The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 3 Read online

  The classic says:

  “The South is the spirit of fire.”

  A few tiny sparks

  Can burn up ten thousand acres,

  For the power of the Third Pneuma

  Can change into a hundred-point fire.

  Now there are fire lances,

  Fire scimitars,

  Fire bows,

  And fire arrows—

  Such the gods of sundry bureaus

  Use in different fashions.

  You see in midair

  Fire crows flying and cawing;

  And all over the mount

  Fire steeds swiftly galloping.

  Red rats in pairs—

  Fire dragons in twos—

  Red rats in pairs throw out mighty flames

  And ten thousand miles are reddened;

  Fire dragons in twos belch thick smoke

  And every corner turns black.

  Fire carts are pushed out;

  Fire gourds are opened.

  Fire banners wave on a skyful of mists;

  Fire rods stir up an earthful of blaze.

  Why speak of Ning Qi8 whipping the ox?

  This is more fierce than Mr. Zhou at Red Cliff .9

  This is a Heaven, not a worldly fire—truly awesome.

  Crackling and roaring it’s a holocaust.

  When the demon saw the fire coming, he was not in the least afraid. He tossed the fillet in the air and with a loud whoosh, it sucked away all those fire dragons, fire horses, fire crows, fire rats, fire bows, and fire arrows. Then he turned toward his cave and went back in triumph.

  The only thing left in the Star of Fiery Virtue’s clutch was a banner, which he used to recall all his warriors to join the devarāja and his followers. As they sat down in the south slope of the mountain, the Star said to Pilgrim, “O Great Sage, truly one seldom sees a vicious demon like this one! Now I’ve lost my fire gear. What shall I do?” “No need to grumble,” said Pilgrim with a smile. “All of you, please take a seat for awhile. Old Monkey will make another trip.” “Where are you going this time?” asked the devarāja, and Pilgrim said, “If that fiendish creature is not afraid of fire, he must be afraid of water. The proverb says, ‘Water can overcome fire.’ Let old Monkey go to the Northern Heaven Gate and ask the Star of Watery Virtue to let loose his water and flood the cave. When that demon king is drowned, I’ll get back your possessions.” “Though this is a good plan,” said the devarāja, “I fear that your master, too, will be drowned.” “Don’t worry,” said Pilgrim. “If my master is drowned, I have a way to revive him. But if I cause you all any further inconvenience, it will not be proper.” “In that case,” said Fiery Virtue, “please go! Please go!”

  Dear Great Sage! Again he mounted the cloud somersault and went before the North Heaven Gate, where he ran at once into the Devarāja Vaiśravaṇa. “Where is the Great Sage Sun going?” asked the devarāja, bowing. Pilgrim said, “I must enter the Dark Vastness Palace and see the Star of Watery Virtue on a certain matter. What are you doing here?” Vaiśravaṇa replied, “Today happens to be my turn to patrol the gate.” As they spoke, the four grand marshals—Pang, Liu, Gou, and Bi—all came forward to greet Pilgrim and invited him to have tea with them. “Don’t trouble yourselves!” said Pilgrim. “My affair’s most urgent.” Taking leave of the deities, he went straight up to the Dark Vastness Palace and asked the deities of the water department to announce him. When the Star of Watery Virtue heard the announcement that the Great Sage Sun Wukong had arrived, he at once commanded that the four seas, the five lakes, the eight rivers, the four great rivers, the three mighty streams, and the nine tributaries be thoroughly searched. The dragon kings at these places were also asked to retire. He then straightened out his clothes to walk out of the palace door to greet his visitor. As they walked back into the palace, the Star said, “Yesterday, Kehan Bureau came to inspect our humble palace, for he feared that some god in this department might have longed for the world. We are still making a thorough investigation of the gods of rivers and seas, and it’s not finished yet.”

  “That demon king isn’t a god of the rivers,” said Pilgrim, “but a much more powerful spirit. At first the Jade Emperor was kind enough to send Devarāja Li, his son, and two thunder squires to try to arrest him down below. He came up with his fillet and six divine weapons were sucked away. Old Monkey had no other choice but to go to the Red Aura Palace and ask the Star of Fiery Virtue to start a fire with the various gods of his department. Once more, the fillet sucked away the fire dragons, the fire horses, and the like. I thought that if this thing was not afraid of fire, it had to be afraid of water. I have come, therefore, especially to ask the Star to unleash your water power, capture that monster-spirit for us, and recover the weapons for the Heaven warriors. The ordeal of my master will also be lifted.”

  When Watery Virtue heard this, he at once gave this order to the Divine King Water Lord of the Yellow River: “Follow the Great Sage and give him assistance.” Taking out a small white jade chalice from his sleeve, Water Lord said, “I have something here to hold water.” “Look at that!” said Pilgrim. “How much can this small chalice hold? How could it drown the demon?” “To tell you the truth, Great Sage,” said Water Lord, “this chalice of mine contains the water of the Yellow River. Half a chalice means half a river, and one whole chalice will hold an entire river.” Delighted, Pilgrim said, “Half a chalice is quite enough!” He took leave of Watery Virtue at once and slipped away from the Heaven arches with the Yellow River God.

  After he had bailed out half of the Yellow River’s water with his chalice, Water Lord followed the Great Sage to the Golden Helmet Mountain, where they met the devarāja, the prince, the thunder squires, and Fiery Virtue. “No need for going into the details,” said Pilgrim. “Just let Water Lord follow me there and let me command the fiend to open the door. Don’t wait for him to come out. You just pour the water into the cave and the whole nest of that fiend will be drowned. I’ll go and fish out the corpse of my master, and there’ll be lots of time to revive him.” Water Lord agreed and walked right behind Pilgrim, who went around the slope to go up to the cave entrance. “Fiend, open the door!” he cried. Those little fiends standing guard at the door recognized that it was the voice of the Great Sage Sun and they hurried inside to report: “Sun Wukong is here again.”

  When the demon heard this, he picked up his treasure and his long lance and began to walk out. The stone door opened with a crash and Water Lord immediately emptied the content of his white jade chalice toward the inside of the cave. When he saw the water rushing in, the fiend dropped his long lance and took out the fillet, holding it high at the second door. Not only was the water blocked right there, but it reversed its course and gushed back out of the cave. So startled was the Great Sage Sun that he somersaulted immediately into the air and, together with Water Lord, leaped up to the tallest peak. The other deities also mounted the clouds to follow them; they all stood on the peak to watch the water swelling to tremendous height and force. Marvelous water! Truly

  One spoonful of it

  Will make it unfathomable;10

  For when it’s propelled by divine force,

  It benefits all things and flows to swell a hundred streams.

  You hear its loud splashes rocking the valley;

  You see its giant crest surging up to Heaven.

  Its mighty roar seems like thunder rumbling;

  Its violent waves seem like summit-snow swirling.

  Billows, a thousand feet tall, cover the roadways;

  Ripples, ten-thousand-layered, surge o’er the peaks.

  Gurgling, like spilled jade;11

  Clanging, like plucked strings.

  Hitting the rocks, it foams like chips of jade tossed high;

  Rounding the curves, it breaks out in eddies unending.

  It flows through the lowlands and depressions,

  Filling up brooklets and joining both their reaches.

  Alarmed by what he saw,
Pilgrim said, “That’s bad! The water is flooding the rice fields of people everywhere, but it hasn’t even touched the inside of his cave. What shall we do?” He asked Water Lord to retrieve the water at once, but Water Lord said, “Your humble deity only knows how to let loose the water but he doesn’t know how to retrieve it.” As the proverb says, “Water thrown out cannot be retrieved.” Ah! Fortunately, that mountain was rather tall and rugged, so that all the water flowed swiftly downward. In a moment, it drained into all the brooks and ravines and disappeared.

  A few little fiends leaped out of the cave afterwards, and when they saw that the water had receded, they began to play there happily—shouting and hollering, boxing with their fists, and wielding their rods and lances. “So this water never reached the inside of the cave,” said the devarāja, “and all our efforts have been vain!” Pilgrim could not restrain the anger flaring up in his heart; wielding both his fists, he dashed up to the door of the demon and shouted: “Don’t run away! Watch out for a beating!” These several little fiends were so terrified that they all dropped their rods and lances to dash into the cave. Trembling all over, they made the report: “Great King, it’s terrible! He’s going to give us a beating!” Holding high his long lance, the demon king went out of the door to meet his adversary, saying, “This brazen ape is such a rascal! You have lost to me several times, and not even your water or fire can touch me. Why is it that you have still come to give up your life?” “My son is twisting the facts!” said Pilgrim. “I don’t know whether I’m the one who will give up my life, or whether you are the one! Come over here and have a taste of your old Grandpa’s fists!” “This monkey is desperately forcing the issue!” said the demon with a chuckle. “I’m using the lance, but he is using only his fists. That pair of hands is nothing but skin and bones, and no bigger than walnut pits! How could you call them ‘pounders’? All right! All right! I’ll put down my lance and box with you.” Laughing, Pilgrim replied, “That’s the way to speak! Come up here!”

  Hitching up his clothes and walking forward, the fiend assumed a boxing posture; his two fists upraised looked truly like two iron sledge hammers. Our Great Sage also loosened his legs at once and moved his body to attack; right before the cave entrance, he began to box with the demon king. This was quite a fight! Aha!

  The four limbs are stretched out;

  The double-kicking feet fly up.

  They pound the ribs and chests;

  They stab at galls and hearts.

  “The Immortal Pointing the Way”;12

  “Laozi Riding the Crane”;

  “A Hungry Tiger Pouncing on the Prey” is most hurtful;

  “A Dragon Playing with Water” is quite vicious.

  The demon king uses a “Serpent Turning Around”;

  The Great Sage employs a “Deer Letting Loose its Horns.”

  The dragon plunges to Earth with heels upturned;

  The wrist twists around to seize Heaven’s bag.

  A green lion’s open-mouthed lunge;

  A carp’s snapped-back flip.

  Sprinkling flowers over the head;

  Tying a rope around the waist;

  A fan moving with the wind;

  The rain driving down the flowers.

  The monster-spirit then uses the “Guanyin Palm,”

  And Pilgrim counters with the “Arhat Feet.”

  The long punch, stretching, is more slack, of course.

  How could it compare with the short, sharp jabs?

  The two of them fought for many rounds—

  None was the stronger, for they’re e’enly matched.

  As the two of them boxed in front of the cave entrance, those standing high on the peak were so thrilled by the spectacle that Devarāja Li shouted bravos and the Star of Fiery Virtue clapped his hands in acclaim. Then the two thunder squires and Prince Naṭa led the other deities in rushing forward and tried to help their colleague. On the other side, the little monsters immediately surged forward also to cover their master, waving banners and beating drums, wielding swords and brandishing scimitars. When the Great Sage saw that the situation might turn against him, he yanked off a handful of hairs from his own body and tossed them into the air, crying, “Change!” At once they changed into some fifty little monkeys, who swarmed all over the demon—grabbing his legs, tugging at his torso, gouging his eyes, and pulling at his hair. The fiendish creature became so alarmed that he immediately took out his fillet. When the Great Sage and his companions saw that object, they mounted the clouds at once and fled toward the tall summit. Tossing the fillet up into the air, the fiend changed those fifty monkeys back into their true forms and then they were sucked away again with a loud whoosh. After he had gained this victory, the fiend led his troops back to his cave, closed the door, and celebrated.

  “The Great Sage Sun is still a marvelous fighter!” said the prince. “The way you box, it’s truly like adding flowers to the embroidery, and the way you use your body-division magic is indeed the display of nobility before others.” “As you watched from afar,” said Pilgrim, smiling, “how did the abilities of the fiend compare with old Monkey’s?” “His punches were slack,” said Devarāja Li, “and his kicks were slow; he certainly could not match the Great Sage for his speed and tightness. He was quite flustered already by the sight of our arrival, and when he saw your magic of body-division, he grew even more desperate and resorted to his fillet.”

  “It’s simple to deal with the demon king,” said Pilgrim, “but it’s difficult to overcome that fillet.”

  Both Fiery Virtue and Water Lord said together, “If we want to win, we must acquire his treasure first before we try to arrest him.” “How could we acquire his treasure,” asked Pilgrim, “unless we try to steal it?”

  “If we want to practice the ritual of stealing,” said a thunder squire, chuckling, “there is no one more able than the Great Sage. Remember that year when you caused great havoc in Heaven, how you stole imperial wine, immortal peaches, dragon’s liver, phoenix’s marrow, and the elixir of Laozi? What a talent that was! Today is the time to put that to use again.” “Thanks for the compliment!” said Pilgrim. “Thanks for the compliment! If that’s what you think we should do, take a seat here and let old Monkey go to make some investigation.”

  Dear Great Sage! He leaped down from the peak and crept up to the cave entrance; with one shake of his body he changed himself into a tiny fly. Truly graceful! Look at him!

  His wings thin as skin of bamboo;

  A body small like a flower’s heart.

  His arms and his legs just thicker than hairs;

  Beady eyes both shining and bright.

  Good at chasing scent and fragrance,

  He flies swiftly riding the wind.

  His frame barely pulls down the steelyard weight;

  So cute he’s even of some use.13

  Ever so lightly he flew up to the door and crawled inside through a crack. There he found many fiends, young and old; some were singing and dancing, while others stood in rows on both sides. Sitting high on his throne was the old demon king, and before him were placed dishes of serpent meat, venison, bear-paw, camel-hump, mountain vegetables, and fruits. There were wine pots made of blue porcelain, from which came fragrant goat’s milk and coconut wine. In big bowlfuls he and his other fiends were drinking with abandon. Dropping down into the crowd of little fiends, Pilgrim at once changed into a badger-head spirit and inched his way toward the throne of the demon king. He looked everywhere for a long time, but he could not discover where the treasure was placed. Dashing behind the throne, he found the fire dragons and fire horses hung up high in the rear hall, all whining and neighing. As he raised his head, he suddenly saw his own golden-hooped rod leaning against the east wall. So delighted was he by this discovery that he even forgot about changing into his true form before running forward to seize his iron rod. Only after he had picked it up did he reveal his original form and fought his way out with his rod. All those fiends were terrified, w
hile the old demon king was caught completely off guard. Thus Pilgrim was able to push down three monsters on one side and bring down two on the other; opening up a bloody path, he went directly out of the cave. So it is that

  The demon, so arrogant, lets down his guard;

  The lordly staff returns to the rightful man.

  We don’t know whether good or evil will befall him; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.

  FIFTY-TWO

  Wukong greatly disturbed the Golden Helmet Cave;

  Tathāgata reveals in secret the true master.

  We were telling you about the Great Sage Sun, who recovered his golden-hooped rod and fought his way out of the door. He was filled with delight as he leaped up to the tall summit to face the various gods. “How did you do this time?” asked the Devarāja Li. “By his transformation,” said Pilgrim, “old Monkey managed to get inside the cave. That fiend and his subordinates were all singing and dancing, drinking their victory wine. I did not succeed in detecting where he put his treasure, but when I went to the rear of the cave, I heard horses neighing and dragons whining and I knew that they had to be the belongings of the fire department. The golden-hooped rod was leaning against the east wall; old Monkey picked it up and fought his way out.” “You got your treasure,” said the deities, “but when could we get back ours?” “It’s easy! It’s easy!” said Pilgrim. “When I have this iron rod, I’ll strike him down and recover your treasures for you, no matter what.” Hardly had he finished speaking when they heard a great din coming from below the mountain slope punctuated by the roll of drums and the sounding of gongs. The Bovine Great King, you see, was leading the various spirits to give chase to Pilgrim, who, when he saw the throng approaching, shouted: “Good! Good! Good! This is exactly my wish! Have a seat, all of you, and let old Monkey go again to catch him.”

  Dear Great Sage! Lifting high his iron rod, he met them head-on, crying, “Brazen demon, where are you going? Watch my rod!” Using his lance to parry the blow, the fiend scolded him: “You thievish ape! You’re indeed ill-behaved! How dare you rob me in broad daylight?” “You cursed beast!” said Pilgrim. “You don’t know that you’re about to die. You are the one who robbed us in broad daylight with your fillet. Which of these things really belongs to you? Don’t run away. Have a taste of your Venerable Father’s rod!” What a great battle this was!