Journey to the West (vol. 1) by Wu Cheng-en

Author:Wu Cheng-en [Cheng-en, Wu]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: prose_classic

Monkey did not know that the Immortal Zhen Yuan,

The Conjoint Lord of the Age, had even deeper powers.

While the three magic weapons fiercely whirled,

His deer-tail fly-whisk gently waved.

Parrying to left and right, he moved to and fro,

Blocking blows from front and back he let them rush around.

When night gave way to dawn they still were locked in combat.

If they tarried here they would never reach the Western Heaven.

The three of them went for him with their magic weapons, but the Great Immortal kept them at bay with his fly-whisk. After about an hour he opened wide his sleeve and caught up master, disciples, horse, and baggage in it once more. Then he turned his cloud around and went back to his temple, where all the Immortals greeted him. After taking his seat in the hall he took them out of his sleeve one by one. He had the Tang Priest tied to a stunted locust tree at the foot of the steps, with Pig and Friar Sand tied to trees next to him. Monkey was tied up upside-down, which made him think that he was going to be tortured and interrogated. When Monkey was tightly bound, the Great Immortal sent for ten long turban-cloths.

“What a kind gentleman, Pig,” said Monkey, “he's sent for some cloth to make sleeves for us-with a bit less he could have made us cassocks.” The junior Immortals fetched home-woven cloth, and on being told by the Great Immortal to wrap up Pig and Friar Sand with it, they came forward to do so.

“Excellent,” said Monkey, “excellent-you're being encoffined alive.” Within a few moments the three of them were wrapped up, and lacquer was then sent for. The Immortals quickly fetched some lacquer that they had tapped and dried themselves, with which they painted the three bandaged bodies all over except for the heads.

“Never mind about our heads, sir,” said Pig, “but please leave us a hole at the bottom to shit through.”

The Great Immortal then sent for a huge cauldron, at which Monkey said with a laugh, “You're in luck, Pig. I think they must have brought the cauldron out to cook us some rice in.”

“Fine,” said Pig, “I hope they give us some rice first-we'll make much better-looking ghosts if we die with our bellies full.”

The Immortals carried out the large cauldron and put it under the steps, and the Great Immortal called for dry wood to be stacked up round it and set ablaze. “Ladle it full of pure oil,” he commanded, “and when it is hot enough to bubble, deep-fry Monkey in it to pay me back for my manfruit.”

Monkey was secretly delighted to hear this. “This is just what I want,” He thought. “I haven't had a bath for ages, and my skin's getting rather itchy. I'd thoroughly appreciate a hot bath.” Very soon the oil was bubbling and Monkey was having reservations: he was afraid that the Immortal's magic might be hard for him to fathom, and that at first he might be unable to use his limbs in the cauldron.

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