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.

There is no need to speak further of Master Tripitaka's hardships. It is said instead that the three demon chiefs, united in one mind and effort, fought with all their might against Sun Wukong and his two brothers within the lower eastern hills of the city. This bout was like an iron broom scraping a copper cauldron—hard, hard, and ringing with force. Terrible slaughter.

Six kinds of bodies and six kinds of weapons, six kinds of frames and six kinds of temper. Six evils and six roots, six desires and six gates of craving, six paths of fate wagering win and loss. Thirty-six palaces in springtime ease, six-by-six forms and colours, all famed for longing. This one with the Golden-Hooped Staff has a thousand ways to solve and counter; That one with the Fang-Tian halberd, a hundred proud and cragged heights. Zhu Bajie with hooked mace and pike is more fierce still, the two fiends with long spears are deft as well. Little Sha Wujing’s precious staff is no common thing and intends to strike dead; The old demon-lord’s steel saber is swift and keen, and when he lifts his arm there is no mercy. These three are the undefeated captains guarding the true monk; those three are lawless spirits, wild and unruly. At first they seemed tolerable; afterward they grew more vicious. All six used sky-soaring arts, and in the cloud layers each one heaved and tumbled. In a moment they blew forth mist, spraying the clouds until heaven and earth were dark, Only roaring bellow and thunderous growls could be heard. As the two brothers fought long, dusk slowly arrived. Then wind and mist spread everywhere, and in a flash it turned black. The cause was Zhu Bajie’s heavy ears and drooping eyelids, making him more and more stupefied; his hands and feet grew slow and could not hold the line. Dragging his forked weapon, he broke and retreated. The old demon swung his knife to cut him down, and death came close. He narrowly avoided a stroke to the head, only to have the blade nick away a few tufts of his mane. He lunged up, snapped his jaws on the foremost one, and was taken into the city and handed to the young demons, tied in the Golden-Roof Hall. The old demon mounted cloud again and rose into midair to lend his strength. Sha Wujing saw that the affair was turning bad, made an empty show with his staff, turned himself about, and ran away. Two fiends seized him by the nose; with one wrench they bound him, took him into the city, and ordered the lesser demons to bind him beneath the hall. Then he rose through the air again to summon the capture of the Great Sage.

When Sun Wukong saw his two brothers captured, he understood that by himself alone he could not bear it: one hand cannot contend with two, and two hands cannot contend with four. He shouted once, split apart the three demons’ weapons with his staff, and leapt on cloud-saddle. As the three demons watched the Great Sage ride, they shook themselves, showed their true shapes, spread their two wings, and chased him. You ask how they could keep up? In the days he once threw Heaven into confusion, even ten thousand heavenly soldiers could not hold him. With his cloud-steed he could in a single sweep travel ten thousand eight hundred li, so none of the gods could catch him. One flap of a demon’s wing was ninety thousand li; with two flaps he had overtaken them. So when Sun Wukong grabbed one, the hand-wrestling and thrashing could not free him. When he sought to run, he could not escape. Even by transformation and flight-vanishing arts, movement back and forth was impossible: he grew larger, and the grip relaxed; he grew smaller, and it tightened again. Sun then carried him back into the city, released his hold, and in a rush of dust shouted orders to the crowd of demons, commanding that Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing be tied in one place, too. The old demon and the second demon came down to meet him. All three demon heads ascended to the treasure hall together. Alas! This was no binding of the Great Sage at all—it was plainly an escort for him.

At the second watch of the night, all the demons had finished meeting together, and they pulled Master Tripitaka out from the hall. In the lamplight, Master saw that all three disciples were bound on the ground, while the Great Sage lay beside them. He wept, ‘My disciples, whenever trouble comes you go out and wield your divine arts to fetch rescue and subdue demons. This time even you were captured—how is this poor monk of mine to keep his life?’

Hearing their master in such anguish, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing also cried out together in grief. Sun Wukong smiled slightly and said, ‘Master, do not worry. Brothers, do not cry. No matter what he is, he is certain not to wound you. Let the old demon settle, and then we shall leave.’ Zhu Bajie said, ‘Brother, we are at mischief again. Bound in hemp ropes, even if there is a little slack, it still sprays with steam. You may not notice, but this fat one has a pox-like swelling in his flesh. See my arms—two cun are already sunk in. How can I break free?’ Sun Wukong laughed, ‘Even if one is bound with hemp, even if bound with coir rope a bowl’s thickness across, let it pass as an autumn breeze brushing the ear—nothing so terrible as that.’

As the companions were still speaking, the old demon called out, ‘The worthy third brother has strength and cunning, and he has truly made a fine plan. They have taken Master Tripitaka. You youngsters: five to fetch water, seven to scrub the pot, ten to build the fire, twenty to lift the iron cage. Steam the four monks till done, and my brothers and I will take our fill; each of you share one piece and you too will attain long life.’

Zhu Bajie, listening, said in a shivering voice, ‘Brother, hear me: the demon’s plan is to steam and eat us.’ Sun Wukong said, ‘Do not fear. I will see whether this is a fledgling demon, or a seasoned one.’ Sha Wujing cried, ‘Brother, do not speak in comforts. We are already over by Yama’s side—what sense in speaking of fledgling or seasoned now?’

He could not finish when he heard the second demon say, ‘Pig Bajie is not good for steaming.’ Zhu Bajie brightened, ‘Amitabha Buddha! Who is the one with all that accumulated evil who said I am not good for steaming?’ The three demons answered, ‘Not good for steaming; skin him and then steam him.’ Zhu Bajie panicked and shouted, ‘Do not skin me. Coarse or fine, if you peel me I will split when the soup boils.’ The old demon said, ‘If it is not good for steaming, put him in the bottom rack.’ Sun Wukong laughed, ‘Zhu Bajie, do not fear. He is a fledgling, not a seasoned one.’ Sha Wujing asked, ‘How do you know?’ Sun Wukong replied, ‘In general, to steam things, one starts from the top. If it is hard to steam, place it in the upper rack, add fire in layers, keep the heat complete, and it will be done. If it is in the bottom, once its vital breath is sealed, half a year of burning would still not send heat through it. He said Zhu Bajie was hard to steam and put him at the bottom. Then is he not a fledgling? What is he, then?’ Zhu Bajie said, ‘Brother, by your way of speaking he will cook me alive. He cannot find my breath now; he will lift me upside down and, once the fire is set up, burn me through both sides while the middle stays uncooked.’

Just then a young demon came to report, ‘The broth is boiling.’ The old demon gave the order to lift. All the demons moved at once, carrying Zhu Bajie to the bottom rack and Sha Wujing to the second. As Sun Wukong guessed they were about to lift him, he slipped away and said, ‘Right under this lamplight, a trick can be done.’ He plucked one fine hair, breathed out a fairy breath, and cried, ‘Transform!’ He became another Sun Wukong and allowed himself to be bound with hemp ropes. He sent out his true body by spirit and leapt into the upper air, looking down. The demons, unable to tell the real from false, saw a man and lifted him up, setting that false Sun Wukong in the third rack. Then they hauled Tripitaka, yanked him over, bound him, and raised him to the fourth. The dry firewood was stacked, and blazing flames rose in fury. From the clouds the Great Sage lamented, ‘My Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing can endure two boilings; my master, only one boil will ruin him. If I do not use my method to save him, he will be lost in an instant.’

The adept Great Sage, standing in the air, twirled the secret gesture and intoned once, “On lǎn jìng fǎjiè, qiányuánhéng lìzhēn,” summoning in the court of the North Sea King. At once a black cloud in the sky answered with a loud cry: ‘Ao Shun, the little dragon of the North Sea, kneels and bows.’

Sun Wukong said, ‘Rise, rise. I would not trouble you without cause. Tripitaka and I have come here and been taken by the venomous demon and set upon the iron cage to be steamed. Go, hold and protect us; do not let them ruin the steaming.’

The Dragon King immediately changed his form into a gust of cold wind, blew beneath the pot, and circled as a guard. The heat of the fire no longer scorched the pot, and then the three were not harmed.

When almost three watches had passed, the old demon gave out orders: ‘My subordinates, we have labored with stratagem and took the four with Master Tripitaka; and because we have spent our strength escorting them, we have not slept for four days and four nights. They are now bound in the cage and likely cannot break loose; mind them well. Put ten little demons on turn to keep the fire, so we may retire to the palace and rest a little. By the fifth watch, when dawn is about to appear, they will surely be fully cooked. Then arrange the garlic, salt, and vinegar and wake us then, that we may partake with empty stomachs.’

Each demon obeyed the command. The three demon heads each withdrew to their resting palaces.

Sun Wukong heard clearly these instructions from the clouds, yet he lowered his head and did not hear voices from inside the cage. He thought, ‘The heat rises upward, surely it must be hot. Why do they not seem afraid, and why no cry or grumbling from within? Could they already be dead by steaming? I will go closer and listen again.’

The Great Sage trod on the clouds and changed himself into a black-blue fly, clinging outside the iron cage to listen. Then he heard Zhu Bajie inside saying, ‘Ill luck, ill luck—do not know whether this is smother-steaming or vent-steaming.’ Sha Wujing asked, ‘Second Brother, what are “smother-steaming” and “vent-steaming”?’ Zhu Bajie replied, ‘In smother-steaming the cage top is covered; in vent-steaming, it is not covered.’ Master Tripitaka added from above, ‘Disciple, it is not covered.’ Zhu Bajie said, ‘Oh fate! I shall not die tonight; this is vent-steaming.’ When Sun Wukong heard all three speaking and none harmed, he flew over and lightly set the lid of the iron cage over it. Master Tripitaka panicked, ‘Disciple, it is covered.’ Zhu Bajie said, ‘All right then. This is smother-steaming; tonight we must die.’ Sha Wujing and the master sobbed with choked cries. Zhu Bajie said, ‘Do not cry. The fire-watch has just changed shifts now.’ Sha Wujing asked, ‘How did you know?’ Zhu Bajie said, ‘When they first lifted us up, the heat suited me: I have a lingering damp-cold illness and wanted it to steam. But now a cool breath has come in. Hah! If the fire-keeper adds more wood, what is left but your doom?’

Sun Wukong heard it and could not help but laugh to himself. “This buffoon can be handled while he is cold; if he gets hot he will be in danger of dying. I say it again: one more time and the wind will be gone from him—save him at once. Wait. If I am to save him, I must show my true form. If I did, those ten fire-cooking fiends would see me and all shout together, alarming the old demon, and that would be no better than before. Let me first give him a trick.” Then he remembered, “When I was first Great Sage I once gambled at Beitian Gate with the Protector of the Realm Heavenly King and won his drowsy bugs. I still have a few.” He felt at his sash and sash-pocket and found twelve. “Give him ten, and keep two in reserve.” He tossed the bugs so they scattered onto the faces of the ten little fiends, and they burrowed into their nostrils and gradually drifted off, all falling asleep. Only one holding a fire fork could not doze. He rubbed his head, rubbed his face, pinched his nose left and right, sneezing again and again. Sun Wukong said, “This fellow knows his business. I’ll give him another pair of sleep bugs.” He threw another bug onto his face. “Two bugs—left in, right out; right in, left out—there will surely be one that settles.” The little fiend let out two or three big yawns, stretched his waist, dropped the fire fork, and with a thud also sank into sleep, never to turn over again.

Sun Wukong said, “This method is truly marvelous and potent.” Then he returned to his true form, went near and called out, “Master.” Tripitaka heard, “Wukong, save me.” Sha Wujing said, “Brother, are you calling from outside?” Sun Wukong replied, “I am not outside. Am I here to suffer inside with you all?” Zhu Bajie said, “Brother, the scoundrel slipped away and we’re all the ones bottlenecked here, suffering the fumes.” Sun Wukong laughed. “Don’t make such a din, fool. I’m here to save you.” Zhu Bajie said, “Brother, if you save him, save him completely—don’t put him back in the steamer again.” Sun Wukong then lifted the cage lid and untied Master, shook the borrowed hairs of his illusion from himself and drew himself back into his own body; then, layer by layer, he freed Sha Wujing and then Zhu Bajie. The fool only just escaped and wanted to run at once. Sun Wukong said, “No rushing, no rushing.” He chanted a spell and summoned the Dragon God, then told Zhu Bajie: “On our way to the Western Heaven there will still be high mountains and steep ridges. Master is weary and weak in the legs. Wait until I fetch a horse.”

See how lightly he moved, step by step, to Jinluan Hall, and saw that fiends large and small were all asleep. He unfastened the bridle and did not alarm anyone. The horse was in truth a dragon-horse; if it were a human, two hind kicks and a few neighs would have escaped from it. Sun Wukong had once raised horses and held the post of Bimawan, and he was one of their own kind, so he made it neither jump nor cry. He quietly led it over, tightened the belly strap and checked all the fittings, then invited Master to mount. The Abbot, trembling, mounted and was about to leave. Sun Wukong said, “Not yet—not yet. As we go west there are kings we must pass, and we need proper writs before we can go; otherwise, what credential do we have? Wait, I will go and fetch our luggage.” Tripitaka said, “I remember when we came in, all the luggage was set down on the left side of the Golden Hall, and the porter was over there too.” Sun Wukong said, “I know.” He withdrew in one leap into the treasure hall. Suddenly he saw a wavering radiance. He knew it was luggage. How did he know? Tripitaka’s brocaded kesa bore a moon-bright pearl, and that gave off its light. Hurrying forward he saw the carrying pole untouched, snatched it up, and handed it to Sha Wujing to carry.

Zhu Bajie led the horse and took the lead, running straight for Zhengyang Gate. He only heard clanging bells in wild disorder; the gate had a lock, and the lock was sealed shut. Sun Wukong said, “How can we get through such defense?” Zhu Bajie said, “Then let us go through the back gate.” Sun Wukong led the way to the back gate. Outside, too, there were bell rings on the gateside, and it was sealed as well. “What is to be done?” he said. “On this outing, if Tripitaka were not merely a mortal vessel, the three of us could ride wind and cloud and leave in any fashion. But because Tripitaka has not yet passed beyond the three realms, and all his five elements still carry his parents’ mortal blood and bones, we cannot take to the air and escape.” Zhu Bajie said, “Brother, no need to discuss. Let us go to an unbarked place with no bells and no watch and carry Master over the wall.” Sun Wukong laughed. “That would not do. For now there is no choice but to do it. But when we return from fetching the sutras, your loose-mouthed idiot will spread it under heaven that we were wall-climbing monks.” Zhu Bajie said, “Now we don’t have time for investigation. Let us flee with our lives.” Sun Wukong had no alternative, so he followed him to the edge of the clean wall and calculated how to climb out.

Ah! To have such a thing happen means Tripitaka’s stars of calamity are not yet spent. The three demon lords who had been sleeping in the hall suddenly realized with a start that Tripitaka had gone and each quickly threw on robes and mounted in haste, running up to the treasure hall. They asked, “How many times has the Master been steamed?” The fire fiends, whom he had dosed with sleep bugs, were all asleep too; even if struck, not one of them could be wakened. Among those not assigned to duties, a few were alarmed and in a flustered way answered, “Seven, seven, seven, seven times.” They rushed to the pot side and saw the cage grids thrown about on the ground; the fire-fiends were all asleep, the cooking pot was cold, and the fire supports were absent. In panic they cried out, “Lord, he has gone, he has gone, he has gone, he has gone.” The three demon lords all descended from the hall and examined near the pot. Indeed, the cages lay scattered on the ground, the soup was cooled, and no flames remained. All the fire-cookers were snoring like clods of earth. In panic the gathered fiends all shouted together, “Quick, take Tripitaka! Quick, take Tripitaka!” That cry rose up, waking all around, ahead and behind, every size and station of spirit, who rushed in a rush to Zhengyang Gate. Seeing the blockade unmoving and the bells ringing unceasingly, they asked the night patrol outside, “Where did Tripitaka leave by?” All said, “No one has gone out.” They hurried to the rear gate; blockade and bells were the same as at the front. Again they flung about lanterns and torches, the flames burning red and scorching the sky to daylight-bright, so clearly it showed where the four of them were climbing the wall. The old demon drew near and roared, “Which way are you going?” The Abbot, frightened, felt his legs go soft and numb and stumbled off the wall, where the old demon seized him. The second demon caught Sha Wujing, the third took hold of Zhu Bajie. The fiends seized the luggage and the white horse, while Sun Wukong alone got away. Zhu Bajie, babbling and muttering, complained to Sun Wukong: “Damn it, I said if you save him, save him completely, not send him back in the steamer again.”

The fiends brought Tripitaka to the hall but did not steam him. The second fiend ordered Zhu Bajie tied to the front eave pillar and the third to bind Sha Wujing to the rear eave pillar. Yet the old demon held Master in his arms and did not let go. The second and third fiends said, “Elder brother, why are you holding him in your arms? Why not simply make him a live meal? Even so, it is no amusement. This is no dull villager or common brute who could be taken and eaten as mere rice-food. This is a rare treasure from the upper realms. We must wait for a still and suitable moment, then take him out, close the pavilion and prepare him properly, do the counting and testing rites, and only then eat him after fine tending and finishing.” The old demon laughed, “Younger brother’s words are valid, but Sun Wukong will come stealing him again.” The third fiend said, “Inside this imperial palace there is a pavilion called Jinxiang, and within it an iron chest. Do this: hide Tripitaka in the chest, shut the pavilion, and spread the rumor that he was eaten by us alive overnight so that little demons spread it through the whole city. Wukong will surely come to inquire. If he hears this he will lose heart and vanish. If he comes not to disturb us for three or five days, then bring him out and slowly enjoy him. What do you think?” The old and second fiends rejoiced greatly: “Yes, yes, yes. Brother, what you say is reasonable.” They pitifully dragged Tripitaka in during the night, hid him in the chest, and shut the pavilion; they spread the rumor, and the whole city went into uproar with chatter.

Sun Wukong, from midnight onward, forgot Tripitaka and rode through the clouds, leaving. He went to Lion-Camel Cave and along the way, with his staff in hand, exterminated the myriad little fiends without mercy. He returned in haste. The eastern sun had risen. He reached the city edge and did not dare to challenge by force. As the saying goes: a single strand cannot make a cord, and one hand alone cannot make a sound. He dropped from the cloud, transformed and entered as a small demon, slipping through the gate, through streets and alleys, searching for information. Throughout the city all said, “Tripitaka was eaten by the Great King alive overnight.” Again and again this was what everyone said. Wukong became truly worried. He came to the front of Jinluan Hall to observe. There, many spirits were gathered, all wearing leather-golden hats and yellow cloth tunics, each carrying a red-lacquered staff, with ivory plaques hanging at their waists, moving here and there in constant disorder. Sun Wukong thought to himself, “These must be the palace fiends in that garb. I should assume this form and go in to inquire.”

The Great Sage had truly transformed so perfectly that he was in no way different from anyone else, and he slipped into Golden Gate. As he walked on, he saw Zhu Bajie tied to a pillar before the hall, groaning. Wukong came forward and called out, Zhu Bajie. The simple one recognized the voice and said, 'Brother, you came? Save me once.' Wukong said, 'I will save you. Do you know where Tripitaka is?' Zhu Bajie answered, 'Master is gone. Last night a demonish child caught and ate him.' When Wukong heard this, he suddenly choked, tears rushing out like spring water. Zhu Bajie said, 'Brother, do not weep. I also only heard that small demon babble nonsense; I never saw it with my own eyes. Do not be delayed. Go and ask again.' The Sage only then controlled his tears and went back inside to search. Soon he saw Sha Wujing tied to a pillar on the back eaves. He went close, touched his chest, and called, Sha Wujing. Sha Wujing too recognized the voice: 'Brother, have you come in by transformation? Save me, save me.' Wukong said, 'Saving you is easy. Do you know where Tripitaka is?' Sha Wujing, with tears, replied, 'Brother, Tripitaka was taken by the demon and swallowed at once, without waiting for any steaming.'

When Wukong heard the two speak nearly the same words, his heart was stirred like a churning blade and tears flowed like water. In haste he leapt up into the sky, and without rescuing Zhu Bajie or Sha Wujing, returned to the hill east of the city, landed on his cloud-head, and cried out in a loud voice, Master!:

I mocked Heaven and became one with Heaven's net; I was to be rescued by you, and rescued from this deep affliction. With single heart and firm will we sought Buddha together, and strove as one to refine ourselves against demons. Yet today disaster has struck unbidden; how could I not keep you safe from this cruel ruin? To the blessed Western land there is now no chance to reach; as breath and soul scatter, what else can I do?' The Sage, in grim self-questioning, spoke to his own heart: If it were not that I Buddha, the Buddha to come, sit in that Sukhavatí realm with nothing pressing, we would never have stirred up this Tripitaka and journey. If he truly wished to guide men to goodness, he should have sent Tripitaka to the East Land himself; would that not be praised through ten thousand ages? Yet because he could not bear to send him away, he still ordered us to bring him. How was I to know I would die today after enduring hardships across a thousand mountains? Enough, enough, enough. Let old Sun Wukong mount the jindu cloud and go before the Buddha and report the matter in full. If he is willing to give me the Scripture and let it be sent to the Eastern Land, one thing will be achieved: the fruit of good will be spread; second: our vows will be fulfilled. If he is not willing, let him chant the Tightening Headband Spell until the band on my head comes off, hand it back to him, and let this Great Monkey return to Flower-Fruit Mountain, live at ease, and go on as a monkey boy.

The Great Sage quickly turned, mounted his cloud, and went straight to Tianzhu. In less than a span of an hour he could already see Ling Mountain not far away. In a moment he touched down and went straight to the foot of Vulture Peak. He suddenly raised his head and saw the Four Great Vajra Kings blocking his way, asking, 'Where do you go?' Wukong bowed and said, 'I have matters to speak with Buddha.' At that instant, a Vajra King from the Golden-Glow Ridge of Kunlun Mountain, the Ever-Abiding Vajra King, shouted: 'This monkey is too rough and unruly. When you were earlier tangled with Ox-Demon King, we tried our utmost for you; now in our face you show no courtesy before us. If you truly have a matter, first report it and go only after called. This is not the South Gate of Heaven where you may wander in and out as you please. Who told you to push and run to and fro in both directions? Move aside at once.' The Great Sage, exactly in the state of vexed frustration, was met again with this coarse rebuke, and in rage he roared like thunder. Unable to hold himself, he cried out and shouted, startling the Buddha himself.

Buddha the Tathagata sat upright upon the Nine-Grade Lotus Platform, expounding scripture with the eighteen Arhats. He said at once, 'Sun Wukong has arrived. Go out and receive him.' The assembly of arhats followed his command, banners and parasols raised on both sides, and they emerged by the mountain gate, calling: 'Great Sage Sun, Tathagata summons you.' The Four Great Vajra Kings at the gate then stepped aside to clear a path. The disciples led him to the foot of the Lotus Platform, where he collapsed and knelt, and two tears burst forth in grief. Buddha asked, 'Wukong, what has brought you to such tears?' The Sage said, 'Disciple has repeatedly received your rebukes and found protection under the Buddha of my lord. I was set aright and charged to protect Tripitaka. Since the start our road has been hard beyond words. Now in Lion-Camel Mountain, in the Lion-Camel cave and Lion-Camel city, there are three venomous demons: the Lion King, the Elephant King, and Great Roc. They seized our Master and carried him off, and all disciples were alike bound and hauled into steaming baskets to suffer boiling water and fire. By fortune I escaped. I called on the Dragon King and was spared. That night we slipped out with Master, but ill-starred we could not shake off the stars of disaster and were seized again. By dawn I went into the city to ask around. That demon was ferociously cruel and heroic in every way; he ate Tripitaka whole through the night, so that now not a bone or flesh remains. And as for my brothers Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, tied over there, their lives too are about to end. Not knowing how to help, disciple has come here to pay homage. In compassion, loosen this headband by chanting the Tightening Headband Spell, release it from my head, return it to the Buddha, and let my disciples go back to Flower-Fruit Mountain to live in idle freedom, playing monkey games.' When he had barely finished, tears poured out like a spring and sobbing would not cease. Buddha smiled, 'Wukong, do not fret so. That demon spirit has vast spiritual power. You cannot defeat him, and therefore your grief is understandable.' Wukong knelt below and struck his chest: 'I do not hide it from Buddha. In my past I disrupted Heaven's court and called myself Great Sage; since first becoming human I had never suffered defeat. This time, however, I have fallen into these venomous hands.'

Hearing this, Buddha said, 'Do not yet resent; I know that demon spirit.' Wukong suddenly spoke in dismay, 'Buddha, I have heard it said by people that this demon has kinship with you.' Buddha said, 'How can this sly monkey demon be related to me?' Wukong replied, 'If not with you, how could he be recognized?' Buddha said, 'I recognized him with my wisdom-eye, therefore I do. That old fiend is the master of the two who came with him.' He called, 'Ahu, Kāśyapa, come. You two ride clouds by separate paths to Wutai Mountain and Mount Emei. Summon Manjushri and Samantabhadra to come.' The two lords obeyed at once and departed. Buddha went on, 'This indeed is the master of the old demon and the two others. Yet those three, when counted as a whole, do have some kinship with me.' Wukong asked, 'Kin through father? Through mother?' Buddha said, 'From when Chaos was one: Heaven opened under Zi, Earth split under Chou, and life began at Yin. When heaven and earth met again, all things were born. All things have moving beasts and flying birds: among beasts, the qilin is their lord; among birds, the phoenix is their lord. The phoenix, receiving the breath of conjunction, gave birth to the peacock and Great Roc. When a peacock comes into the world it is most terrifying; it can eat men, and in forty-five li it can inhale a person in one breath. On the snowy summit I had cultivated a body of six-foot-six golden form, and even then he had sucked me into his belly. I wanted to leave through his backside to avoid defiling my true body. So I split open his back and leapt to Ling Mountain. When I tried to end his life, many Buddhas restrained me, saying, To injure the peacock is to injure my mother. So I left him at the assembly on Ling Mountain and enshrined him as Buddha-Mother Peacock Great Bright King Bodhisattva. Great Roc was born of the same mother as him, and thus there is some closeness.' Wukong laughed at this and said, 'If this is so, then you are still the demon's nephew.' Buddha said, 'That demon must be captured by me myself, and only then will he be subdued.' Wukong knelt and spoke to Buddha: 'I beg Your Majesty to descend once in grace.'

Buddha immediately came down from the Lotus Platform with all the Buddha-host and walked straight out the mountain gate. Again he saw Ahu and Kāśyapa bringing Manjushri and Samantabhadra in attendance; both Bodhisattvas knelt before him. Buddha said, 'How long has it been since the Bodhisattva-beasts descended from the mountain?' Manjushri said, 'Seven days.' Buddha said, 'Seven days inside the mountain, but in the world it equals thousands of years. We do not know how many lives were harmed over there; come, quickly, and we will seize him together.' The two bodhisattvas stayed close at his sides and the retinue flew through the air. Then they beheld:

Across the sky, translucent auspicious clouds divide in misty blue; My Buddha-compassion descends, opening the gate of Dharma. It shows plainly the principle by which Heaven gave life; in fine words it speaks of opening Earth to manifest embodied forms. In front are five hundred Arhats, behind three thousand Jieyi gods. Ahu and Kāśyapa attend at the flanks; Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas drive away the demon haze. By virtue of this goodwill the Sage had secured Buddha and the assembly in attendance. Before long they had reached the city. Wukong reported, 'Buddha, the place of black vapors is the Lion-Camel Kingdom.' Buddha said, 'You first go down and enter that city. Fight the demon there. You may lose but never win. If you are defeated and return, I will take him myself.'

The Great Sage set his feet on a cloud and went straight to the city rampart, planted them on the battlement and shouted, ‘Roguish monster! Come out at once and fight Old Sun.’ In panic, the little demon on the tower leapt down into the city and reported, ‘Great King, Sun Wukong is on the wall calling for battle.’ The old demon said, ‘The monkey has been gone two or three days, yet this morning he calls for battle again. Has he brought reinforcements?’ The three fiends answered, ‘Why should we fear him? Let us all go and see.’ The three demon chiefs, each carrying weapons, hurried up to the city and, seeing the monkey, did not exchange a word; they raised their weapons and stabbed wildly together. Wukong whirled his iron bar to meet them with sweeping strokes. After seven or eight exchanges, the Great Sage pretended to lose and withdrew. The demon king’s cry rose high: ‘Where do you run to?’ The Great Sage made a mighty spring and leaped into midair; the three spirits mounted clouds and chased. Wukong flicked his body aside and hid inside the Buddha’s golden radiance, becoming utterly unseen. At once the three Buddha images of the past, present, and future, with five hundred arhats and three thousand Jiedi spirits, scattered themselves to left and right and surrounded the three demon kings so tightly no space could pass through. In confusion, the old fiend called, ‘Brothers, it is bad! That monkey truly is a local demon-ghost—where could he have summoned any lordly champion?’ One of the three replied, ‘Elder brother, do not be scared. We shall all move together, use our spears and swords to knock down the Tathagata, and seize his Leiyin Precious Pagoda.’ That demon leader, not discerning retreat, indeed rushed forward, hacking wildly. But Manjushri and Samantabhadra chanted mantras and shouted, ‘This wicked creature still has not converted; how long must we wait?’ Startled, the old demon and the second demon dared not hold out; they dropped their weapons and rolled away, revealing their true forms. The two bodhisattvas threw a lotus platform onto the demon’s back, leapt and sat astride it, and the two at once withdrew their ferocity and sought refuge.”

The two bodhisattvas had subdued the Green Lion and White Elephant; only the third demon remained. He unfurled his wings, threw away the Fangtian Halberd, and drove straight up, lifting his claws to snatch the Monkey King. But the Great Sage was concealed within the Buddha’s light, and how could he be approached? Realizing this, the Buddha flashed a ray of gold: he turned the crown marked by the Qiechao nest into a fresh red patch of flesh in the wind. The demon spirit snapped his claws and seized at him in a bite. Buddha lifted his hand upward, and at once tendons locked in the demon’s arms; he could not fly on, and on the Buddha’s top he could not run far. He showed his true form, a great golden-winged Roc. Then he called out in reply, ‘Tathagata, how can you use such great power to trap me?’ The Buddha said, ‘You have sown heavy karmic obstructions here; come with me, and you may gain true benefit.’ The demon said, ‘You keep a strict fast and live on simple food, poor and austere; I feast without end on human flesh here. If you let me starve to death, then you are the one at fault.’ The Buddha said, ‘I govern the Four Great Continents, and innumerable living beings look to me in reverence. Whenever a good deed is done, I tell them to make their first offering at your mouth.’ The Great Roc tried to break free, but could not break away; there was no way to go. He had no choice but to submit.”

The Great Sage had only just stepped aside when he came and knelt before the Buddha, saying, ‘Buddha, you have subdued the demon spirit; you removed great disaster, but only—my Master is gone too.’ The Great Roc clenched his teeth in resentment: ‘Accursed monkey head! You found some cruel brute to entrap me. Has your old monk ever eaten him? Is he not in that iron chest in the Pavilion of Brocade and Fragrance?’ Hearing this, Wukong hurriedly knelt and thanked the Buddha. The Buddha did not dare to set the Great Roc loose; he only instructed him to serve as a Dharma protector in the holy flames, and he led the company back along the cloud, returning straight to the treasure monastery.”

Afterward the Great Sage set down on a cloud and entered the city at once. Not a single little demon remained in it. It was exactly as it should be: a snake cannot move without a head; a bird cannot fly without wings. Seeing that the Buddha had subdued the demon king, the fiends, each on his own, fled for their lives. Wukong only then rescued Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, sought out their baggage and horses, and said to the two, ‘Master has not been eaten; all of you, follow me.’ He led them straight into the inner courtyard, found the Pavilion of Brocade and Fragrance, and opened the door. Inside stood an iron chest, and from within came Tripitaka’s sobbing. Sha Wujing struck open the lock with the demon-subduing staff and lifted the lid, calling, ‘Master.’ When Tripitaka saw them, he burst into tears: ‘My disciple, how did you subdue the demon? How did you find me at last?’ Wukong explained everything from beginning to end in full detail. Tripitaka’s gratitude was boundless. In that palace the three seekers found some grain and prepared tea and food, ate a full meal, packed up, and left the city, taking the main road westward. It was put that way:

The true Scripture can be obtained only by a true person; all anxious toiling of the heart comes to naught.

Now at this point, with this departure it is unknown when they will again behold the Buddha; listen for the resolution in the next chapter.