When Pilgrim heard the music in the palace, he immediately flew through the Tiger Gate.¹ [K. Toward the end of the last chapter, the Mountain-Ridding Bell is mentioned, and the narration is about to turn to the World of the Ancients. But this section is inserted, planting in advance a root for chapter 14. Such expertise in composition: As soon as the hare makes its appearance, the falcon swoops down; though the mountain ridge has separate peaks, the clouds connect them.] After multistoried towers and courts within courts, he came across a hall with green carved decorations. The Son of Heaven sat in the middle, encircled by rank after rank of ministers.

After a few moments’ rest, Pilgrim observed the New Son of Heaven suddenly appear frightened and say to gathered officials, “Yesterday We read in the Precious Instructions of the Great Tang² that ‘Chen Xuanzang, the Tang Monk, tried impudently, but in vain, to deceive Our former Emperor³ with the teachings of those in black robes.⁴ His disciples and apprentices are naught but creatures of the same ilk as those that came from the Water-Curtain Cave and the Rocky Ravine.⁵ Priestly staff and the sandalwood alms bowl were turned into weapons with wood handles and gold hoops.⁶ Forty years hence, he and his followers will invade Our land. He will be a formidable enemy for Us.’ [K. Strange writing. Where could the author have come up with something like this?]

“There is another section: ‘Five hundred years ago, there was a Sun Wukong who rebelled in Heaven, wanting to gain control over the Jade Emperor and put him under his own command. Because the Jade Emperor’s mandate had not run out, the Buddhist Patriarch clamped down on the rebel.’ If it came to this in Heaven, how much worse could it be in the human realm! But the Tang Monk took him to be his first disciple. Why? It is in order to establish his hegemony in the southeast through this journey to the West, and to enhance the force of whales with the power of Monkey and Horse.⁷

“After reading the book, We are somewhat intimidated. We now dispatch Zhao Cheng, our commander-in-chief, to the West to execute the Tang Monk and return with his head. We will then pardon his disciples and command them to disband. This will put an end to it.”

Li Kuang, the vice director of the Department of State Affairs, stepped out of the ranks and memorialized, “That bald vassal Chen Xuanzang should not be killed but instead made use of. If he can be made use of, he can be used to kill others; if he cannot be made use of, then let others kill him.” [K. This is the same as “pitting a third party against another third party,” mentioned in chapter 2. The earlier and later texts correspond to each other, seemingly effortlessly.]

This said, the New Son of Heaven ordered the generals and soldiers to make their way to the armory and fetch weapons and armor, ceremonial or otherwise, such as

the flying dragon sword, the King of Wu’s cutlass, the hooked spear of Jieshi,⁸ the thunder-patterned halberd, the dagger ax carved with the five clouds motif, the helmet with the Black Steed motif,⁹ the silvery fish-scale armor, the flag for the jade-color tent with the flying tiger motif,¹⁰ the standards of Yao and Shun, the peach blossom battle-ax,¹¹ autumn axes,¹² the helmet with a glass moon mirror, the red-gold robe with the motif of flying fish, the boots with crystal strings for beheading monsters, the ceremonial fan of seven stars¹³—

along with the sealed edict written on yellow silk, to be delivered at the fastest possible speed to Chen Xuanzang, the Imperial Brother, the Supreme Green-Eradication General in the Western Land. [C. The words “Green-Eradication General” demand to be pondered.] The edict reads:

O Supreme General, whose rectitude is as upright as the green bamboo trunk and whose integrity as straight as a taut red string:¹⁴ only yesterday all the various nobles on the Green Circuit sent urgent messengers here to their Sovereign, vying with each other to report your heroic martial accomplishments, General, so outstanding that in the West the mermen were made tongue-tied and flood dragons to bate their mirage-producing breath.¹⁵ Even in this era when the auspicious “Calendar Flower”¹⁶ grows by the stairs, We have not seen you Ourself, General whom We have always admired. Hearing these words of praise, We turn Our gaze to the mountains in the West, sighing, filled with sadness.

Now the bandits in the West are numerous as the stars, while urgent reports of their attacks are being dispatched to the Court every day. This demonstrates that Heaven detests Our not seeing you and will bless Us with your return. Why would you, General, not leap over the White Pool to tap on your sword of wisdom, discard your monk’s black robe and unload your bag of intelligence? When the greenwood is once again like a belt of silk, and day and night there are no longer beacon fires of alarm, then We will tie the head of the General’s horse with a foot of white silk. Today’s engraved halberd and silvery armor will, in another day, be replaced with insect-repelling canopies and painted curtains. Even on the bronze column of the Kunlun Mountains,¹⁷ it would be difficult to carve an inscription that provokes tears.¹⁸ By the golden sun that hangs on the wall of Heaven, who could compose lines of a rhapsody on your triumphal return?¹⁹ We hope that the General would consider this, and reconsider it as well. Meanwhile, for long have We wearied of coral bows and green jade arrows.²⁰

He then called those in the palace to fetch the dragon and tiger tally of imperial authority²¹ and entrusted these items to the messenger. In response to the imperial command, the messenger accepted the jade emblems as well as the edict and seal presented by the emperor and galloped out of the city.

Greatly alarmed, Pilgrim was afraid that something might happen that would harm his master. Not daring to make a sound, he immediately hurried after the messenger. Flying like the “Fall of the Plum Blossom” [K. Produces writing by echoing the “Dance of the Beauty” and “Carrying the Pipa on the Back.”], he made his way out of the city gate. Resuming his own form, he looked all around for the messenger, who was already nowhere to be seen. Pilgrim was by now even more resentful and agitated, and for a moment sat down, not knowing what to do.

Our story continues: It so happened that even though he was unable to determine whether the New Tang was real or illusory, out of the blue Pilgrim heard that his master had become a general [K. The method of recapitulating and transition in literary composition.], which made him surprised and frightened, worried and dispirited. [K. Even when he first entered New Tang, he had many doubts. Now, he enters deeper into the world of the monster, forgetting his original face.] Just as he made a hasty leap into the air to see where his master had ended up, he suddenly heard voices in the sky above. [K. Every joint (of one narrative block with another) presents something unexpected.]

Hastily he looked up and saw four or five hundred people grasping axes and holding hatchets, chopping away at the firmament with all their strength. Pilgrim thought to himself, “They look like neither the guardian deities on duty, nor evil and malicious stars. In every way they look like ordinary people from the world below; so why are they doing such a thing here? They might be demons who have transformed to delude humans, but there’s no evil aura about their bodies and faces. Now that I think about it, I wonder if Heaven is suffering from itches, and it needs these people to scratch its back. [K. Strange and marvelous writing. This can be seen as a continuation of “Questioning Heaven.”²²] I wonder if Heaven is suffering from bone spurs and has invited surgeons to come here to operate on them. Maybe it’s because Heaven resents becoming old—and the old Heaven is being chiseled away to make room for a new one. I wonder if Heaven has grown a curtain around itself, and they are cutting away the unreal Heaven so as to see the real one. [C. “Unreal Heaven” and “Real Heaven” are meaningful in a subtle way.] I wonder if the River of Heaven has overflowed its banks and the floodwater is being diverted here, to flow downward. I wonder if the Palace of Divine Mists is being rebuilt, and today is an auspicious day to start construction according to the almanac. I wonder if Heaven is artistically minded, and is having artists carve and sculpt itself into a splendid picture. Maybe it’s because the Jade Emperor developed mortal desires and is building an imperial thoroughfare so that he can make regular descents to the human world. [K. The language indirectly points to something.] I wonder if the blood of Heaven is red or white. I wonder if the skin of Heaven is one layer thick or two. I wonder when the chest of Heaven is chiseled open, will it be revealed that Heaven has a heart, or that it is heartless. I wonder if the heart of Heaven leans to one side, or is it upright in the middle.²³ I wonder if this is a young and tender Heaven, or an old one. I wonder if this is a male Heaven or a female. I wonder if they want to chisel Heaven into a hanging mountain, to rival the mountains on earth. I wonder if they will chisel open a mouth for Heaven to swallow up the entire Jambudvīpa world.²⁴ [C. Extraordinary writing.] Whatever the reason, ordinary people down on earth just don’t have this ability. I’ll just go ask and then I’ll know.”

Thereupon Pilgrim shouted, “Honorable Sirs who are chiseling Heaven, which king’s subjects are you? Why are you doing such a strange thing?”

Those people all laid down their tools and saluted him in midair, saying, “Homage to you, Elder from the Southeast! We are all called Space-Walkers, and we live in the Village of Golden Carp. Twenty years ago an itinerant Daoist priest came by and taught us the magic of walking in space, so all the men and women in the village are able to draw the charms and chant the spells to ride on stars and fly on clouds. For this reason we changed the name of our Golden Carp Village to Space-Walkers Village, and the men and women raised there are all referred to as space-walkers, and now there is no place we don’t get to by walking in space.

“Who could have thought that there is a Heavenly King of the World of the Green²⁵ here who is also known as King of the Lesser Moon.²⁶ [K. Mountain Man of Wuling says, “King of the Lesser Moon” 小月王 is a rebus of the word qing 情 (desire).] Recently he entertained a monk, the Great Dharma Master Xuanzang, who happened to be the second master of Pilgrim, Sun Wukong,²⁷ the Distinguished Guest of the Underworld, the Rebel in Heaven, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and the Master of the Water-Curtain Cave. The Legitimate Emperor of the Great Tang had made a present of the hundred-treasures cassock and the priestly staff with the motif of five flowers to this monk, and upon him bestowed the title of Imperial Younger Brother. This dharma master’s secular family name is Chen. Being a prudent disciplinarian, abstaining from meat and alcohol, and having no wandering eyes when it comes to sex, he is quite worthy to undertake the journey to the Western Paradise.

“But the problem is that Pilgrim Sun is wild and uninhibited, killing people as if he were mowing down grass, with the result that their route to the West has become a bloody path. [K. Referring back to the first chapter.] When ordinary folks speak of this, they cannot help but gnash their teeth in rage. Now the King of Great Benevolence, who commiserates with all forms of life, has forged a bronze wall as tall as the sky, which has entirely blocked the high road to the West. He also took into consideration Pilgrim Sun’s ability to change himself into forms large or small, so he spread a Lovesickness Web sixty thousand miles in length. [K. For the Lovesickness Web, sixty thousand miles is certainly not the limit.] Now the Eastern Heaven and the Western Heaven are two separate locales, communicable by neither carriage nor boat, by neither land nor water.

“The Tang Monk was greatly grieved. Pilgrim, his feet trembling, ran away. Eight Vows and the Sand Monk, the Tang Monk’s second and third disciples, could do nothing but cry [K. Anticipating the chapter about the writs of divorce.], and the white horse, the Tang Monk’s mount, refused to take even one bite of grass. [K. Vague, dim, faint, trancelike, but narrated as indisputably backed up with evidence.] In the midst of his disarray and confusion at that time, the Tang Monk came up with a plan. Telling his second disciple not to panic, and his third disciple not to panic either, he spurred his white horse on and hurried away into the World of the Green. [K. Points out.]

“As soon as the King of the Lesser Moon saw him, it was as if they had been husband and wife in their previous lives: the King regarded himself and the Monk as brothers: he adamantly insisted on passing the kingship of the World of the Green on to the Monk, but the Monk was just as adamantly unwilling to accept it. With his whole mind, he was determined to reach the Western Paradise. The King of the Lesser Moon wanted to stick close to him, but the Monk pushed him away. One sticking close and the other pushing away, this went on for several days, until the King of the Lesser Moon, at a loss as to what to do, gathered the most virtuous men in the state for a council. One great worthy man came up with a scheme. The King would only need to search everywhere for people who are able to chisel Heaven. Once an opening is made in Heaven, the Reverend Mr. Chen could simply ascend with one leap and go straight into the Palace of the Jade Emperor and secure an official passport that would allow him to go directly to the Western Paradise. What a wonderful thing this would be!

“The King of the Lesser Moon was half worried and half pleased, and instantly sent off men on horseback to look for people who could chisel the sky. The soldiers chanced upon the company of us, while we happened to be catching wild geese. They surrounded us. A general in gold armor pointed at us and had us grabbed, saying, ‘They are the sky-chiselers! We found the sky-chiselers!’ A band of foot soldiers rounded us up, had us arrested, put cangues and shackles on us, and brought us to the King of the Lesser Moon.

“The King was overwhelmed with joy. [C. As soon as the King of the Lesser Moon sees the sky-chiselers, he is overwhelmed with joy. Please meditate on this.] He had our cangues unlocked and our shackles removed and had festive wine brought out to reward us. Then he commanded us to chisel the sky. As the proverb goes, ‘Those who know how are not in a hurry, those in a hurry don’t know how.’ We have done many other things, but we are not accustomed to using chisels and axes to punch holes in the sky. But now, having been treated this way by the King of the Lesser Moon, we could only sharpen our chisels and axes and force ourselves to learn how to cut through the sky.

“With our faces turned upward for so long, our necks ache; after walking in space for so long, our feet began to hurt. [K. Chiseling the sky is actually a very hard thing to do.] About noon, all of us tried our hardest, and we chiseled open a crack in the sky. Who could have thought that this was not the right place? It turned out that we had cut an opening right under the Palace of Divine Mists, and the palace slipped right through, as if lubricated with oil! In Heaven there were cries to catch the thieves who stole Heaven. A great fuss was made, and it took quite some time for things to calm down.

“But thanks to our lucky stars, somebody else was blamed for what we had done. When the yelling in Heaven finally quieted down, we were a little afraid. When we cocked our ears to listen, what we heard was someone called the Supreme Old Master²⁸ [K. Wraps together with the previous text. This both seems to and seems not to connect up to chapter 2; the writing is both vague and exact.] replying to the Jade Emperor, ‘Don’t be angry, and don’t get upset. This deed is not something that anyone else could have done: It must have been that little dog of a slave, the Custodian of the Celestial Stable, Sun the Pilgrim. Now, if we mobilize the Celestial Forces, I am afraid that will cause trouble once again. That would not be as good as begging the Buddhist Patriarch to imprison him beneath the Mountain of Five Phases again. Furthermore, we should also tell the Buddhist Patriarch that after this he should never be let out again.’

“When we had heard all that, we knew that no one was blaming us. When you think about it, the fault ended up being placed on someone else. Then we came back here, and boldly kept on chiseling. We figure that there could not be a second Palace of Divine Mists to fall through. But pity poor Pilgrim Sun: In the Region Below,²⁹ everyone along the road to the West hates him, and those in the Upper Region all have grievances against him. The news of this will be brought to the Buddhist Patriarch. When the Bodhisattva Guanyin sees that the Buddhist Patriarch holds him responsible, she would not dare to lend him a helping hand. Where can he go?”

A bystander said, “Phooey! What’s to pity about Monkey Sun? If it were not for that monkey, that dog of a slave, we would not be here doing such hard labor as this!” Those holding chisels and using axes all shouted, “You are right. Let’s curse him!” [C. Talking about the Great Sage in front of the Great Sage; pitying the Great Sage in front of the Great Sage; cursing the Great Sage in front the Great Sage: where can the Great Sage find a place that will accept him any more?] All that could be heard was a great boiling over up in the air, with everyone yelling lines such as “Stable custodian!” “Wine thief!” “Elixir thief!” “Ginseng fruit bandit!” and “Rascal monkey demon!” The cursing made Sun the Pilgrim’s gold pupils grow dim and his bronze bones become numb.

[C. What is extraordinary about this book is how it concludes one episode and lays the groundwork for a new one at the same time: for example, this chapter concludes the episode (begun in) chapter 2, but it also brings up the King of the Lesser Moon’s World of the Green, which is an instance of laying the groundwork (for a future episode).]