by Wu Cheng-En
“The river has frozen so solid that it's made the earth rumble,” said Pig. “Or perhaps the river's frozen right to the bottom here in the middle.” Half reassured but still half terrified, Sanzang whipped the horse forward and they carried on.
Since coming back to his watery palace the evil monster had been waiting under the ice with all his spirits for a long time. As soon as he heard the horse's hoofs he used his magic to make the ice burst noisily open, giving Monkey such a fright that he sprang up into mid-air. The other three and the white horse sank into the water, where the evil monster captured Sanzang and took him back to his underwater palace with all his spirits.
“Where is my sister the mandarin fish?” he shouted stridently, at which she came forward, did obeisance, and said, “Your Majesty, I am not worthy to be your sister.”
“How can you say such a thing, good sister?” the monster replied. “Once a word is spoken a four-horse chariot can't bring it back. I said that if I caught the Tang Priest by following your plan I would take you as my sworn sister. Today your plan has proved itself to have been a superb one and the Tang Priest has been caught. I could not possibly go back on my word. Little ones,” he ordered his underlings, “bring a table, whet a sharp knife, open this monk up, cut out his heart, skin him, and slice up his flesh. I also want music played while I share him with my sister and we both obtain eternal life.”
“Your Majesty,” said the mandarin fish, “don't eat him yet. His disciples may make trouble if they come here searching for him. It would be better to wait a couple of days until we know those damned wretches won't come looking for him before we cut him up. Then Your Majesty will sit in the place of honour while we, your kinsfolk, play music, sing and dance around you and wait on you; and you will be able to take your pleasure at your ease. Wouldn't that be best?” The monster accepted the suggestion and had Sanzang stored away in a six-foot-long stone chest behind the palace.
Pig and Friar Sand meanwhile recovered the luggage in the river, loaded it on the back of the white horse, and swam up through the waves as they parted the waters. When Monkey saw them from up in the air he asked, “Where's the master?”
“He's not the Tang Priest now,” said Pig. “He's the Drowned Priest. We can't find him anywhere, so let's go back ashore and decide what to do.” Now Pig was a mortal incarnation of Marshal Tian Peng who had once commanded eighty thousand sailors on the Heavenly River in the sky, Friar Sand had come from the Flowing Sands River, and the white horse was the grandson of the Dragon King of the Western Ocean, so they were all good swimmers. With the Great Sage showing them the way from mid-air they were soon back at the Eastern bank, where they dried and brushed the horse and wrung out their clothes.
Monkey then landed his cloud, and they went back together to the Chen household, where a messenger had already reported that only three of the four venerable gentlemen who were going to fetch the scriptures were now returning. The two aged brothers hurried outside to meet them.
“Gentlemen,” they said, seeing their wet clothes, “we tried so hard to persuade you to stay longer, and look what has come of your refusal. Where is the venerable Tang Priest?”
“He isn't the Tang Priest any more,” said Pig. “He's the Drowned Priest.”
“Alas, alas,” said the aged brothers, bursting into tears. “We said that you should wait until the snow had melted and we could send you all across in a boat, but he refused to agree, and now he's dead.”
“Old men,” said Monkey, “don't upset yourselves over your friend. I can assure you that the master will not die. I'm certain that the Great King of Miraculous Response has captured him by magic. So stop worrying, have our clothes washed and starched, our passport dried out, and the white horse fed. My brothers and I will find the damned creature, rescue the master, and wipe this evil monster out. Then he'll give you village no more trouble and you will, I hope, have a safe and peaceful future.” Old Mr. Chen, greatly encouraged to hear this, ordered a vegetarian meal to be provided.
The three brothers ate their fill, handed the horse and the luggage over to the care of the Chen household, got their weapons ready, and hurried off to find their master and catch the monster. Indeed:
The true nature was harmed by treading on the ice;
How could they be complete without the Cinnabar?
If you do not know how they rescued the Tang Priest listen to the explanation in the next installment.
Chapter 49
Sanzang's Great Misfortune Is to Fall into the River
Guanyin's Fish Basket Saves the Tang Priest
The story tells how the Great Sage Monkey took his leave of the old Chen brothers, went with Pig and Friar Sand to the bank of the river, and told the two of them to decide which of them would go into the water first. “Brother,” said Pig, “you should go first; neither of us two has very special powers.”
“To be frank with you, brother,” replied Monkey. “I wouldn't need any help from either of you in dealing with mountain spirits, but I can't cope in the water. If I go into rivers or seas I have to make hand spells to keep the water away, or else change into something like a fish or a crab. But if I'm making a hand spell I can't get a good swing with my cudgel, use my powers, or kill evil spirits. I asked you two to go in because I've long known that you're both good swimmers.”
“Brother,” said Friar Sand, “I'll go, but I don't know what we'll find at the bottom of the river. I think we should all go. You should turn yourself into something or else let me carry you through the water to find the monster's den. You go first and discover what's been happening. If the master hasn't been hurt and is still there we can do our best to attack the monster. But if the monster has used magic on the master and he's has been drowned or eaten there will be no point in searching too hard; we'd better find something else to do instead.”
“You're right, brother,” said Monkey. “Which of you will carry me?”
“Pig was secretly delighted at this question. “Goodness only knows how many times that ape has put one over on me,” he thought. “As he can't swim I'll carry him and put one over on him this time.”
“Brother,” he said, chuckling, “I'll carry you.” Realizing that Pig was up to something Monkey decided to beat him at his own game and replied, “Very well, you're stronger than Friar Sand.” Pig then took Monkey on his back.
Friar Sand parted a way through the waters of the River of Heaven for the brother-disciples. When they had covered thirty or forty miles on the riverbed the idiot made a grab for Monkey, who pulled out one of his hairs and turned it into a double of himself that he put on Pig's back, while changing his real self into a pig louse that clung firmly to the idiot's ear. Pig suddenly stumbled as he walked along, threw Monkey forward and made him fall. Now as the double was only a hair transformed it floated up and disappeared.
“Brother,” said Friar Sand to Pig, “what are you doing? Why have you fallen over in the mud instead of walking along properly? And even if you have to do that, where have you dropped Monkey?”
“He couldn't stop himself falling,” Pig replied, “and he's vanished. Never mind whether he's alive or dead. We two will go and find the master.”
“No,” said Friar Sand, “we need him. He's no swimmer but he's cleverer than us. If he not coming I won't go with you.” Monkey could restrain himself no longer.
“Pig!” he shouted at the top of his voice from inside the ear. “I'm here.”
When Friar Sand heard this he said with a laugh, “That's done it. You're the one that's had it, you idiot. You had a nerve, trying to put one over on him. What are we going to do now? We can hear him but he's disappeared.”
Pig knelt in the mud and started to kowtow desperately, saying, “I did wrong, brother, I did wrong. When we've rescued the master I'll apologize to you properly on shore. Where did you talk to us from? You scared me to death. Please, please turn back into yourself. I'll carry you, and I promise not to knock you about any more.”
“
You've been carrying me all the time,” said Monkey. “I won't play any tricks on you. Now, get going, and fast.” The idiot staggered to his feet still mumbling apologies and pressed on with Friar Sand.
After another thirty or forty miles they looked up to see a tall building on which was written in large letters RESIDENCE OF THE RIVER TURTLE. “This must be where the monster lives,” said Friar Sand. “We two can't go up to the doors and challenge him to battle without finding out how things stand.”
“Wujing,” said Brother Monkey to Friar Sand, “is there water inside and outside the door?”
“No,” said Friar Sand. “In that case you two hide near here while I take a look round,” said Monkey.
The splendid Great Sage climbed out of Pig's ear, shook himself, turned into a female shrimp with long legs, and reached the doors with two or three jumps. When he took a good look around he saw the monster sitting up above the door with all his watery tribe drawn up around him and the female mandarin fish sitting at his side. They were all discussing how to eat the Tang Priest. Monkey looked carefully around but could see the master nowhere. Then he noticed another female shrimp coming over and standing in the portico to the West. Monkey leapt forward and called, “Sister-in-law, where is this Tang Priest that His Majesty and everyone else are talking about eating?”
“His Majesty caught him yesterday when he made all that snow and ice,” the female shrimp replied. “He's now in a stone chest behind the palace. If his disciples don't come here to make trouble we'll have music and feast on him tomorrow.”
When Monkey heard this he kept up his act for a little longer then went straight round to the back of the palace where he found a stone chest just like a stone pig-trough in a sty or a stone coffin. He measured it, found that it was six feet long, lay on it and listened. He could hear Sanzang sobbing inside. Monkey said nothing but put his ear against the lid, listened more carefully, and could make out Sanzang gnashing his teeth and saying amid moans,
“If only my fate had not always been so bad:
Disasters in rivers all my life have I had.
Soon after I was born I was floated on the water,
And now that have I drowned never I will not see Lord Buddha.
Not so long ago the Black River made me weep,
And now the breaking ice has consigned me to the deep.
I wonder if at any time my followers will come
To let me fetch the scriptures and complete my journey home.”
Monkey could not restrain himself from calling to him, “Master, don't be so upset about troubles by water. As the Classic of Water Disaster has it, 'Earth is the mother of the Five Elements, and water is their origin. Without earth there can be no life, and without water there can be no growth.' I'm here.”
“Save me, disciple,” said Sanzang, hearing Monkey's voice.
“Don't worry,” said Monkey, “I promise we'll save you when we've captured the monster.”
“Act fast,” said Sanzang. “If I'm here for another day I'll die of suffocation.”
“No problem,” said Monkey, “no problem. I'm off.” He turned, sprang out through the main doors, turned back into himself, and called for Pig.
“What's happening?” asked the idiot and Friar Sand as they came up to him.
“The monster caught the master with that trick,” Monkey replied. “He's unhurt, but the monster has put him inside a stone chest. You two challenge the monster to battle at once while I get out of the water. Capture him if you can, and if you can't then pretend to be beaten and lure him out of the water for me to kill.”
“Out you go, brother, and don't worry,” said Friar Sand. “We'll find out what the monster's really like.” Monkey then made a water-averting spell with his hands, shot up through the waves, and stood on the bank to wait.
Watch while Pig charges at the doors in a murderous mood yelling, “Damned monster, give us our master back.”
The little devils inside the doors rushed back in panic to report, “Your Majesty, there are people outside asking for their master.”
“It must be those bloody monks here,” said the monster. “Fetch my armor and weapons at once.” The little devils ran to fetch them, and when the monster was in his armor and holding his weapons in his hand he ordered that the doors be opened. As he came out Pig and Friar Sand, who were standing one to each side, could see how he was dressed and equipped. He was a fine monster. Just look:
On his head a gleaming helmet of gold,
On his body golden armor that made a rainbow.
His belt was studded thick with pearls and jade;
The strange boots on his feet were of smoky yellow leather.
His nose was as high as a mountain ridge,
His brow as majestically broad as a dragon's.
Fierce and round were his eyes that flashed,
Spikes of steel were his sharp, neat teeth.
His short, matted hair seemed to be ablaze,
And his long whiskers bristled like golden spikes.
In his mouth he was chewing a tender reed
While he wielded a nine-knobbed mace of copper.
The noise when the doors were opened wide
Rivaled the crashing of thunder in spring.
Few such could be seen in the world of mortals:
The Great King truly deserves his title.
The evil spirit came outside accompanied by a hundred or more of his little devils, who brandished their swords and spears as they formed themselves up into two companies. “Where are you from, monks,” he asked Pig, “and why are you making this horrible noise here?”
“You got away before, but I'll get you now, damned monster,” Pig shouted back. “Stop pretending you don't know who I am-we've had words already. I'm a disciple of the holy priest from the Great Tang who's going to worship the Buddha and collect the scriptures in the Western Heaven. You and your little tricks, calling yourself the Great King of Miraculous Response, and eating boys and girls in Chen Village. Can't you recognize me? I was the Chen family's little girl, Pan of Gold.”
“Monk,” said the monster, “you're a disgrace. You deserve to be punished for fraudulent impersonation if you turned yourself into that girl. You wounded the back of my hand although I never ate you. I let you off that time, so why have you come to my front door looking for me?”
“What do you mean, let me off?” said Pig. “You made that cold wind and the snow, froze the river, and are going to kill the master. As soon as you give him back there'll be no more trouble, but if you so much as start to say no you'll get it from this rake of mine, and it'll show you no mercy.”
The evil spirit's response to this was a mocking laugh. “That's fancy talk, monk,” he said, “but it's a load of nonsense, except that I did make the cold, the snow and the ice and I have captured your master. You may think you can get him back by coming here and shouting, but this time things are different. Last time I was unarmed as I was going to a banquet, which was why you took me by surprise and wounded me. This time I'll fight three rounds with you if you don't make yourself scarce. If you're a match for me I'll give you back your master, but if you're not, you'll be eaten too.”
“What a good little boy,” said Pig. “Just what I expected to hear from you. Watch out for my rake!”
“So you only became a monk in middle life,” said the monster.
“You really do have some miraculous responsiveness, my boy,” Pig replied. “How did you know that?”
“If you fight with a rake that must mean you used to be a hired hand in a vegetable garden and stole it,” said the monster.
“My boy,” said Pig, “this isn't a farming rake. Just look at it:
Its mighty prongs are like dragon claws
Set with gold in the from of serpents.
In battle with a foe it makes cold winds
Till it gives off flames in a longer fight.
It kills off demons for the holy priest
Subduing evil spirits on the jo
urney West.
When it stirs up clouds it bolts out sun and moon,
Making the colours of sunset brightly shine.
It could knock down Mount Tai, to the terror of the tigers,
Turn the oceans upside down, alarming all the dragons.
I could spare you for the sake of your mighty powers,
But if I struck you with the rake it would make nine holes.”
Refusing to believe this the monster raised his copper mace and struck at Pig's head. Pig parried the blow with his rake and said, “Damn you, you're just an evil creature turned spirit in middle life.”
“How can you tell that?” the monster asked.
“As you fight with a mace I think you must have worked as a furnace-man for a silversmith, got your hands on that hammer, and stolen it,” Pig replied.
“It's no silversmith's hammer,” the monster said. “Look at it:
Its nine knobs all are like the buds of flowers
Growing on a sprig of an evergreen plant.
This never was a product of the earthly world,
For it came from the gardens of immortal beings.
Its green and purple fruit matured by the Jade Pool;
Its pure fragrance was formed beside the Nephrite Pond.
Because I worked and tempered it with diligence and skill
It now is hard as steel and miraculously sharp.
Spears, swords and halberds are not its worthy rivals;
Battleaxe and partisan do not dare approach.
No matter how sharp are the prongs of your rake,
If they touch my hammer they'll bend and they'll break.”
This conversation between the two of them was too much for Friar Sand, who came forward and said, “Monster, stop all that empty talk. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. Wait there and see how you like my staff.”