Chapter 31: Zhu Bajie Rouses the Monkey King; Sun Wukong Outsmarts the Yellow-Robed Demon

Trust between brothers is like a knot in the heart; when the mind returns to its true nature, the Law returns home.
Metal yields and wood is tamed, and both reach rightful fruition; the mind-monkey and the wood-mother join in the cinnabar center.
Together they ascend to the land of bliss, together they come through the gate of nonduality.

The sutra is the road through all cultivation; the Buddha is the original spirit within.
Brother and brother can meet in three pledges; demon and monster answer the five phases.
Cut away the six gates of desire, and at once you arrive at Great Thunderclap.

Now to return: the fool had been seized by a nest of monkeys. They hauled, dragged, and shoved him so hard that they tore one of his frock-coats. He muttered to himself as he went, "Well, well. This trip is likely to end in a beating or a killing."

Before long they came to the cave mouth.

The Great Sage sat on a stone cliff and cursed him. "You bag-of-bran blockhead! If you meant to go, then go. Why were you cursing me?"

Bajie knelt on the ground and said, "Brother, I was not cursing you. If I were cursing you, I would have bitten off my own tongue. I only said that if my brother would not go, I would go by myself to report to Master. How could I dare curse you?"

Wukong said, "Do you think you can hide things from me? If I tug my left ear upward, I hear the people of the thirty-three heavens speaking. If I tug my right ear downward, I hear the ten kings of hell settling accounts with the judges.

You were cursing me while you walked. How could I not hear it?"

Bajie said, "Brother, I know you are sly as a fox and a weasel. You must have turned into some object and followed me to listen."

Wukong shouted, "You little ones, fetch the big cudgel! First give him twenty blows on the face, then twenty on the back, and after that let me send him off with my iron staff."

Bajie was so frightened he knocked his head to the ground. "Brother, for the love of Master, spare me."

Wukong said, "I do think our master is a man of mercy."

Bajie said, "Brother, if not for Master, then for the Bodhisattva who lives on the sea. Spare me, I beg you."

When Wukong heard the Bodhisattva mentioned, he softened a little.

"Brother," he said, "since you have put it that way, I will not beat you for now. But speak honestly, and do not try to hide things from me. Where is Tripitaka in trouble, and why have you come here to fool me?"

Bajie said, "Brother, there is no trouble at all. I only missed you."

Wukong cursed him. "You deserve a beating, you wretched thing. Why are you still trying to fool me? Old Sun may live in Water-Curtain Cave, but his heart follows the monk seeking scriptures. Master meets danger at every step. Hurry up and tell me the truth, or I will beat you."

Hearing that, Bajie kowtowed and blurted out, "Brother, I clearly meant to hide it and ask you to come, but who would have thought you were this sharp? Spare me the beating, and let me get up to speak."

"Very well," said Wukong. "Get up and speak."

The monkeys let go of him.

The fool sprang to his feet and looked all around. Wukong said, "What are you looking for?"

Bajie said, "I am just looking for a road that is a little wide, in case I have to run."

Wukong said, "Run where? I will let you get three days ahead of me, and Old Sun will still have the means to catch you. Speak, and speak quickly. This anger has roused my temper, and I will never spare you."

Bajie said, "I will not hide it from you, brother. After you left, Brother Sha and I escorted Master onward. We came to a black pine forest, and Master got down from the horse and told me to beg for alms. The nearest house was far away, and there was no one there. I was tired, so I lay down in the grass for a little while. Then Brother Sha came looking for me after leaving Master behind. You know Master cannot sit still; he wandered by himself through the forest looking at the scenery.

When he got out of the woods, he saw a golden pagoda shining with light and thought it must be a temple. But there was a monster under the pagoda. His name was Yellow-Robed, and he captured Master. Later Brother Sha and I went back to search. We found only the white horse and the luggage, not Master.

We followed the trail to the cave mouth and fought that fiend. Luckily the princess of Baoxiang Kingdom had been taken there by the monster. She had written a letter home and asked Master to deliver it. Thanks to that, Master got a chance to be freed. When we reached the kingdom and delivered the letter, the king asked Master to subdue the demon and recover his daughter. Brother, you know the old monk has no skill at subduing demons. The two of us went back to fight, and that monster's powers were vast. He captured Brother Sha as well. I was defeated and fled, hiding in the grass. Then that creature transformed into a handsome scholar and went to court, where he claimed kinship with the king and turned Master into a tiger.

Luckily the White Dragon Horse revealed his dragon form at night and went searching for Master. He did not find him, but he ran into that monster in the Silver-An Hall drinking wine. He transformed into a palace maid and kept pace with him at the table, dancing with a knife, hoping to find an opening and strike. Instead, the monster hit him with a full-moon red and injured one of his legs.

He was the one who told me to come and ask for you. He said, 'Brother is a gentleman of mercy and justice. A gentleman does not bear old grudges. He is sure to come and save Master from trouble.'

Brother, for the sake of a single day as teacher, a lifetime as father, I beg you to rescue him."

Wukong said, "You fool, when I left, I told you again and again, 'If a demon captures Master, just say that Old Sun is his eldest disciple.' Why did you not say it?"

Bajie rolled his eyes and thought, "It is better to coax than to urge." So he said, "Brother, not saying your name was one thing. But because I said it, the monster got even more insolent."

Wukong said, "How so?"

Bajie said, "I told him: 'Monster, do not be rude. Do not harm my master. I still have a senior brother named Sun Wukong. He has vast powers and is skilled at subduing demons. When he comes, he will leave you with no burial place.'

When the monster heard that, he grew even angrier and cursed, 'What sort of Sun Wukong is that? Am I supposed to fear him? If he comes, I will strip his skin, pull out his sinews, gnaw his bones, and eat his heart. If the monkey is too skinny, I will chop him up and stew him in oil.'"

Wukong flew into such a rage that he scratched at his ears and cheeks and leaped about in a fury. "Which one dares curse me like that?"

Bajie said, "Brother, calm down. It was the Yellow-Robed Demon who said it. I am only repeating his words for you."

Wukong said, "My good brother, get up. It is not that I cannot go. Since this demon dared curse me, I cannot help but bring him down. I will go with you.

Five hundred years ago, when Old Sun made havoc in Heaven, all the heavenly generals bowed and scraped before me and called me Great Sage. This monster is rude enough to curse me to my face and behind my back. I will go and take him, tear him to pieces, and avenge his insult. After that I will come back."

Bajie said, "Brother, that is exactly right. If you only take the demon and avenge yourself, then whether you come back or not is up to you."

The Great Sage sprang down from the cliff and into the cave, shed the monster's robe, smoothed his brocade frock-coat and tiger-skin skirt, took up the iron staff, and went straight out. The monkeys were so alarmed that they blocked his way.

"Great Sage, where are you going? You ought to take us along and play for a few years as well."

Wukong said, "Little ones, what a thing to say. This business of escorting Tripitaka is known in Heaven and on earth. Sun Wukong is Tripitaka's disciple. It is not that Master dismissed me and I came home; he only sent me back to look in on you and play at home for a while. But now that this matter has come up, you must keep careful watch over the estate, plant willows and pines on time, and not let things decay. I still have to go escort Tripitaka west and fetch the scriptures back to the East Country. When the work is done, I will return and share your free and easy life."

The monkeys all obeyed.

Wukong then joined hands with Bajie, rode a cloud, left the cave, crossed the Eastern Sea, and reached the western shore. There he stopped the cloud and said, "Brother, wait here a moment while I go wash myself in the sea."

Bajie said, "We are in a hurry. Why are you washing now?"

Wukong said, "You do not understand. Ever since I came back, I have picked up some demon smell these past few days. Master is a very clean man. I fear he may dislike it."

Only then did Bajie realize that Wukong truly had no other intent.

Before long the washing was done, and they once again rode the clouds westward. Soon they saw the golden pagoda shining.

Bajie pointed and said, "Is that not the Yellow-Robed Demon's place? Brother Sha is still in his house."

Wukong said, "You stay up in the sky. Let me go down and see what is happening at the gate, so I can meet the demon properly."

Bajie said, "Do not go. The demon is not at home."

Wukong said, "I know."

The Great Sage lowered his auspicious cloud and went to the cave gate. There he saw two little children playing with bent-headed sticks and batting a fur ball around. One was about ten, the other eight or nine. Wukong rushed up, paid no mind to whose children they were, seized them by the crowns of their caps, and lifted them away.

The children were so frightened that they screamed and cried and cursed in a jumble. This alarmed the demons of Wolf-Moon Cave, who hurried to report to the princess, "Madam, someone has snatched away the two young princes."

It turned out those two children were the monster's sons by the princess.

The princess hurried out of the cave and saw Wukong holding the children on a high cliff, clearly about to throw them down.

She cried sharply, "You man there, I have no quarrel with you. Why have you taken my sons? Their father is a hard man, and if you make the slightest mistake, he will never let you off."

Wukong said, "Do you not recognize me? I am Sun Wukong, eldest disciple of Tripitaka the Tang monk. I have a junior brother, Sha Wujing, imprisoned in your cave. Go and release him, and I will give your two children back. One for one, you are still the one getting the better of the bargain."

The princess heard this and hurried inside, drove away the gate demons, and personally untied Sha Wujing.

Sha Wujing said, "Princess, do not untie me. If your monster comes home and asks where I am, you will only get dragged into trouble."

The princess said, "Reverend, you are my benefactor. You argued the letter home for me and saved my life. I have kept my mind set on letting you go. But just outside the cave gate your eldest brother Sun Wukong came and told me to release you."

When Sha Wujing heard the three words "Sun Wukong," it was as if sweet dew had been poured into his head and honey into his heart. Delight seemed to bloom across him from the marrow outward. It was not at all like hearing of some ordinary arrival; it was as if he had picked up a slab of gold or jade.

He shook himself free, brushed his clothes, came out through the gate, and bowed to Wukong.

"Brother, you truly have come down from the sky. I beg you, save me."

Wukong laughed. "You little monk, when Master chants the Tightening Spell, will you still recite a favor for me? You all set up your mouths to brag, saying you would protect Master. Why did you not take the western road and instead squat here?"

Sha Wujing said, "Brother, enough. As the old saying goes, a gentleman does not pry into what has passed. We are defeated soldiers and have no business talking about valor. Save me, save me."

Wukong said, "Get up here."

Sha Wujing leaped up onto the cliff.

Meanwhile Bajie had been hovering in the air. Seeing Brother Sha come out of the cave, he dropped his cloud and called, "Brother Sha, keep your heart steady."

Sha Wujing saw him and said, "Second Brother, where did you come from?"

Bajie said, "Yesterday I was defeated, and at night I went into the city, where I met the White Dragon Horse. When I learned Master was in trouble and had been turned into a tiger by the Yellow-Robed Demon, the White Horse and I discussed it and invited Brother to come."

Wukong said, "Fool, stop catching up on old matters. Take these two children, each of you carry one, and first go into Baoxiang Kingdom to stir up that monster. I will wait here and beat him."

Sha Wujing said, "Brother, how are we to stir him up?"

Wukong said, "You two ride the cloud, stand on the Golden Throne Hall, and without bothering about good and bad, fling the children down before the white jade steps.

If anyone asks who you are, say that the children belong to the Yellow-Robed Demon and were taken by the two of you. When he hears that, he will surely come back. Then I will not need to enter the city to fight him. If we fight on the city walls, we will have to blow clouds and breathe mist and raise dust, and we will alarm the court officials and the common people alike."

Bajie laughed. "Brother, when you do business, you leave us standing on the left edge every time."

Wukong said, "How do I leave you on the left edge?"

Bajie said, "These two children were already half dead of terror when you grabbed them. After this much crying, they are likely hoarse already. If we throw them down and make meat cakes of them, and the monster comes after us, will he let it go? He will surely demand our lives. Then are you still clean? Not even a witness is left for you. You would have left us on the left edge."

Wukong said, "If he grabs you, then you two fight him back here. This place is broad enough for a battle, and I will wait here to beat him."

Sha Wujing said, "Exactly so, exactly so. Big Brother speaks rightly. Let us go."

The two of them then took the children and went off with full confidence.

Wukong leaped down from the cliff and stood below the tower gate.

The princess said, "You monk, you have no faith at all. You said that if I let your junior brother go, you would give me my children back. Now you have let your brother go and still kept my children. What are you doing at my gate?"

Wukong smiled. "Do not be angry, Princess. Your children have been sent to recognize their maternal grandfather."

The princess said, "Monk, do not be rude. My Yellow-Robed husband is unlike ordinary men. If you frighten my children, he will take it to heart."

Wukong said, "Princess, a man lives under heaven and earth. What is so offensive about that?"

The princess said, "I know."

Wukong said, "You are a woman. What do you know?"

The princess said, "Since childhood I have lived in the palace and received my parents' instruction. I remember the old books say, 'Of the three thousand punishments, none is greater than unfilial conduct.'"

Wukong said, "Then you are exactly unfilial. For it is said, 'My father gave me life; my mother nursed me. O my parents, the labor of your birth is bitter indeed.' Filial piety is the root of all conduct and the source of every good thing.

How can you live with a demon and never think of your parents? You are guilty of unfilial conduct. How can you deny it?"

The princess heard this plain speaking and after a while her ears and face were both red. She felt no place to hide her shame.

Then she blurted out, "Master's words are most excellent. How could I not think of my parents? It is only that the demon has lured me and trapped me here. His rules are strict, and I cannot get away. The road is long and the mountains are high, and there is no one to carry a message home. I have even thought of killing myself, but I fear my parents would think I had run away, and the matter would never be made clear. So I have had no choice but to keep breathing in misery. Truly I am a great criminal in heaven and earth."

As she spoke, the tears poured down like a spring.

Wukong said, "Princess, do not grieve. Zhu Bajie told me you wrote a letter and thereby saved my master from death. Your letter showed your longing for your parents as well. Old Sun is here, and I will surely capture the monster and take you back to court. Then you can seek another good match and attend your parents in their old age.

What do you say to that?"

The princess said, "Monk, do not seek your own death. Yesterday your two junior brothers fought well enough and still could not defeat my Yellow-Robed husband. You are such a thin ghost with hardly any muscle on your bones, looking like a crab with its bones on the outside. What ability do you have that makes you talk about capturing a demon?"

Wukong laughed. "You have no eye for men and do not know who I am. There is a saying: 'A bladder may be large but weigh nothing; a scale weight may be small but press down a thousand catties.' Their looks are all big and useless. They walk the road making a fuss, waste cloth for their clothes, start fires with empty hearts, and have soft waists and no strength. Old Sun may be small, but I have the substance."

The princess said, "Do you truly have the skill?"

Wukong said, "My skill? You have not seen it yet. I am exceptionally good at subduing monsters."

The princess said, "Do not deceive me."

Wukong said, "I will not deceive you."

The princess said, "Since you can subdue monsters, how will you catch him now?"

Wukong said, "Go aside for a moment and do not stay before my eyes. If he comes and sees you, he may not let his hands be free. You might grow attached to him and not bear to part."

The princess said, "Why would I not bear to part? I have only remained here because I had no choice."

Wukong said, "You have been his wife for thirteen years. How can there be no feeling? When I see him, I will not toy with him. One staff blow is one staff blow, one fist blow is one fist blow. I must beat him down before you can return to court."

The princess followed Wukong's instructions and hid in a quiet place. Her marriage had reached its destined end, which is why the Great Sage came at that very moment. Wukong hid the princess and then changed himself into her exact likeness, returning to the cave to wait for the monster.

Meanwhile Bajie and Sha Wujing carried the two children back into Baoxiang Kingdom and flung them down before the white jade steps. They landed with a sound like meat cakes. Blood burst out, and their bones were smashed to powder.

The court officials were horrified. "This is bad! Two people have been thrown down from the sky!"

Bajie shouted in a loud voice, "Those children are the Yellow-Robed Demon's sons. Old Pig and Brother Sha have brought them here!"

The monster was still in the Silver-An Hall, not yet awake from a hangover. In the middle of sleep he heard someone call his name, rolled over, and looked up. There in the cloud were Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, shouting at him.

The monster thought to himself, "Zhu Bajie is one thing. But Sha Wujing is tied up in my house. How did he get free? Why would my wife let him go? How did my children end up in their hands? This must be Zhu Bajie tricking me into coming out so he can fight me. If I admit this nonsense, I will have to battle them. But I am still drunk. If he lands a rake on me, won't I lose all my face and have my secret exposed? I had better go home and see whether those are my sons before I speak."

So that monster did not even take leave of the king. He turned back through the mountains and woods and went straight for the cave to check the matter.

By then the court already knew he was a demon. During the night he had eaten one palace maid, and seventeen others had escaped alive. At the fifth watch the king had been informed of the whole affair, so that his true nature was now plain.

The king had the court officials keep watch over the false tiger and need not be followed further.

Now the monster had returned to the cave gate. Wukong saw him coming and used a trick to fool him. He squeezed his eyes, let tears fall like rain, stamped his feet, beat his chest, and cried loudly inside the cave.

The monster, for the moment, did not recognize him. He hurried up and embraced him.

"Wife, what is the matter? Why are you so troubled?"

Then the Great Sage, in the role he had spun for himself, used false words to weep and said, "Husband, as the old saying goes: 'If a man has no wife, he has no household; if a woman has no husband, she stands alone in the world.'

You entered court yesterday to acknowledge kin, so why did you not come back? This morning Zhu Bajie robbed Sha Wujing, and then they snatched away our two children. I begged them and begged them, but they would not forgive me. They said they had taken the children to court to let them recognize their maternal grandfather. I have not seen the children for half a day, and I do not know whether they are alive or dead. You did not even come home. How am I supposed to bear it? That is why I could not stop myself from crying."

When the monster heard that, he flew into a rage. "Are those truly my children?"

Wukong said, "They were taken by Zhu Bajie."

The demon was furious enough to jump in place. "Enough, enough. If my children were thrown down and killed, they cannot live. I can only take the monk and make him pay with his life. Wife, do not cry. How do you feel now? Let me take a look and cure you."

Wukong said, "I am not too bad. I just cannot bear the children and have cried so much that my heart hurts."

The monster said, "Never mind. Stand up. I have a treasure here. If I rub it on the painful spot, the pain will be gone. But be careful and do not let my thumb touch you. If my thumb touches you, my true form will be revealed."

When Wukong heard this, he laughed inwardly. "This fiend is honest enough. He does not use torture, but confessed on his own. Let him bring out the treasure, and I will try tapping it to see what sort of monster he is."

The monster took Wukong by the hand and led him deep into the cave, into the most secluded and hidden place. Then he spat out a treasure the size of a hen's egg. It was a crystal inner elixir, a relic-pellet.

Wukong was secretly delighted. "What a treasure. No one knows how many sittings and labors, how many hardships, and how many rounds of balancing the male and female essences went into refining this inner pellet and relic. Today it has a grand fate, for it has met Old Sun."

He took it over, pretended there was no pain, and tapped it once with a finger. The monster panicked and snatched at it. But think how quick the monkey was: he opened his mouth and swallowed the treasure whole.

The monster clenched his fist and struck. Wukong blocked him with one hand, wiped his own face, revealed his true form, and shouted, "Monster, no rudeness. Look carefully and see who I am!"

The monster stared and cried out in alarm, "Ah! Wife, why are you wearing that face?"

Wukong cursed him. "You filthy monster! Who is your wife? You do not even recognize your own ancestors."

The monster suddenly brightened. "You do look somewhat familiar to me."

Wukong said, "I will not beat you for now. Recognize me properly."

The monster said, "Though you seem familiar, I cannot recall your name for the moment. Who are you? Where did you come from? Where did you hide my wife, and why have you come to trick my treasure? You are truly rude and hateful."

Wukong said, "You still do not know me. I am Tripitaka's eldest disciple, called Sun Wukong. I am your ancestor from five hundred years ago."

The monster said, "There is no such thing. There is no such thing. When I captured Tripitaka, I knew only that he had two disciples, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing. I never heard anyone mention a Sun. You must be some strange creature from who knows where, come here to cheat me."

Wukong said, "I did not travel with those two. My master, because Old Sun kills demons too readily and has slain too many, is a merciful man and sent me back. That is why I did not come with them.

You are the one who does not know your ancestor's name."

The monster said, "You are no man at all. Since your master dismissed you, what face do you have left to come see people?"

Wukong said, "You filthy monster, do you not know the old saying, 'A single day as master lasts a lifetime as father'? And, 'There can be no overnight grudge between father and son'? You harmed my master. Why should I not come to save him? It would have been enough that you harmed him. Why did you also curse me before my face and behind my back?"

The monster said, "When did I ever curse you?"

Wukong said, "Zhu Bajie told me."

The monster said, "Do not believe him. That Zhu Bajie has a long snout and likes to run his wife-hole. Why listen to him?"

Wukong said, "There is no need to waste words. Old Sun has come to your house today, and you have treated your guest badly. Even if you have no wine and food to offer, you at least have a head.

Stretch your head over here and let me use it as tea for a staff-blow."

When the monster heard that he was to be beaten, he laughed aloud. "Sun Wukong, you have made a bad calculation. Since you say you want to beat me, you should not have followed me inside. I have more than a hundred demons, and even if you had hands all over your body, you still could not beat your way out of my gate."

Wukong said, "Do not babble. Even if you had a few thousand or ten thousand, as long as I can sort them out one by one, I will not miss a single blow and will cut off your root and branch."

The monster was startled and at once called out an order. All the demons from before the mountain and behind the mountain, inside the cave and outside the cave, were summoned, each with weapons in hand. They packed the three or four layers of gates tight and would not let anything out.

Wukong was delighted. He adjusted his staff with both hands and shouted, "Change!" At once he became three-headed and six-armed. He shook the Golden-Hooped Rod and it turned into three such staffs.

Six hands wielded three staffs as he fought his way through the cave like a tiger among sheep or an eagle in a chicken coop. Alas, the little demons were struck into pulp where they were hit, and blood poured like water where they were clipped. He moved back and forth across the field as though there were no one there at all.

Only one old monster remained, rushing out of the cave to curse him. "You filthy monkey, you are truly a shameless bully. How dare you come to my door and abuse my household?"

Wukong turned and beckoned with his hand. "Come, come. I will make a name by beating you down."

The monster raised his treasured saber and slashed straight down. The Great Sage drew his iron staff and met the blow head-on. In the mountain top haze, half in cloud and half in mist, the battle raged:

The Great Sage's powers were immense; the demon's skill was also high.
One held a straight iron staff; the other raised a steel-sheathed saber.
The saber rose lightly, and bright rosy light flashed; the staff met it gently, and colored clouds drifted.
They guarded their heads and turned again and again; they reversed their bodies and circled many times.
One changed face with the wind; one shook his body where he stood.
One opened blazing eyes and stretched out ape-like arms; the other gleamed with golden eyes and bent like a tiger's waist.
You came and I went in fierce exchange; saber met staff and spared nothing.
The monkey king's iron rod followed military art; the monster's steel blade obeyed the old war classics.
One was a master of practiced demonic arts; one spread great powers to protect Tripitaka.
The ferocious monkey king grew more ferocious; the gallant monster grew more gallant.
Neither cared for life or death as they fought in the clouds, all for the sake of Tripitaka's road to Buddha.

They fought fifty or sixty rounds without a winner. Wukong secretly rejoiced. "This filthy monster can actually hold off Old Sun's staff. I will show him an opening and see whether he recognizes it."

The Great Sage raised his staff in a high-reaching horse stance.

The monster did not see the trap. When he saw an opening, he whirled his treasured saber and drove down toward the lower line. Wukong swiftly turned into a middle-guard stance, parried the blade, then used the move "peach theft beneath the leaves" and struck the monster on the crown of the head with one staff blow.

The monster vanished without a trace.

Wukong drew back his staff and looked, but the monster was gone. He was startled.

"Son," he said, "you cannot take a beating. One blow and you are gone. If I had really killed you, there should be at least some blood or gore. Why is there not a trace? It must be that you escaped."

He leaped into the clouds to look around, but there was no movement anywhere.

"Old Sun's eyes miss nothing. Wherever I look, I can see it all at a glance. How could he get away so cleanly? I know what happened. That monster said he recognized me a little. He must not be a common earthly fiend. He is probably some spirit from heaven."

In his anger the Great Sage could no longer hold himself in check. He clutched his iron staff, turned a somersault, and sprang straight to the Southern Heaven Gate.

The guardians Pang, Liu, Gou, Bi, Zhang, Tao, Deng, Xin, and the others were alarmed. They bowed to him on both sides and did not dare stop him. He charged into the gate and straight down to the Hall of Great Brilliance.

At once the Four Great Heavenly Masters Zhang, Ge, Xu, and Qiu came forward and asked, "What brings the Great Sage here?"

Wukong said, "I escorted Tripitaka to Baoxiang Kingdom, where a demon tricked the kingdom's princess and harmed my master. Old Sun fought him. In the middle of the battle the fiend disappeared. I think he was not an earthly demon at all but some spirit from heaven, so I have come to investigate which celestial spirit went astray."

The Heavenly Masters heard this and went at once to report to the Hall of Miraculous Mist. The Jade Emperor then ordered an investigation among the Nine Luminaries, the Twelve Heavenly Branches, the Five Dipper Lords of east, west, south, north, and center, the stars of the Milky Way, the Five Sacred Mountains, the Four Great Rivers, and all the spirits of heaven and earth. Not one was found out of place.

Then they checked the twenty-eight lunar lodges outside the Bull and Girl mansions, and only twenty-seven were present. One was missing: the Kui star.

The Heavenly Masters returned and reported, "Kui Mulang has gone down to the mortal world."

The Jade Emperor asked, "How long has he been absent from heaven?"

The Heavenly Masters said, "He is not reviewed at the four watch registrations. The roster is checked every three days, and now it has already been thirteen days."

The Jade Emperor said, "Thirteen days in heaven means thirteen years below."

He at once ordered his own division to bring him back up.

The twenty-seven lodge officers took the command, left the gate of heaven, and recited their spells, startling Kui Mulang. Where was he hiding? It turned out that he had once been a divine general who had been frightened during Sun Wukong's havoc in Heaven. He had hidden in a mountain stream valley, where the water vapor covered his demon clouds and kept him out of sight. When he heard the spell of his own division, he dared finally show himself and follow them back up.

The Great Sage blocked the Heaven Gate and meant to fight, but thanks to the efforts of the stars he was restrained and brought before the Jade Emperor.

The monster took the golden tablet from his waist and knelt below the hall to confess his guilt. The Jade Emperor said, "Kui Mulang, heaven has limitless splendor and you do not enjoy it, yet you ran off secretly to another realm. Why?"

Kui Mulang knelt and replied, "Your Majesty, forgive this minister's death. The princess of Baoxiang Kingdom was not an ordinary mortal. She was originally a jade maiden who attended incense in the Hall of Fragrant Splendor. Because she wished to have secret dealings with me, I feared to soil the splendor of heaven, so I did not keep the appointed meeting. She longed for the mortal world first and descended to be born in the inner palace of a royal house. I did not fail her at the old appointment. I transformed into a demon, occupied a famous mountain, carried her off to my cave, and made her my wife for thirteen years. As the saying goes, 'One drink and one bite are all fixed long ago.' Now the Great Sage Sun has come and completed the matter."

Hearing this, the Jade Emperor took back the golden tablet and demoted him to the Tusita Palace to tend the fires for Lord Lao, with salary retained and service assigned. If he performed well, he would be restored; if not, his punishment would be increased.

When Wukong saw how the Jade Emperor disposed of the matter, he was pleased. He bowed up to heaven, saluted the officials, and said, "Your honors, I am taking my leave."

The Heavenly Masters laughed. "That monkey is still so rustic. We have captured the demon for him and he does not even thank Heaven's grace. He just salutes and goes."

The Jade Emperor said, "As long as he has no trouble, it is heaven's good fortune to keep the place peaceful."

The Great Sage brought down the auspicious light and returned straight to the Moon-Basin Mountain Black Pine Cave, where he found the princess and told her clearly what had happened in heaven and how the demon had gone down to the world to marry and do evil.

Then, from the air, Bajie and Sha Wujing cried out sharply, "Brother, there is a demon. Leave a few for us to beat!"

Wukong said, "The demon is utterly finished."

Sha Wujing said, "Since the demon has been wiped out, there is nothing more to delay. Let us take the princess back to the palace. Do not open your eyes. Brothers, use the shrinking-earth method."

The princess only heard the wind rushing in her ears. In a flash they were back in the city, and the three of them led her up onto the golden throne hall.

The princess bowed to her father and mother and greeted her sisters. The court officials all came to pay respects.

Then the princess reported, "Thanks entirely to the boundless power of Sun the Elder, the Yellow-Robed Demon has been subdued and this slave has been rescued and returned."

The king asked, "What kind of monster is this Yellow-Robe?"

Wukong said, "Your Majesty's consort is a star from heaven, the Kui star. Your daughter is a jade maiden who attended incense. Because she longed for the mortal world, she descended among men. This is no trivial matter. It all stems from a former bond. The monster was reported by Old Sun to the Jade Emperor, and the emperor found that he had missed the four watch registrations and had been absent from heaven for thirteen days - which is thirteen years below, since one day in heaven equals one year below. He was then ordered back to heaven by his own division and sent to the Tusita Palace to do his service. Old Sun has restored Your Majesty's daughter to you."

The king thanked Wukong for his kindness and ordered them to go see their master.

The three of them went down from the hall and into the court offices, where they brought out the iron cage and removed the false tiger's chains.

Everyone else saw only a tiger, but Wukong alone saw a man. It turned out that Tripitaka had been stunned by the monster's magic and could not move. He knew what was happening in his heart, but his mouth and eyes would not open.

Wukong laughed. "Master, you are a good monk indeed. How did you end up looking like this? You blamed me for acting rough and evil and drove me away. You wanted to be a man of goodness, yet in one moment you ended up with such a face."

Bajie said, "Brother, rescue him already. Do not keep teasing him."

Wukong said, "You are the one who always stirred things up. You are his favorite disciple. If you will not save him, why did you come looking for Old Sun? I told you from the start that once I had subdued the demon and avenged the insult to my name, I would come back."

Brother Sha stepped forward and knelt. "Brother, as the old saying says, 'Do not look at the monk's face; look at the Buddha's face.' Since you have come this far, I beg you to save him. If we could save him ourselves, we would never have gone so far to ask you."

Wukong raised him with one hand. "How could I ever mean not to save him? Quick, bring water."

Bajie flew like a star back to the post station, fetched the luggage and horse, took out the purple-gold alms bowl, and filled it half-full of water, which he handed to Wukong.

Wukong took the water in his hand, muttered the true words, and spat a mouthful onto the tiger's head. The demon spell fell away, and the tiger air dispersed.

The elder resumed his true form, opened his eyes, and at last recognized Wukong.

He grabbed him by the arm and said, "Wukong, where did you come from?"

Brother Sha stood on one side and told in detail the whole matter of inviting Wukong, subduing the demon, saving the princess, breaking the tiger spell, and returning to court.

Tripitaka thanked him beyond measure. "My worthy disciples, you have done well. Thanks to you, we may reach the Western Heaven and return straight to the East to report to the Tang Emperor. Your merit comes first."

Wukong laughed. "Do not say more. If only you do not chant that old spell, I already feel rewarded by your kindness."

When the king heard this, he again thanked the four pilgrims. He prepared a vegetarian banquet and opened the eastern guest hall wide for them. Master and disciples accepted the royal favor and took their leave to head west.

The king personally led the court to escort them far from the city.

This is exactly the truth: the king returned to his jeweled hall to settle his realm, while the monk departed for Thunderclap to see the Buddha.

But as for what else may follow, and how many days it will be before they reach the Western Heaven, that must wait for the next chapter.