Chapter 35

The nature originally perfect, the Way of itself is open; Turning over, he leaps out from the net that held him fast. To cultivate transformations is no easy task; To refine longevity—how could it be like the common lot? Clear and turbid, through many turns he follows the cycles; Splitting open several kalpas, he roams east and west. Carefree for myriads of millions of years without reckoning, A single ray of spirit-light forever fixed upon the Void. This poem secretly accords with the subtle wonder of the Great Sage Sun. Since he had obtained that true treasure of the demon, and held it concealed in his sleeve, he was delighted, and said, "That vile demon took great pains to capture me—truly it may be called 'fishing for the moon in the water'; but if Old Sun wants to capture you, it is like 'making ice over a fire.'" He hid the gourd, stealthily slipped out the gate, resumed his original form, and called out in a loud voice, "Monster-spirit, open the gate!" A nearby little demon said, "What person are you again, that you dare to shout here?" Pilgrim said, "Quickly report to that old vile demon of yours that Pilgrim Sun has come." That little demon hurried inside and reported, "Great King, outside the gate there is some Pilgrim Sun come." The Old Demon was greatly alarmed and said, "Worthy brother, this is bad—we have stirred up a whole nest of them. The Golden-Bright Rope now has Pilgrim Sun tied up, the gourd now contains Zhe Xing Sun inside—how is it that there is also some Pilgrim Sun? I think several of his brothers have all come." The Second Demon said, "Elder brother, be at ease. This gourd of mine can hold a thousand men. I have only just put in one Zhe Xing Sun—why fear any Pilgrim Sun? Let me go out and have a look, and put him in as well." The Old Demon said, "Brother, be careful." Now watch that Second Demon take the false gourd, just as before, with fierce bearing and proud spirit, and stride out the gate, calling loudly, "What place are you from, that you dare to shout here?" Pilgrim said, "You don't recognize me: My home is Flower-Fruit Mountain, My ancestry the Water-Curtain Cave. Only because I caused havoc in Heaven, For a long time I ceased my strife. Now fortunately I have escaped calamity, Left the Dao and follow a monk's use. By command I go to Thunderclap, Seek scriptures to return to right awakening. I meet you wild vile demon, And thus display my magic powers. Return my Tang monk to me, That he may go west to worship the Buddha-Sage. Let both sides cease their warfare, Each keep to its peaceful borders. Do not stir Old Sun's temper, Lest you lose your very lives." That demon said, "You come here first. I will not fight with you, but if I call your name, dare you answer?" Pilgrim laughed and said, "If you call me, I will answer; but if I call you, will you answer?" That demon said, "When I call you, it is because I have a precious gourd that can hold people. When you call me, what object do you have?" Pilgrim said, "I also have a gourd." That demon said, "If you have it, bring it out and let me see." Pilgrim then took the gourd from his sleeve and said, "Vile demon, look." He shook it once, then hid it back in his sleeve, fearing the demon might snatch it. When that demon saw it, he was greatly startled and said, "Where did his gourd come from? How is it exactly the same as mine? Even if they had grown on the same vine, there would be some difference in size, some unevenness in shape—how can they be completely identical?" He then assumed a serious expression and called out, "Pilgrim Sun, where did that gourd of yours come from?" Pilgrim truly did not know its origin, but he took up the question and asked him back, "Where did that gourd of yours come from?" That demon did not realize it was a trick, but thought it was a straightforward question, and so he told the whole origin from the beginning, saying, "This gourd of mine—when the primal chaos first divided, when Heaven and Earth were opened, there was a Supreme Ancestor Lord, who transformed under the name of Nüwa, smelted stones to mend Heaven, and saved the Jambudvipa world. When mending the qian quadrant where the earth was lacking, at the foot of Mount Kunlun he saw a strand of immortal vine, upon which grew this purple-gold red gourd—and that is what Lord Lao left behind to this day." When the Great Sage heard this, he caught up his meaning and said, "My gourd also came from there." The demon chieftain said, "How is that proved?" The Great Sage said, "When clear and turbid first opened, Heaven was not whole in the northwest, Earth was not whole in the southeast. The Supreme Dao Ancestor, transforming as Nüwa, mended Heaven's flaw, and when he came to the foot of Mount Kunlun, there was an immortal vine, and on that vine grew two gourds. The one I obtained is the male, and that one you have is the female." That monster said, "Do not speak of male or female—so long as it can hold people, it is a good treasure." The Great Sage said, "What you say is also right. I will let you go first." That monster was very pleased, and quickly leaped up into the air, held up his gourd, and called out, "Pilgrim Sun." When the Great Sage heard it, he answered without pause, eight or nine times in succession, yet he could not be drawn in. That demon dropped back down, stamped his feet and beat his breast, crying, "Heavens! They said the ways of the world never change—but even such a treasure as this fears its husband! When the female sees the male, it dares not hold him in!" Pilgrim laughed and said, "You put yours away now. It is Old Sun's turn to call you." He quickly mounted his somersault cloud, leaped up, turned the gourd's bottom toward the sky and its mouth toward the earth, aimed it squarely at the demon, and called out, "Silver Horn Great King." That monster dared not keep his mouth shut, and so answered once. In an instant he was drawn inside, and Pilgrim pasted on the strip reading "Supreme Lord Lao, Urgently, As by Decree, In Accordance with the Command." He was secretly pleased and thought, "My son, today you too get to try something new." He then descended from the cloud, holding the gourd, his every thought bent on saving his master, and made his way back toward Lotus-Flower Cave. The mountain paths were all rough and uneven, and besides, he had bowlegs, so he hobbled along, and the gourd in his hand clattered and rattled without cease. Do you know why it made such a sound? It was because the Great Sage Sun's body had been refined through trial, and could not be quickly dissolved; though that monster could also ride clouds and mist, it was only by magic arts—at base his mortal frame had not been cast off, and once inside the treasure he dissolved. Pilgrim did not yet realize he had dissolved, and laughed, saying, "My son, I wonder if you are pissing, or if you are rinsing your mouth? This is a trade Old Sun has plied before. I won't open the lid to look until seven or eight days have passed and you are melted into thin juice. Why rush? What is the urgency? Thinking how easily I got out, I should not look for a thousand years!" Holding the gourd and talking to himself, he reached the cave entrance before he knew it, and shook the gourd—it rattled even more. He said, "This sounds like a divination tube rattling—quite good for casting lots. Let Old Sun cast a lot and see when Master will come out." Watch him shake it ceaselessly in his hand, and chant without pause: "King Wen of Zhou, the Sage Confucius, Maiden Peach-Blossom, Master Guigu—" The little demons inside the cave saw this and said, "Great King, disaster! Pilgrim Sun has put the Second Great King in the gourd and is casting lots with it!" When the Old Demon heard these words, he was so terrified that his soul fled and his spirit scattered, his bones softened and his sinews numbed. He fell to the ground with a crash and broke into loud weeping, saying, "Worthy brother! You and I secretly left the upper realm and entrusted ourselves to the mortal dust, hoping together to enjoy glory and ever be lords of this mountain cave. How could I know that because of this monk, your life would be lost and my bond of brotherhood severed?" All the host of demons in the cave wept together. Zhu Bajie, hanging from the beam, heard the whole family wailing together and could not help but call out: "Demon, stop your weeping for a while, and let old Pig tell you. The one who came first was Sun Xingzhe, the one who came next was Zhe Xingzun, the one who came last was Xingzhe Sun—reversing and repeating these three characters, they are all one and the same senior disciple-brother of mine. He has seventy-two transformations, can vault and dart in, stole your treasure, and bottled your younger brother. Your younger brother is already dead, so stop this carrying-on of mourning. Quickly scour your stove and cauldron clean, prepare some fragrant mushrooms, agaric mushrooms, tea shoots, bamboo shoots, bean curd, gluten, wood ear fungus, and vegetables, invite my master and us disciples down, and recite for your younger brother the Sutra of Rebirth." When the Old Demon heard this, he flew into a great rage and said: "They said Zhu Bajie was honest, but it turns out he is not honest at all! He dares to make a jest of me." He called out: "Little demons, stop this mourning at once. Untie Zhu Bajie and steam him until he is thoroughly done. After I have eaten my fill, I will go seize Sun Xingzhe to avenge my brother." Sha Seng rebuked Bajie, saying: "Well done! I told you not to talk too much—he who talks too much gets steamed and eaten first." The idiot was indeed somewhat frightened. One little demon beside him said: "Great King, Zhu Bajie is not good to steam." Bajie said: "Amitābha! Which elder brother is accumulating virtuous merit? It is true that I am not good to steam." Then another demon said: "If you skin him, he will be good to steam." Bajie panicked and said: "Good to steam, good to steam! Though my hide and bones are coarse, they will fall apart as soon as the water boils—sizzle, sizzle!" While they were still arguing, a little demon from outside the front gate reported: "Xingzhe Sun is at the gate again, hurling abuse!" The Old Demon was greatly startled again and said: "This fellow thinks I have no one here." He ordered: "Little ones, hang Zhu Bajie back up as before. Check and see how many treasures we still have." The little demon in charge of the household said: "There are still three treasures in the cave." The Old Demon asked: "Which three?" The steward said: "There is still the Seven-Star Sword, the Banana-Leaf Fan, and the Pure Vase." The Old Demon said: "That vase is useless—originally, it was used to call a person, and if the person answered, he would be bottled. But instead, we taught the oral formula to that Sun Xingzhe, and he turned around and bottled our own brother. Don't use it—leave it in the house. Quickly bring the sword and the fan." The steward promptly presented the two treasures to the Old Demon. The Old Demon tucked the Banana-Leaf Fan into the back of his collar, took up the Seven-Star Sword in his hand, and mustered more than three hundred great and small demons, ordering each and every one to take up spears and staves, arrange ropes, and brandish sabers. The Old Demon donned his helmet and armor, and over them wore a dazzling crimson silk robe. The horde of demons arrayed themselves in battle formation and sallied forth to seize the Great Sage Sun. Now the Great Sage Sun had long known that the Second Demon had been transformed inside the gourd; he tied it up securely, tucked it at his waist, and grasped his Golden-Banded Staff in hand, ready for battle. Just then he saw the old demon come leaping out of the gate beneath fluttering red banners. How was he arrayed? The tassels on his helmet blazed with light, The belt at his waist gleamed with rainbow hues. His armor was built of dragon scales, Over it a crimson robe like raging fire. His round eyes flashed like lightning, His steel whiskers billowed like drifting smoke. The Seven-Star Sword was held lightly in his hand, The Banana-Leaf Fan half-covered his shoulder. He moved like flowing clouds leaving the sea and mountains, His voice like thunder startling the rivers and peaks. His awe-inspiring might could overawe heaven's generals, In fury he led his demon host from the cave's mouth. The Old Demon quickly ordered the little demons to draw up their battle formation, and cursed: "You monkey, you are utterly without manners. You have harmed my brother, injured my own flesh and blood—this is hateful beyond measure!" Xingzhe cursed back: "You death-seeking freak! You cannot bear to part with the life of a single demon. Yet my master and my junior disciples—four living beings including the horse—are hanging idly in your cave. How can my heart bear it? How can reason accept it? Hurry and send them out to me, add plenty of traveling expenses, and send old Sun off happily—then I may spare the dog-life of you old demon." The fiend would not allow any further argument; he raised his treasured sword and slashed at the head. The Great Sage raised his iron staff to meet the blow. This was a fine fight outside the cave gate. Ah! The Golden-Banded Staff and the Seven-Star Sword— As they clashed, their rosy light flashed like lightning. Chilling cold pressed upon men with a deathly bite, Dark clouds rolled over the mountain ridges. The one fought for the sake of brotherhood, And would not yield a single advantage; The other fought for the sutra-seeking monk, And could not delay a single moment. Both nursed the same hatred for each other, Each harbored furious resentment. They fought till heaven darkened and earth dimmed, till spirits and ghosts were terrified, Till the sun paled and smoke thickened, as dragon and tiger contended. One grit his teeth so hard they seemed to crush jade nails, The other glared with eyes that shot golden flames. Back and forth they vied in prowess, Their staff and sword ceaselessly whirling and turning. The Old Demon fought with the Great Sage for twenty rounds, with no clear victor. He pointed with the tip of his sword and shouted: "Little demons, all attack at once!" The three hundred and more spirits surged forward together, surrounding Xingzhe in the center. But the Great Sage showed no fear; wielding his staff, he charged left and right, parrying in front and warding off behind. The little demons all had skill—the more he struck them, the more they pressed forward, clinging to him like wadding, grasping at his waist and pulling at his legs, none willing to fall back. The Great Sage grew flustered and immediately employed his Body Beyond Body technique: he plucked a handful of hairs from under his left armpit, chewed them up, spat them out, and shouted: "Change!" Each one turned into a Xingzhe. Look at them—the tall ones wielded staves, the short ones swung fists, and the very smallest, with nowhere else to strike, clung to the shins and gnawed at the bones. They beat the little demons until they scattered like falling stars and dispersing clouds, all crying out together: "Great King! Things are not going well, how difficult it is! All over the ground and covering the mountains—there are nothing but Sun Xingzhes!" With this Body Beyond Body art the host of demons was driven back, leaving only the Old Demon surrounded in the middle, chased east and west, with no way out. The demon panicked. Holding his treasured sword in his left hand, he reached behind his neck with his right and drew out the Banana-Leaf Fan. Facing southeast—the Bing-Ding fire, directly opposite the Li Palace—he gave one mighty flap of the fan downward. Instantly the very ground burst into blazing flames. This treasure, indeed, could fan forth fire with no cause. The fiend was utterly ruthless—he flapped the fan seven or eight times, and the fire blazed to the heavens and seared the earth, soaring with fierce flames. A splendid fire: This fire was not the fire of heaven, nor the fire of the furnace, nor the fire of the mountain, nor the fire beneath the stove—it was a single spark of numinous light naturally drawn from the Five Elements. Nor was this fan an ordinary thing of the mortal world, nor a thing wrought by human hands—it was a true treasure produced since the creation and division of primal chaos. Using this fan to fan this fire, it blazed brilliantly like lightning tearing through red silk; it shone dazzlingly like rosy clouds flying over crimson brocade. There was not a wisp of green smoke—only red flames covering the whole mountain. It burned until the pines on the ridge became trees of fire, and the cypresses before the cliffs turned into lanterns. The beasts in their dens, clinging to life, dashed east and fled west; the birds in the forest, cherishing their feathers, flew high and far away. This divine fire soared through the air, burning until rocks crumbled and streams dried, all the land red. Seeing this fearsome fire, the Great Sage's heart trembled with alarm. He said: "Disaster! I myself can endure it, but my hairs will not—once they fall into this fire, would it not be as easy as singeing hair?" He shook his body and gathered all the hairs back onto himself. He transformed only one into a false body to flee from the fire and avoid calamity. His true body, pressing the Fire-Avoidance Spell, vaulted up with a somersault and soared out of the great fire, heading straight for the Lotus Flower Cave, intent on rescuing his master. He hurried to the gate, lowered his cloud, and saw a hundred or more little demons outside the cave, all with broken heads and fractured legs, torn flesh and split skin—these were the very ones wounded by his分身法, all standing there groaning and enduring the pain. When the Great Sage saw this, he could not restrain his fierce and violent nature; he raised his iron staff and smashed his way straight in. Alas—the fruits of their bitter cultivation of human form were cut short, and they reverted once more to their old hides and pelts. That Great Sage had beaten all the lesser demons to death and charged into the cave, intending to rescue his master. But then he saw flames blazing within, which so startled him that he grew frantic and said, "Alas, alas! This fire has started from the back gate. Old Sun will find it hard to save his master now." Just as he was in dread, he looked carefully—ah! It was not fire at all, but a ray of golden light. He steadied his mind and peered inside—it was the mutton-fat jade vase emitting light. He rejoiced inwardly and said, "What a fine treasure! This vase was once carried up the mountain by that lesser demon, and Old Sun obtained it, but never expected that fiend to search it out again. Today it is hidden here, and it still gives forth light." See how he stole this vase, overjoyed, and without rescuing his master, swiftly turned and fled out of the cave. No sooner had he left the door than he saw the demon king coming from the south, bearing his precious sword in hand and carrying the fan. Great Sage Sun could not avoid him in time, and the old demon raised his sword and struck straight at his head. Great Sage urgently leaped up on his Somersault Cloud and fled without trace—but we shall not speak of that now. Now when that fiend reached the cave entrance, he saw corpses strewn all over the ground—they were the many spirits under his command. He was so alarmed that he raised his head and sighed to heaven, unable to stop himself from crying aloud, "Bitter! Painful!" There is a poem to prove it. The poem says: How hateful that ape so wild and horse so vile, The immortal embryo transferred, descended to the mortal pile. Only because wrong thoughts made him leave heaven's gate, Causing him to lose himself and fall to this mountain's fate. The wild goose lost from the flock—feelings deep and true, The demon troops all slain—tears in ceaseless flow. When will this karmic debt be unlocked and cleared, To return to the root, to the original, and ascend the pass revered? The old demon, filled with shame and dismay, step by step wailing, entered the cave weeping. He saw that all the furnishings and implements were still there, yet only silence reigned—not a human form in sight. His sorrow deepened, and he grew even more desolate. He sat alone in the cave, crouching over the stone table, leaning his precious sword against the table's edge, tucking the fan behind his shoulder, and sank into a dazed slumber. As the saying goes: When joy comes to a man, his spirit is brisk; when gloom seizes the heart, drowsiness is thick. Now Great Sage Sun turned his Somersault Cloud around and halted before the mountain, thinking to rescue his master. He secured the vase firmly at his waist and went straight to the cave entrance to scout. Seeing the two doors wide open and utter stillness, with no sign of activity, he then stepped lightly and slipped inside. There he saw the demon leaning against the stone table, snoring loudly. The plantain fan had slipped from his shoulder garment, half covering the back of his head; the Seven-Star Sword still leaned askew by the table. He quietly stepped forward, pulled out the fan, and swiftly turned—whoosh—and dashed out. But the handle of the fan brushed against the fiend's hair and woke him at once. Looking up, he saw it was Sun Pilgrim who had stolen it, and hurriedly seized his sword and gave chase. But Great Sage had already leaped out before the door, tucked the fan at his waist, swung open his iron cudgel with both hands, and stood to oppose the fiend. This bout was a fine slaughter: The vile demon king was enraged, His fury rose, his crown-hair stood on end. In hatred he wished to grab and swallow whole, But could not ease the anger in his soul. With foul mouth he cursed the monkey: "Old monster, you make sport of men, You have slain so many of my kind, And still come to steal my treasures. This fight I will never forgive, Today we settle life or death." Great Sage cursed the demon in turn: "You know not your own place! A disciple dares to strive with Old Sun— How can a pile of eggs shatter stone?" The precious sword came, the iron cudgel went, Neither side showed mercy or grace. Again and again they staked their win or loss, Three turns, four rounds, they displayed their martial prowess. All for the monk who sought the scriptures, To worship at the Buddha's seat on Spirit Mountain. Thus fire and metal could not agree, The five elements disturbed, their harmony broken; They flaunted their might and displayed their magic, Flying rocks and whirling sand—showing their skills. The battle wore on till the sun drew to dusk, The demon's strength failed, and he first retreated. The old demon fought with Great Sage for thirty or forty rounds, but as evening fell, he could not withstand the onslaught and fled in defeat, heading straight southwest to seek refuge in Yalong Cave—but we shall not speak of that. Great Sage then lowered his cloud, burst into Lotus Flower Cave, and untied Tang Monk, Bajie, and Sha Monk. The three, delivered from calamity, thanked Pilgrim and asked, "Where have the demons gone?" Pilgrim said, "The second demon has been sealed in the gourd and should by now have dissolved. The first demon just fled in defeat toward Yalong Mountain to the southwest. As for the lesser demons of the whole cave, half were killed by Old Sun with his分身法; of those that retreated in defeat, Old Sun slew them all. Only then could I enter here and release you." Tang Monk thanked him endlessly, saying, "Disciple, how much toil you have endured." Pilgrim laughed and said, "Indeed it has been toil. You have merely hung there in pain, but Old Sun never once stopped his feet—worse than a courier in an express post, running back and forth, ceaselessly. Only by stealing his treasures could I subdue the demons." Zhu Bajie said, "Elder Brother, bring out that gourd and let us have a look. I fear that second demon has already dissolved." Great Sage first untied the vase, then brought out the golden rope and the fan, and finally took the gourd in hand, saying, "Do not look, do not look. He once sealed Old Sun inside, but Old Sun rinsed his mouth and tricked him into opening the lid, and so Old Sun escaped. We must not open it, lest he also play tricks and get away." The master and disciples, filled with joy, found the grain, flour, and vegetables in the cave, cleaned the stove and pots, and prepared a vegetarian meal. After a hearty feast, they slept in the cave. That night passed without incident, and soon it was dawn. Now the old demon went straight to Yalong Mountain, gathered all the great and small female fiends, and recounted in full how his mother had been beaten to death, his brother sealed away, his demon troops annihilated, and his treasures stolen. All the female fiends wept together, mourning for a long while, and then said, "Do not grieve too much. We still have this Seven-Star Sword. We shall rally all you female soldiers and go behind Yalong Mountain to borrow aid from our outside relatives. We must capture that Sun Pilgrim and avenge ourselves." Before they finished speaking, a lesser demon at the gate reported, "Great King, the Old Maternal Uncle from behind the mountain is leading a number of soldiers here." Hearing this, the old demon quickly changed into plain white mourning clothes and bowed in welcome. This Old Maternal Uncle was his mother's younger brother, named Great King Fox Aqi. Upon hearing from the scout demons that his elder sister had been beaten to death by Sun Pilgrim, who had then taken her form, stolen his nephew's treasures, and had been fighting for days on Pingding Mountain, he had mustered over two hundred demon soldiers from his own cave and come specially to lend aid. Thus he first came to his sister's home for news. As soon as he entered and saw the old demon in mourning, the two wept together. After weeping for some time, the old demon bowed and recounted all that had happened. Aqi flew into a rage and ordered the old demon to change out of mourning, take up his sword, and muster all the female demons. Joining forces, they rode the wind and clouds and headed straight northeast. Now Great Sage had Sha Monk prepare an early breakfast so they could eat and be on their way. Suddenly he heard the sound of wind, went outside to look, and saw a band of demon soldiers coming from the southwest. Pilgrim was greatly startled, and quickly turned back, calling out to Bajie, "Brother, the demons have summoned reinforcements again." Sanzang, on hearing this, turned pale with fright and said, "Disciple, what shall we do now?" Pilgrim laughed and said, "Fear not, fear not. Bring me all those treasures." Great Sage tied the gourd and vase at his waist, tucked the golden rope into his sleeve, stuck the plantain fan behind his shoulder, and swung his iron cudgel with both hands. He told Sha Monk to guard the master securely inside the cave, and bade Bajie take his rake and join him outside the cave to meet the enemy. That monster arrayed his troops; at the head was King Aqi. He had a fair face and long beard, steel eyebrows and knife-like ears; he wore a golden helmet and chain armor, and grasped a square-heaven halberd. He shouted loudly in abuse: "You impudent monkey, how dare you treat us so! You stole our treasures, wounded our kin, killed our soldiers, and even dare to occupy our cave for long. Quickly, each of you stretch out your necks to die, to avenge my sister's family!" Monkey cursed back: "You bunch of beasts seeking death, you don't recognize your grandfather Sun's abilities. Don't run—take my staff!" That monster dodged aside and met him head-on with his square-heaven halberd. The two fought back and forth on the mountaintop. After three or four rounds, the monster's strength gave out; he turned and fled in defeat. Monkey gave chase but was intercepted by the Old Demon. They fought another three bouts, when Fox Aqi turned back to attack. Seeing this, Pig hastily drew his nine-pronged rake and blocked him. One matched one, and they fought for a long while without either prevailing. Then the Old Demon gave a shout, and all the demon troops surrounded them together. Now Tripitaka was seated in Lotus Cave when he heard shouts shaking the earth, so he called, "Sandy, go out and see how your elder brother is faring." Sandy indeed raised his demon-subduing staff and went out; with a shout, he charged forth and drove back the crowd of demons. Aqi saw that things were going badly and turned to flee; but Pig caught up and, with a rake blow to the back, made nine points of crimson gush forth—pitifully, his single spirit of true nature departed for the next life. They quickly dragged him over and stripped off his clothes to look; he turned out to be also a fox spirit. When the Old Demon saw that his maternal uncle had been slain, he abandoned Monkey, raised his sword, and struck at Pig; Pig parried with his rake. While they were locked in combat, Sandy rushed up close and raised his staff to strike. The demon could not hold his ground; he mounted wind and cloud and fled southward. Pig and Sandy pursued closely. Seeing this, the Great Sage quickly mounted clouds and leaped into the air, unfastened the Pure Vessel, and aimed it at the Old Demon, calling, "Golden Horn King!" The monster, thinking that it was one of his own defeated little demons calling him, turned his head and answered. Whish! He was sucked inside, and Monkey pasted on it the charm "Supreme Elder Lord, Quickly, Quickly, in Accordance with the Decree!" Then the Seven-Star Sword fell to the dust and also came into Monkey's possession. Pig greeted him, saying, "Brother, you have obtained the sword, but where is the demon?" Monkey laughed, "Done! He is already bottled in this vessel of mine." When Sandy heard this, he and Pig were overjoyed. They then thoroughly swept clean all the evil and returned to the cave, reporting joyfully to Tripitaka: "The mountain is cleansed, the demons are gone; please mount the horse, Master, and be on your way." Tripitaka was beside himself with delight. The master and disciples ate their morning meal, packed their luggage and horse, and headed west, seeking the road. As they were traveling, suddenly a blind man appeared by the roadside, came up, and seized Tripitaka's horse, saying: "Monk, where are you going? Give me back my treasures!" Pig was greatly startled, saying: "Oh no! This is the old demon coming for his treasures." Monkey looked carefully and recognized him as Lord Laozi of the Highest, and hastily went forward to greet him, saying, "Old Official, where are you going?" That ancient lord quickly ascended the Jade Bureau Throne and stood in the ninth heaven, calling: "Sun Wukong, give me back my treasures." The Great Sage rose into the air and said: "What treasures?" Lord Laozi said: "The gourd was for my elixir, the Pure Vessel for my water, the sword for subduing demons, the fan for blowing fire, and the cord was one of my girdle ribbons. Those two monsters: one was the boy attending my gold furnace, the other the boy attending my silver furnace. They stole my treasures and descended to the mortal world; I had no way to find them, but now you have captured them and gained merit." The Great Sage said: "You old official, you are truly impolite. Letting your subordinates become evil—you deserve to be charged with lax discipline." Lord Laozi said: "It's not my doing; don't wrongly blame me. It was the Bodhisattva of the Sea who borrowed them from me three times and placed them here to transform into demons to test whether you disciples truly have the resolve to go west." Upon hearing this, the Great Sage thought to himself: "This Bodhisattva is also utterly lazy. At the time she rescued old Sun and ordered me to protect Tripitaka on his journey to the West for scriptures, I said the road was difficult and dangerous; she promised that when I reached a place of dire straits, she would come in person to save me. Now instead she sends demons to obstruct and harm us. Such words are not reliable—she deserves to be husbandless for life. If it weren't for the old official coming in person, I would never give them back. But since you say so, take them." Lord Laozi took back the five treasures, opened the lids of the gourd and the Pure Vessel, and poured out two streams of immortal air. With a gesture of his hand, they again turned into the Gold and Silver boys, who followed at his side. Then myriad rays of rosy cloud appeared, and—hark! Misty and elusive, together they returned to Tushita Palace; Carefree and at ease, they ascended straight to the Great Luotian Heaven. Truly we do not know what further events there will be after this, how the Great Sage Sun will protect Tripitaka, and when they will reach the Western Heaven. Let us listen to the explanation in the next chapter.