Chapter 33

To begin with, the monster brought Bajie into the cave and said, "Elder brother, I've brought one back." The elder demon happily said, "Bring him here for me to see." The second demon said, "Isn't this him?" The elder demon said, "Brother, you took the wrong one. This monk is no use." Bajie immediately blurted out, "Great King, a useless monk—let him go. It's beneath your dignity." The second demon said, "Brother, do not let him go. Although he is useless, he is still part of Tang Seng's group, named Zhu Bajie. For now, submerge him in the rear clean-water pool, soak off his fur and bristles, preserve him with salt, and sun-dry him so we can have wine with him when the weather turns cloudy." Hearing this, Bajie said, "What bad luck! I've run into a butcher who deals in cured meats." The little demons carried Bajie inside, threw him into the water, and that is all. Now speaking of Sanzang, who was sitting before the slope, his ears burning, his eyes twitching, and his body ill at ease, he called out, "Wukong, how is it that Wuneng went on this patrol and has been gone so long without returning?" The Monkey King said, "Master still doesn't understand his disposition." Sanzang said, "What disposition does he have?" The Monkey King said, "Master, if there were monsters on this mountain, he wouldn't be able to walk half a step; he would certainly put on a false show of bravery and come running back to report to me. I imagine there are no monsters, the road is peaceful, and he has gone straight on." Sanzang said, "Suppose he really has gone on, where shall we meet? This place is an open wilderness, not like those towns and marketplaces." The Monkey King said, "Master, do not worry; please mount your horse. That idiot is somewhat lazy and is bound to walk slowly. If you urge the horse on a bit, we will surely catch up to him and go together." Truly, Tang Seng mounted his horse, Sha Seng carried the luggage, and the Monkey King led the way in front, ascending the mountain. Now speaking of the elder demon, who called out to the second demon again, saying, "Brother, since you have captured Bajie, Tang Seng is bound to be there. Go and patrol the mountain again; be sure not to miss him." The second demon said, "Will do, will do." Watch him hastily summon fifty minor demons to patrol the mountain. Just as they were walking along, they saw auspicious clouds drifting and vapor swirling. The second demon said, "Tang Seng is coming." All the demons said, "Where is Tang Seng?" The second demon said, "On the head of a good person auspicious clouds shine down; on the head of an evil person black vapor shoots to the sky. That Tang Seng was originally Elder Jinchan descending to the mortal realm, a good person of ten cultivations, which is why there are these drifting auspicious clouds." None of the monsters could see it. The second demon pointed and said, "Isn't that him?" Right then, Sanzang shuddered once on his horse; the demon pointed again, and he shuddered again. After pointing three times in a row, [Sanzang] shuddered three times in a row. Feeling unsettled in mind and spirit, he said, "Disciple, why am I shuddering?" Sha Seng said, "Shuddering—I suppose your indigestion acting up." The Monkey King said, "Nonsense. The Master is walking through these deep mountains and steep ridges, so he must be cautious and easily frightened. Do not fear, do not fear; wait while Old Sun swings his rod through a set of forms to calm your nerves." Well was the Monkey King! He parted his rod, threw out a few movements before the horse—three high and four low, five left and six right—following completely those Six Secret Teachings and Three Strategies, and unleashed his divine powers. The Elder, watching from horseback, saw something truly rare in the realm and completely unheard of in the world. He parted the road and strode straight ahead, nearly frightening that monster out of his wits. Seeing him from the top of the mountain, his soul flew and his spirit scattered, and he suddenly blurted out, "For years I've heard tell of Sun Xingzhe; today I finally know the rumors were not false and he is truly real." The monsters stepped forward and said, "Great King, why do you boost another's morale and destroy your own prestige? Who are you praising?" The second demon said, "Sun Xingzhe has vast divine powers; that Tang Seng cannot be eaten." The monsters said, "Great King, if you lack the means, let several of us go and report to the Great Elder King, have him summon the great and small soldiers of this cave, deploy them in battle array, and join forces with one heart—where could he possibly escape to?" The second demon said, "You haven't seen that iron rod of his; it has the valor of ten thousand men. My cave has no more than four or five hundred soldiers—how could they withstand that single rod of his?" All the demons said, "If that's so, Tang Seng cannot be eaten, but didn't we mistakenly capture Zhu Bajie? Now let's send him back." The second demon said, "As for capturing him, it wasn't a mistake; as for sending him back, it wouldn't do to return him lightly. Tang Seng is destined to be eaten, only for now the time is not yet right." All the demons said, "In that case, will it be a few more years?" The second demon said, "It won't even take a few years. I see that Tang Seng can only be handled with kindness, not taken by force. If we rely on power to capture him, we wouldn't even catch a whiff of him. We can only move him with kindness, trick his heart into aligning with mine, and then seize the opportunity through kindness to plot against him." All the demons said, "If the Great King is determined to capture him by strategy, can you use the likes of us?" The second demon said, "You may all return to your respective bases, but you are not allowed to report this to the Great King; if you startle him, it will surely leak the news and ruin my strategy. I naturally have my own divine transformations and can capture him." The demons dispersed. He leaped down the mountain alone, and by the side of the road, shook his body and transformed into an aged Daoist. How was he dressed, truly? Behold: Star-crowned and glittering, crane-hair disheveled. Feather robe girt with an embroidered sash, cloud-shoes trimmed with yellow rush. Spirit clear and eyes bright like an immortal guest, body robust and step light like a master of longevity. Say nothing of the Pure Ox Daoist; he was even stronger than the Plain-Scroll Scholar. Disguised as a false image like a true image, fabricated as feigned emotion like genuine feeling. There by the highway, he disguised himself as a Daoist with a broken leg, blood streaming from his foot, groaning in his mouth, and crying only: "Save me! Save me!" Now speaking of Sanzang, who relied on the Great Sage Sun and Sha Seng, happily coming forward. As they walked along, he suddenly heard someone cry, "Master, save me!" Hearing this, Sanzang said, "Well done! Well done! In this desolate mountain, there are no villages anywhere around; whose voice is this? It must be tigers, leopards, wolves, or insects that have frightened him." The Elder turned his fine horse around and called out, "Who is that person facing hardship? Come out." The monster crawled out from the patch of grass and, right before the Elder's horse, knocked his head against the ground thump-thump without stopping. Seeing from horseback that he was a Daoist, and quite advanced in age at that, Sanzang felt quite ill at ease. He hurriedly dismounted and went to support him, saying, "Please rise, please rise." The monster said, "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts." Letting go of his hand to look, one could see blood flowing from his foot. Startled, Sanzang asked, "Sir, where do you come from? Why did you injure your honorable foot?" Using sweet words and flowery language, with false affection and feigned intent, the monster said, "Master, west of this mountain, there is a serene Daoist temple. I am a Daoist from that temple." Sanzang said, "If you are not in your own temple serving the incense burners and practicing scriptural rites, why are you strolling idly here?" The demon said, "Because the day before yesterday, a patron's family south of the mountain invited the Daoist brethren to perform rites to avert calamities and bestow blessings, and we returned late. My disciple and I were walking along the same path. When we reached a deep crossroad, we suddenly encountered a spotted fierce tiger, which snatched my disciple away in its jaws. Poor me, trembling with fright and unable to run, took a tumble down the rocky slope, injuring my leg and foot, and now I don't know the way back. Today, by great heavenly affinity, I have met the Master. I earnestly hope the Master will manifest great compassion and save my life. If I make it back to the temple, even if I have to mortgage my body and sell my life, I will surely heavily repay this profound kindness." Hearing this and believing it to be true, Sanzang said, "Sir, you and I are both people of one life; I am a monk and you are a Daoist—though our vestments differ, the principle of cultivation is the same. If I do not save you, I am no member of the monastic family. Save you I will, but you cannot walk." The monster said, "I can't even stand up, how can I walk?" Sanzang said, "Very well, very well. I can still walk. I will let you ride the horse for a stretch, and when we reach your upper temple, you can return my horse to me." The monster said, "Master, I am deeply touched by your kindness, but my legs and hips are injured, so I cannot ride a horse." Sanzang said, "That is true." He called to Friar Sha, "Bundle the luggage onto my horse, and carry him for a stretch." Friar Sha said, "I am to carry him?" The monster quickly turned his head, glanced sideways at him, and said, "Master, I have been frightened half to death by that fierce tiger, and seeing this ill-omened, dark-faced master, I am even more terrified. I dare not let him carry me." Sanzang called out, "Wukong, you carry him." The Pilgrim responded repeatedly, "I'll carry him, I'll carry him." The fiend immediately fixed upon the Pilgrim, obediently wanting him to carry him, and said not another word. Friar Sha laughed and said, "This blind old Daoist. It was no good for me to carry him, yet instead he wants him to carry him. If he cannot see the Master on the Three-Pointed Rock, he will shatter every tendon in your body." Hearing this, the Pilgrim laughed aloud, "You reckless demon, how dare you come provoke me? Why don't you also ask how many years old Old Sun is? Such ghost-talk of yours might fool Tang Seng, but how can it fool me? I recognize you as the monster in this mountain; you surely want to eat my master. And my master is no ordinary fellow—is he someone you can eat? If you want to eat him, you must also share more than half with Old Sun." Hearing the Pilgrim chanting aloud, the demon said, "Master, I am the descendant of a good family who became a Daoist priest. Today, by misfortune, I met with the disaster of tigers and wolves; I am no monster." The Pilgrim said, "Since you fear tigers and wolves, why do you not recite the *Northern Dipper Scripture*?" Just as Sanzang was mounting his horse, hearing these words, he scolded, "You unruly monkey! 'To save a single human life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.' It is enough that you carry him; why go on about the *Northern Dipper Scripture* or the *Southern Dipper Scripture*?" Hearing this, the Pilgrim said, "This fellow is in luck. My master is a compassionate and benevolent man, yet he also has some awkward quirks. If I refuse to carry you, he will scold me. Since I am carrying you, I must make this clear with you: if you need to relieve yourself, tell me beforehand. If it leaks down my spine, the stench will be unbearable and soil my clothes with no one to wash them." The monster said, "At my age, how could I not understand what you mean?" The Pilgrim finally pulled him up, hoisted him onto his back, and together with the Elder and Friar Sha, hurried west along the main road. Where the mountain was uneven, the Pilgrim walked slowly and mindfully, letting Tang Seng go on ahead. Having traveled less than three or five *li*, the Master and Friar Sha descended into a mountain hollow, and the Pilgrim could no longer see them. He complained in his heart, "The Master is of advanced age and still understands nothing of worldly affairs. On such a long road, even with an empty body one still feels his hands are a burden and wishes to toss them aside, yet he has made me carry this monster. Setting aside the fact that he is a monster, even if he were a good man, at this age he would be ready to die anyway. I might as well dash him to death; why carry him?" Just as the Great Sage was plotting to dash him down, the monster naturally knew and possessed the art of moving mountains. He made a "mov-mountain and overturn-sea" spell, pinched an incantation right on the Pilgrim's back, chanted the true words, and summoned Mount Sumeru through the air to come crashing down upon the Pilgrim's head. The Great Sage was so startled that he tilted his head to one side, catching it on his left shoulder and arm, and laughed, "My child, what kind of heavy-body magic are you using to try to crush Old Sun? This isn't much to fear, except that a balanced load is easy to carry, while a lopsided load is hard to bear." The魔 (demon) said, "A single mountain cannot crush him." He then chanted another spell, summoning Mount Emei through the air to come crash down. The Pilgrim again tilted his head to one side, catching it on his right shoulder and arm. Watch him carry two mountains, flying like a shooting star to catch up with the Master. When the demon chief saw this, he was so frightened that sweat broke out all over his body and moisture covered his frame, saying, "He actually knows how to carry mountains." Regaining his composure, he chanted the true words and summoned Mount Tai through the air, crashing straight down upon the Pilgrim's head. The Great Sage felt his strength turn soft and his sinews go numb; meeting this top-down crushing method of Mount Tai, he was pressed until his three corpse-spirits raged and his seven apertures spurted red. A fine fiend, who used his divine powers to crush the Pilgrim, now swiftly rode the great wind to catch up with Tang Sanzang, and right in the midst of the clouds, he stretched out his hand to seize people from his horse. Friar Sha was so startled that he dropped his luggage, pulled out his monster-subduing staff, and blocked the way head-on. The demon raised a seven-star sword and came forward to meet him. This was a splendid battle: The seven-star sword and the monster-subduing staff, A myriad flashes of golden light like lightning bright. The one with round eyes was as fierce as the Dark-Killing God, The other with an iron face was truly the Curtain-Raising General. That monster before the mountain displayed great might, Single-mindedly determined to capture Tang Sanzang. This one strove to protect the true monk, Single-mindedly resolved to die rather than let go. The two of them spewed clouds and exhaled mist to illuminate the heavenly palace, Flung up earth and scattered dust to hide the Dipper and the stars. They fought the round of red sun until it grew pale and dim, The vast earth and cosmos were dark and desolate. They crossed paths and locked in combat eight or nine rounds, Unexpectedly, Friar Sha was defeated in battle. The demon was extremely fierce, wielding his treasured sword in shooting-star sequences to roll forward, fighting Friar Sha until he grew weak and hard to parry, and turned his head to flee. He was promptly cornered by the treasured staff; the demon swung his large arm, seized Friar Sha, and tucked him under his left armpit; with his right hand he took Sanzang from the horse, hooked the luggage with his toe, opened his mouth to bite the horse's mane; and employing his shrinking-magic, in a gust of wind he carried them all back into Lotus Flower Cave, crying out in a sharp voice: "Older Brother! I've brought all these monks back!" Hearing this, the Old Demon was overjoyed and said, "Bring them here for me to see." The Second Demon said, "Are these not them?" The Old Demon said, "Ah, younger brother, you've captured the wrong ones again." The Second Demon said, "You said to capture Tang Seng." The Old Demon said, "Tang Seng is indeed Tang Seng, but you still haven't captured that capable Sun Xingzhe. You must capture him before you can eat Tang Seng; if you haven't captured him, on no account touch his people. That Monkey King has vast divine powers and numerous transformations; if we eat his master, would he be willing to let it rest? He would come to our gate and create a din, and we could forget about finding peace." The Second Demon smiled and said, "Brother, you praise him far too much. If we rely on your praise, he is rare in heaven and completely absent on earth; from my perspective, he is just so-so, with no great ability." The Old Demon said, "Have you captured him?" The Second Demon said, "He has already been crushed beneath three mountains by me, unable to budge an inch. That is why I captured Tang Seng, Friar Sha, along with the horse and luggage, and brought them all here." Hearing this, the Old Demon was filled with joy and said, "What good fortune, what good fortune! Once this fellow is captured, Tang Seng will be food in our mouths." He called to the junior demons: "Quickly prepare wine, and pour a cup of victory for your Second Great King." The Second Demon said, "Brother, let us not drink wine yet; tell the little ones to haul Zhu Bajie up from the water and hang him up." Thereupon they hung Bajie in the eastern corridor, Friar Sha in the western side, Tang Seng in the middle, sent the white horse to the manger, and took the luggage inside. The Old Demon laughed and said, "Brother, you have fine methods; twice you have captured three monks. But although Sun Xingzhe has a mountain pressing down upon him, we must still use some spell. How shall we take him to join the steaming feast so that it will be proper?" The Second Demon said, "Brother, please sit. If we want to take Sun Xingzhe, we need not move ourselves. Just order two little spirits to take two treasures and fetch him back." The Old Demon said, "What treasures shall they take?" The Second Demon said, "Take my Purple-Gold Red Gourd and your Lambant White-Jade Purifying Vase." The Old Demon took out the treasures and said, "Which two shall we dispatch?" The Second Demon said, "Dispatch Jingxigui and Linglichong." He instructed them, "You two take these treasures, go straight to the absolute peak of the high mountain, turn the bottom facing the sky and the mouth facing the ground, and shout out: 'Sun Xingzhe!' If he answers, he will already be captured inside. Then immediately paste on the slip that reads: 'By imperial mandate, may the decree of Taishang Laojun be executed with all possible haste.' Within an hour and a quarter, he will dissolve into pus." The two little spirits kowtowed, took the treasures, and went out to capture Xingzhe, which need not be told further. Now, as for the Great Sage, suppressed by the demon's magic at the foot of the mountain, in suffering he thought of Sanzang, and in calamity he chanted the Holy Monk's name. In a sharp voice he cried out, "Master, ah! Thinking of the time past when you reached Two-Boundary Mountain, you removed the pressing slip, and old Sun escaped a great calamity and embraced the teachings of the Shramana. Graced by the Bodhisattva who bestowed the spiritual decree, you and I dwelt together and cultivated together, shared affinities and shared appearances, shared views and shared awareness. Suddenly thinking of reaching this place, we encountered demonic obstacles, and once again I was crushed by a mountain sent by him. Pitiful, how pitiful! Your death is only right; it is just hard on Shaseng, Bajie, and that little dragon turning into a horse for a spell. This is precisely: 'A great tree attracts the wind and the wind shakes the tree; high fame for a person ruins the person.'" Sighing deeply, his pearly tears fell like rain. He quickly alarmed the Mountain Spirit, Earth God, and the Five Directions Revealer Gods. They gathered and the Golden-Headed Revealer asked, "Whose mountain is this?" The Earth God said, "It is ours." "Who is that pressed beneath your mountain?" The Earth God said, "I do not know whose." The Revealer said, "You all actually do not know. This one who is pressed is the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong Xingzhe, who created havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago. Now he has taken refuge in the true fruit and become Tang Seng's disciple. How is it that you lent the mountain to the demons to suppress him? You are dead! If one day he breaks out, will he spare you? Even if it is treated lightly, the Earth God will be questioned for dereliction of duty, the Mountain Spirit will be sent into exile, and we too will bear a heavy dereliction of duty." The Mountain Spirit and Earth God then feared and said, "We truly did not know, we did not know. We only heard that fiend chant the mountain-dispatching spell, and we moved the mountain over. Who could have known it was the Great Sage?" The Revealer said, "Do not be afraid yet. The penal code says: 'He who does not know is not charged with a crime.' I will devise a plan with you to release him, but do not let him raise his hands to strike us." The Earth God said, "That would be unreasonable! Since we release him, will he still strike?" The Revealer said, "You do not know. He has a wish-fulfilling golden-hooped rod that is extremely fierce: those he hits will die, those he brushes will be injured; a tap will snap tendons, a graze will cave in skin." The Earth God and Mountain Spirit, terrified in their hearts, discussed it with the Five Directions Revealer Gods, and then came outside the Three Mountain Gates and called out, "Great Sage, the Mountain Spirit, Earth God, and Five Directions Revealer Gods have come to pay respects." Ah, Xingzhe! His tiger was lean but his heroic ambition remained; his natural aura was soaring and his voice clear and resonant as he said, "What are you seeing me for?" The Earth God said, "We report to the Great Sage: we have dispatched the mountain away to invite the Great Sage to come out, and we beg the lesser gods to pardon the crime of disrespect." Xingzhe said, "Dispatch the mountain away, and I won't strike you." He shouted, "Rise up!" Just like an official issuing a decree, those gods recited the true words and spells, moved the mountain back to its original place, and released Xingzhe. Xingzhe jumped up, shook off the dust, tied his skirt, pulled out his rod from behind his ear, and called to the Mountain Spirit and Earth God, "All of you stretch out your shins, and each of you take two blows first to help old Sun dispel his boredom." The gods were greatly startled and said, "Just now the Great Sage already gave orders to pardon our crimes, but how is it that as soon as you came out your words changed and you want to strike?" Xingzhe said, "Good Earth God, good Mountain Spirit, you said you were not afraid of old Sun, yet you were afraid of the monsters?" The Earth God said, "That demon has vast divine powers and formidable magic. He chants true words and spells to summon us into his cave to serve our turn on duty day by day." When Xingzhe heard the two words "serve on duty," his heart was also startled. He raised his face toward the sky and cried out in a loud voice, "Azure Heaven! Azure Heaven! Since the primordial chaos separated and heaven and earth opened, Flower-Fruit Mountain birthed me, and I too once visited renowned masters everywhere to be taught the secret formula of longevity. Thinking of how I could transform with the wind, subdue tigers and tame dragons, wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and bear the title of Great Sage, I never once used the Mountain Spirit and Earth God with a treacherous heart or ordered them about. Today this lawless demon dares to summon the Mountain Spirit and Earth God as slaves to take turns on duty for him! Heaven, ah! Since you birthed old Sun, why did you have to birth such a generation?" As the Great Sage was sighing, he saw radiant multicolored light coming from a mountain nook. Xingzhe said, "Mountain Spirit, Earth God, since you are on duty in this cave, what object is that emitting light?" The Earth God said, "That is the demon's treasure emitting light; presumably a fiend is bringing the treasure to subdue you." Xingzhe said, "This is rather fun. Let me ask you, who in his cave interacts with him?" The Earth God said, "What he loves is concocting elixirs and refining medicines, and what he delights in are Complete Truth Daoists." Xingzhe said, "No wonder he transformed into an old Daoist priest to trick my master away! Since it is thus, you may all remember your beatings and return. Wait for old Sun to capture him myself." Those gods all soared into the air and dispersed. That Great Sage shook his body and transformed into an old Daoist master. How do you suppose he was dressed? His head wore a double-bunged topknot, his body wore a hundred-patch robe. His hand beat the fish-drum and clappers, his waist was tied with a Lü Dongbin sash. He leaned diagonally below the grand road, dedicated to awaiting the little demon monsters. In an instant the monsters arrived, and the Monkey King secretly played a trick. In a short while, those two little spirits arrived. Xingzhe extended his golden-hooped rod, and the monsters, not on guard, tripped over their feet and tumbled down with a thud. Crawling up, they finally saw Xingzhe, and shouted aloud, "Bother, bother! If it were not for our Great King respecting you travelers, we would match skills with you." Xingzhe forced a smile and said, "Match what skills? A Daoist seeing a Daoist—they are all one family." The monster said, "Why were you sleeping here and tripping me?" Xingzhe said, "This little Daoist child saw me, an old Daoist priest, and wanted a tumble as a greeting fee." The monster said, "My Great King only wants a few taels of silver for a greeting fee; how could you use a tumble as a greeting fee? You must be from some other region; you are definitely not a Daoist from our parts." Xingzhe said, "I truly am not; I come from Penglai Mountain." The monster said, "Penglai Mountain is the realm of sea-island immortals." Xingzhe said, "If I am not an immortal, who is an immortal?" The monster then turned his anger into joy, stepped forward, and said, "Old Immortal, old Immortal! We have fleshy eyes and mortal pupils, unable to recognize you. Please do not blame us for our crude words, do not blame us." Xingzhe said, "I do not blame you. As the saying goes: 'Immortal bodies do not tread on mortal earth.' How would you know? Today I have arrived at your mountain to deliver a good person who wishes to achieve immortality and perfect the Dao. Who is willing to follow me?" Jingxigui said, "Master, I will follow you." Linglichong said, "Master, I will follow you." Sun Wukong knowingly and purposely asked, "Where do the two of you come from?" The demon said, "We come from the Lotus Flower Cave." "Where are you going?" The demon said, "Entrusted by our Great King's command, to capture Sun Xingzhe." Xingzhe said, "Capture which one?" The demon said again, "Capture Sun Xingzhe." Sun Xingzhe said, "Could it be that Sun Xingzhe who follows Tang Monk to fetch the scriptures?" The fiend said, "Exactly, exactly. Do you know him too?" Xingzhe said, "That monkey is somewhat rude. I know him, and I am also somewhat annoyed with him. I will go with you to capture him, which shall count as assisting you in your achievement." The demon said, "Master, you have no need to assist in our achievement. Our Second Great King has some magic arts; he dispatched three great mountains to press him beneath the mountains so that he cannot move an inch, and commanded the two of us to bring treasures to pack him up." Xingzhe said, "What sort of treasures are they?" Jingxi Gui said, "Mine is a red gourd, and his is a jade purity vase." Xingzhe said, "How do you pack him up?" The little fiend said, "Turn the bottom of this treasure facing the sky and the mouth facing the ground, and call out to him. If he answers, he is packed right inside; paste on a slip of paper reading 'By imperial command of Taishang Laojun, let this be executed with all haste,' and in the space of a moment or three, he will dissolve into pus." When Xingzhe heard this, he was secretly startled in his heart and thought, "Formidable, formidable! At the time, the Duty Cao reported the news, saying there were five pieces of treasure; these are two of them. I wonder what those three pieces are!" Xingzhe smiled and said, "The two of you, lend me your treasures to look at." How could the little fiends know any secret incantations? Right out of their sleeves they took out the two treasures and handed them to Xingzhe with both hands. Seeing them, Xingzhe rejoiced secretly in his heart and thought, "Good things, good things! If I just twitch my tail and *whoosh* leap up and leave, it will simply serve as a parting gift from old Sun." Suddenly he thought again, "No, no. If I snatch them, I just snatch them, only it would ruin old Sun's reputation. This is called committing daylight robbery." He handed them back to the fiends and said, "You haven't seen my treasure yet." The demon said, "What treasure does Master have? Lend it to us mortals to look at as well to ward off disasters." Good Xingzhe! He reached down his hand, plucked a hair from the tip of his tail, rolled it between his fingers, and called out, "Transform!" It instantly transformed into a Great Purple-Gold Red Gourd one foot and seven inches long. Taking it out from around his waist, he said, "Have you seen my gourd?" Lingli Chong took it into his hands, looked at it, and said, "Master, this gourd of yours is large and has a fine pattern, and it's good-looking, but it's simply useless." Xingzhe said, "How is it useless?" The demon said, "These two treasures of mine can each pack a thousand people." Xingzhe said, "What is this pack-people thing worth marveling at? This gourd of mine can even pack the sky inside." The demon said, "Can it actually pack the sky?" Xingzhe said, "It truly packs the sky." The demon said, "I'm only afraid you're lying. Pack it for us to see, and only then will we believe it; otherwise, we certainly won't believe you." Xingzhe said, "If the sky is vexed with me, once every month I regularly pack it seven or eight times; if it is not vexed with me, I don't pack it even once in half a year." Lingli Chong said, "Elder brother, this treasure that packs the sky—let's trade with him for it." Jingxi Gui said, "Since he's packing the sky, how would he be willing to trade with our pack-people one?" Lingli Chong said, "If he's not willing, well, throwing in this purity vase for him will do." Xingzhe rejoiced secretly in his heart: "A gourd traded for a gourd, with the purity vase thrown in extra: one piece traded for two pieces—truly a very fitting deal." He stepped forward, grabbed Lingli Chong, and said, "Can the sky-packing one be traded?" The demon said, "As long as you pack the sky, we trade; if I don't trade, I am your son." Xingzhe said, "Very well, very well. I'll pack it for you two to see." Good Great Sage! Lowering his head, he formed the finger incantation, recited a spell, and called upon the Day-Wandering God, the Night-Wandering God, and the Five Directions Jiechi deities: "Go immediately and report to the Jade Emperor on my behalf, saying that old Sun has turned toward the orthodox fruit, protecting Tang Monk to go to the Western Heaven to fetch scriptures, and on the road our path is blocked by tall mountains, and the master encounters bitter suffering. The demon has those treasures, and I wish to lure him into trading for them. A thousand and ten thousand bows, I beg you to borrow the sky from the Jade Emperor and lend it to old Sun to pack and seal for half a watch, so as to assist in achieving success. If he says half a word of refusal, ascend straight to the Lingxiao Palace and raise weapons in battle." The Day-Wandering God went straight inside the Southern Heavenly Gate, down to the Lingxiao Palace, and submitted a report to the Jade Emperor, recounting the former events in detail. The Jade Emperor said, "This unruly monkey, his words are without propriety. Earlier Guanyin came to say he should be released to protect Tang Monk, and We here also dispatched the Five Directions Jiechi and the Four Duty Caos to take turns guarding and protecting him. Now he wants to borrow the sky to pack—can the sky be packed?" No sooner had he said it could not be packed than out from the ranks stepped Prince Nezha, who submitted: "Wan Sui, the sky can also be packed." The Jade Emperor said, "How can the sky be packed?" Nezha said, "Ever since the primordial chaos first divided, the light and clear was made heaven, and the heavy and turbid was made earth. The sky is a mass of clear vapor supporting and uplifting the palaces of the Jade Heaven; by reasoning, it is indeed difficult to pack. But since Sun Xingzhe is protecting Tang Monk on his journey west to fetch scriptures, it is truly what may be called the blessing and karma of Mount Tai and the benevolent fortune of the deep sea. Today we ought to assist him in achieving success." The Jade Emperor said, "What assistance do you Lords have?" Nezha said, "I beg to issue an imperial decree to go to the Northern Heavenly Gate and borrow the Black Carved Flag from Zhenwu, unfold it upon the Southern Heavenly Gate, and close off those sun, moon, and stars. One cannot see a person face-to-face, nor see white from black, and trick that fiend by merely saying the sky has been packed, so as to assist Xingzhe in achieving success." Hearing this, the Jade Emperor said, "As Your Lordship submitted." The Prince obeyed the decree, came before the Northern Heavenly Gate, saw Zhenwu, and recounted the former events in detail. The Patriarch forthwith handed the flag to the Prince. Early on, the Wandering God descended hurriedly to the Great Sage's ear and said, "Prince Nezha has come to assist in the achievement." Xingzhe looked up and saw auspicious clouds winding around—sure enough, there were deities. He then turned back to tell the little fiends, "Let's pack the sky." The little fiend said, "If you're going to pack, pack it! Why keep rattling on with idle nonsense?" Xingzhe said, "I was just now channeling my spirit and reciting my spell." The little fiends both opened their eyes wide, watching how he would pack the sky. This Xingzhe tossed a false little gourd upward. Just imagine—this was transformed from a single hair; how heavy could it be? It was blown by the wind atop the mountain, fluttering and drifting, taking fully half a watch before it finally fell down. Just see—upon the Southern Heavenly Gate, Prince Nezha unfurled the black flag with a *flap-flap*, completely covering over the sun, moon, and stars. It truly was as if creation were stained with ink and the cosmos dyed with indigo. The two little fiends were greatly startled and said, "Just when we were talking, it should only have been noon, so how is it already dusk?" Xingzhe said, "Since the sky has been packed, times are no longer distinguished; how could it not be dusk?" "Why is it also pitch black like this?" Xingzhe said, "The sun, moon, and stars are all packed inside, leaving no light on the outside. How could it not be black?" The little fiend said, "Master, where are you speaking from?" Xingzhe said, "Am I not right in front of you?" The little fiend reached out, groping, and said, "I only hear you speaking, but I don't see your face at all. Master, what sort of place is this?" Xingzhe tricked them again, saying, "Don't move your feet; this place is right on the shore of the Bohai Sea. If you lose your footing and fall down, ah, seven or eight days wouldn't be enough to reach the bottom." The little fiend was greatly startled and said, "Enough, enough, enough! Release the sky! We know it's packed like this. If we mess around for a little while and fall into the sea, we won't be able to return home." The good Pilgrim, seeing that they believed it to be real and hearing them chant the spell, startled the Prince, who rolled up his banner, and already the sunlight of high noon was visible. The little demon laughed and said, "Splendid! Splendid! Such a fine treasure—if we do not trade for it, truly we would not be dutiful sons supporting the household!" Fine-Spirited Ghost handed over the gourd, and Clever Bug took out the pure vase, passing them both together to the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim then handed the fake gourd to the little demons in exchange. Having exchanged the treasures, he yet sought to make a thorough finish of the matter: from below his navel he plucked a single strand of hair, blew upon it a breath of fairy qi, and transformed it into a copper cash. He called out, "Little youths, take this cash and go buy a sheet of paper." The little demon said, "What for?" The Pilgrim said, "I will write a contract document for you. You are trading these two treasures that contain people for my one treasure that contains the heaven; for fear people's hearts might be unjust, and as days pass and years grow deep in the future, there might be some regret or inconvenience, therefore I write this for each to hold as proof." The little demon said, "There are no brush and ink here; what document is there to write? I will wager an oath with you instead." The Pilgrim said, "How shall we wager?" The little demon said, "My two treasures that contain people are exchanged for your one treasure that contains the heaven. If there is any regret, may we suffer pestilence in all four seasons of the year." The Pilgrim laughed and said, "I will definitely not regret it; if there is any regret, I likewise follow your suffering pestilence in all four seasons." Having spoken the oath, with a bound of his body and a flick of his tail, he leaped before the South Heavenly Gate and thanked Prince Nezha for the merit of waving his banner to assist. The Prince returned to his palace to report the decree, returning the banner to Zhenwu, which need not be further discussed. This Pilgrim stood erect amidst the empyrean clouds, watching those little demons. Ultimately, how they were dealt with remains to be heard in the next chapter's breakdown.