by Wu Cheng-En
“The only reason he might not eat you would be if he thought you would taste too high,” the old man said.
“Let Heaven do as it will,” said Monkey. “If I'm eaten up it'll be because I'm fated to have a short life; and if I'm not eaten it'll be because I'm lucky. Take me to the sacrifice.”
While Chen Qing kowtowed, expressed his thanks, and presented them with five hundred ounces of silver Chen Cheng neither kowtowed nor thanked Monkey, but leant against the doorway sobbing. As soon as Brother Monkey noticed this he went up to him, took hold of his clothes, and said, “Old man, is it because you can't bear to lose your daughter that you're not giving me anything or thanking me?”
Only then did Chen Cheng fall to his knees and reply, “Yes, I cannot bear to lose her. It is enough that in your great kindness you are saving my nephew by taking his place. But I have no son. She is my only child and she would weep for me bitterly after my death. I cannot bear to lose her.”
“Then you'd better go along at once and cook five bushels of rice and some good vegetarian dishes for that long-snouted venerable gentleman to eat. Then I'll make him turn into the likeness of your daughter and the two of us will be able to take part in the sacrifice. We'll see if we can do a meritorious deed and save your children's lives.”
These words came as a great shock to Pig, who said, “Brother, if you turn yourself into a spirit and leave me to die you'll be dragging me into disaster.”
“Brother,” said Monkey, “as the saying goes, a chicken doesn't eat what it doesn't earn. We came in here and were given an ample meal, but you had to complain that you were still hungry. Why aren't you willing to help them in their crisis?”
“But, brother,” protested Pig, “I can't do transformations.”
“You can do thirty-six transformations,” said Monkey. “How can you possibly deny that?”
“Wuneng,” Sanzang said to Pig, “what your brother says is absolutely correct, and he has made the right decision. As the saying goes, to save a human life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda. If you do this you will be thanking our hosts for their generous hospitality and accumulating good karma for yourself. Besides, it will be fun for you and your brother on this cool night when you have nothing else to do.”
“What are you saying, Master?” said Pig. “I can only change into a hill, a tree, a rock, a scabby elephant, a water-buffalo or a big, fat man. It'd be pretty hard for me to turn into a little girl.”
“Pay no attention to him,” said Monkey to Chen Cheng, “but bring your daughter out for me to see.”
Chen Cheng then hurried inside and came back into the hall with Pan of Gold in his arms; and everyone in the household, young and old, wives and concubines, members of the family and other relations, all came in to kowtow and beg Monkey to save the child's life. Round her hair the little girl was wearing a patterned turquoise headband from which hung ornaments representing the eight precious things. Her jacket was of red and yellow shot ramie, and over is she wore a cape in green imperial satin with a checked collar. Her skirt was of scarlet flowered silk, her shoes were of pink ramie and shaped like frogs' heads, and her trousers were of raw silk with gold thread. She was holding a piece of fruit in her hand and eating it.
“There's the girl,” said Monkey. “Make yourself like her at once. We're off to the sacrifice.”
“But she's much too small and delicate for me to turn into, brother,” said Pig.
“Hurry up if you don't want me to hit you,” said Monkey.
“Don't hit me,” pleaded Pig in desperation. “I'll see if I can make the change.”
The idiot then said the words of a spell, shook his head several times, called “Change!” and really did make his head look like the little girl's. The only troubles was that his belly was still much too fat and disproportionately big.
“Change some more,” said Monkey with a laugh.
“Hit me then,” said Pig. “I can't change any more, and that's that.”
“But you can't have a little girl's head on a monk's body,” said Monkey. “You won't do at all like that-you're neither a man nor a girl. Do the Dipper star-steps.” Monkey then blew on him with magic breath and in fact did change his body to make it look like the little girl's.
“Will you two old gentlemen please take the young master and the young lady inside and make no mistake about who they are,” said Monkey. “My brother and I will be trying to dodge the monster and fooling around, and we may come in here, so that it will be hard to tell us from the real children. Have some fruit ready for them to eat and don't let them cry, in case the Great King notices and our secret gets out. Now we're off to see if we can fool him.”
The splendid Great Sage then told Friar Sand to look after the Tang Priest while Pig and he changed into Chen Guan-given and Pan of Gold. When the two of them were ready Monkey asked, “How are the victims presented? Tied up in a bundle, or with their hands roped together? Are they steamed or chopped up into little bits?”
“Brother,” pleaded Pig, “don't do me down. I haven't got those magic powers.”
“We would never dare to,” said the old men. “We would just like you two gentlemen each to sit in a red lacquer dish that would be put on a table. You would then be carried into the temple on the tables by a pair of youngsters.”
“Fine, fine,” said Monkey. “Bring the dishes in here for us to try out.” The old men sent for the two red dishes, in which Monkey and Pig sat while four young men carried them for a few steps in the courtyard before setting them down again in the hall. “Pig,” said Monkey with delight, “being carried around on dishes like this makes us like abbots sitting in the seats of honour.”
“I wouldn't be at all scared of being carried in and out of here till dawn,” said Pig, “but being carried into the temple to be eaten is no joke.”
“Just watch me,” said Brother Monkey, “and run away when he eats me.”
“How do you know who he'll eat first?” said Pig. “If he eats the boy first I'll be able to get away; but what shall I do if he eats the girl first?”
At this one of the old men said, “During the sacrifices in other years some of the bolder of us have slipped into the back of the temple or hidden under the tables on which the offerings were made. They have seen that he eats the boy first and the girl afterwards.”
“Thank goodness,” said Pig, “thank goodness.”
While the two brother-disciples were talking they heard a mighty noise of gongs and drums and a blaze of lights outside as the villagers opened the front gates and poured in, shouting, “Bring out the boy and the girl.” The four young men then carried Monkey and Pig out to the sobs and wails of the old men.
If you do not know whether they lost their lives or not, listen to the explanation in the next installment.
Chapter 48
A Devilish Blizzard Makes the Snow Whirl
The Monk Who Seeks to Worship Buddha Walks on Ice
The story tells how the believers in Chen Village noisily carried Monkey and Pig with pork, mutton, beef and wine straight to the Temple of Miraculous Response, where they set them all out with the young boy and girl in the most prominent place. Monkey looked around and saw that the offertory tables were covered with fragrant flowers and wax candles. In front of him was a tablet on which were inscribed in letters of gold, GREAT KING OF MIRACULOUS RESPONSE. There were no statues of any other gods. When the believers had set everything out properly they all kowtowed and made this prayer:
“Great King, our lord, at this hour of this day of this month of this year Chen Cheng, the master of the sacrifice, and all the other faithful of different ages beg to offer in accordance with annual custom the little boy Chen Guan-given, the little girl Pan of Gold, pork, mutton, beef and wine for the delectation of the Great King. We beg you to give us the right amounts of wind and rain and to grant a good harvest for all our crops.” After praying they burnt paper horses and all went home.
When they had all gone Pig sa
id to Monkey, “Let's go home.”
“Where's your home?” Monkey asked.
“Let's go back to old Chen's place for a sleep,” Pig replied.
“You're talking nonsense again, idiot,” said Monkey. “You've made them a promise and now you've got to fulfil their wish.”
“You're the idiot, not me, despite what you've always saying,” replied Pig. “Why don't we just take him for a ride. You can't be serious about us being sacrificed for them.”
“Always finish what you begin,” said Monkey. “We'll only be able to tidy this business up if we stay here till the Great King comes to eat us up. Otherwise we'll make him cause disasters, which would be terrible.”
As they were talking they heard the howling of a wind outside. “This is terrible,” said Pig. “What made the wind come?” ”
Shut up,” said Monkey, “while I cope.” A moment later an evil creature came in through the temple doors. Look at him:
Gold armor, golden helmet, shining bright;
Red clouds enfold the jade belt at his waist.
His eyes were gleaming like the stars at night,
His teeth resembled those on a pair of saws.
Under his feet wafted sunset clouds;
Warm and scented were the mists all around.
Cold blew the negative winds as he walked;
Heavy lay the air of death where he stood.
He was just like an officer guarding an emperor,
Or a god at the gateway protecting a monastery.
The monster stood blocking the entrance to the temple and asked, “Who is making the sacrifice this year?”
“Thank you for asking,” Monkey replied. “This year the village heads are the family of Chen Cheng and Chen Qing.” This reply struck the monster as very odd.
“That boy has a lot of courage,” he thought, “and he's a good talker too. Usually the children who are offered say nothing the first time I ask them a question and are frightened out of their wits the second time. Before I've even grabbed them in my hand they are already dead. So why's this boy today so good at answering?”
Instead of seizing him the monster asked another question: “What is your name, boy?”
“My name is Chen Guan-given, and the girl is called Pan of Gold.”
“According to the old custom of this sacrifice I should eat you first,” said the monster.
“I have no objection,” said Brother Monkey. “Enjoy your meal.”
Hearing this the monster was once more afraid to grab Monkey, so instead he blocked the doorway and shouted, “I'll have none of your answering back. Usually I eat the boy first, but this year I shall start with the girl.”
“Better to follow the old custom,” said Pig in a panic. “Don't break with tradition.”
Without any more discussion the monster made a grab for Pig, who leapt down, turned back into himself, and struck at the monster's hand with his rake. The monster pulled his hand back and fled. All that could be heard was a mighty clang. “I've smashed his armor,” exclaimed Pig.
Monkey, who had resumed his own true form as well, looked, saw two fish scales the size of an ice dish, and gave a shout of “After him!”
The two of them sprang up into the air, where the monster, who had come unarmed to his feast, asked them from a cloud, “Where are you from, monks, and why have you come here to bully me, spoil my offerings, and ruin my reputation?”
“What you don't realize, damned monster,” Monkey replied, “is that we are disciples of the holy priest Sanzang from Great Tang in the East who has been sent by his emperor to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. We were spending last night at the Chen household when were told that an evil spirit pretending to be Miraculous Response demands the sacrifice of a boy and a girl every year. In our mercy we decided to save life and capture you, damned monster. You'd better make a full and true confession at once. How long have you been here calling yourself 'Great King,' and at two a year how many little boys and girls have you eaten? Given me a full account and return them to me if you want your life spared.” At that the monster fled, avoiding another blow that Pig struck at him with his rake. He turned into a wild wind and went straight into the River of Heaven.
“No need to chase him,” said Monkey. “I'm sure the monster's a river creature. We'll have to work out a way of catching him and getting the master across the river tomorrow.” Pig accepted this suggestion and went straight back to the temple, from where he carried the offerings of pork, mutton and wine, tables and all, back to the Chen house. The Tang Priest, Friar Sand and the Chen brothers were waiting for news in the hall when they saw Monkey and Pig burst in and put all the pork, mutton and other offerings in the courtyard.
“What happened in the sacrifice, Wukong?” Sanzang asked Monkey, who related how he had told the monster who he was and chased him into the river, to the immense delight of the two old gentlemen, who ordered that the side rooms were to be swept out and furnished with beds. Here the master and his disciples were invited to spend the night.
Having escaped with his life back to the river the monster sat brooding silently in his palace while his river clansmen asked him, “Why are you so upset this year, Your Majesty? Usually you are very happy when you come back from eating your sacrifice.”
“In ordinary years I bring you back some left-overs after the sacrifice,” said the monster, “but I did not even have anything to eat myself today. My luck was out. I met enemies who all but killed me.”
“Who, Your Majesty?”
“Disciples of a holy priest from Great Tang in the East who is going to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. They had turned themselves into a boy and a girl and were sitting in my temple. When they turned back into themselves they almost killed me. I've long heard people tell of Tang Sanzang, a holy man who has cultivated his conduct for ten lifetimes: one piece of his flesh will make you immortal. But I never expected he would have disciples such as those. He's ruined my reputation and stopped them worshipping me any more. I wish I could capture that Tang Priest, but I don't think I can.”
From among the watery tribe there slipped forward a female mandarin fish in patterned clothes. She advanced with small, respectful steps towards the monster, bowing frequently as she said, “Your Majesty, there will be no problem about catching the Tang Priest. But if you do capture him will you reward me with a feast?”
“If you have a plan we shall combine our efforts to catch the Tang Priest,” the monster said. “I shall take you as my sworn sister, and we shall eat his flesh together.”
The mandarin fish bowed in thanks then said, “I have long known that Your Majesty has the powers to call up wind and rain, or to throw rivers and sea into turmoil. But can you make it snow?”
“Yes,” the monster replied. “As you can make it snow,” the mandarin fish continued, “can you also cause cold and make ice?”
“I'm even better at that,” the monster said. The fish then clapped her hands with delight and said, “In that case it will be very, very easy.”
“Will you tell me this very easy way of succeeding?” the monster asked.
“Your Majesty must lose no time,” the fish replied. “It's now the third watch, about midnight. You must make magic to cause a cold wind and a heavy fall of snow at once. The River of Heaven must be frozen solid. Those of us who are good at transformations will make ourselves look like people and appear at the end of the track with packs on our backs, carrying umbrellas and luggage poles and pushing carts. We shall walk across the ice in an endless stream. That Tang Priest is so impatient to fetch the scriptures that when he sees all those people walking along he's bound to want to cross the ice himself. All Your Majesty needs to do is to sit quietly in the middle of the river until you hear his footsteps, then crack the ice apart so that he and his disciples all fall into the water. They'll all be caught in one package.”
“Marvellous, marvellous,” exclaimed the monster, who was utterly delighte
d at the suggestion. He left his watery palace and went up into the sky, where he caused winds and snow, and made it so cold that the river froze.
The Tang Priest and his three disciples slept in the Chen house. Shortly before dawn they all began to feel very cold in their bedding. Pig was shivering, unable to get back to sleep, so he called, “Brother, it's cold.”
“Idiot,” said Monkey, “you've got no sense of how to behave. Monks are not affected by summer or winter. You shouldn't mind the cold.”
“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “it really is cold. Look:
Double quilts now give no warmth,
Hands put in sleeves find only ice.
Strands of frost grow from withered leaves,
Frozen bells hang from frozen pines.
The cold is so intense the earth splits open;
The water in the pond is a solid block.
No old man can be seen in the fisherman's boat;
No monk is to be met with in the mountain temple.
The woodman wishes he could gather more fuel;
The prince is glad to pile more charcoal on the flames.
Travelers' beards are turned to iron;
The poet's brush is water-chestnut hard.
Even a fur jacket now seems too thin;
A marten coat feels much too light.
The monk on his hassock is frozen rigid;
Behind the paper screen the traveler is scared.
Even in many a layer of bedding
One shivers and shakes from top to toe.
As neither master nor disciples could sleep they rose and dressed. When they opened the door to look outside they saw to their astonishment a vast expanse of white. It was snowing. “No wonder we were so cold,” said Monkey, “if it's been snowing so heavily.” When the four of them looked they saw that it was a splendid fall:
Dark masses of cloud,
Chilling, dreary mists.
Under dark masses of cloud
The North wind howls cold;
Through chilling, dreary mists