第三十一回

第三十一回 猪八戒义识猴王 孙行者智降妖怪

义结孔怀[1]，法归本性。金顺木驯成正果，心猿木母合丹元。共登极乐世界，同来不二法门。经乃修行之总径，佛配自己之元神。兄和弟会成三契，妖与魔色应五行。剪除六门趣，即赴大雷音。

却说那呆子被一窝猴子捉住了，扛抬扯拉，把一件直裰子揪破。口里劳劳叨叨的，自家念诵道：“罢了！罢了！这一去有个打杀的情了！”不一时到洞口，那大圣坐在石崖之上，骂道：“你这馕糠的夯货！你去便罢了，怎么骂我？”八戒跪在地下道：“哥呵，我不曾骂你，若骂你，就嚼了舌头根。我只说哥哥不去，我自去报师父便了。怎敢骂你？”行者道：“你怎么瞒得过我？我这左耳往上一扯，晓得三十三天人说话；我这右耳往下一扯，晓得十代阎王与判官算帐。你今走路把我骂，我岂不听见？”八戒道：“哥呵，我晓得。你贼头鼠脑的，一定又变作个甚么东西儿，跟着我听的。”行者叫：“小的们，选大棍来！先打二十个见面孤拐，再打二十个背花[2]，然后等我使铁棒与他送行！”八戒慌得磕头道：“哥呵，千万看师父面上，饶了我罢！”行者道：“我想那师父好仁义儿哩！”八戒又道：“哥哥，不看师父呵，请看海上菩萨之面，饶了我罢！”

行者见说起菩萨，却有三分儿转意道：“兄弟，既这等说，我且不打你。你却老实说，不要瞒我，那唐僧在那里有难，你却来此哄我？”八戒道：“哥呵，没甚难处，实是想你。”行者骂道：“这个好打的夯货！你怎么还要者嚣？我老孙身回水帘洞，心逐取经僧。那师父步步有难，处处该灾。你趁早儿告诵我，免打！”八戒闻得此言，叩头上告道：“哥呵，分明要瞒着你，请你去的，不期你这等样灵。饶我打，放我起来说罢。”行者道：“也罢，起来说。”众猴撒开手，那呆子跳得起来，两边乱张。行者道：“你张甚么？”八戒道：“看看那条路儿空阔，好跑。”行者道：“你跑到那里？我就让你先走三日，老孙自有本事赶转你来！快早说来！这一恼发我的性子，断不饶你！”

八戒道：“实不瞒哥哥说，自你回后，我与沙僧保师父前行，只见一座黑松林，师父下马，教我化斋。我因许远无一个人家，辛苦了，略在草里睡睡。不想沙僧别了师父，又来寻我。你晓得师父没有坐性，他独步林间玩景，出得林，见一座黄金宝塔放光，他只当寺院，不期塔下有个妖精，名唤黄袍，被他拿住。后边我与沙僧回寻，止见白马、行囊，不见师父，随寻至洞口，与那怪厮杀。师父在洞，幸亏了一个救星。原是宝象国王第三个公主，被那怪摄来者。他修了一封家书，托师父寄去，遂说方便，解放了师父。到了国中，递了书子，那国王就请师父降妖，取回公主。哥呵，你晓得，那老和尚可会降妖？我二人复去与战。不知那怪神通广大，将沙僧又捉了。我败阵而走，伏在草中。那怪变做个俊俏文人入朝，与国王认亲，把师父变作老虎。又亏了白龙马夜现龙身，去寻师父。师父倒不曾寻见，却遇着那怪在银安殿饮酒。他变一宫娥，与他巡酒、舞刀，欲乘机而砍，反被他用满堂红打伤马腿。就是他教我来请师兄的，说道：‘师兄是个有仁有义的君子。君子不念旧恶，一定肯来救师父一难。’万望哥哥念‘一日为师，终身为父’之情，千万救他一救！”

行者道：“你这个呆子！我临别之时，曾叮咛又叮咛，说道：‘若有妖魔捉住师父，你就说老孙是他大徒弟。’怎么却不说我？”八戒又思量道：“请将不如激将，等我激他一激。”道：“哥呵，不说你还好哩，只为说你，他一发无状！”行者道：“怎么说？”八戒道：“我说：‘妖精，你不要无礼，莫害我师父！我还有个大师兄，叫做孙行者。他神通广大，善能降妖。他来时教你死无葬身之地！’那怪闻言，越加忿怒，骂道：‘是个甚么孙行者，我可怕他？他若来，我剥了他皮，抽了他筋，啃了他骨，吃了他心！——饶他猴子瘦，我也把他剁鲊着油烹！’”行者闻言，就气得抓耳挠腮，暴躁乱跳道：“是那个敢这等骂我！”八戒道：“哥哥息怒，是那黄袍怪这等骂来，我故学与你听也。”行者道：“贤弟，你起来。不是我去不成，既是妖精敢骂我，我就不能降他？我和你去！老孙五百年前大闹天宫，普天的神将看见我，一个个控背躬身，口口称呼大圣。这妖怪无礼，他敢背前面后骂我！我这去，把他拿住，碎尸万段，以报骂我之仇！报毕，我即回来。”八戒道：“哥哥，正是。你只去拿了妖精，报了你仇，那时来与不来，任从尊命。”

那猴才跳下崖，撞入洞里，脱了妖衣，整一整锦直裰，束一束虎皮裙，执了铁棒，径出门来。慌得那群猴拦住道：“大圣爷爷，你往那里去？带挈[3]我们耍子几年也好。”行者道：“小的们，你说那里话！我保唐僧的这桩事，天上地下，都晓得孙悟空是唐僧的徒弟。他倒不是赶我回来，倒是教我来家看看，送我来家自在耍子。如今只因这件事，——你们却都要仔细看守家业，依时插柳栽松，毋得废坠。——待我还去保唐僧，取经回东土。功成之后，仍回来与你们共乐天真。”众猴各各领命。

那大圣才和八戒携手驾云，离了洞，过了东洋大海；至西岸，住云光，叫道：“兄弟，你且在此慢行，等我下海去净净身子。”八戒道：“忙忙的走路，且净甚么身子？”行者道：“你那里知道，我自从回来，这几日弄得身上有些妖精气了。师父是个爱干净的，恐怕嫌我。”八戒于此始识得行者是片真心，更无他意。

须臾洗毕，复驾云西进，只见那金塔放光。八戒指道：“那不是黄袍怪家？沙僧还在他家里。”行者道：“你在空中，等我下去看看那门前如何，好与妖精见阵。”八戒道：“不要去，妖精不在家。”行者道：“我晓得。”好猴王，按落祥光，径至洞门外观看。只见有两个小孩子，在那里使弯头棍，打毛球，抢窝[4]耍子哩，一个有十来岁，一个有八九岁了。正戏处，被行者赶上前，也不管他是张家李家的，一把抓着顶搭子[5]，提将过来。那孩子吃了唬，口里夹骂带哭的乱嚷，惊动那波月洞的小妖，急报与公主道：“奶奶，不知甚人把二位公子抢去也！”原来那两个孩子是公主与那怪生的。

公主闻言，忙忙走出洞门来，只见行者提着两个孩子，站在那高崖之上，意欲往下掼。慌得那公主厉声高叫道：“那汉子，我与你没甚相干，怎么把我儿子拿去？他老子利害，有些差错，决不与你干休！”行者道：“你不认得我？我是那唐僧的大徒弟孙悟空行者，我有个师弟沙和尚在你洞里，你去放他出来，我把这两个孩儿还你。似这般两个换一个，还是你便宜。”那公主闻言，急往里面，喝退那几个把门的小妖，亲动手，把沙僧解了。沙僧道：“公主，你莫解我，恐你那怪来家，问你要人，带累你受气。”公主道：“长老呵，你是我的恩人。你替我折辩了家书，救了我一命，我也留心放你，不期洞门之外，你有个大师兄孙悟空来了，叫我放你哩。”

噫！那沙僧一闻“孙悟空”的三个字，好便似醍醐灌顶[6]，甘露滋心，一面天生喜，满腔都是春，也不似闻得个人来，就如拾着一方金玉一般。你看他捽手拂衣，走出门来，对行者施礼道：“哥哥，你真是从天而降也！万乞救我一救！”行者笑道：“你这个沙尼[7]！师父念《紧箍儿咒》，可肯替我方便一声？都弄嘴施展！要保师父，如何不走西方路，却在这里‘蹲’甚么？”沙僧道：“哥哥，不必说了，君子人既往不咎。我等是个败军之将，不可语勇。救我救儿罢！”行者道：“你上来。”沙僧才纵身跳上石崖。

却说那八戒停立空中，看见沙僧出洞，即按下云头，叫声：“沙兄弟，心忍[8]！心忍！”沙僧见身道：“二哥，你从那里来？”八戒道：“我昨日败阵，夜间进城，会了白马，知师父有难，被黄袍使法，变做个老虎。那白马与我商议，请师兄来的。”行者道：“呆子，且休叙阔，把这两个孩子，你抱着一个，先进那宝象城去激那怪来，等我在这里打他。”沙僧道：“哥啊，怎么样激他？”行者道：“你两个驾起云，站在那金銮殿上，莫分好歹，把那孩子往那白玉阶前一掼。有人问你是甚人，你便说是黄袍妖精的儿子，被我两个拿将来也。那怪听见，管情回来，我却不须进城与他斗了。若在城上厮杀，必要喷云嗳雾，播土扬尘，惊扰那朝廷与多官黎庶，俱不安也。”八戒笑道：“哥哥，你但干事，就左[9]我们。”行者道：“如何为左你？”八戒道：“这两个孩子，被你抓来，已此唬破胆了，这一会声都哭哑，再一会必死无疑。我们拿他往下一掼，掼做个肉子，那怪赶上肯放？定要我两个偿命。你却还不是个干净人？——连见证也没你，你却不是左我们？”行者道：“他若扯你，你两个就与他扛将这里来。这里有战场宽阔，我在此等候打他。”沙僧道：“正是，正是。大哥说得有理，我们去来。”他两个才倚仗威风，将孩子拿去。

行者即跳下石崖，到他塔门之下。那公主道：“你这和尚，全无信义。你说放了你师弟，就与我孩儿，怎么你师弟放去，把我孩儿又留，反来我门首做甚？”行者陪笑道：“公主休怪。你来的日子已久，带你令郎去认他外公去哩。”公主道：“和尚莫无礼，我那黄袍郎比众不同。你若唬了我的孩儿，与他柳柳惊[10]是。”

行者笑道：“公主啊，为人生在天地之间，怎么便是得罪？”公主道：“我晓得。”行者道：“你女流家，晓得甚么？”公主道：“我自幼在宫，曾受父母教训。记得古书云：‘五刑之属三千，而罪莫大于不孝。’”行者道：“你正是个不孝之人。盖‘父兮生我，母兮鞠我。哀哀父母，生我劬劳’。故孝者，百行之原，万善之本，却怎么将身陪伴妖精，更不思念父母？非得不孝之罪，如何？”公主闻此正言，半晌家耳红面赤，惭愧无地，忽失口道：“长老之言最善。我岂不思念父母？只因这妖精将我摄骗在此，他的法令又谨，我的步履又难，路远山遥，无人可传音信。欲要自尽，又恐父母疑我逃走，事终不明。故没奈何，苟延残喘，诚为天地间一大罪人也！”说罢，泪如泉涌。行者道：“公主不必伤悲。猪八戒曾告诵我，说你有一封书，曾救了我师父一命，你书上也有思念父母之意。老孙来，管与你拿了妖精，带你回朝见驾，别寻个佳偶，侍奉双亲到老。你意如何？”公主道：“和尚啊，你莫要寻死。昨者你两个师弟那样好汉，也不曾打得过我黄袍郎。你这般一个筋多骨少的瘦鬼，一似个螃蟹模样，骨头都长在外面，有甚本事，你敢说拿妖魔之话？”行者笑道：“你原来没眼色，认不得人。俗语云：‘尿泡虽大无斤两，秤铊虽小压千斤。’他们相貌空大无用，走路抗风，穿衣费布，种火心空[11]，顶门腰软，吃食无功。咱老孙小自小，筋节[12]。”那公主道：“你真个有手段么？”行者道：“我的手段，你是也不曾看见。绝会降妖，极能伏怪。”公主道：“你却莫误了我耶。”行者道：“决然误你不得。”公主道：“你既会降妖伏怪，如今却怎样拿他？”行者说：“你且回避回避，莫在我这眼前，倘他来时，不好动手脚——只恐你与他情浓了，舍不得他。”公主道：“我怎的舍不得他？其稽留于此者，不得已耳！”行者道：“你与他做了十三年夫妻，岂无情意？我若见了他，不与他儿戏，一棍便是一棍，一拳便是一拳，须要打倒他，才得你回朝见驾。”

那公主果然依行者之言，往僻静处躲避。也是他姻缘该尽，故遇着大圣来临。那猴王把公主藏了，他却摇身一变，就变做公主一般模样，回转洞中，专候那怪。

却说八戒、沙僧，把两个孩子拿到宝象国中，往那白玉阶前捽下，可怜都掼做个肉饼相似，鲜血迸流，骨骸粉碎。慌得那满朝多官报道：“不好了！不好了！天上掼下两个人来了！”八戒厉声高叫道：“那孩子是黄袍妖精的儿子，被老猪与沙弟拿将来也！”

那怪还在银安殿宿酒未醒，正睡梦间，听得有人叫他名字，他就翻身，抬头观看，只见那云端里是猪八戒、沙和尚二人吆喝。妖怪心中暗想道：“猪八戒便也罢了，沙和尚是我绑在家里，他怎么得出来？我的浑家，怎么肯放他？我的孩儿，怎么得到他手？这怕是猪八戒不得我出去与他交战，故将此计来羁[13]我。我若认了这个泛头[14]，就与他打呵，——噫！我却还害酒哩！假若被他筑上一钯，却不灭了这个威风，识破了那个关窍，——且等我回家看看，是我的儿子不是我的儿子，再与他说话不迟。”

好妖怪，他也不辞王驾，转山林，径去洞中查信息。此时朝中已知他是个妖怪了。原来他夜里吃了一个宫娥，还有十七个脱命去的，五更时，奏了国王，说他如此如此。又因他不辞而去，越发知他是怪，那国王即着多官看守着假老虎不题。

却说那怪径回洞口。行者见他来时，设法哄他，把眼挤了一挤，扑簌簌泪如雨落，儿天儿地的，跌脚捶胸，于此洞里嚎咷痛哭。那怪一时间那里认得，上前搂住道：“浑家，你有何事，这般烦恼？”那大圣编成的鬼话，捏出的虚词，泪汪汪的告道：“郎君呵！常言道：‘男子无妻财没主，妇女无夫身落空！’你昨日进朝认亲，怎不回来？今早被猪八戒劫了沙和尚，又把我两个孩儿抢去，教我苦告，更不肯饶。他说拿去朝中认认外公，这半日不见孩儿，又不知存亡如何，你又不见来家，教我怎生割舍？故此止不住伤心痛哭。”那怪闻言，心中大怒道：“真个是我的儿子？”行者道：“正是，被猪八戒抢去了。”

那妖魔气得乱跳道：“罢了！罢了！我儿被他掼杀了！已是不可活也！只好拿那和尚来与我儿子偿命报仇罢！浑家，你且莫哭。你如今心里觉道怎么？且医治一医治。”行者道：“我不怎的，只是舍不得孩儿，哭得我有些心疼。”妖魔道：“不打紧，你请起来。我这里有件宝贝，只在你那疼上摸一摸儿，就不疼了。却要仔细，休使大指儿弹着，若使大指头弹着呵，就看出我本相来了。”行者闻言，心中暗笑道：“这泼怪，倒也老实，不动刑法，就自家供了。等他拿出宝贝来，我试弹他一弹，看他是个甚么妖怪。”那怪携着行者，一直行到洞里深远密闭之处，却从口中吐出一件宝贝，有鸡子大小，是一颗舍利子玲珑内丹。行者心中暗喜道：“好东西耶！这件物不知打了多少坐工，炼了几年魔难，配了几转雌雄，炼成这颗内丹舍利。今日大有缘法，遇着老孙。”那猴子拿将过来，那里有甚么疼处，特故意摸了一摸，一指头弹将去。那妖慌了，劈手来抢。你思量，那猴子好不溜撒，把那宝贝一口吸在肚里。那妖魔揝着拳头就打，被行者一手隔住，把脸抹了一抹，现出本相，道声：“妖怪！不要无礼！你且认认看我是谁？”

那妖怪见了，大惊道：“呀！浑家，你怎么拿出这一副嘴脸来耶？”行者骂道：“我把你这个泼怪！谁是你浑家？连你祖宗也还不认得哩！”那怪忽然省悟道：“我像有些认得你哩。”行者道：“我且不打你，你再认认看。”那怪道：“我虽见你眼熟，一时间却想不起姓名。你果是谁？从那里来的？你把我浑家估倒[15]在何处，却来我家诈诱我的宝贝？着实无礼！可恶！”行者道：“你是也不认得我。我是唐僧的大徒弟，叫做孙悟空行者。我是你五百年前的旧祖宗哩！”那怪道：“没有这话！没有这话！我拿住唐僧时，止知他有两个徒弟，叫做猪八戒、沙和尚，何曾见有人说个姓孙的。你不知是那里来的个怪物，到此骗我！”行者道：“我不曾同他二人来，——是我师父因老孙惯打妖怪，杀伤甚多，他是个慈悲好善之人，将我逐回，故不曾同他一路行走。你是不知你祖宗名姓。”那怪道：“你好不丈夫呵！既受了师父赶逐，却有甚么嘴脸，又来见人！”行者道：“你这个泼怪，岂知‘一日为师，终身为父’，‘父子无隔宿之仇’！你伤害我师父，我怎么不来救他？你害他便也罢，却又背前面后骂我，是怎的说？”妖怪道：“我何尝骂你？”行者道：“是猪八戒说的。”那怪道：“你不要信他。那个猪八戒尖着嘴，有些会说老婆舌头，你怎听他？”行者道：“且不必讲此闲话。只说老孙今日到你家里，你好怠慢了远客。虽无酒馔款待，头却是有的。快快将头伸过来，等老孙打一棍儿，当茶！”那怪闻得说打，呵呵大笑道：“孙行者，你差了计较了！你既说要打，不该跟我进来。我这里大小群妖，还有百十。饶你满身是手，也打不出我的门去。”行者道：“不要胡说！莫说百十个，就有几千，几万，只要一个个查明白了好打，棍棍无空，教你断根绝迹！”

那怪闻言，急传号令，把那山前山后群妖，洞里洞外诸怪，一齐点起，各执器械，把那三四层门，密密拦阻不放。行者见了，满心欢喜，双手理棍，喝声叫：“变！”变的三头六臂；把金箍棒幌一幌，变做三根金箍棒。你看他六只手使着三根棒，一路打将去，好便似虎入羊群，鹰来鸡栅。可怜那小怪，汤着的，头如粉碎，刮着的，血似水流！——往来纵横，如入无人之境。止剩一个老妖，赶出门来骂道：“你这泼猴，其实惫懒！怎么上门子欺负人家！”行者急回头，用手招呼道：“你来！你来！打倒你，才是功绩！”

那怪物举宝刀，分头便砍；好行者，掣铁棒，觌面相迎。这一场，在那山顶上，半云半雾的杀哩：

大圣神通大，妖魔本事高。这个横理生金棒，那个斜举蘸钢刀。悠悠刀起明霞亮，轻轻棒架彩云飘。往来护顶翻多次，反复浑身转数遭。一个随风更面目，一个立地把身摇。那个大睁火眼伸猿膊，这个明幌金睛折虎腰。你来我去交锋战，刀迎棒架不相饶。猴王铁棍依《三略》[16]，怪物钢刀按《六韬》。一个惯行手段为魔主，一个广施法力保唐僧。猛烈的猴王添猛烈，英豪的怪物长英豪。死生不顾空中打，都为唐僧拜佛遥。

他两个战有五六十合，不分胜负。行者心中暗喜道：“这个泼怪，他那口刀，倒也抵得住老孙的这根棒。等老孙丢个破绽与他，看他可认得。”好猴王，双手举棍，使一个“高探马”的势子。那怪不识是计，见有空儿，舞着宝刀，径奔下三路砍，被行者急转个“大中平”，挑开他那口刀，又使个“叶底偷桃势”，望妖精头顶一棍，就打得他无影无踪，急收棍子看处，不见了妖精。行者大惊道：“我儿啊，不禁打，就打得不见了。果是打死，好道也有些脓血，如何没一毫踪影？想是走了。”急纵身跳在云端里看处，四边更无动静。——“老孙这双眼睛，不管那里，一抹[17]都见，却怎么走得这等溜撒[18]？——我晓得了：那怪说有些儿认得我，想必不是凡间的怪，多是天上来的精。”

那大圣一时忍不住怒发，揝着铁棒，打个筋斗，只跳到南天门上。慌得那庞、刘、苟、毕、张、陶、邓、辛等众，两边躬身控背，不敢拦阻，让他打入天门，直至通明殿下。早有张、葛、许、丘四大天师问道：“大圣何来？”行者道：“因保唐僧至宝象国，有一妖魔欺骗国女，伤害吾师。老孙与他赌斗，正斗间，不见了这怪。想那怪不是凡间之怪，多是天上之精，特来查勘，那一路走了甚么妖神。”天师闻言，即进灵霄殿上启奏，蒙差查勘。九曜星官、十二元辰、东西南北中央五斗、河汉群辰、五岳四渎、普天神圣都在天上，更无一个敢离方位。又查那斗牛宫外，二十八宿，颠倒只有二十七位，内独少了奎星。

天师回奏道：“奎木狼下界了。”玉帝道：“多少时不在天了？”天师道：“四卯不到。三日点卯一次，今已十三日了。”玉帝道：“天上十三日，下界已是十三年。”即命本部收他上界。

那二十七宿星员领了旨意，出了天门，各念咒语，惊动奎星。你道他在那里躲避？他原来是孙大圣大闹天宫时打怕了的神将，闪在那山涧里潜灾，被水气隐住妖云，所以不曾看见他。他听得本部星员念咒，方敢出头，随众上界。被大圣拦住天门要打，幸亏众星劝住，押见玉帝。那怪腰间取出金牌，在殿下叩头纳罪。玉帝道：“奎木狼，上界有无边的胜景，你不受用，却私走一方，何也？”奎宿叩头奏道：“万岁，赦臣死罪。那宝象国王公主，非凡人也。他本是披香殿侍香的玉女，因欲与臣私通，臣恐点污了天宫胜境，他思凡先下界去，托生于皇宫内院。是臣不负前期，变作妖魔，占了名山，摄他到洞府，与他配了一十三年夫妇。‘一饮一啄，莫非前定’。今被孙大圣到此成功。”玉帝闻言，收了金牌，贬他去兜率宫与太上老君烧火，带俸差操[19]，有功复职，无功重加其罪。行者见玉帝如此发放，心中欢喜。朝上唱个大喏，又向众神道：“列位，起动[20]了。”天师笑道：“那个妖猴还是这等村俗。替他收了怪神，也倒不谢天恩，却就喏喏而退。”玉帝道：“只得他无事，落得天上清平是幸。”

那大圣按落祥光，径转碗子山波月洞，寻出公主，将那思凡下界收妖的言语正然陈诉。只听得半空中八戒、沙僧厉声高叫道：“师兄，有妖精，留几个儿我们打耶。”行者道：“妖精已尽绝矣。”沙僧道：“既把妖精打绝，无甚挂碍，将公主引入朝中去罢。不要睁眼。——兄弟们，使个缩地法来。”

那公主只闻得耳内风响，霎时间径回城里。他三人将公主带上金銮殿上，那公主参拜了父王、母后，会了姊妹，各官俱来拜见。那公主才启奏道：“多亏孙长老法力无边，降了黄袍怪，救奴回国。”那国王问曰：“黄袍是个甚怪？”行者道：“陛下的驸马，是上界的奎星；令爱乃侍香的玉女，因思凡降落人间，不非小可，都因前世前缘，该有这些姻眷。那怪被老孙上天宫启奏玉帝，玉帝查得他四卯不到，下界十三日，就是十三年了，——盖天上一日，下界一年。——随差本部星宿，收他上界，贬在兜率宫立功去讫，老孙却救得令爱来也。”那国王谢了行者的恩德，便教：“看你师父去来。”

他三人径下宝殿，与众官到朝房里，抬出铁笼，将假虎解了铁索。别人看他是虎，独行者看他是人。原来那师父被妖术魇住，不能行走，心上明白，只是口眼难开。行者笑道：“师父呵，你是个好和尚，怎么弄出这般个恶模样来也？你怪我行凶作恶，赶我回去，你要一心向善，怎么一旦弄出个这等嘴脸？”八戒道：“哥啊，救他救儿罢。不要只管揭挑[21]他了。”行者道：“你凡事撺唆，是他个得意的好徒弟，你不救他，又寻老孙怎的？——原与你说来，待降了妖精，报了骂我之仇，就回去的。”沙僧近前跪下道：“哥啊，古人云：‘不看僧面看佛面。’兄长既是到此，万望救他一救。若是我们能救，也不敢许远的来奉请你也。”行者用手挽起道：“我岂有安心不救之理？快取水来。”那八戒飞星去驿中，取了行李、马匹，将紫金钵盂取出，盛水半盂，递与行者。行者接水在手，念动真言，望那虎劈头一口喷上，退了妖术，解了虎气。

长老现了原身，定性睁睛，才认得是行者，一把搀住道：“悟空！你从那里来也？”沙僧侍立左右，把那请行者，降妖精，救公主，解虎气，并回朝上项事，备陈了一遍。三藏谢之不尽，道：“贤徒，亏了你也！亏了你也！这一去，早诣西方，径回东土，奏唐王，你的功劳第一。”行者笑道：“莫说！莫说！但不念那话儿，足感爱厚之情也。”国王闻此言，又劝谢了他四众，整治素筵，大开东阁。他师徒受了皇恩，辞王西去。国王又率多官远送。这正是：君回宝殿定江山，僧去雷音参佛祖。毕竟不知此后又有甚事，几时得到西天，且听下回分解。

[1] 孔怀：兄弟的代称。《诗经》有“兄弟孔怀”的诗句。孔，非常。怀，思念。

[2] 背花：旧时的杖刑。

[3] 带挈：引带，提携。

[4] 抢窝：儿童游戏的一种。

[5] 顶搭子：婴儿剃发时，留在顶上的一撮头发叫顶搭子。

[6] 醍（tí）醐（hú）灌顶：佛教比喻通过灌输智慧，使人彻底觉悟。这里是形容精神振奋，有豁然开朗之意。醍醐，用牛奶制作酥酪时，最上面凝聚的一层油脂，是牛奶中的精华。

[7] 沙尼：全称“沙弥尼”，出家尚未受戒的佛教徒，男性叫沙弥，女性叫沙弥尼。此处故意用沙弥尼称沙僧，有嘲戏的意思。

[8] 心忍：不忍心的意思。

[9] 左：这里作骗人、欺人、给人上当解释。

[10] 柳柳惊：就是压压惊。柳柳，犹缕缕，抚摸的意思。方言谓：“摸摸头，吓不着”，就是柳柳惊。

[11] 种火心空：想用作拨火棍却是空心的，没法用。种火，烧火时用棍子拨动柴草，使之充分燃烧，叫种火。

[12] 筋节：结实。

[13] 羁：本为束缚，拘束的意思，这里意同“激”。

[14] 泛头：同“犯头”，指冒犯的由头。

[15] 估倒：犹北京话的鼓捣。搬运、挪移、藏匿的意思。

[16] 《三略》：与下文的《六韬》都是古代兵书名，也代指兵法。

[17] 一抹：一瞥、一瞧。

[18] 溜撒：利索，麻利。

[19] 带俸差操：明代对军官的一种处分。即免除职务，仍允许带着俸禄编入军队服役。差操，差使，差遣。

[20] 起动：意为烦劳、麻烦别人。

[21] 揭挑：揭短、数落、挑剔。

CHAPTER 31. Zhu Eight Rules provokes the Monkey King to chivalry; Pilgrim Sun with wisdom defeats the monster.

Righteousness joined to fraternal feelings,

The dharma returning to its own nature:

Docile Metal and Gentle Wood will bear right fruit.

Mind Monkey and Wood Mother fuse with elixir source—1

Both ascending to the world of ultimate bliss,

Both arriving at the gate of undivided truth.2

Sūtras are the main path of self-cultivation;

Buddha should unite with one’s own spirit.

Brothers, elder and younger, make the kinship of the three;

Forms of monsters and demons match the Five Phases.

Exterminate the Sixfold Path

And you’ll reach the Great Thunderclap.

We were telling you about Idiot, who was caught by those monkeys; pulling and tugging at him, they ripped open his shirt as they hauled him away. Over and over again, he muttered to himself, “Finished! I’m finished! This time, I’m going to be beaten to death!” In no time at all, they reached the entrance of the cave, where the Great Sage was sitting again on top of the boulder. “You overstuffed coolie!” he shouted. “You should have just left. Why did you abuse me?” Kneeling on the ground, Eight Rules said, “Elder Brother, I did not abuse you. If I did, I would bite off this tongue! I only said that if you didn’t want to go, I would go back to tell Master and that would have been the end of it. How would I dare abuse you?”

“How could you possibly deceive me?” asked Pilgrim. “If I pull up this left ear of mine, I can find out who’s speaking up in the Thirty-third Heaven; if I pull down this right ear of mine, I can discover how the Ten Kings of Hell are sett ling the cases with the judges. You were maligning me as you walked away, and you thought that I couldn’t hear you?”

Eight Rules said, “Elder Brother, now I know. You are something of a crook and a shakedown artist! You must have changed into some kind of creature and followed me. That’s how you found out.” “Little ones,” cried Pilgrim, “select for me a large cane! Give him twenty strokes on his shanks as a greeting; then give him another twenty on his back. Thereafter let me use my iron rod to send him on his way!” Eight Rules was so terrified that he kowtowed at once, saying, “Elder Brother, I beg you to spare me for the sake of Master.”

“O, Master is so just and kind!” said Pilgrim.

“Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules again, “if not for the sake of Master, at least for the sake of the Bodhisattva, please forgive me.”

When Pilgrim heard him mention the Bodhisattva, he relented somewhat, saying, “Brother, if you put it that way, I won’t hit you for the moment. But you must be honest with me and not try to deceive me. Where is that Tang Monk facing an ordeal that has caused you to come and call for me?”

“Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “there’s no ordeal. He is truly thinking of you.”

“Coolie, you must love to be beaten!” shouted Pilgrim. “Why are you still trying to dupe me? Though old Monkey’s body has returned to the Water-Curtain Cave, his heart follows the scripture monk. Our master faces an ordeal with each step of the way; he is fated to suffer at every place. You better tell me quickly, or you’ll be whipped!”

When Eight Rules heard such words, he kowtowed and said, “Elder Brother, I did quite clearly attempt to deceive you into going, but I had no idea how smart you were. Please spare me from a beating and let me tell you standing up.” “All right,” said Pilgrim, “rise and talk.” The monkeys took away their hands and Idiot, jumping up at once, began to look wildly left and right. Pilgrim said, “What are you doing that for?” “To see which road is wide and smooth so that I can run,” said Eight Rules. “To where?” asked Pilgrim. “I’ll let you have a three days’ head start, and old Monkey still has the ability to chase you back. You’d better speak up! If you get me mad again, I won’t spare you this time.”

Eight Rules said, “To tell you the truth, Elder Brother, since you left us, Sha Monk and I accompanied Master to go forward and we arrived at a black pine forest. Master dismounted and told me to go beg for vegetarian food. Because I didn’t find even a single household after walking a great distance, I got a bit tired and napped a little in the grass. Sha Monk, I didn’t realize, also left Master to try to find me. You know that Master couldn’t sit still, and he took a walk by himself in the forest to enjoy the scenery. When he got out of the forest, he saw a luminescent jeweled pagoda of yellow gold, which he thought was some sort of monastery. He didn’t know that there was a monster-spirit beneath the pagoda, who had the name of Yellow Robe, and he was caught by the fiend. Later, when Sha Monk and I returned to look for him, we saw only the white horse and the luggage, but we didn’t see Master. We searched until we went to the door of the cave, where we fought the fiend. Meanwhile, Master met a saving star inside, who happened to be the third princess of the Precious Image Kingdom, abducted some time ago by that fiend. She wrote a letter to her family and wanted Master to send it for her; that was the reason why she persuaded the monster to let Master go. When we arrived at the kingdom, we presented the letter, whereupon the king asked Master to subdue the monster. Elder Brother, you should know. How could that old priest subdue any monster? It had to be the two of us again who went back to do battle, but the magic power of the fiend was tremendous and he seized Sha Monk instead. I managed to escape by hiding in the grass. Thereafter, the monster changed himself into a handsome scholar to gain admittance into the court and imperial recognition. Master, on the other hand, was changed by him into a tiger. That evening, it was fortunate that the white dragon-horse revealed himself to go search for Master; he didn’t find him, but he saw the fiend drinking in the Silver Peace Palace. Changing into a palace maid, the dragon poured wine for him, did a sword dance, and was about to use that opportunity to try to kill the monster. He was wounded instead by him with a candelabrum, and it was the dragon who told me to come get you. He said that Elder Brother was a just and benevolent gentleman, one who would not dwell on old wrongs and would be willing to go and save Master. I beg you, Elder Brother, remember the truth of ‘Once a teacher, always a father,’ and do try to save him.”

“You Idiot!” said Pilgrim. “At the time of my leaving, I told you again and again that if Master were caught by a monstrous demon, you should tell him that old Monkey was his eldest disciple. Why didn’t you say so?” Eight Rules thought to himself, “To ask a warrior is not as effective as to provoke a warrior. Let me provoke him a bit.” He said therefore, “Elder Brother, it would have been better had I not mentioned you. Once I said something about you, the monster became even more impudent.”

“What do you mean?” asked Pilgrim.

Eight Rules replied, “I said, ‘Monster, don’t you dare be insolent, and don’t you dare harm my master. I still have an elder brother, who is called Pilgrim Sun. His magic power is great and he is especially capable of subduing monsters. When he gets here, he’ll make you die without picking a place for burial.’ When that fiend heard my words, he became more aroused, crying, ‘Who’s this Pilgrim Sun that I should be afraid of him? If he shows up, I’ll skin him alive, I’ll pull out his tendons, I’ll debone him, and I’ll devour his heart. He might be thin, this monkey, but I’ll still chop him to pieces and fry him in oil.’” When Pilgrim heard these words, he became so enraged that he jumped up and down, madly scratching his cheeks and pulling at his ears. “Who is this that dares abuse me thus?” he bellowed. Eight Rules said, “Elder Brother, calm yourself. It’s the Yellow Robe Fiend who is thus abusing you. I was just giving you a rehearsal of what he said.” “Worthy Brother,” said Pilgrim, “get up. I’ve got to go. If that monster-spirit dared abuse me so, it would be impossible for me not to subdue him. I’ll go with you. When old Monkey caused great disturbance in the Celestial Palace five hundred years ago, all the divine warriors of Heaven would bend their backs and bow to him when they saw him. Every one of them addressed me as the Great Sage. This fiend is truly impudent. He dares abuse me behind my back! I’ll go, I’ll catch him, and I’ll smash him to pieces to avenge myself for being so insulted. When I’ve done that, I’ll come back.” “Exactly, Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules. “You go and catch the monster first, and when you have avenged yourself, you can then decide whether you want to come back or not.”

Leaping down at once from the boulder, the Great Sage dashed into the cave and took off his monster garment. Tucking in his silk shirt and tightly fastening his tiger-skin kilt, he walked right out of the door holding his iron rod. Startled, the various monkeys barred the way and asked, “Father Great Sage, where are you going? Isn’t it better that you look after us and have fun with us for a few more years?” Pilgrim said, “Little ones, watch what you are saying. My accompaniment of the Tang Monk is no private matter, for Heaven and Earth know that Sun Wukong is his disciple. He didn’t banish me back here; he told me to come home and relax a little before joining him again. That’s what this whole thing is about. You all must take good care of our property and don’t fail to plant the willows and the pines in due seasons. Wait till I finish accompanying the Tang Monk and taking the scriptures back to the Land of the East. After that merit is achieved, I’ll return to enjoy the joys of nature with you.” Each monkey obeyed the instructions.

The Great Sage then mounted the clouds with Eight Rules to leave the cave and cross the Great Eastern Ocean. When they reached the western shore, he stopped the cloudy luminosity, saying, “Brother, please stop for a moment and let me go down to the ocean to clean up my body.” “We are in a hurry,” said Eight Rules. “Why do you need to clean up your body?” Pilgrim said, “You have no idea that the few days since I went back there have caused me to pick up some monster odor. Master loves cleanliness, and I fear that he might be disgusted with me.” Only then did Eight Rules fully realize that Pilgrim was utterly sincere. In a moment the Great Sage finished bathing and mounted the clouds again to proceed westward. Soon they saw the luminescent gold pagoda, to which Eight Rules pointed and said, “Isn’t that the house of the Yellow Robe Fiend? Sha Monk is still inside.” “Stay in the air,” said Pilgrim, “and let me go down to his door to see what I can do about fighting with the monster.” Eight Rules said, “Don’t go, the monster is not at home.” “I know,” said Pilgrim. Dear Monkey King! Lowering his auspicious luminosity, he went straight to the entrance of the cave, in front of which he found two young boys playing field hockey. One was about eight or nine years of age, and the other was over ten years old. As they were playing, Pilgrim rushed forward and, with no regard at all for whichever family they belonged to, grabbed them by the tufts of their hair and picked them up. Terrified, the boys began to brawl and scream so loudly that the little fiends in the Current-Moon Cave ran to report to the princess, saying, “Lady, some unknown person has carried off the two young princes.” The two boys, you see, were the sons of the princess and the monster.

When the princess heard that, she ran out of the cave, where she saw Pilgrim holding the two boys. Standing on top of a cliff, he was about to dash them to the ground below. “Hey, you!” screamed the horrified princess. “I have no quarrel with you. Why did you take them away? Their old man is rather mean, and if anything happens to them, he won’t let you get away with it.” “You don’t recognize me?” said Pilgrim. “I’m Pilgrim Sun Wukong, the eldest disciple of the Tang Monk. My younger brother, Sha Monk, is in your cave. You go and release him, and I’ll return these boys to you; two for one, you’re getting a bargain already.” When the princess heard what he said, she went quickly inside and told the few little monsters guarding the door to step aside. With her own hands, she untied Sha Monk. “Princess, you’d better not untie me,” said Sha Monk. “When your fiend comes home and demands the prisoner from you, I fear that you would take the blame again.” The princess said, “Elder, you are my benefactor; not only did you send a letter to my home in my behalf, but you also saved my life. I was trying to think of a way to release you when your eldest brother Sun Wukong showed up at the door of our cave. He told me to release you.” Holla! When Sha Monk heard the name of Sun Wukong, he felt as if his head had been anointed with mellow wine, as if his heart had been moistened with sweet dew. Joy flooded his countenance; his whole face lit up with spring. He did not behave like someone who heard the announcement of a person’s arrival, but rather like someone who had just discovered a block of gold or jade. Look at him! Flapping his hands to brush off the dust on his clothes, he ran out the door and bowed to Pilgrim, saying, “Elder Brother, you have truly descended from Heaven! Save me, I beseech you.” “O, you Sandy Bonze!” said Pilgrim with a chuckle. “When Master recited the Tight-Fillet Spell, were you willing to say a word for me? You were just as much a braggart! Why aren’t you accompanying Master to go to the West? What are you squatting here for?” “Elder Brother,” said Sha Monk, “no need to talk like that anymore. A gentleman forgives and forgets. We are commanders of a defeated army, hardly worthy to speak of courage. Please save us.” Pilgrim said, “Come up,” and Sha Monk leaped up to the cliff.

When Eight Rules, who was standing in midair, saw Sha Monk coming out of the cave, he dropped down from the clouds, crying, “Brother Sha! You’ve had a hard time!” Seeing him, Sha Monk said, “Second Elder Brother, where did you come from?” Eight Rules said, “After I was defeated yesterday, I went into the city at night where I learned from the white horse that Master was in great difficulty. He was changed into a tiger by the magic of Yellow Robe. The white horse suggested to me that I should go ask Big Brother to come back.” “Idiot,” said Pilgrim, “let’s not chitchat. Each of you take one of these boys and go into the Precious Image City to provoke the fiend to come here, so that I can slay him.” “Elder Brother,” said Sha Monk, “how do you want us to provoke him?” Pilgrim said, “The two of you should mount the clouds and stand above the Palace of the Golden Chimes. Don’t bother about the consequence: just hurl the boys down to the ground before the white jade steps. If anyone asks you whose kids they are, just tell them that they are the sons of the Yellow Robe monster caught by the two of you. When the fiend hears this, he will certainly want to return here. I don’t want to fight with him inside the city because our battle will scatter cloud and mist, throw up dirt and dust. The officials of the court and the city’s whole populace will then be disturbed.”

“Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules with a giggle, “the moment you do anything, you start to bamboozle us.” “What do you mean?” asked Pilgrim. Eight Rules replied, “These two kids, after having been seized by you like that, are already shocked beyond cure. Just now they cried till they became voiceless; after awhile, they will die for sure. If we hurl them to the ground from the air, they’ll turn into meat patties. You think the fiend will let us go once he catches up with us? He will surely make us pay with our lives, while you get away scot free. There’s not even a witness against you! Aren’t you bamboozling us?” “If he tangles with the two of you,” said Pilgrim, “just lure him here. We have a smooth and wide battlefield at this place, and I’ll be waiting for him.” “Exactly, exactly,” said Sha Monk. “Big Brother is right. Let’s go.” Riding on the power and assurance of Pilgrim, the two of them picked up the boys and left.

Pilgrim leaped down from the boulder and went before the door of the pagoda. “Hey, Monk,” said the princess, “you are completely untrustworthy. You said that you would give me back my boys once your younger brother was released. Now that he is, you are still detaining my boys. What are you doing here instead?” Pilgrim smiled at her and said, “Don’t be offended, princess. You have been here for a long time, and I thought that we should take your sons to present them to their maternal grandfather.” The princess said, “Monk, you’d better behave! My husband, Yellow Robe, is no ordinary person. If you have frightened my boys, you should try to comfort them first.”

“Princess,” said Pilgrim with a chuckle, “do you know what is considered a crime for a human being living in this world?” “I do,” said the princess. Pilgrim said, “You are a woman! What do you know?” “Since the time of my youth in the palace,” said the princess, “I was taught by my parents. I recall an ancient book said, ‘Set against the Five Punishments are some three thousand crimes, but none is greater than an unfilial act.’”3 Pilgrim said, “You are precisely an unfilial person. Remember:

O my father,4 who begot me!

O my mother, who had nursed me! . . .

Pity my father and mother,

How hard they toiled to bear me!

Therefore, filial piety is the foundation of a hundred virtuous acts, the source of all morality. How could you entrust your body to be the mate of a monster-spirit and not think of your parents at all? Haven’t you committed the crime of an unfilial act?”

When the princess heard these words of rectitude, she was so embarrassed that she blushed for a long time before blurting out her reply, saying, “The words of the elder are most righteous. How could I not think of my parents? But all my troubles began when the monster kidnapped me here. His orders are very strict, and I cannot travel at all. The distance, furthermore, is great and there is no one able to send word for me. I wanted to commit suicide, but I was afraid that my parents would suspect that I had eloped with someone, and the whole matter would not be cleared up. I had, therefore, no alternative but to prolong my fragile existence. Indeed, I am a great criminal in this whole wide world!” When she finished speaking, tears streamed down her face.

Pilgrim said, “Princess, there’s no need for you to be sorrowful. Zhu Eight Rules did tell me that you wrote a letter and you saved my master’s life. You did express your thoughts for your parents in the letter. Now that old Monkey has arrived, you may be assured that he will catch the monster for you and bring him back to court to see the Throne. You can then find a worthy mate and look after your parents in their old age. How about it?”

“Monk,” said the princess, “don’t look for certain death. Those two younger brothers of yours were quite tough, but they could not overcome my husband, Yellow Robe, during the fight yesterday. Now look at you! You look like a ghost with more tendons than bones! You look like a crab or a walking skeleton! What kind of ability do you have that you dare speak of catching the monster?” Laughing, Pilgrim said, “You really don’t have much judgment, and you can’t discriminate between persons. As the common saying has it,

A urine bladder, though large, has no weight;

A steelyard weight, though small, licks a thousand pounds.

They may look big, but they are useless: creating wind resistance as they walk and wasting cloth when they put on clothes. They may be big as a mountain but they are hollow inside; their heads may touch door frames but they are slack of torsos; and they may eat a lot but food won’t do them any good. I, old Monkey, am small, all right, but hardy.”

“You really have the skills?” asked the princess. “Nothing that you have ever seen,” said Pilgrim, “but I specialize in subduing monsters and taming demons.” “You’d better not get me into trouble,” said the princess. “Certainly not,” said Pilgrim. “If you are able to subdue monsters and tame demons,” said the princess, “how will you go about catching him?” Pilgrim said, “You’d better be out of sight, or else I can’t really move when he gets here. I’m afraid that you still have a lot of feelings for him and can’t give him up.” “What do you mean by not giving him up?” said the princess. “My remaining here is not of my choice!” “If you have been husband and wife for thirteen years,” said Pilgrim, “you can’t be wholly without affection. But when I see him, I won’t be fooling around: a stroke of the rod will be a stroke, and a punch will be a punch. I have to slay him before I can take you back to court to see the Throne.” The princess indeed followed Pilgrim’s advice and went off to a secluded spot. Her marriage to the monster, moreover, was fated to end, and that was why the Great Sage made his appearance. After he had the princess hidden, the Monkey King shook his body once and changed into the form of the princess to enter the cave and wait for the monster.

We tell you now about Eight Rules and Sha Monk, who took the two boys to the Precious Image Kingdom and dashed them to the ground before the white jade steps. Alas! They were reduced to two meat patties; their bones were all crushed and blood splattered all over. “Terrible! Terrible!” cried the officials in court. “Two persons have been thrown down from the sky!” “These boys,” shouted Eight Rules from above, “are the sons of the monster, Yellow Robe. They were caught by old Hog and Brother Sha.”

Still under the effect of wine, the fiend was sleeping in the Silver Peace Palace when he heard someone shouting his name. He turned over and looked up: there were Zhu Eight Rules and Sha Monk standing on the edge of the clouds hollering. The monster thought to himself: “If it were just Zhu Eight Rules, I could understand this, but Sha Monk was tied up in my house. How could he get here? Why would my wife let him go? How could my boys land in their hands? Could it be that Zhu Eight Rules, fearful of my unwillingness to do battle with him, is using this to trick me? I can take the bait and go fight with him. Hey! I’m still hungover. If he gives me a whack with his rake, I’ll lose all my credibility. Let me go home first and see if they are indeed my sons or not. Then I can speak to these monks.”

Dear monster! Without taking leave of the king, he headed straight for his cave in the mountain forest to investigate. At this time, people in the court knew full well that he was indeed a monster. For, you see, he ate one of the palace maids during the night, but the seventeen others who escaped made a thorough report to the king after the hour of the fifth watch. Since he left so abruptly, they knew all the more that he was without doubt a monster. All the king could do was to order the many officials to guard the specious tiger, and we shall speak no more of them for the moment.

We now tell you about the fiend, who went back to the cave. When Pilgrim saw him arriving, he at once devised a plan of deception. He blinked a few times and tears began to fall like rain; stamping his feet, pounding his chest, and calling for the boys all the time, he bawled lustily in the cave. So sudden an encounter made it impossible for the fiend to recognize that this was not his wife. He went forward instead and embraced Pilgrim, saying, “Mistress, why are you so upset?” With artful invention, with imaginative fable, the Great Sage said tearfully, “Dear Husband! As the proverb says,

If a man has no wife, his wealth has no boss;

If a girl has no mate, she’s completely lost!

After you went into court yesterday to present yourself to the kinfolks, why didn’t you return? This morning Zhu Eight Rules came back and robbed us of Sha Monk. Furthermore, they took away our two boys by force despite my desperate pleadings. They said that they would also bring the boys into court to present them to their maternal grandfather. Half a day has gone by already and there’s no sight of our boys or even news of whether they are alive or dead. And you didn’t turn up until just now. How could I part with my babies? That’s why I’m so broken up.” When the fiend heard those words, he grew very angry, saying, “Did that really happen to my sons?” “Yes,” said Pilgrim, “and they were taken away by Zhu Eight Rules.”

The demon was so incensed that he jumped about madly, crying, “Undone! Undone! My sons have been dashed to death by him! They can’t be revived! The only thing left is to catch that monk and make him pay with his life. Mistress, don’t cry. How do you feel now? Let’s take care of you first.” “I’m all right,” said Pilgrim, “but I miss my babies so much, and all that weeping has caused my heart to ache.” “No need to worry,” said the demon. “Get up first. I have a treasure here; all you need to do is to rub it on the painful spot and it will not hurt anymore. But you must be careful not to fillip your thumb onto the treasure, for if you do, my true form will reveal itself.” When Pilgrim heard this, he said, smiling, to himself, “This brazen creature! He’s quite honest; even without torture he has made a confession already. Wait till he brings out his treasure. I’m going to strike at it with my thumb and see what kind of monster he is.” Leading Pilgrim, the fiend took his companion into the murky depth of the cave before spitting out from his mouth a treasure having the size and shape of a chicken egg. It was an internal elixir, formed crystalline white like a śarīra.5 Secretly delighted, Pilgrim said to himself, “Marvelous thing! God knows how many sedentary exercises had been performed, how many years of trials and sufferings had elapsed, how many times the union of male and female forces had taken place before this śarīra of internal elixir was formed. What great affinity it has today that it should encounter old Monkey!”

The monkey took it over. Of course, he did not have any pain, but he rubbed it deliberately on his body somewhere before filliping his thumb at it. Alarmed, the fiend immediately stretched forth his hand to try to snatch it away. Think of it! This monkey is just too slick and shifty a character! He popped the treasure in his mouth and with one gulp swallowed it whole. The demon raised his fist and punched at him, only to be parried by the arm of Pilgrim. With his other hand, Pilgrim wiped his own face once and changed back to his original appearance, crying, “Monster, don’t be unruly! Take a look! Who am I?”

When the fiend saw what he saw, he was greatly shaken, saying “Gosh, Mistress! How did you manage to bring out a face like that?” “You impudent imp!” chided Pilgrim. “Who’s your mistress? You can’t even recognize your own ancestor!” Suddenly comprehending, the fiend said, “I think I know you.” Pilgrim said, “I won’t hit you just yet, take another look.” The fiend said, “Though you do look familiar, I just can’t think of your name at the moment. Who indeed are you? Where do you come from? Where have you moved my wife? How dare you come to my house to cheat me of my treasure? This is most reprehensible!” “So you don’t recognize me,” said Pilgrim. “I am the eldest disciple of the Tang Monk, and my name is Pilgrim Sun Wukong. I’m also your old ancestor of five hundred years ago!” The fiend said, “No such thing! No such thing! When I caught the Tang Monk, I found out that he had only two disciples named Zhu Eight Rules and Sha Monk. No one had ever mentioned that there was someone by the name of Sun. You must be a fiend from somewhere who came here to deceive me.” “The reason why I didn’t accompany the two of them,” said Pilgrim, “was because my habitual slaying of monsters had offended my master. A kind and compassionate person, he dismissed me when I slaughtered one too many. That’s why I was not traveling with him. Are you still ignorant of your ancestor’s name?” “How feckless you are!” said the fiend. “If you were banished by your master, how could you have the gumption to face people here?” Pilgrim said, “You impudent creature! You wouldn’t know about the sentiment of ‘Once a teacher, always a father,’ nor would you know that ‘Between father and son, there’s no overnight enmity.’ If you plan to harm my master, you think I wouldn’t come to rescue him? And you didn’t stop at that; you even abused me behind my back. What have you got to say to that?”

“Since when did I abuse you?” asked the fiend. Pilgrim replied, “Zhu Eight Rules said you did.” “Don’t believe him,” said the fiend. “That Zhu Eight Rules, with his pointed snout, has a tongue like an old maid’s! Why do you listen to him?” “No need for such idle talk,” said Pilgrim. “I’ll just say that during old Monkey’s visit to your house today, you have not shown your distant guest sufficient hospitality. Though you may not have food and wine to entertain your visitor, you have a head. Stick it over here quickly and let old Monkey beat it once with the rod. I’ll consider that my taking tea.” When the fiend heard this, he roared with laughter, saying, “Pilgrim Sun, you’ve miscalculated! If you wanted to fight, you shouldn’t have followed me here. The various imps under my command, young and old, number in the hundreds. Though you may have arms all over your body, you won’t be able to fight your way out.” Pilgrim said, “Don’t talk rot! And don’t mention a few hundreds! Even if you have hundreds of thousands, just call them up one by one and I’ll slay them. Every stroke of my rod will find its mark. I guarantee that they will be wiped out! Exterminated!”

When the monster heard these words, he quickly gave the order and called up all the monsters before and behind the mountain, all the fiends in and out of the cave. Each holding weapons, they lined up thickly and completely barricaded the several doors inside the cave. When Pilgrim saw this, he was delighted. Gripping his rod with both hands, he shouted “Change!” and changed at once into a person having three heads and six arms. One wave of the golden-hooped rod and it changed into three golden-hooped rods. Look at him! Six arms wielding the three rods, he plunged into the crowd—like a tiger mauling a herd of sheep, like an eagle alighting on chicken coops. Pity those little fiends! One touch, and heads were smashed to pieces! One brush, and blood flowed like water! He charged back and forth, as if he had invaded an uninhabited region. When he finished, there was only one old monster left, who chased him out the door, crying, “You brazen ape! You are nasty and noxious! You dare oppress people right at their own door!” Spinning around, Pilgrim waved at him, crying, “Come! Come! It’s no merit until I’ve struck you down.” Lifting his scimitar, the monster aimed at his opponent’s head and hacked away, as dear Pilgrim brandished the iron rod to face him. This time they fought on top of the mountain, halfway between mist and cloud.

Great Sage had great magic power;

The demon had vast abilities.

This one struck sideways with the raw iron rod;

That one raised aslant the steel scimitar.

The scimitar rose softly, and bright mist glowed;

The rod parried lightly, and colored clouds flew.

Back and forth it circled to protect the head;

Round and round it turned to guard the body.

One followed the wind to change his looks;

One shook his body standing on the ground.

This one widened his fiery eyes and stretched his simian arms;

That one flared his golden pupils and bent his tigerlike waist.

Coming and going, they fought round and round—

Rod and scimitar giving blow for blow.

The Monkey King’s rod conformed to battle art;

The fiend’s scimitar followed the rules of war.

One had always worked his skills to be a demon-lord;

One had used his vast power to guard the Tang Monk.

The fierce Monkey King became more fierce;

The violent monster grew more violent.

Heedless of life or death they fought in the air,

All for Tang Monk’s quest for Buddha from afar.

The two of them fought for over fifty rounds, but a decision could not be reached. Secretly pleased, Pilgrim thought to himself, “The scimitar of this brazen monster is quite a match for the rod of old Monkey! Let me pretend to blunder and see if he can detect it.” Dear Monkey King! He raised the rod above his head with both his hands, using the style of “Tall-Testing the Horse.” The fiend did not perceive that it was a trick. When he saw that there was a chance, he wielded the scimitar and slashed at the lower third of Pilgrim’s body. Pilgrim quickly employed the “Great Middle Level” to fend off the scimitar, after which he followed up with the style of “Stealing Peaches beneath the Leaves” and brought the rod down hard on the monster’s head. This one blow made the monster vanish completely. He retrieved his rod to look around, but the monster-spirit was nowhere to be seen. Greatly startled, Pilgrim said, “O my child! You can’t take much beating! One stroke, and you’re dead! But even if you were beaten to death, there had to be some blood or pus left. Why isn’t there a trace of you? You must have escaped, I suppose.” Leaping up quickly to the edge of the clouds, he stared in all four directions, but there was not the faintest movement anywhere. “These two eyes of old Monkey,” he said, “can see everything anywhere. How could he vanish just like that? Ah, I know! That fiend said that he recognized me somewhat, and that meant that he couldn’t possibly be an ordinary monster of this world. Most likely he was a spirit from Heaven.”

Unable to suppress his anger, the Great Sage somersaulted all at once and leaped up to the South Heavenly Gate, wielding his iron rod. Pang, Liu, Gou, Bi, Zhang, Tao, Deng, Xin, and the other celestial captains, were so startled that they bowed on both sides of the gate and dared not stop him. He fought his way in and arrived before the Hall of Perfect Light. Zhang, Ge, Xu, and Qiu, the Celestial Masters, asked him, “Why did the Great Sage come here?” “Because I accompanied the Tang Monk until the Precious Image Kingdom,” said Pilgrim, “where there was a demon who had seduced the princess and sought to harm my master. Old Monkey waged a contest with him, but as we were fighting I suddenly lost him. I don’t think he’s an ordinary fiend of Earth; he has to be a spirit from Heaven. I came especially to investigate whether any monster deity has left the ranks.” When the Celestial Masters heard this, they entered the Hall of Divine Mists to make the report, and an order immediately was issued to take the roll among the Nine Luminaries, the Twelve Branches, the Five Planets of the Five Quarters, the numerous gods of the Milky Way, the Gods of the Five Mountains, and the Four Rivers. Every one of the Heavenly deities was present, for none dared to leave his post. The investigation was then extended beyond the Big Dipper Palace, and the count, back and forth among the Twenty-eight Constellations, had turned up only twenty-seven members. Revatī, the Wood-Wolf Star,6 was missing.

The Preceptors returned to report to the Throne, saying “Revatī, the Wood-Wolf Star, has left for the Region Below.” The Jade Emperor said, “For how long has he been away from Heaven?” “He was absent for four muster-roll calls,” said the Preceptors. “The roll is taken once every three days, so today is the thirteenth day.” “The thirteenth day in Heaven,” said the Jade Emperor, “is the thirteenth year on Earth.” He thereupon gave the order for the Star’s own department to recall him back to Heaven.

After having received the decree, the Twenty-seven Constellations went out of the Heavenly Gate and each of them recited a spell, which aroused Revatī. “Where was he hiding?” you ask. The Star, actually, had been a celestial warrior who was terror stricken when the Great Sage caused great disturbance in Heaven previously. Just now, the Star hid himself in a mountain stream, and the water vapor had covered up his monster-cloud. That was why he could not be seen. Only when he heard his own colleagues reciting their spells did he dare emerge and follow the crowd to return to the Region Above. He was met by the Great Sage at the gate, who wanted to hit him, but fortunately the other Stars managed to put a stop to it. He was then taken to see the Jade Emperor. Taking out the golden plaque from his waist, the fiend knelt below the steps of the hall and kowtowed, admitting his guilt.

“Revatī, the Wood-Wolf Star,” said the Jade Emperor, “there is boundless beauty in the Region Above. Instead of enjoying this, you chose to visit in secret another region. Why?”

“Your Majesty,” said Revatī the Star, kowtowing, “please pardon the mortal offense of your subject. The princess of the Precious Image Kingdom is no ordinary mortal; she is actually the jade girl in charge of incense in the Spread Incense Hall. She wanted to have an affair with your subject, who was afraid, however, that this act would defile the noble region of the Celestial Palace. Longing for the world, she went first to the Region Below where she assumed human form in the imperial palace. Your subject, not wanting to disappoint her, changed himself into a demon. After I occupied a famous mountain, I abducted her to my cave dwelling where we became husband and wife for thirteen years. Thus ‘not even a sup or a bite is not foreordained,’ and it is fated that Great Sage Sun should accomplish his merit at this time.” When the Jade Emperor heard these words, he ordered that the Star’s golden plaque be taken away from him; he was then banished to the Tushita Palace to be a paid fire-tender for Laozi, with the stipulation that he would be restored to his rank if he made merit, and that he would be punished further if he did not.

When Pilgrim saw how the Jade Emperor disposed of the matter, he was so pleased that he bowed deeply to the Throne. Then he said to the other deities, “All of you, thanks for taking the trouble.” “This ape,” said one of the Masters, laughing, “is still so uncouth! We have taken captive for him the monster-god, and instead of showing his gratitude to the Heavenly Grace properly, he leaves after only taking a bow.” The Jade Emperor said, “We count it our good fortune already if he doesn’t start any trouble and leaves Heaven in peace.”

Lowering the direction of his auspicious luminosity, the Great Sage went back directly to the Current-Moon Cave of the Casserole Mountain, where he found the princess. As he was just giving her an account of all that went before, they heard Eight Rules and Sha Monk shouting in midair, “Elder Brother, save a few monster-spirits for us to beat, too.” “They are all finished,” said Pilgrim. “In that case,” said Sha Monk, “nothing should detain us here. Let’s bring the princess back to court. Brothers, let’s do the magic of Shortening the Ground.”

All the princess heard was the rushing of wind, and in a moment, they were back in the city. The three of them brought the princess up to the Palace of the Golden Chimes, where she bowed reverently to her parents and met again her sisters. Thereafter, the various officials all came to pay their respects. “We are truly beholden to Elder Sun,” said the princess to the Throne, “whose boundless dharma power subdued the Yellow Robe Fiend and brought me back to our kingdom.” “What kind of monster is that Yellow Robe?” asked the king. Pilgrim said, “The son-in-law of Your Majesty happens to be the Star Revatī from the Region Above, and your daughter was the jade girl in charge of incense. Because of her longing for the world, they both descended to Earth to assume human forms. It was no small thing that they should consummate a marriage contracted in their previous existence. When old Monkey went to the Celestial Palace to report to the Jade Emperor, it was discovered that the fiend had not answered the muster-roll for four times. This meant that he had left Heaven for thirteen days, and correspondingly thirteen years had passed on Earth, for a day in Heaven is a year down here. The Jade Emperor ordered the Constellations of his department to recall him to the Region Above, where he was then banished to work for further merit in the Tushita Palace. Old Monkey was then able to bring back your daughter.” After the king had thanked Pilgrim for his kindness, he said, “Let’s go and take a look at your master.”

The three disciples followed the king and descended from the treasure hall to go into one of the chambers in the court, where the officials brought out the iron cage and loosened the chains on the specious tiger. Everyone still saw the tiger as a tiger, but Pilgrim alone saw him as a man. The master, you see, was imprisoned by diabolical magic; though he understood everything, he could neither walk nor open his eyes or mouth. “Master,” said Pilgrim, laughing, “you are a good monk. How did you manage to end up with a fearsome look like that? You blamed me for working evil and violence and banished me. You claimed that you wanted to practice virtue single-mindedly. How did you acquire such features all at once?”

“Elder Brother,” said Eight Rules, “please save him. Don’t just ridicule him.” “You pick on me in everything,” said Pilgrim, “and you are his favorite disciple. Why don’t you save him? Why do you ask old Monkey instead? Remember what I said originally, that after I had subdued the monster to avenge myself from his abuse, I would go back.” Sha Monk drew near and knelt down, saying, “Elder Brother, the ancients said, ‘If you don’t regard the priest, do regard the Buddha.’ If you are here, I beseech you to save him. If we could do so, we wouldn’t have traveled all that distance to plead with you.” Raising him with his hands, Pilgrim said, “How could I possibly be content not to save him? Get me some water, quick!” Eight Rules rushed back to the post-house and took out the purple gold alms bowl from the luggage. He returned and handed to Pilgrim the bowl half-filled with water. As he took the water in his hand, Pilgrim recited a magic spell and spat a mouthful of water on the tiger. At once the diabolical magic was dispelled and the tigerish illusion was broken.

After the elder had appeared in his original body, he recovered sufficiently to open his eyes and recognize Pilgrim, whom he took hold of with his hands immediately. “Wukong,” he cried, “where did you come from?” Standing to one side, Sha Monk gave a thorough account of what had taken place, and Tripitaka was filled with gratitude, saying, “Worthy disciple, I owe you everything! I owe you everything! Let’s hope that we’ll reach the West soon. When we return to the Land of the East, I’ll report to the Tang emperor that yours is the highest merit.” “Don’t mention it! Don’t mention it!” said Pilgrim with laughter. “Just don’t recite that little something, and your living kindness will be most appreciated.” When the king heard this, he also gave thanks to all four of them before preparing a huge vegetarian banquet for them in the Eastern Palace. After they had enjoyed these royal favors, master and disciples took leave of the king and headed for the West. The king led all his ministers through great distance to send them off. So it was that

The king returned to the palace, his empire secured;

The monk went to worship Buddha at Thunderclap.

We do not know what took place thereafter or when they would reach the Western Heaven; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.