Shimmering clouds, from which

Sun and moon stole their brightness.

White clouds billowing from the caves,

Bright green lichens running wild in the courtyard.

Along the path rare flowers competed in beauty,

While plants on the steps vied in fragrant blossom.

Warm was the air

Where it was ever spring.

This was just like a fairyland,

Or Penglai, the paradise of immortals.

Creepers grew all over the benches;

Vines ran wild across the bridge.

Bees flew into the cave carrying flowers;

Butterflies flirted with orchids as they passed the screen of stone.

Hurrying forward for a closer look Monkey saw that on the stone screen was carved IMMORTAL PALACE OF PURE SPLENDOR. Unable to restrain himself, he jumped over the stone screen to see the old monster embracing a beautiful woman and telling her breathlessly what had happened in Bhiksuland.

“That was our chance,” they said together. “Three years' efforts should have paid off today, but that ape's ruined everything.”

Monkey charged up to them, brandishing his cudgel and shouting, “I'll get you, you fools. What do you mean, that was your chance? Take that!” Pushing the woman aside, the old monster swung his dragon-headed stick to block the cudgel. It was a fine battle that the two of them fought in front of the cave, and quite unlike the previous one:

The upraised cudgel spat out golden light;

Vicious vapors came from the swinging staff.

The monster said,

“How dare you in your ignorance come to my home?”

Monkey replied,

“I intend to subdue evil monsters.”

Said the monster,

“My love for the king was no business of yours,

So why did you come to bully and interfere?”

Answered Monkey,

“A compassionate monk should bring misrule to an end:

We could not endure the slaughter of children.”

As they flung words at each other hostility grew:

Staff parried cudgel as blows struck at the heart.

Precious flowers were destroyed as they fought for their lives;

Green moss became slippery when trampled underfoot.

Pale grew the light in the cave as they struggled:

Crushed were the fragrant blooms on the crags.

At the clash of their weapons the birds dared not fly;

Their shouts sent the beauties all running in terror.

Only the monster and Monkey were left

To stir up a hurricane that roared over the earth.

Slowly their battle took them out of the cave

Where Wuneng gave play to his mindless wrath.

The sound of the commotion they were making inside so excited Pig where he was waiting outside that his heart itched. As he could get no relief from scratching he raised his rake, smashed the nine-forked willow to the ground, then hit it several times so hard that blood gushed straight out with a barely audible sound. “This tree's become a spirit,” he said, “this tree's a spirit.” Pig had just raised his rake for another blow when he saw Monkey drawing the monster after him. Without another word the idiot rushed forward, raised his rake and struck. The old monster was already finding Monkey too much to cope with, so that Pig's rake made him more desperate than ever. Abandoning the fight he shook himself, turned back into a beam of cold light, and headed East again. The two of them would not let the demon go but headed Eastwards in pursuit.

Above the shouts of battle they heard the calls of the phoenix and the crane and looked up to see that it was the Star of Longevity from the Southern pole of the heavens. Placing a cover over the cold light the old man called out, “Don't be in such a hurry, Great Sage; stop chasing him now, Marshal Tian Peng. This old Taoist offers his greetings.”

Monkey returned his courtesy and asked, “Where have you come from, Longevity my brother?”

“You've capped the cold light, so you must have caught the monster, old fat chops,” said Pig with a grin.

“Here he is, here he is,” said the Star of Longevity, smiling back. “I trust you two gentlemen will spare his life.”

“The old devil's nothing to do with you, brother,” said Monkey, “so why have you come to plead for him?”

“He's a messenger of mine,” replied the star with a smile. “I carelessly let him escape to become a monster here.”

“Since he's yours make him turn back into what he really looks like for us to see,” said Monkey.

The Star of Longevity then let the cold light out and shouted, “Evil beast! Turn back into yourself at once if you want to be spared the death penalty.” The demon turned himself round and revealed that he was really a white deer. Picking the staff up the Star of Longevity said, “You've even stolen my staff, evil beast.” The deer lay down in submission, unable to speak, but only kowtowing and weeping. Look at him:

Brindled like a tablet of jade,

And carrying a pair of seven-branched antlers.

When hungry he used to find the herb garden;

On mornings when thirsty he drank from the misty stream.

In his lengthening years he had taught himself to fly

And through many a day had mastered transformation.

Now that he heard the call of his master

He resumed his own form and lay down in the dust.

Thanking Monkey, the Star of Longevity mounted his deer and was just leaving when Monkey grabbed hold of him and said, “Not so fast, brother. There are a couple more jobs still to be done.”

“What jobs?” the star asked.

“The girl hasn't been caught yet and I don't know what sort of monster she is,” Monkey replied. “We've also got to go back to Bhiksuland together to see the deluded ruler and show him what they really are.”

“In that case I'll be patient,” the star replied. “You and Marshal Tian Peng can go down into the cave to capture the girl and take her back to show the king what she really is.”

“Just wait a little while,” said Monkey. “We'll soon be back.”

Pig then summoned up his spirits and went straight into the Immortal Palace of Pure Splendor with Monkey. “Catch the evil spirit,” he shouted, “catch the evil spirit.” Hearing this great roar the beauty, who was trembling with fear and unable to escape, rushed behind the stone screen, but there was no rear exit.

“Where do you think you're going?” Pig shouted. “I'll get you, you man-trap, you whore spirit. Try my rake!” As the beauty was unarmed she could not fight back, so she dodged the blow and turned herself into a beam of cold light and fled, only to be stopped by the Great Sage, who with two thumping blows of his cudgel knocked her off her feet and laid her low in the dust. She turned back into her real form as a white-faced vixen. Unable to restrain himself, the idiot lifted his rake and struck her a blow on the head. The great beauty of so many smiles was now a hairy fox.

“Don't smash her to pulp,” Monkey said, “keep her in that shape to show her to the deluded king.” The idiot grabbed her by the tail, not minding the filth, and dragged her out through the cave entrance with Monkey. Here he saw the Star of Longevity stroking the deer's head and giving him a dressing-down.

“Evil beast,” he was saying, “why did you run away from me and come here to turn yourself into a spirit? If I hadn't turned up the Great Sage Sun would certainly have killed you.”

“What's that you're saying, brother?” asked Monkey, springing out of the cave.

“I was telling the deer off,” the star explained, “telling the deer off.”