Chapter 77: The Demons Deceive True Nature; In One Body They Bow to True Suchness

We need not speak of the holy monk's suffering. Let us return to the three demons, who put forth all their strength against the Great Sage and his two brothers on the eastern slope of the city mountain. It was a clash like an iron broom scouring a bronze pot, hard against hard, and every house in the world could feel it.

How fierce it was:

Six forms, six weapons, six faces, six moods in combat;
six evils, six roots, six desires all betting on the prize.
Six gates and six roads make a wager with victory and defeat;
thirty-six palaces keep spring at ease, while six by six in form and shadow bear the bitterness of fame.
This one has the Golden-Hooped Rod and a thousand ways to strike;
that one the square halberd and a hundred savage flourishes.
Bajie's rake is fiercer still,
the younger monster's long spear is handsome and keen.
Brother Sha's precious staff is no common thing, and he means to kill;
the old monster's steel blade is sharp and merciless.
These three are guards of the true monk, invincible generals;
those three are wild spirits that scramble the law and mock the throne.
At first the fight was only hard; afterward it turned savage.
All six rose into the air and fought in the clouds,
spitting mist and smoke until heaven and earth grew dark,
while nothing could be heard but their bellowing and their roars.

The six of them fought on for a long time, and before they knew it evening had fallen. Then wind and mist rolled thick across the sky, and night came down in a flash. Bajie had big ears, and they only made the darkness worse by shading his eyes. His hands and feet were slow; his guard could not hold. Dragging his rake, he broke and ran.

The old monster swung his blade after him and nearly split him in two. Bajie barely escaped the crown of his head, though a few hairs were shaved off his neck by the edge. The monster rushed up, seized him by the collar, and carried him into the city, where he was thrown to the little demons and locked in the Golden Throne Hall. Then the old demon rose back into the clouds to lend his strength.

Brother Sha saw that things were going badly and pretended to brandish his precious staff while he turned to retreat. The second monster seized him by the nose with one hand, shouted once, and bound him fast, taking him to the city and locking him under the hall as well. Then he too flew up to call the others to seize Wukong.

Seeing his two brothers captured, the Great Sage knew he could not hold out alone. A single pair of fists cannot stand against four hands. He cried once, swept away the three demons' weapons with his staff, and rode off on a somersault cloud.

The three demons saw him making off on the cloud and shook themselves, revealing their true forms. They spread their two wings and pursued the Great Sage. Do not wonder how they could overtake him. When Sun Wukong once raised havoc in Heaven, even ten thousand celestial troops could not catch him, because he could ride the somersault cloud and cover one hundred and eight thousand li in a single bound. But the beast only had to flap once to fly ninety thousand li; two flaps were enough to close the gap. So he caught Wukong in one grasp, and no matter how he strained, he could not break free.

There was no way to escape. Even if he used transformation or flight, he could not get away. If he grew larger, the monster only slackened his grip; if he shrank smaller, the monster only tightened it. So the demon carried him back into the city, set him down, and ordered the other monsters to lock him up with Bajie and Sha Wujing.

The old monster and the second monster came down together to greet him. All three demons went up into the Golden Throne Hall.

Alas. This was not the Great Sage being imprisoned. It was plainly a send-off.

By the time the second watch had sounded, the monsters had all met and settled themselves, and then they pushed Tripitaka down from the hall. By the lantern light the elder saw that all three disciples were locked on the ground. He knelt beside Wukong and wept, saying, "Disciples, whenever trouble came, you would always work your magic outside and go looking for aid to subdue the demons. But now even you have been captured. How am I to keep my life?"

Bajie and Sha Wujing heard their master's grief and began to cry out as well. Wukong smiled faintly and said, "Master, do not worry. Brothers, do not cry. No matter what they do, we will not come to harm. Once the old monster has settled down, we will make our move."

Bajie said, "Brother, stop speaking in riddles. A hemp rope has me bound. If it were only a little loose, I could spit on it and get free. You thin fellow may not feel it, but I, the fat one, am in a disaster. Look at my arms; the rope has already sunk two inches into the flesh. How am I to get out?"

Wukong laughed. "Let alone a hemp rope. Even a coir cable as thick as a bowl would be no more to me than an autumn breeze."

The master and disciples were still talking when they heard the old monster outside say, "My three worthy brothers have strength and cunning indeed. This plan has worked perfectly, and Tang Sanzang has been brought in."

He then called, "You underlings, five fetch water, seven scour the pots, ten stoke the fire, and twenty drag out the iron cages. Steam those four monks until they are done, and then my brothers and I can enjoy them. Give each of the little ones a piece as well, so they may all live forever."

Bajie heard this and trembled all over. "Brother," he said, "listen to that. The monster is laying plans to steam us to death."

Wukong said, "Do not fear. Let me see whether he is a rookie monster or a skilled one."

Brother Sha wept and said, "Brother, do not talk so boldly. We are already standing beside Yama's wall. What is the use of 'rookie' or 'skilled' now?"

Before he had finished, they heard the second monster say, "Zhu Bajie will not steam well."

Bajie brightened at once. "Amitabha. Which benevolent soul said I would not steam well?"

The third monster said, "He will not steam well. Peel off his skin and steam him."

Bajie panicked and shouted, "Do not peel off the skin! I am rough outside, but once the steam hits me, I will fall apart."

The old monster said, "The one that does not steam well will go in the bottom tier."

Wukong laughed. "Bajie, do not be afraid. He is only a rookie, not a skilled hand."

Brother Sha asked, "How can you tell?"

Wukong said, "When one steams something, the heat rises from below. If it is hard to steam, one puts it on the top tier and uses a stronger fire so the steam can build up. If it is put on the bottom tier, it blocks the steam. You could burn it for half a year and it still would not soften.

"Since he says Bajie will not steam well and puts him on the bottom, what else could he be but a rookie?"

Bajie groaned. "Brother, by your rule we are already being cooked alive. If he sees that I still am not tender, lifts me up, turns me over, and then burns me again, will I not be cooked on both sides and raw in the middle?"

They were still talking when a little demon came to report, "The water is boiling."

The old monster gave the order to bring them out. The little devils lifted Bajie and placed him on the bottom tier, then lifted Brother Sha and placed him on the second tier.

Wukong guessed that they would soon come for him, so he slipped free and said, "This lantern light is good for tricks."

He plucked out a hair, blew on it with immortal breath, and said, "Change."

At once it became another Wukong, bound in hemp rope. The true body slipped out through the spirit and leapt up into the air, where it lowered its head and watched.

The little devils could not tell false from true. They lifted the fake Wukong into the third tier, then dragged Tripitaka up and threw him into the fourth. Firewood was piled on, and the flames leaped high.

The Great Sage, looking down from the clouds, sighed and said, "Bajie and Sha Wujing can each endure two boils. But my master only needs one and he will turn to mush. If I do not use my powers to save him, he will be lost in an instant."

He pinched a hand seal in the air and recited the spell that calms the dharma realm. At once he summoned the Dragon King of the North Sea.

In the clouds a black mass answered, and a voice cried out, "Little Dragon Ao Shun of the North Sea makes his bow."

Wukong said, "Rise, rise. I would not trouble you without cause. My Tang master has been seized here by poison demons and is being steamed in an iron cage. Go and shield them for me. Do not let them be cooked."

The Dragon King at once transformed himself into a cold wind and blew under the cauldron, swirling round and round to guard it. The fire could no longer heat the pot, and the three of them were spared.

When the third watch was nearly done, the old monster gave the order to shut down for the night. "My underlings," he said, "we have worked ourselves hard by using these tricks to seize Tang Sanzang and his four companions. We have also spent four days and nights sending them along. They are locked in the cages now and cannot escape. Keep close watch over them. Let ten little devils take turns stoking the fire. We brothers will go back to our palace and sleep a little. When the fifth watch comes and day is about to break, they will surely be fully cooked. Then set out the garlic paste, salt, and vinegar, and wake us to enjoy a hollow-bellied meal."

The monsters obeyed. The three demons went off to their sleeping chambers.

Wukong, listening clearly from the clouds, lowered himself until he could no longer hear a sound from inside the cage. He thought, "The heat is rising, so the cage must be warm too. Why are they not afraid? Why do they not cry out or groan? Could it be that they have already been steamed to death? Let me go nearer and listen again."

The Great Sage shook himself and changed into a black fly. He landed on the outside of the iron cage and listened. All at once he heard Bajie inside saying, "What bad luck, what bad luck. I do not know whether we are being steamed by a sealed lid or by an open vent."

Brother Sha asked, "Second Brother, what do you mean, sealed lid or open vent?"

Bajie said, "If the lid is sealed, it is called sealed-lid steaming. If the lid is open, it is open-vent steaming."

Tripitaka, floating up from the next tier, answered, "Disciples, the lid is not on."

Bajie said, "That is a blessing. Then we are still not dead tonight. This is open-vent steaming."

When Wukong heard that all three could still talk and had not been hurt, he flew away and gently set the cage lid back in place.

Tripitaka cried out, "Disciples, the lid is on now."

Bajie moaned, "It is over. This is sealed-lid steaming. Tonight we are surely done for."

Brother Sha and the elder began to sob softly. Bajie said, "Do not cry yet. The fire tenders are changing shifts right now."

Sha Wujing asked, "How do you know?"

Bajie said, "When they carried us up just now, I felt a little damp-cold illness. I thought the steam would warm me through. But now the coolness is returning. Hey, fire keeper, what would happen if you added a little more wood? You would not die from it."

Wukong heard this and could not stop himself from laughing. "This clumsy ox," he thought. "If it stays cold, he can endure it. If it gets hot, he will surely die. If they go on talking like this much longer, they will give the whole thing away. I must save them quickly. But to save them, I have to show my true form. If I do that, those ten fire tenders will all shout in panic and wake the old monsters, and then I will have more trouble. Let me send them a trick first."

Then he remembered, "When I was the Great Sage, I once played dice with the pagoda guardians at the North Heavenly Gate and won their sleep insects. I still have a few. I might as well give them away."

He felt at his waist and found twelve left. "I will give them ten and keep two for seed."

He tossed them out, and they settled on the faces of the ten little devils. The insects slipped into their nostrils and one by one they began to nod off. Only one boy, who was holding a fire fork, was not sleeping soundly. He rubbed his head and face, pinched at his nose, and kept sneezing.

Wukong said, "This fellow is the troublesome one. I will give him a pair."

He tossed another insect onto his face. With the two insects working in and out through his nose, the little devil finally yawned twice, stretched his back, dropped the fire fork, and collapsed in a heap. He did not move again.

Wukong laughed silently. "This trick is clever indeed."

Then he showed his true form, stepped forward, and called, "Master."

Tripitaka heard him and cried, "Wukong, save me!"

Brother Sha said, "Brother, are you outside?"

Wukong said, "If I were outside, would I be in here suffering with you?"

Bajie said, "Brother, the clever one escaped, and the rest of us are the ones holding the bottom of the jar. We are roasting in this muggy steam."

Wukong laughed. "Dummy, stop shouting. I have come to save you."

Bajie cried, "Brother, if you save me, save me all at once. Do not stuff me back into the steamer again."

Wukong opened the cage lid, untied his master, and shook the false hair body so it came back into himself. Then he freed Brother Sha and Bajie tier by tier. As soon as Bajie was loose, he was ready to bolt.

Wukong stopped him. "No hurry. No hurry."

He recited another charm and dismissed the Dragon King of the North Sea. Then he said to Bajie, "We still have high mountains and steep ridges ahead on the road to the West. Master cannot travel far on foot. I had better fetch the horse."

He stepped lightly to the Golden Throne Hall, where all the little devils were still asleep. He untied the reins without waking a soul.

The horse was a dragon horse. If a stranger had come near, it would have kicked twice and neighed, but Wukong had once tended horses in the Heavenly Palace and served as the Keeper of the Horses, so the horse knew him and did not stir.

He led it quietly out, tightened the belly band, and fitted it properly for the road. Then he helped the master mount.

Tripitaka climbed up, still trembling, and was ready to go.

Wukong said, "Not so fast. We still need a travel pass. Since we are going west, we cannot enter another kingdom without papers. I will fetch the baggage as well."

Tripitaka said, "I remember that when we came in, the monsters threw the baggage on the left side of the Golden Throne Hall, and the saddlebags were there too."

Wukong said, "I know where it is."

He leapt into the hall, and all at once he saw a glow drifting in the dark. He knew at once that this was the baggage. How did he know? Because the brocade kasaya Tripitaka wore was set with a night-shining pearl, and it gave off light. He rushed over and saw the bundle untouched. He picked it up and handed it to Brother Sha, who slung it over his shoulder.

Bajie led the horse, and Wukong took the road, heading straight for the Front Gate of the Sun. But when they reached the gate, they heard the clatter of bells and wooden clappers, and saw locks sealed across the door with official paper pasted over them.

Wukong said, "With guards like this, how are we to get out?"

Bajie said, "Let us go by the back door."

They turned and made straight for the rear gate. There too were bells, clappers, seals, and locks.

Wukong frowned. "What are we to do now? If this were not Tripitaka, a mortal body still tied to the Five Phases, the three of us could have ridden the clouds and gone away in a gust. But because he has not passed beyond the Three Realms, because he still lives in the world of the Five Phases and his whole body is made of his parents' turbid bones, he cannot rise and escape so easily."

Bajie said, "Brother, there is no time to argue. Let us find a wall with no bells and no guards, hoist Master up, and climb over."

Wukong laughed. "That will not do. If we have to carry him over a wall now, then when we fetch the scriptures and come back, you fool will have such a loose mouth that you will tell everyone we were monks who climbed walls."

Bajie said, "Right now we cannot think about keeping up appearances. We had better save our lives."

Wukong had no answer. He followed Bajie's plan and took them to a clean wall to climb out.

Alas, such a thing had to happen. Tripitaka's unlucky star had not yet passed. The three demons, sleeping in the palace, were suddenly startled awake. They learned that Tang Sanzang had escaped, and all three threw on their robes and rushed up to the Golden Throne Hall.

They asked, "How many boils has Tang Sanzang had?"

Most of the little fire-tenders were already under the spell of sleep insects and had fallen fast asleep. No amount of kicking could wake them. A few of the others, half asleep and half aware, stammered out, "Seven, seven, seven, seven boils."

The demons hurried to the cauldron. There they saw the cage grill thrown on the ground, and the fire-tenders still asleep. In alarm they reported, "Great Kings, they are gone! They are gone!"

The three demons came down from the hall and looked carefully by the pot. Sure enough, the cage grill was scattered on the ground, the soup pot was cold, and the fire had gone out entirely. The sleepers were snoring like mud. The whole band burst into shouts: "Quick, seize Tang Sanzang! Quick, seize Tang Sanzang!"

That cry shook every corner of the city. The small and large demons, front and back, were all roused at once. They gathered with spears and blades and rushed down to the Front Gate of the Sun.

They found the seals still in place and the clappers still ringing. They asked the night watch outside, "Which way did Tang Sanzang go?"

None of them had seen a soul leave.

The chase hurried on to the rear butchery gate. There too were seals and bells just as before.

Then lanterns and torches rose all over the city, bright as day. In that light they clearly saw the four pilgrims climbing over the wall.

The old monster caught up and roared, "Where are you going?"

Tripitaka was so frightened that his legs turned to cotton. He toppled from the wall and was seized by the old monster.

The second monster caught Sha Wujing. The third monster seized Bajie and threw him down. The little demons snatched the baggage and the white horse, and only Wukong escaped.

Bajie kept grumbling in his mouth, blaming Wukong: "That heaven-broken monkey! I told you that if we were to save them, we should save them cleanly. Now we have been shoved back into the steamer."

The monsters hauled Tripitaka up to the hall but did not steam him again. The second monster ordered Bajie tied to the front eaves pillar of the hall, and the third monster ordered Sha Wujing tied to the rear eaves pillar. Only the old monster hugged Tripitaka and would not let go.

The third monster said, "Brother, why are you holding him like that? Are you going to eat him raw? That would be no fun at all.

"This is not like some common fool that we can grab and eat like a meal. This is a rare thing from a high land. We ought to wait until a cloudy day, or when we have leisure. Then we can take him out, prepare him neatly, and enjoy him with dice and music, blowing and beating to our hearts' content."

The old monster laughed. "What you say is true, but what if Sun Wukong comes again to steal him?"

The third monster said, "In this royal palace there is a brocade-fragrant pavilion, and in the pavilion there is an iron cabinet. According to my plan, we should hide Tang Sanzang inside the cabinet and shut the pavilion. Then spread a rumor that Tang Sanzang has already been half-cooked and eaten by us. Let the little devils run through the whole city saying so. Wukong will surely come to learn the news. Once he hears that, he will give up all hope and go away. If he does not come back to make trouble for three or five days, then we may take him out and enjoy him at our ease.

"How about that?"

The old monster and the second monster were both delighted. "Yes, yes, yes. Brother, that makes good sense."

So the poor monk was carried in that night and hidden in the cabinet, the pavilion was shut, and the rumor spread through the city. We need not dwell on it.

As for Wukong, at midnight he could no longer think of Tripitaka. He rode his cloud away and escaped. He went straight to Lion Camel Cave and killed his way through the little demons with one sweep of his staff. By the time he hurried back, the eastern sky was already bright.

He reached the city walls but did not dare call out for battle. As the saying goes, a single thread cannot make a net, and one palm alone cannot clap. Since the demon kings had been taken away, the rest had scattered to save their lives.

Wukong lowered his cloud, changed himself into a little demon, and slipped into the gates to search the streets and alleyways for news.

All over the city people were saying the same thing: Tang Sanzang had been half-cooked and eaten by the great kings in the night. That was the story from every side. Wukong's heart was burning with anxiety.

He came to the Golden Throne Hall and looked around. There were many spirits inside, wearing leather-gold caps, yellow tunics, and red lacquer staffs at their waists, with ivory tally tags hanging there. They came and went in a noisy stream. Wukong thought to himself, "These must be the demons who patrol the inner palace. I will change into one of them and go in to listen."

The Great Sage truly changed into the same sort and mixed into the golden gate.

As he was walking, he saw Bajie bound to a hall pillar, groaning. Wukong stepped up and called, "Wuneng."

Bajie recognized his voice and said, "Brother, you have come? Save me."

Wukong said, "I will save you. Do you know where Master is?"

Bajie said, "Master is gone. Last night the monsters half-cooked and ate him."

Wukong heard this and his tears burst out like a spring. Bajie said, "Brother, do not cry. I only heard the little demons talking. I did not see it with my own eyes. Do not delay. Go ask again."

Wukong wiped away his tears and searched farther inside. Soon he saw Sha Wujing tied to the rear eaves pillar. He went up and touched Brother Sha's chest, calling, "Wujing."

Brother Sha knew the voice too. "Brother, you changed yourself and came in? Save me, save me."

Wukong said, "Saving you is easy. Do you know where Master is?"

Sha Wujing wept and said, "Brother, they could not wait to steam him, so they half-cooked and ate him."

When Wukong heard both answers and found them the same, his heart felt as if it were being cut by a knife. His tears flowed like water. He leapt straight up into the air and, forgetting for the moment to save Bajie and Sha Wujing, returned to the mountain east of the city. There he dropped his cloud and cried out in grief:

Master, I fought Heaven and was trapped in nets for you;
you came to save me from my long illness and trouble.
We set our minds on Buddha together,
and together we strained our bodies to refine the demons.
Who would have thought that today's poison and harm
would keep me from bringing you to the Western land?
The blessed realm of the West is now beyond our reach;
spirit scattered, breath gone, what can I do?

In sorrow he turned the matter over in his own heart and asked his heart another question: All this was because the Buddha of the Western Heaven, sitting in that land of bliss with nothing else to do, had invented this Tripitaka scripture business. If he truly meant to teach goodness, he ought to have sent the scriptures east at once. Would that not have made an eternal story? Yet he had been reluctant to release them and made us come and fetch them instead. Who could have known that after endless hardship through a thousand mountains, they would lose their lives here today?

Enough, enough. Old Sun will ride a somersault cloud and go see the Tathagata himself and tell him all that has happened. If he is willing to send the scriptures to the Eastern Land, then one good deed will be spread abroad and our wish will be fulfilled. If he is not willing, then I will ask him to recite the loosening charm and take this fillet off my head, and I will return to my cave, claim my mountain kingdom, and go off to my amusements.

The Great Sage hastened to turn himself over, mounted his somersault cloud, and headed straight for India. In less than an hour he could already see Lingshan in the distance. In no time he dropped his cloud at the foot of Eagle Peak. He looked up and saw the Four Vajra Guardians blocking the road.

"Where are you going?" they cried.

Wukong saluted them. "I have urgent business with the Buddha."

Then one of the guardians, the Immovable Vajra of the Hanging Jewel Ridge in Kunlun, shouted, "This monkey is most rude. Last time you caused great trouble for the Bull Demon King, and we worked hard on your behalf. Today you come before us and do not show the least respect. If you have business, you must first report it and wait for a summons. This is not like the South Heavenly Gate, where you can go in and out and wander about as you please. Get back! Move aside!"

The Great Sage was already in misery, and now he had to endure this scolding too. Anger rose in him like thunder. He could not help shouting back, and the uproar reached the Buddha.

The Tathagata was seated on the ninth lotus throne, expounding the scriptures to the eighteen arhats of the world-turning order. He opened his mouth and said, "Sun Wukong has come. Go out and receive him."

At once the arhats obeyed. With banners and canopies on both sides, they went out from the mountain gate and called, "Great Sage Sun, the Buddha summons you."

Then the Four Vajra Guardians at the gate stepped aside and let Wukong pass.

The arhats led him to the foot of the jeweled lotus throne, where he fell face down before the Buddha and wept. The Buddha asked, "Wukong, why are you crying so bitterly?"

Wukong said, "Your disciple has long enjoyed your teachings and has sheltered under the Buddha's gate. Since I returned to right fruition and took up the protection of Tripitaka, I have gone west in his company, and the suffering has been beyond words.

"Now in Lion Camel Mountain, Lion Camel Cave, and Lion Camel City, there are three poisonous demons, the Lion King, the King, and the Roc. They have seized my master, and all your disciple's efforts have been in vain. We were locked in the steamer and suffered fire and boiling water. Fortunately I escaped and called the Dragon King to save them. That night I secretly led my brothers out, but bad star luck could not be shaken and we were captured again.

"By daybreak I entered the city to gather news, and that cruel monster was so vicious and so strong that he half-cooked and ate my master in the night. Now there is no flesh or bone left. My junior brothers, Bajie and Wujing, are still bound over there, and before long their lives will also be gone.

"I have no other remedy, so I have come especially to bow before the Tathagata. I beg you, in your great mercy, to recite the fillet-loosening charm and take this ring from my head. Then let your disciple return to Flower-Fruit Mountain and idle away his days in comfort."

He had not finished before tears poured down like a fountain, and his cries would not stop.

The Buddha smiled. "Wukong, do not grieve so. That demon has great powers, and you were no match for him, so it is only natural that you are heartbroken."

Wukong knelt below and beat his chest. "To speak plainly before the Buddha, when I once raised havoc in Heaven and was called the Great Sage, I had never in my life suffered a loss. This time I have fallen into the hands of those poisonous demons."

The Buddha said, "Do not hate them. I know those demons."

Wukong suddenly cried out, "Buddha, I have heard people say those monsters are related to you."

The Buddha said, "You sly monkey, what sort of nonsense is that? How could those demons be related to me?"

Wukong laughed. "If they were not related to you, how would you know them?"

The Buddha said, "I know them because I see with my wisdom eye. The old monster and the second monster both have a master."

He called, "Ananda, Kasyapa, come. Split up and ride your clouds to Wutai Mountain and Emei Mountain to summon Manjushri and Samantabhadra to come and see me."

The two reverend ones at once obeyed and departed.

The Buddha said, "Those are the masters of the old monster and the second monster. As for the third monster, if we tell it plainly, there is some kinship with me as well."

Wukong said, "What kinship? Paternal or maternal?"

The Buddha said, "When chaos first divided, heaven opened in the sign of Zi, earth was split in the sign of Chou, and humanity was born in the sign of Yin. When heaven and earth joined again, the ten thousand things came forth. Among those ten thousand things, the beasts had the qilin as their chief and the birds had the phoenix as their chief. The phoenix in turn joined with the breath of creation and gave birth to the peacock and the roc.

"When the peacock first appeared, it was most vicious. It could swallow a man whole from forty-five li away. I once cultivated the sixteen-foot golden body atop Snow Mountain, and he swallowed me into his belly as well. I wanted to come out by his lower gate, but I feared to sully the true body. So I split open his back and mounted to Lingshan. I meant to hurt his life, but the Buddhas all counseled me, saying, 'To injure the peacock is to injure our mother.' So I left him on Vulture Peak, where I made him the Mother of Buddhas, the Greatly Bright Peacock King Bodhisattva. The roc was born of the same mother, so there is some kinship with me."

Wukong laughed. "Buddha, by that account you would be the demon's uncle."

The Buddha said, "To subdue that monster, I myself must go."

Wukong kowtowed and said, "Then by all means descend your jade throne."

At once the Buddha left the lotus throne, and with all the Buddhas around him he went straight out through the mountain gate. There he saw Ananda and Kasyapa leading Manjushri and Samantabhadra to audience, and the two bodhisattvas bowed to the Buddha.

The Buddha asked, "How long has the beast of your mountains been gone?"

Manjushri said, "Seven days."

The Buddha said, "In the mountain, seven days. In the world, several thousand years. We do not know how many lives have been harmed there. Come quickly with me and seize him."

The two bodhisattvas followed at his sides, and all the Buddhas flew through the sky together. Truly:

A thousand shimmering clouds parted across the heavens;
our Buddha of compassion descended to spread the Law.
He made plain the meaning of heaven's opening and the birth of life,
and explained in detail how earth was split and bodies transformed.
Before him walked five hundred arhats;
behind his head followed three thousand protective gods.
Kasyapa and Ananda went at either side;
the bodhisattvas of universal wisdom drove away the demon mist.

The Great Sage, having secured such help from the Buddha and the others, soon saw the city again below. He reported, "Buddha, the one blowing black smoke is Lion Camel City."

The Buddha said, "You go down first. Enter the city and fight the demons. You may lose, but you may not win. When you have lost, come back up. I will take them myself."

The Great Sage lowered his cloud and went straight to the city wall. Standing on the battlements, he cursed, "You evil beasts! Come out and fight Old Sun."

The little devils on the wall were frightened and jumped down to report, "Great King, Sun Wukong is on the wall calling for battle."

The old monster said, "That monkey has not shown his face for two or three days, and now he comes shouting again. Could he have called for reinforcements?"

The third monster said, "What are we afraid of? Come, let us all go out and see."

The three demons each took up their weapons and rushed to the wall. When they saw Wukong, they did not waste words. All three thrust at once. Wukong spun his iron staff to meet them.

They fought seven or eight rounds, and then Wukong pretended to lose and ran. The demon kings shouted and gave chase. Wukong leapt straight into the air, and the three spirits rose into the clouds after him.

Wukong slipped aside and hid within the Buddha's golden glow, where he could not be seen at all. Then he saw the Buddhas of past, present, and future, together with five hundred arhats and three thousand protective gods, spreading out left and right and surrounding the three demon kings so tightly that not even water could leak through.

The old monster panicked and cried, "Brothers, this is bad. That monkey is a true earth-ghost. He has fetched a real master!"

The third monster said, "Brother, do not be afraid. Let us all rush in and use our spears and blades to knock down the Buddha and seize Thunderclap's jeweled monastery."

These beasts did not know their place. They actually leaped forward to slash and hack. Then Manjushri and Samantabhadra moved their true words, and cried, "You evil creatures, will you not return to the right path? What more are you waiting for?"

The old monster and the second monster were frightened out of their minds and could not hold their weapons. They dropped them, rolled over once, and revealed their true forms. The two bodhisattvas flung lotus thrones onto the beasts' backs and mounted them in one leap. The two monsters at once bowed their heads and submitted.

Once the two bodhisattvas had subdued the blue lion and the white elephant, only the third monster remained unsubdued. He spread his wings, dropped his square halberd, and soared straight up, trying to seize the Monkey King with his claws. But Wukong was hidden in the Buddha's light and how could the beast come near him?

The Buddha knew exactly what was happening and at once flashed his golden light. He shook the head that was marked by the magpie's nest, and it turned into a bright red lump of flesh. The demon swung his claws and snapped at it. The Buddha raised his hand, and at once the monster's wings went stiff. He could not fly away. He could only hover above the Buddha's crown and could not escape. Then he revealed his true body: a golden-winged great roc.

He opened his mouth and cried to the Buddha, "Tathagata, why do you use such great power to trap me?"

The Buddha said, "You have created too much evil here. Follow me and you will gain true merit."

The monster said, "You eat plain food and keep fasts, and you are poor and miserable. I eat human flesh and live in plenty. If you starve me to death, that will be your fault."

The Buddha said, "I govern the four great continents, and countless beings look up to me. For every good deed, I have them first offer it to your mouth."

The great roc could not break free and could not flee. Having no choice, he submitted.

Only then did Wukong step out and bow. "Buddha, now that you have seized the demon and removed the great danger, my master is still gone."

The roc gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "You wicked monkey! You brought such a harsh enemy to trap me. Your old monk was never eaten. He is in the iron cabinet in the brocade-fragrant pavilion."

When Wukong heard this, he hurriedly bowed and thanked the Buddha. The Buddha did not dare let the roc go, and only ordered him to serve as a guardian of the light while he led the others back through the clouds and returned to the jeweled monastery.

Wukong then lowered his cloud and went straight into the city. Not a single little demon was left. As the saying goes, a snake without a head cannot move and a bird without wings cannot fly. When they saw that the Buddha had captured their demon kings, the rest scattered in all directions to save themselves.

Wukong first rescued Bajie and Sha Wujing. He found the baggage and the horse and said to the two of them, "Master has not been eaten. Follow me."

He led them straight into the inner court and found the brocade-fragrant pavilion. He opened the door and saw an iron cabinet inside. From within came the sound of Tripitaka weeping.

Brother Sha used his demon-subduing staff to break the iron lock, lifted the cabinet lid, and called, "Master."

Tripitaka saw them and burst into loud tears. "Disciples, how did you subdue the demons? How did you find me here?"

Wukong told the story from beginning to end, in full detail. Tripitaka thanked them without end.

The master and disciples searched the palace, found some grain, made tea and rice, and ate their fill. Then they gathered their things, left the city, found the main road, and headed west.

Truly:

The true scriptures must be fetched by true men;
all this chattering and labor of the mind is empty.

As for how long it will be before they see the Buddha face to face again, that must wait for the next chapter to tell.