Chapter 6: Guanyin Learns the Cause at the Banquet; The Lesser Sage Unleashes His Might Against the Great Sage

We will say nothing for the moment of the heavenly host hemming Flower-Fruit Mountain round while the Great Sage rested in his cave. Instead, let us speak of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, she who abides on Mount Putuo in the South Sea and hears the cries of the suffering.

She had come, together with her chief disciple Hui'an, to attend the Queen Mother's Peach Banquet. But when mistress and disciple climbed into the jeweled pavilion beside Jade Pool, they found the place desolate and in ruins, the feast-trays overturned and the seating thrown into disorder. A few heavenly immortals were still there, but none had taken their places. They stood about in knots, talking all at once. When the Bodhisattva had exchanged greetings with them, they told her the whole story.

Guanyin said, "Since there is no banquet now and no cups are being passed, come with this poor monk and let us see the Jade Emperor."

The immortals gladly followed her. At the Gate of Bright Understanding they found the Four Great Celestial Masters already assembled there with the Barefoot Immortal and others besides. They came forward to greet the Bodhisattva and told her that the Jade Emperor was troubled, that he had sent heavenly troops to seize the monster, and that no report had yet returned.

Guanyin said, "I would see the Jade Emperor. Trouble one of you to announce me."

Celestial Master Qiu Hongji at once entered Lingxiao Hall and informed the throne, which ordered them admitted. At that time Laozi was already present before the throne, and the Queen Mother sat behind.

Guanyin led the others in. After paying her respects to the Jade Emperor and greeting Laozi and the Queen Mother, all took their seats. Then she asked, "How goes the Peach Banquet?"

The Jade Emperor replied, "In every former year, when we summoned the guests, all was joy and brightness. This year a demon monkey threw Heaven into chaos. The invitations were sent, but nothing came of them."

Guanyin said, "What is the creature's origin?"

The Jade Emperor replied, "That demon monkey was born from a stone egg on Flower-Fruit Mountain in the land of Aolai, in the Eastern Continent of Victorious Divine Root. The instant he emerged, golden light flashed from his eyes and struck up into the constellation halls. At first we took no notice. Later he became a spirit, subdued dragons and tigers, and scratched his own name from the ledgers of death. The Dragon King and the King of Hell both submitted memorials on the matter.

"I meant to have him seized, but the Gold Star of the West advised me that among the beings of the Three Realms, anything with nine apertures may become immortal. So I chose instead to instruct and civilize him, summoned him to Heaven, and made him Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. The wretch thought the office too small and rebelled against Heaven. Then I sent Li the Heavenly King and Prince Nezha to subdue him. Afterward I issued a decree of appeasement, summoned him back above, and styled him Great Sage Equal to Heaven, though with title only and no stipend.

"Because he had no real charge, he roamed east and west at will. Fearing he might stir up some other trouble, I set him for the time being to oversee the Peach Orchard.

"But he ignored the laws and stole the great peaches from the old trees until they were gone. Then, when the banquet was ready, he took offense that no invitation had been sent him, for he held no salaried rank. So he duped the Barefoot Immortal, took on his appearance, slipped into the feast, and ate all the immortal dishes and drank all the immortal wine. He also stole Laozi's elixir, stole more imperial wine besides, and carried it off to share in merriment with the monkeys of his own mountain.

"My heart has been heavy ever since. That is why I dispatched a hundred thousand heavenly troops and spread the nets of Heaven and Earth to capture him. But a full day has passed without any report. I do not know whether we have won or lost."

When Guanyin heard this, she turned to Hui'an and said, "Go down from Heaven at once to Flower-Fruit Mountain and learn how the battle stands. If fighting is underway and you see a chance, lend a hand and earn a merit. But be sure to bring back the truth of what you find."

Hui'an straightened his robes, took up an iron staff, mounted a cloud, and left the heavenly court. In no time he reached the foot of the mountain. There the nets of Heaven and Earth were stretched in dense ranks, layer upon layer. At every camp gate divine soldiers shook bells and cried the watch, hemming the whole mountain in so tightly not even water could have seeped through.

Hui'an halted and called:

"Soldiers at the camp gate, trouble yourselves to pass along this message. I am Muzha, second son of Li the Heavenly King, now Hui'an, disciple of Guanyin of the South Sea. I have come to learn the news of the campaign."

The divine troops stationed there, men of the Five Peaks, carried the word into the command enclosure. Before long the report passed through the ranks of the star-spirits and reached the central tent. Li the Heavenly King gave the signal banner for the nets to be opened and the visitor admitted.

Dawn was only just breaking when Hui'an followed the banner in and paid his respects to the Four Heavenly Kings and to Li the Heavenly King. Once the bows were done, Li said, "Son, from where do you come?"

Hui'an answered, "Your foolish son accompanied the Bodhisattva to the Peach Banquet. When she found the high feast laid waste and Jade Pool left desolate, she led the immortals and your foolish son to see the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor recounted how Father and the others had come down to subdue the monkey demon and had not yet sent back word of victory or defeat. So the Bodhisattva ordered your son to come and learn the truth."

Li the Heavenly King said, "We reached this place yesterday and pitched camp. I first sent out the Nine Luminaries to challenge the creature. That villain displayed immense powers and sent them all back in defeat. Then we ourselves led the troops out. He drew up his own battle lines as well. Our hundred thousand heavenly soldiers fought him until evening, but he used an art of divided bodies and drove us off. When we counted our captures after withdrawing, we found only wolves, tigers, leopards, and suchlike in our hands. Not one monkey demon had we taken. Today battle has not yet begun."

He had scarcely finished when a messenger came running in from outside the command gate.

"That Great Sage is outside again with a troop of monkey spirits, calling for battle!"

The Four Heavenly Kings, Li the Heavenly King, and Prince Nezha were still discussing what force to send when Hui'an said, "Father, your son came below by the Bodhisattva's order to learn the news, and she did say that if battle arose, I might assist and earn a merit. If you permit it, I would go see what sort of Great Sage he is."

Li the Heavenly King said, "Son, you have practiced under the Bodhisattva these past years, so no doubt you possess some power of your own. But take care."

The prince gripped his iron staff in both hands, tightened his robe, sprang out of the gate, and shouted:

"Which one of you is the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"

The Great Sage answered him at once, brandishing the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

"Old Sun is he. Who are you, bold enough to ask after me?"

Hui'an said, "I am Muzha, second son of Li the Heavenly King. I now serve before the precious throne of Guanyin as her disciple and guardian of the Law, and my religious name is Hui'an."

The Great Sage said, "Why aren't you cultivating in the South Sea? What have you come to see me for?"

Hui'an answered, "I was sent by my master to learn the military news. But seeing how arrogant you are, I have come in particular to capture you."

The Great Sage snorted.

"You dare boast like that? Don't run. Take a stroke from old Sun's staff."

Hui'an was not afraid in the least. He met the blow with his iron staff. There, halfway up the mountain outside the camp gate, the two joined battle:

Staff against staff, though each was iron of a different sort;
warrior against warrior, though neither was the same as the other.
One was a loose immortal of Supreme Unity, hailed as Great Sage;
one was Guanyin's disciple, a true dragon in his proper element.
The iron staff had been hammered a thousand times
with the divine labor of the Six Ding and Six Jia;
the wish-granted rod had been fixed from the Heavenly River,
a sea-calming treasure immense in force.
Meeting there, they found true match in one another,
their turns and counters seeming without end.
This one's hidden blows were savage beyond count,
whirling at the waist and lashing out like wind;
that one's clamped-staff strikes never landed wide,
beating left and screening right till neither could yield.
On one side the banners flashed and snapped;
on the other the war drums boomed and boomed.
Ten thousand heavenly generals ringed the field in circles,
while monkey demons clustered thick about the cave.
Monster fog and sullen cloud seemed to spread into the underworld;
wolf-smoke and killing breath shot upward toward Heaven.
Yesterday's melee had been fierce enough,
but today's contest was fiercer still.
One could only admire the Monkey King's true skill:
Hui'an too was beaten back and fled with life intact.

They had fought for fifty or sixty rounds when Hui'an's arms went numb with pain and he could no longer hold the field. He feinted, broke away, and fled. The Great Sage also called back his monkey troops and settled them again outside the cave gate.

At the camp of the heavenly king, the troops met Hui'an outside the enclosure and opened a road for him. He went straight into the command tent and, still panting, reported to the Four Heavenly Kings, Li the Pagoda-Bearer, and Nezha:

"Great Sage indeed, great Sage indeed! His powers are enormous. Your son could not defeat him and has been beaten back."

Li the Heavenly King was alarmed. He at once ordered a memorial for aid to be written and dispatched the Great Strength Ghost King together with Prince Hui'an to carry it up to Heaven.

Neither dared pause for breath. They burst out through the nets, mounted auspicious clouds, and in a short while reached the Gate of Bright Understanding. There they saw the Four Great Celestial Masters, who led them into Lingxiao Hall to present the memorial. Hui'an then bowed again before Guanyin.

The Bodhisattva asked, "What did you learn?"

Hui'an answered, "Your disciple reached Flower-Fruit Mountain, had the gates of the nets opened, and saw my father, to whom I delivered my master's command. My father said: 'Yesterday we fought the Monkey King and captured only tigers, leopards, lions, elephants, and the like, but not a single monkey spirit of his own.' Even as he was speaking, the creature called for battle again. Your disciple fought him with the iron staff for fifty or sixty rounds, but could not gain the upper hand and was beaten back to camp. For that reason my father sent the Great Strength Ghost King and your disciple above to ask for aid."

Guanyin lowered her head and thought.

Meanwhile the Jade Emperor opened the memorial and, seeing that it asked for reinforcements, laughed.

"How much skill can that monkey spirit truly have, that he should withstand a hundred thousand heavenly troops? And now Li the Heavenly King asks for aid. What divine power are we to send him?"

Before he had finished, Guanyin joined her palms and said, "Your Majesty may set your mind at ease. This poor monk will recommend a god who can capture the monkey."

The Jade Emperor asked, "Which god do you propose?"

Guanyin replied, "Your Majesty's nephew, Erlang Shen, the Illustrious Sage, who dwells now at Guankou on the river in Guanzhou and receives incense from the lower world. In former days he slew the Six Monsters by his own might. He has with him the sworn brothers of Mount Mei and twelve hundred grass-head gods under his command, all of them possessed of broad powers. The only difficulty is that he answers deployments but not summons. If Your Majesty will issue a military order to call him to aid us, he will surely capture the creature."

The Jade Emperor, hearing this, immediately had such an order written and sent the Great Strength Ghost King to deliver it.

The ghost king took the decree and rode straight to Guankou. In less than half an hour he reached Erlang's temple. The demon judge guarding the gate went inside to report:

"A heavenly envoy has come bearing a decree."

At once Erlang went out with all his sworn brothers to receive it. Incense was lit, and the order was opened and read aloud. It said:

The demon monkey of Flower-Fruit Mountain, styling himself Great Sage Equal to Heaven, has brought rebellion. In Heaven he stole peaches, stole wine, stole elixir, and threw the Peach Banquet into chaos. A hundred thousand heavenly troops and eighteen layers of heavenly nets and earthly meshes have been set about the mountain to seize him, but victory has not yet been won. Therefore we especially command our worthy nephew, together with his sworn brothers, to go at once to Flower-Fruit Mountain and lend strength in suppressing the fiend. When success is achieved, you shall be richly rewarded and highly promoted.

Erlang was overjoyed.

"Pray return, heavenly envoy. I will go at once and draw my blade in aid."

The ghost king went back to report, and we need say no more of him.

Erlang at once called together the six brothers of Mount Mei: the four marshals Kang, Zhang, Yao, and Li, together with Generals Guo Shen and Zhi Jian. When they had gathered before the hall, he said:

"Just now the Jade Emperor ordered us to go to Flower-Fruit Mountain and subdue the monkey demon. Come along, all of you."

Every one of the brothers went gladly. Erlang then mustered his own divine troops. Hawks were loosed, hounds were led, crossbows were strung, bows were bent. They rode a wild wind across the Eastern Ocean and in an instant reached Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Seeing the dense layers of heavenly nets, they could not pass in. So Erlang called out:

"Generals holding the nets, listen well. I am Erlang Shen, the Illustrious Sage, sent by the Jade Emperor to capture the monkey demon. Open the camp gate at once and let us through."

The message passed inward, one rank after another. The Four Heavenly Kings and Li the Heavenly King came out of the command gate to greet him. When the greetings were done, they told him the whole story of their victories and defeats.

Erlang smiled.

"Since this lesser sage has come, I mean to match transformations with him. Gentlemen, keep the heavenly net and earthly mesh drawn tight only on the four sides. Leave the top open. Let me wager skill with him.

"If I lose to him, you need not lend me your aid. My own brothers will support me. If I defeat him, you need not bind him either. My own brothers will lay hands on him. I ask only that Li the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King take up his demon-revealing mirror and stand watch in the air. If the creature is beaten and tries to flee somewhere else, it is vital that the mirror track him clearly and not let him slip away."

The heavenly kings each took his station at one of the four quarters, and all the heavenly soldiers arranged themselves in ranks.

Erlang then led out the four marshals and the two generals. With himself included, they were seven sworn brothers. He ordered the rest of the troops to hold the camp fast and gather in the hawks and hounds. The grass-head gods received the command.

Erlang came alone as far as the mouth of Water-Curtain Cave and saw there a host of monkeys drawn up in exact order in the shape of a coiling dragon. In the middle army stood a great banner with the four characters "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" written upon it.

Erlang said, "That wretched fiend dares style himself Heaven's Equal?"

One of the six brothers of Mount Mei replied, "No use marveling at it. Go challenge him."

The little monkeys at the camp gate saw Erlang and ran at once to report. The Monkey King instantly drew out the Golden-Hooped Rod, settled his golden armor, stepped into his cloud-walking boots, pressed down the purple-gold crown on his brow, and bounded out of the gate. The moment he fixed his eyes on Erlang, he saw that the man before him was indeed striking in appearance, fine-featured and beautifully arrayed. Truly:

Noble of bearing, bright of face,
ears hanging to the shoulders, eyes alive with light.
On his head a three-peaked phoenix cap;
on his body robes of pale goose-yellow.
Gold-work boots, dragon-wound stockings,
a jade belt set with clustered flowers and eightfold treasure.
At his waist a crescent sling,
in his hand a three-pointed, double-edged spear.
He had split Peach Mountain with his axe to save his mother,
and with his pellets had struck down a pair of phoenixes.
Famous for slaying eight monsters by his own strength,
brother among the seven sages of Mount Mei.
Proud enough not to count himself a mere kinsman of Heaven,
haughty enough to dwell apart at Guankou.
The Spirit-Lord of manifest grace and boundless power:
this was Erlang.

When the Great Sage saw him, he grinned, lifted the Golden-Hooped Rod, and shouted:

"What young general are you, to come here so boldly and issue a challenge?"

Erlang cried back, "You blind cur, can't you recognize me? I am the Jade Emperor's nephew, Erlang Shen, King of Manifested Grace, so titled by imperial decree. By command from above I have come to seize you, you horse-keeper ape who rebelled against Heaven, and still you do not know enough to fear death."

The Great Sage said, "I remember hearing that long ago the Jade Emperor's sister grew lovesick for the mortal world, went below, married Lord Yang, and bore a son who split Peach Mountain with an axe. Was that you? I ought to curse you a few times, only there is no real grudge between us. I ought to strike you dead with one blow, only it would be a pity to waste your life. You stripling, hurry back and call out the Four Heavenly Kings instead."

Those words filled Erlang with fury.

"Impudent monkey! Enough of your insolence. Take one stroke of my blade."

He slashed. The Great Sage turned aside and let the blow pass, then swung back with the rod. Thus the two entered battle:

Erlang Shen of Manifested Grace,
and Sun the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
One was the Handsome Monkey King, proud-hearted and scornful of his foe;
one was the true mainstay of power, stern-faced and bent on subduing him.
Coming together for the first time,
both were alive with the gambler's thrill.
Neither had yet measured how deep the other ran;
only this day would they learn what weight each truly had.
The iron rod whipped like a flying dragon;
the divine blade moved like a dancing phoenix.
Blow met blow, screen met counter,
front crossing back without the smallest gap.
On one side the six brothers of Mount Mei shouted encouragement;
on the other the four lieutenants of the monkeys relayed the orders.
Flags were waved, drums were beaten,
bronze gongs and battle-cries rose all together.
The two edge-weapons seemed to think for themselves,
coming and going without the width of a hair between them.
The Golden-Hooped Rod was a treasure of the sea,
flying, changing, wheeling, always ready to win.
If either man had slowed, his life was forfeit;
one slip, and all would have gone awry.

Erlang and the Great Sage fought for more than three hundred rounds without a clear victor.

Then Erlang shook out his full divine force and transformed himself. In an instant he stood ten thousand fathoms high, his three-pointed, double-edged spear raised in both hands like a peak torn from Mount Hua itself. His face turned blue, his fangs bared, his hair burned crimson, and with savage ferocity he chopped down straight at the Great Sage's head.

The Great Sage answered with magic of his own, growing to match Erlang in size and shape, face for face and frame for frame. He lifted the Ruyi Jingu Bang till it stood like the pillar that props the sky from the summit of Kunlun, and with it he held Erlang Shen fast.

The sight terrified the monkey marshals Ma and Liu so badly they could scarcely wave the banners, while generals Beng and Ba lost the nerve to wield blade or sword. On Erlang's side, Kang, Zhang, Yao, Li, Guo Shen, and Zhi Jian passed the signal, loosed the grass-head gods, and drove hawks and hounds upon the monkeys outside Water-Curtain Cave while strings were drawn and bows let fly. Pitiful it was to see the four lieutenants' monkey host scattered and two or three thousand lesser spirits taken.

The monkeys threw away halberd and armor, tossed down sword and spear, and fled in all directions. Some ran shrieking uphill; some darted back into the cave. It was like a startled owl exploding a roost of birds into the night sky.

But as for the sworn brothers of Mount Mei, their victory there need not detain us.

To turn back: Erlang and the Great Sage were still fighting in their giant Heaven-and-Earth shapes when the Great Sage caught sight of his monkey host scattering in confusion. At once his heart shook. He withdrew the giant form, pulled back his staff, and broke away in flight.

Erlang saw him run and came after him in great strides.

"Where are you going? Submit now and I will spare your life."

But the Great Sage had no wish to go on fighting. He ran for all he was worth.

As he neared the cave mouth, he crashed straight into marshals Kang, Zhang, Yao, and Li together with generals Guo Shen and Zhi Jian, who blocked his path with their troops and shouted, "Where now, you damned monkey?"

That threw the Great Sage into real confusion. In a blink he pinched the Golden-Hooped Rod down to the size of an embroidery needle and tucked it back into his ear. Then he gave himself a shake and changed into a sparrow, flying up to cling to the tip of a tree.

The six brothers searched in panic, front and back, but could not find him, and all at once they began shouting, "The monkey spirit has got away! The monkey spirit has got away!"

Just then Erlang arrived and asked, "Brothers, where did he go?"

The others answered, "We had him boxed in right here, and then he vanished."

Erlang widened his phoenix eyes and looked closely. At once he saw that the Great Sage had changed into a sparrow and was clinging to the tree. He shrank back from the giant form, flung aside the spear, took down his pellet-bow, and transformed in a flash into a hawk. Spreading wide his wings, he flew up to strike.

The Great Sage saw that and shot away with a beating of wings, changing into a great sea-cormorant and rushing up toward the sky. Erlang at once shook out his feathers and turned into a huge crane of the sea, drilling upward through the clouds to peck him. Then the Great Sage folded himself down into a mountain stream and changed into a fish, diving under the water.

Erlang raced to the edge of the stream but saw no trace of him. He thought to himself, "That monkey must have gone into the water and changed into some fish or shrimp. Let me change once more and catch him."

So he became a fishing osprey and drifted over the lower reach, waiting. The Great Sage, now in fish-form, swam with the current until he suddenly saw a bird.

It looked somewhat like a hawk, yet the feathers were not hawk-blue;
somewhat like a heron, yet it had no tuft on its head;
somewhat like a stork, yet its legs were not red.
"That must be Erlang in another shape, waiting for me," he thought.

He whipped his head around and flicked up a splash as though to turn back.

Erlang saw it and said to himself, "That splashing fish looks somewhat like a carp, yet its tail is not red; somewhat like a mandarin fish, yet it lacks the mottled scales; somewhat like a black fish, yet it bears no star on the head; somewhat like a bream, yet no needle-spines rise by the gills. Why turn back the instant it sees me? It must be the monkey."

He shot forward and pecked once.

The Great Sage sprang from the water and changed into a water-snake, skimming the bank and slipping into the grass. Erlang missed the strike, but from the splash and the movement he knew the snake was the Great Sage. Turning in a flash, he became a gray crane with a vermilion crest and a long beak like a pair of iron tongs, and went after the snake to devour it.

The water-snake gave a leap and changed again, this time into a bustard, dull and awkward, standing among the smartweed by the shoal.

Erlang saw what he had become and would not go near. The bustard is counted the vilest and lewdest of birds, a creature that will mix with phoenix, hawk, or crow alike. So Erlang showed his true form again, strode up, took his pellet-bow, drew it full, and sent a shot that struck the bird staggering.

The Great Sage took the opening, rolled down a cliffside, and changed once more. This time he turned himself into a little roadside shrine. He gaped his mouth wide as the temple door; his teeth became the door leaves; his tongue became the image of the bodhisattva; his eyes became the lattice windows. Only the tail was hard to deal with. He left it sticking up behind as a banner pole.

Erlang chased him down to the foot of the cliff and, not seeing the fallen bustard anywhere, found only a small shrine standing there. He opened his phoenix eyes and studied it carefully. There was that banner pole at the rear.

He laughed.

"It's the monkey again. He's trying to fool me. I've seen temples before, but never one with the flagpole planted behind it. That settles it. If he can trick me inside, he means to bite me with one gulp. Why would I walk in? I'll smash the windows first with my fists, then kick the doors off their hinges."

The Great Sage heard that and his heart nearly stopped.

"Savage brute, savage brute! The doors are my teeth and the windows are my eyes. If he breaks my teeth and caves in my eyes, what then?"

With one tiger-leap he sprang out of the shrine-form and vanished again into the air.

Erlang chased him every which way. Soon the four marshals and two generals all crowded around him and asked, "Elder brother, have you taken the Great Sage?"

Erlang laughed.

"That monkey just now turned himself into a shrine to trick me. I was about to smash his windows and kick in his doors when he sprang again and vanished without a trace. Strange indeed."

All stared, astonished, scanning the four directions, but there was no sign of him.

Erlang said, "Brothers, keep watch and patrol here. I'll go above and look for him."

He rose at once on a cloud into midair and saw Li the Heavenly King high overhead, holding the demon-revealing mirror, with Nezha standing beside him. Erlang called, "Heavenly King, have you seen the Monkey King?"

Li answered, "He has not come above. My mirror is on him."

Erlang quickly recounted the whole matter: their wager of transformations, the battle of powers, and the seizing of the monkey host. Then he added, "He changed into a shrine. Just as I was about to strike, he escaped."

Li the Heavenly King listened, swept the mirror once around the four quarters, and laughed aloud.

"True Lord, go quickly, go quickly. The monkey has used an invisibility spell, slipped outside the camp, and is making for your Guankou Temple."

At that Erlang snatched up his divine spear and sped back toward Guankou.

Meanwhile the Great Sage had already reached Guankou. He shook himself once and became the very image of Lord Erlang. Then he dropped from his cloud and walked straight into the temple. The demon judges could not tell the difference. One by one they knelt to greet him. Seating himself in the center, he began inspecting the incense accounts: Li Hu's offering of three sacrificial beasts, Zhang Long's vow made in thanks for protection, Zhao Jia's petition for a son, Qian Bing's prayer for relief from illness.

He was still looking over the records when someone came running in to report:

"Another lord has arrived!"

The demon judges hurried out to look, and every one of them felt his heart jump.

Erlang demanded, "Has some fellow styling himself Great Sage Equal to Heaven come here just now?"

The judges answered, "We have seen no Great Sage. There is only one lord inside checking the incense accounts."

Erlang burst through the door. The Great Sage saw him and at once showed his true form.

"No need to shout, young lord. This temple belongs to Sun now."

Erlang raised the three-pointed, double-edged spear and chopped straight at his face. The Monkey King slipped aside with a body-turn and let the strike miss, then drew the embroidery needle from his ear and shook it once till it was thick as a bowl. In an instant the rod was in his hands again, and he swung back.

Shouting and snarling, the two fought their way out of the temple gate, half in mist and half in cloud, moving and striking at once until they came back again to Flower-Fruit Mountain. This tightened the vigilance of the Four Heavenly Kings and the others yet further. Marshals Kang and Zhang and the rest hurried out to support Erlang, and together they hemmed the Handsome Monkey King in on every side.

Now to return to the Great Strength Ghost King. Having delivered the order and brought Erlang and the six brothers with their troops to the field, he had gone back up to Heaven to report. The Jade Emperor, Guanyin, the Queen Mother, and the gathered immortals were at that moment in Lingxiao Hall discussing matters.

"Since Erlang has gone into battle," said the Jade Emperor, "how is it that an entire day has passed and still no report has come back?"

Guanyin joined her palms.

"This poor monk asks Your Majesty, together with the Patriarch, to come outside the Southern Gate of Heaven so we may see for ourselves how things stand."

The Jade Emperor said, "Well spoken."

So he set out in state, with Laozi, Guanyin, the Queen Mother, and the assembled immortals following him to the Southern Gate. Heavenly strongmen and attendants met them there, opened the gate, and let them look down from afar. They saw the divine soldiers with their nets spread on every side, Li the Heavenly King and Nezha holding the demon-revealing mirror in the air, and Erlang hemming the Great Sage in while the two struggled amid shifting clouds.

Guanyin opened her mouth and said to Laozi, "What do you think of the Erlang I recommended? He truly has power. He has the Great Sage boxed in already, only he has not yet taken him. I will lend him a hand now and make certain the monkey is caught."

Laozi said, "What weapon have you, Bodhisattva, that you would help him with?"

Guanyin replied, "I will throw down my willow branch and pure vase. If it strikes the monkey on the head, then even if it does not kill him, it will at least knock him sprawling and let that lesser sage go seize him."

Laozi said, "That vase of yours is porcelain. If it strikes his head, well and good. But if it misses and hits his iron rod instead, will it not shatter? Best not move yet. Let this old man lend the help."

Guanyin asked, "And what weapon do you have?"

Laozi laughed. "Oh, I have one."

He rolled up his sleeve, took from his left arm a shining ring, and said:

"This weapon was forged of refined steel, then tempered by me with the returns of the elixir till it gained a body full of living spirit. It is good at transformation, untouched by fire or water, and able to snare all manner of things. One name for it is the Diamond Cincture, another the Diamond Ring. In former days, when I passed through Hangu Pass, this thing served me well indeed. Day and night it is my surest defense. Let me cast it down and strike him once."

When he had done speaking, he flung it from the heavenly gate. Spinning as it went, it dropped straight into the battle lines at Flower-Fruit Mountain and landed squarely on the Monkey King's head. The Monkey King was so intent on the desperate struggle against the Seven Sages that he never knew the weapon was falling from above. It struck him on the crown, knocked his footing out from under him, and sent him crashing to the ground.

He scrambled up and tried to run, but Erlang's fine hound was already on him and sank its teeth into the calf of his leg, bringing him down again.

Lying there, the Great Sage cursed:

"You miserable hound! Why don't you go guard your own master's house instead of coming to bite old Sun?"

He tried to turn himself over and rise, but could not. The Seven Sages swarmed over him all at once, pinned him fast, and bound him with ropes. Then they ran hooks through his collarbones, and after that he could no longer change his form.

Laozi recalled the Diamond Cincture and invited the Jade Emperor, Guanyin, the Queen Mother, and all the immortals to return with him to Lingxiao Hall. Below, the Four Heavenly Kings, Li the Heavenly King, and the other gods withdrew their troops and broke camp. Coming up before Erlang, they congratulated him one after another, all saying, "This is the lesser sage's achievement."

Erlang replied, "This is only the Heavenly Worthy's great fortune and the gathered power of the gods. What merit is mine?"

Kang, Zhang, Yao, and Li said, "Elder brother, no need for more modest speeches. Better escort this fellow now to Heaven and let him be presented before the Jade Emperor for sentence."

Erlang answered, "Brothers, you have not yet received heavenly registers and may not appear before the Jade Emperor. Let the armored gods and heavenly troops escort the prisoner. I will go above with the Heavenly King and the rest to report. You men search the mountain. Once the search is done and the place swept clean, go back to Guankou. When I have received the reward and the merit due, I will come back and celebrate with you."

The four marshals and two generals accepted the order. Erlang and the others then rode the clouds upward, singing victory songs as they returned to Heaven.

In no long time they reached the Gate of Bright Understanding. A celestial master went in and announced:

"The Four Heavenly Kings and the rest have captured the demon monkey, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and await Your Majesty's command."

The Jade Emperor issued his decree at once, ordering the Great Strength Ghost King and the heavenly strongmen to drag the wretch to the Demon-Slaying Terrace and hack his body to pieces.

Ah me. It was just the case:

Deceiver and mocker must now taste the bitterness of law;
the hero's pride must rest for a season.

But whether the Monkey King truly survived or perished is another matter, and must wait for the next chapter.