Missing the beloved amid one's tears.
The sight of Monkey's tears gave Pig an uncontrollable urge to throw back his head and laugh out loud. “Blockhead,” said Monkey abusively. “Do you want us to break up again?”
“That's not what I mean,” said Pig, still laughing. “The master's been carried back into the cave. As the saying goes, 'third time lucky'. You've already been into the cave twice, so if you go in again you're sure to rescue the master.”
“Very well then,” said Monkey, wiping away his tears, “as this is the way things are I have no choice. I'll have to go back in. You two don't have to worry about the luggage or the horse any more, so guard the cave-mouth properly.”
The splendid Great Sage turned round and sprang into the cave. This time he did no transformations but appeared in his own dharma form. This is what he was like:
His cheeks looked strange but his heart was strong;
As a monster since childhood his magic was mighty.
A misshapen face that looked like a saddle;
Eyes fiery bright with golden light.
His hairs were harder than needles of steel,
And striking was the pattern of his tigerskin kilt.
In the sky he could scatter a myriad clouds;
In the sea he could stir up thousandfold waves.
Once with his strength he fought heavenly kings,
Putting a hundred and eight thousand warriors to flight.
His title was Great Sage Equaling Heaven;
He was an expert with the gold-banded cudgel.
Today in the West he was using his powers
To return to the cave and rescue Sanzang.
Watch Monkey as he stops his cloud and heads straight for the evil spirit's residence, where he found the gates under the gate towers shut. Not caring whether or not it was the right thing to do, he smashed them open with one swing of his cudgel and charged inside. It was completely quiet and deserted, and the Tang Priest was nowhere to be seen in the corridor. The tables and chairs in the pavilion and all the utensils had completely disappeared. As the cave measured over a hundred miles around, the evil spirit had very many hiding places in it. This was where she had brought the Tang Priest the previous time, only to be found by Monkey, so after catching him this time she had moved him elsewhere in case Monkey came looking for him again.
Not knowing where they had gone, Monkey stamped his foot and beat his chest with fury, letting himself call out at the top of his voice, “Master! You are a Tang Sanzang formed in misfortune, a pilgrim monk molded from disaster. Hmm. I know the way well enough. Why isn't he here? Where should I look for him?”
Just when he was howling with impatience and anxiety his nose was struck by a whiff of incense, which brought him back to himself. “This incense smoke is coming from the back,” he thought, “so I suppose they must be there.” He strode in at the back, his cudgel in his hand, but still saw no sign of life. What he did see were three side rooms. Near the back wall was a lacquered offertory table carved with dragons on which stood a gilt incense-burner. From this came heavily scented incense smoke. On the table was a tablet inscribed with letters of gold to which the offerings were being made. The letters read, “Honoured Father, Heavenly King Li.” In a slightly inferior position was written, “Honoured Elder Brother, Third Prince Nezha.”
The sight filled Monkey with delight. He stopped searching for the monster and the Tang Priest, rubbed his cudgel between his fingers to make it as small as an embroidery needle, tucked it inside his ear, gathered up the tablet and the incense-burner with a sweep of his arms and went straight back out through the gates on his clouds. He was still chortling with glee when he reached the mouth of the cave.
When Pig and Friar Sand heard him they unblocked the entrance to the cave and greeted him with, “You look so happy you must have saved the master, elder brother.”
“No need for us to save him,” Monkey replied with a smile. “We can ask this tablet for him.”
“But that tablet isn't an evil spirit and it can't talk,” said Pig, “so how can you ask it for him?”
“Look at it,” said Monkey, putting the tablet on the ground. When Friar Sand went up to look he saw “Honoured Father, Heavenly King Li" and “Honoured Elder Brother, Third Prince Nezha” written on it.
“What does this mean?” Friar Sand asked.
“The evil spirit makes offerings to it,” Monkey replied. “When I charged into her place there was nobody about, only this tablet. I think she must be a daughter of Heavenly King Li and the younger sister of Prince Nezha who so longed for the lower world that she pretended to be an evil spirit and carried our master off. So who better to demand the master from? You two keep guard here while I take this tablet up to Heaven to lodge a complaint with the Jade Emperor and force those heavenly kings to give our master back.”
“Brother,” said Pig, “there's a saying that goes, 'Bring a capital charge and pay for it with your own head.' You can only do a thing like that if you're in the right. Besides, a case in the celestial court isn't something to be started lightly. You'd better tell me what sort of case you're going to bring.”
“I know what I'm going to do,” Monkey replied. “I'm going to produce this tablet and incense-burner as evidence and submit a written deposition too.”
“What will you write in your deposition?” Pig asked him. “Will you tell me?”
To this Brother Monkey replied, “The complainant Sun Wukong, whose age is stated in this document, is the disciple of the monk Tang Sanzang who is going from the Tang court in the East to fetch the scriptures from the Western Heaven. He submits a complaint that an imitation evil spirit has committed a kidnap. Li Jing, the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King, and his son Prince Nezha have been slack in controlling their women's quarters. He has allowed his daughter to run away and turn into an evil spirit in the Bottomless Cave in Mount Pitfall, where she has lured countless deluded people to their deaths. She has now carried my master into a remote corner where he cannot be found. If I had not submitted this complaint I would have been deeply worried that the heavenly king and his son in their wickedness had deliberately incited his daughter to become a spirit and cause general disaster. I beg Your Majesty in your mercy to summon the heavenly king to attend a hearing, bring the demon under control and deliver my master. I would be deeply grateful if Your Majesty would determine the correct penalty for this offence. This is my respectful submission.”
When Pig and Friar Sand heard this they said with delight, “Brother, you're bound to win if you submit so reasonable a complaint. Be as quick as you can. If you lose any time you may be too late to stop the evil spirit killing our master.”
“I'll hurry,” said Brother Monkey, “I'll hurry. I'll be back in the time it takes to cook rice at the longest or to make a cup of tea if I'm quick.”
With one bound the splendid Great Sage carried the tablet and the incense-burner straight up by auspicious cloud to the outside of the Southern Gate of Heaven, where the Heavenly Kings Powerful and Protector of the Nation greeted him with bows, letting him in and not daring to block his way.
He went straight to the Hall of Universal Radiance, where the four heavenly teachers Zhang, Ge, Xu, and Qiu showed him great courtesy and asked, “Why are you here, Great Sage?”
“I've got a complaint here,” Monkey replied. “There are a couple of people I want to lodge a complaint against.”
“The scoundrel,” thought the appalled heavenly teachers, “who can he be wanting to sue?” They had no choice but to lead him to the Hall of Miraculous Mist and submit their report to the Jade Emperor, who ordered that Monkey be summoned hi. Monkey then put down the tablet and the incense-burner, bowed to the emperor, and presented his complaint. This was taken by the Ancient Immortal Ge, who spread it out on the emperor's table. When the emperor had read it through from the beginning and learned what had happened he approved the deposition, wrote an imperial rescript on it, and sent the Great White Planet, the Metal Planet Changgeng, to the Cloud Tower Palace to summon the Pagoda-carrying Heavenly King Li to the imperial presence.