Tower of Myriad Mirrors: A Supplement to Journey to the West (Michigan Classics in Chinese Studies) (12 page)

Monkey had just finished reciting when he saw the ox-headed devil carrying a return letter. Ox-head landed on the stairs with a gold and purple calabash on his head. Monkey asked, “Was the gate of Heaven closed?”

The ox-head replied, “Heaven's gate was wide open.”

He presented Lao-tzu's reply. It read:

The Jade Emperor is overjoyed at the Great Sage's interrogation of Ch'in Kuei: every word was true, every beating appropriate. I present you with this gold calabash—avoid using a drill on it! I hope the Great Sage will be careful. As for the business of sky gouging, it's a very long story. I'll tell you about it when we meet.

Monkey read the letter and laughed loudly. He said, “The time I was in Lotus Flower Cave, I shouldn't have drilled open his treasure.
¹²
Now the old man is being sarcastic.” He bowed toward General Yüeh with hands clasped and said, “Please sit a little while, Master, and allow me to prepare the blood wine.”

1
The seal and prescribed number of trees planted at one's gate are indications of rank.

2
“Chao was the surname of the Sung emperors.

3
Brother Chang and Brother Teng refer to two of the twenty-four thunder gods in traditional popular legend: Chang Chieh and Teng Chung. In Chinese popular belief, the thunder gods are responsible for making clouds and rain, and for putting evil or treacherous people to death with their thunderbolts. Monkey calls them “brothers” here to show his affection and respect for them.

4
“Blue Flies” is the title of an ode in the
Shih Ching (Book of Songs)
which admonishes a sovereign not to heed the slanderers who would undermine the nation.

5
The Yellow Banner is the imperial insignia.

6
I.e., the song "Li Sao" by Ch'ü Yüan (4th century B.C.).

7
When it was suggested to Ch'in Kuei that the case against Yüeh Fei was unjust, he replied, "There is no need for proof'
(mo hsü you)
—an expression that became known as "the three-word condemnation."

8
Subodhi was the master who, in chapter 2 of
Journey to the West
, taught Monkey techniques of longevity and physical transformation.

9
The Three Teachings are Taoism, as taught Monkey by Subodhi; Buddhism, as taught by the T'ang Priest; and Confucianism, represented by Yüeh Fei.

10
Tushita Palace is the heavenly residence of Lao-tzu.

11
Monkey bases the first two lines on the four words Yüeh Fei's mother was believed to have tattooed on her son's back: perfect loyalty to repay one's country.

12
Monsters Gold Horn and Silver Horn were actually servants of Lao-tzu, sent to earth at the request of Kuan-yin to test the pilgrims. They battled Monkey with several of Lao-tzu's magical devices, among which was a gold and red calabash (
Journey to the West
, chapters 32-35). When anyone at whom the calabash was aimed made a sound indicating the presence of vital energy, he was sucked into it and reduced to pus. Monkey returned the calabash to Lao-tzu after the battle. However, there is no indication in
Journey
that Monkey damaged it.

Monkey Returns to the Tower of Myriad Mirrors; In the Palace of Creeping Vines Wu-k'ung Saves Himself.

Monkey took the calabash in his hand and asked a bailiff to stand beside him. He whispered something into the bailiff's ear—we don't know what—and handed him the calabash. The bailiff went to the foot of the stairs, then jumped into the air shouting, “Ch'in Kuei! Ch'in Kuei!”

By then Kuei's heart was dead and his breath alone remained. This gave forth a sound of acknowledgment and was instantaneously sucked into the calabash. Monkey saw this and shouted, “Bring it here! Bring it here!”

The bailiff hurried inside the screen and gave the calabash to Monkey. Monkey pasted a seal reading “Quickly follow the orders of most high Lao-tzu,” on the mouth of the calabash. An hour and forty-five minutes later, Ch'in Kuei was transformed into a bloody fluid. Monkey ordered a bailiff to bring out a gold-claw cup. He tipped the calabash and poured out the blood; then, kneeling, he offered the cup with both hands to General Yüeh saying, “Master, drink of Ch'in Kuei's blood wine.”

General Yüeh waved it away and wouldn't drink. Monkey said, “Don't be silly, Master Yüeh. You should only hate the thief who stole Sung—you needn't pity him.”

General Yüeh said, “I don't pity him.”

Monkey said, “If you don't pity him, why not have a mouthful of wine?”

General Yüeh said, “You don't realize, disciple, that if a man on earth were to drink even half a mouthful of that thief and traitor's blood and flesh, his stomach would stink for ten thousand years.” Seeing Master Yüeh steadfastly refuse to drink, Monkey called a red-hearted devil and gave it to him. The red-hearted devil drank it and went to the back of the hall.

An hour later there was suddenly a great commotion in front of the gate. The gate-keeper beat the cry-treachery drum. At the foot of the stairs the devils of five colors standing in rank in the five directions and the bailiffs of all courts of the five directions braced for action. Monkey was about to ask a bailiff what was going on when he saw that three hundred weedy-haired devils were already huddled at the foot of the white jade stairs holding the head of a blue-toothed, green-eyed, crimson-haired, red-bearded bailiff. They reported, “Your Honor, as soon as the red-hearted devil drank Ch'in Kuei's blood wine, his face changed. He ran into the Purple Palace of Destiny, pulled a dagger from his belt, and stabbed to death his benevolent master, the Arbiter of Destiny. Then he ran through the Gate of Ghosts and was reincarnated.”

Monkey shouted for the devils to go away. Then General Yüeh arose. From beyond the screen came three hundred and thirty-three beats of the drum and gentle strains of music. Lances and blades cracked; swords and spears were thick as a forest. Fifty thousand chief bailiffs kowtowed to send off Lord Yüeh.

Monkey said to them, “Arise and leave us.” The chief bailiffs responded to the order and retired to their own courts. Then countless fierce green-blooded, red-muscled devils prostrated themselves to send off Lord Yüeh. Monkey told them, “Arise and leave us.”

Three hundred upholding-righteousness yellow-toothed devils raised precious spears and shouted, “Farewell, Lord Yüeh!” Monkey commanded, “Yellow-toothed devils, you will escort Lord Yüeh to his residence!” Monkey and Yüeh Fei walked to the outer gate. Another round of drumbeats was sounded and the music of the gold reed-pipes trilled. Monkey bowed with clasped hands and accompanied General Yüeh to the Gate of Ghosts. The drum thundered another round. Ten thousand devils shouted with one voice and Monkey bowed deeply with hands clasped to see General Yüeh through the gate.

He said loudly, “When you have some free time, Master, I'll come to receive instruction.” Bowing with hands clasped once more, he finally saw Master Yüeh off.

Immediately he leapt into the air and threw the mortarboard, the entwining-dragon robe, the pair of iron emotion-repelling shoes, and the square jade seal of King Yama down onto the Gate of Ghosts and left.

It is said that in Shantung Province there was a restaurant whose manager had lost all his hair and teeth. No one knew how many
hundreds of years old he might be. All day long he sat in his shop and sold food. His sign said, “This is the Restaurant of the New Ancient.” Beneath this a line of small characters read, “Original name: Newly Retired Scholar.”

When the Newly Retired Scholar returned from the World of Oblivion, he had found the Jade Gate tightly closed and couldn't pass through to the World of the Ancients. Consequently, he stayed in the World of the Future and opened a restaurant to pass his days. But he was a man unwilling to forget his roots, so he changed his name to the New Ancient.

That particular day he was sitting in his shop drinking tea when he saw Monkey running heavily from the east, shouting, “What a stench! What a terrible stench!”

The New Ancient said, “Good day, Sir.”

Monkey stopped. “And who are you that you dare to call me ‘Sir'?”

The New Ancient said, “I'm an ancient contemporary and a contemporary ancient. If I told you who I am you'd just laugh at me.”

Monkey said, “Go ahead and tell me, I won't laugh.”

The New Ancient said, “I'm the Newly Retired Scholar, who used to live in the World of the Ancients.”

When he heard this, Monkey made a quick salute with clasped hands and said, “My new benefactor! If it hadn't been for your help, I'd have had a hard time getting through the Jade Gate.”

The New Ancient was startled, so Monkey told him his name and recounted the whole story. The New Ancient laughed and said, “Well, Mr. Sun, you still owe me a kowtow then.”

Monkey said, “Don't joke about it. I have something important to ask you. What's causing this stench? It's not quite dead fish; then again it's not the smell of sheep, either.”

The New Ancient said, “If you want rankness, this is the place to come; if not, stay away. We're right next to the Tartars here. If you walk around for a while, your whole body will become rank, too.”

When Monkey heard this, he thought, “I'm covered all over with hair. If I become polluted with this smell, I'll be a rank ape. What's more, I was just King Yama and interrogated a certain Ch'in Kuei into one thousand bits and ten thousand pieces. Come to think of it, the First Emperor of Ch'in was a Ch'in, and Ch'in Kuei was a Ch'in. If Kuei wasn't his descendant, he was surely of the same clan—so the First Emperor will surely hold a grudge against me, and won't easily let go of the Mountain-removing Bell. If I were to get rough and steal it, I'm afraid I'd ruin my reputation. Better to ask the Newly Retired Scholar a
question, then leap out of this mirror.” He said, “New Benefactor, do you know how I can get to the Emerald Green World?”

The New Ancient said, “The way you came is the way to go.”

Monkey said, “What slippery Ch'an talk! I know the way I came—rolling from the World of the Ancients down to the World of the Future was easy. But rolling up from the World of the Future to the World of the Ancients will be tough.”

The New Ancient said, “If that's your problem, follow me. Come on!” He took Monkey with one hand and dragged him along until they came to a pool of blue water. Without uttering a word the New Ancient pushed Monkey and splash! he fell right back into the Tower of Myriad Mirrors.

Monkey looked around wondering which mirror to leap into. Afraid of wasting time and delaying his master, he turned about, hoping to descend from the tower, but a long search for stairs proved futile. He became anxious and pushed open a pair of sapphire windows. Outside the windows was a maze of exquisite crimson railings arrayed like cracks in ice. Luckily the spaces between supports were rather wide, and Monkey hunched up and scurried through one. Who'd have thought fate was against him, that the time was wrong, or that railings could catch one up? What were clearly railings arranged like cracks in ice suddenly became hundreds of red threads that tangled about Monkey so he couldn't move an inch.

Monkey changed into a pearl and the red threads became a pearl-net. When Monkey couldn't roll through he instantly changed into a blue-bladed sword. The red threads became a scabbard. Monkey had no choice but to return to his own form. He cried, “Master, where are you? Don't you know your disciple is in a lot of trouble?” And his tears fell like water from a spring.

Suddenly there was a flash before his eyes and an old man appeared in the air. Saluting Monkey with his clasped hands he asked, “What are you doing here, Great Sage?”

After Monkey had moaned the reasons, the old man said, “You don't realize that this is the palace of Little Moon King in the Emerald Green World. Once he was a student of mine. Later when he became a king, he spent his days in dissipation. He built thirteen palaces, corresponding to the thirteen classics. This is the Sixty-four Hexagram
Palace.
¹
When you became confused, you walked directly into the Palace of Entangling Vines of the hexagram Oppression
²
and were bound tight. I'll loosen the red threads for you and let you go search for your Master.”

With tears in his eyes Monkey said, “If you can do this, Elder, I'll never be able to thank you enough.”

The old man straightaway snapped the red threads one by one with his hands. Monkey, at last free, bowed very low and asked, “What is your name, Elder? When I see Buddha, I'll register a great merit for you.”

The old man said, “Great Sage, I'm called Sun Wu-k'ung.”

Monkey said, “I'm called Sun Wu-k'ung, and you're called Sun Wu-k'ung, too. How can one Ledger of Merit have two Sun Wu-k'ungs? Why don't you tell me what you usually do for a living so I can remember a few facts about you?”

The old man said, “You ask me what I do? I'm afraid it's enough to scare a person to death! Five hundred years ago I wanted to seize the Heavenly Palace and situate myself there. The Jade Emperor made me Groom of the Heavenly Stables. Great Sage Equal to Heaven—that's me. I suffered a bit beneath Five Phases Mountain—suffered a bit until the T'ang Priest came. I followed him seeking the ‘true fruit.’ There was danger and misfortune along the road to the Western Paradise. I chanced upon the Emerald Green World and have been hiding here ever since.”

Monkey was furious and said, “You rascally six-eared ape!
³
Have you come to trick me again? Take a look at my cudgel!” He pulled his cudgel from his ear and swung it down in front of him.

The old man drew in his sleeves and left. He called back, “This is what is called saving oneself! Too bad you're not real! Not real!…Not real!…”

A beam of gold light struck Monkey's eyes, and the old man's form vanished. Only then did Monkey realize that the apparition had been his own true spirit. He quickly made a deep bow to thank himself.

1
The Sixty-four Hexagram Palace is named for the
I Ching
. The hexagrams which along with their commentaries comprise the
I Ching
represent the sixty-four permutations of solid and broken lines assembled in figures of six lines each.

2
This refers to the top line of the
I Ching
hexagram k'un, which says, “One is entangled by creeping vines.”

3
In chapters 57 and 58 of
Journey to the West
Monkey confronts a false Monkey, who wants to start his own pilgrimage. The two are so identical that the T'ang Priest, Kuan-yin, the Jade Emperor, Lao-tzu, and the Kings of the Underworld cannot tell them apart. It is Buddha who finally straightens out the matter and identifies the imposter as the Six-eared Monkey.