Now, the Handsome Monkey King had returned to his native place in glory. He had slain the Demon King of Chaos and seized a great sabre. Every day he practised the martial arts, teaching the little monkeys to cut bamboo into javelins, whittle wood into blades, make banners and sound whistles, advance and retreat, pitch camps and set up stockades. They played at this for a long time. Then one day, sitting quietly, he thought: “Here we are, but I’m afraid our play may turn into something real. We might alarm a human king, or some king of birds or beasts might take offence and accuse us of drilling troops for a rebellion, then raise an army to kill us. You all have bamboo poles and wooden blades. How could you fight an enemy? We need sharp swords and halberds. What are we to do?” At these words every monkey was frightened. “Our Great King sees far ahead,” they said, “but there’s nowhere to get them.” While they were talking, four old monkeys came forward: two red-bottomed horse monkeys and two long-armed apes. They stood before him and said, “Great King, if you want sharp weapons, that’s very easy.” “What makes it easy?” asked Wukong. The four said, “East of our mountain, across two hundred li of water, lies the kingdom of Aolai. There’s a king there, and a whole city full of soldiers and civilians. They must have craftsmen who work gold, silver, copper and iron. If our Great King goes there to buy some weapons or have them made, he can drill us and defend our mountain. That would truly be a way to keep our peace and prosperity for years to come.” Wukong was delighted. “You stay here and play,” he said. “I’ll go and come back.”

As the wind rose, the king of Aolai fled in alarm. All through the markets and streets, people shut their doors in panic; no one dared go out. Only then did Wukong lower his cloud. He burst through the palace gate and went straight in search of the weapons store and armoury. When he opened the doors, he found countless weapons within: sabres, spears, swords, halberds, axes, broad axes, pikes, sickles, jointed iron whips, rakes, claw-headed clubs, iron batons, bows, crossbows, forks and lances. Everything was there. Delighted, he said, “How much can I carry on my own? I’d better use the body-dividing art to take them away.” What a Monkey King! He plucked a handful of hairs, chewed them to pieces, spat them out, recited a spell and cried, “Change!” They became hundreds and thousands of little monkeys, all grabbing and hauling in a scramble. The strong ones took five or seven weapons, the weaker ones two or three, until they had emptied the place. He stepped onto a cloud, used a spell to draw the gale back to him and led the little monkeys home together.

Meanwhile the monkeys great and small on Flower-Fruit Mountain were playing outside the cave entrance. Suddenly they heard the wind roar and saw the air crowded with monkey spirits, limbs jutting every which way, stretching farther than the eye could see. Frightened, they scattered and hid. Before long the Handsome Monkey King brought his cloud down, drew in the clouds and mist, shook himself and took back his hairs. He heaped the weapons in a jumble before the mountain and called, “Little ones, come and get your weapons!” The monkeys looked out and saw Wukong standing alone on the open level ground. They all ran up, knocked their heads on the ground and asked what had happened. Wukong told them everything about raising the gale and carrying off the weapons. When they had thanked him, they rushed to snatch sabres and grab swords, seize axes and fight over spears, draw bows and cock crossbows. Shouting and yelling, they played all day.

Next day they formed their camps as before. Wukong gathered the monkeys together and counted more than forty-seven thousand. By now they had alarmed all the strange beasts on the mountain: wolves, snakes, tigers, leopards, great deer, muntjac, water deer, beasts called 𤜱2, foxes, wildcats, badgers, raccoon dogs, lions, elephants, suanni, orangutans, bears, deer, wild boars, mountain cattle, antelopes, blue rhinoceroses, jiao beasts, divine mastiffs… Demon kings of every kind, from seventy-two caves in all, came to pay homage and acknowledge the Monkey King as their lord. They brought tribute each year and answered roll call in every season. Some joined the ranks for drill, while others collected grain at the appointed times. With everything in order, they made Flower-Fruit Mountain as secure as an iron barrel and a golden fortress. Demon kings from every quarter brought brass gongs and drums, colourful banners, helmets and armour. Amid all the bustle, they practised fighting and mustered their troops day after day.

The Handsome Monkey King was enjoying all this when he suddenly said to the others, “You know your bows and crossbows and have mastered your weapons, but this sabre of mine is really too unwieldy. It doesn’t suit me. What am I to do?” The four old monkeys came forward and reported, “Our Great King is an immortal sage. Ordinary weapons are no use to him. But we don’t know whether our Great King can go underwater.” Wukong said, “Since I heard the Way, I’ve gained the seventy-two transformations of the Earthly Fiends, and my somersault cloud has boundless powers. I can hide myself and vanish, cast spells and draw things to me. There’s a road for me into heaven and a gate into earth. I can walk on sun and moon without a shadow, pass through metal and stone without an obstacle. Water cannot drown me; fire cannot burn me. Where couldn’t I go?” The four monkeys said, “Since our Great King has such powers, the water beneath our iron-plank bridge runs through to the Dragon Palace of the East Sea. If our Great King goes down and finds the old Dragon King, then asks him for a weapon, won’t he get one to suit him?” Wukong was delighted. “I’ll go and come back,” he said.

What a Monkey King! He leaped to the end of the bridge, made a hand sign and used a water-repelling spell. With a splash he plunged beneath the waves, parted a passage through the water and went straight to the bottom of the East Sea. As he went, a yaksha3 patrolling the sea barred his way. “What divine being is this, pushing through the water?” he asked. “Tell me clearly, so I can announce you and arrange a welcome.” Wukong said, “I am Sun Wukong, the heaven-born sage of Flower-Fruit Mountain, and your old Dragon King’s next-door neighbour. Why don’t you know me?” The yaksha hurried back to the Crystal Palace to report. “Great King, there’s a heaven-born sage of Flower-Fruit Mountain outside, named Sun Wukong. He calls himself our Great King’s next-door neighbour and is coming to the palace.” Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, rose at once and came out with his dragon sons and grandsons, shrimp soldiers and crab generals. “Exalted immortal, come in, come in!” he said. They went into the palace and exchanged greetings. After offering him the seat of honour and serving tea, the Dragon King asked, “When did you attain the Way, exalted immortal? What immortal arts were you taught?” Wukong said, “After I was born, I left home to practise the Way and gained a body that is neither born nor destroyed. Lately I’ve been drilling my children and grandchildren to defend our mountain cave, but I haven’t a weapon. I’ve long heard that my worthy neighbour lives in splendour among jade palaces and gates of pearl. You must have divine weapons to spare, so I’ve come specially to beg for one.” The Dragon King could hardly refuse. He ordered Commander Mandarin Fish4 to fetch a great long-handled sabre and offer it to him. Wukong said, “Old Sun doesn’t know how to use a sabre. Please give me something else.” The Dragon King then ordered Grand Commandant Whitefish to lead the Eel Strongman in carrying out a nine-pronged fork. Wukong sprang down, took it in his hands, tried a sequence of moves and set it down. “Light, light, light! And it doesn’t sit right in my hands. Please give me another.” The Dragon King laughed. “Exalted immortal, you haven’t looked: this fork weighs 3,600 jin5.” Wukong said, “It doesn’t sit right, doesn’t sit right.” Now the Dragon King was growing frightened. He ordered Admiral Bream and Commander-in-Chief Carp to carry out a square-bladed halberd with a painted shaft. It weighed 7,200 jin. Wukong ran up, took it, tried a few stances and flourished it once or twice, then planted it in the middle of the floor. “Still light, light, light!” More frightened than ever, the old Dragon King said, “Exalted immortal, this halberd is the heaviest thing in my palace. I have no more weapons.” Wukong laughed. “As the old saying goes, ‘Imagine worrying that the Dragon King of the Sea has no treasures!’ Go and look again. If you have anything to my liking, I’ll pay the proper price for it.” The Dragon King said, “There truly is nothing else.”

While they were speaking, the dragon queen and her daughter stepped out from behind. “Great King,” they said, “judging by this sage, he is no ordinary being. That piece of divine iron in our sea treasury, the one that anchors the bed of the River of Heaven, has been shining with brilliant rosy light and rising clouds of auspicious vapour these last few days. Could it be due to reveal itself and meet this sage?” The Dragon King said, “That is a gauge Yu the Great6 used to fix the depths of rivers and seas when he controlled the floods. It’s a piece of divine iron. What use could it be?” The dragon queen said, “Never mind whether he can use it. Give it to him, let him alter it however he likes, and get him out through the palace gate.” The old Dragon King did as she said and told Wukong all about it. “Bring it out and let me see,” said Wukong. The Dragon King waved his hands. “We can’t shoulder it; we can’t lift it. You’ll have to go and see for yourself, exalted immortal.” “Where is it?” asked Wukong. “Take me there.”

The Dragon King led him into the sea treasury, where suddenly they saw ten thousand rays of golden light. Pointing, the Dragon King said, “There it is, the thing that shines.” Wukong gathered up his robe, went forward and felt it with his hand. It was an iron pillar, about as thick as a grain measure and more than twenty Chinese feet long. He seized it firmly with both hands. “A little too thick and too long,” he said. “It would have to be shorter and thinner before I could use it.” At once the treasure shortened by several Chinese feet and shrank in girth. Wukong hefted it again. “Thinner still would be better.” Sure enough, it grew a little thinner. Delighted, Wukong took it out of the treasury to look at it. There was a gold band at either end and a length of black iron between. Beside one of the bands a line of characters was engraved: “As-You-Will Gold-Banded Cudgel. Weight: 13,500 jin.” He was secretly pleased. “This treasure must do whatever you wish.” As he walked, he kept thinking it over and murmuring aloud, hefting it in his hands. “Shorter and thinner still would be finer.” By the time he brought it outside, it was only about twenty Chinese feet long and as thick as the mouth of a bowl.

Look at him displaying his magic, letting loose his fighting moves and whirling about the Crystal Palace! The old Dragon King trembled with fear, the young dragons were frightened out of their wits, turtles, softshell turtles, great turtles and alligators drew in their necks, and fish, shrimp, giant turtles and crabs hid their heads. Wukong sat in the hall of the Crystal Palace with the treasure in his hand and smiled at the Dragon King. “Many thanks for my worthy neighbour’s generosity.” “Not at all, not at all,” said the Dragon King. Wukong said, “This piece of iron handles well, but there’s one more thing.” “What else is it, exalted immortal?” asked the Dragon King. Wukong said, “Before I had this iron, it didn’t matter. But now that I have it in my hands, I haven’t clothes to match. What am I to do? If you have a suit of armour here, you might as well give me one, and I’ll thank you for the whole lot together.” The Dragon King said, “That I really haven’t got.” Wukong said, “One guest shouldn’t trouble two hosts. If you haven’t got it, I certainly won’t leave this gate.” The Dragon King said, “Would the exalted immortal be so kind as to try another sea? There might be some there.” Wukong said, “Better to sit at one house than visit three. I beg you, do give me a suit.” The Dragon King said, “There truly is none. If there were, I would certainly offer it.” “Really none?” said Wukong. “Then I’ll try this iron out on you!” The Dragon King panicked. “Exalted immortal, don’t strike, don’t strike! Let me see whether my younger brothers have any, and I’ll give you a suit.” Wukong asked, “Where are your brothers?” The Dragon King said, “They are Ao Qin, the Dragon King of the South Sea; Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the North Sea; and Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea.” Wukong said, “Old Sun isn’t going, isn’t going. As the saying goes, ‘Three on credit aren’t worth two in cash.’ All I want is for you to give me a suit, good or bad, whatever you can manage.” The old dragon said, “You needn’t go, exalted immortal. I have an iron drum and a golden bell here. Whenever there’s an emergency, we beat the drum and ring the bell, and my brothers arrive in an instant.” Wukong said, “Then hurry up and beat the drum and ring the bell.” Sure enough, the Alligator General went to ring the bell, and the Softshell Turtle Marshal came to beat the drum.

Before long, the sound of bell and drum reached the Dragon Kings of the other three seas. In a moment they arrived and met together outside. Ao Qin said, “Elder brother, what’s so urgent that you’ve beaten the drum and rung the bell?” The old dragon said, “My worthy brothers, it’s hard to explain. Some heaven-born sage from Flower-Fruit Mountain came this morning, claiming me as his neighbour. Then he asked for a weapon. I offered a steel fork, and he said it was too small; I gave him a painted halberd, and he said it was too light. Then he took that divine iron that anchors the bed of the River of Heaven and tried a few moves with it. Now he’s sitting in my palace demanding a suit of armour. I haven’t one, so I rang the bell and beat the drum to ask you here. Have you any armour? Give him a suit and get him out through the gate, and that will be that.” Ao Qin flew into a rage. “Why don’t we brothers muster our troops and seize him?” The old dragon said, “Don’t talk of seizing him, don’t talk of it! The slightest swing of that iron kills; the slightest knock means death. A touch breaks the skin; a graze injures the sinews.” Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, said, “Second brother, you mustn’t fight him. Let’s put together a suit of armour, get him out through the gate and send a memorial up to Heaven. Heaven will destroy him.” Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the North Sea, said, “Quite right. I have a pair of lotus-fibre cloud-treading shoes.” Ao Run said, “I’ve brought a suit of golden chain mail.” Ao Qin said, “I have a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown.” The old dragon was delighted. He led them into the Crystal Palace, introduced them and offered these things to Wukong. Wukong put on the golden crown, golden armour and cloud-treading shoes, then flourished the As-You-Will cudgel and fought his way out. “Sorry for the bother, sorry for the bother,” he told the dragons. The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were deeply aggrieved and began discussing a memorial to the throne. But let us leave them there.

Look at this Monkey King! He parted a way through the water, went straight back to the iron-plank bridge and sprang up. The four old monkeys had gathered the others and were all waiting beside the bridge. Suddenly they saw Wukong leap out of the waves without a drop of water on him and walk onto the bridge, glittering with gold. Awestruck, they all knelt. “How splendid our Great King looks! How splendid!” Wukong, beaming, climbed onto his throne and stood the iron cudgel upright in the middle. The monkeys, not knowing any better, all tried to pick up the treasure. They might as well have been dragonflies trying to shake an iron tree: they couldn’t move it a fraction. One after another they bit their fingers and stuck out their tongues. “Grandfather! It’s so heavy! How ever did you bring it back?” Wukong came forward, opened his hand and seized it in one grasp. Smiling at them, he said, “Everything has its rightful owner. This treasure lay in the sea treasury for who knows how many hundreds or thousands of years, and just this year it happened to shine. The Dragon King thought it was only a lump of black iron, though he also called it the divine treasure that anchors the bed of the River of Heaven. Those fellows couldn’t shoulder or lift it, so they asked me to fetch it myself. It was more than twenty Chinese feet long then, and as thick as a grain measure. I took hold of it, thought it too big, and it grew much smaller. I told it to shrink again, and it grew much smaller; told it to shrink again, and it grew much smaller still. When I held it up to the daylight, I saw a line of characters: ‘As-You-Will Gold-Banded Cudgel, 13,500 jin.’ Stand clear, all of you, and let me make it change again.” He hefted the treasure in his hand and cried, “Small! Small! Small!” At once it shrank to the size of an embroidery needle, small enough to tuck away inside his ear. The monkeys were astonished. “Great King, take it out and play with it again!” The Monkey King took it from his ear, laid it on his palm and cried, “Big! Big! Big!” It grew as thick as a grain measure again and about twenty Chinese feet long. Delighted with his play, he leaped onto the bridge and went outside the cave. Gripping the treasure, he used the magic of taking heaven and earth as his pattern. He bent at the waist and shouted, “Grow!” He grew a hundred thousand Chinese feet tall, his head like Mount Tai, his waist like a towering ridge, his eyes like lightning, his mouth like a basin of blood and his teeth like swords and halberds. The cudgel in his hand reached up to the Thirty-three Heavens7 and down to the eighteen levels of hell. Tigers, leopards, wolves and snakes, all the monsters on the mountain and the demon kings of the seventy-two caves were so terrified that they knocked their heads on the ground in worship, trembling and frightened out of their souls. In a moment he drew in his giant form, changed the treasure back into an embroidery needle, hid it in his ear and returned to his cave dwelling. The demon kings of all the caves hurried over to offer congratulations.

They now unfurled their banners, sounded their drums and set the brass gongs ringing. A hundred delicacies were spread out, and cups were filled to the brim with coconut wine and grape wine. After feasting with everyone for a long time, the Monkey King went back to drilling them as before. He appointed the four old monkeys as his officers: the two red-bottomed horse monkeys became Marshals Ma and Liu, and the two long-armed apes became Generals Beng and Ba. All matters of pitching camps, setting up stockades, giving rewards and inflicting punishments were entrusted to these four officers.

With his mind at ease, he rode clouds and mists each day, roaming the Four Seas and taking his pleasure among a thousand mountains. He showed his martial arts and visited heroes everywhere; he displayed his magic and made worthy friends far and wide. At this time he formed a brotherhood of seven: the Bull Demon King (Niumowang), the Flood Dragon Demon King (Jiaomowang), the Roc Demon King (Pengmowang), the Lion-Camel King (Shituowang), the Macaque King (Mihouwang), the Long-Tailed Monkey King (Yurongwang) and himself, the Handsome Monkey King. Every day they discussed letters and martial arts, passed goblets and wine cups, played strings and pipes, sang and danced. He went out at dawn and returned at dusk, enjoying every pleasure there was. Ten thousand li was no more to him than a walk across the courtyard. As the saying goes, a nod of the head takes him straight past three thousand li; a twist of the waist carries him another eight hundred and more.

One day in his cave he told the four officers to prepare a banquet and invited the six kings to drink. They slaughtered cattle and horses, made offerings to heaven and earth and had the monsters dance and sing for joy, until everyone was thoroughly drunk. After seeing the six kings out, he rewarded his chiefs, great and small. He leaned back in the shade of a pine beside the iron-plank bridge and fell asleep in a moment. The four officers led the others in standing guard around him, not daring to speak loudly. In his sleep the Handsome Monkey King saw two men approach with an official warrant bearing the three characters of his name, Sun Wukong. Without a word of explanation, they slipped a rope over him and hauled away his soul, stumbling and staggering, straight to a city. The Monkey King was gradually sobering up. Suddenly he raised his head and saw an iron plaque on the city bearing three large characters: “The Underworld.” He understood at once. “The Underworld is where the King of the Underworld lives. Why have I come here?” The two men said, “Your allotted life among the living ends now. We received a warrant to summon you.” The Monkey King said, “Old Sun has gone beyond the Three Realms and is outside the five phases8. I’m no longer subject to his authority. How can you be so muddleheaded, daring to summon me?” But the two death messengers kept tugging and pulling, determined to drag him inside. The Monkey King lost his temper. He pulled the treasure from his ear and shook it until it was as thick as a bowl. With barely a lift of his hand, he beat the two death messengers into mincemeat. He untied his own rope, freed his hands and swung his cudgel as he fought his way into the city. Ox-headed demons9 fled east and west; horse-faced demons ran north and south. The ghost soldiers rushed up to the Hall of Universal Judgement to report. “Great King, disaster! Disaster! There’s a hairy-faced Thunder God10 fighting his way in from outside!”

In a panic, the Ten Kings of the Underworld11 hurriedly straightened their robes and came out to look. At the sight of his savage face, they lined up in order of rank and shouted, “Exalted immortal, give us your name! Give us your name!” The Monkey King said, “If you don’t know me, why did you send men to summon me?” The Ten Kings said, “We wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare. The messengers must have made a mistake.” The Monkey King said, “I am Sun Wukong, the heaven-born sage of the Water-Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain. What offices do you hold?” The Ten Kings bowed. “We are the sovereigns of the world of the dead, the Ten Kings of the Underworld.” Wukong said, “Give me your names quickly, if you don’t want a beating.” They said, “We are the King of Vast Qin, the King of the Chu River, the Song Emperor, the King of the Five Offices, the King of the Underworld, the King of Equality, the King of Mount Tai, the King of the Capital, the King of Bian City and the Wheel-Turning King.” Wukong said, “Since you hold royal rank, you must be beings whose spiritual powers show themselves and answer prayers. Why can’t you tell good from bad? Old Sun has cultivated immortality and attained the Way. I live as long as heaven, have risen beyond the Three Realms and leaped out of the five phases. Why did you send men to arrest me?” The Ten Kings said, “Exalted immortal, calm your anger. There are many people in the world with the same name and surname. Could the death messengers have gone to the wrong place?” Wukong said, “Nonsense! Nonsense! As the saying goes, ‘The official may err, the clerk may err, but the man they send doesn’t err.’ Bring me the Register of Life and Death at once!” At these words the Ten Kings invited him into the hall to inspect it.

With the As-You-Will cudgel in his hand, Wukong went straight into the Hall of Universal Judgement and sat in the centre, facing south12. The Ten Kings ordered the judge in charge of the records to bring out the registers. Not daring to delay, the judge went into the records office and brought back five or six volumes of documents along with the registers of the ten kinds. They searched them one by one: naked creatures13, furry creatures, feathered creatures, insects and creatures with scales or shells. His name was in none of them. Then they looked among the monkey kinds. This monkey resembled a human, but was not entered among human names; resembled a naked creature, but lived in no kingdom; resembled a running beast, but was not subject to the qilin; resembled a flying bird, but was not ruled by the phoenix. There was a separate register, which Wukong examined himself. Only when he came to entry 1,350 under the character “Soul” did he find the name Sun Wukong, with the note: “Heaven-born stone monkey. Allotted lifespan: 342 years. A peaceful death.” Wukong said, “I don’t remember how old I am either. All I need is to cross out the name. Bring me a brush.” The judge hastily offered a brush, dipping it generously in thick ink. Wukong took the register and crossed out every name among the monkey kinds. He flung the book down. “Account settled, account settled! This time I’m no longer under your authority.” Swinging his cudgel all the way, he fought out of the Underworld. The Ten Kings dared not go near him. They all went to the Emerald Cloud Palace to pay homage together to the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha and discuss a memorial reporting the affair to Heaven. But let us leave that aside.

As the Monkey King fought his way out of the city, he suddenly caught his foot on a clump of grass and stumbled. With a start he woke: it had been a dream of the Southern Bough14. He was only just stretching when he heard the four officers and all the monkeys call out, “Great King, how much wine did you drink? You’ve slept all night and still won’t wake!” Wukong said, “The sleep was a small matter. I dreamed that two men came here to summon me and took me outside the city gate of the Underworld. Only then did I understand what was happening. I showed my magic, stormed straight into the Hall of Universal Judgement and quarrelled with the Ten Kings. I looked at our Register of Life and Death, and wherever any of our names appeared, I crossed them out. None of us is under those fellows’ authority any more.” The monkeys knocked their heads on the ground in thanks. From then on, many monkeys on the mountain never grew old, because their names were no longer in the offices of the dead.

When the Handsome Monkey King had finished telling his story, the four officers informed the demon kings of the other caves, and they all came to congratulate him. A few days later his six sworn brothers came to offer congratulations too. When they heard that the names had been cancelled, every one of them rejoiced. Day after day they gathered to make merry. But let us leave them there.

Our story turns to the Supreme Sage of High Heaven, the Great Compassionate and Benevolent One, the Jade Emperor, Great Celestial Venerable, Exalted Sovereign of the Dark Firmament. One day he was seated in the Hall of Divine Mists in the Cloud Palace of the Golden Gates, with his civil and military immortal ministers assembled for the morning audience, when the Perfected One Qiu Hongji addressed the throne. “Your Majesty, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, is outside the Hall of Clear Light with a memorial15. He awaits the Celestial Venerable’s summons.” The Jade Emperor decreed, “Let him be called in.” Ao Guang was summoned before the Hall of Divine Mists. When he had bowed, an immortal page charged with presenting memorials received the document. The Jade Emperor read it through from beginning to end. The memorial said:

When the Sacred Emperor had finished reading, he decreed, “Let the dragon god return to his sea. We shall send generals at once to capture him.” The old Dragon King knocked his head on the ground in thanks and withdrew.

Next the Heavenly Master, Immortal Elder Ge, addressed the throne. “Your Majesty, the King of Vast Qin from the offices of the dead has brought a memorial from the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha16, spiritual lord of the Underworld.” A jade maiden charged with conveying messages received the document. The Jade Emperor read this one through as well. The memorial said:

When the Jade Emperor had finished reading, he decreed, “Let the ruler of the dead return to the Underworld. We shall send generals at once to capture him.” The King of Vast Qin also knocked his head on the ground in thanks and withdrew.

The Great Celestial Venerable called upon his civil and military immortal ministers. “How many years ago was this demon monkey born? In what age did he come into being, to have attained so much of the Way?” Before he had finished, Thousand-League Eye and Wind-Borne Ear stepped out from the ranks. “This monkey is the heaven-born stone monkey of three hundred years ago. We thought nothing of him then. We don’t know where he has spent these years cultivating immortality, taming dragons and subduing tigers, and forcibly cancelling the records of death.” The Jade Emperor asked, “Which divine general will go down to subdue him?” Before he had finished, the Venus Star17 stepped out from the ranks, prostrated himself and addressed the throne. “Supreme Sage, any being in the Three Realms with nine openings can cultivate immortality. This monkey’s body was nurtured by heaven and earth, conceived by sun and moon. Like a human, he reaches up toward heaven and treads the earth; he drinks dew and feeds on rosy clouds. Now that he has cultivated the immortal Way and gained the power to tame dragons and subdue tigers, how is he different from a human? Your servant begs Your Majesty to remember the merciful grace of giving life and issue an edict of amnesty18. Summon him to the upper realm, grant him an office of whatever rank, enter his name in the register and keep him here under control. If he obeys Heaven’s commands, he can later be promoted and rewarded; if he disobeys, we can seize him here. First, there will be no need to mobilize the multitude and weary the army; second, it is a proper way to bring an immortal into the fold.” The Jade Emperor was delighted. “Let it be as you advise, minister.” He ordered the Star Officer of Literary Song to draw up the decree and sent the Venus Star to offer the amnesty.

The Venus Star received the decree, passed out through the Southern Gate of Heaven and lowered his auspicious cloud straight to the Water-Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain. He told the little monkeys, “I am a heavenly envoy sent by Heaven. I have an imperial decree inviting your king to the upper realm. Go and report it at once.” The monkeys outside the cave passed the word from one group to the next, deep into their cave paradise. “Great King, there’s an old man outside with a packet of papers on his back. He says he’s an envoy sent by Heaven and has an imperial decree inviting you.” The Handsome Monkey King was delighted. “These last two days I’ve been thinking of taking a look around Heaven, and now an envoy has come to invite me!” He called, “Bring him in at once!” The Monkey King hurriedly straightened his clothes and crown and went outside the gate to meet him. The Venus Star went straight in, stood in the centre facing south and said, “I am the Venus Star of the West. By the Jade Emperor’s imperial decree of amnesty, I have come to the lower realm to invite you to Heaven, where you will receive your entry in the immortals’ register.” Wukong smiled. “Many thanks for coming down, venerable star.” He told the little ones to prepare a banquet for their guest. The Venus Star said, “With an imperial decree to carry out, I dare not linger. I ask you, Great King, to come with me now. After your honourable promotion, we can talk at our leisure.” Wukong said, “You honour me with your visit, yet I must send you off without refreshments, without refreshments.” He called the four officers at once and instructed them, “Be careful in drilling the children and grandchildren. I’ll go up to Heaven and look at the route, so I can bring you up to live there with me.” The four officers assented.

What office and title would he be given? To learn what happened next, read the next chapter.