Auspicious rosy glows joined with the Milky Way,
And clouds of good omen were linked with the Great Emptiness.
The Great Sage was delighted as he went inside, seeing boundless beauty at every stage. He went straight on, but found it deserted and completely silent. Not even a chicken or a dog could be heard. “I think that this sage must be out.” Monkey thought. When he had gone a mile or two further on he saw a Taoist nun sitting on a couch. This is what she looked like:
She wore a five-flowered hat of brocade,
And a robe of golden silk.
Her cloud-treading shoes were patterned with phoenixes
And round her waist was a sash with double tassels.
Her face looked as old as autumn after a frost,
But her voice was as charming as swallows in the spring.
Long had she mastered the Dharma of Three Vehicles,
And she was ever mindful of the Four Truths.
She knew true achievement, that emptiness is empty,
And through her training had acquired great freedom.
She was the Buddha of the Thousand Flower Cave,
The illustrious Vairambha of great fame.
Monkey went straight up to her without stopping and said, “Greetings, Bodhisattva Vairambha.”
The Bodhisattva then came down from her couch, put her hands together to return his greeting and said, “Great Sage, it was remiss of me not to come out to greet you. Where have you come from?”
“How do you know that I'm the Great Sage?” Monkey asked.
“When you made havoc in Heaven the other year,” Vairambha replied, “your picture was circulated everywhere. That's why everyone can recognize you.”
“How true it is,” Monkey said, “that
While good deeds stay at home
Bad deeds are known far and wide.
Take my conversion to Buddhism, for example. You didn't know about that.”
“Congratulations,” said Vairambha. “When did that happen?”
“Not long ago my life was spared to escort my master the Tang Priest on his journey to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures,” Monkey replied. “My master has been laid low with poisoned tea by the Taoist of the Yellow Flower Temple. When I was fighting with him he caught me in his golden light, and I had to use magic to escape. I have come here to pay you my respects, Bodhisattva, and ask your help because I've heard that you are able to destroy his golden light.”
“Who told you that?” the Bodhisattva asked. “I have not left here since the Ullambana assembly over three hundred years ago. I've lived in complete secrecy and nobody has heard of me, so how is it that you know of me?”
“I'm an underground devil,” Monkey replied, “and I can make my own enquiries anywhere at all.”
“Never mind,” Vairambha said, “never mind. I shouldn't really go, but as you have honoured me with a visit, Great Sage, and as the great cause of fetching the scriptures must not be allowed to fail I'll go with you.”
Monkey thanked her and said, “It's very ignorant of me to hurry you along in this way. I wonder what weapon you use.”
“I have an embroidery needle that will put an end to that damned creature,” said the Bodhisattva.
This was too much for Monkey. “Old Lady, you've been wasting my time,” he said. “Had I known it was an embroidery needle I wouldn't have had to trouble you. I could have provided a hundredweight of them.”
“Your embroidery needles are all made of iron, steel or gold,” the Bodhisattva replied. “They're no use. My treasure isn't iron and isn't steel and isn't gold. It was tempered by my son in the sun.”
“Who is he?” asked Monkey. “He is the Star Lord of the Mane,” Vairambha replied.
This came as a shock to Monkey, who gazed at the golden light then turned to Vairambha and said, “The Yellow Flower Temple is where that golden light is coming from.” Vairambha then took from the lapel of her gown an embroidery needle about the thickness of an eyebrow hair and half an inch long. Holding it between her fingers she threw it into the air. A few moments later there was a loud noise and the golden light was shattered.
“That's wonderful, Bodhisattva, wonderful!” exclaimed a delighted Monkey. “Let's find your needle now.”
“Isn't this it here?” asked Vairambha, who was holding it in her hand. Brother Monkey brought his cloud down to land with hers and went into the temple, where he found the Taoist with his eyes shut, unable to move. “Stop playing blind, damned demon,” he said abusively, taking his cudgel from his ear ready to hit the Taoist with.
“Don't hit him, Great Sage,” said Vairambha. “Go and see your master.”
On going straight to the reception room at the back Monkey found the three of them bringing up mucus and spittle where they lay on the floor. “What am I to do?” wept Monkey. “What am I to do?”
“Don't grieve, Great Sage,” said Vairambha. “As I've come out today I think I might as well accumulate some merit by giving you three of these pills that are an antidote to the poison.” Monkey turned round to bow down and beg her for them, whereupon she produced a torn paper packet from her sleeve containing three red pills that she handed to Monkey, telling him to put one in each of their mouths. This he did, forcing their teeth apart. A few moments later they all started vomiting as the drug reached their stomachs, bringing up the poison and coming back to life. Pig was the first to scramble to his feet.
“I feel suffocated,” he said. Sanzang and Friar Sand both came round too, saying that they felt very dizzy.
“Your tea was poisoned,” Brother Monkey explained. “It was the Bodhisattva Vairambha who saved you. Hurry up and bow to her in thanks.” Sanzang bowed to her to show his gratitude as he straightened up his clothes.
“Brother,” said Pig, “where's that Taoist? I've got some questions to ask him about why he tried to murder me.” Monkey then told him all about the spider spirits.
“If spider spirits are his sisters that damned creature must be an evil spirit too,” said Pig with fury.
“He's standing outside the main hall pretending to be blind,” said Monkey, pointing.
Pig grabbed his rake and was about to hit the Taoist with it when Vairambha stopped him and said, “Control your temper, Marshal Tian Peng. As the Great Sage knows, I have no servants in my cave. I am going to take him as my doorkeeper.”
“We are deeply indebted to your great power,” Monkey replied, “and we will of course obey. But we would like you to turn him back into his real self so that we can have a look at him.”
“Easily done,” said Vairambha, stepping forward and pointing at the Taoist, who collapsed into the dust and reverted to his real form of a giant centipede spirit seven feet long. Picking him up with her little finger Vairambha rode her auspicious cloud straight back to the Thousand Flower Cave. “That old lady's a real terror,” said Pig, looking up. “How did she manage to subdue that evil creature?”
“When I asked her what weapon she had to smash the golden light with,” Monkey replied, “she told me about a golden embroidery needle of hers that her son had tempered in the sun. When I asked her who her son was she told me he was the Star Lord of the Mane. As I remember, the Mane Star is a cock, so his mother must be a hen. Hens are very good at dealing with centipedes, which is why she could subdue him.”
On hearing this Sanzang performed no end of kowtows. “Disciples,” he ordered, “go and get things ready.” Friar Sand then went inside to find some rice and prepare a vegetarian meal, so that they could all eat their fill. Then they led the horse up, shouldered the carrying-pole, and asked the master to set out. Monkey started a blaze in the kitchen that in an instant burnt the whole temple to ashes. He then set out on his way. Indeed: