The Great Sage Sun Wukong helped Tang Sanzang down from his horse, and together with Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, they continued westward along the main road. They had not traveled far when they saw ahead a cluster of towering pavilions and magnificent palaces. Tang Sanzang reined in his horse and asked, “Disciples, look at that place. What do you suppose it is?”
The Pilgrim looked up and saw a scene before him: Mountains encircled the buildings, and streams wound around the pavilions. Dense, dark woods grew before the gate, and wildflowers bloomed fragrantly outside the residence. White egrets perched among the willows, like flawless jade in a mist; orioles warbled within the peach trees, like gold amidst fire. Pairs of wild deer roamed carefree across the green mossy banks, and flocks of mountain birds chirped and sang from the crimson treetops. It was as beautiful as the cave paradise of Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao , and no less magnificent than the celestial gardens of the immortals.
The Pilgrim reported, “Master, that place is neither a nobleman’s mansion nor a wealthy man’s estate. It looks more like a nunnery or a temple. Let’s go closer and see for ourselves.”
Hearing this, Tang Sanzang urged his horse forward. The master and his disciples arrived at the gate and saw a stone tablet embedded in the doorframe, engraved with the words “ Yellow Flower Temple .” Tang Sanzang dismounted, and Zhu Bajie said, “A Yellow Flower Temple is a place where Taoist priests live. It wouldn’t hurt to go in and meet them. Even though we wear different robes, we are all cultivators.”
Sha Wujing agreed. “That’s right. For one thing, we can enjoy the scenery; for another, we can let the horse rest. If it’s convenient, we might even find some vegetarian food for the master.”
Tang Sanzang nodded in agreement, and the four of them entered the temple together. As soon as they reached the second gate, they saw a pair of spring couplets: “ Yellow Sprouts and White Buds mark the Immortal’s palace; Jade Grass and Magic Flowers adorn the Recluse’s home.”
The Pilgrim laughed. “This must be a Taoist who burns reeds and refines elixirs , tending furnaces and carrying pots.”
Tang Sanzang quickly pinched him and whispered, “Don’t talk nonsense! We don’t know him, and we’re not related. We’re just paying a brief visit. What does it matter what he does?”
Before he finished speaking, they entered the second gate and saw that the main hall’s door was closed. On the eastern veranda sat a Taoist priest, rolling medicinal pills. As for the priest’s appearance: He wore a dazzling red hat trimmed with gold; a dark, pitch-black robe; a pair of green cloud-patterned shoes; and a yellow sash tied around his waist, like that of Immortal Lu . His face was the color of iron, and his eyes shone like bright stars. He had a high, prominent nose like a Muslim , and thick, turned-out lips like a Mongol . A thunderous aura of cultivation was hidden within his heart; he was a true master of subduing tigers and dragons .
Tang Sanzang called out in a loud voice, “ Venerable Immortal , this humble monk pays his respects.”
The Taoist priest looked up abruptly, and upon seeing them, he was startled. He dropped the pills he was holding, straightened his hairpin and robes, and descended the steps to welcome them. “Venerable Master, forgive my rudeness. Please, come inside and sit.”
Tang Sanzang was delighted and followed him into the main hall. Pushing open the door, he saw statues of the Three Pure Ones enshrined within. On the altar table were incense and an incense burner. He picked up some incense, lit it, and placed it in the burner. After bowing three times, he exchanged formal greetings with the Taoist priest. Then they took their seats as guests, and the priest quickly called for a boy to bring tea.
Two young boys immediately went into the inner room to find a tea tray, wash the teacups, wipe the spoons, and prepare refreshments. They scurried about busily, and in their haste, they disturbed several “ grievances ” inside.
It turned out that the seven female goblins from Spider-Den Cave were fellow disciples of this Taoist priest. They had earlier put on old clothes, summoned their adopted sons, and then come directly here. They were now in the back room cutting fabric. Hearing the commotion of the tea preparation, they asked, “Boys, what guests have arrived that you’re so busy?”
The boys replied, “Four monks just came. Our master ordered us to prepare tea.”
The female goblins asked, “Is there a fair-skinned, plump monk among them?”
The boys said, “Yes.”
The female goblins asked further, “Is there also one with a long snout and big ears?”
The boys replied, “Him too.”
The female goblins quickly said, “First, take the tea out. Give your master a signal to come inside. We have urgent matters to discuss with him.”
The boy did as he was told and carried out five cups of tea. The Taoist priest adjusted his robes, took a cup with both hands, and offered it to Tang Sanzang, then handed cups to Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and the Pilgrim in turn. After they had drunk the tea, the boy gave the priest a signal.
The priest immediately rose slightly and said, “Please stay seated for a moment.” He then told the boy, “Take the tray away and keep the guests company here. I will return shortly.”
Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang and his disciples followed the boy around the hall, admiring the view. But we shall leave them for now.
As for the Taoist priest, he entered the abbot’s quarters and saw the seven female goblins all kneeling before him, crying out, “Elder Brother! Elder Brother! Please hear what your little sisters have to say!”
The priest helped them up. “When you came this morning, you wanted to talk, but I happened to be refining medicine today. This particular medicine is taboo in the presence of women, so I didn’t speak with you much. Now there are guests outside. If you have something to say, wait until later.”
The female goblins urged him, “Elder Brother, the matter we want to discuss is precisely about those guests. If we don’t speak now, it will be too late!”
The priest laughed. “What nonsense is this? You say it’s about the guests, so you must speak now? Is there something wrong? Even if I weren’t a cultivator, but an ordinary person with a wife, children, and household affairs, I would still wait until the guests left to handle things. Why are you so tactless, causing me trouble? I’m going back out.”
The female goblins grabbed him again. “Elder Brother, don’t be angry. First, let us ask you: Where did those guests outside come from?”
The priest’s face darkened, and he said nothing. The female goblins continued, “Just now, when the boy came in for tea, we heard him say there were four monks.”
The priest said impatiently, “So what if they are monks?”
The female goblins said, “Among those four monks, there is a fair-skinned, plump one, and a long-snouted, big-eared one. Elder Brother, did you ask where they came from?”
The priest said, “There are such men. How do you know? Have you seen them before?”
The female goblins said, “Elder Brother, you don’t know the inside story. Those monks are from the Tang court, sent to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven. This morning, they came to our cave to beg for food. We heard that Tang Sanzang is the true body of ten lifetimes of cultivation , and that eating a piece of his flesh grants immortality. So we captured him. But later, that long-snouted, big-eared monk blocked us at the Cleansing Spring . First, he stole our clothes, then he showed off his skills and wanted to bathe with us. We couldn’t stop him. He jumped into the water, turned into a catfish , and swam between our legs, trying to do shameful things. He was utterly despicable! When he jumped back onto the bank and resumed his true form, and we refused to yield to him, he took out a nine-pronged rake and tried to kill us. If we hadn’t had some skill, he would have beaten us to death. We barely escaped and sent your foolish nephews to fight him. We don’t know if they are alive or dead. We came specially to beg you, Elder Brother, for the sake of our old friendship as fellow disciples, to avenge this wrong!”
Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest flew into a rage, his face turning pale. “These monks are so insolent! So shameless! Don’t worry. Watch how I deal with them!”
The female goblins quickly thanked him. “If Elder Brother takes action, we will help you fight!”
The priest said, “No need to fight! No need to fight! As the saying goes, ‘A single fight loses three-tenths of one’s spirit.’ Follow me.”
The female goblins followed him into a room. The priest fetched a ladder, climbed up to the rafters behind the bed, and took down a small leather box. The box was eight inches high, a foot long, and four inches wide, with a small copper lock hanging on it. He took a yellow silk handkerchief from his sleeve, on which was tied a small key. He unlocked the box and took out a packet of medicine. The origin of this medicine was extraordinary: Bird droppings from the mountains, gathered in thousands of catties. They were boiled in copper cauldrons, simmered to the perfect heat. A thousand catties reduced to one ladle, one ladle refined into three portions. The three portions were then stir-fried, roasted again, and smoked once more. This deadly poison was made, more precious than jewels or pearls. If one were to taste its flavor, it would be a one-way ticket to see the King of Hell!
The priest said to the seven female goblins, “Sisters, this treasure of mine: if an ordinary person eats a single li, they will die instantly; if an immortal eats it, three li will be enough to kill them. These monks might have some cultivation, so we must use three li. Bring me the scales quickly.”
One of the female goblins quickly brought the scales and said, “Weigh out one fen and two li, and divide it into four portions.” Then she took twelve red dates, split them open slightly, and stuffed one li of the medicine into each date. She placed them into four teacups. She also took two black dates and put them in a fifth cup. She placed all five cups on a tray and said to the female goblins, “Wait here. I’ll go and question them first. If they are not from the Tang court, then forget it. But if they are, I will say we are changing the tea. You tell the boy to bring this tea out. Once they drink it, every last one of them will die. Then your revenge will be complete, and your anger will be satisfied.”
The seven female goblins were overwhelmed with gratitude.
The priest changed his clothes, put on a polite demeanor, and went back out. He invited Tang Sanzang and the others to sit down again as guests and said, “Venerable Master, please forgive me. I just went to the back to instruct my disciples to pick some greens and radishes and prepare a vegetarian meal for you. That’s why I was delayed.”
Tang Sanzang said, “I came empty-handed. How can I put you to the expense of preparing a meal?”
The priest smiled. “We are all men of the Way. When you visit a Taoist temple, it is only natural to offer you a meal. What do you mean by empty-handed? May I ask, Venerable Master, from which precious monastery have you come? And what brings you here?”
Tang Sanzang replied, “This humble monk was sent by the Great Tang Emperor in the East to fetch scriptures from the Great Thunderclap Monastery in the Western Heaven. Passing by your immortal temple, I sincerely came in to pay my respects.”
Upon hearing this, the priest’s face broke into a broad smile. “So the Venerable Master is a great, virtuous monk of sincere intent. This humble Taoist has eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive my sin! Forgive my sin!” Then he called out, “Boy, go in quickly and change the tea! And prepare a meal immediately.”
The boy turned and went into the inner room. The female goblins quickly stopped him. “There’s freshly prepared tea here. Take it out.”
The boy indeed brought out five cups of tea on a tray. The priest quickly took a cup with red dates and offered it to Tang Sanzang with both hands. Seeing that Zhu Bajie was large, he took him to be the senior disciple; Sha Wujing as the second; and the Pilgrim, being small, as the third. Thus, the fourth cup was given to the Pilgrim.
The Pilgrim had sharp eyes. As he took the cup, he noticed that there was a fifth cup on the tray containing two black dates. He said, “Sir, let me exchange cups with you.”
The priest smiled. “To be honest with you, Venerable One, I am a poor Taoist from the mountains, and I didn’t have time to prepare refreshments properly. Just now, I went to the back to find some fruit myself. I only had these twelve red dates, which I steeped in four cups of tea for you. I, too, cannot sit here empty-handed, so I used two inferior black dates for my own cup. It is but a small token of my sincerity.”
The Pilgrim laughed. “You are being too formal! As the saying goes, ‘At home, one is never poor; on the road, poverty kills a man.’ You are at home, so how can you claim to be poor? It is we traveling monks who are truly poor! Let me exchange with you. Let me exchange with you.”
Tang Sanzang said from the side, “Wukong, the Immortal is being kind. Just drink your tea. Why do you want to exchange?”
The Pilgrim had no choice but to take the cup with his left hand, cover the rim with his right hand, and watch their movements carefully.
As for Zhu Bajie, he was both hungry and thirsty. He had an enormous appetite anyway, and seeing three red dates in his cup, he gulped them all down in one go. Tang Sanzang also drank his tea, and Sha Wujing did the same.
In a short while, Zhu Bajie’s face changed color, Sha Wujing’s face was streaming with tears, and Tang Sanzang was foaming at the mouth. All three could no longer sit upright. With a thud, they collapsed to the ground.
The Pilgrim knew at once that they had been poisoned. He raised the teacup in his hand and smashed it at the priest’s face. The priest blocked it with his sleeve. With a clang, the cup shattered into pieces.
“You monk!” the priest said angrily. “You are too rude! Why did you break my cup?”
The Pilgrim cursed back, “You beast! Can’t you see what has happened to my three companions? We have no enmity with you. Why did you use poisoned tea to harm them?”
The priest said, “You rustic beast! You have brought disaster upon yourselves and still don’t know it?”
The Pilgrim said, “We just entered your temple, sat down, exchanged a few words, and stated our origins. We said nothing offensive. What disaster have we caused?”
The priest said, “Did you or did you not beg for food at Spider-Den Cave? Did you or did you not bathe in the Cleansing Spring?”
The Pilgrim said, “The seven female goblins from the Cleansing Spring must be your accomplices. You are no good either. You must be a goblin too! Don’t run! Taste my staff!”
The Great Sage, without further ado, pulled the Golden-Banded Cudgel from his ear. He shook it, and it became as thick as a rice bowl. He swung it at the priest’s face. The priest quickly turned and dodged, drawing a sword to meet the attack.
The two of them fought, exchanging curses and blows. The commotion soon startled the female goblins in the inner room. The seven of them rushed out together, shouting, “Elder Brother, don’t exert yourself. Let your little sisters capture him!”
Seeing this, the Pilgrim grew even angrier. He swung his iron staff with both hands, unleashing all his skill as he charged into their midst. The seven female goblins opened their robes, revealing their snow-white bellies. From their navels, they cast a spell: With a gurgling sound, silk threads shot out, forming a canopy that covered the Pilgrim.
Seeing the situation was dire, the Pilgrim turned over, chanted a spell, and with a single somersault, he crashed through the canopy and escaped. Suppressing his rage, he hovered in the air and looked down. The silk threads were glistening, crisscrossing like the warp and weft of a loom. In no time, they had completely shrouded the towers and halls of the Yellow Flower Temple.
The Pilgrim thought to himself, “Formidable! I’m lucky I wasn’t caught! No wonder Zhu Bajie fell so many times! What am I to do? My master and my fellow disciples have been poisoned. This gang of goblins is united and formidable. I don’t know their origin. I had better go and ask the local deity.”
The Great Sage pressed down his cloud, made a hand seal, and chanted the syllable “Om.” He summoned the local deity. The deity knelt trembling by the roadside, kowtowing. “Great Sage, weren’t you going to rescue your master? Why have you returned?”
The Pilgrim said, “I rescued my master this morning. We hadn’t gone far when we came across a Yellow Flower Temple. I went in with my master to have a look. The abbot came out to welcome us. We had barely exchanged a few words when he poisoned my master and the others with drugged tea. I was lucky not to have drunk it. I hit him with my staff, and only then did he mention the events at Spider-Den Cave and the Cleansing Spring. That’s when I knew he was a goblin. As soon as we started fighting, those seven female goblins rushed out and spat silk threads. I was fortunate to have a way to escape. I thought that since you are the local deity here, you must know their origin. Tell me honestly what kind of goblins they are. If not, I’ll beat you!”
The local deity kowtowed and said, “Those goblins have lived here for less than ten years. I investigated three years ago and learned that their true forms are seven spider spirits. The silk threads they spit are spider silk.”
Upon hearing this, the Pilgrim was delighted. “If that’s the case, they shouldn’t be too hard to deal with. All right, you may go. I’ll take care of them.”
The local deity kowtowed and left.
The Pilgrim went to the outside of the Yellow Flower Temple. He plucked seventy hairs from his tail, blew on them with his immortal breath, and shouted, “Change!” Instantly, they turned into seventy little Pilgrims. He shook his Golden-Banded Cudgel and shouted, “Change!” It turned into seventy-one double-pronged forks. He gave each little Pilgrim a fork, keeping one for himself. Standing outside, they used the forks to stir the silk threads. Shouting in unison, they pulled and twisted until all the silk threads were broken. Each little Pilgrim had gathered over ten catties of the stuff.
From within, seven spiders were dragged out, each as big as a bushel basket. They all shrank back, their hands and feet limp, their heads bowed, crying out, “Spare us! Spare us!”
The seventy little Pilgrims held the seven spiders down and would not let go. The Pilgrim said, “Don’t kill them yet. First, release my master and my fellow disciples!”
The spider spirits shouted loudly, “Elder Brother, quickly return Tang Sanzang to him and save our lives!”
The Taoist priest ran out from inside and said, “Sisters, I still want to eat Tang Sanzang. I can’t save you!”
The Pilgrim was enraged. “Since you won’t return my master, then see the fate of your sisters!”
The Great Sage shook his fork, which turned back into his iron staff. He raised it with both hands and smashed all seven spider spirits to death. They lay like seven bags of meat, their pus and blood flowing all over the ground. He then shook his tail, retrieved his hairs, and alone, swinging his iron staff, charged into the temple to fight the Taoist priest.
Seeing that his junior sisters had been killed, the priest was both pained and furious. Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword and met the attack. Both were filled with rage, and each displayed his divine powers as they fought. This battle was truly fierce: The goblin swung his sword, the Great Sage raised his golden cudgel. All for Tang Sanzang of the Tang court, who first caused the seven girls to perish. Now, they displayed their full skills, exerting their might and showing their magic. The Great Sage’s divine light was strong; the goblin’s spirit was bold. Their bodies moved with all the skill of a flowered brocade; their hands darted back and forth like a windlass. The clang of sword and staff resounded; the wild clouds grew dim. With insults and tricks, they came and went like a painting. The wind howled, sand flew, wolves and tigers were terrified; the sky darkened, the earth dimmed, and the stars vanished.
After fifty or sixty rounds, the priest began to tire. His arms grew weak, and his strength waned. He loosened his belt and, with a rustling sound, took off his black robe.
The Pilgrim laughed. “You little wretch! Taking off your clothes won’t help you even if you’ve lost!”
But the priest, having removed his robe, raised both hands. From his armpits, a thousand eyes shot forth golden light, extremely powerful: Thick yellow mist, dazzling golden light. The thick yellow mist seemed to spew from the clouds beneath his armpits; the dazzling golden light seemed to shoot fire from a thousand eyes. To the left and right, it was like being inside a golden barrel; to the east and west, like being inside a bronze bell. This was the goblin displaying his magical power: the blinding light obscured the heavens and hid the sun and moon; it trapped people in a stifling, hazy fog. Even the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, Sun Wukong, was trapped within the golden light and yellow mist.
The Pilgrim was panicked. He stumbled around within the golden light. He could not move forward, nor could he retreat. It was like running in circles inside a barrel. What made it worse was the intense heat and stuffiness. In desperation, he leaped upward with all his might. He smashed through the golden light but fell head over heels with a crash. He touched his head and found it throbbing with pain. He felt it with his hand, and the skin on his crown had become soft.
He thought to himself in alarm, “Bad luck! Bad luck! Even my head is useless today! Normally, neither a knife nor an axe can harm it. How did this golden light make my skin so tender? Later, it will fester. Even if it heals, I’ll get tetanus!”
Unable to bear the stifling heat any longer, he thought, “I can’t go forward, I can’t go back, I can’t go left or right, and jumping up hurts. I might as well burrow downward!”
The Great Sage chanted a spell, shook his body, and turned into a pangolin, also known as a scaly anteater. Look at it: Four iron claws, digging through mountains and crushing rocks like grinding powder; scales covering its body, piercing ridges and drilling through cliffs like slicing scallions. Its eyes were bright, like twin stars shining; its mouth was sharp, stronger than a steel drill or a golden awl. The medicinal pangolin, commonly called the scaly anteater.
It gritted its teeth and burrowed into the ground. It drilled for over twenty miles before emerging. The golden light could only cover a radius of about ten miles. After resuming his original form, the Pilgrim was completely exhausted. His bones and muscles were numb, and the pain was so great that he couldn’t help but shed tears. He cried out, “Master! ‘In the days when I first left the mountain, we traveled west together with great effort. The vast oceans and mighty waves held no fear for me, yet here I am, caught in a ditch!’”
As the Handsome Monkey King was grieving, he suddenly heard someone crying behind the mountain. He wiped away his tears and turned to look. A woman in heavy mourning clothes, holding a bowl of cold rice water in her left hand and several sheets of funeral paper in her right, walked over, sobbing with every step.
The Pilgrim sighed. “Truly, ‘Those who shed tears meet those who shed tears; those with wounded hearts encounter those with wounded hearts.’ I wonder what this woman is crying about. Let me ask her.”
The woman soon approached. The Pilgrim bowed and asked, “Female Bodhisattva, for whom are you mourning?”
The woman said, tears in her eyes, “My husband got into an argument with the abbot of the Yellow Flower Temple over buying bamboo poles. He was poisoned to death with drugged tea. I am here to burn some paper money to repay our love as husband and wife.”
Hearing this, the Pilgrim couldn’t help but shed tears himself. The woman saw this and said angrily, “Why are you so tactless! I am grieving for my husband, and you are crying and whimpering. Are you mocking me on purpose?”
The Pilgrim quickly bowed again. “Female Bodhisattva, don’t be angry. I am Sun Wukong, the senior disciple of Tang Sanzang, the Imperial Younger Brother of the Great Tang, sent to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven. We were passing by the Yellow Flower Temple to rest. The Taoist priest in that temple is some kind of goblin. He has sworn brotherhood with the seven spider spirits. The spider spirits tried to harm my master in Spider-Den Cave. My fellow disciple Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing, and I rescued my master. But then the spider spirits came running here, twisted the truth, and said we had bullied them. The priest then used drugged tea to poison my master and my two fellow disciples. Even the horse was poisoned. They are all trapped inside the temple. Only I didn’t drink the tea. I smashed the cup and started fighting him. While we were fighting, the seven spider spirits came out and spat silk threads to bind me. I used magic to escape. I asked the local deity and learned their true forms. I used my body-division spell to break the silk threads, dragged the spider spirits out, and killed them. Then this priest came to seek revenge. He drew his sword and fought me. After sixty rounds, he couldn’t beat me, so he took off his clothes and shot a thousand beams of golden light from his armpits, trapping me. I had no choice but to turn into a pangolin and burrow out from underground. I was grieving when I heard you crying. I asked you a question. Seeing you burning paper money for your husband, and my master being harmed without even an offering, I couldn’t help but feel sad. I was definitely not mocking you!”
The woman put down the rice water and the paper money and apologized to the Pilgrim. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were a fellow sufferer. From what you say, you don’t know that priest, do you? He is the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, also known as the Thousand-Eyed Fiend. You are indeed capable, able to change your form and escape his golden light. You fought with him for so long, so you must have great skill. But you cannot get close to him. I will tell you to go and invite a sage. She can break his golden light and subdue the priest.”
The Pilgrim quickly bowed. “Female Bodhisattva, you know his origin. Please show me the way. Who is this sage? I will go and ask her to save my master, and avenge your husband as well.”
The woman said, “I will tell you who it is. Go and invite her. She can subdue the priest and avenge you. But I’m afraid it may be too late to save your master.”
The Pilgrim asked, “Why can’t he be saved?”
The woman said, “That priest’s poison is extremely potent. Once a person is poisoned, their marrow will rot within three days. You might not have enough time to go and come back.”
The Pilgrim said, “I can ride the clouds and mists. No matter how far, I can cover a thousand miles in half a day.”
The woman said, “Since you can travel quickly, listen to me: Go south from here for a thousand miles. There is a Purple Cloud Mountain. On that mountain is a Thousand Flowers Cave. In that cave lives a sage named Pilanpo. She can subdue this monster.”
The Pilgrim asked, “In which direction is that mountain? How do I get there?”
The woman pointed south and said, “Go straight south.”
When the Pilgrim turned to look again, the woman had vanished.
The Pilgrim quickly kowtowed and said, “Which Bodhisattva has appeared to me? I was too flustered just now to recognize you. Please leave your name so that I may repay your kindness!”
A voice from mid-air called out, “Great Sage, it is I.”
The Pilgrim looked up and saw that it was the Holy Mother of Mount Li. He quickly flew into the air to thank her. “Holy Mother, where have you come from? And why have you troubled yourself to guide me?”
The Holy Mother of Mount Li said, “I was just returning from the Dragon Flower Assembly. I saw that your master was in trouble, so I disguised myself as a mourning woman and used the pretext of my husband being killed to tell you this, lest you become suspicious. Go quickly and invite Pilanpo. But be sure not to tell her that I was the one who guided you. That sage is a bit particular about people.”
The Pilgrim thanked the Holy Mother of Mount Li, mounted his somersault cloud, and in an instant arrived at Purple Cloud Mountain. He pressed down his cloud and saw the Thousand Flowers Cave. The scene outside the cave was as follows: Green pines shaded the splendid scenery; verdant cypresses surrounded the immortal dwelling. Green willows lined the mountain paths; exotic flowers filled the ravines. Fragrant orchids encircled the stone house; sweet grass reflected against the rocky cliffs. A flowing stream connected the emerald brook; clouds sealed the ancient trees in a haze. Wild birds chirped noisily; leisurely deer stepped slowly. Bamboo branches were lush and beautiful; red plum leaves spread wide. Winter crows perched on ancient trees; spring birds sang on tall elms. Summer wheat covered the broad fields; autumn crops overflowed the land. In all four seasons, no leaves fell; in all eight festivals, flowers bloomed. Auspicious mists constantly rose to the Milky Way; blessed clouds forever touched the Great Void.
The Great Sage walked in cheerfully, unable to take in all the scenery along the way. He went deeper inside but saw no one. It was utterly silent, without even the sound of a chicken or a dog. He thought to himself, “Could this sage not be at home?”
After walking a few more miles, he saw a female Taoist nun sitting on a couch. As for her appearance: She wore a cap of five-colored brocade and a robe of woven gold. On her feet were cloud-tipped phoenix-head shoes; around her waist was a gathered-silk double-tasseled sash. Her face was like autumn frost after the cold; her voice was like a spring swallow before the festival. In her belly, she had long mastered the Three Vehicles of the Dharma; in her heart, she constantly cultivated the Four Noble Truths. She had awakened to the true fruit of emptiness, and, refined, she roamed in perfect freedom. This was the Buddha of the Thousand Flowers Cave, the highly renowned Bodhisattva Pilanpo.
The Pilgrim could not help but step forward and call out, “Bodhisattva Pilanpo, this humble monk pays his respects to you.”
Bodhisattva Pilanpo immediately descended from her couch, joined her palms, and returned the greeting. “Great Sage, forgive my rudeness. Where have you come from?”
The Pilgrim asked, “How did you know I was the Great Sage?”
Pilanpo said, “When you caused havoc in Heaven back then, your image spread everywhere. Who doesn’t know you? Who doesn’t recognize you?”
The Pilgrim said, “Truly, ‘Good deeds never leave the door, but bad deeds travel a thousand miles.’ Now that I have returned to the Buddhist fold, you don’t know that!”
Pilanpo said, “When did you return? Congratulations! Congratulations!”
The Pilgrim said, “I only recently escaped my tribulation and am protecting my master, Tang Sanzang, on his journey to the Western Heaven to fetch scriptures. Unexpectedly, my master encountered a Taoist priest at the Yellow Flower Temple, who poisoned him with drugged tea. I fought with that priest, and he released a golden light that trapped me. I used magic to escape. I heard that you, Bodhisattva, can break his golden light, so I have come especially to ask for your help.”
Pilanpo asked, “Who told you that I could break the golden light? I haven’t left my home in over three hundred years since I attended the Ullambana Festival. I have kept my name hidden, and no one knows my dwelling place. How did you find this place?”</p