“He said that no divine soldier could suppress his wind except the Bodhisattva Lingji,” Monkey continued, adding, “but I don't know where the Bodhisattva Lingji lives.”
As they were wondering what to do, an old man came along the road. Look at him:
He was strong enough not to need a stick,
But his beard was like ice and his flowing hair snowy.
Although his gold-flecked sparkling eyes seemed somewhat dim,
His aged bones and muscles had not lost their strength.
Slowly he walked, back bent, and head bowed down,
But his broad brow and rosy cheeks were those of a boy.
If you gave him a name from his looks,
The Star of Longevity had come out of his cave.
When Pig saw him he said with delight, “Brother, you know the saying, 'If you want to know the way down the mountain, ask a regular traveler.' Why don't you ask him?” The Great Sage put his iron cudgel away, unhitched his clothes, and went up to the old man. “Greetings, grandfather,” he said.
Half replying to him and half not, the old man returned his bow and asked, “Where are you from, monk, and what are you doing in this desolate spot?”
“We are holy monks going to fetch the scriptures,” Monkey replied. “Yesterday we lost our master here, and we would like to ask you, sir, where the Bodhisattva Lingji lives.”
“Lingji lives a thousand miles due South of here,” the old man said, “on a mountain called Little Mount Sumeru. There is a holy place there which is the monastery where he preaches the scriptures. Are you going to fetch scriptures from him.”
“No,” Monkey replied, “we're going not to fetch scriptures from him, but to trouble him over something else. How does one get there?”
The old man pointed South and said, “That twisting path will take you.” Thus tricking the Great Sage into turning round to look, the old man turned into a puff of wind and disappeared from sight. All that could be seen of him was a piece of paper he had left beside the road. On it there were four lines of verse that read:
“I report to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven,
That I am Long Life Li.
On Sumeru Mountain there is a Flying Dragon Staff,
The weapon the Buddha once gave to Lingji.”
Brother Monkey took the note turned, and set off. “What lousy luck we've been having for the last few days, brother,” said Pig. “For the last couple of days we've been seeing ghosts even in broad daylight. Who was that old man who turned into a wind?” Monkey handed the piece of paper to him, and when he had read it he said, “Who is this Long Life Li?”
“He's the Great White Planet of the West,” Monkey replied.
Pig immediately bowed low and said, “My benefactor, my benefactor. If he hadn't put in a memorial to the Jade Emperor, I don't know what would have become of me.”
“So you're capable of feeling gratitude,” said Monkey. “Meanwhile, you're to hide deep in these woods without showing yourself, and keep a close watch on the baggage and the horse while I go to Mount Sumeru to ask the Bodhisattva to come.”
“Understood,” said Pig, “understood. You go as fast as you can. I've learned the tortoise's trick, and can pull my head in when necessary.”
The Great Sage Monkey leapt into the air and headed South on his somersault cloud at tremendous speed. He could cover a thousand miles with a nod of his head, and do eight hundred stages with a twist of his waist. It was only an instant before he saw a high mountain surrounded by auspicious clouds and a propitious aura. In a valley on the mountain there was a monastery from which the distant sounds of bells and stone chimes could be heard, and a haze of incense smoke hung above it. Monkey went straight to the gate, where he saw a lay brother with prayer beads round his neck who was invoking the Buddha.
“Greetings, lay brother,” said Monkey, clasping his hands in salutation.
The lay brother bowed to him in reply and said, “Where are you from, sir?”
“Is this where the Bodhisattva Lingji preaches the scriptures?” Monkey asked.
“Yes, this is the place,” the lay brother replied. “Have you a message for him?”
“I would like you to tell him that I am Brother Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, a disciple of the Patriarch Sanzang, the younger brother of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang in the East, and there is a matter about which I should like to see the Bodhisattva.”
“That's far too many words for me to remember, sir,” said the lay brother with a smile.
“Then tell him that the Tang Priest's disciple Sun Wukong is here,” Monkey replied. The lay brother did as he asked and went into the preaching hall to pass on the message. The Bodhisattva put on his cassock, burnt some incense, and prepared to receive him. As the Great Sage went through the gate and looked inside he saw:
A hall full of brocade,
A room of awe-inspiring majesty.
All the monks were chanting the Lotus Sutra
While the aged head priest lightly struck the golden chime.
The offerings made to the Buddha
Were magic fruit and magic flowers;
Set out on tables
Were meatless delicacies.
Dazzling candles
Sent golden flames up to the rainbow,
From fragrant incense
Jade smoke rose to the translucent mist.
With the sermon over and the mind at peace, a trance was entered.
White clouds coiled around the tops of the pine trees.
When the sword of wisdom is sheathed, the demon is beheaded;
Great are the powers of the prajna-paramita.
The Bodhisattva straightened his clothes and came out to meet Monkey, who climbed the steps into the hall and sat in the guest's seat. When the orders were given for tea to be brought, Monkey said, “I won't trouble you to give me tea. My master is in trouble on the Yellow Wind Mountain, and I have come to ask you, Bodhisattva, to use your great powers to subdue the demon and rescue my master.”
“I have been ordered by the Tathagata Buddha to guard over the Yellow Wind Monster,” the Bodhisattva replied. “The Tathagata gave me a Wind-settling Pill and a Flying Dragon Staff. When I captured that monster before, the Tathagata spared his life and exiled him to live in seclusion on this mountain, where he is not allowed to kill or do any other evil. I never imagined that he would want to murder your master today. I must hold myself responsible for this as I have failed to carry out my orders.” The Bodhisattva wanted to keep Monkey for a meal and a talk, but in response to Monkey's urgent pleading he took his Flying Dragon Staff and rode off with the Great Sage by cloud.
A moment later they reached the Yellow Wind Mountain, and the Bodhisattva said, “Great Sage, as this evil monster is a bit scared of me, I'd better stay here inside the cloud while you go down and challenge him to come out and fight. Once you've lured him out, I can use my divine power.” Doing as he suggested, Monkey brought his cloud down to land; and without more ado he smashed down the gates of the cave with his iron cudgel.
“Fiendish monster,” he shouted, “give my master back.”
The junior fiends on the gate all rushed back to report this, and the old monster said, “That damned ape really has a cheek-instead of behaving himself properly, he comes to smash my gates down. This time I'll use a magic wind that will certainly blow him to death.” Putting on his armour and taking his trident as before, he went out through the gate, and the moment he saw Monkey, he thrust straight at his chest with his trident, not uttering a single word. Monkey sidestepped to dodge it and hit back at the monster's face with his cudgel. When only a few rounds had been fought, the monster turned to the Southeast and was just going to open his mouth and blow out a wind when the Bodhisattva Lingji appeared in mid-air and dropped the Flying Dragon Staff on him. While the monster recited all sorts of spells, an eight-clawed golden dragon grabbed him with two of its claws and smashed him several times against a rock-face. At this the monster reverted to his real form-a brown marten.