Chapter 66: The Gods Fall to a Treacherous Hand; Maitreya Binds the Monster

Now to return: the Great Sage had no way out, so he rode a streak of auspicious cloud and on a somersault of wind went straight back to the Southern Continent, where he meant to bow before Wudang Mountain and petition Zhenwu, the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord, for help in relieving Tripitaka, Bajie, Brother Sha, and the heavenly troops from their calamity.

He flew on through the empty sky without stopping. Before long he saw the ancestral immortal realm and gently lowered his cloud. When he looked closely, what a fine place it was:

A great stronghold in the southeast, a sacred peak at the center of Heaven.
The Hibiscus Peak towered high, and the Purple Canopy Ridge stood grand and lofty.
To the south and east the waters of the Nine Rivers ran out to Jing and Yang;
to the west and north the mountains of the Hundred Yue stretched on through the wing and chariot stars.
Above were the treasure caves of the empty void, and the spiritual terrace of the red and black lands.
In the thirty-six palaces bronze chimes rang, and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims came with incense.
Shun made his circuit here; Yu made his prayers here. Jade tablets and golden scripts were kept in order.
Blue birds wheeled over the towers, and red banners swayed their sleeves.
The land itself had set up a famous mountain to rule the world, and Heaven had opened this fairy realm through the emptiness.
Several trees of langmei were in full bloom, and all over the mountain the jade grasses were fresh and bright.
Dragons hid in the ravines; tigers crouched on the cliffs.
The hidden caves seemed to speak, and tame deer walked close beside men.
White cranes shared the clouds with old cypresses; green birds and vermilion phoenixes called toward the sun.
This was the true immortal land of the Jade Void Master, the benevolent gate of the golden palace that ruled the world.

The Supreme Ancestor, Zhenwu, had once been the king of Jingle Kingdom and the Queen's son, born after his mother dreamed she swallowed sunlight. When she awoke, she was with child for fourteen months, and on the first day of the third moon in the first year of Kaihuang, at noon, he was born in the royal palace. His verse says:

Fierce in youth, numinous in adulthood.
He did not rule the throne, but only cultivated the Way.
His parents could not restrain him, and he left the palace.
He entered the mystery and sat in stillness on this mountain.
His work complete and his practice fulfilled, he rose in the white sun.
The Jade Emperor gave him the title of Zhenwu.
His mystery answered from above; turtle and serpent took one form.
Throughout the six directions of heaven and earth, all called him a spirit lord of ten thousand.
Nothing hidden escaped his sight; nothing visible remained unfinished.
At the end and the beginning of every age, he cut down the demon-spirits.

Sun Wukong admired the immortal scenery and pressed on through the heavenly gates, from the first to the third, until he came outside the Taihe Palace. There he saw, amid the rays of auspicious light, five hundred spirit officers gathered in ranks. One stepped forward and called, "Who comes there?"

The Great Sage said, "I am Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. I have come to see my master."

The officers reported it, and Zhenwu descended from the hall and welcomed him into the Taihe Palace. After the salutations were finished, Wukong said, "I have a matter that must trouble you."

Zhenwu asked, "What matter?"

Wukong said, "I escort Tripitaka west to seek the scriptures, and along the road we ran into great danger. When we reached the Western Region of India, there was a mountain called Little Western Heaven, and within it Little Thunderclap Monastery, where a demon lived. My master went in through the gate and saw arhats, revealing spirits, bhiksus, and holy monks arranged in order. He thought they were real Buddhas, threw himself to the ground, and bowed. Then the monster seized him and tied him up.

I myself was careless and let the monster throw a golden gong over me, so that I was trapped inside it with not the slightest crack or seam. Only thanks to the Golden-Headed Revealing Spirit, who went to the Jade Emperor, were the twenty-eight constellations ordered down to the mortal world. That night they could not pry it open. Fortunately Kang Jinlong pushed his horn into the gong and helped me get out, after which I smashed the gong and woke the monster.

While we were fighting, the monster threw out a white cloth bag and packed me together with the twenty-eight constellations and the Five Direction Revealing Spirits. Then he tied us up with ropes. I escaped that night and rescued the star gods, Master, and my two brothers. Later, when I went back to look for the cassock and the alms bowl, I woke the monster again and fought him with the heavenly troops.

The monster once more threw out his bag. When I understood the earlier signs, I ran away, but the others were all packed away again. I am helpless. So I have come to beg my master of the mountain for help."

Zhenwu said, "In the years when I held sway in the north and bore the office of Zhenwu, I was commanded by the Jade Emperor to cut down all the demons and evil spirits under Heaven. Later, barefoot and with loose hair, I rode the coiling serpent and the divine tortoise, led the Thunder Gods, giant dragons, fierce beasts, and poisonous wyrms, and subdued the black miasma of the northeast by the order of the Primordial Lord.

Today I dwell in peace at Wudang Mountain and at the Taihe Palace, while sea and mountain are tranquil and Heaven and Earth are clear. But now the lands of the Southern Continent and the Northern Continent are still harried by monsters and hidden fiends, and since the Great Sage has descended, I cannot refuse to act. Only, there has been no order from above, so I dare not begin a war on my own. If I send the gods down, I fear the Jade Emperor will blame me; if I refuse you entirely, I shall be turning my back on human feeling.

My guess is that however evil the western road may be, it is not beyond remedy. I will send the turtle and serpent generals and the five great dragon gods with you to help. They will surely capture the demon and rescue your master from his trial."

Wukong thanked him and at once returned west with the turtle, serpent, and dragon gods and their picked troops. Before long they reached Little Thunderclap Monastery and went straight to the gate to challenge the demon.

The Yellow Brow Great King was gathered under the jeweled hall with the monsters when he said, "Sun Wukong has not come for two days. I do not know where he has gone to borrow troops."

Even as he spoke, a little monster at the front gate came running in to report, "The Great Sage has brought several dragon, serpent, and tortoise spirits and is shouting battle outside the gate."

The demon said, "How did that monkey get hold of dragon, serpent, and tortoise spirits? Who exactly has come?"

Then he put on his armor, strode out the gate, and shouted, "What kind of dragon gods are you, that you dare come and make a nest in my fairy realm?"

The five dragons and the two generals were all fierce of face and bright of spirit. They shouted back, "You base monster! We are the five dragon gods and the turtle-serpent generals under Zhenwu, the Prime Lord of the Taihe Palace on Wudang Mountain.

By the order of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and by our master's command, we have come to catch you. Hand over Tripitaka and the heavenly stars at once, and we will spare your life. If not, we will tear this whole mountain of monsters limb from limb and burn every hall to ash."

The monster heard this and grew furious. "What power have you beasts that you dare talk so big? Do not run. Taste my club!"

The five dragons stirred cloud and rain, and the two generals flung dust and sand. Each of them wielded spear, blade, sword, and halberd, and all of them rushed in together. Then Sun Wukong brought up the rear with his iron staff. What a battle that was:

The monster used force, while Wukong called for troops.
The monster used force, and occupied the jeweled halls, posing as Buddha;
Wukong called for troops, and sought aid from a far-off sacred realm, borrowing dragon gods.
The turtle and serpent brought forth water and fire, while the monster set blade to blade.
The five dragons came west by heavenly command, while Wukong fought on for his master behind.
Swords and halberds flashed like lightning; spears and blades glittered like rainbow fire.
One club was soft yet hard, short yet long; the other Golden-Hooped Rod obeyed the heart.
Crackling sounds burst like firecrackers, and the ringing of weapons sounded like striking gold.
Water and fire came together to challenge the fiend, while swords and blades ringed the spirits.
Shouts shook tigers and wolves; the uproar stirred ghosts and gods.
The battle raged with no sign of victory, and the monster again reached for his treasure.

Wukong led the five dragons and the two generals in battle for the space of half an hour, when the monster suddenly took his bag in hand. Wukong saw it and shouted, "Watch out!"

The dragon gods, serpent, and tortoise did not understand what he meant by that warning. Each of them held his weapon and pressed forward, trying to block him. Then the monster flicked his wrist, and with a whizzing sound he tossed the bag into the air. Sun Wukong had no time to care for the five dragons and the two generals. He leaped away on his somersault cloud and escaped up into the highest blue. The monster packed the dragon gods, tortoise, and serpent into the bag again. He returned in triumph to the monastery and once again had them bound with ropes and carried into the cellar, where they were sealed away.

The Great Sage landed on a cloud and saved his life. Seeing the demon's troops return with no banners or signal flags, he knew the others had been taken again. He lowered his auspicious light on the western mountain ridge, stood there with clenched teeth, and wept for Tripitaka.

"Master," he cried, "when did you set down such a destiny that in this life you must meet demons at every step? Such suffering is hard to escape. How am I to save you?"

He sighed by himself for a long while, then gathered his spirit and thought again: "I do not know what sort of bag that is, but it can hold so many things. Now it has swallowed the gods and generals too. I want to ask Heaven for help, but I fear the Jade Emperor's displeasure. I remember that there is Zhenwu, the True Warrior of the North, also called the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Lord, and that he now dwells on Wudang Mountain in the Southern Continent. I will go there and ask him to rescue Master from this trial."

The verse says:

The immortal road is not yet won; ape and horse scatter and flee.
With no master over mind and spirit, the five elements wither.
As for this journey and how it will truly end, who can yet say?
That must wait for the next chapter.

Now to return: Sun Wukong had no better plan, so he rode a cloud and went straight to ask after Zhenwu at Wudang Mountain. He was still on his way through the air when, before a single day had passed, he already saw the ancestral fairy realm. He gently lowered the cloud and looked again.

The mountains there were a real wonder:

Southward it neared the river mouths; northward it faced the Huai.
Eastward it opened to the sea ridges; westward it joined the great floating mountains.
On the heights the towers stood splendid, and in the mountain hollows streams and springs burst forth.
Jagged rocks and tall pines were set everywhere in wild beauty.
Fruits of every kind were ripe in season, and a thousand flowers opened toward the sun.
People moved like ant lines, and boats went in and out like rows of geese.
Above were Ruiyan Monastery, the East Peak Shrine, the Five Manifestations Temple, and Gui Mountain Monastery; their bells and incense rose to the blue vault.
There were also Glass Spring, Five Pagoda Ravine, Eight Immortals Terrace, and Apricot Blossom Garden, where mountain light and tree color shone over Bin City.
White clouds stretched across the sky and would not pass; hidden birds sang again from weariness.
Forget Mount Tai, Mount Song, Mount Heng, and Mount Hua - this fairy scene was like the Isles of the Immortals.

The Great Sage could not take it all in. He crossed the Huai River and entered Bin City, then came to the gate of the Great Sage Monastery. There he saw the halls standing high and proud, the long corridors bright with color, and a great jeweled pagoda rising above them. Truly it was:

So high it seemed to pierce the clouds and lean on the blue sky, a thousand zhang up.
Above and below it held the light of the whole world; east and west it cast no shadow on the curtains.
The wind stirred the bells so that heavenly music could be heard; the sun shone on the icy dragon, facing the Brahma hall.
Flying birds and hidden spirits sometimes called out to one another, and far off the Huai waters stretched without end.

Wukong looked and walked on until he reached the second gate. There the Great Sage National Preceptor King Bodhisattva already knew he had come and came out with Little Zhang the Crown Prince to welcome him. After the salutes and formal courtesies were done, Wukong said, "I escort Tripitaka west to seek the scriptures, and along the road we came to a Little Thunderclap Monastery. There was a Yellow Brow monster there, posing as Buddha. My master could not tell truth from falsehood and bowed at once, whereupon the monster seized him.

He also threw a golden gong over me, and I was trapped inside it. Luckily the heavenly stars came down to save me, and I broke the gong. Then I fought the monster and he threw out a cloth bag, packing away the heavenly spirits, the revealing spirits, and the protective guardians together with my master and junior brothers.

I went to Wudang Mountain and begged Zhenwu to help. He sent the five dragons and the turtle-serpent generals to seize the monster, but the monster used his bag and packed them away too. I have nowhere else to turn, so I have come to beg the Bodhisattva for a display of divine power, to use his mastery over the water mother and his marvelous skill in saving living beings, and to go with me and rescue Master from this trial. When the scriptures are brought back, they will forever be transmitted through China, and our Buddha's wisdom will shine and the perfection of prajna will be made known."

The Bodhisattva said, "Your present affair is indeed for the flourishing of the Buddhist teaching, and I ought to go in person. Only now it is the beginning of summer, when the Huai River is in flood. The Water Ape Great Sage has just been subdued, and if I leave, that fellow may grow unruly again, with no god here to deal with him. So I will send my young disciple and the four generals with you to help. They will refine the monster and subdue him."

Wukong thanked him warmly. He went back to Little Western Heaven with the four generals and Little Zhang the Crown Prince, then straight to Little Thunderclap Monastery. Little Zhang wielded a white paper spear, and the four great generals each swung a bronze sword. Together with Sun Wukong they came forward and cursed and challenged the gate. The little monsters ran to report, and the demon king again led his swarming troops out, shouting, "Monkey, who have you brought with you this time?"

Before he could finish, Little Zhang pointed the four generals forward and shouted, "You bare-faced monster, do you not recognize us?"

The monster said, "What little generals are you, that you dare come here to help him?"

Little Zhang said, "I am a disciple of the Great Sage National Preceptor King Bodhisattva of Sizhou, and I lead the four divine generals by his order to capture you."

The monster laughed. "Boy, what martial skill do you have, that you dare speak so lightly?"

Little Zhang said, "If you want to know my skill, listen:

My home was in the Western Sand Country; my father was once king there.
From childhood I suffered many illnesses, cursed by an evil star of the canopy.
Because I longed for the art of long life, I chanced to meet a master and was given the remedy.
Half a pellet of cinnabar drove my sickness away, and I chose cultivation rather than kingship.
Having learned the art of never growing old, my looks remain forever young.
I have been to the Dragon-Flower Assembly, and I have flown on clouds to Buddha's hall.
I can catch fog and seize wind, subdue water monsters, and pin down dragons and tigers in the field.
I raised high towers for the people and made the relic-light of the still sea shine.
My white paper spear can bind monsters, and my dark robe sleeves can bring demons low.
Now I dwell in the peaceful city of Bin, and the whole world speaks the name of Little Zhang!"

The demon king heard this and gave a slight, cold laugh.

"Little prince, you have abandoned your kingdom to follow the Great Sage National Preceptor King Bodhisattva. What sort of art of immortality have you learned? You can only catch the water monsters of the Huai River, yet now you have trusted Sun Wukong's wild words and crossed mountains and rivers to come here and die. Let me see whether you can live forever or not."

Little Zhang flew into a rage. He thrust his spear straight at the monster's face. The four generals rushed in together, and Sun Wukong drove up with his iron staff. That demon king, however, was not afraid in the least. He brandished his short, soft wolf-tooth club, blocking left and right and charging straight in. What a battle that was:

Little Zhang, his paper-white spear, and the four bronze swords were all fierce.
Wukong also brought up the Golden-Hooped Rod and ringed the monster in from every side.
The demon king truly had great powers and did not fear the blows from right or left.
The wolf-tooth club was a Buddhist treasure, and neither spear strikes nor sword cuts could harm it.
Only the wild wind could be heard roaring, and the evil miasma filled the sky.
One side devoted itself to sport and false tricks; the other to worship and scripture-seeking.
They raced and charged many times, each in turn showing off its power.
They breathed cloud and mist, closed out the three lights, and each grew fierce with anger.
The supreme teaching was long at work, yet the hundred arts all suffered in their struggle.

After a long while, the battle still had no winner. Then the demon once again took out his bag. Wukong shouted, "Watch out!"

Little Zhang and the others did not know what he meant by "watch out." With a whizzing sound, the monster sent the four generals and Little Zhang all into the bag at once. Only Wukong had sensed the trick in advance and had fled.

The demon king won again and returned to the monastery. He once more had them bound with ropes and sent into the cellar, where the door was tightly sealed.

Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud into the upper sky. Seeing the monster's troops return and the gates closed, he lowered his lucky light and stood on the western mountain ridge. There he sighed and wept:

Ever since I took the Buddhist teaching, I have relied on the Bodhisattva's mercy to escape great danger.
I have escorted you west to seek the great Way and to help you reach Thunderclap Monastery.
I had thought the road would be level and gentle, but who knew such towering monsters would rise in the way?
By every means I have tried to save you, and in every direction I have begged for help in vain.

He was in the depths of grief when, from the southwest, a multicolored cloud suddenly dropped to the ground. Rain flashed across the mountain peak, and a voice called, "Wukong, do you know me?"

Wukong hurried over to look. There he saw a man with broad ears and a square face, thick shoulders and a large belly. He wore a look of spring joy, with bright, glistening eyes. His sleeves were loose and airy, full of fortune, and his hemp shoes were easy and light. He was the foremost honored one in the Pure Land, Namo Maitreya, the Laughing Buddha.

Wukong hurriedly bowed. "Buddha of the East, where are you going? Your disciple has failed to avoid you. I have sinned, I have sinned."

The Buddha said, "I have come here for this Little Thunderclap monster alone."

Wukong said, "I am deeply grateful for your great virtue and kindness. May I ask what kind of fiend he is, from what place? I do not know what sort of treasure that bag is. Please instruct me."

The Buddha said, "He is the Yellow Brow child who used to tend the chime in front of me. On the third day of the third moon, when I went to a meeting with the Primordial Lord, I left him in the palace to keep watch, and he stole those treasures of mine and pretended to be Buddha.

That bag is my later-heaven sack, commonly called the Human-Seed Bag. That wolf-tooth club is only the mallet for striking the chime."

Wukong cried out, "You smiling monk! You lost that child and let him go about claiming to be Buddha, bringing harm to Old Sun. You were not careful with your household, were you?"

Maitreya said, "First, I was careless and lost a man. Second, your master and disciples still had their demon trials to finish, so the spirits all descended and you had to suffer. I am here now to take him away."

Wukong said, "That monster has great powers, and you have no weapon in hand. How can you capture him?"

Maitreya smiled. "I have set up a grass hut on this mountain slope and planted a patch of melons and fruit there. You go and challenge him. When you fight, you may be beaten but you must not win. Lead him to my melon patch. My melons are all still green, but you should turn yourself into one great ripe melon. He will surely want to eat it, and then I will have him eat you. Once you are in his stomach, you may do as you please inside him. At that time I will take his bag and carry him back with me."

Wukong said, "The plan is fine enough, but how will you recognize a melon that has been transformed? And why should he follow me here?"

Maitreya smiled. "As the lord who orders the world, I have a bright eye. How could I fail to recognize you? Whatever you become, I will know. I only fear that the monster will not follow you. But I will teach you a spell."

Wukong said, "He will surely try to pack me into his bag. How can I make him follow? What spell can there be?"

Maitreya smiled again. "Hold out your hand."

Wukong extended his left hand. Maitreya dipped his right forefinger in the divine water in his mouth and wrote the character for "Bind" in the Great Sage's palm. Then he told him to clench his fist, and when he stood face to face with the monster, he should open it and the monster would follow.

Wukong closed his fist and gladly took the lesson. With one hand he swung his iron staff and went straight to the mountain gate, shouting, "Monster, your grandfather Sun is back! Come out at once and fight me to a finish!"

The little monsters ran to report it.

The demon king asked, "How many troops has he brought this time?"

"None at all," said the little monster. "Only him alone."

The demon king laughed. "That monkey is spent and exhausted. He has nowhere else to ask for help, so he must be here to die."

He quickly dressed himself in full, took up his treasure, raised the light wolf-tooth club, and came out of the gate. "Sun Wukong, this time you cannot escape."

Wukong cursed him. "You rotten monster, why do you say I cannot escape?"

The demon king said, "I see that you are exhausted and have no one to rely on. You are trying to hold things together all by yourself. Once I catch you, there will be no divine troops left to rescue you, so I say you cannot escape."

Wukong said, "This monster does not know whether it is alive or dead. Stop talking and take my staff."

The demon king saw that Wukong was swinging the staff with one hand and could not stop laughing. "Look at this monkey, trying to be clever. How can he use a staff with one hand?"

Wukong said, "Son, you could not take my two-handed blow. If I were not keeping the bag out of it, even three or five more would still not beat Old Sun's single hand."

The monster said, "Very well. I will not use my treasure. We will fight it out by force alone and see who is stronger."

He raised the wolf-tooth club and came forward to fight. Sun Wukong met him face to face and opened his clenched fist. Now the monster was struck by the binding spell, and though he did not turn back, he truly no longer had recourse to the bag. He only pressed forward with his club. Wukong gave a false sway and fled in defeat. The monster chased him all the way to the foot of the western ridge.

There Wukong saw the melon patch. He rolled once and slipped inside, turning himself into a great ripe melon, sweet and glossy. The monster stopped and looked all around, not knowing where Wukong had gone. Then he rushed up to the hut and shouted, "Who planted these melons?"

Maitreya had become an old melon grower and came out of the grass hut to answer. "Great King, these melons were planted by me."

The monster said, "Do you have ripe ones?"

Maitreya said, "Yes, there are ripe ones."

The monster cried, "Cut me one ripe melon. I am thirsty."

Maitreya then handed him the melon that Wukong had changed into, with both hands.

The monster, never suspicious, took it and bit into it at once. Then Wukong took the chance and rolled down into the throat. He would not wait for anything to settle, but began at once to kick and claw, turning summersaults, standing on his head, and doing whatever he liked inside. The monster writhed with pain until his teeth gnashed and his face twisted. He rolled across the melon patch like a threshing field.

He only cried, "Enough, enough! Who will save me?"

Maitreya then showed his true form and laughed aloud. "Scoundrel, do you know me?"

The monster looked up, saw him, and dropped quickly to his knees, rubbing his belly with both hands and banging his head to the ground. He kept crying, "Master, spare my life, spare my life. I will never dare again."

Maitreya stepped forward, seized him, took away his later-heaven bag, and snatched his chime mallet. He called, "Sun Wukong, for my sake, spare his life."

Wukong was still full of hatred. Inside the belly, he struck left and right with fists and feet, groping and battering in every direction. The monster suffered so much that he could not bear it and collapsed to the ground.

Maitreya said again, "Wukong, that is enough. Spare him."

Only then did Wukong call out, "Open your mouth wide and let Old Sun come out."

The monster was still suffering the belly pain, but his heart was not yet broken. As the old saying goes, "A man who has not had his heart broken cannot die; when the flowers wither and the leaves fall, the root is already dry."

Hearing the command to open wide, he forced himself to do so. Only then did Wukong jump out, resume his true shape, and draw his staff to strike again. But before he could do so, the Buddha had already packed the monster into the bag and slung it across his shoulder. He held the chime mallet and scolded, "You scoundrel! Where is the golden gong you stole?"

The monster, still wanting only to preserve his life, whimpered from inside the bag, "The golden gong was smashed by Sun Wukong."

Maitreya said, "If it is broken, return me my gold."

The monster said, "The broken gold is piled up on the lotus dais in the hall."

Maitreya took up the bag and the mallet, smiled broadly, and said, "Wukong, come with me and find the gold to give back to me."

Wukong saw how great the Buddha's power was and did not dare delay. He led Maitreya back up the mountain and into the monastery to gather the broken gold. The mountain gate stood shut, and Maitreya pointed with the mallet; the gate opened at once.

When they went inside, the little monsters had already learned that the old demon had been captured and were each gathering their possessions, hoping to flee in all directions. Wukong struck one as he saw him and two when he saw them. He beat five or six hundred little monsters to death. When they showed their true shapes, they were all mountain spirits, tree fiends, beast-ghosts, and bird-demons.

Maitreya gathered the gold into one pile, blew out a breath of divine air, and muttered a spell. At once it returned to its original form and became a complete golden gong again. He parted from Wukong, rode an auspicious cloud, and returned straight to the Land of Bliss.

Only then did the Great Sage release Tripitaka, Bajie, and Brother Sha. The fool had been hung up for several days and was starving. He did not thank Wukong at once, but hunched his back and ran into the kitchen to look for food. The monster had actually prepared the midday meal, but because Wukong had forced him to fight, it had not yet been eaten.

The fool saw it and at once ate half the pot. Then he brought out two bowls and let his master and junior brothers each eat two bowls. Only then did he thank Wukong.

When they asked about the demon's background, Wukong recounted it all in detail: first how he had asked the patriarch for help, then how he had gone to the turtle and serpent, then how he had invited Little Zhang, and finally how Maitreya had subdued the monster. Tripitaka, hearing this, thanked him endlessly and bowed to the heavenly hosts. He said, "Disciples, where are those holy beings being held?"

Wukong said, "Yesterday the Merit Officer told Old Sun that they were all in the cellar."

He called, "Bajie, come with me and release them."

The fool, now fed and strong, shook himself, found his rake, and went with the Great Sage to the back. They opened the cellar, untied the lot of them, and brought them out from beneath the jeweled halls. Tripitaka put on his cassock and bowed his thanks to them all one by one. Only then did the Great Sage send the five dragons and the two generals back to Wudang Mountain, send Little Zhang and the four generals back to Bin City, send the twenty-eight constellations back to Heaven, and dismiss the Revealing Spirits and the temple guardians back to their own realms.

The master and disciples rested there for half a day. They fed the White Dragon Horse, packed the luggage, and set out the next morning. When it was time to leave, they set a fire and burned those jeweled towers, precious seats, tall halls, and preaching chambers to ashes.

Only then did they truly:

Free of ties and burdens, they escaped disaster and went on their way.
Cleared of harm and obstruction, they departed with their bodies unbound.

As for when they would reach Great Thunderclap Monastery, that is a matter for the next chapter.