Friar Sand used his demon-quelling staff to open the iron cage over the chest and raise its lid. “Master,” he called.
At the sight of them Sanzang wept aloud and said, “Disciples, how were the demons beaten? How did you manage to find me here?” Monkey told him all the details of what had happened from beginning to end and Sanzang expressed boundless gratitude. Then master and disciples found some rice in the palace and ate their fill of it before packing their things and leaving the city along the main road West. Indeed:
Only a true man can find the true scriptures;
The will's shouts and the heart's labors are in vain.
If you don't know when on this journey they were to see the Tathagata listen to the explanation in the next installment.
Chapter 78
In Bhiksuland the Hidden Gods Are Sent on an Errand of Mercy
In the Palace the Monster Is Revealed and the Way Discussed
A single thought at once disturbs a hundred monsters;
The hardest efforts are all to no avail.
One can only wash away each speck of dust,
Tidy everything and polish well.
Sweep all causation away and come to nirvana;
Waste no time and destroy the thousand demons.
You surely will be free from obstructions,
And rise to the Daluo Heaven when your deeds are done.
The story tells how the Great Sage Sun used all his ingenuity to fetch the Tathagata to subdue the demons and rescue Sanzang and the other two disciples, after which they left the city of Leonia and headed West. When they had been travelling for several more months it was winter, and this is what could be seen:
The plum on the ridge was like broken jade
As the water in the pond slowly turned to ice.
All the red autumn leaves had fallen,
And the green of the pine looked fresher than ever.
The pale and scudding clouds were on the point of snowing;
Flat lay the withered grass upon the hills.
As far as the eye could see was chilly brightness
As the unseen cold went right into the bone.
Master and disciples braved the cold, sleeping out in the rain and dining off the wind, until as they were walking along another walled and moated city came into sight. “What sort of place is that over there, Wukong?” Sanzang asked Monkey, who replied, “We'll know when we get there. If it's the capital of a Western kingdom we'll have to present our passport to be inspected and returned. If it's a prefecture or county town we'll go straight through.” Before master and disciples could finish their conversation they had arrived at the city gates.
Sanzang dismounted and the four of them went in through the curtain wall outside the gates. Noticing an old soldier sleeping shielded from the wind under the South-facing wall, Brother Monkey went up to him, shook him and said, “Sir!”
When the old soldier awoke with a start to open his bleary eyes and see Monkey he fell to his knees to kowtow and say, “My Lord!”
“There's no need for such alarm,” said Monkey. “I'm no evil god, so why call me your lord?”
“Aren't you Lord Thunder God?” the old soldier asked, kowtowing again.
“What a thing to say,” Monkey replied. “We're monks from the East on our way to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. We've just arrived here. Could I ask what this place is called?” This answer finally eased the old soldier's mind.
With a yawn he got back on his feet, stretched and said, “Please forgive me, reverend gentlemen. This country used to be called Bhiksuland but its name has been changed to Boytown.”
“Do you have a king?” Monkey asked.
“Yes, yes,” the old soldier replied.
Monkey then turned to report to the Tang Priest, “This country used to be called Bhiksuland but the name's been altered to Boytown, though I don't know what the change signifies.”
“If it was Bhiksuland before why is it Boytown now?” the Tang Priest wondered.
“I expect there was a King Bhiksu who died,” said Pig, “and they changed the name to Boytown when a boy succeeded him.”
“Impossible,” said the Tang Priest, “impossible. Let's go in and make some enquiries in the street.”
“That's right,” said Friar Sand. “The old soldier wouldn't have known anyhow, and on top of that elder brother gave him such a fright that he talked nonsense. We'll ask some more questions in the city.”
When they had gone through the third pair of gates they came to a great market on a main street. The people were well-dressed and their bearing distinguished.
A hubbub of voices came from bar and music hall;
High hung the curtains outside splendid shop and teahouse.
Business was good in firms by the thousand;
Wealth flowed free in shopping street and market.
The dealers in metal and silk were swarming like ants,
Caring only for money while struggling for fame and wealth.
With these noble manners, magnificent scenery
And peaceful waters it was a time of prosperity.
The master and his three disciples, who were leading the horse and carrying the baggage, spent some time walking around the streets as they admired the general air of prosperity. In the entrance to every house there was a basketwork coop of the sort geese are kept in. “Disciples,” said Sanzang, “why do all the people here put coops in their gateways?” Pig's response to this was to look around and see that there were indeed lines of coops hung with satin curtains of many colours. “Master,” said the idiot with a smile, “today must be a lucky one for weddings and celebrations. Everybody's having a wedding.”
“Nonsense,” said Monkey. “How could every single family possibly be having a wedding? There must be some other reason for this. I'm going over to take a look.”
“You're not to go,” said Sanzang, grabbing hold of him. “You look so ugly that people might take offence.”
“I'll go as something else,” Brother Monkey replied.
Making a spell with his hands the splendid Great Sage said the words of a spell, shook himself, turned into a bee, spread his wings, flew to one of the coops and slipped in through the curtains to take a look. A little boy was sitting inside. Monkey looked inside another family's coop and there was a child in that too. He inspected eight or nine households and all of them had a child. All were boys: there was not a single girl. Some were sitting up in their coops and playing and some were crying; some were eating fruit and some were snoozing.
His inspection over, Monkey turned back into his normal self and reported to the Tang Priest, “There are little boys in the coops. The oldest is under six and the youngest only four. I don't know why they're here.” Sanzang wondered what the explanation could be.
Turning a comer they saw the gateway to an official building. It was a government hostel with golden pavilions. The venerable elder was delighted.
“Disciples,” he said, “we will go into this hostel. We can find out where we are, give the horse a rest and put up for the night.”
“Yes, that's right,” said Friar Sand. “Let's go straight in.” This the four of them happily did, a fact that the officials there reported to the hostel's superintendent.
When the superintendent had led them inside greetings had been exchanged and they had all sat down, the superintendent asked, “Where have you come from, reverend sir?”
“I am a monk sent by the Great Tang in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven,” Sanzang replied. “Now that we have arrived at this excellent establishment I will of course present my passport for inspection. Could we, I wonder, impose on your hospitality for the night?”