Just as the Great Sage was in the middle of his complaint a rosy light began to shine in the mountain hollow. “Mountain spirits, local gods,” asked Monkey, “you serve in the cave, so what is it that's shining?”
“The monsters' treasures,” replied the local gods, “some of the demons must have brought them to catch you out with.”
“Just what I need to play a little trick on them,” said Monkey: “Tell me, who comes to see them in the cave?”
“What they're interested in is refining elixirs of immortality, and their best friends are Taoist masters of the Quanzhen School,” replied the local gods.
“No wonder he turned himself into an old Taoist priest to trick my master,” said Monkey. “Very well then, I'll let you off for now. Back you go. I'll get them myself.” The spirits all rose into the air and made off.
The Great Sage shook himself and turned himself into an old Taoist master. Do you know what he made himself like?
His hair drawn into two tufts,
A motley robe of a hundred patches.
He tapped a fisherman's drum,
A Lord Lu sash around his waist.
He leaned beside the path,
Awaiting the little devils.
Soon the devils arrived
To be prey for the Monkey King's tricks.
It was not long before the two little devils arrived. Monkey thrust his gold-banded cudgel out and tripped up the two demons, who were taken right off guard. It was only as they picked themselves up that they saw Monkey. “You villain. If our Great King weren't such an admirer of the likes of you we'd soon sort you out.”
“What do you mean, sort me out?” asked Monkey with a forced smile. “We're all Taoists-one big happy family.”
“Why are you lying here, and why did you trip us up?” asked the devils.
“A little fall is a way for you boys to show your respect on meeting a Taoist elder like me,” said Monkey.
“Our Great King only demands a few ounces of silver when people first meet him,” said the little devils, “so why do you expect us to fall over for you? That's not the custom here. You must be from somewhere else.”
“Indeed I am,” said Monkey. “I'm from Mount Penglai.”
“But that's an island in the sea where immortals live,” said the devils.
“If I'm not an immortal,” said Monkey, “I don't know who is.” By now the devils' anger had given way to delight.
“Venerable immortal,” they said, “venerable immortal, please don't take offence at our rudeness. It was only because our common mortal eyes failed to recognize you.”
“I don't hold it against you,” said Monkey. “As the saying goes, 'An immortal body does not tread the common ground.' You couldn't be expected to know. I've come to your mountain today to bring over a virtuous man who has become an immortal and completed the Way. Anyone want to come with me?”
“I'll go with you, Master,” said Dexterous Ghost.
“Me too,” said Skilful Beast.
“Where have you two gentlemen come from?” asked Monkey, as if he did not know already.
“From the Lotus Flower Cave,” they said. “Where are you going?”
“We are under orders from our Great King to capture Sun the Novice,” the devils replied.
“Who?” Monkey asked.
“Sun the Novice,” they repeated.
“The Sun the Novice who's going with the Tang Priest to fetch the scriptures?” asked Monkey.
“Yes, that one,” the devils replied. “Do you know him?”
“That ape's outrageous,” said Monkey. “I know him, and I'm very angry with him too. Let me come along with you and help you catch him.”
“Thank you, Master,” they replied, “but we won't be needing your help. Our Junior King used his magic arts to bring three mountains here to crush him. Now he can't move an inch. We two have been sent here with treasures to pack him into.”
“What treasures?” asked Monkey.
“I've got the red gourd,” said Dexterous Ghost, “and he's got the jade vase.”
“How are you going to fit him into them?” asked Monkey.
“We'll set them upside down,” said the little devils, “and call to him. If he responds we'll put him inside and stick on a label saying: 'Supreme Lord Lao: to be dealt with urgently in accordance with the Statutes and Ordinances.' Three and a half hours later he'll be just so much pus.” This news shocked Monkey, who remarked to himself what a deadly plot this was.
“The Duty God of the Day told me that there were five treasures altogether,” he thought. “These are two of them. I wonder what the other three are.”
“Gentlemen,” he said aloud, “would you let me have a look at your treasures?” Not realizing that this was a trick the two little devils produced them from their sleeves and offered them respectfully with both hands to Money. He was delighted, though he did now show it. “Splendid things,” he thought, “splendid. I just have to flick my tail in the air and go whizzing off with a jump. They've given them to me.” Then he had second thoughts: “No, that's no good. Stealing them would be easy enough, but it would destroy my reputation. It'd be daylight robbery.” So he handed them back with the words, “But you haven't seen my treasure yet.”
“What is it?” the devils asked. “Would you let us common mortals see it? It'd bring us luck.”
The splendid Monkey put his hand down, pulled a hair from his tail, made a spell, and called “Change!” It turned into a big gold and red gourd one foot seven inches long that he produced from his waist. “Would you like to see my gourd?” he asked.
Skillful Beast took it, looked at it, and said, “It's a very big gourd, Master, shapely, and very fine to look at, but it's useless.”
“What do you mean, useless?” asked Monkey.
“Each of our treasures can contain a thousand people,” the devils replied.
“What's so special about being able to contain people?” said Monkey. “Mine can hold the sky itself.”
“The sky?” asked the devils.
“Yes, it really can,” Monkey replied.
“You must be lying,” said the little devils. “We could only believe that if we saw you do it. There's no way we're going to believe you otherwise.”
“If the sky annoys me,” said Monkey, “I pack it in here seven or eight times a month; but if it doesn't annoy me I might leave it alone for half a year.”
“Let's see if he'll swap his sky-holding treasure with us,” said Skilful Beast to the other demon.
“But he'd never swap his sky-holder for our one that can only hold people,” replied Dexterous Ghost. “If he won't swap we can throw our vase in too,” said Skilful Beast.
Concealing his delight, Monkey thought, “A gourd for a gourd and the vase too is two for one: I'll certainly agree to that.” So he went up to Skilful Beast, clutched him, and asked, “Will you swap them if it can hold the sky?”
“Yes, we'll swap them as long as it can hold the sky,” said the devil, “and I'll be your son if we don't.”
“Very well then,” said Monkey, “I'll put the sky in it to show you.”
The splendid Great Sage bowed his head to make the spell and say the words of it. He called on the Patroller of the Day, the Patroller of the Night together with the Protector of the Four Quarters and the Centre: “Report on my behalf to the Jade Emperor that I have now found the true faith and am escorting the Tang Priest to the Western Heaven to fetch the Scriptures. We are now hold up on a high mountain and my master is in dire distress. I want to trick the devils into swapping their treasures with me, so I most humbly beg that I be lent the sky to put away for an hour. This will enable me to succeed. If there's so much as a hint of a refusal then I'll be coming up to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to give battle.”