“He's an honest monster,” thought Monkey with delight. “If he came out with all this without being tortured. Now I know who he is and where he's from, I'm sure I can catch him.”
“He's sent for a priest to come and catch you,” Monkey said aloud.
“Come to bed, come to bed, and forget about him,” the monster said with a laugh. “I can do as many transformations as the Plough, and I have my nine-pronged rake too, so what have I to fear from priests, monks or Taoists? Even if your old man were holy enough to summon the Demon-destroying Patriarch down from the Ninth Heaven, he's an old friend of mine and wouldn't do anything to harm me.”
“My father said that he'd asked that fellow by the name of Sun, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made such trouble up in the Heavenly Palace some five hundred years ago, to come and capture you.”
The monster was somewhat taken aback on hearing this name, and said, “In that case I'm off. We're through.”
“You can't just go like that,” said Monkey.
“You wouldn't know,” the monster replied, “but that Protector of the Horses who made such trouble in the Heavenly Palace is quite a fighter. I might not be able to beat him, and that would spoil my good name.” With these words he pulled on his clothes, opened the door, and was just going out when Monkey grabbed him, gave his own face a rub, and changed back into his real form.
“Where d'you think you're going, my fine monster?” he roared, adding, “take a look and see who I am.” The monster turned round and saw Monkey's protruding teeth, pinched face, fiery eyes with golden pupil, bald head and hairy face. At the sight of this thunder god incarnate his hands were numbed and his legs paralyzed; then with a great tearing sound he broke free, ripping his clothes, and escaped in the form of a hurricane. Monkey rushed after him, grabbed his iron cudgel, and took a swipe at the wind. The monster then changed into ten thousand sparks and went straight back to his mountain. Monkey mounted his cloud and went after him shouting, “Where d'you think you're going? If you go up to Heaven, I'll chase you as far as the Dipper and Bull Palace, and if you go into the Earth, I'll pursue you as far as the Hell of the Unjustly Slain.”
Goodness! If you don't know how far he chased the monster, or who won in the end, listen to the explanation in the next chapter.
Chapter 19
In the Cloud Pathway Cave Sun Wukong Wins over Zhu Bajie
On Pagoda Mountain Xuanzang Receives the Heart Sutra
The monster shot forward as a stream of sparks, with the Great Sage behind him on his coloured cloud. As he was racing along, Monkey saw a tall mountain appear in front of them. Here the monster put himself together again by reassembling the sparks, rushed into a cave, and came out with a nine-pronged rake in his hand to do battle.
“Wretch,” shouted Monkey, “where are you from? How do you know my name, you evil demon? What powers have you got? Tell me honestly, and I'll spare your life.”
“You don't know what I can do,” the monster replied. “Come a little nearer and stand still while I tell you:
I was born stupid,
An idler and a slacker.
I never nourished my nature or cultivated the truth,
But spent my time in primal ignorance.
Then I happened to meet a true Immortal,
Who sat down with me and chatted about the weather,
Advised me to reform and not to sink among mortals,
For taking life was a heinous sin.
One day, when my life came to an end,
It would be too late to regret the punishments in store.
His words moved me to seek reform,
And my heart longed for miraculous spells.
I was lucky enough to have him as my teacher;
He showed me the gates of Heaven and Earth.
He taught me the Nine Changes and the Great Return of Cinnabar,
As we worked by night and day with never a break.
It reached up to the Mud Ball Palace in my head,
And down to the Bubbling Spring in my feet.
The circulating magic liquid reached the Flowery Pool under my tongue,
And the Cinnabar Field in my abdomen was given extra warmth.
The Babe, lead, and the Girl, mercury, were married,
And combining together, they divided into sun and moon.
The Dragon and the Tiger were harmonized,
The Sacred Tortoise drank the Golden Crow's blood.
The Three Flowers gathered at the top and returned to the root.
The Five Essences faced the Origin and flowed in all directions.
When their work was done, I could fly,
And the Immortals of Heaven came in pairs to greet me.
Coloured clouds grew beneath my feet,
As I faced Heavenly Palace gates with a body light and strong.
The Jade Emperor gave a banquet for all the Immortals,
And all lined up according to their grades.
I was made Field Marshal in charge of the Milky Way,
Commanding all the sailors on that river in the sky.
When the Queen Mother gave a Peach Banquet,
She invited many guests to the Jade Pool.
As drunkenness clouded my mind that day,
I lurched and staggered around.
As I charged in drunken pride into the Cool Broad Palace
I was greeted by an exquisite immortal maiden.
At the sight of her beauty my soul was captivated,
And I could not repress my mortal passions of old.
Losing all sense of rank and dignity,
I seized the beauty and asked her to sleep with me.
Three times, four times she refused,
Dodging and trying to hide in her distress.
Great was the courage of my lust, and I roared like thunder,
All but shaking down the gates of heaven.
The Miraculous Inspecting Officer reported to the Jade Emperor,
And from that day I was doomed.
The Cool Broad Palace was closely surrounded.
I could neither advance nor retreat: escape was impossible.
Then I was arrested by the gods,
But as I was still drunk I was not scared.
I was marched to the Hall of Miraculous Mist to see the Jade Emperor,
And, after questioning, sentenced to death.
Luckily the Great White Planet
Stepped forward, bowed low, and interceded.
My sentence was commuted to two thousand strokes of the heavy rod,
Which tore my flesh and all but smashed my bones.
I was released alive and expelled from Heaven,
So I tried to make a living on the Mount of Blessing.
For my sins I was reborn from the wrong womb,
And now I am known as Iron-haired Pig.”
“So you are an earthly reincarnation of Marshal Tian Peng,” said Brother Monkey when he heard this. “No wonder you knew my name.”
“Ha,” the monster snorted angrily. “Your insane rebellion caused trouble for very many of us, Protector of the Horses. Have you come here to throw your weight around again? I'll teach you some manners. Take this!” Monkey was in no mood to spare him after this, and he struck at the monster's head with his cudgel. The pair of them fought a magnificent midnight battle on that mountainside:
Monkey's golden pupils flashed with lightning;
The monster's glaring eyes sparked silver.
One disgorged coloured mist,
The other breathed out red clouds.
The red clouds lit up the night;
The coloured mists illuminated the darkness.
A gold-banded cudgel,
A nine-toothed rake,
And two splendid heroes.
One a Great Sage down among the mortals,
The other a marshal banished from Heaven.
One had been stripped of his honors and become a monster,
The other had been saved when he took service with a priest.
When the rake attacked, it was like a dragon stretching its claws;