The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 3

by Unknown

  “The muse’s hook”—

  “The sorrow’s broom”12—

  To banish all cares nothing’s better than wine!

  The man resolves to act with less restraint;

  The girl has slackened and begins to laugh.

  Her face reddens like a ripe peach;

  Her body sways like young willow.

  They mumble and murmur, thus the prattle grows;

  They pinch and they fondle with flirtatious glee.

  Often she strokes her hair

  And wields her dainty hands.

  Her tiny feet she’d wiggle frequently

  And shake her sleeves a few times purposely.

  She’d lower her creamy neck;

  She’d twist her slender waist.

  Amorous words would never leave her lips;

  Gold buttons loosened, her bosom’s half-revealed.

  Her reason truly totters for she’s drunk.

  Rubbing her glazed eyes, she’s almost disgraced.

  When the Great Sage saw that she was acting with such abandon, he took care to bait her with the words, “Madam, where have you put the real fan? You must be careful constantly, for I fear that Pilgrim Sun with his many ways of transformation will sneak in somehow and wangle it.” Giggling, Rākṣasī spat out a tiny fan no bigger than an almond leaf. Handing it over to the Great Sage, she said, “Isn’t this the treasure?”

  When he held it in his hand, the Great Sage could not believe what he saw, and he thought to himself, “This little thing! How could it extinguish the flames? Could this be another false one?” When Rākṣasī saw him staring at the treasure in complete silence, she could not refrain from putting her powdered face up to Pilgrim’s and calling out, “Dearest, put away the treasure and drink. What are you thinking of, anyway?” Immediately the Great Sage took this opportunity to follow up with the question, “A tiny thing like this, how could it extinguish eight hundred miles of flames?”

  Since the wine had virtually overwhelmed her true nature, Rākṣasī felt no constraint whatever and she at once revealed the truth, saying, “Great King, in these two years of separation, you must have given yourself over to pleasures night and day, allowing that Princess Jade Countenance to dissipate even your intelligence! How could you possibly forget how your own treasure works? Use your left thumb to press the seventh red thread attached to the fan’s handle and utter the magic words, Hui-xu-he-xi-xi-chui-hu,13 and it will grow to twelve feet long. This treasure can change in boundless ways. You may have eighty thousand miles of flames, but one wave of the fan will extinguish them all.”

  Tucking these words firmly in his memory, the Great Sage put the fan inside his mouth before giving his own face a wipe to change back to his original form. “Rākṣasī,” he shouted, “take a good look at me to see if I’m your dear husband! How you’ve pestered me with all your shameful doings! Aren’t you embarrassed?” So astonished was that woman by the sight of Pilgrim that she fell to the ground, kicking over the tables and chairs. She was smitten with such terrible shame that she could only cry, “I’m so mad I could die! I’m so mad I could die!”

  Our Great Sage, of course, had no regard for her whether she was dead or alive. Struggling free, he left the Palm-Leaf Cave in big strides; truly

  With no desire for such beauty,

  He triumphed in gaiety .

  Leaping up, he mounted the auspicious cloud to rise to the tall summit, where he spat out the fan at once to test its magic. Using his left thumb to press on the seventh red thread attached to the fan’s handle, he recited: “Hui-xu-he-xi-xi-chui-hu.” Immediately it grew to twelve feet long. When he examined it carefully in his hand, he found that it was indeed quite different from the one before. The whole fan was shrouded by auspicious light and hallowed airs, and it was covered by thirty-six strands of red threads, plaited warp and weft. Pilgrim, however, had only acquired the magic of enlarging it, and he had not throught of asking Rākṣasī for the oral formula to make it small again. After fussing with the fan for some time without being able to alter its size at all, he had no choice but to carry it on his shoulder and find his way back. We shall leave him for the moment.

  We tell you instead about that Bull Demon King, who finally ended the banquet with those various spirits at the bottom of the Green Wave Lagoon. When he walked out of the door, he discovered that the water-repellent golden-eyed beast had disappeared. Calling the spirits together, the old dragon king asked, “Who stole the golden-eyed beast of Sire Bull?” The spirits all knelt down and said, “No one would dare steal the beast. After all, all of us were presenting wines and serving the trays before the banquet, while others sang and made music. There was no one out in front.” “No member of this family,” said the old dragon, “would ever dare do such a thing, I know. But did any stranger come in?” “Shortly after we took our seats,” said one of the dragon sons, “there was a crab spirit who got in here. He was a stranger, all right.”

  On hearing this, the Bull King at once realized what had happened. “No need to talk anymore,” he said. “At the time when the invitation of my worthy friend arrived, I was just doing battle with one Sun Wukong, who was accompanying the Tang Monk to seek scriptures. When they could not pass the Mountain of Flames, Sun came to ask me for the palm-leaf fan. I refused and we fought to a draw. Then I left him to attend your great banquet, but that ape has extraordinary intelligence and vast abilities. He must have taken the form of the crab spirit to spy on us, steal the beast, and then go off to my wife’s place to try to wangle that palm-leaf fan.” When they heard this, all those spirits shook with fear. “Is this the Sun Wukong who caused great disturbance in the celestial palace?” they asked. The Bull King said, “The very same. All of you should take care to avoid offending him on the road to the West.” “In that case,” said the old dragon, “what will you do about your beast of burden, Great King?” “Don’t worry,” said the Bull King, laughing. “Please go away now. Let me chase him down.”

  He opened up a path in the water and leaped out of the lagoon. Mounting a yellow cloud, he soon arrived at the Palm-Leaf Cave in the Jade Cloud Mountain, where he heard Rākṣasī wailing loudly, beating her chest and stamping her feet. He pushed open the door and saw the water-repellent golden-eyed beast tied up inside. “Madam,” shouted the Bull King, “where has Sun Wukong gone to?” When the maids saw the Bull Demon, they all went to their knees to say, “Sire, have you returned?” Catching hold of the Bull King, Rākṣasī began to ram him with her head as she screamed: “You wretched reprobate! How could you be so careless and allow that ape to steal your golden-eyed beast, change into your appeareance, and deceive me here?” Gritting his teeth, the Bull King said, “Where did that ape go?” Rākṣasī pounded her own chest some more and screamed again. “After he wangled our treasure, that miserable ape changed back into his original form and left. Oh, I’m so mad I could die!”

  “Madam,” said the Bull King, “please take care of yourself, and don’t be distressed. Let me catch up with the ape and get back our treasure. I’ll skin him, I’ll break his bones, and I’ll gouge out his heart—just to give you satisfaction!” Then he bellowed, “Bring me my weapon!” One of the maids said, “But your weapon isn’t here.” “Then bring me the weapons of your mistress,” said the Bull King. The maids at once took out the two blue-bladed treasure swords. Taking off his duck-green silk jacket that he wore to the banquet, the Bull King tightened the belt around his undershirt before he took up the swords with both hands and walked out of the Palm-Leaf Cave to give chase toward the Mountain of Flames. So it was that

  The ungrateful man

  Had the silly wife deceived;

  The fiery demon

  Now approached the disciple.

  We do not know whether good or ill will befall him after he leaves; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.

  SIXTY-ONE

  Zhu Eight Rules assists in defeating the demon king;

  Pilgrim Sun baits for th
e third time the palm-leaf fan.

  We tell you now about that Bull Demon King, who caught up with the Great Sage Sun. When he saw that the Great Sage was carrying the palm-leaf fan on his shoulder and walking merrily along, he was greatly shaken. “So this monkey,” said the Demon King to himself, “has succeeded in swindling even the method of operating the fan! If I ask him for it face to face, he will certainly refuse me. Moreover, if he fans at me once, he will send me one hundred and eight thousand miles away. Wouldn’t that be to his liking? I have heard that the Tang Monk on his journey is also accompanied by a Hog spirit and a Flowing-Sand spirit, both of whom I met in previous years when they were fiends. Let me change into the appearance of that Hog spirit to deceive the monkey instead. I suppose he’s so pleased with his own success that he must have thrown caution to the winds.”

  Dear Demon King! He, too, was capable of undergoing seventy-two types of transformation, and his martial skill was about the same as that of the Great Sage, albeit his body was huskier, less agile, and not as nimble. Putting away his treasure swords, he recited a spell and, with one shake of his body, changed into the exact appearance of Eight Rules. He sneaked up to the road in front and then walked back facing the Great Sage, calling out: “Elder Brother, I’m here.”

  Our Great Sage was indeed quite pleased with himself! As the ancients said,

  The cat triumphant purrs like a tiger.

  He was thinking only of his own prowess and hardly paid attention to the design of this person drawing near. When he saw a figure resembling Eight Rules, he at once spoke up: “Brother, where are you going?” “When Master saw that you didn’t return after such a long time,” replied the Bull Demon King, working his ploy, “he was afraid that the Bull Demon King was too powerful for you to overcome, and that it would be difficult for you to get his treasure. He therefore asked me to come to meet you.” “Don’t bother,” said Pilgrim, chuckling. “I’ve made it.” “How did you make it?” asked the Bull King.

  Pilgrim said, “That old Bull tangled with me for over a hundred rounds and we fought to a draw. Then he left me to drink with a bunch of female dragons and dragon spirits at the bottom of the Green Wave Lagoon in the Scattered-Rocks Mountain. I followed him secretly by changing into the form of a crab: I stole the water-repellent golden-eyed beast on which he was riding and then changed into the form of the old Bull to go deceive that Rākṣasī in the Palm-Leaf Cave. That woman and old Monkey became a bogus couple for awhile, during which time I managed to wangle the treasure from her.” “You’ve been sorely taxed, Elder Brother,” said the Bull King, “and you’re working too hard. Let me carry the fan for you.” As the Great Sage Sun had no concern to distinguish between the true and the false, he handed over the fan immediately.

  That Bull King, of course, knew how to make the fan grow big or small. After he took it in his hands, he recited some kind of a spell and it at once became as tiny as an almond leaf. Changing back into his true form, he shouted, “Wretched ape! Can you recognize me?” On seeing him, Pilgrim sighed, “It’s my fault this time!” Then he stamped his feet and bellowed, “Damn! I’ve been shooting wild geese for years, but now a tiny goose has pecked me blind!” He became so enraged that he whipped out his iron rod and slammed it down hard on the Bull King’s head. Stepping aside, the Demon King at once used the fan on him. He did not know, however, that when the Great Sage changed previously into a tiny mole cricket to enter the stomach of Rākṣasī, he still had in his mouth that Wind-Arresting Elixir, which he swallowed unwittingly. All his viscera had become firm; his skin and bones were wholly fortified. No matter how hard the Bull King fanned at him, he could not be moved. Horrified, the Bull King tossed the treasure into his own mouth so that he could wield the swords with both of his hands to slash at his opponent. It was some battle that the two of them waged in midair:

  The Great Sage Sun, Equal to Heaven—

  The world-wrecker, lawless Bull King—

  Because of the palm-leaf fan,

  They met, each flaunting his might.

  The careless Great Sage had people deceived;

  The audacious Bull King did swindle the fan.

  For this one, the golden-hooped rod uplifted could no mercy show,

  For that one, the double blue-blades had both power and skill.

  The Great Sage exerting his vigor belched colored fog;

  The Bull King letting loose violence spat out white rays.

  A test of strength

  By two dogged foes;

  Gritting their teeth, they loudly huffed and puffed.

  Spraying dirt and dust made dim Heav’n and Earth;

  Flying rocks and sand awed both ghosts and gods.

  This one said, “You dare be so foolish as to trick me back?”

  That one said, “Would my wife permit you to checkmate her?”

  Their words grew rough;

  Their tempers flared.

  That one said, “You cheat someone’s wife, and you deserve to die!

  You’ll be found guilty when I file my charge!”

  The sly Equal to Heaven Sage—

  The ferocious King Powerful—

  They wished only to kill

  And no discussion allowed.

  The rod struck, the swords came, both working hard.

  A little slackness will make you see Yama King!

  We shall leave this intense conflict between the two of them for the moment and tell you instead about the Tang Monk, who was sitting by the road racked by heat, thirst, and anxiety. He said to the local spirit of the Mountain of Flames, “May I inquire of the honorable deity, how powerful is that Bull Demon King?” “That Bull King,” replied the local spirit, “has vast, boundless magic powers. He is, in fact, the real match of the Great Sage Sun.” “Wukong is usually quite able when it comes to traveling,” said Tripitaka. “A couple of thousand miles hardly requires very much time for him to be back. How is it that he’s gone for a whole day today? He must be fighting with the Bull King.” Then he called out: “Wuneng, Wujing, which of you would like to go meet your elder brother? If you happen to see him fighting our adversary, you can lend him assistance, so that all of you can acquire the fan to relieve my distress. Once we get across this mountain, we can be on our way again.”

  “It’s getting late,” said Eight Rules. “I’d like to go meet him, but I don’t know my way to the Hoard-Thunder Mountain.” “This humble deity knows the way,” said the local spirit. “Let’s ask the Curtain-Raising Captain to keep your master company. I’ll go with you.” Highly pleased, Tripitaka said, “Thank you for taking the trouble. I’ll express my gratitude once more when merit is achieved.”

  Rousing himself, Eight Rules tightened his black silk shirt and put the rake on his shoulder before rising with the local spirit on cloud and fog to head for the east. As they proceeded, they suddenly heard terrific shouts and the howling of wind. When he stopped his cloud to look, Eight Rules discovered that Pilgrim Sun was just doing battle with the Bull King. “Go forward, Heavenly Reeds,” said the local spirit. “What are you waiting for?”

  Firmly gripping his muckrake, our Idiot shouted, “Elder Brother, I’m here!” “Coolie,” said Pilgrim spitefully, “how you’ve upset my great enterprise!” “Master told me to come meet you,” said Eight Rules, “but since I didn’t know the way, I had to discuss the matter before the local spirit agreed to lead me here. I know I’m late, but what do you mean by upsetting your great enterprise?” “I’m not blaming you for your tardiness,” said Pilgrim. “It’s this wretched bull who is most audacious! I got hold of the fan from Rākṣasī, but this fellow changed into your appearance, saying that he came here to meet me. I was so pleased at that moment that I handed over the fan to him. He then changed back to his true form and strove with old Monkey at this place. That’s what I meant by upsetting my great enterprise.”

  Infuriated by what he heard, our Idiot lifted high his muckrake and screamed, “You bloody plague! How dare you change into the
form of your ancestor, deceive my elder brother, and cause enmity to rise among us brothers?” Look at him! He charged into the fray and showered blows madly on the Bull King with his rake. The Bull King, after all, had fought with Pilgrim for nearly one whole day; when he saw how savagely Eight Rules was attacking him with his rake, he could no longer stand his ground and retreated in defeat. His way was barred, however, by the local spirit leading a host of ghost soldiers. “King Powerful,” said the local spirit, “you’d better stop! There is no god who would not protect the Tang Monk on his journey to seek scriptures in the Western Heaven, no Heaven who would not grant him his blessing. This enterprise is known throughout the Three Regions; it has the support of all ten quarters. Quickly use your fan to extinguish the flames so that he may cross the mountain unharmed and unhindered. Otherwise, Heaven will find you guilty and you will certainly be executed.”

  “Local spirit,” said the Bull King, “you’re completely unreasonable! That wretched ape robbed me of my son, insulted my concubine, and deceived my wife. These were his misdeeds time and again. I hate him so much I wish I could swallow him whole and reduce him to dung to feed the dogs! How could I give him my treasure?”

  Hardly had he finished speaking when Eight Rules caught up with him, screaming, “You bezoardic bull! Take out the fan quickly, and I’ll spare your life!” The Bull King had no choice but to turn and fight Eight Rules again with the treasure swords, while the Great Sage Sun raised his rod to help his companion. This was again some battle!

  A spirit-boar,

  A fiend-bull,

  And an ape who stole to Heav’n to gain the Way.

  As always Chan nature knows smelting and strife,

  For earth must be used to fuse the primal cause.

  The rake’s nine prongs are both pointed and sharp;

  The treasure swords’ two blades are quick and smooth.

  The iron rod in use is determination’s staff;1

  Earth god assists to make elixir-head.