Chapter 61

Zhu Bajie Lends His Strength to Defeat the Demon King; Pilgrim Sun Seeks the Banana-Leaf Fan a Third Time

The Bull Demon King caught up with the Great Sage Sun and saw him walking along, the banana-leaf fan slung over his shoulder, his face bright with pleasure. The demon king was astonished. “That monkey has even coaxed out the way to use it. If I ask him for it face to face, he will never give it up. If he fans me, I will be blown 108,000 li away, just as he wishes. I hear the Tang monk is waiting on the main road. I knew his second disciple, the pig spirit, and his third, the sand-stream spirit, back when I was a demon. I will take the pig's shape and cheat the monkey in turn. Delighted with his success, he will scarcely be on guard.” The demon king, too, knew seventy-two transformations and was the Great Sage's equal in combat, though his bulk made him rather less quick and nimble. He hid his precious swords, recited a spell, shook himself, and took on Bajie's exact appearance. By a shortcut he came toward the Great Sage and cried, “Brother, here I am!”

The Great Sage was indeed delighted. As the ancients say, “A victorious cat rejoices like a tiger.” Relying on his prowess, he gave no thought to the other's intentions. Seeing what looked like Bajie, he called, “Brother, where are you going?” The Bull King adopted the proper story: “Master hasn't seen you return for so long. Fearing that the Bull Demon King was too strong for you to defeat or to take his treasure, he sent me to meet you.” Pilgrim laughed. “No need to worry. I have it already.” “How did you get it?” the Bull King asked. “The old bull fought me for a hundred rounds or so, without a winner. Then he left me to drink with dragon and flood-dragon spirits beneath Green-Wave Pool on Rocky Mountain. I followed him secretly, became a crab, stole the water-cleaving, golden-eyed beast he rode, and took the bull's shape. Then I went straight to Banana Cave and tricked the Raksasi. She and I played husband and wife without a marriage; that was how I contrived to get it.” “You have suffered a great deal,” said the Bull King. “Brother, you have worked too hard. Let me carry the fan.” The Great Sage Sun, suspecting nothing and giving it no thought, handed it over.

The Bull King knew the secret of enlarging and shrinking the fan. Once it was in his hand he formed some sign, and it became as small as an apricot leaf. He resumed his own form and cursed, “Brazen ape! Do you know me now?” Pilgrim saw him and thought remorsefully, “This was my mistake.” Stamping his foot in fury, he cried, “Year after year I have hunted geese, and today a gosling has pecked out my eyes!” Furious as thunder, he drew his iron staff and struck at the bull's head. The demon king fanned him once. But earlier, when the Great Sage had entered the Raksasi's belly as a tiny insect, he had held the Wind-Stilling Pill in his mouth and accidentally swallowed it. His organs were anchored, his bones and skin firm: fan as the bull might, he could not shift him. Alarmed, the Bull King popped the treasure into his mouth, seized a sword in each hand, and slashed. Fierce was their battle in midair:

Great Sage Sun, Equal to Heaven; brazen Bull King, scourge of the world:For the banana-leaf fan they meet and test their strength.The careless Sage was duped by another's guise;The daring Bull King cheated back the fan.One raises his gold-banded staff without mercy;The other's twin sharp blades are wielded with skill.The Sage breathes colored mist as he shows his power;The reckless bull exhales a brilliant glow.They vie in courage, two unruly foes,Grinding their teeth in rising rage.Earth and dust darken heaven and ground;Flying sand and rocks send ghosts and gods to cover.One cries, “How dare you cheat me in your ignorance?”The other: “You made free with my wife!”Their words are coarse, their tempers fierce.He cries, “You tricked another's wife and daughter: you deserve death;Bring this to court, and you will answer for your crime.”The nimble Sage Equal to Heaven, the fierce and stubborn Mighty King,Both seek only to kill; neither will negotiate.Staff strikes and swords parry with all their might:A moment's slackness sends one to King Yama.

Leave them locked in battle. The Tang monk was sitting beside the road, oppressed by the searing heat and anxious and thirsty. He asked the local earth god of the Flaming Mountains, “May I ask, honored god, how powerful is the Bull Demon King?” “His powers are considerable, his magic boundless. He is truly a match for the Great Sage Sun.” Tripitaka said, “Wukong travels swiftly. Ordinarily he could cover two thousand li and return in a moment. Why has he been gone a whole day? He must be fighting the Bull King.” He called, “Wuneng, Wujing, will one of you go to meet your elder brother? If he faces an enemy, lend him your strength, obtain the fan, relieve my distress, and let us cross the mountain and continue our journey soon.” Bajie said, “It's getting late. I would go to meet him, but I don't know the road to Mount Thunderclap.” The earth god said, “I know it. Let the Curtain-Raising General keep your master company; I will go with you.” Tripitaka was overjoyed. “Thank you, honored god. I will thank you again when you succeed.”

Bajie roused himself, tightened his black brocade robe, hoisted his rake, and rose on a cloud with the earth god, heading east. As they traveled, they heard shouts of combat and a rolling gale. Bajie halted his cloud and looked: Pilgrim Sun and the Bull King were fighting. “Marshal Tianpeng,” said the earth god, “why aren't you going to his aid?” The Idiot drew his rake and shouted, “Brother, here I am!” Pilgrim cried bitterly, “You oaf! What a great affair you have ruined for me!” “Master sent me to meet you,” Bajie said. “I didn't know the road, so after much discussion the earth god came to guide me. How has my late arrival ruined anything?” “I don't mean your arrival. This insolent bull! I got the fan from the Raksasi, but he took your likeness and said he had come to meet me. In my delight I handed him the fan. Then he resumed his own shape, and here we are fighting. That's the affair he has ruined!” Bajie flew into a rage. Raising his rake, he cursed the bull: “You plague-ridden sack of blood! How dare you take your ancestor's shape to deceive my brother and set us against each other?” He swung his rake wildly at every part of the bull.

The Bull King had fought Pilgrim all day and was weary in body and spirit; besides, Bajie's rake was so fierce he could not fend it off. Defeated, he fled, but the earth god of the Flaming Mountains led his underworld soldiers across his path. “Mighty King, stop! Tripitaka Tang is traveling west for the scriptures. Every god protects him, all Heaven aids him; the three realms know of it, and the ten directions support him. Bring out the banana-leaf fan at once to extinguish the flames and let him cross the mountain safely without obstacle. Otherwise Heaven will hold you to account and you will surely perish.” “You earth god understand nothing,” said the Bull King. “That brazen ape took my son, bullied my concubine, and deceived my wife. Again and again he has done me wrong. I would gladly swallow him whole, turn him to dung, and feed him to the dogs. How could I lend him my treasure?”

Before he had finished, Bajie caught up and cursed, “You heart-sick wretch! Hand over the fan and I'll spare your life.” The Bull King turned and fought Bajie with his precious swords. The Great Sage Sun came to his aid with the staff. Fierce was that battle:

A pig become a spirit, a bull become a monster,And with them a monkey who stole Heaven's art and found the Way.The meditative nature has always endured the forge of battle;Earth must be joined to the primal source.The nine teeth of the rake are keen and pointed;The precious sword's two edges are sharper still.The iron staff is the chief weapon, thrust and swept;The earth god lends his force to perfect the elixir.Three houses clash, each overcoming the next,Each showing his heroic skill and cunning.Catch the bull and plow the ground: the metal coin grows;Call the pig back to the furnace: the wood breath is gathered.How can one reach the Way with the mind elsewhere?Keep the spirit at home; tether the monkey.Wild cries, desperate demands;Three kinds of weapons whistle and ring.Rake teeth and sword blades strike with hostile purpose;The gold-banded staff rises for a reason.They battle till stars cease shining, the moon grows dim,And cold black mist fills the sky.

The demon king fought with desperate valor, retreating as he fought through the night without a decision. Dawn found them before his Cloud-Touching Cave on Mount Thunderclap. The noise of the three combatants, the earth god, and the underworld troops startled Princess Jade-Face, who sent a maid to discover its cause. A little gatekeeper reported, “Our lord is fighting that thunder-god-faced fellow from yesterday, a monk with a long snout and great ears, the earth god of the Flaming Mountains, and his troops.” Princess Jade-Face ordered all her outer-guard captains, great and small, to take up spears and swords to help. More than a hundred armed creatures, tall and short, marched out flourishing their weapons. “Great King,” they said, “our mistress has sent us to help you!” “Good, good!” the Bull King cried. They rushed forward slashing. Bajie was caught off guard and fled, dragging his rake behind him. The Great Sage vaulted out of the encirclement on his somersault cloud, and the underworld troops scattered. Victorious, the old bull gathered his demons inside and barred the cave doors.

“This creature is fierce,” said Pilgrim. “He has fought me since yesterday around the hour of the monkey, all through the night, without a victor. You two joined the fight, but after half a day and a night he still shows no fatigue. And those little demons were unexpectedly sturdy. Now he has closed his gate and won't come out. What can we do?” “Brother,” said Bajie, “you left Master yesterday at the hour of the snake. Why didn't you fight the bull until the hour of the monkey? Where were you those two or three hours?” Pilgrim said, “Soon after leaving you I reached this mountain and met a woman. When I questioned her, she turned out to be his beloved concubine, Princess Jade-Face. I frightened her with my staff and she ran inside to call out the Bull King. He and I traded insults for a while, then fought for an hour. In the midst of the battle someone invited him to a feast. I followed him beneath Green-Wave Pool on Rocky Mountain, became a crab to learn what was happening, stole his water-cleaving, golden-eyed beast, and assumed his likeness. I returned to Banana Cave on Mount Emerald Cloud, deceived the Raksasi, and got her fan. Outside, I practiced using it and enlarged it, but could not shrink it. As I carried it off, he took your face and cheated it back from me. That accounts for the two or three hours.”

“As the saying goes,” Bajie said, “‘A tofu boat capsizes on the ocean: what comes in broth goes out in water.’ Now we cannot get his fan. How will we get Master across the mountain? Let's go back and find some other damned road.” “Don't fret, Great Sage,” said the earth god. “And don't give up, Tianpeng. A detour is a false path, unworthy of one pursuing spiritual cultivation. The ancients say, ‘Do not travel by shortcuts.’ How can you turn aside? Your master sits on the true road, longing for your success.” “Exactly!” said Pilgrim fiercely. “Idiot, stop talking nonsense. The earth god is right. We must:

Contest the outcome, try our skill;Let me employ the earthly transformations.Since heading west I have met no equal;The Bull King, too, is kin to the mind-monkey's changes.Now we shall meet the source of our powers:I will stand my ground until we borrow that treasured fan.Bring cooling air, extinguish the flames,Break stubborn emptiness and behold the Buddha's face.When our task is done, we shall rise to the blissful heavenAnd attend the Dragon-Flower feast together.”

Hearing him, Bajie rallied and spoke eagerly:

“Yes, yes, yes! Come, come, come! What does it matter what the Bull King knows?Wood is born in Hai, whose sign is the pig;Lead the bull around and bring him back to earth.Metal is born under Shen, the monkey's sign;Without conflict or restraint, harmony abounds.Use the banana leaf as water's emblem;Quench the flames and bring water and fire into union.Toil day and night until the work is done;When it is finished, hurry to the Ullambana feast.”

With the earth god and his troops, they advanced, swinging rake and iron staff until, amid a clatter of blows, they smashed the entrance of Cloud-Touching Cave to pieces. Its guards trembled and rushed inside to report, “Great King! Sun Wukong and his followers have broken down the front gate!” The Bull King was recounting the affair to Princess Jade-Face and nursing his hatred of Pilgrim. Enraged by the news, he hastily put on his armor, took up his iron club, and emerged shouting, “Brazen ape! Who do you think you are, coming here to raise havoc and break my door?” Bajie stepped forward and cursed, “You flayed old scoundrel! Who are you to judge how great anyone is? Stand and face my rake!” “You filthy gluttonous oaf,” the Bull King cried, “you're beneath my notice. Send the monkey forward!” “You grass-eating fool,” Pilgrim answered, “yesterday I called you brother; today we are enemies. Watch out for my staff!” The Bull King charged. This contest was fiercer than the last, as three heroes fought in a tangle:

Rake and iron staff display divine might;They lead underworld troops against the ancient bull.The beast alone shows his ferocious strength,His magic filling heaven's breadth.The rake thrusts, the club pounds,The hero of the iron staff works fresh wonders.Three weapons ring in battle;They block and parry, neither side yielding.He claims first place; I claim the crown;The earth's soldiers witness a fight none can settle,Wood and earth locked together, rising and falling.Two cry, “Why won't you lend the banana-leaf fan?”The other cries, “How dare you cheat my wife?You drove off my concubine and harmed my son; that debt is unpaid,And now you break down my door and spread alarm!”One says, “Beware the As-You-Will Staff:The slightest touch will tear your skin.”The other: “Take care to dodge my rake's teeth:One blow opens nine blood-soaked holes.”The Bull Demon fears no show of strength;He raises his iron club and watches for his chance.They turn the clouds and rain as they come and go,Spit fog and blow wind as they please.All fight to the death with bitter hatred,Each intent on standing fast against the others.They shift their stances, contesting every advantage,Parrying before and behind without an opening.The two brothers give their strength together;The solitary bull fights on with a single club.From the hour of the hare past the hour of the dragon they battle;At last the Bull Demon withdraws with no way to fight on.

The three fought more than a hundred further rounds, reckless of life. Relying on Pilgrim's powers, Bajie grew obstinate and struck wildly with his rake. Unable to fend him off, the Bull King turned toward the cave, but the earth god and his troops barred the entrance. “Where are you going, Mighty King? We are here!” The old bull could not enter. As Bajie and Pilgrim approached, he hastily shed his armor, threw down his club, shook himself, and became a swan soaring into the sky.

“The old bull is gone, Bajie,” Pilgrim laughed. The Idiot and the earth god, not knowing how, looked everywhere around Mount Thunderclap. “Isn't that him in the sky?” Pilgrim pointed. “That's a swan,” said Bajie. “The old bull transformed into it.” “What should we do, then?” asked the earth god. “Break through the gate, wipe out the demons, destroy his den, and cut off his retreat. I will contest transformations with him.” Bajie and the earth god attacked the cave as he had instructed.

The Great Sage put away his staff, formed a sign, recited a spell, and became a sea falcon. With a sweep of his wings he pierced the clouds, swooped onto the swan, seized its neck, and pecked at its eyes. The Bull King knew it was Pilgrim Sun. Shaking his wings, he became a yellow hawk and turned to attack the falcon. Pilgrim became a black phoenix and pursued the hawk. Recognizing him, the bull became a white crane and flew south with a long cry. Pilgrim hovered, shook out his feathers, and became a vermilion phoenix, singing loudly. The crane saw the king of birds, before whom no bird dared stir. He swept down to the cliff and changed into a fragrant musk deer, nibbling grass at its foot. Pilgrim recognized him and landed, becoming a hungry tiger. He lashed his tail, pawed the ground, and chased the deer for food. Alarmed, the demon king became a golden, spotted leopard and threatened the tiger. Facing the wind, Pilgrim tossed his head and became a gold-eyed suanni lion, with a thunderous voice, iron brow, and bronze head, turning to devour the leopard. The Bull King became a bear-man and charged to seize the suanni. Pilgrim rolled over and became a huge mangy elephant, its trunk like a long snake, its tusks like bamboo shoots. He unfurled his trunk to coil around the bear-man.

The Bull King chuckled and revealed his true form: a great white bull, with a head like a rugged mountain, flashing eyes, horns like two iron towers, and teeth ranked like sharp knives. From head to tail he stretched more than a thousand zhang, and from hoof to back he stood eight hundred zhang tall. “Brazen ape!” he shouted. “What can you do to me now?” Pilgrim returned to his own shape, drew his gold-banded staff, bent at the waist, and cried, “Grow!” He grew ten thousand zhang tall, with a head like Mount Tai, eyes like sun and moon, a mouth like a pool of blood, teeth like gate leaves, and an iron staff in his hands that he brought down on the bull's head. The Bull King lowered his head and met it with his horns. They shook mountains and ridges and startled heaven and earth. There is a poem to prove it. The poem says:

The Way rises a foot; the demon, a thousand zhang;The cunning mind-monkey subdues him by force.To rid the fiery mountain of fierce flames,The treasured fan must bring its cooling air.The Yellow Matron resolves to aid the primal elder;The Wood Mother sets her heart on sweeping demons away.The five elements unite and reach their true fruition;Refine the demon, wash away defilement, and journey west.

As the two displayed their supernatural powers on the mountainside, they alarmed all the gods passing through the sky. The Golden-Headed Guardian, the Six Jia and Six Ding, and the eighteen monastery guardians came to surround the demon king. He showed no fear. His two straight, shining iron horns thrust east and west; his bristling, sinewy tail lashed north and south. The Great Sage Sun faced him head-on while the gods struck from every side. Pressed hard, the Bull King rolled on the ground, resumed his ordinary shape, and fled to Banana Cave. Pilgrim, too, shed his gigantic form and pursued with the gods. The demon king entered the cave and shut the door. Together they surrounded Mount Emerald Cloud so tightly that not a drop of water could pass.

As they were about to attack, Bajie arrived shouting with the earth god and his underworld troops. “What happened at Cloud-Touching Cave?” Pilgrim asked. Bajie laughed. “I struck the old bull's wife dead with my rake. I opened her clothes and found that she was a jade-faced fox spirit. All his demons were donkeys, mules, calves, bulls, badgers, foxes, raccoon dogs, musk deer, sheep, tigers, elk, and deer. We have killed them all and burned the chambers and galleries of the cave. The earth god said he has another household on this mountain, so we came to clear it out as well.” “Good work, brother,” Pilgrim said. “For my part, I have merely contested transformations with the old bull without defeating him. He became an immeasurably large white bull, and I took on a form as vast as heaven and earth. While we battled, the gods arrived and surrounded him. After a time he resumed his shape and ran inside.” “Is that Banana Cave?” asked Bajie. “It is. The Raksasi is in there.” “Then why not break in, kill the scoundrel, and demand his fan,” cried Bajie, “instead of letting the pair rest, gather their wits, and talk together?”

The Idiot mustered his might and struck the gate with his rake. With a crash, one side of the stone cliff and its doorway collapsed. A frightened maid ran to report, “My lord, someone has smashed the front gate!” The Bull King had just rushed inside, panting, to tell the Raksasi about his struggle with Pilgrim for the fan. At the news he grew furious and spat out the fan, handing it to her. In tears, she said, “My lord, give the fan to that monkey and make him withdraw his troops.” “Wife, the object may be small, but my hatred runs deep. Sit here while I fight him once more.” The demon put his armor back on, chose two precious swords, and went out. He met Bajie battering the gate with his rake and, without a word, slashed at his head. Bajie parried with the rake, retreated several paces through the doorway, and found the Great Sage swinging his staff overhead. The Bull Demon rode a violent wind away from the cave, and their battle resumed on Mount Emerald Cloud. The gods surrounded them while the earth god's troops attacked from either side. Fierce again was the battle:

Clouds bewilder the world; fog veils heaven and earth.Cold winds sweep sand and stones about;Towering anger churns the sea to murk.Two swords sharpened anew, a full suit of armor restored;Their grievance runs as deep as the sea,And rancor kindles further wrath.The Great Sage Equal to Heaven seeks achievement,Forgetting his old friend of former years.Bajie wields his might to claim the fan;The gods guarding the Law come to catch the Bull King.Both his hands move without pause;He blocks left and right, showing all his strength.They fight till birds fold their wings and cannot cross,And swimming fish dive deep and cease to leap.Ghosts weep and gods howl in the darkened heavens;Dragons grieve, tigers fear, and sunlight fades.

The Bull King fought as though willing to die. After more than fifty rounds he could hold out no longer and fled north. There the Mighty Demon-Subduing Vajra of Secret-Demon Crag on Mount Wutai barred his way. “Bull Demon, where are you going? Shakyamuni Buddha sent me to spread a net of heaven and earth and capture you here.” The Great Sage, Bajie, and the gods came close behind. The demon king turned south, only to encounter the Victorious Supreme Vajra of Boundless Power from Cool Cave on Mount Emei. “By the Buddha's command I am here to seize you!” Panicking, the Bull King fled east. The Mighty Vairocana Shramana Vajra of Ear-Touching Cliff on Mount Sumeru met him: “Old bull, where are you bound? The Tathagata sent me in secret to capture you.” Trembling, the Bull King withdrew westward, where the Indestructible Ever-Abiding Sovereign Vajra of Golden-Cloud Ridge on Mount Kunlun opposed him. “Where can the scoundrel run? I have the Buddha's own orders from the Great Thunderclap Monastery in the Western Heaven to guard this pass. Who would let you through?”

Terrified, the old bull bitterly regretted his course. On every side stood celestial generals and the Buddha's troops, a net spread high from which he could not escape alive. In his confusion he heard Pilgrim's forces approaching and flew upward on a cloud. But Heavenly King Li, the Pagoda Bearer, and Prince Nezha had drawn a screen across the sky with the Fish-Belly Yaksha and the Giant-Spirit General. “Stop!” they cried. “By the Jade Emperor's command, we have come to destroy you.” Desperate, the Bull King again became the great white bull and charged Heavenly King Li with his iron horns. The king struck with his sword. Pilgrim Sun arrived behind them. Prince Nezha called loudly, “Great Sage, I wear my armor and cannot bow to you. Yesterday my father and I saw that the Tathagata Buddha had sent a dispatch to the Jade Emperor: the Tang monk was stopped by the Flaming Mountains, and the Great Sage Sun could not subdue the Bull Demon King. The Jade Emperor expressly commanded my father to lead his troops to help.” “This scoundrel has formidable powers,” said Pilgrim. “In a body like this, how can we handle him?” Nezha laughed. “Fear nothing, Great Sage. Watch me catch him.”

“Change!” cried the prince, becoming three-headed and six-armed. He leaped onto the Bull King's back and swept his demon-cleaving sword across the neck, severing his head. Heavenly King Li put away his sword and greeted Pilgrim. Another head sprang from the bull's neck, breathing black vapor and flashing golden light from its eyes. Nezha cut it off, and another grew. He cut a dozen heads off in succession; as many promptly grew back. Nezha took out a fire wheel, hooked it onto the bull's horn, and blew true fire. The roaring flames scorched the bull until he bellowed and thrashed his head and tail. As he tried to transform and escape, Heavenly King Li shone the demon-revealing mirror upon his true form. The bull was held fast, unable to move or flee. “Spare my life! I will submit to the Buddha's teaching!” he cried. “If you value your life, bring out the fan,” said Nezha. “My wife is keeping it on the mountain,” the Bull King said.

Nezha unfastened his demon-binding cord, looped it around the bull's neck, grasped his nose, threaded the cord through his nostrils, and led him away. Pilgrim Sun assembled the Four Great Vajras, the Six Ding and Six Jia, the monastery guardians, Heavenly King Li, the Giant-Spirit General, Bajie, the earth god, and the underworld troops. Escorting the white bull, they returned to Banana Cave. “Wife, bring out the fan and save my life!” the old bull called. At his voice the Raksasi took off her hairpins and ornaments, changed out of her colorful clothes, bound up her black hair like a Daoist nun, and put on plain white garments like a Buddhist nun. Holding the twelve-foot banana-leaf fan in both hands, she came outside. Seeing the Vajras, the saints, the Heavenly King, and his son, she knelt and bowed. “Bodhisattvas, please spare my husband and me. I will gladly present the fan to Uncle Sun so he may accomplish his task.” Pilgrim came forward, took the fan, and returned with all the company on auspicious clouds along the eastern road.

Tripitaka and Sha Monk had been standing, then sitting, waiting anxiously for Pilgrim to return. Suddenly auspicious clouds filled the sky and blessed light spread over the earth as the gods drew near. “Wujing,” said the frightened elder, “whose divine army is coming from over there?” “Master, those are the Four Great Vajras, the Golden-Headed Guardian, the Six Jia and Six Ding, the monastery guardians, and the gods who passed by. Prince Nezha is leading the bull; Heavenly King Li, the Pagoda Bearer, holds the mirror; our elder brother carries the banana-leaf fan. Our second brother and the earth god follow them, and the rest are divine guards.” Tripitaka put on his Vairocana hat and cassock and bowed with Wujing to welcome the saints. “What merit has your disciple earned,” he asked, “that I should trouble so many honored saints to descend to earth?” The Four Great Vajras said, “Holy monk, rejoice! Your work is nearly done. The Buddha commanded us to aid you. Apply yourself to your practice with all your strength, and never neglect it for an instant.” Tripitaka clicked his teeth and bowed, accepting their charge with body and soul.

The Great Sage Sun carried the fan to the mountain's edge and waved it once with all his strength. The flames of the Flaming Mountains sank away, and their radiance vanished. Delighted, Pilgrim fanned a second time. A gentle, sighing breeze stirred. At the third stroke, clouds spread across the sky and fine rain softly fell. There is a poem to prove it. The poem says:

The Flaming Mountains stretch eight hundred li afar;Their fire makes their name renowned across the earth.Fire sears the five leaks: the elixir cannot ripen;Fire burns the three passes: the Way cannot be cleared.The banana leaf now lends its dew and rain;Heaven's generals come to aid this work of power.Lead the bull to the Buddha; end his wild defiance;When water joins with fire, the nature finds its peace.

Tripitaka was freed of heat and vexation, his heart and thoughts at rest. The four travelers bowed in gratitude to the Vajras, who returned to their sacred mountains. The Six Ding and Six Jia rose into the sky to protect them; the passing gods dispersed. Heavenly King Li and Nezha led the bull away to the Buddha's realm to report. Only the local earth god remained beside the Raksasi, keeping watch.

“Raksasi,” said Pilgrim, “why are you still standing here?” She knelt. “Great Sage, in your mercy, please return my fan.” Bajie shouted, “You vile woman, know your place! We spared your life, and now you demand the fan? Can't we take it across the mountain, sell it, and buy ourselves a snack? After all this effort, would we give it back? It's raining; go home!” She bowed again. “Great Sage, you said you would return it after quenching the fire. I regret that my conduct brought us to this. My lack of generosity forced you to muster all these troops. We, too, have attained human form, though not true fruition. My husband's true form is now being led west. I will never again behave rashly. Grant me my fan, and I shall begin anew, cultivating my nature and nourishing my life.” The earth god said, “Great Sage, she knows how to extinguish the fire completely. Let her do so and return the fan. Then I may dwell here in peace, help the people of this region, and receive their offerings of sacrificial food. It would be a great kindness.” Pilgrim said, “The villagers told me that fanning out the fire gives them just one year's harvest before it flares up again. How can its source be extinguished?” “Fan it forty-nine times in succession,” said the Raksasi, “and it will never burn again.”

Hearing this, Pilgrim took the fan and waved it forty-nine times toward the mountain with all his strength. Heavy rain streamed down upon it. The fan was truly a treasure: rain fell where there had been fire, while the sky stayed clear where there was none. The master and his disciples stood on dry ground and did not get wet.

They rested through the night. Next morning they made ready the horse and baggage and returned the fan to the Raksasi. “If I kept it,” Pilgrim said, “people might say I broke my word. Take it back to your mountain and cause no further trouble. Because you have attained a human body, I shall let you go.” She took the fan, spoke a spell, shrank it to the size of an apricot leaf, and held it in her mouth. After bowing in thanks to the saints, she lived in seclusion and cultivated herself. In time she too attained true fruition, and her name endured forever in the scriptures. The Raksasi and the earth god gave their grateful thanks and accompanied the travelers a little way. Pilgrim, Bajie, and Sha Monk escorted Tripitaka onward, cool in body and walking on moistened ground. As the saying has it:

When water and fire meet in perfect union, the true primal essence joins;With water and fire in balance, the great Way is attained.

How many years would pass before they returned to the Land of the East? Listen to the next chapter to find out.

Zhu Bajie Lends His Strength to Beat the Demon King; Pilgrim Sun Borrows the Banana-Leaf Fan a Third Time

The story goes that the Bull Demon King caught up with the Great Sage Sun and saw the banana-leaf fan riding on his shoulder, and how he walked along with a happy face. The demon king was shocked and said: "So the monkey coaxed the trick of using the thing out of her too. If I ask him for it to his face, he will surely not hand it over; and if he fans me once, I'll be blown a hundred and eight thousand li away—wouldn't that suit his plan exactly? I hear the Tang monk is waiting out on the main road. His second disciple is a pig spirit and his third a spirit of the Flowing Sand River; back when I was a demon myself, I met that one too. I will change into the pig spirit's shape and trick him in return. That monkey is drunk on his success, so he will never think to guard against me." A mighty demon king, this—he too had the seventy-two transformations, and his fighting skill equaled the Great Sage's; only his body was heavier and clumsier, slower and less nimble. He hid his precious sword, said a spell, shook himself, and changed into a perfect copy of Bajie's face. Taking a side path, he came face to face with the Great Sage and called out: "Brother, here I come."

The Great Sage was indeed overjoyed. As the ancients say, "a cat that has just won is as proud as a tiger." Relying on his own strength, he never stopped to read the stranger's mind. Seeing Bajie's shape, he called out: "Brother, where are you off to?" The Bull Demon King played along: "Master saw that you had been gone so long. He was afraid the Bull Demon King's powers were too great, that you could not beat him or get his treasure, so he sent me to meet you." Pilgrim laughed: "No need to trouble yourself. I already have it in hand." The Bull King asked: "How did you get it?" Pilgrim said: "That old bull and I fought a hundred-odd rounds with no winner. Then he dumped me and went down to the bottom of the Blue Waves Pool on Heaped Rocks Mountain to drink with a pack of flood-dragon spirits and dragon spirits. I followed him secretly, changed into a crab, stole the water-avoiding gold-eyed beast he rides, changed into the old bull's own shape, and went straight to Banana Cave to trick the Raksasi. That woman played husband and wife with old Sun for a while, and it was old Sun who schemed the fan out of her." The Bull King said: "You've had a hard time of it, brother. You've worked far too hard—hand the fan over to me." Sun the Great Sage, who could not tell true from false and never thought of this, passed the fan over.

Now the Bull King knew the secret of growing and shrinking the fan. The moment he had it in hand, he made some gesture or other, and it shrank again to the size of an apricot leaf, and his true form appeared. He opened his mouth and cursed: "Brazen monkey! Do you know me now?" Pilgrim saw, and repented in his heart: "This is my own fault." He groaned, stamped his foot, and cried out: "Ai! Year after year I go out shooting geese, and today a little gosling has pecked my eye." His fury exploded like thunder. He pulled out his iron staff and struck straight at the demon's head; the demon king gave him one wave of the fan. But when the Great Sage had earlier become a tiny insect and slipped into the Raksasi's belly, he had held the Wind-Fixing Pill in his mouth and swallowed it without knowing; so his five organs were set fast and his skin and bones grew solid, and no matter how hard anyone fanned, the wind could not move him. The Bull King panicked, popped the treasure into his own mouth, and hacked at him with both hands on his sword. Then the two of them had a grand battle in midair:

Sun the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven; the brazen Bull Demon King who wrecks the world—all for the banana-leaf fan they met, each striving to show his strength.The careless Great Sage had tricked a man; the bold Bull King had lied to win the fan.This one raised the gold-banded staff, with no pity in it;that one met him with a two-edged blade and kept his wits about him.The Great Sage breathed out colored mist; the Bull King spat out flashes of light.They matched their courage, neither yielding, grinding their teeth in high fury.They threw up dust that darkened heaven and earth; sand and stones flew, and ghosts and gods hid themselves.This one said: "How dare you, fool, trick me in return?"That one said: "My wife let you play the husband with her."Rough talk and wild words; hot tempers and stubborn hearts.That one said: "You toy with other men's wives and daughters—you deserve to die. Take it to court and the law will punish you."The quick-witted Sage of Equal Heaven, the savage Great-Strength Kinghad but one thought—to kill, with no talk of terms.Staff struck and sword parried, both strained their utmost; slacken but a little, and you meet King Yama.

Let us not speak of their fight, so hard to settle. The Tang monk sat on the road, scorched by the fiery air, anxious and thirsty, and asked the earth god of the Flaming Mountains: "May I ask you, revered god, what the Bull Demon King's magic is like?" The earth god said: "The Bull King's powers are not small. His magic is boundless, and he is a true match for the Great Sage Sun." Tripitaka said: "Wukong travels faster than anyone. A road of two thousand li used to take him only a moment—why has he been gone a whole day now? He must be locked in battle with that Bull King." He called out: "Wuneng, Wujing—which of you two will go and meet your brother? If you run into the enemy, help with all your strength. Get the fan and end my torment, so that we may cross the mountain early and be on our way." Bajie said: "It is late in the day. I would like to go and meet him, but I don't know the roads of Jilei Mountain." The earth god said: "This humble god knows them. Let the Curtain-Raising General stay and keep your master company, and I will go with you." Tripitaka was delighted: "Thank you for your trouble, revered god. When the deed is done I will thank you again."

Bajie braced his spirit, cinched up his black brocade robe, shouldered his rake, and rose with the earth god into clouds and mist, heading straight back east. As they went, they suddenly heard the shouting of battle high and a wild wind rolling. Bajie checked his cloud and looked: it was Pilgrim Sun and the Bull Demon King locked in combat. The earth god said: "Marshal Tianpeng, why don't you move up? What are you waiting for?" The Idiot whipped out his nail rake and shouted: "Brother, here I come!" Pilgrim snarled: "You clumsy lout! How much have you cost me!" Bajie said: "Master sent me to meet you. Because I didn't know the mountain roads, we talked it over a long while, and the earth god had to lead me—that's why I'm late. What have I cost you?" Pilgrim said: "I'm not blaming you for coming late. That brazen bull is utterly without honor. I got the fan from the Raksasi, but this scoundrel took your shape, said he had come to meet me, and I was so pleased that I handed him the fan. Then he showed his true form and fell to fighting me right here—that's what has ruined everything." At this Bajie's rage boiled up. He raised his nail rake and cursed him to his face: "You plague-sodden, blood-bloated wretch! How dare you put on your ancestor's own shape and trick my brother, and set brother against brother!" And see him swing the nail rake wildly, striking at head and face without plan.

The Bull King had already fought Pilgrim a whole day and was weary in body and mind; besides, Bajie's nail rake was savage and he could no longer ward it off, so he broke away and ran. The earth god of the Flaming Mountains led his dark troops and barred his path: "Great-Strength King, stop! The Tang monk Tripitaka is going to the Western Heaven for scriptures. There is no god who does not guard him and no heaven that does not shield him; all three realms know it, and powers from all ten quarters hold him up. Hand over the banana-leaf fan quickly and fan out these flames, so that he may cross the mountain with no disaster and no hindrance. If you refuse, Heaven itself will charge you with the crime, and you will be put to death." The Bull King said: "You earth god, you never weigh a matter. That brazen ape stole my son, abused my concubine, and cheated my wife—outrage upon outrage. I could gladly swallow him whole and turn him into a pile of dung for the dogs—how would I ever lend him my treasure?"

Before the words were out, Bajie came up cursing: "You scabby-hearted plague! Hand over that fan at once and I'll spare your life." The Bull King had no choice but to turn and fight Bajie with his precious sword. The Great Sage Sun raised his staff to help him, and the three fell to a fine battle:

A pig grown into a spirit, a bull turned demon, and with them a monkey who robbed heaven and won the Way.Their meditative natures, tempered in battle from the first, must be bound with earth to complete the work's first cause.The nine-pronged rake is keen and sharp; the two-edged sword is quick and supple.The iron staff coils and stretches, the pillar of the fight; the earth god's help gathers the seed of the elixir.Three powers clash and overcome each other in contest, each unrolling his craft and plotting his moves.Catch the ox to plow the field, and gold coins spring up; call the pig back to the furnace, and the wood's breath is gathered in.If the mind wanders, how can the Way be made? Keep the spirit at its post and tether the monkey fast.They bellow and clamor, they plead and press, and three kinds of blades ring and whistle through the air.The rake strikes and the sword wounds, with no good will in them; the gold-banded staff comes up with good reason.They fought until the stars gave no light and the moon shone dim, and cold mist hung black across the whole sky.

The demon king fought on with all his courage, moving and fighting as he went. They fought the whole night through with no result, and dawn came again. Ahead of him lay the mouth of the Cloud-Piercing Cave on his own Jilei Mountain. The three of them, with the earth god and his dark troops, made a din to split the ears, and it woke the Jade-Face Princess, who called a maidservant to see who was bawling out there. The little demon on gate duty came in to report: "It is our own master, with yesterday's fellow of the thundergod's beak, and a monk with a long snout and big ears, and the earth god of the Flaming Mountains and all his crowd, fighting it out." The Jade-Face Princess at once ordered the greater and lesser chiefs of her outer guard, every one with spear or blade, out to help. Front and back she mustered a hundred or more of them, tall and short, each showing off his mettle, twirling spears and swinging clubs, and all cried out together: "Great King and master, our lady sends us by her private order to help you!" The Bull King rejoiced: "Good—welcome, welcome!" The whole pack of demons charged forward hacking wildly. Bajie could not fend them off; he dragged his rake behind him and fled the field. The Great Sage turned a somersault cloud and leapt out of the press, and the dark troops scattered in all directions. The old bull, victorious, gathered his demons and went back into the cave and shut the cave door fast—no more of him for now.

Pilgrim said: "That fellow is a hard fighter. From about mid-afternoon yesterday, when he took me on, he fought straight through to tonight with no winner decided, and then you two came up to lend a hand. He has fought this hard for half a day and a night and shows no weariness at all—and now he has this pack of little demons behind him, tough ones too. He has shut the cave door and will not come out. What are we to do?" Bajie said: "Brother, you left Master at mid-morning yesterday. Why didn't you start fighting him till mid-afternoon? Where were you those two or three hours?" Pilgrim said: "After we parted, I reached this mountain in a flash and met a woman; I bowed in greeting and asked after her, and she turned out to be his darling concubine, the Jade-Face Princess. I gave her a fright with my iron staff, and she ran into the cave and called the Bull King out. He poured cutting words on me and we shouted a while; then we closed and fought for an hour. Right in the middle of it, someone called him away to a feast. I followed him down to the bottom of the Blue Waves Pool on Heaped Rocks Mountain, changed into a crab to pick up news, stole his water-avoiding gold-eyed beast, and took the Bull King's own shape. Then I went back to Banana Cave on Green Cloud Mountain, tricked the Raksasi, and got her fan. Outside the door I practiced the method, and stretched the fan out long, but I couldn't shrink it small again. Just as I was walking off with it spread, he took your face and shape and tricked it away from me. And that is how those two or three hours were lost."

Bajie said: "It is just as the proverb says: 'A bean-curd boat capsized in the great sea—gone in with the soup, out with the water.' Now that we cannot get the fan from him, how are we to carry Master over the mountain? Let's go back and take another road, and be done with it." The earth god said: "Great Sage, don't be vexed; Marshal Tianpeng, don't be lazy. To talk of turning aside is to slip in by the side gate—not the way of anyone who trains himself. The old saying goes: 'A man on the road does not cut across the fields.' How can we turn off? Your master is sitting on the true road this minute, watching with all his eyes for you to succeed." Pilgrim set his jaw: "So it is, so it is. Idiot, stop your nonsense—the earth god is right. We will go and settle it with him:" and he declaimed:

Let's stake the win and loss and play our tricks—wait till I work my changes of the earthly stars.Since I came west, no one has been my match; the Bull King is in truth the Mind-Ape transformed.This time I meet the very source of things; I must hold him fast and borrow the precious fan.While it is cool, put out the flames; break through dull emptiness and stand before the Buddha's face.When the work is full, rise to the heaven of bliss, and together we will all go to the Dragon-Flower Feast.

At these words Bajie took fresh heart, and he answered eagerly:

Yes, yes, yes—go, go, go! Who cares what the Bull King can and cannot do?Wood is born in hai and paired with the pig; lead the ox around and home to the tribe of earth.Under shen, metal is born, and metal is the monkey; with no clash and no harm, all is harmony.Take up the banana leaf as the meaning of water; quench the flame and fire, and the work stands complete.Day and night never leave the bitter task; when the work is done, hasten to the Ullambana Feast.

The two of them, leading the earth god and his dark troops, charged up together—nail rake swinging, iron staff whirling, hammer and bang—and smashed the front gate of the Cloud-Piercing Cave to pieces. The chiefs of the outer guard shook with fright and tumbled inside to report: "Great King, Sun Wukong has led his crowd and broken down the front gate!" The Bull King was just then telling the Jade-Face Princess the whole story, cursing Pilgrim Sun as he did. At the news that his front gate was broken he flared into a fury, threw on his armor in haste, grabbed an iron rod, and came out cursing from within: "Brazen monkey! How big a man do you take yourself for, to come raging up to my door and smash it in?" Bajie came at him, cursing away: "You old flayer of skin! What sort of creature are you, to go measuring other men? Stand where you are and taste my rake." The Bull King roared: "You swill-guzzling lout, you haven't seen anything yet. Call that monkey out here." Pilgrim said: "You hay-chewing fool, you know no good from bad! Only yesterday I called you brother; today we are enemies. Guard yourself—taste my staff." The Bull King met him with all his might. This round outdid the last: three heroes tangled up together in one place, a fine fight:

Nail rake and iron staff showed their might as they led the dark troops against the old ox.The old ox alone put out his fierce, unyielding nature, his magic power vast, filling the whole sky.The rake comes down, the rod slams round; the iron-staffed hero works fresh wonders.Three kinds of weapons clang and clatter—behind guard and parry, who gives way to whom?He says he is first; I say I take the crown.The earth god's troops look on and cannot part them; wood and earth boil together, rising and falling with each other.These two say: "Why would you not lend the banana-leaf fan?"That one says: "How dare you, traitor, trick my wife? You hunted my concubine and harmed my son, the grudge is not yet paid, and now you batter at my gates and terrify my house."This one says: "Watch out for the As-You-Will staff—it breaks the skin if it so much as grazes you."That one says: "Better duck the teeth on this rake's head—one touch, and blood pours from nine holes."The Bull Demon feared nothing and put out his might, his iron rod held high, watching for his chance.He rolled the clouds and churned the rain as he came and went; he breathed out fog and spouted wind at his pleasure.Hate drove them to stake their lives in this bout, each nursing dark thoughts, each glad to hold the stalemate.Feint and give ground, yield the upper hand or take it—thrust in front, block behind, and nothing is lost.The two sworn brothers strained together as one, while one man with a single rod fought on alone.From the hour of mao they fought on past the hour of chen, and when it ended the Bull Demon gave up and turned back.

The three of them fought on, careless of life, for another hundred rounds and more. Bajie's idiot stubbornness caught fire, and relying on Pilgrim's powers he laid about him with the rake. The Bull King could hold out no longer; he broke away, turned, and made for the cave door. But the earth god and his dark troops blocked it, shouting: "Great-Strength King, where would you go? We are here." The old bull could not get inside and pulled up short. Then, seeing Bajie and Pilgrim closing in, he panicked, dropped helmet and armor, threw away the iron rod, shook himself, changed into a swan, and away he flew into the sky.

Pilgrim saw him and laughed: "Bajie, the old bull is off." The Idiot never noticed a thing, and neither did the earth god; they peered east and west, hunting wildly before and behind Jilei Mountain. Pilgrim pointed: "What's that flying up there?" Bajie said: "That's a swan." Pilgrim said: "That swan is the old bull changed." The earth god said: "If that is so, what do we do?" Pilgrim said: "You two break in that gate, wipe out every demon inside, tear his nest apart, and cut off his road home. Old Sun will go and match changes with him." So Bajie and the earth god broke open the cave gate as he said—no more of that here.

The Great Sage put away the gold-banded staff, made the sign, said the spell, shook himself, and changed into a goshawk of the eastern sea. With a whoosh of his wings he darted into a gap in the clouds, dropped down headfirst, landed on the swan's back, gripped its neck, and pecked at its eyes. The Bull King knew this was Pilgrim Sun changed; he gave his wings a shake, turned into a tawny hawk, and wheeled to peck the goshawk. Pilgrim became a black phoenix and chased the tawny hawk. The Bull King saw through it, became a white crane, gave one long cry, and flew off south. Pilgrim checked himself, shook out his feathers, became a red phoenix, and gave a great cry. The white crane, seeing that the phoenix is king of birds, whom no bird dares defy, swept off with one beat of the wings and plunged to the foot of a cliff, changed into a musk deer, and stood nibbling grass before the rocks, timid and twitchy. Pilgrim knew him, folded down out of the sky, became a starving tiger, tail switching, feet flying, meaning to run the deer down for his dinner. The Demon King panicked, became a great leopard spotted like copper coins, meaning to wound the tiger. Pilgrim met the wind, shook his head once, and became a golden-eyed suanni, a lion-like beast, with a voice like a thunderclap, iron brow and copper head, and turned to eat the great leopard. The Bull King, desperate, became a great bear that stands like a man, and charged at the suanni to seize it. Pilgrim rolled over and became a rogue elephant, trunk like a long snake, tusks like bamboo shoots, spreading that trunk to coil around the bear.

The Bull King laughed aloud, and showed his true form: a great white bull, head like a mountain ridge, eyes like lightning flashes, two horns like two iron towers, teeth ranked like knives. From nose to tail he was a good thousand zhang long, and from hoof to back eight hundred zhang high. He shouted at Pilgrim: "Brazen monkey! What can you do to me now?" Pilgrim showed his own true form, pulled out the gold-banded staff, bent his back, and shouted: "Grow!" He grew till he stood ten thousand zhang tall, head like Mount Tai, eyes like sun and moon, mouth like a pool of blood, teeth like door panels, an iron staff in his hand, striking straight at the bull's head. The Bull King hardened his skull and butted at him with his horns. This battle truly shook the ridges and swayed the mountains, and startled heaven and earth. There is a poem to prove it. The poem says:

The Way grows one foot, and the demon grows ten thousand; the cunning Mind-Ape strains with all his might to put it down.If the Fire Mountain is to lose its fierce flames, the precious fan must first bring its cool.The Yellow Dame holds her purpose true and props the ancient lord; the Wood Mother keeps her feeling and sweeps the demons away.When the five elements are at peace, the true fruit is won; refine the demon, wash off the filth, and climb to the West.

The two of them unrolled all their powers and fought it out in mid-mountain. The din startled every god passing through the sky, and the golden-headed revealers, the Six Jia and Six Ding, and the eighteen guardians of the Faith all came and ringed the Demon King in. The Demon King showed no fear whatever: see him butt east, butt west, two straight and shining iron horns thrusting back and forth; lunge south, lunge north, one hard tail, bristling and corded with muscle, swinging left and right. The Great Sage Sun took him head on, and the host of gods struck from all sides at once. The Bull King, at his wits' end, rolled over on the ground, took back his own form, and made for Banana Cave. Pilgrim also put away his giant frame, and he and the gods pressed after him. The Demon King burst into the cave and shut the door, and the whole host ringed Green Cloud Mountain so close that not a drop of water could seep through.

Just as they were all attacking the gate, Bajie and the earth god came up with their dark troops, raising a hullabaloo. Pilgrim saw them and asked: "How did things go at the Cloud-Piercing Cave?" Bajie laughed: "I raked the old bull's wife dead. Stripped her clothes to look, and she was a jade-faced leopard-cat spirit. That crowd of demons were all donkeys, mules, calves, bulls, badgers, foxes, wildcats, river-deer, goats, tigers, elk, deer, and the like, and we cut them down to the last one. Then we set fire to his cave halls and corridors. The earth god said he keeps another household living on this mountain, so we came here to sweep it out too." Pilgrim said: "You have done great work, brother. Splendid, splendid! Old Sun matched changes with the old bull and won nothing. He turned into a bull so big that nothing is bigger, and I took a body that matched the sky and measured the earth. Just as we were butting each other, the gods in their kindness came down and ringed him in for a good while; then he took back his true form and slipped into this cave." Bajie said: "Is this Banana Cave, then?" Pilgrim said: "It is, it is. The Raksasi is here." Bajie said fiercely: "If that's how it is, why don't we break in, finish that fellow off, and make him give up the fan—instead of letting him sit there growing crafty while husband and wife pour out their love?"

A fine Idiot! He braced his might, raised the rake, and brought it down on the gate—with one crack he knocked half the stone cliff, gate and all, into rubble. The maidservant rushed in, terrified, to report: "Master, someone or other has wrecked the whole front gate!" The Bull King had only just run in, still panting, and was telling the Raksasi how he had fought Pilgrim Sun over the fan. At the report his heart boiled with rage; he spat the fan out of his mouth and handed it to the Raksasi. She took it in her hands, tears falling, and said: "Great King, give this fan to that monkey and tell him to withdraw his troops and go." The Bull King said: "Wife, the thing is small, but the grudge is deep. Sit still; I will go and match him once more." The Demon King buckled his armor on again, chose two precious swords, and came out the door. Bajie was raking at the gate; the old bull, without a word, swung his sword at his skull. Bajie raised the rake to parry, gave back several steps, and came out through the gate—where the Great Sage's staff was already sweeping down at his crown. The Bull King leapt onto a wild wind, sprang clear of the cave, and they faced each other again on Green Cloud Mountain, the host of gods ringing them about, the earth god's troops striking from left and right. This too was a fine fight:

Clouds muffled the world; fog shrouded heaven and earth. A chill wind hissed, rolling sand and stones; a towering rage roiled the waves like a muddied sea.He ground his two swords again and buckled armor over his whole body. The feud is deep as the sea; the grudge breeds anger on anger.See how the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, set on his mission, forgets the old friendship of former days.Bajie puts out his might to win the fan; the guardian gods move in to seize the Bull Lord.The Bull King's hands never rest; he parries left and blocks right, straining every nerve of him.They fought till passing birds could scarcely fly and all folded their wings, till the swimming fish did not leap but lay deep, fins tucked in.Ghosts wept and gods howled, and heaven and earth went dark; the dragon grieved, the tiger feared, and the sun's light dimmed.

The Bull King staked body and soul, fought fifty rounds and more, could hold out no longer, lost the field, and ran north. The Brazen-Dharma Vajra of the Secret Magic Cliff on Mount Wutai, whose powers are vast, blocked him and roared: "Bull Demon, where would you go? Sent by Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, I have spread the net of heaven and earth here to take you." While he spoke, the Great Sage, Bajie, and the gods came up behind. The Demon King whirled and ran south, and ran into the Boundless-Power Victory-Arriving Vajra of the Cool Cave on Mount Emei, who barred the way and roared: "By the Buddha's own order I stand here on the very spot, waiting to seize you." The Bull King's heart panicked and his legs went soft; he whirled east, and met the Vairocana Great-Strength Vajra of Mo'er Cliff on Mount Sumeru head on, who roared: "Where now, old bull? On the Tathagata's secret command I have come here to catch you." The Bull King shrank back trembling and ran west, and met the Ever-Dwelling Vajra, the Indestructible Honored King of Golden Glow Ridge on Kunlun Mountain, who held him and roared: "Where will this fellow run to next? I carry the very words of the Buddha of the Great Thunderclap Monastery in the West; I stand guard here—who would let you by?"

The old bull's heart quaked and his gall trembled; regret came too late. On every side, in all eight directions, were the Buddha's soldiers and Heaven's generals—truly a net spread high, with no way out alive. In the middle of his panic he heard Pilgrim coming on with the whole crowd, so he rose on a cloud and fled straight up—straight into Heavenly King Li the Pagoda Bearer and Crown Prince Nezha, who with their fish-belly yakshas and giant-spirit generals had hung a screen across the sky, calling: "Not so fast, not so fast! By the Jade Emperor's decree we have come to destroy you." The Bull King, hard pressed, shook himself as before and became the great white bull again, thrusting his two iron horns at Heavenly King Li, who hacked at him with his blade. Then Pilgrim Sun came up behind. Crown Prince Nezha called out in a loud voice: "Great Sage, I am in armor and cannot salute you properly. Yesterday my father and I saw the Tathagata Buddha send up a memorial to the Jade Emperor, saying the Tang monk was blocked at the Flaming Mountains and the Great Sage Sun could not subdue the Bull Demon King. The Jade Emperor sent down his decree, and my father was ordered to lead this host to help you." Pilgrim said: "That fellow's powers are not small, and now he has taken this huge body—what are we to do with him?" The prince laughed: "Great Sage, do not doubt. Watch me take him."

The prince shouted "Change!" and turned into a body with three heads and six arms; he flew up onto the Bull King's back and swung the demon-cutting sword at his neck, and in one stroke the bull's head came off. Heavenly King Li put up his blade and greeted Pilgrim. From the stump of the neck another head at once emerged, breathing black vapor from its mouth, eyes flashing golden light. Nezha cut it off with another stroke of the sword, and where the head fell, another head came up. He cut a dozen strokes and more, and a dozen heads and more sprouted in answer. Nezha took his fire wheel, hung it on the old bull's horn, and blew true fire upon it; blazing and roaring, it burned the Bull King into mad bellows and roars, head shaking, tail lashing. Just as he meant to change and slip away, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King caught his true form in the demon-revealing mirror and held him fast; he could not stir, he had no way to escape, and he only cried: "Spare my life! I will submit to the Buddha's house of my own will." Nezha said: "If you prize your life, bring out that fan, and quickly." The Bull King said: "The fan is kept at my mountain wife's place."

Nezha, hearing this, took off his demon-binding rope, dropped it over the bull's neck, seized the nose, threaded the rope through the nostrils, and led him along by hand. Pilgrim Sun gathered the four great vajras, the Six Ding and Six Jia, the guardians of the Faith, Heavenly King Li the Pagoda Bearer, the giant-spirit generals, and Bajie, the earth god, and the dark troops, and they hemmed the white bull in on every side and brought him back to the mouth of Banana Cave. The old bull called out: "Wife, bring out the fan and save my life!" The Raksasi, hearing him called, hastily stripped off her hairpins and rings, took off her colored robes, wound up her black hair like a Daoist nun, dressed in white like a monk, and came out the door holding the banana-leaf fan, a good zhang and two long, in both hands. When she saw the host of vajras and saints, and the Heavenly King and his son, she hurriedly knelt down, knocked her head, and bowed: "Spare the lives of us husband and wife, and we will offer up this fan to Brother Wukong and see him through with it." Pilgrim came forward and took the fan, and all together they mounted the auspicious clouds and went straight back east along the road.

Meanwhile Tripitaka and Sha Monk stood a while and sat a while, watching for Pilgrim, who was long in coming back, and how they worried! Then auspicious clouds filled the sky and lucky light covered the ground, drifting and swaying, as the host of gods came near. The elder took fright: "Wujing, what army of gods is that coming there?" Sha Monk knew them: "Master, those are the four great vajras, the golden-headed revealers, the Six Jia and Six Ding, the guardians of the Faith, and the gods passing by. The one leading the bull is Crown Prince Nezha; the one carrying the mirror is Heavenly King Li the Pagoda Bearer. Eldest Brother holds the banana-leaf fan; Second Brother and the earth god follow behind; all the rest are the host of guardian soldiers." At this Tripitaka changed into his Vairocana cap and put on his monk's robe, and with Wujing bowed to welcome the saints, saying in thanks: "What virtue or power has this disciple, that he should trouble so many reverend saints to come down to us?" The four great vajras said: "Reverend monk, rejoice: your work is nearly done. We were sent by the Buddha's decree to help you. Give yourself wholly to your practice, and do not be lazy for a single moment." Tripitaka knocked his teeth and knocked his head to the ground, giving his body and his life to the charge.

The Great Sage Sun carried the fan to the foot of the mountain and with all his strength gave it one wave; the flames of the Flaming Mountains sank down flat and their light quietly died. Pilgrim, delighted, waved a second time, and there was only a soft, whispering stir of fresh wind. At the third wave, clouds spread over the whole sky, and fine rain came down. There is a poem to prove it. The poem says:

The Flaming Mountains lie eight hundred stages far; their firelight over the land has made their name.Fire boils through the water clock's five watches, and the elixir will not set; fire scorches the three passes, and the way is never clear.Now the banana leaf is borrowed in season to spread rain and dew; blessed be the heavenly generals who helped this holy work.The bull is led home to the Buddha—let his wildness cease; when water and fire are joined, the nature settles into peace of itself.

Now Tripitaka's scorching and distress were lifted, his heart cleansed and his mind set at rest. The four pilgrims bowed to the Buddha, thanked the vajras, and each of those saints turned back to his own precious mountain. The Six Ding and Six Jia rose into the sky to guard them; the passing gods scattered in all directions. Heavenly King Li and the prince led the bull away straight to the Buddha's land to make their report. Only the earth god of this mountain stayed behind, holding the Raksasi, waiting to one side.

Pilgrim said: "Raksasi, if you are not walking, what are you standing there for?" The Raksasi knelt: "I beg the Great Sage to show mercy and give me back my fan." Bajie shouted: "You shameless creature, you don't know what's good for you! Sparing your wretched life is more than enough—what fan do you still come begging for? We could carry it over the mountain ourselves; can't we sell it and buy cakes with the money? After spending all this spirit and strength on it, do you think we'd hand it back? It's raining—why aren't you home yet?" The Raksasi bowed again and again: "The Great Sage said at the first that he would return the fan when the fire was out. After this business I truly repent, though it is late. It was my own smallness of spirit that stirred up this whole army. We too cultivated ourselves into human shape; only we never reached the true fruit. From now on my true body will show itself and turn toward the West, and I will never act rashly again. I beg you to give me back my own fan, so that from this day I may begin anew, cultivate myself, and live out my life." The earth god said: "Great Sage, since this woman knows well the way to still the fire, cut off the fire's root and give her back the fan. Let this humble god live out his days here in peace, saving the people of this region and winning a few offerings, and that will be a kindness indeed." Pilgrim said: "When I asked the country folk, they told me: once the fire on this mountain is fanned out, they get a single year of crops, and then the fire breaks out again. How is it to be cured at the root?" The Raksasi said: "To cut off the fire's root, you need only fan forty-nine strokes in a row, and it will never break out again."

Hearing this, Pilgrim took the fan, put his whole strength into his arm, and fanned the mountaintop forty-nine strokes in a row, and heavy rain came pouring down on the mountain. Truly a treasure: where there was fire, it rained; where there was no fire, the sky stayed clear. Master and disciples stood where there was no fire, and the rain did not touch them.

They sat out the night, and only the next morning gathered the horse and the baggage and gave the fan back to the Raksasi. Pilgrim said: "If old Sun did not give it back, people would say I break my word. Take your fan home to your mountain and make no more trouble. You have won a human body—I pardon you and let you go." The Raksasi took the fan, said a spell, squeezed it into an apricot leaf, and held it in her mouth. She bowed her thanks to all the saints and went off to cultivate the Way under a changed name, and later she too won the true fruit, and her name is honored in the scriptures for ten thousand ages. Raksasi and earth god alike thanked them from the heart and followed a way to see them off. Pilgrim, Bajie, and Sha Monk kept guard around Tripitaka, and they pushed on ahead, their bodies cool and the road under their feet fresh. And so it was truly said:

When Kan and Li are joined, the true breath fuses; when water and fire are balanced, the great Way is achieved.

But how many years would pass before they returned to the Land of the East? Listen to the next chapter to find out.