Chapter 12

Poem: Seeking the monk, hard it was to release Xu Lang, Thus called the famed mountain's waves to turn and surge. How many times has spring's breeze turned feelings tender? Meeting again, as if in a dream we gaze. Now as to Lady Bai: on that day, after Hanwen had left the house, her mind was restless and uneasy. She waited until dusk, but he had not returned; her eyelids twitched and her ears burned, and she grew extremely anxious. She called out: "Xiaoqing, the Master went out to the Xu family this morning—why has he still not come back? My heart is most unsettled." Xiaoqing said: "If Your Ladyship is so concerned, let your servant go and see." Thereupon she mounted a demon cloud and, hovering in midair, looked about in all directions. The Xu household was silent and still, with no trace of him; she turned her head and glanced at Jinshan Temple—and there he was, inside the temple. She then wheeled her cloud about and returned, calling out: "Your Ladyship, it turns out that the Master has gone to visit Jinshan Temple, and that is why he has not come home." When Lady Bai heard this, her face was involuntarily filled with sorrow, and tears streamed from both eyes. Xiaoqing asked in alarm, and Lady Bai sighed: "Xiaoqing, how could you know? In this Jinshan Temple there is an old monk named Zen Master Fahai, whose dharma power is profound and extraordinary. If the Master has gone to the temple to amuse himself, he will surely explain everything to him and expose the foundation of you and me; the Master will certainly be detained by him, and our love as husband and wife will be severed from this day on." Having said this, she wept bitterly. Xiaoqing urged: "Your Ladyship, why must you grieve so? The wild Daoist of Maoshan two years ago boasted of his power, yet he was still humiliated by Your Ladyship. Why then should you fear this bald donkey of Jinshan today?" Lady Bai said: "Xiaoqing, you know only one thing and not the other. This Fahai's Buddhist dharma is sublime and wonderful, not comparable to that of Maoshan. Now we cannot use force. You and I shall go together to Jinshan and earnestly beg the Zen Master, to see whether he will release the Master." Xiaoqing said: "Your Ladyship's plan is not amiss." The two demons immediately mounted clouds and arrived at Jinshan Temple. They lowered their cloud heads and walked to the mountain gate, where they saw a young novice sitting before the temple. Lady Bai approached and called out: "Elder Brother, may we trouble you to go in and announce to the old master that we are relatives of Master Xu and have come to seek Master Xu to return with us." The novice listened, then went to the abbot's quarters and reported: "May I inform the Grand Master that outside the mountain gate have come two women, who say they are the esteemed family of Master Xu and wish to find Master Xu to take him back." Fahai laughed and said: "Ignorant evil creatures! How little you know of death, that you dare come to this place." Thereupon he put on his Vairocana crown, wore his purple cassock, held in his left hand a dragon staff, and in his right hand a golden alms bowl. Fahai mustered his spirit, stepped out of the mountain gate, pointed at Lady Bai, and scolded: "Evil creature! I am a Buddhist, merciful by nature, and I think of your long years of cultivation and am reluctant to harm you. That you deluded Hanwen might be overlooked—but today you are brazen enough to come to my Jinshan. Withdraw at once, and I will spare your lives. Otherwise, it will be a pity that your thousand years of cultivation will turn to ashes in an instant—and then it will be too late to repent." Lady Bai, having no alternative, knelt and called out: "Buddha, consider that I, this lowly creature, did not delude Hanwen; we have been husband and wife for several years, all due to a former destiny. I beg you, Buddha, to extend your convenience and release Hanwen—I shall be deeply grateful." Fahai said: "Do I not know that you truly have a former destiny with him? But you are already pregnant, and must no longer cling to Hanwen. Seize the early opportunity to return to your mountain and await your time of gestation. If you persist in your prattle here, do not blame me for being unmerciful." Lady Bai pleaded several times, but Fahai would not yield. Xiaoqing, watching from the side, could not restrain the fire in her heart and cursed: "Bald donkey! Since you are a disciple of Buddhism, convenience should come first. If you break apart human love and affection, you will fall forever into hell. Let me seize you, you bald donkey, and tear you into ten thousand pieces, to quench this hatred!" Having said that, she untied the red silk scarf at her side, cast it into the air, and transformed it into a fiery dragon, which flew straight at Fahai's face. Fahai saw it and laughed heartily: "Such petty tricks—you dare to show off before an expert?" He then raised the alms bowl in his right hand and took the fiery dragon into the bowl. Lady Bai also grew spirited and called out: "Monk, look at my treasure!" From her mouth she spat out a pearl, dazzling and radiant, which flew at his face. Fahai saw it and felt a shock of alarm; he had no choice but to cast his alms bowl up into the air. At once, there appeared myriad beams of rosy light and thousands of strands of auspicious vapor, which intercepted the pearl, and then the bowl descended over Lady Bai's head. When Lady Bai saw the Buddhist treasure, she was so terrified that her soul fled and her spirit scattered; hurriedly she withdrew her pearl, and together with Xiaoqing mounted a cloud and fled away. Fahai put away his alms bowl, turned and entered the temple, went to the great hall and sat down; he ordered the drums and bells struck to assemble all the monks of the temple. Fahai spoke: "All of you, listen to my instructions. Today the serpent demons fought dharma with me; when they saw the Buddhist treasure, they fled through the air, but they will not be reconciled. Tonight they will certainly return to flood Jinshan with water and drown countless living beings in Zhenjiang—this is all ordained by heaven. I now give each of you a spirit talisman; tonight you must paste them on your hands. I will cover the temple gate with my purple cassock, and we need not fear the serpent demons' watery calamity. Tonight I shall guard the mountain gate and see what the serpent demons can do. All of you must also be careful and attentive." The assembly obeyed, received the talismans, and each went to prepare—no more of that. Now to Lady Bai: she fled home with Xiaoqing, tears streaming from her eyes. Xiaoqing called out: "Your Ladyship, detestable is that bald donkey Fahai, who stubbornly refuses to release the Master, and moreover our treasure has been taken by him. This servant will go with Your Ladyship tonight to Jinshan again, seize that bald donkey, and find the Master—what do you think?" Lady Bai sighed: "Xiaoqing, his dharma power is great, and moreover his alms bowl is fearsome—as you have seen with your own eyes. Fortunately we escaped, so we did not perish under the bowl. If we go again tonight, we can only prostrate ourselves and beg piteously, to see whether he will relent." Now as the red sun sank in the west and the jade mirror rose in the east, the two demons once again mounted clouds and came to Jinshan. They saw Fahai seated before the temple, its gate tightly shut, with nets of heaven and arrays of earth spread across the mountain gate. Lady Bai and Xiaoqing knelt and pleaded: "Buddha, we beg you to open wide your compassion and release Master Xu—your lowly creatures will ever be grateful." Fahai shouted: "Evil creatures! Xu has already shaved his head and become a monk in this temple. Think no more of him; return to your lair early, and spare your miserable lives." When Lady Bai saw that his tone was too hard, she knew he would certainly not release him; she rose with Xiaoqing and cursed: "Cruel bald donkey! For separating me from my husband, I swear we shall not both live under the same sky." She then spat out her pearl and struck at his face. Fahai hurriedly raised his alms bowl and took the pearl; then he cast his staff to strike Lady Bai. Fortunately, a savior came through the air—and who was this savior? It was the Star of Literature from the upper realm. Because Lady Bai carried in her womb a future Number One Scholar, a matter of no small importance, the Star of Literature used the tip of his brush to hold back the staff, thus saving Lady Bai. Lady Bai, having been spared, fled with Xiaoqing on a cloud. Fahai saw this and understood the reason; he put away his staff, covered the temple gate with his purple cassock, paced the Dipper steps, and guarded Jinshan—no more of that. Lady Bai and Xiaoqing fled home, gnashing their teeth in hatred: "This bald scoundrel is truly detestable! He detains my beloved and takes my treasure. Enough—one action, no second thoughts; I will strike with a deadly hand, flood Jinshan, and drown all these bald donkeys in the temple, to quench this hatred!" Xiaoqing heard this and praised her without cease. Lady Bai then mounted a cloud with Xiaoqing, flew into the air, chanted true incantations, and summoned the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas. In no time, the Four Dragon Kings arrived and said: "What are Your Ladyship's commands?" Lady Bai said: "I order you to fetch water and flood Jinshan." The Dragon King accepted the command and immediately led his fish soldiers and shrimp generals to raise clouds and dispense rain. In an instant, the earth was covered with surging silver waves and snowy billows, flooding up to Jinshan. When Fahai saw the water coming, he recited his true words and shook open his cassock; the monks cast their spirit talismans down upon the water, and at once the water's force retreated, roaring and tumbling down the mountain. But the Dragon Kings could not rein it in, and the water surged skyward, flooding down the mountain. Pitiable—within Zhenjiang city, regardless of rich or poor, noble or humble, every household suffered disaster, every family met calamity, and countless living beings were drowned. Lady Bai was greatly alarmed at this and hurriedly said to Xiaoqing, "Look—the sea water could not flood Jinshang, but instead it drowned countless lives in Zhenjiang. I have now committed a monstrous sin. Better that we flee back to Qingfeng Cave and stay there for a time, then decide what to do." Xiaoqing said, "My lady's plan is right." Lady Bai thanked the Dragon King, and the Dragon King led his multitude of water creatures back to the sea. Lady Bai at once mounted the clouds with Xiaoqing and flew straight back to Qingfeng Cave. Thus it is said: 　　This day she could summon waves for a thousand li; 　　Another time she would be crushed beneath Leifeng. Now to tell of the monks of Jinshan Temple—they were in confusion all night. At daybreak, Fahai withdrew his dharma, put away his cassock, and returned to the abbot's quarters. After the monks had paid their respects, Fahai said to Hanwen, "Your wife flooded Zhenjiang with water and drowned countless living beings, committing a monstrous sin. Now she has fled to Qingfeng Cave to hide. This place is also not where you should dwell for long; moreover, your term of punishment has been fulfilled, and you may return to your native place. I have a junior fellow disciple who is the abbot at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. I will now write a letter for you to take with you. You may stay in his temple and enjoy a life of peace, free from the calamities of the mundane world." Having said this, he wrote a letter and gave it to Hanwen. Hanwen bowed in thanks for Fahai's life-saving grace, took the letter, took leave of Fahai, and set off down the mountain. Looking into the distance at Zhenjiang, he saw only a vast expanse of white earth; he reckoned that the Xu family must also have suffered this disaster, and his heart was filled with deep grief. Along the way, when hungry he ate, when thirsty he drank; at dusk he lodged, at dawn he traveled—but we need not dwell on that. Now Lady Bai was in the cave, pining for Hanwen, grieving all day long. Xiaoqing came forward and urged her, "My lady, do not worry. Let your humble servant go to Jinshan Temple to learn news of the young master, and then we can plan further—what do you think?" Lady Bai nodded in agreement. Xiaoqing then mounted the clouds and arrived at Jinshan. She transformed herself into a flying moth and flew into the temple, learning all about Hanwen's situation. She promptly flew back to Qingfeng Cave and told Lady Bai in detail how Fahai had ordered Hanwen to return to Hangzhou. Lady Bai was overjoyed and at once left the cave with Xiaoqing, riding the clouds toward Hangzhou. The two spirits, from atop the clouds, saw Hanwen walking in Hangzhou at a place called Diedi Bridge. They then descended from the clouds and came to meet him along the road. She called out, "Where is my husband going?" Hanwen raised his eyes and looked—he was so startled that his soul almost left his body. Lady Bai, with tears streaming down her face, said, "Husband, you heeded heretical words and suspected your wife of being a demon. Since we were wed, your wife has managed our affairs for several years and helped build our family fortune. Even if your wife were indeed a demon, she has never harmed a single hair of your body. Husband, please think carefully." Hanwen said, "I have now become a monk. You need not pester me any more." Lady Bai laughed coldly and said, "Husband, you are truly foolish. If you become a monk, who will carry on the Xu family line and offer sacrifices? Besides, the child in my womb is your own flesh and blood. Even if you have no regard for husband-and-wife affection, you should still think of father-and-son love." Having said this, she wept sorrowfully. Hanwen, caught at his weak point, was silent for a long time, and then thought of their years of love—his heart could not help but soften somewhat. Xiaoqing stepped forward and said, "Young master, you need not be so suspicious. My lady values her chastity and would never give herself to another man. Because you went sightseeing to Jinshan and did not return home for several days, she and I could not rest easy and went personally to Jinshan to look for you. As it happened, the flood rose and the entire city of Zhenjiang suffered—fortunately we were both at Jinshan and were not buried in the bellies of fish. But our home is ruined, and we are stuck between advance and retreat. Because when you were suffering in Suzhou two years ago, my lady privately deposited several hundred taels of silver at the home of your Uncle Li in Hangzhou. Now, at a loss for what to do, we wanted to return to Hangzhou, and we are fortunate to meet you here by heaven's grace. I beg you, young master, to change your mind and not disappoint my lady's steadfast devotion." When Hanwen heard this, he could not help but feel heartache. He called out, "Virtuous wife, your foolish husband was momentarily blind and misled by the foul words of that shaven-headed monk, wrongly suspecting you. I beg you to forgive me!" Lady Bai took Hanwen's hand and said, "If my husband is willing to turn back, so that I need not sigh of white-haired regret, that would be your kindness—what fault could there be?" Hanwen was overjoyed and said, "Virtuous wife, where shall we go to settle now?" Lady Bai said, "Husband, we have silver deposited at our uncle Li's place. Let us go there together, use the silver to plan some livelihood, and then decide later—how about that?" Hanwen said, "My wife's plan is not wrong." So the three of them returned together to Qiantang. This time they went, and it would lead to: kin upon kin, and enmity within enmity. If you wish to know what happened next, listen to the explanation in the following chapter.