The splendid Great Sage said the words of a spell, shook himself, and turned into one of those scaly diggers called pangolins. Indeed:
Four sets of iron claws
Dug through the mountain, smashing rocks like powder.
The scales covering his body
Carved through ridges and crags like slicing scallions.
His eyes were as bright
As two gleaming stars;
His mouth was sharper
Than a steel drill or brazen auger.
He was the scaly mountain-borer used in medicine,
The creature known as the pangolin.
Watch him as he burrows into the ground with his head, not coming out again till he has covered over six miles. The golden light could only enclose about three miles. When he emerged and turned back into himself he was exhausted. His muscles ached, his whole body was in pain, and he could not help weeping. Suddenly he burst out with, “Master,
Since leaving the mountain and joining the faith
I've worked very hard on our way to the West.
The waves of the ocean are nothing to fear,
But in this dry gulch I've come out second best.”
Just as the Handsome Monkey King was feeling miserable the sound of sobs could suddenly be heard from the other side of the mountain. Leaning forward and drying his tears he turned to look. A woman appeared, dressed in deep mourning and sobbing at every step as she came from the other side of the mountain. She was holding a dish of cold rice gruel in her left hand and several pieces of yellow paper money for burning to the dead in her right. Monkey sighed and nodded as he said to himself, “This is a case of
Weeping eyes meeting weeping eyes,
One broken heart coming across another.
I wonder what this woman is crying about. I'll ask her.” Before long the woman was coming along the path towards him.
“Lady Bodhisattva,” asked Brother Monkey with a bow, “who are you weeping for?”
Through her tears the woman replied, “My husband was murdered by the master of the Yellow Flower Temple with poisoned tea because he got into a quarrel with him over the purchase of some bamboo poles. I'm going to burn this paper money as a mark of my love for him.”
This made Monkey's tears flow. The sight made the woman say angrily, “You ignorant fool. I'm grieving over my husband, but what business do you have to be weeping and looking so miserable? Are you mocking me?”
“Please don't be angry, Bodhisattva,” said Monkey with a bow. “I'm Sun Wukong the Novice, the senior disciple of Tang Sanzang, the younger brother of the Great Tang Emperor in the East. When we passed the Yellow Flower Temple on our way to the Western Heaven we stopped to rest, but the Taoist master there is some kind of evil spirit who's the sworn brother of seven spider spirits. When the spider spirits wanted to kill my master in Gossamer Cave I and my brother disciples Pig and Friar Sand managed to save him. The spider spirits fled to the Taoist's place and told him a pack of lies about us bullying them, so the Taoist knocked out my master and brothers. The three of them and the horse are now prisoners in his temple. I was the only one who didn't drink the tea. I smashed the cup and he attacked me. Because of the noise the seven spider spirits rushed outside to give out their silken ropes and catch me in the web they wove. I only got away by magic. After I'd found out who they really were I used my power of giving myself extra bodies to tear the silken ropes to pieces, drag the demons out and beat them to death. The Taoist master wanted revenge, so he went for me with his sword. When we'd gone sixty rounds he fled beaten, took off his clothes, and used the thousand eyes he has under his ribs to give off countless beams of golden light. I was caught under them, unable to move forwards or backwards, so I turned into a pangolin and burrowed my way out underground. It was when I was feeling thoroughly depressed that I heard you weeping, which was why I asked you those questions. When I saw that you had paper money to give your husband I felt wretched and miserable because I've got nothing for my master when he dies. Making fun of you was the last thing on my mind!”
Putting down the gruel and the paper money the woman returned Brother Monkey's bow and said, “Please forgive me. I didn't realize that you were a sufferer too. From what you've just said you don't know who that Taoist is. He's really the Demon King Hundred-eye, who's also known as the Many-eyed Monster. You must have tremendous magical powers to have escaped from the golden light and fought so long, but you couldn't get near him. I'll tell you about a sage you can send for who would be able to smash the golden light and defeat the Taoist.”
Monkey's immediate response was to chant a “na-a-aw” of respect and say, “If you know the sage's background, lady Bodhisattva, may I trouble you to tell me about it? If there is such a sage I'll fetch him to rescue my master and avenge your husband.”
“I'll tell you,” the woman said, “and you can fetch the sage, who will subdue the Taoist, but that will only bring revenge. I'm afraid the sage won't be able to rescue your master.”
“Why not?” Monkey asked. “His poison is truly lethal,” the woman replied. “When people are laid low by it the very marrow of their bones rots within three days. I'm afraid that by the time you've been to see the sage and come back again you'll be too late to save him.”
“I know how to travel,” Monkey replied. “However far it is I'll only take half a day.”
“If you can travel then listen to this,” the woman said. “About three hundred miles from here there's a mountain called Mount Purple Clouds, and in the mountain there's a Thousand Flower Cave where there lives a sage called Vairambha who will be able to defeat that demon.”
“Where's the mountain?” Monkey asked. “Which direction should I take?”
“It's due South of here,” the woman replied, pointing; and by the time Brother Monkey looked back at her she had disappeared.
Monkey quickly did a kowtow and said, “Which Bodhisattva was that? After all that burrowing you disciple was feeling too stupid to recognize you. I beg you to tell me your name so that I can thank you.” At this there came a shout from mid-air, “Great Sage, it's me.” Monkey quickly looked up to see that it was the Old Lady of Mount Li. Catching up with her in the sky he thanked her with the words, “Where have you come from to give me these instructions?”
“On my way back from Dragon Flower Assembly I noticed that your master was in trouble,” the Old Lady replied. “It was to save his life that I pretended to be a woman in mourning for her husband. Hurry up and fetch the sage. But don't tell her I sent you: she is rather difficult.”
Thanking her, Monkey took his leave and set off straight away on his somersault cloud. Once at Mount Purple Clouds he brought his cloud down and saw the Thousand Flower Cave. Outside the cave:
Blue pines masked the splendid view,
Turquoise cypresses surrounded the immortal's home.
Green willows were packed close along the mountain paths,
Rare flowers filled the watercourses.
Orchids grew all around stone buildings,
And scented blooms gave color to the crags.
Flowing water linked ravines with green,
While clouds enclosed the emptiness of trees.
Noisily sang wild birds.
Slowly strolled the deer,
Elegant grew the bamboo,
And all the red plums were open.
Rooks perched in ancient woods,
While spring birds chirped in the tree of heaven.
Summer wheat filled spreading acres,
And autumn millet grew all over the land.
No leaf fell in all four seasons.
And flowers bloomed throughout the year.