The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 3

by Unknown

  “Relax, great father-in-law!” said the son-in-law with a laugh. “Since his youth your foolish son-in-law has mastered the rudiments of the martial arts. Within the four seas he has, moreover, met quite a few stalwart warriors. Why fear him? Let me go out now and fight three rounds with him. I promise you that that fellow will bow his head in submission, not daring even to look up!”

  Dear fiend! He leaped up at once and put on his armor, picking up a weapon which had the name of crescent-tooth spade.1 Striding out of the palace, he opened a path in the water and rose to the surface, crying, “What sort of Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, is here? Come over quickly and yield your life!”

  Standing on the shore, Pilgrim and Eight Rules stared at the monster-spirit to see how he was attired.

  He wore a bright silver helmet,

  Its luster whiter than snow;

  He had on a cuirass of steel

  Luminous as autumn’s frost,

  Which topped a damask martial robe

  Patterned like colored clouds enfolding jade.

  His waist had a belt of rhinoceros grain,

  Which seemed like a python spotted with gold.

  His hands held the crescent-tooth spade

  Flashing with beams of light;

  His feet wore two pigskin boots

  Which parted water and waves.

  Seen from afar he had one head and one face;

  Drawing near, he seemed human all around.

  Eyes in front,

  Eyes behind,

  He could see all eight quarters.

  A mouth on the left,

  A mouth on the right,

  Nine mouths talking at once!

  One shout he gave and it shook the distant void,

  As if a crane’s cry had punctured the stars.

  When the monster-spirit found no reply, he shouted once more: “Who is the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven?” Giving his golden fillet a pinch and his iron rod a bounce, Pilgrim replied, “Old Monkey’s the person.”

  The fiend asked, “Where do you live? Where did you come from originally? How did you get to the Sacrifice Kingdom to become the guard of the pagoda for that king? How dare you capture my captains and work further violence by provoking battle on my treasure mountain?”

  “You thievish fiend!” scolded Pilgrim. “So, you don’t recognize your Grandfather Sun! Come up here and listen to my recital.

  Mount Flower-Fruit’s where old Monkey once had lived,

  At the great ocean’s Water-Curtain Cave.

  I’ve wrought a perfect body since my youth;

  Emperor Jade made me Sage Equal-to-Heav’n.

  When I caused great havoc in the Dipper Hall,

  The gods in Heaven found me hard to beat.

  The Buddha, asked to lend his wondrous might,

  Used his boundless wisdom transcendently.

  In a somersault wager—a test of might—

  His hand formed a mountain to have me pressed

  Beneath it till now, a full five hundred years.

  My life was spared when Guanyin intervened:

  Great Tang’s Tripitaka would go to the West

  To seek on Spirit Mountain the Buddhist verse.

  To give him protection I found release

  And cultivation, purging imps and fiends.

  At Sacrifice Kingdom of the West we met

  Priests wrongly blamed, three generations all.

  In mercy we inquired about the cause

  And learned the pagoda had lost its light.

  My master swept it to get to the truth:

  The night reached third watch when all sounds had ceased,

  We caught two monsters who at once confessed.

  You all, they claimed, had the treasure stolen;

  The gang of thieves e’en had a dragon king,

  To which a princess added her name, All Saints.

  By raining blood on the pagoda’s beams,

  She took someone’s treasure for her own use.

  That true statement before the court obtained,

  We sped to this place by the king’s command

  That we might find you and provoke a fight.

  There’s no need to ask for Father Sun’s name.

  Return the treasure quickly to the king

  And we’ll spare your kin’s lives, both old and young.

  If you’re so foolish as to want to strive,

  I’ll drain your water, topple your mountain, and stamp you out!”

  When the son-in-law heard these words, he smiled scornfully and said, “So, you’re a monk on your way to fetch scriptures. Don’t you have anything more important to do than to meddle in someone’s affairs? You’re to seek your scriptures from Buddha, and I am the one who steals treasures. What has that to do with you? Why must you come here to fight with me?” “This thievish fiend,” said Pilgrim, “has very little understanding! Of course, I’m not a recipient of the king’s favor, nor do I feed on his water or rice, and thus I’m not obliged to serve him. But you stole not only his treasure and defiled his pagoda, you also brought suffering to the priests of the Golden Light Monastery. They belong, after all, to the same community as we. How could I not exert my strength on their behalf and bring their injustice to light?” “In that case,” said the son-in-law, “you must want to do battle. As the proverb says, ‘War is an unkindly act.’ When I raise my hands, I fear I’ll not spare you. I may take your life all of a sudden, and that may upset your scripture enterprise!”

  Enraged, Pilgrim shouted, “You brazen thievish fiend! What power do you have that you dare mouth such big words? Come up here and have a taste of your father’s rod!” Not in the least intimidated, the son-in-law parried the blow with his crescent-tooth spade; a marvelous battle thus broke out on top of that Scattered-Rock Mountain.

  Monsters stole treasures and the stupa grew dark.

  Pilgrim caught fiends and informed the king.

  Into the water two little fiends fled;

  The old dragon took counsel, all in dread.

  His son-in-law, Nine-Heads, would flaunt his might;

  He armed himself to go to show his power

  And roused the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven’s ire,

  Whose iron rod, upraised, was hard and strong.

  That fiend

  Had on nine heads eighteen eyes

  All ablaze both back and front;

  This Pilgrim,

  Whose steely arms could raise a thousand pounds,

  Did spread auspicious rays around.

  The spade looked like the moon at the first stroke of yang;2

  The rod seemed like frost flying o’er ten thousand miles.

  The rod met the spade as both strove to win,

  But none had yet won on this battlefield.

  Charging back and forth, the two of them fought for more than thirty rounds but no decision could be reached.

  Zhu Eight Rules was standing all this time before the mountain slope; he waited until the battle had reached its sweetest moment before he lifted high his muckrake and brought it down hard on the back of the monster-spirit. The fiend, you see, possessed nine heads, and on each one of them he had eyes that could see clearly. When he saw Eight Rules coming at him at the back, he immediately used the lower part of the spade to block the rake while the upper part parried the iron rod. They fought thus for another six or seven rounds when the monster could no longer withstand the double offensive, front and back. He somersaulted at once into the air and changed into his original form: it was a nine-headed insect, exceedingly ugly and ferocious. Look at his appearance! You’d be scared to death! He had

  Feathers like brocade spread out,

  A stoutish body with curly fleece.

  His size, at least twelve feet in length—

  A shape like the turtle’s or iguana’s.

  His two feet were pointed and sharp like hooks;

  Nine heads joined together to form a ring.

  He could fly so well when he spread
his wings

  That e’en the roc was no match for his strength.

  Crying out he could shake the Heaven’s edge,

  Able to call louder than a mythic crane.

  With eyes flashing beams of golden light,

  Not like the common bird’s his was a proud sight.

  Horrified by what he saw, Eight Rules cried, “Elder Brother! I’ve never seen such a vicious thing in all my life! Which creature of blood and breath would bring forth a beast like this?” “It’s rare! It’s rare, all right!” replied Pilgrim. “Let me get up there to strike him.”

  Dear Great Sage! Quickly mounting the auspicious cloud, he leaped into the air and aimed a blow of his iron rod at the creature’s heads. To display his abilities, that fiendish creature spread his wings and flew to one side. Rolling over, he suddenly darted down the side of the mountain as another head popped out from the middle of his torso. A huge, gaping mouth like a butcher bowl caught hold of Eight Rules’s bristles with one bite. Tugging and pulling his victim, he hauled him into the water of the Green Wave Lagoon. When he reached the dragon palace, he changed back into his previous form and threw Eight Rules on the ground. “Little ones, where are you?” he cried. Those spirits of mackerels, culters, carps, and perches along with the turtle, iguana, and sea turtle fiends all surged forward, shouting, “We’re here!” “Take this priest,” said the son-in-law, “and tie him up over there. I want to avenge our soldiers who were sent on patrol.” The raucous mob of spirits carried Eight Rules inside as a delighted old dragon king came out saying, “Worthy son-in-law, you’ve made great merit! How did you manage to capture him?” After the son-in-law gave a thorough account of what took place, the old dragon immediately ordered a banquet to celebrate this victory, and we shall leave them for the moment.

  We tell you now about Pilgrim Sun, who was quite dismayed when he saw how Eight Rules had been captured by the monster-spirit. “This is a formidable fellow!” he thought to himself. “I would like to go back to see Master in the court, but I’m afraid the king would laugh at me. If I make noises to provoke battle again, I’ll have to face them single-handedly. Moreover, I’m not used to doing business in water. I’d better transform myself to go inside and see what that fiend is going to do to Idiot. If there’s a chance, I’ll smuggle him out again so that we may proceed with our business.” Dear Great Sage! Making the magic sign with his fingers, he shook his body, changed into a crab to splash into the water, and went before the towered gateway. This was a familiar way to him, you see, for he had traveled it before when he spied on the Bull Demon King and stole his golden-eye beast. After he crawled sideways through the arch, Pilgrim saw inside the old Dragon King drinking merrily with the nine-headed insect and other members of their family. Not daring to go near them, Pilgrim crawled over to the east corridor where there were several shrimp and crab spirits frolicking. After he had listened to their chatter for awhile, Pilgrim imitated their manner of speech and asked, “That priest with a long snout caught by our venerable son-in-law, has he died?” “Not yet,” the spirits replied. “The one tied up in the west corridor and moaning, isn’t he the one?”

  On hearing this, Pilgrim crawled silently over to the west corridor, and indeed he discovered our Idiot bound to a pillar and moaning. “Eight Rules,” whispered Pilgrim as he approached him, “you recognize me?” When Eight Rules heard the voice, he knew it was Pilgrim and said, “Elder Brother, what shall we do? I’ve been caught by this fellow instead!” When Pilgrim glanced around and saw no one, he snapped the ropes with his claws and told Eight Rules to leave. After he was freed, Idiot said, “Elder Brother, my weapon was taken by him. What are we to do?” “Do you know where he has put it?” asked Pilgrim, and Eight Rules replied, “It must have been taken up to the main hall by that fiend.”

  Pilgrim said to him, “Go beneath the towered gateway and wait for me.” Fleeing for his life, Eight Rules slipped out quietly, while Pilgrim turned and crawled up to the main hall once more. A luminous object he saw on the left side was actually the rake of Eight Rules. Using the magic of Body Concealment, he stole it and went to the towered gateway. “Eight Rules, take your weapon,” he said. After Idiot took the rake, he said, “Elder Brother, you leave first and let old Hog fight his way into the palace. If I win, I’ll seize their entire family. If I’m defeated, I’ll flee outside and you can come to my assistance by the edge of the lagoon.” Highly pleased, Pilgrim told him to be careful. “No fear,” said Eight Rules, “for I do have some abilities in water.” Pilgrim left him and swam back to the surface of the water.

  Straightening out his black cotton shirt and gripping his rake with both hands, our Eight Rules gave a shout and fought his way into the palace. Those aquatic relatives, both young and old, were so startled that they dashed up to the main hall, screaming, “It’s terrible! That long-snout priest has broken out of the ropes and he’s attacking us!” The old dragon, the nine-headed insect, and their family members were hardly prepared for this; jumping up, they scattered in every direction and tried to hide themselves. Our Idiot, however, had no regard for life or death; crashing into the main hall, he wielded his rake to fracture doors, demolish tables and chairs, and shatter all those drinking utensils. We have for him a testimonial poem, and the poem says:

  Wood Mother was caught by a water fiend;

  Mind Monkey, unyielding, searched hard for him

  And used a clever trick to pick the lock.

  They then displayed their power and deepest ire.

  The son-in-law with his princess quickly hid;

  The Dragon King fell silent in fear and dread.

  As palatial arches and windows broke up,

  Dragon sons and grandsons all lost their wits.

  This time the tortoise-shelled screens were pulverized by Eight Rules and the coral plants were smashed to pieces. After he had safely hidden the princess inside, the nine-headed insect grabbed his crescent-tooth spade to rush back to the front palace, shouting, “Lawless swine! How dare you be so insolent as to frighten my kin?” “You thievish fiend!” scolded Eight Rules. “How dare you capture me? It’s not my fault now! It’s you who have invited me to bust up your household. Return the treasures quickly so that I can go back to see the king. That’ll be the end of it. Otherwise, I’ll definitely not spare the lives of your entire family!” The fiend, of course, was not about to yield. Clenching his teeth, he plunged into battle with Eight Rules. Only then did the old dragon manage to collect himself sufficiently to lead his son and grandson, armed with scimitars and spears, to mount an attack also. When Eight Rules saw that the tide was turning against him, he dealt a weak blow with his rake before turning to flee, followed by the old dragon and his companions. In a moment, they all darted out of the water, bobbing up and down on the surface of the lagoon.

  We tell you now about Pilgrim Sun, who stood waiting on the shore. When all at once he saw Eight Rules leaving the water, chased by his opponents, he quickly rose on cloud and fog and wielded his iron rod, crying, “Don’t run away!” One blow and the old dragon’s head was all smashed up. Alas!

  As blood spilled in the lagoon, red water swelled.

  The corpse floated on the waves with dying scales.

  The dragon son and grandson were so terrified that they all fled for their lives. Only the son-in-law, Nine-Heads, retrieved the corpse and retreated to the palace.

  Pilgrim and Eight Rules, however, did not give chase immediately; they went back to the shore instead to talk about what had happened. “This fellow’s will to fight has been blunted now,” said Eight Rules. “With my rake, I fought my way in and caused tremendous wreckage. They were frightened out of their wits. I was just fighting with that son-in-law when the old dragon chased me out. It was a good thing that you beat him to death. When they get back inside, they will undoubtedly prepare for mourning and the funeral, and they certainly will not come out again. It’s getting late also. What shall we do?”

  “Why worry about the time?” said
Pilgrim. “You should make use of this opportunity and go down to attack them once more. We must recover the treasure before we can return to the court.” Our Idiot, however, had turned slothful and indolent, refusing to go with all sorts of excuses. “Brother,” urged Pilgrim, “there’s no need for all your deliberations. Just entice them to come as before and I’ll attack them.”

  As the two were conversing like that, they suddenly saw a vast expanse of dark fog moved by a churning, violent gale from the east toward the south. When Pilgrim took a more careful look, he found that it was Erlang of Illustrious Sagacity traveling with the Six Brothers of Plum Mountain.3 Leading hawks and hounds, they were also poling foxes, hares, deer, and antelopes. Each of them had a curved bow dangling from his waist and a sharp blade in his hand as they sped forward astride the wind and fog. “Eight Rules,” said Pilgrim, “those seven sages happen to be my bond-brothers. We should detain them and ask them to help us do battle. If we succeed, it’ll be a wonderful opportunity for us.” “If they’re your brothers,” replied Eight Rules, “we should indeed ask them to stay.” “But they have in their midst Big Brother Illustrious Sagacity,” said Pilgrim, “who once defeated me. I’m a little embarrassed about showing myself abruptly to him. Why don’t you block the path of their clouds and say, ‘Lord Immortal, please stop for a moment. The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, is here to pay you respect.’ When he hears that I’m here, he will certainly stop. When he settles down, it’ll be easier for me to see him.”