Chapter 35: The Heterodox Path Shows Its Power Against True Nature; the Mind-Monkey Wins the Treasure and Subdues the Evil Demons

A verse says:

The true nature is round and bright; the Dao opens of itself.
One turn and I leap clear of the snare and net.
To cultivate change is no easy task;
to forge long life is not the work of common men.
Clear and turbid turn with the seasons, one after another;
through countless kalpas I move east and west.
I roam free for billions of years without keeping count,
and one point of spirit-light is forever fixed in emptiness.

That verse fits Sun Wukong's Dao-nature exactly. He tucked the fiend's true treasure into his sleeve, laughed, and said, "That wretched demon has gone to such pains to catch me. Truly he is fishing for the moon in water. If Old Sun meant to seize him, it would be like playing with ice on a fire."

He hid the gourd, slipped quietly out of the gate, and showed his true form. Then he shouted in a stern voice, "Monster, open the gate!"

A little monster nearby said, "Who are you, to come here shouting?"

Wukong said, "Go quickly and report to that old wretch of yours that Sun Wukong has come."

The little monster hurried inside and reported, "Great King, Sun Wukong is at the gate."

The old demon was startled. "Brother, this is bad. He has stirred up the whole nest. The Gold Fillet Rope is binding Sun Wukong, the gourd has the Great Sage inside it, and now another Sun Wukong has come? It must be that his brothers have all arrived."

The Silver Horn King said, "Brother, do not worry. This gourd can hold a thousand men. I have only put the Great Sage inside it. Why should I fear some other Sun Wukong? Let me go out and have a look. I will take him in too."

The Gold Horn King said, "Brother, be careful."

You can see the Silver Horn King taking up a fake gourd and swaggering out just as before, full of valor and spirit. He shouted, "Where are you from, to come here yelling?"

Wukong said, "You do not know me:

I live at Flower-Fruit Mountain, my stock is Water-Curtain Cave.
Because I raised havoc in the Heavenly Palace, I long ago left off quarrelling.
Now lucky to be free of disaster, I have cast off the Dao and taken refuge in the monk's gate.
Bearing the teaching, I go to Thunderclap Monastery to seek the scriptures and return to awakening.
I meet a wild demon who shows off his powers and makes a display of spells.
Bring back the Tang monk, and let us go west to bow before the holy Buddha.
Let both houses stop this war and each keep its own peace.
Do not provoke Old Sun and damage my old life."

The demon said, "Come here. I will not fight you. I will only call out to you once. Dare you answer?"

Wukong laughed. "If you call, I will answer. If I call, will you answer?"

The demon said, "If I call you, it is because I have a treasure gourd that can take people in. What have you that you could call me with?"

Wukong said, "I also have a gourd."

The demon said, "If you have one, take it out and let me see."

Wukong pulled a gourd from his sleeve and said, "Wretched demon, take a look." He shook it once and hid it again, afraid the monster might snatch it away.

The demon, seeing it, was shocked. "Where did his gourd come from? How is it exactly like mine? Even if two gourds grow on the same vine, there should still be some difference in size and shape. How can they be exactly the same?"

He drew himself up and called, "Sun Wukong, where did your gourd come from?"

Wukong did not truly know its origin, but he took up the challenge and asked him right back, "Where did your gourd come from?"

The demon thought Wukong was asking in all sincerity, and so he told the whole story from the beginning:

"This gourd was born when chaos first divided and Heaven and Earth were opened. There was an old lord known as Lord Lao, who took the name Niiwa and melted stone to mend Heaven, saving the world of men. When he finished mending the broken place in the northwest of Heaven, he came to the foot of Mount Kunlun and saw a strand of immortal vine. On it was growing this Purple-Gold Gourd. Laozi left it there, and it remains even now."

When Wukong heard this, he took the measure of him at once and said, "My gourd came from the same place."

The demon said, "How do you prove that?"

The Great Sage said, "When clear and turbid first opened, Heaven was not full in the northwest and Earth was not full in the southeast. Lord Lao, in the name of Niiwa, repaired the broken sky. When he reached the foot of Mount Kunlun, there was a fairy vine, and on it grew two gourds. I got one - the male one. Yours must be the female one."

The fiend said, "Never mind male and female. If it can take in people, it is a good treasure."

Wukong said, "You speak the truth. I will let you take your turn first."

The demon was delighted. He leaped into the air, held up the gourd, and called, "Sun Wukong."

The Great Sage heard him and without pausing answered eight or nine times, but the gourd still would not draw him in.

The demon dropped from the air and stamped his feet in disappointment. "Heavens! They say the world never changes. Even such a treasure fears a man. When the female sees the male, it will not dare take him in."

Wukong laughed. "Put it away. Now it is my turn to call you."

He sprang up on a somersault cloud, turned the gourd upside down with its mouth toward the ground, pointed it at the demon, and shouted, "Silver Horn King."

The fiend did not dare close his mouth. He had to answer once, and in an instant he was sucked inside. Wukong pasted on it a label that read, "By the urgent decree of Laozi, obey."

He smiled to himself and thought, "My son, today you can try something new."

Then he settled down from the cloud and took the gourd in hand, all the while thinking only of how to save his master. He came again to the Lotus Cave. The mountain roads were rough and broken, and because he was walking with his legs crossed, the gourd kept rattling loudly inside with a clattering sound. Why did it make noise? Because Sun Wukong had been refined and forged by fire and water; it was hard enough to transform him quickly. As for the demon, though he could ride clouds, that was only spell-work. In the main, he was still a mortal body and had not cast off flesh. Once he entered the treasure, he began to melt.

Wukong had not yet realized that he was already melting. He laughed and said, "My boy, are you peeing in there, or rinsing your mouth? Old Sun has handled this sort of business before. Even after seven or eight days I would not lift the lid to look. Why hurry? What is the emergency? Since it was so easy for me to come out, you ought to let me go another thousand years without looking in."

Holding the gourd, he talked as he walked. Before long he reached the cave gate and shook it again, making the noise even louder. "This sounds like a divining tube," he said. "It is good for casting lots. Let Old Sun use it and see when Master can get out."

You could hear him shaking the gourd nonstop while he kept muttering:

"King Wen of Zhou, Confucius the Sage, Lady Peach Blossom, Master Guiguzi."

The little monsters in the cave saw this and cried, "Great King, we are in trouble. Sun Wukong has put the second Great King's grandfather inside the gourd and is using it to cast lots."

When the old demon heard this, his soul flew from his body. His bones went soft and his sinews slack, and with a thud he fell to the ground, weeping aloud. "Little brother! We left the upper world together in secret and came down into this mortal dust, hoping to share wealth and glory and remain lords of this cave forever. Who knew that because of this monk, your life would be lost and the bond of brotherhood between us broken?"

The whole cave of monsters wept together.

Hanging from the beam, Zhu Bajie heard the whole family crying and could not keep quiet. He shouted, "Monsters, do not cry yet. Let Old Pig tell you what's what. The first one to arrive was Sun Wukong; the second, another name for him; the third, yet another - all three names belong to my senior brother. He has seventy-two transformations. He slipped in with his magic, stole your treasure, and packed your younger king inside.

Your younger king is already dead, so there is no need for all this funeral business. Quickly scrub the stoves and pots clean, and prepare some mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean curd, bran, wood-ear fungus, vegetables, and all the rest. Invite my master and brothers down and have them recite a volume of the Suffering Birth Sutra for your younger king."

When the old demon heard this, he burned with rage. "They say Zhu Bajie is honest, but it turns out he is anything but honest! He is making a joke of me!"

He called out, "Little monsters, stop the wailing. Untie Zhu Bajie and steam him to a pulp. After I have eaten my fill, I will go after Sun Wukong for revenge."

Sha Wujing complained to Bajie, "That's what comes of your talking too much. I told you not to talk. The talkative are the first to be steamed and eaten."

Bajie was frightened enough to sweat.

One little monster said, "Great King, Zhu Bajie will not steam well."

Bajie cried, "Amitabha! Which brother of mine has stored up hidden merit? Sure enough, I do not steam well."

Another little monster said, "Skin him and he will steam nicely."

Bajie panicked. "Steam me, steam me. My skin and bones may be coarse, but once the broth boils, I will be tender enough. Just let me out."

While he was still shouting, another little monster came in at the front gate and reported, "Sun Wukong is cursing at the door again."

The old demon was startled once more. "This brute despises me because no one can stop him."

He called, "Little ones, leave Zhu Bajie hanging as he is for now. Count how many treasures we still have."

The steward monster said, "There are still three treasures in the cave."

The old demon asked, "Which three?"

The steward said, "The Seven-Star Sword, the Plantain Fan, and the Jade Purity Vase."

The old demon said, "That vase is useless. It was meant to call people. Once they answered, it would take them in. But that Sun Wukong learned the trick from it and used it on his own brother instead. Leave it here. Quickly bring the sword and the fan."

The steward at once brought the two treasures.

The old demon tucked the Plantain Fan into the back of his collar and took the Seven-Star Sword in his hand. Then he roused more than three hundred monsters, each one with spear, staff, rope, or blade in hand. He himself donned his helmet and armor and wore a flaming red silk robe. The whole host poured out of the cave in battle formation to seize the Great Sage.

By then the Great Sage already knew the Silver Horn King had melted away inside the gourd. He had tied and fastened it tightly and hung it at his waist. With the Golden-Hooped Rod in hand, he was ready for battle. Just then the old demon came out with red banners flying. Look at his dress:

The plume on his helmet blazed bright; his waist belt was tied with brilliant colors.
His armor was layered like dragon scales, and over it he wore a red robe that burned like fire.
His round eyes flashed as if they were lightning; his steel whiskers stirred like smoke.
The Seven-Star Sword was light in his hand; the Plantain Fan half-covered his shoulder.
He moved like drifting cloud over sea and mountain; his voice shook the hills like thunder.
He was a mighty and terrible commander, defying the heavenly generals,
and he led the swarm of demons out before the cave.

The old demon quickly ordered the little monsters to array their formation and shouted, "You monkey, you are outrageously rude. You have harmed my brother, injured my kin, and truly made me hate you!"

Wukong shouted back, "You cursed creature, you cannot bear to lose even one demon's life. My master, my junior brother, and the horse - four lives in all - were hung in your cave for nothing. How could I bear that? How could that be reasonable? Quickly bring them out and return them to me. Add some travel money on top, send Old Sun off happy and smiling, and I will spare your dog's life."

The fiend would not listen. He raised the Seven-Star Sword and chopped down at Wukong's head. The Great Sage met him with his staff. They fought fiercely outside the cave gate. Alas! The Golden-Hooped Rod met the Seven-Star Sword, and sparks of rainbow light flashed like lightning. A cold chill rolled through the air and dim clouds covered the mountain wall. That one fought for brotherhood and would not yield a single step; this one fought for the scripture monk and would not give an inch. Both sides bore the same hatred and the same rage. They fought until sky and earth went dark and even ghosts and gods were startled; the sun dimmed and mist thickened while dragons and tigers battled. One ground his teeth like sharpened jade pins; the other glared with eyes that threw off golden flame. They went back and forth in a display of heroism, staff and sword spinning without rest.

The old demon and the Great Sage fought for twenty rounds without a winner. Then he pointed the sword tip and cried, "All little monsters, come at once!"

More than three hundred fiends surged forward and surrounded Wukong in the middle.

The Great Sage was not afraid in the least. He swung his rod, driving left and right, blocking behind and in front. The little monsters had some skill too. The more they fought, the closer they pressed, like cotton wrapping a body. They grabbed at his waist and legs and would not retreat. The Great Sage grew alarmed and used his body-within-the-body art. He plucked a handful of hairs from his left side, chewed them to pieces, spat them out, and shouted, "Change!"

Each hair became another Sun Wukong.

You can see them: the tall ones swung staffs, the short ones turned their fists, and the smallest had no place to strike. Some hugged their hips and bit at sinew, and the little monsters were beaten till stars fell and clouds scattered. In unison they shouted, "Great King, this is not working! All over the ground and all over the mountain, it is nothing but Sun Wukong!"

That body-within-the-body trick drove the whole band back. Only the old demon remained in the middle of the encirclement, running east and west with no way out.

The demon panicked. In his left hand he held the sword; with his right he reached behind his neck and took out the Plantain Fan. Facing the southeast fire position, straight toward the Li palace, he gave the fan a great sweep. At once the ground itself burst into blazing fire. That treasure could fan fire out of nothing. The monster was truly merciless. He fanned seven or eight times, and the sky and earth were scorched while flames flew up in all directions.

What a fire it was:

The fire was neither Heavenly fire, nor furnace fire, nor mountain fire, nor stove fire. It was a single spiritual flame drawn from the Five Agents themselves.
The fan too was no common object, nor anything made by human hands. It was a true treasure born when chaos first opened.
With that fan and that fire, the blaze shone so bright it looked like red silk snapped by lightning;
it gleamed like rosy brocade streaming across the sky.
There was not a wisp of blue smoke, only a mountain full of red flame.
The pines on the ridge became fire trees, and the cypresses before the cliff became lanterns.
The beasts in the lair, greedy for their lives, ran east and west;
the birds in the woods, cherishing their feathers, flew high and far.
That divine fire drifted through the air and burned so hot that even rocks melted, brooks dried up, and the ground turned red.

Seeing such a wicked fire, the Great Sage also grew alarmed and said, "This is bad. My true body may endure, but my hairs will not. If one of them falls into that fire, would it not be burned away as easily as hair?"

He shook himself and gathered the hairs back onto his body, leaving only one to make a false form. His true body recited the fire-avoidance spell, leaped on a somersault cloud, and sprang up out of the blaze. Then he ran straight into the Lotus Cave, intent on saving his master.

He rushed to the gate, brought down the cloud, and saw more than a hundred little monsters outside, all broken-headed and broken-legged, skin split and flesh torn. They were the ones he had wounded with his body-within-the-body trick, and they were all standing there moaning in pain.

The Great Sage saw them and could not hold back his savage temper. He raised the iron staff and fought his way in.

Alas, all the fruits of their long cultivation of the body were wiped out, leaving only a scrap of old fur.

The Great Sage beat the little monsters to the ground and burst into the cave to rescue his master. There he saw firelight blazing all around, and his hands and feet went numb with alarm. "Alas, alas," he said, "this fire is burning up from the back gate. Old Sun can hardly save Master now."

While he was still frightened, he looked more closely. Ah! It was not fire at all, but a beam of golden light.

He steadied his nature and looked again. It was the Jade Purity Vase shining. He was delighted and said, "A fine treasure indeed! That vase was what the little monster had carried on the mountain and made shine. Old Sun took it, and that fiend searched it out again. Now it is hidden here, and it is shining all the same."

He stole the vase, smiling with delight, and instead of rescuing his master at once he hurried back out of the cave. Just as he reached the gate, the demon was coming from the south with sword and fan in hand. Sun Wukong could not dodge in time, and the old demon raised his sword and chopped at his head. The Great Sage leaped away on his somersault cloud and vanished without a trace. We need not follow him further for the moment.

The demon reached the gate and saw bodies strewn everywhere, all of them his own little fiends. He lifted his face to the sky and let out a long sigh. Then he could not help breaking into loud sobs. "How bitter! How painful!" A poem bears witness:

How hateful the monkey's cunning and the horse's stubborn wildness,
how the spirit child is turned and comes down among the dust!
Because one wrong thought led him away from the Heavenly Gate,
his true form was lost and he fell upon this mountain.
Lonely geese cry when they lose the flock;
tears stream from the demon host when their kin are cut off.
When will his evil debt be full and the chains of fault be opened,
so he may return to root and source and go up to the jade gate?

The old demon, ashamed and desperate, cried his way into the cave step by step. There the household goods and furnishings were all as before, but there was no one human left to see. The silence made it even more bitter. He sat alone in the cave and dropped onto the stone table. He leaned the sword against the side of the table and stuck the fan behind his shoulder, then sat there in a daze and fell asleep. Truly:

When a man meets joy, his spirit is bright; when worry presses on his heart, sleep comes all the more.

Now then: Sun Wukong turned his somersault cloud around, stood before the mountain, and thought of saving his master. He fastened the Jade Purity Vase tightly at his waist and went straight back to the cave mouth to scout the situation. The gate stood open in two halves, silent and still. He stepped lightly inside.

The demon was lying with one side against the stone table, snoring loudly. The Plantain Fan had slipped from his robe and half-covered the back of his head; the Seven-Star Sword was still propped beside the table. Wukong crept up, quietly pulled away the fan, and then turned and ran out with a hiss.

The handle of the fan brushed the monster's hair and woke him at once. He lifted his head and saw that Sun Wukong had stolen the fan, so he grabbed his sword and came after him in a hurry. But the Great Sage had already leaped to the gate. He slung the fan at his waist, spread his iron staff with both hands, and fought the demon there.

It was a fine slaughter:

The wicked demon king was enraged, his fury rising to the crown of his head.
He hated that Wukong had carried him around and made him a fool and had also stolen his treasure.
He shouted vile curses at the monkey: "You devil, you are making sport of men! You have harmed so many lives, and now you have stolen my treasure too. I will never let this stand. Today I will see whether you live or die."

The Great Sage shouted back, "You do not know your place at all. My disciples are trying to travel, and you keep needling the mountain with your stone heart. How could you break a stone with an egg? Sword comes, staff goes, and neither side shows any mercy. They fought over and over for victory, turning three and four times to test their skill. It was all for the sake of the scripture monk who must go to Lingshan. So gold and fire would not mix; the Five Agents were thrown into confusion and harmony was hurt. They showed their might and their divine craft, kicking up stones and sand and making their art. They fought until the sun was sinking in the west, and the demon's strength began to fail. After three or four dozen rounds, the old demon could not hold out and fled in defeat, heading southwest toward the Suppressing-Dragon Cave.

Only then did the Great Sage lower his cloud and rush into the Lotus Cave. He untied Tripitaka, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing. Freed from disaster, the three of them thanked Wukong again and again, then asked, "Where has the demon gone?"

Wukong said, "The second demon has already been put in the gourd, and by now he should have melted away. As for the first demon, he has just been beaten and fled southwest to Suppressing-Dragon Mountain. As for the little monsters in the cave, I killed half of them with my body-within-the-body art and finished off the rest just now, so there was no one left to stop me when I rescued you."

Tripitaka thanked him endlessly. "Disciple, you have suffered so much labor on our behalf."

Wukong laughed. "Truly it was labor. While you were only hanging there and taking the pain, Old Sun never stopped for a moment. I worked harder than a relay runner, going back and forth in and out without pause. It was only because I stole their treasure that I could beat back the demons."

Bajie said, "Senior Brother, take out that gourd and let us see it. Maybe the second demon has already melted."

The Great Sage first took off the Jade Purity Vase, then brought out the Gold Fillet Rope and the fan, and only after that took the gourd in hand and said, "Do not look, do not look.

It was he who first put Old Sun inside it. I rinsed my mouth and tricked him into opening the lid, and only then did I get out. We must not open the lid again, or he may make a loud fuss and escape."

The master and disciples searched out the rice, flour, and vegetables in the cave, scrubbed out the pots and stoves, and prepared a plain vegetarian meal to eat.

They ate their fill and slept in the cave. Nothing was said through the night, and by morning it was already daylight again.

Now then: the old demon had gone straight to Suppressing-Dragon Mountain, where he gathered all the female demons, large and small, and told them the whole story of how their mother had been killed, their brothers trapped, their soldiers destroyed, and their treasures stolen. The female monsters all wept together, and after a long time they said, "Do not grieve just yet. I still have this Seven-Star Sword with me. We women on Suppressing-Dragon Mountain will gather our kin from the back of the mountain, the married clan and the maiden clan alike, and we will be sure to capture Sun Wukong and avenge ourselves."

He had not finished speaking when a little monster outside the gate reported, "Great King, the old uncle from behind the mountain has arrived with several troops."

The old demon heard this and quickly changed into plain white mourning clothes and went out bent low to receive him. This old uncle was his mother's younger brother, known as the Fox King of the Seven.

When he heard the lookout monsters report that his sister had been killed by Sun Wukong, that the monkey had disguised himself as her and stolen the nephew's treasures, and that he had held out against them for days at Suppressing-Dragon Mountain, he had led more than two hundred monsters from his own cave and come specially to help. So he had first come to ask after his sister's household. When he entered and saw the old demon in mourning dress, the two of them wept together. After they had cried for a long time, the old demon knelt and told him the whole story.

The Fox King grew furious at once and ordered the old demon to change out of mourning, take up the sword, and summon all the female demons. They gathered together and rode the wind and clouds straight off toward the northeast.

By then the Great Sage had already told Sha Wujing to get the morning meal ready so they could eat and go on their way. Suddenly they heard the sound of wind, and when they stepped outside to look, a host of demon troops was coming from the southwest. Wukong was startled and hurried back in, calling to Bajie, "Brother, the demons have invited more reinforcements."

Tripitaka heard this and turned pale. "Disciple, what are we to do now?"

Wukong laughed. "Do not worry, do not worry. Hand all those treasures over to me."

The Great Sage fastened the gourd and the Jade Purity Vase at his waist, tucked the Gold Fillet Rope into his sleeve, and stuck the Plantain Fan behind his shoulder. Then he swung the iron staff with both hands and told Sha Wujing to guard his master and keep still in the cave. He ordered Bajie to take the rake and come out with him to meet the enemy.

The fiends drew up in battle order. At their head was the Fox King of the Seven. He was handsome of face and broad of beard, with steel eyebrows and knife-like ears. On his head he wore a gold-linked helmet, and on his body a coat of chain mail. In his hand he held a square-heaven halberd. He shouted, "You bold monkey! How dare you treat us like this? You have stolen our treasures, harmed our family, killed our soldiers, and occupied our cave for too long. Quickly bring out your necks and die so that I may avenge my sister's household."

Wukong shouted back, "You pack of death-seeking furballs, you do not know what your Sun-grandfather can do. Do not run. Taste my staff."

The monster dodged to one side and met him with the square-heaven halberd. The two of them fought on the mountain top for three or four rounds, and the fiend grew weak. He fled in defeat. Wukong chased him, but the old demon caught him. They fought three more rounds when the Fox King came back to attack from the side. Bajie saw it and hurried up with the nine-tooth rake to block him. One met one, and they fought for a long while without a winner.

Now then: Tripitaka sat in Lotus Cave and heard the shouting shake the earth. He called out, "Sha Wujing, go outside and see whether your brothers are winning or losing."

Sha Wujing indeed took up the demon-quelling staff and charged out, shouting and driving back the whole swarm of monsters. When the Fox King saw the battle was turning against him, he turned and ran. Bajie chased after him and brought the rake down on his back. Nine bright red holes burst open, and a true spirit was sent on ahead.

He dragged the body back and stripped off the clothes to look. It turned out that he too was a fox spirit.

The old demon saw that his old uncle had been wounded and that Wukong had slipped away. He raised his sword and came at Bajie, who blocked it with the rake. While they were at it, Sha Wujing rushed up and raised his staff to strike. The fiend could not stand against them. He drove the wind and clouds and fled south.

Bajie and Sha Wujing chased hard after him. The Great Sage saw this, leaped into the air, took down the Jade Purity Vase, and covered the old demon. He shouted, "Gold Horn King!"

The monster thought it was some of his broken little monsters calling and answered once by turning his head. In a rush he was sucked inside. Wukong pasted on the same label: "By the urgent decree of Laozi, obey."

The Seven-Star Sword dropped to the ground and came back to Wukong. Bajie greeted him and said, "Brother, you have got the sword. Where is the spirit monster?"

Wukong laughed. "It is settled. He is already inside my vase."

Sha Wujing heard that and was overjoyed with Bajie.

At once they swept clean all the evil spirits and returned to the cave, where they reported the good news to Tripitaka: "The mountain is cleaned out, and the demons are gone. Please mount up and take the road."

Tripitaka was overjoyed beyond measure. The master and disciples ate an early meal, packed the luggage and horse, and set off westward in search of the road.

As they were traveling, they suddenly saw a blind man step out from beside the road. He came forward, seized Tripitaka's horse, and cried, "Monk, where are you going? Give me back my treasure."

Bajie was alarmed. "That is bad. The old demon has come to ask for his treasure."

Wukong looked closely and saw that it was Laozi, Lord of the Dao. He was so alarmed that he hurried forward to bow. "Old sir, where are you going?"

The old lord immediately rose on his jade seat and stood in the air of the nine heavens, calling, "Sun Wukong, return my treasure."

The Great Sage rose into the sky and said, "What treasure?"

Laozi said, "The gourd is for my elixir; the vase is for my water; the sword is for refining demons; the fan is for fanning fire; the rope is for binding my robe. As for those two demons, one was my boy at the gold furnace and the other my boy at the silver furnace. They stole my treasures and ran down into the lower world. I had nowhere to find them, and now you have captured them and gained merit."

Wukong said, "Old sir, you are truly rude. If you let your household run loose and become evil, you ought to be charged with poor discipline."

Laozi said, "It has nothing to do with me. Do not mistake the innocent for the guilty.

This was the Bodhisattva from the sea asking to borrow them three times, putting them here to turn into demons and test whether you and your disciples truly meant to go west."

When Wukong heard that, he thought to himself, "That Bodhisattva is truly shameless. At the time she rescued me and told me to protect Tripitaka westward to seek the scriptures, I said the road was rough and hard. She promised that if I met any real difficulty, she would come in person to rescue me. Yet now she turned evil spirits loose to oppress us. If she is so unreliable in speech, no wonder she has lived all her life without a husband. If the old sir had not come in person, I would never have given these things up. Since you say so, take them away."

The old lord collected the five treasures. He opened the gourd and the Jade Purity Vase and poured out two breaths of immortal vapor. He pointed a hand and they changed back into the Gold Boy and Silver Boy, who stood at his sides again.

Only then did brilliant clouds blaze in all directions. Ah! They drifted back together to the Tusita Palace and rose happily into the great sky.

As for what happened afterward, and how Sun Wukong continued to guard Tripitaka and when they finally reached the Western Heaven, that must wait for the next chapter to explain.