The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 3

by Unknown

  Only then did Pilgrim stop his movements, saying, “Do you now recognize me as your brother-in-law? I’ll spare you for the sake of Big Brother Bull. Bring out the fan quickly for me to use.” Rākṣasī said, “Brother-in-law, I have the fan. You come out and take it.” “Bring it out and let me see it first,” said Pilgrim.

  Rākṣasī told one of her maids to hold up a palm-leaf fan and stand on one side. When Pilgrim crawled up to her throat and saw it, he said, “Since I’m going to spare you, Sister-in-law, I’ll not scratch a hole in your rib cage to come out. I’ll leave through your mouth. Open it three times.” That Rākṣasī did as she was told, and Pilgrim at once flew out as a mole cricket, which then alighted on the palm-leaf fan. Rākṣasī did not even see him; she opened her mouth three times and kept saying, “Brother-in-law, please come out.” Changing at once into his original form, Pilgrim took the fan in his hand and said, “I’m right here. Thanks for lending it to me.” He started to walk out of the cave in big strides; the little ones hurriedly opened the door to let him out of the cave.

  Mounting the clouds, our Great Sage headed back toward the east and, in a moment, arrived at his destination, dropping down beside the red-brick wall. Eight Rules was delighted when he saw him. “Master,” he shouted, “Elder Brother has returned!” Tripitaka came out of the house with the old man and Sha Monk to greet Pilgrim, and they all went back inside. Pilgrim stood the fan to one side and asked, “Sir, is this the fan?” “It is, it is,” replied the old man.

  Highly pleased, the Tang Monk said, “Worthy disciple, you have made a great merit, but you must have worked very hard to acquire this treasure.” “No need to talk about the hard work,” replied Pilgrim, “but who do you think is that Immortal Iron-Fan? It’s actually the wife of the Bull Demon King, the mother of Red Boy, whose name is also Rākṣasī. She is also called the Princess Iron-Fan. I went to her cave to try to borrow the fan, but she wanted to settle the old score with me, hacking me a few times with her swords. I used the rod to frighten her, and that was when she brought out this thing and gave me a fan. I drifted all the way back to the Little Sumeru Mountain, where I was fortunate enough to see the Bodhisattva Lingji. He gave me a Wind-Arresting Elixir and pointed out to me the way back to the Jade Cloud Mountain. I saw Rākṣasī again, and when she couldn’t drive me away with her fan this time, she retreated back into her cave. Old Monkey then changed into a mole cricket to fly inside. She was just asking for tea, so I dived inside the tea bubbles and managed to get inside her stomach. When I waved my hands and feet, she had such unbearable pain that she couldn’t stop calling me brother-in-law and asking me to spare her. When she was finally willing to lend me her fan, I did spare her and brought back this fan. After we have crossed the Mountain of Flames, I’ll take it back to her.” On hearing this, Tripitaka thanked him repeatedly. Then master and disciples took leave of the old man.

  They proceeded westward for some forty miles, and they began to feel the heat growing more intense and more oppressive. “My feet are on fire!” Sha Monk could only cry. “They are killing me!” said Eight Rules. Even the horse was trotting more rapidly than usual, but because the ground was becoming hotter all the time, they found it exceedingly difficult to go forward. “Master,” Pilgrim said at length, “please dismount. And don’t move, Brothers. Let me use the fan to extinguish the fire. Allow the wind and rain to cool off the earth first before we try to cross this mountain.” Lifting high the fan, Pilgrim dashed up to the flames and fanned at them with all his might. On that mountain the blaze grew brighter than ever. He waved the fan a second time and the fire became more intense a hundredfold. He tried for a third time and the fire leaped ten thousand feet tall, roaring toward him. Pilgrim dashed away but already the hair on both his thighs was completely burnt off. He ran back to the Tang Monk, shouting, “Go back! Go back! The fire’s coming!”

  Climbing on the horse, our elder galloped toward the east, followed by Eight Rules and Sha Monk. They retreated for some twenty miles before they rested. “Wukong,” said the elder, “what happened?” “It’s a mess!” replied Pilgrim, throwing the fan away. “She has tricked me!” On hearing this, Tripitaka became utterly dejected. Tears streaming down his face, he could only say, “What shall we do?” “Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “why did you yell for us to go back so hurriedly?” “I fanned at the mountain once,” said Pilgrim, “and the blaze grew brighter. I did it a second time and the fire became even more intense. A third wave of the fan made the flames leap up ten thousand feet tall. If I hadn’t run fast enough, all my hair would have been burned away.” With a chuckle, Eight Rules said, “You have often made the claim that you can be hurt neither by thunder nor by fire. How is it that you are afraid of fire now?” “Oh, Idiot!” said Pilgrim. “You just don’t know anything! On those occasions, I was always prepared, and therefore I could not be hurt. Today I was only trying to extinguish the fire with the fan, and I did not even make the fire-repellant sign, nor did I use magic to protect my body. So, the hair on both my thighs is burned up.”

  “If the fire’s so intense,” said Sha Monk, “and there’s no way to get to the West, what’s to be done?” “Let’s head for the direction where there’s no fire,” said Eight Rules. “Which direction?” asked Tripitaka. Eight Rules said, “There’s no fire in the east, the south, and the north.” “But which direction has scriptures?” Tripitaka asked again. Eight Rules said, “The West.” “I only want to go where the scriptures are,” said Tripitaka. Sha Monk said

  “Where there are scriptures, there’s fire.

  Where there’s no fire, there are no scriptures.

  We are in some dilemma!”

  As master and disciples were chatting like that, they heard someone calling, “Great Sage, please do not be distressed. Take some food first before you think of what you want to do.” The four of them turned to look and they saw an old man,

  Who wore a wind-wafted cape

  And a cap of half-moon shape;

  Who held a dragon-head cane

  And trod on iron-gaitered boots.

  He was followed by a demon with a hawk beak and a fish jowl. The demon’s head was supporting a copper pan in which were placed some steamed cakes, puddings, and rice of yellow millet. The old man stood by the road and bowed, saying, “I’m the local spirit of the Mountain of Flames. When I learned that the Great Sage and the holy monk could not proceed, I came to present you a meal.” “Food is of small concern to us at the monent,” said Pilgrim. “How can we extinguish this fire so that my master can cross over the mountain?” “If you want to extinguish the fire,” said the local spirit, “you must ask the Rākṣasī for the palm-leaf fan.” Picking up the fan from the side of the road, Pilgrim said, “Isn’t this the fan? But the blaze grew bigger than ever when I fanned at it. Why?” When the local spirit saw it, he laughed and said, “This is not the real fan. You’ve been tricked.” “How can I get the real one?” asked Pilgrim. Again bowing and smiling gently, the local spirit said,

  “If you the real palm-leaf fan desire,

  Then King Powerful you must inquire.”

  We do not know for what reason they must seek the Mighty King; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.

  SIXTY

  Bull Demon King stops fighting to attend a lavish feast;

  Pilgrim Sun baits for the second time the palm-leaf fan.

  The local spirit said, “King Powerful is, in fact, the Bull Demon King.” “So, this fire of the mountain was set by the Bull Demon King,” said Pilgrim, “and it was erroneously named the Mountain of Flames, right?” “No, no,” replied the local spirit, “but I dare not speak plainly unless the Great Sage is willing to pardon this humble deity.” “What offense is there?” said Pilgrim. “Go ahead and tell us.”

  The local spirit said, “This fire originally was set by the Great Sage.” “Where could I have been at the time?” said Pilgrim, his anger growing. “How could you babble like that? Am I an arsonist?�
� “You can’t possibly recognize me now,” said the local spirit. “There was no such mountain in this place originally. Five hundred years ago, when the Great Sage caused great disturbance in the Celestial Palace, you were caught by Illustrious Sagacity1 and taken in custody to Laozi. He placed you inside the brazier of eight trigrams, and after the process of refinement, the reactionary vessel was opened. You jumped out, kicking over the elixir oven in the process, and a few bricks still on fire dropped down to this spot. They were transformed into the Mountain of Flames. I was then the Daoist worker attending the brazier in the Tushita Palace. Since Laozi blamed me for carelessness, I was banished to become the mountain’s local spirit.” “No wonder you are dressed like this!” said Eight Rules, somewhat annoyed. “You were actually a Daoist!”

  Only half-believing what he heard, Pilgrim said, “Tell me further, why did you say that I had to fight King Powerful?” “King Powerful,” said the local spirit, “happens to be the husband of Rākṣasī, but he left her some time ago and is currently residing at the Cloud-Touching Cave of the Hoard-Thunder Mountain. A fox king of ten thousand years used to be the cave-master there, but he passed away, leaving behind a daughter by the name of Princess Jade Countenance and a vast fortune with no one to care for it. Two years ago, when she learned that the Bull Demon King had enormous magic powers, she was willing to give up all her wealth as dowry and take him in as her consort. The Bull King thus abandoned Rākṣasī and hasn’t paid her a visit since. Only if the Great Sage succeeds in finding him can you acquire the real fan. If he is willing to lend it to you, you will be able to do three good deeds: one, enable your master to proceed on his journey; two, eliminate the blight of fire for the people of this region; and three, obtain a pardon for me so that I may return to Laozi in Heaven.” “Where is this Hoard-Thunder Mountain,” asked Pilgrim, “and how far away is it?” “Due south of here,” said the local spirit, “about three thousand miles.” On hearing this, Pilgrim told Eight Rules and Sha Monk to protect their master with care, and he gave instruction as well to the local spirit to remain and keep them company. With a loud whoosh, he at once disappeared.

  In less than half an hour he came upon a tall mountain. He lowered his cloud and stood on the peak to look all around. It was indeed a fine mountain:

  Tall or not,

  Its top touches the blue sky;

  Deep or not,

  Its roots reach the yellow spring.

  Before the mountain the sun’s warm;

  Behind the mountain the wind’s cold;

  Before the mountain the sun’s warm,

  Though the winter plants do not know of it;

  Behind the mountain the wind’s cold:

  Ice, e’en in late summer, stays unmelted.

  The dragon lagoon joins a flowing brook;

  Flowers bloom early by the cliff’s tiger lair.

  Water flows like countless strands of flying jade,

  And flowers bloom like bunches of brocade.

  Sinuous trees twist round the sinuous peak;

  Craggy pines grow beyond the craggy rocks.

  Truly we have

  The mountain that’s tall,

  The cliff that’s sheer,

  The stream that’s deep,

  The flower that’s fragrant,

  The fruit that’s pretty,

  The wisteria that’s red,

  The pine that’s blue,

  The willow that’s jade-green—

  Their features in all climes remain the same;

  Their hues stay vibrant in ten thousand years.

  After he looked at this scenery for a long time, our Great Sage walked down from the pointed summit to search for the way. He did not, in truth, know quite where to turn when a lissome young woman emerged from a shady pine forest, her hand holding a twig of fragrant orchid. Hiding himself behind some boulders, the Great Sage stared at her. How did she look, you ask?

  A coy, empire-toppling beauty,

  In slow, sedate steps she walks.

  With a face like Wang Qiang’s,2

  With features like a girl of Chu,

  She seems like a flower able to speak;

  She resembles a fragrant figure of jade.

  Her jet black hair-bun smartly rises high;

  Her eyes, mascara-greened, shine like autumn’s pools.

  Beneath her silk skirt tiny shoes half-appear;

  From sleeves, just upturned, extend long, white wrists.

  How shall we speak of such seductive airs?

  Truly she has pearl-like teeth, ruddy lips,

  And moth-brows soft and smooth like the River Jin;

  She surpasses even Wenjun and Xue Tao.3

  Gradually, the girl drew near to the boulders. Bowing low to salute her, the Great Sage said slowly, “Lady Bodhisattva, where are you going?” As the girl did not notice him at first, she raised her head only when she heard his voice, and all at once she discovered how ugly the appearance of the Great Sage was. Terrified, she could neither retreat nor advance, and, trembling all over, she forced herself to reply, “Where have you come from? To whom are you addressing your question?”

  The Great Sage thought to himself, “If I mention the business of seeking scriptures, I fear that she may be related to the Bull King. I’d better say something like I am some sort of a relative who has come here to invite the demon king to return home. Perhaps that may be acceptable. “When the girl, however, saw that he did not reply, her color changed and she said with anger in her voice, “Who are you and how dare you question me?”

  Bowing again and smiling, the Great Sage said, “I have come from the Jade Cloud Mountain. As this is my first visit to your noble region, I don’t know my way. May I ask the Lady Bodhisattva whether this is the Hoard-Thunder Mountain?” “Yes,” said the girl. “There is a Cloud-Touching Cave,” said the Great Sage. “Where is it located?” “Why do you want to find the cave?” asked the girl. The Great Sage said, “I have been sent here by the Princess Iron-Fan of the Palm-Leaf Cave at Jade Cloud Mountain to fetch the Bull Demon King.”

  Enraged by this one statement, the girl grew red from ear to ear and began to scream, “That filthy slut! She’s a real numbskull! It hasn’t been two years since the Bull King arrived in my house, and during that time, he has sent back to her God knows how many pieces of jewels and precious stones, how many bolts of silk and satin. He provides her with firewood by the year and with rice by the month so that she can enjoy her life to her heart’s content. Doesn’t she know shame at all? Why does she want you to fetch him now?” When the Great Sage heard these words, he knew that the girl had to be the Princess Jade Countenance. Deliberately pulling out his golden-hooped rod, he bellowed at her: “You bitch! You used your wealth to buy the Bull King. Indeed, you got your man by throwing money away. Aren’t you ashamed? And you dare castigate someone else?”

  When that girl saw his savage appearance, she was so terrified that her spirit left her and her soul fled. Shaking all over, she turned and ran, while the Great Sage gave chase from behind, still shouting and hollering at her. After they went through the pine forest, the entrance of the Cloud-Touching Cave immediately came into view. The girl dashed inside and slammed the door shut. Only then did the Great Sage put away his golden-hooped rod and pause to glance about. Lovely place!

  Luxuriant forest;

  Precipitous cliffs;

  The broken shades of wisteria;

  The sweet, pure scent of orchids.

  A stream, gurgling jade, cuts through old bamboos;

  Canny rocks know how to sport fallen blooms.

  Mist enshrouds the distant hills;

  The sun and moon shine through cloud-screens.

  Dragons chant and tigers roar;

  Cranes cry and orioles sing.

  A loveable spot of pure serenity

  Where jade flowers and grass are ever bright—

  No less divine than a Tiantai cave,4

  It surpasses e’en Peng-Ying5 of the seas.

&
nbsp; Let’s not speak anymore of Pilgrim enjoying the scenery; we tell you instead about the girl, who ran until she perspired heavily and her heart pounded. She dashed into the library, where the Bull Demon King was quietly studying some books on elixir. Full of anguish, the girl fell onto his lap and began to wail, pinching her ears and scratching her cheeks. The Bull King smiled broadly and tried to placate her, saying, “Pretty Lady, don’t be distressed. What’s the matter?”

  “Wretched demon!” cried the girl, jumping up and down. “You’ve just about killed me!” “Why are you scolding me?” said the Bull King, laughing. “Because I lost my parents,” said the girl, “I took you in so that I could have protection and care. You have the reputation in the world of being a hero, but you are actually a henpecked nitwit!” On hearing this, the Bull King embraced her and said, “Pretty Lady, where have I done wrong? Tell me slowly, and I’ll apologize.”

  “Just now,” said the girl, “I was taking a leisurely stroll outside the cave beneath the flowers to pick my orchids. I was stunned by a hairy-faced monk with a thunder god beak who suddenly barred my way and bowed to me. When I regained my composure and asked for his identity, he claimed that he was someone sent here by that Princess Iron-Fan to fetch the Bull Demon King. I tried to tell him off, but he gave me a severe reprimand instead and even chased me with a rod. If I hadn’t run away so fast, I would have been struck to death by him. Isn’t this calamity brought on by you? You’re killing me!” When the Bull King heard what she said, he apologized to her and treated her with great tenderness. Only after a long time was the girl pacified, but then the Demon King became annoyed and said, “Pretty Lady, to tell you the truth, though that Palm-Leaf Cave is an out of the way place, it’s an unsullied and comfortable spot. My wife, who has practiced self-cultivation since her youth, is also an immortal who has attained the Way. She presides, in fact, over a rather strict household, and there is not a single male within it at the moment, not even a baby boy. How could she have sent a man with a thunder god beak to make demands here? This has to be a fiend from somewhere who has falsely assumed her name to search for me. Let me go out and have a look.”