together we tempered the demons. Who would have thought that today we'd suffer such venomous harm, Unable to protect you through the mortal realm! The Western Paradise, we have no fate to reach— Spirit scattered, soul dissolved—what can be done!"
Weeping and wretched, the Pilgrim thought to himself, his heart questioning his heart: "It's all because my Buddha, the Tathagata, sits in his realm of ultimate bliss with nothing to do, and dreamed up this scripture of the three baskets! If he truly meant to encourage goodness, he should just send the scriptures to the Eastern Lands—wouldn't that make them last through the ages? But no, he couldn't bear to part with them, and made us come fetch them. Who could have known we'd toil over a thousand mountains, only to lose our lives here today! Enough! Enough! Enough! Old Sun will ride the somersault cloud and go see the Tathagata, and tell him the whole story. If he's willing to send the scriptures to the Eastern Lands, first, it will spread the good fruit; second, it will fulfill our wish. If he won't, then let him recite the Band-Loosening Spell, take off this band, and I'll give it back to him. Old Sun will return to his own cave, set himself up as a king, and go live as he pleases."
Marvelous Great Sage! He somersaulted up, mounted his cloud, and made straight for Tianzhu. In less than a watch, he could see Spirit Mountain not far ahead. In a moment he brought his cloud down to the foot of Vulture Peak. He raised his head and saw the Four Diamond Kings blocking his way: "Where are you going?"
The Pilgrim bowed: "I have business and seek audience with the Tathagata."
At the head, the Eternal Vajra King, Lord of the Golden Glow Ridge of the Kunlun Mountains, barked: "You brazen monkey, so coarse and wild! Last time, when the Bull Demon was causing trouble, we put in effort for your sake. Today you show your face with not a bow of courtesy! If you have business, you must first submit a memorial and wait for a summons. This isn't the South Gate of Heaven—you can't just wander in and out and go running wherever you please! Bah! Step aside!"
The Great Sage, already in a temper, was further stung by this scolding. He roared with rage, shouting and bellowing, and the commotion reached the Tathagata.
The Buddha, sitting upright on the nine-grade lotus throne, was expounding sutras with the eighteen arhats who reincarnate in the world. He opened his mouth and said: "Sun Wukong has come. Go out and receive him."
The assembly of arhats, following the Buddha's command, went out the mountain gate with banners and canopies, calling: "Great Sage Sun, the Tathagata summons you."
The Four Diamond Kings at the mountain gate then stepped aside and let the Pilgrim through. The arhats led him beneath the lotus throne. He saw the Tathagata, fell to the ground, and bowed, two streams of tears flowing.
The Tathagata said: "Wukong, what brings you to such tears?"
The Pilgrim said: "This disciple has been the recipient of your teaching time and again, and takes shelter under the gate of the Buddha Grandfather. Since I turned to the true fruit, I've protected the Tang Priest, who became my master and model. The hardships along the way are past telling! Now, at the Lion Camel Mountain, the Lion Camel Cave, and the Lion Camel Kingdom, there are three vicious demons—a Lion King, an Elephant King, and a Great Peng. They seized my master, and me as well—we were all tied up and put in a steamer to suffer the disaster of boiling water and fire. By good fortune I escaped, and called the Dragon King to save us. That night I stole my master and brothers out, but the star of disaster was not yet passed—we were captured again. At daybreak I went into the city to scout, and those demons were so vicious, so fierce, that they ate my master last night—half-raw, half-cooked! Now not a scrap of flesh or bone remains. And my brothers Wuneng and Wujing are still tied up there—their lives too will soon be lost. This disciple has no other recourse, and so has come specifically to pay respects to the Tathagata. I beg your great mercy—recite the Band-Loosening Spell, take off this band from my head, and return it to you. Let your disciple go back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, to live at ease and play!"
Before he finished, tears gushed like a spring, and his sobs would not stop.
The Tathagata laughed: "Wukong, calm your grief. That demon has vast magic powers. You couldn't beat him, and so your heart aches."
The Pilgrim knelt below, pounding his chest: "I won't hide it from the Tathagata—when this disciple made havoc in the Heavenly Palace and called himself the Great Sage, from the day I was born until now, I've never come out the worse. But this time, I've fallen into the hands of these vicious demons!"
The Tathagata said: "Don't hate them so. I know that demon."
The Pilgrim blurted: "Tathagata! I've heard people say that the demon is kin to you!"
The Tathagata said: "You crafty macaque! How is the demon kin to me?"
The Pilgrim laughed: "If he's not kin to you, how do you know him?"
The Tathagata said: "I see him with the Wisdom Eye, and so I know him. The old demon and the Second King have masters." He called Ananda and Kashyapa: "You two, each ride a cloud—go to Mount Wutai and Mount Emei, and summon Manjusri and Samantabhadra to see me." The two venerable ones departed on the Buddha's command.
The Tathagata said: "These are the masters of the old demon and the Second King. As for the Third King—it must be said, he too has some kinship with me."
The Pilgrim said: "Kin on the father's side, or the mother's?"
The Tathagata said: "When Chaos was parted, Heaven opened at Zi, Earth was founded at Chou, and Humankind was born at Yin. Then Heaven and Earth intermingled again, and all the myriad creatures were born. Among the creatures were beasts and birds. The beasts took the qilin as their chief, and the birds took the phoenix as their chief. That phoenix, in turn, received the breath of union and bred the Peacock and the Great Peng. The Peacock, when it was born, was the most vicious of creatures. It could devour people—drawing a person in from forty-five li away with one gulp. I had cultivated a sixteen-foot golden body on the snow mountain, and the Peacock swallowed me too. I wanted to come out through his back passage, but feared defiling my true body. So I split open his spine and emerged on Spirit Mountain. I wished to take his life, but the other Buddhas persuaded me: to harm the Peacock is like harming one's mother. And so I kept him at the Spirit Mountain assembly, and granted him the title of Peacock Great Bright King Bodhisattva, Mother of Buddhas. The Great Peng and the Peacock were born of one mother, and so there is some kinship."
When the Pilgrim heard this, he laughed: "Tathagata, by this reasoning, you're the demon's nephew!"
The Tathagata said: "I must go myself to subdue that one."
The Pilgrim kowtowed and pleaded: "I beg you to descend, a thousandfold!"
The Tathagata descended from the lotus throne and, with the assembly of Buddhas, went straight out the mountain gate. There they saw Ananda and Kashyapa leading Manjusri and Samantabhadra to meet them. The two bodhisattvas bowed to the Buddha. The Tathagata said: "Bodhisattvas, how long have your beasts been down the mountain?"
Manjusri said: "Seven days."
The Tathagata said: "Seven days in the mountains is several thousand years in the world. Who knows how many lives they've harmed! Come with me quickly and subdue them."
The two bodhisattvas took their places at his sides, and the whole assembly took flight. See this:
Across the sky, the auspicious clouds parted, swirling; Our Buddha, in his mercy, descended through the Dharma gate. Clearly showing the principle that opened Heaven and brought forth life, In detail speaking of splitting Earth and transforming forms. Before him, five hundred arhats; Behind him, three thousand guardian spirits. Kashyapa and Ananda followed on left and right; The bodhisattvas Samantabhadra and Manjusri destroyed the demonic miasma.
Thanks to the Pilgrim's good offices, he had invited the Buddha Grandfather and the whole assembly. Before long, they could see the city in the distance.
The Pilgrim reported: "Tathagata, that place belching black aura is the Lion Camel Kingdom."
The Tathagata said: "You go down first. Enter the city and fight the demon. You may feign defeat, but you must not win. Retreat up to me, and I'll subdue him myself."
The Great Sage brought his cloud down to the city wall, planted his foot on the battlement, and cursed: "You wicked beasts! Come out and fight old Sun!"
The little fiends on the tower scrambled down into the city and reported: "Great King, Sun the Pilgrim is on the wall, challenging us!"
The old demon said: "This monkey hasn't shown himself for two or three days, and now he's challenging again. Could he have brought reinforcements?"
The Third King said: "What's there to fear? Let's all go out and see."
The three demon kings, each bearing his weapon, rushed up onto the wall. Seeing the Pilgrim, they didn't say a word but thrust their weapons at him all at once. The Pilgrim swung his iron cudgel to meet them.
After seven or eight bouts, the Pilgrim feigned defeat and fled. The demon kings shouted: "Where are you going!" The Great Sage somersaulted up into midair. The three demons mounted their clouds and gave chase. The Pilgrim gave a flash and hid himself inside the Buddha Grandfather's golden light, completely invisible.
And there were the Three Honored Buddhas of Past, Future, and Present, with five hundred arhats and three thousand guardian spirits, deployed on all sides. They surrounded the three demon kings so tightly that not a drop of water could have passed through.
The old demon panicked: "Brothers, bad news! That monkey is a real sly one—wherever did he fetch such masters?"
The Third King said: "Big Brother, don't fear! We'll all charge forward together, spear and stab the Tathagata, and seize his Thunder Temple!"
This demon didn't know when he was beaten. He truly raised his blade and charged forward, hacking wildly. But Manjusri and Samantabhadra recited their true words and shouted: "You wicked beasts—will you not submit? How much longer will you wait!"
The old demon and the Second King, terrified, dropped their weapons, rolled on the ground, and revealed their true forms. The two bodhisattvas threw their lotus thrones onto the demons' backs, leaped up, and sat astride. The two demons laid their ears flat and submitted.
Now that the two bodhisattvas had subdued the Azure Lion and the White Elephant, only the Third King would not yield. He spread his wings, dropped his square-heaven halberd, soared straight up on the whirlwind, and with sharp talons made to snatch the Monkey King. But the Great Sage was hidden in the golden light—how could the demon come near? The Tathagata, knowing his intention, flashed his golden light. He shook the crown of his head, shaped like a magpie's nest, and transformed it into a piece of fresh red flesh and blood.
The demon swooped with his sharp talons to snatch at it, but the Lord Buddha pointed upward with his hand—and the sinews in the demon's wings froze. He could not fly away. He could only perch above the Buddha's head, unable to escape, and revealed his true form: a Golden-Winged Great Peng Eagle. He opened his beak and called to the Buddha: "Tathagata, how do you use your great dharma power to trap me?"
The Tathagata said: "You have wrought many evils here. Come with me, and there will be progress in your practice."
The demon said: "Where you are, you eat vegetarian and keep the fast—utterly poor and bitter. Here I eat human flesh and enjoy myself without end! If you starve me, you'll bear the sin."
The Tathagata said: "I govern the four great continents, and countless beings revere me. Whenever anyone makes a good offering, I shall have them first present it to your mouth."
The Great Peng, unable to break free and with nowhere to flee, had no choice but to submit.
Only then did the Pilgrim step forth. He bowed to the Tathagata and said: "Lord Buddha, you've now subdued the demon and rid us of a great evil—but I've lost my Master."
The Great Peng grit his teeth and said bitterly: "You brazen monkey-head! To find such a ruthless enemy to trap me! When did your old monk ever get eaten? Isn't he right now in the iron cabinet in the Brocade Fragrance Pavilion?"
When the Pilgrim heard this, he hurriedly kowtowed and thanked the Buddha Grandfather. The Buddha did not dare release the Great Peng, but installed him as a Dharma-protector on the light-flame, and led the assembly back to the Thunder Monastery.
The Pilgrim brought his cloud down and flew straight into the city. Not a single little fiend was to be found—a snake without a head can't move, a bird without wings can't fly. When they saw the Buddha subdue the demon kings, each had fled for his life.
The Pilgrim freed Bajie and the Sha Monk, found the luggage and the horse, and said to them: "Master hasn't been eaten. All of you, come with me."
He led the two of them straight into the inner palace, found the Brocade Fragrance Pavilion, and broke open the door. Inside was an iron cabinet, and from within came the sound of the Tang Priest weeping.
The Sha Monk struck the iron lock with his demon-quelling staff, lifted the cabinet lid, and called: "Master!" When Sanzang saw them, he wept aloud: "Disciples! How did you subdue the demons? How did you find your way here to me?"
The Pilgrim recounted the whole affair from beginning to end, and Sanzang thanked him without end.
Master and disciples found some rice and provisions in the palace, prepared tea and a meal, and ate their fill. Then they packed up and left the city, finding the great road and heading west. Truly:
The true scriptures must be fetched by a true person; All noise of mind and toil of heart is vanity.
Whether on this journey they knew when they would meet the Tathagata face to face—listen to the explanation in the next chapter.