“You're back, Wukong,” said Sanzang with delight. “Have you got the pill?”
“Yes,” said Monkey.
“Of course he would,” said Pig, “even if he had to steal it.”
“Brother,” said Monkey, “you can go away now. We don't need you to do that any more. Dry your tears or go and weep somewhere else.” Monkey then asked Friar Sand to fetch him some water. Friar Sand hurried to the well at the back where there was a convenient bucket and fetched Monkey half a bowlful of water. Monkey took the water, spat the pill out, and placed it between the king's lips. Then he prized the body's teeth apart with both hands and spurted the pill with a mouthful of clean water down into the king's stomach. For the next hour wild noises could be heard from the stomach, but still the body could not move. “Master,” said Monkey, “not even fetching my golden elixir is going to save him. Are you really going to torture me to death?”
“Of course he will come back to life,” said Sanzang. “How else could a body so long dead swallow the water? This shows the miraculous power of the golden elixir. Once the golden elixir is in the stomach, the stomach starts singing; and when the stomach sings the blood-pulses move in harmony with it. The only thing is that the vital breath has been cut off and cannot extend itself. Iron would rust if it had been in a well for three years-how do you expect a human body to react? Now that his own vital breath has gone someone has to give him a mouthful of air.” Pig stepped forward to do this, only to be grabbed by Sanzang, who said, “You won't do. Get Wukong to come.”
Why did the master insist on this? It was because Pig had been a vicious man-eater since childhood, which meant that his breath was impure; whereas Monkey had cultivated his conduct since he was young and lived off the fruits of pine, cypress and peach trees, which gave him pure breath. So the Great Sage stepped forward, made a terrible thunder-god face, put his mouth to the king's lips, and blew in. The breath went down the kings mouth, through the High Tower, round the Bright Hall and straight to the Cinnabar Field, then flowed back from the Bubbling Springs to the Mud-pill Palace. With a noisy rush of air the king's vital breath came together and his spirit refunded.
He sat up flexed his hands and feet, and called out, “Master.” Then he knelt in the dust and said, “I remember visiting you last night as a ghost, but I never expected to return to the world of the living today.”
Sanzang hastened to raise him to his feet and said, “Your Majesty, it was none of my doing. You should thank my disciple.”
“What a thing to say, Master,” laughed Monkey. “As the saying goes, 'A house can't have two masters.' It's quite right that you should accept his thanks.”
Sanzang, still uncomfortable about accepting this courtesy, helped the king to his feet and took him into the meditation hall. Here the king bowed in greeting to Pig, Monkey and Friar Sand before taking his seat. By now the monks of the monastery had prepared breakfast, and they were going to bring it in when they saw the dripping wet king to their general alarm and suspicion.
Monkey leap out to say, “Don't worry, monks. This is the king of Wuji, your true sovereign. Three years ago he was murdered by a demon, and I brought him back to life last night. Today we'll be going to the capital to sort right from wrong. If you have any food, bring it in. We'll eat and then we'll be on our way.” The monks then brought in hot water for the king to wash with and a change of clothes. They took off the king's yellow ochre robe and gave him two of the abbot's cloth habits, with a yellow silk cord to tie around the waist instead of the belt of Lantian jade. They slipped off his no-worry shoes and put a pair of old monastic sandals on his feet instead. Then they all ate breakfast and the horse was saddled up.
“How heavy's the luggage, Pig?” Monkey asked.
“I've been carrying it for so long that I don't know any more,” Pig replied.
“Divide the stuff into two loads,” said Monkey, “and give one to the king to carry. We must be in town early to get on with the job.”
“I'm in luck,” said Pig. “It took me one heck of an effort to carry him here, but now that he's alive again he's doing my work for me.”
The idiot asked the monastery for a carrying-pole and divided the luggage unfairly. He put all the light things into his load and the heavier ones into the king's. “Your Majesty,” laughed Monkey, “don't you feel hard done by, dressed like that and having to walk with us carrying a load?” The monarch fell straight to his knees and replied, “Master, you're the father and mother who have given me a second life. Never mind carrying the baggage-I'd be your groom to serve you on your journey to the Western Heaven.”
“No need for you to go there,” said Sanzang. “We are bound to by fate. You'll just have to carry the stuff the fifteen miles into town. Once we've captured the fiend you must go back to ruling again and we'll go on to fetch our scriptures.”
Pig's comment on this was, “That means he'll only carry it for those fifteen miles, and I'll have to continue as the permanent porter.”
“That's enough of that nonsense, brother,” said Monkey. “Hurry out and lead the way.” Pig then led the way forward with the king while Friar Sand helped the master mount and Monkey brought up the rear. The five hundred monks of the monastery drew themselves up in an orderly procession to see them off to the accompaniment of music. “There's no need for you to come any further to see us on our way,” said Monkey with a smile. “It would be disastrous if any official heard about it and news of what we are going to do leaked out. Please please go straight back. I'd just like you to get His Majesty's clothes clean and tidy then send them into the capital this evening or tomorrow morning. I'll see to it that you're properly rewarded.” The monks obediently returned, and Monkey hastened his pace to catch up with his master as they pressed ahead. Indeed:
In the West there was a magic spell to yield the truth;
Metal and Wood together refined the spirit.
The Mother of Cinnabar had a mysterious dream,
The boy grieved over the useless body.
The true ruler had to be found at the bottom of a well,
And a visit to Lord Lao Zi in Heaven was required.
Realizing that matter is void, he regained his nature;
The Buddha indeed saves those who are so predestined.
It took master and disciples less than a morning to make their journey, and they were soon near the city. “Wukong,” said Sanzang, “I think that must be the capital of Wuji ahead of us.”
“You're right,” said Monkey. “Let's get there soon and do our job.” As they entered the city they saw that the people in the streets were well dressed and that there was an air of busy prosperity. The phoenix pavilions and dragon towers of the palace looked most magnificent, and there is a poem to prove it:
These palaces resemble those of a great state;
The singing and dancing here are like in Tang.
Flowers face precious fans, and red clouds sail above;
Robes shine emerald in the sun.
The peacock gates open on clouds of incense,
Coloured flags fly over the curtains of pearl.
Truly an admirable picture of prosperity:
The officials stand silent with nothing to report.
Sanzang dismounted and said, “Disciple, I think we should go to the palace and submit our travel document so as to avoid trouble from petty officials.”
“You're right,” said Monkey. “My brothers and I will all go in together. It'll be much easier to manage if there are several of us.”
“If you all go in,” said Sanzang, “don't talk rough. Pay your respects to him as a subject would to his sovereign before you say anything.”