Chapter 38: The Prince Questions His Mother to Learn Right from Wrong; The Mind-Ape and Wood Mother Unite to Reveal Truth from Falsehood

Now, after taking his leave of the Great Sage, the crown prince of the Black Chicken Kingdom soon returned to the city. True to his word, he did not approach the main court gate, nor did he dare to have himself announced. Instead, he went directly to the rear gate of the palace . Several eunuchs were guarding the entrance, but when they saw the prince approaching, none dared to block his path, and they allowed him to enter. What a fine prince he was! He gently squeezed his horse's flanks, urging it into a swift trot, and rode straight into the palace, arriving suddenly beneath the Fragrant Brocade Pavilion . There he saw the principal queen sitting upon the pavilion, attended on either side by dozens of palace ladies holding fans. The queen was leaning against the railing, tears streaming down her face. Do you know why she was weeping? It so happened that she, too, had had a dream during the fourth watch of the night. She remembered one half of it clearly, but the other half was still hazy and indistinct, and she was pondering over it. The prince dismounted, knelt beneath the pavilion, and cried out, "Mother!" The queen forced a cheerful expression and said, "My child, how is it that you have come! What a delight! For the past two or three years, you have been studying with your father the king in the front hall, and I have rarely seen your face. I have missed you terribly. What brings you to visit me today? I am overjoyed! Overjoyed! But, my child, why does your voice sound so sorrowful? Your father the king is advanced in years; sooner or later, he will ascend to heaven . When that day comes, you will inherit the throne. What is there for you to be unhappy about?" The prince kowtowed and said, "Mother, let me ask you this: who is it that now sits upon the throne? Who is it that calls himself ' the lonely one ' and 'the sovereign'?" When the queen heard this, her soul nearly fled her body in terror. She quickly descended from the pavilion, gathered the prince into her arms, held him tightly, and said with tears in her eyes, "My child! We have not seen each other for so long. Why do you ask such a question today?" The prince said urgently, "Mother, if you have something to say, speak it plainly. If you delay any longer, a great matter will be ruined!" The queen hastily dismissed all the attendants around her. Then, lowering her voice and weeping, she said, "This matter—had you not asked, I would have gone to my grave without understanding it. Since you have asked, I will tell you: Three years ago, he was warm and tender; three years later, he is cold as ice. When I pressed him with questions by the pillow's edge, he said that he was old and frail, his vigor spent, and nothing could flourish." When the prince heard this, he pushed his mother away, turned around, and prepared to mount his horse. The queen grabbed hold of him and said, "My child, what business do you have that you must leave before you have finished speaking?" The prince knelt on the ground and said, "Mother, I dare not speak of it. Today, after the morning court, my father the king ordered me to lead men, horses, falcons, and hounds out of the city for a hunt. On the road, I encountered the holy monk from the East who is journeying to obtain scriptures. His senior disciple, named Sun Wukong, is especially skilled at subduing demons . It turns out that my real father the king died long ago in the octagonal glazed well within the imperial garden . The present father the king is none other than that Quanzhen Taoist in disguise, who has usurped the throne . Last night, during the third watch, my father the king appeared in a dream to the holy monk, begging him to come into the city and capture the fiend. I did not dare to believe it fully, so I came back especially to ask you. From what you have just said, it is clear that the present father the king is certainly a demon!" The queen said, "My child, how can you take the words of an outsider as the truth?" The prince said, "I am not entirely certain, but my father the king left a token for the holy monk." The queen asked what the token was. The prince drew from his sleeve a gold-inlaid white jade scepter and handed it to the queen. When the queen saw it, she recognized it as a treasured possession of the former king . Unable to restrain herself, tears poured down like rain as she wept, saying, "My lord! You have been dead for three years, yet you did not come to see me. Instead, you went first to the holy monk, and then sent our child to inform me?" The prince said, "Mother, what do you mean by this?" The queen said, "My child, I also had a dream during the fourth watch. I dreamed that your father the king, dripping wet all over, stood before me. He said that he had died, and that his ghost had begged the Tang monk to come and capture the false emperor and restore him to life . I only remembered this much; the other half is still unclear. I was just pondering this dream when, unexpectedly, you came and told me these things, and even produced the token. Let me keep this treasure for now. You must hurry and go to invite the holy monk to come and take action quickly. If he can truly eliminate the fiend and distinguish the true from the false, then we can repay your father the king's kindness in raising us!" The prince hastily mounted his horse, left through the rear palace gate, and skirted the city walls. Truly, he parted from his mother with tears in his eyes and, still heavy with grief, went to see the Tang monk again. Before long, he had exited the city gates and proceeded directly to the gate of the Precious Forest Temple , where he dismounted. The soldiers came forward to greet him. By this time, the sun was about to set. The prince ordered the soldiers to stay where they were, while he alone entered the temple gate. Straightening his robes, he came to pay his respects to the Pilgrim. There he saw Wukong strolling slowly out of the main hall. The prince knelt on both knees and said, "Master, I have returned." The Pilgrim stepped forward, helped him up, and said, "Rise. After you entered the city, whom did you question?" The prince said, "I questioned my mother." Then he recounted everything that had just happened. The Pilgrim smiled faintly and said, "If what your mother said is true—that he is 'cold'—then the fiend is most likely transformed from some cold, lifeless object . It's nothing! Nothing! Wait until I come and help you eliminate him. But today is too late to act. You go back first, and tomorrow morning I will come." The prince knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Master, let me wait here and go with you tomorrow!" The Pilgrim said, "No, no! If I go into the city with you, the fiend will become suspicious. He won't say that I happened to meet you; instead, he will say that you deliberately came to fetch me, and he might even turn around and blame you!" The prince said, "If I go back to the city now, he will also blame me." The Pilgrim asked, "Why would he blame you?" The prince said, "This morning, I received his command and led so many men, horses, falcons, and hounds out of the city to hunt. Yet, after a whole day, I have caught nothing. How can I face him? If he charges me with incompetence and throws me in prison, upon whom can you rely when you enter the city tomorrow? Moreover, there is no one in the court who is on good terms with me." The Pilgrim said, "What's so difficult about that! Why didn't you say so earlier? I would have prepared some game for you long ago!" What a Great Sage! Watch as he displays his divine powers before the prince. With a single leap, he soared up into the clouds. Pinching his fingers and reciting a spell, he chanted the mantra "Om Lan Jing Fa Jie" and summoned the mountain god and the local earth spirit to midair. The mountain god and the earth spirit hastily bowed and said, "Great Sage, what instructions do you have for summoning us?" The Pilgrim said, "I am protecting the Tang monk on his journey to this place, and I intend to capture the fiend. But the prince went hunting and caught nothing, and he dares not return to the city. I am asking you for a favor: quickly find some river deer, spotted deer, hares, as well as flying birds and running beasts, and deliver them to the prince, so that he may go back and report his success." When the mountain god and the earth spirit heard this, how could they dare to refuse? They asked how many he wanted. The Great Sage said, "No need for many. Just find a few and bring them." The deities immediately ordered the local spirit soldiers to raise a gust of beast-gathering yin wind. They caught some pheasants, mountain fowl, fat deer, river deer, foxes, hares, and even tigers and leopards—several hundred in total—and presented them to the Pilgrim. The Pilgrim said, "I don't need these. You tie them all up and arrange them neatly along both sides of the road for forty li. Let the prince's men, without needing to release their falcons or hounds, simply collect them and take them back. That will count as your meritorious deed." The deities did as they were told. The yin wind dispersed, and the game was laid out along the roadside. The Pilgrim descended from the clouds and said to the prince, "Your Highness, you may return now. There is already game on the road. Just have your men gather it up." When the prince saw him display such divine powers in midair, how could he still dare to disbelieve? He had no choice but to kowtow and take his leave. He left the temple gate and gave the order for the soldiers to return to the city. When the soldiers saw that there were indeed many wild animals by the roadside, they did not need to release their falcons or hounds. Each man grabbed them by hand, shouting in praise as they did so. They all said it was the prince's good fortune—how could they know it was the Great Sage's divine power? The procession sang victory songs as they crowded around the prince and entered the city. On this side, the Pilgrim was protecting the Tang monk. The monks of the temple, seeing how close the prince was to them, dared not show any disrespect. They prepared another vegetarian meal to entertain the Tang monk. The master and his disciples still lodged in the meditation hall. As the first watch of the night approached, the Pilgrim had matters on his mind and could not sleep. He rolled over, got up, and went to the Tang monk's bedside. "Master," he called. The elder was not yet asleep at this time. Knowing that the Pilgrim was prone to startling people, he pretended to be asleep and did not answer. The Pilgrim touched his bald head, shook it, and said, "Master, how can you be asleep?" The Tang monk said angrily, "You mischievous monkey! In the middle of the night, when you should be sleeping, what are you shouting about?" The Pilgrim said, "Master, there is a matter I wish to discuss with you." The elder asked, "What matter?" The Pilgrim said, "I boasted to the prince today, saying that my abilities are higher than the mountains and deeper than the seas, and that capturing that fiend would be as easy as taking something out of my pocket. But now that I can't sleep, I've been thinking, and I realize this matter is a bit difficult." The Tang monk said, "If you say it's difficult, then are you not going to capture him?" The Pilgrim said, "Capture him I must, but the reasoning doesn't hold water." The Tang monk said, "You mischievous ape, you're talking nonsense! The fiend has usurped another man's throne. How could the reasoning not hold water?" The Pilgrim said, "You, venerable elder, only know how to recite sutras, worship the Buddha, meditate, and practice Chan. How could you understand the rules of officialdom? There is a common saying: 'To catch a thief, you must catch him with the stolen goods.' That fiend has been acting as king for three years, and never once has he let his real nature slip or allowed any news to leak out. He lives with the three palace queens and conducts affairs with the civil and military officials. Even if I had the power to capture him, it would be hard to convict him." The Tang monk asked, "Why would it be hard to convict him?" The Pilgrim said, "Even if he were a mute gourd, he would still argue with you. He would dare to say, 'I am the king of the Black Chicken Kingdom. What crime against heaven and reason have I committed that you should come to arrest me?' At that point, what evidence would we have to argue against him?" The Tang monk said, "Then what do you plan to do?" The Pilgrim smiled and said, "I have already thought of a plan, but I'm afraid that you, venerable elder, will show favoritism." The Tang monk said, "What favoritism would I show?" The Pilgrim said, "Bajie is rash and reckless by nature, and you have a bit of a bias towards him." The Tang monk said, "How am I biased towards him?" The Pilgrim said, "If you are not biased towards him, then be bold. You and Sha Monk wait here. I will go with Bajie right now to the Black Chicken Kingdom city, find the imperial garden, open the glazed well, and fish out the king's corpse. We'll wrap it up in our bundle. Tomorrow, when we enter the city, regardless of any travel documents, we'll strike the fiend as soon as we see him. If he dares to argue, we'll show him the corpse and say, 'This is the man you killed!' Then we'll have the prince come forward to weep for his father, the queen to come out and recognize her husband, and the civil and military officials to see their true sovereign. My brothers and I will make our move. That way, we'll have a clear adversary and can fight this legal battle properly." When the Tang monk heard this, he was secretly pleased. "I'm just afraid Bajie won't be willing to go," he said. The Pilgrim smiled and said, "You see! Didn't I say you were biased? How do you know he won't be willing to go? Just do what I did when I called you: don't answer him. After half an hour, he'll be willing to go! I'll go and call him. With my silver tongue, even if it were 'Pigsy the Ninth,' I could make him come with me." The Tang monk said, "Very well, go and call him." The Pilgrim left his master and went to Bajie's bedside. "Bajie! Bajie!" he called. Bajie was exhausted from the journey. He had fallen headfirst into sleep and was snoring loudly. No matter how much he was called, he would not wake up. The Pilgrim grabbed him by the ear and by the bristles on his neck, and hauled him up with a yank. "Bajie!" he shouted. Bajie was still groggy. The Pilgrim called out again. Bajie said, "Stop messing around! Let me sleep! We have to travel again tomorrow!" The Pilgrim said, "I'm not messing around. There's a good errand, and I want you to come with me." Bajie asked, "What errand?" The Pilgrim said, "Didn't you hear what the prince said?" Bajie said, "I didn't see the prince, and I didn't hear him say anything." The Pilgrim said, "The prince told me that the fiend has a treasure, extremely powerful, such that ten thousand men could not overcome him. When we enter the court tomorrow, we will certainly have to fight him. If he defeats us with his treasure, wouldn't all our efforts be in vain? I was thinking: if you can't beat him, strike first. You and I should go and steal his treasure. Wouldn't that be a good idea?" Bajie said, "Brother, you're tricking me into becoming a thief? I can go on this errand, but we need to get one thing straight: after we steal the treasure and subdue the fiend, I don't care about any petty, stingy sharing of the treasure. I want this treasure for myself." The Pilgrim asked, "What would you do with the treasure?" Bajie said, "I'm not like you with your glib tongue, able to beg for vegetarian meals from others. I'm big and burly, my speech is rough, and I can't recite sutras. If I ever end up in a place with no food or drink, wouldn't it be good to trade the treasure for some vegetarian fare?" The Pilgrim said, "I only care about my reputation. I don't care about the treasure. You can have it all." When Bajie heard that the treasure would all be his, he was immediately filled with joy. He rolled over, got up, put on his clothes, and followed the Pilgrim. Truly, "Fine wine reddens a man's face, and gold stirs a man's heart." The two of them quietly opened the door, avoiding the Tang monk, and mounted the auspicious clouds, flying straight towards the city of the Black Chicken Kingdom. Before long, they arrived. They descended from the clouds and heard the city's watch drums just striking the second watch. The Pilgrim said, "Brother, it's already the second watch." Bajie said, "Perfect! Perfect! Everyone will be sound asleep by now!" The two of them did not go by the main gate. They went directly to the rear palace gate, where they heard the sound of watchmen's clappers from within. The Pilgrim said, "Brother, both the front and rear gates are heavily guarded. How are we going to get in?" Bajie said, "When has a thief ever gone in through the main gate? We'll just climb over the wall!" Upon hearing this, the Pilgrim leaped up and jumped onto the inner city wall. Bajie followed suit. The two of them slipped quietly into the city, found their way, and headed straight for the imperial garden. As they were walking, they saw a three-story gatehouse with white walls. Above it were three large, glittering characters, clearly visible in the moonlight: "Imperial Garden." The Pilgrim approached and saw that the door was sealed with several layers of paper strips, and the lock was rusted shut. He told Bajie to get to work. Bajie raised his nine-toothed rake and brought it down with all his might, smashing the lock to pieces. The Pilgrim entered the garden first. When he saw the scene within, he could not help but leap up and cry out in alarm. This so frightened Bajie that he rushed forward and grabbed hold of him, saying, "Brother! You're scaring me to death! When has a thief ever gone around shouting like that? If you wake someone up, they'll catch us and send us to the authorities. Even if we don't get the death penalty, we'll be deported back to our place of origin for military service!" The Pilgrim said, "Brother, you don't know why I am so agitated. Look at this garden: painted railings and carved balustrades lie in ruin; jeweled pavilions and ornamented towers tilt askew. Sandbanks and sedge-covered shores are buried in dust; peonies and tea roses have all withered. The fragrance of jasmine and rose has faded; peonies and lilies bloom in vain. Lotus and hibiscus are choked with weeds; rare flowers and strange grasses are smothered and rotten. Ingeniously placed rockeries and peaks have all toppled; the pond's water has dried up and the fish have perished. Green pines and purple bamboos look like dry firewood; the paths are overgrown with thick mugwort and wormwood. Cinnamon and peach branches are broken; the roots of pomegranates and cherry-apples are twisted. The winding paths on the bridge are covered with moss; such is the desolate state of this imperial garden!" Bajie said, "Stop lamenting here! Let's get on with our real business!" Although the Pilgrim was lamenting, he had not forgotten the Tang monk's dream, which said that the well was beneath the plantain tree. As they walked, they indeed saw a plantain tree, growing lush and luxuriant, unlike the other withered flowers and grasses. Truly: A single sprout of spiritual grace, born with an inherently empty nature. Branch after branch unfurls like sheets of paper; leaf upon leaf curls into fragrant clusters. A thousand strands of emerald silk, fine and delicate; a single dot of crimson heart, red and pure. In sorrowful loneliness, it fears the night rain; in withered frailty, it dreads the autumn wind. Nurtured by the power of the Primal Lord, cultivated by the art of Creation's work. Sealed letters find marvelous use within its folds; brandished, it possesses wondrous power. The phoenix's feather could scarce compare; the simurgh's tail is far from its equal. Thin dew drips and drizzles down; light mist coils and wraps around. Green shade covers the windows and doors; emerald shadows climb the blinds and curtains. It does not permit the wild goose to perch; how could it bear to tether a fine steed? In frosty weather, its form becomes withered; on moonlit nights, its color is dim and hazy. It can only dispel the summer's heat; it is also suitable for shielding from the sun's blaze. Ashamed that it lacks the color of peach and plum, it stands forlorn east of the whitewashed wall. The Pilgrim said, "Bajie, get to work! The treasure is buried beneath this plantain tree!" Bajie raised his rake with both hands and smashed the plantain tree to the ground. Then, using his snout, he rooted up the earth. After rooting down three or four feet deep, he saw a stone slab covering something beneath it. Bajie said joyfully, "Brother! What incredible luck! There really is a treasure! There's a stone slab covering it! I wonder if it's stored in a jar or in a chest!" The Pilgrim said, "Lift the stone slab and have a look." Bajie used his snout to root at it again, and pushed the stone slab aside. From within, there was a flickering of rosy light, and a white glow shone forth. Bajie laughed and said, "Luck! Luck! The treasure is even glowing!" He leaned in for a closer look. Ah! It turned out to be the light of the moon and stars reflecting in the well water, making it appear bright. Bajie said, "Brother, you never think things through carefully." The Pilgrim asked, "How have I not been thorough?" Bajie said, "This is a well! If you had told me back at the temple that the treasure was in a well, I would have brought two ropes for tying up the bundle, so I could have a way to be lowered down. Now I'm empty-handed. How am I supposed to go down to get the treasure, and how am I supposed to come back up?" The Pilgrim asked, "Do you want to go down?" Bajie said, "Of course I want to go down, but I have no rope!" The Pilgrim smiled and said, "Take off your clothes, and I'll think of a way for you." Bajie said, "I don't have any good clothes anyway. I'll just take off this outer robe." What a Great Sage! He drew out his golden-banded staff, grabbed it with both hands at either end, and gave it a pull. "Grow!" he commanded. The staff instantly grew to seven or eight zhang in length. He said to Bajie, "Bajie, you hold onto this end, and I'll lower you down." Bajie said, "Brother, you can lower me, but stop when I reach the water!" The Pilgrim said, "I know." The idiot held onto the golden-banded staff. The Pilgrim gently lifted him up and slowly lowered him down. In no time at all, he had been lowered to the water's edge. Bajie shouted, "I've reached the water!" When the Pilgrim heard him shout, he deliberately pressed the golden-banded staff downwards. With a splash, the idiot plunged headfirst into the water. He went completely under, and the golden-banded staff slipped from his hands. He splashed about in the water, complaining, "You murderous wretch! I told you to stop when I reached the water, but you still pushed me down!" The Pilgrim pulled the staff back up and asked with a laugh, "Brother, have you found the treasure?" Bajie said, "What treasure! It's just well water!" The Pilgrim said, "The treasure is sunk at the bottom of the water. Go down and feel around for it." The idiot was naturally very good at swimming. Upon hearing this, he took a deep breath and dove headfirst into the water, swimming downwards. Ah! The bottom of this well was extremely deep! He exerted himself and swam down a bit further, when suddenly he opened his eyes and saw a memorial archway. On it were written three characters: "Crystal Palace." Bajie was so frightened that he cried out, "It's over! It's over! I've taken the wrong path! How did I end up in the sea? The Crystal Palace is in the sea. How could there be one in a well?" What Bajie did not know was that this was the Crystal Palace of the Well Dragon King. While Bajie was standing there dumbfounded, a night patrol yaksha had already opened the palace gates. Seeing Bajie's appearance, he quickly turned around and went inside to report, "Great King, something terrible has happened! A monk with a long snout and big ears has fallen down from the well! He's completely naked, not wearing a stitch of clothing, and he's still alive, babbling nonsense!" When the Well Dragon King heard this, he was greatly startled. "Isn't this the Heavenly Reeds Marshal? Last night, the Night-Wandering Spirit received an imperial decree to fetch the soul of the Black Chicken Kingdom king and take it to see the Tang monk, in order to invite the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, to subdue the fiend. This must be the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, and the Heavenly Reeds Marshal who have come. I must not be negligent. Quickly, go out and welcome them!" The Dragon King straightened his robes, led his aquatic minions out of the palace, and called out in a loud voice, "Heavenly Reeds Marshal, please come inside and sit!" Bajie was delighted at this. "So it's an old acquaintance!" he said. Not caring that he was stark naked, he walked straight into the Crystal Palace and sat himself down in the seat of honor. The Dragon King said, "Marshal, I heard that you narrowly escaped with your life, converted to the Buddhist faith, and are now protecting the Tang monk on his journey to the West to fetch the scriptures. How is it that you have come to this place?" Bajie said, "That's exactly why I'm here. My senior brother, Sun Wukong, asked me to convey his regards to you, and also told me to come and ask you for a treasure." The Dragon King said, "Alas, what treasure could I possibly have here! I am not like the Dragon Kings of the rivers, lakes, and seas. They can fly and transform, and so they have treasures. I am trapped in this well, and I rarely even see the sun or moon. How could I have any treasures?" Bajie said, "Don't make excuses! If you have one, bring it out!" The Dragon King said, "I do have one 'treasure,' but I cannot bring it out. Marshal, if you don't mind, how about going to see it for yourself?" Bajie said, "Good! Good! Good! I must go and see it!" The Dragon King walked ahead, and the idiot followed behind. They rounded the Crystal Palace hall and saw, lying crosswise in the corridor, a body six feet in length. The Dragon King pointed and said, "Marshal, that over there is the treasure." Bajie stepped forward to look. Ah! It turned out to be a dead emperor—wearing a crown that pierces the heavens, a robe of ochre yellow, treading on boots of carefree ease, and girded with a belt of blue field jade, lying stiff and straight. Bajie laughed. "Hard! Hard! Hard! What kind of treasure is this! When I, Old Pig, was a demon on the mountain, I often ate dead people like this as a meal! Not only have I seen plenty of them, I've eaten my fill of them! How can this be called a treasure?" The Dragon King said, "Marshal, you are not aware. This is the corpse of the king of the Black Chicken Kingdom. Ever since he fell into this well, I have used a Corpse-Preserving Pearl to keep him intact, and he has not decayed. If you are willing to carry him out on your back, and when you see the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, if he has any intention of bringing the king back to life, then not only will this be a treasure, but I will give you anything you ask for." Bajie said, "If that's the case, I'll help you carry him out. But how much funeral money are you going to give me?" The Dragon King said, "I really have no money here." Bajie said, "You want to use me for free? If you really have no money, I'm not carrying him!" The Dragon King said, "If you won't carry him, then suit yourself." Bajie turned around and started to leave. The Dragon King quickly dispatched two powerful yakshas to carry the king's corpse out and dump it in front of the Crystal Palace gate. Then he plucked off Bajie's Water-Repelling Pearl, and immediately the sound of rushing water was heard. Bajie turned his head to look. The Crystal Palace gate had vanished. When he reached out his hand, he touched the king's corpse. His legs turned to jelly with fear. He quickly scrambled out of the water, grabbed the edge of the well, and shouted, "Senior Brother! Hurry and stick the golden-banded staff down here to save me!" The Pilgrim asked, "Have you found the treasure?" Bajie said, "What treasure! At the bottom of the water, there was a Well Dragon King. He wanted me to carry a dead man on my back. I refused, so he kicked me out. The Crystal Palace disappeared, and all I could feel was this corpse. It scared me so much my hands went numb and my legs went weak, and I can't climb out! Brother, please save me!" The Pilgrim said, "That corpse is the treasure! Why didn't you carry it up?" Bajie said, "Who knows how long he's been dead! What would I carry him for?" The Pilgrim said, "If you won't carry him, I'm going back." Bajie asked, "Where are you going back to?" The Pilgrim said, "I'm going back to the temple to sleep with the master." Bajie said, "What about me?" The Pilgrim said, "If you can climb out, I'll take you with me. If you can't, you can stay here." Bajie panicked. "How can I possibly climb out! Think about it: even the city wall is hard to climb. This well has a big belly and a small mouth, the walls are steep, and it's a well that hasn't been drawn from for years. It's covered in slippery moss everywhere. How can I climb it? Brother, don't spoil the brotherly bond between us. I'll carry him, alright!" The Pilgrim said, "That's more like it! Hurry up and carry him up. I'll accompany you back to sleep." The idiot plunged headfirst into the water again. He felt around for the corpse, grabbed it, and hauled it over. He heaved it onto his back, then burst out of the water. Clinging to the well wall, he said, "Brother, I've carried him up!" The Pilgrim opened his eyes and looked. The corpse was indeed on Bajie's back. He then extended the golden-banded staff down to the bottom of the well. The idiot was still fuming. He opened his mouth and bit down on the golden-banded staff. The Pilgrim gently lifted, and Bajie was pulled out of the well mouth. Bajie put the corpse down and fished for his clothes to put them on. The Pilgrim looked at the king's appearance. He looked exactly as he had when he was alive, without any change. The Pilgrim said, "Brother, this man has been dead for three years. How is it that his appearance has not decayed?" Bajie said, "You don't know. The Well Dragon King told me that he used a Corpse-Preserving Pearl to keep the corpse intact, so it hasn't decayed." The Pilgrim said, "Excellent! Excellent! For one, his grievance has not yet been avenged, and for another, it is time for us to earn some merit. Brother, hurry up and carry him to see the master." Bajie asked, "Carry him where to see the master?" The Pilgrim said, "Carry him back to the temple." Bajie muttered under his breath, "What rotten luck! I was sleeping soundly, and this monkey tricked me with sweet words into coming here to do this. Now I have to carry a dead man! Carrying him, all that dirty water is dripping down, staining my clothes, and there's no one to wash them for me. My clothes already have several patches on them. When it's damp and overcast, they'll get moldy. How am I supposed to wear them?" The Pilgrim said, "Just carry him back. When we get to the temple, I'll find you a change of clothes." Bajie said, "Don't boast! You don't even have a change of clothes for yourself, and you're going to find one for me!" The Pilgrim said, "If you talk any more nonsense, don't carry him!" Bajie said, "Fine, I won't carry him!" The Pilgrim said, "You won't carry him? Hold out your leg. I'll give you twenty strokes!" Bajie panicked. "Brother, your staff is too heavy. If you hit me twenty times, I'll end up just like this emperor—a dead man!" The Pilgrim said, "If you're afraid of being beaten, then hurry up and carry him and go!" Bajie was truly afraid of being beaten. In a huff, he grabbed the corpse, heaved it onto his back, and quickly left the imperial garden. What a Great Sage! He pinched his fingers and recited a spell. Facing the southeast, he took a deep breath and blew it out. Immediately, a fierce wind arose, which swept Bajie, along with the corpse, out of the imperial palace. After they had left the city far behind, the wind stopped. The two of them landed on the ground and slowly made their way back to the Precious Forest Temple. The idiot was secretly fuming, and he plotted to get back at the Pilgrim. "This monkey is playing tricks on me. When I get to the temple, I'll play a trick on him too! I'll goad the master into saying that he can bring this emperor back to life. If he can't, I'll get the master to recite the 'Tight-Fillet Spell' and squeeze the brains out of this monkey's head. That will relieve my anger!" As he walked, he thought again, "No, no! What if he goes to the underworld and retrieves the soul, and really does bring him back to life? I have to say that he's not allowed to go to the underworld, and must bring him back to life in the world of the living. That way, he'll have no way out!" Before long, they arrived