“Elder brother,” he yelled, “I've got all the monks.”
The older monster was delighted. “Bring them here; I want to see them,” he said.
“These are the ones, aren't they?” said the younger.
“Brother,” sighed the older monster, “you've got the wrong ones again.”
“But you told me to get the Tang Priest,” said the younger. “This is the Tang Priest all right,” said the older monster, “but you still haven't caught that very powerful Sun the Novice. We can't eat the Tang Priest before we get him. Until we've got him we must on no account touch any of his people. That Monkey King has enormous magical powers and can turn himself into all sorts of things. There's no way he'll let us eat his master. If he comes to our door looking for a fight you can forget all about a quiet life.”
“Elder brother,” said the younger monster with a laugh, “you're overrating him. From the way you're going on about how marvellous he is anyone would think that there were none like him on earth and few enough in the heavens. As I see it he's nothing speciaclass="underline" he hasn't any powers.”
“Did you catch him?” the elder demon asked.
“He can't move an inch,” the other replied. “He's crushed under three mountains I dropped on him. It was only when I'd done that to him I collected the Tang Priest, Friar Sand, the horse and the baggage and brought them all here.”
The news filled the old monster's heart with pleasure. “What luck! What luck! Now you've dealt with that wretched Sun the Tang Priest is as good as food in our mouths.” Saying this the older monster ordered the young devils, “Bring wine at once, and give the Junior King a drink to celebrate his success.”
“No, I won't have a drink,” said the younger demon. “Tell the little devils to pull Pig out of the water and hang him up.” Pig was then hung up in the Eastern wing of the cave, Friar Sand in the West, and Tang Priest in the middle. The white horse was sent off to the stables, and the luggage was stored away.
“You have great powers, my brother,” said the older monster with a laugh. “You've caught the three monks twice. But even though you've crushed him under a mountain you'll need some magic to get that Sun into our cooking pot. That'll be the day.”
“Please sit down, elder brother,” said the younger monster. “I can get Monkey without lifting a finger. I just need to send two little devils with a couple of treasures to bring him back in.”
“What treasures?”
“My gold and red gourd and your vase of mutton-fat jade.” The older monster fetched the two treasures, handed them to him, and asked which two little devils were to be sent. “Send Dexterous Ghost and Skillful Beast,” replied the younger monster. He then instructed them, “Take the two treasures straight to the top of a high mountain, put them there upside-down and call out to Sun. If he responds he'll go straight inside. You must immediately paste this label on: 'Supreme Lord Lao: to be dealt with urgently in accordance with the Statutes and Ordinances.' Within three and a half hours he'll just be pus.” The two little devils kowtowed and went off with treasures to catch Monkey.
As he lay crushed under the three mountains the Great Sage thought in his distress of the holy priest Sanzang.
“Master,” he wailed, “I remember how you removed the paper sealing me under the Double Boundary Mountain, delivered me from terrible agony, and brought me into the Buddhist faith. The Bodhisattva ordered me to stay with you and improve myself, sharing you fate, your appearance, and your knowledge. I never thought I'd have this demon trouble here and be crushed by mountains again. Oh dear, oh dear. If you die it serves you right. But I do feel sorry about Friar Sand, Pig, and the little dragon who was turned into a horse. Indeed:
A tall tree invites the wind;
The wind then shakes the tree.
Whoever strives for fame
By fame destroyed is he.”
Then he sighed and the tears flowed like rain.
All this had alarmed the mountain spirits, the local gods and the Protectors of the four quarters and the center. “Whose mountains are these?” asked the Gold-headed Protector.
“Ours,” said the local gods.
“And who is it pinned under your mountains?”
“We don't know,” said the local gods.
“You lot wouldn't,” said the Protector.
“It's Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made havoc in the palaces of Heaven five hundred years ago. Now he's found religion and become the Tang Priest's disciple. Why ever did you let that demon use your mountains to crush him? You've had it now. He'll not spare you if ever he gets free. Even if he decides to let you off lightly it'll be exile for the local gods and hard labor for the mountain spirits. And I'll get a severe reprimand.”
“We didn't know, really we didn't,” said the gods and spirits, now terrified. “When the chief demon recited the mountain-moving spell we just moved them here. We never knew it was the Great Sage Sun.”
“Don't be afraid,” said the Protector. “The Legal Code says that you cannot be punished for what you are unaware of. We'll have to work out a plan to let him out in such a way that he won't kill us all.”
“It would be very unfair of him to kill us if we set him free,” said the local gods.
“There's something else you don't know,” said the Protector. “He has a truly lethal As-You-Will gold-banded cudgel. If he hits you with that you've dead, and just a touch of it will wound. A tap will shatter your sinews, and a graze from it rip your skin to shreds.”
The terrified local gods and mountain spirits then conferred with the Protectors, approached the gates of the three mountains, and called, “Great Sage, the mountain spirits, local gods and Protectors from the four quarters and the center have come to see you.”
Splendid Monkey. He was like a tiger who though skinny was as always full of spirit. “So what?” he called in a loud, clear voice.
“We have a communication for the Great Sage,” replied the local gods. “If we remove the mountains and set you free, Great Sage, will you forgive us humble spirits for our discourtesy?”
“Move these mountains,” said Monkey, “and I won't hit you.” Then he shouted, “Get up.” It was just like the authorities giving an order: the deities all said the magic words and the mountains went back to where they had come from. Monkey was free. He jumped up, shook the dirt off his body, tightened his kilt, pulled out his cudgel from behind his ear, and said to the local gods and mountain spirits, “All hold out your feet. I'm going to give you two strokes each to work off my bad temper.”
“But you promised just a moment ago, Great Sage,” said the deities in horror, “to forgive us. How can you go back on your word and hit us?”
“My dear local gods and mountain spirits,” said Monkey, “you're more afraid of that monster than of me.”
“But that demon has great and powerful magic arts! When he says his true spells he forces us to take it in turns to be on duty in his cave every day.”
Monkey was shocked to hear them talk about being on duty. He looked up to the skies and shouted, “Heaven, Heaven, when the primal chaos was first differentiated and heaven divided from earth I was born on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. I visited many a wise teacher and learned the secrets of eternal life. I could change as swiftly as the winds, subdued tigers and dragons, and made great havoc in the palaces of Heaven. But never did I bully mountain spirits and local gods or make them run my errands. What a disgrace, when these evil monsters have the effrontery to treat mountain spirits and local gods as their slaves, and make them take turns to serve them. Heaven! If you created me, why ever did you create them?”