Chapter 90: The Lion Master and Disciple Receive the Teaching and Return to Oneness; Robbing the Way and Entangling Chan, They Pacify the Ninefold Spirit

CHAPTER NINETY

The Teacher and the Lions Merge into One;

The Thief and the Way Entangle Chan, Calming the Nine Numina

We were telling how Great Sage Sun, together with Eight Rules and Sha Monk, left the city wall and met the enemy face to face. They saw that the horde of fiends were all lions of various colors: the Yellow Lion led them; the Suanni Lion and the Tuánxiàng Lion were on the left; the Baize Lion and the Fuli Lion were on the right; the Ráo Lion and the Snow Lion were in the rear. In the middle was a nine-headed lion. The blue-faced monster held a brocade and embroidered flower canopy, pressing close to the nine-headed lion. The two called Crafty-Difficult and Difficult-Crafty carried red flags. They were all arrayed in the Kan Palace region.

Eight Rules, reckless as ever, went forward and cursed, "You thieving, treasure-stealing fiends! Where have you gathered these hairy brats to come here?" The Yellow Lion gnashed his teeth and cursed back, "You impudent, bald-headed brute! Yesterday three of you fought one of me. I was beaten and retreated, letting you have your way. Why are you so vicious, burning my cave, destroying my mountain field, and injuring my clan? The enmity between us is deeper than the sea. Don't try to run! Taste your grandfather's spade!" Good Eight Rules raised his rake to meet him. They had barely exchanged a few blows when the Ráo Lion whirled an iron caltrop club and the Snow Lion wielded a three-edged mace, charging straight at him. Eight Rules gave a shout, "Well come!" Over here, Sha Monk quickly drew his demon-subduing staff and went forward to help. Then the Suanni, Baize, Tuánxiàng, and Fuli lions all surged forward together. Great Sage Sun used his golden-banded staff to hold off the crowd of lions. The Suanni Lion used a blunt club, the Baize Lion a bronze hammer, the Tuánxiàng Lion a steel spear, and the Fuli Lion a battle-axe. The seven lion fiends and the three fierce monks fought a splendid battle:

Clubs, hammers, spears, axes, three-edged maces,

Caltrop clubs and spades and four-bright shovels.

Seven lions with seven weapons, all sharp,

Surrounded three monks, all shouting together.

Great Sage's golden-banded staff was fierce,

Sha Monk's treasure staff was rare in the world.

Eight Rules, wild and raging, showed his might,

His glittering rake shone with a baleful light.

Front and back, they blocked and warded, each showing his skill,

Left and right, they parried and met, all brave.

On the city wall the prince added to their might,

Drums thundered and gongs clanged to strengthen their courage.

They charged and retreated, using their magic powers,

Fighting till heaven and earth were darkened and overturned.

That whole gang of fiends fought with Great Sage and his two companions for half a day, and before they knew it, it was evening. Eight Rules began to drool, his legs feeling weak. He made a feint with his rake and fled from the field. The Snow Lion and the Ráo Lion shouted after him, "Where are you going? Take this!" The idiot couldn't dodge in time; they struck him on the backbone with a mace, and he fell to the ground, crying, "Enough, enough!" The two fiends grabbed Eight Rules by the mane and tail, carried him off, and presented him to the nine-headed lion, reporting, "Grandfather, we've caught one!"

Before they finished speaking, Sha Monk and Pilgrim were also defeated, and all the fiends came after them. Pilgrim plucked a handful of his hair, chewed it up, and spat it out, crying, "Change!" It turned into a hundred or more little Pilgrims, who surrounded the Baize, Suanni, Tuánxiàng, and Fuli lions, along with the Golden-Haired Lion. Sha Monk and Pilgrim then went forward and struck at them again. By evening, they had captured the Suanni and Baize lions, but the Fuli and Tuánxiàng lions escaped. The Golden-Haired Lion reported this to the old fiend. When the old fiend saw that two of his lions were lost, he commanded, "Tie up Pig Eight Rules, but don't harm his life. When they return my two lions, I'll give them back Pig. If they are ignorant and harm my two lions, then kill Pig to avenge them." That night the whole host of fiends rested outside the city, no need to tell further.

We were telling how Great Sage Sun carried the two lion fiends to the city wall. When the old king saw this, he immediately ordered the gates opened and sent twenty or thirty officers with ropes to go out, bind the lion fiends, and carry them into the city. Great Sage Sun withdrew his magic hairs and went with Sha Monk straight to the city tower, where they saw Tripitaka. Tripitaka said, "This affair is extremely dangerous! I wonder whether Wuneng is alive or dead?" Pilgrim said, "No harm. We've caught these two fiends; they certainly won't dare to hurt him. We'll bind these two securely and exchange them for Eight Rules tomorrow morning." The three young princes bowed to Pilgrim and said, "Master, when you fought earlier, we saw only one body. Then you feigned defeat and returned, but how did you have a hundred or more bodies? And when you captured the fiends and came near the city, you were one body again. What kind of magic is this?" Pilgrim laughed and said, "I have eighty-four thousand hairs on my body. One multiplies into ten, ten into a hundred, a hundred into a thousand, ten thousand, a million, a billion—these transformations are all methods of the body beyond the body." The princes all bowed in homage. A vegetarian meal was immediately set out, and they ate on the city tower. On every battlement, lanterns and flags were hung; clappers, bells, drums, and gongs were prepared; watchmen were posted, arrows were passed, cannon were fired, and shouts were raised.

Soon it was dawn. The old fiend called the Yellow Lion and made a plan: "Today you must put your minds to capturing Pilgrim and Sha Monk. I will secretly fly up into the city and capture their master and the old king and his sons. We'll first take them back to the Nine-Bend Coiled Cave. When you win, come and report." The Yellow Lion received his orders and led the Ráo Lion, Snow Lion, Tuánxiàng Lion, and Fuli Lion, each with his weapon, to the city wall, rolling wind and brewing fog as they challenged battle. Here Pilgrim and Sha Monk leaped over the city wall and cursed loudly, "Thieving, damned fiends! Quickly return my younger brother Eight Rules to me, and I'll spare your lives! If not, I'll grind your bones to powder!" The fiends wouldn't listen; they all surged forward. The two brothers, Great Sage and Sha Monk, each used their wits to hold off the five lions. This battle was even more intense than yesterday's:

Fierce wind howled, sweeping the ground,

Dark clouds covered the sky, thick and gloomy.

Flying stones and drifting sand frightened gods and ghosts,

Uprooted trees and toppled forests startled tigers and wolves.

Steel spears were fierce, battle-axes bright,

Caltrop clubs, maces, and spades were too cruel.

They wished they could swallow Pilgrim whole,

Or capture little Sha Monk alive and kicking.

But Great Sage's willowy staff,

Could coil, uncoil, gather, and spread with great cleverness.

Sha Monk's demon-subduing staff

Had a famous name outside the Hall of Miraculous Mist.

This time they used their vast magic powers,

Sweeping away fiends in the Western Regions.

The five motley lion fiends and Pilgrim and Sha Monk were fighting fiercely when the old fiend rode a black cloud straight to the city tower. He shook his head, and all the civil and military officials, great and small, along with the city guards, rolled down from the wall. He charged into the tower, opened his mouth, and in one gulp swallowed Tripitaka, the old king, and his sons. Then he went down to the Kan Palace ground and also swallowed Eight Rules with his mouth. As it happened, his nine heads had nine mouths. One mouth held Tripitaka, one held Eight Rules, one held the old king, one held the first prince, one held the second prince, and one held the third prince: six mouths held six people, leaving three mouths empty. He gave a shout, "I'm going first!" The five small lion fiends, seeing their grandfather victorious, each displayed their ferocity even more.

When Pilgrim heard the shouting on the city wall, he realized they had fallen into the old fiend's trap. He quickly called to Sha Monk to be careful. Then he pulled out all the hairs on his arms, chewed them up, spat them out, and they turned into a thousand or more little Pilgrims, who surged forward in a crowd. They immediately dragged down the Ráo Lion, captured the Snow Lion alive, seized the Tuánxiàng Lion, overturned the Fuli Lion, and beat the Yellow Lion to death. With a great uproar, they rushed to the city wall. The three fiends—the blue-faced one, Crafty-Difficult, and Difficult-Crafty—got away. When the officials on the wall saw this, they opened the gates again, tied up the five lion fiends with ropes, and carried them into the city. Before they could be dealt with, the queen consort came weeping and kowtowed to Pilgrim, saying, "Divine master, my prince, his sons, and your master—their lives are lost! What will become of this isolated city?" Great Sage withdrew his magic hairs and bowed to the queen, saying, "Worthy consort, do not worry. Because I captured his seven lion fiends, the old fiend used his magic and surely took my master and your prince and his sons away. I expect no harm will come to them. Tomorrow at dawn, my brother and I will go to the mountain, and I guarantee we will capture the old fiend and return your four princes to you." When the queen and her ladies heard this, they all bowed to Pilgrim and said, "We pray that the prince and his sons may be preserved alive and the kingdom be secure." After bowing, they returned to the palace with tears in their eyes. Pilgrim instructed the officials, "Skin the dead Yellow Lion. Tie up the six live lions securely. Bring us some vegetarian food. We'll eat and then sleep. You all rest assured; I guarantee nothing will happen."

The next day, Great Sage led Sha Monk, and they rode auspicious clouds. In no time, they arrived at Bamboo-Joint Mountain. Lowering the clouds, they looked at the scene. What a fine, high mountain it was! They saw:

Peaks in jagged array,

Ridges steep and rugged.

In deep ravines, murmuring water washed the rocks;

Before steep cliffs, brocade-like flowers scented the air.

Ranges and ridges folded one upon another;

Ancient paths wound and curved.

Truly, where cranes came, pines had companions;

Indeed, when clouds departed, rocks had no support.

Dark apes sought fruit in the bright sunlight;

Deer hunted flowers, rejoicing in the warm day.

Blue phoenixes sang with clear, melodious notes;

Yellow birds chirped in soft, continuous song.

In spring, peach and plum vied in beauty;

By summer, willows and locusts grew luxuriant and green.

When autumn came, yellow flowers spread brocade;

When winter arrived, white snow fell like cotton.

Throughout the four seasons and eight festivals, the scenery was fine,

Not inferior to the immortal scenes of Yingzhou.

The two of them were gazing at the scenery from the mountain peak when they suddenly saw that blue-faced creature, holding a short club, running straight toward the cliffs and ravines. Pilgrim shouted, "Where are you going? Old Monkey is here!" The terrified little demon tumbled and scrambled down the mountainside. The two of them gave chase, but then there was no trace of him. Moving forward a few more steps, they came upon a cave dwelling with a pair of patterned stone gates tightly shut. Above the lintel was set a stone slab, on which ten large characters were carved in regular script, reading: "Myriad Spirits Bamboo Knot Mountain, Nine Twists Coiled Lair."

The little demon had actually run into the cave and immediately closed the cave gates. Reaching the interior, he said to the old demon, "Grandfather, two more monks have come from outside." The old demon asked, "Have your king and the Coati Lion, the Snow Lion, the Elephant-Wrestler, and the Hide-Catcher arrived yet?" The little demon said, "I haven't seen them, I haven't seen them. It was just two monks looking out from a high peak. When I saw them turn back and run, they gave chase, and I shut the gates." The old demon, upon hearing this, lowered his head and said nothing. After a long while, he suddenly shed tears and cried out, "Bitter! My Yellow Lion grandson is dead, and the Coati Lion grandson and the others have all been captured by the monks and taken into the city. How can this vengeance be avenged?" Eight Rules, bound nearby, gathered together with the old king and his son and Tang Sanzang, suffering in misery and fear. Hearing the old demon say that all the grandsons had been captured by the monks and taken into the city, he secretly rejoiced and said, "Master, do not fear. Prince, do not worry. My elder brother has already won the victory, capturing all the demons, and is coming here to rescue us." As he finished speaking, they heard the old demon call out, "Little ones, guard this place well. Wait for me to go out and capture those two monks and bring them in to be punished together."

Behold: he wore no armor and carried no weapon in his hands. Striding forward with large steps, he heard Sun Pilgrim shouting there. He threw open the cave gates wide and, without a word, rushed straight at Pilgrim. Pilgrim parried with his iron staff. Sha Monk swung his treasure staff and struck. The old demon shook his head once, and all eight heads on his left and right opened their mouths together, gently lifting Pilgrim and Sha Monk up again and carrying them into the cave. He called out, "Bring ropes!" The Crafty Freak, Freaky Crafty, and the Blue-Faced one—who had fled back the previous night—brought two ropes and bound the two firmly. The old demon asked, "You reckless ape, you captured my seven sons and grandsons. Today I've caught you four monks and four princes, which is enough to repay the lives of my sons and grandsons. Little ones, select some thorn branches and willow rods and first give this monkey-head a beating to avenge my Yellow Lion grandson." The three little demons each took willow rods and set about beating Pilgrim. Pilgrim's body had been tempered through refinement, and those willow rods only tickled him. He made no sound, no matter how they pounded, paying them no heed. When Eight Rules, Tang Sanzang, and the princes saw this, they were all horrified. After a while, the willow rods were all broken. They kept beating until nightfall, and no one knew how many blows were struck. Sha Monk, seeing the beating go on so long, felt greatly distressed and said, "Let me take a hundred or so blows in his place." The old demon said, "Don't be in a hurry. Tomorrow it will be your turn. One by one, you'll all get your beating." Eight Rules hastily said, "The day after tomorrow it'll be my turn, old Pig." After beating for a while, it gradually grew dark. The old demon said, "Little ones, stop for now. Light the lamps, have something to eat, and let me go to the Brocade Cloud Nest to sleep a little. You three have all suffered harm before, so keep a careful watch. Tomorrow morning we'll beat them again." The three little demons brought over the lamp and then took willow rods to beat Pilgrim's head, making a sound like knocking a watchman's clapper—tick-tock, tock-tick—a few quick blows, then a few slow ones. As the night deepened, they all began to doze off.

Pilgrim then used an escape technique, shrinking his body and slipping out of the ropes. He shook his fur, straightened his clothes, and took his staff from his ear. He shook it once, making it as thick as a bucket and two fathoms long, and faced the three little demons, saying, "You evil beasts, you've beaten your grandfather with so many clubs. Your grandfather is still the same as ever. Now let your grandfather give you a little press with this club—how about that?" He gently pressed down on the three little demons, and they were crushed into three meat patties. He then trimmed the lamp wick and freed Sha Monk. Eight Rules, desperate from being bound, could not help shouting loudly, "Elder Brother, my hands and feet are all swollen from the ropes! Why don't you come and free me first?" This idiot's shout had already startled the old demon. The old demon scrambled up and said, "Who has set someone free?" Pilgrim, hearing this, blew out the lamp with one breath and, disregarding Sha Monk and the others, broke through several gates with his iron staff and fled.

The old demon went to the central hall and called, "Little ones, how is the lamp gone? Don't let anyone escape!" He called once, but no one answered. He called again, still no answer. When he fetched a lamp to look, he saw three bloody meat patties on the ground. The old king and his son, Tang Sanzang, and Eight Rules were all there, but Pilgrim and Sha Monk were missing. Lighting a fire, he searched everywhere and saw Sha Monk still standing with his back to the wall in the corridor. He grabbed him, threw him down, and bound him again as before. Then he searched for Pilgrim, but found that several layers of gates had been broken, realizing that Pilgrim had smashed through them and fled. He did not give chase but had the broken gates patched and covered, securing his domain, and we will say no more of this.

Now the Great Sage, Sun, having left the Nine Twists Coiled Lair, mounted the auspicious clouds and headed straight back to Jade Flower Prefecture. On the city wall, the local spirits of all directions, the deities, and the City God were in the air, bowing in welcome. Pilgrim said, "Why do you come to see me only tonight?" The City God said, "We petty spirits knew that the Great Sage had descended upon Jade Flower Prefecture, but because the worthy king was entertaining you, we dared not come before you. Now, learning that the king and others have encountered demons and that the Great Sage is subduing them, we have come especially to pay our respects and welcome you." While Pilgrim was still scolding them, he saw the Golden-Headed Revealer and the Six Ding and Six Jia Divine Generals escorting a local spirit, who knelt before him and said, "Great Sage, we have captured this earth ghost." Pilgrim shouted, "Were you not at Bamboo Knot Mountain protecting my master? How dare you come clamoring here?" The Ding Jia spirits said, "Great Sage, after you escaped, that demon captured the Curtain-Raising General again and bound him as before. Seeing that his magic power was great, we seized the Bamboo Knot Mountain local spirit and brought him here. He knows the roots of that demon. We beg the Great Sage to question him, and then you can deal with it and rescue the holy monk and the worthy king from their suffering." Pilgrim, upon hearing this, was overjoyed. The local spirit, trembling with fear, kowtowed and said, "That old demon came down to Bamboo Knot Mountain the year before last. The Nine Twists Coiled Lair was originally the den of six lions. When the old demon arrived, those six lions all acknowledged him as their ancestor. The ancestor is a nine-headed lion, known as the Ninefold Primal Saint. If you wish to destroy him, you must go to the Eastern Pole Miao Yan Palace and invite his master before you can subdue him. No one else can hope to capture him." Pilgrim listened, thought for a long while, and said, "The Eastern Pole Miao Yan Palace belongs to the Heavenly Honored Savior of Salvation, whose mount is indeed a nine-headed lion. So that's how it is." He then gave orders: "Revealer, Golden Armor, return with the local spirit and secretly protect my master, my younger brother, the prefectural king, and his son. Let the City God of this locality guard the city." All the spirits received their orders and departed.

This Great Sage mounted his somersault cloud and traveled through the night. Around the hour of Yin, he arrived at the Eastern Gate of Heaven, where he happened to meet the Heavenly King Virūpākṣa, along with heavenly soldiers and strength-bearing spirits in ceremonial procession. All stopped and bowed, saying, "Where is the Great Sage going?" Pilgrim returned their greetings and said, "I'm going to the Miao Yan Palace." The Heavenly King said, "You're not taking the road to the Western Heaven, so why have you come to the Eastern Heaven?" Pilgrim said, "Because I arrived at Jade Flower Prefecture, where the prefectural king entertained me and sent his three sons to worship my brothers and me as teachers to learn martial arts. Unexpectedly, we encountered a pack of lion demons. Now I have learned that the Heavenly Honored Savior of Salvation of the Miao Yan Palace is the master of the demon, and I wish to invite him to come and subdue the demon and rescue my master." The Heavenly King said, "That's because you wanted to be a teacher, so you stirred up this den of lions." Pilgrim laughed and said, "That's exactly it, that's exactly it." All the heavenly soldiers and strength-bearing spirits bowed and made way for him. The Great Sage entered the Eastern Gate of Heaven and, after a short time, arrived before the Miao Yan Palace. There they saw:

Layers of colored clouds piled high,

Violet vapors thick and dense.

Tiles rippled with golden waves,

The gate had jade beasts, lofty and grand.

Flowers filled the twin towers, crimson clouds encircling,

Sunlight shone on the forest of qian, emerald mist shrouding.

Truly, ten thousand perfected ones gathered in homage,

A thousand sages flourished.

Hall after hall of embroidered splendor,

Window upon window, all open and clear.

Azure dragons coiled, guarding the divine light, gentle and bright,

The Yellow Way shone, auspicious vapors rich and strong.

This was indeed the Azure Youth's Land of Eternal Joy,

The Eastern Pole Miao Yan Palace.

At the palace gate stood an immortal youth dressed in a rainbow-feathered garment, who, suddenly seeing the Great Sage Sun, entered the palace to report: "Master, outside is the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, who once made havoc in Heaven." When the Heavenly Saviour of the Supreme Unity heard this, he immediately ordered his attendant immortals to go out and welcome him. When they reached the palace, they saw the Heavenly Saviour sitting high on a nine-colored lotus throne, surrounded by a hundred billion auspicious rays of light. Seeing the Pilgrim, he descended from his throne to meet him. The Pilgrim bowed to him in ceremonial salutation. The Heavenly Saviour returned the greeting and said: "Great Sage, it has been several years since we last met. I heard earlier that you had abandoned the Way and returned to the Buddha, protecting the Tang Monk on his journey to the West to fetch scriptures. I suppose your merit is now complete?" The Pilgrim said: "The merit is not yet complete, but it is nearly there. However, just now, because we were protecting the Tang Monk and had arrived in Yuhua Prefecture, the prince there had his three sons pay homage to Old Sun and the others as their teachers to learn martial arts. We had three of our divine weapons copied, but during the night they were stolen by thieves. When dawn came and we searched for them, it turned out that a golden-haired lion spirit from the Tiger's Mouth Cave on Leopard Head Mountain north of the city had stolen them. Old Sun used a plan to retrieve them, but then that fiend gathered many lion spirits and made a great disturbance with Old Sun. Among them was a nine-headed lion with vast supernatural powers, who seized my master, Eight Rules, and the four members of the prince's father and sons, carrying them all off to the Nine Bends Coiling Cave on Bamboo Joint Mountain. The next day, Old Sun and Sha Monk followed the trail to search, but they too were carried off. Old Sun was tied up and beaten countless times, but fortunately he used a spell to escape. They are still there suffering. When I asked the local earth spirit, I learned that the Heavenly Saviour is its master, so I have come especially to invite you to subdue and rescue them."

When the Heavenly Saviour heard these words, he ordered an immortal general to go to the lion house and summon the lion keeper for questioning. That keeper was fast asleep; he was only awakened by the generals pushing and shaking him. They dragged him into the central hall to appear before the Heavenly Saviour. The Heavenly Saviour asked: "Where is the lion beast?" The keeper wept as he kowtowed, crying only: "Spare my life, spare my life." The Heavenly Saviour said: "The Great Sage Sun is here; for now I will not beat you. Quickly tell me how you were careless and let the nine-headed lion escape." The lion keeper said: "Master, a few days ago I saw a bottle of wine in the Great Sweet Dew Hall. Not knowing what it was, I stole it and drank it. Before I knew it, I was drunk and fell asleep. I neglected to fasten the tether, so it escaped." The Heavenly Saviour said: "That wine was a gift from the Supreme Lord Laozi, called the Reincarnation Jade Liquid. After drinking it, you should be drunk for three days without waking. How many days has that lion beast been gone now?" The Great Sage said: "According to the earth spirit, it came down to the mortal world the year before last, so it has been two or three years." The Heavenly Saviour laughed and said: "That's right, that's right—one day in the Heavenly Palace equals one year in the mortal world." He said to the lion keeper: "Get up for now. I will spare you the death penalty. Come with me and the Great Sage down to the mortal world to retrieve it. All you immortals may return; there is no need to follow."

So the Heavenly Saviour, together with the Great Sage and the lion keeper, rode on clouds straight to Bamboo Joint Mountain. There they saw the Five Directional Revealers, the Six Ding and Six Jia spirits, and the local earth spirit all kneeling to welcome them. The Pilgrim said: "You have been protecting them here—have you harmed my master?" The spirits said: "The fiend grew angry and fell asleep; he has not used any torture at all." The Heavenly Saviour said: "My Yuansheng'er is also a true spirit who has long cultivated the Way: when he roars, his voice reaches the Three Sages above and penetrates the Nine Springs below. Normally he does not harm living creatures. Great Sage Sun, go to his cave entrance and challenge him, lure him out, and I will subdue him."

When the Pilgrim heard this, he indeed raised his staff and leaped to the cave entrance, shouting loudly: "Fiendish fiend, give me back my people! Fiendish fiend, give me back my people!" He called several times, but the old fiend was asleep and no one answered. The Pilgrim, being impatient, swung his iron staff and charged into the cave, shouting and cursing without stopping. Only then was the old fiend awakened. Furious, he got up, roared: "Prepare for battle!" Shook his head, then opened his mouth to bite. The Pilgrim turned and leaped back outside. The fiend chased after him and shouted: "Thieving monkey, where are you running?" The Pilgrim stood on a high cliff and laughed, saying: "Do you still dare to be so brazen and insolent? You don't even know whether you are alive or dead. Is this not your master's master here?" The fiend rushed to the cliff, but before he could reach it, the Heavenly Saviour recited a spell and shouted: "Yuansheng'er, I am here." The fiend recognized his master and dared not struggle; he dropped to the ground on all four legs, only kowtowing. The lion keeper ran over, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and punched him on the neck a hundred times, cursing: "You beast, why did you steal away and make me suffer?" The lion beast shut its mouth, said nothing, and dared not move. The lion keeper only stopped when his hands grew tired. He then placed a brocade saddle on the beast's back. The Heavenly Saviour mounted it, shouted an order to go, and the beast leaped up, riding on colored clouds straight back to the Miao Yan Palace.

The Great Sage looked up to the sky and gave thanks, then entered the cave. First he freed the King of Yuhua, then he freed Tripitaka Tang, and then he freed Eight Rules, Sha Monk, and the three princes. Together they searched the cave's contents, calmly and unhurriedly, and led everyone out of the cave. Eight Rules gathered some dry firewood, piled it up front and back, and set it ablaze, turning the Nine Bends Coiling Cave into a blackened, broken tile kiln. The Great Sage then dismissed the various spirits and ordered the earth spirit to remain there to guard the place. He then ordered Eight Rules and Sha Monk to each use their magic to carry the prince and his sons on their backs back to the prefectural city. He himself supported the Tang Monk. Before long, they reached the prefectural city, as the sky was gradually growing dark. The local princess and officials all came out to welcome them. A vegetarian feast was laid out, and everyone sat down to enjoy it. The elder and his disciples stayed to rest in the Gauze Pavilion. The princes entered the palace to sleep. There was no further incident that night.

The next day, the prince issued another decree, ordering a great vegetarian banquet. All the officials, high and low throughout the entire prefecture, came one by one to give thanks. The Pilgrim then summoned the butcher, had the six live lions slaughtered, and together with the yellow lion, had them all skinned. The meat was prepared for consumption. The prince was greatly pleased and ordered them butchered: one was kept for use by the people inside and outside the prince's residence; one was distributed to the chief steward and other officials of the prince's palace; the remaining five were chopped into pieces weighing one or two ounces each, and school officials were sent to distribute them to the soldiers and commoners inside and outside the city walls, so that each person could have a taste—first, to let them sample the flavor, and second, to calm their shock. Every household, without exception, looked up in admiration.

Then the blacksmiths and other craftsmen finished forging the three weapons and kowtowed to the Pilgrim, saying: "Venerable Sir, we commoners have completed our work." The Pilgrim asked: "How much does each weigh?" The blacksmiths said: "The golden-banded staff weighs a thousand catties; the nine-toothed rake and the demon-routing staff each weigh eight hundred catties." The Pilgrim said: "Very well." He ordered the three princes to come out and each take up his weapon. The three princes said to the old king: "Father King, today the weapons are finished." The old king said: "Because of these weapons, we nearly lost the lives of father and sons." The young prince said: "Fortunately, we were blessed that the divine teachers used their magic arts to rescue us and also swept away the evil fiends, removing future troubles. Truly this is a time when the seas are calm and the rivers are clear, a world of great peace!" At that time, the old king and the princes rewarded and comforted the craftsmen, then went to the Gauze Pavilion to bow and thank their teachers.

Tripitaka then instructed the Great Sage and the others to hurry and teach the martial arts, not to delay their journey. The three of them each took up their weapons and, in the courtyard of the prince's residence, taught one move at a time. Within a few days, the three princes had all practiced until they were thoroughly proficient. As for the remaining methods of advancing and retreating in attack and defense, and the secrets of speed and slowness, each had seventy-two variations, and they mastered them all. This was, first, because the princes were resolute in their determination, and second, because the Great Sage Sun had first transmitted divine strength to them, so that they could lift and wield this staff of a thousand catties, and the rake and staff of eight hundred catties. Compared to the martial arts they had practiced on their own before, it was like the difference between heaven and earth. There is a poem to prove this. The poem says:

Because of good fortune they met divine teachers,

Practicing martial arts, who would have thought they'd stir up strange lions?

Sweeping away all evil fiends to pacify the state,

Reverting to one body to secure the border regions.

The Nine Natures' number accords with the primal yang principle,

The four sides penetrate the fruit of the Way.

Receiving and transmitting the clear mind, leaving it for ten thousand ages,

Yuhua enjoys eternal peace in a time of great harmony.

The prince then held another grand banquet to thank the masters for their teachings. He also brought out a large tray of gold and silver as a token of his humble gratitude. The elder laughed and said, “Take it back quickly, take it back quickly. We who have left the household, what use have we for it?” Eight Rules, standing nearby, said, “We truly dare not accept gold and silver. However, this robe of mine was torn and pulled apart by those lion spirits. If you would just give us new robes, that would be thanks enough.” The prince immediately ordered tailors to bring several bolts of green brocade, red brocade, and brown brocade, each in the original colors and styles, and had a robe made for each of the three. They accepted them joyfully, each donning their brocade straight robes, packed their travel gear, and set off. At this, everyone in the city, whether noble or common, praised them as arhats descending to the mortal world and living Buddhas coming down to earth. The sound of drums and music, the colors of banners and pennants, filled the streets. Truly, incense was burned before every household’s door, and colored lanterns were offered before every gate. The crowd escorted them far away before returning, and only then could the four master and disciples leave the city and head westward. This departure at once separated them from the herd of lions, and they focused their minds on attaining the true fruit. Truly:

Carefree and worry-free they came to the Buddha’s realm;

With sincere hearts and true intent they ascended to Thunderclap.

After all, we do not know how much farther the journey to the Spirit Mountain is, nor when they will arrive. Listen to the next chapter for the explanation.