by Wu Cheng-En
“I've got my methods,” Monkey replied.
The splendid Great Sage then put his cudgel away, made a spell with his fingers while saying the magic words, called “Change!” and turned into a fire-fly. He was really nimble. Just look at him:
Wings that shine like shooting stars:
The ancients say fire-flies grow from rotting plants.
His powers of transformation are truly great,
And he loves to wander all around.
When he flies to the stone doors to look within
A draft blows through the crack beside him.
A single jump and he is in the dark courtyard,
Watching the movements of the evil spirits.
As he flew in he saw some cattle sprawled around on the ground, fast asleep and snoring like thunder. In the main hall nothing was moving, and all the doors were closed. Not knowing where the three evil spirits were sleeping, he went through the hall and shone with his light into the back, where he heard sobs. The Tang Priest was chained to a pillar under the eaves at the back and weeping. Monkey kept out of sight as he listened to what he was crying about, and this is what he heard:
“Since I left Chang'an in China some ten years back and more,
I have had to suffer much crossing all those rivers and mountains.
I came out to the West at a very happy season,
Arriving in the city for the festival of lanterns.
“I failed to understand that the Buddhas were impostors
All because my fate seems to doom me to distress.
My disciples gave pursuit and will use their mighty powers:
I pray they will be able to achieve a great success.”
Delighted to hear this, Monkey spread his wings and flew closer to his master, who wiped away his tears and observed, “Goodness, the West really is different. This is only the first month of the year, when dormant insects are just beginning to wake up. Fancy seeing a fire-fly now!”
“Master,” said Brother Monkey, unable to keep quiet any longer, “I'm here.”
“I was just wondering how there could be a fire-fly at this time of year, and it's you,” the Tang Priest replied with delight.
“Master,” said Monkey, turning back into himself, “the journey's been held up so long and so much effort has been wasted because you can't tell true from false. All the way along I've told you demons are no good, but you will kowtow to them. When those devils covered up the lamps to steal the refined butter oil they carried you off too. I told Pig and Friar Sand to go back to the monastery and keep an eye on our things while I followed the smell of the wind here. I didn't know what the place was called, but luckily the four Duty Gods told me that this is Dark Essence Cave on Green Dragon Mountain. I fought the monsters all day long till I went back at evening, told my brother-disciples the full story, and came back here with them instead of going to bad. As I thought it was too late at night to fight and didn't know where you were I transformed myself to come in and find out what's going on.”
“Are Pig and Friar Sand outside?” the happy Tang Priest asked.
“Yes,” Monkey replied. “I've just had a look around and seen that the evil spirits are all asleep. I'll unlock you, smash the doors down and get you out.” The Tang Priest nodded his head in gratitude.
Using his unlocking magic, Monkey made the lock open at a touch. He was just leading his master to the front of the cave when the demon kings could be heard shouting from their bedrooms, “Shut the doors tight, little ones, and be careful of fire. Why can't we hear the watchmen calling the watches? Where are the clappers and bells?”
After a day's hard fighting the junior demons were all asleep, exhausted; and they only woke up when they heard the shout. To the sound of clappers and bells several of them came out from the back holding weapons and beating gongs, and they just happened to bump into Monkey and his master.
“Where do you think you're going, my fine monks, now you've broken the locks?” the junior devils all shouted together, and with no further argument Monkey pulled out his cudgel, shook it to make it as thick as a rice bowl and struck, killing two of them at a blow. The rest of them dropped their weapons, went to the central hall, beat on the doors and shouted, “Disaster, Your Majesties, disaster. The hairy-faced monk's got inside and he's killing people.”
The moment the three demons heard this they tumbled out of their beds and ordered, “Catch them! Catch them!” This gave the Tang Priest such a fright that his hands and legs turned weak. Monkey abandoned him and stormed his way forward, swinging his cudgel.
The junior devils could not stop him as, pushing two or three aside here and knocking two or three over there, he smashed several pairs of doors open and rushed straight out, shouting, “Where are you, brothers?”
Pig and Friar Sand greeted him, rake and staff raised for action, with the question, “What's up, brother?” Monkey told them all about how he had transformed himself to rescue the master, been found by the spirits when they woke up, and been forced to abandon him and fight his way out.
Now that they had recaptured the Tang Priest, the demon kings had him locked up in chains again and questioned him in the glare of lamplight, as they brandished cutlass and axe. “How did you open the lock, damn you,” they asked, “and how did that ape get inside? Confess this moment and we'll spare your life, or else we'll cut you in half.”
This so terrified the Tang Priest that he fell to his knees shivering and shaking and said, “Your Majesties, my disciple Sun Wukong can do seventy-two kinds of transformations. Just now he turned into a fire-fly and flew in to rescue me. We never realized that Your Majesties would wake up or that we would bump into Their Junior Majesties. My wicked disciple wounded a couple of them, and when they all started shouting and going for us with weapons and torches he abandoned me and escaped.”
“If we'd woken up earlier he'd never have got away,” the three demon kings said with loud guffaws. They then told their underlings to fasten the doors firmly at front and back and stop shouting.
“As they've shut the doors and stopped shouting I think they must be going to murder the master,” said Friar Sand. “We must act.”
“You're right,” said Pig. “Let's smash the doors,” The idiot showed off his magical powers by smashing the stone doors to smithereens with a blow from his rake then shouted at the top of his voice, “Thieving, oil-stealing monsters! Send my master out right now!”
This gave the junior devils inside the doors such a fright that they tumbled and ran inside to report, “Disaster, Your Majesties, disaster. The monks have smashed the front doors.”
“They're outrageous, damn them,” the three demon kings said in a great fury, and when they had sent for their armor and fastened it on they took their weapons and led their underlings into battle. It was now about the third watch of the night, and the moon in the middle of the sky made all as bright as day. As they led their forces out they wasted no more words and started fighting. Monkey held off the battle-axe, Pig blocked the cutlass, and Friar Sand took on the flail.
Three monks with cudgel, staff and rake;
Three evil monsters both brave and angry.
The battle-axe, the cutlass and the flail
Made howling winds and set the sand flying.
In their first clashes they breathed out baleful mists,
Then as they flew around they scattered coloured clouds.
The nailed rake went through its routines round the body,
The iron cudgel was even more splendidly heroic,
And the demon-quelling staff was something rarely seen on earth;
But the unrepentant ogres would not yield a foot of ground.
The bright-bladed axe had a sharp-pointed butt,
The whirling flail made a pattern of flowers,
And the flashing cutlass swung like a painted door;
But the monks were their match.
One side was fighting with fury for their master's life;
The
other hit at their faces so as not to release the Tang Priest.
The axe hacked and the cudgel blocked in the struggle for mastery;
The rake swung and the cutlass struck as they fought;
The knotted flail and the demon-quelling staff,
Coming and going in a splendid display.
When the three monks and the three monsters had been fighting for a long time without either side coming out on top King Cold-avoider shouted, “Come on, little ones!” The monsters all charged at Pig, quickly tripping him up and bringing him to the ground. Several water-buffalo spirits dragged and pulled him inside the cave, where they tied him up. When Friar Sand saw that Pig had disappeared and heard the mooing of all the cattle he then raised his staff, feinted at King Dust-avoider and tried to flee, only to be rushed by another crowd of spirits who pulled at him, sending him staggering. However hard he struggled he could not get up, and he too was carried off to be tied up. Realizing that he was in an impossible situation, Monkey escaped by somersault cloud.
When Pig and Friar Sand were dragged to him the Tang Priest said with tears welling up in his eyes at the sight of them, “Poor things! You two have been caught too. Where's Wukong?”
“When he saw we'd been caught he ran away,” Friar Sand replied.
“Wherever he has gone he will certainly have gone to fetch help,” said the Tang Priest. “But who knows when we will be delivered?” Master and disciples felt thoroughly miserable.
The story tells how Brother Monkey rode his somersault cloud back to the Clouds of Compassion Monastery, where the monks met him with the question, “Have you been able to rescue Lord Tang?”
“It's difficult,” said Monkey, “very difficult. Those three evil spirits have tremendous magical powers, and when we three had fought them for a long time they called up their underlings to capture Pig and Friar Sand. I was lucky to get away.”
“My lord,” said the monks with horror, “if someone who can ride mists and clouds as you can couldn't catch them, your master is bound to be killed.”
“No problem,” Monkey replied, “no problem. My master's under the secret protection of the Protectors, the Guardians, the Dings and the Jias. He has besides eaten Grass-returning Cinnabar. I'm sure his life will be safe. The only trouble is that those demons really know their stuff. You people look after the horse and the luggage while I go up to Heaven to get some troops.”
“Can you go up to Heaven, my lord?” asked the terrified monks.
“I used to live there,” replied Monkey with a smile. “Because I wrecked the Peach Banquet when I was Great Sage Equaling Heaven, our Buddha subdued me, so that now I've no option but to redeem my crimes by guarding the Tang Priest while he fetches the scriptures. All along the journey I've been helping the good and fighting against the evil. What you don't realize is that the master is fated to have these troubles.” When the monks heard this they kowtowed in worship, while Monkey went outside and disappeared with a whistle.
The splendid Great Sage was soon outside the Western Gate of Heaven, where the Metal Planet, Heavenly King Virudhaka and the four spirit officers Yin, Zhu, Tao and Xu were talking to each other. As soon as they saw Monkey coming they hastily bowed to him and said, “Where are you going, Great Sage?”
“After we reached Mintian County in Jinping Prefecture on the Eastern borders of India,” Monkey replied, “my master, the Tang Priest who I'm escorting, was being entertained by the monks of the Clouds of Compassion Monastery for the Full Moon Festival. When we went to the Bridge of Golden Lamps there were three golden lamps full of over fifty thousand ounces of silver's worth of scented refined butter oil that the Buddhas came down to take every year. While we were admiring the lamps three Buddha images did come down to earth, and my master was gullible enough to go on the bridge to worship them. I told him they were a bad lot, but by then the lamps had been covered up and the master carried off with the oil by a wind. When I'd followed the wind till dawn I reached a mountain, where the four Duty Gods fortunately told me that it was called Green Dragon Mountain with a Dark Essence Cave in it where three monsters lived: King Cold-avoider, King Heat-avoider and King Dust-avoider. I hurried to their doors to demand the master and fought them for a while without success, so I got in by transforming myself to find the master locked up but unharmed. I released him and was just taking him out when they woke up and I had to flee again. Later I fought hard against them with Pig and Friar Sand, but the two of them were both captured and tied up. That's why I've come up to inform the Jade Emperor, find out about the monsters' background and ask him to give orders to have them suppressed.”
At this the Metal Planet burst out laughing and said, “If you've been fighting the monsters why can't you tell where they're from?”
“I can see that,” Monkey replied. “They're a bunch of rhino spirits. But they have such enormous magical powers that I can't beat them and I'm desperate.”
“They are three rhinoceros spirits,” the Metal Planet explained. “Because their form is seen in heaven they cultivated their awareness for many years and became true spirits able to fly on clouds and walk in mists. Those monsters are fanatical about cleanliness and don't like the look of their own bodies, and are always going into the water to bathe. They have lots of different names: there are she-rhinos, he-rhinos, gelded rhinos, spotted rhinos, humao rhinos, duoluo rhinos and heaven-connected brindled rhinos. They all have a single nostril, three types of hair and two horns. They roam the rivers and seas and can travel through water. It looks as though Cold-avoider, Heat-avoider and Dust-avoider have nobility in their horns, which is why they call themselves kings. If you want to catch them, they will submit to the four beast stars belonging to the element wood.”
“Which four wood stars?” Monkey asked. “Could I trouble you, venerable sir, to spell it out for me?”
“Those stars are spread out in space outside the Dipper and Bull Palace,” the planet replied with a smile. “If you submit a memorial to the Jade Emperor he will give you detailed instructions.” Raising his clasped hands as he expressed his thanks, Monkey went straight in through the heavenly gates.
He was soon outside the Hall of Universal Brightness, where he saw the heavenly teachers Ge, Qiu, Zhang and Xu, who asked, “Where are you going?”
“We've just reached Jinping Prefecture,” Monkey replied, “where my master relaxed his dhyana nature by going to enjoy the Moon Festival lanterns and was carried off by evil monsters. As I can't subdue them myself I've come to ask the Jade Emperor to save him.” The four heavenly teachers then took Monkey to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to submit his memorial, and when all the ceremonials had been performed he explained his business. The Jade Emperor then asked which units of heavenly soldiers he wanted to help him.
“When I arrived at the Western Gate of Heaven just now,” Monkey replied, “the Metal Planet told me they were rhinoceros spirits that could only be subdued by the four beast stars belonging to the element wood.” The Jade Emperor then told Heavenly Teacher Xu to go to the Dipper and Bull Palace with Monkey to fetch the four beast stars and take them down to the lower world to make the capture.
By the time they arrived outside the Dipper and Bull Palace the Twenty-eight Constellations were there to greet them. “We are here by imperial command to order four beast stars belonging to the element wood to go down to the lower world with the Great Sage Sun,” the heavenly teacher explained. The Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Constellation Horn, the Wooden Unicorn of the Dipper, the Wooden Wolf of the Strider, and the Wooden Hyena of the Well all stepped forward from the side to ask, “Where are you sending us to subdue demons, Great Sage?”
“So you're the ones,” said Brother Monkey with a smile. “That old man Metal Planet kept your names secret, and I didn't realize what he was driving at. If he'd told me before that it was you four wooden animals from the Twenty-eight Constellations I'd have come here to invite you myself: there'd have been no need to trouble His Majesty for an edict.”
&
nbsp; “What a thing to say, Great Sage,” the four wooden animals replied. “We'd never have dared to leave on our own authority in the absence of an imperial decree. Where are they? Let's go right away.”
“They are rhinoceros spirits in the Dark Essence Cave in Green Dragon Mountain to the Northeast of Jinping Prefecture.”
“If they're really rhinoceros spirits,” said the Wooden Unicorn of the Dipper, the Wooden Wolf of the Strider and the Wooden Lesser Dragon of the Horn, “you'll only need Wooden Hyena from the Well Constellation. He can eat tigers on mountains and capture rhinos in the sea.”
“But these aren't ordinary rhinos who gaze at the moon,” replied Monkey. “They have cultivated their conduct and found the Way and are a thousand years old. All four of you gentlemen must come: no excuses. If one of you can't capture them single-handed it'll be wasted effort.”
“You people are talking nonsense,” the heavenly teacher added. “The imperial command is that all four of you go, so go you must. Fly there at once while I report back.” The heavenly teacher then took his leave of Monkey and went.
“Delay no more, Great Sage,” the four wooden ones said. “You challenge them to battle and lure them out so we can come from behind you and get them.” Monkey then went up to the cave and shouted abusively, “Oil-thieving ogres! Give my master back!” The doors, which Pig had smashed open, had been barricaded with a few planks by a number of junior devils, and when they heard his insults they rushed inside to report, “Your Majesties, the monk Sun is outside insulting us again.”
“We beat him and he ran away,” said Dust-avoider, “so why's he back again today? I think he must have got some reinforcements from somewhere.”
“We're not scared of any reinforcements he could get,” said Cold-avoider and Heat-avoider scornfully. “Let's get into our armor at once. Little ones, surround him carefully and don't let him get away.” Not caring about their lives, the evil spirits came out of the cave holding spears and swords, with banners waving and drums beating. “Back again, are you, macaque?” they shouted at Brother Monkey. “Not afraid of another beating?”