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.

This Great Sage and Sha Wujing took their leave of the Bodhisattva, sent up two auspicious rays, and left the South Sea. At first Sun Wukong’s jindou cloud was quick, but Sha Wujing’s celestial speed seemed slow, so Sun Wukong prepared to go ahead. Sha Wujing caught him and said, “Elder Brother, do not flaunt and hide yourself so. Go first and secure our footing. Wait till I follow with you.” Sun Wukong was a true-hearted elder, and yet Sha Wujing still had his doubt. The two then rode together. Not long afterward, they truly reached Flower-Fruit Mountain. They lowered their cloud and looked out from the cave mouth and saw a monkey seated on a stone terrace, drinking wine and reveling with the troop. He looked just like Great Sage Sun Wukong: yellow hair with a golden band, gold eyes and fire-bright pupils; he also wore a plain cotton robe, a tiger-skin skirt at the waist; in his hand he held a Golden-Hooped Staff; at his feet a pair of deerhide boots. He also had the same shaggy face, thunder mouth, broad forehead, full cheeks, and fangs protruding outward.

This Great Sage flared with anger. He waved his hand away from Sha Wujing, whipped the staff forward, and barked, “What sort of demon are you, that you dare assume my likeness, seize what is mine, squat in my immortal cave, and act with this authority?” The other monkey saw this and answered not at all, but came forward with his staff as well. The two monkey attendants stood together, and indeed it was no easy matter to tell true from false in so severe a contest. He cried, ">Two staves, two monkey spirits: this match is no trifling one. Each must protect Master Tang’s envoy and win renown through worthy merit. The real ape is the true disciple of the monkly teaching, while the false fiend feigns devotion as Buddha’s child. Owing to divine arts that take a thousand transformations, there is no true and false, only two equal forms. One is the Primordial-Unified-Celestial Sage of One Qi, the other a long-tempered thousand-spirit ground-plunging demon. This one wields the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Staff, that one a heart-obedient iron-club soldier. Neither side can break through the other in block and counter; neither side can say who prevails. Before, they fought outside the cave and for a while grappled up into the half-sky. Both then rode upon rays of cloud and leapt into battle within the Ninth-Heaven clouds." The two then fought, each stepping on streaks of cloud.

Sha Wujing stood by, afraid to strike. Watching them fight in this fashion, it was indeed hard to distinguish true from false. He wished to draw his blade to aid them, but he feared injuring the real one. After enduring for a while, he leapt off the cliff and, with the treasure staff for subduing demons, struck near the outside of Water Curtain Cave, scattering the demons and turning over the stone benches, smashing all the vessels of wine and meat in wild disorder. He then looked for his blue felt pack and found it nowhere around. Water Curtain Cave was in truth a curtain made of a cascade and spring, hanging before the cave mouth. From afar it appeared a white drape; near at hand it was but a gush of water, hence the name Water Curtain Cave. Sha Wujing did not know its inner arrangement and so could not find the way. He then rode through clouds and caught up in the Ninth-Heaven clouds, raising the treasure staff, but still had no chance to intervene. Great Sage said, “Sha Wujing, since you cannot aid effectively, go back to the Master and report what happened as it has been. Let me then fight this fiend at Mount Lojia Mountain before the Bodhisattva to sort true from false.” After he spoke, the other ape spoke the same. Sha Wujing, seeing both their faces and voices with no smallest difference, black and white undistinguishable, could only obey, turn the cloud and return to report to Tripitaka. Nothing more to mention.

You may see those two monkey attendants fighting while advancing, straight to the South Sea and straight to Mount Lojia. Their blows and shouts never ceased. It immediately alarmed the heaven-protecting deities, who reported to the pool-sound cave: “Bodhisattva, indeed two Sun Wukongs are fighting their way here.” The Bodhisattva, with Mucha, Shancai Child, and Dragon Maiden, came down to Descending-Lotus Terrace and called out from the gate, “You rogue fiends, where are you from?” The two grabbed hold of each other and said, “Bodhisattva, this brute truly resembles my disciple. Since he came from Water Curtain Cave we have fought for a while and no winner could be determined. Sha Wujing’s eyes are dull and he cannot distinguish them, yet he cannot help in battle and I have sent him back to tell the Master. My disciple and this one fought all the way to Baoshan; ask your Bodhisattva’s insight and let my brother and me know which is true and which is false.” After speaking, the other monkey repeated the same words. The many gods and the Bodhisattva watched for a long while and could not discern them. The Bodhisattva then said, “Let go both; both stand still.” At once the two released their grip and stood. This side cried, “I am the real one.” That side cried, “He is the false one.”

The Bodhisattva called Mucha and Shancai forward and whispered, “One of you hold this one, one hold that one. I will silently recite the Tightening Headband Spell. Whoever cries out from the pain is the true one; the one not in pain is the false one.” The two each clung to one of them exactly as instructed. The Bodhisattva silently intoned the mantra, and both cried out in pain together, clutching their heads and rolling on the ground, calling, “Do not chant it! Do not chant it!” The Bodhisattva stopped chanting, and then they once again seized each other and resumed their loud fight. The Bodhisattva had no further means and so ordered the gods and Mucha to lend aid. The gods feared harming the real one and so did not dare to strike. The Bodhisattva called out, “Sun Wukong!” and both answered at once. The Bodhisattva said, “Long ago when you served as Bimawen, all the divine officers recognized you when you turned the heavens to chaos. Go now to the upper court and answer those who ask.” The Great Sage gave thanks for the grace; the other ape gave thanks as well.

The two tugged and pulled, constantly roaring and fighting, and came right to the outer gate of the South Celestial Capital. Terrified, Heavenly King of Broad Vision, along with Marshal Ma, Zhao, Wen, and Guan, and the gods of the gate with the full host blocked the way with weapons, crying, “Where do you go? Is this a place for fighting?” The Great Sage said, “I protected Tripitaka on the way to the Western Heaven Journey. On the road I slew evil brigands. Because the Third Master sent me back, I came directly to Putuo Cliff to complain before Guanyin Bodhisattva. Unexpectedly this fiend at some time took my form, struck down Tripitaka, and stole the bundle. Sha Wujing came to Flower-Fruit Mountain to look and seek him. This fiend had already occupied my den. Then we returned to Putuo Cliff and begged before the Bodhisattva, and then saw me standing at her platform; yet Sha Wujing misrepresented it, saying that it was I who rode the jindou cloud and that I had first hidden under the Bodhisattva’s care. But the Bodhisattva is truly clear-sighted: she would not believe Sha Wujing’s words and ordered me and him to go to Flower-Fruit Mountain and verify. This fiend really did resemble old Sun. From Water Curtain Cave to Mount Lojia, we have fought before the Bodhisattva and she too could not tell. Therefore we came thus far and now ask all the heavenly gods to test true from false with their vision.” Having spoken, the other ape repeated the same words. The heavenly gods, having looked long enough, still could not distinguish them. The two of them called out together, “Since you cannot tell, clear the road. We are going to see the Jade Emperor!”

The gods could not withstand this and opened the gate, bringing them straight to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Marshal Ma and the four heavenly masters Zhang, Ge, Xu, and Qiu submitted a report: “In the mortal realm there are two Sun Wukongs who have broken into Heaven’s gate and claim audience with the King.” Before they could finish, both strode in shouting. Alarmed, the Jade Emperor himself descended in the treasure hall and asked, “Why do you two dare to create such a disturbance in Heaven and come here seeking death before me?” Great Sage said, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this servant has returned to obedience under Tripitaka’s teachings and will not again deceive the higher heaven. Only this fiend, taking my form,…” and so on, he set forth all previous happenings and begged, “Please let me discern true and false.” The other ape gave the same full account. The Jade Emperor then ordered Li Heavenly King of the Pagoda to bring the demon-discerning mirror and instruct: “Set it before that one and determine which is false and which is true, annihilating the false and preserving the true.” Li King brought the mirror and held it for the Jade Emperor and all deities to see. In it were two images of Sun Wukong: halo, crown, and garments, all without the smallest variation of a hair. The Jade Emperor too could not tell the difference and sent them from the hall.

The Great Sage laughed coldly, and the other ape laughed in joyous amusement. They pulled at each other’s heads and dusted their necks, then fought their way out through the gate again and fell back along the Western Road, shouting, “I’ll go with you to meet our Master! I’ll go with you to meet our Master!”

Now the account says Sha Wujing, after bidding off the two from Flower-Fruit Mountain, had traveled three days and nights before returning to their abode. He told Tripitaka the events from before in full. Tripitaka, on reflection, said in regret, “At the time I said only that Sun Wukong had struck me with a staff and robbed my bundle, never knowing it had been the fiend in Wukong’s false form.” Sha Wujing also said, “This demon took yet another form, that of an elder monk, and another of a white horse. Then there was one ape carrying our pack that looked like Pigsy, and yet another took my form. I could not bear my rage and struck one dead with my staff; it was a monkey spirit. Thus all were scattered, and I then returned to complain before the Bodhisattva. She ordered me and my senior monk to return and identify which was real and which was false. That fiend truly matched Brother Sun exactly. Since I could not assist, I came first to report back to the Master.” Upon hearing this, Tripitaka turned pale with alarm. Zhu Bajie laughed heartily: “Excellent, excellent, excellent. This matches what that pious housewife said—she spoke of several times there would be such a Journey; is this not another one?”

Then all the elders and children in that household came asking Sha Wujing, “Where have you gone these past days to seek provisions?” Sha Wujing laughed, “I went eastward to Flower-Fruit Mountain in Great Sage’s home world to retrieve our luggage, then to Mount Putuo at the South Sea to pay respects to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and then again to Flower-Fruit Mountain; only just now did I return.” The elder asked, “How many li did you go and come?” Sha Wujing said, “About two hundred thousand li, perhaps more.” The elder marveled, “Good heavens! In these few days only so much distance is possible by walking, unless it is by riding clouds!” Pigsy said, “Without cloud-riding, how could one cross the sea?” Sha Wujing said, “We do not count this as walking. As for our great elder, he could return in just one or two days.” The household then all said they must be immortals. Pigsy added, “Though we are not immortals, the immortals are still our juniors.”

As this was being discussed, a racket and a jumble of shouts rose from the air. Everyone rushed out in alarm to look, only to see two pilgrims brawling as they came together. Zhu Bajie saw them and, unable to hold back, said, “Let me go and see who they are.” The good simple fool leapt up and shouted into the sky, “Brother, do not raise such a din. Old Pig has come!” The two answered at once, “Brother, we are here to beat the demon, we are here to beat the the demon.” The householder, both frightened and glad, said, “Are these two arhat-like figures, soaring in cloud and fog, resting in my home? I have even housed vow-keeping monks, but never such worthy guests. I’ll stop worrying about tea and gruel and offer them more.” He added, “If these two pilgrims keep fighting badly, heaven will be overturned and the earth turned; who can say where calamity will strike?” Tripitaka saw the old host smiling outwardly yet worrying within, and said, “Good patron, do not be at ease. Do not grieve. Your humble monk has subdued this disciple, turning evil to good; you need not fear.” The old man answered in full, “No, no, I dare not.” Sha Wujing said, “Do not speak that, honored one. Master can sit here. Let me and my second brother go; we will drag one of them to you. Then you recite that verse—whichever one aches is the true one, the one with no pain is the counterfeit.” Tripitaka said, “That is absolutely right.”

Sha Wujing at once rose in midair and said, “Hold your hands, both of you. I will go with you to the Master’s side and sort out which is true.” The Great Sage let go. That pilgrim let go, too. Sha Wujing caught hold of one and called, “Second Brother, you catch one too.” He did so at once. They dropped to earth from the clouds and went straight to the hut’s threshold. Tripitaka, seeing this, began to recite the Tightening Headband Spell. The two cried out together, “After such fierce fighting as this, why do you still cast the spell on us? Stop it, stop it!” The abbot’s heart was naturally compassionate, so he fell silent and stopped reciting, yet he still could not tell true from false. The two freed themselves and took to fighting again. The Great Sage said, “Brothers, protect the Master. Let me fight this one until we reach King Yama and settle it there.” The other pilgrim said the same. They grappled and pulled, and after a moment they vanished again.

Zhu Bajie said, “Sha Wujing, when you came to Water Curtain Cave and saw the fake Zhu Bajie carrying the luggage, why didn’t you bring it back?” Sha Wujing said, “The demon saw me strike his fake Sha Wujing with the Golden-Hooped Staff. He rushed in with many of his underlings to seize me, so I withdrew to keep my life and ran. I then informed Guanyin, and returned with my companion to the cave mouth. The two of them fought in the air. I was the one who overturned his stone bench and scattered his small demons. A whole cataract appeared; I could not see where the cave entrance lay. I searched and could not find the luggage, so I returned to the Master with empty hands. Zhu Bajie said, “So that is why—you truly did not know. When I had invited him last year, I first met him outside the cave. After I teased him, he leapt down and slipped inside to change his clothes. As he came out I saw him dive into the water. That stream of falling water is the cave mouth. Surely the fiend has taken our baggage in there.” Tripitaka said, “Since you know where this entrance is, when he is gone go in first and take out the luggage. We can continue on westward. When he comes, I won’t need him.” Zhu Bajie said, “I’ll go.” Sha Wujing said, “Second Brother, there are a thousand or so little monkeys in front of that cave. You alone may not be able to handle him and it would not be proper.” Zhu Bajie laughed, “No fear, no fear at all.” He rushed out, leapt through cloud and fog, and went straight to Flower-Fruit Mountain to fetch the baggage. No more need be said.

It is said that those two pilgrims again shouted and fought behind Yin Mountain, so all the ghosts on that mountain trembled and hid themselves in fear. One who had run first barged straight into the gate of the Netherworld and reported to the Senluo Treasure Hall: “Great King, behind Yin Mountain there are two Qi-Tian-Da-Sheng fighting their way here!” In panic, First Court Qin Guangwang conveyed this to Second Court Chu Jiangwang, Third Court Song Diwang, Fourth Court Bian Chengwang, Fifth Court Yan Luo King, Sixth Court Pingdengwang, Seventh Court Mount Tai King, Eighth Court Dushiwang, Ninth Court Wuguanwang, and Tenth Court Zhuanlunwang, hall to hall, without delay. In a moment all ten kings assembled, and messengers were also sent to Dizang King. Gathered at the Senluo Hall, they brought together ghost troops to capture the true and the false. Then came the rolling gale and the spreading dreadful fog: the two pilgrims, turning and tumbling, arrived before the Senluo Hall.

The Yin Lord stepped forward to block them and asked, “Great Sage, what is this and why do you make such a disturbance in my netherworld?” The Great Sage said, “I follow Tripitaka to fetch the scriptures in the Western Heaven. Passing through Xiliang Country, we reached a mountain where a strong robber gang blocked us and plundered my Master. Old Sun slew a few of them; Master grew angry and sent me away. I went to Guanyin in the South Sea to report it. I do not know how that demon, with no warrant, assumed my appearance and with false words became my image. In the middle of the road he knocked down Master and stole the luggage. Sha Wujing, my junior brother, went to my home mountain to claim our packs. This demon used Master’s name and claimed the form of my brother in order to journey to the West. Sha Wujing fled and when he reached the South Sea met the Bodhisattva; I was there beside him. He explained everything. The Bodhisattva then ordered me to go with him to Flower-Fruit Mountain to inspect. In the end this rogue had seized my dwelling place. I argued with him before Guanyin; our looks and words were equally alike, and the Bodhisattva could not tell true from false. I even fought this one all the way to Heaven, and the gods there could not tell either. Since my Master saw this and tested me with the Tightening Headband Spell, he suffered the same pain as with the real one. So we have come to this hell court; ask the books of life and death to see this counterfeit pilgrim’s origin, pursue his soul at once, and avert two minds from turning to confusion.” The demon repeated the same statement verbatim. Hearing this, the Yin Lord summoned the registrars and judging officials to check from the beginning. Not a name matching that of a false pilgrim could be found. Then he checked the Maochong register: there were one hundred and thirty monkey entries. It was there that in his early youth, when Great Sage first gained the Way, he caused great havoc in the netherworld, and his name was cancelled with one strike. Since then, all monkeys have had no names. When the inquiry was done, he reported in court. With ceremonial tablets in hand, the ten kings addressed the pilgrims: “Great Sage, since the netherworld has no verifiable name for him, you must return to the sunny world and settle it there.”

At that moment, Dizang King Bodhisattva spoke: “Hold on, hold on. Let me call Diting and have him listen with you and tell us the truth.” Diting was, in fact, the name of a beast lying bound beneath Dizang’s scripture desk. If it lies under the ground, in a single instant it can survey the four continents, mountains, rivers, and state altars, the cave-heavens and blessed lands, and creatures of shell, scale, fur, feather, and bug, as well as heavenly, earthbound, divine, human, and ghostly immortals, illuminating good and evil and discerning the wise from the foolish. Obeying Dizang’s command, the beast lay prone in the Senluo court yard. After a moment it raised its head and told Dizang, “The demon has a name, but I may not reveal it to his face, and I also cannot help in seizing him.” Dizang asked, “What if it is spoken to his face?” Diting replied, “If spoken openly, the demon may lash out in rage, disturb the precious hall, and throw the Netherworld into unrest.” Dizang asked, “Why cannot you help apprehend him?” Diting said, “The demon’s mystical power is one with Sun Wukong. How much power do the netherworld gods truly have? Therefore I cannot seize him.” Dizang asked, “How then can this be resolved?” Diting answered, “The Dharma has no bounds.” Dizang immediately understood and said to the pilgrims, “You two look the same, with no difference in powers. If you would know clearly which is true, you must go to Śākyamuni Buddha at Leiyin Temple in the Western Heaven and settle it there.” The two called out together, “That is it, that is it. We shall go with you before the Buddha in the Western Heaven.” The Ten Kings then sent them out, thanked Dizang, and returned to the Green-Cloud Palace, where they ordered the ghost officials to seal up the Netherworld passes. No more is recorded.

See how the two pilgrims flew through cloud and rushed through fog, fighting their way up to the Western Heaven. There is a poem as witness:

A man with two hearts brings calamity; from horizon to sea he gives rise to suspicion. Desiring the three dignities of Precious Mare, he still recalls the first-rank platform of the Golden Throne. The southern campaigns and northern expeditions never rest; eastward blocking and westward clearing are still unresolved. In the Chan gate one must learn the art of no-mind; quietly nurture the babe and form the sacred embryo. They pulled and tugged, grabbed and wrestled in the sky, marching and fighting, and cried all the way until they came outside Leiyin, the jeweled stupa of Mount Lingjiu in Great Western Heaven. Already there, four Great Bodhisattvas, eight Great Vajra Kings, five hundred arhats, three thousand Jie-di, bhikshunis, bhikshus, upāsakas, and upāsikās, and many other great disciples had gathered beneath the Seven-Jewel Lotus Platform to listen purely to the Buddha’s Dharma. The Buddha was then speaking this verse: Neither is there being within being, and no non-being within non-being. Not in color is color, not in emptiness is emptiness. Not the conditioned is ‘is’; not the unconditioned is ‘is not’. Neither is color for color nor emptiness for emptiness. Emptiness is precisely emptiness; color is precisely color. Color has no fixed color; color is emptiness. Emptiness has no fixed emptiness; emptiness is color. To know emptiness as not-empty and color as not-color is called illumination, and only then is the subtle wondrous sound realized. The assembly all bowed in reverence and recited in resonance. As they read aloud, heavenly flowers rained down in profuse brilliance. The Buddha rose from the throne and said to the great assembly, “You are all one-minded; now look, the two with split hearts have come here while in contest.”

The crowd raised their eyes and saw that indeed there were two pilgrims, shouting to heaven and earth and clashing all the way to the Victorious Realm of Thunder-Resonance. Alarmed, the eight Great Vajra Kings stepped forward to block them and asked, 'Where are you going?' The Great Sage said, 'A demon spirit has taken my form and wants to go beneath the Precious Lotus Terrace. I beg the Buddha to determine which of us is real and which is false.' The Vajra Kings could not block them; they rushed down to the terrace and knelt before the Buddha, reporting: 'My disciple has been protecting Master Tripitaka as he seeks the True Scripture on this road, and we have subdued demons and bound monsters along the way. I do not know how much energy it cost. Midway we happened upon a fierce kidnapper, and on that occasion the disciple twice struck and wounded several people. Master rebuked me for rushing back and would not allow me to bow to the Buddha’s Golden Body with him. So I had no choice but to flee to the South Sea and tell Guanyin my sorrow. By chance this demon copied my voice and appearance, knocked Master down, and snatched the baggage. Wukong came in to find me at Flower-Fruit Mountain, and this demon used clever lies, saying this was all for a true monk seeking the scriptures. Wukong escaped to the South Sea and reported everything in full. When Guanyin heard of it, she sent the disciple together with Wukong back to my mountain. So we compared true and false and fought, at one time to the South Sea, at another to Heaven, even as far as the netherworld, and even when seeing Tripitaka, and still could not identify him. Therefore, I dare make this bold, forward request: open widely the gate of expedient grace, extend broad compassion, and make clear true and false for my disciple, so that he can properly protect Tripitaka, make personal obeisance to the Buddha’s Golden Body, return to the Eastern Land with the scripture, and forever promulgate the Great Teaching.' The assembly heard both mouths speaking in one voice, both saying the same words, and none could distinguish. Only the Buddha understood. He was about to expose the truth when, between the downward-pouring multicolored clouds, Guanyin arrived and paid homage to the Buddha.'

The Buddha, palms joined, said, 'Guanyin, you look at those two pilgrims; who is true and who is counterfeit?' The bodhisattva said, 'The other day, in your disciple’s wild retreat, I still could not distinguish him. He also came to Heaven and the Underworld, and in both places he still could not recognize. I have come especially to bow and beg the Buddha—please let him make the distinction clearly, clearly.' The Buddha smiled: 'Your powers are great; you can generally perceive events in the cosmic vault, but you cannot know all things in it, nor can you broadly comprehend all its kinds. As for the kinds in the ten directions: there are five immortals—heaven, earth, spirits, humans, and ghosts. There are five forms of creatures—shell, scale, hair, feather, and insect-kind. This rogue is neither heaven, nor earth, nor spirit, nor human, nor ghost; neither shell nor scale, nor hair nor feather, nor insect. There are also four world-disrupting monkeys that are not of the ten kinds.' Guanyin asked, 'May I dare ask what those four monkeys are?' The Buddha said, 'First is the Luminous-Mind Stone Monkey, who can transform, read heavenly timing, know earthly advantage, and move the stars and replace the stars. Second is the Red-Kneed Horse Monkey, who knows yin and yang, handles human affairs, is skilled in coming and going, and can avoid death and prolong life. Third is the Long-Armed Ape Monkey, who can seize sun and moon, shrink a thousand mountains, discern blessing and blame, and wrestle with heaven and earth. Fourth is the Six-Eared Macaque, who listens keenly, discerns principle, knows before and after, and sees all things clearly. These four monkeys are not among the ten kinds and are beyond the names of the two divisions. This fake Wukong is the Six-Eared Macaque. If this macaque stands in one place, he can know events a thousand li away; he can also understand what ordinary men say. So it is he who listens well, discerns reason, knows past and future, and sees all things clearly. One who matches true Wukong in appearance and voice is a Six-Eared Macaque.'

That macaque, hearing the Buddha speak of his true form, was seized with terror and alarm, sprang up at once, and tried to leave. When the Buddha saw him flee, he ordered the assembly to move. Already present were four bodhisattvas, eight Vajra Kings, five hundred arhats, three thousand Jiedi, monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, Guanyin, and Muxa, all encircling together. Sun Wukong also moved to step forward; the Buddha said, 'Wukong, do not strike. Wait while I have him captured.' The macaque, with hair and bones chilled, sensing he could not escape, swiftly changed shape, became a bumblebee, and flew upward. The Buddha flicked up his gold alms bowl; just as it landed, it covered the bee. The assembly did not know and thought he had escaped. Buddha laughed: 'No need to speak, everyone. The demon has not gone; he is under this bowl of mine.' The assembly rushed forward and lifted the bowl, and truly saw his original form: a Six-Eared Macaque. Sun Wukong could not restrain himself; he raised the Golden-Hooped Staff and with one blow struck him dead, ending that species to this day. The Buddha, unable to bear it, said, 'Excellent! Excellent!' The Great Sage said, 'The Buddha should not spare pity. He injured my Master and robbed our baggage. By law, one should charge him for unlawful gain and bodily harm; he robbed in broad daylight and ought to be sentenced to death.' The Buddha said, 'Go at once and protect Tripitaka now to come here for the scripture.' The Great Sage knelt and thanked him: 'I report to the Buddha: Master is certain not to want me. If I go there and he does not take me in, will that not waste Your thought and effort once more? I beg the Buddha, through convenience, chant the Tightening Headband Spell once, loosen the headband, remove this golden hoop, return it to the Buddha, and let me return to lay life.' The Buddha said, 'Do not think wildly. Do not be troublesome. I will have Guanyin send you; do not fear he will not receive you. Guard him well. When your merit is complete, you will return to the Pure Land, and you too will sit upon the Lotus Terrace.'

Hearing from nearby, Guanyin then joined her palms in thanks for the Buddha’s grace, took Sun Wukong with her, and at once rode away on clouds. Immediately after, Muxa the bodhisattva and the White Parrot hurried after her. Soon they reached a house by the roadside where Sha Wujing had seen them and hastily invited Master Tripitaka to bow at the gate in welcome. Guanyin said, 'Tripitaka, the one who struck you before was the false pilgrim, the Six-Eared Macaque. Thankfully the Buddha has discerned him and Wukong has already killed him. Now you must keep Wukong with you; on the road the demon-obstacles are not yet exhausted, and only he can protect you so you can reach Ling Mountain and see the Buddha to obtain the scripture. Do not be resentful again.' Tripitaka knelt and said, 'I respectfully follow the instruction.'

Just as they were giving thanks, they heard wild winds rolling in from the due east, and Zhu Bajie arrived riding the wind with two baggage bundles on his back. The Pig saw the bodhisattva, threw himself down in full prostration, and said, 'My brother, when I left Master the other day and came to the Water-Curtain Cave of Flower-Fruit Mountain to fetch the pack, I indeed saw a fake Tripitaka and a fake Zhu Bajie, and by my hand I killed both; it was two monkey bodies. I then went inside and only later found the bundle. I checked every item and not one thing was missing; then I caught the wind and came here. I still do not know what has become of those two pilgrims.' Guanyin recounted in full how the Buddha had discerned the demon. The Pig was filled with joy and his thanks were boundless. The disciples and Master thanked her and the bodhisattva returned to the sea. From then on all returned to their former harmony of mind and heart, washing away grievance and anger. They thanked the household there again, packed their baggage and horses in order, and took the great road heading west. It was then:

In the middle road, separating causes the Five Elements to split in confusion; the demon-subduing assembly gathers, resolving to Original Clarity. When the spirit returns and lays aside clinging, meditation finds its seat; when the six consciousnesses are dispelled, the transformative elixir forms of itself.

As for this, it is still not yet known when Tripitaka will get to face the Buddha and seek the scripture. Now listen to the next chapter for its unfolding.