OriginChapter 40
Now when the Great Sage Sun and his two brothers had brought their clouds down and gone straight into the court, they found the ruler, his ministers, and the heir apparent, all drawn up in several ranks, kowtowing to give thanks. Pilgrim told the ruler and his ministers the whole story of how Bodhisattva had subdued the demons and taken the monsters captive, and they all paid him endless obeisance. While they were still in the midst of their congratulations, the Yellow-Gate Officer came in to announce: "Your Majesty, four more monks have arrived outside." Bajie was alarmed and said, "Elder Brother, could this be some trick of the monster's, pretending to be Bodhisattva Manjushri to fool us, and now he has changed into monks and come to match wits with us?" Pilgrim said, "How could that be?" and at once ordered them summoned in.
The assembled civil and military officials passed the order and had them brought in. When Pilgrim looked, he saw that they were the monks from the Bao Lin Monastery, carrying the Heaven-Soaring Crown, the Jasper Belt, the Ochre-Yellow Robe, and the Carefree Boots. Pilgrim was overjoyed and said, "Well come, well come." He then called for the Daoist to step forward, remove his turban, and put on the Heaven-Soaring Crown; take off his coarse robe and put on the Ochre-Yellow Robe; undo his sash and fasten the Jasper Belt; pull off his monk's shoes and step into the Carefree Boots; and he told the crown prince to bring out the white jade tablet and place it in his hand. They then invited him to ascend the hall and take the throne. As the old saying goes, "A court cannot be without a ruler for a single day." But the emperor would not consent to sit. Weeping, he knelt in the center of the hall and said, "I have been dead for three years, and now thanks to you masters I have been brought back to life. How dare I presume to take the throne? I beg one of you masters to be ruler instead; I am willing to lead my wife and children beyond the city walls and live as commoners—that would be enough for me." Tripitaka would not accept in any case; his single mind was set on worshipping the Buddha and seeking the scriptures. They then asked Pilgrim, and Pilgrim laughed, saying, "To tell you the truth, if old Sun had been willing to be emperor, he would have been ruler of all the nine provinces and ten thousand kingdoms long ago. But we are used to being monks and are lazy and carefree. If we were emperors, we would have to let our hair grow long, stay awake past dusk, rise before the fifth watch, be agitated by frontier dispatches, and be helpless with worry at news of famines. How could we ever get used to that? You remain your emperor, and I'll remain a monk and cultivate my merits." The king could not prevail in his entreaties and finally had to ascend the treasure hall, face south, and take the throne. He granted a general amnesty, bestowed rewards, and sent the monks from the Bao Lin Monastery back. Only then did he open the Eastern Pavilion and feast Tang Monk and his disciples. At the same time he issued a decree summoning a painter to paint the portraits of the four Tang masters and have them enshrined in the Golden Luan Hall.
The masters and disciples having settled the state, they were unwilling to delay long and wished to take their leave and travel west. The emperor, the three palace consorts, the crown prince, and all the ministers offered the treasures, gold, silver, and silks of the realm to the master as thanks. Tripitaka would accept nothing at all; he only asked for the travel pass to be renewed and urged Wukong and the others to saddle the horse and set out early. The king, feeling deeply remiss, ordered the imperial cortege assembled, seated Tripitaka in state, and had the two rows of civil and military officials lead the way, while he with the three consorts and the crown prince and his whole family personally pushed the wheels and escorted them out past the city walls. Only then did he descend from his dragon carriage and take leave of them. The king said, "Master, when you gain the scriptures and return from the Western Heaven, you must by all means come back to my land and visit me once more." Tripitaka said, "Your disciple receives your command." The emperor, with tears in his eyes, returned with his ministers.
The four monks of the Tang party set out on the winding highroad, with their hearts fixed on worshipping Mount Spirit. It was the season when autumn was ending and winter beginning, and they saw:
Frost withers the red leaves, each grove now thin;
Rain ripens the yellow millet, everywhere full.
Warm sun on ridge plums opens dawn's colors;
Wind sways mountain bamboos, stirring cold sounds.
The masters and disciples, having left the Wuji Kingdom, traveled by night and by day. After more than half a month, they suddenly saw another high mountain, truly reaching to the sky and blocking the sun. Tripitaka was alarmed on his horse and reined in quickly, calling for Pilgrim. Pilgrim said, "Master, what are your orders?" Tripitaka said, "Look there—ahead there are more great mountains and steep ridges. We must be very careful and on guard, lest some evil creature come to harm me." Pilgrim laughed and said, "Just keep walking and don't worry so much. Old Sun has his own ways of protection." The elder had no choice but to relax his heart, whip up his horse, and hasten toward the mountain crags. They were indeed extremely precipitous, and they saw:
As for height—not so high but its summit scrapes the blue sky;
as for depth—not so deep but its ravines are like the underworld.
Before the mountain, one often sees billowing white clouds and rolling black mists.
Red plums and emerald bamboos, green cypresses and blue pines.
Behind the mountain is the Soul-Snatching Terrace, ten thousand fathoms high;
behind the terrace are strange and grotesque demon caves;
within the caves is the drip-drip-dripping spring;
below the spring is the winding, meandering stream.
There too are apes leaping skyward and scrambling for fruit,
fork-horned deer with branching antlers,
and dazed, staring roe deer watching men.
At dusk, tigers come seeking their lairs on the mountains;
at dawn, dragons surge from the waves to emerge from the waters.
Reaching the cave gate, one hears a whooshing sound,
and startled birds take flight with a flapping of wings.
The beasts in the forest scurry furtively along—
seeing this host of birds and beasts, one's heart pounds with fright.
Halls collapse within the caves, and the caves collapse upon the halls;
the caves reverberate as they fall, and the fallen caves become immortals.
Green stones are stained into a thousand blocks of jade;
blue gauze veils ten thousand piles of mist.
The masters and disciples were just feeling fearful when they saw a red cloud rise from the mountain hollow and shoot straight up into the ninth heaven, gathering into a mass of fiery energy. Pilgrim was greatly startled; he stepped forward, seized Tripitaka by the feet, and pushed him off the horse, shouting, "Brothers, don't go any farther—a monster is coming!" Bajie in panic snatched up his rake, and Sha Wukong quickly brandished his staff, placing themselves around Tripitaka for protection.
But we must tell two stories at once. Within that red light there was indeed a monster. Years before, he had heard people say that Tripitaka of the East was going to the Western Heaven to fetch scriptures; that he was the reincarnation of Elder Golden Cicada, a good man who had cultivated for ten lifetimes, and that anyone who ate a piece of his flesh would prolong life and live as long as heaven and earth. Morning after morning he had waited in the mountains, and it happened that today they arrived. He was just watching from midair when he saw the three disciples guarding Tripitaka on his horse, each making ready. The spirit praised them endlessly, saying, "Fine monks! Just now I saw a white-faced, plump monk riding a horse—he must be the holy monk of Tang—but how is it that he is now guarded by three ugly monks? They are all clenching their fists and tucking up their sleeves, each holding a weapon, as though ready to fight someone. Alas! One of them must be sharp-eyed and has probably recognized me. In such a state, there is no way to get any of Tang Monk's flesh to eat." After brooding a while, he consulted himself: "If I try to seize him by force, I cannot get near him. But if I bewilder him with kindness, I may succeed. Once I have deluded his mind, I can contrive a plot within the guise of kindness and be sure to capture him. Let me go down and fool them a little."
The fine monster at once dispersed the red light, lowered his cloud, and descended. In the mountain slope he shook himself and changed into a seven-year-old urchin, stark naked, with ropes of hemp binding his hands and feet, hung high from the tip of a pine tree, crying out again and again: "Save me! Save me!"
Now the Great Sage Sun suddenly looked up again and saw that the red cloud had completely dispersed and the fiery energy was gone. He then said, "Master, please mount the horse and let us go on." Tripitaka said, "You said a monster was coming—how can we go on now?" Pilgrim said, "I just saw a red cloud rising from the ground and forming a mass of fiery energy in the sky—it was certainly a monster. But now the red cloud has scattered. It must have been a passing monster, one that dared not harm us. Let us be on our way." Bajie laughed and said, "Elder Brother is the cleverest talker! How could a monster be merely passing by?" Pilgrim said, "How would you know? If the demon king of some mountain or cave were holding a feast and inviting spirits from all the various mountains and caves to gather, then spirits from the four directions—east, west, south, north—would all come to the feast. So they have only their minds on the feast and no intention to harm anyone. That is what a passing monster means."
Tripitaka, upon hearing this, was also half believing, half doubting; he could only climb onto his horse and follow the road toward the mountain. As they were proceeding, they suddenly heard a cry: "Save me!" The elder was greatly startled and said, "Disciples, in the middle of this mountain, from where does someone cry?" Wukong stepped forward and said, "Master, just keep walking, don't get entangled with any sedan chairs—human sedan, mule sedan, open sedan, sleeping sedan. Even if there were a sedan in this place, there would be no one to carry you." Tang Seng said, "It is not a carrying sedan, but a calling cry." Wukong laughed, "I understand, don't mind other people's business, just keep walking."
Tripitaka heeded his words, spurred his horse and advanced again. Before they had gone a full li, they again heard a cry: "Save me!" The elder said, "Disciples, this cry is not that of a ghost, demon, or evil spirit. If it were a ghost, demon, or evil spirit, whenever it utters a sound, there would be no echo. Listen—it calls once, then calls again; surely it is a person in distress. We should go and save him." Wukong said, "Master, for today, put away that compassionate heart a little; wait until we have passed this mountain, then you may exercise compassion. This place bodes more ill than good. You know the saying about things that cling to grass and trees—any creature may become a spirit. Of all kinds, only the pythons, when they have cultivated for many years and grown deep in time, become evil spirits, skilled in knowing a person's childhood name. If they call a person's name from among the grass or in a mountain hollow, and the person does not answer, it is all right; but if he answers once, they snatch away his primal spirit and follow that night, inevitably harming his life. So keep walking, keep walking. The ancients said: 'If you escape, thank the gods.' You must not listen to it." The elder had no choice but to obey him, and again whipped his horse to hurry on.
Wukong thought to himself, "This reckless fiend, wherever it is, keeps crying out. Let old Sun give it a 'Mao-You star method,' to make sure they never see each other." O great Sage, he called Sha Seng forward: "Hold the horse and walk slowly, let old Sun relieve himself." See how he let Tang Seng go ahead a few steps, then recited a spell, employed the method of moving mountains and shrinking the earth, pointed his Golden Cudgel backward, and his master and disciples passed over this peak and went forward, leaving that monster behind.
He then strode forward, caught up with Tang Seng, and they all hurried along the mountain. Only then did Tripitaka again hear a cry from behind the mountain: "Save me!" The elder said, "Disciples, that person in distress has no good fate—he did not encounter us; we have passed him by. Listen, he is calling from behind the mountain." Bajie said, "He is still in front of the mountain, but now the wind has shifted." Wukong said, "What does it matter whether the wind shifts or not? Let's just walk." Thus they all fell silent, wishing they could step over this mountain in one stride—but we shall leave that untold.
Now that demon, having called out three or four times from the mountain slope, and still no one came, thought to himself: "I have been waiting for Tang Seng here; I saw him no more than three li away, so why has he not arrived after so long? He must have taken a lower path." He shook his body, loosened the ropes, and again shot up a red light, ascending to look again from the air. Unbeknownst to him, Sun the Great Sage looked up and recognized the monster, and he grabbed Tang Seng by the feet and pulled him off the horse, saying, "Brothers, be careful, be careful—that fiend has come again." Bajie and Sha Seng, alarmed, each took up his rake and staff and surrounded Tang Seng once more in their midst.
When the spirit saw this, he praised them from midair without ceasing: "Fine monks! Just now I saw that white-faced monk sitting on the horse—how did he come to be hidden by those three? When I meet them face to face, I shall know. First I must bring down that sharp-eyed one, then I can capture Tang Seng; otherwise, in vain I'll scheme and find no prey, in vain I'll exert my passion and end with nothing." He then lowered his cloud and, just as before, transformed and hung high on a pine branch to wait. This time he was not more than half a li away.
Now Sun the Great Sage looked up again and saw that the red cloud had dispersed, so he again invited his master to mount and go forward. Tripitaka said, "You said the fiend was coming again—how is it that you now ask me to walk?" Wukong said, "This is still a passing fiend, who dares not provoke us." The elder grew angry again and said, "This impudent monkey, you greatly deceive me. When there truly is a demon, you say there is none; yet in a place so peaceful, you frighten me and keep shouting about some fiend or other. You are full of falsehoods and short on truth, with no regard for consequences—you grabbed my feet and threw me off the horse. Now you explain it away as a passing fiend. If you had injured me, how would you make amends? This, this..." Wukong said, "Master, do not be angry. If you had injured your hands or feet, they could still be healed; but if a fiend snatched you away, where would I search for you?" Tripitaka was furious and, gnashing his teeth, was about to recite the Band-tightening Spell. But Sha Seng earnestly dissuaded him, so he had no choice but to mount and ride on.
Before he had even settled firmly in the saddle, again he heard a cry: "Master, save me!" The elder looked up and saw it was a little child, completely naked, hanging from a tree. He reined in his horse and cursed Wukong, saying, "You impudent monkey, how utterly perverse! You have not the slightest trace of goodness—your every thought is only to be violent and unruly! I told you that the cry was a human voice, yet you babbled on endlessly, insisting it was a fiend. Look, isn't that a person hanging from the tree?" When the Great Sage saw that his master was blaming him, and also saw the appearance face to face, on one hand he could not make any move, and on the other he feared the recitation of the Band-tightening Spell. He hung his head and dared not reply, allowing Tang Seng to approach the tree. The elder pointed with his whip and asked, "Whose child are you? For what reason are you hanging here? Tell me, so I can save you." Alas! He was clearly a spirit, transformed in this way, but the master, with his mortal eyes of flesh, could not recognize him.
When the demon saw that he was being asked, he feigned even more, with tears in his eyes, and cried, "Master, to the west of the mountain there is a Dry Pine Stream; beyond that stream there is a village, and I am from that household. My great-grandfather's surname was Hong, and because he amassed vast gold and silver, with a household fortune of untold millions, his nickname was 'Red Million.' He grew old and passed away long ago, and the family property was left to my father. In recent times, through extravagant living, the family fortune gradually declined, and he changed his name to 'Red Hundred Thousand.' He made a point of befriending heroes from all four directions, lending out gold and silver in hopes of earning interest. But little did he know that those worthless people would deceive him—the principal and interest were never recovered. My father swore a solemn oath not to lend a single coin more. Those who had borrowed gold and silver, being poor and without recourse, formed a band of ruffians, with blazing torches and weapons, and in broad daylight they stormed our gate, plundered all our wealth, killed my father, and because my mother had some beauty, they abducted her to be their 'mountain-pressing chieftain's wife.' At that time, my mother could not bear to part with me, so she held me in her arms, weeping piteously, trembling with fear, and followed the bandits. Unexpectedly, when they reached this mountain, they wanted to kill me too. Thanks to my mother's earnest entreaties, they spared me from death by the blade, but instead hung me by a rope from this tree, leaving me to die of cold and starvation. Those bandits carried my mother off—I know not where. I have been hanging here for three days and three nights, and not a single person has passed by. I do not know in which life I accumulated merit that in this life I should encounter you, my reverend master. If you would but extend great compassion and save my life and return me home, I would pledge my very body and sell my life to repay your kindness. Even if yellow sand covers my face, I shall never forget it."
When Tripitaka heard this, he took it as truth and told Bajie to untie the ropes and save the boy down. The dullard did not recognize people and was about to step forward to act. Pilgrim, standing by, could not restrain himself and shouted, "You vile creature! One who knows you is here. Do not keep on with empty trickery and lies to fool people. Since you say your family goods were robbed, your father wounded by bandits, and your mother carried off—if I save you, to whom shall I deliver you? What will you give me as thanks? This lie has a gap in it." When the monster heard this, fear arose in his heart, for he knew that the Great Sage was a capable man, and he secretly took note of him. Yet trembling and with tears falling, he spoke, saying, "Master, although my parents have died and my family wealth is exhausted, there are still some fields and properties untouched, and relatives still living." Pilgrim said, "What relatives do you have?" The monster said, "My maternal grandfather's home is south of the mountain, my aunt lives north of the ridge, Li Si at the brook's head is my uncle, Red Three in the forest is my clan elder, and I also have paternal uncles and cousins all living in and around this very village. If the honored master will save me, when we reach the village and see all these relatives, I will tell each and every one of them of the master's saving grace, and pawn or sell some fields and property to give generous thanks."
When Bajie heard this, he held Pilgrim back and said, "Brother, he's just a little child—why do you keep questioning him? He says it was bandits who robbed his portable wealth—surely they couldn't have taken his house and fields as well? If we speak to his relatives, even with our huge appetites, we could not eat up the value of ten acres of his land. Let him down." The dullard was only thinking of food and cared nothing for right or wrong. He used his precept knife to cut the ropes and let the monster down. The monster, weeping by Tangseng's horse, kowtowed repeatedly. The elder, tender-hearted, said, "Child, mount the horse, and I will take you along." The monster said, "Master, my hands and feet are all numb from hanging, and my waist and hips ache; besides, being a country child, I am not used to riding." Tangseng told Bajie to carry him. The monster wiped his eyes and said, "Master, my skin is all numbed from cold, and I dare not have this master carry me. His snout is long, his ears large, and the bristles behind his head are stiff—they prick me uncomfortably." Tangseng said, "Have Sha Heshang carry you." The monster also wiped his eyes and said, "Master, when those bandits came to rob my home, they all painted their faces, wore fake beards, and brandished knives and staves. I was so frightened by them that when I see this master with his gloomy face, I lose my wits entirely—I dare not have him carry me either." Tangseng told Sun Wukong to carry him. Pilgrim laughed and said, "I'll carry you, I'll carry you." The monster secretly rejoiced and smoothly let Pilgrim carry him.
Pilgrim pulled him to the roadside and weighed him—he was only about three jin and some ten-odd liang. Pilgrim laughed and said, "You vile monster, you are doomed today—how dare you play tricks before Old Sun? I know what you are." The monster said, "I am a child of a good family, unfortunate to meet this great calamity—how can I be some 'what'?" Pilgrim said, "If you are indeed a child of a good family, why are your bones so light?" The monster said, "My frame is small." Pilgrim said, "How old are you this year?" The monster said, "I am seven." Pilgrim laughed and said, "If you gained one jin per year, you should weigh seven jin—why do you not even make four jin?" The monster said, "I lacked milk as a baby." Pilgrim said, "Very well, I will carry you. If you need to urinate or defecate, you must tell me."
Tripitaka then went ahead with Bajie and Sha Seng, while Pilgrim followed carrying the child on his back, and they all headed west. There is a poem to prove it. The poem says:
When morals are exalted, demonic obstacles rise high;
Chan-zen is still by nature, yet stillness gives birth to demons.
The mind-monarch, upright, walks the middle way;
Wood-Mother, foolish and stubborn, trips outside.
Intent-Horse, silent, harbors love and desire;
Yellow-Woman, wordless, frets in her own care.
Guest-evil, triumphant, rejoices in vain—
In the end it must vanish through the right.
Sun the Great Sage, carrying the demon on his back, complained inwardly that Tangseng knew not hardship: "Traveling through such steep and dangerous mountain grounds, even empty-handed it is hard to walk, yet he makes Old Sun carry a person. This creature—not to say he is a monster; even if he were a good man, having lost his parents, I would not know to whom to deliver him. Better to dash him to death." The monster, however, sensed this early and exercised his magic: he sucked in four breaths from all directions and blew them onto Pilgrim's back, which at once felt as heavy as a thousand jin. Pilgrim laughed and said, "My boy, you are using the weight-increasing spell to press your old master, eh?" When the monster heard this, fearing that the Great Sage might harm him, he used the release-corpse technique, left his original spirit, leaped up, and stood in the ninth heaven. The weight on Pilgrim's back grew heavier. The Monkey King, enraged, grabbed him and flung him with a splat onto a rugged stone by the roadside, smashing the corpse flat like a meat patty. Fearing he might still be unruly, he went on to tear off the four limbs and throw them to both sides of the road, all smashed to pieces.
The creature, watching clearly from midair, could not restrain the fire in his heart and said, "This monkey-monk is utterly detestable. Even if I were a demon meaning to harm your master, I have not yet made any move—why do you injure me like this? Luckily I had foresight and fled in spirit; otherwise, it would have been killing without cause. If I do not seize Tangseng now, and let him go on, he will only grow wiser." The fine monster then stirred up a whirlwind in midair. With a loud whoosh, it raised stones and blew sand—truly ferocious. The fine wind:
Raging, it rolls up water-clouds reeking,
Black vapor rising, blotting out sun and sky.
Mountain trees are uprooted completely,
Wild plum trees with their trunks all leveled.
Yellow sand blinds the eyes, men cannot walk;
Strange rocks injure, how can the road be smooth?
Rolling and whirling, all the flat ground darkens;
Over the mountains, beasts and birds cry out.
It blew so hard that Tripitaka could hardly stay on his horse, Bajie dared not look up, and Sha Seng bowed his head and covered his face. Sun the Great Sage knew it was the monster making the wind, and hurriedly strode to give chase—but the monster had already ridden the wind, seized Tangseng, and vanished without trace or shadow. It was unknown where he had taken him, and there was nowhere to search.
After a time, the wind noise ceased and sunlight shone bright. Pilgrim stepped forward to look, and saw the White Dragon Horse trembling and neighing in fright, the luggage bundle thrown down by the roadside, Bajie lying under a cliff groaning, and Sha Seng squatting by the slope calling out. Pilgrim shouted, "Bajie." When the dullard heard Pilgrim's voice, he looked up and saw that the fierce wind had stopped. He got up and tugged at Pilgrim, saying, "Brother, what a great wind!" Sha Seng also came forward and said, "Brother, that was a whirlwind." Then he asked, "Where is the master?" Bajie said, "The wind came fiercely; we all hid our heads and covered our eyes, each sheltering from the wind, and the master also lay prone on his horse." Pilgrim said, "Where has he gone now?" Sha Seng said, "If he were made of rush-pith, he must have been blown away by the wind."
行者道：「兄弟們，我等自此就該散了。」八戒道：「正是，趁早散了，各尋頭路，多少是好。那西天路無窮無盡，幾時能到得？」沙僧聞言，打了一個失驚，渾身麻木道：「師兄，你都說的是那裡話？我等因為前生有罪，感蒙觀世音菩薩勸化，與我們摩頂受戒，改換法名，皈依佛果，情願保護唐僧上西方拜佛求經，將功折罪。今日到此，一旦俱休，說出這等各尋頭路的話來，可不違了菩薩的善果，壞了自己的德行，惹人恥笑，說我們有始無終也？」行者道：「兄弟，你說的也是，奈何師父不聽人說。我老孫火眼金睛，認得好歹。才然這風，是那樹上吊的孩兒弄的。我認得他是個妖精，你們不識，那師父也不識，認作是好人家兒女，教我馱著他走。是老孫計算是要擺佈他，他就弄個重身法壓我。是我將他摜得粉碎。他想是又使解屍之法，弄陣旋風，把我師父攝去也。因此上怪他每每不聽我說，故我意懶心灰，說各人散了。既是賢弟有此誠意，教老孫進退兩難。──八戒，你端的要怎的處？」八戒道：「我才自失口亂說了幾句，其實也不該散。哥哥，沒及奈何，還信沙弟之言，去尋那妖怪救師父去。」行者卻回嗔作喜道：「兄弟們，還要來結同心，收拾了行李、馬匹，上山找尋怪物，搭救師父去。」
三個人附葛扳藤，尋坡轉澗，行經有五七十里，卻也沒個音信。那山上飛禽走獸全無，老柏喬松常見。孫大聖著實心焦，將身一縱，跳上那巔嶮峰頭，喝一聲叫：「變！」變作三頭六臂，似那大鬧天宮的本像。將金箍棒幌一幌，變作三根金箍棒，劈哩撲辣的，往東打一路，往西打一路，兩邊不住的亂打。八戒見了道：「沙和尚，不好了，師兄是尋不著師父，惱出氣心風來了。」
那行者打了一會，打出一夥窮神來，都披一片、掛一片，褌無襠、褲無口的跪在山前，叫：「大聖，山神、土地來見。」行者道：「怎麼就有許多山神、土地？」眾神叩頭道：「上告大聖��此山喚做六百里鑽頭號山。我等是十里一山神，十里一土地，共該三十名山神、三十名土地。昨日已此聞大聖來了，只因一時會不齊，故此接遲，致令大聖發怒，萬望恕罪。」行者道：「我且饒你罪名。我問你：這山上有多少妖精？」眾神道：「爺爺呀！只有得一個妖精，把我們頭也摩光了，弄得我們少香沒紙，血食全無，一個個衣不充身，食不充口，還吃得有多少妖精哩。」行者道：「這妖精在山前住，是山後住？」眾神道：「他也不在山前山後。這山中有一條澗，叫做枯松澗。澗邊有一座洞，叫做火雲洞。那洞裡有一個魔王，神通廣大，常常的把我們山神、土地拿了去，燒火頂門，黑夜與他提鈴喝號。小妖兒又討甚麼常例錢。」行者道：「汝等乃是陰鬼之仙，有何錢鈔？」眾神道：「正是沒錢與他，只得捉幾個山獐、野鹿，早晚間打點群精；若是沒物相送，就要來拆廟宇，剝衣裳，攪得我等不得安生。萬望大聖與我等剿除此怪，拯救山上生靈。」行者道：「你等既受他節制，常在他洞下，可知他是那裡妖精，叫做甚麼名字？」眾神道：「說起他來，或者大聖也知道。他是牛魔王的兒子，羅剎女養的。他曾在火燄山修行了三百年，煉成三昧真火，卻也神通廣大，牛魔王使他來鎮守號山。乳名叫做紅孩兒，號叫做聖嬰大王。」
行者聞言，滿心歡喜。喝退了土地、山神，卻現了本像，跳下峰頭，對八戒、沙僧道：「兄弟們放心，再不須思念，師父決不傷生，妖精與老孫有親。」八戒笑道：「哥哥莫要說謊。你在東勝神洲，他這裡是西牛賀洲，路程遙遠，隔著萬水千山，海洋也有兩道，怎的與你有親？」行者道：「剛才這夥人都是本境土地、山神，我問他妖怪的原因，他道是牛魔王的兒子，羅剎女養的，名字喚做紅孩兒，號聖嬰大王。想我老孫五百年前大鬧天宮時，遍遊天下名山，尋訪大地豪傑，那牛魔王曾與老孫結七弟兄。一般五六個魔王，止有老孫生得小巧，故此把牛魔王稱為大哥。這妖精是牛魔王的兒子，我與他父親相識，若論將起來，還是他老叔哩，他怎敢害我師父？我們趁早去來。」沙和尚笑道：「哥啊，常言道：『三年不上門，當親也不親』哩。你與他相別五六百年，又不曾往還杯酒，又沒有個節禮相邀，他那裡與你認甚麼親耶？」行者道：「你怎麼這等量人？常言道：『一葉浮萍歸大海，為人何處不相逢。』縱然他不認親，好道也不傷我師父。不望他相留酒席，必定也還我個囫圇唐僧。」
三兄弟各辦虔心，牽著白馬，馬上馱著行李，找大路一直前進。無分晝夜，行了百十里遠近，忽見一松林，林中有一條曲澗，澗下有碧澄澄的活水飛流，那澗梢頭有一座石板橋，通著那廂洞府。行者道：「兄弟，你看那壁廂有石崖磷磷，想必是妖精住處了。我等從眾商議：那個管看守行李、馬匹？那個肯跟我過去降妖？」八戒道：「哥哥，老豬沒甚坐性，我隨你去罷。」行者道：「好，好。」教：「沙僧將馬匹、行李俱潛在樹林深處，小心守護，待我兩個上門去尋師父耶。」那沙僧依命。八戒相隨，與行者各持兵器前來。正是：
未煉嬰兒邪火勝，心猿木母共扶持。
畢竟不知這一去吉兇何如，且聽下回分解。
Wukong said, "Brothers, from here we should each go our separate ways." Bajie said, "Right, let us break up early and each find our own path—how good that would be. That Western Heaven road is endless and boundless; when will we ever reach it?" When Sha Seng heard this, he gave a start, his whole body going numb, and said, "Elder Brothers, what talk is this you speak? Because we had sins from our former lives, we were moved by the compassion of Guanyin Bodhisattva, who exhorted us, anointed our crowns and gave us precepts, changed our monastic names, and made us take refuge in the Buddha's fruits. We willingly pledged to protect Tang Seng on his journey to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and seek the scriptures, to atone for our offenses with merit. Now that we have come this far, to say we should all stop and speak of seeking our own paths—would that not violate the Bodhisattva's good fruits, ruin our own virtue, and invite people's ridicule, saying we have a beginning but no end?" Wukong said, "Brother, what you say is right, but the Master will not listen to anyone. I, Old Sun, have fiery golden eyes and can tell good from bad. Just now, that wind was made by the child hanging from the tree. I recognized him as a demon, but you did not, and the Master did not either; he took him for a good family's child and told me to carry him along. I, Old Sun, planned to deal with him, and he used the weight-increasing spell to press me down. I dashed him to pieces. He must then have used the corpse-releasing spell and made a whirlwind to seize my Master away. For this reason, I resent that he never listens to me, and so I lost heart and said we should each go our own ways. But since you, worthy younger brother, have such sincerity, you leave Old Sun in a dilemma. — Bajie, what do you truly propose to do?" Bajie said, "I just blurted out a few careless words; truly we should not part. Elder Brother, we have no choice but to follow Sha Di's advice and go find that monster to rescue the Master." Wukong then turned his anger to joy and said, "Brothers, we must renew our united resolve. Pack the luggage and the horse, and let us go up the mountain to search for the fiend and rescue the Master."
The three of them clambered over vines and creepers, seeking slopes and turning along ravines. After traveling some fifty or seventy li, they still had no news. On the mountain there were no birds or beasts at all; only old cypresses and tall pines were seen. Sun the Great Sage grew truly anxious. He leaped up to the summit of a perilous peak and shouted, "Change!" He changed into a form with three heads and six arms, like his true appearance when he caused havoc in Heaven. He shook his Golden Cudgel and turned it into three Golden Cudgels, then crackling and crashing, he laid about him—striking a path to the east and a path to the west, striking incessantly on both sides. When Bajie saw this, he said, "Sha Heshang, this is bad! Elder Brother cannot find the Master and has worked himself into a rage."
After striking for a while, Wukong forced out a host of wretched spirits, each clad in tatters and rags, with loincloths without crotches and trousers without openings, kneeling before the mountain and calling out, "Great Sage, the Mountain Gods and Earth Deities have come to pay respects." Wukong said, "Why are there so many Mountain Gods and Earth Deities?" The deities kowtowed and said, "We report to the Great Sage: this mountain is called the Six-Hundred-Li Diamond-Head Mountain. For every ten li there is one Mountain God and one Earth Deity, so altogether there should be thirty Mountain Gods and thirty Earth Deities. We heard yesterday that the Great Sage had come, but because we could not all assemble at once, our greeting was delayed, causing the Great Sage to be angry. We beg your forgiveness." Wukong said, "I shall spare you punishment for now. I ask you: how many demons are there on this mountain?" The deities said, "Oh, Grandfather! There is only one demon, but he has rubbed our heads bald, left us short of incense and paper offerings, and completely deprived us of blood sacrifices. Each of us has not enough clothes to cover our bodies or food to fill our mouths—and you still ask how many demons there are?" Wukong said, "Does this demon live in the front of the mountain or the back?" The deities said, "He lives neither in front nor in back. There is a ravine in this mountain called Withered-Song Ravine. Beside the ravine is a cave called Fire-Cloud Cave. In that cave is a Demon King of vast supernatural powers. He often seizes us Mountain Gods and Earth Deities to tend his fires and guard his gate, and at night to carry his bell and shout his watchwords. His lesser imps also demand regular tribute money." Wukong said, "You are all yin-spirit immortals—what money do you have?" The deities said, "Exactly, we have no money to give him, so we can only catch a few mountain deer and wild deer to provide for the hordes of demons morning and evening. If we have nothing to offer, he comes to tear down our temples and strip off our clothes, causing us endless unrest. We beg the Great Sage to exterminate this fiend and save the living beings on this mountain." Wukong said, "Since you are under his control and often at his cave, do you know what kind of demon he is and what his name is?" The deities said, "Speaking of him, perhaps the Great Sage knows him too. He is the son of the Bull Demon King, born of Rakshasi. He cultivated for three hundred years at Flame Mountain and refined the Samādhi True Fire, and his supernatural powers are vast. The Bull Demon King sent him to guard Number Mountain. His childhood name is Red Boy, and his title is the Great King of Holy Infancy."
When Wukong heard this, his heart was filled with joy. He dismissed the Earth Deities and Mountain Gods with a shout, then resumed his true form, leaped down from the peak, and said to Bajie and Sha Seng, "Brothers, be at ease—no need to worry any more. The Master will certainly not be harmed, for the demon is kin to Old Sun." Bajie laughed and said, "Elder Brother, do not lie. You are in East Purvavideha, while he is here in West Aparagodānīya—the distance is immense, separated by myriad waters and thousands of mountains, with two oceans in between—how can he be kin to you?" Wukong said, "Just now that group were all the local Earth Deities and Mountain Gods. I asked them about the demon's origin, and they said he is the son of the Bull Demon King, born of Rakshasi, named Red Boy, titled the Great King of Holy Infancy. Think back: five hundred years ago, when Old Sun caused havoc in Heaven, I roamed all the famous mountains under heaven and sought out heroes of the earth. That Bull Demon King once formed a brotherhood of seven with Old Sun. Among those five or six demon kings, only Old Sun was small in stature, so we called the Bull Demon King our elder brother. This demon is the son of the Bull Demon King, and I know his father. If we trace the relation, I am still his old uncle! How would he dare harm my Master? Let us go at once." Sha Heshang laughed and said, "Elder Brother, as the saying goes: 'If you don't visit for three years, even relatives cease to be kin.' You parted from him five or six hundred years ago, have never exchanged a cup of wine with him, and have sent him no festival gifts—why would he acknowledge any kinship with you?" Wukong said, "Why do you measure people so? As the saying goes: 'A floating leaf of duckweed returns to the great sea—wherever we go in life, we meet again.' Even if he does not acknowledge kinship, he surely would not harm my Master. Even if I do not expect him to offer us a feast, at the very least he will return my Master whole."
The three brothers each prepared with sincere resolve, led the white horse, with the luggage on its back, and followed the main road straight ahead. Without regard for day or night, they traveled over a hundred li when suddenly they saw a pine grove; within the grove was a winding ravine, and below the ravine flowed clear, live water in a swift current. At the end of the ravine there was a stone slab bridge leading to a cave mansion on the other side. Wukong said, "Brothers, look over there—the rocky cliffs are jagged; that must be the demon's dwelling. Let us consult among ourselves: who will watch over the luggage and the horse? Who is willing to go with me across to subdue the demon?" Bajie said, "Elder Brother, Old Pig has little patience for sitting still—I will go with you." Wukong said, "Good, good." He instructed, "Sha Seng, hide the horse and luggage deep in the forest and guard them carefully, while the two of us go to his door to find the Master." Sha Seng obeyed the order. Bajie followed, and together with Wukong they each took up their weapons and advanced. Thus:
The infant's unrefined evil fire prevails,
While Mind-Ape and Wood-Mother give mutual aid.
But whether this journey brings good or ill fortune,
Pray listen to the next chapter's explanation.