“How could one husband and one wife have had so many little bastards?” Monkey asked.
“It's as the saying goes, there are nine kinds of dragons born, and each one is different,” Ao Shun replied.
“I lost my patience just now,” said Monkey. “With this invitation as evidence I was going to submit a complaint to the Heavenly Court and charge you with conspiring with a monster to kidnap. But from what you tell me the wretch refused to follow your advice, so I'll let you off this time, partly out of respect for your elder brother and partly because that wretch is too young to know any better. Besides, you didn't know what was happening. But you must send someone at once to arrest him and rescue my master. Then we'll decide what to do.”
Ao Shun then told his son Mo'ang, “Take five hundred of our strongest prawn and fish soldiers to arrest and charge Alligator immediately. At the same time arrange a banquet as an apology to the Great Sage.”
“There's no need to worry so, Your Majesty,” said Monkey. “I've already told you I'll let you off, so why bother with the banquet? But I would like to go with your son as my master has been wronged and my fellow-disciples are waiting for me.”
The dragon king tried hard to make him stay, but without success. Then a dragon maiden came in with tea, a cup of which Monkey drank standing up before taking his leave of the old dragon and leaving the Western Sea with Mo'ang and his troops. Soon they were back at the Black River, where Monkey said, “Catch the demon, Your Royal Highness, while I wait on the bank.”
“Don't worry, Great Sage,” said Mo'ang. “I'll arrest him show him to you, Great Sage, to sentence and punish, and return your master to you. Only then will I take him back to the ocean and see my father.”
Monkey took leave of him cheerfully, recited the water-repelling spell and made it with his hands, sprang out of the waves, and made straight for the East bank, where Friar Sand and the river god said, “When you went it was by air, so why have you come back from under the water?” Monkey told them all about how he had killed the fish spirit, taken the invitation, charged the dragon king, and brought soldiers back with the dragon prince. Friar Sand was very pleased, and they all stood on the bank waiting.
Prince Mo'ang sent a herald to the gates of the underwater palace to announce to the evil spirit, “Prince Mo'ang, son of the Old Dragon King of the Western Sea, is here.” This news aroused the suspicions of the evil spirit as he sat inside.
“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?”