After escaping from the Lesser Thunderclap Monastery , the four pilgrims—Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing—continued their journey with renewed spirits. They traveled for over a month, arriving in the late spring season when flowers were blooming everywhere. But as they walked, they noticed that many gardens had grown dark and lush with green foliage. After a sudden gust of wind and rain, the sky began to grow dim.
Tang Sanzang reined in his horse and said, "Disciples, it is getting late. Which road should we take to find lodging?"
The Pilgrim smiled and replied, "Master, do not worry! If we truly cannot find a place to stay, the three of us have skills enough—let Bajie cut some grass, let Wujing break off some pine branches, and I will work as a carpenter. We can build a thatched hut by the roadside. It would serve not just for one night, but for a whole year. Why are you so anxious?"
Bajie said, "Elder Brother, this place is not fit for staying! The mountains are full of tigers, leopards, wolves, and serpents; everywhere there are ghosts, monsters, and demons. Even traveling by day is difficult. How dare we camp here at night?"
The Pilgrim said, "Fool! You grow more cowardly by the day! I am not boasting—as long as this staff of mine is in my hand, even if the heavens should fall, I can hold them up!"
As the master and disciples were talking, they suddenly spotted a village not far away. The Pilgrim said, "Excellent! There is a place to stay!"
Tang Sanzang asked, "Where?"
The Pilgrim pointed ahead and said, "Is that not a house among those trees? Let us go and ask for lodging for the night, and we can leave tomorrow."
Tang Sanzang happily urged his horse forward. When they reached the gate of the manor, he dismounted. The wicker gate was tightly shut. Tang Sanzang knocked and called out, "Open the gate! Open the gate!"
An old man came out from inside, leaning on a walking stick, wearing straw sandals on his feet, a black cloth headband on his head, and plain-colored clothes. He opened the gate and asked, "Who is shouting so loudly here?"
Tang Sanzang placed his palms together before his chest, bowed, and said, " Venerable benefactor , we are monks from the Great Tang in the East, journeying to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. We arrived here just as the sky grew dark and wish to borrow a night's lodging in your home. We beg you to accommodate us."
The old man said, "Monks, if you want to go west, you cannot! This is merely the Lesser Western Heaven . To reach the Great Western Heaven , the road is still far. Not to mention the difficulties ahead, even this place will be hard for you to pass."
Tang Sanzang asked, "Why is it so hard to pass?"
The old man pointed westward and said, "Thirty miles west of our village lies a place called the ' Rare Persimmon Alley ,' and the mountain beside it is called the ' Seven Perfections Mountain .'"
Tang Sanzang asked further, "Why is it called 'Seven Perfections'?"
The old man said, "This mountain road stretches eight hundred miles, and the entire mountain is covered with persimmon trees. An ancient saying goes, 'The persimmon tree has seven perfections ': First, eating its fruit prolongs life; second, its shade is exceptionally broad; third, no birds nest in its branches; fourth, no insects infest its bark; fifth, the frost-kissed leaves in autumn are beautiful; sixth, the fruit is delicious; seventh, the fallen leaves are large and thick. Hence it is called Seven Perfections Mountain. This region is vast but sparsely populated. No one has ever ventured into those deep mountains. Every year, ripe persimmons fall onto the path, filling the narrow alley between the rocks completely. Then, after rain, dew, frost, and snow, they rot through the summer, creating a road of filth. We locals call it the ' Stinking Persimmon Alley '—when the west wind blows, the stench is worse than cleaning out a latrine! Now it is late spring, and the wind is from the southeast, so you have not yet smelled it."
Tang Sanzang listened, his heart growing heavy, and he fell silent.
The Pilgrim could not restrain himself and shouted, "You old man are most unreasonable! We have come from afar to seek lodging, and you speak so many frightening words! Even if your house is too small for us to sleep in, we could spend the night under a tree. Why must you be so long-winded?"
The old man saw how ugly the Pilgrim was and his face tightened. Though frightened, he mustered his courage and shouted back, pointing his staff at the Pilgrim: "You creature! Your face is wrinkled, your forehead bulging, your nose flat, your cheeks sunken, and your eyes and brows all shaggy—you look like a consumptive ghost! How dare you be so rude to an old man like me!"
The Pilgrim smiled and said, "Old sir, you have eyes but cannot see. You do not recognize this 'consumptive ghost'! The physiognomy books say, 'Those with strange features may harbor real talent in their bellies.' If you judge people only by their appearance, you will be greatly mistaken. Though I am ugly, I have no shortage of abilities."
The old man asked, "Where are you from? What is your name? What skills do you have?"
The Pilgrim smiled and said, "As for me—I was born in the great Divine Continent of the East , raised at the foot of Flower-Fruit Mountain since childhood. I bowed to the Patriarch of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and learned martial arts in full perfection: I can stir the seas and subdue the Dragon Mother ; I am skilled at carrying mountains and chasing the sun . Binding monsters and capturing demons, I am called the foremost; moving stars and changing constellations makes even gods and ghosts sorrowful. I have a great name for stealing heaven and overturning earth —I am the ever-changing Handsome Stone Monkey !"
When the old man heard this, his anger vanished and a smile appeared on his face. He bent low and said, "Please! Please come into my house and rest!"
Thus, the four masters and disciples led the horse, carried the load, and entered the manor together. They saw that the gate was flanked by thorny brambles; the second gate was a wall of brick and stone, also covered with thorns. Going further in, they saw three tiled houses. The old man brought out chairs for them to sit on, ordered tea to be served, and instructed that dinner be prepared.
After a while, the table was set with wheat gluten , tofu , taro shoots , radishes, spicy mustard greens , turnips , fragrant rice , and a vinegar-cooked sunflower soup . The four masters and disciples ate their fill.
After the meal, Bajie pulled the Pilgrim aside and whispered in his ear, "Elder Brother, this old man was unwilling to keep us at first, but now he serves such a fine meal. Why?"
The Pilgrim said, "What is this worth! Tomorrow, we will have him prepare ten kinds of fruit and ten kinds of vegetables to see us off!"
Bajie said, "Shameless! With just those few boastful words you spoke, you tricked a meal out of him. Tomorrow we will be on our way. Why would he give us anything?"
The Pilgrim said, "Do not worry. I have my ways."
Not long after, as the sky gradually darkened, the old man ordered lamps to be lit. The Pilgrim bowed and asked, "Venerable sir, what is your honorable surname?"
The old man said, "My surname is Li."
The Pilgrim said, "Then this is Li Family Manor?"
The old man said, "No, this is called Camel Luo Village , with over five hundred households. There are many other surnames; I am the only one named Li."
The Pilgrim said, " Benefactor Li , why are you so courteous as to prepare such a fine meal for us?"
The old man stood up and said, "Just now, I heard you say you can catch demons. We happen to have a demon here. I would like to trouble you to catch it for us, and you will be handsomely rewarded."
The Pilgrim immediately made a deep bow to the old man and said, "Thank you for your patronage!"
Bajie said from the side, "Look at you! You are always stirring up trouble! As soon as you hear about catching a demon, you act more affectionate than if he were your own grandfather—and you bow first!"
The Pilgrim said, "Worthy Brother, you do not understand. By making this bow, I have put down a deposit. He will not be able to hire anyone else."
Tang Sanzang heard this and said, "This monkey always makes decisions on his own. If that demon has vast supernatural powers and you cannot catch it, will you not make us monks out to be liars?"
The Pilgrim smiled and said, "Master, do not be angry. Let me ask a few more questions."
The old man said, "What more is there to ask?"
The Pilgrim said, "This place is peaceful and well-populated. It is not a remote area. How could any demon dare to break into such a large household as yours?"
The old man said, "To tell you the truth, this place was always peaceful until three years ago, in the sixth month, when a great wind suddenly arose. Everyone was busy at the time—some were threshing wheat on the threshing floor, some were transplanting rice in the fields. They were all panicked, thinking the weather was about to change. But after the wind stopped, a demon appeared. It ate the cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep that people had put out to graze; it swallowed chickens and geese whole; and when it encountered men and women, it devoured them alive. Since then, it has come to harm people often over these past two years. Venerable Master, if you have the skill to catch this demon and rid this place of its scourge, we will surely reward you handsomely and will not treat you poorly."
The Pilgrim said, "This demon is indeed hard to catch."
Bajie immediately chimed in, "Of course it is hard to catch! We are just traveling monks, borrowing a night's lodging. Tomorrow we will be on our way. Why should we catch any demon!"
The old man said, "So you are monks who trick people for food! At first, you boasted extravagantly, saying you could move stars and change constellations, subdue demons and vanquish monsters. But when it comes to catching a demon, you claim it is too difficult!"
The Pilgrim said, "Old sir, the demon is easy to catch. It is just that the people here are not united, and that is why it is hard."
The old man asked, "How do you see that the people are not united?"
The Pilgrim said, "The demon has been causing trouble for three years, and no one knows how many people it has harmed. I think that if each household contributed one tael of silver, five hundred households could raise five hundred taels. With that, you could hire a master from anywhere to catch the demon. How could you bear to suffer its harm for three years?"
The old man said, "Speaking of spending money, it shames us! There is not a family that has not spent three or five taels! The year before last, we found a monk from south of the mountain and invited him to catch the demon, but he could not defeat it."
The Pilgrim asked, "How did that monk go about catching it?"
The old man said, "That monk—he wore a kasaya robe. First he recited the Peacock Sutra, then the Lotus Sutra. He burned incense in the furnace and held a bell in his hand. Just as he was chanting, he startled the demon. Wind arose, clouds gathered, and it came straight to the village. The monk fought with the demon, and it was quite a spectacle: they traded blows, one punch for one punch, one grab for one grab. The monk had an advantage—he had no hair to grab. But soon the demon won and fled back into the mist. Later, when we went to look, we found the monk's bald head beaten like a smashed watermelon!"
The Pilgrim laughed and said, "So he suffered a great loss."
The old man said, "He lost his life, but we suffered the loss too—we had to buy him a coffin and give money to his disciple. But that disciple would not let the matter rest; he still wants to sue us, causing us endless trouble!"
The Pilgrim asked again, "Did you invite anyone else after that?"
The old man said, "Last year, we invited a Taoist priest."
The Pilgrim asked, "How did that Taoist go about catching it?"
The old man said, "That Taoist—he wore a golden crown and a ritual robe. He struck the command tablet and sprinkled talismanic water. He summoned gods and generals and captured the demon. A fierce wind howled, black mist swirled. He fought with the demon until evening, when the demon fled into the clouds. The world became clear again, and we all went out to look for the Taoist. We found him drowned in a mountain stream. When we fished him out and looked, he was like a drowned chicken!"
The Pilgrim laughed and said, "So he also suffered a loss."
The old man said, "He too lost his life, and we spent more money for nothing."
The Pilgrim said, "Never mind, never mind. I will catch it for you."
The old man said, "If you truly have the skill to catch it, I will invite a few of the village elders to come and write a contract with you: if you win, we will give you whatever silver you ask, not a penny less; if you lose, do not try to cheat us—let each follow his own fate."
The Pilgrim smiled and said, "This old man has been cheated before. We are not that kind of people. Please invite the elders quickly."
The old man was overjoyed and immediately sent his servants to invite the neighbors, relatives, and friends. Eight or nine old men came to see Tang Sanzang. When they heard about catching the demon, everyone was delighted.
The elders asked, "Which of your distinguished disciples will go to catch the demon?"
The Pilgrim crossed his arms and said, "It is I, this little monk."
The elders were all startled and said, "No, no! That demon has vast supernatural powers and is huge in stature. You are so small and thin—you would not even fill the gaps between its teeth!"
The Pilgrim smiled and said, "Old sirs, do not underestimate people. Though I am small, I am sturdy—'I have drunk the water used to sharpen the knife, so there is refinement within me!'"
The elders had no choice but to agree and asked, "Venerable Master, if you catch the demon, how much reward do you want?"
The Pilgrim said, "Why talk about rewards? As the saying goes, 'Talking about gold dazzles the eyes, talking about silver makes one look foolish, talking about copper coins stinks!' We are monks who cultivate virtue and perform good deeds. We will never ask for money."
The elders said, "Since that is so, you are all high monks who keep the precepts. But we cannot let you work for nothing! Each of our families lives by farming and fishing. If you truly rid us of this demon and purify this place, each family will give you two acres of good land. Altogether, that will make a thousand acres. We will choose a good spot for you, and you and your disciples can build a temple there, meditate, and cultivate the Way. That would be far better than wandering everywhere."
The Pilgrim laughed again and said, "That will not do either! If we take land, we would have to keep horses, perform corvée labor, pay taxes, prepare fodder—sleep poorly at night and rise early in the morning. It is too troublesome!"
The elders asked, "If you want nothing at all, how can we thank you?"
The Pilgrim said, "We monks need only a sip of tea and a mouthful of rice, and that is thanks enough."
The elders said happily, "That is easy! But we do not know how you will catch it."
The Pilgrim said, "As soon as it comes, I will catch it."
The elders said, "That demon is huge! It reaches the heavens above and touches the earth below. When it comes, it stirs up wind; when it leaves, it brings mist. How can you get close to it?"
The Pilgrim smiled and said, "If we are talking about a demon that summons wind and calls fog, I treat it like a grandson to toy with. If we are talking about its great size, I have plenty of skills to beat it!"
Just as he was speaking, they suddenly heard a "whoosh-whoosh" wind. The eight or nine old men trembled with fear and said, "This monk truly has a crow's mouth! No sooner did he speak of the demon than it has come!"
The old man named Li opened a side door and called to the relatives and Tang Sanzang: "Come in quickly! Come in quickly! The demon is here!"
Bajie was so frightened he also wanted to go in, and Sha Wujing wanted to hide. But the Pilgrim stretched out both hands and held them back, saying, "You are so unreasonable! How can we monks distinguish between inside and outside! Stand still! Do not run! Come with me into the courtyard to see what kind of demon it is."
Bajie said, "Elder Brother, they have all suffered from the demon. As soon as they hear the wind, they know the demon is coming, and they hide. We are not related to them, nor do we know them. Why should we look?"
But the Pilgrim's strength was great. Without further ado, he dragged them into the courtyard and made them stand there. The wind grew stronger and stronger. It was truly a strange wind: trees were uprooted and forests toppled, worrying wolves and tigers; rivers were stirred and seas churned, causing grief to gods and ghosts. The three peaks of Mount Hua were overturned; the four continents of the world were lifted up. Village houses all closed their doors; the children of the entire village hid their heads. Black clouds spread thickly, obscuring the stars; everywhere was dark, with no light from lamps.
Bajie was so frightened he lay trembling on the ground, burying his snout in the earth as if nailed there, motionless. Sha Wujing covered his face and could not open his eyes.
The Pilgrim listened to the wind and knew the demon was coming. After a while, the wind stopped. In midair, two lights could be seen faintly approaching. The Pilgrim lowered his head and shouted, "Brothers! The wind has stopped! Get up and look!"
Bajie pulled his snout out of the earth, patted the dirt off his body, and looked up at the sky. When he saw the two lights, he suddenly laughed and said, "How amusing! How amusing! So this demon knows the rules! I should make friends with him!"
Sha Wujing said, "It is so dark, and we have never seen him before. How do you know he is good?"
Bajie said, "The ancients said, 'If you walk at night, carry a lamp; if you have no lamp, do not walk.' Look, he is carrying two lanterns to light his way. He must be a good demon."
Sha Wujing said, "You are mistaken! Those are not lanterns—they are the demon's two eyes shining!"
When Bajie heard this, he shrank three inches in fright and said, "My mother! If his eyes are that big, how big must his mouth be!"
The Pilgrim said, "Worthy Brother, do not be afraid. You two protect the master well. I will go up and exchange a few words with him to see what kind of demon he is."
Bajie said, "Elder Brother, do not give us away!"
Brave Pilgrim! He leaped up, whistled into the air, and flew up, holding his golden-banded staff. He shouted loudly, "Hold there! Hold there! I am here!"
When the demon saw the Pilgrim, it stopped and brandished a long spear wildly. The Pilgrim raised his staff and asked, "Where are you from, demon? What creature have you cultivated into a spirit?"
The demon did not answer; it merely danced its spear. The Pilgrim asked again, and still it did not answer, just kept dancing its spear. The Pilgrim laughed to himself and thought, "So it is a deaf and mute demon! Do not run! Watch my staff!"
The demon was not afraid and blocked with its spear. The two of them fought in midair, back and forth, up and down, until the third watch of the night, but still neither had won.
Bajie and Sha Wujing watched clearly from the Li family courtyard. They saw that the demon only dared to block with its spear and did not attack at all, while the Pilgrim's staff kept striking around the demon's head.
Bajie laughed and said, "Sha Wujing, you protect the master here. I will go help Elder Brother fight. Do not let him take all the credit for himself, or when it comes time to drink, there will be no share for me!"
Brave Bajie! He too leaped onto a cloud and chased after them, striking with his rake. The demon produced another spear to block. The two spears danced swiftly, like flying snakes and flashing lightning.
Bajie praised, "This demon's spear technique is truly good! It is not the 'mountain-behind spear,' but the 'wrapping-silk spear'; nor is it the 'Ma family spear'—it is called the 'soft-handled spear'!"
The Pilgrim said, "Fool, stop your nonsense! There is no such thing as a 'soft-handled spear'!"
Bajie said, "Look, he uses the spear tip to block us, but we cannot see the handle. Who knows where it is hidden."
The Pilgrim said, "Perhaps it really is a soft-handled spear. But this demon cannot speak; it must not have fully taken human form. Its yin aura is still heavy. I am afraid that when dawn comes and the yang energy is strong, it will surely flee. If it runs, we must chase it and not let it escape."
Bajie said, "Right! Right!"
They fought for a long while longer, and before they knew it, the east began to lighten and dawn was near. The demon dared not fight anymore. It turned and fled. The Pilgrim and Bajie chased after it together.
Suddenly, they smelled a foul stench. They had arrived at the Rare Persimmon Alley of Seven Perfections Mountain. Bajie said, "Whose latrine is this being cleaned out? Phew! It stinks to death!"
The Pilgrim covered his nose and shouted, "Chase the demon quickly! Chase the demon quickly!"
The demon leaped over the mountain and revealed its true form—it was a huge red-scaled python! Look at it: its eyes shot forth the light of the morning star; its nose sprayed forth the mist of dawn. Its teeth were densely packed like steel swords; its curved claws were like golden hooks. On its head grew a fleshy horn, looking as if it were formed from a thousand pieces of agate. Its body was covered with red scales, as if built from ten thousand patches of rouge. When coiled on the ground, one might mistake it for a brocade quilt; when flying through the air, one might mistake it for a rainbow. Where it rested, a foul odor rose to the heavens; when it moved, red clouds enveloped its body. It was so large that on either side, one could not see its beginning or end; it was so long that it spanned a mountain from north to south.
Bajie said, "So it is such a huge snake! If it ate people, five hundred would not be enough to fill it!"
The Pilgrim said, "That soft-handled spear was its two tongues! Let us tire it out and then strike from behind!"
Bajie leaped forward and raised his rake to strike. The great python plunged its head into a cave, leaving seven or eight feet of its tail exposed. Bajie put down his rake, grabbed the tail, and said, "I have it! I have it!" He pulled with all his might, but could not budge it.
The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Fool! Let it go. I have my own plan. Do not pull the snake backward like that."
Bajie had no choice but to let go. The great python withdrew its tail into the cave. Bajie complained, "If I had not let go, we could have at least gotten half its body! Now that it has withdrawn, how will we get it out? Are we not at a dead end?"
The Pilgrim said, "This creature is huge, but the cave is small. It cannot turn around. It must have gone straight in, so there must be a back door. Go quickly to the back door and block it. I will strike at the front door."
Bajie raced over the mountain and indeed saw another cave entrance. No sooner had he taken his position than he saw the Pilgrim poking his staff into the cave from the front. The great python could not bear the pain and shot straight out through the back door. Bajie was not prepared and was knocked flat by its tail. He lay there in pain, unable to get up.
When the Pilgrim saw that the cave was empty, he raised his staff and drilled in, shouting as he chased the demon. Bajie heard the shouting and felt ashamed. He endured the pain, got up, and began swinging his rake wildly.
The Pilgrim saw him and said, "The demon has already fled. What are you hitting?"
Bajie said, "Old Pig has always loved beating dead snakes!"
The two of them chased across a small stream and saw the great python coiled up, raising its head and opening its huge mouth to swallow Bajie. Bajie was so frightened he stepped back, but the Pilgrim advanced instead and was swallowed whole by the python.
Bajie beat his chest and stamped his feet, crying out, "Elder Brother! You have been eaten!"
The Pilgrim, inside the demon's belly, propped himself up with his golden-banded staff and said, "Bajie, do not worry. I will make it build a bridge for you to see!"
The great python arched its back, and its body looked like a rainbow. Bajie said, "Though it looks like a bridge, no one would dare to walk on it."
The Pilgrim said, "I will make it turn into a boat for you to see!" With that, he propped up the demon's belly from inside with his staff. The great python's belly touched the ground, and it raised its head, looking exactly like a great boat.
Bajie said, "Though it looks like a boat, it has no mast, so we cannot catch the wind."
The Pilgrim said, "Step aside. I will make it 'raise the wind' for you to see!" He pushed his staff up from inside, piercing through the python's back, extending it fifty or seventy feet long, like a mast.
The great python, in agony, shot forward faster than the wind, racing back along the same path. It ran for over twenty miles down the mountain before it fell to the ground, motionless, and died.
Bajie caught up and began smashing it wildly with his rake again. The Pilgrim tore a great hole in the python's body and climbed out, saying, "Fool! It is already dead. Why are you still smashing it?"
Bajie said, "Elder Brother, do you not know that Old Pig loves beating dead snakes?"
So the two of them put away their weapons, grabbed the python by the tail, and dragged it back.
Meanwhile, in Camel Luo Village, Old Man Li and the others said to Tang Sanzang, "Your two disciples have not returned all night. Something must have happened to them."
Tang Sanzang said, "Surely nothing has happened. Let us go out and look."
Soon, they saw the Pilgrim and Bajie dragging a great python, shouting as they came. The people were overjoyed. All the old and young, men and women of the entire village came to kowtow and said, "Grandfather! It was this demon that harmed us! Thanks to your divine power, you have eliminated it. Now we can live in peace!"
Every household was grateful. They invited and urged the pilgrims to stay. The four masters and disciples were kept for five or six days. Unable to refuse any longer, they finally agreed to leave. When the villagers saw that they would not accept money, they prepared dry provisions and fruits. Some rode mules, some led horses, and they carried red flowers and colorful banners to see them off. Of the five hundred households in the village, seven or eight hundred people came to escort them.
They traveled happily along the way. Before long, they reached the entrance of the Rare Persimmon Alley on Seven Perfections Mountain. Tang Sanzang smelled the foul stench and saw the road blocked. He said, "Wukong, how can we get through this?"
The Pilgrim covered his nose and said, "This is indeed difficult."
When Tang Sanzang heard the Pilgrim say it was difficult, he began to weep. Old Man Li and the others stepped forward and said, "Venerable Master, do not worry! We have escorted you here and have already discussed it. Your distinguished disciple has rid us of the demon and saved the entire village. We will work together to open a good road and see you across."
The Pilgrim laughed and said, "Old sir, you are wrong. You said earlier that this mountain road is eight hundred miles long. You are not the divine soldiers of Yu the Great who tamed the floods. How could you open a road through the mountain? For my master to cross, we must rely on our own methods. You cannot help."
Tang Sanzang dismounted and said, "Wukong, then how will we manage?"
The Pilgrim smiled and said, "To cross the mountain now is indeed difficult. To open a new road is also difficult. The only way is to go through the old alley—but I am afraid there will be no one to provide meals."
Old Man Li said, "Venerable Master, what are you saying! No matter how long you stay here, we can provide meals. How could there be no one to provide meals!"
The Pilgrim said, "Since that is so, go and prepare two piculs of cooked rice, and make some steamed cakes and steamed buns. When my long-snouted junior brother has eaten his fill, he will transform into a great pig and root open the old road. My master will ride the horse, and we will support him from the sides. I guarantee we can get through."
When Bajie heard this, he said, "Elder Brother, you all want to stay clean, but you want me to do this dirty work?"
Tang Sanzang said, "Wuneng, if you truly have the skill to root open the alley and take me across the mountain, I will count it as your greatest merit."
Bajie smiled and said, "Master above, and all you benefactors here, do not laugh at me. Old Pig originally had thirty-six transformations. When it comes to turning into light, beautiful, or flying things, I truly cannot. But when it comes to turning into mountains, trees, rocks, earthen mounds, or into elephants, fat pigs, water buffaloes, or camels, I really can do all of them. Only, the bigger I make my body, the hungrier I get. I must eat my fill before I can work."
The people said, "There is food! There is food! We have all brought dry provisions, fruits, baked cakes, and dumplings—we originally brought them to help open the road and see you off. Bring them all out for you to eat. After you transform and start rooting, we will send someone back to the village to cook more and bring it."
Bajie was overjoyed. He took off his black monk's robe, put down his nine-tooth rake, and said to the people, "Do not laugh at me. Watch Old Pig do this dirty work!"
Brave Fool! He recited a spell, shook his body, and truly turned into a huge pig. His appearance was thus: his snout was long, his hair short, and he had half an inch of fat; from youth he had eaten medicinal herbs in the mountains. His black face and round eyes were like the sun and moon; his round head and large ears were like banana leaves. He had cultivated hard bones that matched the lifespan of heaven; his rough skin was refined to be as tough as iron. He grunted with a nasal sound and snorted loudly, his throat rumbling with a loud roar. His four white hooves were a thousand feet high; his bristly mane and long body were a hundred fathoms long. Though people had seen fat pigs in the world, none had ever seen such a monstrous old pig as this!
Tang Sanzang and the others were full of praise and admiration for the great power of the Heavenly Reeds Marshal.
When Sun Wukong saw that Bajie had transformed well, he told the people escorting them to pile up all the dry provisions for Bajie to eat. The Fool, regardless of whether it was raw or cooked, devoured it all in one breath. Then he went forward to root open the road.
The Pilgrim told Sha Wujing to take off his shoes, carry the load well, and help the master sit steadily in the saddle. He also took off his own shoes and said to the people, "You all go back! If you have the heart, quickly send some more food for my junior brother to eat as he continues."
Of the seven or eight hundred people escorting them, more than half rode m