The princess, who had thought out a clever plan, hurried out through the front gates and made her way through the hosts of demons great and small to hear the furious clash of arms. Pig and Friar Sand were still fighting with the monster in mid-air. “Lord Yellow Robe,” she shouted at the top of her voice, and as soon as he heard her the demon king left Pig and Friar Sand, landed his cloud, and grasping his steel sword, took his wife by the arm.
“What is it, wife?” he asked.
“I was lying in bed asleep just now, husband,” she replied, “and I dreamt that I saw a god in golden armor.”
“What sort of god in golden armor?” he asked. “Why did he come here?”
“When I was a child in the palace,” she said, “I made a secret vow that if I married a good husband I would climb holy mountains, visit Immortals, and give alms to monks. I have now been happily married to you for thirteen years without ever mentioning the vow before, and the god in golden armor came to make me fulfil it. His shouting made me wake up, and then I realized it was a dream. I tidied myself up and came straight to tell you about it. To my surprise I found a monk tied to the stake. I beg you, lord and master, to respect my vow and spare that monk in your mercy. This will count as feeding monks and will fulfil my vow. Will you do this?”
“What a fusser you are, wife,” he replied. “Nothing to it. If I want to eat people I can easily catch a few more. If that's how things stand, let the monk go.”
“Please may he be released through the back door, husband?”
“What a thing to bother me with. Let him go, and I don't care whether it's by the front way or the back way.” The monster then grasped his sword once more and shouted, “Come here, Pig. I'm not afraid of you, but I'm not fighting you any longer. For my wife's sake I've spared your master, so hurry round and find him at the back door and carry on West. If you set foot in my territory again I won't let you off a second time.”
This news made Pig and Friar Sand feel as if they had been let out through the gates of Hell. They scurried away with the horse and the baggage, and going round to the other end of the Moon Waters Cave they called “Master” outside the back entrance. Sanzang recognized their voices and called back from among the thorn bushes. Friar Sand made his way through the undergrowth, helped his master out, and hurriedly helped him mount the horse.
When he was threatened by the terrible blue-faced monster
He was lucky to meet the devout princess.
Escaping from the golden hook, the turtle
Swam off through the waves with a flick of his tail.
With Pig leading and Friar Sand bringing up the rear, they left the pine forest and traveled along the main track. The two disciples grumbled and complained, while Sanzang tried to conciliate them. Every evening they would find lodgings, and they would be up again at cock-crow. They covered stage after stage of their journey, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter, and before they realized it they had done ninety-nine miles. Suddenly they looked up and there was a fine city in front of them. This was Elephantia, and it was a splendid place:
Distant clouds,
A long road;
Although this was a distant land,
The scenery was as fine as home.
Auspicious mists enshrouded the city;
Fresh breezes were blowing under the clear moon.
Towering mountains, seen from afar,
Were spread out like a picture.
Rivers flowed rippling,
Like streams of crushed jasper.
There were fields upon fields of farmland
Where new crops sprouted close together.
A handful of fishermen worked three stretches of water,
A wood-gatherer carried twigs from a couple of hills.
The outer wall
And the inner wall of the city,
Were rock-solid.
The houses
And homes
Vied in elegance.
Nine-storied pavilions were like palaces,
High towers like imperial columns.
There was a Hall of the Great Ultimate,
A Flowery Canopied Hall,
A Hall of Incense,
A Hall of Literary Perusal,
A Hall of Government Proclaimed,
A Hall of Splendor Extended,
All with steps of jade and gold
Where civil and military officers stood in their ranks.
There was also a Great Brightness Palace,
A Palace of Shining Radiance,
A Palace of Eternal Joy,
A Palace of Illustrious Purity,
A Palace of Established Enlightenment,
A Palace of Inexhaustible Glory.
In every palace were gongs, drums, pipes and flutes,
Lamenting the sorrows of spring and the harem's woes.
Then there were imperial parks
Where dew bathed the flowers' tender petals;
And royal canals
Where willows bent their slender waists in the wind.
On the highways
Were belted gentlemen in official hats,
Attired in all their splendor
As they rode in five-horsed chariots;
In remote corners
Were archers with bows and arrows
Whose shots split the clouds apart
And skewered pairs of hawks.
What with the willow-lined streets,
And the houses full of music,
This spring scene rivaled the Luoyang Bridge.
The pilgrim who was seeking the sutras
Was torn with nostalgia for the Great Tang;
The disciples accompanying their master
In a rest-house found happiness in their dream.
Gazing at the view of Elephantia the master and his two disciples dealt with the luggage and the horse and settled down in a rest-house.
The Tang Priest went on foot to the palace gates, where he said to the High Custodian of the gate, “I beg you to report that there is a monk from the Tang Court who has come for a personal audience with His Majesty and has a letter of credentials.”
A eunuch messenger hurried to the white jade steps and announced, “Your Majesty, a distinguished priest from the Tang Court has come for an audience as he has a letter of credentials to deliver.” The king was delighted to hear that he was from the mighty land of Tang and was himself a venerable and holy monk, so he gave his approval at once with the words, “Call him in.”
Sanzang was summoned to the golden steps, where he danced in obeisance and called out the correct greeting. On either side the many civil and military officers all sighed with admiration and said, “What impressive music and ritual this gentleman from that distinguished country has.”
“Venerable sir, why have you come to my country?” the king asked.
“I am a Buddhist from the land of Tang,” Sanzang replied, “and I am going to the Western Heaven on the Emperor's orders to fetch the scriptures. I am carrying a letter of credentials, and now that I have arrived in Your Majesty's country it seems proper to hand it to you. Not knowing whether to advance or retreat, I must apologize for disturbing the Dragon Countenance.”
“If you have Tang credentials,” the king replied, “bring them here for me to see.” Sanzang handed the letter up respectfully with both hands and unfolded it on the king's table. It read:
From the Tang Emperor of the Great Tang Kingdom, who reigns by order of Heaven, in the Southern Continent of Jambudvipa.