The story tells how after days on end of hard work the smiths all went to sleep that night, only to get up at dawn to start again and find that the three weapons had disappeared from under the matting shelter. Dumbfounded with horror, they started looking for them everywhere, and when the three young princes came out of the inner quarters to watch, the smiths all kowtowed to them and said, “Young masters, we don't know where the divine teachers' three weapons have all gone.”

When the young princes heard this news they trembled and said, “We expect our masters put them away last night.” Rushing to the Gauze Pavilion, they found the white horse still tethered in the walkway and could not help shouting, “Teachers, are you still asleep?”

“We're up,” Friar Sand replied, and opened the door of their room to let the young princes in.

When they saw that the weapons were not there they asked with alarm, “Masters, have you put your weapons away?”

“No,” replied Monkey, springing up.

“The three weapons disappeared during the night,” the princes explained.

“Is my rake still there?” Pig asked as he scrambled to his feet.

“When we came out a moment ago we saw everyone searching for them,” the princes replied. “When they couldn't find them we wondered if you had put them away, which is why we came to ask. As your treasures can shrink or grow we wonder if you've hidden them about yourselves to play a trick on us.”

“Honestly, we haven't,” said Monkey. “Let's all join the search.”

When they went to the matting shelter in the yard and could see that there really was no sign of the weapons Pig said, “You smiths must have stolen them. Bring'em out at once. Do it right now or I'll kill you. I'll kill you, I say.”

The smiths kowtowed desperately and said with tears pouring down their faces, “Your Lordships, we went to sleep last night because we'd been working so hard for days on end. When we got up this morning they'd gone. We're only ordinary mortals. We could never have moved them. Spare our lives, Your Lordships, spare our lives.”

Monkey said with bitter regret, “It's our fault. After we'd shown them what they look like to copy we should have kept them on us instead of leaving them lying there. I suppose our treasures' glowing clouds and light must have alerted some monster who came and stole them during the night.”

“Nonsense, brother,” Pig replied. “This is a peaceful, orderly sort of place, not somewhere in the wilds or the mountains. No monsters could possibly have come here. I'm sure it was those evil smiths who stole our weapons. They could tell they were treasures from the light shining from them. They must have left the palace last night and got a whole gang together to carry or drag them out. Bring'em here! I'm going to hit them.” The smiths kowtowed and swore to their innocence for all they were worth.

Amid all this commotion the senior prince came out, and when he asked what had happened the color drained from his face too. After muttering to himself in a low voice for a while he said, “Divine teachers, your weapons were not mere mortals' ones. Even if there had been a hundred or more people they would never have been able to move them. Besides, my family has been ruling this city for five generations. I'm not boasting, but I do have a certain reputation for being a good man. The soldiers, civilians and artisans who live here fear my laws, and I am certain that they could never have had so wicked an idea. I hope that you divine teachers will think again.”

“No need for any more thinking about it,” replied Brother Monkey with a smile, “and no need to make the smiths suffer for what's not their fault. I would like to ask Your Royal Highness if there are any evil monsters in the mountains and forests around the city.”

“That's a very good question,” the prince replied. “There is a mountain North of the city called Mount Leopard Head, with a Tigermouth Cave in it. People often say that immortals, or tigers and wolves, or evil spirits live there. As I've never been there to find out the truth I am not sure what kind of creatures there are.”

“No need to say any more,” replied Monkey with a laugh. “It must be someone wicked from there who knew they were treasures and came during the night to steal them. Pig, Friar Sand,” he ordered, “stay here to guard the master and the city while I go for a look round.” He then told the smiths to keep the furnace burning and carry on forging the new weapons.

The splendid Monkey King took his leave of Sanzang and whistled out of sight. Soon he was on Mount Leopard Head, which took him but an instant as it was only ten miles from the city. As he climbed to the summit to look around he saw that there was quite an air of evil about it. Indeed, it was

 

A long dragon chain of hills,

A mighty formation.

Sharp peaks thrusting into the sky,

Streams flowing fast along chasms deep.

In front of the mountain grow cushions of rare plants;

Behind the mountain strange flowers form brocade.

Tall pine and ancient cypress,

Old trees and find bamboo.

Crows and magpies sing as they fly,

Cranes call and gibbons scream.

Below the beetling scar

David's deer go in twos;

In front of the sheer rock-face

Are pairs of badgers and foxes.

Dragons from afar emerge briefly from the waters

Of the twisting, winding stream that runs deep under the ground.

This ridge runs right to the edge of Yuhua,

A place of beauty for a thousand ages.

 

Just as he was surveying the scene Monkey heard voices on the other side of the mountain, turned quickly round to look, and saw a couple of wolf-headed ogres climbing towards the Northwest and talking loudly as they went.

“They must be monsters patrolling the mountain,” Monkey guessed. “I'm going to listen to what they have to say.”

Making magic with his hands and saying the words of a spell Monkey shook himself, turned into a butterfly, spread his wings and fluttered after them. It was a very lifelike transformation:

 

A pair of powdery wings,

Two silver antennae.

In the wind it files very fast;

In the sun it's a leisurely dancer.

It crosses rivers and walls in a flash.

Enjoys stealing fragrance and playing with catkins.

This delicate creature loves the taste of fresh flowers

It shows its beauty and elegance as it pleases.

 

He flew to a spot right above the evil spirits' heads, where he floated and listened to what they had to say. “Brother,” one of them shouted suddenly, “our chief keeps on striking it lucky. The other month he caught himself a real beauty to live with him in the cave, and he was as pleased as anything about that. Then last night he got the three weapons, which really are priceless treasures. Tomorrow there's going to be a Rake Banquet to celebrate, so we're all going to benefit.”

“We've been quite lucky too,” the other replied, “being given these twenty ounces of silver to buy pigs and sleep. When we get to Qianfang Market we can have a few jugs of wine to start with, and then fiddle the accounts to make ourselves two or three ounces of silver to buy ourselves padded jackets for the winter. It's great, isn't it?” As they laughed and talked the two monsters hurried along the main path at a great speed.

When Monkey heard about the banquet to celebrate the rake he was quietly delighted. He would have liked to kill the devils, but it was not their fault and, besides, he had no weapon. So he flew round till he was in front of them, turned back into himself and stood at a junction along the path. As the devils gradually came closer he blew a mouthful of magic saliva at them, recited the words Om Humkara and made a fixing spell that held the two wolf-headed spirits where they were. Their eyes were fixed in a stare, they could not open their mouths, and they stood upright, both legs rigid. Monkey then knocked them over, undid their clothes and searched them, finding the twenty ounces of silver in a purse carried by one of them in the belt of his kilt. Each of them was also carrying a white lacquered pass. One of these read “Wily Freak” and the other read “Freaky Wile.”

Having taken their silver and undone their passes the splendid Great Sage went straight back to the city, where he told the princes, the Tang Priest, the officials high and low and the smiths what had happened.

“I reckon my treasure's the one that shone the brightest,” said Pig with a grin. “That's why they're buying pigs and sheep for a slap-up meal to celebrate. But how are we going to get it back?”

“We'll all three of us go,” said Monkey. “This silver was for buying pigs and sheep. We'll give it to the smiths: His Royal Highness can provide us with some animals. Pig, you turn yourself into Wily Freak, I'll turn into Freaky Wile, and Friar Sand can be a trader selling pigs and sheep. We'll go into Tigermouth Cave, and when it suits us we'll grab our weapons, kill all the monsters, come back here to pack up and be on our way again.”

“Terrific,” said Friar Sand. “No time to lose. Let's go.” The senior prince agreed with the plan and told his steward to buy seven or eight pigs and four or five sheep.

The three of them left their master and gave a great display of their magic powers once outside the city.

“Brother,” said Pig, “I've never seen that Wily Freak, so how can I possibly turn myself into his double?”

“I did fixing magic on him to keep him over there somewhere,” Monkey said, “and he won't come round till tomorrow. I can remember what he looks like, so you stand still while I tell you how to change. Yes, like this...no, a bit more like that....That's it. That's him.”

While the idiot said an incantation Brother Monkey blew on him with magic breath, turned him into Wily Freak's double and gave him a white pass to tuck in at his waist. Monkey then turned himself into Freaky Wile with a pass at his waist too, and Friar Sand made himself look like a travelling dealer in pigs and sheep. Then they drove the pigs and sheep together along the path West towards the mountain. Before long they were in a mountain gully, where they met another junior devil. He had the most horrible face. Just look:

 

A pair of round and bulging eyes

Shining like lanterns;

A head of red and bristly hair,

Blazing like fire.

A red nose,

A twisted mouth,

Sharp and pointy fangs;

Protruding ears,

A brow that seemed hacked into shape,

And a green and bloated face.

He was wearing a pale yellow tunic

And sandals made of sedge.

He looked most imposing, like some evil god,

As he hurried along like a vicious demon.

 

This devil was carrying a coloured lacquer invitation box under his left arm as he greeted Monkey and the other two with a call of “Freaky Wile, good to see you both. Did you buy us some pigs and sheep?”

“Can't you see we're driving them along?” Monkey replied.

“Who's this gentleman?” the devil asked, looking at Friar Sand.

“He's the dealer in pigs and sheep,” Monkey replied. “We still owe him a couple of ounces of silver, so we're taking him home with us to fetch it. Where are you going?”

“To Bamboo Mountain to invite His Senior Majesty to the feast tomorrow morning,” the devil said.

Taking his cue from the devil's tone of voice, Monkey then asked, “How many guests will there be altogether?”

“His Senior Majesty will take the place of honour,” the devil replied, “and with our own king, chiefs and the rest of them there'll be over forty.”

As they were talking Pig called, “Get a move on! The pigs and sheep are going everywhere.”

“You go and invite them while I get a look at that invitation,” Monkey said, and as the devil regarded him as one of their own kind he opened the box, took out the invitation and handed it to Monkey. This is what Monkey read when he unfolded it:

 

A banquet is being given tomorrow morning to celebrate the capture of the rake, and if you will condescend to cross the mountain, honoured ancestor, Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity, I will be deeply grateful.

With a hundred kowtows,

Your grandson,

Tawny Lion

 

When Monkey had read it he handed it back to the devil, who returned it to its case and carried on towards the Southeast.

“Brother,” Friar Sand asked, “what did it say on the invitation?”

“It was an invitation to the Rake Banquet,” Monkey replied. “It was signed, 'with a hundred kowtows, your grandson Tawny Lion,' and the invitation was being sent to the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity.'”

“Tawny Lion must be a golden-haired lion who's become a spirit,” said Friar Sand with a smile, “but I wonder who the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity is.”

Pig's reaction was to laugh and say, “He's mine.”

“Why should he necessarily be yours?” Monkey asked.

“There's an old saying that goes, 'a mangy old sow can put a golden lion to flight,'“ Pig replied. “That's why I know he's mine.” As they talked and laughed the three of them drove the pigs and sheep along till they could see the gates of Tigermouth Cave. Outside the gates there were,

 

Green mountains all around,

Ranges forming a mighty wall.

Creepers clung to the sheer rock faces,

Thorns hung down from the towering cliffs.

Bird song came from all around the woods,

While flowers gave a welcome by the entrance.

This cave was a match for the Peach Blossom Spring,

A place to avoid the troubles of the world.

 

As they came closer to the mouth of the cave they saw a crowd of evil spirits of every age and kind playing under the blossoming trees, and when they heard Pig's shouts of “Hey! Hey!” as he drove the pigs and sheep they all came out to meet them. The pigs and sheep were caught and trussed up. The noise had by now disturbed the demon king inside, who came out with ten or more junior demons to ask, “Are you two back? How many animals did you buy?”

“Eight pigs and seven sheep—fifteen altogether,” Monkey replied. “The pigs cost sixteen ounces of silver and the sheep nine. We were only given twenty ounces, so we still owe five. This is the dealer who's come with us for the silver.”

“Fetch five ounces of silver, little ones,” the demon king ordered on hearing this, “and send him on his way.”

“But the dealer hasn't only come to get his silver,” Monkey replied. “He's come to see the banquet too.”

“What nerve, Freaky Wile!” said the furious demon abusively. “You were sent off to buy things, not to talk about banquets.”

“As you've got those amazingly fine treasures, my lord,” Pig said, stepping forward, “what's the harm in letting him have a look?”

“Damn you too, Wily Freak,” said the demon with an angry snort. “I got these treasures from inside the city of Yuhua. If this stranger sees them and talks about them in the city the word will get around and the prince will come to demand them. What'll we do then?”

“My lord,” Monkey replied, “this dealer comes from the other side of Qianfang Market. That's a long way from the city, and he's not a city man either, so where would he go telling tales? Besides, he's hungry, and the two of us haven't eaten. If there's any food and liquor in the place why don't we give him some before sending him on his way?”

Before he could finish speaking a junior devil came out with five ounces of silver that he gave to Monkey, who in turn handed it to Friar Sand with the words, “Take your silver, stranger, then come round to the back for something to eat with us.”

Taking his courage in his hands, Friar Sand went into the cave with Pig and Monkey. When they reached the second hall inside they saw on a table in the middle of it the nine-toothed iron rake set up in all its dazzling brightness to receive offerings. At the Eastern end of the table was leant the gold-banded cudgel, and at the Western end the demon-quelling staff.

“Stranger,” said the demon king who was following them in, “that's the rake shining so brightly in the middle. You're welcome to look, but don't tell anyone about it, whatever you do.” Friar Sand nodded in admiration.

Oh dear! This was a case of “when the owner sees what's his he's bound to pick it up.” Pig had always been a rough customer, and once he saw his rake he was not going to talk about the facts of the case, but charged over, pulled it down and swung it around as he turned back into himself. He struck straight at the evil spirit's face, not caring now about the proper ways of using his weapon. Monkey and Friar Sand each rushed to one end of the table to grab his own weapon and turn back into himself. As the three brothers started lashing out wildly the demon king had to get out of their way in a hurry, go round to the back and fetch his four-bright halberd with its long handle and sharp, pointed butt.

Rushing into the courtyard, he used this to hold off the three weapons and shout at the top of his voice, “Who do you think you are, tricking me out of my treasures by impersonation?”

“I'll get you, you hairy beast,” Monkey cursed back. “You don't know who I am. I'm a disciple of Tang Sanzang, the holy monk from the East. When we came to Yuhua to present our passport the prince told his three sons to take us as their teachers of fighting skills. They were having weapons copied from ours. That was why ours were left in the courtyard for you to sneak into the city and steal in the middle of the night. And you accuse us of tricking them out of you by impersonation! Stay right there and try a taste of our three weapons.”

The evil spirit at once raised his halberd to fight back. They fought from the courtyard out through the front gate, three monks chasing a single demon. It was a splendid battle:

 

The cudgel whistled like the wind,

The rake's blows came raining down.

The demon-quelling staff filled the sky with glowing mist;

The four-bright halberd gave off clouds.

They were like the three immortals refining elixir,

Making dazzling light that frightened gods and ghosts.

Monkey was brilliant at displaying his might;

The evil spirit was wrong to have stolen the treasures.

Marshal Tian Peng showed off his divine powers,

While the great general Sand was heroic and splendid.

As the three brothers fought with skill and one mind

A great battle took place in Tigermouth Cave.

The ogre was full of power and cunning,

A fit match for the four heroes.

They fought until the sun set in the West,

When the demon weakened and could hold out no longer.

 

After their long fight on Mount Leopard Head the evil spirit shouted at Friar Sand, “Watch this halberd!” As Friar Sand fell back to dodge the blow the evil spirit escaped through the opening he left and fled by wind to the Xun quarter to the Southeast.

Pig started rushing after him to catch him, but Monkey said, “Let him go. As the old saying goes, 'never chase a desperate robber.' Let's leave him nothing to come back to.”

Pig agreed, and the three of them went back to the entrance of the cave, where they killed all the hundred and more evil spirits great and small. It turned out that they were all really tigers, wolves, tiger cats, leopards, red deer and goats. Monkey used one of his powers to bring all the valuables and fabrics, as well as the bodies of all the animals they had killed, the pigs and the sheep out of the cave. Friar Sand used some dry wood he found to start a fire that Pig fanned with both his ears. The cave was soon burnt out, and they took what they had brought with them back to the city.

The city gates were wide open; people had not yet gone to bed. The senior prince and his sons were still waiting in the Gauze Pavilion. The three disciples dropped all the dead wild animals and sheep as well as the valuables with loud thumps into the courtyard, filling it up as they called out, “Master, we're back. We've won.”

The senior prince then expressed his thanks to them, the Tang priest was delighted, and the three young princes fell to their knees to bow.

“Don't thank us,” Friar Sand said, helping them to their feet. “Come and see what we've got.”

“Where are they from?” the senior prince asked.

“The tigers, wolves, tiger cats, leopards, red deer and goats were all monsters that made themselves into spirits. When we'd got our weapons back we fought our way out through the gates. Their demon king is a golden-haired lion who fights with a four-bright halberd. He battled it out with us till nightfall, then ran away to the Southeast. Instead of chasing him we made sure he'd have nowhere to come back to by killing all these devils and bringing back all his things.”

This news both delighted and alarmed the senior prince: he was delighted at their triumphant return; worried that the demon would seek his revenge later.

“Don't worry, Your Royal Highness,” said Monkey. “I've thought about it very carefully, and I'll deal with it properly. I promise to exterminate the demons completely before we go. We'll definitely not leave you with trouble that'll come back later. When we went there at noon we ran into a little green-faced, red-haired devil who was carrying an invitation. What it said on it was: 'A banquet is being given tomorrow morning to celebrate the capture of the rake, and if you will condescend to cross the mountain, honoured ancestor, Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity, I will be deeply grateful.' It was signed: 'with a hundred kowtows, your grandson, Tawny Lion'. When the evil spirit was defeated just now he must have gone to have a word with his grandfather. They're bound to come looking for us to get their revenge tomorrow morning, and when that happens I'll wipe them all out for you.” The senior prince thanked him and had supper arranged. When master and disciples had eaten, everybody went to bed.

 

The story now tells of how the evil spirit really did head Southeast to Bamboo Mountain, in which there was a cave called the Nine-bend Twisty Cave where the evil spirit's grandfather, the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity, lived. That night the demon did not stop treading the wind until he reached the cave's entrance in the last watch.

When he knocked on the gates and went in a junior devil greeted him with the words, “Your Majesty, Greenface brought the invitation last night, and the old gentleman invited him to say till this morning to go to your Rake Banquet with him. Why have you come here so very early to invite him yourself?”

“I hate to have to say it,” the evil spirit replied, “but the banquet is off.”

As they were talking Greenface came out from the inner part of the cave to say, “What are you doing here, Your Majesty? As soon as His Senior Majesty's up he's coming to the celebration with me.” The evil spirit was so distraught that he could say nothing, but only wave his hands.

A little later the old demon got up and called for the evil spirit, who dropped his weapon and prostrated himself on the ground to kowtow, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Worthy grandson,” the old demon said, “you sent me an invitation yesterday, and this morning I'm on my way to the celebration. So why have you come yourself, looking so miserable and upset?”

“I was taking a stroll in the moonlight the night before last,” the evil spirit replied, still kowtowing, “when I saw a dazzling light rising up to the sky from the city of Yuhua. I hurried there to take a look and saw that it came from three weapons in the prince's palace: a nine-toothed rake with gold in it, a staff and a gold-banded cudgel. I used my magic to take them away and decided to have a Rake Banquet to celebrate. I sent some of my underlings to buy pigs, sheep and fruit for the feast that I invited you to come and enjoy, Grandfather. But after I sent Greenface over with the invitation yesterday Wily Freak and the other one who'd been told to buy pigs and sheep came back with a dealer, a stranger, for some silver. The stranger was all set on seeing the banquet. I refused as I was afraid he'd spread the news around. Then they said they were hungry and asked for some food to eat, so I told them to go round the back to eat. When they got inside and saw the weapons they said they were theirs. They each snatched one and turned back into their real selves. One was a monk with a hairy face and a mouth like a thunder god's, one was a monk with a long snout and big ears, and one was a monk with a really sinister face. The three of them yelled at me and started lashing out: they didn't care at all. I just managed to fetch my four-bright halberd and come out to hold them at bay. When I asked them who they were and how they dared go in for impersonation they told me they were disciples of the Tang Priest who's been sent to the Western Heaven by Great Tang in the East. When they went to present their passport on their way through the city the princes pressed them to stay and teach them martial arts. They said their three weapons had been left in the palace yard for copies of them to be made, and that I'd stolen them. Then they went for me with great fury. I didn't know what those three monks are called, but they're all very good fighters. As I was no match for them by myself I had to run away and come here. If you have any love for your grandson I beg you to lend me your arms in order to get my revenge on those monks.”

After a moment's silent thought the old demon replied with a smile, “So it's them. Worthy grandson, you made a big mistake provoking him.”

“Do you know who they are, grandfather?” the other asked.

“The one with a long snout and big ears is Zhu Bajie,” the old demon said, “and the one with a horrible face is Friar Sand. They're not too bad. But the one with a hairy face and a mouth like a thunder god is called Sun the Novice. He's got really tremendous magical powers. When he made great havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago a hundred thousand heavenly troops couldn't catch him. And he's a most determined hunter. He's like a policeman who'll search mountains and seas, smash caves, storm cities and cause all sorts of trouble. Why did you have to provoke him? Never mind. I'll go with you and capture those so-and-sos and the prince of Yuhua to avenge you.”

On hearing this the evil spirit kowtowed again in thanks. The senior demon immediately mustered his grandsons Monkey Lion, Snowy Lion, Leo, Gryphon, Raccoon-dog Lion and Elephant-fighter, each of whom carried a sharp weapon. With Tawny Lion leading the way each of them set off a powerful gale that carried them straight to Mount Leopard Head, where there was an all-pervasive smell of smoke and fire and all that could be heard was sobbing. When they looked more closely they saw Wily Freak and Freaky Wile weeping for their lord.

“Are you the real Freak and Wile or impostors?” the evil spirit shouted as he went up to them.

Falling to their knees and kowtowing with tears in their eyes, the two devils replied, “We're no impostors. After we were given the silver to buy pigs and sheep yesterday we met a monk with a hairy face and a mouth like a thunder god in the wide valley to the West of the mountain. When he spat on us our legs went all weak, our mouths went stiff, we couldn't speak and we couldn't move. He knocked us over, found and stole our silver and took our passes off us. We were left in a daze till we came round just now. When we got home we found the place still on fire and all the buildings burnt down. We were crying so bitterly because you, my lord, and all the chiefs had disappeared. We don't know how the fire was started.”

When the evil spirit heard this he could not stop his tears from gushing forth as he stamped his feet in fury, let loose heaven-shaking roars and exclaimed in hatred and fury, “Damned baldies! Vicious beasts! How could you be so evil? You've destroyed my cave palace and burnt my beauty to death. You've killed everyone, young and old, in the household. I'm so angry I could die!”

The old demon then told Monkey Lion to take hold of Tawny Lion, saying, “Grandson, what's done is done. Upsetting yourself won't do you any good. What you must do now is summon up all your energy to catch those monks in the city.”

The evil spirit was still crying as he replied, “Grandfather, this mountain palace of mine wasn't built in a day. Now those damned baldies have destroyed everything! My life's not worth living!” With that he broke free and flung himself forward to smash his head against the rock-face, only stopping after Snowy Lion and Monkey Lion had made great efforts to calm him. They then left the cave and all headed for the city.

With a roaring wind and in a thick fog they approached the city, so frightening all the people living outside the city wall that they abandoned their belongings and dragged or carried their children with them as they fled into the city. Once the people were all inside the gates were shut. A report was then made to the palace that a disaster was upon them. When the prince, who was taking a vegetarian breakfast in the Gauze Pavilion with the Tang Priest and the others, heard this report he went out to ask about it:

“A whole crowd of evil spirits are heading for the city with sandstorms, flying stones, fogs and wind.”

“Whatever shall we do?” asked the prince, deeply alarmed.

“All stop worrying,” said Brother Monkey, “all stop worrying. It's the evil spirit from Tigermouth Cave who ran away when he was beaten yesterday. He went to the Southeast to gang up with the Primal Sage of Ninefold Numinosity or whatever he's called and now he's here. We brothers are going out. Tell them to shut all the city gates, and send men to hold the city wall.” The prince ordered that the city gates be shut, sent men to the wall, and went with his sons and the Tang Priest to inspect. The army's banners blotted out the sun, and the cannon fire reached the sky as Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand left the city amid wind and clouds to give battle. Indeed:

 

Because they were careless the weapons were lost,

Which led to attacks by the devilish host.

 

If you do not know the outcome of the battle listen to the explanation in the next installment.