OriginChapter 24
But to return to the three men: they passed through the forest and entered within, only to see that Idiot bound against a tree, crying out again and again, unable to endure the pain. The Pilgrim stepped forward and laughed: “Good son-in-law! At this hour you still have not risen to thank your parents-in-law, nor gone to the master to report the happy news, but remain here putting on a show and amusing yourself. Tsk! Where is your mother? Where is your wife? What a son-in-law you are, trussed up and hung out for torture!” When the Idiot saw him come and mock him, he clenched his teeth and bore the pain, not daring to cry out. Seeing this, Sha Monk could not bear it at all. He put down the luggage, stepped forward, untied the ropes, and rescued him. The Idiot merely kowtowed and bowed to them, but in truth he was unbearably ashamed. There is a “Western River Moon” to attest to it:
Beauty is a sword that wounds the body;
Covet it, and calamity is certain.
A lovely woman of sixteen, finely adorned—
More fierce and powerful than a yaksha.
There is only one original capital,
And no small profit added to the purse.
Best guard the capital carefully;
Hold fast to it, and do not let it run wild.
That Bajie gathered earth and burned incense, gazing into the air as he paid his respects. The Pilgrim said: “Do you recognize those Bodhisattvas?” Bajie said: “I had already fainted and fallen unconscious; my eyes were dazzled and confused. How could I recognize who they were?” The Pilgrim handed the brief to Bajie. When Bajie saw that it was a verse of admonition, he became even more ashamed. Sha Monk laughed and said: “Second Brother has such good fortune—he moved four Bodhisattvas to come and marry you.” Bajie said: “Brother, never mention it again. I am no longer fit to be called a man. From now on, I shall never dare to act recklessly again. Even if it breaks my bones, I will only rub shoulders and carry the burden, following the master to the Western Regions.” Sanzang said: “That is how you should speak.”
The Pilgrim then led his master onto the main road. After they had traveled for a long while, they suddenly saw a high mountain blocking the way. Sanzang drew in his horse and stopped his whip, saying: “Disciples, there is a mountain ahead. We must be especially careful, for fear that demons may cause trouble and harm our company.” The Pilgrim said: “With only the three of us before the horse, what demons should we fear?” Thus the Elder continued forward at ease. They saw that mountain, and it was truly a fine mountain:
High and precipitous, majestically rugged.
Its roots joined the veins of Kunlun;
Its summit rubbed against the midst of the Milky Way.
White cranes often came to roost upon the cypresses and pines;
Dark apes from time to time hung upon the creeping vines.
The sun shone upon the clear forest; layer upon layer, a thousand bands of red mist wound around it.
The wind arose in the shadowed ravines; fluttering and drifting, ten thousand streams of colored cloud flew.
Secluded birds cried in confusion amid the green bamboo;
Golden pheasants vied with one another among the wild flowers.
There were the Thousand-Year Peak, the Five Blessings Peak, and the Hibiscus Peak,
Towering and awe-inspiring, emitting rays of light;
The Ten-Thousand-Year Stone, the Tiger-Fang Stone, and the Three-Heavens Stone,
Protruding and glistening, giving birth to auspicious vapors.
The grass before the cliffs was luxuriant;
The plum blossoms upon the ridges were fragrant.
Thorns grew densely and somberly;
Zhilan flowers were pure and faintly scented.
In the deep forests, eagles and phoenixes gathered among a thousand birds;
In ancient caverns, qilin ruled over ten thousand beasts.
The stream waters were affectionate, winding and curving, repeatedly turning back to gaze;
The peaks and ranges did not end, layer upon layer circling naturally around.
There were also green locust trees, mottled bamboo, and verdant pines,
Gracefully contending in luxuriant splendor through a thousand ages;
White plums, red peaches, and emerald willows,
Brilliantly competing in beauty throughout the three springs.
Dragons roared and tigers howled;
Cranes danced and apes cried.
Musk deer and stags emerged from among the flowers;
Green luan birds sang facing the sun.
It was indeed a true blessed land among immortal mountains;
Penglai and Langyuan were only like this.
There were also scenes of flowers blooming and fading atop the mountains,
And peaks upon the ridges where clouds came and went.
Upon the horse, Sanzang happily said: “Disciple, ever since I came westward, I have passed through many mountains and rivers, all of them rugged and perilous places. Never have I seen scenery as fine as this mountain; its secluded charm is truly extraordinary. If we were already near the road to Thunderclap Monastery, we could prepare ourselves and, dignified and solemn, appear before the World-Honored One.” The Pilgrim laughed and said: “Still early, still early. It is just as well that we have not yet arrived.” Sha Monk said: “Elder Brother, how far is it to Thunderclap?” The Pilgrim said: “One hundred and eight thousand li. Of the ten stages, we have not yet traveled even one.” Bajie said: “Brother, how many years will it take to get there?” The Pilgrim said: “For the two worthy younger brothers, these roads could be traveled in ten-odd days. As for me, I could travel them fifty times in a day and still see the light of day. As for the master—do not think of it, do not think of it.” Tang Sanzang said: “Wukong, when do you say we can arrive?” The Pilgrim said: “If you began as a child and traveled until old age, then grew young again after growing old, and repeated youth and age a thousand times, it would still be difficult. So long as you perceive your true nature and remain sincere, the place where your thoughts turn back is itself Vulture Peak.” Sha Monk said: “Elder Brother, although this is not Thunderclap, judging by this scenery, some good man must surely dwell here.” The Pilgrim said: “That is indeed so. There can certainly be no evil spirits here. It must be the homeland of a holy monk or an immortal. Let us wander and proceed slowly.” We shall say no more of this.
Now, this mountain was called Longevity Mountain. Within the mountain stood a monastery called Five庄 Abbey. In the abbey lived an immortal whose religious name was Zhenyuanzi and whose familiar appellation was Lord Together with the World. The abbey produced a certain extraordinary treasure. At the beginning when Chaos divided, when the primordial vastness was first distinguished, before Heaven and Earth had opened, this numinous root came into being. Of all the four great continents under Heaven, only Five庄 Abbey in the Western Ox-H贺 Continent produced this treasure. It was called Grass-Returning Elixir, and was also called the Ginseng Fruit. It flowered once every three thousand years, bore fruit once every three thousand years, and only ripened after another three thousand years; thus, after a full ten thousand years, it could finally be eaten. In such ten thousand years, it produced only thirty fruits. The fruits looked exactly like infants not yet three days old, with all four limbs complete and all five features fully formed. If a person had the good fortune to smell one of these fruits, he would live three hundred and sixty years; if he ate one, he would live forty-seven thousand years.
On that day, the Great Immortal Zhenyuan received a brief from the Celestial Worthy Primordial Beginning, inviting him to the Maitreya Palace in the Upper Clear Heaven to hear a lecture on the “Dao Fruit of Primordial Unity.” The scattered immortals who had emerged from beneath the Great Immortal’s gate were also beyond counting. Even now there were forty-eight disciples, all perfected adepts who had attained the Dao. On that day, he led forty-six of them to the upper realm to hear the lecture, leaving behind two youngest ones to guard the house: one was called Qingfeng, and the other Mingyue. Qingfeng was only one thousand three hundred and twenty years old, while Mingyue had barely reached one thousand two hundred.
Zhenyuanzi instructed the two youths: “You must not disregard the brief of the Great Celestial Worthy. I am going to the Maitreya Palace to hear the lecture, and you two must carefully remain at home. Before long, an old acquaintance of mine will pass through here, so do not treat him negligently. You may strike two Ginseng Fruits for him to eat, as a token of the friendship of former days.” The two youths said: “Who is the master’s old acquaintance? We beg you to tell your disciples, so that we may receive him properly.” The Great Immortal said: “He is the holy monk under the command of the Great Tang of the Eastern Land, the monk whose religious name is Sanzang, now going to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and seek scriptures.” The two youths laughed and said: “Confucius said, ‘Those whose ways differ do not make plans together.’ We belong to the Taiyi Dark Gate; how could we have anything to do with that monk?” The Great Immortal said: “What do you know? That monk is the reincarnation of Jinchanzi, the second disciple of the Holy Elder Tathagata Buddha of the West. Five hundred years ago, I met him at the Ullambana Assembly. He personally served tea, and the Buddha’s disciple honored me; therefore he is an old acquaintance.”
Hearing this, the two immortal youths respectfully obeyed their master’s command. As the Great Immortal was about to depart, he again admonished and instructed them: “My fruits are limited in number. You may give him only two; do not waste any more.” Qingfeng said: “When the garden was opened, everyone together ate two. There are still twenty-eight on the tree, and we would not dare waste any more.” The Great Immortal said: “Although Tang Sanzang is an old acquaintance, you must guard against the people under his command making a disturbance. Do not let them alarm him or allow him to learn of it.” The two youths received his command. The Great Immortal then ascended to the heavens together with all his disciples and proceeded directly toward the celestial realm.
Now, the four of Tang Sanzang’s group were wandering in the mountain when they suddenly raised their heads and saw a cluster of pines and bamboo, with several tiers of towers and halls. Tang Sanzang said: “Wukong, look there. What sort of place is that?” The Pilgrim looked and said: “That place is not a Daoist monastery; it must be a Buddhist temple. Let us go a little farther, and when we reach that side we will know the truth.” Before long, they came to the gate and looked closely. They saw:
The pine-covered slopes are cold and unadorned, the bamboo paths clear and secluded. White cranes come and go, escorting the drifting clouds; monkeys ascend and descend, now and then offering fruits. Before the gate, the pond is broad and the tree shadows long; the stones are split, and the moss-flowers broken. Palaces and halls stand in dense array, the Purple Ultimate high above; towers and terraces fade into the distance, while crimson clouds descend. Truly, this is a blessed land and numinous region, a cloud grotto of Penglai. Where purity and emptiness prevail, human affairs are few; where silence and stillness prevail, the Dao-heart is born. The Azure Bird often conveys the Queen Mother’s messages; the Purple Luan often sends the Old Lord’s scriptures. One cannot behold to the end the lofty winds of Dao and virtue; indeed, this is the vast and misty dwelling of the immortals.
Sanzang dismounted from his saddle, and again saw, on the left side of the mountain gate, a stele. On the stele were ten large characters, namely: “Blessed Land of Longevity Mountain; Grotto-Heaven of Wuzhuang Guan.” The Elder said, “Disciples, this truly is a monastery.” Sha Seng said, “Master, judging by this bright and lovely scene, good people must dwell within the monastery. Let us enter and take a look. If, after completing our journey, we return eastward, this place too will be a sight worth seeing.” Wukong said, “Well said.” Thus they all entered together, and again saw on the second gate a pair of spring couplets:
“Immortals’ palace of eternal life and agelessness;
Daoists’ household sharing longevity with Heaven.”
Wukong laughed and said, “This Daoist speaks boastful words to frighten people. When my Old Sun caused havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago, I did not even see such words at the gate of Grand Supreme Elder Lord’s residence.” Bajie said, “Let us not concern ourselves with that. Go in, go in. Perhaps this Daoist possesses some virtue; that remains to be seen.”
When they reached within the second gate, they saw two young boys hurrying out from inside. Observe how they were dressed:
Their bones were pure, their spirits fresh, their features lovely;
Atop their heads were tied double topknots, their short hair puffed and tousled.
Their Daoist robes naturally wrapped their collars like mist;
Their feathered garments, especially, had sleeves floating like wind.
A ringed sash tightly bound a dragon-head knot;
Light straw sandals were loosely wrapped with silken fibers like a silkworm’s mouth.
Their bearing was extraordinary, unlike that of ordinary folk;
They were none other than the two immortal lads Qingfeng and Mingyue.
The boys bowed with their backs bent and came out to welcome them, saying, “Reverend Master, forgive us for failing to welcome you. Please be seated.” The Elder was delighted, and so, together with the two boys, ascended to the main hall to look around. It was originally a great hall of five bays facing south, all of it formed with carved latticework, bright above and dark below. The immortal boy pushed open the lattice and invited Tang Monk into the hall. He saw hanging in the center of the wall the two large characters “Heaven and Earth,” fashioned in five colors. A vermilion-red carved-and-lacquered incense table had been set up, and upon it was a set of golden censer and vases, with implements beside the censer for conveniently arranging the incense.
Tang Monk stepped forward, held incense between the fingers of his left hand, placed it in the censer, and made three circuits before bowing. When he had finished bowing, he turned his head and said, “Immortal boy, your Wuzhuang Guan truly is an immortal realm of the Western Regions. Why do you not offer incense and worship the Three Pure Ones, the Four Imperial Emperors, and all the officials of the Heavenly Net, but serve only the two characters ‘Heaven and Earth’ with incense offerings?” The boy laughed and said, “Without concealing it from Reverend Master, of these two characters, the one above may still be honored according to ritual; the one below is not yet worthy to receive our incense. They were brought forth by our Master through flattery.” Sanzang said, “What do you mean by flattery?” The boy said, “The Three Pure Ones are our Master’s friends; the Four Emperors are our Master’s old acquaintances; the Nine Luminaries are our Master’s juniors; and the Yuanchen are our Master’s lower guests.” When Wukong heard this, he laughed so hard that he fell over. Bajie said, “Brother, why are you laughing?” Wukong said, “They say only my Old Sun knows how to play tricks, but it turns out this Daoist boy can bind the wind.” Sanzang said, “Where is your teacher?” The boy said, “Our Master received a summons from the Primordial Celestial Venerable and has gone to the Miro Palace in the Upper Clear Heaven to hear a lecture on the ‘Fruit of the Primordial Dao.’ He is not at home.” Hearing this, Wukong could not restrain himself from shouting, “You shameless Daoist boy! You do not even recognize people, yet before whom are you playing tricks and spouting such hollow pretensions? Who in that Miro Palace is a Taiyi celestial immortal? What are you asking this rascally ox-hoof to lecture on?”
Seeing him grow angry, Sanzang feared that the boy might answer him and that a quarrel might bring disaster, so he said, “Wukong, cease your contention for the moment. Since we have entered, let us leave as well; otherwise it will appear that we lack courtesy. As the saying goes: ‘An egret does not eat egret flesh.’ Since his teacher is not here, why disturb him? Go release the horses before the mountain gate. Sha Seng, watch over the luggage. Have Bajie untie the bundle, take out some rice and provisions, and borrow his stove and hearth to cook a meal for us. When we are about to depart, give him a few coins for firewood, and let that settle the matter. Each of you attend to your respective duties, and let me rest here for a while. Once the meal is finished, we will go.” The three of them accordingly went off, each attending to his own duty.
Mingyue and Qingfeng secretly praised him without end, saying, “What a good monk! He truly is the beloved sage of the Western Regions descended into the mortal world, with his true essence undimmed. Our Master ordered us to receive Tang Monk and give him a ginseng fruit to eat, thereby expressing the affection of old acquaintances; he also instructed us to guard against the people under his command making a disturbance. Indeed, those three have fierce and unruly faces, and coarse, rough dispositions. Fortunately, we have managed to separate them; if they had been nearby, would they not have come face to face with the ginseng fruit?” Qingfeng said, “Brother, we still do not know whether that monk truly is our Master’s old acquaintance. Ask him and see, lest we make a mistake.” The two boys again stepped forward and said, “May we ask, Reverend Master, are you Tang Sanzang of the Great Tang, traveling westward to obtain the scriptures from the Western Heaven?” The Elder returned the courtesy and said, “This poor monk is indeed he. Immortal boys, how do you know my humble name?” The boy said, “Before our Master departed, he instructed us disciples to go far out and welcome you. We did not expect your carriage to arrive so suddenly, and thus failed to greet you properly. Reverend Master, please be seated while this disciple prepares tea to offer you.” Sanzang said, “I would not dare.” Mingyue hurried back to his room, took a cup of fragrant tea, and presented it to the Elder. After the tea was finished, Qingfeng said, “Brother, we must not disobey our Master’s command. You and I will go fetch the fruit.”
The two boys took leave of Sanzang and went together into the room. One took a golden striker, the other a cinnabar platter, and they also put several green cloths beneath the platter. They went straight into the ginseng-fruit garden. Qingfeng climbed up the tree and used the golden striker to knock down the fruit. Mingyue stood beneath the tree and caught them in the cinnabar platter. In a short while, two fruits were knocked down and caught in the platter, and they went straight to the front hall to present them, saying, “Master Tang, my Wuzhuang Guan lies in remote soil and a barren mountain; there is nothing with which to honor you. These two plain local fruits are offered merely to relieve your thirst.” When the Elder saw them, he trembled and backed three feet away, saying, “Good! Good! This year is indeed one of abundant harvest and ripened crops. How is it that this monastery has fallen into famine and eats people? These are children not yet three days old. How can they relieve my thirst?” Qingfeng thought to himself, “This monk, amid the field of speech and the sea of right and wrong, has been made into a flesh-eyed mortal and does not recognize the rare treasure of our immortal household.” Mingyue stepped forward and said, “Reverend Master, this thing is called a ginseng fruit. It will do no harm to eat one.” Sanzang said, “Nonsense, nonsense. Their parents endured who knows how much suffering while carrying them in the womb before giving birth to them. How could they be taken and treated as fruit before three days have passed?” Qingfeng said, “It truly grows on a tree.” The Elder said, “Ridiculous talk, ridiculous talk. How could a tree also bear people? Take it away; it is no fit thing for human beings.”
When the two boys saw that he refused despite a thousand urging and ten thousand entreaties, they had no choice but to take up the platter and return to their room. The fruit was indeed strange; it could not be left for long. If left too long, it would stiffen and could no longer be eaten. The two reached the room, took one each, sat beside the bed, and began eating to their hearts’ content.
Ah! So that was how matters stood. His Daoist room shared a wall with the kitchen; words spoken softly on this side could immediately be heard on the other. Bajie was cooking in the kitchen. Earlier, when he heard them speak of fetching the Golden Striking Mallet and taking the elixir tray, he had already taken note. Then he heard them say that Tang Monk did not recognize the ginseng fruit as a human being, and that they had taken it into the room and eaten it themselves. Unable to restrain himself, he drooled and said, “How can I get one to taste while it is fresh?” His own body was too clumsy and bulky for him to move about, so he could only wait for the Pilgrim to come and discuss it with him. He had no heart left to tend the fire before the stove, and from time to time stretched out his head to peer outside. Before long, he saw the Pilgrim lead the horse over, tie it to a locust tree, and walk straight toward the back. The Idiot waved wildly with his hand and called, “Come here, come here.” The Pilgrim turned and came to the kitchen door. “Idiot, what are you shouting about? I suppose there isn’t enough rice to eat. Let the old monk eat his fill first; then we’ll go to some wealthy household ahead and beg for more.”
Bajie said, “Come in. It isn’t that there is too little rice. There is a treasure in this monastery. Do you know about it?”
The Pilgrim said, “What treasure?”
Bajie laughed. “If I tell you about it, you have never seen it; if I bring it to you, you will not recognize it.”
The Pilgrim said, “This Idiot is making fun of me, Sun the Elder. Five hundred years ago, when I was seeking the Way of the Immortals, I traveled through the four seas and to the ends of the earth. What sort of thing did I not see?”
Bajie said, “Brother, have you ever seen a ginseng fruit?”
The Pilgrim cried in surprise, “That I truly have never seen. But I have often heard people say that the ginseng fruit is the grass-returning elixir, and that whoever eats it can greatly prolong his life. Where is there any nowadays?”
Bajie said, “They have some here. The child brought two for the Master to eat, but the old monk did not recognize them, saying they were infants not yet three days old, and did not dare eat them. That child was exceedingly lazy. Since the Master would not eat them, he ought to have let us have them, but instead he kept it from us and, right in the room next door, ate them one by one—chomp, chomp—and went away. It made my mouth water terribly. How can I get one to taste while it is fresh? I was thinking that, since you are rather nimble, you might go into his garden and steal a few for us to taste. What do you say?”
The Pilgrim said, “That is easy. I, Sun the Elder, will go and seize them at once.”
He quickly turned and started forward, but Bajie grabbed him by the arm. “Brother, I heard him say in that room that he was going to take some sort of Golden Striking Mallet there to knock them down. You must do it neatly and properly; you must not let the news leak out.”
The Pilgrim said, “I know, I know.”
The Great Sage used an invisibility spell and slipped into the Daoist room. He found that the two Daoist youths had eaten the fruit and gone up to the hall to speak with Tang Monk; they were not in the room. The Pilgrim looked all around for a Golden Striking Mallet, but saw only a strip of red gold hanging from the window lattice. It was about two feet long and as thick as a finger. At the bottom was a head shaped like a bulb of garlic; at the top was an eye with a green velvet cord threaded through it. He said, “This must be the object called the Golden Striking Mallet.” He took it down, left the Daoist room, and went straight to the back. Pushing open the two doors, he looked up and exclaimed, “Ah! It is a garden!”
There were:
Vermilion rails and jeweled balustrades, winding terraces and mountain crags. Strange flowers vied in beauty with the radiant sun; emerald bamboo contended in green with the blue sky. Outside the Pavilion of Floating Cups, a bend of green willows seemed to trail smoke; before the Moon-Watching Terrace, several clusters of lofty pines were like splashed indigo. Red and glowing, the brocade-nest pomegranates; green and wavering, the embroidered-platform grass; blue and luxuriant, the jade-sand orchids; swaying gently beside the stream. Scarlet osmanthus reflected in the golden-well parasol trees; brocade locusts stood beside the vermilion rails and jade terraces. Here were peach trees, some red and some white, with a thousand petals; there were chrysanthemums, some fragrant and some yellow, blooming in the ninth autumn month. A trellis of thorny roses reflected the Peony Pavilion; a hibiscus terrace adjoined the peony garden. One could not finish looking at the proud bamboo, a gentleman defying frost, and the great pines, worthy elders defying snow. There were also crane enclosures and deer dwellings, square ponds and round pools; springs flowing like shattered jade, and flowers carpeting the ground like heaps of gold. The north wind touched the plum blossoms into white bloom; when spring came, it dotted the crabapple blossoms with red. Truly this was the foremost immortal scene in the human world, the chief among the flower gardens of the Western land.
The Pilgrim could not finish viewing it when he saw another gate. He pushed it open and looked inside; it was a vegetable garden:
Planted were vegetables of all four seasons: spinach, celery, shepherd’s purse, ginger, and moss.
Bamboo shoots, yams, melons, gourds, water bamboo, onions, garlic, cilantro, chives, and Chinese chives.
Water caltrop, chrysanthemum greens, bitter greens, and gourds all grew there.
Turnips, radishes, and lamb’s-head greens were buried in the earth; red amaranth, green cabbage, and purple mustard.
The Pilgrim laughed. “He is also a Daoist who grows his own food and eats it himself.”
He crossed the vegetable garden and saw another gate. He pushed it open and looked inside. Ah! Right in the middle stood a great tree. Truly, its green branches were fragrant and luxuriant, and its emerald leaves cast a deep shade. The leaves resembled those of a banana tree; it rose more than a thousand feet straight upward, while its roots spread to a circumference of seven or eight zhang. The Pilgrim leaned beneath the tree and looked up. On a branch facing south, he saw a ginseng fruit exposed to view, truly resembling a child. At the rear was a stem; it hung there on the branch, its hands and feet moving wildly, nodding and shaking its head, and seeming to make a sound whenever the wind passed. The Pilgrim was overjoyed and secretly praised it, saying, “What a fine thing! Truly rare, truly rare!” He leaned against the tree and, with a whoosh, sprang upward. That monkey had originally been first-rate at climbing trees and stealing fruit. He struck once with the Golden Striking Mallet, and the fruit fell down with a thump. He too jumped down and searched after it, but it had vanished without a trace. He searched through the grass all around, yet there was no sign of it.
The Pilgrim said, “Strange, strange. If it had feet and could walk, it still could not have walked or leaped over the wall. I understand now. The local Earth deity of the garden must not have permitted me, Sun the Elder, to steal his fruit; he must have taken it away.”
He then formed a hand seal and recited once the spell containing the word “Om,” summoning the local Earth deity of the garden. The deity came before the Pilgrim, saluted him, and said, “The Great Sage has summoned this little deity. What are your commands?”
The Pilgrim said, “Do you not know that I am the famous chief of thieves beneath Heaven? In former years, when I stole the Peaches of Immortality, robbed the Imperial Wine, and pilfered the divine elixirs, no one dared share them with me. How is it that today, when I stole only one of his fruits, you snatched it away from me? This fruit formed on the tree; even birds passing through the air ought to have a share. What great harm is there if I, Sun the Elder, eat just one? How is it that the moment I knocked it down, you scooped it away?”
The local Earth deity said, “The Great Sage has wrongly accused this little deity. This treasure belongs to the Earth Immortal. I am a Ghost Immortal; how would I dare take it? I am not even blessed enough to smell it.”
The Walker said, “Since you did not take it, how did it disappear as soon as it was struck down?”
The Land Deity said, “The Great Sage knows only that this treasure prolongs life, but knows nothing of its origin.”
The Walker said, “What is its origin?”
The Land Deity said, “This treasure flowers once every three thousand years, bears fruit once every three thousand years, and only after another three thousand years does it ripen. In the short span of ten thousand years, it bears only thirty fruits. One who has the destiny for it, merely by smelling one, will live three hundred and sixty years; by eating one, will live forty-seven thousand years. Yet it fears only the Five Elements.”
The Walker said, “How does it fear the Five Elements?”
The Land Deity said, “When this fruit meets metal, it falls; when it meets wood, it withers; when it meets water, it dissolves; when it meets fire, it chars; when it meets earth, it enters. When striking it, one must use a metal implement for it to come down. Once struck down, it must be caught on a tray lined with a silk handkerchief. If it touches any wooden vessel, it will wither, and even eating it will not prolong life. To eat it, one must use a porcelain vessel, dissolving it in clear water before consuming it. If it meets fire, it will char and become useless. As for its entering earth—the Great Sage has just struck it down onto the ground, and it has burrowed into the soil. This soil is forty-seven thousand years old; even a steel drill cannot pierce it in the least. It is three or four parts harder than pig iron. That is why a person who eats it attains long life. If the Great Sage does not believe me, strike the ground beneath you and see.”
The Walker immediately drew out the Golden-Banded Staff and jabbed it once. With a clang, the staff sprang back, and not the slightest mark remained on the ground.
The Walker said, “Indeed, indeed. My staff can smash stone to powder, and even when it strikes pig iron it leaves a mark. How could this blow fail to injure it in the least? Since that is so, I have wrongly blamed you. Go back.”
The Land Deity then returned to his own shrine.
The Great Sage, however, had a plan. He climbed the tree, using a Striker in one hand while pulling up the front of his brocade straight-slit robe with the other to make a pouch and hold it open. He then threaded among the branches and parted the leaves, knocking down three fruits and catching them in the front of his robe. He jumped down from the tree and came straight ahead, going directly into the kitchen.
Bajie laughed and said, “Brother, did you get any?”
The Walker said, “Isn’t this it? Old Sun gets them as easily as reaching into his pocket. And we must not leave Sha Seng out of this fruit either; call him over.”
Bajie immediately beckoned and called, “Wujing, come here.”
Sha Seng set down the luggage and ran into the kitchen. “Brother, why did you call me?”
The Walker opened the robe-pouch and said, “Brother, look. What sort of thing is this?”
Sha Seng saw it and said, “It is a ginseng fruit.”
The Walker said, “Good! You recognize it. Have you eaten one somewhere before?”
Sha Seng said, “Though your younger brother has never eaten one, in former days, when I was the Curtain-Raising General and attended upon the Phoenix Carriage on its journey to the Peach Banquet, I once saw the various Immortals from beyond the seas present these fruits to the Queen Mother as birthday felicitations. I have seen them, certainly, but have never eaten one. Brother, could you give me a little to taste?”
The Walker said, “There is no need to ask. One for each of us brothers.”
The three of them each took one of the three fruits and enjoyed it.
Bajie’s digestive tract was large, and his mouth was large as well. First, hearing the young Taoists eating had stirred his craving; then, as soon as he saw the fruit, he took it, opened his mouth, and with a gulu swallowed it whole into his belly.
Then he rolled his eyes and pretended ignorance, saying to the Walker and Sha Seng, “What were the two of you eating?”
Sha Seng said, “Ginseng fruit.”
Bajie said, “What did it taste like?”
The Walker said, “Wujing, do not pay him any mind. You ate yours first, and now you come asking whom?”
Bajie said, “Brother, I ate it too quickly. Unlike you two, I did not chew and swallow it carefully enough to taste anything. I did not even know whether it had a pit or not, and swallowed it straight down. Brother, when one does a thing, one should do it thoroughly. You have already stirred up my craving; go get another one, and let Old Pig eat it slowly and carefully.”
The Walker said, “Brother, you truly do not know when you have enough. This thing is not like rice or noodles, which fill you up when you come upon them. In ten thousand years it bears only thirty fruits; for us to eat even one of them is a great matter of karmic affinity, no small thing. Enough, enough, enough. We have had enough.”
He rose slightly, took a Golden Striker, and, through the window opening, tossed it into the Taoist boys’ room, then paid him no attention at all.
The blockhead continued muttering and grumbling. Unexpectedly, the two Taoist youths entered the room again to fetch tea and offer it. They heard Bajie still shouting something like, “Eating ginseng fruit was not satisfying. It would be best to get another one to eat.”
Qingfeng heard this and grew suspicious. He said, “Mingyue, did you hear that long-mouthed monk say, ‘I still want another ginseng fruit to eat’? Before our master left, he repeatedly instructed us to guard against the noise and mischief of his people. Could it be that he stole our treasure?”
Mingyue turned his head and said, “Brother, this is bad, this is bad! How did the Golden Striker fall onto the ground? Let us go look in the garden.”
The two of them hurried away. They saw that the garden had been opened.
Qingfeng said, “I was the one who closed this gate. How did it open?”
He hurried around to the rear of the garden, only to see that the vegetable-garden gate was open as well. They hastily entered the ginseng-fruit garden, leaned beneath the tree, and looked upward to count. Going back and forth, counting this way and that, they found only twenty-two fruits.
Mingyue said, “Do you know how to keep accounts?”
Qingfeng said, “I do. You tell me the figures.”
Mingyue said, “There were originally thirty fruits. When our master opened the garden, two were divided and eaten, leaving twenty-eight. Just now, two were struck down for Tang Sanzang to eat, leaving twenty-six. Now only twenty-two remain—how could four be missing? No need to say more, no need to say more. It must have been that band of villains who stole them. Let us go curse Tang Sanzang.”
The two left the garden gate and came straight to the hall. Pointing at Tang Sanzang, they abused him without pause, cursing him bald in front and bald behind, hurling filthy words and foul language; calling him thief-headed and mouse-brained, insulting his stinking shortness and his rank length, and shouting wildly without the slightest good humor.
Tang Sanzang could not bear to listen any longer and said, “Immortal youths, what are you making such a disturbance about? Calm yourselves a little. If you have something to say, speak slowly; that is all right. Do not babble and ramble wildly.”
Qingfeng said, “Are you deaf? I am speaking plainly, and you do not understand? You stole and ate the ginseng fruit—how can you not let me say so?”
Tang Sanzang said, “What does the ginseng fruit look like?”
Mingyue said, “We just brought it to you to eat, and you said it looked like a child, did you not?”
Tang Sanzang said, “Amitabha! The moment I saw that thing, my heart was alarmed and my guts trembled. Would I dare steal and eat it? Even if I were afflicted with gluttony, I would not dare commit such a thieving act. Do not wrongly accuse people.”
Qingfeng said, “Although you did not eat it, there are still people under you who wanted to steal and eat it.”
Sanzang said, “That may indeed be so. But do not shout for the moment; let me ask them. If they really stole it, have them compensate you.”
Mingyue said, “Compensate us? Even if we had money, where could we buy it?”
Sanzang said, “Even if we had money, there would be nowhere to buy it. As the saying goes: ‘Benevolence and righteousness are worth a thousand pieces of gold.’ Have him compensate you with an apology, and let the matter end there. We still do not know whether it was he or was not he.”
Mingyue said, “How could it not be him? He could not divide them evenly, and is still shouting over there.”
Sanzang called out, “Disciples, all of you come here for a moment.”
Sha Seng heard this and said, “This is bad, it is all going to be exposed. Our venerable master is calling us, and the little Taoist youths are cursing wildly. If it is not that the old matter has leaked out, then what is it?”
The Walker said, “This is shameful beyond words. This is nothing more than a matter of food. If we speak of it, it will mean that we stole a bite. We must simply not admit it.”
Bajie said, “Exactly, exactly. Let us keep silent about it.”
The three of them had no choice but to leave the kitchen and go up into the hall.
In the end, how they would deny it to them will be explained in the next chapter.