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.

After this, Great Sage Sun Wukong, with Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, came out beyond the city gate and was met face to face. They saw that the group of demon-kind were all coarse, shaggy lion spirits: the Yellow Lion Spirit led in front; on the left were the Suan-ni Lion and Tuan-xiang Lion, on the right the Bai Ze Lion and Fuli Lion, behind the Nao Lion and Snow Lion, and in the center a Nine-Headed Lion. At its side stood a blue-faced fiend gripping a brocade-gilt flowered treasure banner, close beside the Nine-Headed Lion. The Cunning-and-Twisted and the Twisted-and-Cunning ones waved two red banners. All were arrayed together on the ground of Kanguan.

Zhu Bajie, rash as ever, strode up and cried out, 'You treasure-stealing monster, why did you gather these shaggy brutes to come here?' The Yellow Lion Spirit ground his teeth and snapped back, 'You rough, bald brute! Yesterday it was three against one and I was beaten and had to retreat; this should have satisfied you. Why are you so ruthless now, burning my den, ruining my mountain ground, and wounding my clan? My grudge against you is deep as the sea. Do not run; I will take you with one shovelful.' "Good," said Bajie, and raised his spade to meet him. The two had only just closed, and still no one could claim the upper hand, when the Nao Lion Spirit swung an iron caltrop and the Snow Lion Spirit brought out a three-ridged cane and rushed straight into the fray. Zhu Bajie shouted, 'Well done!' Then Sha Wujing quickly drew the demon-subduing staff and came forward to help. Then the Suan-ni spirit, Bai Ze spirit, Tuan-xiang Lion, and Fuli Lion all rushed together. There Sun Wukong used the Golden-Hooped Staff to hold back the swarm. Suan-ni used a club, Bai Ze a bronze hammer, Tuan-xiang a steel spear, and Fuli an axe. Those seven lion spirits, and these three ferocious monks—what terrible slayers they were:

Clubs, maces, spears, and axes, and three-ridged canes; Caltrops, bone-knots, Four-Ming shovels, every weapon keen; Seven lions and seven instruments, so keenly gleaming, encircled the three monks who roared together; Great Sage’s Golden-Hooped Staff was fierce; Sha Wujing’s treasure staff is seldom seen among men; Zhu Bajie, wild as storm-ridden winds in bearing, made his riveted spade flash with dreadful light; Front to cover and rear to block, each used his arts—left to brace, right to welcome—brave all through; The prince on the city wall added thunder to their valor, drums and gongs clanging in one swell; Hurling and seizing, they displayed their divine arts, and so much slaughter made earth and sky reel and blur.

That band of demons, together with Sun Wukong and the three monks, fought through half a day and only then noticed evening. Zhu Bajie spat with thick saliva, felt his legs go weak, feigned a shuffle with one swing of the spade, and lost the formation and withdrew. The Snow Lion and Nao Lion demons shouted, 'Where do you run? Face us first.' The fool could not dodge; he was struck once along his spine and fell to the ground, saying only, 'Enough. Enough.' The two demons dragged Zhu Bajie by his mane and tail and hauled him off to the Nine-Headed Lion, reporting, 'Grandfather, we have taken one as well.'

Before he could speak, Sha Wujing and the Great Sage also fell in defeat, and all the demons came charging together. Sun Wukong pulled a handful of hairs from his body, chewed them to pieces and spat them out, crying, 'Transform!' and at once became a hundred and ten little Sun Wukongs, circling around. They enclosed the Bai Ze, Suan-ni, Tuan-xiang, Fuli, and the Golden-Mane Lion Spirit in their midst. Sha Wujing and Sun Wukong again moved in to strike. By evening they had taken the Suan-ni and Bai Ze spirits and drove off Fuli and Tuan-xiang. The Golden-Mane Lion Spirit reported to the old demon. Seeing he had lost two lions, he ordered, 'Bind Zhu Bajie. Do not wound him. First let him return my two lion spirits; then return him with them. If he has been ignorant and ruined my two lions, then kill Zhu Bajie as justice.' That night the demons settled outside the city and no further account is worth giving.

Sun Wukong took the two lion spirits up near the city wall. The old king saw this and at once ordered the gate opened. He sent two or three dozen captains to run out with ropes, tie up the lion spirits, and carry them into the city. Sun Wukong retracted his magic hairs and, with Sha Wujing, went straight to the watchtower to meet Tripitaka. Tripitaka said, 'This matter is very dangerous. Do we know whether Wuneng’s life was spared?' Sun Wukong replied, 'No harm. We have taken these two demons, and there he would not dare to injure them. Bind the two spirits tightly, and at first light we will exchange them for Zhu Bajie.' The three young princes kowtowed to the Great Sage and asked, 'Earlier, when Master fought beforehand, we saw only one body. Later he pretended to lose and withdrew, yet how then were there a hundred and ten of his forms? And once he had captured the demons and came near the city, he was only one body again. By what power is this?' The Great Sage laughed and said, 'On my body are eighty-four thousand hairs. One becomes ten, ten becomes a hundred, a hundred becomes a thousand and a thousand becomes myriad and billion—each of those are forms outside the original self. Then each prince in turn bowed. Food for the precept was set at once, and they ate it there on the city tower. At every embrasure they raised lanterns and flags, clappers and bells and gongs, shifted the watch and passed signal arrows, and fired cannon with shouting.

At first light, the old monster summoned the Yellow Lion Spirit and laid plans: 'Today you all use all your mind and strength to take Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing; then I will secretly fly in the air up to the city, seize his Master, and seize the old king and his sons as well, and first turn to Nine-Curve Coiling Cave. When you return in victory, come back and report.' Following that plan, the Yellow Lion led the Nao Lion, Snow Lion, Tuan-xiang, and Fuli, each bearing weapons, to the city edge, and the battle began in wind and mist. The Great Sage and Sha Wujing jumped from the city top and shouted in fierce voices, 'You wretched demons! Quickly send back my junior monk Zhu Bajie and I will spare your lives. Otherwise I will make your bones to dust.' The demons had no room to speak; they closed in together in one rush. The two brothers used all their stratagems and blocked the five lion spirits. This fight was much different from yesterday:

The earth was scourged by howling wind; dark thick fog concealed the sky; stones rolled and sand flew, and spirits and ghosts trembled, trees were toppled and beasts startled; steel spears were cruel, axes flashed bright, caltrops, canes, and poisoned shovels were all deadly; They wished to swallow the Great Sage whole and drag little Sha Wujing down and seize him alive; Sun Wukong’s one Ruyi rod expanded, contracted, extended, and folded with wondrous skill; Sha Wujing’s demon-subduing staff had a name beyond the Hall of Lingxiao; This time he employed his powers broadly, and in the Western Regions he swept the spirits away. The five coarse-haired lion spirits and Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing were already in the heart of the slaughter when the old monster rode a black cloud and rose straight to the city tower. He shook his head once, and the civil and military officials and guards on the city ramparts all fled down in fright. He then ran into the tower, opened his mouths, and snatched out Tripitaka and the old king and his sons; then he returned to the depths below Kanguan and in the same way took Zhu Bajie as well. In truth he had nine heads, and therefore nine mouths: one held Tripitaka, one held Zhu Bajie, one held the old king, one held the first prince, one held the second prince, and one held the third prince—six mouths for six people, leaving three mouths empty. He shouted, 'I go first.' Those five small lion demons, seeing their lord win, each displayed even greater prowess.

When Sun Wukong heard the shouting and outcry from atop the city, he realized he had fallen into their scheme and at once called urgently for Sha Wujing to be ready. He then pulled off all the hairs from his arm, chewed and spat them out, and turned into a hundred or more little Sun Wukongs. At once he knocked down the Nao Lion, captured the Snow Lion alive, seized the Tuan-xiang Lion, hurled the Fuli Lion over with force, and killed the Yellow Lion; he shouted in a ringing voice down to the lower city. He turned and withdrew, and in doing so the blue-faced one, along with the Cunning-and-Twisted and the Twisted-and-Cunning demons, slipped away. Seeing this, the officials on the city wall opened the gate again, tied up the five lion spirits with ropes, and carried them back into the city. Before there was any resolution, the queen came crying, weeping, and kneeling before the Great Sage said, 'Divine Master, our prince and his father with your Master Tripitaka—let their lives be spared. What will become of this lone city?' Sun Wukong gathered in his hairs and bowed to her: 'Noble lady, do not fret. I have taken his seven lion spirits. That old demon used a grasping spell to seize your lord, your father, your prince, and Tripitaka; they are all likely unharmed. At first light tomorrow, my brother and I will go into that mountain and surely seize the old demon, returning your four princes.' The queen, with a cluster of her ladies, heard these words, and all knelt before Sun Wukong saying, 'May your prince and the king’s father and sons all live, and may the realm stand firm.' When they had finished bowing, each one returned to the palace with tears. Sun Wukong then ordered the officials, 'Skim the hide off the dead Yellow Lion Spirit. Bind the six living lion spirits securely in heavy chains. Bring out some vegetarian food; we will eat and sleep. You all take heart: you will have no trouble.'

By the next day, the Great Sage led Sha Wujing onto an auspicious cloud. Not long after, they reached the crest of Bamboo-Node Mountain. Gazing from the cloud there, it was a grand height indeed:

Peaks rose abrupt and abrupt, ridges steep and jagged. Deep ravines below, with murmuring waters running and rinsing; before sheer cliffs, flowers in brocade-lacquered splendor smelled sweet. Returning ridges overlapped; ancient roads turned through circling bays. Truly, cranes come with pines for company, while clouds departing leave stones with no companion. Dark-green apes sought fruit in clear sunshine; deer sought blossoms on warm days with joy. The cries of blue cranes came in fine drizzling notes, and yellow birds spoke with long tangled song. In spring the peach and plum contended in beauty; at midsummer willow and pagoda-tree flourished alike. When autumn came, yellow flowers spread like brocade; when winter settled, white snow drifted in tufts. Through four seasons and eight festivals the scenery was fine beyond compare, no less than the immortals’ wonderland of Yingzhou. The two were still looking when suddenly the blue-faced fiend with a short club came running out between the ravines. Sun Wukong shouted, 'Where are you going? It is Sun who comes!' Frightened, the small demon ran, rolling and flipping down the ravine. They pursued but lost his trace. After going forward a few more steps, there appeared a cave dwelling with two spotted stone doors tightly shut. Set in the threshold was a stone slab, in regular script with ten large characters reading: 'Wuling Bamboo-Joint Mountain, Nine-Curve Coiling Cave.'

The little demon had, in fact, run into the cave and shut the cave-door behind him. In the meantime he told the old demon, “Grandfather, two more monks have come outside.” The old demon asked, “Did your Great King and the monkey-lion, the snow-lion, the coiling elephant, and the crouching fox come?” The little demon said, “No, no, not at all. It is only that two monks are looking out from a high mountain peak. I saw them and turned back at once; he chased me after, and I came back and closed the door.” The old demon, on hearing this, lowered his head in silence. After a while he suddenly burst into tears and cried, “Alas! My Yellow Lion Grandson is dead, and Niao-lion Grandson and the others have all been caught by monks and taken into the city. How can this vengeance be repaid?” Zhu Bajie lay bound nearby, together with the king and prince and Tripitaka, all crowded together, distressed and in fear. On hearing the old demon say that all those sons had been captured by monks and taken into the city, Tripitaka thought privately, “Master, do not fear. Your Highness, do not sorrow. My elder brother has already won; he seized all the monsters and has come here to rescue us all.” Saying this, he then heard the old demon shout, “You little ones, stand guard here. I will go out and bring in those two monks; then at once we will punish them all.”

You can see he came forward with no armor and no weapon in hand, striding in big steps, and one only heard Sun Wukong crying out. He opened the cave-mouth wide without replying and ran straight at the Great Sage. Sun Wukong met him with his Iron Rod, blocking him head-on. Sha Wujing swung his precious staff and struck. The old demon shook its head once; all eight heads opened their mouths together and, with a light motion, took Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing both and drew them back inside the cave. “Bring rope,” it ordered. The two crafty and devious little demons—the devious and crafty ones, together with the green-faced one—were the pair who had escaped and returned from last night. They took two ropes and bound the two men tightly. The old demon said, “You wild monkey, you have captured my seven sons and grandsons. Today I have caught your four monks and four sons of the royal household; that is enough to pay for my young ones’ lives. Kids, bring willow clubs and take this monkey-head for a beating, so I can settle the grudge for Yellow Lion Grandson.” The three little demons each held a willow staff and targeted only the Great Sage. The Great Sage was a body tempered by alchemical fire; those willow rods merely tickled him. He made no outcry, no matter how hard they struck him, not even a flinch. Zhu Bajie, Tripitaka, and the prince, seeing this, were each horrified to the marrow. After little time the willow clubs were snapped. The beating went on to dusk and was beyond count. Sha Wujing, seeing that it had gone on too long, said, “Let me strike him a hundred and ten times in his place.” The old demon said, “Do not be hasty; tomorrow I will beat you until your turn comes, one by one.” Zhu Bajie blurted, “Then the day after, I, your old pig, will be beaten too.” The beating dragged on as the sky darkened. The old demon said, “Kids, hold for a moment. Light the lamps, eat some food, and let me go to Jin Cloud Nook and sleep a bit. You three have all already been harmed before; keep watch carefully and we will continue at dawn.” The three little demons moved the lights closer and struck Sun Wukong on the top of the head with willow staffs as if knocking a wooden clapper, tik-tak, tok-tok, quick and slow, slow and quick. Night deepened and they all began to doze off.

The Great Sage used a vanish technique, shrank his body to small, and slipped free from the ropes. He shook out the hairs on his head and smoothed his clothes in place. From within his ear he pulled out his staff, gave it a flick; it was as thick as a hanging bucket and two zhang long. Pointing it at the three little demons he said, “You wretched beast, you lashed your lord with so many clubs. The lord is still as before. I’ll press this staff against you and see what happens.” He gave the three little demons each a light shove, and at once turned them into three meat cakes. He brightened the lamp again and released Sha Wujing. Zhu Bajie, still badly bound, could not bear it and cried out loudly, “Eldest brother, my hands and feet are swollen from the binding—could you not free me first?” That fool of a pig cried out once, and it had already startled the old demon. The old demon, half-crouching, scrambled up and said, “Who released him?” Sun Wukong heard it; with one breath he blew out the lamp and, without regard for Sha Wujing and the rest, struck with the Iron Rod, breaking through several gates as he ran away.

The old demon called in the central hall, “Kids, why is the light gone? Did no one run off with anyone?” He called once, and no one answered; he called again, and still no one answered. When he took up the light and looked, he saw only three blood-soaked meat cakes on the ground. The king and his son, Tripitaka, and Zhu Bajie were all there, but Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing were no longer present. He lit the light and hurried to search front and back. He saw that Sha Wujing was still standing with his back pinned against the corridor rail. He seized him at once, dragged him down, and bound him as before. He searched for Sun Wukong; he saw that several layers of gate had all been broken apart, so he knew that the Great Sage had beaten through and fled. He did not give chase. He patched broken gates and sealed breaches, and kept to guarding the household; nothing more to record.

The Great Sage left the Nine-turn Labyrinth Cave, rode a cloud of good omen, and headed straight to Yuhua Prefecture. He saw on the city walls gods of every quarter, local earth deities, and the City God waiting in the sky to bow before him. Sun Wukong asked, “Why do you only meet me at this hour?” The City God replied, “The little spirits knew the Great Sage had descended to Yuhua Prefecture; since Your Majesty had been invited by the royal prince, they did not dare to show themselves before you. Now that we know the king and his family have met a demon, and that the Great Sage has come to subdue it, they have come especially to come forward and welcome.” Just then, while Wukong was still vexed, he saw Gold-Head Jie Di and the Six Jia Six Ding generals of heaven leading a local land spirit in chains. They knelt before him and said, “Great Sage, we have seized this ghost of this land.” Sun Wukong shouted, “You were not stationed on Bamboo-Joint Mountain to guard my master, so why are you making noise here?” The Ding-Jia general said, “Great Sage, when this demon escaped from you, it seized the Curtain-roller General and still bound him. We saw that the demon’s powers were vast, so we brought this Bamboo-Joint Mountain land spirit here in custody. He knows that demon’s origin. Ask him one question for the Great Sage, and he can be judged and punished, to relieve the sufferings of the Holy Monk and of the wise king.” Hearing this, Wukong rejoiced greatly. The land spirit, trembling, knelt and said, “The old demon came down to Bamboo-Joint Mountain last year. The Nine-turn Labyrinth Cave was originally the den of six lions. When this old demon arrived, those six lions all bowed to him as their ancestral lord. The ancestral lord is a nine-headed lion, called Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage. To destroy him, one must go to the Mystic Rock Palace in the Far East and summon his principal owner; only then can he be subdued. No one else can dream of capturing him.” Wukong thought for a while and said, “The Mystic Rock Palace in the Far East—that is the domain of Taiyi Jiuku, is it not? He is itself none other than a nine-headed lion. So it is.” He then ordered, “Jie Di, Gold-Armour, go back with the land spirit and secretly protect my master, my fellow disciple, and the king’s father-son household; let the City God of this place guard the city.” The deities each did as commanded and withdrew.

The Great Sage gathered momentum on a cloud and traveled through the night. Around the hour of the tiger he reached the outside of the East Heaven Gate and happened upon Guangmu Heavenly King with a company of heavenly soldiers and strength-bound attendants. All of them stopped, bowed with joined palms, and said, “Where does the Great Sage go?” After offering proper salutations, Wukong said, “I am going to the Mystic Rock Palace for a visit.” The King said, “You did not go by the Western route; why come to the East Heaven for this?” Wukong replied, “When I came to Yuhua Prefecture, Lord Yuhua’s son invited me, and he sent three sons to bow to my brothers and me as teachers and learn martial arts. Unexpectedly I met a pack of lion demons. Now I have learned that the master of the Mystic Rock Palace, Taiyi Jiuku, is this demon’s host; I have come to invite him to descend and subdue the fiend to save the master.” The Heavenly King said, “That is because you wish to become a teacher of men, so this nest of lions has thus been stirred up.” The Great Sage laughed, “Precisely for that, precisely for that.” The heavenly attendants and strongmen bowed one by one, made way, and withdrew. The Great Sage entered East Heaven Gate; before long he came before the Mystic Rock Palace and saw:

Overlapping layers of colored clouds, purple qi lush and dense. Golden wave-like flames shimmer on tiled roofs; jade-beast-like gates stand in grand procession. The twin gate towers are heavy with blossoms, red clouds circling, while sunlight washes forested groves in green mist. It truly is a ring of ten thousand true beings and a flourishing of a thousand saints. Halls and pavilions rise in layered brocade; every window and veranda is open. Azure dragons coil in guard, divine radiance soft and broad; the yellowway glows with concentrated auspicious light. This is the domain of Green Radiance and Everlasting Joy: the Mystic Rock Palace of the Far East. At the palace gate stood a child-immortal in a rainbow skirt. Seeing Sun Wukong, he immediately entered and reported, “Great one, the Qi Tian Daxia—the Great Sage of Heaven’s Court is here.” Taiyi Jiuku heard this and called guards and celestials to receive him. Guided in, he came to the hall where the Honored One sat high upon a nine-colored lotus throne amid hundreds of billions of radiant omens. He saw the Great Sage, descended from his seat, and came down to meet him. Wukong offered his bow. Taiyi Jiuku returned the salute and said, “Great Sage, we have not seen you these years. Earlier we heard you abandoned Dao and returned to Buddha, protecting Tripitaka’s pilgrimage to the West—likely your merit now complete?” Wukong said, “The merit is not yet complete, but near so. Now, while protecting Tripitaka to Yuhua Prefecture, we were welcomed by the prince; he had three sons bow to the Great Sage and my brothers as teachers to study martial arts. Our three divine weapons were forged in like manner as before, but unexpectedly the thieves stole them in the night. At daybreak we searched and found that it was a golden-maned lion spirit in a Tiger-Mouth Cave of Leopard-Head Mountain north of the city that had stolen them. Sun Wukong used a stratagem and brought it out, and that spirit rounded up several lion spirits and roared in great uproar with me. Inside it was a nine-headed lion of extensive powers. He carried my master, Zhu Bajie, and four of the royal household to the Nine-turn Labyrinth Cave on Bamboo-Joint Mountain. The next day, Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing followed and were likewise carried off. Sun Wukong was bound and beaten beyond count, but by chance escaped by means of art. They are still enduring punishment there. After questioning the local district land spirit, it became known that you are the Honored One’s lord, so I have come in reverence to invite you to bring the demon down and rescue them.

The Celestial Venerable heard the report and at once ordered a celestial general to go to the Lion Quarters and summon the lion slave for questioning. The lion slave had been fast asleep; the assembled generals shook him until he woke, then dragged him into the main hall. The Celestial asked, "Where is the lion beast?" The slave knelt with tears and said only, "Spare my life, spare my life." The Celestial said, "The Great Sage Sun Wukong is here. I will not beat you for now. Tell me quickly why, through carelessness, you let the Nine-Headed Lion escape." The lion slave said, "Sir, the other day in the Hall of Ganjiu of the Great Expanse I saw a bottle of wine. I do not know when I stole it and drank it, I fell into deep stupor and forgot the restraints, so it fled." The Celestial said, "That wine was sent by Laozi and called Reincarnation-Elixir. If you drink it, you should be drunk and not wake for three days. How long has that lion-beast been away now?" The Great Sage said, "By the report of the local mountain Earth God, it descended two years ago and has been gone for two or three years." The Celestial laughed, "Yes, yes. A day in the Heavenly Court is a year in the mortal world." He then said to the lion slave, "Get up. I pardon your death penalty. Go with me and the Great Sage below to fetch him. You and the rest of the immortals should return; you need not follow."

The Celestial then went with Sun Wukong and the lion slave, stepping along cloud paths to Bamboo-Joint Mountain. There the Five-Directional Jiedi, the Six Ding and Six Jia, and the Mountain’s Own Earth God all came and knelt to receive them. The Great Sage asked, "Did you protect and guard properly? Did you hurt my master?" The assembled deities replied, "The demon spirit had been overtaken by maddening sleep and did not move the master at all, nor did it inflict any punishment." The Celestial said, "That Great Saint of mine is truly a true spirit who has long cultivated the Way; with one cry he can rise through the Three Saints above and penetrate Nine Springs below, and without effort he does not harm living beings. Sun Wukong, go to his gate and challenge him, draw him out. Then I will take him in."

The Great Sage obeyed. He drew the Golden-Hooped Staff in one pull and leapt near the cave mouth, shouting, "Villainous demon, return him to me! Villainous demon, return him to me!" He called several times in succession. The old demon merely slept and gave no answer. Impatient, the Great Sage raised the iron staff and struck inward, keeping up his cries all the while. That old demon then startled awake in anger. He rose and shouted, "Fight!" he shook his head and opened his jaws to bite. The Great Sage turned and leapt out. The demon chased out and shouted, "Thief monkey, where are you running?" The Great Sage stood upon a high cliff and laughed, "You still dare such bold disrespect? Do you not know whether this is your life or your death? Is this not where your master and lord is present?" The demon reached the cliff edge, but already the Celestial had chanted a spell and cried out, "Yuansheng-er, I have come." Recognizing the master, it dared no struggle, planted its four feet to the ground, and only knelt and bowing. The lion slave ran over, seized a lock of hair at the neck, and with his fist struck the neck for well over a hundred blows, cursing, "Beast, why did you steal and make me bear fault?" The lion beast said nothing and did not dare to move. The lion slave was fatigued from striking when only then he stopped, and fastened a brocaded collar-halter on it. The Celestial mounted, shouted the order to depart, and then the lion rose at once and rode on the colored cloud, turning straight toward Miao-rock Palace.

The Great Sage looked up and offered thanks, then entered the cave. He first unbound the Yuhua King, then Tripitaka, then Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the three princes. They searched the cave thoroughly for objects, lingered and moved about as they wished, then led everyone out through the gate. Zhu Bajie took several bundles of dry wood, stacked them before and behind, set them alight, and burned the nine-turn winding cave into charred, broken-paned ruin. The Great Sage also dismissed the gathered gods and ordered the local Earth God to guard there. He then told Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing each to use their arts and carry the king and his sons back to the prefecture. The Great Sage supported Tripitaka. Before long they reached the prefectural city as dusk deepened. Then the consorts, empresses, and officials all came to receive them. A vegetarian feast was laid out and all sat together to partake. The master and disciples still rested at ease in the Baosha Pavilion. The princes entered the palace and each retired to sleep. One night passed without a word.

The next day, the king issued a new edict and held a grand plain-meat banquet. All officials of the household came and thanked their thanks in turn. The Great Sage again called for the slaughterman, who killed the six living lions. He had the skin removed from all of the yellow lions and arranged the meat for use. The prince was greatly delighted and immediately ordered: "Keep one for the household and its outer staff to use; give one to the chief steward of the palace and other officials to share; chop the remaining five into chunks of one or two taels and send captains to distribute them to soldiers and townsfolk inside and outside the prefecture, that each may taste a bit: one to sample the flavor, two to stir fear." Every household, all alike, could not fail to gaze in awe.

Again the blacksmiths who had forged the three kinds of weapons knelt before the Great Sage and said, "Sir, the work is complete." They were asked, "How much does each weigh, in catties and taels?" The smith said, "The Golden-Hooped Staff weighs a thousand catties; the Nine-Toothed Axe and the Demon-Subduing Staff each weigh eight hundred catties." The Great Sage said, "Very well." He ordered the three princes out, and each took up a weapon. The three sons told their father, "Father, the weapons are ready today." The old king said, "For these weapons, our father and sons’ lives were nearly lost." The youngest prince said, "By the holy teacher’s spells we were saved, yet again swept through demons and removed future trouble. Truly this is a world where seas are calm and rivers clear, and peace prevails." At that moment the king and his sons rewarded the craftsmen, then went to the Baosha Pavilion to bow and thank the teacher’s grace.

Tripitaka again told the Great Sage and companions to teach martial arts quickly so as not to miss the journey schedule. The three of them then each took up weapons in the king’s courtyard and taught all motions one by one. In no more than several days all three princes had practiced to full competence. As for the other methods of attack and retreat, of tightening and releasing, each had seventy-two ways of release and none was unknown to them. One reason was the princes’ firm minds; another was that the Great Sage had earlier already bestowed divine strength upon them. Thus they could all lift and carry a thousand-cattie staff and eight-hundred-cattie axe or staff. Compared with the fighting arts they had once learned on their own, this was truly a world apart. A poem attests:

By good fortune, in fortunate meeting with the holy teacher, who could have expected to train against this monstrous lion? Sweeping away bands of demons and securing the state, one true body returns, the frontier pacified. The nine spirits and numerals join in the principle of primal yang; in all four quarters they are skilled in Way and fruit. The bestowed clear mind is transmitted through ten thousand ages; Yuhua abides in eternal joy and peace. The prince then opened a grand banquet again to thank the teaching and took out a large tray of gold and silver as a token of gratitude. The Great Sage laughed, "Carry it in, carry it in quickly. We are people of the monastic path; what need have we for these?" Zhu Bajie said in an aside, "We truly dare not accept gold and silver. But my robe was torn by those lion demons; if they will exchange one set of robes for us, that would be enough as a token of love." The prince accordingly ordered the seamstress workers, and by matching colors and patterns took several lengths of blue brocade, red brocade, and tea-brown brocade and made one robe for each of the three. The three gladly accepted, put on straight-collared brocade jackets, gathered their travel packs, and set out. Then in and beyond the city, whether great or small, there was not one who did not call them Arhats come to the mortal world, Living Buddhas descending from above. Drum and music sounded; banners and colors filled the streets and blocked the roads. Indeed, in every household incense was burned and everywhere before every doorway offered colorful lanterns. When they had gone a long way to the west, only then did the four leave the city westward. This departure shed all the lion host, and their hearts turned in earnest to the true fruition. As it was: With no worry and no anxiety they come toward the Buddha realm, With sincere heart and true intent they rise to Leiyin.

Still it is not yet known how much farther the road to Spirit Mountain remains or when they will arrive there. Listen and settle this in the next chapter.