Now, the rulers and people of the Children-Snatching Kingdom escorted the Tang Monk and his disciples out of the city, traveling a full twenty miles before they could bear to turn back. Sanzang reluctantly descended from the phoenix carriage , exchanged it for a horse to bid them farewell, and the crowd only dispersed after the silhouettes of the master and his disciples had vanished from sight.
The four pilgrims traveled on for a long while. Before they knew it, winter had passed and spring had arrived. Along the way, they saw an endless array of wildflowers, green trees, and fragrant scenery. Suddenly, a lofty mountain range rose before them. Panic seized Sanzang, and he asked, "Disciples, does this mountain ahead have a path or not? We must be careful!"
The Pilgrim laughed, "Master, that speech doesn't sound like a seasoned traveler; it sounds like a pampered prince who has seen only the sky from the bottom of a well. As the old saying goes, ' Mountains do not block the road; the road itself opens the mountain .' Why ask if there is a path or not?"
Sanzang said, "Though mountains don't block the road, I fear that treacherous peaks hide monsters and deep, secluded places give birth to goblins."
Bajie said, "Rest assured! Rest assured! We can't be far from the Land of Ultimate Bliss now; it must be peaceful and uneventful!"
Talking among themselves, the master and his disciples unknowingly arrived at the mountain's base. The Pilgrim drew out his Golden-Banded Staff, stepped onto a rocky cliff, and shouted, "Master, this is the path that winds around the mountain, and it's easy to travel! Come quickly, come quickly!" The elder finally relaxed and urged his horse forward. Sha Monk said to Bajie, "Second Brother, carry the burden for me for a while." Bajie took the load and shouldered it, while Sha Monk took the reins. The master sat steadily on his horse, following the Pilgrim along the wide road that hugged the cliff. They saw this mountain: clouds and mist shrouded the peaks, while gurgling streams surged in the ravines. The fragrance of a hundred flowers filled the path, and dense thickets of ten thousand trees crowded together. Plum trees were green, plum blossoms white; willows were verdant, peach blossoms pink. Where the cuckoo called, spring was drawing to a close; purple swallows chirped as the season of the Earth God's festival had ended. Towering crags, pine trees with emerald canopies. Rugged mountain paths rose abruptly, exquisitely formed. Sheer cliffs and precipitous bluffs were steep; tangled vines and lush grass grew thick. A thousand crags vied in beauty like rows of halberds; ten thousand ravines competed in rushing currents, their waves vast and mighty.
The elder slowly admired the mountain scenery when suddenly he heard the cry of a bird, which stirred up his homesickness. Reining in his horse, he called out, "Disciples! Since receiving the imperial decree and taking the travel documents beneath the brocade screen , I left the Eastern Land on the fifteenth day of the lantern festival , parting ways with the Tang Emperor. Scarcely had I encountered dragons and tigers in a fateful meeting when I was forced to contend with my obstinate disciples. Having traveled past all twelve peaks of Witch Mountain , when shall I ever face my sovereign again?"
The Pilgrim said, "Master, you are always thinking of home; you don't seem like a monk at all. Set your mind at ease and keep moving; don't worry about useless things. As the ancients said, 'If you seek wealth and honor in life, you must put in the effort unto death.' There's no rushing this."
Sanzang said, "Disciple, your words ring true, but I don't even know where the Western Heaven is!"
Bajie said, "Master, I think Tathagata Buddha is reluctant to part with the Tripitaka scriptures . Knowing we are coming for them, he might have moved them somewhere else. Otherwise, why can we never seem to arrive?"
Sha Monk said, "Don't talk nonsense! Just follow Elder Brother. As long as we endure slowly, we'll get there someday."
As the master and disciples were chatting, they suddenly saw a vast, dark pine forest. Tang Sanzang grew frightened again and called out, "Wukong, we've just crossed the rugged mountain path, and now we run into this deep, dark pine forest? We must be cautious!"
The Pilgrim said, "What is there to fear?"
Sanzang said, "You can't say that! ' Do not trust in straightforwardness; you must guard against unkindness .' I have passed through several pine forests with you, but none were as deep as this one. Look: densely packed from east to west, lined up from north to south. The dense east-west arrangement pierces the clouds; the north-south rows invade the blue heavens. Thick brambles and thorns knot together all around; tangled vines and creepers coil up and down. Creepers entangle kudzu; kudzu entangles creepers. When creepers entangle kudzu, travelers from east to west find it hard to pass; when kudzu entangles creepers, merchants from north to south cannot enter. In this forest, you could live for half a year and not tell the sun from the moon; travel several miles and not see the Big Dipper. Look at the thousand scenes in the shady places and the myriad flowers in the sunlit spots. There are also thousand-year locust trees, ten-thousand-year junipers, cold-enduring pines, mountain peaches and fruits, wild peonies, and dry-land lotuses, all piled up thickly and densely, a chaotic mess that even the immortals could not paint. And you can hear the songs of a hundred birds: the parrot's whistle, the cuckoo's cry; magpies flit through the branches, crows feed their parents; orioles dance, mynahs mimic sounds; partridges call, purple swallows chatter; mynah birds learn to speak like humans, and thrushes also seem to recite scriptures. And you see the great beast swishing its tail, the tiger gnashing its teeth; old foxes dress up as ladies, and ancient gray wolves howl, shaking the forest. Even if the Heavenly King who holds the pagoda came here, though he could subdue demons, he would lose his soul!"
Great Sage Sun was not afraid in the least. Raising his Golden-Banded Staff, he strode forward to cleave a path and led Tang Sanzang straight into the deep forest. The group traveled leisurely for half a day without seeing the way out of the woods. Tang Sanzang called out, "Disciples, on our westward journey, we have crossed so many dangerous mountains. Fortunately, this place is quiet and peaceful. The rare flowers and strange grasses in this forest are truly delightful! I want to rest here for a while: first, to let the horse rest its legs, and second, because I am hungry. Go and beg for some vegetarian food."
The Pilgrim said, "Master, please dismount. I will go beg for food." The elder indeed dismounted. Bajie tied the horse to a tree, Sha Monk put down the luggage, took out the alms bowl, and handed it to the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim said, "Master, sit steady and don't be afraid. I will be back soon." Sanzang sat in the shade of a pine tree, while Bajie and Sha Monk ran off to look for flowers and fruits to play with.
Now, the Great Sage mounted his somersault cloud and rose into midair. Hovering there, he looked down and saw auspicious clouds swirling and propitious vapors enshrouding the pine forest. He suddenly cried out in admiration, "Excellent! Excellent!" He was praising Tang Sanzang: after all, he was the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada Elder, a good man who had cultivated for ten lifetimes, and that was why he had such auspicious signs crowning his head. "Think of old Monkey, five hundred years ago when I wreaked havoc in Heaven. I roamed the world, wandered freely to the ends of the earth, gathered a group of monsters who called me the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, subdued dragons and tigers, and erased my name from the Book of Life and Death. I wore a three-pronged golden crown on my head, donned golden armor, wielded the Golden-Banded Staff, and wore cloud-stepping shoes. I commanded forty-seven thousand monsters, and they all called me Lord Great Sage. What prestige I had! Now, having escaped the heavenly calamity, I have to lower my head and be your disciple. Seeing that the master has auspicious clouds over his head, when he returns to the Eastern Land, he will surely gain great benefits, and old Monkey will certainly achieve a rightful reward."
As he was praising himself, he suddenly saw a plume of black smoke rising from the southern edge of the forest, bubbling up in a rolling mass. The Great Sage was startled. "There must be demonic energy in this black smoke! Bajie and Sha Monk would never release such black smoke..." Hovering in midair, the Great Sage was momentarily uncertain.
Meanwhile, Sanzang sat in the forest, silently reciting the Maha Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, when he suddenly heard a faint, whimpering cry for help. Sanzang was greatly alarmed. "Blessings! Blessings! In such a deep forest, how could there be a person calling out? They must be frightened by wolves, tigers, or leopards. I'll go and see." The elder rose and walked, passing through thousand-year-old cypresses and ten-thousand-year-old pines, pushing aside the tangled vines, until he saw a woman tied to a large tree: the upper half of her body was bound to the tree with kudzu vines, and the lower half was buried in the earth.
The elder stopped and asked, "Bodhisattva, what has happened to you? Why are you tied up here?" Alas! This woman was clearly a demon, but the elder, with his mortal eyes, could not recognize her. When the demon saw the elder asking, tears flowed from her eyes like a spring. Look at her: peach-like cheeks stained with tears, a beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall; starry eyes filled with sorrow, a loveliness that could outshine the moon and shame the flowers. The elder dared not approach and asked again, "Bodhisattva, what crime have you committed? Tell me, so I can save you."
The demon, with honeyed words and a feigned pitiful appearance, said, "Master, my home is in the Kingdom of the Poor Woman, over two hundred miles from here. My parents are still alive, and they are very kind-hearted, always living in harmony with relatives and friends. A few days ago, during the Qingming Festival, we invited our relatives and family to visit our ancestral graves. The whole group traveled in carriages and sedan chairs to the desolate wilderness. When we arrived, we set out the offerings and had just burned the paper money when we heard the sound of gongs and drums. A band of bandits rushed out, brandishing swords and clubs, and charged at us with a great shout. Our souls flew from our bodies in terror. My parents and relatives, those with horses and sedan chairs, all fled for their lives. I was too young to run fast and fell to the ground in fright. The bandits kidnapped me and brought me to these mountains. The chief wanted to marry me as his wife, the second chief also wanted me as his wife, and the third and fourth chiefs all coveted my beauty. The seventy or eighty bandits quarreled among themselves, none willing to yield to the others, so they tied me up in this forest and went their separate ways. I have been tied here for five days and five nights, and I am at death's door! I don't know which ancestor accumulated such virtue that I should meet you, Master, today. I beg you to show great mercy and save my life. I will never forget your kindness, even in the Nine Springs of the underworld!" Having said this, tears again streamed down like rain.
Sanzang, born compassionate, could not help but shed tears himself. Choking with sobs, he called out, "Disciple!" Bajie and Sha Monk were in the forest looking for flowers and fruits when they suddenly heard their master's mournful cry. Bajie said, "Sha Monk, has the master found a relative here?" Sha Monk laughed, "Second Brother, don't talk nonsense! We have traveled so far without seeing a single good person; where would a relative come from?" Bajie said, "If it's not a relative, why is the master crying? Let's go see." Sha Monk indeed turned back, leading the horse and carrying the burden, and came to ask, "Master, what is the matter?"
Tang Sanzang pointed to the woman on the tree and said, "Bajie, untie this Bodhisattva and save her life." The Fool, without a second thought, stepped forward and began to untie the ropes.
Now, the Great Sage, hovering in midair, saw the black smoke growing denser, obscuring even the auspicious clouds. He exclaimed in alarm, "Not good! Not good! The black smoke is covering the auspicious clouds. The demon must be trying to harm the master! Begging for food is a small matter; protecting the master comes first!" He immediately turned his cloud around and landed in the forest, just in time to see Bajie clumsily untying the ropes. The Pilgrim stepped forward, grabbed Bajie by the ear, and with a thud, threw him to the ground.
The Fool scrambled up and shouted, "The master ordered me to save someone! How dare you use your strength to throw me down!"
The Pilgrim laughed, "Brother, don't untie her! She is a demon, putting on an act to deceive us!"
Sanzang scolded, "You damned ape! More nonsense! Such a weak woman, how can you call her a demon!"
The Pilgrim said, "Master, you don't understand. These are all tricks I have seen countless times before—a ploy to eat human flesh. You wouldn't recognize it!"
Bajie pouted and said, "Master, don't believe this 'Horse Plague'! This woman is a girl from a local family. We came from the Eastern Land and have no enmity with her; how could she be a demon! He definitely wants to send us ahead so he can somersault back and have his fun with this woman, becoming a live-in son-in-law!"
The Pilgrim shouted, "Idiot! Don't talk nonsense! In all my westward journey, when have I ever done such a filthy deed? It's you, a glutton who values lust over loyalty and profit over righteousness! Have you forgotten how you were tricked into becoming a son-in-law and tied to a tree?"
Sanzang said, "Enough, enough. Bajie, your elder brother is usually not wrong in his judgments. Since he says so, let's not interfere. Let's be on our way."
The Pilgrim was overjoyed. "Excellent! The master has finally come to his senses! Quickly mount the horse. Once we leave this pine forest, there will be people ahead, and I will go beg for food for you." The four of them indeed turned and left, abandoning the demon in the forest.
The demon, tied to the tree, gnashed her teeth in hatred. "For years I have heard that Sun Wukong is vastly powerful. Now that I have seen him, he truly lives up to his reputation! That Tang Sanzang is a virgin monk who has never leaked his primordial yang. I wanted to capture him and mate with him to cultivate the Great Immortal of the Ultimate Unity. I never expected this monkey to see through my scheme and take him away. If he had untied the ropes and set me free, I could have easily grabbed Tang Sanzang; how could I have failed? Now he has been led away by a few words, and all my efforts are wasted! I will call out to him twice more and see if I can lure him back."
This demon was truly resourceful. Without moving the ropes, she recited a spell and summoned a favorable wind, carrying her sweet, honeyed words faintly to Tang Sanzang's ears. What do you think she called out? She cried, "Master! You let a living person's life slip away, and with a hardened heart you go to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. What use will they be even if you get them?"
Tang Sanzang, hearing the call again from his horse, immediately reined in and shouted, "Wukong, go back and save that woman."
The Pilgrim said, "Master, we've just left. Why are you thinking of her again?"
Tang Sanzang said, "She is calling out again."
The Pilgrim asked, "Bajie, did you hear that?"
Bajie said, "My ears are big and blocked the sound; I didn't hear anything."
He then asked Sha Monk, "Sha Monk, did you hear it?"
Sha Monk said, "I was carrying the burden and walking ahead, not paying attention; I didn't hear it either."
The Pilgrim said, "I didn't hear it either. Master, what did she call out? How is it that only you heard it?"
Tang Sanzang said, "Her words made sense. She said, 'If you don't save a life, what scripture can you fetch with a hardened heart?' 'Saving one life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda.' Go quickly and save her. That is more important than worshipping the Buddha and fetching scriptures."
The Pilgrim laughed, "Master, when your kindness takes hold, there is no cure for it. Think about it: from the Eastern Land all the way west, how many mountains have we crossed, how many demons have we met? Those demons captured you and took you into their caves, and it was I who used this Golden-Banded Staff to kill thousands upon thousands to save you. Today, you begrudge the life of a single demon and insist on saving her?"
Tang Sanzang said, "Disciple, the ancients said, 'Do not fail to do good because it is small; do not do evil because it is small.' Go and save her."
The Pilgrim said, "Since you insist, Master, I cannot bear the responsibility. If you want to save her, then save her; I won't try to dissuade you anymore. If I do, I'll only anger you again."
Tang Sanzang said, "Monkey, say no more! Wait here. Bajie and I will go save her."
Tang Sanzang returned to the forest and ordered Bajie to untie the ropes binding the woman's upper body, then use his rake to dig out the lower half of her body buried in the earth. The demon adjusted her shoes and smoothed her skirt, then followed Tang Sanzang out of the pine forest with a beaming smile. When she saw the Pilgrim, he only sneered. Tang Sanzang scolded him, "Damned ape! What are you laughing at?"
The Pilgrim said, "I am laughing at your saying, 'When fortune comes, you meet good friends; when luck wanes, you meet a beautiful woman.'"
Sanzang scolded again, "Damned macaque! Nonsense! I have been a monk since birth. Now I am on an imperial mission to the west, sincerely worshipping the Buddha and seeking the scriptures. I am not a man greedy for fame or fortune. Where does 'waning luck' come from!"
The Pilgrim laughed, "Master, though you have been a monk since childhood, you only know how to recite sutras and chant Buddha's name. You don't understand the laws of the land. This woman is young and beautiful, and we are monks. If we travel with her and run into some villain who reports us to the authorities, even if they don't believe we are on a pilgrimage to fetch scriptures, they will charge us with adultery. Even if that doesn't happen, they will accuse us of kidnapping and abducting a woman. You, Master, would have your monastic license revoked and be beaten half to death. Bajie would be sent into military exile, Sha Monk would be banished, and old Monkey, even with my glib tongue, couldn't talk my way out of it. At the very least, I would be found guilty of 'improper conduct.'"
Sanzang scolded, "Don't talk nonsense! I am saving her life; how could it bring trouble? If we take her along, I will bear all responsibility."
The Pilgrim said, "Master, though you say you will bear the responsibility, you don't realize that you are not saving her, but harming her."
Sanzang said, "I am saving her from the forest and giving her life. How is that harming her?"
The Pilgrim said, "She was tied up in the forest just now. Even if she starved for three to five days, or even ten days to half a month, she would die and leave a whole corpse. Now that you have brought her out, your horse is fast and we can keep up, but her feet are small and she walks slowly. How can she keep pace? If we abandon her, she might run into wolves, tigers, or leopards and be devoured in one bite. Wouldn't that be harming her life instead?"
Sanzang said, "You're right! It's a good thing you thought of this. What should we do, then?"
The Pilgrim laughed, "Carry her up and let her ride the horse with you."
Sanzang hesitated, "How can I share a horse with her?" Then he said, "Then how will she walk?"
Sanzang said, "Let Bajie carry her on his back."
The Pilgrim laughed, "The Fool is in luck!"
Bajie said, "'A long journey makes even a light burden heavy.' How is carrying a person on my back considered good luck?"
The Pilgrim said, "You have a long snout. When you carry her, you can turn your head and whisper sweet nothings to her. Isn't that convenient?"
When Bajie heard this, he beat his chest and stamped his feet. "No good! No good! Master, even if you beat me a few times, I'd rather endure it. Carrying her will surely lead to no good! Elder Brother, you are the best at falsely accusing people. I won't carry her!"
Sanzang said, "Enough, enough! I can still walk a few steps. I will dismount and walk slowly with her. Let Bajie lead the empty horse."
The Pilgrim laughed heartily, "The Fool has made a deal! The master is letting you lead the horse!"
Sanzang said, "You damned ape, more nonsense! The ancients said, 'A horse can travel a thousand miles and find its own way home even without a rider.' Even if I walk slowly, you all walk slowly too. We will take this Bodhisattva down the mountain together. When we reach a temple, monastery, or some household, we can leave her there. That will count as saving her."
The Pilgrim said, "Master speaks sense. Let's hurry on our way."
Sanzang lifted his robe and walked ahead. Sha Monk carried the burden, Bajie led the empty horse and guided the woman, and the Pilgrim, wielding his Golden-Banded Staff, followed. The group had traveled less than twenty or thirty miles when dusk began to fall, and they suddenly saw a building with towers and halls. Sanzang said, "Disciples, that must be a temple or monastery ahead. Let's ask for lodging for the night and continue tomorrow."
The Pilgrim said, "Master is right. Let's all hurry." They soon arrived at the gate. The Pilgrim instructed, "You all stand back a little. I will go and ask for lodging first. If we can stay, I will call you in." Everyone stood in the shade of a willow tree, with only the Pilgrim, holding his Golden-Banded Staff, keeping an eye on the woman.
The elder stepped forward and saw that the temple gate was crooked and dilapidated. He pushed open the gate and could not help but feel sorrow: the long corridor was empty, the ancient temple was desolate and cold; the courtyard was overgrown with moss, and the paths were choked with weeds. Only fireflies served as lamps, and the croaking of frogs replaced the night watch. The elder suddenly shed tears. This temple was truly: the halls were dilapidated and collapsing, the side rooms were lonely and ruined. There were over a dozen piles of broken bricks and tiles, and everywhere were crooked beams and broken pillars. Front and back were overgrown with green grass, and the dusty, rotting incense kitchen was buried in dirt. The bell tower had collapsed, and the drum had no skin; the glazed incense burner was broken. The golden body of the Buddha had lost its color, and the arhats lay scattered about on the floor. The statue of Guanyin was rain-soaked and had turned completely to mud; the willow branch and pure vase had fallen to the ground. During the day, there were no monks inside; at night, foxes made their dens here. The wind howled like thunder; this was a place where tigers and leopards hid. All the walls around had collapsed, and there were no doors or gates to close.
A poem says: The ancient temple, unrepaired for many years, was in a wretched state of decay and ruin. Fierce winds had cracked the face of the guardian deity; heavy rains had worn away the Buddha's head. The vajra guardians had fallen and were washed away by the rain; the Earth God had no home and wandered homeless at night. There were two more pitiful sights: the bronze bell lay on the ground, its tower gone.
Taking his courage, Sanzang walked through the second gate and saw that the bell and drum towers had both collapsed. Only a bronze bell lay on the ground, its upper half as white as snow and its lower half as blue as indigo—this was because, over the long years, the rain had bleached the top, while the bottom had been stained green by the earth's vapors and turned to verdigris.
Sanzang touched the bronze bell and sighed loudly, "Oh, bell! Once you hung high in the tower and roared, once your sound traveled far from the painted beams. Once you announced the dawn at cockcrow, once you sent off the dusk at nightfall. I wonder where the Taoist who cast you has gone, and where the coppersmith who made you now dwells. I think their two souls have returned to the underworld; without a trace of them, you are now silent."
As the elder was sighing loudly, he unwittingly disturbed someone in the temple. There was a Taoist who tended the incense in the temple. Hearing someone speak, he got up, picked up a broken brick, and struck the bell. The bronze bell rang out with a loud "Dang!" which startled the elder so much that he fell. He scrambled to his feet, only to trip over a tree root and fall with a thud again. Lying on the ground, the elder looked up and sighed again, "Oh, bell! I was just lamenting over you when suddenly you let out a ding-dong sound. I suppose no one has come to this road to the Western Heaven for so long that, as the years have passed, you have become a spirit."
The Taoist hurried over, helped the elder up, and said, "Venerable Sir, please rise. It was not the bell that became a spirit; I struck it just now."
Sanzang looked up and saw that the Taoist was ugly and dark-skinned. He said, "You are not a demon, are you? I am no ordinary person. I come from the Great Tang, and I have disciples who can subdue dragons and tigers. If you run into them, your life will be forfeit!"
The Taoist knelt down and said, "Venerable Sir, don't be afraid. I am not a demon; I am the Taoist who tends the incense in this temple. I heard you, Venerable Sir, speaking kindly and sighing, and I wanted to come out to welcome you. But I was afraid it might be an evil spirit knocking at the door, so I picked up a broken brick and struck the bell to bolster my courage before daring to come out. Venerable Sir, please rise."
Only then did Tang Sanzang calm down. He said, "Abbot, you nearly frightened me to death. Lead me inside."
The Taoist led Tang Sanzang through the third gate. The scene inside was vastly different from the outside. They saw: green bricks formed a colorful cloud wall, and green tiles roofed a glazed hall. Gold adorned the sacred images, and white jade made the steps and platforms. The Great Hero Hall shimmered with blue light; the Vairochana Pavilion emitted auspicious vapors. The Manjushri Hall was decorated with flying clouds; the Sutra-Storey Hall was painted with piled-up emerald hues. On the three eaves, the precious vase was pointed; in the Five Blessings Tower, the embroidered canopy was level. A thousand green bamboos swayed beside the meditation couch; ten thousand verdant pines reflected the Buddha's gate. The Azure Cloud Palace radiated golden light; amidst the purple mists, propitious clouds drifted. In the morning, the fragrance of the wilds could be smelled from afar; in the evening, the sound of painted drums could be heard from the high mountains. Surely there were those who mended their patched robes in the morning sun, and those who recited the remaining scriptures by the moonlight? And one could see half a wall of lamplight in the rear courtyard, and a line of incense smoke illuminating the central hall.
Sanzang saw this and dared not enter. He asked, "Taoist, why is the front so dilapidated and the rear so neat and tidy?"
The Taoist laughed and said, "Venerable Sir, in these mountains there are many demons and bandits. On clear days, they rob travelers along the mountain paths; on overcast days, they come to the temple to take shelter. They push down the Buddha statues to use as stools and break up the wood for fire. The monks of this temple were too weak to argue with them, so they gave the dilapidated front halls to the bandits and raised money from benefactors to build this rear temple. They separated the clean from the unclean. This is a common practice here in the Western Regions."
Sanzang said, "So that's how it is."
As he walked, he saw five large characters on the mountain gate: "Temple of the Forest That Calms the Sea." Just as he stepped inside, a monk came out. Look at this monk's appearance: on his head was a velvet brocade cap with a left-tilting top, and a pair of copper rings hung from his earlobes. He wore a woolen robe of Persian cloth, and his white eyes shone like silver. In his hand, he shook a little drum on a stick, and he chanted foreign sutras that were hard to understand. Sanzang did not recognize him, but this was a lama monk from the Western Regions.
The lama monk came out of the mountain gate and saw Sanzang, with his handsome brows and clear eyes, broad forehead, ears that hung down to his shoulders, and hands that reached below his knees, as elegant as an arhat descended to earth. He stepped forward and grabbed him, smiling broadly, and began to pinch and prod him, touching his nose and pulling his ears with great familiarity. He invited Sanzang into the abbot's quarters, and after exchanging greetings, asked, "Venerable Master, where have you come from?"
Sanzang said, "I am a disciple sent by the Great Tang Emperor in the Eastern Land to go to the Great Thunderclap Monastery in the Heavenly Kingdom of the West to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures. It grew late as I was traveling, so I have come to your esteemed temple to request lodging for the night. I will set out again at dawn. I beg you, Master, to grant me this convenience."
The monk laughed and said, "Don't try to fool me! We didn't become monks willingly. It was because our parents gave birth to us under an unlucky star, and our families couldn't keep us, so we were given to the monastery. Since we have become disciples of the Buddha, we shouldn't tell lies."
Sanzang said, "I am telling the truth."
The monk said, "How many miles is it from the Eastern Land to the Western Heaven! On the road, there are mountains, and in the mountains, there are caves, and in the caves, there are demons. A refined and delicate man like you doesn't look like a scripture-fetcher at all."
Sanzang said, "Abbot, you speak the truth. I could not have come this far alone. I have three disciples who can open a path through mountains and build bridges over rivers. It is their protection that has allowed me to reach your esteemed temple."
The monk said, "Where are your three worthy disciples?"
Sanzang said, "They are waiting outside the mountain gate."
The monk was alarmed. "Master, you don't know this place. There are tigers, wolves, bandits, and demons here that harm people. During the day, we dare not travel far, and we close the gates before dusk. How can you leave people outside at this hour?" He then called out, "Disciples, quickly go and invite the three venerable masters inside!"
Two little lamas ran out. When they saw the Pilgrim, they were so frightened they fell down. When they saw Bajie, they fell down again. They scrambled to their feet and ran back, shouting, "Grandfathers! Our luck is terrible! We didn't see Master Tang's disciples; there are only three or four monsters standing at the gate!"
Sanzang asked, "What kind of monsters?"
The little monk said, "One has a face like a thunder god, one has a long snout, and one has a green face with fangs. There's also a woman beside them, with an oily head and a powdered face."
Sanzang laughed and said, "You don't recognize them. The three ugly ones are my disciples. That woman is someone I rescued from the pine forest."
The lama said, "Grandfather! A handsome master like you found such ugly disciples?"
Sanzang said, "Though they are ugly, they are all useful. Quickly invite them in. If you delay any longer, the one with the thunder-god face will lose his temper, and he is not to be trifled with. He will fight his way in."
The little monk hurried out, knelt down trembling, and said, "Lords, Master Tang invites you inside."
Bajie laughed, "Brother, if he invites us, he invites us. Why is he shaking so much?"
The Pilgrim said, "He is afraid because we are ugly."
Bajie said, "Nonsense! We were born looking like this. Who wants to be ugly!"
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