Chapter 4: Appointed Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, He Finds It Far Too Little; Entered in Heaven as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, His Heart Is Still Unquiet

The Gold Star of the West and the Handsome Monkey King left the depths of the cave-heaven together and mounted the clouds. But Wukong's somersault-cloud was like nothing used by other immortals: swift beyond belief. In no time he had flung the old star far behind and arrived first outside the Southern Gate of Heaven.

Just as he was about to draw in his cloud and go forward, the Guardian King of Growth barred the gate, together with Pang, Liu, Gou, Bi, Deng, Xin, Zhang, Tao, and a whole file of mighty heavenly wardens armed with spears, sabers, swords, and halberds.

The Monkey King shouted, "That old star is a sly one! He invited old Sun up here himself, and now he has men with blades and spears blocking the road?"

He was still in the middle of his shouting when the Gold Star arrived. Wukong at once rounded on him angrily.

"Old fellow, how dare you trick me? You said you came by the Jade Emperor's decree to summon me, so why are these men here with drawn weapons, blocking the gate and refusing old Sun entry?"

The Gold Star smiled.

"Great King, calm yourself. You've never been to Heaven before, and your name is not yet entered there. The heavenly wardens do not know you. Why should they let you pass as you please? Once you have seen the Heavenly Lord, received your place in the registers, and had your office entered, then you may come and go as you like. Who will stop you then?"

Wukong said, "If that's the case, all right. I won't force my way in."

The Gold Star caught him by the arm.

"Come along with me."

When they drew near the gate, the Gold Star called out, "Wardens of the Southern Gate, great and small, clear the road! This is an immortal from the lower world. By the Jade Emperor's sacred command I have summoned him here."

Only then did the Guardian King of Growth and the heavenly wardens draw back their weapons and stand aside. Wukong at last believed him and followed the Gold Star in at an easier pace, looking everywhere as he went. Truly:

At first step into the upper world, on first entrance into Heaven,
ten thousand shafts of golden light rolled with crimson rainbow-color,
and a thousand lines of auspicious vapor breathed out purple mist.
There stood the Southern Gate of Heaven, dark-blue and deep, built all of crystal glass;
bright and dazzling, dressed in precious jade.
On either side stood dozens of marshals who defended Heaven itself,
each one braced against beams and pillars, holding long axes and standard-tails.
All around were ranged gold-armored spirits, ten and more in number,
every one gripping halberd or whip, saber or sword.
That alone was striking, but within was wonder itself.
Along the inner walls rose giant pillars, and around them coiled red-whiskered dragons with golden scales bright as the sun.
There were long bridges too, and above them wheeled crimson-crowned phoenixes with rainbow wings.
Glorious sunset-clouds flashed against the sky; green mist veiled the stars.
In Heaven there were thirty-three celestial palaces: Cloud-Sending Palace, Vaishravana Palace, Palace of Five Brightnesses, Palace of the Sun, Palace of Flowered Delight, each roof-ridge crowned with golden beasts.
And there were seventy-two treasure halls: Hall of Morning Audience, Hall of Lingxu, Hall of Precious Light, Hall of the Heavenly Kings, Hall of the Divine Officers, each with pillars lined in jade qilin.
On the Terrace of Longevity bloomed flowers that had never faded in a thousand years; beside the alchemical furnace grew embroidered grasses green for ten thousand years.
Before the Tower of Audience to the Sage stood officials in red gauze robes glittering like stars; their lotus crowns shone with gold and jade.
Jade hairpins, pearl slippers, purple seals, and golden badges gleamed everywhere.
When the golden bell was struck, the clerks of the Three Offices brought memorials up the vermilion steps; when the heavenly drum boomed, ten thousand saints came to court and bowed before the Jade Emperor.
At last they reached Lingxiao Hall itself: jade doors studded with gold nails, scarlet portals where phoenixes seemed to dance.
Covered passages and circling galleries glittered in every place; three-eaved roofs and clustered tiers flew with dragons and phoenixes in layer after layer.
Above all rose the vast purple-gold, blazing, rounded, gleaming finial like a giant golden gourd.
Below stood heavenly consorts holding hanging fans, jade maidens bearing immortal scarves, grim heavenly guards at audience, and noble immortals full of high spirit standing watch.
In the middle, within crystal trays, lay piled up pellet after pellet of Supreme Unity elixir; in agate vases were stuck branches of twisting coral.
Truly every strange thing in Heaven was there in abundance, and nothing in the world below matched a single one.
Golden towers, silver balconies, purple mansions, marvelous flowers, jade grasses, and jewel-like blooms.
The moon-rabbit passed by the altar where kings came to court, and the golden crow flew beneath where saints were received.
The Monkey King had the fortune to come into Heaven's own realm,
untainted by the mud of the mortal world.

The Gold Star led the Handsome Monkey King outside Lingxiao Hall. Without waiting for formal proclamation, he brought him directly before the throne and bowed. Wukong stood stiffly to one side and did not bow, only pricking up his ears to hear what the Gold Star would say.

The Gold Star reported, "Your servant has obeyed the sacred decree and brought the demon-immortal here."

Behind the curtain the Jade Emperor asked, "Which one is the demon-immortal?"

Only then did Wukong bow from the waist and answer, "Old Sun is the one."

The assembled immortals all paled in shock.

"This wild monkey doesn't bow flat and make proper obeisance, yet dares answer, 'Old Sun is the one'! He deserves death, deserves death!"

The Jade Emperor declared, "Sun Wukong is a demon-immortal from the lower world. He has only recently taken human shape and does not know courtly rites. We pardon him for now."

All the immortals cried, "We thank Your Majesty."

At that Wukong finally made a rough salute toward the throne.

The Jade Emperor ordered the civil and martial immortals who managed appointments to see what office might be vacant and assign Sun Wukong to it. At once the Martial Star Lord stepped forward and said, "In the heavenly palaces and halls, in every quarter and every department, there is no shortage of officials. Only the Imperial Stables lack a chief superintendent."

The Jade Emperor said, "Then appoint him Keeper of the Heavenly Horses."

The ministers all shouted thanks for the decree, and Wukong merely gave another rough salute toward the throne. The Jade Emperor then ordered the Wood Virtue Star Lord to escort him to his post in the Imperial Stables.

So the Monkey King, happy enough for the moment, followed the Wood Virtue Star Lord to take up the office. Once the transfer was complete, the Star Lord returned to court. As for Wukong, he assembled the assistant supervisors, registrars, stable sergeants, strongmen, and all the officers of every size, and examined the affairs of the stables. He found exactly a thousand heavenly horses there:

Fleet chargers and noble coursers,
dragon-blooded steeds and violet swallows,
silver-maned racers and yellow cloud-runners,
red-hare horses and light-shattering mounts,
mist-treaders and sun-chasers,
those that outshone brilliance and outsped shadows,
copper-bird horses, floating-cloud horses,
blue-scaled racers, dustless violets,
great horses of the four extremes, the eight steeds, the nine swiftest,
all a thousand-mile breed beyond compare.
Every one of them was spirited enough to chase wind and lightning,
and strong enough to tread cloud and fog.

The Monkey King checked the ledgers and counted off every horse. In the stables, the registrar oversaw the collection of fodder; the strongmen were responsible for currying the horses, tying the hay, watering them, and boiling grain; the assistant supervisors managed the rest. As Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, Wukong scarcely slept, giving the animals his full care day and night.

By day he frolicked enough. By night he was diligent in watching them: if a horse slept, he roused it to eat grass; if one wandered off, he caught it and tied it back to the trough. The heavenly horses, seeing him, flattened their ears and tucked up their hooves, so great was their fear. Under his care they all grew plump and sleek.

More than half a month went by.

Then one day, during a lull in the work, the officers of the stables laid out a banquet: partly to welcome him, partly to congratulate him. In the middle of the drinking the Monkey King suddenly set down his cup and asked:

"This office of Keeper of the Heavenly Horses - what sort of rank is it?"

The others answered, "Its official name is exactly that."

"And what grade is it?"

"It has no grade at all."

Wukong said, "No grade? Then it must be the very highest."

"Not high, not high at all. It isn't even entered in the regular ranks."

"What do you mean, not entered in the regular ranks?"

"The very lowest, the very smallest. Such an official is fit only to tend horses. If a man in your office serves diligently and fattens the horses well, all he gets is a word of praise. If any of them grow lean, he is blamed. If one is injured too badly, he is fined, punished, and held answerable."

At this Wukong felt fire burst in his heart. Grinding his teeth, he roared:

"So this is how they slight old Sun! Old Sun was king and ancestor in his own right on Flower-Fruit Mountain. And they trick me into coming here to tend horses? Tending horses is drudge-work for juniors and nobodies. Is that any way to treat me? I won't do it. I won't! I'm leaving."

With a great crash he overturned the table, drew his treasure from his ear and shook it once till it was thick as a bowl, and smashed his way out of the Imperial Stables. He went straight for the Southern Gate of Heaven. The heavenly wardens knew that his name had been entered in the registers and that he was the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, so they dared not stop him and let him batter his way right out of Heaven.

In a moment he pressed down his cloud and returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain. There the four tough lieutenants and the demon kings of all the caves were drilling troops. The Monkey King shouted in a fierce voice:

"Children! Old Sun is back!"

At once the troop of monkeys came bowing to the ground and escorted him deep into the cave-heaven, begging him to mount the high seat while they hurriedly laid out wine to welcome him home.

"Congratulations, Great King! You've been in Heaven for more than ten years, no doubt returning in triumph."

The Monkey King waved his hand.

"Not worth telling, not worth telling. I was gone barely half a month. Where would ten years come from?"

The monkeys said, "Great King, you do not feel the time when you're in Heaven. One day above is one year below."

Then they asked, "What office did you hold?"

Wukong waved them off again.

"No good, no good. The very shame of it kills me. That Jade Emperor doesn't know how to use a man. Seeing old Sun in this shape, he appointed me to some office called Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. It turns out that means tending horses for him, a rank not even entered in the rolls. When I first took the post I didn't know and spent my time in the stables amusing myself. Only today, when I asked my fellow officers, did I learn how low and mean the position really was. Old Sun grew furious, overturned the feast, refused the office, and came right back down."

The monkeys all cheered.

"Good that you came back, good that you came back! Great King, what honor and delight you have here in this blessed cave-heaven. Why would you ever go be a horse-groom for him? Quick, bring wine and ease the Great King's anger."

As they were drinking and making merry, someone came in to report:

"Great King, outside there are two one-horned ghost kings asking to see Your Majesty."

"Bring them in."

The ghost kings straightened their robes and ran in, then threw themselves to the floor.

The Handsome Monkey King asked, "What business have you with me?"

One of the ghost kings said, "We have long heard that Your Majesty welcomes worthy men, but had no chance to present ourselves. Now we hear that Your Majesty has received the heavenly registers and returned in triumph, so we have brought one robe of yellow-brown imperial cloth as an offering of congratulations. If you will not disdain the lowliness of such fellows as we, we too would gladly serve with all the devotion of hounds and horses."

The Monkey King was delighted and at once put on the robe. The others all happily lined up and bowed to him. He immediately appointed the ghost king to be vanguard commander of the front divisions.

Then, once the ghost king had thanked him, he asked, "What office was Your Majesty granted in Heaven?"

The Monkey King said, "The Jade Emperor is one who makes light of worth. He gave me some office called Keeper of the Heavenly Horses."

At this the ghost king said, "With such powers as Your Majesty's, how could you be fit to keep horses for him? Why not call yourself Great Sage Equal to Heaven? What could prevent it?"

The Monkey King was delighted beyond measure and cried again and again, "Good! Good! Good!"

He ordered the four lieutenants, "Quickly make me a banner, and on it write the four great characters 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven.' Hoist it high and let it fly. From this day forth you are to call me only the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and not 'Great King' any longer. Send word as well to the demon kings of every cave so all may know it."

That done, we turn now back to the Jade Emperor, who held court the next day and saw Zhang the Celestial Master leading in the assistant supervisors of the Imperial Stables, who knelt below the vermilion steps and reported:

"Your Majesty, the newly appointed Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, Sun Wukong, thought the office too small and yesterday rebelled out of Heaven."

Even as they spoke, the Guardian King of Growth came in from the Southern Gate with his heavenly wardens and likewise reported:

"For reasons unknown, the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses struck his way out of the gate and left."

The Jade Emperor, hearing this, ordered:

"Let both sets of spirits return to their proper posts. I shall send heavenly troops to capture this monster."

Out from the ranks stepped Li the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and Prince Nezha the Third Crown Prince, who bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your servants are unworthy, but we beg for the command to go down and subdue this demon."

The Jade Emperor was greatly pleased. He at once appointed Heavenly King Li Jing as Grand Marshal for Demon Suppression and Prince Nezha as Divine General of the Third Lotus Assembly, ordering them to raise troops and descend without delay.

Li the Heavenly King and Nezha kowtowed in thanks, went straight back to their palace, called out the three armies, and marshaled their captains. They placed Giant Spirit as vanguard, a fish-belly general to sweep the rear, and yaksha commanders to drive the troops on. In a flash they had gone out through the Southern Gate of Heaven and come to Flower-Fruit Mountain, where they chose level ground and pitched camp.

Then command was sent that Giant Spirit should go out and challenge the monkey.

Giant Spirit girded himself in full battle gear, shouldered his broad flower-axe, and came to the entrance of Water-Curtain Cave. There he saw at the little cave gate a whole swarm of monsters, wolves and tigers and suchlike, all brandishing spears and swords, cavorting and roaring.

Giant Spirit bellowed:

"You beasts! Go at once and report to that Keeper of the Heavenly Horses: I am a great general of Heaven, sent by the Jade Emperor's command to subdue him. Let him come quickly and surrender, or all of you will be maimed and slain."

The monsters ran in all directions to relay the message, crying, "Disaster! Disaster!"

The Monkey King asked, "What disaster?"

"Outside there is a heavenly general. He calls Your Majesty by your old office and says he has come by the Jade Emperor's command to subdue you. He says you must come out and submit at once or he will spare none of us."

Wukong said, "Bring me my armor."

At once he set on his purple-gold cap, buckled on his golden armor, put on his cloud-treading boots, seized the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and led his host out of the cave to draw up in battle order.

When Giant Spirit fixed his eyes on him, this is what he saw:

Gold armor blazing bright upon his body,
gold crown flashing light from his head.
In his hand a single Golden-Hooped Rod;
on his feet cloud-shoes that matched him well.
His strange eyes shone like stars,
his ears stuck out past his shoulders, thick and hard.
His whole frame was straight and full of changing force,
his voice rang out clear as bell-metal.
Sharp muzzle, fanged grin, that former Keeper of the Horses -
heart set high on being Heaven's Equal Sage.

Giant Spirit shouted, "You damned monkey! Do you know who I am?"

The Great Sage answered at once, "What sort of hairy god are you? Old Sun has never seen you before. Report your name quickly."

Giant Spirit roared, "You insolent ape! Of course you don't know me. I am Giant Spirit, heavenly vanguard under Li the Pagoda-Bearing King of the High Heaven. I come now under the Jade Emperor's decree to take you alive.

"Strip off your armor and submit to Heaven's grace. Spare all these beasts across your mountain. But if you speak so much as half a word of refusal, I will grind you to dust in an instant."

The Monkey King flew into a rage.

"You hairy god, stop your boasting and shut your long tongue. I was minded to smash you dead with one stroke, but then there'd be no one left to carry the message. So I'll spare your life. Go back quickly and tell the Jade Emperor this: he knows nothing of how to use the worthy. Old Sun has endless powers. Why then should I keep horses for him? Look at the title on my banner. If he promotes me according to that title, then I will not raise a single weapon and the whole world will be at peace of itself. But if he refuses, then in time I'll storm Lingxiao Hall and show him he can't sit easy on the dragon throne."

Giant Spirit heard this and squinted into the wind. Sure enough, outside the cave stood a tall banner-pole flying a flag with the four characters Great Sage Equal to Heaven written upon it.

Giant Spirit sneered three times.

"This damned monkey doesn't know his place. Great Sage Equal to Heaven indeed! Take a blow from my axe."

With that he brought it chopping down at Wukong's head.

But the Monkey King knew what he was about and was in no hurry. He raised the Golden-Hooped Rod in answer, and there followed a savage fight:

Rod named Ruyi, axe named Flower-Cleaver.
When the two first met, neither knew the depth of the other.
Rod and axe crossed left and right without cease.
One concealed true marvels within himself;
the other roared in empty boasting.
One cast spells and drove up clouds and mist;
the other flung dust and sand with every move.
The heavenly general did indeed possess some skill,
but the Monkey King's transformations were without end.
The rod rose like a dragon playing in water;
the axe came down like a phoenix threading flowers.
Giant Spirit's fame was known across the world,
but in truth his ability was not equal to this foe.
The Great Sage gave one light swing of the iron rod,
and a single touch on the head sent numbness through the whole body.

Giant Spirit could not withstand him. The Monkey King brought the rod down at his head. Giant Spirit flung up the axe-shaft to block it, and with one cracking blow the shaft split clean in two. At once he wheeled and fled back to camp for his life.

The Monkey King laughed after him.

"Bag of pus, bag of pus! I've spared you. Go carry the message. Go carry the message."

Giant Spirit rushed back to camp, fell before Li the Heavenly King, and panted, "The Keeper of the Heavenly Horses truly has vast powers. I am no match for him. I return defeated and beg for punishment."

Li the Heavenly King was furious.

"This creature has blunted our edge. Drag him out and behead him."

At once Prince Nezha stepped forward and bowed.

"Father, calm your anger. Spare Giant Spirit for now. Let your son go out and test the monkey's depth."

The Heavenly King accepted the advice and ordered Giant Spirit back to camp under suspension. Then Prince Nezha, fully armed, leapt from the lines and came straight to Water-Curtain Cave. Wukong, just then drawing back his own troops, saw Nezha approaching in gallant form.

What a prince he was:

His topknot barely covered the crown of his head;
the hair on his shoulders had not yet grown full.
Yet marvels and keen wit were born in him,
his bones fine, his face clear and beautiful.
Truly a qilin-child of Heaven above,
indeed a phoenix-immortal from cloud and mist.
Dragon-born, he had never borne the look of the common sort;
for all his youth, nothing in him seemed of the dust.
Six divine weapons rode at his side;
his changes and flights were broad beyond measure.
Now he came under the Jade Emperor's golden command,
sealed with the title of Great Divine General of the Third Lotus Assembly.

Wukong stepped out to meet him and asked, "Whose little lad are you, rushing up to my gate like this? What business have you here?"

Nezha shouted, "Damnable demon monkey! Do you not know me? I am Nezha, third son of Li the Pagoda-Bearing King. By the Jade Emperor's command I have come here to seize you."

Wukong laughed.

"Little prince, your milk teeth aren't even shed and your birth-fuzz hasn't dried, and yet you talk this big? I'll spare your life and not strike you. Just look at the title on my banner and report it to the Jade Emperor. Give me that office, and there will be no need to trouble the troops. I will submit of myself. But if the title doesn't satisfy me, I'll surely fight my way to Lingxiao Hall."

Nezha looked up and saw the four characters Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

"This demon monkey cannot have so great a power as to claim such a title. Take one slash from my sword."

Wukong said, "I'll stand right here without moving. Cut at me as many times as you like."

Nezha gave a fierce cry and shouted, "Change!"

At once he grew three heads and six arms, savage-faced, holding six weapons: the Demon-Slaying Sword, Demon-Hacking Saber, Demon-Binding Cord, Demon-Subduing Pestle, Embroidered Ball, and Fire Wheels. All six flashed and crossed as he came on headlong.

Wukong, seeing this, was mildly startled.

"So the little fellow knows a few tricks after all. Very well - watch old Sun."

Then the Great Sage shouted, "Change!"

He too became three-headed and six-armed. He shook the Golden-Hooped Rod once and it became three separate staffs. With six hands he wielded the three rods to meet the onrush.

This fight truly shook earth and mountain:

Six-armed Prince Nezha,
beautiful stone-born Monkey King,
meeting at last as true equals,
source against source.
One had descended by command from Heaven above;
the other, in proud defiance, stirred chaos in the celestial Ox.
The demon-slaying sword flashed with killing edge,
the demon-hacking saber drove even ghosts to grief.
The binding cord flew like a python,
the subduing pestle struck like a wolf's snout.
The fire wheels blazed and crackled like drawn lightning,
and the embroidered ball rolled back and forth in ceaseless arcs.
The Great Sage's three Ruyi staffs
met them front and back with cunning skill.
They battled hard for many rounds with no advantage won,
and in Nezha's heart there was no thought of yielding.
Then he multiplied the six weapons into hundreds of millions,
all of them dropping at the monkey's head.
The Monkey King did not fear. He laughed aloud.
His iron rods whirled as he answered every stroke.
From one he made a thousand, from a thousand ten thousand,
filling the sky in wild dance like flying dragons.
The demon kings of every cave slammed their doors in terror,
and the ghosts and monsters of the hills all hid their heads.
The heavenly troops' anger made the clouds dark and grim;
the Golden-Hooped Rod shrieked through the air.
On one side the heavenly wardens shouted till all men feared;
on the other the monkey host waved banners in dread.
Each side fought with bitter resolve,
and no one could tell which was hard and which was soft.

Nezha and Wukong traded divine powers for thirty full bouts. Nezha's six weapons multiplied into the countless many; Sun Wukong's Golden-Hooped Rod turned into ten thousand upon ten thousand. In midair they fell and flashed like rain and shooting stars, with no victory for either side.

But Wukong was quicker of hand and eye. In the very thick of the confusion he plucked out one hair and cried, "Change!" It became his own likeness, standing there with rod in hand and continuing the fight with Nezha. Meanwhile Wukong's true body leapt around behind Nezha and brought his rod down on the prince's left shoulder.

Nezha, in the middle of his spell-work, heard the whistle of the strike and tried to dodge, but it came too fast. The blow landed. Hurt and shaken, he fled at once. He drew back his powers, took the six weapons once more into his body, and retreated in defeat.

Li the Heavenly King had seen it all from the lines. He was just preparing to lead the troops in himself when the prince rushed back before him, trembling.

"Father, that Keeper of the Heavenly Horses truly has skill. Even with all my powers I could not beat him. He struck my shoulder."

The Heavenly King went pale.

"If that creature has such powers, how can we overcome him?"

Nezha said, "Outside his cave he has a banner that reads 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven.' He openly says that if the Jade Emperor grants him that title, all will be well. But if not, he means to fight his way to Lingxiao Hall."

The Heavenly King said, "If that is the case, we must not keep fighting him now. Let us return above and report his words. We can always send greater forces to encircle and seize him later."

Since the prince was wounded and unable to fight again, father and son returned to Heaven to make their report.

Now look at the Monkey King. Victorious, he returned to the mountain, and the demon kings of the seventy-two caves and his six sworn brothers all came to celebrate. In that blessed cave-heaven they drank and reveled beyond measure.

Then Wukong said to his six brothers, "Since I have taken the title Great Sage Equal to Heaven, you brothers may as well take the style of Great Sage too."

At once the Bull Demon King cried out, "Well said, worthy younger brother! Then I shall call myself Great Sage Who Levels Heaven."

The Flood Dragon Demon King said, "I shall be Great Sage Who Overturns the Sea."

The Peng Demon King said, "I shall be Great Sage Who Confounds Heaven."

The Lion Camel King said, "I shall be Great Sage Who Moves Mountains."

The Macaque King said, "I shall be Great Sage Who Reaches the Wind."

The Gibbon King said, "I shall be Great Sage Who Drives Spirits."

So the Seven Great Sages named themselves as they pleased and spent the day in wild enjoyment before each went his own way.

But now to return to Li the Heavenly King and Prince Nezha, who brought all their generals straight back to Lingxiao Hall and reported:

"Your servants obeyed the sacred decree and led troops down to subdue the demon-immortal Sun Wukong. Yet his powers are vast, and we could not prevail. We beg Your Majesty to send more troops to destroy him."

The Jade Emperor said, "How much skill can there be in one demon monkey, that more troops are needed?"

Nezha stepped forward again and said, "I beg Your Majesty to pardon my death-worthy offense. That demon monkey wielded an iron staff, defeated Giant Spirit first and then wounded your servant on the shoulder. Outside the cave stands a banner marked with the four characters 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven.' He says that if he is granted that office, all military force may cease. But if he is not given the title, he will certainly attack Lingxiao Hall."

The Jade Emperor was astonished.

"How does this demon monkey dare such arrogance? Let the generals destroy him at once."

Even as he spoke, the Gold Star of the West stepped out once more and said:

"That monkey knows only how to speak rashly. He does not know great from small. If troops are sent again to fight him, he may not quickly be subdued, and the armies will only be wearied. Better, I say, that Your Majesty once more show great mercy and issue another decree of pacification, making him Great Sage Equal to Heaven indeed.

"Only let it be an empty title, an office without stipend."

The Jade Emperor said, "And what do you mean by an office without stipend?"

The Gold Star answered, "Give him the name Great Sage Equal to Heaven, but no real duties to govern and no salary to draw. Keep him in Heaven between sky and earth, soften his unruly heart, and prevent him from giving birth to fresh arrogance. Thus heaven and earth may remain at peace, and sea and realm be kept clean and calm."

The Jade Emperor said, "We shall do as you advise."

He ordered a new decree drafted and once more sent the Gold Star to carry it down.

The Gold Star went again out through the Southern Gate and came straight to Water-Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain. This time the scene was not as before: a fearsome majesty and battle-killing force lay over everything. Every sort of demon was there, brandishing swords, spears, staves, and clubs, roaring and leaping in martial display.

The moment they saw the Gold Star, they all surged forward ready to lay hands on him.

The old star cried, "Chiefs, chiefs - go and report this to your Great Sage: I am a heavenly envoy sent by the Supreme Emperor, with a sacred decree inviting him."

The monsters raced in to report:

"Outside there's an old man. He says he's a heavenly envoy from the upper world and has a decree for you."

Wukong said, "Good, good. This must be the same Gold Star of the West as last time. True, the office he got me before was not worth having, but at least I walked the roads of Heaven once and know the way in and out of the gates. Since he's come again, he must mean some good."

So he ordered the chiefs to set banners and drums in array and prepare a proper escort. The Great Sage himself led the monkey host out, wearing his crown and armor, with the yellow-brown robe over it and cloud-boots on his feet. Coming out of the cave, he bowed from the waist and called:

"Old star, please come in. Forgive me for failing to greet you sooner."

The Gold Star hurried forward into the cave and stood facing south.

"I come to inform the Great Sage of this: after Your Sagehood fled the Imperial Stables in disgust at the smallness of the office, the officers of that department reported the matter to the Jade Emperor. His Majesty said, 'All appointments begin from low rank and rise to high. Why should he resent small beginnings?' Then Li the Heavenly King and Nezha were sent down to battle you. They did not know the breadth of your powers and so suffered defeat. They returned above and reported that the Great Sage had raised a banner and asked to be made Great Sage Equal to Heaven. While the generals were still objecting, it was old I who risked blame to plead the matter and spare the armies their labor. I asked that Your Majesty be granted the title and entered in the registers. The Jade Emperor approved. That is why I have come."

Wukong laughed.

"I owe you much for all your trouble, old star. But tell me plainly: has Heaven truly granted me the title Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"

The Gold Star said, "I would never have dared come with the decree unless the title had been approved. Had matters failed, old I alone would bear the blame."

Wukong was overjoyed. He insisted on keeping the Gold Star to feast, but the star refused. So the two of them mounted the auspicious clouds and came once more to the Southern Gate of Heaven. This time the wardens and generals all bowed with folded hands in greeting. Straight on they went to Lingxiao Hall.

The Gold Star reported, "Your servant has obeyed the decree and brought Sun Wukong, formerly Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, here."

The Jade Emperor said, "Sun Wukong, come forward. We now proclaim you Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the highest of ranks. But see that you do not misbehave."

The monkey only gave a rough salute and said, "I thank Your Majesty for the grace."

The Jade Emperor at once ordered the work officials Zhang and Lu to build, to the right of the Peach Orchard, a residence for the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Inside were to be established two departments, one called the Office of Tranquility and one the Office of Calming the Spirit, both staffed with immortal clerks to attend him on either side.

He also ordered the Five Dipper Star Lords to escort Wukong to his new post, and in addition bestowed on him two bottles of imperial wine and ten golden flowers, so that he might settle his heart, fix his will, and cease from mischief.

The Monkey King accepted all this exactly as ordered. That very day he went with the Five Dipper Lords to the new residence, uncorked the wine bottles, and drank the whole lot with his attendants. Then he sent the stars back to their own palace. At last he was satisfied to the core, glad to bursting, and lived in Heaven in ease and pleasure, untroubled and unhindered.

Truly:

His immortal name was forever entered in the registers of long life,
and from that day his fame would not fall into the wheel of rebirth for ten thousand ages.

But what happened next is another matter, to be told in the following chapter.