Monkey – Journey to the West – Chapter 3

Three

The Four Seas and the Thousand Mountains all bow

in submission;

From the Hell of Ninefold Darkness are deleted

the names of ten species.

Now we were speaking of the Handsome Monkey King's triumphant return to his home country. After slaying the Monstrous King of Havoc and wresting from him his huge scimitar. He practiced daily with the little monkeys the art of war, teaching them how to sharpen bamboos for making spears, how to file wood for making swords. How to arrange flags and banners, how to go on patrol, how to advance or retreat, and how to pitch camp. For a long time he played thus with them. Suddenly he grew quiet and sat down, thinking out loud to himself, "The game we are playing here may turn out to be something quite serious. Suppose we disturb the rulers of men or of fowls and beasts, and they become offended; suppose they say that these military exercises of ours are subversive, and raise an army to destroy us. How can we meet them with our bamboo spears and wooden swords? We must have sharp swords and fine halberds, But what can be done at this moment?" When the monkeys heard this, they were all alarmed, "The great king's observation is very sound," they said, "but where can we obtain these things ?" As they were speaking, four older monkeys came forward, two female monkeys with red buttocks and two bareback gibbons. Coming to the front, they said, "Great King to be furnished with sharp-edged weapons is a very simple matter." "How is it simple?" asked Wu-k'ung. The four monkeys said, "East of our mountain, across two hundred miles of water, is the boundary of the Ao-lai Country. In that country there is a king who has numberless men and soldiers in his city, and there are bound to be all kinds of metalworks there. If the great king goes there, he can either buy weapons or have them made. Then you can teach us how to use them for the protection of our mountain, and this will be the strategem for assuring ourselves of perpetuity," When Wu-k'ung heard this, he was filled with delight. "Play here, all of you," he said. "Let me make a trip," Dear Monkey King! He quickly performed his cloud-somersault and crossed the two hundred miles of water in no time. On the other side he did indeed discover a city with broad streets and huge market- places, countless houses and numerous arches. Under the clear sky and bright sun, people were coming and going constantly. Wu-k'ung thought to himself, "There must be ready-made weapons around here. But going down there to buy a few pieces from them is not as good a bargain as getting them by magic." He therefore made the magic sign and recited a spell. Facing the ground on the southwest, he took a deep breath and then blew it out. At once it became a mighty wind, hurtling pebbles and rocks through the air. It was truly terrifying:

Thick clouds in vast formation moved o'er the world;

Black fog and dusky vapor darkened the Earth;

Waves churned in seas and rivers, affrighting fishes and crabs;

Boughs broke in mountain forests, wolves and tigers taking flight.

Traders and merchants were gone from stores and shops.

No single man was seen at sundry marts and malls.

The king retreated to his chamber from the royal court.

Officials, martial and civil, returned to their homes.

This wind toppled Buddha's throne of a thousand years

And shook to its foundations the Five-Phoenix Tower.

The wind arose and scattered the king and his subjects in the Ao-lai Country. Throughout the various boulevards and marketplaces, every family bolted the doors and windows and no one dared go outside. Wu-k'ung then lowered the direction of his cloud and rushed straight through the imperial gate. He found his way to the armory, knocked open the doors, and saw that there were pointless weapons inside. Scimitars, spears, swords, halberds, battle-axes, scythes, whips, rakes, drum sticks: drums, bows, arrows, forks, and lances-every kind was available. Highly pleased, 'Wu-k'ung said to himself, "How many pieces can I possibly carry by myself? I'd better use the magic of body division to transport them." Dear Monkey King I He plucked a handful of hairs, chewed them to pieces in his mouth, and spat them out. Reciting the spell, he cried, "Change!" They changed into thousands of little monkeys, which snatched and grabbed the weapons. Those that were stronger took six or seven pieces, the weaker ones two or three pieces, and together they emptied out the armory. Wu-k'ung then mounted the cloud and performed the magic of displacement by calling up a great wind, which carried all the little monkeys back to their home.

We tell you now about the various monkeys, both great and small, who were playing outside the cave of the Flower-Fruit Mountain. They suddenly heard the sound of wind and saw in midair a huge horde of monkeys approaching, the sight of which made them all flee in terror and hide. In a moment, Wu-k'ung lowered his cloud and shaking himself, collected the pieces of hair back onto his body. All the weapons were piled in front of the mountain. "Little ones," he shouted, "come and receive your weapons." The monkeys looked and saw Wu-k'ung standing alone on level ground. They came running to kowtow and ask what had happened. Wu-k'ung then recounted to them how he had made use of the mighty wind to transport the weapons. After expressing their gratitude the monkeys all went to grab at the scimitars and snatch at the swords to wield the axes and scramble for spears, to stretch the bows and mount the arrows. Shouting and screaming, they played all day long.

The following day, they marched in formation as usual. Assembling the monkeys. Wu-k'ung found that there were forty-seven thousand of them. This assembly greatly impressed all the wild beasts of the mountain-wolves, insects, tigers, leopards, mouse deer, fallow deer, river deer, foxes, wild cats, badgers, lions, elephants, apes, bears, antelopes, boars, musk-oxen, chamois, green one-horn buffaloes, wild hares, and giant mastiffs. Led by the various demon kings of no less than seventy-two caves, they all came to pay homage to the Monkey King. Henceforth they brought annual tributes and answered the roll call made every season. Some of them joined in the maneuvers; others supplied provisions in accordance with their rank. In an orderly fashion. They made the entire Flower-Fruit Mountain as strong as an iron bucket or a city of metal. The various demon kings also presented metal drums, colored banners, and helmets. The hurly-burly of marching and drilling went on day after day.

While the Handsome Monkey King was enjoying all this, he suddenly said to the multitude, "You all have become adept with the bow and arrow and proficient in the use of weapons. But this scimitar of mine is truly cumbersome, not at all to my liking. What can I do?" The four elder monkeys came forward and memorialized, "The great king is a divine sage, and therefore it is not fit for him to use an earthly weapon. We do not know, however, whether the great king is able to take a journey through water?" "'Since I have known the Way," said Wu-k'ung, "I have the ability of seventy-two trans- formations. The cloud-somersault has unlimited power. I am familiar with the magic of body concealment and the magic of displacement. I can find my way to Heaven or I can enter the Earth. I can walk past the sun and the moon without casting a shadow, and I can penetrate stone and metal without hindrance. Water cannot drown me, nor fire burn me. Is there any place I can't go to?" "It's a good thing that the great king possesses such powers," said the four monkeys, "for the water below this sheet iron bridge of ours flows directly into the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Ocean. If you are willing to go down there, Great King, you will find the old Dragon King, from whom you may request some kind of weapon. Won't that be to your liking?" Hearing this, Wu-k'ung said with delight, "Let me make the trip!"

Dear Monkey King! He jumped to the bridgehead and employed the magic of water restriction. Making the magic sign with his fingers, he leaped into the waves, which parted for him, and he followed the waterway straight to the bottom of the Eastern Ocean. As he was walking, he suddenly ran into a yaksa on patrol, who stopped him with the question, "What divine sage is this who comes pushing through the water? Speak plainly so that I can announce your arrival." Wu-k'ung said, "I am the Heaven-born sage Sun Wu-k'ung of the Flower-Fruit Mountain, a near neighbor of your old Dragon King. How is it that you don't recognize me?" When the yaksa heard this, he hurried back to the Water-Crystal Palace to report. "Great King," he said, "there is outside a Heaven-born sage of the Flower- Fruit Mountain named Sun Wu-k'ung. He claims that he is a near neighbor of yours, and he is about to arrive at the palace. Ao-kuang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean, arose immediately; accompanied by dragon sons and grandsons, shrimp soldiers and crab generals, he came out for the reception. "High Immortal." he said, "please come in I" They went into the palace for proper introduction, and after offering Wu-k'ung the honored seat and tea, the king asked, "When did the high immortal become accomplished in the Way, and what kind of divine magic did he receive?" Wu-k'ung said, "Since the time of my birth, I have left the family to practice the Great Art. I have now acquired a birth less and deathless body. Recently I hate been teaching my children how to protect our mountain cave, but unfortunately I am without an appropriate weapon. I have heard that my noble neighbor, who has long enjoyed living in this green-jade palace and its shell portals, must have many divine weapons to spare, I came specifically to ask for one of them." When the Dragon King heard this, he could hardly refuse, So he ordered a perch commander to bring out a long-handled scimitar, and presented it to his visitor, "Old Monkey doesn't know how to use a scimitar," said Wu-k'ung, "I beg you to give me something else," The Dragon King then commanded a whiting lieutenant together with an eel porter to carry out a nine-pronged fork, jumping down from his seat, Wu-k'ung took hold of it and tried a few thrusts, He put it down, saying, "light! Much too light! And it doesn't suit my hand, I beg you to give me another one," "High Immortal," said the Dragon King laughing, "won't you even take a closer look? This fork weighs three thousand six hundred pounds," "It doesn't suit my hand," Wu-k'ung said, "it doesn't suit my hand I" The Dragon King was becoming rather fearful; he ordered a bream admiral and a carp brigadier to Carry out a giant halberd, weighing seven thousand two hundred pounds, When he saw this, Wu-k'ung ran forward and took hold of it, He tried a few thrusts and parries and then stuck it in the ground, saying; "It's still light! Much too light!" the old Dragon King was completely unnerved, "High Immortal," he said, "there's no weapon in my palace heavier than this halberd," Laughing, Wu-k'ung said, "As the old saying goes, 'Who worries about the Dragon King's lacking treasures I' Go and look some more, and if you find something I like, I’ll offer you a good price," "There really aren't any more here," said the Dragon King.

As they were speaking, the dragon mother und her daughter slipped out and said, "Great King, we can see that this is definitely not a sage with meager abilities, Inside our ocean treasury is that piece of rare magic iron by which the depth of the Heavenly river is fixed, These past few days the "iron has been glowing with a strange and lovely light, Could this be a sign that it should be taken out to meet this sage?" "That," said the Dragon King, "was the measure with which the Great Yu fixed the depths of rivers and oceans when he conquered the Flood. It's a piece of magic iron, but of what use could it be to him?" "Let's not be concerned with whether he could find any use for it," said the Dragon mother, "Let's give it to him, and said the Dragon mother. “ Lets give it to him, and he can do whatever he wants with it. The important thing is to get "him our of this palace I" The old Dragon King agreed and told Wu-k’ung the whole story. “Take it out and let me see it,” said Wu-K’ung. Waving his hands, the Dragon King said, “We can’t move it! We can’t even life it! The high immortal must go there himself to take a look.” “Where is it!” asked Wu-K’ung. “Take me there.” The Dragon King accordingly led him to the center of the ocean treasury, where all at once they saw a thousand shafts of golden light. Pointing to the spot, the Dragon King said, “That’s it-the thing that is glowing.” Wu-k’ung girded up his clothes and went forward to touch it; it was an iron rod more than twenty feet long and as thick as a barrel. Using all his might, he lifted it with both hands, saying, “It’s a little too long and too thick. It would be more serviceable if it were somewhat shorter and thinner.” Hardly had he finished speaking when the treasure shrunk a few feet in length and became a layer thinner. “Smaller still would be even better,” said Wu-k’ung, giving it another bounce in his hands. Again the treasure became smaller. Highly pleased, Wu-k’ung took it out of the ocean treasury to examine it. He found a golden hoop at each end with a solid black iron in between. Immediately adjacent to one of the hoops was the inscription, “The Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod. Weight: thirteen thousand five hundred pounds.” He thought to himself in secret delight, “This treasure, I suppose, must be most compliant with one’s wishes.” As he walked, he was deliberating in his mind and murmuring to himself, bouncing the rod in his hands, “Shorter and thinner still would be marvelous!” By the time he took it outside, the rod was no more than twenty feet in length and had the thickness of a rice bowl.

See how he displayed his power now! He wielded the rod to make lunges and passes, engaged inn mock combat all the way back to the Water-Crystal Palace. The old Dragon King was so terrified that he shook with fear, and the dragon princes were all panic-stricken. Sea turtles and tortoises drew in their necks; fishes, shrimps, and crabs all hid themselves. Wu-k’ung held the treasure in his hands and sat in the Water-Crystal Palace. Laughing, he said to the Dragon King, “I am indebted to my good neighbor for his profound kindness.” “Please don’t mention it,” said the Dragon King. “This piece of iron is very useful,” said Wu-k’ung, “but I have one further statement to make.” “What sort of statement does the high immortal wish to make?” asked the Dragon King. Wu-k’ung said, “Had that I have it in my hands, I can see that I am wearing the wrong kind of clothes to go with it. What am I to do? If you have any martial apparel, you might as well give me some too. I would thank you most heartily.” “This, I confess, is not in my possession,” said the Dragon King. Wu-k’ung said, “A solitary guest will not disturb two hosts. Even if you claim that you don’t have any, I shall never walk out of this door.” “Let the high immortal take the trouble of going to another ocean,” said the Dragon King. “ He might turn up something there.” “To visit three homes is not as convenient as sitting in one,” said Wu-k’ung, “I beg you to give me one outfit,” “I really don’t have one,” said the Dragon King, “for if I did, I would have presented it to you.” “Is that so?” said Wu-k’ung, “let me try the iron on you!” “High Immortal,” the Dragon King said nervously, “don’t ever raise your hand! Don’t ever raise your hand! Let me see whether my brothers have any and we’ll try to give you one.” “Where are your honored brothers?” asked Wu-k’ung. “They are,” said the Dragon King “Ao-chi’n, Dragon King of the Southern Ocean; Ao-Shun, Dragon King of the Northern Ocean; and Ao-Jun, Dragon King of the Western Ocean.” “Old Monkey is not going to their places,” said Wu-k’ung. “For as the common saying goes, ‘Three in a bond cant compete with two in a hand’ I’m merely requesting that you find something casual here and give it to me. That’s all.” “There’s no need for the high immortal to go anywhere,” said the Dragon King. “I have in my palace an iron drum and golden bell. Whenever there is an emergency, we beat the dum and strike the bell and my brothers are here shortly.” “In that case,” said Wu-k’ung, “go beat the drum and strike the bell.” The turtle general went at once to strike the bell, while the tortoise marshal came to beat the drum.

Soon after the drum and the bell had sounded, the Dragon Kings of the Three Oceans got the message and arrived promptly, all congregating in the outer courtyard. “Elder Brother, said Ao-ch’in, “what emergency made you beat the drum and strike the bell?” “Good Brother,” answered the old Dragon, “it’s a long story! We have here a certain Heaven-born sage from the Flower-Fruit Mountain, who came here and claimed to be my near neighbor. He subsequently demanded a weapon; the steel for I presented he deemed too small, and the halberd I offered was too light. Finally he himself took that piece of rare, divine iron by which the depth of the Heavenly River was fixed and used it for a mock combat. He is now sitting in the palace and also demanding some sort of battle dress. We have none of that here. So we sounded the drum and the bell to invite you all to come. If you happen to have some such outfit, please give it to him so that I can send him out of this door!” When Ao-ch’in heard this, he was outraged. “Let us brothers call our army together,” he said, “and take him captive. What’s wrong with that?” “Don’t talk about taking him captive!” the old Dragon said, “don’t talk about taking him captive! That piece of iron-a small stroke with it is deadly and a light tap is fatal! The slightest touch will crack the skin and a small rap will injure the muscles!” Ao-jun, the Dragon King of the Western Ocean said, “Second elder brother should not raise his hand against him. Let us rather assemble an outfit for him and get him out of this place. We can then present a formal complaint to Heaven, and Heaven will send its own punishment.” “You are right,” said Ao-shun, the Dragon King of the Northern Ocean, “I have here a pair of cloud-treading shoes the color of lotus root.” Ao-jun, the Dragon King of the Western Ocean said, “I brought along a cuirass of chainmail made of yellow gold.” “And I have a cap with erect phoenix plumes, made of red gold,” said Ao-ch’in, the Dragon King of the Southern Ocean. The old Dragon King was delighted and brought them into the Water-Crystal Palace to present the gifts. Wu-k’ung duly put on the gold cap, the gold cuirass, and the cloud-treading shoes, and, wielding his compliant rod, he fought his way out in mock combat, yelling to the dragons, “Sorry to have bothered you!”” The Dragon Kings of the Four Oceans were outraged, and they consulted together about filing a formal complaint, of which we make no mention here.

Look at that Monkey King! He opened up the waterway and went straight back to the head of the sheet iron bridge. The four old monkeys were leading the other monkeys and waiting beside the bridge. They suddenly beheld Wu-k’ung leaping out of the waves: there was not a drop of water on his body as he walked onto the bridge, all radiant and golden. The various monkeys were so astonished that they all knelt down, crying, “Great King, what marvels! What marvels!” Beaming broadly, Wu-k’ung ascended his high throne and set up the iron rod right in the center. Not knowing any better, the monkeys all came and tried to pick the treasure up. It was rather like a dragonfly attempting to shake an iron-wood tree: they could not budge an inch! Biting their fingers and sticking our their tongues, every one of them said, “O Father, it’s so heavy! How did you ever manage to bring it here?” Wu-k’ung walked up to the rod, stretched forth his hands, and picked it up. Aughing, he said to them, “Everything has its owner. This treasure has presided in the ocean treasury for who knows how many thousands of years, and it just happened to glow recently. The Dragon King only recognized it as a piece of black iron, thought it’s also said to be the divine rarity which fixed the bottom of the Heavenly River. All those fellows together could not lift or move it, and they asked me to take it myself. At first, this treasure was more than twenty feet long and as thick as a barrel. After I struck it once and expressed my feeling that it was too large, it grew smaller, I wanted it smaller still a, and again it grew smaller. For a third time, I commanded it, and it grew smaller still! When I looked at it in the light, it had a on the inscription, “’The Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod. Weight: thirteen thousand five hundred pounds.’ Stand aside, all of you. Let me ask it to go through some more transformations.” He held the treasure in his hands and called out, “Smaller, smaller, smaller!” and at once it shrank to the size of a tiny embroidery needle, small enough to be hidden inside the ear. Awe-struck, the monkeys cried, “Great King! Take it out and play with it some more.” The Monkey King took it out from his ear and placed it on his palm. “Bigger, bigger, bigger!” he shouted, and again it grew to the thickness of a barrel and more than twenty feet long. He became so delighted playing with it that he jumped onto the bridge and walked out of the cave. Grasping the treasure in his hands, he began to perform the magic of cosmic imitation. He bent over and cried, “Grow!” and at once grew to be ten thousand feet tall, with a head like a T’ai Mountain and a chest like a rugged peak, eyes like lightning and a mouth like a blood bowl, and teeth like swords and halberds. The cudgel in his hands was of such a size that its top reached the thirty-third Heaven and its bottom the eighteenth layer of Hell. Tigers, leopards, wolves, and crawling creatures, all the monsters of the mountain and the demon kings of the seventy-two caves, were so terrified that they kowtowed and paid homage to the Monkey King in fear and trembling. Presently he revoked his magical appearance and changed the treasure back into a tiny embroidery needle stored in his ear. He returned to the cave dwelling, but the demon kings of the various caves were still frightened, and they continued to come pay their respects.

At this time, the banners were unfurled, the drums sounded, and the brass gongs struck loudly. A great banquet of a hundred delicacies was given, and the cups were filled to overflowing with the fruit if the vines and the juices of the coconut. They drank and feasted for a long time, and they engaged in military exercises as before. The Monkey King made the four old monkeys mighty commanders of his troops by appointing the two female monkeys with red buttocks as marshals Ma and Liu, and the tow bare back gibbons as generals Peng and Pa. The four mighty commanders, moreover, were entrusted with all matters concerning fortification, pitching camps, reward, and punishment. Having settled all this, the Monkey King felt completely at ease to soar on the clouds and ride the mist, to tour the four seas and disport himself in a thousand mountains. Displaying his martial skill, he made extensive visits to various heroes and warriors; performing his magic, he made many good friends. At this time, moreover, he entered into fraternal alliance with six other monarchs: the Bull Monster King, the Dragon Monster King, the Garuda Monster King, the Long-Haired Lion King, the Female Monkey King, and the formed a fraternal order of seven. Day after day they discussed civil and military arts, exchanged wine cups and goblets, sang and danced to songs and strings. They gathered in the morning and parted in the evening; there was not a single pleasure that they overlooked, covering a distance of en thousand miles as if it were but the span of their own courtyard. As the saying has it, one nod of the head goes father than three thousand miles; one twist of the torso covers more than eight hundred.

One day, the four mighty commanders had been told to prepare a great banquet in their own cave, and the six kings were invited to the feast. They killed cows and slaughtered horses; they sacrificed to Heaven and Earth. The vatios limps were ordered to dance and sing, and they all drank until they were thoroughly drunk. After sending the six kings off, Wu-k’ung also rewarded the leaders great and small with gifts. Reclining in the shads of pine tress near the sheet iron bridge, he fell asleep in a moment. The four mighty commanders led the crowd to form a protective circle around him, not daring to raise their voices. In his sleep the Handsome Monkey King saw two men approach with a summons with the three words “Sun Wu-k’ung” written on it. They walked up to him and, without a word, tied him up with a rope and dragged him off. The soul of the Handsome Monkey King was reeling from side to side. They reached the edge of a city. The Monkey King was gradually coming to himself, when he lifted his head and suddenly saw above the city and iron sign bearing in large letters the three words “Region of Darkness.” The Handsome Monkey King at once became fully conscious. “The Region of Darkness is the abode of Yama, King of Death,” he said. “Why am I here?” “Your age in the World of Life has come to an end,” the two men said. “The two of us were given this summons to arrest you.” When the Monkey King heard this, he said.” I old Monkey himself, have transcended the Three Regions and the Five Phases; hence I am no longer under Yama’s jurisdiction. Why is he so confused he wants to arrest me?” The two summoners paid scant attention. Yanking and pulling, they were determined to haul him inside. Growing angry, the Monkey King whipped out his treasure. One weave of it turning it into the thickness of a rice bowl; he raised his hands once and the two summoners were reduced to hash. He untied the rope, freed his hands, and fought his way into the city, wielding the rod. Bull-headed demons hid in terror, and horse-faced demons fled in every direction. A band of ghost soldiers ran up to the Palace of Darkness, crying, “Great King! Disaster! Disaster! Outside there’s a hairy-faced thunder god fighting his way in!”

The report alarmed the Ten Kings of the Underworld so uch that they quickly straightened out their attire and went out to see what was happening. Discovering a fierce and angry figure, they lined up according to their ranks adna greeted him with loud voices: “High Immortal, tell us your name. High Immortal, tell us your name.” “I am the Heaven-born sage Sun Wu-k’ung from the Water-Curtain Cave in the Flower-Fruit Mountain,” said the Monkey King, “what kind of officials are you?” “We are the Emperors of Darkness,” answered the Ten Kings, bowling, “the Ten Kings of the Underworld.” “Tell me each of your names at once,” said Wu-K’ung, “or I’ll give ou a drubbing.” The Ten Kings said, “We are: King Ch’in-Kuang, King of the Beginning River, King of the Sun Emperor, King of Avenging Ministers, King Yama, King of the Equal Ranks, King of the T’ai Mountain, King of City Markets, King of the Complete Change, and King of the Turning Wheel.” “Since you have all ascended the thrones of kingship,” said Wu-k’ung, “your should be intelligent beings, responsible in rewards and punishments. Why are you so ignorant of good and evil? Old Monkey has acquired the Tao and attained immortality. I enjoy the same age as Heaven, and I have transcended the Three Regions and leapt clear of the Five Phases. Why, then, did you send men to arrest me?” “High Immortal,” said the Ten Kings, “let your anger subside. There are many people in this world with the same name and surname. Couldn’t the summoners have made a mistake?” “Nonsense! Nonsense!” said Wu-k’ung. “The proverb says, ‘Magistrates err, clerks err, but the man with the warrant never err!’ Quick, get out your register of births and deaths, and let me have a look.” When the Ten Kings heard this, they invited him to go into the palace to see for himself.

Holding his compliant rod, Wu-k’ung went straight up to the Palace of Darkness and, facing south, sat down in the middle, The Ten Kings immediately had the judge in charge of the records bring out his books for examination. The judge, who did not dare tarry, hastened into a side room and brought out five of six books of documents and the ledgers on the ten species of living beings. He went through them one by one-short haired creatures, furry creatures, winded creatures, crawling creatures, and scaly creatures-but he did not find his name. He then proceeded to the file on monkeys. You see, though this monkey resembled a human being, he was not listed under the names of men; though he resembled the short –haired creatures, he did not dwell in their kingdoms; though he resembled other animals, he was not subject to the unicorn a; and though he resembled flying creatures, he was not governed by the phoenix. He had, therefore, a separate ledger, which Wu-k’ung examined himself. Under the heading “Soul 1350” he found the name Sun Wu-k’ung recorded, with the description: “Heaven-born Stone Monkey, Age: three hundred and forty-two years, A good end.” Wu-k’ung said, “I really don’t remember my age. All I want is to erase my name. Bring me a brush.” The judge hurriedly fetched the brush and soaked it in heavy ink. Wu-k’ung took the ledger on monkeys and crossed out all the names he could finding it. Throwing down the ledger, he said, “That’s the end of the account, the end of the account! Now I’m truly not your subject.” Brandishing his rod, he fought his way out of the Region of Darkness. The Ten Kings did not dare approach him. They went instead to the Green Cloud Palace to consult the Bodhisattva King Ksitigarbha and made plans to report the incident to Heaven, which does not concern us for the moment.

While our Monkey King was fighting his way out of the city, he was suddenly caught in a clump of grass, and stumbled. Waking up with a start, he realized that it was all a dream. As he was stretching himself, he heard the four mighty commanders and the various monkeys crying with a loud voice, “Great King! How much wine did you imbibe? You’ve slept all night long. Aren’t you awake yet?” “Sleeping is nothing to get excited about,” said Wu-k’ung, “but I dreamed that two men came to arrest me, I didn’t perceive their intention until they brought me to the outskirts of the Region of Darkness. Showing my power, I protested right up to the Palace of Darkness and argued with the Ten Kings. I went through our ledger of births and deaths and crossed out all our names. Those fellows have no hold over us now.” The various monkeys all kowtowed to express their gratitude. From that time onward there were many mountain monkeys which did not grow old, for their names were not registered in the Underworld. When the Handsome Monkey King finished his account of what had happened, the four might commanders reported the story to the demon kings of various caves, who all came to tender their congratulations. Only a few days had passed when the six sworn brothers also came to congratulate him, all of them delighted about the cancellation for the names. We shall not elaborate here on their joyful gathering.

We shall turn instead to the Great Benevolent Sage of Heaven, the Celestial Jade Emperor of the Most Venerable Deva, who was holding court one day in the Treasure Hall of Divine Mists, the Cloud Palace of Golden Arches. The divine ministers , civil and military, were just gathering for the morning session when suddenly the Taoist immortal Ch’iu Hung-chi announced, “Your Majesty, outside the Translucent Palace, A0-kuang, Dragon King of the Eastern Ocean, is awaiting your command to present a memorial to the Throne.” The Jade Emperor gave the order to have him brought forth, and A0-kuang was led into the Hall of Divine Mists. After he had paid his respects, a divine page boy in charge of documents received the memorial, and the Jade Emperor read it from the beginning. The memorial said:

From the lowly water region of the Eastern Ocean at the East

Purvavideha Continent, the small dragon subject, Ao-kuang,

humbly informs the Wise Lord of Heaven, the Most Eminent High

God and Ruler, teat a bogus immortal, Sun Wu-k’ung, born of the

Flower-Fruit Mountain and resident of the Water-Curtain Cave,

has recently abused your small dragon, gaining a seat in his

water home by force. He demanded a weapon, employing power

and intimidation; he asked for martial attire, unleashing violence

and threats. He terrorized my water kinsmen, and scattered

turtles and tortoises. The Dragon of the Southern Ocean trembled;

the Dragon of the Western Ocean was filled with horror; the

Dragon of the Northern Ocean drew back his head to surrender;

and your subject Ao-kuang flexed his body to do obeisance. We

presented him with the divine treasure of an iron rod and the

fold cap with phoenix plumes; giving him also an chain-mail

cuirass and cloud-treading shoes, we sent him off courteously.

But even then he was nent on displaying his martial prowess and

magical powers, and all he could say to us was “Sorry to have

bothered you!” We are indeed no match for him, nor are we able

to subdue him. Your subject therefore presents this petition and

humbly begs for imperial justice. We earnestly beseech you to

dispatch the heavenly host and capture this monster, so that

tranquility may be restored to the oceans and prosperity to the

Lower Region. Thus we present this memorial.

When the Holy Emperor had finished reading, he gave the command: “Let the Dragon God return to the ocean. We shall send our generals to arrest the culprit.” The old Dragon King gratefully touched his forehead to the ground and left. From below the Immortal Elder Ko, the Divine Teacher, also brought forth the report. “Your majesty, the Miniseter ofDarkness, King Ch’in-kuang, supported by the Bodhisattva King Ksitigarbh, Pope of the Underworld, has arrived to present his memorial.” The jade girl in charge of communication came from the side to receive this document, which the Jade Emperor also read from the beginning. The memorial said:

The Region of Darkness is the nether region proper to Earth. As

Heaven is for gods and Earth for ghosts, so life and death proceed

in cyclic succession. Fowls are born and animals die; male

begotten of the procreative female-such is the order of Nature,

and it cannot be changed. But now appears Sun Wu-k’ung, a

Heaven-born baneful monkey form the Water-Curtain Cave in

The Flower-Fruit Mountain, who practices evil and violence, and

Resists out proper summons. Exercising magic powers, he utterly

Defeated the ghostly messenger of Ninefold Darkness; exploiting

Brute force, he terrorized the Ten Merciful Kings. He caused great

Confusion in the Palace of Darkness; he abrogated b force the

Record of Names, so that the category of monkeys is now beyond

Control, and inordinately long life is given to the simian family.

The wheel of transmigration is stopped, for birth and death are

Eliminated in each kind of monkey. Your poor monk therefore risks

Offending your heavenly authority in presenting this memorial.

We humbly beg you to send forth your divine army and subdue

This monster, to end that life and death may once more be

Regulated and the Underworld rendered perpetually secure.

Respectfully we present this memorial.

When the Jade Emperor had finished reading, he again gave a command: “Let the Lord of Darkness return to the Underworld. We shall send our generals to arrest this culprit.” King Ch’in-kuang also touched his head to the ground gratefully and left.

The Great Heavenly Deva called together his various immortal subjects, both civil and military, and asked, “When was this baneful monkey born, and in which generation did he begin his career? How is it that he has become so powerfully accomplished in the Great Art?” Scarcely had he finished speaking when, from the ranks, Thousand-Mile Eye and Fair-Wind Ear stepped forward. “This monkey,” they said, “is the Heaven-born stone monkey of the three hundred years ago. At that time he did not seem to amount to much, and we do not know where he acquired the knowledge of self-cultivation these last few years and became an immortal. Now he knows how to subdue dragons and tame tigers, and thus he is able to annul by force the Register of Death.” “Which one of you divine generals,” asked Jade Emperor, “wishes to go down there to subdue him?” Scarcely had he finished speaking when the Long-Life Spirit of the Planet Venus came forward from the ranks and prostrated himself. “Highest and Holiest,” he said, “within the three regions, all creatures endowed with the nine apertures can, through exercise, become immortals. It is not surprising that this monkey, with a body nurtured by Heaven and Earth, a from born of the sun and moon, should achieve immortality, seeing that his head points to Heaven and his feet walk on Earth, and that he feeds on the dew and the mist. Now that he has the power to subdue dragons and tame tigers, how is he different from a human being? Your subject therefore makes so bold as to ask your majesty to remember the compassionate grace of Creation and issue a decree of pacification. Let him be summoned to the Upper Region and given some kind of official duties. His name will be recorded in the Register and we can control him here. If he is receptive to the Heavenly decree, he will be rewarded and promoted hereafter; but if he is disobedient to your command, we shall arrest him forthwith. Such an action will spare us a military expedition in the first place, and, in the second, permit us to receive into our midst another immortal in an orderly manner.”

The Jade Emperor was highly pleased with this statement, and he said, “We shall follow the counsel of our minister.” He then ordered the Star Spirit of Songs and Letters to compose the decree, and delegated the Gold Star of Venus to be the viceroy of peace.

Having received the decree, the Gold Star went out of the South Heavenly Gate, lowered the direction of his hallowed cloud, and headed straight for the Flower-Fruit Mountain and the Water-Curtain Cave. He said to the various little monkeys, “I am the Heavenly messenger sent from above, I have with me an imperial decree to invite your great king to go to the Upper Region. Report this to him quickly!” The monkeys outside the cave passed the word along by one until it reached the depth of the cave. “Great King,” one of the monkeys said, “there’s in old man outside bearing a document on his back. He says that he is a messenger sent from Heaven, and he has a imperial decree of invitation for you.” Upon hearing this, the Handsome Monkey King was exceedingly pleased. “These last tow days,” he said, “I was just thinking about taking a little trip to Heaven, and the Heavenly messenger has already come to invite me!” The Monkey King quickly straightened out his attire and went to the door for the reception. The Gold Star came into the center of the cave and stood still with his face toward the south. “I am the Gold Star of Venus from the West,” he said. “I came down to Earth, bearing the imperial decree of pacification from the Jade Emperor, and invite you to go to Heaven to receive an immortal appointment.”

Laughing, Wu-k’ung said, “I am most grateful for the Old Star’s visit.” He then gave the order: “Little ones, prepare a banquet to entertain our guest.” The Gold Star said, “As a bearer of imperial decree, I cannot remain here long. I must ask the Great King to go wit me at once. After your glorious promotion, we shall have many occasions to converse at our leisure.” “We are honored by your presence,” said Wu-k’ung; “I am sorry that you have to leave with empty hands!” He then called the four mighty commanders together for this admonition: “Be diligent in teaching and drilling the young ones. Let me go up to Heaven to take a look and see whether I can have you all brought up there to o to live with me.” The four mighty commanders indicated their obedience. This Monkey King mounted the cloud with the Gold Star and rose up into the sky. So,

He ascended to the high rank of immortals from the Sky;

His name’s enrolled in the cloud columns and treasure scrolls.

We do not know what sort of rank or appointment he received. You must listen to the explanation in the next chapter.