“Forget about it,” said Friar Sand when he saw him, “forget about it. You asked for trouble. I'm sure the demons have all gone back to the cave to harm the master. We must go and rescue him straight away.”

When Monkey heard this he set out at once as fast as he could and rushed back to the farm while Pig led the horse. Here the seven little devils could be seen standing on the bridge, blocking their way and saying, “Not so fast, not so fast. We're here.”

“What a joke!” said Pig when he saw them. “They're just a bunch of kids. They're only two foot five or six, well under three foot, and they can only weigh eight or nine pounds, not even ten.”

“Who are you?” he shouted.

“We're the sons of the seven immortal ladies,” the little devils replied. “You've insulted our mothers, and now you've got the effrontery to attack us, you ignorant fools. Stay where you are, and watch out.” The splendid monsters then launched a wild onslaught on Pig, who was in a flaming temper after falling over so often. Seeing how tiny the insects were he lifted his rake to strike furious blows at them.

When the little devils saw how ferocious the idiot was they all reverted to their original forms, flew into the air and shouted, “Change!” In an instant each of them became ten, each ten became a hundred, each hundred became a thousand, and each thousand became ten thousand. Every one became a countless number. This is what could be seen:

The sky was full of wax-flies,

Dragonflies danced all over the land.

Bees and hornets went for the head,

Cockroaches jobbed at the eyes.

Spanish-flies bit before and behind,

While grasshoppers stung above and below.

His face was black and crawling with insects:

Even devils or deities would have been scared by their speed.

“Brother,” said Pig in alarm, “you can say what you like about it being easy to fetch the scriptures, but on this road to the West even the insects give you a bad time.”

“Don't be afraid, brother,” said Monkey. “Go for them.”

“But they're flying into my head and my face and all over my body,” replied Pig. “They're at least ten layers deep and all stinging me. How can I go for them?”

“No problem,” said Monkey, “no problem. I know a trick.”

“Whatever it is, brother,” said Friar Sand, “use it right now. His shaven head has swollen up with those bites in no time at all.” The splendid Great Sage pulled out a handful of hairs, chewed them into little bits and blew them out, telling them to turn to golden eagles, falcons, hawks, white eagles, vultures, ospreys and sparrowhawks. “Brother,” said Pig, “what's that jargon about goldens and all that?”

“Something you don't know about,” Monkey replied. “Golden eagles, falcons, hawks, white eagles, vultures, ospreys and sparrowhawks are the seven birds of prey that my hairs turned into. That's because the she-devils' children are insects.” Because the birds were so good at catching insects they got one every time they opened their beaks, grabbed at them with their claws or struck them with their wings. They wiped all the insects out in an instant, leaving no trace of them in the sky. The ground was piled over a foot deep with their bodies.

Only then could the three brothers charge across the bridge and into the cave, where they found their master hanging groaning and sobbing in mid-air. “Master,” said Pig, going up to him, “are you hanging around here for fun? I don't know how many times I've had to fall over on your account.”

“Untie the master before we take this conversation any further,” said Friar Sand. Brother Monkey then snapped the ropes and set the master free, asking, “Where did the evil spirits go?”

“All seven of them ran stark naked through to the back,” the Tang Priest replied. “They were calling for their sons.”

“After them, brothers!” said Monkey. “Follow me!”

The three of them, each holding his weapon, went searching in the back garden, but no sign of them could be found. They looked for them without success under all the peach and plum trees. “They've gone,” said Pig, “they've gone.”

“We can stop looking for them,” said Friar Sand. “I'm going to help the master away from here.” The three brothers then went back to the front, where they asked the Tang Priest to mount up. “You two help the master along the way,” said Pig. “I'm going to smash these buildings to the ground with my rake. Then they'll have nowhere to live when they come back.”

“Smashing the place would be too much effort,” said Monkey. “The best way to cut off their roots would be to find some firewood.” The splendid idiot then gathered some dead pine, broken-off bamboo, dried-out willow and withered creepers that he set alight. The roaring blaze destroyed everything. Only then did master and disciples feel easy enough to be on their way.

If you don't know what of good or evil the demons were to do to them, listen to the explanation in the next installment.

Chapter 73

The Emotions Bear a Grudge and Inflict Disaster

The Heart's Master Smashes the Light When He Meets the Demons

The story tells how the Great Sage Sun supported the Tang Priest as they hurried along the main road to the West together with Pig and Friar Sand. Within a few hours they were in sight of a compound with many tall towers and imposing buildings. “Disciple,” said Sanzang, reining in his horse, “what's that place?” Monkey looked up to gaze at it and this is what he saw.

Tall towers girdled by hills,

Streams winding round pavilions.

Dense grew the wood in front of the gates,

And outside the buildings the scent of flowers hung heavy.

White egrets perched among the willows,

Like flawless jades half hidden in a mist;

Golden orioles sang in the peach-trees,

Flashes of gold in the fiery blossom.

Wild deer in couples

Trod lost to the world across cushions of greenery;

Pairs of mountain birds

Sang as they flew among the red tree-tops.

It was like the Tiantai Cave of Liu and Ruan,

And rivaled the home of the immortals in fairyland.

“Master,” Brother Monkey reported, “that's no princely palace or rich man's mansion. It looks like a Taoist temple or Buddhist monastery. We'll know for sure when we get there.” On hearing this Sanzang whipped on his horse, and when master and disciples reached the gates to look there was a stone tablet set over the gateway on which was written YELLOW FLOWER TEMPLE. Sanzang dismounted.

“Yellow Flower Temple means it's a Taoist place,” said Pig, “so it's all right for us to go in and see them. Although we wear different clothes we cultivate our conduct the same way.”

“You're right,” said Friar Sand. “We can go in and have a look round, and at the same time the horse can have a feed. If it looks suitable we can arrange a meal for the master.”

The master accepted their suggestions and the four of them went inside. A couplet was pasted up on either side of the inner gates:

Palace of immortals: yellow shoots and white snow.

Home of men who can fly: rare and wonderful flowers.

“So the Taoist here refines drugs, plays with a furnace and totes a crucible,” said Monkey with a grin.

“Watch your words,” said Sanzang, giving him a pinch, “watch your words. We don't know them and they are no relations of ours. This is only a passing encounter. Never mind what they are like.” Before he had finished saying these words he went in through the inner gate, where he found the doors of the main hall shut tight and a Taoist master sitting under a covered walkway making elixir pills. Just look at how he was dressed: