Under the leadership of the brocade-clad official, the fake Tang Seng was dragged out of the inn, surrounded by a circle of feathered guards, heading straight for the palace gates. The brocade-clad official said to the yellow-robed official, "We have brought Tang Seng, please inform the emperor." The yellow-robed official hurried into the palace to report to the dim-witted king, who then asked the fake Tang Seng to enter. All the officials knelt down, while the fake Tang Seng stood at the steps, loudly asking, "Bikshu Wang, what do you want this poor monk to say?"
The king smiled and replied, "I have a lingering illness that hasn't healed for a long time. Fortunately, my father-in-law has given me a prescription, and all the medicinal ingredients are prepared, but I lack one essential ingredient. I specifically ask the elder to find me this medicinal catalyst. If I recover, I am willing to build a shrine for you, offering sacrifices throughout the year, ensuring the incense of the country continues."
Upon hearing this, the fake Tang Seng shook his head and said, "I am a monk, having come here alone, I do not know what your majesty is asking my father-in-law for as the catalyst." The dim-witted king answered, "I specifically seek your heart and liver." The fake Tang Seng was taken aback and then replied, "To be honest, your majesty, how many hearts and livers can one have? I don't know what kind you want." The father-in-law pointed and said, "Monk, we need your black heart."
When the fake Tang Seng heard this, he immediately shouted, "Then hurry and bring a knife! Cut open my chest and abdomen; if I have a black heart, I will certainly comply." The dim-witted king was overjoyed and immediately had an officer fetch a short knife with a cow's ear handle and handed it to the fake monk.
The fake monk took the knife, loosened his clothing, puffed out his chest, wiped his abdomen with his left hand, and with his right hand gripped the knife, swiftly cut open his belly. To everyone's shock, a pile of hearts tumbled out! The civil officials turned pale, and the military officials were left stunned. The father-in-law in the hall exclaimed, "What a multi-hearted monk!" The fake monk then picked up the hearts, bloodied and all, for everyone to see, discovering they were red hearts, white hearts, yellow hearts, along with greedy hearts, jealous hearts, calculating hearts, and competitive hearts, but not a single black heart. The dim-witted king was so scared he fell silent, trembling as he said, "Take them away! Take them away!"
At this moment, the fake Tang Seng could no longer hold back. He put away his disguise and revealed his true form, saying to the dim-witted king, "Your majesty, you have no discernment! I, the monk, have a kind heart; it is only your father-in-law who has a black heart, perfectly suitable as a catalyst. If you don't believe me, I will take his heart for you." Upon hearing this, the father-in-law widened his eyes to take a closer look, only to find that this monk had transformed into the Monkey King from five hundred years ago! He was startled and hurriedly tried to escape, but the Monkey King performed a somersault in the air, shouting, "Where do you think you're going? Take this stick!"
The father-in-law quickly met the challenge with his dragon-twisting staff. The two engaged in a fierce battle in the air, the Monkey King's golden staff clashing with the father-in-law's staff, creating an impressive spectacle. It turned out that the father-in-law was a demon who wanted to harm the child. The Monkey King displayed his divine powers, capturing the monster to save the child, creating a mist that enveloped the sky, leaving the townsfolk terrified. The civil and military officials were paralyzed with fear, and even the concubines' faces changed drastically. The monk and the dim-witted king were trembling, with nowhere to hide.
This struggle lasted for over twenty rounds, and the father-in-law's staff could not withstand the golden rod, ultimately transforming into a cold light, escaping into the inner palace, taking the demon queen with him, disappearing without a trace. The Monkey King descended from the clouds and approached the officials, saying, "Your good father-in-law!" The officials all bowed in thanks, but the Monkey King said, "Hold on, let's see where your dim-witted king has gone." The officials replied, "Our lord was frightened during the battle and has hidden himself; we don't know which palace he has gone to."
The Monkey King immediately ordered, "Quickly go find him! Don't let the beautiful queen take him away!" After hearing this, the officials searched everywhere, but the beautiful queen was also missing. The main palace, East Palace, West Palace, and all six courtyards—every concubine came to thank the Monkey King. The Monkey King said, "Please rise, no need for thanks, quickly go find your lord."
Before long, four or five eunuchs helped the dim-witted king out from behind the hall. The officials bowed down to the ground, reporting in unison, "Your majesty! Thank the holy monk for coming here to discern the truth. The father-in-law is a demon, and the beautiful queen is also missing."
Upon hearing this, the king immediately invited the Monkey King out of the palace, thanking him, "Elder, you looked so majestic this morning; how did you change your appearance now?" The Monkey King smiled and replied, "To be honest, your majesty, it was my master, the Tang Dynasty's Tripitaka, who came this morning. I am his disciple, Sun Wukong, along with my two junior brothers, Zhu Wuneng and Sha Wujing, who are currently at the Golden Pavilion Inn. Knowing you believed the demon's words and wanted to take my master's heart and liver as a catalyst, I transformed into my master's likeness to come and subdue the demon." The king, upon hearing this, immediately issued a decree for the chief minister to invite the master and his disciples to the palace.
When the Tripitaka saw the Monkey King reveal his true form and descend to subdue demons in the air, he was terrified and thought it was all over. Fortunately, Pigsy and Sandy were there to protect him. Pigsy, still smeared with mud on his face and feeling gloomy, suddenly heard someone shout, "Master, we are the officials sent by the king of the Bikshu Kingdom, here to invite you to the palace to express gratitude!" Pigsy laughed and said, "Master, don't be afraid! Isn't this just an invitation for you to take a heart? Surely, our senior brother has won and has come to ask you for a reward!" Tripitaka, distressed, replied, "Even if he has won, how can I face others with this dirty face?" Pigsy comforted him, saying, "There's no other way; we will meet our senior brother, and he will explain everything." Thus, Tripitaka, resigned, had to lean on Pigsy and Sandy, carrying their burdens and leading their horse towards the inn.
Upon seeing them, the official was so frightened that he exclaimed, "Goodness! This truly looks like a monster!" Sandy helplessly said, "Don't blame us for being ugly; it's just how we were born. If my master were here, he would look much better!" The three of them, without waiting for an announcement, directly approached the hall. When the Monkey King saw them, he immediately came down from the hall, rushed over, wiped the mud off Tripitaka’s face, blew a breath of celestial energy, and exclaimed, "Correct!" Instantly, Tripitaka returned to his original appearance, looking revitalized. The king personally came down to welcome him, addressing him as "Master Buddha." The disciples tied up their horse and all went up to the hall to meet.
The Monkey King asked, "Your majesty, do you know where that monster came from? I can help you capture it and eliminate future troubles!" The concubines from the three palaces and six courtyards heard this and came out from behind the jade screens, collectively bowing and pleading, "We implore the holy monk to cast spells, eradicate the monster, and eliminate it completely; we cannot repay your kindness!"
The king, feeling ashamed, said, "Three years ago, when it first came, I asked it. It said there was a Hua Village at Liu Lin Po, seventy miles south of the city. The father-in-law is old and has no sons, only a sixteen-year-old daughter who is unmarried and wishes to enter the palace. Because she is beautiful, I took her as a favored concubine. Unexpectedly, she fell ill, and the imperial physician's treatments were ineffective. The monster claimed to have a miraculous prescription that only needed the heart of a child to brew a soup as a catalyst. I naively believed it, and thus selected a child from the common folk, planning to perform the surgery today at noon to take the heart. Little did I know that the holy monk would arrive just in time to intervene. The monster also said that the holy monk has cultivated for ten lifetimes, and his heart is even more valuable than a child's. I mistakenly trusted it, unaware that the holy monk had seen through the demon's trickery. I hope you can use your powers to eliminate future troubles; I am willing to offer great rewards for the kingdom!"
The Monkey King smiled and said, "To be honest, the child in the cage was hidden out of compassion by my master. Don't mention any rewards; once I capture the monster, that will be my contribution." Then he called out, "Pigsy, come with me!" Pigsy replied, "I will obey your command, but I am feeling empty in my stomach and can't exert much effort."
The king immediately issued a decree, "Quickly prepare a feast at the Guanglu Temple!" Before long, the vegetarian meal was delivered. After Pigsy had eaten his fill and felt invigorated, he followed the Monkey King, soaring into the clouds. The king, concubines, and civil and military officials all bowed in reverence towards the sky, exclaiming, "True immortals and Buddhas have descended to the mortal realm!" The Monkey King, accompanied by Pigsy, headed straight south for seventy miles, searching for the monster's traces. They saw a clear stream with willows shading both banks, but they did not know where the Qinghua Village was. It was just as the saying goes: "Countless fields stretch endlessly, while the misty willows hide without a trace."
After searching for a long time without success, Sun Wukong thought to himself that this wouldn't do; he needed to come up with a plan. So he made a gesture and recited the "Om" mantra, summoning a local earth god. The earth god trembled and knelt down, saying, "Great Sage, I am the land deity of Liu Lin Po." The Monkey King asked, "Don't be afraid; I won't harm you. I want to know, where is the Qinghua Village near Liu Lin Po?" The earth god replied, "There is a Qinghua Cave here, but no Qinghua Village. I know, great sage, you must be from the Bikshu Kingdom, right?" The Monkey King nodded, "Exactly. The king of Bikshu was deceived by the monster; I recognized that monster, defeated it, and it transformed into a cold light, disappearing without a trace. When I asked the Bikshu king, he said he had inquired about that monster three years ago, which claimed to live at the Qinghua Village in Liu Lin Po, seventy miles south of the city. Now that I have come here, I see only the hill and not the village, so I came to ask you."
The earth god hurriedly bowed his head, saying, "I beg for your forgiveness, great sage. The Bikshu king is also my land's lord, and I should have known. But that monster is powerful and intimidating; if I leaked any information, it would come to bully me, so I was unable to detect it. Now that you are here, just go to the south bank, under a willow tree at the nine-forked head, turn left three times, then right three times, and clap both hands against the tree while calling out three times to open the door, and the Qinghua cave will appear."
Upon hearing the earth deity's words, the Monkey King immediately sent him back, then jumped over the stream with Pigsy to find the willow tree. They soon found it, with nine forked branches all growing from the same root. The Monkey King said to Pigsy, "You wait at a distance. Once I open the door and drive the monster out, you can help me." Pigsy obeyed and stood half a mile away from the tree. Following the earth deity's instructions, the Monkey King circled the tree's root three times, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Open the door! Open the door!" At that moment, the tree's door creaked open, revealing a dazzling light inside, but no figures could be seen. Seizing the opportunity, the Monkey King rushed in and found himself in a fairyland: mist and clouds swirled, the sun and moon shone together, and strange flowers and grasses vied for beauty, rivaling the Isle of Penglai.
Excited, the Monkey King moved forward and saw four large characters written on a stone screen: "Qinghua Immortal Abode." Unable to resist, he jumped over to take a look and discovered that the old monster was embracing a beautiful woman, panting while discussing matters of the Bikshu Kingdom. The Monkey King felt a surge of joy, thinking, "A great opportunity has come! After three years of grievances, today I can finally settle things!" He ran up, brandished his golden staff, and shouted, "You monster, take this stick!" The old monster, upon seeing him, dropped the beautiful woman and picked up a coiled dragon staff to fight back. The two engaged in a fierce battle at the cave entrance, with the golden staff clashing against the coiled dragon staff, sparks flying everywhere.
The old monster shouted, "You ignorant monkey, dare to enter my door!" The Monkey King retorted, "I'm here to subdue demons!" They exchanged blows fiercely, and the light in the cave dimmed from their fight, even the birds were too scared to fly. At that moment, Pigsy, hearing the commotion outside, felt restless and couldn't help but pull out his rake to dig at the nine-forked willow tree. He ended up uprooting the tree, causing blood to gush out, and Pigsy excitedly shouted, "This tree has come to life!" He pressed down on the tree, preparing to dig again, just as the Monkey King led the monster out.
Seeing this, Pigsy immediately raised his rake, ready to attack. The old monster, already unable to fend off the Monkey King, grew even more flustered upon seeing Pigsy and quickly transformed into a cold light, fleeing eastward. The Monkey King and Pigsy chased after him relentlessly. Just as they shouted in pursuit, they suddenly heard a series of calls, and auspicious light filled the air. Looking up, they saw it was the Star of the Southern Pole. The old star lord enveloped the cold light and said, "Great Sage, slow down; Tianpeng, don't chase him; I’m here to pay my respects." The Monkey King hurriedly responded, "Brother Longevity, where did you come from?" Pigsy teased, "Old man with a meat head, you’ve trapped the cold light; you must be able to catch the monster now!"
The Longevity Star laughed and said, "I’m right here, I beg you to spare him." The Monkey King was puzzled, "What does this monster have to do with you?" The Longevity Star replied, "He is my footman; I never expected him to turn into a monster." The Monkey King said, "In that case, let him reveal his true form." The Longevity Star released the cold light and shouted, "You vile creature, quickly reveal your true form, and I will spare your life!" The old monster turned around, and to everyone’s surprise, he transformed into a white deer. The Longevity Star picked up his staff, angrily saying, "This vile creature even stole my staff!" The white deer knelt on the ground, weeping profusely.
The Longevity Star thanked the Monkey King and prepared to ride away on the deer. The Monkey King grabbed him, saying, "Brother, wait! There are still two matters left unresolved!" The Longevity Star, curious, asked, "What else is there?" The Monkey King replied, "We haven't captured the beautiful woman yet; we don't know what kind of monster she is. We also need to go to Bikshu City to confront the foolish king and report back." The Longevity Star said, "In that case, I will wait. You and Tianpeng go into the cave to capture that beautiful woman, and then come back to reveal her true form." The Monkey King agreed, "Brother, wait for us; we will be back soon!" Pigsy, feeling invigorated, followed the Monkey King straight into the Qinghua Immortal Abode, shouting, "Catch the monster! Catch the monster!"
Upon hearing this shout, the beautiful woman trembled in fear, wanting to hide behind the stone screen. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to escape. Pigsy shouted, "Where do you think you're going? I will catch you, you monster!" The beautiful woman, with no other options, transformed into a cold light trying to flee, but was struck down by the Monkey King's staff, falling to the ground and revealing her true form as a white-faced fox. Seeing this, Pigsy couldn’t help but raise his rake and strike her on the head, turning the stunning beauty into a bundle of fur! The Monkey King quickly shouted, "Don’t damage her; we need her body to confront the foolish king!"
The foolish Pigsy didn't care about the dirt at all; he grabbed the fox's tail and dragged it along behind the Monkey King as they left. The Longevity Star, stroking the deer's head, scolded, "You vile creature! How could you betray me and come here to become a spirit? If I hadn't come, Sun Wukong would have killed you by now!" Upon hearing this, the Monkey King quickly jumped out and asked, "Brother, what are you talking about?" The Longevity Star, flustered, replied, "I entrusted this deer to you!"
Pigsy tossed the dead fox in front of the deer and teased, "Is this your daughter?" The deer nodded, sniffed the fox, and made a sound, seeming a bit reluctant. Seeing this, the Longevity Star angrily slapped the deer, saying, "Vile creature! You’ve saved your life, and yet you’re still sniffing around?"
Then, the Longevity Star took off his belt and tied up the deer, saying, "Great Sage, I want to take it to the Bikshu Kingdom." But the Monkey King said, "Wait! We need to clean this place up to prevent future monsters from appearing." Upon hearing this, Pigsy immediately raised his rake and began smashing the willow tree. The Monkey King chanted "Om" and summoned the local earth deity, instructing him, "Go find some dry wood and light a fire to eliminate the demon threat!" The earth deity immediately turned around, a chilling wind blowing, and brought a pile of dry grass and wood. Once the fire was lit, it quickly burned the monster's Qinghua residence into a pit of flames.
After the fire was extinguished, the Monkey King and the Longevity Star led the deer and dragged the fox back to the palace, facing the king and saying, "This is your beautiful consort, and you were playing with her?" The king was terrified. Then, the Monkey King, along with the Longevity Star and the white deer, approached the throne, causing the king and all the ministers and concubines to bow down in fear. The Monkey King quickly supported the king and smiled, saying, "Don’t bow to me; this deer is your father-in-law, so you only need to bow to him!" The king, feeling ashamed, could only say, "Thank you, holy monk, for saving my kingdom’s little one; this is truly a heavenly blessing!" He then ordered the Guanglu Temple to prepare a vegetarian feast, inviting the Longevity Star and the four disciples of Tang Seng to sit down and express their gratitude.
When Tang Seng saw the Longevity Star, Sandy also greeted him politely, and everyone wanted to know, "Since the white deer belongs to the Longevity Star, how could it cause harm here?" The Longevity Star laughed and explained, "Previously, the Eastern Emperor came to visit me. I was playing chess with him on the mountain when this vile creature ran away. Later, I calculated and realized it was here, so I came to look for it, just in time to encounter the Great Sage demonstrating his might. If I had arrived any later, this beast would have been finished."
Before he could finish speaking, someone reported, "The banquet is ready!" The feast was colorful and fragrant, with a red carpet laid out on the tables, adorned with beautiful patterns. The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood, and the dishes in front were mouthwatering, featuring fruits and vegetarian dishes of all kinds—truly a magnificent spread. Pigsy, looking at the lavish feast, couldn’t help but say to the Monkey King, "Brother, you take the fruits, and let me have the soups and rice!" However, this fool didn’t discern good from bad and started to wolf down the food, finishing it all.
After the banquet, the Longevity Star prepared to take his leave, but the king knelt down and requested the Longevity Star to teach him methods for curing diseases and extending life. The Longevity Star smiled and said, "I came this time to find the deer and didn’t bring any elixirs. However, I do have three jujubes that I previously offered to the Eastern Emperor but didn’t eat. I’ll give them to you." After swallowing them, the king felt his body lighten, and his ailments diminished, allowing him to live long, all thanks to those jujubes. Upon seeing this, Pigsy immediately shouted, "Old Longevity, give me a few jujubes!" The Longevity Star laughed, saying, "I didn’t bring any this time, but I’ll send you a few pounds next time." With that, he mounted the white deer and rode off into the clouds.
The king, the consorts, and the citizens of the city all burned incense and offered thanks, filled with gratitude.
Master Tang Seng said to his disciples, "Quickly tidy up and say goodbye to the king." However, the king desperately tried to keep them, wanting to ask a few questions. The Monkey King, with a serious expression, said, "Your Majesty, from now on, reduce your lust and increase your virtue. In everything, you must balance strengths and weaknesses to cure diseases and extend life; that is my teaching." After saying this, he took out two trays of scattered gold and silver coins, preparing them as travel expenses. But Tang Seng firmly refused, saying, "I don’t want your money!" The king, helpless, had to order his people to set up a royal carriage, inviting Tang Seng to sit in the phoenix carriage, while he and the consorts pushed the cart to send them out of the city.
The streets were bustling, with citizens lighting pure water and burning incense to see them off. Just then, a gust of wind blew through the air, and 1,111 goose cages fell on both sides of the road, with children crying inside. It turned out that the city god, earth deities, and other spirits had come to send off the children upon hearing of the Great Sage's success. Everyone shouted, "Great Sage, we have followed your orders and come to send off the children!" The king's consorts and subjects also bowed down. The Monkey King looked up at the sky and said, "Thank you all; please return. I will offer sacrifices to express my gratitude." With a gust of wind, the deities retreated.
The Monkey King began calling the townspeople to come and claim their children. Everyone joyfully rushed over, hugging their kids, calling out "Brother!" and "Little one!" while laughing with wide smiles. The children, unafraid of the Monkey King's ugly appearance, eagerly lifted Pigsy, carried Sandy, and supported the Monkey King, leading the horses and carrying burdens as they all made their way back to the city together. The king could only watch helplessly as this scene unfolded. Every household opened their doors for a feast, warmly welcoming them, and some even sent over monk hats, monk shoes, cloth socks, and clothes inside and out.
In this way, they lingered in the city for nearly a month before finally being able to leave. The people even set up altars for them, bowing and burning incense in gratitude. All of this showed that their merits were high and their kindness profound, having saved countless lives. However, what would happen next? Stay tuned for the next installment!
