Journey to the West (vol. 2) Page 19

  When the Great Sage heard this and realized that she was Princess Jade he deliberately pulled out his iron cudgel and shouted at her, “You're a damned bitch, using your wealth to buy the Bull Demon King. You could only get him to marry you for your money. You ought to be thoroughly ashamed of yourself instead of being so insulting.”

  At this all of her souls sent flying, and she fled trembling with terror, stumbling and tripping over her shoes, while the Great Sage ran after her, shouting and roaring. Once they were out from under the shade of the pines they were at the entrance to the Cloud-touching Cave. She ran inside and the doors slammed shut behind her. Only then did Monkey put his cudgel away and take a good look:

  A thick forest,

  Sheer precipices,

  Luxuriance of creepers,

  Fragrance of orchids.

  The spring washed over jade and through bamboo;

  Grotesque and cunning rocks held precious stones.

  The distant peaks were wreathed in mists;

  Sun and moon lit up the cloudy crags.

  Dragons howled, tigers roared,

  Cranes called and warblers sang.

  Fresh and lovely was its elegant peace,

  And the scenery was radiant with precious flowers.

  It was a match for Tiantai's magic caves,

  And finer than the Peng and Ying islands in the sea.

  We will say nothing of how Brother Monkey admired the view but tell how the young woman, dripping with sweat after running and her heart beating wildly from terror, went straight to the study where the Bull Demon King was quietly perusing a book on cinnabar alchemy. She threw herself into his arms feeling thoroughly put out, scratched and tugged at his face and ears, and howled aloud.

  “Don't upset yourself so, my lovely,” said the Bull Demon King, all smiles. “What do you want to tell me?”

  She then began to prance and jump about in her fury as she said abusively, “You're killing me, damned monster.”

  “What makes you say that?” he asked, all smiles.

  “I brought you here to look after me and protect me because I'd lost my parents and people who'd been around all said that you were a tough guy,” she said. “But you're just another henpecked hack.”

  The Bull Demon King took her in his arms and said, “How've I done you wrong, my lovely? Take your time and tell me about it. I'll make it up to you.”

  “I was taking a stroll among the flowers outside the cave just now picking orchids,” she said, “When a monk with a face like a thunder god rushed up to me and started bowing. I was so scared I couldn't move. When I calmed down enough to ask him who he was he said he'd been sent by that Princess Iron Fan with an invitation for you. I was so angry I had something to say about that, and he started abusing me and chased me with his cudgel. He'd have just about killed me with it if I hadn't run so fast. So you see, bringing you here was a disaster. It's killing me.” At this the Bull Demon King apologized to her very earnestly. It took a long time and many tender attentions from his before she finally calmed down.

  “I tell you the truth, my lovely,” the demon king said forcefully. “The Plantain Cave may be rather out of the way, but it's a place of purity and elegance. That wife of mine has had the highest moral principles since childhood, and she's also an immortal who has attained the Way. She runs her household very strictly. There's not even a page there. She couldn't possibly have sent a monk with a face like a thunder god. I wonder what evil fiend he is. He must have used her name to come and see me. I'm going out to have a look.”

  The splendid demon king strode out of the study and into the hall to put on his armor and take his iron cudgel. “Who are you, and why are you behaving so outrageously?” he shouted as he went out through the doors. Monkey, who was watching from one side, saw that he now looked quite different from the way he had five hundred years earlier.

  His wrought iron helmet shone like water or silver;

  His golden armor was trimmed with silks and brocades.

  The toes of his deerskin boots turned up; their soles were white.

  The silken belt at his waist included three lion's tails.

  His eyes were as bright as mirrors,

  His brows as elegant as red rainbows,

  His mouth like a bowl of blood,

  His teeth a row of copper plates.

  At his resounding roar the mountain gods took fright;

  Evil ghosts were overawed by his majestic power.

  His fame was known throughout the seas for raising chaos;

  He was the Strongarm Demon King here in the West.

  The Great Sage then tidied his clothes, stepped forward, chanted a deep “re-e-er” of respect, and asked, “Can you still recognize me, eldest brother?”

  “Are you Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?” the Bull Demon King replied, returning his bow.

  “Yes, yes,” said Monkey. “It's such a long time since last we met. I only got here to see you because I asked a woman some questions just now. I must congratulate you on how well everything is growing.”

  “Cut that out,” the Bull Demon King shouted back. “I heard about you making havoc in Heaven and being crushed under the Five Elements Mountain by the Lord Buddha. Then you were released from your heavenly punishment to protect the Tang Priest on his way to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures in the Western Heaven. Why did you have to destroy my son, the Sage Boy Bullcalf? I'm very angry with you. Why are you here looking for me?”

  “Please don't misjudge me, brother,” said the Great Sage with another bow. “Your good son captured my master and was going to eat him. I was no match for him. Luckily the Bodhisattva Guanyin rescued my master and converted your boy. He's now the page Sudhana. He's even taller than you. He lives in a temple of great bliss and enjoys eternal ease. There's nothing wrong with any of that, so why be angry with me?”

  “Smooth-tongued macaque,” retorted the Bull Demon King. “Even if you can talk your way out of having ruined my son, what do you mean by upsetting my beloved concubine and chasing her up to my doors?”

  “I made a polite inquiry of the lady because I could not find you,” Monkey replied. “I never realized she was your second wife, so when she was rude to me I acted rough. Please forgive me.”

  “Very well then,” the Bull Demon King said. “I'll let you off this time for the sake of our old friendship.”

  “I'm very grateful indeed for your immense kindness,” the Great Sage replied. “But there is one thing I'd like to trouble you with. I hope you'll be able to help me out.”

  “You macaque,” the Bull Demon King shouted at him, “you think you can get away with anything! I spare your life, but instead of making yourself scarce you have to keep pestering me. What do you mean by helping out?”

  “Let me be honest with you,” the Great Sage replied. “I'm stuck at the Fiery Mountains on my journey escorting the Tang Priest, and we're not getting anywhere. The local people told me that your good lady Raksasi has a plantain fan. I tried to borrow it. I went to visit my sister-in-law, but she refused to lend it me, which is why I've come to see you. I beg you, brother, in the greatness of your heart to come with me to sister-in-law's place and borrow the fan for me so that I can blow out the fires and get my master across the mountains. Then I'll return it right away.”

  At this the Bull Demon King's heart blazed with wrath. “You told me you knew how to behave,” he said, noisily gnashing his teeth of steel. “I suppose all this was not just to borrow the fan. I'm certain my wife has refused to lend it you because you've mistreated her. So that's why you came to see me. On top of that you send my beloved concubine fleeing in terror. As the saying goes,

  'Don't push around

  Your best friend's wife,

  Don't try to destroy

  The joy of his life.'

  You've been pushing my wife around and trying to destroy the concubine who's the joy of my life. It's an outrage. Take this!”

  “If you want to h
it me, brother, I'm not afraid,” said Monkey. “All I want is the treasure. I beg you to lend it me.”

  “If you can last out three rounds with me,” the Bull Demon King said, “I'll make my wife lend it to you. And if you can't I'll kill you and have my revenge.”

  “Good idea, brother,” Monkey replied. “I've been so lazy. I haven't been to see you for ages, and I don't know how your fighting powers now compare with the old days. Let's have a match with our cudgels.” The Bull Demon King was in no mood for further argument, and he hit at Monkey's head with his mace. Monkey hit back with his gold-banded cudgel. It was a splendid fight:

  The gold-banded cudgel,

  The rough iron mace,

  Are no longer friends.

  One said, “You destroyed my son, you macaque.”

  The other, “Don't be angry: he has found the Way.”

  “How could you be so stupid as to come to my door?”

  “I am here to visit you with a special purpose.”

  One wanted the fan to protect the Tang Priest;

  The other was too mean to lend the plantain leaf.

  Friendship was lost in the exchange of words;

  In anger neither had any sense of brotherhood.

  The Bull Demon King's mace moved like a dragon;

  The Great Sage's cudgel sent gods and demons fleeing.

  First they fought in front of the mountain,

  Then they both rose on auspicious clouds.

  They showed their great powers up in mid-air,

  Doing wonderful movements in multi-coloured light.

  The clash of their cudgels rocked the gates of Heaven;

  They were too evenly matched for either to win.

  The Great Sage and the Bull Demon King fought over a hundred rounds without either emerging as the victor. Just as they were becoming locked in their struggle a voice called from the peak, “King Bull, my king sends his respects and invites you to honour him with your presence at a banquet.”

  At this the Bull Demon King blocked the gold-banded cudgel with his iron mace and called out, “You stay here, macaque. I'm going to a friend's house for a meal. I'll be back.” With that he landed his cloud and went straight back into the cave.

  “My lovely,” he said to Princess Jade, “the man you saw with a face like a thunder god is the macaque Sun Wukong. A bout with my mace has sent him packing: he won't be back. Stop worrying and enjoy yourself. I'm going to a Mend's place for some drinks.” He then took off his helmet and armor, donned a duck-green jacket of cut velvet, went outside and mounted his water-averting golden-eyed beast. Telling his underlings to look after the palace he headed Northwest in clouds and mist.

  While the Great Sage watched all this from the peak he thought, “I wonder who the friend is and where he's gone for his banquet. I'll follow him.” Splendid Monkey then shook himself and turned into a clear breeze to follow him. He soon reached a mountain, but the Bull Demon King was nowhere to be seen. The Great Sage turned back into himself and started to search the mountain. He found a deep pool of pure water beside which was inscribed in large letters on a tablet of stone

  RAGGED ROCK MOUNTAIN

  GREEN WAVE POOL

  “Old Bull must have gone into the water,” Monkey thought, “and underwater spirits are lesser dragons, dragon or fish spirits, or else turtle, tortoise or terrapin spirits. I'd better go down and have a look.”

  Making a hand-spell and saying the magic words the splendid Great Sage shook himself, turned into a medium-sized crab weighing thirty-six pounds, jumped into the water with a splash, and went straight down to the bottom of the pool. He saw an ornamental arch of delicate tracery to which was tethered a water-averting golden-eyed beast. On the other side of the arch there was no more water. Monkey crawled through and took a careful look. From one side he heard music, and this is what he saw:

  Cowry gateways to a palace red,

  Like nothing else in the world.

  The roof tiles were of yellow gold,

  The door pivots of whitest jade.

  The screens were of tortoise-shell,

  The balustrades of coral and of pearl.

  Auspicious clouds glowed all around the throne,

  From the sky above right down to the ground.

  This was not the palace of Heaven or the sea,

  Although it more than rivaled an island paradise.

  A banquet for host and guests was set in the lofty hall,

  Where all the official wore their hats with pearls.

  Jade girls were told to bring ivory bowls,

  Exquisite beauties to play fine music.

  The great whale sang,

  Giant crabs danced,

  Turtles played pipes and drums,

  While pearls shone over the goblets and boaras.

  Birdlike script adorned the turquoise screens,

  While shrimp-whisker curtains hung along the corridors.

  From the eight notes mingled came wonderful music

  Whose tones rose up to the clouds above.

  Green-headed singsong girls stroked zithers of jasper

  While red-eyed dragonflies played jade flutes.

  Mandarin fish carried dried venison in on their heads,

  While dragon girls had the wings of golden pheasants in their hair.

  What they ate were

  The rarest delicacies of the heavenly kitchen;

  What they drank were

  The finest vintages of the purple palace.

  The Bull Demon King was sitting in the seat of honour with three or four lesser dragon spirits on either side. Facing him was an ancient dragon, surrounded by dragon sons, dragon grandsons, dragon wives and dragon daughters. Just as they were feasting and drinking the Great Sage Sun marched straight in, to be spotted by the ancient dragon, who ordered, “Arrest that vagrant crab.” The dragon sons and grandsons fell upon him and seized him.

  “Spare me, spare me,” said Monkey, suddenly reverting to human speech.

  “Where are you from, crab vagrant?” the ancient dragon asked. “How dare you come into my hall and behave in this disgraceful way in front of my distinguished guests? Tell me this moment if you want to be spared the death penalty.” The splendid Great Sage then made up a pack of lies to tell him:

  “Ever since coming to live in the lake

  I've had to make my home in cliffs and caves.

  Over the years I've learned to stretch myself out

  So now I am known as the Sideways Man-at-arms.

  Dragging my way through weeds and through mud,

  I have never been taught correct social behavior.

  If in my ignorance I have caused offence I beg

  Your Majesty to show me mercy.”

  When the spirits at the banquet heard this they all bowed to the ancient dragon and said, “This is the first time that the Sideways Man-at-arms has come to your palace of jasper, and he does not understand royal etiquette. We beg Your Excellency to spare him.”

  The ancient dragon thanked the spirits and ordered, “Release the wretch. Put a beating on record against his name, and have him wait outside.” The Great Sage acknowledged his kindness then fled for his life till he reached the archway outside.

  “That Bull Demon King is drinking for all he's worth in there,” he thought. “I'm not going to wait till the feast breaks up. And even if I did he still wouldn't lend me the fan. I'd do better to steal his golden-eyed beast and turn myself into a Bull Demon King. Then I can trick Raksasi into lending me the fan and I'll be able to escort my master across the mountains. That'll be best.”

  The splendid Great Sage then reverted to his original form, untied the golden-eyed beast, leapt into the carved saddle, and rode straight up from the bottom of the water. Once out of the pool he made himself look like the Bull Demon King. Whipping on the beast he set his cloud moving and was soon at the mouth of the Plantain Cave in Mount Turquoise Cloud.

  “Open up!” he shouted, and at the sound of his voice the two servant g
irls inside the gates opened them for him.

  Taking him for the Bull Demon King they went in to report, “Madam, His Majesty's come home.” At the news Raksasi quickly neatened her hair and hurried out on her little lotus feet to meet him. Climbing out of the saddle the Great Sage led the golden-eyed beast inside. He was bold enough to try to deceive the beauty, whose mortal eyes failed to see who he really was as she led him inside, hand in hand. The maids were told to prepare places and bring tea, and as the master was back the whole household tried its hardest.

  The Great Sage and Raksasi were soon talking. “My good lady,” said the false Bull Demon King, “it's been a long time.”

  “I hope that everything has gone well for Your Majesty,” Raksasi replied, going on to ask, “What wind brings you back to your abandoned wife now that you have married your new darling?”

  “There's no question of having abandoned you,” the Great Sage replied with a smile. “It's just that I've been away a long time since Princess Jade invited me to her place. I'm kept very busy with domestic matters to deal with and friends to attend to. I hear that so-and-so Sun Wukong is very near the Fiery Mountains with the Tang Priest, and I'm worried that he might come and ask you to lend him the fan. I can't forgive him for destroying our son, I want my revenge. If he turns up, just send someone to tell me. When I get him we can cut his body up into ten thousand pieces as revenge for what we have suffered.”

  “You Majesty,” replied Raksasi, in tears at what he had just said, “as the saying goes, 'A man with no woman is risking his wealth; a woman with no husband is risking her health.' That macaque practically killed me.”

  At this the Great Sage pretended to fly into a terrible rage. “When did that bloody monkey go?” he swore.