Wu Cheng-en - Journey to the West (vol. 3)

Not shifting her ropes, the evil spirit made the most of the wind being in the right direction to carry some high-pitched words of morality into the Tang Priest's ear. Do you know what she was shouting? “Master,” she called, “if you forget your conscience and refuse to save a living being's life what's the use of your fetching the scriptures from the Buddha?”

When the Tang Priest heard this call he reined the horse in and said, “Wukong, go and rescue that girl.”

“You've started on your way, Master,” Monkey replied. “What made you think of her again?”

“She is shouting again there,” the Tang Priest said.

“Did you hear, Pig?” Monkey asked.

“My big lugs cover my ear-holes,” Pig replied, “and I didn't hear anything.”

“Did you hear, Friar Sand?”

“I was walking ahead, carrying the pole with the luggage,” Friar Sand replied. “I wasn't paying attention and I didn't hear anything either.”

“Neither did I,” said Monkey. “What did she say, Master? You were the only one who heard.”

“What she called was quite right,” the Tang Priest called. “She asked what was the use of fetching scriptures when I went to visit the Buddha if I forgot my conscience and refused to save a living being's life. To save a human life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda. Rescuing her straight away would be even better than worshipping the Buddha and fetching the scriptures.”

“If you're wanting to be charitable, Master,” Monkey replied, “you're incurable. Just think of all the demons you've met in all the mountains you've crossed on your journey West since leaving the East. They've often taken you into their caves and I've had to rescue you. I've killed tens of thousands of them with this iron cudgel of mine. So why can't you bring yourself to let a single devil die today? Why do you have to rescue her?”

“Disciple,” the Tang Priest replied, “there's an old saying, 'Do not fail to do a good deed because it is small; do not commit a bad deed because it is small.' You're still to go and save her.”

“If that's the way you're going to be, Master, I can't accept that responsibility,” Monkey replied. “You insist on rescuing her and I dare not try too hard to dissuade you. When I did make a little attempt to do so you lost your temper again. You can go and rescue her if you want to.”

“Watch your tongue, ape,” Sanzang retorted. “Sit here while Bajie and I go to rescue her.”

The Tang Priest went back into the forest and told Pig to undo the ropes around the top half of her body and dig the lower half out with his rake. The demon stamped her feet, fastened her skirt and happily followed the Tang Priest out of the pine forest. When she met Monkey all he did was to wear a mocking smile.

“Impudent ape,” said the Tang Priest abusively, “what are you smiling at?”

“I'm laughing at you,” Monkey replied:

“You meet up with good friends when your luck is going well;

And when it's going badly you find yourself a belle.”

“Impudent macaque!” said Sanzang, being abusive again. “What nonsense! I have been a monk ever since I came out of my mother's womb. I am now making this journey West at His Majesty's command with the devout intention of worshipping the Buddha and fetching the scriptures. I am not the sort of person to care about wealth and office, so what do you mean by my luck going badly?”

“Master,” replied Monkey with a grin, “you may have been a monk since you were a child, and you may be good at reading sutras and invoking the Buddha, but you have never studied the text of royal laws. This girl is young and beautiful. If monks like us travel with her we may well meet with evil people who arrest us and turn us in to the authorities. They won't care about worshipping Buddhas or fetching scriptures. They'll treat it as a case of illicit sex, and even if that isn't proved we'll still be convicted of abduction. You will lose your ordination license, Master, and be beaten half to death. Pig will be sent into exile and Friar Sand sentenced to penal servitude. Even I won't get off scot-free. No matter how I try to talk my way out of it I'll still be found guilty of wrongdoing.”

“Don't talk such rubbish,” Sanzang shouted. “After all, I did save her life. There will be no trouble. We are taking her with us. I will be responsible for whatever happens.”

“You may say you'll be responsible, Master,” Monkey replied, “but what you don't realize is that so far from rescuing her you're destroying her.”

“I saved her life by rescuing her from the forest,” said Sanzang, “so how can I be destroying her?”

“If she had stayed tied up in the forest without any food for three to five days, ten days or even half a month and starved to death,” said Monkey, “she would at least have gone to the Underworld with her body in one piece. But now you've taken her away from there. You're on a fast horse and travelling like the wind. The rest of us have to follow you. How will she be able to keep up on her tiny feet? She can barely walk. If she gets left behind and a wolf, a tiger or a leopard eats her up you'll have killed her.”

“You are right,” Sanzang said. “Thank you for thinking of it. What are we to do about it?”

“Lift her up and let her ride on the horse with you,” replied Monkey with a grin.

“I could not possibly ride on the same horse as her,” moaned Sanzang.

“Then how is she to travel?” Monkey asked. “Bajie can carry her on his back,” Sanzang replied.

“You're in luck, idiot,” said Monkey.

“There's no such thing as a light load on a long journey,” Pig replied. “Having to carry her isn't luck.”

“With your long snout you'll be able to turn it round and chat her up on the quiet while you're carrying her,” Monkey replied, “which will be very convenient for you.”

Pig's reaction to hearing this was to beat his chest and jump about in fury. “That's terrible,” he said, “that's terrible, I'd sooner put up with the pain of a flogging from the master. If I carry her I won't possibly come out of it clean. You've always been a slanderer. I'm not carrying her.”

“Very well then,” Sanzang said, “very well then. I can walk a little further. I shall come down and walk slowly with you. Bajie can lead the horse with nobody riding it.”

“You've got yourself a good bargain there, idiot,” said Monkey, roaring with laughter. “The master's done you a favour by letting you lead the horse.”

“You are talking nonsense again, ape,” said Sanzang. “As the ancients said, 'When a horse is to travel three hundred miles it cannot get there by itself.' If I walk slowly are you going to leave me behind? When I go slowly you will have to go slowly too. We shall all take the lady Bodhisattva down the mountain together. We can leave her in some convent, temple, monastery or house that we come to. Then we will still have rescued her.”

“You're right, Master,” Monkey replied. “Let's press on quickly.”

Sanzang took the lead while Friar Sand carried the luggage, Pig led the riderless horse and the girl, and Monkey carried his iron cudgel as they carried on together. Within seven to ten miles the evening was drawing in and a tall building came into sight.

“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “that must be a temple of some sort. We shall ask to spend the night here and be on our way first thing tomorrow.”

“What you say is right, Master,” said Monkey. “Let's all get a move on.”

They were soon at the gates, where Sanzang told them, “Keep well out of the way while I go in first to ask if we can stay for the night. If it looks suitable I shall send someone to call to you.” So they all stood in the shadows of the poplars while Monkey kept an eye on the girl, his iron cudgel in his hand.