Journey to the West (vol. 3)

by Wu Cheng-En

  Tiger, leopard, jackal and wolf move in and out of the undergrowth.

  With no sign of a monster to be seen in the wood

  They do not know where Sanzang might be found.

  In his anxiety Monkey pulled out his cudgel, shook himself and made himself look as he had when he made great havoc in Heaven, with three heads, six arms and six hands wielding three cudgels. With these he lashed out furiously and noisily among the trees.

  “Friar Sand,” said Pig when he saw this, “not finding the master has made him go off his head.” In fact Monkey had beat a way through the trees and flushed out two old men-the mountain god and the local deity-who went up to him, knelt down and said, “Great Sage, the god of this mountain and the local deity pay their respects.”

  “That rod certainly gets results,” said Pig. “He clears a path with it and flushes out the mountain god and the local deity. If he cleared another path he'd even flush out an evil star.”

  “Mountain god, local deity,” said Monkey, “you're a disgrace. You're hand in glove with the bandits here. When they make a good haul they buy pigs and sheep to sacrifice to you. On top of that you're accomplices of the evil spirit. You helped her kidnap my master and bring him here. Where's he being hidden? If you want to be spared a beating tell me the truth right now.”

  “Great Sage,” the two gods said with alarm, “you are misjudging us. The evil spirit doesn't live on our mountain or come within our jurisdiction. But when the wind blows at night we have heard a thing or two about her.”

  “Tell me everything you know,” said Monkey.

  “The evil spirit carried your master off to a place over three hundred miles due South of here,” the local deity replied. “There's a mountain there called Mount Pitfall with a cave in it called the Bottomless Cave. He was taken there by a disguised evil spirit from that cave.” This news gave Monkey a shock that he did not reveal.

  Shouting at the mountain god and the local deity to dismiss them he put his magical appearance away, turned back into himself and said to Pig and Friar Sand, “The master's a long way from here.”

  “If it's a long way let's go there by cloud,” Pig replied.

  The splendid idiot went ahead on a wild wind followed by Friar Sand on a cloud. As the white horse had originally been a dragon's son he too came by wind and mist as he carried the luggage on his back. The Great Sage set off by somersault as he headed due South, and before long a high mountain came into view that was blocking the way for the clouds.

  The three of them took hold of the horse and stopped their clouds. This is what the mountain looked like:

  The summit touched the azure sky,

  Its peaks joined with the blue of the heavens.

  Trees by the million grew on every side,

  While flying birds sung noisily all around.

  Tigers and leopards moved in packs,

  Water deer and roebuck walked through the bushes.

  On the Southern slopes rare flowers bloomed fragrant;

  On the Northern side the snow never melted.

  Steep and craggy were its ridges,

  Sheer were its overhangs and rockfaces.

  Pinnacles shot straight up

  And deep ravines curved all around.

  It was dark green among the pines,

  And the rocks were jagged.

  It struck fear into the traveler's heart.

  No sign could be seen of woodcutters,

  And the immortal boys picking herbs had vanished.

  The tigers and leopards here could make mists,

  And all the foxes set winds roaring.

  “Brother,” said Pig, “this mountain's so high and sheer there must be evil on it.”

  “Goes without saying,” Monkey replied. “High mountains all have monsters; there's never a steep ridge without spirits. Friar Sand,” he called, “you and I are going to stay here while we send Pig into the mountain hollows to look around and find out the best way for us to take. If there really is a cave palace he must discover where the entrance is. Find everything out so that we can go in together to find the master and rescue him.”

  “Just my lousy luck,” said Pig, “having to go first and take the brunt.”

  “Last night you said we could leave it all to you,” Monkey replied, “so why are you trying to get out of it now?”

  “Stop shouting at me,” Pig said. “I'm going.” The idiot put down his rake, tugged at his clothes and leapt empty-handed down from the mountain to find the path.

  If you don't know whether this departure was to be for good or ill listen to the explanation in the next installment.

  Chapter 82

  The Girl Seeks the Male

  The Primal Deity Guards the Way

  The story tells how Pig leapt down the mountainside and found a narrow path. After following it for nearly two miles he came across two she-monsters drawing water from a well. How did he know that they both were monsters? Each of them had on her head an extremely unfashionable hair-style held up by bamboo slivers that stood one foot two or three inches high.

  “Evil monsters,” Pig called, going up to them.

  The two of them looked at each other and said. “What an outrageous monk. We don't know him and we've never had words with him. So why did he call us evil monsters?” In their fury the monsters raised the pole with which they were going to carry the water and struck at Pig's head.

  After a few blows that he could not ward off as he was unarmed, the idiot rushed back up the mountain with his head covered by both hands shouting, “Brother! Go back! The monsters are vicious.”

  “What's so vicious about them?” Monkey asked.

  “There were two evil spirits drawing water from the well in the hollow,” said Pig, “and they hit me three or four times with their carrying-pole just because I spoke to them.”

  “What did you call them?” Monkey asked.

  “Evil monsters,” Pig replied.

  “You got off lightly then,” laughed Monkey.

  “I'm most obliged for your concern,” replied Pig. “My head has swollen up where they hit it, and you tell me I've got off lightly.”

  “Soft words will get you anywhere on earth; act rough and you won't move a single step,” replied Monkey. “As they're local fiends from round here and we're monks from far away you'd have had to be a bit polite even if you'd had fists growing all over your body. Do you think they should have hit me instead of you? You were the one who called them evil monsters. Courtesy first!”

  “I never realized,” said Pig.

  “Living on human flesh in the mountains since childhood as you have,” said Monkey, “can you recognize two kinds of tree?”

  “I don't know,” Pig said. “Which two trees?”

  “The willow and the sandalwood,” Monkey replied. “The willow has a very soft nature, so that craftsmen can carve it into holy images or make statues of the Tathagata out of it. It's gilded, painted, set with jewels, decorated with flowers, and many worshippers burn incense to it. It receives unbounded blessings. But the sandalwood is so hard that it's used as the pressing-beam in the oil-press with iron hoops round its head, and it's hit with iron hammers too. The only reason it suffers like this is because it's to hard.”

  “You should have told me all this before,” said Pig, “then I wouldn't have been beaten.”

  “Now go back and find out the truth,” said Brother Monkey.

  “But if I go there again they'll recognize me,” Pig replied.

  “Then turn into something else,” said Monkey.

  “But even if I do turn into something else, brother, how am I to question them?” asked Pig.

  “When you look different go up to them and bow to them,” Monkey replied. “See how old they are. If they're about the same age as us call them 'Miss,' and if they're a lot older call them 'Lady.'”

  “What a terrible climb-down: why should we be treating them as our relations when they're strangers from this far away?” said Pig.
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  “That's not treating them as relations,” replied Monkey. “Its just a way of getting the truth out of them. If they're the ones who've got our master we'll be able to act; and if it isn't them we won't lose any time before going to fight elsewhere.”

  “You're right,” said Pig. “I'm going back.”

  The splendid idiot tucked his rake in his belt, went down into the hollow, shook himself and turned into a far, dark-skinned monk. He swaggered as he went up to the monsters, chanted a loud “na-a-aw” of respect and said, “Respectful greetings, ladies.”

  “This monk's much better,” the two monsters said with delight. “He expresses his respects and knows how to address us properly.” Then they asked him, “Where are you from, venerable elder?”

  “From somewhere,” Pig replied.

  “And where are you going?” they asked.

  “Somewhere,” Pig replied.

  “What's your name?” they asked.

  “What it is,” Pig replied again.

  “Better he may be,” the monsters said with a laugh, “but he won't tell us about himself. He just echoes our questions.”

  “Ladies,” Pig asked, “why are you fetching water?”

  “You wouldn't know, monk,” the demons replied with smiles. “Our lady brought a Tang Priest back to the cave last night and she wants to look after him well. As the water in our cave is none too clean she's sent us two to fetch some of this good water produced by the mating of the Yin and the Yang. She's laid on a vegetarian banquet as well for the Tang Priest; she's going to marry him this evening.”

  As soon as he heard this the idiot rushed straight back up the mountain shouting. “Friar Sand, bring the luggage here at once. We're dividing it up.”

  “Why, brother?” Friar Sand asked.

  “When we've divided it up you can go back to man-eating in the Flowing Sands River,” Pig replied, “I'll return to Gao Village to see my wife, Big Brother can play the sage on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, and the white dragon can be a dragon in the ocean again. The master's getting married in this evil spirits cave. Let's all go and settle down.”

  “You're talking nonsense again, you idiot,” replied Brother Monkey.

  “I bloody well am not,” Pig retorted. “Those two evil spirits who were carrying water said a moment ago that a vegetarian wedding feast is being laid on for the master.”

  “How can you say things like that when the evil spirits are holding the master prisoner in the cave and he's longing for us to go in and rescue him?” said Monkey.

  “How can we rescue him?” Pig asked.

  “You two bring the horse and the luggage, while we go with the two she-monsters as our guides,” Monkey replied. “When we reach the entrance we can act together.”

  The idiot could only go with Monkey as he followed the two monsters for five or six miles deep into the mountains before suddenly disappearing. “So the master was captured by a devil in broad daylight,” exclaimed Pig with surprise.

  “You've got good eyesight,” said Monkey. “How can you possibly tell what they really were?”

  “Those two monsters were carrying the water along when suddenly they disappeared. They must be daytime devils.”

  “I think they went into a cave,” said Monkey. “Wait while I go to have a look.”

  The splendid Great Sage opened his fiery eyes with their golden pupils and scanned the whole mountain. He saw no movement, but did spot a ceremonial archway most intricately made with many flowers and colours, triple eaves and fourfold decorations in front of the cliff. Going closer with Pig and Friar Sand he saw four large words written on it:

  PITFALL MOUNTAIN: BOTTOMLESS CAVE

  “Brothers,” said Monkey, “here's the evil spirits' archway, but I still don't know where the entrance is.”

  “Can't be far,” said Friar Sand, “can't be far. Let's have a good look for it.” When they turned round to look they saw a great rock over three miles around at the foot of the mountain beneath the archway. In the middle of it was a hole the size of a water-vat, which had become very slippery by repeated climbing.

  “Brother,” said Pig, “that's where the evil spirits go in and out of their cave.”

  “That's very strange,” said Monkey. “To be frank with the two of you, I've captured quite a few evil spirits since I started escorting the Tang Priest, but I've never seen a cave palace like this one before. Pig, you go down first and find out how deep it is. Then I'll be able to go in and rescue the master.”

  “It'll be hard,” said Pig with a shake of his head, “very hard. I'm very clumsy. If I tripped and fell in it might take me two or three years to reach the bottom.”

  “How deep is it then?” Monkey asked.

  “Look,” Pig replied, and as the Great Sage leant over the edge of the hole to take a careful look he saw to his astonishment that it was very deep indeed and must have measured over a hundred miles around.

  “It's very, very deep, brother,” he turned round to say.

  “Go back then,” Pig replied. “The master's beyond saving.”

  “What a thing to say!” Monkey retorted. “'Have no thoughts of being lazy; put idleness out of your mind.' Put the luggage down, and tether the horse to one of the legs of the archway. You and Friar Sand must block the entrance with your rake and staff while I go inside to explore. If the master really is inside I'll drive the evil spirits out with my iron cudgel, and when they reach the entrance you mustn't let them out. We'll only be able to kill the evil spirits and rescue the master if we work together.” The other two accepted their orders.

  Monkey sprang into the hole, and under his feet tea thousand coloured clouds appeared, while a thousand layers of auspicious mist shielded him. He was soon at the bottom, which was a very long way down. Inside all was bright; there was the same sunshine, winds, flowers, fruit and trees as in the world above.

  “What a splendid place,” Monkey thought. “It reminds me of the Water Curtain Cave that Heaven gave me in the place where I was born. This is another cave paradise.” As he looked around he saw a gate-tower with double eaves around which grew many clumps of pine and bamboo. Inside were many buildings.

  “This must be where the evil spirit lives,” he thought. “I'll go in and find out what's up. No, wait. If I go in like this she'll recognize me. I'd better transform myself.” With a shake and a hand-spell he turned himself into a fly and flew lightly up to land on the gate-tower and listen in. From here he saw the monster sitting at her ease in a thatched pavilion. She was dressed far more beautifully than she had been when they rescued her in the pine forest or when she had tried to catch Monkey in the monastery:

  Her hair was piled in a crow-black coiffure;

  She wore a green velvet waistcoat.

  Her feet were a pair of curving golden lotuses;

  Her fingers were as delicate as bamboo shoots in spring.

  Her powdered face was like a silver dish,

  And her red lips were as glossy as a cherry.

  She was a regular beauty,

  Even more lovely than the lady on the moon.

  After capturing the pilgrim monk that morning

  She was going to know the pleasure of sharing his bed.

  Monkey said nothing as he listened out for what she might say. Before long the cherry of her lips parted as she said with great pleasure, “Lay on a vegetarian feast, my little ones, and quick. My darling Tang Priest and I are going to be man and wife afterwards.”

  “So it's true,” thought Brother Monkey, grinning to himself. “I thought Pig was just joking. I'd better fly in and find the master. I wonder what state of mind he's in. If he's been led astray I'm leaving him here.” When he spread his wings and flew inside to look he saw the Tang Priest sitting in a corridor behind a trellis covered with opaque red paper below and left clear above.

  Butting a hole through the trellis paper Monkey landed on the Tang Priest's bald head and called, “Master.”

  “Save me, disciple,” re
plied Sanzang, who recognized Monkey's voice.

  “You're useless, Master,” said Monkey. “The evil spirit is laying on a feast, and when you've eaten it you two are getting married. I expect you'll have a son or a daughter to start another generation of monks and nuns. What have you got to be so upset about?”

  When the venerable elder heard this he gnashed his teeth and said, “Disciple, in all the time since I left Chang'an, accepted you as my follower at the Double Boundary Mountain and started my journey West, when have I ever eaten meat or had any wicked ideas? Now the evil spirit has captured me she is insisting that I mate with her. If I lose my true masculine essence may I fall from the wheel of reincarnation and be fixed for ever behind the Dark Mountains, never to rise again.”

  “No need to swear any oaths,” said Monkey with a grin. “If you really want to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven I'll take you there.”

  “I can't remember the way I came in,” Sanzang replied.

  “Never mind about forgetting,” said Monkey. “You won't get out of here as easily as you came in, which was from the top downwards. If I save you now you'll have to go from the bottom upwards. If you're very lucky you'll squeeze out through the entrance and get away. But if your luck's out you won't be able to squeeze through and sooner or later you'll die of suffocation.”

  “This is terrible,” said Sanzang, the tears pouring from his eyes. “What are we to do?”

  “No problem,” said Monkey, “no problem. The evil spirit's getting some wine prepared for you. You'll have to drink a goblet of it whether you want to or not. But you must pour it out quickly so that it makes a lot of froth. Then I can turn myself into a tiny insect and fly under the bubbles. When she gulps me down into her belly I'll tear her heart and liver to shreds and rip her guts apart. Once I've killed her you'll be able to escape.”

  “But that would be an inhuman thing to do, disciple,” said Sanzang.

  “If all you're interested in is being kind you're done for,” Monkey replied. “The evil spirit's a murderess. What do you care so much about her for?”