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.

Just then that monster took Bajie into the cave and said, “Brother, I have brought someone in.” The old demon was pleased and said, “Bring him and let me see.” The second demon said, “Is this it?” The old demon said, “Brother, we brought the wrong one; this monk is useless.” Then Bajie snorted and said, “Great king, send this useless monk away. He is not even fit to be a man’s son.” The second demon said, “Brother, do not release him. Though he is useless, he is one of Tripitaka’s party and is called Zhu Bajie. Put him in the rear purification pool, soak off his pelt, salt-pickle him, dry him out, and then when the sky turns overcast we will drink him.” Hearing this, Bajie said, “By the gods, I have run into a demon that pickles flesh for a living.” The little demon lifted Bajie up, threw him into the water, and left it at that.”

Just then Tripitaka sat before a slope, his ears hot, eyes flickering, body unsettled, and cried out, “Wukong, why has Wuneng gone this far on the mountain patrol and not returned?” Wukong said, “Master, you still do not know his heart.” Tripitaka asked, “What is on his mind?” Wukong replied, “Master, if there were any monster on this mountain, he could not take one step. He would for sure put on a display and run back to report to me. I think there is no monster; the road has been peaceful, and he has kept going.” Tripitaka said, “If he truly has gone on ahead, where are we to meet him? This is wild and open hillside, not like town streets and market squares between wells.” Wukong said, “Master, do not worry. Mount your horse. That fool is a bit lazy and so he walks slowly. Spur the horse some and we will catch up and go together.” Indeed Tripitaka mounted, Sha Wujing took the pack, and Wukong went ahead to lead the way up the mountain.

Just then the old demon called again to the second demon: “Brother, now that you have taken Zhu Bajie, we are certain to have Tripitaka. Go patrol the mountain again, and do not let him pass.” The second demon said, “At once, at once.” He quickly signaled fifty little demons to patrol up the mountain. As they walked, there appeared light drifting auspicious clouds and circling lucky vapour. The second demon said, “Tripitaka has come.” The demons said, “Where is Tripitaka?” The second demon said, “On a good man, auspicious clouds shine above his head; on an evil man, black vapour rises to heaven. Tripitaka is, in truth, the earthly manifestation of Elder Golden Cicada, a good man cultivated across ten lives, so those pale auspicious clouds are around him.” None of the monsters could see him. The second demon pointed and said, “Is that him?” Tripitaka, on horseback, shivered a chill. He pointed again, and again he shivered; yet again he pointed and shivered three times in a row. His spirit uneasy, he said, “Disciple, why do I keep having chills?” Sha Wujing said, “Such a chill means a stomach disease has flared up.” Wukong said, “Nonsense. Master is only walking through these deep heights and ridges and must be afraid at a shadow. Do not fear, do not fear. Let Wukong strike the road with his staff and crush this fright.”

Well done, Wukong, he set his staff before the horse and threw out several maneuvers: up three, down four, left five, right six, employing all the arts of the Six Stratagems and Three Mysteries, bringing forth divine skill. Tripitaka watched from horseback and saw that such prowess was rare in all the world. He cut open the road and advanced, nearly unseating that monster. When the monster saw him from the mountain top, spirit and soul fled; he suddenly cried out, “For years I have heard of Wukong, Great Sage. Today I know the report was true and not false.” The demons came forward and said, “Great king, why does he borrow another’s spirit and ruin his own majesty? Who is he to boast against who?” The old demon said, “Wukong’s magic is vast and his courage exceeds ten thousand men; Tripitaka cannot be eaten by him.” The demons said, “Great king, you have no trick for this. Let some of us go and report to the Great King, summon every soldier from this cave, set the formation, and together in one mind and one body block him so he cannot escape.” The old demon said, “Have you not seen his iron staff? It has the might that not ten thousand men can withstand. In my cave there are only four or five hundred soldiers—how could they resist one strike of that staff?” The demons said, “In that case, Tripitaka cannot be taken by force. Did we perhaps seize Zhu Bajie by mistake? Better send him back now.” The old demon said, “To take him was no mistake; to return him is not to be done lightly. Tripitaka is to be taken in the end, only now it cannot yet be done.” The demons asked, “With such words, how many more years must pass?” The old demon said, “Not long at all. I see only that Tripitaka can be sought through kindness, not by malice. If we seize him by force, we will not even hear of him. Only by goodwill and winning his heart into accord with mine can we, in kindness, devise a way to take him.” The demons asked, “If you have resolved this, may we all be used?” The old demon said, “You all go back to your home strongholds, but do not tell Great King. If he is alarmed, he will surely flee like a windstorm and our plan will fail. I have my own transformative arts and can take him myself.” The demons dispersed.

Then he alone leapt down from the mountain and by the roadside transformed himself into an old Taoist. How was he dressed? One could see him:

The star-crown gleamed, his hair loose and wild like a crane’s crest. Feathered robes and an embroidered sash, cloud shoes bound with yellow-brown cords. His spirit was clear, eyes bright like an immortal guest; his body sound, his body light as an old man with long life. As for what sort of Taoist he claimed, a Clear-Cattle Exorcist, he was even better than Master Suquan. He made a false image seem true, and pressed a fake sincerity to look like true feeling. He stood by the road in the guise of a lame, broken-legged Taoist, blood streaming from his foot, humming through his mouth, and crying only, “Save people! Save people!”

It is said that Tripitaka, relying on Wukong and Sha Wujing, came happily onward. While they were walking, they heard, “Master, save a person!” Tripitaka heard and said, “Excellent, excellent. In this wild mountain wasteland there is no village in any direction. What man is it that cries out? Surely one frightened by tigers, leopards, or worms has fainted away.” Tripitaka turned the swift horse and called, “Who is the one in peril? come out.” That demon crawled out of the grass and, before Tripitaka’s horse, knelt down again and again with a clattering sound. Tripitaka on the horse saw he was a Taoist, and very old at that, and was not at all displeased. He quickly dismounted and said, “Please rise, please rise.” That demon said, “Pain, pain, pain.” He dropped his hand and looked, and saw blood flowing from his foot. Tripitaka asked in alarm, “Master, from where do you come? Why is your honored foot injured?” The demon answered in subtle words and false feeling, speaking as if sincere, “Tripitaka, west of this mountain there is a peaceful and secluded cloister. I am a Taoist from that hall.” Tripitaka said, “You do not serve incense and chanting in your own observatory, why do you wander idly here?” The demon said, “Some time ago, at a donor’s home south of the mountain, householders invited a Taoist group to dispel star-misfortune and spread blessings; we, my master and I, were traveling together on the path. When we reached a deep crossroad, we suddenly met a mottled fierce tiger that seized my disciple and carried him off. I, poor Taoist, trembled in fear, could not run; from one stumble I tumbled down a slope of broken stones and hurt my hips and feet, and cannot find my way back. By this great heavenly affinity today I have met your holiness. I beg the Buddha of great compassion in your heart to save my life. If I can return to the hall, I will sell my body and repay my life-breath with all my weight; I will surely thank your deep grace forever.” Tripitaka, hearing this, believed it to be true and said, “Master, you and I are of one life. I am a monk and you are Taoist; though our garments differ, the way of cultivation is the same. If I do not save you I am no true renunciant. I will save you, and now you cannot walk the road alone.” The demon said, “I can barely stand at all—how can I walk?”

Tripitaka said, “Very well, very well. I can still travel on; let him ride my horse for this stretch, and when he reaches your hall, give me back my horse.” The demon said, “Great Master, I am deeply grateful, but my hip-joint is broken from the fall, and I cannot ride a horse.” Tripitaka said, “True enough.” He told Sha Wujing, “Put the luggage on my horse. Carry him one way.” Sha Wujing said, “I will carry him.” The demon turned sharply and cast a glance at him, saying, “Master, I was terrified by that tiger, and seeing your unlucky-faced holiness made the fear worse. I dare not ask him to carry me.” Tripitaka called, “Wukong, carry him.” Wukong answered repeatedly, “I will carry, I will carry.” Then the demon fixed on Wukong and made him carry; without further words he kept steady. Sha Wujing laughed and said, “This Taoist with no eyes for good and evil—if I carry him it is wrong, it should be inverted that he carries me. If he had seen no one when they reached the Three-Pointed Rock, he would have broken your shoulder-bones to fragments.”

Wukong heard it and laughed, "You wild demon, how dare you come to trouble me? Ask yourself how old old Sun is. With such phantom-talk you can only try to deceive Tripitaka, and then dare to deceive me too? I know you for the monster of this mountain, and I know you want to eat my Master. My Master is no careless wanderer—how can he be your food? If you are going to eat him, then you must give half of him to Old Sun too." The demon, hearing Wukong chant, said, "Master, I am the grandson of a good household; I became a Taoist priest. Today has gone badly—I have met the calamity of tigers and wolves. I am no demon." Wukong said, "If you fear tigers and wolves, why did you not chant the Scripture of the Northern Dipper?" Tripitaka had just mounted, and hearing this, he cursed: "You unruly monkey! ‘To save one life is equal to building a seven-tier pagoda.’ Carry him as a porter and no more is enough—what is all this of the Northern Dipper Scripture and the Southern Dipper Scripture?" Wukong said, "This fellow of a twisted fate! My Master is a compassionate and benevolent man, good outwardly but strange within. If I do not carry you, he will reproach me. Carrying you is one thing, but we must be clear from the start: if it is only to relieve yourself, tell me first; if you let it fall down my spine, the stench is intolerable and my clothes are soiled, and no one will be there to wash me." The demon said, "At this age, do you not know how to judge your own words?" Wukong lifted him up and put him on his back. Together with Tripitaka and Sha Wujing, he hurried westward on the road. Where the mountain rose and dipped, Wukong watched carefully and slowed his step, letting Tripitaka go ahead.

They could hardly go three or five li when Master and Sha Wujing had gone down into a mountain hollow, and Wukong himself could not be seen. Inwardly he grumbled, "Tripitaka is so old and still does not understand the situation. On such a long road, even empty-handed I still feel the weight on my back; I want to smash him down, yet he has made me carry this demon. Even if he were not a demon but a good man, at his age he should already be dead. Why keep carrying him? Let me kill him and be done." The Great Sage was just working out how to strike him, when the demon, seeing this, had already prepared another move and used a mountain-shifting and sea-overturning spell. He pinched a mantra-seal on Wukong's back and chanted the true words, sending a Mount Sumeru into the sky to come crashing straight down upon Wukong. Startled, Wukong tilted his head slightly to one side and let it land on his left shoulder and arm, then laughed: "My child, what sort of heavy-body art is this, trying to crush Old Sun? That I do not fear. It is only that carrying evenly is bearable; carrying at a slant is hard to endure." The demon said, "One mountain does not hold him." He chanted again, sending Mount Emei through the sky to press down. Wukong again moved his head a little to the other side, taking it on his right shoulder and arm. Watching him carry both mountains while rushing like a flying star to catch Tripitaka, the demon trembled all over, sweat beading and his whole body gone limp, and said, "He can really carry mountains." He steadied himself and again chanted the truth words, sending Mount Tai into the air to strike him down. Wukong's strength went soft and numb, and under that Mount Tai-underpinning technique, he was pressed only enough to make the three corpse-gods writhe and the seven orifices spurt red blood.

This dreadful demon, having subdued Wukong with his arts, then drove off in a long wind, rushed after Tripitaka, and from the clouds stretched his hand down and struck the monk from horseback. Startled, Sha Wujing dropped the luggage, drew his demon-subduing staff, and blocked him head-on. The demon raised a Seven-Star Sword to meet him. It was a fierce fight:

The Seven-Star Sword and the Subduing-Monster Staff flashed like ten-thousand mirrored rays of gold. This one had a round eye, feral as the Black-Killer God; that iron-faced one was truly the curtain-rippling General. The demon before the mountain displayed his powers, wholly intent on seizing Tripitaka. The other strove with all his heart to guard the true monk, determined to die rather than release him. The two expelled cloud and mist, blinding the heavenly court, and raised earth and dust to veil the Big Dipper. Their fighting dimmed the red sun until it seemed colorless, and heaven and earth became dark and reeling. They engaged and withdrew eight or nine times, but unexpectedly Sha Wujing ended by losing the battle.

The demon was ferociously violent. He made his gem-sword-mouth trick flash and send down meteor-strikes that wore Sha Wujing down till he was weak and could not resist, turning to flee. He had already trapped him with the precious staff, swung up his large hand and struck him, pinning Sha Wujing beneath his left armpit; with his right hand he took Tripitaka from the horse, hooked the luggage under his toes, opened his mouth and bit the horse's mane; then, using a seizing spell, he swept them all into a gust and carried them to Lotus-Flower Cave, then shouted in a sharp voice, "Elder brother! These monks have all been taken."

The old demon heard this and rejoiced: "Bring him, so I can inspect him." The second demon said, "Is this not him?" The old demon said, "Good younger brother, you brought the wrong one again." The second said, "You said he was Tripitaka." The old one answered, "It is Tripitaka, yes—but we still have not seized the skillful Sun Wukong. Only if we take him too will it be proper to eat Tripitaka. If he is not taken, do not touch the others. The Monkey King has vast powers and endless transformations. If we eat his Master, will he yield willingly? Once he makes a ruckus at our gate, how can we ever expect peace?" The second demon laughed: "Brother, you do put people up too high. If we follow your praise, none in heaven or on earth can match him; from my own view, he is just this, with no extra trick." The old demon asked, "Did you seize him?" The second answered, "He has been pinned down by three mountains I sent and lies beneath them, unable to move even an inch. That is why I fetched Tripitaka, Sha Wujing, and even horse and luggage as well." Hearing this, the old demon's heart was full of joy: "Fate, fate. Catch this one, and Tripitaka becomes truly the morsel in our mouths." He called a minor demon: "Quick, prepare the wine. Offer you two princes a cup of earned success." The second demon said, "Brother, hold the wine. Tell the little ones to haul Zhu Bajie from the water. Then they hung Zhu Bajie on the east gallery, Sha Wujing on the west, Tripitaka in the middle, tied the white horse to a rack, and gathered the baggage inside.

The old demon laughed: "Younger virtuous brother, your methods are excellent—you caught three monks twice already. Yet even though Sun Wukong is pinned beneath mountains, you still need a spell; how can we bring him out in a way fit for steam." The second said, "Elder brother, please sit. If we want to seize Sun Wukong, we need not set out ourselves. Just order two little demons to take two treasures and bring him in that way." The old demon asked, "What treasures should they take?" The second replied, "Take my purple-golden red gourd and your sheep-fat jade pure bottle." The old demon took out the treasures and asked, "Send those two then?" The second said, "Send jinxi ghost and lingli bug, those two." He instructed, "You two carry these treasures straight to the peak of the highest mountain, hold the bottom upward and the mouth downward, and call out: ‘Sun Wukong.’ If he answers, he is already taken inside. Then immediately paste on the talisman: ‘By the urgent law-command of the Supreme Sovereign, the Jade Patriarch, in accord with the imperial decree.’ At once, in three ke he will turn to pus." The two little demons kowtowed, took the treasures, and went out to fetch Wukong—further details are omitted.

Now it is said: Wukong, oppressed by the demon spell beneath the foot of the mountain, thinking hard of Tripitaka and bracing for trouble, cried out to the holy monk, "Master, do you recall when you came to Two Realms Mountain and tore away the sealing tally, and Old Wukong escaped great danger and was instructed to follow and guard the monk? By the Bodhisattva’s bestowed Dharma order, I was to live and practice with you, sharing one affinity, one countenance, one vision, one knowing. At the thought of reaching this place, I have met a demon barrier and once more been pressed down by a moved mountain. Alas, alas! It is your life that is fated to end; poor Sha Wujing, Zhu Bajie, and that small dragon-horse-form are the ones to suffer this ordeal." "Indeed, this is said: The tall tree draws wind, and the wind shakes the tree; for man, high fame brings high loss of fame." After this sigh, his tears fell like rain.

At once the mountain gods, earth god, and the five-direction Jiedi spirits were alarmed. The Gold-Head Jiedi said, "Whose mountain is this?" The Earth Deity answered, "It is ours." "Who is crushed beneath it?" the Earth Deity replied, "We do not know." The Jiedi said, "So you truly did not know. This is the Great Sage Equal-to-Heaven, Sun Wukong, who five hundred years ago made a great uproar in Heaven. He has since returned to proper realization and become Tripitaka’s disciple. Why did you lend the mountain to a demon to crush him? If you are fools enough to think it will pass, and he one day breaks free, will he spare you? Even if we take it lightly, the Earth Deity would be demoted, the Mountain God reassigned to far exile; we too would be subject to grave blame." Then the mountain and earth deities, now fearing, said, "We truly did not know. We only heard the demon lord begin chanting the mountain-sending spell, and so we moved the mountain here. How could we have known it was Great Sage Sun?" The Jiedi said, "You need not fear. The law says, ‘The ignorant do not bear guilt.’ I will be reasonable with you: release him; do not let him take up a weapon against us." The Earth Deity said, "Even if released, he will strike and hit us." The Jiedi replied, "You do not understand. He has a Ruyi Golden-Hooped Staff, deadly indeed: if it strikes, one dies; if it catches hold and drags, one is merely wounded. One tap breaks bones, one brush leaves flesh caving in."

The Earth God and the Mountain Deity were afraid at heart. After conferring with the Five-Direction Jie Di, they came outside the gate of Three-Mountain Pass and called out:「Great Sage, the Mountain Deity, the Earth God, and the Five-Directions have come to see you.」“Good Wukong, he still kept his tiger-like lean vigor and the natural, high-necked air of one in command, and his voice rang out clearly:「What’s this, to gaze on me?」The Earth God said:「Report to the Great Sage that the mountain has been ordered to open. The Great Sage should come out, and pardon the minor gods for their disrespect.」The Great Sage said:「Open the mountain, and no beating for you.」He shouted:「Up with it!」Then, as though an official were releasing prisoners, the gods chanted true-word mantras, sent the mountain back to its own station, and released him. He leapt up, shook off the dust, fixed his skirt, drew the staff from behind his ear, and told the Mountain Deity and Earth God:「Come over here with your staffs. Each of you give two blows first, and let Old Son vent his vexation a little.」The gods were greatly startled:「The Great Sage just commanded us and pardoned our offense. How can he, once he comes out, change his words and ask to hit us?」The Great Sage said:「Good Earth God, good Mountain God, you are not afraid of Old Son, yet you fear a demon?」The Earth God said:「That demon spirit has vast powers and strong magic. He chanted mantras to bind us in his cave, and each of us takes turns standing guard there by the watch."

The Great Sage heard the words 「on duty」 and was startled. He faced heaven and cried out in a loud voice:「Azure Heaven, Azure Heaven! Since chaos first divided, since heaven opened and earth split, this Flower-Fruit Mountain brought me into being. I have roamed through famed masters and learned the secret of longevity. Think of how I can change with the wind, subdue tiger and dragon, and make trouble in Heaven’s Court under the name of Great Sage, yet I have never treated Mountain Gods and Earth Gods as if they were servants in my heart. How can this formless demon now dare to call the Mountain God and Earth God his slaves, and have them take turns standing watch for him? My God! If heaven and earth once birthed Old Sun, why birth such a breed as this one too?」

While the Great Sage was still lamenting, he saw a reddish light blazing from the hollow in the mountain. The Great Sage said:「Mountain God, Earth God, since you stand watch in this cave, what is this thing that gives off light?」The Earth God said:「That is the demon’s treasure shining. I think some evil spirit has brought up a treasure to subdue you.」The Great Sage said:「This one is really playing tricks. Let me ask you first: who in his cave goes along with him?」The Earth God said:「He delights in burning elixirs and making pills, and he likes a Quanzhen Daoist.」The Great Sage said:「No wonder he turned into an old Daoist and deceived my master. In that case, all of you remember this and go back. Let Old Sun take him himself.」The gods all sprang into the air and dispersed at once.

The Great Sage changed himself in an instant into an old perfected man. How might he be dressed?

Hair knotted in twin top-knots, robe patched in a hundred seams. With his hand he struck a fisherman’s drum, with a small clapper in hand. He leaned askew beneath the great road, openly waiting for petty demons. Should one demon arrive, the Monkey King would set his trick in secret.

After a short while, the two little demons arrived. The Great Sage extended the Golden-Hooped Staff. The demon, unprepared, caught his foot and fell with a crash. When he scrambled up and saw the Great Sage, he shouted:「Bei-lan, Bei-lan! If my Great King did not honor you, this traveling monk, we would not be comparing you with one another.」The Great Sage smiled and said:「Comparing what with what? Monks who meet each other are one family.」The monster said:「Why did you lie down here and trip me with this stumble?」The Great Sage said:「The young Daoist boy saw this old Daoist and offered a stumble as a greeting.」The monster said:「My Great King asks only a few taels of silver for a greeting fee. Why make me pay a mere stumble as my greeting fee? You are not a rustic local; certainly not a Daoist of this place.」The Great Sage said:「I am truly not. I am from Mount Penglai."The monster said:「Mount Penglai is the realm of heavenly immortals.」The Great Sage said:「I am not an immortal—who is then?"The monster changed to contrite delight and came forward:「Old Immortal, old Immortal, we of flesh and blood with mortal eyes cannot know. Forgive the roughness of my words. Forgive it.」 The Great Sage said:「I do not hold it against you. As the saying goes: 『An immortal’s body does not tread the mundane earth.』 How do you know that? I have come to your mountain today to take a worthy person to become immortal in truth. Who is willing to go with me?」The Witty Spirit said:「Master, I will go with you.」The Agile Insect said:「Master, I will go with you."

The Great Sage knowingly asked:「From where did the two of you come?」The monster said:「From Lotus-Flower Cave.」「Where are you going?」The monster said:「By my Great King’s command we are to capture Sun Wukong.」The Great Sage said:「Capture whom?」The monster repeated:「Capture Sun Wukong.」The Great Sage said:「Is it that Sun Wukong who goes with Tang Monk to fetch the Buddhist scriptures?」The monster said:「Exactly, exactly. You know him too?」The Great Sage said:「That monkey is a little rude. I know him, and I am a little annoyed with him. If I go with you to seize him too, let that count as helping your merit."The monster said:「Master, you need not aid our merit. My two Great Kings have certain arts: they sent three mountains to pin him beneath them so he cannot move an inch. They told the two of us to bring treasures and trap him in them."The Great Sage said:「What kind of treasures?"The Witty Spirit said:「Mine is a red calabash. His is a Pure Jade Bottle."The Great Sage said:「How do you trap him in those?"The small demon said:「Turn the bottom of this treasure upward and its mouth downward, call him once; if he answers, put him inside. Paste on a placard that reads 『Taishang Laojun, urgent, in accordance with the law, by imperial order』 and in one time and three-ke he turns into pus."The Great Sage, hearing this, thought in alarm:「Dangerous, dangerous! when the reporting clerk once came in the daytime he spoke of five treasures; these are two. I do not know what the other three are."The Great Sage smiled:「You two, let me see your treasures."The little demon, not knowing any secret at all, drew out the two treasures from his sleeve and handed them to the Great Sage. The Great Sage saw them and thought inwardly with joy:「Excellent things, excellent things. If I plucked my tail and leapt away, it would seem like a gift to Old Sun."Then he thought again:「No, no. If I snatch them openly, it only sullies Old Sun’s reputation. This is daylight robbery."He handed them back and said:「You still have not yet seen my treasure.」The monster said:「Does Master have any treasure? Lend it to me, a mortal, and see whether it can ward away calamity."

The good pilgrim lowered his hand, pulled a single hair from his tail, pinched it, and cried:「Change!」In that instant it became a large purple-gold red calabash, a chi and seven cun long. He pulled it from his waist and said:「Look at my calabash.」The Agile Insect took it in hand and, after looking, said:「Master, this calabash is large and handsome and fine to behold, yet it is useless."The Great Sage said:「How is it useless?」The monster said:「Each of my two treasures can hold a thousand people."The Great Sage said:「Your treasures that hold people—how rare are they then? In my calabash I can hold heaven itself.」The monster said:「Can it hold heaven?"The Great Sage said:「It truly can hold heaven."The monster said:「I fear it is a lie. Let us have it hold heaven first before we believe you. Otherwise we will not believe.」The Great Sage said:「If heaven is angered with me, in a month it would still hold it seven or eight times; if heaven is not angered with me, it will not hold it even once for six months."The Agile Insect said:「Elder, if the one that can hold heaven can be traded, then let us trade it.」The Witty Spirit said:「How could he who holds heaven agree to trade for mine that holds people?"The Agile Insect said:「If he will not trade, then at least let him give that Pure Bottle.」The Great Sage thought inwardly with joy:「A calabash for a calabash, and in addition a Pure Bottle: one for two, that is a fitting exchange."He stepped forward and caught the Agile Insect by the arm:「Can we trade for one that holds heaven?」The monster said:「If it holds heaven, then we may trade. If it does not, I will be your son."The Great Sage said:「Fine, fine. I will hold it and let you see."

The Great Sage lowered his head, pinched the spell phrase, and intoned a charm, calling on the Day-Walking God, Night-Walking God, and the Five-Direction Jie Di gods:「Go at once and report to the Jade Emperor. Say that Old Sun has returned to the Right Fruit, seeking the Way and guarding Tripitaka as he goes west to fetch the scriptures; the road is blocked by high mountains and the master meets grievous hardship. For the demon’s treasure, I intend to induce him to exchange it. With ten thousand bows and prostrations, have Heaven lent to Old Sun to enclose him for half an hour, to help bring success. If even half a word he refuses, then I will go at once to Lingxiao Hall and raise blades and spears."

That day, a roaming spirit hurried into the Hall of Lingxiao at the South Gate of Heaven and reported to the Jade Emperor all the previous events. The Jade Emperor said: "That unruly monkey-head speaks thoughtlessly. Earlier Guanyin came and said he should be released so he could protect Tripitaka. I here have again ordered the five Jiedi of the Five Directions and the four Gongcao magistrates to take turns guarding him. Now he wants to borrow heaven to fake it—can Heaven be faked?" Not yet had he finished speaking of faking when, among that company, there flashed forth Nezha, the Third Prince. He said, "May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years. Heaven can indeed be faked." The Jade Emperor asked, "How do you propose to fake Heaven?" Nezha said, "From the first separation of chaos, the light and clarity were made Heaven, and the heavy and turbid made Earth. Heaven is one mass of clear qi that upholds the Jade Heaven palace; in theory, such a thing is difficult to fake. But now Sun Wukong is escorting Tripitaka west to fetch the scriptures. This is truly a blessing worthy of Mount Tai and a great good fortune as deep as the sea. Today we must help him succeed." The Jade Emperor asked, "How will you help?" Nezha said: "Please issue an order: go to the North Gate of Heaven and ask Zhenwu to lend the black carved flag. Unfurl it at the South Gate of Heaven, hiding the sun, moon, and stars. Then those on the other side will see no one, will not see white as white or black as black. Deceive that demon and say Heaven has been dressed up, thereby helping the Great Sage to succeed." Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor said, "Do as you have submitted." The prince took the command, came to the North Gate, and reported the matter to Zhenwu, relaying everything. The patriarch there at once handed the flag to the prince.

A spirit had already rushed down earlier and whispered in the Great Sage’s ear, "Prince Nezha is coming to help with your task." Sun Wukong looked up and saw auspicious clouds swirling; indeed there was a true divinity. He turned to the little demon and said, "Proceed to feign Heaven." The little demon said, "If it is to be feigned, then feign it—why bother over such a trifle of cotton-wool filth?" Sun Wukong said, "I have just chanted the incantation to summon the divine intent." Both little demons kept their eyes wide open to watch how he would fake Heaven. The Great Sage tossed up a false calabash. Think of it: it had been fashioned from a single strand of hair. The wind from the mountain top carried it; it drifted and swayed, and only after half an hour did it fall down. Above the South Gate of Heaven, Prince Nezha snapped open the flag with a loud flourish and blocked both sun and moon and stars. Truly it was as if Heaven and Earth had been dyed in ink and the universe turned to indigo. The two little demons cried out in shock: "Not long ago we were speaking and it was noon; how did it become dusk at once?" The Great Sage said, "Now that the sky is faked, times are no longer to be distinguished. Why should it not be dusk?" The demon said, "Then why is it this dark?" The Great Sage said, "The sun, moon, and stars are all enclosed within; outside there is no light, so of course it is dark." The demon said, "Master, where are you speaking from over there?" The Great Sage said, "Am I not right in front of you?" The demon reached out and said, "I can only hear speech and still cannot see your face. Master, what place is this?" The Great Sage teased him again: "Do not move your feet. This is the Bohai coast; if your footing gives way and you fall, it would take seven or eight days to reach the bottom." The demon cried, "Enough, enough—release the sky trick. We now know it is that kind of fakery. If we keep this up for a while and fall into the sea, we won't be able to return home."

The Good Sage, seeing he had accepted the truth, chanted the spell again, startled the prince, and had the flag rolled up; then suddenly it was once more noon sunlight. The little demon laughed: "Wonderful! Wonderful! Such a precious thing. If one did not swap it, truly one would be no true child raised under a family roof." The fine demon handed over the calabash, and the clever imp took out a pure bottle and together passed both to the Great Sage. The Great Sage in turn handed the false calabash to the little demon in exchange. Now that the treasure had been exchanged, he pressed the matter to a complete close: he pulled a single hair from beneath his navel, breathed out a breath of immortal qi, and changed it into a copper coin. He called out, "Little boy, take this coin and buy a piece of paper." The demon said, "What is it for?" The Great Sage said, "I will write a contract for you. You have exchanged two of your treasures for humans for my one treasure that can feign Heaven. Fearing human hearts are never entirely at peace, and in later days after years pass one may waver, we make this as written proof for both sides to keep." The demon said, "There is no brush or ink here—let us settle it by a solemn oath." The Great Sage said, "How should the oath be made?" The demon said, "I trade these two treasures that can disguise as humans for your one treasure that can feign Heaven. If one of us later repents, plague will strike four times in the four seasons." The Great Sage laughed, "I will not repent. And if I ever do, I accept that I too will suffer your four-season plague."

After he saw that the Great Sage truly spoke in earnest, he again chanted the spell, startling the prince, who then rolled up the flag. At once there was again mid-day light. The little demon laughed: "Marvelous! Marvelous! A treasure this good—if one does not exchange it, it is surely no child of worthy upbringing." The meticulous demon handed back the calabash; the clever imp brought out the pure bottle and together they passed them to the Great Sage. The Great Sage then handed the false calabash to the little demon in exchange. When the treasures were exchanged, he further tightened the matter by another act: he pulled up his tail and snapped it once, then leapt to the front of the South Gate of Heaven, thanking Prince Nezha for his assistance in waving the banner. The prince returned to the palace to submit the warrant and sent the flag back to Zhenwu; no further account is needed. The Great Sage stood suspended between Heaven and the upper air, watching the little demon.

How things would yet be handled is still uncertain. Hear how it is resolved in the next chapter.