第三回
第三回 四海千山皆拱伏 九幽十类尽除名
却说美猴王荣归故里，自剿了混世魔王，夺了一口大刀，逐日操演武艺。教小猴砍竹为标，削木为刀，治旗幡，打哨子，一进一退，安营下寨。顽耍多时，忽然静坐处思想道：“我等在此，恐作耍成真，或惊动人王，或有禽王、兽王认此犯头[1]，说我们操兵造反，兴师来相杀，汝等都是竹竿木刀，如何对敌？须得锋利剑戟方可。如今奈何？”众猴闻说，个个惊恐道：“大王所见甚长，只是无处可取。”正说间，转上四个老猴，两个是赤尻马猴，两个是通背猿猴，走在面前道：“大王，若要治锋利器械，甚是容易。”悟空道：“怎见容易？”四猴道：“我们这山向东去，有二百里水面，那厢乃傲来国界。那国界中有一王位，满城中军民无数，必有金银铜铁等匠作。大王若去那里，或买或造些兵器，教演我等，守护山场，诚所谓保泰长久之机也。”悟空闻说，满心欢喜道：“汝等在此顽耍，待我去来。”
好猴王，即纵筋斗云，霎时间过了二百里水面。果见那厢有座城池，六街三巷，万户千门，来来往往，人都在光天化日之下。悟空心中想道：“这里定有现成的兵器，我待下去买他几件，还不如使个神通觅他几件倒好。”他就捻起诀来，念动咒语，向巽地[2]上吸一口气，呼的吹将去，便是一阵狂风，飞沙走石，好惊人也。
炮云起处荡乾坤，黑雾阴霾大地昏。
江海波翻鱼蟹怕，山林树折虎狼奔。
诸般买卖无商旅，各样生涯不见人。
殿上君王归内院，阶前文武转衙门。
千秋宝座都吹倒，五凤高楼幌动根。
风起处，惊散了那傲来国君王，三市六街，都慌得关门闭户，无人敢走。悟空才按下云头，径闯入朝门里，直寻到兵器馆武库中。打开门扇看时，那里面无数器械：刀枪剑戟、斧钺毛镰、鞭钯挝简、弓弩叉矛，件件俱备。一见甚喜道：“我一人能拿几何？还使个分身法搬将去罢。”好猴王，即拔一把毫毛，入口嚼烂，喷将出去，念动咒语，叫声“变！”变做千百个小猴，都乱搬乱抢；有力的拿五七件，力小的拿三二件，尽数搬个罄净。径踏云头，弄个摄法，唤转狂风，带领小猴，俱回本处。
却说那花果山大小猴儿，正在那洞门外顽耍，忽听得风声响处，见半空中丫丫叉叉，无边无岸的猴精，唬得都乱跑乱躲。少时，美猴王按落云头，收了云雾，将身一抖，收了毫毛，将兵器都乱堆在山前，叫道：“小的们！都来领兵器！”众猴看时，只见悟空独立在平阳之地，俱跑来叩头问故。悟空将前使狂风、搬兵器一应事说了一遍。众猴称谢毕，都去抢刀夺剑，挝斧争枪，扯弓扳弩，吆吆喝喝，耍了一日。
次日，依旧排营。悟空会聚群猴，计有四万七千馀口。早惊动满山怪兽，都是些狼虫虎豹、麖[3]麂獐、狐狸獾狢、狮象狻猊、猩猩熊鹿、野豕山牛、羚羊青兕、狡儿神獒……各样妖王，共有七十二洞，都来参拜猴王为尊。每年献贡，四时点卯[4]。也有随班操备的，也有随节征粮的，齐齐整整，把一座花果山造得似铁桶金城。各路妖王又有进金鼓，进彩旗，进盔甲的，纷纷攘攘，日逐家习舞兴师。
美猴王正喜间，忽对众说道：“汝等弓弩熟谙，兵器精通，奈我这口刀着实榔槺[5]，不遂我意，奈何？”四老猴上前启奏道：“大王乃是仙圣，凡兵是不堪用，但不知大王水里可能去得？”悟空道：“我自闻道之后，有七十二般地煞变化之功；筋斗云有莫大的神通；善能隐身遁身，起法摄法；上天有路，入地有门；步日月无影，入金石无碍；水不能溺，火不能焚。那些儿去不得？”四猴道：“大王既有此神通，我们这铁板桥下，水通东海龙宫。大王若肯下去，寻着老龙王，问他要件甚么兵器，却不趁心？”悟空闻言甚喜，道：“等我去来。”
好猴王，跳至桥头，使一个闭水法，捻着诀，扑的钻入波中，分开水路，径入东洋海底。正行间，忽见一个巡海的夜叉，挡住问道：“那推水来的，是何神圣？说个明白，好通报迎接。”悟空道：“我乃花果山天生圣人孙悟空，是你老龙王的紧邻，为何不识？”那夜叉听说，急转水晶宫传报道：“大王，外面有个花果山天生圣人孙悟空，口称是大王紧邻，将到宫也。”东海龙王敖广即忙起身，与龙子龙孙、虾兵蟹将出宫迎道：“上仙请进，请进。”直至宫里相见，上坐献茶毕，问道：“上仙几时得道，授何仙术？”悟空道：“我自生身之后，出家修行，得一个无生无灭之体。近因教演儿孙，守护山洞，奈何没件兵器。久闻贤邻享乐瑶宫贝阙，必有多馀神器，特来告求一件。”龙王见说，不好推辞，即着鳜都司取出一把大杆刀奉上。悟空道：“老孙不会使刀，乞另赐一件。”龙王又着鲌大尉领鳝力士，抬出一杆九股叉来。悟空跳下来，接在手中，使了一路，放下道：“轻！轻！轻！又不趁手！再乞另赐一件。”龙王笑道：“上仙，你不曾看，这叉有三千六百斤重哩！”悟空道：“不趁手！不趁手！”龙王心中恐惧，又着鳊提督、鲤总兵抬出一柄画杆方天戟。那戟有七千二百斤重。悟空见了，跑近前接在手中，丢几个架子，撒两个解数，插在中间道：“也还轻！轻！轻！”老龙王一发害怕，道：“上仙，我宫中只有这根戟重，再没甚么兵器了。”悟空笑道：“古人云：‘愁海龙王没宝哩！’你再去寻寻看。若有可意的，一一奉价。”龙王道：“委的[6]再无。”
正说处，后面闪过龙婆、龙女道：“大王，观看此圣，决非小可。我们这海藏中，那一块天河定底的神珍铁，这几日霞光艳艳，瑞气腾腾，敢莫是[7]该出现，遇此圣也？”龙王道：“那是大禹治水之时，定江海浅深的一个定子，是一块神铁，能中何用？”龙婆道：“莫管他用不用，且送与他，凭他怎么改造，送出宫门便了。”老龙王依言，尽向悟空说了。悟空道：“拿出来我看。”龙王摇手道：“扛不动！抬不动！须上仙亲去看看。”悟空道：“在何处？你引我去。”龙王果引导至海藏中间，忽见金光万道。龙王指定道：“那放光的便是。”悟空撩衣上前，摸了一把，乃是一根铁柱子，约有斗来粗，二丈有馀长。他尽力两手挝过道：“忒粗忒长些！再短细些方可用。”说毕，那宝贝就短了几尺，细了一围。悟空又颠一颠道：“再细些更好！”那宝贝真个又细了几分。悟空十分欢喜，拿出海藏看时，原来两头是两个金箍，中间乃一段乌铁；紧挨箍有镌成的一行字，唤做“如意金箍棒，重一万三千五百斤”。心中暗喜道：“想必这宝贝如人意！”一边走，一边心思口念，手颠着道：“再短细些更妙！”拿出外面，只有二丈长短，碗口粗细。
你看他弄神通，丢开解数，打转水晶宫里。唬得老龙王胆战心惊，小龙子魂飞魄散；龟鳖鼋鼍皆缩颈，鱼虾鳌蟹尽藏头。悟空将宝贝执在手中，坐在水晶宫殿上，对龙王笑道：“多谢贤邻厚意。”龙王道：“不敢，不敢。”悟空道：“这块铁虽然好用，还有一说。”龙王道：“上仙还有甚说？”悟空道：“当时若无此铁，倒也罢了；如今手中既拿着他，身上更无衣服相趁，奈何？你这里若有披挂，索性送我一副，一总奉谢。”龙王道：“这个却是没有。”悟空道：“‘一客不犯二主’。若没有，我也定不出此门。”龙王道：“烦上仙再转一海，或者有之。”悟空又道：“‘走三家不如坐一家’。千万告求一副。”龙王道：“委的没有，如有即当奉承。”悟空道：“真个没有，就和你试试此铁！”龙王慌了道：“上仙，切莫动手！切莫动手！待我看舍弟处可有，当送一副。”悟空道：“令弟何在？”龙王道：“舍弟乃南海龙王敖钦、北海龙王敖顺、西海龙王敖闰是也。”悟空道：“我老孙不去！不去！俗语谓‘赊三不跌见二’[8]，只望你随高就低的送一副便了。”老龙道：“不须上仙去。我这里有一面铁鼓，一口金钟；凡有紧急事，擂得鼓响，撞得钟鸣，舍弟们就顷刻而至。”悟空道：“既是如此，快些去擂鼓撞钟！”真个那鼍将便去撞钟，鳖帅即来擂鼓。
霎时，钟鼓响处，果然惊动那三海龙王，须臾来到，一齐在外面会着敖广，道：“大哥有甚紧事，擂鼓撞钟？”老龙道：“贤弟！不好说！有一个花果山甚么天生圣人，早间来认我做邻居，后要求一件兵器，献钢叉嫌小，奉画戟嫌轻。将一块天河定底神珍铁，自己拿出，丢了些解数。如今坐在宫中，又要索甚么披挂。我处无有，故响钟鸣鼓，请贤弟来。你们可有甚么披挂，送他一副，打发他出门去罢了。”敖钦闻言，大怒道：“我兄弟们点起兵，拿他不是！”老龙道：“莫说拿！莫说拿！那块铁，挽着些儿就死，磕着些儿就亡；挨挨儿皮破，擦擦儿筋伤！”北海龙王敖顺说：“二哥不可与他动手。且只凑副披挂与他，打发他出了门，启表奏上上天，天自诛也。”西海龙王敖闰道：“说的是。我这里有一双藕丝步云履哩。”北海龙王敖顺道：“我带了一副锁子黄金甲哩。”南海龙王敖钦道：“我有一顶凤翅紫金冠哩。”老龙大喜，引入水晶宫相见了，以此奉上。悟空将金冠、金甲、云履都穿戴停当，使动如意棒，一路打出去，对众龙道：“聒噪[9]！聒噪！”四海龙王甚是不平，一边商议进表上奏不题。
你看这猴王分开水道，径回铁板桥头，撺将上来，只见四个老猴领着众猴，都在桥边等候。忽然见悟空跳出波外，身上更无一点水湿，金灿灿的走上桥来。唬得众猴一齐跪下道：“大王，好华彩耶！好华彩耶！”悟空满面春风，高登宝座，将铁棒竖在当中。那些猴不知好歹，都来拿那宝贝，却便似蜻蜓撼铁树，分毫也不能禁动。一个个咬指伸舌道：“爷爷呀！这般重，亏你怎的拿来也！”悟空近前，舒开手，一把挝起，对众笑道：“物各有主。这宝贝镇于海藏中，也不知几千百年，可可的[10]今岁放光。龙王只认做是块黑铁，又唤做天河镇底神珍。那厮每都扛抬不动，请我亲去拿之。那时此宝有二丈多长，斗来粗细；被我挝他一把，意思嫌大，他就小了许多；再教小些，他又小了许多；再教小些，他又小了许多；急对天光看处，上有一行字，乃‘如意金箍棒，一万三千五百斤’。你都站开，等我再叫他变一变看。”他将那宝贝颠在手中，叫：“小！小！小！”即时就小做一个绣花针儿相似，可以揌[11]在耳朵里面藏下。众猴骇然，叫道：“大王！还拿出来耍耍！”猴王真个去耳朵里拿出，托放掌上叫：“大！大！大！”即又大做斗来粗细，二丈长短。他弄到欢喜处，跳上桥，走出洞外，将宝贝揝[12]在手中，使一个法天象地的神通，把腰一躬，叫声：“长！”他就长的高万丈，头如太山，腰如峻岭，眼如闪电，口似血盆，牙如剑戟；手中那棒，上抵三十三天，下至十八层地狱，把些虎豹狼虫，满山群怪，七十二洞妖王，都唬得磕头礼拜，战兢兢魄散魂飞。霎时收了法象，将宝贝还变做个绣花针儿，藏在耳内，复归洞府。慌得那各洞妖王，都来参贺。
此时遂大开旗鼓，响振铜锣。广设珍羞百味，满斟椰液萄浆，与众饮宴多时。却又依前教演。猴王将那四个老猴封为健将；将两个赤尻马猴唤做马、流二元帅；两个通背猿猴唤做崩、芭二将军。将那安营下寨、赏罚诸事，都付与四健将维持。他放下心，日逐腾云驾雾，遨游四海，行乐千山。施武艺，遍访英豪；弄神通，广交贤友。此时又会了个七弟兄，乃牛魔王、蛟魔王、鹏魔王、狮王、猕猴王、狨王，连自家美猴王七个。日逐讲文论武，走斝传觞[13]，弦歌吹舞，朝去暮回，无般儿不乐。把那万里之遥，只当庭闱之路，所谓点头径过三千里，扭腰八百有馀程。
一日，在本洞分付四健将安排筵宴，请六王赴饮，杀牛宰马，祭天享地，着众怪跳舞欢歌，俱吃得酩酊大醉。送六王出去，都又赏劳大小头目，敧在铁板桥边松阴之下，霎时间睡着。四健将领众围护，不敢高声。只见那美猴王睡里见两人拿一张批文，上有“孙悟空”三字，走近身，不容分说，套上绳，就把美猴王的魂灵儿索了去，踉踉跄跄，直带到一座城边。猴王渐觉酒醒，忽抬头观看，那城上有一铁牌，牌上有三个大字，乃“幽冥界”。美猴王顿然醒悟道：“幽冥界乃阎王所居，何为到此？”那两人道：“你今阳寿该终，我两人领批，勾你来也。”猴王听说，道：“我老孙超出三界外，不在五行中，已不伏他管辖，怎么朦胧[14]，又敢来勾我？”那两个勾死人[15]只管扯扯拉拉，定要拖他进去。这猴王恼起性来，耳朵中掣出宝贝，幌一幌，碗来粗细；略举手，把两个勾死人打为肉酱。自解其索，丢开手，抡着棒，打入城中。唬得那牛头鬼东躲西藏，马面鬼南奔北跑。众鬼卒奔上森罗殿，报着：“大王！祸事！祸事！外面有一个毛脸雷公，打将来了！”
慌得那十代冥王急整衣来看，见他相貌凶恶，即排下班次，应声高叫道：“上仙留名！上仙留名！”猴王道：“你既认不得我，怎么差人来勾我？”十王道：“不敢！不敢！想是差人差了。”猴王道：“我本是花果山水帘洞天生圣人孙悟空。你等是甚么官位？”十王躬身道：“我等是阴间天子十代冥王。”悟空道：“快报名来，免打！”十王道：“我等是秦广王、初江王、宋帝王、忤官王、阎罗王、平等王、泰山王、都市王、卞城王、转轮王。”悟空道：“汝等既登王位，乃灵显感应之类，为何不知好歹？我老孙修仙了道，与天齐寿，超升三界之外，跳出五行之中，为何着人拘我？”十王道：“上仙息怒。普天下同名同姓者多，敢是那勾死人错走了也？”悟空道：“胡说！胡说！常言道：‘官差吏差，来人不差。’你快取生死簿子来我看！”十王闻言，即请上殿查看。
悟空执着如意棒，径登森罗殿上，正中间南面坐下。十王即命掌案的判官取出文簿来查。那判官不敢怠慢，便到司房里，捧出五六簿文书并十类簿子，逐一查看。裸虫、毛虫、羽虫、昆虫、鳞介之属，俱无他名。又看到猴属之类，原来这猴似人相，不入人名；似裸虫，不居国界；似走兽，不伏麒麟管；似飞禽，不受凤凰辖——另有个簿子。悟空亲自检阅，直到那魂字一千三百五十号上，方注着孙悟空名字，乃天产石猴，该寿三百四十二岁，善终。悟空道：“我也不记寿数几何，且只消了名字便罢！取笔过来！”那判官慌忙捧笔，饱掭[16]浓墨。悟空拿过簿子，把猴属之类但有名者，一概勾之。捽下簿子道：“了帐！了帐！今番不伏你管了！”一路棒，打出幽冥界。那十王不敢相近，都去翠云宫同拜地藏王菩萨，商量启表，奏闻上天，不在话下。
这猴王打出城中，忽然绊着一个草纥[17]，跌了个踵[18]，猛的醒来，乃是南柯[19]一梦。才觉伸腰，只闻得四健将与众猴高叫道：“大王吃了多少酒，睡这一夜，还不醒来？”悟空道：“睡还小可，我梦见两个人来此勾我，把我带到幽冥界城门之外，却才醒悟。是我显神通，直嚷到森罗殿，与那十王争吵，将我们的生死簿子看了，但有我等名号，俱是我勾了，都不伏那厮所辖也。”众猴磕头礼谢。自此，山猴多有不老者，以阴司无名故也。美猴王言毕前事，四健将报知各洞妖王，都来贺喜。不几日，六个义兄弟又来拜贺，一闻销名之故，又个个欢喜，每日聚乐不题。
却表启那高天上圣大慈仁者玉皇大天尊玄穹高上帝，一日驾坐金阙云宫灵霄宝殿，聚集文武仙卿早朝之际，忽有丘弘济真人启奏道：“万岁，通明殿外，有东海龙王敖广进表，听天尊宣诏。”玉皇传旨：“着宣来。”敖广宣至灵霄殿下，礼拜毕。旁有引奏仙童接上表文。玉皇从头看过。表曰：
“水元下界东胜神洲东海小龙臣敖广启奏大天圣主玄穹高上帝君：近因花果山生、水帘洞住妖仙孙悟空者，欺虐小龙，强坐水宅，索兵器，施法施威，要披挂，骋凶骋势。惊伤水族，唬走龟鼍。南海龙战战兢兢，西海龙凄凄惨惨，北海龙缩首归降。臣敖广舒身下拜，献神珍之铁棒，凤翅之金冠，与那锁子甲、步云履，以礼送出。他仍弄武艺，显神通，但云：‘聒噪！聒噪！’果然无敌，甚为难制。臣今启奏，伏望圣裁。恳乞天兵，收此妖孽，庶使海岳清宁，下元[20]安泰。奉奏。”
圣帝览毕，传旨：“着龙神回海，朕即遣将擒拿。”老龙王顿首谢去。下面又有葛仙翁天师启奏道：“万岁，有冥司秦广王赍奉幽冥教主地藏王菩萨表文进上。”旁有传言玉女接上表文，玉皇亦从头看过。表曰：
“幽冥境界，乃地之阴司。天有神而地有鬼，阴阳轮转；禽有生而兽有死，反复雌雄。生生化化，孕女成男，此自然之数，不能易也。今有花果山水帘洞天产妖猴孙悟空，逞恶行凶，不服拘唤。弄神通，打绝九幽鬼使；恃势力，惊伤十代慈王。大闹森罗，强销名号。致使猴属之类无拘，猕猴之畜多寿，寂灭轮回，各无生死。贫僧具表，冒渎天威。伏乞调遣神兵，收降此妖，整理阴阳，永安地府。谨奏。”
玉皇览毕，传旨：“着冥君回归地府，朕即遣将擒拿。”秦广王亦顿首谢去。
大天尊宣众文武仙卿，问曰：“这妖猴是几年产育，何代出身，却就这般有道？”一言未已，班中闪出千里眼、顺风耳道：“这猴乃三百年前天产石猴。当时不以为然，不知这几年在何方修炼成仙，降龙伏虎，强销死籍也。”玉帝道：“那路神将下界收伏？”言未已，班中闪出太白长庚星，俯伏启奏道：“上圣三界中，凡有九窍者，皆可修仙。奈此猴乃天地育成之体，日月孕就之身，他也顶天履地，服露餐霞，今既修成仙道，有降龙伏虎之能，与人何以异哉？臣启陛下：可念生化之慈恩，降一道招安圣旨，把他宣来上界，授他一个大小官职，与他籍名在箓，拘束此间。若受天命，后再升赏；若违天命，就此擒拿。一则不动众劳师，二则收仙有道也。”玉帝闻言甚喜，道：“依卿所奏。”即着文曲星官修诏，着太白金星招安。
金星领了旨，出南天门外，按下祥云，直至花果山水帘洞。对众小猴道：“我乃天差天使，有圣旨在此，请你大王上界。快快报知！”洞外小猴，一层层传至洞天深处，道：“大王，外面有一老人，背着一角文书[21]，言是上天差来的天使，有圣旨请你也。”美猴王听得大喜，道：“我这两日，正思量要上天走走，却就有天使来请。”叫：“快请进来！”猴王急整衣冠，门外迎接。金星径入当中，面南立定道：“我是西方太白金星，奉玉帝招安圣旨下界，请你上天，拜受仙箓。”悟空笑道：“多感老星降临。”教：“小的们，安排筵宴款待。”金星道：“圣旨在身，不敢久留；就请大王同往，待荣迁之后，再从容叙也。”悟空道：“承光顾，空退！空退！”即唤四健将，分付：“谨慎教演儿孙，待我上天去看看路，却好带你们上去同居住也。”四健将领诺。这猴王与金星纵起云头，升在空霄之上。正是那：
高迁上品天仙位，名列云班宝箓中。
毕竟不知授个甚么官爵，且听下回分解。
[1] 犯头：是冒犯的由头。“犯”亦作“泛”，见后文第三十一回。
[2] 巽（xùn）地：东南方位。古代以八卦对应八方，巽属风，对应东南方位。
[3] 麖（jīnɡ）：鹿的一种。
[4] 点卯：从前官署办公，照例从卯时开始，主管官到时点名，称为点卯。
[5] 榔槺：形容长大、笨重、使用不方便。也作榔杭（第二十二回）、狼犺（第二十三回）、郎伉（第四十七回）。
[6] 委的：真的、确实的意思。
[7] 敢莫是：疑问之词。犹莫非是、难道是。
[8] 赊三不跌见二：赊卖三件货物抵不过收现款卖两件货物。意思是空头的好处虽然多，不如现在就能得到的实惠。见，同“现”。跌，敌，抵。
[9] 聒噪：吵闹、打搅。
[10] 可可的：恰好、刚巧。
[11] 揌：同“塞”。用物堵住有孔隙的地方。
[12] 揝（zuàn）：抓，握。
[13] 走斝（jiǎ）传觞（shānɡ）：形容喝酒时的快乐气氛。斝、觞都是喝酒时所用的容器。
[14] 朦胧：这里作糊涂解释。
[15] 勾死人：迷信传说中的勾魂鬼。后文第十一回作勾司人。
[16] 掭：与舐、舔同义。这里指用笔舐墨；第二十五回的掭子，则是用来舐锁上簧的；第七十六回掭掭的，是指喉咙里像被舐了而发生恶心要呕吐的感觉。
[17] 草纥：纥，同“疙瘩”。草纥就是草结。
[18] （lónɡ）踵（zhònɡ）：立足不稳要跌倒，接连抢步支持站住的动作。
[19] 南柯：唐代小说家李公佐著《南柯记》，叙述淳于棼梦中在大槐安国作南柯太守二十年，历尽荣华富贵的故事。后来便把“南柯”作为梦的代称。
[20] 下元：道教称天空做上元，陆地做中元，水中做下元。这里指水府。
[21] 角：份，封。用在信件、公文前面的量词。
CHAPTER 3. Four Seas and a Thousand Mountains all bow to submit; From Ninefold Darkness ten species’ names are removed.1
Now we were speaking of the Handsome Monkey King’s triumphant return to his home country. After slaying the Monstrous King of Havoc and wresting from him his huge scimitar, he practiced daily with the little monkeys the art of war, teaching them how to sharpen bamboos for making spears, file wood for making swords, arrange flags and banners, go on patrol, advance or retreat, and pitch camp. For a long time he played thus with them. Suddenly he grew quiet and sat down, thinking out loud to himself, “The game we are playing here may turn out to be something quite serious. Suppose we disturb the rulers of humans or of fowls and beasts, and they become offended; suppose they say that these military exercises of ours are subversive, and raise an army to destroy us. How can we meet them with our bamboo spears and wooden swords? We must have sharp swords and fine halberds. But what can be done at this moment?” When the monkeys heard this, they were all alarmed. “The great king’s observation is very sound,” they said, “but where can we obtain these things?” As they were speaking, four older monkeys came forward, two female monkeys with red buttocks and two bareback gibbons. Coming to the front, they said, “Great King, to be furnished with sharp-edged weapons is a very simple matter.” “How is it simple?” asked Wukong. The four monkeys replied, “East of our mountain, across two hundred miles of water, is the boundary of the Aolai Country. In that country there is a king who has numberless men and soldiers in his city, and there are bound to be all kinds of metalworks there. If the great king goes there, he can either buy weapons or have them made. Then you can teach us how to use them for the protection of our mountain, and this will be the stratagem for assuring ourselves of perpetuity.” When Wukong heard this, he was filled with delight. “Play here, all of you,” he said. “Let me make a trip.”
Dear Monkey King! He quickly performed his cloud somersault and crossed the two hundred miles of water in no time. On the other side he did indeed discover a city with broad streets and huge marketplaces, countless houses and numerous arches. Under the clear sky and bright sun, people were coming and going constantly. Wukong thought to himself, “There must be ready-made weapons around here. But going down there to buy a few pieces from them is not as good a bargain as acquiring them by magic.” He therefore made the magic sign and recited a spell. Facing the ground on the southwest, he took a deep breath and then blew it out. At once it became a mighty wind, hurtling pebbles and rocks through the air. It was truly terrifying:
Thick clouds in vast formation moved o’er the world;
Black fog and dusky vapor darkened the Earth;
Waves churned in seas and rivers, affrighting fishes and crabs;
Boughs broke in mountain forests, wolves and tigers taking flight.
Traders and merchants were gone from stores and shops.
No single man was seen at sundry marts and malls.
The king retreated to his chamber from the royal court.
Officials, martial and civil, returned to their homes.
This wind toppled Buddha’s throne of a thousand years
And shook to its foundations the Five-Phoenix Tower.
The wind arose and separated the king from his subjects in the Aolai Country. Throughout the various boulevards and marketplaces, every family bolted the doors and windows and no one dared go outside. Wukong then lowered the direction of his cloud and rushed straight through the imperial gate. He found his way to the armory, knocked open the doors, and saw that there were countless weapons inside. Scimitars, spears, swords, halberds, battle-axes, scythes, whips, rakes, drumsticks, drums, bows, arrows, forks, and lances—every kind was available. Highly pleased, Wukong said to himself, “How many pieces can I possibly carry by myself? I’d better use the magic of body division to transport them.” Dear Monkey King! He plucked a handful of hairs, chewed them to pieces in his mouth, and spat them out. Reciting the spell, he cried, “Change!” They changed into thousands of little monkeys, who snatched and grabbed the weapons. Those that were stronger took six or seven pieces, the weaker ones two or three pieces, and together they emptied out the armory. Wukong then mounted the cloud and performed the magic of displacement by calling up a great wind, which carried all the little monkeys back to their home.
We tell you now about the various monkeys, both great and small, who were playing outside the cave of the Flower-Fruit Mountain. They suddenly heard the sound of wind and saw in midair a huge horde of monkeys approaching, the sight of which made them all flee in terror and hide. In a moment, Wukong lowered his cloud and, shaking himself, collected the pieces of hair back onto his body. All the weapons were piled in front of the mountain. “Little ones,” he shouted, “come and receive your weapons!” The monkeys looked and saw Wukong standing alone on level ground. They came running to kowtow and ask what had happened. Wukong then recounted to them how he had made use of the mighty wind to transport the weapons. After expressing their gratitude, the monkeys all went to grab at the scimitars and snatch at the swords, to wield the axes and scramble for spears, to stretch the bows and mount the arrows. Shouting and screaming, they played all day long.
The following day, they marched in formation as usual. Assembling the monkeys, Wukong found that there were forty-seven thousand of them. This assembly greatly impressed all the wild beasts of the mountain—wolves, insects, tigers, leopards, mouse deer, fallow deer, river deer, foxes, wild cats, badgers, lions, elephants, apes, bears, antelopes, boars, muskoxen, chamois, green one-horn buffaloes, wild hares, and giant mastiffs. Led by the various demon kings of no fewer than seventy-two caves, they all came to pay homage to the Monkey King. Henceforth they brought annual tributes and answered the roll call made every season. Some of them joined in the maneuvers; others supplied provisions in accordance with their rank. In an orderly fashion, they made the entire Flower-Fruit Mountain as strong as an iron bucket or a city of metal. The various demon kings also presented metal drums, colored banners, and helmets. The hurly-burly of marching and drilling went on day after day.
While the Handsome Monkey King was enjoying all this, he suddenly said to the multitude, “You all have become adept with the bow and arrow and proficient in the use of weapons. But this scimitar of mine is truly cumbersome, not at all to my liking. What can I do?” The four elder monkeys came forward and memorialized, “The great king is a divine sage, and therefore it is not fit for him to use an earthly weapon. We do not know, however, whether the great king is able to take a journey through water?” “Since I have known the Way,” said Wukong, “I have the ability of seventy-two transformations. The cloud somersault has unlimited power. I am familiar with the magic of body concealment and the magic of displacement. I can find my way to Heaven or I can enter the Earth. I can walk past the sun and the moon without casting a shadow, and I can penetrate stone and metal without hindrance. Water cannot drown me, nor fire burn me. Is there any place I can’t go to?” “It’s a good thing that the great king possesses such powers,” said the four monkeys, “for the water below this sheet iron bridge of ours flows directly into the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Ocean. If you are willing to go down there, Great King, you will find the old Dragon King, from whom you may request some kind of weapon. Won’t that be to your liking?” Hearing this, Wukong said with delight, “Let me make the trip!”
Dear Monkey King! He jumped to the bridgehead and employed the magic of water restriction. Making the magic sign with his fingers, he leaped into the waves, which parted for him, and he followed the waterway straight to the bottom of the Eastern Ocean. As he was walking, he suddenly ran into a yakṣa2 on patrol, who stopped him with the question, “What divine sage is this who comes pushing through the water? Speak plainly so that I can announce your arrival.” Wukong said, “I am the Heaven-born sage Sun Wukong of the Flower-Fruit Mountain, a near neighbor of your old Dragon King. How is it that you don’t recognize me?” When the yakṣa heard this, he hurried back to the Water-Crystal Palace to report. “Great King,” he said, “there is outside a Heaven-born sage of the Flower-Fruit Mountain named Sun Wukong. He claims that he is a near neighbor of yours, and he is about to arrive at the palace.” Aoguang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean, arose immediately; accompanied by dragon sons and grandsons, shrimp soldiers and crab generals, he came out for the reception. “High Immortal,” he said, “please come in!” They went into the palace for proper introduction, and after offering Wukong the honored seat and tea, the king asked, “When did the high immortal become accomplished in the Way, and what kind of divine magic did he receive?” Wukong said, “Since the time of my birth, I have left the family to practice self-cultivation. I have now acquired a birthless and deathless body. Recently I have been teaching my children how to protect our mountain cave, but unfortunately I am without an appropriate weapon. I have heard that my noble neighbor, who has long enjoyed living in this green-jade palace and its shell portals, must have many divine weapons to spare. I came specifically to ask for one of them.”
When the Dragon King heard this, he could hardly refuse. So he ordered a perch commander to bring out a long-handled scimitar, and presented it to his visitor. “Old Monkey doesn’t know how to use a scimitar,” said Wukong. “I beg you to give me something else.” The Dragon King then commanded a whiting lieutenant together with an eel porter to carry out a nine-pronged fork. Jumping down from his seat, Wukong took hold of it and tried a few thrusts. He put it down, saying, “Light! Much too light! And it doesn’t suit my hand. I beg you to give me another one.” “High Immortal,” said the Dragon King, laughing, “won’t you even take a closer look? This fork weighs three thousand six hundred pounds.” “It doesn’t suit my hand,” Wukong said, “it doesn’t suit my hand!” The Dragon King was becoming rather fearful; he ordered a bream admiral and a carp brigadier to carry out a giant halberd, weighing seven thousand two hundred pounds. When he saw this, Wukong ran forward and took hold of it. He tried a few thrusts and parries and then stuck it in the ground, saying, “It’s still light! Much too light!” The old Dragon King was completely unnerved. “High Immortal,” he said, “there’s no weapon in my palace heavier than this halberd.” Laughing, Wukong said, “As the old saying goes, ‘Who worries about the Dragon King’s lacking treasures!’ Go and look some more, and if you find something I like, I’ll offer you a good price.” “There really aren’t any more here,” said the Dragon King.
As they were speaking, the dragon mother and her daughter slipped out and said, “Great King, we can see that this is definitely not a sage with meager abilities. Inside our ocean treasury is that piece of rare magic iron by which the depth of the Heavenly River3 is fixed. These past few days the iron has been glowing with a strange and lovely light. Could this be a sign that it should be taken out to meet this sage?” “That,” said the Dragon King, “was the measure with which the Great Yu4 fixed the depths of rivers and oceans when he conquered the Flood. It’s a piece of magic iron, but of what use could it be to him?” “Let’s not be concerned with whether he could find any use for it,” said the dragon mother. “Let’s give it to him, and he can do whatever he wants with it. The important thing is to get him out of this palace!” The old Dragon King agreed and told Wukong the whole story. “Take it out and let me see it,” said Wukong. Waving his hands, the Dragon King said, “We can’t move it! We can’t even lift it! The high immortal must go there himself to take a look.” “Where is it?” asked Wukong. “Take me there.”
The Dragon King accordingly led him to the center of the ocean treasury, where all at once they saw a thousand shafts of golden light. Pointing to the spot, the Dragon King said, “That’s it—the thing that is glowing.” Wukong girded up his clothes and went forward to touch it: it was an iron rod more than twenty feet long and as thick as a barrel. Using all his might, he lifted it with both hands, saying, “It’s a little too long and too thick. It would be more serviceable if it were somewhat shorter and thinner.” Hardly had he finished speaking when the treasure shrunk a few feet in length and became a layer thinner. “Smaller still would be even better,” said Wukong, giving it another bounce in his hands. Again the treasure became smaller. Highly pleased, Wukong took it out of the ocean treasury to examine it. He found a golden hoop at each end, with solid black iron in between. Immediately adjacent to one of the hoops was the inscription, “The Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod. Weight: thirteen thousand five hundred pounds.” He thought to himself in secret delight, “This treasure, I suppose, must be most compliant with one’s wishes.” As he walked, he was deliberating in his mind and murmuring to himself, bouncing the rod in his hands, “Shorter and thinner still would be marvelous!” By the time he took it outside, the rod was no more than twenty feet in length and had the thickness of a rice bowl.
See how he displayed his power now! He wielded the rod to make lunges and passes, engaging in mock combat all the way back to the Water-Crystal Palace. The old Dragon King was so terrified that he shook with fear, and the dragon princes were all panic-stricken. Sea-turtles and tortoises drew in their necks; fishes, shrimps, and crabs all hid themselves. Wukong held the treasure in his hands and sat in the Water-Crystal Palace. Laughing, he said to the Dragon King, “I am indebted to my good neighbor for his profound kindness.” “Please don’t mention it,” said the Dragon King. “This piece of iron is very useful,” said Wukong, “but I have one further statement to make.” “What sort of statement does the high immortal wish to make?” asked the Dragon King. Wukong said, “Had there been no such iron, I would have let the matter drop. Now that I have it in my hands, I can see that I am wearing the wrong kind of clothes to go with it. What am I to do? If you have any martial apparel, you might as well give me some too. I would thank you most heartily.” “This, I confess, is not in my possession,” said the Dragon King. Wukong said, “A solitary guest will not disturb two hosts. Even if you claim that you don’t have any, I shall never walk out of this door.” “Let the high immortal take the trouble of going to another ocean,” said the Dragon King. “He might turn up something there.” “To visit three homes is not as convenient as sitting in one,” said Wukong, “I beg you to give me one outfit.” “I really don’t have one,” said the Dragon King, “for if I did, I would have presented it to you.”
“Is that so?” said Wukong. “Let me try the iron on you!”
“High Immortal,” the Dragon King said nervously, “don’t ever raise your hand! Don’t ever raise your hand! Let me see whether my brothers have any and we’ll try to give you one.” “Where are your honored brothers?” asked Wukong. “They are,” said the Dragon King, “Aoqin, Dragon King of the Southern Ocean; Aoshun, Dragon King of the Northern Ocean; and Aorun, Dragon King of the Western Ocean.” “Old Monkey is not going to their places,” said Wukong. “For as the common saying goes, ‘Three in bond can’t compete with two in hand.’ I’m merely requesting that you find something casual here and give it to me. That’s all.” “There’s no need for the high immortal to go anywhere,” said the Dragon King. “I have in my palace an iron drum and a golden bell. Whenever there is any emergency, we beat the drum and strike the bell and my brothers are here shortly.” “In that case,” said Wukong, “go beat the drum and strike the bell.” The turtle general went at once to strike the bell, while the tortoise marshal came to beat the drum.
Soon after the drum and the bell had sounded, the Dragon Kings of the Three Oceans got the message and arrived promptly, all congregating in the outer courtyard. “Elder Brother,” said Aoqin, “what emergency made you beat the drum and strike the bell?” “Good Brother,” answered the old Dragon, “it’s a long story! We have here a certain Heaven-born sage from the Flower-Fruit Mountain, who came here and claimed to be my near neighbor. He subsequently demanded a weapon; the steel fork I presented he deemed too small, and the halberd I offered too light. Finally he himself took that piece of rare, divine iron by which the depth of the Heavenly River was fixed and used it for mock combat. He is now sitting in the palace and also demanding some sort of battle dress. We have none of that here. So we sounded the drum and the bell to invite you all to come. If you happen to have some such outfit, please give it to him so that I can send him out of this door!”
When Aoqin heard this, he was outraged. “Let us brothers call our army together,” he said, “and arrest him. What’s wrong with that?” “Don’t talk about arresting him!” the old Dragon said, “don’t talk about arresting him! That piece of iron—a small stroke with it is deadly and a light tap is fatal! The slightest touch will crack the skin and a small rap will injure the muscles!” Aorun, the Dragon King of the Western Ocean, said, “Second elder brother should not raise his hand against him. Let us rather assemble an outfit for him and get him out of this place. We can then present a formal complaint to Heaven, and Heaven will send its own punishment.”
“You are right,” said Aoshun, the Dragon King of the Northern Ocean, “I have here a pair of cloud-treading shoes the color of lotus root.” Aorun, the Dragon King of the Western Ocean said, “I brought along a cuirass of chain-mail made of yellow gold.” “And I have a cap with erect phoenix plumes, made of red gold,” said Aoqin, the Dragon King of the Southern Ocean. The old Dragon King was delighted and brought them into the Water-Crystal Palace to present the gifts. Wukong duly put on the gold cap, the gold cuirass, and cloud-treading shoes, and, wielding his compliant rod, he fought his way out in mock combat, yelling to the dragons, “Sorry to have bothered you!” The Dragon Kings of the Four Oceans were outraged, and they consulted together about filing a formal complaint, of which we make no mention here.
Look at that Monkey King! He opened up the waterway and went straight back to the head of the sheet iron bridge. The four old monkeys were leading the other monkeys and waiting beside the bridge. They suddenly beheld Wukong leaping out of the waves: there was not a drop of water on his body as he walked onto the bridge, all radiant and golden. The various monkeys were so astonished that they all knelt down, crying, “Great King, what marvels! What marvels!” Beaming broadly, Wukong ascended his high throne and set up the iron rod right in the center. Not knowing any better, the monkeys all came and tried to pick the treasure up. It was rather like a dragonfly attempting to shake an ironwood tree: they could not budge it an inch! Biting their fingers and sticking out their tongues, every one of them said, “O Father, it’s so heavy! How did you ever manage to bring it here?” Wukong walked up to the rod, stretched forth his hands, and picked it up. Laughing, he said to them, “Everything has its owner. This treasure has presided in the ocean treasury for who knows how many thousands of years, and it just happened to glow recently. The Dragon King only recognized it as a piece of black iron, though it is also said to be the divine rarity which fixed the bottom of the Heavenly River. All those fellows together could not lift or move it, and they asked me to take it myself. At first, this treasure was more than twenty feet long and as thick as a barrel. After I struck it once and expressed my feeling that it was too large, it grew smaller. I wanted it smaller still, and again it grew smaller. For a third time I commanded it, and it grew smaller still! When I looked at it in the light, it had on it the inscription, ‘The Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod. Weight: thirteen thousand five hundred pounds.’ Stand aside, all of you. Let me ask it to go through some more transformations.”
He held the treasure in his hands and called out, “Smaller, smaller, smaller!” and at once it shrank to the size of a tiny embroidery needle, small enough to be hidden inside the ear. Awestruck, the monkeys cried, “Great King! Take it out and play with it some more.” The Monkey King took it out from his ear and placed it on his palm. “Bigger, bigger, bigger!” he shouted, and again it grew to the thickness of a barrel and more than twenty feet long. He became so delighted playing with it that he jumped onto the bridge and walked out of the cave. Grasping the treasure in his hands, he began to perform the magic of cosmic imitation. Bending over, he cried, “Grow!” and at once grew to be ten thousand feet tall, with a head like the Tai Mountain and a chest like a rugged peak, eyes like lightning and a mouth like a blood bowl, and teeth like swords and halberds. The rod in his hands was of such a size that its top reached the thirty-third Heaven and its bottom the eighteenth layer of Hell. Tigers, leopards, wolves, and crawling creatures, all the monsters of the mountain and the demon kings of the seventy-two caves, were so terrified that they kowtowed and paid homage to the Monkey King in fear and trembling. Presently he revoked his magical appearance and changed the treasure back into a tiny embroidery needle stored in his ear. He returned to the cave dwelling, but the demon kings of the various caves were still frightened, and they continued to come to pay their respects.
At this time, the banners were unfurled, the drums sounded, and the brass gongs struck loudly. A great banquet of a hundred delicacies was given, and the cups were filled to overflowing with the fruit of the vines and the juices of the coconut. They drank and feasted for a long time, and they engaged in military exercises as before. The Monkey King made the four old monkeys mighty commanders of his troops by appointing the two female monkeys with red buttocks as marshals Ma and Liu, and the two bareback gibbons as generals Beng and Ba. The four mighty commanders, moreover, were entrusted with all matters concerning fortification, pitching camps, reward, and punishment. Having settled all this, the Monkey King felt completely at ease to soar on the clouds and ride the mist, to tour the four seas and disport himself in a thousand mountains. Displaying his martial skill, he made extensive visits to various heroes and warriors; performing his magic, he made many good friends. At this time, moreover, he entered into fraternal alliance with six other monarchs: the Bull Monster King, the Dragon Monster King, the Garuda Monster King, the Giant Lynx King, the Macaque King, and the Orangutan King. Together with the Handsome Monkey King, they formed a fraternal order of seven. Day after day they discussed civil and military arts, exchanged wine cups and goblets, sang and danced to songs and strings. They gathered in the morning and parted in the evening; there was not a single pleasure that they overlooked, covering a distance of ten thousand miles as if it were but the span of their own courtyard. As the saying has it,
One nod of the head goes farther than three thousand miles;
One twist of the torso covers more than eight hundred.
One day, the four mighty commanders had been told to prepare a great banquet in their own cave, and the six kings were invited to the feast. They killed cows and slaughtered horses; they sacrificed to Heaven and Earth. The various imps were ordered to dance and sing, and they all drank until they were thoroughly drunk. After sending the six kings off, Wukong also rewarded the leaders great and small with gifts. Reclining in the shade of pine trees near the sheet iron bridge, he fell asleep in a moment. The four mighty commanders led the crowd to form a protective circle around him, not daring to raise their voices. In his sleep the Handsome Monkey King saw two men approach with a summons with the three characters “Sun Wukong” written on it. They walked up to him and, without a word, tied him up with a rope and dragged him off. The soul of the Handsome Monkey King was reeling from side to side. They reached the edge of a city. The Monkey King was gradually coming to himself, when he lifted up his head and suddenly saw above the city an iron sign bearing in large letters the three words “Region of Darkness.” The Handsome Monkey King at once became fully conscious. “The Region of Darkness is the abode of Yama, King of Death,” he said. “Why am I here?” “Your age in the World of Life has come to an end,” the two men said. “The two of us were given this summons to arrest you.” When the Monkey King heard this, he said, “I, old Monkey himself, have transcended the Three Regions and the Five Phases;5 hence I am no longer under Yama’s jurisdiction. Why is he so confused that he wants to arrest me?” The two summoners paid scant attention. Yanking and pulling, they were determined to haul him inside. Growing angry, the Monkey King whipped out his treasure. One wave of it turned it into the thickness of a rice bowl; he raised his hands once, and the two summoners were reduced to hash. He untied the rope, freed his hands, and fought his way into the city, wielding the rod. Bull-headed demons hid in terror, and horse-faced demons fled in every direction. A band of ghost soldiers ran up to the Palace of Darkness, crying, “Great Kings! Disaster! Disaster! Outside there’s a hairy-faced thunder god fighting his way in!”
Their report alarmed the Ten Kings of the Underworld so much that they quickly straightened out their attire and went out to see what was happening. Discovering a fierce and angry figure, they lined up according to their ranks and greeted him with loud voices: “High Immortal, tell us your name. High Immortal, tell us your name.” “I am the Heaven-born sage Sun Wukong from the Water-Curtain Cave in the Flower-Fruit Mountain,” said the Monkey King, “what kind of officials are you?” “We are the Emperors of Darkness,” answered the Ten Kings, bowing, “the Ten Kings of the Underworld.” “Tell me each of your names at once,” said Wukong, “or I’ll give you a drubbing.”
The Ten Kings said, “We are: King Qinguang, King of the Beginning River, King of the Song Emperor, King of Avenging Ministers, King Yama, King of Equal Ranks, King of the Tai Mountain, King of City Markets, King of the Complete Change, and King of the Turning Wheel.”6
“Since you have all ascended the thrones of kingship,” said Wukong, “you should be intelligent beings, responsible in rewards and punishments. Why are you so ignorant of good and evil? Old Monkey has acquired the Dao and attained immortality. I enjoy the same age as Heaven, and I have transcended the Three Regions and leapt clear of the Five Phases. Why, then, did you send men to arrest me?”
“High Immortal,” said the Ten Kings, “let your anger subside. There are many people in this world with the same name and surname. Couldn’t the summoners have made a mistake?” “Nonsense! Nonsense!” said Wukong. “The proverb says, ‘Officials err, clerks err, but the summoner never errs!’ Quick, bring out your register of births and deaths, and let me have a look.”
When the Ten Kings heard this, they invited him to go into the palace to see for himself. Holding his compliant rod, Wukong went straight up to the Palace of Darkness and, facing south, sat down in the middle. The Ten Kings immediately had the judge in charge of the records bring out his books for examination. The judge, who did not dare tarry, hastened into a side room and brought out five or six books of documents and the ledgers on the ten species of living beings. He went through them one by one—shorthaired creatures, furry creatures, winged creatures, crawling creatures, and scaly creatures—but he did not find his name. He then proceeded to the file on monkeys. You see, though this monkey resembled a human being, he was not listed under the names of men; though he resembled the short-haired creatures, he did not dwell in their kingdoms; though he resembled other animals, he was not subject to the unicorn; and though he resembled flying creatures, he was not governed by the phoenix. He had, therefore, a separate ledger, which Wukong examined himself. Under the heading “Soul 1350” he found the name Sun Wukong recorded, with the description: “Heaven-born Stone Monkey. Age: three hundred and forty-two years. A good end.”
Wukong said, “I really don’t remember my age. All I want is to erase my name. Bring me a brush.” The judge hurriedly fetched the brush and soaked it in heavy ink. Wukong took the ledger on monkeys and crossed out all the names he could find in it. Throwing down the ledger, he said, “That ends the account! That ends the account! Now I’m truly not your subject.” Brandishing his rod, he fought his way out of the Region of Darkness. The Ten Kings did not dare approach him. They went instead to the Green Cloud Palace to consult the Bodhisattva King Kṣitigarbha and made plans to report the incident to Heaven, which does not concern us for the moment.
While our Monkey King was fighting his way out of the city, he was suddenly caught in a clump of grass and stumbled. Waking up with a start, he realized that it was all a dream. As he was stretching himself, he heard the four mighty commanders and the various monkeys crying with a loud voice, “Great King! How much wine did you imbibe? You’ve slept all night long. Aren’t you awake yet?” “Sleeping is nothing to get excited about,” said Wukong, “but I dreamed that two men came to arrest me, and I didn’t perceive their intention until they brought me to the outskirts of the Region of Darkness. Showing my power, I protested right up to the Palace of Darkness and argued with the Ten Kings. I went through our ledger of births and deaths and crossed out all our names. Those fellows have no hold over us now.” The various monkeys all kowtowed to express their gratitude. From that time onward there were many mountain monkeys who did not grow old, for their names were not registered in the Underworld. When the Handsome Monkey King finished his account of what had happened, the four mighty commanders reported the story to the demon kings of various caves, who all came to tender their congratulations. Only a few days had passed when the six sworn brothers also came to congratulate him, all of them delighted about the cancellation of the names. We shall not elaborate here on their joyful gathering.
We shall turn instead to the Great Benevolent Sage of Heaven, the Celestial Jade Emperor of the Most Venerable Deva, who was holding court one day in the Treasure Hall of Divine Mists, the Cloud Palace of Golden Arches. The divine ministers, civil and military, were just gathering for the morning session when suddenly the Daoist immortal Qiu Hongzhi7 announced, “Your Majesty, outside the Translucent Palace, Aoguang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean, is awaiting your command to present a memorial to the Throne.” The Jade Emperor gave the order to have him brought forth, and Aoguang was led into the Hall of Divine Mists. After he had paid his respects, a divine page boy in charge of documents received the memorial, and the Jade Emperor read it from the beginning. The memorial said:
From the lowly water region of the Eastern Ocean at the East Pūrvavideha Continent, the small dragon subject, Aoguang, humbly informs the Wise Lord of Heaven, the Most Eminent High God and Ruler, that a bogus immortal, Sun Wukong, born of the Flower-Fruit Mountain and resident of the Water-Curtain Cave, has recently abused your small dragon, gaining a seat in his water home by force. He demanded a weapon, employing power and intimidation; he asked for martial attire, unleashing violence and threats. He terrorized my water kinsmen, and scattered turtles and tortoises. The Dragon of the Southern Ocean trembled; the Dragon of the Western Ocean was filled with horror; the Dragon of the Northern Ocean drew back his head to surrender; and your subject Aoguang flexed his body to do obeisance. We presented him with the divine treasure of an iron rod and the gold cap with phoenix plumes; giving him also a chain-mail cuirass and cloud-treading shoes, we sent him off courteously. But even then he was bent on displaying his martial prowess and magical powers, and all he could say to us was “Sorry to have bothered you!” We are indeed no match for him, nor are we able to subdue him. Your subject therefore presents this petition and humbly begs for imperial justice. We earnestly beseech you to dispatch the Heavenly host and capture this monster, so that tranquility may be restored to the oceans and prosperity to the Lower Region. Thus we present this memorial.
When the Holy Emperor had finished reading, he gave the command: “Let the Dragon God return to the ocean. We shall send our generals to arrest the culprit.” The old Dragon King gratefully touched his forehead to the ground and left. From below the Immortal Elder Ge, the Celestial Master,8 also brought forth the report. “Your Majesty, the Minister of Darkness, King Qinguang, supported by the Bodhisattva King Kṣitigarbha, Pope of the Underworld, has arrived to present his memorial.” The jade girl in charge of communication came from the side to receive this document, which the Jade Emperor also read from the beginning. The memorial said:
The Region of Darkness is the nether region proper to Earth. As Heaven is for gods and Earth for ghosts, so life and death proceed in cyclic succession. Fowls are born and animals die; male and female, they multiply. Births and transformations, the male begotten of the procreative female—such is the order of Nature, and it cannot be changed. But now appears Sun Wukong, a Heaven-born baneful monkey from the Water-Curtain Cave in the Flower-Fruit Mountain, who practices evil and violence, and resists our proper summons. Exercising magic powers, he utterly defeated the ghostly messengers of Ninefold Darkness; exploiting brute force, he terrorized the Ten Merciful Kings. He caused great confusion in the Palace of Darkness; he abrogated by force the Register of Names, so that the category of monkeys is now beyond control, and inordinately long life is given to the simian family. The wheel of transmigration is stopped, for birth and death are eliminated in each kind of monkey. Your poor monk therefore risks offending your Heavenly authority in presenting this memorial. We humbly beg you to send forth your divine army and subdue this monster, to the end that life and death may once more be regulated and the Underworld rendered perpetually secure. Respectfully we present this memorial.
When the Jade Emperor had finished reading, he again gave a command: “Let the Lord of Darkness return to the Underworld. We shall send our generals to arrest this culprit.” King Qinguang also touched his head to the ground gratefully and left.
The Great Heavenly Deva called together his various immortal subjects, both civil and military, and asked, “When was this baneful monkey born, and in which generation did he begin his career? How is it that he has become so powerfully accomplished in the Way?” Scarcely had he finished speaking when, from the ranks, Thousand-Mile Eye and Fair-Wind Ear stepped forward. “This monkey,” they said, “is the Heaven-born stone monkey of three hundred years ago. At that time he did not seem to amount to much, and we do not know where he acquired the knowledge of self-cultivation these last few years and became an immortal. Now he knows how to subdue dragons and tame tigers,9 and thus he is able to annul by force the Register of Death.” “Which one of you divine generals,” asked the Jade Emperor, “wishes to go down there to subdue him?”
Scarcely had he finished speaking when the Long-Life Spirit of the Planet Venus came forward from the ranks and prostrated himself. “Highest and Holiest,” he said, “within the three regions, all creatures endowed with the nine apertures can, through exercise, become immortals. It is not surprising that this monkey, with a body nurtured by Heaven and Earth, a frame born of the sun and moon, should achieve immortality, seeing that his head points to Heaven and his feet walk on Earth, and that he feeds on the dew and the mist. Now that he has the power to subdue dragons and tame tigers, how is he different from a human being? Your subject therefore makes so bold as to ask Your Majesty to remember the compassionate grace of Creation and issue a decree of pacification. Let him be summoned to the Upper Region and given some kind of official duties. His name will be recorded in the Register and we can control him here. If he is receptive to the Heavenly decree, he will be rewarded and promoted hereafter; but if he is disobedient to your command, we shall arrest him forthwith. Such an action will spare us a military expedition in the first place, and, in the second, permit us to receive into our midst another immortal in an orderly manner.”
The Jade Emperor was highly pleased with this statement, and he said, “We shall follow the counsel of our minister.” He then ordered the Star Spirit of Songs and Letters to compose the decree, and delegated the Gold Star of Venus to be the viceroy of peace. Having received the decree, the Gold Star went out of the South Heaven Gate, lowered the direction of his hallowed cloud, and headed straight for the Flower-Fruit Mountain and the Water-Curtain Cave. He said to the various little monkeys, “I am the Heavenly messenger sent from above. I have with me an imperial decree to invite your great king to go to the Upper Region. Report this to him quickly!” The monkeys outside the cave passed the word along one by one until it reached the depth of the cave. “Great King,” one of the monkeys said, “there’s an old man outside bearing a document on his back. He says that he is a messenger sent from Heaven, and he has an imperial decree of invitation for you.” Upon hearing this, the Handsome Monkey King was exceedingly pleased. “These last two days,” he said, “I was just thinking about taking a little trip to Heaven, and the heavenly messenger has already come to invite me!” The Monkey King quickly straightened out his attire and went to the door for the reception. The Gold Star came into the center of the cave and stood still with his face toward the south. “I am the Gold Star of Venus from the West,” he said. “I came down to Earth, bearing the imperial decree of pacification from the Jade Emperor, and invite you to go to Heaven to receive an immortal appointment.” Laughing, Wukong said, “I am most grateful for the Old Star’s visit.” He then gave the order: “Little ones, prepare a banquet to entertain our guest.” The Gold Star said, “As a bearer of imperial decree, I cannot remain here long. I must ask the Great King to go with me at once. After your glorious promotion, we shall have many occasions to converse at our leisure.” “We are honored by your presence,” said Wukong; “I am sorry that you have to leave with empty hands!” He then called the four mighty commanders together for this admonition: “Be diligent in teaching and drilling the young ones. Let me go up to Heaven to take a look and to see whether I can have you all brought up there too to live with me.” The four mighty commanders indicated their obedience. This Monkey King mounted the cloud with the Gold Star and rose up into the sky. Truly
He ascends the high rank of immortals from the sky;
His name’s enrolled in cloud columns and treasure scrolls.
We do not know what sort of rank or appointment he received; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.