Chapter 26

The poem says: In conducting oneself, one must keep a blade upon the heart; In cultivating oneself, one must carefully remember the edge of the inch. It is commonly said that the character “blade” signifies life’s purpose; Yet one must think thrice, and guard against anger and deceit. The superior man has contended with none, as handed down through the ages; The sage cherishes virtue, carrying it on through his own time. The strong have ever had those stronger still; In the end, all become emptiness, whether right or wrong. It was said that Zhenyuan Daxian supported the Pilgrim with his hand and said: “I know your abilities, and I have also heard of your illustrious reputation. It is only that this time you have overstepped reason and deceived your own heart. Though you possess the ability to soar and flee, you cannot escape my hand. I shall go with you to the Western Heaven, and when we see your Buddha Patriarch, you will still have no choice but to return my Ginseng Fruit Tree. Do not display your magical powers.” The Pilgrim laughed and said: “You, sir, are acting like such a petty household sort. If you want the tree to live, what difficulty is there? Had you said this sooner, would it not have spared us a contest?” Daxian said: “Without a contest, would I have been willing to kindly pardon you?” The Pilgrim said: “If you release my master, how about I return to you one living tree?” Daxian said: “If you possess such magical powers and can heal the tree back to life, I shall exchange eight bows with you, become sworn brothers, and form a brotherhood with you.” The Pilgrim said: “That is no difficulty. Release them, and your Old Sun will certainly return your living tree.” Daxian supposed that he could not get away, and therefore ordered Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Seng to be released. Sha Seng said: “Master, I do not know what sort of ghostly trick our elder brother is playing.” Bajie said: “What ghost? This is called a ‘ghost of a favor shown face-to-face.’ The tree has died, and he can bring it back to life? He has put on a show to make himself look good, pretending to seek a cure for the tree, when in fact he merely wants to escape and save his own skin. Would he still care about you and me?” Tang Sanzang said: “He certainly would not dare release us. Let us ask him where he intends to seek his remedy.” He then called: “Wukong, how did you deceive the Immortal and get him to release us?” The Pilgrim said: “Your Old Sun speaks only true and honest words. How have I deceived him?” Tang Sanzang said: “Where will you go to seek a prescription?” The Pilgrim said: “The ancients said: ‘The remedy comes from beyond the sea.’ I now intend to go up to the Eastern Ocean, travel throughout the Three Islands and Ten Continents, visit the Immortal Elders and Sagely Old Men, and seek a method for bringing the dead back to life. I guarantee that I can heal his tree and make it live again.” Tang Sanzang said: “How long will it take you to return?” The Pilgrim said: “Only three days.” Tang Sanzang said: “Since that is so, I shall follow what you say and give you three days. Return within three days, and that will be the end of it; if you do not return after three days, then I shall recite that scripture.” The Pilgrim said: “I obey, I obey.” You see, he hurriedly adjusted his tiger-skin skirt, went out, and said to Daxian: “先生, rest assured. I shall go and return at once. But you must properly attend to my master: three teas and six meals every day, without the slightest shortage. If anything is lacking, when your Old Sun returns, I shall settle accounts with you. First I shall smash the bottom of your cooking pot. If his clothes become soiled, wash and launder them for him. If his face grows even a little yellow, I will not have it; if he becomes even a little thinner, I will not leave your gates.” Daxian said: “Go, go. I certainly will not let him suffer hunger.” That good Monkey King hurriedly mounted his somersault cloud, took leave of Wuzhuang Abbey, and headed straight for the Eastern Ocean. In midair, as swiftly as a flash of lightning and as quickly as a shooting star, he soon arrived at the Immortal Realm of Penglai. He halted his cloud and looked carefully downward. It truly was a fine place. A poem serves as proof. The poem says: Across the great earth, the Immortal Realm ranks the assembly of sages; Penglai, divided and joined, anchors the waves and billows. The shadow of the Jasper Terrace dips into the cold center of Heaven; The light of the Great Palace floats high upon the surface of the sea. Five-colored mists and rosy clouds contain the jade pipes’ music; Stars and moon of the Nine Heavens shoot light upon the Golden Sea Turtle. The Queen Mother of the West often comes here; To offer congratulations to the Three Immortals, she has brought peaches many times. The Pilgrim could not take in all the immortal scenery, and went directly into Penglai. Just as he was walking along, he saw, outside the White Cloud Cave and beneath the shade of the pines, three old men gathered around a chessboard. The one watching the game was the Star of Longevity; those playing were the Star of Fortune and the Star of Prosperity. The Pilgrim went forward and called: “Elder brothers, I salute you.” When the Three Stars saw him, they swept away the chessboard, returned his courtesy, and said: “Great Sage, what brings you here?” The Pilgrim said: “I have come especially to seek you out and play.” The Star of Longevity said: “I have heard that the Great Sage abandoned Dao and followed Buddhism, casting aside his own life to protect Tang Sanzang on his journey to the Western Heaven to obtain the scriptures. You hurry over mountain roads day after day. When could you possibly have any leisure, yet come here to play?” The Pilgrim said: “To tell you the truth, honored gentlemen, your Old Sun was traveling westward and encountered some obstruction halfway along the road. I have come especially to ask a small favor. I do not know whether you are willing?” The Star of Fortune said: “What place is it? Why has it caused an obstruction? Please explain it clearly, so that we may decide what to do.” The Pilgrim said: “There was an obstruction when I passed through Wanshou Mountain and Wuzhuang Abbey.” The three elders exclaimed in astonishment: “Wuzhuang Abbey is the Immortal Palace of Zhenyuan Daxian. Could it be that you stole and ate his Ginseng Fruits?” The Pilgrim laughed and said: “What would stealing and eating them be worth?” The three elders said: “You monkey, you do not know good from bad. Smell one of those fruits, and you will live three hundred and sixty years. Eat one, and you will live forty-seven thousand years. They are called the Ten-Thousand-Longevity Herb’s Return-the-Dan Fruits. Our Dao does not equal his in this respect. He obtained them with great ease and could thereby attain longevity equal to Heaven; we, on the other hand, must still nourish essence, refine qi, preserve spirit, harmonize the Dragon and Tiger, seize Kan and fill Li, and do not know how much labor it takes. How can you say that his ability is worth so little? In all the world, there is only this one kind of numinous root.” The Pilgrim said: “A numinous root, a numinous root—I have already caused it to lose its root.” The three elders were startled and said: “How did it lose its root?” The Pilgrim said: “The other day, we were at his abbey. That Daxian was not at home; only two young boys received my master. They presented two Ginseng Fruits to my master, but my master did not recognize them. He merely said they were children not yet three days old, and repeatedly refused to eat them. The young boys then took them away and ate them themselves, without allowing any of us to have them. “Your Old Sun then went and stole three of them, which my three brothers ate. Those young boys did not know their own standing, and abused us incessantly, before and behind our backs. Your Old Sun became angry and struck his tree with a staff, knocking it to the ground. All the fruits on the tree vanished; its branches split and its leaves fell, its roots emerged and its limbs were injured. It had already withered and died. “Unexpectedly, those young boys locked us up, but your Old Sun twisted the lock open and escaped. At dawn the next day, that gentleman returned home and came after us. While we questioned and answered one another, our words did not agree, and we consequently fought him. He dodged once, spread open his robe sleeves, and swept all of us into one sleeve. We were bound with ropes and cords, interrogated, whipped, and beaten for an entire day. “That night we escaped again, but he caught up with us once more and swept us away just as before. He carried not a single weapon on his person, merely using a fly-whisk to block and parry. Against our three kinds of weapons, my brothers and I could not even hope to strike him. This time he arranged things in the same way, wrapping my master and my two younger brothers in cloth and lacquer, while putting me into an oil cauldron. I again used an escape technique and fled, smashing all his cauldrons. “When he saw that he could not capture me, he became quite jealous of me. I then spoke reasonably with him again, telling him to release my master and younger brothers, while I would heal his tree and guarantee that it lived. Only then could peace be restored between the two sides. “I thought of the saying, ‘The remedy comes from beyond the sea,’ and therefore came especially to travel through the Immortal Realm and visit you three elder brothers. If you have any remedy for healing a tree, pass one on to me, so that I may quickly rescue Tang Sanzang from his suffering.” Hearing this, the Three Stars also felt troubled inwardly and said: “You monkey, you truly do not recognize people. That Zhenyuanzi is the Ancestor of the Earthly Immortals; we are the forebears of the Divine Immortals. Though you have attained heavenly immortality, you are still merely of the scattered ranks of Taiyi and have not entered the true current. How could you escape his hands? If the Great Sage had slain beasts, birds, crawling insects, and scaled creatures, my millet-grain elixir alone could revive them. But that ginseng fruit is the root of an immortal tree; how could it be cured? There is no way, no way.” When the Pilgrim heard them say there was no way, his brows locked together and a thousand lines furrowed his forehead. The Star of Happiness said: “Great Sage, there is no way here, but there may be one elsewhere. Why grow troubled?” The Pilgrim said: “To seek elsewhere when there is no way is indeed easy. Even if I traveled to the ends of the sea and the bounds of the earth, or passed through all the Thirty-Six Heavens, that would still be a small matter. It is only that my Tang Elder has strict laws and a narrow measure; he granted me merely three days. If I do not return within three days, he will recite that Tight-Fillet Curse.” The Three Stars laughed and said: “Good, good, good! If this method did not restrain you, you would be burrowing into Heaven again.” The Star of Longevity said: “Great Sage, set your mind at ease; there is no need for worry. Though that Great Immortal is called our elder, he is also acquainted with us. First, we have been separated for a long time and have not paid him our respects; second, this concerns the Great Sage’s favor. Now the three of us will go together to visit him, convey these sentiments on your behalf, and tell that Tang monk not to recite the Tight-Fillet Curse. Let him not speak of three days or five days; only wait until you have sought and found a remedy, and then shall we take our leave.” The Pilgrim said: “I am grateful, grateful. Then please, my three elder brothers, go with me.” The Great Sage bade farewell to the Three Stars; of this there is no more to say. Now the Three Stars mounted auspicious radiance and proceeded directly toward Wuzhuang Temple. All those within the temple suddenly heard cranes cry across the vast sky; it was the Three Elders arriving in person. Behold: Auspicious radiance clustered thickly throughout the empty sky, Fragrant perfume billowed and filled the heavens. A thousand bands of colored mist guarded their feathered robes, A single light cloud bore up their immortal feet. Green luan flew, red phoenix cried, Their sleeves drew fragrant breezes that swept across the ground. Leaning on dragon-hung staffs, they smiled with delight, Their white beards hung like jade and brushed their chests. Childlike faces rejoiced, free from every care, Sturdy bodies bore majestic might and abundant blessings. They held star tallies and added years to the sea-house, With gourds and precious registers hanging from their waists. Their blessings and longevity endured for myriad ages and a thousand cycles, And they lodged as fate led them through the Ten Continents and Three Islands. They often came to the world to send a thousand auspicious signs, And whenever they visited the human realm, they increased its hundred blessings. They encompassed Heaven and Earth, glory, blessings, and emoluments; Today they rejoiced in boundless blessings and longevity. The Three Elders, borne on auspiciousness, went to pay their respects to the Great Immortal; In the Hall of Blessings, harmony and good will were without limit. When the immortal youth saw them, he hurried to announce: “Master, the Three Stars from beyond the sea have arrived.” Zhenyuanzi was just chatting idly with Tang Sanzang and his disciples. Hearing the report, he descended the steps and went forth to receive them. When Bajie saw the Star of Longevity, he came forward, seized him, and laughed: “You fleshy old fellow, it has been a long time since we met. You are still just as carefree, but you have not even brought a cap.” He then took his own monk’s cap, plopped it over the Star of Longevity’s head, clapped his hands, and laughed heartily: “Good, good, good! This truly is ‘adding a cap and advancing in rank.’” The Star of Longevity flung off the cap and cursed: “You clumsy lout, you know nothing of high or low.” Bajie said: “I am no clumsy lout; you lot are truly servants.” The Star of Happiness said: “You are indeed a clumsy lout, and yet you dare call others servants?” Bajie laughed again and said: “If they are not other people’s servants, why are they called ‘adding longevity,’ ‘adding happiness,’ and ‘adding emolument’?” Sanzang shouted at Bajie to withdraw, then hurriedly straightened his robes and bowed to the Three Stars. The Three Stars met the Great Immortal with the courtesy due to juniors, and only then did they take their seats and converse. Once seated, the Star of Emolument said: “For a long while we have been separated from your honored countenance and have failed in our courtesy. Now, because Sun Dasheng has disturbed your immortal mountain, we have come especially to pay you a visit.” The Great Immortal said: “Sun Wukong went to Penglai?” The Star of Longevity said: “Yes. Because he damaged the Great Immortal’s elixir tree, he came to us to seek a remedy. We had no remedy, so he has gone elsewhere to make inquiries. We fear only that he will violate the Holy Monk’s three-day limit and be subjected to the Tight-Fillet Curse. We have come, first, to pay our respects, and second, to ask for a reprieve.” Hearing this, Sanzang repeatedly replied: “I would not dare recite it, would not dare recite it.” While they were speaking, Bajie ran in again, seized the Star of Happiness, and demanded fruit to eat. He rummaged wildly through the star’s sleeves and dug about his waist, continually lifting up his robes to search him. Sanzang laughed and said: “What sort of conduct is that of Bajie?” Bajie said: “It is not a lack of conduct; this is called ‘blessing at every turn.’” Sanzang again scolded him and ordered him out. The fool stepped across the door, stared at the Star of Happiness, and glared fiercely without shifting his eyes. The Star of Happiness said: “Clumsy lout, how have I offended you that you should hate me so?” Bajie said: “I do not hate you; this is called ‘looking back toward blessing.’” The fool came outside and saw a young attendant carrying four tea spoons. The attendant was going to find the bell, fetch fruit, and prepare tea, but Bajie snatched them away in one grasp, ran up into the hall, seized a small qing, and struck and banged it wildly with his hand, playing with both ends. The Great Immortal said: “This monk is becoming more and more disrespectful.” Bajie laughed and said: “It is not disrespect; this is called ‘auspicious celebration in the four seasons.’” Let us say no more of Bajie’s antics and entanglements. As for the Pilgrim, he rode auspicious clouds away from Penglai and soon arrived at Fangzhang Immortal Mountain. This mountain was truly a fine place. A poem bears witness. The poem says: Fangzhang rises towering, a Heaven apart, Where the palaces of Taiyuan gather the Divine Immortals. Purple terraces illuminate the road of the Three Pure Ones, Flowers and trees send fragrant colors afloat through five-hued smoke. Golden phoenixes abound among the coiled-flower towers, Who is there to force jade ointment into the fields of spirit mushrooms? The green peaches and purple plums have newly ripened; Again the immortals exchange their ten-thousand-year tokens. The Pilgrim pressed down the tip of his cloud, having no mind to admire the scenery. As he proceeded, he suddenly heard fragrant breezes wafting thickly and mysterious cranes calling. On that side was an immortal. Behold: Ten thousand rays of rosy light appeared across the empty sky, Colored mists drifted and swirled, their radiance unceasing. Red phoenixes carried flowers, making them yet more fresh, Green luan flew and danced, their voices tender and lovely. Blessings were like the Eastern Sea, longevity like the mountain, His appearance was that of a young child, his body vigorous and strong. Within his gourd lay the elixir of the Cave-Heaven that never grows old, At his waist hung a seal of longevity lasting with the sun. Several times he had descended among mankind to bestow auspicious signs, And many times in the world he had dispelled prayers for calamity. The Martial Emperor once proclaimed an increase to his years of life, And he often attended the Peach Banquet at the Jade Pool. He taught the many monks to cast off worldly ties, And pointed open the Great Dao, bright as lightning. He had also crossed the sea to offer congratulations on a thousand autumns, And often went to Vulture Peak to pay his respects before the Buddha. His sacred title was Eastern Floriate Great Emperor Lord, The foremost immortal kin amid mist and rosy clouds. Sun Wukong bashfully came forward to receive him and called out: “Dijun, I pay my respects.” The Dijun hurriedly returned the courtesy and said: “Great Sage, forgive me for failing to receive you. Please enter my humble dwelling and take tea.” He then entered hand in hand with the Pilgrim. Indeed, there were immortal palaces with shell towers, and one could not see the end of the jade pavilions around the Jade Pool. They had just sat down to await tea when a young attendant emerged from behind a green screen. How was he dressed? His Daoist robe was bright with drifting rosy light, A silk sash encircled his waist, its gleam interweaving. A gauze cap covered his head, spread with the stars of the Northern Dipper, On his feet were straw sandals as he roamed the immortal peaks. He refined original truth and cast off his former shell; When his cultivation and deeds were complete, his wishes were fulfilled. He saw through the source of essence, qi, and spirit, And recognized his master without the slightest mistake. Now he rejoiced to flee fame, with boundless longevity, For the cycles of the sixty-year stems and branches no longer constrained him. He turned through the corridors and climbed the treasure tower; He had stolen the peaches of Heaven three times. A misty cloud of fragrance emerged from behind the green screen— The little immortal was none other than Dongfang Shuo. When the Pilgrim saw him, he laughed and said: “This little thief is here! At the Dijun’s place there are no peaches for you to steal?” Dongfang Shuo bowed toward the upper seat and replied: “Old thief, what brings you here? At my master’s place there are no immortal elixirs for you to steal?” The Emperor Lord called out, “Manqian, stop your wild talk; the tea is coming.” Manqian was originally the Dao-name of Dongfang Shuo. He hurried inside and fetched two cups of tea. After they had drunk, the Pilgrim said, “Old Sun has come here on a certain matter to trouble you. I do not know whether you will grant it.” The Emperor Lord said, “What matter? I shall naturally hear you out.” The Pilgrim said, “Recently, because I was escorting Tang Monk westward, we passed through Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain. Because his young Daoist attendant was insolent, I became angry for a moment and pushed down his ginseng-fruit tree. We were delayed for a time, and Tang Monk could not escape. I have specifically come to your honored place to ask you to bestow a method of healing it. I earnestly hope that you will generously agree.” The Emperor Lord said, “You monkey, you never consider the consequences, and cause trouble wherever you go. That Zhenyuanzi of Wuzhuang Temple bears the holy title of Lord Equal to the World; he is the Ancestor of the Earth Immortals. How did you come to offend him? His ginseng-fruit tree is a Grass-Returning Elixir. You stole and ate its fruit, which was already a crime; and then you pushed down the entire tree as well. Will he let the matter rest?” The Pilgrim said, “Precisely. We escaped, but he caught up with us and enclosed all of us in one sleeve, just as though we were handkerchiefs, so we were thoroughly vexed. We had no alternative but to promise to seek a method of healing it; therefore I have come to beg you.” The Emperor Lord said, “I have one Nine-Revolution Taiyi Return-Elixir, but although it can cure living beings of the world, it cannot heal a tree. A tree is the numinous essence of earth and wood, nourished by Heaven and moistened by Earth. If it were an ordinary fruit tree of the mortal realm, it might still be possible to heal it. But Longevity Mountain is a blessed land from before Heaven was formed, and Wuzhuang Temple is a grotto-heaven of Hezhou. The ginseng-fruit tree is moreover a numinous root born when Heaven opened and Earth was formed. How could it be healed? There is no method, no method.” The Pilgrim said, “Since there is no method, Old Sun shall take his leave.” The Emperor Lord still wished to retain him and offer him a cup of jade liquor, but the Pilgrim said, “The urgent matter of saving it brooks no delay; I dare not linger.” He then mounted the clouds and returned to the sea-island of Yingzhou, a fine place indeed. A poem bears witness. The poem says: The pearly trees, exquisite, shine upon the purple smoke; The palaces of Yingzhou reach and join the various Heavens. Green mountains and emerald waters, jade blossoms bright; Jade liquor, Kunwu iron, and stone firm and hard. The five-colored jade fowl cries to the sea’s sun; The thousand-year cinnabar phoenix breathes in vermilion smoke. The people of the world cannot investigate the scene within the pot; The spring light beyond forms lasts for myriads of millions of years. When the Great Sage reached Yingzhou, he saw beneath the cinnabar cliffs and pearly trees several white-haired, white-bearded elders, immortals with youthful faces and crane-like temples, playing go, drinking wine, chatting, laughing, and singing there. It truly was: Auspicious clouds filled the light, and felicitous mists floated with fragrance. The colored luan called at the cave mouth; the dark cranes danced atop the mountain. Green lotus roots and water peaches served as accompaniments to the wine; paired pears and fire dates promised a thousand autumns of life. Not one had heard the cinnabar edicts, yet each was recorded in the immortal registers. Carefree, they followed the waves of drifting; unconstrained, they yielded to serene seclusion. The cyclical years of the whole Heaven could scarcely bind or govern them; beneath the great Earth and within the universe, they were simply free. Dark gibbons offered fruit, pair upon pair accompanying the ginseng with abundant fondness; white deer held flowers in their mouths, twin by twin bowing and prostrating with the greatest intimacy. Those old men were thoroughly enjoying themselves. The Pilgrim called out in a loud voice, “How about letting me join in the fun?” Seeing him, all the immortals hurried forward to welcome him. A poem bears witness. The poem says: The numinous root, the ginseng-fruit tree, has been broken; The Great Sage visits immortals to seek a wondrous formula. Winding among the cinnabar mists, he emerges from the precious forest; The Nine Elders of Yingzhou come forward to receive him. The Pilgrim recognized them as the Nine Elders and said with a laugh, “Old brothers, you are living at ease.” The Nine Elders said, “If in those days the Great Sage had preserved the proper way and not disturbed Heaven’s Palace, you would have been even more at ease than we. Now things have turned out well: we hear that you have returned to the true path and are going west to worship the Buddha. How have you found the leisure to come here?” The Pilgrim fully related the matter of seeking a method to heal the tree. The Nine Elders were also greatly startled and said, “You have caused too much trouble—too much trouble! We truly have no method.” The Pilgrim said, “Since there is no method, I shall take my leave.” The Nine Elders again invited him to drink jade nectar and eat green lotus root. The Pilgrim absolutely refused to sit; he merely stood and drank one cup of nectar, ate one piece of lotus root, and hurriedly left Yingzhou, heading straight for the Eastern Ocean. Before long he saw that Mount Luojia was not far away. He then descended from the clouds and went directly to Putuo Rock, where he saw Guanyin Bodhisattva in the Purple-Bamboo Grove expounding the scriptures and teaching the Dharma to the various Heavenly Great Gods, Muzha, and the Dragon Girl. A poem bears witness. The poem says: The sea-lord’s city is lofty, its auspicious qi thick; And stranger wonders, innumerable, are seen. You must know that beyond the thousand things dimly and obscurely perceived, All emerge from the single grade of the rare and subtle. The Four Saints, instructed, attain the Right Fruit; The Six Ordinary Beings, after hearing, escape the cage of affliction. At Shaolin there is another true flavor; The fragrance of flowers and fruit fills the trees with red. The Bodhisattva had already seen the Pilgrim arrive and immediately ordered the Mountain-Guarding Great God to go and welcome him. The Great God came out of the grove and called, “Sun Wukong, where are you going?” The Pilgrim raised his head and shouted, “You black bear, are you really calling Wukong? If Old Sun had not spared you back then, you would already have been a corpse-ghost of Black Wind Mountain. Today you have followed the Bodhisattva, received the good fruit, and reside on this immortal mountain, constantly listening to the teachings of the Dharma. Can you not call me ‘Old Master’ even once?” That black bear had truly attained the Right Fruit and guarded Putuo for the Bodhisattva, being called a Great God; and this too was thanks to the Pilgrim. He could only accompany his smile with a reply: “Great Sage, the ancients said: ‘A gentleman does not remember old evils.’ Why keep bringing that up? The Bodhisattva sent me to welcome you.” The Pilgrim then became solemn and reverent, and together with the Great God went into the Purple-Bamboo Grove to pay homage to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva said, “Wukong, where has Tang Monk traveled to?” The Pilgrim said, “He has reached Longevity Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou.” The Bodhisattva said, “There is a Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain. Have you ever met the Great Immortal Zhenyuan?” The Pilgrim bowed his head and said, “It was at Wuzhuang Temple. This disciple did not know the Great Immortal Zhenyuan, and damaged his ginseng-fruit tree, offending him. He consequently detained my master, preventing him from proceeding.” The Bodhisattva, knowing the truth, reproached him, saying, “You reckless monkey, you do not know good from bad. His ginseng-fruit tree is a numinous root formed when Heaven opened and Earth was created. Zhenyuanzi is the Ancestor of the Earth Immortals; even I yield three parts to him. How did you come to damage his tree?” The Pilgrim bowed twice and said, “This disciple truly did not know. One day he was not at home, and only two immortal youths remained there to attend us. Zhu Wuneng knew that he had fruit and wanted one to taste something fresh. This disciple secretly stole three from him, and the brothers divided them and ate them. The youths realized it and cursed us without end. This disciple became angry, and thus pushed down his tree. He returned the next day and caught up with us, enclosing all of us in one sleeve, tying us with ropes, whipping us with a cane, and torturing us for an entire day. That night we escaped, but he caught up with us again and enclosed us as before. Three times and twice over, it was truly difficult to escape him. I have already agreed to heal the tree for him, and only then went across the sea to seek a method. I traveled throughout the three islands, yet none of the various gods and immortals possessed the ability. For this reason, disciple has come with wholehearted devotion to pay respects and worship, specifically to bow before and inform the Bodhisattva. I humbly hope that, in your compassion and pity, you will condescend to bestow a method, so that Tang Monk may be saved and proceed westward at the earliest.” The Bodhisattva said, “Why did you not come to see me earlier, instead of going to the islands to search?” Hearing these words, the Pilgrim secretly rejoiced in his heart, saying, “Good fortune! Good fortune! The Bodhisattva certainly has a method.” He again stepped forward and earnestly entreated her. The Bodhisattva said, “The sweet dew water at the bottom of my Pure Vase is capable of healing immortal trees and numinous sprouts.” The Pilgrim said, “Have you ever tested it?” The Bodhisattva said, “I have tested it.” The Pilgrim asked, “What was the test?” The Bodhisattva said, “In former years, Laozi once competed with me to determine victory. He pulled out my willow branch, placed it in the alchemical furnace, roasted it until it was scorched and dry, and returned it to me. I took it and inserted it in the vase; after one day and one night, it again had green branches and leaves, the same as before.” The Pilgrim laughed and said, “Good fortune indeed! Good fortune indeed! If something roasted and scorched could still be brought back to life, what difficulty could there be in healing this tree that had merely been pushed down?” The Bodhisattva instructed the assembly, “Watch over the grove. I shall go and return.” She then carried the Pure Vase in her hand, while the white parrot cleverly warbled ahead, and Great Sage Sun followed behind. A poem bears witness. The poem says: The jade-haired, golden elephant is beyond the world’s reckoning; Indeed, she is the honored one of compassion who saves those in suffering. In a past kalpa I encountered the Immaculate Buddha; to this day I have attained a conditioned body. Through how many lifetimes have I cleared the waves of the sea of desire; in a single patch of the mind’s field, not a speck of dust remains. The sweet dew has long embodied the true wondrous Dharma; surely it will make the jeweled tree flourish eternally in spring. It is said that the Great Immortal in that monastery and the Three Elders were just conversing in leisurely discourse when suddenly they saw the Great Sage Sun press down his cloud and call out, “The Bodhisattva has arrived! Quickly receive her, quickly receive her.” The Three Stars, together with Zhenyuanzi and the master and disciples of the Three Treasures, hurriedly came out of the jeweled hall to welcome her. The Bodhisattva had just brought her auspicious clouds to a halt when she first exchanged words with Zhenyuanzi, then saluted the Three Elders. After the rites were completed, she took the seat of honor. Before the steps, the Pilgrim led Tang Monk, Bajie, and Sha Seng in bowing. The various Immortals of the monastery also came to pay their respects. The Pilgrim said, “Great Immortal, there is no need to hesitate. Quickly set out the incense altar and ask the Bodhisattva to treat that fruit tree of yours.” The Great Immortal bowed and thanked the Bodhisattva, saying, “How could this insignificant matter of mine dare trouble the Bodhisattva to descend?” The Bodhisattva said, “Tang Monk is my disciple. Sun Wukong collided with you, Sir, and it is only right that he compensate you for the jeweled tree.” The Three Elders said, “Since it is so, there is no need for further modest discussion. Please have the Bodhisattva come to the garden and take a look.” The Great Immortal immediately ordered an incense altar to be prepared, the rear garden to be swept, and invited the Bodhisattva to proceed first, with the Three Elders following behind. When the master and disciples of the Three Treasures and all the Immortals of the monastery came into the garden to look, that tree was lying on the ground, its earth split open and its roots exposed, its leaves fallen and its branches withered. The Bodhisattva called, “Wukong, extend your hand.” The Pilgrim opened his left hand. The Bodhisattva dipped a willow branch into the sweet dew in the vase, drew in the Pilgrim’s palm the talismanic characters for bringing the dead back to life, and told him to place it beneath the tree’s roots, waiting only until water emerged. The Pilgrim clenched his fist and thrust it beneath the tree’s roots. In a moment, a pool of clear spring water appeared. The Bodhisattva said, “That water must not touch a vessel of the Five Elements. You must use a jade ladle to scoop it out, raise the tree upright, and pour it down from the top. Naturally, the roots and bark will join together, the leaves will grow and the buds sprout, the branches will turn green and the fruit appear.” The Pilgrim said, “Little Daoists, quickly bring a jade ladle.” Zhenyuanzi said, “This poor Daoist’s barren mountain has no jade ladle. We have only jade tea cups and jade wine cups. Will those do?” The Bodhisattva said, “Any jade vessel that can scoop water will suffice. Bring them and let us see.” The Great Immortal immediately ordered the young novices to bring out twenty or thirty tea cups and forty or fifty wine cups, with which they scooped out the clear spring beneath the roots. The Pilgrim, Bajie, and Sha Seng lifted up the tree, set it straight, packed earth around it, and carried the sweet spring water from the jade vessels, bowl by bowl, to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva sprinkled it carefully with the willow branch, while once again reciting scriptures and spells. Before long, after the water that had been scooped out had been completely sprinkled, they saw that the fruit tree had indeed returned to its former state, green leaves casting a dense shade, with twenty-three ginseng fruits upon it. The young novices Qingfeng and Mingyue said, “The other day, when the fruits had gone missing, we counted them again and again and found only twenty-two. Today, after coming back to life, how has one more appeared?” The Pilgrim said, “‘With time, one’s heart is revealed.’ The other day, this Old Sun stole only three. One of them fell to the ground, and the Earth God said that this treasure enters the earth upon meeting soil. Bajie kept shouting that I had played favorites in striking, so the news went astray and the matter was entangled until now, when the truth has finally become clear.” The Bodhisattva said, “The reason I just now did not use a vessel of the Five Elements was that I knew this object fears the Five Elements.” The Great Immortal was exceedingly delighted and hurriedly ordered the golden striker to be brought. He knocked down ten fruits and invited the Bodhisattva and the Three Elders to return to the jeweled hall—first to thank them for their labor, and second to hold a ginseng-fruit feast. The many little Immortals then arranged the tables and chairs, laid out the alchemical platters, invited the Bodhisattva to take the principal seat above, placed the Three Elders at the left seat and Tang Monk at the right seat, while Zhenyuanzi accompanied them at the front seat. Each ate one. A poem offers proof. The poem says: Within the ancient grotto-heaven of Longevity Mountain, A ginseng fruit ripens once in nine thousand years. The numinous root revealed its sprouts and branches damaged; Sweet dew nourished them, and the fruit and leaves were made whole. The Three Elders rejoiced to meet, all old acquaintances; The four monks were fortunate to encounter them, bound by former affinity. From this day forth, whoever partakes of ginseng fruit Shall be an Immortal who enjoys long life and never grows old. At this time, the Bodhisattva and the Three Elders each ate one. Tang Monk only then realized that it was a treasure of the Immortals, and he too ate one. Wukong and the other two each ate one as well. Zhenyuanzi accompanied them by eating one, and the Immortals of the monastery divided one among themselves. The Pilgrim then thanked the Bodhisattva, who returned to Mount Potalaka, while he escorted the Three Stars directly back to Penglai Island. Zhenyuanzi, however, once again arranged vegetarian fare and wine and became sworn brothers with the Pilgrim. This was truly a case of not becoming acquainted without a fight, and the two households joined to become one. The four members of the master and disciples, delighted and happy, rested when night fell. That Elder was indeed: Having by affinity eaten the herb-returning elixir, He endured the demons’ hardships for the sake of long life. As for how they would bid farewell the following day, let us listen to the explanation in the next chapter.