by Wu Cheng-En
His feathers were like frost or snow,
His eyes like bright stars.
When evil foxes saw him their souls were scared out of them;
And crafty hares were struck with terror.
His steely claws were sharp as spear-points;
His air was both majestic and ferocious.
He used his talons to seize his food,
And was ready to catch his flying prey himself.
He could fly high and low across the chilly sky,
Swooping through clouds and on his quarry at will.
With a whoosh of his wings he flew towards them, stretched his sharp talons to seize all seven sets of clothes that were hung on the stands and flew straight back to the ridge with them. Here he reverted to his own form to see Pig and Friar Sand.
Just look at the idiot as he comes up to Brother Monkey and says with a grin, “The master must have been taken to a pawnbroker's.”
“How can you tell?” asked Friar Sand.
“Can't you see all those clothes our brother's grabbed?” Pig replied.
“These are the evil spirits' clothes,” said Monkey, putting them down.
“How on earth did you get so many?” Pig asked.
“There are seven outfits,” said Monkey.
“How did you strip them so easily, and strip them naked at that?” Pig asked.
“I didn't have to strip them,” said Monkey. “This place is called Gossamer Ridge, and the farm is called Gossamer Gave. The seven she-devils who live there captured the master, hung him up in their cave and all went off to bathe in the Filth-cleansing Spring. It's a natural hot spring. Their plan was to have a bath then steam the master and eat him. I went there with them and watched them undress and get into the water. I wanted to hit them, but I was worried it would contaminate my cudgel and ruin my reputation so I didn't. I just turned myself into a hungry eagle and grabbed their clothes in my talons. Now they're all squatting in the water, too embarrassed to come out. Let's rescue the master and be on our way as quickly as we can.”
“Brother,” grinned Pig, “you always leave something undone. You could see that they were evil spirits, so why didn't you kill them first then rescue the master? Even if they're too embarrassed to come out now they'll certainly come out after nightfall. They're bound to have enough old clothes at home to be able to put on an outfit each and come after us. Even if they don't come after us they live here permanently and we'll have to come this way back after we've fetched the scriptures. As the saying goes, it's better to get into debt on a journey than to get into a fight. When they stop us and make a row they'll really have it in for us.”
“So what do you suggest?” Monkey asked.
“If you ask me we should kill the demons then rescue the master,” said Pig. “That's what's called cutting down weeds and digging them out by the roots.”
“I'm not going to hit them,” Monkey replied. “If you want them hit go and do it yourself.”
Pig then summoned up his spirits and in high delight rushed straight there, his rake held aloft. As he suddenly pushed the gates open and looked inside he saw the seven women squatting in the water and wildly cursing the eagle.
“Feathery beast,” they were saying, “cat-headed monster. What the hell can we do now you've carried our clothes off?”
Pig could not help laughing as he said to them, “Bodhisattvas, carry on with your bath. Do you mind if I join you?”
“You monk, you're disgrace,” the devils retorted angrily as they saw him. “We're laywomen and you're a man of religion. As the ancient book has it, 'From the age of seven boys and girls do not share the same mat.' You mustn't possibly bathe in the same pool as us.”
“But the weather's so scorching hot I've got no choice,” said Pig. “You'll have to make the best of it and let me take a wash. What do you have to show off all that book-learning about sharing mats for?”
With further argument the idiot dropped his rake, stripped off his cotton tunic and jumped in with a splash, to the fury of the demons who all rushed at him to hit him. Little did they realize how expert Pig was in the water. Once in the pool he shook himself and turned into a catfish spirit. The demons then tried to grab him but even when they caught him they could not get a firm grip. If they grabbed to the East he suddenly shot Westwards, and if they tried to grab him to the West he went East. The funny thing was that he kept wriggling around their crotches. The water was about chest-high, and after swimming around at the surface and then at the bottom of the pool for a while he had covered all of it and was panting and exhausted.
Only then did Pig jump out, turn back into himself, put his tunic back on, pick up his rake and shout, “Who am I then? You thought I was a catfish spirit!”
At the sight of him the demons all trembled with fright and said to Pig, “When you came here first you were a monk, then you turned into a catfish in the water and we couldn't catch you. Now you've dressed like that. Where have you come from? You must tell us your name.”
“Bloody demons, you really don't know who I am,” said Pig. “I'm a disciple of the Venerable Tang Priest, who has been sent from Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures. My title is Marshal Tian Peng and I'm called Zhu Wuneng, or Pig. You've hung my master up in your cave and you're planning to steam him and eat him. Is my master just a meal for you to cook? Stretch your heads out at once. I'm going to smash you all with my rake and wipe the lot of you out.”
At this the demons were scared out of their wits. They fell to their knees in the water, kowtowed to him and said, “Please be kind, reverend sir. We were blind and we captured your master by mistake. Although we did hang him up we haven't tortured him. We beg you in your compassion to spare our lives. We'll gladly give you some money for the journey and send your master on his way to the Western Heaven.”
“Cut that talk out,” said Pig, waving his hands. “It's quite right what they say: 'Once you've been tricked by a confectioner you won't believe sweet-talkers again.' I'm going to hit you with my rake, then we can all go our separate ways.”
The idiot was thoroughly rough and crude and wanted to show off his powers. He was unmoved by their fragrant feminine beauty. Raising his rake he charged them, lashing out wildly without caring what he was doing. The demons acted desperately. Forgetting about their modesty they cared only about saving their lives as covering their private parts with their hands they jumped out of the water and ran into the pavilion. Standing there they used magic to make thick silken ropes come out of their navels, filling the sky with a huge silken canopy under which Pig was caught. When the idiot looked up he could not see the sun in the heavens. He tried to run outside, but he could not lift his feet, which were tangled in silken ropes that covered the ground. When he tried to move his feet he tripped and staggered. He tried going left, but his head crashed to the ground, then tried going right and came a cropper. So he turned round as quickly as he could and kissed the dirt, got himself back on his feet, and collapsed head first once more. Goodness only knows how many times he stumbled and fell till his whole body was numb, his feet sore, his head aching and his eyes blurred. He could no longer even crawl, but lay groaning on the floor. Then the demons tied him up. They neither beat him up nor wounded him, but sprang outside to rush back to their cave, leaving the silken canopy to blot out the daylight.
When they reached the stone bridge they stopped and said the words of a spell. In an instant the silk canopy had been put away, and they all rushed stark naked into the cave, covering their private parts with their hands as they ran giggling past the Tang Priest.
Once inside their bedrooms carved out of the rock they put on old clothes and went straight to the back door of the cave, where they stood and called, “Where are you, children?”
Now each she-devil had a child, not one that she had borne, but an adopted child who had taken her as a mother. They were called Bee, Hornet, Cockroach, Spanish-fly, Grasshopper, Wax-insect and Dragonfly, for such they were. The evil spirits ha
d spread their nets across the sky, caught these seven insects and been on the point of eating them. But as the old saying goes, “Birds have bird language and beasts have beast language.”
The insects had pleaded for their lives and volunteered to take the spirits as their own mothers. Ever since then they had gathered blossoms in the spring and summer flowers for the evil spirits, and as soon as they heard the shouts they appeared and asked, “What orders do you have for us, mothers?”
“Sons,” the demons replied, “this morning we made a mistake and provoked the monk from Tang. His disciples trapped us in the pool and disgraced us. We were almost killed. You must do your utmost. Go outside and drive them away. When you've beaten them come to your uncle's to meet us.” The she-devils then fled for their lives and went to the home of their teacher's senior disciple, where their wicked tongues were to give rise to more disasters, but of that we shall not now speak. Watch while the insects rub their fists in their hands and go out to confront their enemies.
Pig, meanwhile, whose head was spinning after falling over so often, looked up and suddenly saw that the silken canopy and ropes had all disappeared. Groping around he picked himself up, and despite his pain he made his way back the way he had come. As soon as he saw Monkey he grabbed him and said, “Brother, is my head bulging? Is my face all blue?”
“What happened to you?” Monkey asked.
“Those damned creatures caught me under a silken net and tripped me up goodness knows how many times with silk ropes,” Pig replied. “My waist was twisted, my back felt broken and I couldn't move an inch. Then the silk canopy and the ropes all disappeared, so I could escape and come back.”
“Forget about it,” said Friar Sand when he saw him, “forget about it. You asked for trouble. I'm sure the demons have all gone back to the cave to harm the master. We must go and rescue him straight away.”
When Monkey heard this he set out at once as fast as he could and rushed back to the farm while Pig led the horse. Here the seven little devils could be seen standing on the bridge, blocking their way and saying, “Not so fast, not so fast. We're here.”
“What a joke!” said Pig when he saw them. “They're just a bunch of kids. They're only two foot five or six, well under three foot, and they can only weigh eight or nine pounds, not even ten.”
“Who are you?” he shouted.
“We're the sons of the seven immortal ladies,” the little devils replied. “You've insulted our mothers, and now you've got the effrontery to attack us, you ignorant fools. Stay where you are, and watch out.” The splendid monsters then launched a wild onslaught on Pig, who was in a flaming temper after falling over so often. Seeing how tiny the insects were he lifted his rake to strike furious blows at them.
When the little devils saw how ferocious the idiot was they all reverted to their original forms, flew into the air and shouted, “Change!” In an instant each of them became ten, each ten became a hundred, each hundred became a thousand, and each thousand became ten thousand. Every one became a countless number. This is what could be seen:
The sky was full of wax-flies,
Dragonflies danced all over the land.
Bees and hornets went for the head,
Cockroaches jobbed at the eyes.
Spanish-flies bit before and behind,
While grasshoppers stung above and below.
His face was black and crawling with insects:
Even devils or deities would have been scared by their speed.
“Brother,” said Pig in alarm, “you can say what you like about it being easy to fetch the scriptures, but on this road to the West even the insects give you a bad time.”
“Don't be afraid, brother,” said Monkey. “Go for them.”
“But they're flying into my head and my face and all over my body,” replied Pig. “They're at least ten layers deep and all stinging me. How can I go for them?”
“No problem,” said Monkey, “no problem. I know a trick.”
“Whatever it is, brother,” said Friar Sand, “use it right now. His shaven head has swollen up with those bites in no time at all.” The splendid Great Sage pulled out a handful of hairs, chewed them into little bits and blew them out, telling them to turn to golden eagles, falcons, hawks, white eagles, vultures, ospreys and sparrowhawks. “Brother,” said Pig, “what's that jargon about goldens and all that?”
“Something you don't know about,” Monkey replied. “Golden eagles, falcons, hawks, white eagles, vultures, ospreys and sparrowhawks are the seven birds of prey that my hairs turned into. That's because the she-devils' children are insects.” Because the birds were so good at catching insects they got one every time they opened their beaks, grabbed at them with their claws or struck them with their wings. They wiped all the insects out in an instant, leaving no trace of them in the sky. The ground was piled over a foot deep with their bodies.
Only then could the three brothers charge across the bridge and into the cave, where they found their master hanging groaning and sobbing in mid-air. “Master,” said Pig, going up to him, “are you hanging around here for fun? I don't know how many times I've had to fall over on your account.”
“Untie the master before we take this conversation any further,” said Friar Sand. Brother Monkey then snapped the ropes and set the master free, asking, “Where did the evil spirits go?”
“All seven of them ran stark naked through to the back,” the Tang Priest replied. “They were calling for their sons.”
“After them, brothers!” said Monkey. “Follow me!”
The three of them, each holding his weapon, went searching in the back garden, but no sign of them could be found. They looked for them without success under all the peach and plum trees. “They've gone,” said Pig, “they've gone.”
“We can stop looking for them,” said Friar Sand. “I'm going to help the master away from here.” The three brothers then went back to the front, where they asked the Tang Priest to mount up. “You two help the master along the way,” said Pig. “I'm going to smash these buildings to the ground with my rake. Then they'll have nowhere to live when they come back.”
“Smashing the place would be too much effort,” said Monkey. “The best way to cut off their roots would be to find some firewood.” The splendid idiot then gathered some dead pine, broken-off bamboo, dried-out willow and withered creepers that he set alight. The roaring blaze destroyed everything. Only then did master and disciples feel easy enough to be on their way.
If you don't know what of good or evil the demons were to do to them, listen to the explanation in the next installment.
Chapter 73
The Emotions Bear a Grudge and Inflict Disaster
The Heart's Master Smashes the Light When He Meets the Demons
The story tells how the Great Sage Sun supported the Tang Priest as they hurried along the main road to the West together with Pig and Friar Sand. Within a few hours they were in sight of a compound with many tall towers and imposing buildings. “Disciple,” said Sanzang, reining in his horse, “what's that place?” Monkey looked up to gaze at it and this is what he saw.
Tall towers girdled by hills,
Streams winding round pavilions.
Dense grew the wood in front of the gates,
And outside the buildings the scent of flowers hung heavy.
White egrets perched among the willows,
Like flawless jades half hidden in a mist;
Golden orioles sang in the peach-trees,
Flashes of gold in the fiery blossom.
Wild deer in couples
Trod lost to the world across cushions of greenery;
Pairs of mountain birds
Sang as they flew among the red tree-tops.
It was like the Tiantai Cave of Liu and Ruan,
And rivaled the home of the immortals in fairyland.
“Master,” Brother Monkey reported, “that's no princely palace or rich man's mansion. It looks like a Taoist temple or Buddhist mo
nastery. We'll know for sure when we get there.” On hearing this Sanzang whipped on his horse, and when master and disciples reached the gates to look there was a stone tablet set over the gateway on which was written YELLOW FLOWER TEMPLE. Sanzang dismounted.
“Yellow Flower Temple means it's a Taoist place,” said Pig, “so it's all right for us to go in and see them. Although we wear different clothes we cultivate our conduct the same way.”
“You're right,” said Friar Sand. “We can go in and have a look round, and at the same time the horse can have a feed. If it looks suitable we can arrange a meal for the master.”
The master accepted their suggestions and the four of them went inside. A couplet was pasted up on either side of the inner gates:
Palace of immortals: yellow shoots and white snow.
Home of men who can fly: rare and wonderful flowers.
“So the Taoist here refines drugs, plays with a furnace and totes a crucible,” said Monkey with a grin.
“Watch your words,” said Sanzang, giving him a pinch, “watch your words. We don't know them and they are no relations of ours. This is only a passing encounter. Never mind what they are like.” Before he had finished saying these words he went in through the inner gate, where he found the doors of the main hall shut tight and a Taoist master sitting under a covered walkway making elixir pills. Just look at how he was dressed:
On his head a bright red hat all set with gold,
On his body a jet-black Taoist robe.
On his feet a pair of deep green cloud-treading shoes,
Round his waist a brilliant yellow Lu Dongbin sash.
His face was round like a golden melon,
His eyes like bright stars.
His nose was as big and as high as a Muslim's,
And his lips turned back like a Tartar's.
