“That's nothing,” said Monkey, “nothing at all. We all pass out seven or eight hundred times a year, so it will be easy to pass out three or four times more and then we'll be able to get through.”
The fearless Great Sage, whose one thought was to protect the Tang Priest, left the woodcutter and hurried back. When he reached the horse standing on the mountainside he said, “It's nothing much, Master. It's true that there are a few evil spirits here, but the local people only worry about them because they are timid. With me here there's no need for you to be afraid of them, so let's be on our way again.” Sanzang was relieved to hear this, and he followed Monkey's lead.
As they traveled along they realized that woodcutter had disappeared some time back. “Why can't we see the woodcutter who gave us the message?” asked Sanzang.
“What lousy luck,” said Pig. “We would have to meet a ghost in broad daylight.”
“He must have gone into the forest to look for some more firewood,” said Monkey. “I'll take a look.” Opening wide his fiery eyes with their golden pupils, the splendid Great Sage searched the mountain, but no sign of the woodcutter was to be seen. Then he looked up into the clouds and saw the Duty God of the Day there. He sprang up there himself and cursed him for a hairy devil several times before saying, “Why didn't you tell me straight instead of transforming yourself and putting on that act for me?”
The Duty God bowed to him anxiously and said, “Please forgive me for being so late with the warning. Those monsters really have enormous magic powers and can perform all kinds of transformations. You'll need all your skill and cunning to protect your master. You won't possibly reach the Western Heaven if you are at all slack.”
Monkey dismissed the Duty God. He was feeling worried as he landed his cloud and went up the mountainside until he found Sanzang, Pig and Friar Sand pressing ahead. “If I tell the master straight what the Duty God said,” he thought, “the master won't be able to face up to it and will start crying. But if I don't tell him and keep him in the dark he won't know how things stand, and it'll be a great nuisance for me if he gets captured by monsters. I'd better go and see Pig. I can send him ahead to fight the monster. If he wins, that will be something to his credit. If he can't do it and gets captured by the monster, I can go and rescue him, which will give me a chance to show what I can do and make myself famous.” As he made these calculations he wondered whether Pig would try to slip out of it and be protected by Sanzang. He decided he would have to force him into doing it.
The Great Sage resorted to a trick. He rubbed his eyes till they watered, then went up to the master. When Pig saw him he said to Friar Sand, “Put your carrying-pole down and unpack the luggage. We two will split it.”
“What do you mean, split it?” asked Friar Sand.
“Divide it,” said Pig. “You can go back to the River of Flowing Sands to be a monster, and I'll go back to Gao Village to see my wife. We can sell the white horse to buy the wood for the coffin the master will be needing when he grows old. Then we can break up instead of going on to the Western Heaven.”
When Sanzang heard this he said, “How can you talk such nonsense in the middle of the journey?”
“Who's talking nonsense? I'll say it again,” said Pig. “Can't you see that Monkey's coming back in tears? He's a real tough guy who isn't afraid of going down into the earth or up into the sky, or of being cut, burnt, or even being boiled in oil, so if he comes along deep in gloom and with the tears streaming down his face there must be monsters and wolves on this craggy mountain that softies like us could never get past.”
“Stop that nonsense,” said Sanzang. “I'll ask him what he has to say. Tell me straight,” he said to Monkey, “what is bothering you. Why are you crying? Are you trying to frighten us?”
“The person who gave us the message just now,” replied Monkey, “was the Duty God of the Day. He said that the evil spirits here are so ferocious that it will be hard to get through; besides, we'll never be able to make our way across these steep mountains. Let's go another day.”
Trembling with fear at this news, Sanzang tugged at Monkey's tigerskin kilt and said, “Why these thoughts of turning back when we've already done half the journey?”
“It's not that I'm wavering,” said Monkey, “but we'd be no match for so many monsters. 'A lump of iron in the furnace can only make a few nails.'”
“You are right,” said Sanzang, “it would be very difficult by yourself. As the military classic says, 'few are no match for many'. But I also have Pig and Friar Sand for you to deploy as your subordinates. Make a joint effort to clear the path and take me over the mountain. Then you will receive your just reward.”
As Brother Monkey's little show had only wrung these words out of his master, he wiped away his tears and said, “Pig will have to do two things I tell him to if you're to have even one chance in three of crossing the mountain as you want to, Master. If he won't do these two things for me you'll have no hope at all.”
“Brother,” Pig said, “if we can't cross the mountain, let's disband. Leave me out of this.”
“Disciple,” said Sanzang, “ask your brother what he wants you to do.”
“What do you want me to do, brother?” the idiot asked.
“Look after the master and patrol the mountains,” Monkey replied.
“But looking after the master means staying put,” said Pig, “and patrolling means moving. You can't ask me to stay put for a bit then move for a bit. I can't do both at once.”
“I'm not asking you to do them both,” said Monkey, “I just want you to do one of them.”
“That's much easier,” said Pig with a smile, “though I don't know what you mean by looking after the master or by patrolling the mountains. Tell me what you want, then I can do the one that suits me.”
“Looking after the master,” said Monkey, “means that if he wants to go for a stroll you must support him, and if he wants to eat you must beg some food for him. If he's hungry you'll be beaten. If he looks at all sallow you'll be beaten. If he's any thinner you'll be beaten.”
“That's very difficult,” said Pig with alarm. “There's nothing to looking after him or holding him up-even carrying him would be easy enough. But if he sends me to beg for food in a village the people on this path to the West won't realize that I'm a monk going to fetch the scriptures. They'll think that I'm a growing wild boar come down from the mountains. A crowd of men with forks, rakes and brooms will surround me, capture me, slaughter me, and salt me down for the New Year celebrations. That would be the end of me, wouldn't it?”
“Then you can patrol the mountains,” said Brother Monkey.
“What would that involve?” asked Pig.
“You would have to go into these mountains,” said Monkey, “to find out how many monsters there are, and all about the mountains, and what the monsters' caves are like, so that we can go across it.”
“Nothing to it,” replied Pig. “I'll patrol the mountains.” The idiot hitched up his tunic, grasped his rake, and proudly struck deep into the mountains. His spirits were high as he hurried along the path.
Monkey could not hold back an unkind laugh. “Wretched ape,” said Sanzang, “you haven't a shred of affection for your brothers, only jealousy. You trick him into patrolling the mountain with your cunning words, and then you laugh at him.”
“I'm not laughing at him,” said Monkey. “My laugh means something. Just you see-he won't patrol the mountains or dare to visit any monsters. He'll hide up somewhere for a while then make up some story to fool us with.”
“How do you know so much about him?” asked Sanzang.
“It's what I reckon he'll do,” replied Monkey “and if you don't believe me I'll go and take a look at him. I can help him subdue any demons and find out at the same time how sincere is his wish to see the Buddha.”