All of his hide was rough and green and scabby.

In his hands he held an amazing object:

A nine-toothed rake of which everyone was afraid.

Summoning up his courage, the evil spirit shouted, “Where are you from? What's your name? Tell me at once and I'll spare your life.”

To this Pig replied with a laugh, “So you can't recognize your own ancestor Pig either, my boy. Come closer and I'll tell you:

For my huge mouth and tusks and mighty powers

I was made Marshal Tian Peng by the Jade Emperor,

Commanding eighty thousand marines on the River of Heaven,

And happy amid all the joys of the heavenly palace.

Because when drunk I fluted with a palace lady

I decided to play the hero for a while.

One butt from my snout destroyed the Dipper and Bull Palace;

I ate the magic mushrooms of the Queen Mother of the West.

The Jade Emperor himself gave me two thousand hammer-blows,

Made me an exile from the world of Heaven.

This made me determined to nourish my spirit,

And become an evil monster in the lower world.

Just when I had made a good marriage in Gao Village

Fate brought me up against my brother Monkey.

He subdued me with his gold-banded cudgel;

I was forced to bow my head and enter the Buddhist faith.

I do the heavy work, saddle the horse and carry luggage:

I must have been the Tang Priest's debtor in an earlier life.

As the iron-footed Marshal Tian Peng my surname was Zhu;

My name as a Buddhist is Zhu Bajie.”

When the evil spirit heard this he shouted, “So you're the Tang Priest's disciple. I've long heard that his flesh is very tasty. You're one of the people I most want to catch. I'm not going to spare you now you've fallen into my clutches. Stay where you are, and take this from my mace.”

“Evil beast,” Pig replied. “You must have been a dyer before.”

“What do you mean, I must have been a dyer?” the evil spirit asked.

“If you weren't a dyer, how come you know how to use a pestle?” Pig retorted, and with no further argument the monster was upon him, striking furiously. They fought a fine battle in the mountain hollow:

A nine-toothed rake,

An iron mace.

As the rake went through its movements they were like a howling gale;

The mace's skilful blows came as thick and fast as rain.

One was an unknown ogre blocking the mountain road;

The other was the offending Tian Peng now guarding his true nature's master.

When one's nature is right monsters cause no fear;

When the mountain is high earth cannot come from metal.

One fought with his mace like a python from a pool;

The other's rake was like a dragon from the waters.

Their angry shouts shook mountains and rivers;

Their mighty roars caused terror down in hell.

Each of the heroes displayed his prowess,

Staking his life on his magical powers.

We will say no more of how Pig set a mighty wind blowing as he fought the evil spirit, who ordered his junior devils to keep Pig surrounded. Instead the story tells how Brother Monkey suddenly gave a bitter laugh behind the Tang Priest's back.

“Why are you laughing like that, elder brother?” Friar Sand asked.

“Pig really is an idiot,” Monkey replied. “As soon as he heard that they feed monks there he fell for my trick. He's been away a long time now. If he'd beaten the evil spirit with a single blow of his rake you'd have seen him coming back in triumph by now, loudly insisting on his great victory. But if the demon's been too much for him and captured him my luck's out. Goodness only knows how often he'll have cursed the Protector of the Horses behind my back. Say nothing while I go to take a look around, Wujing.”

With that the splendid Great Sage, who did not want the venerable elder to know what was happening, quietly pulled a hair out of the back of his head, blew on it with magic breath, said “Change!” and turned it into his own double to stay with the master together with Friar Sand. Then his real self disappeared as he leapt up into the air to look around. He saw the idiot lashing out wildly with his rake at the devils who were surrounding him and gradually getting the better of him.

This was more than Monkey could bear. Bringing his cloud down to land, he shouted at the top of his voice, “Take it easy, Pig. Monkey's here.” Recognizing that it was Monkey's voice gave the idiot a chance to be more ferocious than ever as he hit wildly forward with his rake. The evil spirit was no match for him.

“You weren't up to much before, monk,” he said, “so how come you're so fierce now?”

“You'd better stop bullying me now, my lad,” Pig replied. “I've got one of my people here now.” A moment later he was swinging wildly again with the rake. The evil spirit, unable to stave off the blows, led his devils away in defeat. As soon as Monkey saw that the devils had been beaten he drew no closer but went straight back on his cloud, shook the hair and put it back on his body. With his mortal, fleshly eyes the Tang Priest noticed nothing of this.

Before long a triumphant Pig returned too, so exhausted that his nose was dripping with snot as he foamed at the mouth and was panting loudly. “Master!” he called.

When the Tang Priest saw him he exclaimed in astonishment, “Pig, you went to fetch some grass for the horse. Why have you come back in so terrible a state? Were there watchmen on the mountain who wouldn't let you cut any?”

The idiot flung his rake down, beat his chest and stamped his feet as he replied, “Don't ask me about it, Master. If I had to tell you I'd die of shame.”

“What would you be so ashamed of?” Sanzang asked.

“Elder brother tricked me,” Pig replied. “He told me that it wasn't an evil spirit behind that wind and mist. He said there was nothing sinister about it, but that it was from a village where the people were so pious that they were steaming white rice and breadrolls made with white flour to feed monks with. I believed him. As I was so hungry I thought I'd go ahead to beg for some. Fetching grass for the horse was only an excuse. I never expected to be surrounded by a crowd of evil spirits. They gave me a hard fight, and if Monkey hadn't helped me out with his mourner's staff I'd have had no hope of escaping and getting back here.”

'The idiot's talking nonsense,” said Monkey, who was standing beside them, with a smile. “If you've taken to robbery you're trying to get a whole gaolful of people into trouble. I've been looking after the master here. I've never left his side.”

“It is true,” Sanzang said, “Wukong has never left my side.”

The idiot then sprang up shouting, “You don't understand, Master. He's got a double.”

“Is there really a monster there, Wukong?” Sanzang asked. Monkey could keep his deception up no longer.

“There are a few little devils,” Monkey replied with a bow and a smile, “but they won't dare give us any trouble. Come here, Pig. I'm going to look after you. We're going to escort the master along this steep mountain path as if we were an army on the march.”

“How?” Pig asked.

“You'll be the commander of the vanguard,” Monkey replied, “going in front and clearing the way. If the evil spirit doesn't show up again that will be that; but if he does, you fight him. When you beat the evil spirit that'll be something to your credit.”

Reckoning that the evil spirit's powers were much the same as his own, Pig said, “Very well then. I'm ready to die at his hands. I'll take the lead.”

“Idiot,” said Monkey, “if you start by saying such unlucky things you'll never get anywhere.”

“As you know, brother,” Pig replied,