Chapter 71: The Pilgrim Takes an Alias to Subdue the Strange Beast; Guanyin Appears in Person to Tame the Demon King

Form and emptiness have been one from ancient times;
emptiness is form, and form has always been such.
If one can truly awaken to the Chan of form and emptiness,
what need is there for cinnabar and furnace-fire?

Virtue must be cultivated without slackening;
hard practice must be endured to the bitter end.
When the work is complete and the merit fulfilled, one rises to Heaven at last,
and the immortal face remains unchanged forever.

Sai Tai Sui had shut the front and back gates tight and sent men searching for the Pilgrim. He shouted and hunted until dusk, but found no trace of him. Sitting in the Skin-Flaying Pavilion, he gathered the demon host, issued his commands, and had every gate ring bells and call the watch. Drums beat, clappers snapped, and each post was armed with bow and blade for the night watch.

Meanwhile Sun Wukong had changed into a foolish fly and pinned himself beside the gate. Seeing the defense so strict in front, he fluttered into the rear palace gate. There he saw the Golden Sacred Palace Consort leaning over the imperial desk, tears dripping down as she gave vent to her sorrow. Wukong flew in quietly, settled on the cloud of her unbound hair, and listened to what she was crying.

After a while the queen suddenly burst out:

"My lord, I and you were born for grief: I burned the severing incense in a former life, and in this one I met a wretched monster king. We were phoenixes parted for three years. When would we ever meet again? Mandarin ducks split apart, and sorrow followed. The monk was sent to bring a message, and a fine match was scattered beyond repair. Only because the golden bells are so hard to untie have my longings become wilder than before."

When Wukong heard this, he moved to the ear behind her and whispered, "Your Majesty, do not be afraid. I am still the holy monk Sun, sent here by your kingdom. My life is not in danger. I was only too quick with my hands. Earlier, by the dressing table, I stole the golden bells. While you and the demon king were drinking, I slipped out of the front pavilion and, being unable to bear it, opened them to look.

Unexpectedly I jostled the cotton plug, and at once out came smoke, fire, and yellow sand. I panicked, dropped the bells, and showed my true shape. I took up my iron rod and fought my way out, but feared poison hands, so I changed into a fly and pinned myself to the door hinge until now. The demon king has only grown stricter and will not open the gate.

You must once more play the husband-and-wife part, coax him to sleep, and I will work my way out and make another plan to save you."

The queen shuddered from head to foot; her hair bristled with fear. Trembling, she said, "Are you a man or a ghost now?"

Wukong replied, "I am neither man nor ghost. I am only a fly here. Do not be frightened. Go quickly and invite the demon king."

Still doubtful, the queen whispered through her tears, "Do not bewitch me."

Wukong said, "How would I dare? If you do not believe me, open your hand and let me land there so you can see."

So the queen stretched out her left hand. Wukong fluttered down lightly and settled between her fingers. It was like a black dot on a lotus bud, like a solitary bee resting on a peony, like a grape dropped in the heart of an embroidered ball, like a dark fleck at the edge of a lily stem.

The Golden Sacred Palace Consort lifted her jade hand and called, "Holy monk."

Wukong chirped back, "I am the holy monk transformed."

Only then did the queen believe him.

"When I go to invite the demon king," she asked softly, "how should you act?"

Wukong said, "The ancients said, 'Only wine can ruin a lifetime,' and again, 'There is no cure for all things better than wine.' Wine has many uses. You need only press drink on him. Call one of the maids who stays beside you and point her out to me. I will change into her shape and wait on the side, and then I can make my move."

The queen did as he said and called, "Where is Spring-Glory?"

Behind the screen came out a jade-faced fox maid, who knelt and said, "What orders does Your Majesty have for Spring-Glory?"

The queen said, "Go tell them to light the gauze lamps, burn brain-musk, and help me into the front hall to invite the Great King to sleep."

Spring-Glory went forward at once and called seven or eight demon deer and foxes, who brought two pairs of lanterns and a pair of incense burners and set them on either side. The queen rose and folded her hands. The Great Sage had already flown away.

Wukong spread his wings and flew straight to the jade-faced fox maid. He plucked one of his hairs, blew a puff of immortal breath on it, and cried, "Change!" It turned into a sleep bug, which he placed gently on her face. Once such a bug reaches a person's face, it crawls into the nostril and at once brings on sleep. Spring-Glory soon felt her eyelids sink, could no longer stand straight, swayed where she stood, found her own bed, and fell flat, fast asleep.

Wukong leaped down, shook himself, and changed into Spring-Glory's very shape, then went behind the screen and took his place among the attendants.

The queen had not long gone forward when a little demon saw her and reported to Sai Tai Sui, "Great King, the queen has come."

The demon king hurried out to meet her at the Skin-Flaying Pavilion. The queen said, "Great King, the smoke and fire have gone out and the thief has vanished. Since it is so late, I have specially come to invite you to rest."

The monster was overjoyed. "Your Majesty, take care of yourself. The thief just now was Sun Wukong. He overthrew my vanguard, killed my lesser officers, and changed his shape to slip in and deceive us. We searched so hard and still found no trace, so my heart has not been at ease."

The queen said, "The fellow must have escaped. Rest easy, Great King. Go and sleep in peace."

Seeing the queen stand there respectfully inviting him, the monster did not dare refuse. He only ordered the demon host to be careful with lamps and fire and guard against thieves, then walked straight with the queen toward the rear palace. Wukong, disguised as Spring-Glory, was brought in by the two rows of maids.

The queen said, "Bring wine and let the Great King ease his weariness."

The demon king laughed. "Just so, just so. Bring the wine quickly, and let me and the queen drink to banish our fright."

The false Spring-Glory and the other monsters set out the fruit and arranged some raw meat, then fixed the table and chairs. The queen lifted her cup, and the demon king offered one back. The two of them exchanged cups and drank. The false Spring-Glory stood nearby with the wine ewer and said, "Great King, Your Majesty has just exchanged cups tonight. Please drink them dry and make a double-happiness cup."

So they filled the cups again and drank them dry. The false Spring-Glory said, "Since the Great King and the queen are meeting in joy, let the maids who can sing sing, and those who can dance dance."

As soon as the words were spoken, a burst of song rose up. The music was in good tune, the singers sang, the dancers danced. The pair drank still more, and the queen called a halt to the music and dancing. The maids divided into lines outside the screen. Only the false Spring-Glory remained with the ewer, pouring drink up and down. The queen and the demon king spoke only as husband and wife speak. You could see the queen pouring out clouded desire and rain-soaked longing, till she had the demon king's bones turning soft and his sinews weak. Only he had no luck and could not lay a hand on her. A pity indeed. It was like a cat gnawing at a urine bladder: all happiness, no use.

They talked and laughed for a while, and then the queen asked, "Great King, the treasure was not damaged, was it?"

The demon king said, "That treasure was cast and forged before heaven and earth were fixed. How could it be damaged? The only thing was that the thief tore out the cotton plug and burned the leopard-skin wrapping."

The queen asked, "How can it be put back in order?"

The demon king said, "No need to trouble over that. I wear it at my waist."

When the false Spring-Glory heard this, he plucked a handful of hairs, chewed them to pieces, moved close to the monster, and placed the hairs on his body. Then he blew three mouthfuls of immortal breath and secretly cried, "Change!" Those hairs instantly changed into three kinds of vile creatures: lice, fleas, and bedbugs. They swarmed into the monster's body and bit him everywhere they touched skin.

The demon king itched so badly he could hardly bear it. He reached into his clothes and rubbed at the itch, then pinched out several lice and held them near the lamp to look at them. Seeing this, the queen thought for a moment and said, "Great King, perhaps your undergarment is dirty. It has not been washed in a long while, and that is why this vermin has come."

The demon king said shamefacedly, "I have never had such things before. Tonight, of all nights, I am made a public fool."

The queen laughed. "Why speak of a public fool? There is an old saying, 'Even the Emperor has three court lice.' Take off your clothes and let me catch them for you."

The demon king really did loosen his sash and take off his clothes.

The false Spring-Glory watched carefully and saw that every layer of the monster's clothing was alive with fleas, every piece covered with huge bedbugs, while lice swarmed thickly in endless clusters. Only when the layers were lifted down to the flesh did he see the Purple-Gold Bells, also crawling densely with the same vermin. He said, "Great King, hand me the bells and let me catch the lice for you as well."

The demon king, one part embarrassed and two parts flustered, did not know true from false. He handed the three bells over to the false Spring-Glory.

The false Spring-Glory took them in hand, toyed with them for a long while, and when he saw the demon king bowing his head and shaking out his clothes, he hid away the real bells. Then he plucked another hair, changed it into three bells exactly alike, and brought them up to the lamp to inspect. He twisted and turned with affected daintiness, shook the lice, bedbugs, and fleas off his body, and then handed the fake bells back.

The demon king took them and, now utterly bewildered, could not tell truth from falsehood. Holding the bells in both hands, he offered them to the queen and said, "Now keep them safely. Be careful this time. Do not make the same mistake as before."

The queen took them, opened her clothes chest, placed the false bells inside, and locked it with a golden lock. Then she drank a few more cups with the demon king and told the maids, "Clean off the bedstead, spread the brocade coverlet, and let me sleep with the Great King."

The demon king answered over and over, "I am unlucky, unlucky. I dare not keep you company. I still have a palace maid; I will take her to the western palace to sleep with me. Your Majesty, please rest where you are."

So they returned to their separate beds, and the tale moves on.

The false Spring-Glory had won the day. He tied the treasure around his waist, revealed his true form, shook himself once, and sent the sleep bug away. Then he walked straight out.

Only the sound of the watch blocks and bells remained, for it was the third watch of the night. The Great Sage pinched a spell, muttered the true words, and used his invisibility art. He went straight to the gate and saw that the locks were still tightly fastened.

He then took out the Golden-Hooped Rod, pointed it at the gate, and used the unlocking art. The gate opened lightly. He stepped outside at once and shouted in a ringing voice, "Sai Tai Sui, return my Golden Sacred Palace Consort!"

He shouted two or three times and roused the great and lesser demons. When they looked quickly, the front gate stood open.

They hurried to light lamps and search for the lock, then locked the gate again. Several of them ran inside to report, "Great King, there is someone outside the gate calling your honored title and demanding the Golden Sacred Palace Consort."

The maids inside came out and whispered, "Do not shout. The Great King has only just gone to sleep."

Wukong shouted again outside the gate, but the little demons did not dare disturb their master. He called three or four times, and none of them dared report it. The Great Sage raged outside the gate until dawn.

At last he could not bear it. Gripping his iron rod, he marched up and battered at the gate. The great and lesser demons were frightened into haste: some braced the gate, some ran to report. Only then had the demon king just woken. Hearing the uproar, he dressed and came out from behind the bed-curtains to ask, "What is all this shouting?"

The maids knelt and said, "Your Majesty, we do not know who has been cursing and shouting outside the cave all night. Now he is beating on the gate as well."

The demon king stepped out through the palace gate. The little demons who had gone to report fell to their knees in terror and said, "There is someone outside cursing and shouting, demanding the Golden Sacred Palace Consort. If we say even half a word of no, he answers with all sorts of filthy abuse. The Great King would not come out even after daylight, so he was driven to batter the gate."

The monster said, "Do not open it yet. Ask him where he comes from and what his name is, then come back and tell me."

The little demon rushed out and asked through the gate, "Who is it that is beating on the gate?"

Wukong said, "I am the maternal uncle invited by the Zhuzi Kingdom, come to take the Sacred Palace Consort back to the capital."

The little demon heard this and carried the words back. The monster went to the rear palace to ask about his origins. The queen had only just risen and had not yet washed or combed her hair. Then she heard a maid report, "The Great King is here."

The queen hurriedly arranged her clothes, coiled her black hair, and came out to greet him.

She had barely sat down before she heard another report: "The maternal uncle who came has already battered the gate."

The demon king laughed. "Your Majesty, how many generals does your court have?"

The queen said, "Within the court there are forty-eight guards and a thousand able generals; along the frontiers there are countless marshals and commanders."

The demon king asked, "Is there any of them with the surname Outer?"

The queen said, "I live in the palace and know only how to aid the ruler inside, to teach the consorts morning and evening. As for outside affairs, how could I remember surnames?"

The demon king said, "This visitor calls himself a maternal uncle. I have been thinking over the Hundred Surnames and cannot find any surname Outer at all. Your Majesty is gifted and high-born, dwelling in the royal palace, so you must have read many books. Do you remember such a surname from any of them?"

The queen said, "Only in the Thousand-Character Classic is there the line, 'The outer court receives the tutor's instruction.' Perhaps that is it."

The demon king was delighted. "Exactly so, exactly so."

At once he rose, took his leave of the queen, went to the Skin-Flaying Pavilion, dressed himself properly, called out his demon soldiers, opened the gate, and marched out to the front. Holding a crescent halberd-ax in his hand, he shouted, "Which one of you is the maternal uncle from the Zhuzi Kingdom?"

Wukong gripped the Golden-Hooped Rod in his right hand and pointed with his left. "Nephew, who are you calling?"

The demon king flew into a rage. "You monkey-faced, ape-muzzled thing. You are three parts ghost and you still dare bully people."

Wukong laughed. "You deceitful monster who has tricked your betters and cheated your sovereign, you really do not know your grandfather Sun. Five hundred years ago, when I raised havoc in Heaven, none of the nine heavens' generals dared call me by any honorific name. You call me 'maternal uncle' and think you have insulted me? You are the one who loses out."

The demon king shouted, "Speak quickly. What is your name, and what skills do you claim, that you dare run wild here?"

Wukong said, "If you had not asked my name, all would be well. Since you insist on hearing it, I fear you will not find a place to stand once I am done. Come closer and listen:

My birth parents were Heaven and Earth; the sun and moon's essence formed my sacred body.
Enfolded in the immortal stone, I knew no count of years; nurtured by a spiritual root, I was formed beyond all wonder.
In those years I was born in splendor by the three clear lights; now I return to truth and harmonize the ten thousand rites.
I once gathered a host of demons and called myself their chief, and could bring down all monsters from the Red Cliff.
The Jade Emperor sent down his decree; the White Planet came bearing the imperial summons.
They invited me to Heaven to take office, and I was named the Horse-Marshal, though I took no pleasure in it.
At first I meant rebellion and built a cave-world; with bold troops I stormed the imperial steps.
The Pagoda-Bearing King and Crown Prince came out against me, but they were all cast down in one encounter.
The White Planet again petitioned the Dark Sky Emperor, and a second edict came for pacification.
Then I was made the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and only then was I fit to be called a pillar of the realm.
Then I disturbed the Peach Banquet and, drunk on wine, stole the elixir and invited disaster.
The Supreme Lord Lao himself reported to court, and the Queen Mother of the West bowed on Jade Terrace.
Knowing I had mocked the laws of kings, he ordered out the heavenly troops and lit the fire signals.
A hundred thousand fierce stars and baleful lights, spears and halberds packed thick as a hedge.
The Heaven-Net spread over mountain and vale, and all the weapons gathered for the great assault.
One fierce battle came and went without victory, until Guanyin recommended Erlang Shen.
The two sides drew lines and fought; he had the Meishan brothers at his side.
Each showed his heroism and transformations, while the Three Saints of Heaven parted the clouds.
Laozi dropped the Diamond Hoop; the gods seized me and brought me to the golden steps.
No need to write out the charge in full, for the crimes called for a death by slicing.
Axes and hammers could not wound me, and blades and swords could not hurt my life.
Fire and thunder were as nothing; there was no way to crush this long-lived seed.
They dragged me to the Tushita Palace, where the furnace was set and heated for me.
Only when the days were complete did they open the cauldron, and I leaped out from the center.
I gripped this Ruyi rod and turned to strike the Jade Dragon Terrace.
All stars and constellations hid away, and I could make a Heaven-wide uproar at will.
The inspector rushed to fetch the Buddha, and Sakyamuni matched his skill against mine.
With the turn of his hand he ranged the world and came and went at ease.
By a Buddha's deceiving spell he pinned me beneath the mountain's brow.
More than five hundred years have passed, and once more I am free to play my tricks.
I now protect Tang Sanzang on his way to the Western Heaven, and all men know my pilgrim name, Sun Wukong.
Along the western road I subdue demons and monsters - what evil spirit does not fear me?"

When the demon king heard him name himself Sun Wukong, he said, "So you are the one who raised havoc in Heaven. Since you have broken free and gone to protect Tang Sanzang, you should simply take your own road and be done with it. Why meddle in other people's business, help the Zhuzi Kingdom like a slave, and come here seeking death?"

Wukong shouted, "You filthy monster, you talk nonsense. I accepted the Zhuzi Kingdom's invitation and its honors. My old Sun stands a thousand times higher than any throne. The king there honors me like father and mother and serves me like a god. How dare you call it 'slave'? I say you are the one who has tricked your superiors and cheated your ruler. Do not run. Take a blow from your uncle!"

The monster panicked and dodged aside, then met him with the crescent halberd-ax. What a fight it was!

The Golden-Hooped Rod gleamed in the wind, the crescent ax flashed like a blade of cloud.
One gritted his teeth and came on in fury; the other bared his teeth and showed his might.
This was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven descending into the mortal world,
that one a monster king who had come down to cause mischief.
Their cloud breath sprayed across the sky and hid the palace of heaven;
their flying sand and scattered stones darkened the halls of battle.
Back and forth they moved with every known trick,
hurling gold light and turning it over and over again.
Each displayed his full skill and tested his divine art.
One meant to take the queen back to the imperial capital;
the other meant to keep the queen in the mountain den.
The fight had no rightful cause, only desperate loyalty to a ruler.

They fought for fifty rounds or more without a winner.

Seeing that Wukong was no easy foe, the demon king pressed his ax against the rod and said, "Sun Wukong, stop for a moment. I have not yet eaten my morning meal. Let me go in and take some food, then I will come back and settle victory with you."

Wukong knew well enough that this was only a trick to get the bells, so he lowered his rod and said, "A brave man does not chase a tired rabbit. Go on, then. Eat your fill and come back to die."

The demon king hurried back inside and said to the queen, "Quickly, bring me the treasure."

The queen said, "What do you need the treasure for?"

The demon king said, "The one who came to challenge me this morning is the monk from the scripture pilgrimage, Sun Wukong, who calls himself the maternal uncle. I have fought him until now and neither side has won. Let me take the treasure out and set off some smoke and fire to burn that monkey down."

Hearing this, the queen was thrown into doubt. If she did not hand over the bells, he would become suspicious; if she did, she feared for Sun Wukong's life. While she hesitated, the demon king kept pressing her. "Bring it out quickly."

There was no choice. She unlocked the chest and handed over the three bells. The demon king took them and went out. The queen sat in the palace with tears streaming down her face, wondering whether Sun Wukong could possibly escape alive. Neither of them knew the bells now in the demon king's hands were false.

The demon king came out to the gate and held the advantage. He shouted, "Sun Wukong, do not run. Watch me shake my bells."

Wukong laughed. "You have bells, and I do not? You can shake them, and I cannot?"

The demon king said, "What bells have you? Show them to me."

Wukong shrank his iron rod into an embroidered needle and tucked it inside his ear. Then he unfastened the three true treasures from his waist and said to the demon king, "Are these not my Purple-Gold Bells?"

The demon king looked and his heart thudded. "Strange, strange! How are his bells exactly the same as mine? Even if they were cast from one mold, there should be some flaw, some difference in polish or finish. How can not a hair's breadth be off?"

He asked, "Where did your bells come from?"

Wukong asked back, "Nephew, where did yours come from?"

The demon king, being honest enough, answered, "My bells came from the Supreme Lord of the Great Pure Realm, whose source is deep indeed. They were long refined in the Eight-Trigram Furnace, formed into bells and treasured by heaven. The Old Lord left them to me until now."

Wukong laughed. "Old Sun's bells came from the same place."

The demon king asked, "How so?"

Wukong said, "Mine were forged in the Tushita Palace, where the Dao Ancestor refined elixirs and shaped the golden bells in the furnace. Two and three make six in the cycle of treasures. Mine are the female bells, yours the male."

The demon king said, "Bells are treasures of golden elixir, not birds or beasts. How can they be male and female? All that matters is whether they can ring out the treasure."

Wukong said, "Words prove nothing. Action will show. Let me let you shake first."

The demon king really did wave the first bell three times. No fire came out. He shook the second three times. No smoke came out. He shook the third three times. No sand came out either. He panicked and said, "Strange, strange! The world has changed. These bells must be shy of their mate. Seeing the female, the male will not come out."

Wukong said, "Nephew, put your hand still. Let me shake them for you."

The monkey snatched up the three bells and gave them a single shake. At once red fire, green smoke, and yellow sand poured out together, enough to set trees and mountains alight. Wukong then muttered a spell and shouted to the wind from the southeast: "Come!"

At once the wind drove the fire. Fire borrowed the wind's force. Red flames roared, black smoke boiled, and the whole sky filled with fire and the whole ground with yellow sand.

Sai Tai Sui was terrified out of his wits and had nowhere to run. In that blaze, how could he hope to keep his life?

Only then did a sharp voice ring out from the clouds: "Sun Wukong, I am here."

Wukong turned quickly and looked up. It was Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, with a purifying vase in her left hand and a willow branch in her right, scattering sweet dew to put out the fire. Wukong hurriedly hid the bells at his waist, folded his hands, and bowed flat to the ground.

The bodhisattva waved the willow branch and scattered a few drops of sweet dew. In an instant the smoke and fire vanished and the yellow sand was gone. Wukong knocked his head to the ground and said, "I did not know Your Great Compassion had come down to the mortal world. I failed to make way. May I ask where the bodhisattva is headed?"

Guanyin said, "I have come specially to take this monster back."

Wukong said, "What is his origin, that it should trouble your golden body to come down and fetch him?"

Guanyin said, "He is my gold-maned hound. Because the shepherd boy dozed off and failed to keep watch, that evil beast bit through the iron chain and ran off, and so he brought disaster upon the king of Juzi as well.

Years ago, when the former king of Juzi was still on the throne, this king was only the crown prince and had not yet taken the throne. In his youth he loved hunting. He led out men and horses, let loose hawks and hounds, and came to Phoenix-Fall Slope, where there were two chicks of the Peacock Great Bright King, male and female, resting their wings on the hillside below. When the prince drew his bow, he shot the male peacock and the female peacock flew away, pierced by an arrow.

After the Bodhisattva Mother of the Buddha made confession, she ordered him to be separated from his phoenix mate for three years and to suffer an illness of sorrow. At that time I was riding this hound and heard all of it. This beast took the chance to bewitch the queen and bring relief to the king's sickness.

Now the three years are complete and the old debt is paid. Fortunately you came and cured the king's affliction. I have come specially to collect the monster."

Wukong said, "Bodhisattva, even if that is the story, he polluted the queen, ruined custom and decency, and broke human law. That alone deserves death.

Now that Your Holiness has come in person, his death sentence can be spared, but not his punishment. Let me strike him twenty blows, and then you may take him away."

Guanyin said, "Wukong, since you know I have come down in person, you should grant me some face and pardon him altogether. That will count as one more merit in subduing a demon. If you raise your rod, he will be dead."

Wukong dared not argue and only bowed. "Since the bodhisattva is taking him back to the sea, let him never again be allowed to descend secretly among men. The harm is too great."

Guanyin then shouted, "Evil beast, when will you return to your true form?"

At once the monster rolled over and showed his original shape, shaking out his fur. Guanyin mounted him. Looking down at his neck, she saw the three golden bells were gone.

Guanyin said, "Wukong, return my bells."

Wukong said, "Old Sun knows nothing of them."

Guanyin snapped, "You monkey thief! If you had not stolen those bells, not even ten Sun Wukongs would dare come near him. Hand them over quickly."

Wukong laughed. "I really did not see them."

Guanyin said, "Since you have not seen them, let me recite the Tightening Spell."

Wukong panicked. "Do not recite it, do not recite it. The bells are here!"

As the saying goes, who can untie the bell on the beast's neck? The one who tied it must be the one to untie it.

Guanyin set the bells back on the hound's neck and flew up to ride him. You could see four feet blooming with lotus-fire and a body bursting with threads of gold. The Great Compassion returned to the South Sea, and the tale moves on.

Sun Wukong then straightened his robe, lifted the iron rod, and battered his way into the Xiezhi Cave, where he killed every demon and monster there without mercy and wiped the place clean. He went straight to the inner palace and asked the Golden Sacred Palace Consort to return to her kingdom. The queen could not stop bowing in gratitude.

Wukong then explained in detail how Guanyin had subdued the demon and what lay behind the separation of the phoenix pair. He found some soft grass, twisted it into a grass dragon, and said, "Your Majesty, climb aboard, shut your eyes, and do not be frightened. I will take you back to court to meet the king."

The queen obeyed carefully. Wukong worked his magic, and only the sound of the wind was heard in his ears.

Half an hour later he brought her into the city, lowered the clouds, and called, "Your Majesty, open your eyes."

The queen opened them and saw the phoenix pavilion and dragon tower. Joy filled her heart. She cast aside the grass dragon and went with Wukong up to the treasure hall. When the king saw her, he sprang from the dragon couch and rushed forward to take her jade hand, meaning to pour out his grief of separation. But he suddenly toppled to the ground, crying, "My hand, my hand!"

Bajie laughed loudly. "Look at that face. You had no fortune to enjoy her. You touched her once and got stung to pieces."

Wukong said, "You fool, do you dare pull on her yourself?"

Bajie said, "What if I do?"

Wukong said, "The queen has poisonous thorns on her body. Her hands carry a stinging poison. Since she went to Mount Qilin and stayed with Sai Tai Sui for three years, the monster never once touched her body. If he touched her body, it pained his body; if he touched her hand, it pained his hand."

The officials heard this and said, "If that is so, what is to be done?"

At this, the court officials outside were full of worry, and the consorts inside were all afraid. By the side, the Jade Holy and Silver Holy palaces had their attendants help the king up.

As everyone stood in confusion, they suddenly heard someone call from the sky, "Great Sage, I am here."

Wukong looked up and saw this:

A crane cry rose sharply to heaven, and the figure glided straight before the throne.
Auspicious light wound around him in layer after layer; propitious cloud streamed and drifted.
He wore a brown robe that covered his body and let out mist and haze;
on his feet were coarse sandals, seldom seen in this world.
In his hand he held a whisk of dragon whiskers, and silk cords were wrapped around his waist.
Wherever he went he made human bonds;
over the earth he wandered free and at ease.
This was an immortal from Purple Cloud Palace in Great Luo Heaven,
now descended to the mortal world to break an enchantment.

Wukong stepped forward and greeted him. "Where are you going, Zhang Ziyang?"

The Perfected Lord Ziyang bowed before the hall and said, "Great Sage, I am the little immortal Zhang Boduan."

Wukong returned the salute. "Where have you come from?"

The perfect lord said, "Three years ago I attended a Buddhist assembly and passed this way. Seeing that the king of Juzi was under the curse of separation, I feared that if the monster polluted the queen and damaged human relations, it would be hard for the king and queen to reunite later. So I turned an old brown robe into a new cloud-colored garment, bright with five colors, and gave it to the monster so that the queen might wear it as a new dress. Once she put it on, a body full of poisonous thorns rose at once. Those thorns were really only the brown robe. Now that I know the Great Sage has succeeded, I have come specially to break the spell."

Wukong said, "If that is so, you have made a long journey. Please hurry and remove it."

The perfect lord came forward and pointed a hand at the queen. At once the brown robe fell away. The queen's whole body was restored to its former state. The perfect lord shook the robe once and put it on himself, then said to Wukong, "Great Sage, forgive me. I must take my leave."

Wukong said, "Wait. Let the king thank you first."

The perfect lord laughed. "No need, no need."

He gave a long bow and rose into the air. The emperor, the queen, and all the ministers were so startled that each of them bowed to the empty sky.

After the worship was done, the king ordered the Eastern Pavilion opened wide and prepared a feast to thank the four monks. The king led his men in kneeling thanks, and husband and wife were finally reunited in peace. At the height of the banquet, Wukong called out, "Master, bring that battle letter here."

Tripitaka took it from his sleeve and handed it over. Wukong gave it to the king and said, "This was sent by the monster's lesser officer. That little demon was already killed by me when he came to deliver his report. Later I went to the mountain again, changed into one of his men, and entered the cave to answer for him. That was how I came to see the queen and steal out the golden bells. I nearly got caught, changed again, and stole out once more to fight him. Luckily Guanyin came and took him away, and she also told me the whole story behind the separation of the phoenix pair."

He explained everything from beginning to end. Not one minister or subject in the whole kingdom failed to give thanks and praise. Tripitaka said, "First is the blessing of the virtuous king, and second the merit of my disciple. Now that we have been given such a splendid feast, it is enough, it is enough. Let us take our leave now, so that we do not delay this poor monk's westward journey."

The king could not keep them any longer. He therefore had the travel pass changed, set out a grand royal escort, and asked Tripitaka to ride in comfort in the dragon carriage. The king and queen, both, held the wheels and pushed the coach as they escorted them out. Truly:

When fate has washed away worry, doubt, and sickness,
when thought is cut off, the mind settles of itself.
As for what happens next, whether good or ill,
wait for the next chapter to explain.