The villagers of Chen Family Village , carrying pigs and sheep as offerings along with the Pilgrim and Eight Rules, who had transformed into the boy and girl, bustled noisily to the Temple of Inspiration . They placed the "boy and girl" on the highest part of the altar . The Pilgrim looked back and saw incense, flowers, and candles laid out on the altar. In the very center stood a golden tablet inscribed with the words " The Divine Presence of the Great King of Inspiration ." There were no other statues. After setting out the offerings, the villagers knelt as one and kowtowed: " Great King and Grandfather , on this day and at this hour of this year, we, Chen Cheng and the others of Chen Family Village, follow the yearly custom and present to you the boy Chen Guanbao and the girl Chen Yichengjin , along with pigs and sheep as offerings. Please, Great King, enjoy them. We beseech you to bless us with favorable winds and timely rains , and with bountiful harvests of the five grains !" After their prayer, they burned paper horses and returned to their homes.
Seeing everyone had left, Eight Rules said to the Pilgrim, "Let us go home too." The Pilgrim asked, "Where is your home?" Eight Rules replied, "Back to Old Chen's place to sleep!" The Pilgrim said, " Fool , you speak nonsense again! Since we have agreed to help them, we must see this matter through." Eight Rules said, "You are not stupid, and yet you call me stupid! It was enough to fool them for a bit of fun. Why must we truly wait for the Great King to come and eat us? Are you taking this seriously?" The Pilgrim said, "Enough nonsense! If you help someone, you must help them to the end. We must wait for the Great King to arrive to finish what we started. Otherwise, if he brings disaster upon them again, it will be even worse."
As they were speaking, they heard the sound of wind, "Woo-woo." Eight Rules said, "This is bad! The wind blows; that thing is coming!" The Pilgrim said, "Do not speak. Let me handle this." In a moment, a monster appeared at the temple gate. Behold his appearance: He wore a suit of golden armor and a golden helmet , gleaming and new, and a jeweled belt coiled around his waist like a red cloud. His eyes were as bright as the evening star just appearing, and his teeth were arranged like a double row of saw-teeth . Mists and clouds drifted beneath his feet, and a warm, hazy vapor surrounded his body. As he walked, gusts of chilling wind blew forth, and where he stood, layers of murderous cold gathered. He looked like a general who had rolled up a curtain to assist his lord, or like a great guardian god of a temple gate .
The monster blocked the temple gate and asked, "Which family is making the offering this year?"
The Pilgrim, grinning broadly, replied, "Great King, it is the family of Chen Cheng and Chen Qing at the head of the village."
Upon hearing this, the monster grew suspicious: "This boy is bold and speaks quite cleverly. The boys and girls who came in previous years, if you asked them a question, they would not answer, and if you asked again, they would be scared out of their wits and die at a single grab. How is this boy so talkative today?"
The monster did not dare to grab him and asked instead, "What are the names of the boy and girl?"
The Pilgrim laughed and said, "The boy is called Chen Guanbao, and the girl is called Chen Yichengjin."
The monster said, "The offering is made according to the yearly custom. Since you have been presented, it is time for me to eat you."
The Pilgrim said, "I dare not resist. Please, Great King, eat as you wish."
Upon hearing this, the monster still did not dare to act. He blocked the gate and shouted, "Do not be impertinent! In previous years, I always ate the boy first. This year, I will eat the girl first!" Eight Rules panicked and said, "Great King, please follow the old custom! Do not break the precedent!"
The monster paid him no heed and reached out to grab Eight Rules. With a "thump," the Fool jumped down, reverted to his true form, and raised his rake to strike. The monster quickly pulled back his hand, turned, and fled, but a loud "clang" was heard. Eight Rules said, "I have broken through his armor!" The Pilgrim also reverted to his true form. Looking at the ground, they saw two scales , as large as ice platters , from a fish. With a great shout, "After him!" the two leaped into the air. The monster, having come to a feast without his weapons, stood empty-handed amidst the clouds and asked, "What monks are you, to come here and cause such havoc, ruining my incense and destroying my reputation?" The Pilgrim said, "You reckless fiend, do you not know? We are disciples of the holy monk Tripitaka of the Great Tang in the East, on a mission from our emperor to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven. We stayed at the Chen home last night and heard of your evil spirit, who falsely calls himself the Great King of Inspiration and every year demands to eat a boy and a girl. Out of compassion, we have come to save the people and capture you, you reckless fiend! Confess quickly! You have eaten a boy and a girl every year for who knows how many years. How many people have you devoured? Count them one by one, and I will spare you the death penalty!"
Hearing this, the monster turned and fled. Eight Rules struck again with his rake but missed. The monster transformed into a violent wind and plunged into the Celestial River. The Pilgrim said, "Do not chase him. This monster must be a creature from the river. Let us wait until tomorrow to think of a way to capture him and escort our master across the river." Hearing this, Eight Rules followed the Pilgrim back to the temple. They moved the offerings of pigs and sheep, along with the table, to the Chen home. By this time, Tripitaka, Sha Monk, and the Chen brothers were in the hall awaiting news. Seeing the two of them throw the offerings into the courtyard, Tripitaka went to meet them and asked, "Wukong, what happened with the offering?" The Pilgrim recounted everything: the monster's arrival, how he and Eight Rules had revealed their true forms, and how the monster had fled into the river. The two elders were overjoyed and immediately had a guest room swept out and beds prepared for the masters and disciples to rest.
Meanwhile, the monster fled back into the water. He sat in his water palace without speaking. The various lesser monsters in the water asked, "Great King, every year after you have enjoyed the offerings, you return very happy. Why are you unhappy today?" The monster said, "In previous years, after I had my fill, I could bring back some leftovers for you. Today, I did not even get to eat. What terrible luck! I ran into my nemesis and nearly lost my life." The lesser monsters asked, "Great King, who is so formidable?" The monster said, "They are disciples of the holy monk Tripitaka of the Great Tang in the East, who are going to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven. They transformed themselves into the boy and girl and sat in the temple. I was caught off guard when they revealed their true forms, and I was nearly wounded. I have long heard that Tripitaka is a good man who has cultivated himself for ten lifetimes, and that eating a piece of his flesh can grant immortality. I never expected he would have such formidable disciples. They have ruined my reputation and broken my incense offerings. I want to capture Tripitaka, but I fear I cannot do it."
At this moment, a mandarin fish spirit in a flowery garment emerged from the water tribe . She kowtowed to the monster, smiled, and said, "Great King, what is so difficult about capturing Tripitaka? Only, if you do capture him, will you be willing to share some wine and meat with me?" The monster said, "If you have a plan, we will work together to capture Tripitaka. Once he is caught, I will swear brotherhood with you and we will eat him together." The mandarin fish spirit thanked the monster and asked, "I have long known that the Great King has the power to summon wind and rain and to stir up the seas and rivers. But I do not know if you can summon snow?"
The monster said, "I can."
The mandarin fish spirit asked again, "Since you can summon snow, can you freeze water into ice?"
The monster said, "Even more so!"
The mandarin fish spirit clapped her hands and laughed, "Then it is extremely easy! Extremely easy!"
The monster said, "Tell me, how is it easy?"
The mandarin fish spirit said, "Tonight, at the third watch, Great King, do not hesitate. Quickly perform your magic, summon a freezing wind, and send down a heavy snow to freeze the entire Celestial River solid. Those of us who can transform will take on human forms. We will walk back and forth on the ice at the crossing, carrying bundles, holding umbrellas, bearing loads, and pushing carts. Tripitaka is anxious to fetch the scriptures. When he sees people walking on the ice, he will surely try to cross. The Great King will sit in the middle of the river. When you hear the sound of his footsteps approaching, you can break the ice. He and his disciples will fall into the water, and you can capture them all at once!"
Hearing this, the monster was filled with joy. "Excellent! Excellent!" He immediately left the water palace, flew into the air, and performed his magic. He summoned wind and snow, freezing the Celestial River solid.
Back in the Chen home, the four masters and disciples were trying to sleep. As dawn approached, the quilts grew icy cold, and they could not sleep from the chill. Eight Rules shivered and shouted, "Elder Brother, it is so cold!" The Pilgrim said, "You fool, you are so useless! A monk is supposed to be beyond the reach of heat and cold. How can you be afraid of the cold?"
Tripitaka said, "Disciple, it is truly cold. Look: the thick quilts give no warmth, and tucking my hands into my sleeves feels like grabbing ice. At this time, withered leaves hang with frost, and the green pines are adorned with icy chimes. The earth cracks from the intense cold, and the ponds are still because the water has frozen. No old fisherman is seen on his boat; how can a monk be found in a mountain temple? The woodcutter worries about the scarcity of kindling, while the rich man rejoices at the increase in charcoal. The traveler's beard is stiff as iron, and the poet's brush is sharp as ice. Fur coats are still considered too thin, and sable jackets are regretted for being too light. The old monk stiffens on his meditation mat, and the traveler's soul is startled within his paper tent. Even with embroidered quilts and layers of bedding, the whole body shivers and trembles."
The masters and disciples could not sleep, so they got up and dressed. Opening the door, they saw a vast expanse of white. It was snowing! The Pilgrim said, "No wonder you felt cold. What a heavy snowfall!" The four of them watched the snow together. It was truly a magnificent snow: Dense clouds gathered, and a dismal fog hung heavy. Dense clouds gathered, and the north wind howled fiercely through the sky. A dismal fog hung heavy, and a great snow fell, blanketing the earth. Truly, the six-petaled flowers, each flake like flying jade; the thousand trees in the forest, every branch adorned with jewels. In an instant, it piled up like powder; in a moment, it became like salt. The white parrot lost its color, and the snowy crane's feathers became the same. It seemed to add a thousand rivers to the Wu and Chu lands, and it overwhelmed the plum trees of the southeast. It was as if three million jade dragons had been defeated in battle, and indeed their broken scales and shattered armor filled the sky. Where could one find the sandals of Dongguo, the slumber of Yuan An, or the reading by the light of Sun Kang? Even less could one see the boat of Ziyou, the cloak of Wang Gong, or the felt-eating of Su Wu. All that was visible were a few village houses, built of silver, and the myriad miles of blue mountains, like balls of jade. Fine snow! Willow catkins covered the bridge, and pear blossoms blanketed the roofs. Willow catkins covered the bridge, and by the bridge, an old fisherman hung his straw raincoat. Pear blossoms blanketed the roofs, and under the eaves, a rustic old man warmed himself by a fire of roots. The traveler found it hard to buy wine, and the servant bitterly sought plum blossoms. The snowflakes, drifting and sprinkling, seemed to be cut from butterfly wings, and they fluttered and floated, as if snipped from goose down. They rolled and swirled with the wind, piling layer upon layer, confusing the roads. Blasts of cold pierced through small curtains, and gusts of chill penetrated secluded screens. This auspicious sign of a bountiful year had descended from heaven, a fitting cause for celebration of the world's good fortune.
The snow fell thick and fast, like shredded jade and drifting willow fluff. The masters and disciples watched for a long while, until they saw Old Chen leading two servants to clear a path. Two other servants brought them hot water to wash their faces. Soon after, they brought hot tea and milk cakes, and also carried in charcoal for a fire. Everything was brought to the guest room, where the masters and disciples sat down to warm themselves. Tripitaka asked, "Old Benefactor, does this region distinguish between the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter?" Old Chen laughed and said, "Although this place is remote, its customs and people are not unlike those of the Central Plains. How could our crops and livestock not follow the rhythm of heaven and earth? Of course we have the four seasons!" Tripitaka said, "Since you do have the four seasons, how is it that it is already snowing so heavily and is so cold?" Old Chen said, "Although it is now the seventh month, we passed the White Dew yesterday, which means it is now the eighth month. In our region, frost and snow come every year in the eighth month." Tripitaka said, "That is very different from our Central Plains. In our homeland, it does not snow until the Winter Solstice."
As they were speaking, servants came again to set the table and invite them to eat congee. After finishing the congee, the snow was falling even more heavily than in the morning. In a short while, it had accumulated to a depth of over two feet. Tripitaka became so anxious that tears fell. Old Chen said, "Venerable Sir, do not worry. Do not be distressed by the heavy snow. My family still has several piculs of grain, enough to support you for several years." Tripitaka said, "Old Benefactor, you do not understand my difficulty. In that year, the emperor bestowed upon me his imperial decree, sent me out of the pass with a grand procession, and the Tang King himself held a cup of wine to see me off, asking, 'When will you return?' At that time, I did not know the road would be so fraught with peril, so I casually replied, 'I will return with the scriptures in just three years.' Since leaving Chang'an, seven or eight years have now passed, and I have yet to see the Buddha. I fear I will miss the deadline, and I also fear the ferocity of the monsters. This is why I am so anxious. Today, I am fortunate to be a guest in your home. Last night, my disciples rendered a small service in return for your kindness. I had hoped to find a boat to cross the river, but then heaven sent this heavy snow, making the roads impassable. I do not know when I will be able to fulfill my mission and return to my homeland!" Old Chen said, "Venerable Sir, do not worry. You have already endured for so many years; a few more days will not matter. Wait until the weather clears and the ice melts. Even if I have to sell everything I own, I will find a way to send you across the river."
At this time, servants came again to invite them to the morning vegetarian meal. After eating in the main hall, they had not spoken for long before the midday meal was also prepared. Seeing the abundance of food, Tripitaka felt uneasy. "Since you have kindly allowed us to stay, simple, everyday food would be sufficient. There is no need for such extravagance." Old Chen said, "Venerable Sir, I am grateful to you for saving the lives of my children. Even if I were to hold a feast for you every day, it would not be enough to repay your kindness."
Later, the snow stopped, and people began to move about outside. Seeing that Tripitaka was still unhappy, Old Chen had the garden swept out. In a snow cave, he set up a brazier with a fire and invited them to go to the snow cave to lift their spirits. Eight Rules laughed and said, "This old man really does not know how to plan! Spring, in the second or third month, is the time to enjoy a garden. With such heavy snow and cold, what is there to enjoy!" The Pilgrim said, "Fool, you do not understand! A snow scene is naturally serene and quiet. First, it allows us to enjoy the snow, and second, it will help our master relax his mind." Old Chen said, "Exactly, exactly." So he invited them to the garden. Behold: The scene was in the height of autumn, but the scenery was like the twelfth month. Green pines hung with jade buds, and withered willows were adorned with silver blossoms. Beneath the steps, jade moss was piled with powdered snowflakes, and before the windows, emerald bamboos sprouted jade shoots. On the artificial mountain, by the fish pond. On the artificial mountain, sharp, jagged peaks stood like rows of jade bamboo shoots. By the fish pond, the clear, living water had become a sheet of ice. Near the bank, the hibiscus flowers had lost their delicate color. Beside the cliff, the rose of Sharon drooped its tender branches. The autumn crabapple was completely overwhelmed. The winter plum tree had just sent forth new shoots. The Peony Pavilion, the Pomegranate Pavilion, the Osmanthus Pavilion—every pavilion was piled high with goose feathers. The places for relaxation, for entertaining guests, for amusement—everywhere was carpeted with drifting snowflakes. Two hedges of yellow chrysanthemums looked like jade silk and gold. Several trees of red maples showed red mixed with white. Countless quiet courtyards were too cold to visit, but behold the snow cave, warm as spring. Inside was placed a bronze brazier in the shape of a beast's face with elephant feet, where crackling charcoal had just been lit. Around it were several lacquered armchairs covered with tiger skins, and the paper windows made for a soft and warm setting.
This place was truly a haven for the body and soul. Why bother seeking the Penglai Immortal Island?
Everyone looked around for a good while, then sat down in the snow cave. Old Chen chatted with the neighboring elders about the matter of fetching the scriptures. After drinking some fragrant tea, Old Chen asked, "Venerable Sirs, would you care for some wine?" Tripitaka said, "This humble monk does not drink. My disciples may have a few cups of vegetarian wine." Old Chen was overjoyed and immediately had vegetarian fruits brought and wine warmed to dispel the cold. The servants set the table and arranged the brazier. Tripitaka and his disciples, along with the two neighboring elders, each had a few cups before the wine cups were put away.
Before they knew it, dusk was approaching, and they were invited to the main hall for the evening meal. They heard people in the street saying, "What cold weather! The Celestial River has frozen solid!" Tripitaka heard this and said, "Wukong, the river is frozen. How will we cross?" Old Chen said, "The sudden cold may have only frozen the shallow water near the banks." The passers-by said, "The entire eight-hundred-mile river is frozen as smooth as a mirror. People are already walking on the ice at the crossing!" Hearing that people were walking on it, Tripitaka wanted to go and see. Old Chen said, "Venerable Sir, do not rush. It is late today. Go and look tomorrow." So he bid farewell to the neighboring elders. After finishing the evening meal, they stayed once more in the guest room.
The next morning, Eight Rules got up and said, "Elder Brother, it was even colder last night. The river must be completely frozen." Tripitaka faced the door and bowed to the heavens: "All you great protective gods, your disciple has come from the East with a sincere heart to worship the Buddha. I have endured countless mountains and rivers without a single complaint. Today, I have arrived here, and by the grace of Heaven, the river has been frozen. Your disciple offers this empty-hearted thanks first. Once I have returned with the scriptures and reported to the Tang King, I will surely offer my sincere gratitude." After bowing, he told Sha Monk to prepare the horse, ready to cross the ice. Old Chen said again, "Do not rush. Wait a few days for the snow to melt and the ice to break. I will prepare a boat to take you across." Sha Monk said, "It is not good to go now, nor is it good to stay any longer. Hearing is not as good as seeing. I will prepare the horse and ask our master to go and see for himself." Old Chen said, "Well spoken." He called out, "Servants, quickly prepare six horses! Do not prepare Venerable Tripitaka's horse."
Six servants followed them to the riverbank. Behold, it was truly: Snow piled high like towering mountains; the clouds had cleared to reveal a bright dawn. The cold had condensed, making the thousand peaks of the southern lands thin and gaunt; the ice had formed, making the rivers and lakes a single, level plain. The north wind was fierce, and the ice surface was treacherously slippery. Fish in the pond huddled close to the dense waterweeds; wild birds clung to the withered branches. Soldiers on the frontier all had frostbitten fingers; boatmen at the river's edge chattered their teeth from the cold. It split the bellies of snakes and broke the feet of birds, truly creating ice mountains a thousand feet high. A chill silver floated over the myriad ravines; a cold jade soaked the entire river. The East was said to produce stiff silkworms, and the North indeed had rat holes. Wang Xiang lay on the ice to seek fish; Emperor Guangwu crossed the frozen river. In one night, the bridges and streams were frozen solid to the bottom. The winding ponds formed layers of ice; the deep pools were frozen through. The wide waters of the Celestial River had no waves; the bright, white ice spread out like a road on land.
Tripitaka and the others reined in their horses at the riverbank. People were indeed walking on the ice at the crossing. Tripitaka asked, "Benefactor, where are those people walking on the ice going?" Old Chen said, "On the other side of the river is the Women's Kingdom of Western Liang. These people are all merchants. Goods that cost a hundred coppers on our side can be sold for ten thousand on the other. And goods that cost a hundred on the other side can be sold for ten thousand here. The profit is great and the capital small, so people risk their lives to go. In previous years, five, seven, or a dozen people would share a boat to cross. Now that the river is frozen, they are risking their lives to walk." Tripitaka said, "In this world, only fame and profit are most important. For the sake of profit, they risk their lives and forget death. Your disciple, by imperial decree, is fulfilling his duty of loyalty, which is for the sake of fame. We are not so different!" He then said to the Pilgrim, "Wukong, quickly return to the Benefactor's home, pack the luggage, and prepare the horse. While the ice has not yet melted, we must hurry westward." The Pilgrim smiled and agreed.
Sha Monk said, "Master, as the saying goes, 'A thousand days' eating uses a thousand measures of rice.' Since we are already staying at Benefactor Chen's home, it would be better to stay a few more days until the weather clears and the ice melts, and then cross the river in a boat. Being too hasty can lead to mistakes." Tripitaka said, "Wujing, how can you be so muddled! If it were the first or second month, the weather would be getting warmer every day, and we could wait for the ice to melt. But now it is the eighth month, and the weather is getting colder every day. How can we hope for the ice to melt? Would that not mean another half year's delay?"
Eight Rules jumped down from his horse and said, "Stop your idle chatter. Let me test how thick this ice is." The Pilgrim said, "Fool, the other day when you were testing the water, you knew enough to throw a stone. Now that the ice is so thick, how will you test it?" Eight Rules said, "Elder Brother, you do not understand! Watch me strike it with my rake. If I break through, the ice is thin and cannot be walked on. If I cannot break it, the ice is thick, and why can we not walk on it?" Tripitaka said, "Right, that makes sense."
The Fool lifted his robe, strode to the riverbank, raised his rake with both hands, and struck the ice with all his might. There was a "thump," and only nine white marks were left on the ice. His own hands, however, were jarred and ached from the impact. The Fool laughed and said, "We can walk! We can walk! Even the bottom of the river is frozen solid."
Tripitaka was overjoyed. He and the others returned to the Chen home and had the luggage packed for their departure. The two elders tried hard to persuade them to stay, but the masters and disciples were determined to leave. The elders had no choice but to prepare some dried rations and bake some flatcakes and buns to give them. The whole family knelt down and kowtowed. They also brought out a tray of silver pieces and knelt on the ground, saying, "We thank the Venerable Sirs for saving the lives of our children. Please accept this small token of our gratitude as traveling expenses." Tripitaka waved his hands and shook his head, refusing to take it. "This humble monk is a man of religion. What use would I have for silver? Even if I carried it on me, I would not dare to take it out on the road. We live by begging for our meals. Accepting the dried rations is enough." The two elders pleaded again and again. The Pilgrim picked up a tiny sliver of silver, weighing about four or five mace, and handed it to Tripitaka, saying, "Master, consider it as some small change. Do not disappoint the kind intentions of the two elders."
The masters and disciples bid farewell to the Chen family and went straight to the ice on the river. The horse's hooves slipped, nearly throwing Tripitaka from the saddle. Sha Monk said, "Master, the ice is too slippery. It is hard to walk!" Eight Rules said, "Wait! Ask Old Chen for some straw." The Pilgrim asked, "What do you need straw for?" Eight Rules said, "You have never walked on ice, so you do not know! Wrap the horse's hooves with straw to prevent slipping, so the master does not fall off." Old Chen heard this from the bank and quickly sent someone home to fetch a bundle of straw. He invited Tripitaka to come ashore and dismount. Eight Rules wrapped the horse's hooves with the straw, and only then did the masters and disciples step onto the ice to cross the river.
After bidding farewell to Old Chen and leaving the riverbank, they had walked three or four miles when Eight Rules handed the nine-ringed monk's staff to Tripitaka, saying, "Master, lay this staff across the horse." The Pilgrim said, "This fool is really cunning! You were supposed to carry the staff. Why are you making the master take it?" Eight Rules said, "You have never walked on ice, so you do not know the trick of it! On any frozen river, there are bound to be ice holes. If you step into one and fall through, if you do not have something long laid across your body, you will go 'plop' into the water and be trapped as if by a great pot lid. How would you climb out? This is the only way to do it." The Pilgrim laughed to himself, "This fool is an old hand at walking on ice!" Everyone indeed followed Eight Rules's advice. The elder laid his staff across the saddle. The Pilgrim laid his gold-banded staff across his own. Sha Monk laid his demon-subduing staff across his. Eight Rules carried the luggage on his shoulder with his rake laid across his waist. The masters and disciples walked forward confidently.
They walked until nightfall, ate some of their dried rations, and dared not rest for long. By the light of the stars and moon, they saw the ice gleaming white and vast before them, and they pressed on. Truly, they did not stop their horses. The masters and disciples did not sleep a wink all night, walking for an entire night. When dawn came, they ate more dried rations and continued westward.
As they were walking, they suddenly heard a loud "crackling" sound from beneath the ice. The white horse was so startled it nearly stumbled. Tripitaka was greatly alarmed. "Disciple! What was that loud noise?" Eight Rules said, "The river is frozen so solid that the ice is cracking deep down. Perhaps even the bottom of the river in the middle is frozen through." Tripitaka was both startled and pleased. He urged the horse forward and did not speak any more.
Meanwhile, the monster had returned to his water palace and was waiting for a long time under the ice with all his lesser fiends. Hearing the sound of horse hooves approaching, he used his magic power from beneath the ice. With a loud "crack," the ice surface suddenly split open. The Great Sage Sun leaped into the air in haste, but the white horse had already fallen into the water, followed by Eight Rules and Sha Monk.
The monster seized Tripitaka and, leading his lesser fiends, went straight back to the water palace. He shouted loudly, "Where is my mandarin fish sister?" The old mandarin fish spirit came forward to greet him. "Great King, I dare not accept such a title! I dare not!" The monster said, "Dear sister, why do you say that! 'A word spoken is a team of four horses that cannot be overtaken.' I said before that if I followed your plan and caught Tripitaka, I would swear brotherhood with you. Today, thanks to your wonderful plan, I have indeed caught him. Would I go back on my word?" He then ordered, "Lesser fiends, bring the table over and sharpen the knife. We will cut open this monk's belly, gouge out his heart, flay his skin, and slice his flesh. While music plays, your elder sister and I will eat him together to prolong our lives and attain immortality!" The mandarin fish spirit said, "Great King, do not eat him yet. I fear his disciples will come looking for trouble. It is better to wait another two days. If those monks do not come looking, then cut him open. Invite the Great King to take the seat of honor, with all his relatives and clansmen gathered around. With music, singing, and dancing, the Great King can leisurely and contentedly enjoy himself. Would that not be better?" Hearing this, the monster hid Tripitaka in the rear palace of the water palace, covering him with a six-foot-long stone casket. He did not speak further of eating Tripitaka.
Meanwhile, Eight Rules and Sha Monk retrieved the luggage from the water and loaded it onto the white horse. They parted the waters, churning the waves, and emerged from the river. The Pilgrim saw them from mid-air and asked, "Where is the master?" Eight Rules said, "The master's surname is now 'Chen,' and his given name is 'Daodi'—'Reached the Bottom.' There is nowhere to look for him now. Let us go ashore first and think of a plan." It turned out that Eight Rules was originally the Marshal Tian Peng who had descended to the mortal world. In the old days, he had commanded eighty thousand water soldiers of the Heavenly River. Sha Monk was originally from the Flowing Sands River. The white horse was originally the Dragon Prince of the Western Sea. So all of them understood the nature of water. The Great Sage guided them from the clouds, and soon they returned to the eastern bank. They washed and brushed the horse and spread their clothes out to dry. The Great Sage descended from his cloud and, together with Eight Rules and Sha Monk, returned to Chen Family Village. Someone had already reported to the two elders: "The four venerable scripture-seeking masters have returned, but now there are only three." The Chen brothers hurried out to welcome them. Seeing that the three men's clothes were still wet, they said, "Venerable Sirs, we begged you to stay, but you would not listen and insisted on leaving. Now what is to be done? Why do we not see Venerable Tripitaka?" Eight Rules said, "He is no longer called Tripitaka. He has changed his name to 'Chen Daodi'—'Reached the Bottom.'" The two elders wept and said, "How pitiful! How pitiful! I said to wait until the snow melted and prepare a boat to take you across, but you would not listen! Now you have lost your lives!" The Pilgrim said, "Old man, do not worry about the ancients. My master will surely not die. Old Sun knows that it must be that Great King of Inspiration who used some trick to capture him. Do not worry. Help us wash and starch our clothes, dry our travel documents, and find some fodder for the white horse. Wait until we brothers find that monster and rescue our master. We will uproot the evil and eliminate it completely, removing this future calamity for your whole village and allowing you to enjoy peace forever." Old Chen was overjoyed and immediately had a vegetarian meal prepared.
After the three brothers had eaten their fill, they entrusted the horse and luggage to the Chen family's care. Each of them took up his weapon and went straight to the riverbank to find their master and capture the monster. Truly, by mistakenly stepping onto the layered ice, they had endangered their lives. How could the foundations of their spiritual cultivation be preserved? Whether or not Tripitaka would be rescued, we shall leave it to the next chapter to explain.