Journey to the West

83

The Mind−Ape Recognizes the Refiner of Cinnabar

The Girl Reverts to Her True Nature

The story tells how after Sanzang had been carried out of the cave by the evil spirit Friar Sand went up to him and asked, "Where is my oldest brother now that you have come out, Master?"

"He must know what he's doing," said Pig. "I expect he's exchanged himself for the master to get him out." "Your brother is in her stomach," Sanzang replied, pointing at the evil spirit. "It is terribly filthy," Pig said. "Whatever are you doing in there? Come out."

"Open your mouth," said Monkey from inside, "I'm coming out." The she−devil did indeed open her mouth wide. Monkey made himself very small, sprang up into her throat, and was just about to emerge when he became worried that she might cheat and bite him. He then pulled out his iron cudgel, blew on it with magic breath, called "Change!" and turned it into a jujube stone with which he wedged her jaw open. With one bound he then leapt outside, taking the iron cudgel with him, bowed to resume his own form and raised his cudgel to strike her. At once she drew a pair of fine swords, parrying his blow with a loud clang. They fought a splendid battle on the mountain top.

A pair of dancing, flying swords defended her face; The gold−banded cudgel struck at her head. One was a heaven−born monkey, the Mind−ape; The other had the bones of an earth−born girl turned spirit; The two of them both had been smitten by anger: Hatred arose at the celebration; the party was ended. One longed to mate with the primal masculinity, The other wanted to defeat the incarnation of the female. When the cudgel was raised to the sky cold mists spread out; The swords shook up the earth's black dirt like a sieve. Because the elder would visit the Buddha

They were locked in fierce combat, each showing great prowess. When water conflicts with fire motherhood is out; When Yin and Yang cannot combine each goes its own way. After the two had been fighting for a very long time The earth moved, the mountains shook and the trees were destroyed.

The sight of their struggle made Pig grumble resentfully about Monkey. "Brother," he said, turning to Friar Sand, "our elder brother is messing around. When he was in her stomach just now he could have used his fists to make her belly red with blood, rip it open and come out. That would have settled her score. Why did he have to come out through her mouth and fight her? Why did he let her run wild?"

"You're right," Friar Sand replied, "but it was thanks to him that the master was rescued from the depths of the cave, even if he is in a fight with her now. Let's ask the master to sit here by himself while we two use our weapons to help our brother beat the evil spirit."

"No, no," said Pig with a wave of his hand. "He's got his magic powers. We'd be useless."

"What a thing to say," retorted Friar Sand. "This is in all of our interests. We may not be much use, but even a fart can strengthen a breeze."

Now that the idiot's dander was up he brandished his rake and shouted, "Come on!" Ignoring the master, they rode the wind and went for the evil spirit, striking wildly at her with their rake and staff. The evil spirit, who was already finding Brother Monkey too much to handle, realized that she would be unable to hold out against two more of them. At once she turned and fled.

"After her, brothers," Monkey shouted. Seeing that they were so hot on her heels the evil spirit took the embroidered shoe off her right foot, blew on it with a magic breath, said a spell, called "Change!" and turned it into her own double swinging a pair of sword. Then she shook herself, turned into a puff of wind and went straight back. There she was, fleeing for her life because she was no match for them. What happened next was quite unexpected: Sanzang's evil star had still not gone away. As the evil spirit reached the archway in front of the entrance to the cave she saw the Tang Priest sitting there by himself, so she went up to him, threw her arm round him, grabbed the luggage, bit through the bridle, and carried him back inside, horse and all.