Once upon a time, the four disciples of Tang Seng bid farewell to the woodcutter and hit the road. After a few days, they suddenly spotted a city. Excited, Tang Seng asked, “Wukong, is that city in the land of Tianzhu?” The Monkey King shook his head, “No, no! Although it’s called the Land of Ultimate Bliss over there, there’s no city, just a big mountain with the Ling Shan Da Lei Yin Temple. Tianzhu is far from here! This city must be a county outside Tianzhu; we’ll have to walk over to figure it out.”
Before long, they arrived at the city gates. Tang Seng dismounted and entered through the three layers of gates, only to find the streets deserted and the people suffering. When they reached the market, they saw a group of people in blue clothes gathered around, while a few officials stood nervously under an eave. At this moment, Zhu Bajie, without any manners, stretched out his long mouth and shouted, “Make way! Make way!” The crowd looked up, saw their appearance, and immediately became weak in the knees, crying out, “The monsters are here! The monsters are here!” Even the officials trembled and asked, “Where do you come from?”
Seeing this, Tang Seng quickly stepped forward to explain, “I am a humble monk from the Tang Dynasty in the East, here to seek scriptures at the Da Lei Yin Temple in Tianzhu. I passed through here without knowing the place, so I entered the city. I truly apologize for the intrusion.” The officials quickly bowed and replied, “This is Fengxian County, which has suffered from drought for many years. The county lord has sent us to recruit monks to pray for rain to save the people.”
Upon hearing this, the Monkey King immediately asked, “Where’s your proclamation?” The officials said, “The proclamation is over here; we just cleaned it and haven’t hung it up yet.” The Monkey King insisted, “Quick, bring it to me!” The officials hurriedly unfolded the proclamation and hung it under the eaves. Everyone looked at it, and it clearly described the suffering from the drought, even stating the exorbitant price of “a hundred gold for a斗 of millet,” which was truly heartbreaking.
After reading it, the Monkey King asked, “Who is the county lord?” The officials replied, “The surname of the county lord is Shangguan.” The Monkey King chuckled, “That’s not a common surname.” Bajie chimed in, “Brother, you haven’t read much; there’s a Shangguan in the Hundred Family Surnames.” Tang Seng quickly interrupted, “Disciples, stop chatting. If we can bring a good rain, it would be a great merit; if we can’t, let’s not delay our journey.”
The Monkey King confidently declared, “What’s so hard about praying for rain? I, Sun Wukong, can stir the seas and call the winds; it’s a piece of cake!” The officials, hearing this, rushed back to the county to report, “Sir, good news has arrived!”
The county lord was burning incense and praying for blessings when he heard this news and immediately asked, “What good news?” The official replied, “Today we just issued the proclamation, and four monks arrived, claiming to be sent from the Tang Dynasty, able to pray for sweet rain!” Upon hearing this, the county lord quickly tidied his clothes and went to the market to welcome them personally.
When he saw Tang Seng, he didn’t care about his disciples’ appearances and immediately bowed down in the street, saying, “I am Shangguan, the county lord of Fengxian County. I humbly request the master to pray for rain to save the people!” Tang Seng politely responded, “This isn’t the place to talk; let’s discuss it in the temple.” The county lord quickly invited, “Please follow me; there’s a clean place in my small office.”
So, the master and disciples led their horses and burdens straight to the county government. The county lord offered them tea, and before long, Bajie started wolfing down food like a hungry tiger, scaring the servant holding the tray half to death, rushing around like a spinning top to refill soup and rice until Bajie was finally full.
After the meal, Tang Seng asked, “County lord, how long has it been dry here?” The county lord sighed, “Our Fengxian County has suffered from drought for three years, with no grass or trees growing, and every household is in tears. I issued the proclamation to seek wise men, and luckily, I encountered true monks.” Upon hearing this, the Monkey King smiled, “Don’t mention any reward; if we can bring sweet rain, that’s my true ability!”
The county lord was extremely grateful and respectfully invited the Monkey King to take a seat, bowing his head, “If the master shows mercy, I would never dare to go against it.” The Monkey King said, “Don’t speak yet; please rise. Just keep a good eye on my master while I take action.” Sha Seng curiously asked, “Brother, how will we do this?” The Monkey King replied, “You and Bajie come over here and form a pair of wings with me, and wait for me to summon the dragon to bring the rain.” Bajie and Sha Seng complied, and the three of them stood in the hall while the county lord burned incense and prayed, and Tang Seng sat quietly reciting scriptures.
As the Monkey King recited the incantation, a dark cloud suddenly appeared in the eastern sky and slowly drifted towards the hall—it was the Dragon King Ao Guang of the East Sea! The dragon king gathered the cloud at his feet, transformed into human form, and approached respectfully, saying, “Great Sage, what do you summon me for?” The Monkey King waved his hand, “Please rise; thank you for coming. This is Fengxian County, which has suffered from drought for many years. Why haven’t you brought the rain?”
The old dragon replied immediately, “Great Sage, while I can indeed summon rain, I need permission from the heavens and cannot act on my own!” The Monkey King was displeased, “I passed through here and saw the suffering of the people, so I specifically called you to bring rain. How can you refuse?” The Dragon King hurriedly explained, “I wouldn’t dare to refuse! However, Great Sage, you do not have a decree from the heavens, nor have you brought the rain gods. How can I move the rain department? If you wish, I can return to the sea to gather my troops while you go to the Heavenly Palace to request a decree, then I can bring rain according to the order.”
Hearing this, the Monkey King had no choice but to let the Dragon King return to the sea. He jumped out of the formation and told Tang Seng about the dragon king’s situation. Tang Seng said, “Then you should go, but make sure not to tell any lies.” The Monkey King then instructed Bajie and Sha Seng, “You two protect our master while I go to the Heavenly Palace.” After saying this, he disappeared into the sky. The county lord felt anxious, “Where did Master Sun go?” Bajie laughed, “He’s riding a cloud to the heavens!” The county lord hurriedly sent word throughout the city, instructing all the citizens to honor the Dragon King’s spirit tablet, with households preparing jars of clean water and willow branches, continuously offering incense and prayers.
Meanwhile, the Monkey King flew swiftly and arrived outside the Western Heavenly Gate, where the Heavenly King of Protection welcomed him warmly: “Great Sage, has the matter of obtaining the scriptures been settled?” The Monkey King replied, “Almost. I’ve reached the borders of Tianzhu, and Fengxian County has not seen rain for three years, causing great suffering among the people. I wanted to pray for rain to save them, so I called for the Dragon King, but he said he couldn’t act without a decree, so I came to request one from the Jade Emperor.” Upon hearing this, the Heavenly King shook his head, “That place should not receive rain! It is said that the county lord offended the Heavenly Emperor, which is why they are experiencing drought.”
The Monkey King was a bit confused and eager to see the Jade Emperor. The Heavenly King did not dare to stop him and allowed him to enter. Upon reaching the outside of the Tongming Hall, the Four Great Heavenly Masters approached: “Great Sage, what brings you here?” The Monkey King said, “I passed through Fengxian County while on my journey for Tang Seng. The drought there has led the county lord to ask me to pray for rain. I summoned the Dragon King, but he said he needed the Jade Emperor’s decree, so I came to request it.” The Four Great Heavenly Masters shook their heads, “Rain should not fall there.”
The Monkey King smiled and said, “Whether it should or shouldn’t, please present my case and see how my goodwill fares.” Ge Xianweng couldn’t help but say, “As the saying goes, a fly can’t land on a wall without a face!” Xu Jingyang replied, “Don’t speak carelessly; take him in.” So, the four immortals led the Monkey King to the Lingxiao Hall.
Upon arriving at the Lingxiao Hall, the Jade Emperor frowned upon hearing the news: “That fellow offended me three years ago by knocking over the vegetarian offerings and speaking foul words, which is why I set three tasks for him. Only after he resolves all three can it rain.” The Four Great Heavenly Masters took the Monkey King to the Pixiang Hall, where they saw a mountain of rice, a mountain of flour, and a golden lock, with the lock's handle burning under the bright lamp, which was quite alarming.
The Monkey King was puzzled and asked the Heavenly Master, “What does this mean?” The Heavenly Master explained, “That fellow offended the Jade Emperor; the rice mountain and flour mountain must wait until the chickens finish eating the rice, and the dogs finish eating the flour, and the lamp burns through the lock handle before it can rain.” Upon hearing this, the Monkey King was so frightened that he dared not request a decree anymore and hurried out of the hall, his face full of shame. The Four Great Heavenly Masters laughed and said, “Great Sage, don’t worry; as long as you persuade him to do good deeds, the matter can be resolved.”
After hearing this, the Monkey King decided not to go to Lingxiao to bid farewell to the Jade Emperor but to return to the mortal realm directly. He quickly flew back to the Western Heavenly Gate, where the Heavenly King of Protection asked, “What about the decree?” The Monkey King recounted the matters of the rice mountain, flour mountain, and golden lock, sighing, “The Heavenly Masters said that I must persuade the county lord to do good deeds to gain blessings.” Then, the Monkey King bid farewell to the Heavenly King and descended on a cloud, preparing to persuade the county lord.
Upon seeing the Monkey King, the county lord immediately gathered with Tang Seng, Bajie, Sha Seng, and a group of officials, all of them nervously asking, “Great Sage, how did you know the reason for our drought?” The Monkey King shouted, “It was your county lord who offended heaven and earth on December 25 three years ago, causing the suffering of the people, and now you refuse to bring rain!” Hearing this, the county lord was so frightened that he fell to his knees, saying, “Master, how do you know about that incident from three years ago?”
The Monkey King coldly smiled, “You knocked over the vegetarian offerings meant for heaven and fed them to dogs; how can you explain that?” The county lord, feeling guilty, quickly confessed, “Three years ago, I was offering vegetarian food in the government office, but after an argument with my wife, I angrily knocked over the offering table, spilling the food, which the dogs then ate. I have regretted this for the past two years, not realizing that I had offended heaven and harmed the people. Today, having encountered you, I ask for your guidance on how heaven will deal with me.”
The Monkey King replied, “That day was the day the Jade Emperor descended to earth. You fed the offerings to dogs and spoke foul words, and the Jade Emperor immediately took note of you.” Bajie curiously asked, “Brother, what exactly happened?” The Monkey King continued, “In the Pixiang Hall, there stands a mountain of rice, ten zhang high; there is also a mountain of flour, twenty zhang high. Next to the rice mountain is a little chicken pecking at the rice; next to the flour mountain is a golden-haired dog licking the flour. To the left, there is a golden lock, with a lamp burning beneath it. The rain will only come when the chicken finishes the rice, the dog finishes the flour, and the lamp burns through the lock handle.”
Upon hearing this, Bajie laughed heartily, “That’s simple! Brother, take me there; I’ll transform into a divine body, eat all the rice and flour, and break the lock. I guarantee it will rain!” The Monkey King shook his head, “Fool, don’t talk nonsense! This is heaven’s arrangement; how can you interfere?” Tang Seng grew anxious, “Then what should we do?”
The Monkey King pondered for a moment, “Actually, it’s not difficult. The Four Heavenly Masters told me that as long as you do good deeds, it can be resolved.” The county lord, hearing this, quickly bowed down, saying, “Master, please teach me, and I will definitely reform!” The Monkey King said, “If you truly wish to do good, hurry and recite the Buddha’s name and read scriptures. I can plead on your behalf; if you don’t change, divine punishment will come, and your life will not be spared!”
The county lord repeatedly bowed his head, swearing to convert. He immediately gathered the local monks and Taoists to start building a temple, and everyone wrote documents to report to the heavenly court. The county lord led everyone in offering incense and praying to heaven, expressing gratitude and remorse, while Tang Seng recited scriptures alongside him. Meanwhile, people inside and outside the city, men and women of all ages, began to burn incense and recite the Buddha’s name, creating a chorus of good deeds.
Seeing all this, the Monkey King felt delighted and said to Bajie and Sha Seng, “You two protect our master well; I need to go again.” Bajie asked curiously, “Brother, where are you going?” The Monkey King replied, “The county lord has listened to my words and sincerely repented; I need to go to the Jade Emperor to ask for rain again.” Sha Seng also urged, “Brother, since you’re going, don’t delay; hurry and request a jar of rain to fulfill our purpose!”
So, the Monkey King flew into the sky, heading straight for the Heavenly Gate, where he happened to encounter the Heavenly King of Protection. Upon seeing him, the Heavenly King asked, “Great Sage, what brings you here today?” The Monkey King smiled and said, “The county lord has already repented!” The Heavenly King felt pleased upon hearing this.
At that moment, they suddenly saw a talisman messenger holding Taoist documents and a Buddhist decree, heading straight for the Heavenly Gate. Upon seeing the Monkey King, the messenger quickly bowed, saying, “This is all thanks to your efforts in encouraging good deeds!” The Monkey King curiously asked, “Where are you taking these documents?” The messenger replied, “They are to be delivered to the Tongming Hall for the Heavenly Master, and then passed on to the Jade Emperor.” The Monkey King nodded, “Then you go ahead; I will arrive shortly.” So, the messenger entered the Heavenly Gate.
The Heavenly King of Protection said to the Monkey King, “Great Sage, there’s no need to see the Jade Emperor; you can go directly to the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Palace and borrow some thunder gods to summon thunder and rain directly!” Upon hearing this, the Monkey King immediately complied and headed straight for the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Palace.
When he arrived, the messengers from the Thunder Gate, the Record Keeper, and the Inspector all came forward to greet him, asking, “Great Sage, what brings you to us?” The Monkey King replied, “I have matters to discuss with the Heavenly Lord.” The three messengers immediately relayed the message, and the Heavenly Lord soon descended, adjusting his attire to greet him. After the Monkey King paid his respects, he spoke, “I have come to ask for rain.”
The Heavenly Lord asked, “What is the matter?” The Monkey King replied, “I went to Fengxian County to protect Tang Seng and saw that it was suffering from severe drought. I promised the people I would ask for rain, so I came to borrow your thunder gods.” The Heavenly Lord frowned and said, “I know that the county lord offended heaven, and there are three matters unresolved; I don’t know if it can rain.” The Monkey King smiled and said, “I saw the Jade Emperor yesterday, and he told me to check the three matters in the Pixiang Hall, which are the rice mountain, flour mountain, and golden lock. As long as these are resolved, it can rain.”
The Monkey King continued, “I have already persuaded the county lord, and everyone has started doing good deeds; good intentions are spreading everywhere. Just now, the talisman messenger submitted the documents of repentance, so I specifically came to borrow the thunder gods.” The Heavenly Lord nodded and said, “In that case, I will send Deng Xin and Zhang Tao to lead the Lightning Lady to follow you and bring rain to Fengxian County!”
Before long, the four thunder generals flew with the Monkey King to the Fengxian realm and began to cast spells. Thunder rumbled, and lightning danced in the sky like snakes, creating a scene of electric flashes and thunderclaps that made people anxious. The people of Fengxian County, who hadn’t heard thunder in three years, knelt down upon seeing the lightning, holding incense burners in their hands and chanting, “Namo Amitabha! Namo Amitabha!” These voices of good intention indeed moved heaven, echoing the ancient saying: “When a thought arises in the human heart, heaven and earth are aware.”
Thus, the Monkey King commanded the thunder generals, summoning lightning and thunder, while the people of Fengxian County also turned to goodness, creating a lively scene.
Meanwhile, the talisman messenger from the upper realm, carrying the documents from the monks and Taoists, rushed to the Tongming Hall. Upon seeing this, the Jade Emperor thought, “These fellows have good intentions; let’s see how the three matters are going.” At that moment, an official from the Pixiang Hall hurriedly reported, “The rice mountain and flour mountain have collapsed, and the lock has broken!” Before the words were out, other heavenly officials arrived with the local deities from Fengxian County, including the land god, city god, and soil god, to report: “Our county lord and the people have all turned to good, worshiping the Buddha and honoring heaven. We implore your mercy to shower us with sweet rain and save us!” The Jade Emperor, hearing this, couldn't help but smile broadly and immediately issued a decree: “Wind Department, Cloud Department, Rain Department, hurry and bring rain! According to the boundaries of Fengxian County, today let there be thunder and clouds, and rain three feet and forty-two drops!”
The Four Heavenly Masters received the command and immediately sprang into action, each appearing quite spirited. The Monkey King was playing in the air with Deng Xin, Zhang Tao, and the Lightning Lady when he suddenly saw the gathering of deities, and the atmosphere was extraordinarily lively. Winds and clouds changed, sweet rain poured down, thunder roared, and lightning dazzled; it was truly a grand heavenly celebration. The people of Fengxian County, who hadn’t seen rain in three years, finally awaited it, kneeling down, holding incense burners, and chanting, “Namo Amitabha!” These voices of good intention indeed moved heaven.
Rain poured down, the crops in the fields joyfully drank the water, and the villagers were all smiles, celebrating the harvest. The Monkey King shouted from the sky, “Four departments of deities, don’t leave yet; I’ll call the county lord to thank you!” Thus, the deities paused in the air, and the Monkey King flew back to the county, where he met Tang Seng, Bajie, and Sha Seng, and the county lord hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
The Monkey King smiled and said, “Don’t rush to thank me; let’s invite more people to express their thanks!” The county lord immediately issued orders to gather everyone for a joint worship. The four departments of deities appeared: the Rain Department, Thunder Department, Cloud Department, and Wind Department, along with the Dragon King, thunder generals, cloud boys, and wind lords, all revealing their true forms, exuding majesty and grandeur. The people of Fengxian County finally believed, bowing down in worship.
The deities waited for an hour as everyone worshipped joyfully. The Monkey King said to the deities in the clouds, “Thank you! Please return; I still need to teach the people of the county how to honor you.” Upon hearing this, the deities turned and left.
The Monkey King returned to Tang Seng’s side and told him, “The task is complete; we can leave now.” The county lord, hearing this, hurriedly bowed and said, “Master Sun, you mustn’t say that! The grace this time is immense; I am preparing a banquet to treat you all and will build a temple here, erecting a monument to honor your names and offer worship throughout the seasons!” Tang Seng said, “You are correct, but we are monks traveling from the West and cannot stay long.”
The county lord was unwilling to let them go, and overnight he sent people to prepare a banquet. The next day, a grand feast was held, with Tang Seng seated at the head, accompanied by the Monkey King, Bajie, and Sha Seng. The county lord and the officials warmly entertained them, creating an extraordinary atmosphere. During the banquet, everyone expressed their feelings, and someone recited a poem: “After a long drought, the fields welcome sweet rain; the rivers flow freely for trade everywhere.” This banquet made everyone feel the blessings of the divine monk, and they all hoped that the future would be like the era of Yao and Shun, with gentle winds and abundant harvests.
After the feast, the county lord invited everyone to visit the newly built temple. Tang Seng was astonished and asked, “How did this construction finish so quickly?” The county lord smiled and replied, “I urged the workers to work day and night, specifically inviting you to come and see.” The Monkey King praised, “Indeed, a capable county lord!” Upon arriving at the new temple, they saw the grand halls and magnificent mountain gate, and everyone praised it endlessly.
The Monkey King asked Tang Seng to name the temple, and Tang Seng said, “Let’s call it the Temple of Sweet Rain and Universal Salvation!” The county lord repeatedly agreed and immediately used gold to invite monks to offer incense. Next to the temple, a shrine for the four groups of beings was established, with regular sacrifices held every year. After the visit, everyone prepared to set off. The people of the county, knowing that the Great Sage was leaving, prepared gifts to send him off, and the officials dressed in their finest to accompany them for thirty miles. Everyone was reluctant to part ways, watching until they could no longer see the Monkey King’s figure.
This was indeed: “The virtuous divine monk leaves behind universal salvation; the Great Sage of Heaven generously bestows blessings.” How many days will it be until we see the Tathagata again? We shall speak of this next time!
