“I sent a black fish spirit with an invitation to my uncle some time ago,” he thought, “and I haven't had any answer yet. Why is my cousin here instead?”
As he was thinking, a little demon came in from a river patrol to report, “Your Majesty, there's a detachment of troops camped in the river West of the palace. Their banner says 'Young Marshal Mo'ang, Crown Prince and Son of the Dragon King of the Western Sea.'”
“That cousin of mine is outrageous,” said the monster. “Presumably my uncle couldn't come and sent him to the feast instead, but he didn't have to bring an army with him. Hmm. There must be something up.”
“Little ones,” he said, “get my armor and my steel flail ready in case things turn rough while I go out to greet him and see what's happening.” On hearing the orders all the devils rubbed their hands and got ready.
When the alligator came out he saw a whole force of sea soldiers camped there on the right:
Embroidered sashes and flying banners,
Coloured halberds brighter than the dawn,
Fine swords coldly gleaming,
Spears with many a handsome tassel,
Bows drawn back like the moon,
Arrows like teeth of wolves,
Dazzling broadswords,
Grit-hard maces.
There were whales, turtles, and clams,
Crabs, tortoises, fish and prawns,
All drawn up by size,
Their weapons as dense-packed as a field of hemp.
Unless ordered by a superior officer
None would dare advance upon them.
When the alligator demon saw them he went straight to the gates of their camp and shouted at the top of his voice, “Cousin, I'm waiting for you here with an invitation.”
A conch patrolling the camp went straight to the commander's tent to report, “Your Royal Highness, Alligator Dragon is outside with an invitation.”
The prince felt the helmet on his head, tightened the jeweled belt round his waist, picked up a three-edged mace, and hurried out of the camp. “What invitation do you have for me?” he asked.
Alligator Dragon bowed and replied, “This morning I sent your father an invitation. No doubt he did not think it worth coming and sent you instead. But why did you have to bring an army with you? Why have you encamped here armed to the teeth?”
“What did you invite my father to?” the crown prince asked.
“Since I have been living here as a result of his kindness I have not seen his illustrious countenance for a long time or done my duty by him,” the alligator replied. “Yesterday I caught a priest from the East who has, they say, cultivated his conduct for ten lives in succession. If you eat his body you can live much longer. I wanted to invite uncle to have a look at the priest before I cook him in the steamer as a birthday treat.”
“Complete and utter fool,” yelled the crown prince. “Do you know who that priest is?”
“He's a priest from the Tang who's going to fetch scriptures from the Western Heaven,” the demon replied.
“All you know is that he's a Tang priest,” said the crown prince. “What you don't realize is what powerful disciples he has.”
“He's got one long-snouted one called Pig who I've captured already and I'm going to steam with the Tang Priest,” the alligator demon replied. “There's another disciple called Friar Sand, a dusky fellow with a sinister face who fights with the quarterstaff. He came to my gates yesterday demanding his master. I came out at the head of my river troops and it didn't take me long to see him off with my steel flail. I don't see what's so powerful about him.”
“You still haven't got the message,” the dragon prince replied. “His senior disciple is the Golden Immortal of the Supreme Ultimate, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who made havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago. He's now escorting the Tang Priest on his way to worship the Buddha and fetch the scriptures in the Western Heaven. He was converted by the compassionate and merciful Bodhisattva Guanyin of Potaraka, who changed his name to Sun Wukong the Novice. Why ever did you have to bring this catastrophe on yourself? He came across a messenger of yours in our ocean, took the invitation, and went straight into our crystal palace to make things very awkward for my father and myself. He has us on a charge of conspiring with evil spirits to kidnap. You'd better bring the Tang Priest and Pig straight to the bank, hand them back to the Great Sage Monkey, and join me in making apologies to him if you want to keep alive. If you even hint at a 'no' you can forget about remaining here in one piece.”
This threw the alligator monster into a terrible rage. “My own cousin taking their side!” he exclaimed. “You'd have me hand the Tang Priest over, but nothing comes that easy in this world. Just because you're scared of him it doesn't mean that I am. If he's really got such powers and he has the guts to go three rounds with me in front of my palace gates I'll give him his master back. If he's no match for me I'll capture him too and cook him with the others. And this time there'll be no guests or relations; I'll fasten the doors, my little ones will sing and dance for me, and I'll sit in the place of honour and have a fine old time bloody well eating them myself.”
“Damned devil,” the crown prince swore back at him, “you're a disgrace. Even if you're not going to regard the Great Sage Monkey as a worthy foe will you dare to fight me?”
“A tough guy is afraid of nobody,” the demon replied. He then called for his armor, at which a host of little devils came forward with his armor and his steel flail. The two of them were now glaring at each other and each wanted to play the hero. The orders were given, the drums rolled, and a fight ensued that was much harder than the one with Friar Sand. What could be seen were:
Dazzling banners,
Gleaming halberds.
The encampment was quickly broken up,
While the gates of the palace were opened wide.
Prince Mo'ang wielded his golden mace;
That alligator parried with his flail.
Fierce were the river soldiers as the cannon roared;
Wild were the ocean warriors as the gong was beaten.
Shrimp fought with shrimp,
And crab with crab.
Whales and giant turtles swallowed red carp;
Bream and carp set mollusks running.
The shark and mullet put the mackerel to flight;
The mussels all panicked when oysters captured clams.
The swordfish barbs were hard as iron rods;
The barracudas needles were sharper than spears.
Sturgeons chased the white eel;
Perch and herring seized the back pomfret.
The river was full of battling demons,
While both side's dragon warriors contended.
The long melee stirred up the waves,
And Crown Prince Mo'ang was better than a vajrapani,
As he roared and struck at the head with his mace,
Capturing the alligator who caused the trouble.
The prince pretended to drop his guard with his three-bladed mace. Not realizing that this was a trick, the evil spirit rushed him, whereupon the crown prince skillfully first struck him a blow with the mace on the right arm that made him stumble, caught up with him, then struck at his feet and set him sprawling.
The ocean soldiers rushed up, seized Alligator, tied both hands behind his back, put an iron chain through his collar bone, hauled him up on the bank, and took him to Monkey, where the prince reported, “Great Sage, I have arrested the alligator demon and am handing him over to you for judgement.”
“You disobedient wretch,” said Monkey when he and Friar Sand saw the demon, “your uncle sent you to live here, build up your nature, and look after yourself. Once you had made your name he was going to transfer you to duties somewhere else. Why did you have to seize the river god's home and become a bully? Why did you use deception to capture my master and my brother? I was going to hit you, but this cudgel of mine hits so hard that a mere touch of it would finish you off. Where have you put my master?”