Wu Cheng-en - Journey to the West (vol. 1)

“Don't tell me!” he thought with horror. “They've been caught.” He rushed after them, following the horse's prints Westwards.

About two miles later, when he was feeling thoroughly gloomy, he heard voices on the other side of the slope to the North of him. When he looked he saw an old man in felt clothes, a warm hat and a pair of worn oiled cloth boots holding a dragon-headed stick and followed by a slave boy. The old man had broken off a sprig of plum blossom and was singing a song as he came down the slope. Monkey put down his begging bowl and looked the old man in the face as he put his hands together and said, “Greetings, grandfather.”

“Where are you from, reverend sir?” replied the old man, returning his bow.

“We are monks from the East going to the Western Heaven to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures,” said Monkey. “There are four of us altogether, a master and three disciples. I went off to beg for some food as my master was hungry, so I told the other three to wait for me at a stretch of level ground on that mountainside. When I came back they had gone, and I don't know which way they went. May I ask you if you have seen them, grandfather?”

The question made the old man chortle. “Did one of the three have a long snout and big ears?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Monkey replied.

“And was there another with an evil-looking mug leading a white horse, and a fat monk with a white face?”

“That's right, that's right,” said Monkey.

“Then you've all lost your way,” said the old man. “Don't bother looking for them: It's every man for himself.”

“The white-faced one is my master and the funny-looking ones are my brother disciples,” Monkey replied. “We're all set on going to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. Of course I've got to look for them.”

“When I came this way just now I saw that they had lost their way and were heading straight into the demon's mouth,” the old man said.

“I would be very grateful, grandfather,” replied Monkey, “if you could tell me which demon it is and where he lives. I want to call on him and ask for them back so that we can go on with our journey to the Western Heaven.”

“This mountain is called Mount Jindou and there is a Jindou Cave in front of it,” the old man replied. “In the cave lives the Great King Rhinoceros. His magic abilities are enormous and he is very powerful. All three of your people must be dead by now. If you go looking for them you might not even be able to keep yourself alive. The best thing would be not to go there. I won't try to stop you or to keep you here-I simply leave you to think it over.”

Monkey bowed again to thank the old man and said, “Thank you, venerable sir, for your advice. But I have to search for them.” Tipping the rice out and giving it to the old man he put his begging bowl away, at which the old man put down his stick to accept the bowl, which he handed to his slave.

Then they both resumed their normal form, fell to their knees, and kowtowed saying, “Great Sage, we dare not try to deceive you. We two are the mountain deity and local god of this place, and we've been waiting here to receive you, Great Sage. We'll look after the rice and your begging bowl to make it easier for you to use your magic powers. When you've rescued the Tang Priest you can do your duty to him by giving him the food.”

“Hairy devils,” shouted Monkey, “you deserve a flogging. If you knew I was here why didn't you meet me earlier, instead of skulking around in disguise? It's a disgrace!”

“Because you have such a quick temper, Great Sage, we did not want to rush in and offend you,” the local god replied. “That was why we disguised ourselves to tell you all that.”

“Very well,” said Monkey, “we'll postpone that beating. Look after my bowl while I capture that evil spirit.”

The Great Sage then tightened his belt of tiger sinew, hitched up his tigerskin kilt, took his gold-banded cudgel in his hands, and headed straight for the mountain in search of the cave. As he rounded a sheer wall he saw a pair of stone doors set among rocks beside the blue-green rock-face. Outside the doors a crowd of little devils were practicing with sword and spear. Indeed, there were,

Auspicious clouds,

Green lichens,

Rows of strange and craggy rocks,

Steep paths winding around.

Apes howled and birds sang in the beauty of nature;

Phoenixes flew and danced in this land of immortals.

The first blooms were open on plum trees facing South;

A thousand bamboos were green in the sun's warmth.

Under the cliff,

Deep in the gorge:

Under the cliff the snow was piled up white;

Deep in the gorge the stream had turned to ice.

Stands of cypress and pine preserved ancient beauty;

Camellia bushes all bloomed with the same red.

Without waiting to have a thorough look the Great Sage made straight for the doors and shouted at the top of his voice, “Little devils, go straight in and tell your master that I'm Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and the disciple of the holy Tang Priest, Tell him to send my master out at once if you lot don't all want to be killed.”

The little devils all hurried in to report, “Your Majesty, there's a monk at the gate with a hairy face and a crooked mouth. He's called the Great Sage Equaling Heaven Sun Wukong and he's asking for his master back.”

The demon was delighted to hear this. “Just the person I wanted to come,” he said. “Ever since leaving my palace and coming down to the mortal world I've had no chance to try out my martial skills. Now that he's here I'll have a worthy foe. Bring me my weapons, little ones,” he ordered. All the big and little devils in the cave braced themselves and carried out as quickly as they could a twelve-foot-long steel spear that they handed to the old demon, who gave them their instructions: “Little ones, you must keep in neat formation. Those who advance will be rewarded, and anyone who retreats will be executed.”

Having been given their orders the little devils charged out through the doors behind the old demon, who shouted, “Who is Sun Wukong?” Monkey stepped across from beside the entrance to see how ugly and murderous the demon king looked:

A single jagged horn,

A pair of bright eyes.

The thick skin protruded above his head,

Black flesh shone by his ears.

When he stretched his tongue he could lick his snout;

His mouth when opened wide showed yellow teeth.

His hair was indigo-blue,

His muscles hard as steel.

He was like a rhinoceros, but could not see through water,

Resembled a buffalo but could not plough.

Not useful like the ox who lows at the moon,

He could easily scare the sky and shake the earth.

His purple hands were knotted with muscle,

As he stood erect with his spear of steel.

One only had to consider his hideous looks

To see why he deserved to be called Rhinoceros King.

“Your grandpa Monkey is here,” said the Great Sage Monkey, stepping forward. “Give me back my master and neither of us will be hurt. But if there's so much as half a 'no' from you I'll kill you, and there'll be nowhere to bury your remains.”

“I'll get you, you impudent devil of an ape,” the demon roared back. “What powers do you have that give you the nerve to talk like that?”

“Evidently you've not seen them yet,” Monkey replied.

“Your master stole my clothes,” said the demon, “and now I've caught him and am going to cook and eat him. What sort of tough guy do you think you are, daring to come here to ask for him back?”

“My master is a loyal, upright and good monk: he couldn't possibly have stolen any of your devilish goods,” Monkey replied.