The story tells that the brocade-robed officer led the false Tang Monk out of the guesthouse, and the Imperial Bodyguards surrounded him all the way to the palace gates. There, he said to the eunuch on duty, "We have brought the monk Tang Sanzang. Please trouble you to announce us to His Majesty." The eunuch hurried in to report to the benighted ruler , and then requested the false Tang Monk to enter. All the civil and military officials knelt in worship at the foot of the steps, but the false Tang Monk stood alone in the middle of the hall and called out loudly, "O King of Bhikshu Kingdom, why have you summoned me, a poor monk, here?"
The king laughed and said, "I have been afflicted with an illness that has dragged on for a long time without recovery. Fortunately, the Imperial Father-in-Law provided a prescription. All the ingredients are prepared, and only one medicinal guide is missing. I have specially invited the Elder Monk to request this guide from you. If my illness is cured, I will build a shrine for you, offer sacrifices in all four seasons, and let you enjoy the incense and worship of my kingdom forever."
The false Tang Monk replied, "I am a man who has left the householder's life , traveling alone to this place. I do not know what Your Majesty asked the Imperial Father-in-Law to use as a medicinal guide."
The benighted ruler said, "I have specially come to beg for the Elder Monk's heart and liver ."
The false Tang Monk said, "To be honest with Your Majesty, I do have a few hearts, but I do not know what color you require."
The Imperial Father-in-Law pointed at the false Tang Monk and said, "You monk! I want your black heart!"
The false Tang Monk replied, "If that is the case, bring a knife quickly and cut open my belly. If there is a black heart, I will certainly give it to you."
The benighted ruler thanked him joyfully and immediately ordered the attending officer to bring a short ox-horn knife , which was handed to the false Tang Monk. The false Tang Monk took the knife, unfastened his robe, bared his chest, pressed his left hand against his belly, gripped the knife in his right hand, and with a loud tearing sound, ripped open his abdomen. From within, a pile of hearts came tumbling out with a gurgling sound. The civil officials turned pale with fright, and the military officers felt their limbs go numb.
When the Imperial Father-in-Law saw this from the hall, he said, "This is a monk with many hearts!"
The false Tang Monk picked up the bloody hearts one by one and showed them to everyone. There were red hearts, white hearts, yellow hearts, and also hearts of greed, hearts of fame and fortune, hearts of jealousy, hearts of calculation, hearts of competitiveness, hearts of arrogance, hearts of murder, hearts of cruelty, hearts of terror, hearts of caution, hearts of depravity, and all kinds of unspeakably dark hearts—but not a single black heart.
The benighted ruler was stunned into silence, unable to speak, and tremblingly shouted, "Take them away! Take them away at once!"
The false Tang Monk could no longer hold back. He withdrew his magic, reverted to his true form, and said to the benighted ruler, "Your Majesty has truly poor eyesight! We monks all have good hearts. Only your Imperial Father-in-Law has a black heart, which would be just right as a medicinal guide. If you do not believe me, I will take out his heart for you to see!"
When the Imperial Father-in-Law heard this, he quickly opened his eyes wide and looked carefully. Seeing that the monk had changed his appearance, he instantly recognized him—this was the Great Sage Sun, who had caused havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago! He immediately turned around and fled, riding away on a cloud. With a single somersault, the Pilgrim leaped into the air and shouted, "Where do you think you are going! Taste my staff!"
The Imperial Father-in-Law immediately raised his coiled-dragon staff to meet the attack. The two of them engaged in a fierce battle in midair: The Ruyi Golden-Hooped Staff and the Coiled-Dragon Staff clashed, and the sky was filled with swirling clouds. It turned out that the Imperial Father-in-Law was a demon, and so he had used his monstrous daughter to be called a beauty. The king, indulging in pleasure, had fallen ill, and the evil fiend wanted to slaughter children. Now he met the Great Sage, who displayed his divine powers, capturing the demon and saving the people to resolve the calamity. The iron staff was truly fierce as it struck down, and the staff's parries were worthy of cheers. The fight filled the sky with mist, darkening the city, and within the city, every household turned pale with fear. The civil and military officials were so terrified their souls fled, and the imperial consorts and palace maidens had their faces changed with fright. The benighted king of Bhikshu hid himself in panic, trembling and without a plan. When the staff rose, it was like a tiger emerging from a mountain; when the staff swung, it was like a dragon leaving the sea. Today's great uproar in Bhikshu City made clear the distinction between evil and good.
The demon and the Pilgrim fought for over twenty rounds. The Coiled-Dragon Staff could not withstand the Golden-Hooped Staff. The demon feinted with his staff, then turned into a beam of cold light and flew into the inner palace . He took the tribute demoness and, together, they transformed into a cold light and disappeared, their whereabouts unknown.
The Great Sage descended from his cloud and landed at the palace steps, saying to the assembled officials, "So this is your fine Imperial Father-in-Law!" All the officials knelt together and thanked the divine monk. The Pilgrim said, "Do not bow. First, find out where your benighted ruler has gone." The officials replied, "When His Majesty saw the battle, he was so frightened that he hid himself. We do not know which palace he has gone to." The Pilgrim immediately ordered, "Search quickly! Do not let the beautiful consort abduct him!"
Hearing this, the officials, disregarding all boundaries of inner and outer courts, followed the Pilgrim and rushed first to the beautiful consort's palace. It was completely empty—even the beautiful consort was gone. The empress, the consorts of the Eastern and Western Palaces, and the ladies of the Six Courts all came to bow and thank the Great Sage. The Great Sage said, "Rise first. It is not yet time for thanks. First, find your sovereign."
After a while, four or five eunuchs supported the benighted ruler as he emerged from behind the Hall of Solemn Vigilance . All the ministers prostrated themselves on the ground and reported in unison, "Our Sovereign! Our Sovereign! Thanks to the divine monk, we have distinguished truth from falsehood. The Imperial Father-in-Law was a demon, and the beautiful consort has also vanished."
Upon hearing this, the king immediately invited the Great Sage to leave the inner palace and come to the Treasure Hall . He bowed and thanked him, saying, "Elder Monk, when you came this morning, you looked so handsome and majestic. Why have you changed your appearance now?"
The Pilgrim laughed and said, "To be honest with Your Majesty, the one who came this morning was my master, the Imperial Younger Brother of the Tang Court , Sanzang. I am his disciple, Sun Wukong. I also have two other junior brothers— Zhu Wuneng and Sha Wujing—who are now at the Golden Pavilion Guesthouse . Because I knew that you had believed in demonic words and wanted to take my master's heart and liver as a medicinal guide, I transformed into my master's appearance and came especially to subdue the demon."
Upon hearing this, the king immediately issued a decree for the Grand Preceptor to go to the guesthouse and invite the master and disciples to the court.
When Sanzang heard that the Pilgrim had revealed his true form and was subduing demons in the sky, he was so frightened that his soul nearly fled. Fortunately, Bajie and Sha Monk were there to protect him. His face was still covered with a piece of sticky mud, and he was feeling quite dejected, when he heard someone call out, "Dharma Master, we are the Grand Preceptor sent by the King of Bhikshu Kingdom. We have come especially to invite you to court to receive thanks."
Bajie laughed and said, "Master, do not be afraid! Do not be afraid! This time, they are not inviting you to have your heart cut out. It must be that Senior Brother has won the battle, and they are inviting you to receive their thanks."
Sanzang said, "Even if they invite me to receive thanks, how can I face people with this sticky face of mine?"
Bajie said, "There is no other way. Let us first go see Senior Brother. He is sure to have a way to explain it."
The Elder Monk had no choice but to lean on Bajie for support. Sha Monk shouldered the luggage and led the horse, and they all went together to the courtyard of the guesthouse. When the Grand Preceptor saw them, he was so frightened that he said, "Heavens above! Why do you all look like demons and monsters!"
Sha Monk said, "Honorable Sir, do not despise us for our ugliness. This is the way we were born. Wait until my senior brother comes to see you, and then you will find that my master is handsome."
The three of them followed the Grand Preceptor into court and went directly to the hall without waiting for a summons. When the Pilgrim saw them, he immediately descended from the hall and came to meet them. He scraped the mud off his master's face, blew on it with a magical breath, and shouted, "Return to your original form!" Tang Monk instantly regained his original appearance, and his spirit was much improved. The king descended from the hall to welcome him personally, addressing him as "Dharma Master, Living Buddha." The master and disciples tethered the horse and all went up to the hall to meet.
The Pilgrim said, "Your Majesty, do you know where that demon came from? Let me go and capture him completely, so as to eliminate future trouble."
The consorts of the Three Palaces and the Six Courts, who were listening from behind the emerald screens, heard the Pilgrim say he wanted to eliminate future trouble. Disregarding all distinctions between men and women, they all came out together, knelt, and pleaded, "We beg the divine monk and living Buddha to exercise your great dharma power, to cut the weeds and dig up the roots, and eliminate all the demons completely. For your great kindness, we will surely repay you heavily!"
The Pilgrim quickly returned their bows and only asked the king to tell him the demon's dwelling place. The king said shamefacedly, "When he came three years ago, I asked him. He said that not far from the city, seventy miles to the south, there was a place called Pure Splendor Hamlet in the Willow Forest Slope. The Imperial Father-in-Law was old and had no sons, only a daughter born to his second wife. She was sixteen years old and unmarried, and he was willing to offer her to me. I saw that the girl was very beautiful, so I took her into the palace and doted on her. I did not expect that I would later fall ill, and the imperial physicians' medicines were all useless. He said he had an immortal prescription that only required the hearts of young children to be boiled in soup as a medicinal guide. I was muddled and believed his words. I selected children from among the common people and set the time for today at noon to cut open their hearts and take them out. Fortunately, the divine monk arrived, and the goose cages all disappeared. Then he said that the divine monk was a true body cultivated for ten lifetimes, whose primordial yang had never leaked out, and that your heart was ten thousand times better than the hearts of young children. In a moment of confusion, I made a mistake. I never expected that the divine monk would see through the demon. I beg you to exercise your great dharma power to eliminate future trouble. I am willing to thank you with all the wealth of my kingdom!"
The Pilgrim laughed and said, "To be honest, the children in the cages were hidden by me out of compassion for my master. Do not mention anything about thanking me with wealth. Let me capture the demon—that is my spiritual practice." Then he called out, "Bajie, come with me."
Bajie said, "I will do as you say, Senior Brother, but my stomach is empty, and I have no strength to fight."
The king immediately issued a decree: "Let the Imperial Kitchen prepare a vegetarian meal quickly!" Before long, the meal was brought in.
After Bajie had eaten his fill, he roused his spirits and, together with the Pilgrim, mounted a cloud and flew off. The king, the consorts, and the civil and military officials all knelt and worshipped toward the sky, saying, "Truly, immortals and buddhas have descended to the mortal world!"
The Great Sage took Bajie with him and flew directly to the place seventy miles south of the city. They stopped their cloud and looked for the demon's dwelling. All they could see was a clear stream with willows lining both banks, thousands upon thousands of them, but they did not know where Pure Splendor Hamlet was. Truly: Endless fields of wild land stretched before their eyes, but the mist-shrouded willows on a thousand dikes hid all traces.
The Great Sage Sun could not find it. He made a hand seal, recited the true word "Om," and summoned the local spirit. The local spirit, trembling with fear, came forward and knelt down: "Great Sage, the local spirit of Willow Forest Slope kowtows to you."
The Pilgrim said, "Do not be afraid. I will not hit you. I ask you: On Willow Forest Slope, there is a place called Pure Splendor Hamlet. Where is it?"
The local spirit said, "There is a Pure Splendor Cave here, but I have never heard of a Pure Splendor Hamlet. Your subordinate knows—Great Sage, you have come from Bhikshu Kingdom, have you not?"
The Pilgrim said, "Yes, yes. The king of Bhikshu was deceived by a demon. I went there and saw through the demon. I fought him off at the time, and he turned into a beam of cold light and fled. I asked the king of Bhikshu, and he said that three years ago, when the demon presented the beautiful woman, he said he lived seventy miles south of the city at Pure Splendor Hamlet on Willow Forest Slope. I have come here and only see Willow Forest Slope, but no Pure Splendor Hamlet. That is why I am asking you."
The local spirit kowtowed and said, "I beg the Great Sage to forgive my crime. The king of Bhikshu is also my sovereign, and I should have been aware of this. But the demon's magical powers are too great. If I revealed his affairs, he would come and bully me, so I dared not speak. Now that the Great Sage wishes to find him, you should go to the southern bank, to the root of a poplar tree with nine forked branches. Turn left three times, then right three times. Clap your hands together on the tree and call out 'Open up!' three times in a row. Then you will see the Pure Splendor Cave."
When the Great Sage heard this, he dismissed the local spirit and, together with Bajie, leaped over the small stream to find that poplar tree. Sure enough, there was a poplar tree with nine forked branches all growing from a single root. The Pilgrim instructed Bajie, "You stand back a little. When I call the door open and find the demon, I will drive him out. Then you can come and help."
Hearing this, Bajie stationed himself about half a mile away from the tree. The Great Sage, following the local spirit's instructions, went to the root of the tree, turned left three times and right three times, clapped his hands on the tree, and shouted, "Open up! Open up!"
In an instant, with a loud crash, two doors swung open, and the poplar tree vanished. Inside, there was a shimmering glow, but no sign of human habitation. The Pilgrim, relying on his divine might, charged straight in. Inside, it was a wonderful place: Mist and rosy clouds shimmered brightly, and the sun and moon shone with a stolen light. White clouds often emerged from the cave, and emerald mosses grew wildly over the courtyard. A path was lined with exotic flowers vying in beauty, and the steps were covered with rare grasses competing in fragrance. The air was warm, and the scenery was eternally like spring, truly like the Langyuan Paradise, no less than the Penglai Isles. Smooth benches were overgrown with long creepers, and flat bridges were hung with tangled vines. Bees carried red pollen into the rocky caverns, and butterflies played among the quiet orchids, passing by stone screens.
The Pilgrim quickened his pace and went closer to look. He saw four large characters written on a stone screen: "Pure Splendor Immortal Mansion." Unable to restrain himself, he leaped over the stone screen and saw the old demon holding a beautiful woman in his arms. Panting heavily, the demon was just talking about the affairs of Bhikshu Kingdom. Together they cried out, "A good opportunity has come! After three years, today was supposed to be the day of success, but that monkey has ruined it!"
The Pilgrim rushed over, pulled out his Golden-Hooped Staff, and shouted loudly, "You demons! What 'good opportunity'! Taste my staff!"
The old demon dropped the beautiful woman, raised his Coiled-Dragon Staff, and met the attack. The battle between the two in front of the cave was even more intense than before: The staff rose, bursting with golden light; the staff swung, emitting fierce and baleful energy. The demon said, "You ignorant fool, how dare you force your way into my door!" The Pilgrim said, "I have come with the intention of subduing evil fiends!" The demon said, "My infatuation with the king is none of your business! How dare you come here to bully me?" The Pilgrim said, "Monks cultivate the true teaching and are originally compassionate. I could not bear to see children slaughtered alive!" As they exchanged words, each harbored deep hatred. The staff met the staff, striking straight at the heart. They crushed the rare flowers in their struggle for life, and kicked through the emerald moss because they slipped. The fight caused the rosy clouds in the cave to lose their brightness, and the fragrant plants beneath the cliffs were all crushed and suppressed. The clashing sounds frightened the birds so much they could not fly, and the shouting terrified the beautiful woman into scattering. Only the old demon and the Monkey King remained, as a howling wind swept across the ground. They fought their way out of the cave entrance, where they encountered the foolish Wuneng, whose stubborn nature was aroused.
It turned out that Bajie, who was waiting outside, heard the commotion inside and felt an itch in his heart. He pulled out his rake and toppled the nine-branched poplar tree. Then he struck it a few more times with his rake, causing "fresh blood" to flow from the tree, accompanied by faint sounds. He said, "This tree has become a spirit! This tree has become a spirit!" Just as he was pressing down on the tree and striking it, he saw the Pilgrim driving the demon out.
The Fool did not say a word. He charged forward and raised his rake to strike. The old demon was already no match for the Pilgrim, and with Bajie's arrival, he became even more panicked. Unable to hold his ground, he turned into a beam of cold light and fled eastward. The two of them gave chase without pause.
Just as they were shouting and pursuing, they suddenly heard the cries of phoenixes and cranes, and auspicious clouds drifted by. Looking up, they saw it was the Old Man of the South Pole, the Star of Longevity. The Star of Longevity enveloped the cold light with a rosy glow and called out, "Great Sage, slow down! Heavenly Marshal, do not pursue! Old Daoist gives you my greetings."
The Pilgrim quickly returned the greeting: "Brother Star of Longevity, where have you come from?"
Bajie laughed and said, "Old meat-head, since you have enveloped the cold light, you must have caught the demon."
The Star of Longevity smiled apologetically and said, "He is here, he is here. I beg the two of you to spare his life."
The Pilgrim said, "What connection does this old demon have with you, that you come to plead for him?"
The Star of Longevity laughed and said, "He is my mount. I never expected that he would run away and become a demon."
The Pilgrim said, "Since he is your property, let him show his original form."
When the Star of Longevity heard this, he released the rosy glow and shouted, "Wretch! Show your original form at once, and I will spare you the death penalty!"
The demon turned around and revealed himself to be a white deer. The Star of Longevity picked up his staff and said, "You wretch! You even stole my staff!" The white deer lay prostrate on the ground, unable to speak. It could only kowtow and weep. As it appeared: Its body was spotted like jade tablets, its two antlers were uneven with seven curved branches. In times of hunger, it sought out medicinal gardens; when thirsty, it drank from the flowing clouds. Over many years, it had learned the art of flying and soaring; with the passage of time, it had cultivated the power of transformation. Now, seeing its master call, it revealed its form, ears drooping, and lay prostrate in the dust.
The Star of Longevity thanked the Pilgrim and was about to ride the deer away. The Pilgrim grabbed hold of him and said, "Younger Brother, do not be in such a hurry to leave. There are still two matters unfinished."
The Star of Longevity said, "What other matters are there?"
The Pilgrim said, "There is still that beautiful woman who has not been caught. I do not know what kind of demon she is. Also, I need to return with you to Bhikshu City to see the benighted ruler and report the completion of the task face to face."
The Star of Longevity said, "If that is the case, I will wait a while. You and the Heavenly Marshal go down into the cave and capture that beautiful woman, then we can go together to report the completion of the task."
The Pilgrim said, "Younger Brother, wait a moment. We will go and return shortly."
Bajie roused his spirits and followed the Pilgrim into the Pure Splendor Immortal Mansion, shouting loudly, "Catch the demon! Catch the demon!" The beautiful woman, terrified, had nowhere to flee. Hearing the shouts, she became even more panicked. She hid behind the stone screen, but there was no back door. Bajie shouted at her, "Where do you think you are going! You seducer of men, you lecherous spirit! Take this rake!"
The beautiful woman had no weapons and could not dodge. She turned into a beam of cold light and tried to flee outward. The Great Sage blocked the cold light and struck down with his staff. The demon fell to the ground and revealed her original form—a white-faced fox. The Fool could not restrain himself. He raised his rake and struck her on the head. Alas, this beauty who had overthrown kingdoms and toppled cities had turned into a clump of fox fur! The Pilgrim called out, "Do not smash her to pieces. Keep her to show the benighted ruler." The Fool, not minding the filth, grabbed the fox by the tail and, dragging her along, followed the Pilgrim out of the cave.
They saw the Star of Longevity stroking the deer's head and scolding, "You wretched beast! How dare you slip away from me and come here to become a spirit! If I had not come, you would have been beaten to death by the Great Sage Sun by now."
The Pilgrim leaped out and said, "Younger Brother, what are you saying?"
The Star of Longevity said, "I am scolding the deer! I am scolding the deer!"
Bajie threw the dead fox in front of the deer and said, "Is this your daughter?" The deer nodded its head, stretched out its snout, and sniffed at her, letting out a plaintive cry as if it were reluctant to part. The Star of Longevity struck it on the head and said, "You wretch! You should consider yourself lucky to have saved your own life! What are you still sniffing at her for?" As he spoke, he untied his sash, tied it around the deer's neck, and led it along, saying, "Great Sage, let us go to Bhikshu City to see the king."
The Pilgrim said, "Wait a moment! Let us sweep this place clean once and for all, so that no more demons will arise here in the future."
Hearing this, Bajie raised his rake and began wildly smashing the willow trees. The Pilgrim recited the true word "Om" again and summoned the local spirit. He said, "Gather some dry firewood and set fire to this place, burning it clean. Eliminate the demonic scourge, so that in the future, they will not bully you."
The local spirit immediately led the underworld soldiers to bring frost-defying grass, autumn green grass, knotweed grass, mountain pistil grass, mugwort firewood, dragon-bone firewood, and reed firewood—all dry and thoroughly seasoned from the previous year, ready to catch fire at the touch of a flame. The Pilgrim said, "Bajie, stop smashing the trees. Stuff these things into the cave and set fire to burn it all clean."
Once the fire was lit, it burned the Pure Splendor demon cave into a pit of fire.
After finishing this, the Pilgrim dismissed the local spirit. Together with the Star of Longevity, leading the deer and dragging the fox, they returned to the hall. The Pilgrim said to the king, "This is your beautiful consort. Do you still want to play with her?" The king trembled with fear. Then he saw the Great Sage leading the Star of Longevity and leading a white deer. The entire court—sovereign, ministers, and consorts—all knelt in worship.
The Pilgrim stepped forward, helped the king up, and laughed, saying, "Do not bow to me. This deer is the Imperial Father-in-Law. You should bow to him."
The king was so ashamed he could find no place to hide. He could only say, "I thank the divine monk for saving the children of my kingdom. This is a kindness as great as Heaven!" He immediately issued a decree for the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a vegetarian banquet. The Eastern Pavilion was opened to invite the Old Man of the South Pole and Tang Monk and his disciples, so that they could all give thanks together.
Sanzang bowed to the Star of Longevity, and Sha Monk also paid his respects. They all asked, "Since the white deer is the mount of the Old Star of Longevity, how did it come here to harm people?"
The Star of Longevity laughed and said, "A few days ago, the Eastern Florescence Emperor came to my mountain. I invited him to play a game of chess. Before the game was finished, this wretch ran away. After my guest left, I could not find him. I made a calculation with my fingers and knew that he was here. I came especially to look for him and happened to meet the Great Sage Sun in action. If I had come a little later, this wretch would have been finished."
Just as they were speaking, someone reported, "The banquet is prepared." This vegetarian banquet was truly sumptuous: Five-colored banners hung at the gate, and a rare fragrance filled the seats. The tables were draped with embroidered curtains, creating a brocade-like splendor; the floor was covered with red carpets, shimmering with rosy light. Within the precious duck-shaped incense burners, aloeswood and sandalwood smoke curled upward. Before the imperial feast, vegetarian dishes gave off a fragrant aroma. The display plates held high-stacked fruits shaped like towers and pavilions; dragon-entwined sugar figures were arranged in the forms of running beasts. There were mandarin duck-shaped sugar pieces and lion-headed immortal sugars, all exquisitely molded; parrot-shaped cups and heron-shaped ladles were true to life. Before the seats, every kind of fruit was abundant; on the tables, every vegetarian dish was exquisite. There were large chestnuts and silkworm cocoon-shaped cakes, fresh lychees and peaches. Jujubes and persimmon cakes were sweet and delicious; pine nuts and grapes were fragrant and rich like wine. There were several kinds of honeyed preserves and steamed pastries. Oil-fried and sugar-coated items were arranged like flowers and brocade. Golden plates were piled high with large steamed buns, and silver bowls were filled to the brim with fragrant rice. Long, spicy soup noodles were served, and fragrantly, dish after dish was brought in for replenishment. Words cannot describe all the mushrooms, tree ears, tender bamboo shoots, and yellow essence, the ten-fragrance vegetarian dishes, and the hundred delicacies. Servants came and went without pause, and every course was richly prepared.
At that time, the seats were arranged: The Star of Longevity sat in the seat of honor, the Elder Monk sat in the second seat, the king sat in the front seat, and the Pilgrim, Bajie, and Sha Monk sat at the side seats. Two or three Grand Preceptors sat beside them as attendants. The king issued a decree for the Imperial Music Bureau to play music. He himself raised a purple-gem cup and offered toasts to each one in turn. Only Tang Monk did not drink wine.
Bajie said to the Pilgrim, "Senior Brother, you can have the fruits, but you must let me have the soup and rice." The Fool, regardless of quality, ate ravenously, finishing all the food and drink completely.
When the banquet ended, the Star of Longevity took his leave. The king stepped forward and knelt, begging the Star of Longevity for a method to dispel illness and prolong life. The Star of Longevity laughed and said, "I came to look for my deer and did not bring any elixir. I wanted to teach you a method for nurturing life, but your spirit is too depleted, and you cannot practice it. I only have three dates in my sleeve, which I had intended to offer as tea to the Eastern Florescence Emperor. I have not eaten them myself. I will give them to you now."
The king swallowed the dates and gradually felt his body become lighter, and his illness was cured. Later, he was able to live to a great age, all because of these three dates. When Bajie saw this, he shouted, "Old Star of Longevity, you have fire-dates! Give me a few to eat!" The Star of Longevity said, "I do not have any more with me. I will send you a few catties another day." After saying this, he left the Eastern Pavilion, thanked everyone, shouted at the deer, mounted it, and rode away on a flying cloud. The entire court—sovereign, ministers, and consorts—as well as the citizens of the city, all burned incense and knelt in worship.
Sanzang said, "Disciples, pack up our things and take our leave." The king again earnestly begged him to stay and asked for the method of nurturing life. The Pilgrim said, "Your Majesty, from now on, indulge less in sensual pleasures and accumulate more hidden virtues. In all matters, take the long and make up for the short. In this way, you will naturally be able to dispel illness and prolong life. This is the method of nurturing life."
The king brought out two trays of gold and silver as traveling expenses, but Tang Monk resolutely refused to accept them. The king had no choice. He ordered the imperial carriage to be prepared and asked Tang Monk to sit in the phoenix palanquin and dragon chariot. He himself, together with the consorts, pushed the carriage to see them out of the court. The common people of the six streets and three markets all held bowls of pure water and lit incense to see them out of the city.
Suddenly, a gust of wind sounded in midair, and one thousand one hundred and eleven goose cages fell to the roadside. From within came the crying of children. From the shadows came the voices of the City God, the Local Spirits, the Village Guardians, the True Officials, the Five Directions Revealers, the Four Duty Gods, the Six Ding and Six Jia Spirits, and the Guardian Bodhisattvas who had been protecting the children. They said, "Great Sage, we followed your instructions and hid the children and the goose cages. Now that we know the Great Sage has accomplished his merit and is about to leave, we have come especially to return them."
The king, the consorts, and the common people all knelt and worshipped again. The Pilgrim said to the sky, "Thank you all for your hard work. Return to your respective shrines and temples. I will have the common people offer sacrifices to thank you." A gust of dark wind passed, and the gods withdrew.
The Pilgrim told the citizens of the city to come and claim their children. When the news spread, the people all came and recognized their own children. They carried them out joyfully, some calling them "brother," some "precious one." They jumped and laughed, all shouting, "Hold onto the Tang gentlemen! Come to my house to thank you for saving my child!"
Young and old, men and women, none were afraid of the master and disciples' ugliness. Some carried Bajie on their shoulders, some lifted Sha Monk, some held the Great Sage Sun aloft, and some supported Tang Sanzang. They led the horse and carried the luggage, crowding into the city. Even the king could not stop them. This family set out a feast, that family prepared a banquet. Those who were not invited made monk's caps, monk's shoes, monk's robes, and cloth socks. Clothes of all kinds, for both inner and outer wear, were offered as gifts.
The master and disciples were delayed in this way for nearly a month before they finally left Bhikshu City. The people even painted their portraits, set up memorial tablets, and burned incense and made offerings to them. Truly: The accumulation of hidden merit piled up like a mountain of kindness, saving the lives of thousands upon tens of thousands of people.
Who knows what events they would encounter next? Let us listen to the explanation in the next chapter.