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

Guessing that they would be coming for him next Brother Monkey freed himself and said, “This lamplight is just right for some action.” He then pulled out a hair, blew on it with magic breath, called, “Change!” and turned it into another Monkey he tied up with the hempen rope while extracting his real self in spirit form to spring into mid-air, look down and watch. Not realizing his deception, the crowd of demons picked up the false Monkey they saw and carried him to the third tray of the steamer, near the top. Only then did they drag the Tang Priest to the ground, tie him up, and put him into the fourth tray. As the dry firewood was stacked up a fierce fire blazed.

“My Pig and Friar Sand can stand a couple of boilings,” sighed the Great Sage up in the clouds, “but that master of mine will be cooked tender as soon as the water boils. If I can't save him by magic he'll be dead in next to no time.”

The splendid Great Sage made a hand-spell in mid-air, said the magic words “ Om the blue pure dharma world; true is the eternal beneficence of Heaven,” and summoned the Dragon King of the Northern Ocean to him.

A black cloud appeared among the other clouds, and from it there came at once an answering shout, “Ao Shun, the humble dragon of the Northern Ocean, kowtows in homage.”

“Arise, arise,” said Monkey. “I would not have ventured to trouble you for nothing. I've now got this far with my master the Tang Priest. He's been captured by vicious monsters and put into an iron steamer to be cooked. Go and protect him for me and don't let the steam harm him.” The dragon king at once turned himself into a cold wind that blew underneath the cooking pot and coiled around to shield it from all the heat of the fire. Thus were the three of them saved from death.

As the third watch was drawing to an end the senior demon chief announced a decision. “My men,” he said, “we have worn out brains and brawn to capture the Tang Priest and his three disciples. Because of the trouble we went to in escorting them we have not slept for four days and nights. I don't think that they'll be able to escape now that they're tied up and being steamed. You are all to guard them carefully. Ten of your junior devils are to take it in turns to keep the fires burning while we withdraw to our living quarters for a little rest. By the fifth watch, when it's about to get light, they're bound to be cooked tender. Have some garlic paste, salt and vinegar ready and wake us up; then we'll be able to eat them with a good appetite.” The devils did as they had been ordered while the three demon chiefs returned to their sleeping chambers.

Up in the clouds Brother Monkey clearly heard these instructions being given, so he brought his cloud down. As there was no sound of voices from inside the steamer he thought, “The fire is blazing away and they must be feeling hot. Why aren't they afraid? Why aren't they saying anything? Hmm… Could they have been steamed to death? Let me go closer and listen.” The splendid Great Sage shook himself as he stood on his cloud and turned into a black fly. As he alighted on the outside of the iron steamer's trays to listen he heard Pig saying inside, “What lousy luck! What lousy luck! I wonder whether we're being closed-steamed or open-steamed.”

“What do you mean by 'closed' and 'open,' brother?” Friar Sand asked.

“Closed steaming is when they cover the steamer and open steaming is when they don't,” Pig replied.

“Disciples,” said Sanzang from the top tray, “the cover is off.”

“We're in luck!” said Pig. “We won't be killed tonight. We're being open-steamed.” Having heard all three of them talking Monkey realized that they were still alive, so he flew away, fetched the iron steamer lid and placed it lightly on the steamer.

“Disciples,” exclaimed Sanzang in alarm, “they've covered us up.”

“That's done it,” said Pig.

“That means closed steaming. We're bound to die tonight.” Friar Sand and the venerable elder started to sob.

“Don't cry,” said Pig. “A new shift of cooks has come on duty.”

“How can you tell?” Friar Sand asked.

“I was delighted at first when they carried me here,” Pig replied. “I've got a bit of a feverish chill and I wanted warming up. But all we're getting at the moment is cold air. Hey! Mr. Cook, sir! What are you making such a fuss about putting more firewood on for? Am I asking for what's yours?”

When Monkey heard this he could not help laughing to himself. “Stupid clod,” he thought. “Being cold is bearable. If it got hot you'd be dead. The secret will get out if he goes on talking. I'd better rescue him… No! I'd have to turn back into myself to rescue them, and if I did that the ten cooks would see me and start shouting. That would disturb the old monsters and I'd be put to a lot more trouble. I'll have to use some magic on the cooks first.” Then a memory came back to him.

“When I was the Great Sage in the old days I once played a guessing game with the Heavenly King Lokapala at the Northern Gate of Heaven and won some of his sleep insects off him. I've got a few left I can use on them.” He felt around his waist inside his belt and found that he had twelve of them left.

“I'll give them ten and keep two to breed from,” Monkey thought. Then he threw the insects into the ten junior devils' faces, where the insects went up their nostrils, so that they all started feeling drowsy, lay down and went to sleep. One of them, however, who was holding a fire-fork slept very fitfully, kept rubbing his head and face, pinching his nose and continuously sneezing. “That so-and-so knows a trick or two,” thought Monkey. “I'll have to give him a double dose.” He threw one of his remaining insects into the demon's face.

“With two insects the left one can go in when the right one comes out and vice versa,” Monkey thought. “That should keep him quiet.” With that the junior demon gave two or three big yawns, stretched himself, dropped the fork and slumped down, fast asleep. He did not get up again.

“What marvellous magic; it really works,” said Monkey, turning back into himself. Then he went close to the steamer and called, “Master.”

“Rescue me, Wukong,” said the Tang Priest when he heard him.

“Is that you calling to us from outside?” Friar Sand asked.

“If I weren't out here would you prefer me to be suffering in there with you?” Monkey replied.

“Brother,” said Pig, “you slipped off and left us to carry the can. We're being closed-steamed in here.”

“Stop yelling, idiot,” said Monkey with a laugh. “I'm here to rescue you.”

“Brother,” said Pig, “if you're going to rescue us do it properly. Don't get us put back in here for another steaming.” Monkey then took the lid off, freed the master, shook the hair of his that he had turned into an imitation Monkey and put it back on his body, then released Friar Sand and Pig, taking one tray at a time. As soon as he was untied, the idiot wanted to run away.

“Don't be in such a hurry!” said Monkey, who recited the words of a spell that released the dragon before going on to say to Pig, “We've still got high mountains and steep ridges ahead of us on our way to the Western Heaven. The going's too heavy for the master-he isn't a strong walker. Wait till I've fetched the horse.”

Watch him as with light step he goes to the throne hall, where he saw that all the demons young and old were asleep. He undid the rope attached to the horse's reins, being even more careful not to alarm him. Now the horse was a dragon horse, so had Monkey been a stranger he would have given him a couple of flying kicks and whinnied. But Monkey had kept horses and held the office of Protector of the Horses, and this horse was besides their own. That was why the animal neither reared nor whinnied. Monkey led the horse very quietly over, tightened the girth and got everything ready before inviting his master to mount. Trembling and shaking, the Tang Priest did so. He too wanted to go.