After the two travelers said goodbye to the Bodhisattva, they soared into the sky and flew away from the South Sea. The traveler’s cloud was fast, but the monk’s cloud lagged a bit behind, so the traveler decided to go ahead. The monk hurriedly grabbed him and said, “Big brother, don’t be sneaky! Go settle things first, and I’ll follow you!”
The traveler thought to himself, “I’m a kind-hearted Great Sage!” but the monk was a bit suspicious. Nevertheless, they both took to the clouds together. Soon, they spotted Flower-Fruit Mountain and landed outside a cave to take a closer look. Sure enough, they saw a traveler sitting high on a stone platform, drinking and having fun with a group of monkeys. He looked exactly like the Great Sage: golden hair, golden eyes, dressed in brocade, with a tiger-skin skirt, a golden staff in hand, and wearing a pair of deer-hide boots. He truly resembled a thunderous face with sharp teeth and wide ears.
The Great Sage was furious, throwing down the monk and charging forward with his iron rod, shouting, “You evil creature! How dare you imitate my appearance and occupy my descendants, causing chaos in my cave!” The traveler, however, was unfazed and stepped forward, leading to a fierce battle between the two travelers. True monkey versus false monster, neither side gave in, and it was a tough fight!
The monk watched nervously from the side, unsure whether to intervene. He wanted to help but was afraid of hurting the real Great Sage. After a long time of hesitation, he finally decided to jump off the cliff, pulling out his demon-suppressing staff and striking it fiercely outside the Waterfall Cave. This startled the group of demons, overturned the stone benches, and shattered the wine cups, but he couldn’t find his blue bag anywhere. It turned out the Waterfall Cave was a waterfall that looked like a white curtain from afar, but up close, it was just flowing water. The monk was unaware of this origin, making it hard to find.
Even flying high in the clouds, the monk didn’t know how to proceed. The Great Sage told him, “You can’t help me. It’s better to go back and inform Master that we’re having a battle of true and false here at the South Sea and Mount Luojia.” After saying this, the false traveler echoed him. The monk saw that both travelers looked identical and found it truly hard to distinguish between them, so he had no choice but to comply and turned back to report to Tang Seng.
Look, those two travelers were fighting as they walked, shouting all the way to the South Sea, heading straight to Mount Luojia, their clash shaking the heavens. This alarmed the protective deities, who quickly reported to the Bodhisattva: “Bodhisattva, there are indeed two Sun Wukongs fighting!” The Bodhisattva, along with the wooden staff traveler, the good fortune boy, and the dragon girl, rushed out, shouting, “Where do those beasts think they’re going?”
The two travelers were entangled with each other, arguing endlessly: “Bodhisattva, this guy really looks like me! I just came from the Waterfall Cave, and after fighting for a long time, we couldn’t determine the winner. Sha Wujing is too dull to distinguish, so I sent him back to tell Master that I’m fighting this guy at Treasure Mountain, hoping the Bodhisattva can use your wisdom to tell us apart!” After saying this, the false traveler repeated the same. The gods and the Bodhisattva observed for a long time but couldn’t tell the truth from the falsehood. The Bodhisattva said, “Let go for now, and stand aside. Let me take another look.”
Sure enough, they both let go and stood still. One said, “I’m the real one!” The other replied, “He’s the fake!” The Bodhisattva called the wooden staff and the good fortune boy forward, quietly instructing, “You each hold one, and when I silently recite the Tightening Spell, let’s see who cries out in pain; that one will be the real one, and the one who doesn’t is the fake.” They each held one, and the Bodhisattva recited the spell. Both of them cried out in pain, clutching their heads and rolling on the ground, shouting, “Don’t recite! Don’t recite!” But as soon as the Bodhisattva stopped reciting, they started fighting again.
With no other options, the Bodhisattva called the wooden staff deities to help. The gods were afraid of hurting the real one and didn’t dare to act. The Bodhisattva called out, “Sun Wukong!” and both responded at the same time. The Bodhisattva said, “When you were the stable manager, during the uproar in Heaven, the celestial generals recognized you. You should go to the upper realm and help distinguish the truth.” The Great Sage gratefully thanked him, and the false traveler also expressed his thanks repeatedly.
The two travelers were pulling and tugging at each other, continuously shouting as they rushed toward the Southern Heavenly Gate. The Heavenly King of Broad Eyes and the Four Great Heavenly Generals hurried over, calling upon the various deities to block their path with weapons, saying, "What are you two fighting about here? This is a place of conflict!" The Great Sage looked innocent and explained, "I was protecting Tang Seng on his journey to the West, and I killed a few bandits along the way. As a result, Tang Seng sent me back, so I went to Mount Putuo to complain to Bodhisattva Guanyin. Unexpectedly, this demon transformed into my likeness, defeated Tang Seng, and stole my bag! Sha Monk came to Flower-Fruit Mountain to find me and discovered that this demon had occupied my home. He then came to Mount Putuo to tell the Bodhisattva, but was deceived into thinking it was me. The Bodhisattva didn’t listen to Sha Monk and ordered us to go to Flower-Fruit Mountain to verify our identities. As it turns out, this demon looks exactly like me, and after fighting from the Waterfall Cave to Mount Putuo to see the Bodhisattva, even the Bodhisattva found it difficult to tell us apart, which is why we ended up here. I kindly ask the deities for help in distinguishing the truth from the falsehood." After finishing, the false traveler repeated the same.
The deities looked for a long time but still couldn’t tell the real from the fake. The two travelers conferred and said, "Since you can’t recognize us, quickly step aside and let us meet the Jade Emperor!" The gods had no choice but to let them through the Heavenly Gate, heading straight for the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Marshal Ma and the Four Heavenly Masters quickly reported, "Two Sun Wukongs have come from the lower realm, breaking into the Heavenly Gate, claiming they want to see the King." Before they finished speaking, the two travelers charged in, startling the Jade Emperor, who immediately descended from his throne and asked, "What are you two causing a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace for, coming here to seek death?"
The Great Sage hurriedly said, "Long live! Long live! I now submit and vow never to deceive again, only because this demon has transformed into my likeness." He then recounted the whole story in detail, "I hope to distinguish the truth from the falsehood!" The false traveler echoed him again.
Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor immediately issued an order to King Li: "Bring out the demon-revealing mirror to see who is real and who is fake!" The king quickly fetched the mirror, and the Jade Emperor along with the other deities looked into it. The mirror reflected the shadows of the two Sun Wukongs, their golden robes identical, not even a hair was different. The Jade Emperor couldn’t recognize them either and had no choice but to expel them from the hall. The Great Sage sneered, and the false traveler laughed joyfully as they both rushed out of the Heavenly Gate, shouting, "I’m going to see the master with you! I’m going to see the master with you!"
Meanwhile, after saying goodbye to Flower-Fruit Mountain, Sha Monk traveled for three days and nights, finally returning to his original place and telling Tang Seng everything that had happened. Tang Seng was filled with regret: "At that time, I only knew that Sun Wukong struck me with a rod and stole my bag; I didn’t realize it was the demon in disguise!" Sha Monk continued, "That demon even pretended to be an elder, a white horse, and even impersonated me. In a fit of anger, I killed that monkey demon with my staff, which startled him and caused him to flee. I then went to the Bodhisattva to complain. The Bodhisattva told me to go with my brother to identify him, and indeed that demon looked exactly like my brother. I was helpless, so I came back to inform Master."
Tang Seng was astonished, left speechless. But Zhu Bajie laughed heartily: "Great! Isn’t this exactly what that old lady said? She mentioned that there would be several incidents of seeking scriptures; isn’t this another one?" The whole family gathered around to ask Sha Monk, "Where did you go to beg for food these past few days?" Sha Monk smiled and replied, "I went to Flower-Fruit Mountain in the East Victory Divine Continent to get my luggage from my senior brother, then to Mount Putuo in the South Sea to pay respects to Bodhisattva Guanyin, and finally returned here." An elder asked, "How far was the round trip?" Sha Monk said, "About two hundred thousand miles." The elder exclaimed, "Goodness, you traveled so far in just a few days! You must have flown on clouds!" Zhu Bajie interjected, "How else would you cross the sea without flying on clouds?" Sha Monk replied, "We consider it walking; if it were my senior brother, he could make the round trip in just a few days." Upon hearing this, the family said he was a celestial being, and Zhu Bajie teased, "Though we are not celestial beings, celestial beings are still our juniors!"
Just as everyone was discussing excitedly, they suddenly heard a commotion in the air. Everyone rushed out to see that two travelers were fighting. Upon seeing this, Zhu Bajie felt restless and couldn’t help but want to join in the fun: "Wait for me to take a look!" This guy was as eager as a little monkey, immediately jumping up and shouting into the sky, "Senior brother, don’t shout, I, Old Pig, am here!" To which both travelers responded in unison, "Brother, come fight the demon! Come fight the demon!" This made the onlookers laugh heartily, thinking, "Oh dear, these are several Arhats riding clouds! Truly, they are worthy of offering alms, but they can't help but attract such good people!" Everyone busied themselves with offerings, but secretly worried, "If these two travelers start fighting, the ground might shake; we really fear something will happen!"
Tang Seng noticed the old man’s happy face but felt anxious behind him, so he comforted, "Old benefactor, don’t worry. I have already subdued my disciples; they have turned from evil to good and will naturally thank you." The old man quickly waved his hands, saying, "I dare not! I dare not!" At that moment, Sha Monk interjected, "Benefactor, don’t worry. Master, you wait here; I and Second Brother will go bring them one by one. You just recite that incantation and see who cries out in pain; that one is the real one, and the one who doesn’t is the fake." Tang Seng nodded, "Well said." Sha Monk leapt into the air, calling out, "You two, stop! I’ll take you to Master to identify the truth!" The Great Sage and the other traveler also paused, and Sha Monk helped one of them, shouting, "Second Brother, you help with one too!" Sure enough, the two of them descended together, heading straight for the door of the grass hut.
Seeing this, Tang Seng quickly began to recite the Tightening Spell, resulting in both of them crying out in pain, "Why are you cursing us while we are suffering? Don’t recite! Don’t recite!" Tang Seng, being kind-hearted, stopped upon seeing this, but still couldn’t distinguish the truth from the falsehood. The two travelers broke free from their grips and started fighting again. The Great Sage angrily declared, "Brothers, protect Master well; I want to fight him all the way to Yama to identify the truth!" The other traveler echoed him, and they began to scratch and claw at each other, quickly disappearing from sight. Zhu Bajie looked at Sha Monk and asked, "When you went to the Waterfall Cave, why didn’t you take back the fake Bajie who was carrying our luggage?" Sha Monk sighed, "That demon saw me strike the fake Sha Monk with my precious staff, and it surrounded me trying to catch me. I had to escape to save my life. Later, I went to complain to the Bodhisattva. When I went to the cave with the traveler, they fought in the air. I attempted to overturn his stone bench, scattering his little demons, but only saw a waterfall flowing down, having no idea where the cave entrance was, so I returned empty-handed to report to Master."
Zhu Bajie laughed, "You don’t know, when I invited him here two years ago, I first saw him outside the cave entrance. He got angry when I spoke to him and jumped down to change clothes. I saw him dive into the water; that waterfall is the cave entrance. I suspect that demon hid our luggage inside." Upon hearing this, Tang Seng’s eyes lit up: "Since you know the entrance, let’s take advantage of them not being home to retrieve the luggage from the cave, and we can continue our journey to the West." Zhu Bajie excitedly said, "I’ll go!" But Sha Monk worriedly said, "Second Brother, there are thousands of little monkeys in front of that cave; you might not be able to handle them alone, which could be problematic." Zhu Bajie laughed, "Not afraid! Not afraid!" Saying this, he hurriedly left, riding clouds to Flower-Fruit Mountain to retrieve the luggage, not saying anything further.
Meanwhile, the two travelers had fought their way to the back of Yin Mountain, scaring the ghosts in the mountains into trembling and hiding. Some timid ones even rushed into the gates of the underworld, urgently reporting to the Hall of Yama: "Great King, there are two Equal-to-Heaven Great Sages fighting on the back of Yin Mountain!" This caused a panic, and King Qin Guang immediately relayed the message to King Chu Jiang, King Song Di, King Bian Cheng, King Yan Luo, King Ping Deng, King Tai Shan, King Du Shi, King Wu Guan, and King Zhuan Lun. The Ten Kings gathered quickly and notified King Dizang. Thus, the ghost soldiers gathered in the Hall of Yama, ready to capture the true and false.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and a grim mist spread as the two travelers rolled into the Hall of Yama. The Lord of the Underworld blocked their path and asked, "Great Sages, why are you causing a ruckus in my realm?" The Great Sage replied, "I was protecting Tang Seng on his journey to the West. While passing through the Western Liang Kingdom, I was ambushed by bandits, and I ended up killing a few of them. Master blamed me and sent me back. I then went to the South Sea to complain to the Bodhisattva, but unexpectedly, that demon disguised itself as me and knocked Master down on the way, stealing our luggage. Sha Monk went to Flower-Fruit Mountain to find the bag, but this demon used my name to seek scriptures in the West. Sha Monk went to the South Sea to see the Bodhisattva; I was nearby, and he told the Bodhisattva what happened. The Bodhisattva ordered us to go to Flower-Fruit Mountain to check, but this demon occupied my home. We argued in front of the Bodhisattva, and indeed, our appearances and speech were identical, making it difficult for the Bodhisattva to tell the truth from the falsehood. Later, we fought to the heavens, and even the gods couldn’t distinguish between us, which is why we ended up in the underworld. I hope the Lord of the Underworld can check the Book of Life and Death to see the origins of the fake traveler and quickly pursue his soul to prevent confusion." The demon repeated the same thing.
The Lord of the Underworld listened and immediately called for the record-keeping judge to investigate from the beginning, only to find that there was no name of a fake traveler at all. Looking at the records, it turned out that the monkey's name had disappeared long ago—specifically, during the Great Sage's childhood when he caused a commotion in the underworld. All names associated with monkeys were absent.
Once the investigation was complete, the Lord of the Underworld was about to report back to the travelers when he suddenly heard the voice of King Dizang: "Stop! Stop! Let me listen to your claims of truth and falsehood." This Bodhisattva had a little pet named Di Ting, who was responsible for hearing various news. If it lay on the ground, it could instantly hear the happenings across the Four Continents, distinguishing even between small insects, immortals, and spirits.
After listening, Di Ting raised its head and said to Dizang, "There are indeed strange names, but I cannot reveal them directly; it won’t help you catch him." Dizang asked, "Why can’t you say it?" Di Ting replied, "If I say it directly, the demon will surely get angry and disturb the treasure hall, which would be disastrous." Dizang asked again, "Then why can’t you help catch him?" Di Ting explained, "The demon, like the Great Sage, possesses supernatural powers. How much power can the deities of the underworld have? Therefore, it cannot be captured."
Upon hearing this, Dizang was intrigued: "Then how can we get rid of him?" Di Ting replied, "Buddhist teachings are boundless." Upon hearing this, Dizang immediately understood and turned to the travelers, saying, "You two look exactly alike, and your powers are similar. To distinguish the truth from the falsehood, you must go to Thunder Sound Temple to find Shakyamuni Buddha." Both travelers responded in unison, "Well said! We will go to the Western Paradise to identify the truth!" Thus, the Ten Kings of Hell escorted them out, and Dizang thanked them before returning to Cuiyun Palace, closing the gates of the underworld.
As for the two travelers, they flew through the clouds straight to the Western Paradise. A poem attests: "When a person has two hearts, calamities arise; doubts and suspicions spread to the ends of the earth. Wishing for fine horses and high positions, yet recalling the golden throne's prestige. Battling south and north without rest, blocking east and removing west remains uncertain. In the Zen gate, one must learn the no-mind mantra, quietly nurturing the infant to form the holy fetus." The two were grappling in mid-air, shouting all the way to the Thunder Sound Temple at the Spirit Vulture Mountain in the Western Paradise. There, the Four Great Bodhisattvas, Eight Great Vajra, Five Hundred Arhats, Three Thousand Guardians, and various great sages gathered beneath the Seven Treasures Lotus Platform to listen to the Buddha's teachings.
At that moment, the Buddha was saying, "There is not being in being, nor non-being in non-being. Not color in color, nor emptiness in emptiness..." The audience was captivated when suddenly the Buddha descended heavenly flowers, scattering them everywhere, leaving his throne to address everyone: "You all have one heart; look at these two hearts in conflict." When everyone looked up, they indeed saw two travelers fighting, their shouts shaking the heavens and disturbing the tranquility of the Thunder Sound Paradise.
The Eight Great Vajra, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to block them: "Where are you two going?" The Great Sage, looking righteous, replied, "The demon is impersonating me and wants to go to the Lotus Platform below to have the Buddha distinguish between us!" Upon hearing this, the Vajra could not resist and hurriedly knelt before the Buddha, saying, "Disciple is protecting Tang Seng to seek the true scriptures. On the way, I encountered a demon and expended considerable effort. Earlier, I encountered strong bandits and injured a few; Master blamed me and sent me back to the South Sea. Helpless, I went to see Guanyin to complain, but unexpectedly, this demon disguised itself as me, knocked down Master, and stole our luggage. Sha Monk went to find me but was deceived by the demon's sweet words. After Guanyin learned of this, she instructed me and Sha Monk to go find the demon together."
The Vajra recounted the events in unison, leaving everyone confused, but only the Buddha understood what was happening. Just as he was about to explain, he suddenly saw Guanyin Bodhisattva coming from the colorful clouds in the south, quickly approaching to pay respects to the Buddha.
The Buddha clasped his hands and said, "Guanyin, can you discern which of the two travelers is real and which is fake?" The Bodhisattva replied, "A few days ago, I was in the wilderness and truly couldn’t tell. Later, they went to the heavenly palace and the underworld, yet it remained difficult to distinguish, so I specially came to ask the Buddha for help." The Buddha smiled and said, "Although your powers are great, you can only understand the happenings around you; you cannot recognize everything."
The Bodhisattva listened and quickly inquired about the types of celestial beings. The Buddha then slowly explained, “In the heavenly realm, there are five types of beings: Heaven, Earth, Deities, Humans, and Ghosts; there are also five insects: worms, scales, fur, feathers, and insects. This demon is neither from Heaven nor Earth, not a deity nor a human, and certainly not an insect or bird. Additionally, there are four monkeys that disrupt the world, which do not belong to any of these ten categories.” The Bodhisattva curiously asked, “Which four monkeys are those?” The Buddha continued, “The first is the Lingming Stone Monkey, who can transform and understands the timing and geography; the second is the Chìqiú Mǎhóu, adept in yin and yang and human affairs; the third is the Tōngbì Yóuhóu, who can grasp the sun and moon and discern fortune and misfortune; the fourth is the Liù'ěr Míhóu, skilled in listening, capable of understanding principles and comprehending all things.”
At that moment, the Liù'ěr Míhóu, hearing its true form mentioned by the Buddha, felt fear and immediately leaped to escape. Seeing this, the Buddha commanded everyone to act, and the Four Bodhisattvas and Eight Vajra quickly surrounded him. The Great Sage also wanted to step forward, but the Buddha stopped him: “Wukong, do not act; let me catch him!” The Liù'ěr Míhóu, panicking, transformed into a bee and flew away. However, the Buddha covered the bee with his golden bowl.
Everyone was unaware of what had happened and thought the demon had escaped. At this moment, the Buddha smiled and said, “Do not worry, the demon has not left; he is hiding under my bowl.” Everyone lifted the bowl, and indeed, they saw the true form of the Liù'ěr Míhóu. Upon seeing this, the Great Sage couldn’t help but strike him with his iron rod, killing him instantly. At this, the Buddha, feeling pity, softly said, “Well done! Well done!”
The Great Sage, however, was dissatisfied: “The Buddha should not show mercy to him; he injured my master and stole our luggage. He deserves punishment!” The Buddha advised, “You should quickly protect Tang Seng; seeking the scriptures is urgent.” The Great Sage bowed in gratitude: “Buddha, I know Master will definitely not want me. If I go and he does not accept me, wouldn’t that be in vain? I hope the Buddha will recite a spell to loosen my golden hoop and let me return!” The Buddha replied, “Do not think that way; do not give up. I will have Guanyin send you, and I assure you that he will accept you. Protect him well, and once your mission is accomplished, you can return to the Western Paradise and sit on a lotus seat.”
After hearing this, Guanyin clasped her hands in gratitude and led Wukong away on a cloud, followed closely by the Wooden Fork Traveler and the White Parrot. Soon, they arrived at the grass hut, where Sha Monk hurriedly welcomed his master. The Bodhisattva informed Tang Seng: “The one who attacked you a few days ago was the fake traveler, the Liù'ěr Míhóu. Luckily, the Buddha knew and has already had Wukong kill him. You must now accept Wukong; he will protect you so that you can successfully reach Lingshan to see the Buddha and obtain the scriptures. Do not be angry anymore.” Tripitaka immediately bowed his head: “I will follow your teachings!”
Just as he was expressing his thanks, a sudden strong wind blew from the east. Everyone looked and saw that it was Zhu Bajie, carrying two bundles, arriving on the wind. Seeing the Bodhisattva, the fool immediately bowed: “Disciple left Master a few days ago to go to the Water Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain, found the bundles, and killed the fake Tang Seng and fake Bajie, who turned out to be two monkeys. After checking, none of the bundles were missing.” The Bodhisattva recounted what had happened with the Buddha, and Bajie was overjoyed, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
The master and disciples thanked each other, and the Bodhisattva returned to the sea. Everyone restored their harmony and cleared their hearts. They then organized their belongings and prepared to set off westward. It was indeed: “On the middle path, chaos separates the five elements; defeating demons gathers to unite the primordial brightness. When the spirit returns to the heart, the Zen is settled; the six senses dispel and the elixir forms by itself.” Will they successfully see the Buddha and obtain the scriptures on this journey? Stay tuned for the next episode.
