This is a fresh, complete English translation of Wu Cheng’en’s public-domain one-hundred-chapter novel, produced with GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark assistance. It is an AI-assisted first edition, not a reproduction of an existing translation.

Then the monster moved forward in flames, while the Great Sage’s colored halo followed behind him. As they walked, they suddenly came upon a high mountain. The monster drew his red light together, revealed his true form, crashed into a cave, and took out a nine-toothed spiked mace to fight. Wukong shouted, 'Stop, demon! From where do you come? What sort of evil spirit are you? How do you know my name, old Sun? Bring out your real skills and show them fully, and I may spare your life.' The monster said, 'You don’t even know my ways; come forward, stand firm, and listen while I tell you. This is what I say:'

Since I was born, my nature was stupidly dull, and I loved idleness and sloth with no end of rest. I never cultivated my nature or practiced true cultivation; my mind, in chaos, wasted away day and night. Suddenly in idleness I met a true immortal, who made me sit down and explain the way. He told me to turn my heart back, not to sink into the world of men, where harming life for one’s own gain creates endless sin. In the end, when my allotted life-span is spent, I will regret it in the eight hardships and the three paths and have no words left to speak. Listening to his words, I turned toward practice and sought the marvelous secret. By merit there, I kneelingly took him as my master, and he showed me the heavenly gates and earthly halls. He transmitted the Great Restoring Elixir of Nine Transformations, and I did not slacken my effort by day or night. From top to bottom, from the Mud-egg Palace at the crown to the Yungquan point at the sole, I coursed the kidney water through the Flower Pool; my dantian filled with steady warm heat. Infant and maiden were matched as yin and yang; lead and mercury mixed together, dividing day and night. I used the Dragon-Gates and Tiger-Void to bring harmony; the spirit turtle drank up the blood of the golden crow. Three flowers gathered atop and returned to root, and the Five Breaths passed through Chaoyuan in perfect transparency. With practice complete and movement fulfilled, I flew upward in ascent; heavenly immortals came in pairs to receive me. Brilliantly, colored clouds rose beneath my feet, and body light and limbs strong, I went forth toward the Golden Threshold. The Jade Emperor held a banquet and convened the host of immortals, assigning each according to rank. He decreed I be titled Marshal, set to govern the Heavenly River, commanding the water soldiery and the rules of order. It happened because the Queen Mother held a banquet for the peaches, opening a feast at the Jade Pool and inviting all guests. Then I was drunk, my thoughts dazed, staggering this way and that, wild and disorderly. I swaggered in and charged into the Palace of the Moon, where graceful immortals came to receive me. Looking at my appearance they stole people’s hearts; the old mundane lust within me could not be extinguished. There was no respect for above and below or for rank, and I dragged Chang'e out, wanting to lie with her. Again and again she refused; she dodged east and west, and I was still unsatisfied in heart. My lust was as broad as heaven, roaring like thunder, and I nearly shook down the gates of heaven. The inspectors and spirit officers reported the matter to the Jade Emperor; that day my fate turned ill. Surrounded in Broad-Cold and cut off from air, I could not enter nor leave and could scarcely escape. Yet the gods seized me; though wine burned in my heart, I still did not tremble. I was taken to Lingxiao to face the Jade Emperor; by the law they asked how to execute me. By good fortune, Tai Bai Li Jinxing, leaving his station, bent low in respectful deference and spoke for me in person. The sentence was reduced yet made severe: two thousand iron blows; flesh split, skin opened, bones nearly broke. I was spared from execution and exiled out of the heavenly gate, demoted beneath heaven, to Fengling Mountain to build my family. Because of my guilt I was cast into this mistaken rebirth. In the mortal world my common name is Zhu Gangye.

When Wukong heard this, he said, 'So you are the Tianpeng Water God fallen to earth, and this is how you know my name, old Sun.' The monster scoffed, 'Hah! You deceiving Bimaun, when you caused that calamity, I know not how many of us you dragged into it. Now you come again to bully people. Don’t be insolent. Taste my mace.' Wukong was not willing to yield and, raising his staff, struck him square on the head. The two of them fought in the middle of the mountain; it was a dark-night brawl. Terrible it was:

The Great Sage’s golden eyes flashed like lightning; the demon’s ringed eyes shone like silver blossoms. This one breathed colored mist; that one breathed out red vapor. Where one exhaled red clouds the dark was lit; where the other breathed color, the dusk gleamed. Golden-Hooped Staff, Nine-toothed Mace—two heroes each worthy of praise: One is the Great Sage in the human world below; one is a marshal fallen from the sky to the edge of Earth. That one lost propriety and became a monster; this one escaped suffering and became a monk. The mace-strike was like a dragon extending its claws, while the staff met it like a phoenix threading flowers. One cried, 'You broke into another’s chamber as if killing one’s father!' The other cried, 'You abused a young maiden; that warrants punishment!' Their words were wild, shouting and clamor, and again and again staff and mace crossed and clashed. See how they fought until daybreak; the demon’s two arms were numb and aching.

The two began at the middle of the second watch and fought straight through until daybreak in the east. The demon could not withstand him and fled the field, turning again into a raging wind and running back to the cave, then shutting the door tightly and no longer showing his head. Wukong stood outside that cave and saw a stone tablet inscribed with the characters Yunzhan Dong ("Cloud-Shelf Cave"). Seeing the demon did not emerge, and with the sky now clearly bright, he thought, 'I am afraid Master is waiting. I should go back and see him first, and come back for this demon without delay.' He pressed the cloud with a footstep, and in a moment arrived at Gao’s estate.

Then Tripitaka and the elders were discussing past and present all through the night and had no sleep. Just when they were thinking that Wukong had not returned, Wukong suddenly stood in the courtyard. He tucked his iron staff away and entered the hall in proper robes. Calling out, 'Master, I have come.' At once all the elders hurried down and bowed, saying, 'Your efforts are much; much indeed.' Tripitaka asked, 'Wukong, you went out last night. Where is the demon you brought?' Wukong said, 'Master, that demon is neither a common-world evil spirit nor a mountain beast. In truth he is the Tianpeng Commander who has come to the mortal plane; because of a mistaken birth, he took a wild pig face, though his spiritual nature still remains. He said his surname is Xiang and his name is Zhu Gangye. I followed him from the rear hall, drew my staff and struck him; he turned into a blast of wind and fled. After being hit once by Wukong with the winded staff, he changed into firelight, ran back to his original mountain cave, took out a nine-toothed pinned mace, and fought Wukong all night. Just before dawn, fearing defeat, he withdrew and shut the cave door tightly, refusing to come out. Wukong wanted to force that door open and finish him, but fearing Master might worry here in doubt and anticipation, I came back first to report.'

After he spoke, that old Gao stepped forward and knelt, saying, 'Long-virtue, you drove him away as far as you could, but after you leave they will return again. What should we do then? Better to let this matter rest with you; arrest him for me. If we root him out, there will be no trouble after this. I dare not delay and am willing to repay in kind: with this family’s estates and fields, I will write deeds with many of my relatives and split them with the elders. Only root him out completely, and do not let my Gao household lose its clean name.' Wukong laughed and said, 'Elder, you do not know limits. That monster told me himself: though his stomach was vast from greed, after eating at your table he did you many good works and in these years brought in many household riches, all through his strength. He did not simply take your goods for free, so why do you insist on expelling him? By his account he came down from the skies as a heavenly god to do errands for your family and never harmed your daughter. For a son-in-law like this—proper match or no—he does not disgrace the family name nor your standing in a great way; it is not beyond forbearance to truly keep him here.' Old Gao said, 'Long-virtue, though he is not openly scandalous, his fame is not very clean: people keep saying, 'The Gao family has taken a demon as son-in-law!' How can I stand that?' Tripitaka said, 'Wukong, since you have already fought him once, settle it in one blow and bring the matter to an end, and only then will all be clear.' Wukong replied, 'I was only testing him with a bit of sparring. I will certainly bring him back for you all to see; do not worry.' He then said, 'Old Gao, see to my Master carefully and decently; I am leaving now.'

With a single cry he disappeared without form or shadow, leapt onto the mountain, came to the cave mouth, and with one thrust of his iron staff shattered both doors to pieces. He shouted, “You pig-brained fool, come out and fight old Sun!”

The monster had been breathing hard in sleep inside the cave. Hearing the crash of the gates and then being called a coarse-livered blockhead, he could barely contain his anger. Dragging out his spade, he roused himself and came running out, voice raised in rage: “You, Bimawen, are truly indolent and lazy. What business have you here? Why did you break open my front gate? Look first at the law: to break into another’s house is a major mortal crime.”

Sun Wukong laughed, “You fool! I only broke the gate, and yet there is still room to judge. If you seize someone else’s woman without witnesses, with no dowry, no tea or wine offered, that should be charged as a true grievous offense.”

The monster said, “Enough talk—show me your spade, old pig.”

Sun Wukong propped his staff and said, “This spade of yours—did you really serve as a hired hand for Old Gao, digging earth and planting crops? What have you to fear if so?”

The monster said, “You mistook me. Is this spade any ordinary thing of the mortal world? Listen carefully:

This is divine ice-iron, forged and polished till it gleams like moonlight. Laozi himself moved the smith’s hammer, the holy spark-master fed it with his own flame. The Five Directions and Five Emperors employed their stratagems; the six Ding and six Jia wore themselves out in contrivance. It formed nine ridged jade-white blades, cast as twin golden leaves that hang in rings. Its body matches the six luminaries and the Five Planets; its form follows the Four Seasons and the Eight Seasonal Nodes. Short and long, above and below, it steadies heaven and earth; left and right, yin and yang part sun and moon. Six-heavenly generals obey the ordinances of heaven; the Eight Trigrams and the stars stand arranged by the Dipper. It is called the Supreme Treasure of Glistening Gold, sent to aid the Jade Emperor in guarding the Cinnabar Bastion. Because I perfected this, I became a Daoist Immortal, raising myself to be a guest of longevity. An edict made me a marshalling captain, named Tianpeng; the Jade Emperor himself conferred this nailed spade as my command token. Lifted, it kindles fierce flames and brilliant rays; lowered, fierce wind whips down auspicious snow. Heaven’s ministers were all astonished, and Yama in the underworld trembled at heart. What is there in the human world like this weapon? In the whole world there is no such iron. At hand it may transform at my will, whirling and surging as heart’s desire commands. Through many ages we have traveled together without parting, and for years it has never left me. I eat three meals by day and never miss them; at night I sleep a whole night without missing one breath. I have carried it for the peach feast and taken it on missions to the imperial court. All this came from drunken violence, only because I relied on strength and raged wildly. Cast down from Heaven to the mortal dust, I now do whatever crimes I can in this world. In a wicked cave of heart I have eaten men; at Gao’s manor I have loved marriage and wedding joy. With this spade I overturned the sea pits of dragon-tortoises and crushed the lairs of tigers and wolves on the mountain. Of all weapons, set them aside—of all, mine is the keenest. Victory in combat is no hardship; there is no need to speak of duels for fame. How can you fear, even with copper head and iron skull and body of steel? If struck by this spade, soul and spirit will be drained away.”

When Sun Wukong heard this, he put away the iron staff and said, “Fool, stop chattering. Old Sun has set this place for your head; give him a swing and see whether your soul disappears and your vigor is emptied.”

The monster truly raised the spade and, with all his strength, struck at it. With a great crash it burst into streaks of flame, and not even a little patch of hair on Sun Wukong’s head was moved. Frightened, his hands went numb and his legs weakened; he cried out, “Good strike! good strike!”

Sun Wukong said, “You do not even know. When old Sun threw a disturbance in Heaven, I stole an immortal pill, stole the peaches of immortality, stole the imperial wine. Erlang the Great Holy Lord captured me and brought me before the Douniu Hall. The Heaven officials hewed me with axes, struck me with hammers, slashed me with swords, stabbed me with spears, burned and thunder-struck me; not one hair was harmed. Again, Lord Laozi took me and put me into the Eight Trigram Furnace, tempered me in divine fire, and made me the Fire-Eyed Golden-Eyed, copper-headed and iron-armed. If you do not believe, strike a few more times and see whether it truly hurts or not.”

The monster said, “You ape, I remember when you caused trouble in Heaven. You once lived in Flower-Fruit Mountain beneath the Water-Curtain Cave in the Ao Lai Country of the Eastern Victor Land, and none has heard your name since. How have you come here to swagger in and strike at me at my gate? Are you certain your father-in-law did not come for you?”

Sun Wukong said, “Your father-in-law did not summon me. Because old Sun turned from evil and returned to the Way, setting aside his former way to serve a monk, he now protects a pilgrim from Great Tang in the Eastern Land, Tripitaka, who travels westward to the Buddha to fetch the scriptures. Passing through Gao’s manor, he lodged there. Old Gao mentioned the matter, and so asked me to save his daughter, seize this pig-brained oaf of yours.”

When the monster heard these words, he dropped the nailed spade, made a deep bow, and said, “Where is the scripture-taking monk? Pray, introduce me.”

Sun Wukong said, “Why do you want to meet him?”

The monster said, “I was a disciple of Guanyin, persuaded toward good and given her precept; here I keep the fast and vegetarian rule. She instructed me to follow the pilgrim to the West to worship Buddha and seek the scriptures, so I might atone for my offenses and attain right fruit. She told me to wait these years, and no news came. Now that you are already his disciple, why did you not tell me of this sooner, and instead rely on violence and force to break in on me?”

Sun Wukong said, “Do not deceive me with soft words and treacherous mind, seeking a way to escape. If it is truly to protect Tripitaka, there is no falsity. Swear to Heaven, and then I will take you to my master.”

The monster fell to his knees and pounded his head as if pounding grain, reciting, “Amitabha Buddha, Namo Buddha. If what I say is not sincere, may I break Heaven’s law and be split to a thousand pieces.”

When Sun Wukong saw his oath and vow, he said, “In that case, light a fire and burn your dwelling, then I will take you.”

The monster truly gathered reeds and thorns, lit a torch, and burned the cloud-stilts cave until it looked like a ruined kiln.

Then he said to Sun Wukong, “Now I have no more entanglements. Lead me to him.”

Sun Wukong said, “Hand me that spade.”

The monster handed over the spade.

Sun Wukong pulled out a strand of hair, breathed out immortal air, and cried, “Transform!” It became a three-braided hemp rope and came forward, binding the monster’s wrists behind him.

The monster truly had his hands bound behind his back, yet however he struggled he could not free himself. Sun Wukong then grabbed his ear and hauled him along, saying, “Move quickly, move quickly.”

The monster said, “Take it gently. Your hands are heavy and my earlobes hurt.”

Sun Wukong said, “I cannot be gentle—I cannot risk it. As the saying goes, ‘A good pig needs a firm grip.’ Only after you see my master and prove true-heartedness will I let you go.”

The two of them, half cloud and half mist, made directly for Gao Manor.

There is a verse as testimony:

Gold is firm and hard, able to master wood; the Mind-Monkey once brought the wooden dragon to submission. Gold and wood, once in accord, become one; the love of wood for gold yields all expression. Master and guest have no separation there; in three-fold pairing and union lies subtle mystery. Temperament and nature both rejoice in faithful congregation, jointly affirming the Western Way without deviation.

In the blink of an eye they arrived before the manor. Sun Wukong held his spade, gripping the monster by the ear, and said, “Look there. Who sits enthroned in the hall? That is my master.”

The Gao household and kin, and Elder Gao as well, seeing Sun Wukong arrive with the monster, back bound and ear-gripped, all came joyfully into the courtyard and cried out, “Venerable elder, venerable elder! He is indeed the son-in-law of our family.”

The monster stepped forward, knelt on both knees with hands bound behind him, kowtowed to Tripitaka, and shouted aloud, “Master, your disciple has failed in proper welcome. Had I known my master lived in my father-in-law’s house, I would have come to pay respect at once—why did so many obstacles arise?”

Tripitaka said, “Wukong, how did you bring him down to take my vows?”

Sun Wukong only then released him, still striking the spade’s handle, and shouted, “Idiot, speak!”

The monster gave a full account of the matter about Guanyin’s instruction to pursue virtue.

Tripitaka was greatly pleased and said, “Elder Gao, bring a fragrance altar.”

Elder Gao quickly lifted a ceremonial altar.

Tripitaka washed his hands and burned incense, then faced south and bowed, saying, “I have greatly received the Bodhisattva’s holy grace.” The older men also added incense and bowed together.

After they had bowed, Tripitaka went to the hall and sat in the high seat and told Sun Wukong to unfasten him. Sun Wukong shook himself once, drew in his body, and the bonds came undone by themselves.

The monster again bowed to Tripitaka, expressing his wish to follow westward. He then bowed to Sun Wukong as well. Since the one who arrived first is elder, he called Sun Wukong “master-brother.”

Tripitaka said, “Since you have truly done good and wish to become a disciple, I shall give you a Dharma name so you may be called easily morning and evening.”

He said, “Master, the Bodhisattva has already given me the precept and bestowed a Dharma name: Zhǔ Wùnéng.”

Tripitaka laughed, “Good, good. Let your master-brother be called Wukong; you shall be Wuneng. In my Dharma lineage, those belong together.”

Wuneng said, “Master, I have received the Bodhisattva precepts and set aside the five pungent and three aversions. At my father-in-law’s house I keep fasting and vegetarian rules and have not touched meat at all. Having met my master today, I have broken my fast.”

Tripitaka said, “No, no. Since you do not eat the five pungents and three aversions, I will give you a separate name as well: call yourself Bājie.”

The fool answered with joy, “Humbly obeying your order.” Thus he was known as Zhu Bajie, or Pig Bǎjiè.

When Old Gao saw that they had turned from wrongness to rightness, he rejoiced even more, and so ordered his household servants to arrange a banquet in thanks to Tripitaka. Zhu Bajie stepped forward and tugged at Old Gao, saying, "Father, please ask my humble sobriquet Juejing to come out so I can pay my respects to the uncles and the elders." Sun Wukong laughed, "Respected brother, since you have entered the order and become a monk, never again speak of that word ‘Juejing.’ In this world there is only a Fire-House Daoist; where is a Fire-House monk to be found? Let us set our seats, eat a vegetarian meal, and set off westward as quickly as we can." Old Gao laid out the table, inviting Tripitaka to sit in the main place; Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie sat on either side; the relatives sat lower down. He opened a jar of plain wine, filled a cup to the brim, offered it to Heaven and Earth, and then offered it to Tripitaka. Tripitaka said, "I will not hide the truth, good sir: poor monk, I have been vegetarian since before birth and from childhood have never eaten meat." Old Gao replied, "Knowing your purity, I dared not touch meat. This wine is also plain; one cup will do no harm." Tripitaka said, "I do not dare to take wine; wine is the foremost precept of our monastic order." Sha Wujing said anxiously, "Master, I keep vegetarian fasting, yet I have not sworn off wine." Sun Wukong said, "Though old Sun has little stomach and cannot drain a whole jar, I too have not given up drink." Tripitaka said, "In that case, both of you may take some vegetarian wine, only do not drink to the point of intoxication and err." So the two took the first cup. Everyone sat down again as before, and a vegetarian feast was laid out. The abundance of bowls and dishes and the richness of the foods cannot be fully described.

After the banquet, Old Gao brought out a red-lacquered tray and produced two hundred taels of loose bits of gold and silver, presenting them to the three elders as expenses for the road; he also offered three lengths of cotton cloth for robes to wear as upper garments. Tripitaka said, "We are traveling monks; we beg for food wherever we meet it and accept whatever alms are offered. How can we accept gold and silver wealth?" Sun Wukong stepped forward, grabbed a handful in his hand, and said, "Gao Cai, yesterday you brought my Master here, and today you have taken a disciple. I have no valuables to offer thanks; take these bits of gold and silver as travel money and buy straw sandals with them. If afterwards you meet demons, make a few of those into members of my band as well—that will be your repayment." Gao Cai accepted them and knelt, thanking him. Old Gao said again, "Since the masters will not accept gold and silver, please accept this coarse clothing to smile at and take, as a sign of my heart." Tripitaka added, "A monk who accepts even a thread of bribe will need a thousand kalpas to make amends. Only take some of the cakes and fruit left over from the feast as dry rations."

Zhu Bajie said from the side, "Master, Master-brother, do not let this pass. I have been this household’s son-in-law for several years, so as for the travel allowance, three shi would at least be fitting. Father-in-law, my straight robe was torn by my elder brother last night; give me a blue-brocade kesa. My shoes have split; give me one good new pair." On hearing this, Old Gao could not refuse. He at once bought a new pair of shoes and, with one length of cotton robe, exchanged it for my old clothing. Shuffling and bowing, Zhu Bajie then addressed the relatives: "Tell my mother-in-law, elder aunt, second aunt, uncle, and all your kin: I am leaving today to become a monk and cannot bid farewell face to face; please do not resent it. Father-in-law, please treat my family gently. I fear if we fail to obtain the Sūtra in time, we may have to return to ordinary life and live as your son-in-law again." Sun Wukong shouted, "Blockhead, do not speak nonsense." Zhu Bajie said, "Not nonsense. I only fear that in one short while there may be some mishap—neither will the monkhood be completed, nor the marriage be avoided; both ways are delayed together."

Tripitaka said, "No more idle talk. Let us set out at once." So he packed a shoulder-borne bundle of luggage, which Zhu Bajie carried. Tripitaka mounted the white horse; Sun Wukong bore the Golden-Hooped Staff on his shoulder and led in front. The three disciples took leave of Old Gao and all the assembled kin and friends, and set out toward the west. A poem is left as testimony:

The ground is full of glowing mist and high tree-color, and this is the hard-to-escape toil of the Tang dynasty Buddha-child. Hungry, he ate from one bowl of alms gathered from a thousand homes; in the cold, he wore a patched kesa held together by a thousand stitches. Let the wayward heart-horse not run wild in your breast, do not let the mischievous mind-monkey cry out. If feeling is harmonious and nature is still, all conditions join as one; when the moon fills Golden Blossom, it is time to shave the hair.

The three proceeded westward; a full month passed. They crossed the Wusang domain and, when they raised their heads, saw a lofty mountain. Tripitaka reined in the horse and said, "Sun Wukong, Sha Wujing, the mountain ahead is high; we must be careful, be very careful." Zhu Bajie said, "No trouble. This mountain is called Futu Mountain. Inside it lives a Wuchao Chan Master, and he is cultivating there. Old Pig has met him before as well." Tripitaka asked, "What does he do?" Zhu Bajie said, "He has some attainment too. He once urged me to cultivate with him, but I did not go." As the masters talked on, after a while they reached the mountain. It was a fine mountain indeed. Look there:

To the south are green pines and blue cypresses; to the north are green willows and red peaches. The place is noisy and lively as mountain birds converse; in graceful motion the immortal cranes fly in rows. Perfume is abundant, flowers in a thousand colors; the green growth is fresh, and strange wild grasses of myriad kinds appear. Beneath the ravines thunders a rush of green water, and before the cliffs gather clusters of auspicious clouds. Truly it was a place of rare and tranquil beauty, and no one could be seen passing by.

Tripitaka, watching from the horse, saw ahead a brush-and-thatch hut before the fragrant cypress. On the left was a deer carrying flowers in its mouth, and on the right a mountain monkey offering fruit. On the tree tops, blue phoenixes and painted phoenixes called together, while dark cranes and brocade roosters all assembled. Zhu Bajie pointed and said, "Is that not Wuchao Chan Master?" Tripitaka spurred the horse and pushed it onward, straight to the foot of the tree.

When the Chan Master saw the three approach, he immediately left his nest and jumped down from the tree. Tripitaka dismounted and bowed. The master put out his hand and raised him, saying, "Holy monk, please rise. My respect and welcome were insufficient." Zhu Bajie said, "Old Chan Master, he has offered courtesy." The master asked in surprise, "You are the rugged boar of Fuling Mountain with bristled hide; how did you come by such great merit to travel with a holy monk?" Zhu Bajie answered, "Last year, after Guanyin persuaded me, I promised to follow him as a disciple." The master rejoiced and said, "Good, good, good!" He then indicated Sun Wukong and asked, "Who is this one?" Sun Wukong laughed, "How can this venerable Chan elder recognize him and not recognize me?" The master said, "I have not known him before." Tripitaka said, "He is my senior disciple Sun Wukong." The master, smiling, said, "I owe him courtesy. I owe him courtesy."

Tripitaka bowed again: "Please tell me, where is the Great Thunder Temple of the Western Heaven?" The master replied, "Far, far away. Yet there are many roads with tigers and leopards, difficult to pass." Tripitaka made respectful entreaties and asked once more, "How far is the road, truly?" The master said, "Though the road is far, there will surely come a day when it is reached, but the demon miasma is hard to dissipate. I have one Heart Sūtra of Great Prajñāpāramitā, in total fifty-four lines, two hundred seventy characters. If you pass a place of demon mists, simply recite this scripture and there will be no harm." Tripitaka knelt to the ground in request, and the master then chanted it for transmission:

The Great Perfection of Wisdom Heart Sūtra: Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, practicing deeply Prajñāpāramitā, saw that the five aggregates are all empty and thus passed beyond all suffering and peril. Shariputra, form is no different from emptiness; emptiness is no different from form. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Feeling, perception, intention, and consciousness are likewise. Shariputra, this is the nature of all dharmas: they neither arise nor cease, they are not stained or purified, they do not increase or diminish. Therefore in emptiness there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no intention, no consciousness. There is no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no color, sound, fragrance, taste, touch, or dharmas. There is no realm of the eye, up to and including the realm of consciousness. There is no delusion, and no extinction of delusion. To the end, no old age and no death, and no end of old age and death. No suffering, no extinguishing of suffering, no path, no wisdom, and no gain. Because nothing is gained, the bodhisattva of awakening has no obstruction in mind. With no obstruction, there is no fear. Being distant from distorted dreams and illusions, one reaches nirvana at last. In the Three Times, Buddhas rely on Prajñāpāramitā and attain the unsurpassed and complete Buddhahood. Therefore know that Prajñāpāramitā is the great spell, the bright spell, the highest spell, and the unequalled spell. It can dispel all suffering, true and never false. Therefore it is said that the spell of Prajñāpāramitā is: "Gate gate, pāragate, pāragate, pārasaṃgate, bodhi svāhā!"

At this time, Tripitaka of Tang, though he had a natural root for cultivation, could remember the Heart Sūtra after hearing it only once. From then to this day it has been handed down. This is the complete scripture of real cultivation, the gate to Buddhahood.

After transmitting the text, the Chan Master stepped into the cloud-light to go back up to Wuchao, but Tripitaka held him again and told him he must hear clearly the exact way to the west. The master then laughed and said:

The road is not hard to travel; listen first to what I instruct. A thousand mountains and a thousand waters are deep; where miasma and demons are many. If you meet cliffs that reach the sky, keep your heart steady and do not be frightened. As you come to Mo'er's Cliff, put your footfall to the side. Be cautious in Black-Pine Forest, for fox spirits there block the road often. Spirits fill whole kingdoms, and demon lords dwell across the mountains. An old tiger sits in the zither hall, a dark wolf serves as chief clerk. Lions and elephants all call themselves kings; tigers and leopards all act as attendants. Wild boars carry shoulder poles; water monsters are met in front. A stone monkey who has lived many years—where could he hold anger? Ask those known to you; they will know the road to the west.

When Sun Wukong heard him, he gave a cold laugh and said, 'Let us go. Do not ask him; ask me.' Tripitaka still did not understand. The Chan master took the form of golden light and hurried straight up to the Crow Nest. The elder went up to bow and offer thanks, and Sun Wukong, burning with anger, raised his iron staff and pounded upward in confusion; there appeared ten thousand lotus blooms, and auspicious mist enwrapped a thousand layers. Even with power enough to churn seas and overturn rivers, he could not imagine tugging at the Crow Nest and drawing out even one vine strand. Tripitaka saw this and grabbed Sun Wukong, saying, 'Wukong, with a bodhisattva like this, how can you smash up his nest?' Sun Wukong said, 'He has insulted both my brothers in one go.' Tripitaka said, 'He was speaking of the road to the Western Regions—when has he ever insulted you?' Sun Wukong said, 'How do you understand? When he said, “a wild boar carrying a load-bar,” that was an insult to Bajie; "old monkey of many years" was an insult to Old-Sun. How can you read this?' Zhu Bajie said, 'Brother, hold your anger. This Chan master also knows what happened and what is to come, but look at what he said: "A water demon will be met ahead." Who can say whether that will be fulfilled? Let him go.' Seeing the lotus and auspicious mist near the nest, Sun Wukong had no choice but to ask his master to mount, and they rode down the mountain, going west. That departure:

May the gifts of peace be few among humankind, and thus the Mountain of Calamities fill with demons.

At bottom, no one yet knows how the road ahead will end; listen to the explanation in the next chapter.