Chapter 39: A Cinnabar Pill Won from Heaven; The Former King Lives Again on Earth

Now to return: Sun Wukong was in such torment that he could hardly bear it. He cried, "Master, do not chant it, do not chant it. Let me think of a cure."

Tripitaka asked, "What cure?"

Wukong said, "There is only one. I must go to the underworld, find out whether that king's soul is still lodged there, and bring it back to revive him."

Bajie said, "Master, do not believe him. Just now he said he did not need to go under the earth at all, and that he could cure the man in the world of men. He was only showing off."

Tripitaka, half believing in evil winds and bad omens, began reciting the Tightening Spell again. Wukong was so frightened that he hurriedly cried out, "I can cure him in the world of men! I can cure him in the world of men!"

Bajie laughed. "Do not stop. Keep chanting. Keep chanting."

Wukong cursed him. "You stupid beast, you are baiting the master into chanting against me."

Bajie laughed until he nearly fell over. "Brother, brother, you only know how to toy with me. You do not know that I can toy with you too."

Wukong said again, "Master, do not chant it. Let Old Sun go and cure him in the world of men."

Tripitaka asked, "How can that be done in the world of men?"

Wukong said, "With one somersault cloud I will crash through the South Heaven Gate. I need not go into the Bull-Dipper Palace or into the Hall of Miraculous Mist. I will go straight to the Tushita Palace in the Heaven Beyond Sorrows, pay my respects to Laozi, Lord of the Dao, and beg one of his Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Elixirs. One pill will be enough to bring him back to life."

Tripitaka was overjoyed. "Go at once. Come back quickly."

Wukong said, "It is the third watch already. If I go and return, by the time I am back it will be dawn. Besides, this man lies here cold and still, and he does not look at all proper. Someone must stand over him and mourn for him, then it will be better."

Bajie said, "That means you want me to cry."

Wukong said, "If you do not cry, how can I work the cure?"

Bajie said, "Brother, you go ahead. I will cry."

Wukong said, "There are many ways to cry. If you open your mouth and howl dryly, that is only wailing. If you wrench out a few tears, that is sobbing. But if you must cry, you should cry with tears in your eyes and grief in your heart. That is what counts as real mourning."

Bajie said, "Let me show you."

He found a slip of paper somewhere, twisted it into a paper wick, shoved it into his nostril a few times, and sneezed hard several times. His eyes filled with tears, his face ran with slime, and he began to bawl. He muttered on and on, sneering and scolding as he cried, until he looked exactly like a man who had lost a dear one. At the most heartbreaking part, Tripitaka himself could not stop his tears.

Wukong laughed and said, "Yes, yes, that is the right kind of grief. Do not stop for a single breath. If you fool me and stop crying after I leave, I will hear it. If you only cry this way, very well; if you slack off for a moment, I will give you twenty blows on the soles of your feet."

Bajie laughed. "Go on, go on. Once I start crying, I can cry for two whole days."

Brother Sha saw that they were all making their offerings, so he went to find some incense to burn.

Wukong laughed. "Good, good. If the whole household shows some devotion, I can get to work."

At the third watch, the Great Sage took leave of his master and the two disciples, mounted his somersault cloud, and flew straight into the South Heaven Gate. He truly did not bow at the Hall of Miraculous Mist, nor did he go up to the Bull-Dipper Palace. He rode the clouds all the way to the Tushita Palace in the Heaven Beyond Sorrows. When he entered, Laozi was sitting in his elixir chamber with a host of immortal boys, each holding a plantain-leaf fan and tending the fire to refine pills.

When he saw Wukong coming, he immediately told the boys on duty, "Be careful. The thief who steals pills has come again."

Wukong bowed and laughed. "Old lord, why are you so guarded against me? I am not doing those things anymore."

Laozi said, "You monkey. Five hundred years ago you made havoc in Heaven and stole and ate countless of my elixirs. Then I had Erlang catch you and bring you up here, where you were refined in my furnace for forty-nine days. Heaven knows how much charcoal I spent on you. Now, by good fortune, you have escaped and taken refuge in the Buddha's Law, escorting Tripitaka west to seek the scriptures. The last time you caused trouble at Mount Pingshan, made a scene, and would not return my treasures, what have you come for today?"

Wukong said, "I returned your five treasures at once the last time. Why do you still suspect me?"

Laozi said, "Since you are not on the road, why did you sneak into my palace?"

Wukong said, "After we parted, we went west and came to a kingdom called Uji Kingdom. The king was secretly harmed by a demon who disguised himself as a Daoist and called down wind and rain. That demon stole the king's body and now sits on the Dragon Throne in his place.

My master had taken up lodging at Baolin Monastery, where the dead king's soul came to bow before him and begged us to destroy the demon and set right the false and the true. I had no proof to work with, so that night Bajie and I slipped into the royal garden, broke open the grounds, and found the buried body in the bottom of an eight-sided glass well. We lifted it out, and his face had not changed at all. Back at the monastery my master took pity on him and ordered me to bring him back to life. He would not let me go down to the underworld to search for the soul. He only told me to save him here in the world of men.

I have thought and thought, but there was no way to bring him back. So I have come especially to pay my respects. I beg the Daoist ancestor to take pity and lend me one thousand pills of the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Elixir so I can save him."

Laozi said, "You monkey, what nonsense is this? One thousand pills? Two thousand pills? Do you think they are rice cakes? Are they mud pellets that can be grabbed so easily? Get out at once. None."

Wukong laughed. "Then one hundred pills will do."

Laozi said, "None."

Wukong said, "Then ten pills will do."

Laozi grew angry. "You brazen monkey, you are impossible. None, none. Get out, get out."

Wukong laughed. "So there really are none? I will ask elsewhere, then."

Laozi shouted, "Go, go, go!"

The Great Sage turned on his heel and started to leave. Laozi suddenly thought, "This monkey is a shameless rogue. He says he is going, but if I let him go he may just slip back in and steal."

So he called the immortal boy back and said, "You monkey, your hands and feet are not steady. I will give you one of the soul-returning pills."

Wukong said, "Old lord, since you know what I am like, come on and take out the golden pills. Let us split them sixty-forty. That would still be your good fortune. Otherwise I will give you a sieve made of skin and scoop them all out clean."

Laozi took up a gourd, turned it upside down, and poured out one golden pill. He handed it to Wukong and said, "There is only this one. Take it. Use it to bring that emperor back to life, and that will count as your merit."

Wukong took the pill and said, "Do not rush. Let me taste it first. What if it is a fake and he has tricked me?"

He popped it into his mouth. Laozi hurried forward, grabbed him by the crown of the head, clenched a fist, and cursed, "You brazen monkey, if you swallow it, I will beat you to death."

Wukong laughed. "Look at that face of yours. How petty you are. Who would eat your pill? What is it worth? Too much show and too little substance. Is it not in here?"

It turned out that the monkey had a pouch under his chin. He had tucked the golden pill inside it. Laozi pinched the pouch and said, "Go, go. Do not come here to pester me again."

Only then did the Great Sage thank him and leave the Tushita Palace.

Countless bands of auspicious haze drifted away from the jade palaces, and ten thousand threads of glowing cloud descended to the mortal dust. In a moment he had crossed the South Heaven Gate and returned to the eastern lodge. There above the horizon he saw the sun already rising. He lowered his cloud and went straight to the gate of Baolin Monastery, where Bajie was still crying.

Wukong called out, "Master."

Tripitaka was delighted. "Wukong has returned. Did you get the pill?"

Wukong said, "I did."

Bajie said, "How could he not have gotten one? He must have stolen a few from somebody."

Wukong laughed. "Brother, you may step aside. I do not need you now. Wipe your tears and go cry somewhere else." Then he told Brother Sha, "Bring me some water."

Brother Sha hurried to the well in back, used a handy bucket, and brought him half a bowl of water. Wukong took it, spat the pill into the king's lips, forced the teeth open with both hands, and washed the golden pill down with a mouthful of clear water.

After half an hour the body began to rumble and churn inside, but it still could not move.

Wukong said, "Master, if my pill cannot raise him, are you trying to grind Old Sun down?"

Tripitaka said, "How could it not raise him? A corpse that has been dead for so long cannot swallow water at once. This is the spiritual force of the pill. Once it enters the belly, the guts begin to move, and moving the guts means the blood and pulses are stirring. The breath, however, is still cut off. Never mind that the body spent three years under water in a well. Even wrought iron would have rusted by now. The vital breath is spent. If someone breathes one mouthful of air into him, he will be fine."

Bajie rushed forward to breathe into him, but Tripitaka grabbed him at once and said, "Do not do that. Let Wukong handle it."

Tripitaka had his reasons. Bajie had spent his youth killing and eating lives; his breath was foul. Wukong, by contrast, had cultivated himself from childhood, feeding on pine nuts and cypress nuts, peaches and fruit; his breath was clean. So the Great Sage stepped up, pressed his thunder-mouth to the king's lips, and breathed one long breath into his throat. It sank down the throat, turned through the breast, went straight to the elixir field, and then rolled back up from the bubbling spring to the Mud Wall Palace.

With a loud gasp, the king's breath gathered and his spirit returned. He turned over, clenched his fists, curled his feet, and cried out, "Master!" Then he dropped to both knees in the dust and said, "Last night I remember my ghostly soul came to pay you homage. Who would have thought that by dawn I would be back among the living?"

Tripitaka hurried to help him up. "Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with me. You must thank my disciple."

Wukong laughed. "Master, what are you saying? As the saying goes, one house does not have two masters. If he bows to you, you do not lose anything."

Tripitaka was deeply embarrassed. He helped the king up and went with him into the meditation hall. There the king paid his respects to Wukong, Bajie, and Brother Sha, and only then did everyone take their seats.

The monks of the monastery had already arranged the morning meal. They were about to bring it in when they suddenly saw that the water-soaked king had appeared. Everyone was stunned and bewildered.

Sun Wukong leaped forward and said, "Monks, do not be alarmed like this. This is the king of Uji Kingdom, your true sovereign. Three years ago he was killed by that monster, and I revived him tonight. We are now going into the city to tell false from true. If there is any meal, bring it out and let us eat before we leave."

The monks immediately brought soup and water, washed his face, and changed his clothes. They took off the emperor's vermilion robe and had the monastery steward put a pair of plain monk's robes on him. They removed the blue jade belt and tied on a yellow silk sash. They took off his carefree shoes and put on an old pair of monk's shoes instead.

Only after they had all eaten breakfast did they harness the horses.

Wukong asked, "Bajie, how heavy is your luggage?"

Bajie said, "Brother, I carry this load every day. I do not even know how heavy it is anymore."

Wukong said, "Split it into two loads. You take one, and let the king carry the other. We will hurry into the city and do the business."

Bajie was delighted. "Good fortune, good fortune. When we first brought him here, he took so much effort to haul along. Now that he is alive again, he turns out to be a spare body."

The fool showed off a little, divided the luggage, borrowed a carrying pole from the monastery, took the lighter bundle for himself, and gave the heavier one to the king.

Wukong laughed. "Your Majesty, is it too much to ask you to dress like that and carry a load while you walk with us?"

The king quickly knelt. "Master, you are my father and mother reborn. Do not even mention carrying a load. I would gladly hold your stirrup and carry your whip if it meant serving you on the road to the Western Heaven."

Wukong said, "I do not need you to go to the Western Heaven. I have a reason. You need only carry the load forty li into the city. Once the demon is caught, you may resume being king, and we will resume seeking the scriptures."

Bajie muttered, "So that means he only carries forty li? Then I am the one who remains the long-term laborer."

Wukong said, "Brother, do not talk nonsense. Hurry and lead the way outside."

So Bajie went ahead with the king, Brother Sha attended Tripitaka as he mounted his horse, and Wukong followed behind. The five hundred monks of the monastery lined up in order and escorted them all the way to the mountain gate with music and drums.

Wukong said, "Monks, there is no need to escort us farther. I am only afraid the officials in the city may hear of this and leak my plans, which would be bad. Go back at once, go back at once. Just keep the king's robes and crown in good order. Whether tonight or tomorrow morning, send them into the city, and I will ask for your reward and a favor in return."

The monks obeyed and returned.

Wukong strode ahead to catch up with his master, and the party moved straight onward.

A verse says:

The West holds a secret for seeking truth; metal and wood work together to refine the spirit.
The empty mother cherishes a muddled dream; the infant keeps longing for a rotten body.
One must seek the true lord at the bottom of a well; one must still bow in heaven to Laozi.
Once one wakes to form and emptiness and returns to one's own nature, one is truly a person whom the Buddha may save.

The pilgrims traveled the road and had not gone half a day before the city walls were already in sight. Tripitaka said, "Wukong, the place ahead must be Uji Kingdom."

Wukong said, "Exactly. We should hurry in and settle the business."

When the master and disciples entered the city, the streets were neat and the crowds lively. Soon they saw splendid towers and magnificent halls. There is a poem to prove it:

The overseas palaces and towers were like those of a greater realm; the songs and dances of the people were like those of ancient Tang.
Blossoms welcomed the precious fans, and red clouds curled about them. The sun shone on bright robes, and green mist gave them light.
Peacock screens opened and fragrance drifted out; pearl curtains were rolled and colored banners spread wide.
The scene of peace was truly worth celebrating; the civil officers stood in rank, with not a single memorial to submit.

Tripitaka dismounted and said, "Disciples, let us go straight to court and exchange our passport papers here. That will save us a detour through the yamen."

Wukong said, "That makes sense. Let the whole company go in. The more of us there are, the easier it is to speak."

Tripitaka said, "Go in together, but do not act rough and uncivil. First perform the rites due between ruler and subject, and then speak."

Wukong said, "If we perform the rites, we must bow."

Tripitaka said, "Exactly. We must make the full bow, five kneelings and three prostrations."

Wukong laughed. "Master, that will not do. If we bow to him, it would truly be unwise. Let me go in first. I will handle the matter. If he says anything, let me answer him. If I bow, you all bow; if I squat, you all squat."

So the troublemaking Monkey King went up to the palace gate and said to the gate officer, "We are envoys from Great Tang in the Eastern Land, sent to the Western Heaven to bow to Buddha and seek the scriptures. We have now come to exchange our passports. Please inform His Majesty, so that no good work is delayed."

The palace eunuch went in through the inner gate, knelt on the vermilion steps, and announced, "Outside the gate are five monks. They say they are imperial envoys from Great Tang in the Eastern Land, come to the Western Heaven to worship Buddha and seek the scriptures. They have now arrived to exchange their passports, and they dare not enter without orders. They are waiting outside for your command."

The demon king immediately ordered them to be summoned.

Tripitaka went in through the palace gate, and the restored king followed after him. As he walked, he could not hold back his tears. In his heart he thought, "Alas, my copper-basin kingdom, my iron-wrapped state. Who would have thought it would be usurped in secret?"

Wukong said, "Your Majesty, do not grieve. We must not leak the news. This staff of mine is leaping in my ear, eager to show its power. I will surely smash the demon to pieces and sweep away that evil thing. Your kingdom will be yours again before long."

The king dared not disobey. He could only clutch his robe and wipe away his tears while following them into the Golden Throne Hall. There he saw the civil and military ranks standing in two rows, four hundred court officers in all, each one stern and dignified, with handsome and imposing faces.

Wukong led Tripitaka to stand before the white jade steps and held his body still.

The officers below all trembled and said, "That monk is utterly dull. Why does he not bow when he sees our king? Why does he not speak a word of greeting? Why does he not even call out a salute? So bold, so rude."

Before they had finished, the demon king asked, "What land are you monks from?"

Wukong answered proudly, "I am a monk from Great Tang in the Southern Continent, sent by imperial command to go to the Western Region of India and the Great Thunderclap Monastery to worship the living Buddha and seek the true scriptures. We have come here now and dare not pass by empty-handed, so we have come especially to exchange our travel passes."

The demon king heard this and grew angry. "What is Great Tang to me? I do not receive tribute from your court, and our countries have no dealings. Why do you stand before me without bowing or paying respect?"

Wukong laughed. "My Great Tang has stood as the Celestial Dynasty from ancient times and is long known as the superior realm. You are a lesser border kingdom. As the old saying goes, the ruler of a superior realm is father and king; the ruler of a lesser realm is subject and son. You have not yet welcomed me, and you dare demand that I bow?"

The demon king flew into a rage and ordered the civil and military officers, "Seize this wild monk!"

At the shout to seize him, the officers surged forward in a body. Wukong gave a cry and pointed with his hand, shouting, "Do not come!"

With that single point he used a body-fixing spell, and all the officers could move no more. The marshals below the steps stood like wooden dolls, and the generals on the throne floor looked like clay men.

Seeing that Wukong had frozen all his officials, the demon king sprang down from the dragon couch and rushed forward to seize him. The Monkey King was overjoyed. "Good. This is just what I wanted. Even if his head were cast from iron, one stroke of my staff would put a hole through it."

Just as he was about to move, an unexpected savior came out from the side. Do you know who it was? It was the Uji crown prince, who rushed forward, grabbed the demon king's court robe, and knelt before him. "Father, calm yourself."

The monster asked, "What do you mean, child?"

The crown prince said, "Your son submits this report. Three years ago I heard people say that there was a sacred monk from Great Tang in the Eastern Land, sent west to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. Who would have thought he would only now arrive in our kingdom?

Father's temper is fierce. If you seize this monk and behead him, Great Tang may one day hear of it and fly into a rage. Think of the Emperor Taizong of Great Tang. He claims the throne and rules all under heaven, yet he is not satisfied and even crosses the sea to make war. If he learns that our king killed his imperial brother the holy monk, he will surely raise soldiers and horses against us. We have too few troops and too little strength. By then it will be too late to regret it.

Father, follow my advice. First ask the four monks about their origins, and decide clearly that they are not to be brought before the throne. Only then may they be charged with a crime."

The whole passage was the crown prince's caution, meant to keep the monster from harming Tripitaka. He did not know that Wukong had planned all along to strike.

The demon king in fact believed him. Standing before the dragon couch, he roared, "Monk, when did you leave the Eastern Land? Why did the Tang king send you to seek the scriptures?"

Wukong answered boldly, "My master is the Tang king's imperial brother, known as Tripitaka. Because there was a minister in the Tang court named Wei Zheng, who obeyed the heavenly law and dreamed the execution of the Dragon of the Jing River, the Tang emperor afterward wandered in the underworld and returned to life. He then set up a great water-land rite to deliver all wronged souls and wandering ghosts. Because my master was expounding the scriptures and spreading compassion, he suddenly received instruction from Guanyin, Bodhisattva of the South Sea, and came westward.

My master gladly made the great vow, happily accepted the mission, and served the state with full loyalty. He was granted travel papers by the Tang king.

This was in the thirteenth year of the reign of Zhenguan of Great Tang, three days before the full moon of the ninth month. We left the Eastern Land then. At the Two-Boundary Mountain we took me in as the eldest disciple, surname Sun, given name Wukong. Later, in Gao Village at the border of Wusi Kingdom, we took in our second disciple, surname Zhu, name Wuneng, also called Bajie. By the Flowing-Sand River we took in our third disciple, surname Sha, name Wujing. The other day, at the imperial Baolin Monastery, we took in a new traveling servant monk to carry the luggage."

The demon king heard this and could find no way to inspect Tripitaka further. Instead he tried to use honeyed words to cross-question Wukong, and asked, with glaring eyes, "Monk, when you first left the Eastern Land, you were alone, and then you gathered four others. The three monks are understandable, but this traveling servant must surely have been abducted. What is his name? Does he have a travel permit or not? Bring him up and make him testify."

The king, who had been revived, trembled all over and said, "Master, what am I supposed to testify to?"

Sun Wukong pinched him and said, "Do not be afraid. I will testify for you."

The Great Sage stepped forward, squared his shoulders, and shouted at the monster, "Your Majesty, this old Daoist is a mute and also a little hard of hearing. When he was young, he once went west and knows the road. I know all about his beginnings and ends. I beg Your Majesty to forgive him and let me testify in his place."

The demon king said, "Then testify honestly at once, so that you are not charged with a crime."

Wukong said:

A servant monk may be old in years, but he is dull, deaf, and mute, and the household has already fallen apart.
His native home was always here; only five years ago did disaster strike and destroy it.
Heaven gave no rain, and the people went dry, while king and commoner alike kept their fasts.
They burned incense, bathed themselves, and cried out to Heaven, yet for ten thousand li there was not a single cloud.
The people hungered and suffered as though hanging by the heels; then from Zhongnan there suddenly descended a false adept.
He called wind and rain, displayed his sorcery, and secretly took the king's life away.
He shoved him into the garden well and quietly seized the dragon throne, so the hidden crime was hard to undo.
Lucky for us, Old Sun came with great merit, raised the dead, and left no wound uncured.
That man willingly took refuge and became a servant, traveling together with the monks toward the Western quarter.
The false king was the Daoist, and the Daoist was the one who took the true king's place.

The demon king heard this speech in the Golden Throne Hall and felt his heart jump into his throat. Red clouds rose in his face. He hurriedly turned to leave, but he had no weapon in hand.

When he looked back, he saw that one of the palace generals on duty wore a precious sword at his waist. Wukong had already frozen the man in place, and he stood there like a fool and a mute.

The demon king rushed over, snatched the sword, and rode a cloud up into the sky. Brother Sha was so furious that he nearly burst with rage, and Bajie shouted at the top of his lungs, blaming Wukong for being too quick.

"Could you not have spoken more slowly?" he cried. "You let him off guard. Now he has fled on the clouds. Where do we go to chase him?"

Wukong laughed. "Brothers, do not shout. Let the crown prince come down and bow to his father. Let the inner ladies come out and bow to their husband." Then he muttered a spell and released the body-fixing spell, saying to the civil and military officers, "Wake up and come bow to your king, so you will know who the true emperor is. Let him tell the earlier story, and the truth will be clear. I will go after him."

The Great Sage told Bajie and Brother Sha, "Guard the king, the crown prince, the ladies of the inner court, and my master carefully."

He said only that he was going and vanished at once.

He had already leaped into the clouds above the nine heavens and was searching in every direction for the demon king. There he saw that the creature had indeed escaped with his life and was running toward the northeast.

Wukong chased close behind and shouted, "You monster, where do you think you are going? Old Sun is here."

The demon king turned around at once, drew the precious sword, and cried, "Sun Wukong, you shameless scoundrel. I am taking over someone else's throne. It has nothing to do with you. Why must you play the righteous man and reveal my secrets?"

Wukong laughed. "You bold fiend! Did I ever agree to let you sit on a throne? Since you know I am Old Sun, you should have fled far away. Why are you still making trouble for my master and demanding a statement? That statement just now, was it true or not? Do not run. If you are a man, take one blow from my staff."

The demon dodged the strike and answered with his sword. The two of them closed at once, and what a slaughter it was:

The Monkey King was fierce, the demon king strong, and sword met staff in stubborn war.
Clouds and mist filled the three realms, all for the sake of one usurped throne.

The two of them fought for several rounds, but the demon king could not match the Monkey King. He turned and fled back along the old road, leaping into the city and rushing to the white jade steps. There he changed himself into the likeness of Tripitaka, even took him by the hand, and stood in the same place.

The Great Sage chased after him and raised his staff to strike. The monster cried, "Disciple, do not hit me. It is me."

Wukong lifted the staff to hit that Tripitaka, but the figure cried again, "Disciple, do not hit me. It is me."

The two Tripitakas looked exactly alike, and it was hard indeed to tell them apart. If he struck and killed the demon, that would still count as merit. But if he struck and killed his own true master, how could that be good?

He had no choice but to stop and tell Bajie and Brother Sha, "Which one is the monster and which one is my master? Point him out to me, and I will strike him."

Bajie said, "You were in the sky fighting and shouting. I only blinked once, and there were suddenly two masters. I do not know which one is real and which one is false."

When Wukong heard this, he pinched his fingers, muttered a spell, and called out to the heavenly guardians, the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Five Direction Revealing Spirits, the Four Seasonal Duty Officers, the Eighteen Protective Arhat Guardians, the local earth spirit, and the mountain god of that district:

"Old Sun has come here to subdue a demon. The demon has changed into my master's likeness, and the two bodies are exactly the same. It is hard indeed to tell them apart. Those of you who know what is what in secret, please have my master brought up to the hall so I can catch the monster."

The demon, who was excellent at riding clouds and mist, heard Wukong's words and at once let go of Tripitaka and leaped to the Golden Throne Hall.

Wukong raised his staff and was about to smash the monk in front of him. Alas! If not for the divine beings he had summoned, that one blow would have turned even twenty Tripitakas into meat paste. Fortunately the gods blocked the iron staff and said, "Great Sage, the monster has cloud-riding skill. He has already gone up to the hall."

Wukong pursued him into the hall, but the demon leaped down again, grabbed Tripitaka, and mixed himself once more among the crowd. He still could not be distinguished.

Wukong was vexed. Then he saw Bajie grinning coldly at his side. He flew into a rage. "You clod, what is so funny? There are two masters now. One you may call, one you may answer, one you may serve. Why are you grinning so happily?"

Bajie laughed. "Brother, you call me dull, but you are duller than I am. Since the master cannot tell them apart, why go to so much trouble? Bear the headache a little longer and let my master recite that old scripture. Brother Sha and I will each support one of them and listen. The one who cannot recite it must be the monster. What is so difficult about that?"

Wukong said, "Brother, I owe you one. That old formula can be remembered only by three of us. It came from the root heart of the Buddha Tathagata, was passed to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and then from the bodhisattva to my master. No one else knows it. Very well, Master, recite it."

Tripitaka truly began to recite it. How could the demon know it? He could only hum and groan in confusion.

Bajie said, "This one groans like a monster."

He let go and raised his rake to strike. The demon leaped up, stepped on a cloud, and fled.

Good Bajie! He shouted once and also rode a cloud after him. Brother Sha, terrified, let go of Tripitaka, drew his precious staff, and joined the attack. Only then did Tripitaka stop the spell.

Sun Wukong, enduring the pain in his head, gripped his iron staff and chased after them in the air. Ah, what a scene it was: three fierce monks surrounding one wicked demon. The demon was beset on left and right by Bajie's rake and Brother Sha's staff.

Wukong laughed. "If I go up again and strike him face to face, he is afraid of me. If he runs again, that will be trouble. Let me jump higher and bring him down with an overhead smash. That will finish him."

He leaped up in a blaze of auspicious light into the nine heavens and was just about to bring down the staff when, from the northeast, a rainbow cloud appeared and a sharp voice cried, "Sun Wukong, do not strike yet."

Wukong looked back. It was Manjushri Bodhisattva.

He hurriedly drew in his staff and stepped forward to bow. "Bodhisattva, where are you going?"

Manjushri said, "I have come to collect this demon for you."

Wukong thanked him. "You have gone to a great deal of trouble."

The bodhisattva took a demon-revealing mirror from his sleeve and shone it on the monster's true form. Only then did Wukong call Bajie and Brother Sha over to pay their respects.

Looking into the mirror, they saw what a cruel creature the demon truly was:

Eyes like glazed cups, head like a furnace vat.
All over his body, in high summer, the blue-black sheen of dye; on all four claws, the frost of late autumn.
Two ears hung low, and one tail was broom-long.
Green fur bristled with sharp spirit; red eyes flung out golden light.
Flat teeth stood in rows like jade plates, and his round whiskers rose like hard spears.
When the mirror showed his true face, he was nothing but a lion king belonging to Manjushri.

Wukong said, "Bodhisattva, this is your own green-maned lion. How did he get loose and turn into a monster, and why did you not take him in?"

The bodhisattva said, "Wukong, he did not run off. He was sent here by the decree of the Buddha."

Wukong said, "This beast turned into a demon, stole a throne, and yet you say he was sent here by Buddha's decree? If I, Old Sun, had to suffer for escorting Tripitaka, I should at least have received a stack of imperial warrants."

The bodhisattva said, "You do not understand. Long ago the king of Uji Kingdom was devoted to feeding monks, and the Buddha sent me here to guide him back to the West so he could soon attain the golden body of an arhat. But because I could not show him my true form, I changed into an ordinary monk and asked him for alms.

He answered me with several sharp words. He did not recognize me as a good man, and so I had him bound with a rope and thrown into the royal water well, where he soaked for three days and three nights. Only by luck did the Six Jia Golden Body save me and take me back to the West, where I reported the matter to the Tathagata. The Tathagata then ordered this creature to come here, push the king into the well, and soak him for three years in repayment for my three days in the water.

As the saying goes, one drink and one peck are all foreordained. Now that you have come here, the task is complete."

Wukong said, "Even if you have repaid your private grievance of one drink and one peck, that creature has surely harmed many people."

The bodhisattva said, "He has not harmed anyone. Since he came here three years ago, the weather has been smooth and the kingdom has been peaceful. What harm has he done?"

Wukong said, "Even if that is so, he slept and rose with the three palace ladies. He polluted their bodies and shattered so much propriety and order. How can you still say he harmed no one?"

The bodhisattva said, "He could not pollute them. He is a gelded lion."

Bajie heard this and stepped forward to give it a feel. He laughed. "This monster really is a vinegar nose that cannot drink wine. A fine name for nothing."

Wukong said, "If that is so, then take him away. If the bodhisattva had not come in person, I would never have spared his life."

The bodhisattva then muttered a spell and called out, "Beast, why do you not return to your true path? When will you wait until?"

Only then did the demon show his true form. The bodhisattva raised a lotus canopy over him, sat upon his back, and rode off on radiant cloud to take leave of Wukong.

Then he turned straight back to Mount Wutai, where he went to the lotus seat and listened to the sutras.

But how Tripitaka and his disciples got out of the city is another matter. That must wait for the next chapter.