Chapter 78: The Monk Pities the Children and Sends the Shadow Spirits; In the Golden Hall They Discern the Demon and Debate the Way and Virtue

One thought stirs a hundred devils; cultivation is the hardest thing of all. What can one do? Wash it clean and there will be no stain, but one must still bind and polish it by hand. Sweep away ten thousand entanglements and return to still extinction; drive off a thousand monsters and do not linger.

Only when one leaps clear of the cage and snare, and completes the work, can one rise and fly to Great Luo.

Now then: Sun the Great Sage had used every trick in his heart to beg the Buddha to subdue the monsters and deliver Tripitaka and his disciples from their misery. After that the party left Lion Camel City and went westward. Several months passed, and winter came.

See how it looked:

Ridge plums were about to burst like jade; the pool water was turning to ice.
Red leaves had all fallen away; green pines showed a fresh color.
Pale clouds flew as if they might turn to snow;
dry grass lay flat across the hills.
Cold light filled the eyes from every side,
and a chill stole through the bones.

The master and disciples rode through the cold, eating rain and sleeping in the wind. As they traveled, they came to another city. Tripitaka asked, "Wukong, what place is that?"

Wukong said, "When we get close, we will know. If it is a kingdom that requires a pass, we must exchange the travel papers. If it is only a prefecture or county, we can go straight through."

Before they had finished speaking, they had already reached the city gate. Tripitaka dismounted, and the four of them went into the moon city. There, an old soldier was dozing against a wall that faced the sun.

Wukong stepped up, shook him awake, and called, "Officer."

The old soldier started up in alarm, rubbed his eyes, and when he saw Wukong he hurried to kneel and knock his head to the ground. "Grandfather!"

Wukong said, "Do not make a fuss. I am not some wicked god. Why are you calling me grandfather?"

The old soldier said, "You are Grandfather Thunder."

Wukong said, "Nonsense. I am a monk from the Eastern Land of Great Tang, traveling west to seek the scriptures. We have just arrived here and do not know the name of the place, so I wanted to ask you."

Only then did the old soldier calm himself. He yawned, stood up, stretched his waist, and said, "Holy master, forgive my sin. This place used to be called Biqiu Kingdom. Now it has been changed to Little Boy City."

Wukong asked, "Is there a king in the country?"

The old soldier said, "Yes, yes, there is."

Wukong turned and said to Tripitaka, "Master, this place was once Biqiu Kingdom, but now it is called Little Boy City. I do not know why it has been renamed."

Tripitaka frowned. "If it is called Biqiu, why is it called Little Boy?"

Bajie said, "Maybe the Biqiu king died, and the new ruler is only a little boy, so they gave it that name."

Tripitaka said, "Nonsense. That makes no sense at all. Let us go in and ask the people in the streets."

Sha Wujing said, "Just so. The old soldier does not know, and Brother Wukong frightened him into talking foolishly. Let us go into the city and ask around."

So they passed through the second and third gates and came to the main thoroughfare. The market was lively and the people were well dressed and fair of face. Truly:

Wine houses and song halls rang with voices; tea shops hung their curtains high.
Ten thousand doors and a thousand gates made good business; six streets and three markets held broad wealth.
People bought gold and traded silk like swarms of ants,
all fighting for profit and fame, and only for money.
The manners were proper, the scenery prosperous,
as if the clear river had run bright and the sea were calm.

The four of them led the horse and carried the packs through the market for a long while, but all the while they saw that every household had a goose cage hanging by the gate. Tripitaka said, "Disciples, why does every house here put a goose cage by the door?"

Bajie looked to the left and right. Sure enough, there were goose cages, and each one had a curtain of five-colored silk over it. The fool laughed and said, "Master, today must be a lucky day and a proper hour for weddings and visits. They are all making offerings."

Wukong said, "You are talking nonsense. Why would every house be holding a ceremony? There must be a reason. Let me go take a look."

Tripitaka grabbed him and said, "Do not go. Your face is ugly. They may be frightened by you."

Wukong said, "I will change myself and go."

The Great Sage pinched a spell and recited a charm. In a flash he changed into a bee, opened his wings, and flew to the cages. He slipped into the curtain at the first house and looked inside. It was a child. He went to the second cage and looked again. It was also a child.

He looked at eight or nine houses in a row. Every one was a child.

Only boys were there, never girls. Some sat in the cages playing, some sat inside crying, some ate fruit, and some slept or sat still. After he had looked them over, Wukong resumed his true form and returned to report to Tripitaka.

"Those cages hold children," he said. "The oldest is not yet seven; the youngest is only five. I do not know why."

Tripitaka heard this and could not settle his mind.

Just then they turned a corner and saw an office building. It was the Gold Pavilion Hostel. The elder was delighted. "Disciples, let us go into this hostel. First, we can ask about the local customs. Second, we can rest the horse. Third, night is coming, and we can spend it there."

Sha Wujing said, "Just so. Let us go in quickly."

The four of them went in happily. The officer on duty and the station master came out to meet them at the door, and after the proper greetings they sat down. The station master asked, "Holy master, from where have you come?"

Tripitaka said, "I am a monk from Great Tang in the East, sent west to seek the scriptures. Now that I have come to your honored place, I should have my pass inspected. For the moment, I beg only to borrow your station and rest."

The station master ordered tea to be served. After the tea, he prepared the customary provisions and told the attendants to make arrangements for the guests. Tripitaka thanked him and then asked, "May we go to court tomorrow and present the pass?"

The station master said, "Not tonight. We must wait until tomorrow morning's audience. For now, please rest in my office for one night."

Before long everything had been arranged. The station master invited the four of them to eat a vegetarian meal and then had the servants sweep the guest rooms for lodging. Tripitaka thanked him without end.

After they sat down, the elder said, "I have one matter I do not understand and would like you to explain. In your place, how do you raise children?"

The station master said, "Heaven has but one sun, and people have but one reason. To raise children, the father's essence and the mother's blood join. After ten months in the womb, the child is born when the time comes. It is nursed for three years, and then the body and shape slowly grow complete. There is nothing strange about it."

Tripitaka said, "According to what you say, that is just as in our country. But when I entered the city just now, I saw goose cages at every household gate, and inside each cage was a little child. Since I did not understand it, I dared to ask."

The station master leaned close and said in a low voice, "Holy master, do not ask. Do not speak of it. Do not meddle in it. Please just rest tonight and go on your way tomorrow."

Tripitaka heard this and grabbed the station master, determined to ask for a full explanation. The station master shook his head and finger only, repeating, "Mind your words. Mind your words."

Tripitaka would not let go at all and insisted on a full answer. In the end the station master had no choice but to send all the other attendants away.

When he was alone in the lantern light, he whispered, "The goose cages you asked about are the evil doing of our present ruler. Why do you insist on asking?"

Tripitaka said, "What evil doing? You must make it plain to me before I can rest."

The station master said, "This kingdom used to be called Biqiu Kingdom. In recent years the people have made a rhyme of it and call it Little Boy City.

"Three years ago an old man came, dressed like a Daoist, carrying a little girl of sixteen. She was lovely and fair, with a face like Guanyin's. He presented her to our ruler. The king was delighted by her beauty and favored her so deeply that he set her in the inner palace and named her the Beauty Queen. Since then he has paid no proper look to the three palace queens or the six court ladies.

"He is consumed by pleasure day and night. Now he has worn himself thin, his body is frail, he eats and drinks less and his life is hanging by a thread. The imperial medical bureau has searched every good prescription, but nothing has helped.

"The Daoist who brought the girl has been granted an official title and is called the king's father-in-law. That father-in-law has secret formulas from the seas beyond the horizon and is said to prolong life very well. Earlier he went to gather medicine from the Ten Continents and Three Isles, and everything is now ready.

"Only the ingredient is terrible: the medicine must be taken with the heart and liver of one thousand, one hundred, and eleven young children, cooked into a broth. If the king drinks it, he will supposedly be free from old age for a thousand years. The children in the goose cages were all chosen for that purpose and raised there.

"Because the parents are afraid of the law, none of them dare cry out. So the people have spread the nickname Little Boy City. Holy master, tomorrow when you go to court, only exchange your travel pass. Do not speak of this matter."

When he had finished, he drew back. Tripitaka was so frightened that his bones went soft and his sinews went limp, and tears rolled down his cheeks. He suddenly cried out, "Ignorant ruler, ignorant ruler! For your lust and craving for beauty, you have brought on sickness in your own body. How could you also wound so many children's lives? Alas, alas! It breaks my heart!"

There is a verse to prove it:

An evil ruler, ignorant and blind, loses his true nature;
in lust he forgets himself and secretly wounds his own body.
Seeking long life, he murders infant lives;
to escape heaven's punishment, he slaughters the common folk.
The monk's compassion cannot be cut away,
and the official's talk of profit cannot be endured.
By the lamp he sheds tears and breathes long sighs,
a man who has turned to Buddha's path and still cannot bear it.

Bajie came forward and said, "Master, what is this? You are carrying someone else's coffin into your own house and weeping over it. Do not trouble yourself. As the old saying goes, if the ruler tells the minister to die, and the minister does not die, then he is disloyal. If the father tells the son to die, and the son does not die, then he is unfilial. He is harming his own people. What has that got to do with you? Come now, loosen your clothes and sleep. Do not worry over old graves."

Tripitaka wept and said, "Disciple, you are not a compassionate man. I am a monk who has accumulated merit and practice. First of all, I must help where I can. How can this ignorant ruler act with such shameless cruelty? I have never once heard of eating a human heart and liver to gain long life. How could I not be saddened by such a thing?"

Sha Wujing said, "Master, do not grieve yet. Tomorrow, when you exchange the travel pass and stand before the king, ask him directly what sort of father-in-law he has. Perhaps that father-in-law is a demon who wants to eat human hearts and livers and has set up this scheme. That is not impossible."

Wukong said, "Brother Sha speaks reasonably. Master, you should sleep now. Tomorrow let Old Sun go with you into court and see whether the father-in-law is good or bad. If he is only a man, then perhaps he has strayed onto a side road and does not know the right Way. He may only think he is gathering medicine. I can then teach him the first principles and guide him back to the right path. If he is a demon or evil spirit, I will seize him and show him to the king so the king may curb his lust and nourish his body, and I will never let him harm those children."

Tripitaka heard this and quickly bowed to Wukong instead. "Disciple, this plan is excellent, excellent. But when we meet the ignorant king, do not ask him about it at once. If we do, he may take offense, spread false rumors without regard for distance, and have us blamed. What then can be done?"

Wukong smiled. "Old Sun has his own powers. First I will spirit the goose-cage children out of the city and let the king have nothing to harvest tomorrow. Then the local officials will have to report it. The ignorant king will surely issue an order, either to consult with the father-in-law or to recruit more children. Then we can use the report to press our case, and the blame will never fall on me."

Tripitaka was delighted. "How will you get the children out of the city? If you truly can free them, then you are a disciple of heaven itself. Do it quickly. If you delay, it may be too late."

Wukong shook himself and displayed his divine might. Then he stood up and told Bajie and Sha Wujing, "Sit with the master and wait. While I am at work, if you feel a cold wind stir, that means the children have been moved out of the city."

The three of them all recited, "Homage to the Life-Saving Medicine Buddha! Homage to the Life-Saving Medicine Buddha!"

The Great Sage went out through the door, gave a whistle, and rose into the air. He pinched a spell, recited a true incantation, and called out, "Om, clean the dharma realm."

At once he summoned the city god, the earth god, the local tutelary spirits, the true officials, the Five Direction Patrol Gods, the Four Watch-time Officers, the Six Ding and Six Jia gods, and the protective temple guardians. They all came into the air and bowed to him.

"Great Sage," they said, "you summoned us at night. What urgent business is this?"

Wukong said, "As I passed through Biqiu Kingdom, I found that the king has lost the right Way and listens to evil spirits. He wants to take the hearts and livers of little children as medicine, hoping to live forever. My master cannot bear it and wants to save the children and destroy the monster. So I have especially invited all of you to use your powers and carry the children out of the goose cages in every house and set them down in the mountain hollows outside the city or deep in the woods. Keep them there for a day or two, and give them fruit to eat so they do not starve. Guard them quietly and do not let them be frightened into crying. When I have finished with the evil one and set the king right, I will send someone to bring the children back."

The gods heard the order and at once used their powers. They lowered their clouds. Across the city, cold wind rolled and a bleak mist stretched wide.

A bitter wind darkened the stars in the sky;
a pitiless mist dimmed the moon for a thousand li.
At first it moved lazily, softly, and without force;
after that it roared and swept in earnest.
Here it searched the gates to rescue the children;
there it held the cages and carried away the bones and flesh.
Cold air bit through bodies and would not let them rise;
the chill pierced the skin like iron clothing.
Parents could only wring their hands,
while brothers and sisters grieved in tears.
The whole ground was wrapped in a black wind,
and the cages were borne away by the gods.
Though the night was lonely and bleak,
by morning all would be glad.

There is a poem to prove it:

The Buddhist gate has long been rich in mercy;
rightness and goodness bring success, as the Great One teaches.
Ten thousand saints and a thousand true ones all build merit;
the Three Refuges and Five Precepts call for harmony.
Biqiu Kingdom's crime is not a kingly joke;
a thousand little children are lives gone astray.
Because the Great Sage and his master saved them together,
this hidden virtue outweighs even paramita.

By the third watch, the gods had carried the goose cages to safe places and hidden them away.

Wukong lowered his auspicious light and went straight back to the hostel yard. There he heard the other three still chanting, "Homage to the Life-Saving Medicine Buddha!"

He was secretly pleased and stepped forward. "Master, I am back. How was the cold wind?"

Bajie said, "A good cold wind."

Tripitaka said, "What about the matter of saving the children?"

Wukong said, "They have all been carried away. When we set out in the morning, we will send them back."

The elder thanked him again and again, and then at last went to sleep.

At dawn Tripitaka awoke and got himself ready. "Wukong, I will go exchange the travel pass before morning court."

Wukong said, "Master, if you go alone, it may not work. Let Old Sun go with you and see whether that father-in-law is good or evil."

Tripitaka said, "If you go, you may not bow properly. The king may take offense."

Wukong said, "I will not show myself. I will follow in secret and keep watch over you."

Tripitaka was overjoyed. He told Bajie and Sha Wujing to guard the baggage and horse, and then he set out. The station master came again to greet him, and when he saw how the elder had dressed himself, he looked even more unlike the day before. See him:

He wore a brocade kasaya of wondrous treasures; on his head sat a gold-topped Vairocana cap.
The nine-ringed monk's staff was in his hand, and a single point of divine light was hidden in his chest.
The travel pass followed him closely, wrapped in a brocade case within the bundle.
He walked like an arhat descending into the world, truly with the face of a living Buddha.

The station master greeted him and then leaned close to whisper once more, telling him not to meddle in other people's affairs. Tripitaka nodded and answered.

Wukong slipped by the door and recited a charm. In an instant he changed into a little black insect, buzzing, and flew onto Tripitaka's cap. Then the party left the hostel and headed straight for the court.

When they reached the palace gate, they found a yellow-gate official waiting there. Tripitaka bowed and said, "Poor monk is an envoy from Great Tang in the East, traveling west to seek the scriptures. Now that I have come here, I should exchange my pass. I beg you to make the report."

The yellow-gate official indeed carried the message in.

The king was pleased and said, "A monk who has traveled so far must have the Way."

He ordered them to be invited in. The yellow-gate official carried out the command and led the elder inside.

Tripitaka bowed before the steps and was then invited up onto the hall and given a seat. The elder again thanked the king and sat down.

The king looked frail and wasted. His spirit was tired, his face thin, and his voice broken into pieces. Tripitaka was just about to ask a question when the officer in charge reported, "The king's father-in-law has arrived."

At once the king leaned on a young attendant and struggled down from the dragon bed. He bent his body to welcome him.

Tripitaka was startled and hurried to his feet, standing to the side. Looking back, he saw an old Daoist swaggering in from the white jade steps. See him:

On his head he wore a pale goose-yellow cloud-brocade gauze cap of nine orders;
on his body a crane's cape of silk, scented with plum blossom and sandalwood.
Around his waist was a three-strand blue cord with braided tassels;
on his feet were hemp-and-hemp cloud shoes.
In his hand he leaned on a nine-jointed dead-vine staff coiled like a dragon;
on his chest hung a round brocade pouch embroidered with dragons and phoenixes.
His jade face shone with luster; his white beard floated beneath his chin.
Golden eyes flashed like fire; his long brows reached past the corners of his face.
His steps were followed by cloud; his ease was wrapped in incense mist.
The officials below the hall all bent to welcome him,
crying together, "The king's father-in-law has entered the royal court."

When the father-in-law reached the hall, he did not bow at all. He lifted his head high and went straight up to the throne.

The king bent forward and said, "Father-in-law, your immortal presence is welcome today."

Then he invited him to sit on the embroidered stool at the left.

Tripitaka took one step forward and bowed. "Your servant, this poor monk, greets the father-in-law."

The father-in-law sat upright and did not return the greeting. Instead he turned to the king and asked, "Where has this monk come from?"

The king said, "He is an envoy from Great Tang in the East, sent west to exchange his travel pass."

The father-in-law smiled. "What good is there on the road west? It is black and endless."

Tripitaka said, "From of old, the West has been the land of ultimate bliss. How could it not be good?"

The king asked, "I have heard the ancients say, 'Monks are disciples of the Buddha.' I truly do not know whether becoming a monk means one can avoid death, and whether bowing to Buddha can indeed bring long life."

Tripitaka heard this and quickly joined his palms. He answered:

"For one who becomes a monk, all the entanglements of the world are put aside. For one who has realized nature, all dharmas are empty. Great wisdom is quiet and calm, dwelling in non-birth; the true pivot is silent, roaming free in still extinction. When the three realms are empty, a hundred troubles are brought under control; when the six roots are pure, a thousand kinds of longing are exhausted.

"If one would truly know the mind, one must first understand it: when the mind is pure, it shines alone in clear brightness; when the mind is stored, ten thousand scenes are all clear. The true face has no lack and no excess, and can be seen in life; the illusory form has shape and must in the end be broken, so what is there beyond it to seek? Sitting in practice and performing meditation are the roots of entering samadhi; giving alms and showing mercy are truly the foundation of cultivation.

"The great clever man seems simple, and knows how all things are done without doing; the best plan needs no calculation, and one must lay everything down one by one. If only the mind does not move, the ten thousand practices are already complete. As for taking yin to replenish yang, that is truly a false saying. Eating elixirs for long life is in fact empty talk. One need only cast away all dust and all attachments, and let every form be empty. Be plain, pure, and free of desire, and one will naturally enjoy a life without end."

The father-in-law only smiled when he heard this. He pointed at Tripitaka and said, "Ha-ha-ha, monk, you are talking through your hat. Within the gate of still extinction, one must speak of knowing one's nature. You do not even know where that nature is extinguished. To sit like a dead log and talk about meditation is all blind cultivation and foolish refinement. As the vulgar saying goes: 'Sit, sit, sit, and your backside will split; burn in the fire, and the trouble is worse still.'

"And you do not know this about me:

The immortal cultivator has bones that are hard and bright;
the true adept has a spirit that is the finest and keenest.
I carry a bowl and gourd into the mountains to visit friends,
and gather a hundred herbs to bring healing into the world.
I pluck immortal flowers to trim my hat,
and break fragrant orchids to spread on my mat.
When I sing, hands clap; when I dance, I sleep on the clouds.
I proclaim the Way and spread the Supreme Lord's true teaching;
I use talismans and water to wipe out the demons of the human world.
I seize heaven and earth's pure breath and gather the essence of sun and moon.
I move yin and yang until the elixir is formed, and regulate water and fire until the embryo is fixed.
When the twenty-four yin signs fade, it is all dim and misty;
when the twenty-seven yang signs grow, it is all hidden in the dark.
I follow the four seasons and gather the medicines;
I nurture the nine revolutions and refine the golden elixir.
I ride the azure phoenix up to the Purple Mansion;
I ride the white crane up to the Jade Capital.
I join the bright colors of the whole sky
and show the diligence of the wondrous Way.

"Compared with your calm Zen and Buddhist teaching, with your extinguished shadow spirit and your Nirvana corpse that leaves behind a foul shell and still does not escape the dust, the Three Teachings have no higher class than Daoism. From ancient times, only the Way has truly been honored."

When the king heard this, he was overjoyed. All the court officials cried out in praise, "Well said, well said, 'only the Way is truly honored!'" They repeated it over and over.

Tripitaka was ashamed beyond words when he saw everyone praising the father-in-law. The king then ordered the Court of Revenue to prepare a vegetarian banquet and to send the far-traveled monk back out of the city westward.

Tripitaka thanked him and withdrew. When he had only just descended from the hall and was on his way out, Wukong flew down from the brim of his hat and buzzed by his ear, saying, "Master, that father-in-law is a demon. The king has been clouded by demonic air. Go first to the hostel and wait for your meal. Let Old Sun stay here and listen for more."

Tripitaka took his meaning and went alone out through the palace gate, so we will not dwell on him here.

As for Wukong, he clung like a bug to the emerald screen inside the Golden Throne Hall. There he saw the officers of the Five Cities Military Patrol step forward and report, "My lord, last night a cold wind blew away the children from every household's goose cages. Every child, cage and all, has vanished without trace."

The king heard this and was both alarmed and angry. He said to the father-in-law, "This is heaven destroying me. I have been gravely ill for months, and the imperial doctors have done nothing. Happily, Father-in-law gave me an immortal formula, and we were waiting only until noon today to cut open the children and take their hearts and livers as a guide. Who would have thought a cold wind would blow them all away? If this is not heaven wishing to destroy me, what is it?"

The father-in-law laughed. "Your Majesty, do not be troubled. The children were blown away because Heaven has sent you long life."

The king said, "The children were blown out of the cages. How can you say Heaven has sent me long life?"

The father-in-law said, "When I came into court just now, I saw a medicine ingredient far better than the hearts of one thousand, one hundred, and eleven children. Those children's hearts would only prolong Your Majesty's life for a thousand years. This other ingredient, if it is taken with my immortal medicine, can prolong life for ten thousand ten-thousand years."

The foolish king did not know what ingredient he meant and kept asking. At last the father-in-law said, "That monk from Great Tang in the East, the one sent west to seek the scriptures. He has a clear, pure bearing and a neat, finished face. He is the true body of someone who has cultivated for ten lives. He has been a monk since childhood, and his original yang has never been leaked. Compared with those children, he is ten thousand times more precious. If we get his heart and liver and cook them into a broth with my immortal medicine, it will surely secure Your Majesty's life for ten thousand years."

The ignorant king believed him completely. He said to the father-in-law, "Why did you not say so sooner? If that is truly effective, we should not have let him go."

The father-in-law said, "What difficulty is that? I only just told the Imperial Banquet Office to prepare a feast for him. By now he has surely eaten and gone back to the city gate. Quickly issue an order: close every gate, send troops to surround the Gold Pavilion Hostel, and bring the monk in. Ask him politely for his heart. If he agrees, cut it out at once and bury his body afterward, setting up a shrine for him and offering sacrifices there. If he will not agree, then treat him with force, seize him, and cut it out anyway. What is difficult about that?"

The foolish king followed his words at once and ordered the gates shut. He also sent imperial guards and troops to surround the hostel.

Wukong heard all this, flew in a flash back to the hostel, and resumed his true form before Tripitaka. "Master, disaster! Disaster!"

Tripitaka had just received the royal vegetarian meal with Bajie and Sha Wujing when he heard this and was so frightened that the Three Corpses Gods scattered and the Seven Apertures smoked. He collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat, unable to focus his eyes or speak a word.

Brother Sha rushed forward to support him and kept calling, "Master, wake up. Master, wake up."

Bajie said, "What disaster? What disaster? You should have spoken more slowly and not frightened the master like this."

Wukong said, "After the master left court, I looked back and saw that the father-in-law was a demon. Shortly after that, the Five Cities Military Patrol came to report that a cold wind had carried away the children. The king was angry, but the father-in-law only said, 'This is Heaven sending you long life.' Then he said the monk's heart and liver would be a better medicine guide. The foolish king believed him, so now he has ordered the palace troops to surround the hostel and has sent a brocade-clad officer to invite the master to court to ask for his heart."

Bajie laughed. "We showed fine mercy, saved the children so well, and sent such a fine cold wind. Now we have indeed brought trouble on ourselves."

Tripitaka trembled as he got up. He grabbed Wukong and pleaded, "Worthy disciple, what are we to do?"

Wukong said, "If you want to be safe, the master must become the disciple, and the disciple must become the master."

Brother Sha asked, "What do you mean, master becomes disciple and disciple becomes master?"

Wukong said, "If we want to save our lives, Tripitaka must become a follower and the follower must become Tripitaka. Only then can we keep the body intact."

Tripitaka said, "If you can save my life, I am willing to become your disciple and even your grand-disciple."

Wukong said, "If that is so, there is no need to delay."

He told Bajie, "Quick, mix me some mud."

The fool used the rake to scrape up some dirt. He did not dare go outside to fetch water, so he lifted his clothes and urinated, mixing a filthy lump of mud and handing it over to Wukong.

Wukong had no other choice. He flattened the mud into a layer and pasted it onto his own face, making himself a monkey mask. Then he told Tripitaka to stand still and not speak.

He slapped the mud onto Tripitaka's face as well, recited a true spell, blew a breath of immortal air, and cried, "Change!"

At once the elder changed into a likeness of Wukong. Wukong stripped off Tripitaka's clothes and dressed him in his own; then he put the master's clothes on himself and recited another charm, shaking himself once to change into Tripitaka's face.

Bajie and Brother Sha could hardly tell them apart.

Before the disguise had even been settled, they heard gongs and drums sounding together and saw spears and blades crowding in around them. It was the imperial guards, leading three thousand soldiers to surround the hostel.

Then a brocade-clad officer came into the hostel yard and asked, "Where is the elder from Great Tang in the East?"

The hostel keeper, trembling all over, knelt and pointed. "In the guest room below."

The brocade-clad officer went at once to the room and said, "Holy Tripitaka, my king invites you."

Bajie and Brother Sha stood at the sides, guarding the fake Wukong. Then the fake Tripitaka came out and bowed. "Honored officer in brocade, why has Your Majesty summoned this poor monk?"

The brocade-clad officer stepped forward, grabbed him, and said, "Come with me to court. Surely there will be use for you."

Ah! This is just what the saying means: slander can overcome compassion, and compassion can bring disaster in return.

As for what sort of fate now awaits them, that must wait for the next chapter to tell.