Adventures of the Mad Monk Ji Gong

by Guo Xiaoting

  Come south, turn north, east or west.

  Come south, turn north, east or west.

  I see lives that pass are void.

  Heaven is void.

  Earth is void.

  Men are dimly seen therein.

  Sun is void.

  Moon is void.

  Come, come; go, go. What is done?

  Fields are void.

  Soil is void.

  Change your master; still it’s void.

  Gold is void.

  Silver is void.

  Once dead, what’s it in your hand?

  Wives are void.

  Children are void.

  Who meets at the Yellow Springs?

  Titles void.

  Knowledge void.

  Pains that are infinite, alas

  From the morning to the eve.

  Man’s life is like that of the bee.

  When all the flowers have been searched,

  When the honey all is made.

  Think of it carefully. You will see

  That it was only in your mind.

  The monk had just finished singing his song when they heard a sound behind them. “Oh, Limitless One!”

  The monk said, “Ai yah! O Mi To Fu!” They turned their heads and saw that a Daoist had come up alongside them. On his head was a kerchief with nine folds. He wore a copper-colored robe and elegant white-soled shoes. His face was like the autumn moon in the third quarter. He was about seventy years old, with hair like snow. He had a frosty white beard on his chin that he had combed down over his breast with a silver comb that was attached to his sash. He was the very picture of a Daoist saint.

  With him were two Daoist novices of about fifteen or sixteen. They were both handsome, with hair pulled into a knot on each side of the head. They were dressed in the blue gowns of novices with matching collars in a darker color. Each wore white shoes with a cloud design on the toes. One of the boys carried a precious sword and the other a parasol.

  As he walked, the Daoist chanted:

  A cave in the mountains,

  A dark and gloomy place,

  With begging bowl in hand

  Is better than a palace

  With jade and jasper towers

  And locks of gold and silver.

  Unaware of springtime

  Of summer or of fall

  To follow up a mountain stream

  With clouds and moon

  For company

  Is pure happiness.

  “Oh, Limitless One!” the Daoist said as he passed. The monk turned and looked at him. Before the Daoist had gone very far, the monk said loudly, “Ai yah! My legs and back hurt so that I can’t walk!”

  “What is it, Teacher?” asked Headman Yang.

  “I’m going to die! I can’t go on!” the monk exclaimed.

  Yin Shixiong, who also did not understand the monk’s temperament, came over and asked, “What’s the matter, Teacher?”

  “My heart is about to stop. I have a bitter taste in my mouth and my eyes are getting dim,” answered the monk.

  “Right!” said Headman Chai. “And your speech is all mixed up!” Chai and his fellow headman She ignored the monk. The monk sat down beside the road and began to moan and groan.

  “Oh, Limitless One!’ said the Daoist as he turned back. “This monk is a fellow traveler. We are brothers in leaving the world!”

  Yin Shixiong said, “We all set off together!”

  “The monk’s illness seems to have gotten worse,” noted the Daoist, “and as a hermit, I do have medicine.”

  “Venerable Daoist,” said Headman Chai, “don’t pay any attention to him. Go along! As soon as you give him any medicine, he will die!”

  “The medicine I have is good!” argued the Daoist. “If a person takes one dose, he can live a year. If he takes two doses, he will live two years. If he takes three, he will live six years. And if he takes nine, he will live twelve years more. I will guarantee that the monk will not die.”

  “I told you, but you would not listen,” said Chai. “Go ahead and give it to him.” The Daoist prepared to administer the medicine. It looked like a cherry and was red as fire. It had a strong odor. The Daoist gave Ji Gong the first dose.

  The monk swallowed it and shouted, “My stomach is on fire!”

  “Is it or isn’t it?” asked Chai.

  The Daoist gave Ji Gong a second dose. “My stomach is bursting!” cried the monk.

  Again the Daoist prepared the medicine and gave Ji Gong a third dose. “My heart is on fire and my liver is all in pieces!” moaned the monk.

  The Daoist gave him nine pills altogether and the monk swallowed them. “Not good!” groaned the monk. “I am going to die!” Having said this, the monk gave one cry and nothing more. His legs kicked and all his breath seemed to go out through his lips. He appeared to be dead.

  CHAPTER 63

  The Daoist and the monk exchange medicines; the ragged monk smells the odor of robbers

  HEADMAN Chai looked at Ji Gong and said, “Reverend Daoist, look and see whether he is not dead. I told you not to give him anything, but you did.”

  The old Daoist turned pale with fright and said, “Oh, Limitless One! Very strange! Very strange!”

  “And don’t be saying, ‘Oh, Limitless One,’” said Chai. “You made him die, but I can make him live!”

  “Headman Chai,” asked Yin Shixiong, “how can you cure him and make him live again?”

  “Headman She,” said Chai, “you might as well drink the last bit of wine in the jug. There’s no point in saving it for Teacher now that he’s gone.”

  “I’ll do that right away,” said She. Before he had finished speaking, the monk rolled over and sat up.

  “Where is that wine?” he asked. “It’s just what I need.”

  “You all saw this, didn’t you?” asked Chai.

  The monk got to his feet, saying, “Well, my good Daoist, those pills you gave me almost cost me my life. Don’t try to get away now.” Going over to the Daoist, Ji Gong took hold of his sleeve.

  Now this Daoist was none other than the former pupil and protegé of the venerable Great Sage of the East, Fang Tai, from the famous shrine in the Tiandai mountains. Outside the northeast gate of the Kaihua district town there was a monastery called the North Rising, and in the shrine there was a Daoist named Chen Xuanliang, who had also been a pupil of the venerable Fang. Daoist Chen was in the shrine, pursuing his search for virtue and honor, when he became aware of a strong blast of demonic energy rising up toward heaven. Immediately he thought to himself, “Since I am nearby, why should these demons be permitted to do these evil things? I will go and find the source of this demonic evil and eradicate it so that the world can be saved from disruption.”

  So saying, he took his precious sword and went directly north, searching until he found the Iron Buddha Temple. He arrived just as the Iron Buddha was spitting out human speech from its mouth: “To all virtuous men and pious women who come seeking medicine, I, the Buddha, am here to help all living beings. Each of you should bring one string of cash so that your combined efforts may help to repair the temple. Each of you will receive a package of medicine to take home and relieve your family’s illness.”

  Chen Xuanliang perceived that the evil influences were coming from inside this Iron Buddha. He could hear people who were burning incense saying, “There is an epidemic of illness going around here. As soon as people help the Iron Buddha, they get well.”

  Daoist Chen thought, “There is some kind of poisonous influence coming from this demon. I must put an end to it.” Therefore he drew his precious sword and began an exorcism. Unexpectedly a black jet of vapor came forth from the lips of the iron image and Chen fell helpless to the ground. He was unable to move.

  Word of the Daoist’s presence had already been carried to Jiang, the Golden Eye of Buddha, who thought to himself, “This Chen Xuanliang, with no orders from anyone else and for no reason at all, has come here to interfere with my affairs
. Why shouldn’t I have him brought back here and finish him off? The sooner I get him out of the way, the better.”

  But just as he was about to send someone out for the Daoist, one of his men came back and reported, “Some of the magistrate’s people who came to burn incense saw the Daoist and took him away to the yamen.”

  “Very well,” Jiang said, “let the magistrate handle him.”

  When the magistrate questioned Chen Xuanliang at the yamen, the magistrate realized that Daoist Chen was a good person. “There are demonic influences doing strange things at the Iron Buddha Temple,” said Chen Xuanliang when he awakened from his stupor. “I thought that I might exorcise them, but I did not realize the power that they have and the ability that they had to attack me. I am not sure whether the effects of their attack may be fatal.”

  “Since you now know that there are demonic influences, what is to be done?” asked the magistrate.

  “I will ask my teacher to come,” replied the Daoist. “He will expel the goblin.”

  “That is a good idea,” said the magistrate, and sent some of his men to escort the Daoist back to the shrine in a sedan chair.

  On the way back, the Daoist was thinking, “If I ask my teacher, the Great Sage of the East, to come, I fear that the journey may be too much for him.” So he sent two of his novices to the Three Purities Shrine at Longyou to ask his brother Daoist, Ma Xuantong, to come instead. He also told the two novices, “Ask the teacher to bring me some of the Nine Lives pills. Go swiftly on your way and return quickly.”

  The two novices were off. They found Ma Xuantong and asked him to come. They were already half way back to their master with the Daoist Ma when they met Ji Gong. Daoist Ma had never seen Ji Gong. When he heard him singing, he thought, “That poor monk’s words show that he understands about trying to be virtuous and honorable.” When he saw that the monk was sick and could not go on, the Daoist, out of the goodness of his heart, gave him all the pills that he had brought with him. Then the monk appeared to die and was revived by Headman Chai.

  When the monk caught hold of the Daoist’s sleeve, Headman Yin Shixiong protested. “Teacher, you should be grateful to the venerable Daoist for giving you the medicine—now you are well again.”

  The monk released the Daoist’s sleeve and queried, “This Daoist gave me medicine?”

  “That’s right,” said the Daoist. “From what temple does the venerable monk come?”

  “The Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat at the West Lake. The upper character of my name is Dao and the lower character is Ji. The person commonly known by the name Ji Dian, ‘Mad Ji,’ is myself. And what is Daoist Ma’s name?”

  “You know that my surname is Ma,” said the Daoist, “and you still ask me my honorable name?”

  “And isn’t your personal name Xuantong?” asked the monk.

  “Yes,” replied the Daoist. “I am called Xuantong.”

  “And where are you going?” asked the monk.

  “To the North Rising Shrine at Kaihua,” replied the Daoist.

  “I am also going to the North Rising Shrine,” said the monk. “May we go together?”

  “Good,” said the Daoist.

  “I hear that you Daoists are able to travel like the wind,” said the monk. “Will you take me along with you?”

  “I can,” said the Daoist. “Just shut your eyes and be sure that you don’t open them.” The Daoist arranged the monk’s position. Then there was the sound of a great wind as they moved through the air.

  About halfway there the monk opened his eyes and cried, “Stop! Stop! This is terrible. Stop, honorable Daoist!”

  The Daoist stopped, and then, since he was in hurry, went on his way without bothering to look to see where the monk had fallen. When the Daoist arrived at Kaihua, there at the doorway of the North Rising Shrine, he saw that someone was sitting asleep on the doorstep. The person got up and said, “Ah! You have arrived!”

  “I came as quickly as I could. I’m quite out of breath,” said the Daoist, secretly thinking, “This is very strange! This monk must have some special abilities. Otherwise how did he get here before me?”

  Ma Xuantong knocked at the shrine gate. A little Daoist novice answered. As he opened the gate, he greeted the Daoist and said, “Teacher has come, but where are the two novices?”

  “Those two are coming behind me and will be here soon,” answered Daoist Ma. “Monk, please come in and sit down.”

  Ji Gong went inside with him. Looking around, he saw that the great hall was on the north side. To the east and west were two accompanying buildings, each of three sections. The little Daoist novice opened the door of the eastern one and the monk and Daoist entered. Directly opposite the door was an “eight immortals” table about three feet square, with an armchair on each side. At the left end of the room to the north the resident Daoist, Chen Xuanliang, was lying motionless on the brick platform bed.

  As soon as Chen Xuanliang saw the two enter, he said, “Ah, you have arrived, my brother Daoist, and who is this honorable monk?”

  “This is Ji Gong from the Monastery of the Soul’s Retreat,” answered Ma Xuantong.

  “And did you bring the Nine Lives pills?” asked Daoist Chen. “I am still suffering from the effects of that demon’s breath.”

  “I did bring the pills,” replied Daoist Ma, “but on the way I met this honorable monk who was ill, and I gave them to him.”

  “And I recovered,” said the monk. “Perhaps some medicine that I have will help my Daoist brother.” He took the medicine out and gave it to Daoist Chen, who took it and shortly recovered.

  “Good medicine,” said Chen, “very good medicine! I feel well and even young again.”

  “We are your disciples,” said Ma Xuantong. Both of them bowed and thanked Ji Gong.

  “Oh, that is nothing,” said Ji Gong, “but this room has a strange odor. I feel as if there were smoke in my nostrils.”

  “What kind of odor is it?” asked Chen Xuanliang.

  “It is the smell of robbers,” answered Ji Gong.

  The two Daoists were amazed to hear this. Now there were actually two outlaws under the brick platform bed hidden in the fire chamber, but this fact was unknown to the Daoists. When the magistrate of Kaihua, who had gone to the Iron Buddha Temple, had taken the Daoist Chen to the yamen for creating a disturbance, Golden Eye Jiang had first thought that the Daoist would be punished. When the Daoist was sent back to this shrine, the word quickly reached Jiang. “He will certainly ask his teacher at Tiandai Mountain to help,” Golden Eye reasoned. “If I don’t act quickly now, it will be worse later. I have a great business here which he may destroy.” He therefore sent the two outlaws to murder Daoist Chen.

  At the shrine they managed to enter and conceal themselves under the brick bed in the fire chamber, but when they heard that the other Daoist was coming, they decided to wait and kill them both.

  CHAPTER 64

  Ji Gong sends a gift of pickled eggs; the Painted Lame Man walks into a trap

  AS the two outlaws emerged from the fire chamber under the brick platform bed and collected themselves, they drew their swords and prepared to attack Ji Gong, but the monk simply pointed his finger and paralyzed them. At the same time, the bamboo blind hanging at the door was lifted and the four headmen and two Daoist novices burst into the room. The four headmen were indeed Chai Yuanlo, She Jengying, Yang Guodong, and Yin Shixiong.

  Now, a short time before, the four headmen and the two Daoist novices had been walking along the road. The Daoist Ma Xuantong had flown off, taking Ji Gong with him and leaving the six others behind.

  “Tell us,” said Headman Chai, “from which shrine do you novices come?”

  “We are from the Kaihua district North Rising Shrine,” said one of the novices.

  “And is the Daoist who was here just now your teacher?” asked Chai.

  “No, he is not our teacher, but our teacher’s elder brother,” the same novice answered.

  “Well, si
nce our monk has gone with your teacher’s elder brother to your temple,” said Chai, “let us go together.”

  “I’m afraid,” said the novice, “that your four headmen will not be able to keep up with us. We are going to walk on air.”

  “We four headmen can almost fly over the ground,” said Chai. “If you two will only go a little slower, we will go faster so that we can go together.”

  “Very well,” agreed the novice. And the six of them followed the road and quickly arrived at the North Rising Shrine. “Here we are,” said the novice. “Just wait till I knock at the gate.”

  “Don’t bother with that,” said Chai. “I will go in and open it.” And as he spoke, Chai and She both leapt over the wall. They had seized this opportunity to show off their skills to the other two headmen, as if to say, “We were sent to capture the great outlaw Hua Yun Long and are not without some special abilities.”

  The novices hardly expected the local headmen, Yang Guodong and Yin Shixiong, to be able to jump over the wall just as well as they did. Without actually saying so in words, their actions implied that they, though only local headmen, were not completely without skill. After this bit of unspoken rivalry among the four headmen, they opened the gate. The two novices entered, closed the gate, and with the four headmen got into the room just as Ji Gong brought the two outlaws to a standstill.

  “Teacher,” asked Headman Chai, “which of these is Cloud Dragon Hua?”

  “We have no Cloud Dragon Hua,” replied the monk.

  “Then,” asked Chai, “which of them is the robber who stole the warrant?”

  “Nor do we have the thief who stole the warrant,” answered the monk. “But first, put these two in chains. Even though they’re not the ones we want most, don’t let them escape.”

  Chai and the others fastened cuffs and chains on the two outlaws and Yin Shixiong asked the two novices to get some refreshments. The four headmen then politely greeted their Daoist hosts and all sat down to eat and drink.