Journey 030: Return Visit
The pilgrims press their luck against Yellow Robe not once, but twice.
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Transcript
Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 30 of Journey to the West.
Last time, it didn’t take long for San Zang to run into trouble after dismissing Sun Wukong. He stumbled into the clutches of the Yellow-Robe Demon. While his remaining disciples Zhu Bajie and Sha Zeng were engaged in a hard fight with Yellow Robe, San Zang met the demon’s wife, who was no demon at all and was actually a princess whom the demon had abducted from a kingdom down the road. She released San Zang and asked him to deliver a letter to her parents when he passed through that kingdom. But before he could leave, she had to first go out and convince her husband Yellow Robe to let San Zang go.
The princess now went out front, parted the ranks of the demon lackeys, and saw Zhu Bajie and Sha Zeng fighting with Yellow Robe in the air. She called out to him, and he promptly abandoned the fight and rushed back to her to see what’s up.
“Husband, just now, I was sleeping and dreamed of a golden-armored god.”
“What golden-armored god?! Why did he come to you?” Yellow Robe asked.
“When I was young, I had secretly prayed to the gods that if I could find a good husband, I would ascend a famous mountain, pay my respects at a monastery, and present a feast to the monks. Since I married you, we have lived happily. That golden-armored god came to demand that I make good on my pledge, and then I woke up and realized it was all a dream. That’s why I rushed out to tell you. But then I saw a monk tied up to a post. I hope you will exercise compassion and spare that monk for my sake. That will count as me fulfilling my promise to the gods. Are you willing to do so?”
“Honey, no need to fret,” Yellow Robe said. “If I want to eat human flesh, I can just grab a few people from anywhere. This monk is nothing. Let him go.”
“Then we can let him leave through the backdoor,” the princess suggested.
“Whatever. He’s free to go; who cares if it’s through the front or the back door,” Yellow Robe said. He then put away his saber and shouted, “Zhu Bajie, come over here! Look, I’m not afraid of you. But for my wife’s sake, I’m sparing your master. Hurry up and go find him at the back door and keep going west. If you dare to intrude on my territory again, I will NOT spare you!”
When Bajie and Sha Zeng heard that, they rushed to the backdoor with their horse and luggage. When they called out for San Zang, he recognized their voices and called back to them from the thickets. Sha Zeng cut a path through the tangles and helped him on to the horse. The three of them then hurriedly left the woods and returned to the main thoroughfare. Along the way, the two disciples blamed each other for their master’s brush with death, while San Zang tried to make peace between them. But they continued westward, and after some time, they had traveled about 100 miles.
One day, they saw a large city in front of them. This was none other than the Kingdom of Precious Elephants, homeland of Yellow Robe’s wife. It was a prosperous kingdom, with an impressive palace. San Zang and company entered the city and found lodging. San Zang then went to the palace and said to the official at the gate, “I am a monk from the Tang kingdom. I have come to pay my respects to the king and to exchange my papers. May I trouble you to announce me?”
The official hurried inside and reported this to the king. The king knew that the Tang was a huge kingdom, and when he heard that the visitor was an elite monk, he was delighted and summoned San Zang in. After exchanging greetings, the king asked San Zang for the purpose of his visit.
“I am a humble monk from the Tang,” San Zang said. “On my emperor’s command, I am heading West to fetch scriptures. I had received travel documents when I left. Since I’m passing through your august kingdom, it’s only proper to exchange them. That’s why I have been so bold as to disturb your highness.”
The king happily received San Zang’s travel papers, inspected them, stamped them with his official seal and handed them back to San Zang. Then, San Zang said, “The second purpose of my visit is to deliver a family letter to your highness.”
“What letter?” the king asked.
“Your third princess was abducted by the Yellow-Robe Demon at Wavy-Moon Cavern on Bowl Mountain. I ran into her by coincidence, and she asked me to deliver her letter.”
When he heard that, the king started to weep and said, “The princess went missing 13 years ago. Countless officials were dismissed and innumerable servants and eunuchs were beaten to death as punishment for their negligence. We thought she had just wandered out of the palace, got lost, and went missing. We had nowhere to look. We also interrogated countless civilians in the city, but had no word of her whereabouts. Who knew that she was abducted by a demon?! That’s why I’m crying at this news.”
San Zang now presented the letter from the princess. When the king saw the word “Safe” written on the envelope, he couldn’t bring himself to open it. So he summoned the court’s Grand Academician, who opened the letter and read it aloud, while all the maids from the private quarters huddled in the back to listen in. The letter said:
“A hundred bows from your unfilial daughter to my virtuous royal father, long may he live, to my three mothers, and before the worthy ministers of the court.
Your foolish daughter was fortunate to be raised in the palace, receiving the boundless kindness and care of my parents. Yet I was unable to devote my strength to bringing you joy or fully repaying my filial duty. Thirteen years ago, on the 15th night of the 8th month—the bright and auspicious Mid-Autumn Festival—by your gracious command, each palace prepared a banquet to enjoy the beauty of the moon, celebrating together in that splendid gathering.
But in the midst of our merriment, suddenly a fragrant wind blew, and out leapt a demon king with golden eyes, blue face, and green hair. He carried me off on an auspicious cloud, and bore me to a remote, desolate mountain, where no one could distinguish the place. Helpless, I was forced into his power and became his wife. For 13 bitter years I have endured, and bore two children, both of demonic seed. This is truly a disgrace to human relations and an offense against propriety. Such words ought not to be written for fear of bringing shame. But if I were to die without leaving a clear account, the truth would never be known.
As I sat grieving and thinking of my parents, it so happened that a holy monk from the Tang was also captured by the demon lord. I wept as I wrote this letter, daring at last to let the monk escape, entrusting him with this small slip of paper to express my aching heart.
I beg my royal father to take pity, dispatch a great general at once to the Wavy Moon Cavern on Bowl Mountain to capture the Yellow-Robe Demon and take your daughter back to the court. This would be the deepest act of grace.
Humbly and hastily written, without full decorum, even though it would be more proper if spoken face-to-face.
Your disobedient daughter bows again and again.”
When the Grand Academician finished reading the letter, the king wailed aloud, and all his officials wept as well. After everyone cried for a long while, the king asked his court, “Who among you dare to lead an army to capture that demon for me and rescue my princess?”
In response, there was … silence. He asked again, and again, and again, and still there was silence. Nobody wanted any piece of a powerful demon, so they all stood there perfectly still like statues. The king became irritated and his tears flowed again. But then, the officials said, “Your highness, please don’t worry. The princess has been missing for 13 years. And now this holy monk from the East comes bearing a letter. But we don’t know if it’s genuine or not. Besides, we are all mortals. Our knowledge and skills are suited to setting up formations, pitching camp, and defending our kingdom’s borders. But that demon comes and goes amid clouds and mist. We can’t even see him, so how can we attack him and rescue the princess? But this scripture pilgrim from the East is a holy monk from an elite kingdom. He possesses lofty manners and great virtue. He must have powers to subdue demons. As the old saying goes, ‘He who brings news of trouble is already involved.’ Please ask this elder to tame the demon and rescue the princess. That’s the best course of action.”
So, way to pass the buck there, guys. The king, however, agreed with them and said to San Zang, “Elder, if you have the power, then please use it to capture the demon and save my child. Then, you won’t even need to go west for scripture anymore. Just stay here, grow back your hair, and I will become sworn brothers with you. We will share my throne and my riches. What do you think?”
San Zang hurriedly said, “I only know how to read scriptures; I don’t know how to tame demons.”
“But then how would you dare to go West to see the Buddha?” the king asked.
“Your highness, if I were traveling alone, it would be difficult for me to make it here. But I have two disciples who are skilled at overcoming obstacles along the way. They have been protecting me.”
“Since you have disciples, why didn’t you bring them with you to see me?” the king said. “Even if you weren’t after a reward, they could at least share in a meal.”
“My disciples are ugly, so they dare not come into the court for fear of startling your highness.”
“Oh listen to you,” the king chuckled. “How could I be afraid of them?”
“I don’t know about that,” San Zang cautioned. “My first disciple is named Zhu Bajie. He has a long snout, protruding tusks, a stiff mane, fan-like ears, and a thick torso. When he walks, he stirs up the wind. My second disciple is called Sha Zeng. He is tall and broad-shouldered. His face resembles indigo. His mouth is like a basin of blood. His eyes glow, and his teeth are like nails. With such appearances, they dare not come into court.”
“Well, since you have described them to me, how can I be afraid of them?” the king said. “Summon them.”
So an envoy was dispatched to the inn with an invite. When he saw the invite, Zhu Bajie said to Sha Zeng, “Brother, master must have delivered the letter, and the king must have said we can’t neglect the messenger and must treat him to a feast. But master’s appetite is small, so he must have thought of us and mentioned us. That’s why we’re getting an invitation. Let’s go feast, and then we can hit the road tomorrow.”
“Brother, we don’t know why we’re being invited,” Sha Zeng cautioned. “Let’s go see first.”
So they asked the innkeeper to keep an eye on their luggage and horse, and then they took their weapons and followed the envoy to the palace. They went to the court and stood on the steps of the hall. All the officials were taken aback by their appearances and said, “You two monks, you maybe ugly, but you’re also rude. Why do you not kowtow to our king, and just stand there? So strange!”
“Gentlemen, please don’t criticize us,” Zhu Bajie said. “This is just how we are. At first sight, we are indeed somewhat ugly, but if you look at us for a while, we are actually bearable—pleasant even.”
Well, the king hadn’t progressed to the pleasant stage yet. He was already frightened by their looks, and when he heard the pig-man speak, he trembled in fear and fell out of his throne. His attendants helped him up, while San Zang kneeled and kowtowed nonstop, saying, “Your highness, I deserve to die! I told you my disciples are ugly and dare not come into court for fear of frightening you, and truly they have.”
Still shaking, the king walked over, helped San Zang to his feet and said, “Elder, good thing you warned me in advance. Otherwise, I would’ve been scared to death at the sight of them!”
After he finally calmed down a bit, the king asked, “Elder Zhu, Elder Sha. Which of you is adept at taming demons?”
“I can,” Zhu Bajie boasted.
“And how do you do that?”
“I was the Marshal of the Celestial Stream in heaven, but I was cast down into the mortal realm after breaking regulations. Fortunately, I’ve become a monk. Since we left the East, I have been our top demon-tamer.”
“Since you were a celestial general, you must be adept at transformation,” the king said.
“Not to brag, but I do know a few transformations.”
“Can you show me one?”
“Please tell me what you’d like to see, and I will change accordingly.”
“Can you make yourself big?” the king asked.
So, Zhu Bajie actually does have some powers, including 36 transformations. Now, that’s only half the number of transformations that Sun Wukong could do, but it’s also 36 more than any member of the king’s court could do. So he now showed off on the front steps. He muttered an incantation and shouted, “Grow!”
And as he stretched, he sprouted by about eight or nine yards and looked like a giant god. The king and all his officials were scared and shaking. One of the generals asked Bajie, “Elder, how tall can you grow before you hit your limit?”
Boasting again, Bajie said, “It depends on the wind. If the wind is blowing East or West, then it’s ok. But if the wind is blowing South, then I can grow so tall that I would poke a hole in the sky!”
Startled, the king shouted, “I see your powers now. Please put away your magic!”
And so Bajie shrank back down to his normal size and stood on the front steps again. The king now asked what weapon he would use against the demon. So he pulled out his rake. But the king laughed and said, “This will make us look bad! We have plenty of proper weapons that you can choose from. What kind of a weapon is a rake?”
“Your highness doesn’t understand,” Bajie said. “My rake may not look like much, but it’s been my weapon since my youth. I even relied on it when I commanded the celestial navy. Since I’ve come to the mortal realm and started protecting my master, I’ve used this rake to shatter the lairs of wild beasts and knock over the hiding holes of dragons.”
That set the king’s mind at ease. And he told his concubine to bring out his personal wine. He poured a cup and presented it to Bajie, saying, “Elder, this is a token of my gratitude. When you have captured the demon and rescued my daughter, I will naturally thank you with a huge feast and lots of gold.”
Well, Zhu Bajie may be an unruly character, but he can show some refinement when needed. He took the cup in hand and bowed deeply to San Zang, saying, “Master, you should be the first to drink this wine. But the king offered it to me, so I dare not refuse. Please allow me to drink it as a spirit-booster to help me catch that demon.”
And so he chugged the cup, and then refilled it and presented it to San Zang. San Zang said, “I don’t drink; you guys can have it.”
So Sha Zeng came over and accepted it. Then, Zhu Bajie soared into the sky, making the king spurt out in astonishment, “Elder Zhu can fly too?!”
After Bajie flew off, Sha Zeng drank his cup of wine and said to San Zang, “Master, when that Yellow-Robe Demon captured you, the two of us fought him to a standstill. I worry that Brother Zhu will not be a match for him alone.”
“You’re right. You should go help him,” San Zang said.
So Sha Zeng also took to the air and flew off. This made the king panic. He took hold of San Zang and said, “Elder, stay here awhile and keep me company. Don’t you fly off too!”
San Zang said, “Alas, I can’t fly anywhere.” So he and the king just sat down in the palace and chatted.
Meanwhile, Sha Zeng caught up to Zhu Bajie and told him that their master had sent him to lend a hand.
“That’s great!” Bajie said. “Let’s work together and capture that demon. It may not be much, but we can at least become famous in this kingdom.”
The two of them soon arrived back at Wavy-Moon Cavern. Bajie raised his rake and brought it down on the stone gates with all his might. It left a huge hole in the slab. The demon lackey at the gate dashed in to report to Yellow Robe, “My lord, trouble! That long-snout, big-eared monk and the sullen-looking monk came back. And they even broke our door!”
“Zhu Bajie and Sha Zeng again?!” Yellow Robe said in surprise. “I spared their master. How could they dare to attack me again?!”
“Did they come back to get something they forgot?” the lackey asked.
“Bullcrap! How would they dare to attack us over just some forgotten item? There must be another reason!”
So Yellow Robe quickly donned his armor, grabbed his saber, charged out, and barked, “You monks! I spared your master. Why are you attacking me again?”
“You’ve done a helluva thing, demon!” Bajie shot back.
“What thing?”
“You abducted the princess of the Kingdom of Precious Elephants and forced her to become your wife. It’s been 13 years. It’s time to return her. I have come on the king’s command to capture you. Go back inside, get a rope, and tie yourself up, so that I don’t have to do it!”
Yellow Robe was incensed. He gritted his teeth, glowered, and attacked with his saber drawn. Bajie countered with his rake, while Sha Zeng charged with his Buddhist staff. The three again went at it. But this time, after just eight or nine exchanges, Bajie was starting to falter. So, remember that the last time they fought, Bajie and Sha Zeng were able to barely fight this guy to a standstill because they had help from the gaggle of gods who were secretly protecting San Zang. But this time, San Zang was back in the palace at the Kingdom of Precious Elephants, and so were his stealth protectors. So they weren’t here to help the disciples fight Yellow Robe.
Feeling himself fading fast, Bajie said, “Sha Zeng, you fight him for a while. Let me take a break.”
Before Sha Zeng could go, “Say what now?”, Zhu Bajie turned and ran, diving head first into a thick patch of thorny vines. He didn’t even care about the thorns pricking his skin. He just plowed right into them and hid while keeping an ear open to the action outside.
Seeing that one of his foes had run away, Yellow Robe now charged right at Sha Zeng. Sha Zeng was caught off guard and was captured by the demon. Yellow Robe dragged him into the cave, where the lackeys swarmed in and tied him up.
Yellow Robe raised his blade and was about to kill Sha Zeng, but then he thought himself, “That Tang monk is a high-class figure. He should know proper etiquette. I spared his life, so he won’t have sent his disciples after me. Hmm, my wife must have sent a letter to her kingdom and let word slip. Let me go question her.”
The princess was in her room, brushing her hair, when suddenly Yellow Robe stormed in, glowering and gritting his teeth. The princess met him with a smile and asked what’s up. He cursed, “You dog-hearted whore! You’re inhuman! When I first brought you here, you uttered not a word of protest. You wear brocade and gold, and whatever you need, I get for you. You’re pampered and showered with love. How can you only think of your parents, but think nothing of your husband?”
The princess was startled. She fell to her knees and asked, “Husband, why are you talking like you want to split up?”
“I’m not the one who wants to split. You are! I captured that Tang monk and was going to eat him. Why did you decide to release him without telling me first? Turns out, you secretly gave him a letter and asked him to deliver it for you. Otherwise, why would these two monks attack me again and want to bring you back to your kingdom? Is this not your doing?!”
“Husband, you wrong me,” the princess protested. “When did I ever write a letter?”
“You still deny it? I’ve captured one of my foes here. He’ll be the proof.”
“Who is it?”
“The Tang monk’s second disciple, Sha Zeng.”
Well, the princess figured she had nothing to lose by continuing to deny it. So she said, “Husband, please calm down. Let’s go ask him. If there really was a letter, then you can kill me and I won’t complain. But if there wasn’t a letter, you would have killed me for nothing.”
Yellow Robe grabbed her by the hair, pulled her to the front of the cave and threw her to the ground. He gripped his saber and interrogated Sha Zeng.
“Why did you two come attack me again? Did this woman send a letter to that kingdom, and that’s why the king told you to come?”
Seeing the demon raging and the princess on the ground, Sha Zeng thought to himself, “She must have sent a letter. But she saved my master. That’s a huge debt. If I tell the truth, the demon is going to kill the princess. Then I would have repaid kindness with betrayal. Alas, I haven’t done anything to repay my master since I started following him. Since I’ve already been captured today, I might as well use my life to repay my master.”
So he said sternly to Yellow Robe, “Demon, don’t be rude! What letter did she ever send? How can you kill her so unjustly? Here’s the reason we came to demand the princess. When you had my master in your cave, he saw her appearance. Later, when we were passing through the Kingdom of Precious Elephants, he went to the palace to get his travel papers stamped. The king showed him a painting of the princess and asked if he had seen her. That made my master realize he had seen her here. My master told the king, and that’s how the king realized his daughter was here. He then gave us wine and asked us to come capture you and return his princess to the palace. That’s the truth. There never was any letter. If you want to kill me, then kill me. But don’t harm innocents and offend heaven!”
Hearing those defiant words from Sha Zeng, Yellow Robe believed him. He tossed aside his saber, pulled his wife into his arms, and said, “I was too rash in the moment and offended you. Please forgive me!”
He then helped her tidy up, treated her affectionately, and escorted her back to their private quarters. He asked her to sit down and then apologized again. The novel said that the princess, possessing the fickle nature of a woman — sigh — was touched by this act of remorse. She told Yellow Robe, “Husband, if you love me, then loosen that Sha Zeng’s restraints a bit.”
So Yellow Robe told his lackeys to untie Sha Zeng and just chain him in place. Seeing this, Sha Zeng secretly rejoiced, “As the old saying goes, ‘Help others, and you help yourself.’ If I didn’t help her, how could she help loosen my restraints?”
Yellow Robe now set up a banquet to apologize to his wife. After drinking for a while, he suddenly went and changed into a fresh set of clothes and hung a knife from his waist. He patted the princess on the back and said, “Honey, stay here and drink, and keep an eye on our kids. Don’t let Sha Zeng go. While that Tang monk is at your kingdom, I’m going to go see your relatives.”
“See … my relatives?” she asked in puzzlement.
“Yes, I’m going to meet your father, the king. I’m his prince consort, and he’s my father-in-law. Why shouldn’t I go introduce myself?”
“You can’t go.”
“Why not?”
“My father is not a warrior king. He inherited his throne. He’s been in the palace his whole life and hasn’t even left his city. If he saw your vicious and ugly countenance, he’s going to be scared, and that’ll make things worse. It’s better if you don’t go.”
“Well in that case, I’ll just turn into a handsome man and go.”
“Let me see,” she asked.
So Yellow Robe turned and transformed into a handsome young man. His countenance was elegant, his bearing tall and imposing. He spoke with the tone of an official and acted with manners befitting a man in the prime of his life. He wore a magpie-tail coronet, with dark hair neatly gathered beneath it. He was dressed in a jade-colored silk robe with wide sleeves, and shodded in black boots embroidered with floral patterns. Around his waist was a shiny phoenix belt. In other words, he was a real heartthrob.
The princess was delighted and told him, “This is great! When you show up like this, my father will definitely not spurn you, and will tell his officials to feast with you. When you’re drinking, make sure to be careful. Don’t accidentally show your true face and manners.”
“No need to worry; I know how to handle it,” Yellow Robe said. And then he took off.
To see how his visit to court will go, tune in to the next episode of the Chinese Lore Podcast. Thanks for listening!
Music in This Episode
- “Luỹ Tre Xanh Ngát Đầu Làng (Guzheng) – Vietnam BGM” by VPRODMUSIC_Asia_BGM