Chapter 70: The Demon King's Treasure Spews Smoke, Sand, and Fire; Sun Wukong Schemes to Steal the Purple-Gold Bells

Now to return to Sun Wukong. He shook himself with divine force, gripped the iron staff, and rode auspicious light into the sky. He faced the creature and shouted, "What evil fiend are you, and where do you think you are going to run wild?"

The monster cried back, "We are no others. We are the vanguard under Great King Sai Tai Sui of Xiezhi Cave on Qilin Mountain. At our king's command we have come to fetch two palace maids to serve the Golden Sage Empress. Who are you to question me?"

Wukong said, "I am Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. I am escorting Tripitaka of the Great Tang west to worship the Buddha. Passing through your kingdom, I learned that your band of fiends bullies your ruler, and I have come to show my talents and cleanse the state of evil. I was looking for you and now you come here to die."

The monster, not knowing better, thrust his long spear straight at Wukong. Wukong raised his iron staff to meet him head-on. In midair the battle was fierce indeed:

The staff was a rare treasure that had once guarded the Dragon Palace, and the spear was forged in the human world.
How could an earthly weapon compare with an immortal one? One brush of their edges was enough to leak away the spirit.
The Great Sage was a true immortal of the Lesser Vehicle's highest mystery; the monster was only an evil and crooked fiend.
How could a ghostly trick come near a rightful man? Once the right is in place, evil is extinguished.
One stirred wind and rolled dust to frighten the king; the other walked on mist and rode clouds to hide the sun and moon.
They threw away all restraint and wagered victory and defeat. Who among the worthless could boast of heroism?
In the end the Great Sage proved the stronger, and with one clang the spear broke first.

Wukong smashed the monster's spear in two with one iron blow. The creature, frightened for his life, turned his wind around and fled west in defeat.

Wukong did not pursue him. He lowered the cloud and came to the entrance of the Demon-Repelling Tower pit, where he called out, "Master, please come out with His Majesty. The monster has already been driven away."

Only then did Tripitaka support the king and come out of the pit. The sky was clear all over, and no trace of evil air remained.

The king went to the banquet table himself, lifted the pot and cup, and filled a golden goblet to the brim for Wukong. "Holy monk, let me thank you for the moment," he said.

Wukong took the cup in his hand but had not yet replied when an official came in from outside the palace gate and reported, "Fire has broken out at the west gate!"

Wukong heard this, flung the golden goblet and wine up into the air, and with a clang the cup fell to the ground.

The king was alarmed and bowed low. "Holy monk, forgive me, forgive me. I was in the wrong. I should have invited you to the hall and thanked you there. Because there happened to be this convenient wine at hand, I offered it here. Now that you have flung the cup aside, surely you do not mean to take offense?"

Wukong laughed. "Not at all."

Before long another official came to report, "Good rain! The fire at the west gate has just been put out by a heavy shower. The streets are full of runoff, and the whole place smells of wine."

Wukong laughed again. "Your Majesty, when you saw me throw down the cup, you thought I was offended. That is not so. The monster fled westward, and I did not chase him. He immediately set a fire. That cup of wine was what I used to extinguish the demon fire and save the people inside and outside the western city. How could I have meant anything else?"

The king was even more pleased and showed him even deeper respect. He invited Tripitaka and the four pilgrims to the treasure hall, plainly ready to yield his throne if need be.

Wukong laughed. "Your Majesty, the monster just now claimed to be the vanguard of Sai Tai Sui and said he came for palace maidens. Since he has been beaten back, he will surely report to that fellow, and that fellow will certainly come to fight me. I fear he may set his troops in motion at once and again frighten the common people and alarm Your Majesty. I want to go meet him and seize him in midair, then bring back the holy empress. But which direction does he come from? How far is it from here to his cave?"

The king said, "I once sent night scouts and horsemen there to sound out the situation. A round trip takes more than fifty days. It lies in the south, about three thousand miles away."

Wukong heard this and called, "Bajie, Wujing, keep the master safe here. Old Sun is going."

The king held him back. "Holy monk, wait one more day. We will prepare some dry provisions, roasted food, travel silver, and a fast horse for you before you go."

Wukong laughed. "Your Majesty speaks like someone who means to walk over mountain passes on foot. I will not hide it from you: three thousand miles is a trip where the wine in the cup is not yet cold before I am back."

The king said, "Holy monk, do not take offense at what I am about to say, but your noble face looks much like a monkey. How can you possibly have such magical ability and travel so fast?"

Wukong said:

Though my body is numbered among the monkeys, from childhood I opened the road of birth and death.
I traveled everywhere to find a true master and receive the Way, and on the mountain I cultivated day and night without rest.
I used the sky as roof and the earth as furnace, joining the two medicines, sun and moon.
I gathered yin and yang, water and fire, and in an instant understood the gateway of mystery.
I rely wholly on the movement of the Heavenly Stems, and also on the shifting of the Dipper's handle.
I retreat the furnace and enter the fire according to the hour, draw out lead and add mercury while keeping them in balance.
When the five elements are gathered, creation itself is born; when the four forms are joined, their measure is fixed by time.
The two breaths return to the Yellow Road, and the three parties meet upon the path of the golden elixir.
When I understood the law and it reached my limbs, my somersaults came naturally, as if aided by gods.
One leap carried me over Mount Taihang; one turn carried me across Lingyun Crossing.
What matter are a thousand steep ridges? What matter are a hundred long rivers?
Because I move without obstruction, one leap covers one hundred and eight thousand miles!

The king heard this and was both frightened and delighted. Smiling, he held out another imperial cup and said, "Holy monk, you have traveled so far and worked so hard. Drink this cup to refresh yourself."

The Great Sage was set on going to subdue the demon and had no mind for wine. He only said, "Set it down for now. When I come back, I will drink."

He said the word and with a whistle vanished into silence. The king and his ministers were astonished, but there is no need to dwell on that.

Wukong leaped high and soon saw a great mountain blocking the edge of the mist. He settled on the cloud and stood atop the peak to look carefully. It was a fine mountain:

It rose to block the sky and spread across the earth. Its peaks stabbed up into the clouds, and its veins stretched far into the distance. The ridges caught the sun, and the pines along them stood thick and green; the cliffs bred clouds, and the rocks beneath them stood sharp and pale. The pines remained green in all four seasons, and the stones never changed over a thousand years. In the woods one often heard night apes cry, and in the ravines one often heard demon pythons pass. Birds on the mountain cried thinly and beasts roared low and deep. Deer and antelope came in pairs, running in scattered groups; crows and magpies wheeled in flocks. Mountain flowers and grasses were too many to count, while peaches and fruits shone fresh in their season. Though the place was steep and hard to cross, it was clearly a home for hidden immortals and monsters.

The Great Sage looked and looked, unable to get enough of it, and was just about to search for the cave mouth when he saw a blazing fire leap from a hollow in the mountain. In an instant red flames shot up to the sky, and from the heart of the red blaze came a plume of foul smoke more poisonous than the fire itself. Fine smoke! Look at it:

Firelight burst in ten thousand points like golden lamps, and the flames flew in a thousand red rainbows.
That smoke was neither stove smoke nor smoke from wood or grass. It had five colors: blue, red, white, black, and yellow.
It blackened the pillars outside the Southern Heaven Gate and licked the beams of the Hall of Miraculous Mists.
The beasts in their nests were burned to the skin, and the birds in the woods lost every feather.
Yet how could such smoke enter the deep mountains and subdue a demon king?
The Great Sage was still watching in alarm when he saw sand burst out of the mountain too.
Fine sand! Truly it covered heaven and earth.
It swarmed across the horizon and blanketed the ground.
Tiny dust blurred men's eyes wherever it blew; coarse ash rolled through the valleys like sesame seeds.
Herb-gathering boys lost their companions; woodcutters lost their way home.
Even when a pearl was in one's hand, the sand would grit the eyes and make sparks bloom.

Wukong was so absorbed in the spectacle that he did not notice the sand and ash blowing into his nose. It tickled fiercely, and he sneezed twice. He turned back, groped among the rocks, and found two eggshell stones. He stuffed them into his nostrils, changed himself into a fire-bringing hawk, and flew into the smoke and flame. After a few passes, the sand was gone and the fire had also died down.

He quickly resumed his true shape and looked again. Now he heard a clatter-clang of a copper gong.

"I have taken the wrong road," he thought. "This is not the fiend's dwelling. That gong sounds like a courier's gong. This must be the main road through the kingdom, where messengers are carrying dispatches. Let me go ask him."

As he moved on, he saw a little fiend coming in haste, carrying a yellow flag, a document on his back, and striking a gong as he ran. Wukong laughed. "So this is the fellow beating the gong. I wonder what letter he is carrying. Let me listen."

The Great Sage shook himself into the shape of a small insect and flew lightly onto the dispatch bag. He heard the fiend beating the gong and muttering to himself, half singing, half reciting:

"Our great king is far too cruel. Three years ago he went to the Vermilion-Purple Kingdom and seized the Golden Sage Empress by force. Ever since then he has had no chance to touch her, and the palace maids who were brought to take the burden have suffered for it. He used up two, then four, and in the year before last he asked for more, then last year again, then this year again, and now he wants more. But he has run into a hard opponent. That vanguard who was asking for palace maidens has been beaten by some Sun Wukong, and no maids were sent. Because of that our king flew into a rage and wants to challenge their kingdom. He sent me to deliver the declaration of war. If that kingdom does not fight, that is fine, but if it does, it will lose. Our king can use fire, smoke, and sand, and then the king, his ministers, and his people will not have a single survivor. When that happens, we shall seize their city, our king will be emperor, and we will all be his ministers. There will be rank and office for everyone, but Heaven's law will not be able to endure it."

Wukong listened and was secretly pleased. "Even fiends sometimes have a decent thought. Those last words of his, saying Heaven's law will not endure it, are not bad. But when he says the Golden Sage Empress has had no chance to touch him, I do not understand what he means. Let me ask him."

With a tiny cry he flapped his wings and flew away from the fiend. He turned down the road for more than ten miles, changed himself again, and became a Dao boy, hair tied in two topknots and wearing a patched robe. He tapped a fish drum and clapper and sang out a Daoist ballad.

He came around the hillside to meet the little fiend and bowed, saying, "Officer, where are you going? What dispatch are you carrying?"

The monster, as though he recognized him, stopped beating the gong and returned the bow with a smile. "My king has sent me to the Vermilion-Purple Kingdom to deliver a declaration of war."

Wukong asked, "That matter with the Vermilion-Purple Kingdom, has it really matched with our king?"

The little fiend said, "After he seized her that year before last, a heavenly immortal at once sent a five-colored immortal robe to dress up the Golden Sage Empress anew. As soon as she put on that robe, her whole body was pricked with needles. Our king does not even dare touch her. Even if he brushes her lightly, his palm hurts. We do not know why. From then until now, he has still not touched her. This morning we sent the vanguard to ask for palace maids to serve her, but some Sun Wukong beat him. Our king was furious, so he told me to deliver this war letter and fight tomorrow."

Wukong said, "Then why is your king angry?"

The fiend said, "He is angry right now. Go sing him a Daoist ballad and help ease his temper."

The Great Sage made a little bow, turned away, and went. The fiend kept beating his gong and walking on. Then Wukong grew fierce. He drew his staff, turned back, and gave the little fiend one blow to the back of the head. Alas, he split the skull, burst blood and pulp, and killed him dead.

Wukong put away the staff and immediately regretted it. "I was too hasty," he said. "I did not ask his name. Never mind."

He took the war letter and hid it in his sleeve. He hid the yellow flag and the gong in the grass by the road. Then, about to drag the body down the ravine, he saw a gold-inlaid badge hanging at the waist. On it were the words: "Trusted palace runner, one named Come-and-Go. Short body, broad face, no beard. Always worn; without the badge it is a fake."

Wukong laughed. "So this fellow is called Come-and-Go. One blow from me, and he went with nothing to come back!"

He removed the badge and hung it at his own waist. He was just about to drag away the corpse when he thought again of the poisonous smoke and fire. He dared not go looking for the cave mouth yet. Instead he raised his staff, poked the little fiend in the chest, flipped him into the air, and headed straight back to the kingdom to report a first success.

He said over and over to himself as he went, and with a whistle arrived at the border.

Bajie was standing guard before the Golden Throne Hall, protecting the king and master, when he turned and saw Wukong in midair, carrying the demon on the end of his staff. He complained, "Oh! That is an easy victory. If I had gone to fetch him, would the merit not have been mine?"

Before he had finished, Wukong lowered the cloud and dumped the body on the steps.

Bajie rushed up and planted a rake blow into it. "This is my merit."

Wukong said, "What merit of yours?"

Bajie said, "Do not cheat me. I have proof. Look, I drove the rake through nine holes."

Wukong said, "Then look and see whether he still has a head."

Bajie laughed. "So it had no head. No wonder it did not budge when I struck it."

Wukong asked, "Where is Master?"

Bajie said, "He is in the hall speaking with the king."

Wukong said, "Go and please bring him out."

Bajie hurried up to the hall and nodded. Tripitaka immediately rose from his seat and came down the steps to meet Wukong.

Wukong tucked the war letter into Tripitaka's sleeve. "Master, keep this and do not let the king see it."

Before he could say more, the king also came down from the hall and met him. "Holy monk, you have returned. How did the demon-capturing go?"

Wukong pointed with his hand. "Is that not the demon on the steps? I killed him myself."

The king looked and said, "It is certainly a demon corpse, but it is not Sai Tai Sui. I have seen Sai Tai Sui twice in person. He is eight feet tall, with shoulders five spans wide, his face like shining gold, and his voice like thunder. How could he be this short and petty?"

Wukong laughed. "Your Majesty knows him well. It really is not him. This is only a little messenger fiend. He crossed paths with Old Sun, so I killed him first and brought him back to claim the reward."

The king was delighted. "Good, good, good. That should count as first merit. We always send men to scout him out, but we never get any sure report. As soon as the holy monk appears, he catches one and brings him back. Truly marvelous power!"

He called out, "Bring warm wine for the holy monk to celebrate his success."

Wukong said, "Wine is a small matter. I want to ask Your Majesty this: when the Golden Sage Empress was taken away, did she leave behind any keepsake? Give me one if she did."

The king heard the words "keepsake" and felt as though a knife were cutting his heart. He could not stop himself from bursting into tears:

That year, at the bright midsummer feast, the Taisui fiend came shouting in a rage.
He seized my royal wife and made her his mountain prize; I yielded her only to save the people.
There was no time for meetings or partings, no pavilion high or low where we could speak.
Her scented pouch is gone without a trace, and to this day I am left lonely and forlorn.

Wukong said, "Your Majesty is near at hand. Why be upset? Since the empress left no keepsake, did she have anything in the palace that she loved especially? Give me one of those."

The king asked, "What do you want it for?"

Wukong said, "That demon king is truly powerful. I saw him let out smoke, fire, and sand, and he is not easy to subdue. Even if I take him down, I fear the empress will see that my face is unfamiliar and refuse to return with me. I need one of the things she loved in former days, so she will trust me. Then I can take it to her."

The king said, "In the dressing tower of Zhaoyang Palace there is a pair of golden treasure bracelets. They were once worn on the Golden Sage Empress's wrists. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival she was to bind the five-colored silk cords, so she took them off and never put them back on. They were her favorite thing, and now they are kept in her dressing box. But when I see them I cannot bear it. To see them is to see her jade face, and my sickness grows worse."

Wukong said, "Do not speak of that. Bring out the gold bracelets. If you can part with them, give them both to me. If not, give me one."

The king then ordered the Jade Sage Empress to bring them out. She did so and handed them to the king, who looked at them and cried a few times, "My dear empress who knows pain and tenderness," before passing them to Wukong.

Wukong took them and slipped them over his arm.

The Great Sage did not linger for the victory wine. He mounted the somersault cloud, whistled once, and returned to Qilin Mountain. He had no mind to enjoy the scenery and went straight for the cave. As he was walking, he heard voices and uproar, so he stopped and looked closely.

There were about five hundred great and small guards stationed at the gate of Xiezhi Cave, lined up there:

Rank on rank, file on file. Rank on rank they stood with spears and halberds, glittering in the sun; file on file they displayed their banners, fluttering in the wind. Tiger generals and bear commanders were cunning and changeable; leopard-head and panther-commanders were full of spirit. Wolves were fierce, otters and elephants more daring still. Clever rabbits and sly antelopes twirled swords and halberds; long snakes and great pythons slung knives and bows. The chimpanzees could understand human speech, and they knew how to set formation, camp, and watch.

Wukong saw this and did not dare move forward. He turned away and went back by the old road.

Why did he turn back? It was not because he was afraid. He returned to the place where he had killed the little fiend, found the yellow flag and gong, and with the wind before him, pinched a spell and imagined the transformation. At once he became the same as Come-and-Go, struck the gong with a clatter, and strode straight on to Xiezhi Cave.

Just as he was about to look at the cave scene, he heard a chimpanzee call out, "Come-and-Go, you are back?"

Wukong had no choice but to answer, "Back."

The chimpanzee said, "Hurry along. Great King himself is waiting for your report in the Skinning Pavilion."

Wukong heard this, lengthened his stride, and went in beating the gong. Inside the front gate he saw sheer cliffs, stone chambers, and empty halls, with rare flowers and herbs to left and right and old cypresses and tall pines before and behind. Before long he reached the second gate, where he looked up and saw a bright eight-window pavilion. In the middle of the pavilion stood a gilded brocade chair, and seated on it was a demon king of truly vile appearance. Look at him:

A dazzling halo rose over his head, and fierce killing air burst from his chest.
His mouth was ringed with tusks like sharp blades, and his temples threw out scorched red smoke.
His whiskers bristled from his lips like arrows stuck in the flesh, and his whole body bristled like layered felt.
His eyes bulged like bronze bells, defying even a Tai Sui star.
In his hand he held an iron staff as if he could sweep the sky.

Wukong saw him and treated the fiend with open disdain. He paid not the slightest courtesy, but turned his face outward and kept on beating the gong.

The demon king asked, "You have come?"

Wukong did not answer.

The demon asked again, "Come-and-Go, you have come?"

He still gave no answer.

The demon king came forward and grabbed him. "Why do you keep beating the gong after you have come home, and why do you not answer when asked?"

Wukong slammed the gong to the ground. "What do you mean, 'why'? I told you I did not want to go, but you sent me. When I got there, I saw ranks of horses and men drawn up in battle order. As soon as they saw me, everyone shouted, 'Catch the demon! Catch the demon!' They shoved and tugged and dragged me into the city. When I got before that king, he said, 'Behead him.' Luckily, those two ministers said, 'When two houses are at odds, do not behead the envoy.' So they spared me. They took the war letter, then escorted me outside the city and gave me thirty hard kicks before setting me on my way to report back. They will soon come here to fight you."

The demon king said, "In that case you are the one who lost out. No wonder you would not answer when I asked you."

Wukong said, "Of course. I was guarding my bruises."

The demon king asked, "How many soldiers and horses are there?"

Wukong said, "I was dazed, and they had already beaten me into fear. How could I count their troops? All I saw were ranks of weapons standing there:

Arrows, spears, swords, and armor; halberds, knives, and banners.
Riding spears, moon-blade spades, helmets, and mail.
Great axes, round shields, iron caltrops.
Long clubs, short hammers, steel forks, matchlocks, and crested helmets.
They were dressed in boots, padded coats, carrying whips, divine pellets, and bronze hammers. "

The king laughed. "No matter, no matter. Weapons like that are all smoke and ash. Go tell the Golden Sage Empress not to worry. This morning she heard that I was furious and heading out to fight, and she was in tears and could not even dry them. You now tell her that the enemy troops are fierce and surely will beat me, so she may ease her heart for the time being."

Wukong was greatly pleased. "That is exactly what Old Sun had in mind."

He knew the road by heart. He turned through the side gate and passed through the hall. Inside, the buildings grew even grander and more stately, unlike the front. At the back of the palace he saw a brilliantly colored gate and knew this was the Golden Sage Empress's residence. He went straight in and saw two rows of fox and deer fiends, each disguised as a beautiful woman and standing at attention on both sides. In the center sat the empress, chin resting on her hand, both eyes full of tears.

Truly she was:

Jade-faced and delicate, lovely and bewitching. She had grown too tired to arrange her hair, so her black locks piled loose; she feared dressing, so no hairpins or ornaments were in place. Her face held no powder, and the rouge had gone cold; her hair had no oil, and her cloudlike chignon had gone fluffy and wild. She pressed her rosy lips together and bit down on her silver teeth; her willow brows were furrowed, and tears drowned her starry eyes. Her whole heart clung only to the Vermilion-Purple king, and for a moment she would have given anything to break free of heaven's net and earth's snare. Truly: since ancient times the beautiful have suffered harshly, and she sat pale and voiceless before the east wind.

Wukong stepped forward and gave a salute. "I return your bow."

The empress said, "This rude rustic monster has no manners at all. When I lived in the Vermilion-Purple Kingdom and shared the royal splendor with the king, even the grand tutor and prime minister would bow to the dust and not dare look up. How can this wild thing say 'I return your bow'? Where does such a rude brute come from?"

The attending maids said, "Madam, calm your anger. He is the great king's trusted little officer, named Come-and-Go. He was the one sent this morning to deliver the war letter."

The empress, holding back her anger, asked, "When you delivered the war letter, did you actually reach the border of the Vermilion-Purple Kingdom?"

Wukong said, "I carried it straight into the city and went all the way to the Golden Throne Hall to meet the king. I have already brought back his reply."

The empress asked, "When you met the king, what did he say?"

Wukong said, "I spoke to the king just now about battle terms and troop deployment. But the king also spoke of the empress with longing, and there was one sentence that matched his heart, so I have come to report it. It was not something to say in front of all these people."

The empress heard this and dismissed the fox and deer fiends. Wukong shut the palace door, wiped his face, and resumed his true form. He said to her, "Do not be afraid of me. I am a monk from Great Tang in the Eastern Land, sent west to the Great Western Heaven and the Thunderclap Monastery to see the Buddha and seek the scriptures. My master is Tripitaka, the Tang king's sworn brother. I am his first disciple, Sun Wukong. When I passed through your kingdom and was exchanging travel documents, I saw your ruler and ministers post a notice seeking a doctor. It was I who showed my three-fold skill and cured his sickness of longing. They arranged a banquet to thank me. During the wine, they told me how you were seized by a demon. I know how to subdue dragons and tigers, so they begged me to come capture the fiend and rescue you home. The vanguard who lost the fight was me, and the little fiend I killed was me too.

"When I saw him raging at the gate, I changed into Come-and-Go and came here at risk to myself, so I could speak with you."

The empress listened but said nothing.

Wukong took out the treasure bracelets and offered them with both hands. "If you do not believe me, look at this. Where did it come from?"

When the empress saw them, tears fell at once. She came down from her seat and bowed in thanks. "Holy monk, if you truly can rescue me back to court, I will never forget your great kindness, even to the end of my life."

Wukong said, "Let me ask you: that thing he uses to let out fire, smoke, and sand, what sort of treasure is it?"

The empress said, "It is no treasure at all. It is three golden bells. When he shakes the first bell, it releases a firelight three hundred zhang high to burn people. When he shakes the second, it releases smoke three hundred zhang high to choke people. When he shakes the third, it releases yellow sand three hundred zhang high to blind people. The fire and smoke are not the worst. The yellow sand is most poisonous. If it gets into a person's nostrils, it takes his life."

Wukong said, "That is dangerous indeed. I have already been caught by it and sneezed twice. But where does he keep the bells?"

The empress said, "He would never set them down. He keeps them at his waist and never leaves them, day or night."

Wukong said, "If you still care for the Vermilion-Purple Kingdom, then you must meet the king again. Put away your sorrow and worry for now, and show him a gracious and cheerful face. Speak with him as husband and wife, and get him to let you take the bells into your keeping. Then I can find a chance to steal them and bring the demon down. At that point I can take you home and restore your union in peace."

The empress agreed.

Wukong remained in the form of the trusted little officer, opened the palace gate, and called in the attendants. The empress said, "Come-and-Go, quickly go to the front pavilion and invite your great king here to speak."

That fine Wukong answered and went at once to the Skinning Pavilion. He said to the demon, "Great King, the Holy Empress requests your presence."

The demon king was delighted. "The empress always curses me. Why would she invite me today?"

Wukong said, "The empress asked about the king of the Vermilion-Purple Kingdom, and I told her, 'He no longer wants you. He has set up another empress in his country.' When she heard that, she gave up all hope and told me to invite you."

The demon king was overjoyed. "You are useful after all. Once I have destroyed their kingdom, I will make you a chief minister in attendance."

Wukong gave thanks at once and hurried with the demon to the front of the inner palace.

The empress greeted him warmly and moved to take his hand. The demon king backed away and said, "I dare not, I dare not. I am grateful for the empress's favor, but I am afraid of hurting your hand and dare not come too close."

The empress said, "Great King, please sit. Let me speak with you."

The demon king said, "Say whatever you like."

The empress said, "I have enjoyed your love for three years now, yet I have not once shared your bed. It was a bond from a former life that made us husband and wife. Who would have thought that you would have an outside mind and not treat me as your wife?

"I remember that when I was queen in the Vermilion-Purple Kingdom, all treasures brought in tribute from the foreign states were for the king to inspect first and then for the queen to keep. In your place, I see no treasure at all. You wear fur and eat meat, but where are the silk brocades and gold pearls? All I ever see are skins spread out and rugs laid down. If there are any treasures at all, because you keep me outside your heart, you never let me see them or keep them.

"Take the three bells I have heard you own. Surely they are some treasure. Why do you carry them with you whether you walk or sit? Give them to me to keep. When you need them, you can take them back. That would be a proper sign of trust between husband and wife. To keep no trust at all - if that is not keeping me outside your heart, what is it?"

The demon king laughed and bowed. "Madam, you are quite right, quite right. The treasure is here. Today I should have handed it over to your care."

He lifted his robe and took out the treasure. Wukong, standing nearby, did not blink once. He watched the monster lift two or three layers of clothing and draw out the three bells worn close to his body.

The demon unfastened them, stuffed the mouths with cotton, wrapped them in a strip of leopard skin like a bundle, and handed them to the empress.

"Though the thing is humble, you must guard it carefully," he said. "Do not shake it."

The empress took it and said, "I know. I will set it on the dressing table and no one will move it." Then she called, "Servants, bring wine. I would share joy and welcome with the Great King and drink a few cups."

The attendants obeyed, setting out fruit and vegetables, antelope, deer, and rabbit meat, and pouring coconut wine for them. The empress put on a charming, seductive air and lulled the demon into ease.

Wukong, acting on his own, kept edging closer and closer until he reached the dressing table. He took the three golden bells, moved away slowly, slipped out the palace gate, and left the cave. When he reached the empty space before the Skinning Pavilion, he opened the leopard-skin bundle and looked inside. The middle bell was as big as a tea bowl, and the two on the ends were the size of fists. Not knowing the danger, he pulled out the cotton.

At once there came a clang, and smoke, fire, and yellow sand burst out in a rolling rush. He could not stop it. The whole pavilion blazed hot with fire. The gate fiends were so frightened that they crashed in a heap into the rear palace, startling the demon king, who hurriedly shouted, "Put out the fire! Put out the fire!"

When he came out to look, he saw that Come-and-Go had the gold bells.

The demon king strode up and shouted, "You vile slave, how dare you steal my treasure bells and make such a scene here? Bring them back! Bring them back!"

The tiger generals, bear commanders, leopard-heads, panther-commanders, otters and elephants, wolves, rabbits, snakes, pythons, and chimpanzees all led the monster host to swarm together.

Wukong panicked. He dropped the bells, resumed his true shape, drew out the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and used every trick he knew to beat forward in a wild rush. The demon king took back the treasure and issued orders: "Shut the front gate!"

The monsters obeyed, some shutting the gate and some rushing into battle.

Wukong found it hard to escape. He put away the staff and changed into a foolish little fly, clinging to the stone wall where no fire had touched. The monsters searched and could not find him. They reported, "Great King, the thief has run! The thief has run!"

The demon king asked, "Did he get out through the gate?"

The monsters all answered, "The front gate is locked tight here. He did not get out."

The demon king said only, "Search carefully."

Some fetched water to douse the fire; some searched everywhere. There was still no trace. The demon king angrily said, "What sort of thief is this, so bold? He changed into Come-and-Go, came in to give his report, then stayed close by and took my treasure at a chance."

Luckily he had not yet been carried out of the mountain. If he had been taken out to the peak and met the mountain wind, what would have become of things?

The tiger general stepped forward and said, "Great King, your fortune is as high as heaven, and our luck is not yet spent, which is why we noticed it in time."

The bear commander stepped forward and said, "Great King, this thief is no other than Sun Wukong, the same one who beat back the vanguard."

"He must have met Come-and-Go on the road, killed him, seized the yellow flag, gong, and badge, and changed into his shape to come and deceive Your Majesty."

The demon king said, "Just so, just so. That makes sense."

He cried, "You little ones, search carefully and stand guard. Do not open the gate and let him escape."

Thus, what had begun as clever trickery had turned into a blunder, and what had seemed a joke became real. But how Sun Wukong would get out of the demon's gate, that must wait for the next chapter.