The Monster King was really anxious, locking both the front and back doors tightly and desperately searching for Sun Wukong. He made such a racket that by dusk, there was still no sign of him. So, he sat in the peeling skin pavilion, summoned a group of monsters, and began issuing orders. Everyone was told to ring bells, beat drums, and draw their bows, preparing for a night watch. Meanwhile, Sun Wukong had already transformed into a fly and was stuck by the door. Seeing the tight defenses, he thought to himself, “What should I do now?” He then shook his wings and flew into the inner palace.
As soon as he entered, he saw the Golden Holy Mother lying on the imperial desk, tears streaming down her face, and he could faintly hear her sobbing. Sun Wukong gently landed on her cloud-like hairdo and listened closely to her cries. Before long, she suddenly exclaimed, “My lord! In our past life, we burned incense for a severed head, and in this life, I’ve encountered the monster king. When will we reunite after three years of separation? Our love is torn apart, causing such sorrow. The elder was sent to deliver a message, scattering our joyful union and leaving me in despair. It’s all because of the golden bell, which is hard to recognize, and my longing is even wilder than before.”
Hearing this, Wukong felt a pang in his heart and quickly moved to her ear, whispering, “Holy Mother, don’t be afraid. I’m the divine monk Sun sent by your kingdom. Your life is safe. I was just too impatient and took the golden bell while you were drinking with the monster king. I slipped out but accidentally rang the bell, causing a commotion. I panicked, threw the bell away, revealed my true form, and tried to fight, but I couldn’t get out. I was afraid of being harmed, so I turned into a fly and hid here. The monster king is on high alert and won’t open the door.”
The Holy Mother was as anxious as a little rabbit and tearfully asked, “Are you a human or a ghost now?” Wukong laughed and replied, “I’m neither a human nor a ghost; I’m just a fly. Don’t be afraid, quickly summon the monster king!” The Holy Mother, half-believing, murmured, “Don’t scare me.” Wukong insisted, “How could I scare you? If you don’t believe me, just let me jump down and show you.”
She really opened her left hand, and Wukong gently flew down, landing in her palm, looking like a tiny black bean on a lotus flower, or a bee resting on a peony. The Golden Holy Mother raised her jade hand high and exclaimed, “Divine monk!” Wukong responded, “I’m the divine monk transformed.” Only then did she believe him and softly ask, “When I go to summon the monster king, what do you plan to do?” Wukong said, “As the ancients say, nothing can be resolved without wine. Just bring your maid, and I can transform into her likeness and take action.”
The Holy Mother immediately called out, “Chun Jiao, come here quickly!” From behind the screen, a beautiful fox spirit emerged, kneeling and asking, “What does the Holy Mother command?” She said, “Go ask them to bring some gauze lamps, burn musk, and help me to the front courtyard to have the king rest.” Chun Jiao quickly turned and called over seven or eight monster deer and foxes, lighting lanterns and preparing a stove, serving her on both sides. The Holy Mother bent slightly to show gratitude, while Wukong had already flown away.
Wukong spread his wings and flew directly onto the head of the beautiful fox spirit, plucking a hair and blowing some magical breath, shouting “Transform!” Instantly, it turned into a sleepy bug, which he gently placed on her face. As soon as the sleepy bug landed, it crawled into her nostrils, making her drowsy. Sure enough, Chun Jiao began to feel sleepy, swaying back and forth, until she finally found a spot, tilted her head, and fell into a deep sleep. Seeing this, Wukong jumped down, transformed into Chun Jiao’s likeness, and quietly waited behind the screen.
At that moment, the Golden Holy Mother was walking when a little monster spotted her and immediately ran to report to the Monster King, “My lord, the Holy Mother is here!” The Monster King, hearing this, hurriedly ran out of the peeling skin pavilion to greet her. The Holy Mother said, “My lord, the smoke and fire have extinguished, and the thief has vanished. It’s late at night, and I’ve come to invite you to rest.” The Monster King was delighted and quickly said, “Holy Mother, be careful! That thief is Sun Wukong! He defeated my vanguard, killed my little officer, transformed into one of us, and fooled us. Now we’ve searched thoroughly, but he seems to have evaporated, which makes me uneasy.” The Holy Mother reassured him, “That guy must have escaped. My lord, don’t worry, just go rest.”
The monsters, seeing the Holy Mother respectfully inviting the king, didn’t dare refuse, so they reminded everyone to be careful with the candles to prevent thieves, and then walked with the Holy Mother toward the inner palace. At that moment, Sun Wukong, disguised as Chun Jiao, was led in among the maidservants. The Holy Mother called out, “Quick, prepare the wine to ease the king’s worries.” The Monster King, hearing this, smiled and said, “Yes, yes, bring the wine quickly. I’ll have a drink with the Holy Mother to calm my nerves.” The fake Chun Jiao and the other monsters began arranging fruit and preparing some meat dishes, setting the table and chairs.
The Holy Mother raised her wine cup, and the Monster King lifted his as well. They exchanged cups, and the fake Chun Jiao beside them said, “The king and the Holy Mother have just toasted tonight; let’s all raise our glasses for a double celebration!” So, they filled their cups again and drank heartily. The fake Chun Jiao continued, “Since the king and the Holy Mother are celebrating, let those who can sing do so, and those who can dance should get up!” As soon as she finished speaking, singing erupted, and everyone began to sing and dance, creating a lively atmosphere.
The Holy Mother called for a stop to the singing and dancing, and the maidservants withdrew in groups, leaving only the fake Chun Jiao holding the wine pot, continuing to serve wine. The Holy Mother and the Monster King began to indulge in sweet nothings. The Holy Mother appeared so gentle, truly charming the Monster King to the point of weakness, but unfortunately, he lacked the fortune to get close to her. It was pitiful, like a cat biting a urine bag—just an empty joy!
After chatting for a while, the Holy Mother suddenly asked, “My lord, is the treasure undamaged?” The Monster King quickly replied, “This treasure was forged with innate materials; how could it be damaged? It was just that the thief tore open the cotton plug and burned the leopard skin bag.” The Holy Mother curiously asked, “What should be done about it?” The Monster King said, “No need to worry; I have it at my waist.” Upon hearing this, the fake Chun Jiao felt a stir in her heart, immediately plucking a hair, chewing it into powder, and gently approaching the Monster King to place the hair on him, blowing three puffs of magical breath and secretly calling out, “Transform!”
The hairs instantly turned into lice, fleas, and bedbugs, all rushing into the Monster King’s body and biting against his skin. The Monster King couldn’t stand the itch, reaching into his clothes to pull out a few lice and inspecting them under the lamp. The Holy Mother saw this and thought, “No wonder the king has these; his shirt hasn’t been washed.” The Monster King, feeling embarrassed, said, “I’ve never had these before; it’s truly shameful tonight.” The Holy Mother laughed and said, “Why should my lord be shy? As the saying goes, even the emperor has three lice on him! Quickly take off your clothes, and I’ll help you catch them.”
The Monster King indeed loosened his belt and took off his clothes. The fake Chun Jiao observed closely and found that the Monster King’s clothing was layered upon layered, with fleas jumping about and his body covered in bedbugs; there were countless lice, almost like ants swarming out of a nest. Unconsciously, she peeled back the third layer and unexpectedly saw that the golden bell was also densely populated with lice. The fake Chun Jiao said, “My lord, quickly bring the bell here; let me help you catch the lice.” The Monster King, both embarrassed and flustered, unable to distinguish between true and false, handed over the three bells to the fake Chun Jiao.
Taking the bells, she feigned mystery and saw the Monster King shaking out his clothes while seizing the opportunity to hide the golden bell. She plucked another hair, transforming it into three identical bells, which she held up to the lamp for a careful inspection. She then fiddled and shook, collecting the lice, bedbugs, and fleas back onto her body, and handed the fake golden bell to the Monster King. He took the bell, completely bewildered, unable to distinguish between the real and the fake, and held the bells up to the Holy Mother, saying, “You keep this safe this time; be sure to be careful and don’t let it happen like last time.”
The Holy Mother accepted the bells, gently opened her jewelry box, stored the fake bells, and locked it with a golden lock. Then she drank a few more cups of wine with the Monster King and instructed the maidservants, “Clean the bed thoroughly and lay out the brocade quilt; I will sleep with the king.” The Monster King repeatedly said, “No fortune! No fortune! I dare not accompany you; I have a maid to sleep with in the west palace. Please do as you wish.” Thus, they each returned to their quarters to rest.
Meanwhile, after successfully obtaining the treasure, the fake Chun Jiao hid it at her waist, transformed back, shook off the sleepy bug, and walked forward. Suddenly, she heard the jingling of bells, precisely at the third watch! Sun Wukong felt a tightness in his heart, immediately formed a mudra, recited a spell, and used his invisibility technique to quietly approach the door. He saw that the door was tightly locked, so he took out his golden staff, pointed it at the door, performed a unlocking spell, and the door opened gently. He hurriedly ran out, shouting loudly, “Monster King! Return the Golden Holy Mother to me!” He called out several times, startling the surrounding monsters.
At that moment, the front door opened, and several little monsters were busy lighting lamps and searching for the lock, securing the door again. A few ran to report, “My lord! Someone outside is shouting for the Golden Holy Mother!” The maidservants here also quietly came out, whispering, “Don’t make noise; the king has just fallen asleep.” Sun Wukong shouted again at the door, but the little monsters dared not disturb him. They continued to make a ruckus until dawn. Unable to hold back any longer, Sun Wukong swung his iron staff and began to bang on the door fiercely.
This frightened the Monster King and the little monsters, with some rushing to the door and others reporting back. The Monster King finally woke up, hearing the chaos outside, hurriedly dressed, and stepped out of the tent to ask, “What’s going on?” The maidservants knelt down and said, “Master, we don’t know who is shouting outside, but they’ve been banging on the door all night.” The Monster King stepped outside and saw several little monsters nervously bowing, saying, “There’s someone outside shouting for the Golden Holy Mother! He said many unpleasant things, forcing us to bang on the door.”
Upon hearing this, the Monster King immediately said, “Don’t open the door yet; go ask who he is, what his surname is, and come back to report.” The little monster hurriedly went out and asked through the door, “Who are you?” Sun Wukong replied, “I’m the honored guest from the Kingdom of Zhuzi, here to take the Holy Mother back to her homeland!” The little monster quickly reported this news back to the Monster King.
The Monster King then went to the inner palace to inquire about the visitor. At that moment, the Holy Mother had just gotten out of bed and hadn’t yet dressed. Hearing the maidservants report, “Master is here!” she quickly tidied her clothes, let down her hair, and went out to welcome him. Just as she sat down and hadn’t yet asked what was happening, the little monster came in to report, “That honored guest has already broken down the door!” The Monster King smiled and asked, “Holy Mother, how many generals are there in the court?” The Holy Mother replied, “There are forty-eight guards and many capable generals, not to mention the numerous commanders on the various fronts.”
The Monster King then asked, “Is there anyone with the surname ‘Wai’?” The Holy Mother shook her head, saying, “I’m in the palace, only knowing the internal affairs; I don’t remember any surnames related to external matters!” The Monster King frowned and said, “The one outside calls himself ‘Wai Gong’ (honored guest). I don’t think there’s anyone with the surname ‘Wai’ in the hundred surnames. Holy Mother, you’re intelligent and noble; you must have read a lot. Do you remember anything about this surname in your books?” The Holy Mother thought for a moment and said, “There’s a line in the Thousand Character Classic that says, ‘Wai Shou Fu Xun,’ which must refer to this.”
Upon hearing this, the Monster King’s heart filled with joy: “This must be the honored guest!” Saying this, he quickly stood up to bid farewell to the Holy Mother and rushed to the peeling skin pavilion, gathering all the monster soldiers, preparing to go out, wielding a ceremonial axe, and sternly asking, “Which one is the honored guest from the Kingdom of Zhuzi?” At this moment, Sun Wukong, holding his golden staff, pointed with his left hand and said, “Cousin, how do you address me?” The Monster King, seeing this, was furious, thinking to himself, “This guy looks like a monkey, and his demeanor is even more like that of a mischievous little creature. What a bold and arrogant scoundrel!”
Sun Wukong laughed and said, “You foolish monster, truly lacking insight! Five hundred years ago, when I caused a ruckus in Heaven, which celestial general dared to call me ‘old one’? You call me ‘honored guest,’ what a shame!” The Monster King, enraged, roared, “Quickly tell me who you are and what abilities you have to be so arrogant here!” Sun Wukong, hearing this, felt amused: “You want me to reveal my name? I fear you’ll have nowhere to stand immediately! Listen to me:
My parents are Heaven and Earth, conceived from the essence of the sun and moon; the immortal stone embraces no age, nurturing true talent. Once, I was in the Three Yangs, today I return to truth in the great assembly. Gathering many monsters to call me chief, I can subdue many creatures to bow at Dan Cliff. The Jade Emperor sent a decree, and the Morning Star brought the edict. They invited me to Heaven to take office, but I was unhappy with the title of ‘Assistant Horse.’ My original intention was to rebel and plot in the cave, raising troops to cause a ruckus at the imperial steps, confronting the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and the Crown Prince, fighting fiercely until the end…” Hearing this, the Monster King felt a bit flustered, thinking, “So this guy is the one who caused a ruckus in Heaven!”
The Monster King calmed down and asked, “Since you escaped to protect Tang Seng on his journey west, why come here to seek death?” Sun Wukong, furious, shouted, “You brazen monster! You speak ignorantly! I received the invitation from the Kingdom of Zhuzi with respect like that of my parents; how dare you say I am a servant! I have no intention of letting you go; prepare to face my staff!” The Monster King, upon hearing this, panicked and quickly dodged, brandishing his axe in response.
The performance was about to begin! Look: the golden staff and the ceremonial axe clashed, one gritting its teeth fiercely, the other gnashing its teeth in power. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven arrived, and the Monster King was not willing to back down either. The two of them spewed clouds and mist, fighting fiercely with no end in sight. After fifty rounds, neither could gain the upper hand. Seeing that Sun Wukong was so skilled, the Monster King thought to himself, “I haven’t had breakfast yet; should I go eat something first?” Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong laughed, “A real man doesn’t rush a weary rabbit; go ahead and eat, then come back to meet your death!”
The Monster King hurriedly turned and ran into the cave, shouting to the Holy Mother, “Quick, bring out the treasure!” The Holy Mother looked puzzled, “Why do you need the treasure?” The Monster King was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, “The one challenging me this morning is the monk on a pilgrimage, named Sun Wukong. He falsely claims to be an honored guest. I’ve been fighting him, and neither of us has gained the upper hand!”
The Holy Mother felt a pang of worry, thinking, “If I don’t bring out the bells, he might become suspicious; but if I do bring them out, I might endanger Sun Wukong’s life.” Just as she hesitated, the Monster King urged, “Hurry up!” With no choice, the Holy Mother unlocked the box and handed the three bells to the Monster King. He took them and quickly ran out. The Holy Mother sat in the palace, tears streaming down her face, worried whether Sun Wukong could escape with his life. Neither of them knew that these were fake bells!
Once the Monster King stepped outside, he arrogantly shouted, “Sun Wukong, don’t run! Watch me shake the bells!” Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong laughed heartily, “You have bells, but I don’t? You can shake them, but I can’t?” The Monster King scoffed, “What bells do you have? Show them to me!” Sun Wukong pinched his iron staff into a small needle and hid it behind his ear, then took out three real treasures from his waist, pointing at the Monster King, saying, “Aren’t these my purple gold bells?” The Monster King was shocked, thinking, “These bells look exactly like mine! Could they have been cast from the same mold?”
Curiously, the Monster King asked, “Where did your bells come from?” Sun Wukong countered, “Where did yours come from?” The Monster King replied honestly, “These were forged by the Celestial Master of Ta Qing, left by the Old Lord.” Sun Wukong laughed, “My bells also came from that time!” The Monster King asked, “How did you get your bells?” Sun Wukong answered, “I forged these bells in the Duoshuai Palace where the Dao Ancestor refines elixirs; the female is with me, and the male is with you.” The Monster King scratched his head, “Bells are treasures of the golden elixir; how can they be divided by gender? As long as they ring out treasure, that’s all that matters!”
Sun Wukong said, “Words alone are not enough; let’s see you shake them.” The Monster King really shook the first bell, shaking it three times, but nothing happened. The second bell was the same, shaking it three times with no response. He shook the third bell three times, and still, there was no reaction. The Monster King panicked, “This is strange! These bells must be timid; they won’t come out in front of the female!” Sun Wukong laughed and said, “Stop! Let me give it a try.”
Well, Sun Wukong grabbed all three bells and shook them vigorously. Look at that, red flames, green smoke, and yellow sand all erupted, almost setting the sky ablaze! Sun Wukong chanted a spell, “Come, wind!” As the wind stirred, the flames grew fiercer, smoke billowed, and yellow sand filled the sky. The Monster King was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body, not knowing how to escape.
At that moment, a stern voice called from the sky, “Sun Wukong! I’m coming!” Sun Wukong turned around and saw it was Guanyin Bodhisattva, who held a pure bottle in her left hand and a willow branch in her right, sprinkling sweet dew to extinguish the fire. Sun Wukong quickly hid the bells and clasped his hands in prayer, saying, “Bodhisattva, what brings you here?” The Bodhisattva waved her willow branch a few times, and instantly, all the smoke and fire disappeared, along with the yellow sand. Sun Wukong bowed his head, saying, “I didn’t know the great compassion descended to the mortal realm; my apologies! May I ask where the Bodhisattva is headed?”
The Bodhisattva smiled slightly and said, “I specifically came to catch this monster.” Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong hurriedly asked, “What is the origin of this monster that dares to make you descend in person?” The Bodhisattva explained, “He is the golden-haired hound I ride. Because the cowherd fell asleep and didn’t keep watch, this monster bit through the iron chain and ran out to cause trouble for the king of Zhuzi.” Sun Wukong, upon hearing this, became anxious, saying, “Bodhisattva, please don’t say that! He is here deceiving the king and the queen, ruining morals, and bringing disaster to the king; how can this be considered alleviating disaster?”
The Bodhisattva patiently said, "You don't know that back when the former king of Zhu Zi Kingdom was in power, this king was still a crown prince, young and particularly fond of hunting. One day, he took his men and horses to Luofeng Slope and ended up injuring a male peacock, while the female peacock was also taken away by an arrow. When the Buddha Mother found out, she felt very guilty and instructed him not to hunt for three years. Unexpectedly, the Golden-haired Hound took notice and deceived the queen, bringing calamity to the king. Now that the three-year grievance has ended, I am here to capture this monster."
The Pilgrim frowned, "Bodhisattva, although there is such a story, he defiled the queen, corrupted customs, and disrupted morals. Shouldn't he be put to death? Since you came personally, I'll spare him the death penalty, but for the living penalty, let me give him twenty blows!" The Bodhisattva shook her head, "Wukong, since you know I'm here, you should give me face and spare him. If you strike, he will die."
The Pilgrim had no choice but to bow and say, "Since the Bodhisattva is taking him back to the sea, then don't let him come down to the human world privately, to avoid harming people again!" The Bodhisattva shouted, "Vile creature! Show your true form quickly!" The monster rolled over, revealing its true body, shook its fur, and the Bodhisattva mounted it.
At this moment, the Bodhisattva looked down and found that the three golden bells were missing, so she asked the Pilgrim, "Wukong, return my bells." The Pilgrim looked innocent, "I don't know." The Bodhisattva angrily said, "You thieving monkey! If you hadn't stolen the bells, even ten of you wouldn't dare to come close! Hand them over!" The Pilgrim laughed, "I really haven't seen them." The Bodhisattva said, "If you haven't seen them, I'll recite the Tightening Spell." The Pilgrim panicked upon hearing this, "Don't recite, don't recite! The bells are here!"
This is exactly: The one who unties the bell must ask the one who tied it. The Bodhisattva put the bells around the hound's neck and mounted it high. You see that the hound's four feet grew lotus flowers, blazing with brilliance, its body shimmering with golden threads, and the Bodhisattva rode it back to the South Sea.
Meanwhile, the Great Sage Sun straightened his clothes, picked up his iron rod, and rushed into the Xiezhi Cave, beating the monsters one by one, leaving them in disarray and clearing them out completely. Then he returned to the palace to invite the Holy Palace Lady back to her country. The lady was immensely grateful. The Pilgrim recounted the process of the Bodhisattva subduing the demon and dismantling the phoenix, found some soft grass, and made a grass dragon: "Lady, mount it, close your eyes, don't be afraid, I'll take you back to see the lord!"
The lady complied, and the Pilgrim used his magic. Only the sound of the wind whistled past their ears, and half an hour later, he brought her back to the city. The Pilgrim shouted from the clouds, "Lady, open your eyes!" The queen opened her eyes, saw the phoenix pavilions and dragon towers, and was overjoyed, leaving the grass dragon behind and ascending the treasure hall with the Pilgrim. The king saw this, hurriedly got off the dragon bed to hold the queen's hand, wanting to express his longing, but accidentally fell to the ground, crying out, "My hand hurts! My hand hurts!"
Pigsy laughed heartily, pointing at the Pilgrim, "Look at this guy, what a face! Can't enjoy the blessing, got stung as soon as they met!" The Pilgrim was immediately displeased, "Fool, dare you pull him?" Pigsy retorted, "So what if I pull him?" The Pilgrim got anxious, "The lady has poisonous thorns on her body, and her hands have the poison of the stinging sun. Ever since staying on Qilin Mountain with that Sai Tai Sui for three years, the monster hasn't even touched her! If he did, it would hurt terribly all over, and the hands would be extremely painful too."
Upon hearing this, all the officials frowned, and the concubines inside were even more alarmed. At this moment, two palace maids came in from outside to support the king, and everyone was in a panic. Suddenly, a voice came from mid-air, "Great Sage, I'm here!" The Pilgrim looked up and saw an immortal floating down, surrounded by auspicious light, with an extraordinary presence. The immortal wore brown clothes, straw sandals, held a dragon whisk, and had a silk belt around his waist, looking like a person of celestial demeanor.
The traveler hurriedly approached and asked, "Zhang Ziyang, where have you come from?" The real person Ziyang respectfully bowed and replied, "Great Sage, I am Zhang Boduan." The traveler asked, "Where did you come from?" The real person answered, "Three years ago, I attended a Buddhist gathering. When passing through here, I noticed that King of the Zhuzi Kingdom was worried about the dismantling of the phoenix. I was concerned that the demon would defile the queen and disrupt human ethics, so I transformed an old brown robe into a new gauzy dress for the queen to wear. Unexpectedly, after she put it on, she grew poisonous thorns, which were those brown hairs."
Upon hearing this, the traveler quickly said, "Then you must free her!" The real person walked up to the queen, pointed at her, and immediately removed the brown robe. The queen instantly returned to her original state. The real person shook the robe and draped it over himself, saying to the traveler, "Great Sage, no need to thank me; I must take my leave." The traveler said, "Wait a moment, the king hasn't thanked you yet!" The real person smiled and waved his hand, "No need, no need." After saying this, he soared into the sky, and the king and queen hurriedly looked up to thank him.
After the bowing, the king ordered people to open the eastern pavilion to prepare rewards for the four monks. The king and ministers knelt in reverence, and the couple was finally reunited. Just as the banquet was in full swing, the traveler suddenly called out, "Master, quickly bring me that battle letter!" Tang Seng took it out from his sleeve and handed it to the traveler, who then passed it to the king, saying, "This was sent by the demon's messenger." The traveler continued, "That messenger was already killed by me and came to report success. Later, he transformed back into a messenger and returned to the cave, but was caught, stole the golden bell, and almost got captured."
The traveler detailed the events, and the king and ministers listened with deep gratitude, praising him. Tang Seng said, "This is not only the blessing of a wise king but also the merit of my little disciple. Now that the grand feast is over, I must take my leave; don’t delay my journey to the West!" The king earnestly insisted he stay but arranged for a formal document, inviting Tang Seng to sit steadily in the dragon carriage, while the king and queen pushed the wheels together to send them off.
This is precisely: "With fate, worries and doubts are washed away; with no thoughts, the heart finds peace." As for what other fortunes and misfortunes await, we shall discuss that next time!
