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

Sun Wukong was furious, “Who is this demon? What an outrage! Tell me everything about him, and then I'll go and give him what's coming to him.”

The monkey host kowtowed again and said, “Your Majesty, the wretch calls himself the Demon King of Confusion. He lives North of here.”

“How far away is his lair?” Sun Wukong asked.

“He comes and goes in cloud and mist with wind and rain, or thunder and lightning, so we don't know how far it is.”

“If that's how it is,” Sun Wukong replied, “then don't worry. Just keep yourselves amused while I go and find him.”

The splendid Monkey King jumped up into the air, and as he somersaulted towards the North he saw a high and precipitous mountain. It was a fine sight:

Perpendicular peaks jutting straight up,

Deep-sunk winding streams.

The perpendicular peaks jutting straight up pierced the sky;

The deep-sunk winding streams led to the underworld.

On pairs of cliffs the plants compete in strangeness;

Elsewhere pine vies in greenness with bamboo.

To the left are docile dragons,

To the right are tame tigers.

Iron oxen ploughing are a common sight,

Golden coins are always sown as seeds.

Hidden birds sing beautifully,

Red phoenixes stand in the sun.

Racing over stones, the clear waves

Twist and bend in a vicious torrent.

Many are the famous mountains in the world,

And many the flowers that bloom and wither on them.

But this scenery is eternal,

Unchanging through the four seasons.

It is truly the mountain from which the Three Worlds spring,

The Cave in the Belly of the Water that nourishes the Five Elements.

As the Handsome Monkey King stood gazing in silence at this view, he heard voices. When he went down the mountainside to look he found the Cave in the Belly of the Water facing the cliff. Several minor demons were dancing around in front of the cave doors, and they ran away as soon as they saw Sun Wukong.

“Wait a moment,” Sun Wukong said. “I want you to take a message for me. I am the King of the Water Curtain Cave in the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit that lies due South of here. I've come to find that Demon of Confusion of yours, or whatever he's called, the one who's been mistreating my children and grandchildren, and have it out with him.”

The minor demons scuttled into the cave and reported, “A disaster, Your Majesty.”

“What do you mean, disaster?” the demon king asked.

“There's a monkey outside the cave,” the minor demons reported, “who says that he's the King of the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. He says that you have been bullying his children and grandchildren, and that he's come specially to find you to have it out with you.” The demon king laughed.

“Those monkey devils are always going on about a king of theirs who renounced the world to cultivate his conduct; I suppose it must be him who's here now. Did you see how he was dressed or what weapons he was carrying?”

“He hasn't got any weapons. He's bareheaded, and he's wearing a red gown belted with a yellow silk sash, and a pair of black boots. He isn't dressed like a monk, or a layman, or an Immortal. He's bare-handed and empty-fisted, and he's standing outside the doors yelling.”

“Bring me my armour and weapons,” said the demon king when he heard this. The minor demons produced them at once, and when he had donned his armour he went out of the door with all the demons, his sword in his hand.

“Who is the King of the Water Curtain Cave?” he roared. Sun Wukong took a quick look at him and saw that

On his head he wore a dark golden helmet,

Glistening in the sun.

On his body he wore a black silk gown,

Flapping in the breeze.

Below that he wore black metal armour,

Girt with a leather belt.

On his feet he wore patterned boots,

As splendid as a field-marshal's.

His waist was ten feet round,

And his height was thirty cubits.

In his hand he held a sword,

With gleaming point and edge.

He called himself the Demon King of Confusion

And his appearance was truly dazzling.

“You insolent demon,” shouted the Monkey King. “Your eyes may be big but you can't see who I am.”

The demon king laughed at him. “You don't even stand four feet from the ground, you're still in your twenties, and you've got no weapon in your hand. What sort of mad courage makes you challenge me to a fight?”

“You insolent demon,” retorted Sun Wukong, “how blind you are. You may think I'm small, but I can grow easily enough. You may think I'm unarmed, but I could pull the moon down from the sky with my two hands. Don't worry, old Sun Wukong will sock you one.” Sun Wukong gave a jump and leapt into the air, taking a swing at his face.

The demon king put out his hand to stop him and said, “Look how big I am, you dwarf. If you use your fists, I'll use my sword. But I'd only make myself look ridiculous if I killed you with a sword. Wait till I've put my sword down and then I'll give you a display of boxing.”

“Well said,” exclaimed Sun Wukong, “spoken like a man. Come on then.” The demon king dropped his guard to throw a punch, and Sun Wukong rushed in towards him, punching and kicking. When he spread out his hand it was enormous, and when he clenched his fist it was very hard. Sun Wukong hit the demon king in the ribs, kicked his backside, and smashed several of his joints. The demon king seized his steel sword that was as big as a plank, and swung it at Sun Wukong's skull. Sun Wukong dodged the blow, and the sword only split air. Seeing how ugly the demon king had turned, Sun Wukong used his magic art of getting extra bodies. He pulled out one of his hairs, popped it in his mouth, chewed it up, and blew it out into the air, shouting, “Change!” It turned into two or three hundred little monkeys, who all crowded round him.

Sun Wukong now had an immortal body, and there was no magic transformation of which he was not capable. Since he had followed the Way he could change each of the eighty-four thousand hairs on his body into anything he wanted. The little monkeys were too quick and nimble for sword or spear.

Look at them, leaping forwards and jumping backwards, rushing up and surrounding the demon king, grabbing him, seizing him, poking him in the backside, pulling at his feet, punching him, kicking him, tearing his hair out, scratching at his eyes, twisting his nose, all picking him up together and throwing him to the ground. They went on until they had beaten him to a pulp. Sun Wukong snatched his sword from him, told the little monkeys to get out of the way, and brought it down on the crown of his head, splitting it into two.

Then he led his forces charging into the cave, where they exterminated all the demons, big and small. He shook his hair and put it back on his body. The monkeys who did not go back on his body were the little monkeys the demon king had carried off from the Water Curtain Cave. Sun Wukong asked them how they had got there.

There were thirty of forty of them, and they replied with tears in their eyes, “It was after Your Majesty went off to become an Immortal. He has been fighting with us for the last two years. He brought us all here by force. All the things here-the stone bowls and plates-were stolen from our cave by that beast.”

“If it's our stuff, take it all out,” said Sun Wukong. He then set fire to the Cave in the Belly of the Water and burnt it to a cinder.

“Come back with me,” he ordered the monkeys.

“Your Majesty,” they replied, “when we came here all we could hear was the wind howling in our ears as it blew us here, so we don't know the way. How are we ever going to get back?”

“There's nothing at all to that spell he used,” said Sun Wukong. “I can do it too, as now I only have to know the smallest bit about something to understand it completely. Shut your eyes and don't worry.”