Journey to the West (vol. 1) Read online

  “Accursed beasts,” shouted the Mighty Miracle God, “tell the Protector of the Horses at once that I am a heavenly general come on the orders of the Jade Emperor to subdue him. If you make him come out and surrender immediately it will save the lot of you from being wiped out.”

  The devils went rushing into the cave and reported, “Disaster, disaster.”

  “What disaster?” the Monkey King asked.

  “There's a heavenly general outside who says he's come on the orders of the Jade Emperor to subdue you. If you go out and surrender immediately, he says he'll spare our lives.”

  “Fetch me my armour,” said the Monkey King. He then donned his golden helmet, tied on his golden armour, put on his cloud-walking shoes, and took his As-You-Will gold-banded cudgel in his hand. He led his troops out of the cave and drew them up in battle array. The Mighty Miracle God gazed wide-eyed at the excellent Monkey King:

  On his body was gleaming golden armour,

  On his head a dazzling golden helmet,

  In his hand a gold-banded club,

  On his feet a pair of cloud-walking shoes to match.

  His devil eyes shone like stars,

  His ears were long and hard.

  His sturdy frame could be transformed at will,

  His voice rang clearly as a bell.

  The sharp-mouthed Horse Protector with protruding teeth

  Wanted to become a Sage Equaling Heaven.

  The Mighty Miracle God shouted in a harsh voice, “Insolent ape! Don't you recognize me?”

  The Great Sage Sun Wukong replied at once, “I've never met you before. How should I know which wretched little deity you are? Tell me your name at once.”

  “I'll get you, you conceited baboon. So you don't know who I am? I am the Heavenly General Mighty Miracle, the commander of the vanguard for Heavenly King Li, the Pagoda-bearer. I have come here on the orders of the Jade Emperor to accept your surrender. Take off your armour at once and submit to the mercy of Heaven, or I'll wipe out every animal on the mountain. And if you so much as hint at a refusal, I'll smash you to powder.”

  “Stop talking so big, you lousy god,” retorted the furious Monkey King, “and give that long tongue of yours a rest. I'd just love to kill you with this cudgel of mine, but if I did there'd be no one to deliver my message for me, so I'll spare your life. Hurry back to Heaven and tell that Jade Emperor that he doesn't know how to use a good man. Why did he make me waste my infinite powers on feeding his horses for him? Take a look at what's written on my standard. If he's willing to give me this title officially, I'll call off my troops and let Heaven and Earth continue in peace; but if he refuses I'm coming up to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to knock him off his dragon throne.” When the Mighty Miracle God heard this he looked hard and saw that a tall pole had been planted outside the entrance to the cave, on which hung a banner reading GREAT SAGE EQUALING HEAVEN.

  “Heh, heh, heh,” he mocked, “you ignorant ape. What shameless effrontery, to want to be a 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven!' Take that!” He swung with his battle-axe at the Monkey King who, quite unflustered, parried with his gold banded cudgel. It was a fine battle:

  The cudgel was called As-You-Will,

  The axe was named Flower Spreader.

  As soon as the two met,

  You could not tell which was better:

  Axe and club

  Locked together.

  One was concealing his magic powers,

  One was a big-mouthed boaster.

  They used their magic

  To breathe out cloud and mist;

  When they opened their hands

  They scattered sand and dust.

  The heavenly general was a master of magic;

  Endless were the changes the Monkey King could make.

  When the cudgel was raised it was like a dragon playing in the water;

  As the axe came down it was a phoenix among the flowers.

  Although the fame of Miracle was known throughout the world,

  His skill was no match for his enemy.

  If the Great Sage lightly twirled his club,

  A mere touch would paralyze.

  The Mighty Miracle God was no match for his opponent. He hastened to block the Monkey King's first blow with his axe, which broke in two with a crunch. He fled for his life as fast as he could, and the Monkey King said mockingly, “You bag of pus, I'll spare you this time. Hurry back with my message, and look sharp about it.”

  The Mighty Miracle God returned to his camp, went straight to the Pagoda-bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, knelt before him, and said with an awkward laugh, “The Protector of the Horses has really tremendous magic powers. I was no match for him. He beat me, and now I have come to take my punishment.”

  “This fool has ruined our morale,” exploded the Heavenly King Li in a fury. “Take him away, and off with his head.”

  Prince Nezha, who was standing to one side, stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Do not be angry, Your Majesty. Forgive the Mighty Miracle God, and let me go and do battle; then we'll see who's boss.” The heavenly king accepted his advice, and told Mighty Miracle God to go back and look after the camp while he awaited his punishment.

  When he had put on his armour and helmet, Prince Nezha charged straight out of the camp to the Water Curtain Cave. Sun Wukong, who was just going to pull back his troops, saw the ferocity of his onslaught. What a fine prince he was:

  His hair in tufts barely covers his scalp,

  His cloak not over his shoulders.

  How striking his intelligence,

  How elegant his air.

  Indeed he is the scion of a unicorn in Heaven;

  In truth he is a phoenix Immortal from the clouds.

  The seed of dragons is different from the common herd;

  This fine youth is not at all like mortals.

  With him he carries six divine weapons;

  Endless his transformations as he soars through the air.

  Now he has received an edict from the Jade Emperor's mouth,

  Making him Commander of the Three Temples of the Masses.

  Sun Wukong went up to him and asked, “Whose little boy are you then? What do you mean, charging up to my door?”

  “Stinking monkey fiend,” shouted Prince Nezha, “don't you know who I am? I am Nezha, the third son of the pagoda-bearing Heavenly King, and I have been commanded by the Jade Emperor to come here and arrest you.”

  “You do talk big, don't you, little prince,” said Sun Wukong, laughing at him. “But as you've still got all your milk teeth and are still wet behind the ears I'll spare your life and I won't hit you. Do you see what it says on my standard? Go and tell the Jade Emperor that if he gives me that title I'll call off my armies and submit to him once more. But if he doesn't do what I want him to, I'll surely attack the Hall of Miraculous Mist.” Nezha looked up and saw the words “Great Sage Equaling Heaven.”

  “You wicked monkey! How dare you give yourself a title like that, whatever your magic powers may be! Don't worry, all you're getting is my sword.”

  “Give me a few swipes, then,” replied Sun Wukong, “I won't move.”

  “Change,” yelled Nezha in a passion, and at once he had three heads and six arms, which made him look most ferocious. In his hands he held six weapons, a demon-beheading sword, a demon-hacking cutlass, a demon-binding rope, a demon-quelling pestle, an embroidered ball, and a fire-wheel-and wielding all these he rushed straight at Sun Wukong.

  At the sight of him Sun Wukong exclaimed with astonishment, “Well, my boy, you certainly know a trick or two. But just behave yourself and watch what I can do.” Our dear Great Sage shouted “Change,” and he too had three heads and six arms. He shook his gold-banded cudgel, and it turned into three cudgels, which he gripped with his six hands to ward off Nezha's blows. It was a great fight, and it made the earth shake and the mountains tremble:

  Six-armed Prince Nezha

  Heaven-born Monkey King:

  Well-matched opponent
s,

  Both in the same class.

  One sent down to the lower world on a mission,

  The other priding himself as a fighting bull.

  Fast moves the point of the demon-beheading sword,

  And evil spirits fear the demon-hacking cutlass,

  The demon-binding rope flies like a dragon,

  While the demon-quelling pestle has the head of a wolf,

  The fire-wheel flashes with lightning,

  And the embroidered ball shoots everywhere.

  The Great Sage's three As-You-Will cudgels

  Block and parry with consummate skill.

  Though many hard-fought rounds prove inconclusive,

  The prince refuses to call the battle off;

  Making his six weapons multiply in number,

  He throws them in their millions at the Monkey King's head,

  But the Monkey King, fearless, roars with laughter

  As his iron clubs whirl and think for themselves.

  One becomes a thousand; one thousand, ten;

  Their wild dance fills the sky as if with dragons.

  All the demon kings shut their gates in terror;

  Every goblin on the mountain finds some place to hide.

  Cloud-black, the anger of the heavenly troops;

  Whistling like the wind, the gold-banded cudgels.

  On the one side,

  The blood-curdling war-cries of the heavenly host.

  On the other,

  The spine-chilling banners of the monkey fiends.

  Both parties are equal in fighting courage;

  Neither could be said to be the winner.

  Prince Nezha and Sun Wukong both used their divine powers to the full as they fought thirty rounds. When the six weapons of the prince turned into thousands and tens of thousands, so did Sun Wukong's gold-banded cudgel. The air was filled as if with drops of rain or shooting stars, and there was no way of telling who was winning. As Sun Wukong was deft of hand and quick of eye, he plucked one of the hairs from his body in the midst of the fray and shouted “Change!” It changed into his own double to mislead Nezha while his real self leapt round till he was behind Nezha and struck at his left shoulder. Nezha was in the middle of performing a spell when he heard the whistle of the cudgel through the air and twisted away as fast as he could. But he was unable to avoid the blow and had to flee wounded. He brought his magic to an end, put his six weapons away, reverted to his true appearance, and abandoned the field of battle in defeat.

  This had all been observed by Heavenly King Li, who was on the point of sending reinforcements when his son appeared before him and reported in fear and trembling, “Father, the Protector of the Horses is very powerful. My magic was outclassed and he has wounded me in the shoulder.”

  The color drained from the face of the horror-struck Heavenly King as he said, “If the creature has magic powers like that, how are we going to defeat him?”

  “Outside the gates of the cave,” the prince went on to report, “there is a banner on a pole that reads 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven'. He bragged that if the Jade Emperor gave him this title he would call everything off; otherwise he said he would attack the Hall of Miraculous Mist.”

  “In that case,” said the Heavenly King, “we'll disengage now, go back to Heaven, and request that more heavenly troops be sent to capture this wretch. There is plenty of time.” The prince, in pain and unable to go on fighting, went back to Heaven with the Heavenly King and put in this request, but of that no more for the moment.

  Watch as the Monkey King returns to the mountain in triumph to receive the congratulations of the seventy-two kings of the monsters and his six sworn brothers. There was great drinking and singing in the cave paradise. Sun Wukong said to his six sworn brothers, “As I've called myself Great Sage Equaling Heaven, you can all call yourselves great sages too.”

  “Honorable brother, you're right,” roared the Bull Demon King. “I shall call myself the Great Sage Matching Heaven.”

  “I'll be the Great Sage Overturning the Sea,” said the Salamander Demon King.

  “I'll be the Great Sage Throwing Heaven into Confusion,” said the Roc Demon King.

  “I'll be the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains,” said the Camel Demon King.

  “I'll be the Great Sage Who Travels with the Wind,” said the Macaque King.

  “And I'll be the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods,” said the Lion King. The seven great sages then did just as they pleased and gave themselves the titles they chose, and after enjoying themselves all day they went home.

  Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha led their forces straight to the Palace of Miraculous Mist and made this request: “We, your subjects, took our forces down to the lower world, under your Divine Edict, to subdue the immortal fiend Sun Wukong. But to our surprise we found that his magical powers were too far-reaching for us to be able to defeat him. We therefore hope that Your Imperial Majesty will send more troops to exterminate him.”

  “How could a mere monkey goblin have such great powers that you actually need more troops?” asked the Jade Emperor.

  Prince Nezha then came forward and memorialized, “We beg Your Majesty to spare us the deaths we deserve. That monkey fiend has an iron cudgel that he used to defeat the Mighty Miracle God and wounded me on the shoulder. He has set a banner up outside the entrance to his cave that reads 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven,' and he says that if you give him this office he will stop fighting and submit; otherwise he will attack the Hall of Miraculous Mist.”

  When the Jade Emperor heard this he asked in horror, “How dare that monkey fiend talk so wildly? Send all the generals to execute him at once.”

  As he spoke the Great White Planet stepped forward from the ranks of officials. “That monkey fiend knows how to talk,” he suggested, “but he has no idea about real power. If more soldiers were sent to fight him, they might not be able to overcome him at once and their energies would be wasted. But if Your Imperial Majesty were to show your great mercy, you could send down a pacificatory amnesty and let him be a Great Sage Equaling Heaven. It would only be an empty title that he was given, just an honorary appointment.”

  “What do you mean by an honorary appointment?” asked the Jade Emperor.

  “He would be called a Great Sage Equaling Heaven, but he would not be given any responsibility or paid any salary. He would be kept between Heaven and Earth, where his evil nature would be under control and he would be kept from wickedness. Thus Heaven and Earth can be at peace, while sea and sky enjoy tranquillity.” The Jade Emperor approved this suggestion and ordered that a new edict should be issued for the Great White Planet to deliver.

  The Great White Planet left once more through the Southern Gate of Heaven and went straight to have a look at the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. It was quite different from before. There was an awe-inspiring and spine-chilling atmosphere, and every kind of fiend was present. They were roaring and leaping around with their swords, spears, cutlasses and staves. As soon as they saw the Great White Planet they all went for him.

  “Will your commander please come forward,” said the Planet. “I would trouble you to inform your Great Sage that I am a heavenly envoy sent by the Jade Emperor, and I am carrying a divine edict with an invitation for him.”

  The fiends rushed in to report, “There's an old man outside who says he's come from Heaven with an edict of invitation for you.”

  When Sun Wukong heard this he said, “I'm glad he's come. I expect he's that Great White Planet who came before. Although I wasn't given a decent job last time I went to Heaven, I did get up there and learn my way around. If it's him again, his intentions must be good.” He told his commanders to put on a big display of banners and drums and to turn out a guard of honour to welcome him.

  Then the Great Sage, wearing his helmet, his yellow robe over his armour, and his cloud-walking shoes, hurried out of the cave at the head of his monkey host, bowed in greeting, and shouted in a loud voice
, “Please come in, venerable Planet. Forgive me for not being here to welcome you.”

  The Planet walked straight into the cave, stood facing the South and said, “Great Sage, when you left the Imperial Stables because you found the post too humble, the officials of that department naturally reported the matter to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor decreed that all officials have to work their way up from the bottom, and asked why you objected to its being humble. After this Heavenly King Li took Nezha down to the lower world to do battle with you. Your divine powers, Great Sage, were more than they expected, and they suffered defeat. On their return to Heaven they reported that you had set up a banner and wanted to be a 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven'. All the generals wanted to punish you; but I, Great Sage, ran the risk of punishment by suggesting that the armies should not be called out, and that Your Majesty should be given a post instead. The Jade Emperor approved my memorial, and that is why I have come here to invite you.”

  “I am most grateful for this honour after the trouble I caused you earlier,” replied Sun Wukong, “but I am not sure whether there is such a title as 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven' in the upper world.”

  “After obtaining imperial approval for this title,” said the Planet, “I came down bearing a decree. If anything goes wrong, I'll bear the responsibility.”